+Curridog 0 Posted December 3 If they give me the word “PUZZLE” for a puzzle cache, what type of help do I need to look at? Quote Share this post Link to post
+Max and 99 859 Posted December 3 1 minute ago, Curridog said: If they give me the word “PUZZLE” for a puzzle cache, what type of help do I need to look at? It can be a hundred different things! Is there a link to a "jigsaw" puzzle on the cache page? I've seen a lot of those. Is it a Vigenere cipher, and Puzzle is the keyword? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
+cerberus1 2073 Posted December 3 1 hour ago, Max and 99 said: It can be a hundred different things! Is there a link to a "jigsaw" puzzle on the cache page? I've seen a lot of those. Is it a Vigenere cipher, and Puzzle is the keyword? Yep. And add in that terms of use says we simply aren't supposed to help without the CO's okay. Quote Share this post Link to post
+frostengel 305 Posted December 3 4 hours ago, cerberus1 said: Yep. And add in that terms of use says we simply aren't supposed to help without the CO's okay. And that is why I suggest that you directly ask the cache owner, Curridog. First of all she/he surely doesn't want her/his mystery being spoiled here. Second she/he knows best what she/he intends with the riddle (especially without us having the GC-Code or link to the cache) I have to admit that I don't really understand the question. :-) Quote Share this post Link to post
+niraD 2091 Posted December 3 10 minutes ago, frostengel said: I have to admit that I don't really understand the question. :-) Same here. But on the off chance that the OP wants help understanding how to solve puzzle caches,, 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.) If you ask the cache owner for a hint, then be sure to mention the approaches you have tried so far, and the results those approaches have yielded. It can also be helpful to work together with others who are trying to solve the same puzzle. Geocaching events are a good place to meet other geocachers; ask around to see if anyone else is trying to solve the same puzzle(s) as you. Other useful resources include: How to solve Mystery Caches (also known as Puzzle Caches) (blog post) Puzzle Solving 101 Series (bookmark list) Calgary Puzzle Solving 101 (bookmark list) Puzzle Shortcuts Series (bookmark list) Solving Puzzle Caches (online article) How Do I Solve All These &#$@! Puzzle Caches? (tutorial-style puzzle cache) Geocaching Toolbox ("All geocaching tools a geocacher needs in one box.") 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) LANAKI's Classical Cryptography Course How to Puzzle Cache (book) 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
+Ragnemalm 61 Posted December 4 (edited) Like others said, can be a lot of things: Online jigsaw puzzle as mystery Jigsaw puzzle in a box as part of a multi-cache Any kind of mystery Any kind of field puzzle (multi, gadget cache...) On my area, there are so many online jigsaw puzzles (usually JiGiDi), even a big geo-art saying PUZZLE, that I would never put the word puzzle in the title on anything else that the jigsaw kinds. Two of the caches are missing since I have solved them but not logged. Edited December 4 by Ragnemalm Quote Share this post Link to post