Tools for helping solve Puzzle Caches

[+coodie]

Howdy again. Another beginner person question.

 

Are there tools or sites that assist in getting you in the right direction for how to solve a particular type of puzzle cache? Or does it just take some time and experience to realize how puzzles work?

 

There are some people who appear to never have issues solving the clue to get the coordinates. But they're not always so obvious to me.

 

The only ones I've seen so far are ones where you just have to figure out the last few digits of the coordinates. In most of them, the logs has someone who says something like "I couldn't get this one, so I looked up how to solve this type of puzzle and then it was obvious", I'm like "omg, where was it you looked it up at?!"

 

Maybe I just suck at puzzles...

[Pup Patrol]

Howdy again. Another beginner person question.

 

Are there tools or sites that assist in getting you in the right direction for how to solve a particular type of puzzle cache? Or does it just take some time and experience to realize how puzzles work?

 

There are some people who appear to never have issues solving the clue to get the coordinates. But they're not always so obvious to me.

 

The only ones I've seen so far are ones where you just have to figure out the last few digits of the coordinates. In most of them, the logs has someone who says something like "I couldn't get this one, so I looked up how to solve this type of puzzle and then it was obvious", I'm like "omg, where was it you looked it up at?!"

 

Maybe I just suck at puzzles...

 

1.) The first place to "look up" how to solve a puzzle would be Google. Worked for me. Or maybe Google Images.

 

2.) Try contacting the cache owner for a hint.

 

3.) An advanced forum search for "puzzle" and "niraD" as author should bring up the umpteen times niraD has posted his helpful post. It should be made a sticky somewhere on the forum, so it's easy to find and link to.

 

According to section 2-D of the geocaching.com terms of use, "You agree not to: [...] xxiii. Publish on our websites the solutions, hints, spoilers, or any hidden coordinates for any geocache without consent from the geocache owner.” However, here are some general puzzle tips (based in part on a puzzle-solving class event presented by The Rat a while ago):

 

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

 

 

B.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Pup Patrol

[+coodie]

Thanks, Pup!

[the3gmen]

If you have an Android phone you can also check out the GeoCache Calculator app (GCC). It has all kinds of goodies that MAY help with caching puzzles.

[+niraD]

Are there tools or sites that assist in getting you in the right direction for how to solve a particular type of puzzle cache? Or does it just take some time and experience to realize how puzzles work?

Yes.

 

Experience with different kinds of puzzles helps a lot. You learn how to analyze the data available, you learn how to recognize different types of puzzles, you learn what tools are available.

 

Speaking of tools, there are a lot of tools around. There are online tools of various kinds, plus there is software that runs on your computer, or on a smartphone or tablet. Many of the serious puzzlers that I know have developed their own arsenal of tools that they use. Sometimes they create their own tools.

 

There are some people who appear to never have issues solving the clue to get the coordinates. But they're not always so obvious to me.

Experience goes a long way. The first time a novice geocacher comes across an LPC, or a FPC, or MKH, or UPS, or any other TLA cache, it's going to be much more of a challenge then the fiftieth time. Puzzles are the same way. As you do more of them, you'll learn more about how to solve them.

 

I'm like "omg, where was it you looked it up at?!"

Sometimes, there are hints in the description, or in the cache name, or somewhere else. If there are unusual words that seem out of place or strange? They could be the name of a cipher or code, or an anagram of the name of a cipher or code, or the inventor of a cipher or code, or something like that.

 

Again, experience helps. And Google is your friend.

[+eightwednesday]

The best tool for solving an individual cache is contacting the CO (if that doesn't work, try a recent finder--but always try the CO first!).

 

Some puzzles are extremely difficult, but which ones are extremely difficult are different from person to person. And, with practice, you'll find fewer are insurmountable.

 

For example, working with a friend, we spent two years poring over a puzzle cache and once the CO gave us a hint, we literally unlocked the secret and found the coordinates in a matter of minutes.

 

Though I rely on Google for helping me solve most cipher caches. With experience, I've learned a lot about ciphers and how to pretty reliably identify which ones are in use. I've also learned some crazy things like the Moon alphabet, which was a predecessor to Braille.

 

It's ok to be slow or have a lot of questions about a puzzle cache. Story of my life. But it's kind of become a secondary hobby to solve them. I call it rainy (snowy?) day geocaching.

[+thebruce0]

I have a reference site with a whole lot of links to tools and guides and tutorials at http://ref.wikibruce.com . A work in progress