+catiiiii Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I am fairly new to Geocaching although I have had an account for a long time so please forgive me. When I click on a mystery cache and you have to solve a puzzle but there isn't a puzzle on the page but a link to certitude or something else to validate the puzzle solution does that mean there's a puzzle at the listed coordinates? I'm a little confused. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! Examples: GC8MP51 GC8H18Y GC3C9Z5 Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 No, for each of these three examples, you need to solve the puzzle by studying the cache page and finding out the coordinates to visit in order to find the container and sign the logbook. 3 Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 1 minute ago, Keystone said: No, for each of these three examples, you need to solve the puzzle by studying the cache page and finding out the coordinates to visit in order to find the container and sign the logbook. Exactly. For many geocaching puzzles, most of the work is finding the puzzle and figuring out what to do with it to get coordinates. 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) Quote Link to comment
+HoochDog Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 Like On 5/19/2020 at 2:49 PM, catiiiii said: Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! For puzzle caches, I'd give the same advice to someone just starting to find traditional caches. Start off with the easy ones to get the hang of it. D1. When I first spied puzzle caches in my area, I had no idea what to do, but solving the easier ones starts to get you the hang of it and before long you'll be able to start tackling those harder ones. 2 Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I'd love to find some D1 puzzles but I've never seen any below D2 and I struggle with them. Quote Link to comment
+barefootjeff Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 27 minutes ago, colleda said: I'd love to find some D1 puzzles but I've never seen any below D2 and I struggle with them. A quick search brings up 34 D1 puzzles in New South Wales including the new one GC8MJ4V by our mutual friend MM, which I managed to both solve and find on my first attempt! Quote Link to comment
+colleda Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 8 minutes ago, barefootjeff said: A quick search brings up 34 D1 puzzles in New South Wales including the new one GC8MJ4V by our mutual friend MM, which I managed to both solve and find on my first attempt! Thanks for that one Jeff. Solved it after getting the extra "Hint" . As I have a crook back ATM I will have to wait until I've recovered enough to go climbing. T5 too. Cool. Quote Link to comment
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