Any good sources for letter puzzle solving techniques?

[+AZjohn]

Just started caching a month ago and have found all the regular caches within a walking (5 mile) radius from my house. Now working on puzzle caches. While i resolved the digital root caches most of them seem to use alphabet scrambles ( Eq all 26 letters letters reordered) or alphanumeric conversions( eg "b9", "C7", "cd4" etc) of some type which I'm having difficulty with. Are there any good online references for solving these?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Edited June 9, 2013 by AZjohn

[+anarcha77]

Check out ePeterso2's "Puzzle Solving 101" cache series. He gives a lot of good information via 10 puzzle caches, including ways of solving ciphers and identifying what kind of cipher is used in a puzzle, and provides some helpful links to these kinds of resources. The first in the series is GCYXZ1.

[+niraD]

Here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago) that I've posted before:

 

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, athletes’ jersey numbers, episode numbers, product codes, etc.).

 

Around here, coordinates will have 15 digits, and will look like "N 37° xx.xxx W 122° xx.xxx". So when I'm solving a nearby puzzle, I look for a group of 15 things, and then I look for ways to get the digits 37xxxxx122xxxxx from them. In general, I look for ways to get the number 37 (or the digits 3 and 7) from something near the beginning of the puzzle, and the number 122 (or the digits 1, 2, and 2) from something near the middle of the puzzle. (Of course, you'll need to adjust this for the coordinates near you.)

 

Other useful resources include:

 

Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list)

Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list)

Solving Puzzle Caches (online article)

How Do I Solve All These $@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache)

Puzzle FUNdamentals (archived event cache) and the Puzzle FUNdamentals resources on the GeocacheAlaska! education page

The GBA's Puzzle Cache FAQ (for puzzle designers, but useful for understanding how puzzle caches work)

 

If you’re interested in extremely challenging puzzles, then consider the online discussions of Venona’s ACTIVITIES in the GBA forums. The puzzles for this annual event are very challenging, intended to be solved by multiple people working together online. (You'll need to register on the GBA site to view these forum threads.)

 

Overview: Venona's 2011 ACTIVITIES

Overview: Venona's 2012 ACTIVITIES

[+AZjohn]

Many thanks guys []. Tons of good stuff here. I've already used it to solve three of the stumpers I had on my list.

 

John