Common strategies for solving puzzles?

[+cmdrblop]

I've solved a few puzzles, but most of them are totally obtuse to me. Some have long, rambling descriptions, and I assume I'm supposed to somehow extract numbers from the text. Others show a series of numbers with no clues suggesting what to do with them. In many cases, I'm not sure how the starting coordinates fit in with the overall puzzle.

 

Are there common strategies for approaching puzzles?

 

Thanks in advance for any wisdom out there!

[+briansnat]

The strategies are as varied as the puzzles. There is no common strategy other than using your brainpower.

[+niraD]

A while back, The Rat offered a puzzle-solving class as an event cache. His slides are available here:

http://thegba.net/resources/general_inform...?subtab=how_tos

 

Among the tips he offered:

 

Identify the theme. Check the cache title, the hint, the HTML source, the graphics (including names/URLs), any links (including URLs), whatever is at the posted coordinates, etc. If you can figure out the theme, then you should look for numbering systems that are associated with that theme (zip codes, area codes, telephone keypads, episode numbers, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, so look for groups of 15. Also, look for ways to get the number 37 or the digits 3 and 7 from something near the beginning of the puzzle. Towards the middle of the puzzle, look for ways to get the numbers 121 or 122, or the digits 1, 2, and 1, or 1, 2, and 2. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

[7rxc]

When faced with a problem of any sort, I always recommend, try the obvious... then if that doesn't work, try a change of perspective... mentally take one step back, one to the left or right, then try looking at it again. That slight change can make all the difference. Works on physical caches as well. But do watch where you take any REAL steps!

 

Doug

[+Styk]

Always remember, and never forget, normally the actual cache location should be within 1-2 miles of the fake / posted coordinates as per the guidelines.

[+Chrysalides]

Always remember, and never forget, normally the actual cache location should be within 1-2 miles of the fake / posted coordinates as per the guidelines.

Older caches have more relaxed guidelines.

 

NiraD : thanks for the link.

[+niraD]

Always remember, and never forget, normally the actual cache location should be within 1-2 miles of the fake / posted coordinates as per the guidelines.

Older caches have more relaxed guidelines.

So do some newer ones, if there's a good reason for the bogus coordinates to be more than 2 miles from the cache.

 

NiraD : thanks for the link.

You're welcome.

[+cmdrblop]

Thanks for the tips! And niraD, I happen to live in the same area as you, so I've learned to try to discern the 37 and the 122 as well.

 

Going to check out those slides now...

[+ras_oscar]

I assume the 37 is teb first 2 didgets but where did you derive 121?

 

anyone know how far apart the didits in dd mm.mmm are? For example how woud I calculate the distance between these 2 made up coords?

 

N37d 25.100 W22d25.100

 

and

 

N37d 25.100 W22d 25.101

[+niraD]

I assume the 37 is teb first 2 didgets but where did you derive 121?

For a puzzle located near me, the coordinates will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, if I find a group of 15 things, then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them.

 

anyone know how far apart the didits in dd mm.mmm are? For example how woud I calculate the distance between these 2 made up coords?

 

N37d 25.100 W22d25.100

 

and

 

N37d 25.100 W22d 25.101

A quick search found http://www.hypernews.org/HyperNews/get/trails/SAR/291/1.html which says that a minute of latitude is 6076 feet, so a thousandth of a minute is about 6 feet. The conversion for longitude depends on your latitude. At 35° latitude, a minute of longitude is 4992 feet, so a thousandth of a minute is about 5 feet.

[+Harry Dolphin]

As Brain intimated: The solutions are as varied as the devious minds of the hiders. And, some will NOT give you coordinates!

[+Chrysalides]

anyone know how far apart the didits in dd mm.mmm are?

In one of fizzymagic's puzzles there is a link to this site:

 

http://www.ga.gov.au/geodesy/datums/vincenty_inverse.jsp

 

You can enter 25.101 (for example) into minutes as 0 into seconds, so no need to do the conversion.

 

You will need to convert meters to feet / miles though.

 

In your example I got (after conversion) 4.84 ft.

[+niraD]

Some have long, rambling descriptions, and I assume I'm supposed to somehow extract numbers from the text.

Maybe. Maybe not. I've seen puzzles hidden in long, rambling descriptions, and I've seen long, rambling descriptions that were just a long, rambling red herrings.

 

Others show a series of numbers with no clues suggesting what to do with them.

Often, the cache description will include some sort of hint about the theme of the puzzle, and that will give you a hint about what you need to do with the numbers. But there's a "Plain Ol' Puzzle" series around here that just gives you the puzzle. In cases like that, you just need to try different ways of manipulating the numbers.

 

In many cases, I'm not sure how the starting coordinates fit in with the overall puzzle.

Often, the starting coordinates are irrelevant. Occasionally, they'll refer to a location that gives you a hint about the theme of the cache. Occasionally, they'll be part of the puzzle. For example, you might be told to add 0.ABC to the latitude, and 0.DEF to the longitude, and the solution to the puzzle gives you A, B, C, D, E, and F.