| Author |
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| jbvntx |
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 1:36 am Post subject: 1 |
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| I'm curious how GL people feel about puzzles that are geared more for individual solving than group effort. When I made mine it didn't occur to me at the time, but it was really designed for individual solving. This is probably typical of grid-type puzzles like Slithering Words, as opposed to lists of words and cryptics, etc. Is it good to have a mix like that, or do people prefer group solving? |
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| novice |
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 6:33 am Post subject: 0 |
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| Gomez wrote: |
Well done everyone. And big thnks to Suspence for organising everything. I really enjoyed being a part of it.
P.S. If anyone could see fit to giving me a little feedback on my puzzle, I'd appreciate it. I've volunteered to make a puzzle for the next one so it'd be helpful to know if I made any missteps on this one. |
Your puzzle was very enjoyable, I like puzzles with many mini challenges. The only negative I can think of off the top of my head is maybe it lacked a bit of a running theme? |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:16 am Post subject: -1 |
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I agree on that one. I ended up happy with the "books were what we had before movies" interpretation of the title, but that's not why I chose movies originally. I simply wanted this constraint to make the construction of the puzzle a challenge.
Ultimately, it led to two pitfalls - the easy jump to the solution of the last puzzle, and the confusion around the meta solution. |
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| LordKinbote |
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 2:14 am Post subject: -2 |
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Nice puzzles. Sorry I flaked out.
I'm not sure I'm wild about the "All answers are movies" red herring, though. |
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| Gomez |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:23 pm Post subject: -3 |
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Well done everyone. And big thnks to Suspence for organising everything. I really enjoyed being a part of it.
P.S. If anyone could see fit to giving me a little feedback on my puzzle, I'd appreciate it. I've volunteered to make a puzzle for the next one so it'd be helpful to know if I made any missteps on this one. |
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| Jack_Ian |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:47 pm Post subject: -4 |
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Thanks for the feedback Oscar. Points taken.
I added "shruff" intentionally to make things difficult.
It probably would not have been so bad, had it somehow become obvious that "scruff" was the wrong choice.
I'll take your points on board for my next attempt.
It's always hard to see how obscure an answer is when that's all I can see while looking at the puzzle.
I'm sure Suspence felt the same while watching us wander off into oblivion rather than look at what was right under our noses. |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:16 pm Post subject: -5 |
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| Jack_Ian wrote: |
| I'd love to hear some feedback though on how I might have improved it. |
While each element was interesting, I think there was just a bit too much going on. I gather you bolted on the maze part as a front end and solving this was no sinecure, as novice and I can testify - if fact understanding the exact rules took some time. Once I'd understood these the puzzle maze was fun to solve, but knowing when you'd got the ideal solution was again not clear. Since there was so much work still to do, this IMHO needed clarifying. Again we were unclear as to what bunch of letters needed working on - when I found out that it was the entire path, I'd spent so much time working on the smaller set with *almost* plausible results that I thought 'B***er it, I'm out!"
The further need to work on one level for the cleaning operation then combine each top and bottom level element for the final massage required 2 different insights which were completely valid in themselves, but both needed rather obscure bits of knowledge: trans-uranic elements (none of which I'd heard of) and the word 'shruff' (which I suspect no-one else on the GL has heard of until now!) when the normal 'scruff' produced a plausible result.
Summing up:
lots of good, fun elements in a clever puzzle overall, but with the need to give the solver more feedback to confirm they were on the right track. |
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| Jack_Ian |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:53 am Post subject: -6 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| I wish I hadn't spoiled Jack_Ian's puzzle. |
Since the answer couldn't really be used to back-solve, I don't think it made too much of a difference.
I'd love to hear some feedback though on how I might have improved it. |
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| Scurra |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:02 am Post subject: -7 |
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Well, a list of answers that could be arranged in ascending order of length would provide a pointer to perhaps reading diagonally, even if that order turns out to be neither the correct set of letters nor the correct sequence!
Although I grant you that it would probably annoy a lot more people than it would help... |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:36 am Post subject: -8 |
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I think the best puzzles are the ones where the different alleys meet up at the intended solution.  |
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| Elethiomel |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:15 am Post subject: -9 |
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A fine set of puzzles, overall. Personally, I don't see how a blind alley would improve the quality of a puzzle? Or maybe I do... I guess I try to make blind alleys when I construct cryptic clues, but it's the kind of blind alley you know to expect.
E.g.,
Shell sounds like a slave master. (Answer: surface)
Where "shell sounds" is arguably a blind alley of sorts. |
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| Scurra |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:39 am Post subject: -10 |
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| Oscar wrote: |
| Interesting that Scurra's reaction was that it would have been improved by adding another blind alley to stumble around in! |
That's because I'm clearly a sadist at heart.  |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:50 am Post subject: -11 |
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Nice meta, Suspence, which we really should have nailed some time ago! It must have been *almost* as frustrating for you, watching us stumble around, as it was for us doing the stumbling! Interesting that Scurra's reaction was that it would have been improved by adding another blind alley to stumble around in!
Thanks to you and all the puzzle setters for their fine efforts and with lessons learned let's hope the next one is even better!  |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:24 am Post subject: -12 |
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I tried the successive letter from each word thing...and as it didn't make a word I left it...never thought to anagram it...(must kick myself!)
Equal measures of very interesting and frustrating...well done to everyone involved. |
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| novice |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:17 am Post subject: -13 |
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Nice puzzles.
When you're only using the surface readings and the roman numerals in the meta, isn't having all the words be movie titles a red herring? |
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| Scurra |
Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 12:24 am Post subject: -14 |
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A very fine meta solution with a method that I really should have spotted given that I use it myself all the time!
I do think, however, that my original mistaken assumption was not entirely misplaced: when someone suggests that X or Y could have been used, but Z was used in the end, it does sound as though this relates to the final solution, not to the construction process, although I do agree you did specifically mention the compilation in your comment..
It looks as though my throwawy comment earlier in the thread was also valid: I think you could have used MASK and CRASH in place of MISERY and CLOSER. That would have given a set of titles of increasing letter length, which would have provided a nice blind alley - although perhaps it might have made a back-solve of Vertigo even easier! |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:20 pm Post subject: -15 |
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CODICES is indeed correct.
| Thok wrote: |
| Edit: How do you make Valkerie work without the O? |
By having a solution other than CODICES. As I mentioned, I developed by method first, then used that to determine the solution.
It's pretty tough to make a word by choosing letter from different spaces within one word movie titles that start with Roman numerals when arranged by Roman numeral.
I was pleased I could tie the "old days" thing into both the method (and old numbering system) and the solution (an old way to entertain yourself, before movies).
So, that is that. Thanks to everyone who participated, and a special thanks to all those who put time and energy into building the puzzles.
This thread is now open for constructive criticism. I hope we can do this again in the near future, and I hope our next effort is made better by the mistakes I've made here. |
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| Thok |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:09 pm Post subject: -16 |
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Closer C
dEfiance E
miSery S
limItless I
xanaDu D
invinCible C
vertigO O
In ivxlcdm order: CODICES, aka an ancient type of book.
CALL IN CODICES
Edit: How do you make Valkerie work without the O? |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:11 pm Post subject: -17 |
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Hmmm...
I wish I hadn't spoiled Jack_Ian's puzzle. It's too bad his had to be #7. |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:58 pm Post subject: -18 |
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| Call in CLUELESS |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 6:25 pm Post subject: -19 |
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All these are incorrect:
ANNUS MIRABILIS
ISAAC NEWTON
UNPAVED
NUMBERS
ROMAN NUMERALS
There really isn't much to the meta, yet you all are overlooking a very important part. |
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| jbvntx |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:57 pm Post subject: -20 |
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Maybe it still is simply something to do with adding the roman numerals to get 1666.
Call in ANNUS MIRABILIS.
Call in ISAAC NEWTON |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:33 pm Post subject: -21 |
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| Scurra wrote: |
| Suspence wrote: |
| I promise you are over-thinking this. |
But of course we are. That's what solvers do. The important part is that we should all kick ourselves when we find out the final answer because it was indeed so simple... |
I'm hoping that is what happens. I'd like to hint without giving it away though I'm not sure that's possible. I'll try.
When I said that Valkyrie, Volcano and Volver were all possible options, I meant that they were options during the creation of the puzzle. I chose the method of this puzzle before choosing the final solution, so these titles do not necessarily work with the final solution I settled on.
Not sure if this was obvious or not yet, but I'll leave it there for now. |
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| novice |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject: -22 |
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| CALL IN UNPAVED |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:13 pm Post subject: -23 |
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OK this will be my (almost )last guess:
Call in NUMBERS
(As in Book Of Numbers in the Old Testament?) |
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| Scurra |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:06 pm Post subject: -24 |
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| Suspence wrote: |
| I promise you are over-thinking this. |
But of course we are. That's what solvers do. The important part is that we should all kick ourselves when we find out the final answer because it was indeed so simple... |
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| jbvntx |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:57 pm Post subject: -25 |
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| I don't think anyone's called in ROMAN NUMERALS. Could it be? |
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| Suspence |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject: -26 |
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| RECORDS is not correct. I promise you are over-thinking this. |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:23 pm Post subject: -27 |
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| In the old days records would have been kept in books.... |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:22 pm Post subject: -28 |
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| So how does that fit with the puzzle title "Back in the old days"?? |
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| Jack_Ian |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 3:11 pm Post subject: -29 |
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| I had assumed the books were a hint towards a French Novel, turned into a movie, but I couldn't find anything appropriate. |
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| Scurra |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 1:59 pm Post subject: -30 |
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Oh that's a very good spot.
Although given the whole Book theme of the meta image, Record companies would seem a bit of a left-field connection... |
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| Oscar |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:23 pm Post subject: -31 |
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I don't think this is correct because there are so many candidates out there but all these are names of independent record companies (including Valkyrie, Volcano and Volver) and you can at least pluck one letter from each of them to form the word 'records' so here goes anyway:
Call in RECORDS
[edit] I see there is also a label called ROMAN Records[/edit] |
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| novice |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 12:14 pm Post subject: -32 |
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This information also needs to be taken into account...
| Suspence wrote: |
I'm quite surprised this hasn't been solved yet. Part of it may be due to the post below, which contains at least one faulty assumption.
| Scurra wrote: |
| Suspence wrote: |
| When composing the puzzle, my options included Valkyrie, Volcano and Volver, but I guess Vertigo stands out as the best candidate. |
Hmmm. That rules out the word lengths being relevant (I had noticed that, up until Vertigo, the non-six letter answers were all different lengths.) And the fact that you could pick from that list also suggests that only the V matters anyway. |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:44 am Post subject: -33 |
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No pattern as far as I can see...Suspence reckons that once we get the answer it'll be obvious it's the answer.
Other than the roman numerals thing, I can't really link any 3 of the clues...let alone all 7.
Although I just had an inkling about 7 deadly sins...I know these aren't the ones...perhaps 7 is significant though? |
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| Thok |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 11:37 am Post subject: -34 |
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| It's unclear if Invincible is the more well known 2006 Mark Walhberg movie or the less well known 2001 Tim Roth movie. |
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| novice |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:46 am Post subject: -35 |
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A bit more data on the movies. Publishing year, director, and three actors.
| Code: |
CLOSER, 2004, MIKE NICHOLS, NATALIE PORTMAN, JUDE LAW, CLIVE OWEN
DEFIANCE, 2008, EDWARD ZWICK, DANIEL CRAIG, LIEV SCHREIBER, JAMIE BELL
MISERY, 1990, ROB REINER, JAMES CAAN, KATHY BATES, RICHARD FARNSWORTH
LIMITLESS, 2011, NEIL BURGER, BRADLEY COOPER, ANNA FRIEL, ABBIE CORNISH
XANADU, 1980, ROBERT GREENWALD, OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, GENE KELLY, MICHAEL BECK
INVINCIBLE, 2006, ERICSON CORE, MARK WAHLBERG, GREG KINNEAR, ELIZABETH BANKS
VERTIGO, 1958, ALFRED HITCHCOCK, JAMES STEWART, KIM NOVAK, BARBARA BEL GEDDES
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| Thok |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:41 am Post subject: -36 |
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Closer is based on a play by Patrick Marber.
I'm not sure about Invincible. The 2006 film about Greg Papale doesn't seem to be based on a book. The 2001 film about Zishe Breitbart might be based on the children's book Zishe the Strogman by Robert Rubenstein. |
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| 3iff |
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:59 am Post subject: -37 |
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Xanadu was mentioned in a famous poem (which I looked up last week and can't now remember...ah, something about Kubla Khan?) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Off now to look up the rest...stand by for edits to this post.
Limitless > The dark fields by Alan Glynn
Defiance > Defiance by Nechama Tec
Inconclusive/nothing for the rest (Misery & Vertigo already covered)
Just getting a blank on this one. |
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| novice |
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:17 pm Post subject: -38 |
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| Code: |
CLOSER
DEFIANCE
MISERY
LIMITLESS
XANADU
INVINCIBLE
VERTIGO
CLOSER
MISERY
XANADU
VERTIGO
DEFIANCE
LIMITLESS
INVINCIBLE
INVINCIBLE
VERTIGO
XANADU
LIMITLESS
CLOSER
DEFIANCE
MISERY
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