Cryptos

[Ashwin]

GOT IT!!!

thx for the hints ppl...

but i still can't seem to get the keyword.....hmm.....

off to get some more coffee...

EDIT:

guess the coffee did me good....

I'm so stupid. I myself live in singapore and I know this road very well too. But the fact that all this was happening in singapore kept avoiding me. Guess I was brain dead. Still, the coffee did it for me...
Waiting for the next levels....come on cryptos....

[mimtaz]

i can finally move on thank you gentsbabe
ive been stuck forever i swear thankyou again:happydancing: :yourock:

[GentsBabe]

*blushes profusely*

Awwwww, shucks, hehehe. You're very welcome :)

If it hadn't had been for Kuang, I'd have never made it this far! lol

[mimtaz]

well i thought i could move on
but alas im still stuck
i put B*** C*** but it dont work
what am i doing wrong?

i am a dumb person i was spelling the 3rd part wrong
not very good when it comes to big words
ah well next part here i come

[mimtaz]

can anyone tell me what cipher i need to use for this please

i can not find a narodnik cipher

[Cryptos]

Waiting for the next levels....come on cryptos....

We're getting there...

[kuang]

Mimtaz - the Narodniks were a russian political group who subscribed to a particular ideology, and that ideology gives the name of the cipher you want. There's not really any such thing as a Narodnik cipher, but wikipedia will tell you enough about the Narodniks and their beliefs for you to realise which one we're talking about :)

[mimtaz]

can anyone help me please
i can not find a nihilist cipher that works

[kuang]

The nihilist cipher should be the same wherever you look. To decode it:



1. Make a polybius square using the first keyword, and use the numbers 1-5 along each axis starting from the top left corner.

2. convert the second keyword into a series of numbers, where each number is the co-ordinates of the letter in the square

3. Write out the ciphertext

4. Write out the keyword numbers above the ciphertext, repeating them until you have one key number above each cipher number.

5. Take the smaller away from the large for each pair, and write the result below

6. Convert these numbers back to letters using the square.

[Ashwin]

http://members.aon.at/cipherclerk/CipherClerk.html

this is the link I used..

there is a selection of ciphers to use...just choose nihilist cipher from the menu in the applet...

[mimtaz]

im still stuck on this level natural numbers

i can not work out how to do it at all

[Ashwin]

wow..

its been long cryptos....still waiting....
hope the new levels come online soon...

[Cryptos]

wow..

its been long cryptos....still waiting....
hope the new levels come online soon...

I hope so too; it's a busy time of year for us, and I have to start working on my science project. Rest assured, we WILL finish this riddle as soon as we can.

[Ashwin]

hey no probs....

take your time....

just that you have got us all very anxious with your story driven theme....hehe...

[elise]

Hi everyone, glad to be back, seems like I missed a lot while I've been away!
Pleased to see everyone is still on form, unlike me who seems to have lost her brain over the holidays! Anyway, I am having loads of trouble finding the key word and using the ciphers for this latest level of insanium we all like to call cryptos, I have read, and re-read all the great hints and still my brain is green jelly, so if anyone has any clues in words only a child can understand please can you let me know. Until then I'm off to play with some alphabet jigsaws to see if I can get my brain back up to speed!

Thanks all
:apl:

[armadillo_pie]

Hello, everyone. I'm new to the forum. I've been trying to catch up to all you smart people who have been playing Cryptos, and I'd be nowhere if it weren't for many of the great hints and helps found here. :)

I've been stuck on Rhyme Time with the Hill cipher for the last 10 days. It's clear to me that I really don't understand the mechanics of the cipher, and without understanding that I can't test any of the words that I think might serve as the key. All of my efforts result in gibberish.

Could some kind soul post another hint or two, or PM me a nudge? I would particularly appreciate help understanding how to work the cipher. Warning: my algebra skills are nonexistent.

EDITED: Oh, the power of posting! Finally got it, and seem to have now reached the temporary end. I hope the next levels start up soon.

[judyg8or]

Hello, everyone. I'm new to the forum. I've been trying to catch up to all you smart people who have been playing Cryptos, and I'd be nowhere if it weren't for many of the great hints and helps found here. :)

I've been stuck on Rhyme Time with the Hill cipher for the last 10 days. It's clear to me that I really don't understand the mechanics of the cipher, and without understanding that I can't test any of the words that I think might serve as the key. All of my efforts result in gibberish.

Could some kind soul post another hint or two, or PM me a nudge? I would particularly appreciate help understanding how to work the cipher. Warning: my algebra skills are nonexistent.

EDITED: Oh, the power of posting! Finally got it, and seem to have now reached the temporary end. I hope the next levels start up soon.
Didn't realize 33 was up--

How did you determine that it is the Hill cipher that is needed?

Looks like an extremely complicated cipher!

edit- I have solved it and am on new temp end, but I would still like to know how the use of the HIll cipher was determined :/

[kuang]

It's not possible to post that without spoiling it. If you have already determined what the rhyme is that the text refers to and worked out what to do with it, the type of cipher becomes clear. If you haven't done that but have used the clues posted here instead without following the reasoning, you might stuggle with later puzzles that require the same type of thought process. It's definitely best to read the spoilers as an absolute last resort so you don't miss out on anything.

[judyg8or]

It's not possible to post that without spoiling it. If you have already determined what the rhyme is that the text refers to and worked out what to do with it, the type of cipher becomes clear. If you haven't done that but have used the clues posted here instead without following the reasoning, you might stuggle with later puzzles that require the same type of thought process. It's definitely best to read the spoilers as an absolute last resort so you don't miss out on anything.
Yes I can see the logic there -- but still that is quite a leap . Not once you hit on the correct Rhyme, but actually finding the correct rhyme is like a needle in a haystack!
It's been a long time since I played Cryptos, but I don't remember any puzzle that would take such guess work to find out what code/cipher to use.

I was just wondering if I missed something obvious that pointed to that particular cipher...

[GentsBabe]

If I remember correctly, there was also a vague, cryptic hint in the Source as well. It led Kuang to the right cipher - the rest of us would probably still suffering, lol. ;)

[kuang]

I think the PS was in the source originally because there was a tag missing, but that was corrected sharpish. That puzzle gave me a massive headache and I can't help wondering how nasty the home stretch is going to be ;)

Judyg8or, I've just PMed you with the reasoning so as not to give any overt hints away for the people who've still to make it this far :)

[Chili_Palmer]

Having spent several days trying to find the keyword for that hill cipher I'm totally lost now. I just can't find it! Or maybe I'm too stupid to use that hill cipher applet. So can anyone give me hint please?

[kuang]

You need to find the rhyme that the letters 'J.J.' refer to, and then look for the rhyme in the first line. You already know one word, the other is the key. I posted a tip further back on how the applet works, and how you know if the key you're trying is possible - not all keys work with the Hill cipher.

[Chili_Palmer]

Hello kuang,

thanks for your answer. It finally shows that I'm just a bit stupid! I tried that word for umpteen times and it seems I always forgot to build the decrytion array before decrypting. Well, maybe I can find out where the decrypted text leads to.

Done! (maybe I'm not that stupid after all)

[Cryptos]

My science project is over and done, so back to the riddle we all love! Be prepared for a flurry of new levels, as well as *gasp* a graphic overhaul.

[kuang]

Heh, congrats on getting it all out of the way - hope things went well :)

[armadillo_pie]

My science project is over and done, so back to the riddle we all love! Be prepared for a flurry of new levels, as well as *gasp* a graphic overhaul.
Congratulations on your project! And a gigantic HOORAY for new levels. :applause: I can't wait to play. I think this may be my favorite online riddle of all time.

[dresherm]

Greetings all,

I have been playing cryptos for a week now and I've been following this thread about two days. I always thought that by the time I had reached the end of it you all would have beaten the game already. I never expected to be able to play new levels and brainstorm with you all. I can't wait for the new levels.

[fred]

It's been a long winter. Glad to be back on the hunt for Cryptos. 33 is another tough level. I need the keyword. If I understand what I've done and the hints in the forum the keyword is X letters long so that Bradel's cipher size is minimal. It is a word that rhymes with a word in the first line of the J.J rhyme. Am I on the right track? Is there another nudge that could move me forward (since my own brain is once again incapable of such feats)? Many thanks for any help.

[kuang]

There is only one rhyming pair in the first line. One of the words you already know because you've worked out the encryption method, the other is the key :)

[fred]

Cracked the code finally. Thanks for all the help. I was stuck on the 'first value' of Bradel. It was one larger than I thought it should be. Hope I can take the string and turn it into the proper URL.

Got it! What's the opposite of "How do you spell it"? A peek at the earlier levels mentioned above really helped. Thanks.

[Cryptos]

Spring break = Free time = Cryptos levels (plus or minus one graphic overhaul).

A question to the puzzlers:

Would you mind at all if we put related Google ads on Cryptos? Would you click on them?

[kuang]

If they were interesting, quite possibly :) If it helps you to continue throwing levels at us, I'm sure nobody would have any objections :)

[fred]

Certainly, go for it if you feel you need the revenue to continue this fine riddle game. Most of us are deeply immunized against such ploys, but if the ad guys are willing to pay for it................ But -- PLEASE -- no audio/interactive/animated distractions. If Ihave to blast that Gamershood mosquito ad one more time.................. The visuals are bad enough.

[dresherm]

I agree with Kuan and fred

[armadillo_pie]

And I'm in agreement with the three previous posts. I will not be able to see the Google ads; my security settings disallow all third party throughput. But if you were ever so inclined to offer some Cryptos-branded merchandise, say through Cafe Press, I'm always happy to buy another coffee mug or messenger bag. :)

[Cryptos]

And I'm in agreement with the three previous posts. I will not be able to see the Google ads; my security settings disallow all third party throughput. But if you were ever so inclined to offer some Cryptos-branded merchandise, say through Cafe Press, I'm always happy to buy another coffee mug or messenger bag. :)

"I reached the temporary ending and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"?

Anyways, the stage should be completed in the next few days.

[onewingedangel3]

THAT'S RIGHT!!! THE LOVABLE ONEWINGEDANGEL3 IS BACK! I can't wait for the new levels cryptos.
But i forgot the html cuz my internet got shut off and I got a new computer.

It rhymes with "sell her contusions" right?

[dresherm]

You are correct with that assumption

[onewingedangel3]

good. good.

[armadillo_pie]

"I reached the temporary ending and all I got was this lousy T-shirt"?
LOL! I'd buy that!

Looking forward to the next levels. :)

[GentsBabe]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! 34 is now up!!!!

And Happy Birthday, Derek!

[Cryptos]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! 34 is now up!!!!

And Happy Birthday, Derek!

:bis:

I'll take checks. No point spending all that money to ship large packages.

[fred]

Level 34. I was hoping for a wine classification code, but no luck. Any luck identifying the painting? A mirror? Not much to go on, but when is there........?

[Cryptos]

Some questions:

1) Does Cryptos need a graphic renovation (right now we're using a Freewebs template)?
2) What do you think most needs to be changed in Cryptos?
3) Would you be willing to buy merchandise? If so, what kind?

[kuang]

White wine is classified 1->9 for sweet->dry, Red is A->E for light->full bodied. As this uses 0 it probably isn't that. I was wondering if it was in hex, but I've not made any inroads that way. Could we be talking about co-ordinates?

Edit:

Muppet - they're a mix of regions, wines and grapes types so classifications wouldn't apply anyway. Trust me not to drink at a time like this ;)

[fred]

re: cryptos questions of #1589. My only 'complaint' is that we are not using your forum, organized by level. I tried to do that early on, but with so few joining in, and with the moderators opting for this gamershood forum, I was way outnumbered. With 34-and-counting levels all being discussed in one open area, it can be difficult to maintain any coherent conversation about a given level. I'm also working on Enigma, and it's forum is threaded by level. Very helpful for staying focused in these very linear riddle games.

[Cryptos]

re: cryptos questions of #1589. My only 'complaint' is that we are not using your forum, organized by level. I tried to do that early on, but with so few joining in, and with the moderators opting for this gamershood forum, I was way outnumbered. With 34-and-counting levels all being discussed in one open area, it can be difficult to maintain any coherent conversation about a given level. I'm also working on Enigma, and it's forum is threaded by level. Very helpful for staying focused in these very linear riddle games.

Yes; our forum is threaded by level too, but doesnt get as much traffic. The problem was that the Gamershood site got so much traffic in the first place. Any suggestions for improving the viability of the forums?

[Jase]

There are so many 5D codes for wine as the "D" represents drinking now on most codes ... hope its just a matter of finding the right one ;)

[fred]

Yes; our forum is threaded by level too, but doesnt get as much traffic. The problem was that the Gamershood site got so much traffic in the first place. Any suggestions for improving the viability of the forums?
Well, it's a bit Draconian, but you could announce here that you would only be responding to posts in the Cryptos forum. You have a link to that forum on your home page. I forget if it was hard to 'join.' On the other hand, if I'm the only one who would rather be working there, you could just continue here. I don't think anything but your active use of your forum will move folks over there.

[Cryptos]

*points his finger threateningly*

Everybody move over to the official forums, or... I'll hold my breath until I become blue in the face!

[Cryptos]

If I were to hypothetically ask players to hypothetically click repeatedly on hypothetical Google Ads, would anybodyhypothetically do so?

[fred]

Level 34. I'm following the notion that we're looking for the word that completes the equation 5D= and that that word is a kind of wine, the same way the first 8 words are. The numeral/letter codes will somehow get us to the answer. I've looked at Kuang's idea of hex codes but don't see anything there yet. Is there any kind of numerical progression involved? Could this be yet another kind of cipher? Are teh painting and mirror in any way involved?This is making me thirsty.

[kuang]

Given the the names don't refer to a consistent type of thing, I can't help but think that chasing the name of a wine might not be the answer. My instinct is that the letters themselves combined with whatever their codes refer to will give the answer as this appears to be more of a crib than a cipher. I was wondering if A and D stood for Across and Down earlier, but couldn't find any offsets of those letters that made any sense.

[Jase]

I had tried that too Kuang ... got jibberish .... and what about the 0's? ... but seems funny that 5d is the only d:

EDIT: the only codes I got were Key: K = Keep (will improve), D = Drinking now, P = Past its best, 10 = Outstanding.

Been trying to manipulate the wine list too ... mirrored ... ie. starting from that back ... thought i had analyse but nope ... close though and those 0's still throw me and even wrote the numbers backwards to see if it spelt anything :(

[fred]

I tried the mirror in 2 ways: 1) reversing the codes to A0, A1, D5, etc. No relation that I can spot. 2) Also noted that the list is mildly palindromic, leaving 2 wines in isolation. They form major ingredients to South African "cape blends." But, I fear it is another false lead. Not much to go on here, so the solution is probably remarkably simple. Wine combos are too numerous, so it is likely to be found in another direction. It is not merlot. Wish we could identify the painting.

[armadillo_pie]

I, too, have been through numerous wines. For a minute I thought this may have something to do with Edgar Alan Poe and "The Cask of Amontillado" but nothing helpful down that path. I also thought the wine bottles/mirror in the painting might be related to Rene Magritte but no joy there, either. I've tried relating wines to the planets (space for nine on the list), and gone though mythical references as well. I just can't suss out what those Number/Alpha codes could refer to. My brain is starting to hurt. :what:

[GentsBabe]

I'm a tad stuck as well.

I tried the obvious first - finding a list of wine codes and identifying the 5D ones. That didn't pan out too well because:
A. some sites couldn't agree on the same code
B. I couldn't find a site that collaborated ALL of the codes for each wine
C. most of the time I couldn't find a site that even HAD the codes.

Then I decided on a common denominator. Well, other than they're all wines... lol... I did discover that most of them are from France [and did learn that Napa Valley is in California. For some reason I'd assumed it was in France as well]

I did manage to find out that White Wines numbered from 1 - 9 [1 - Very Dry to 9 - Very Sweet] and Red Wines are labeled A - E [A - Light Bodied to E - Full Bodied], but the only 5D reference to wine I could find had to do with lighting :sad:



*why couldn't it have been a Vodka Cellar?? :laughSMILE:*

[fred]

I keep hoping to find some algorithm in the no/ltr codes that will allow 5D to generate the answer, since the empirical stuff on wines is so open-ended. Hex code? Some other base? Something in the letters of the existing wines? Is the order of the list important? Does Magritte live in Napa Valley?

[kuang]

As the names in the list refer to a number of different things (albeit all related to the wine world) I don't think their nature is important. I'd imagine the words themselves will be the key.

I'd be interested to see this painting is if it's a real one, because I still think we may be dealing with co-ordinates or something that would make a simple reminder like the one this character used earlier.

[GentsBabe]

I did try to look up the painting, but couldn't find it. I tried using as many keywords as possible to as few as possible, but to no avail. Who knew there where so durned many of them?? :laughSMILE:

-------
ETA: Ok,
changing all digits to numbers and then all to letters and then deciphering. Did actually come up with a word - with a little manipulation ;) - but no go.

I also Googling the first letter of each wine to see if it was an acromyn, but no hits.

ETA2: Ok,
Called on Anne and did the last letters of the known words plus a wild and came up with a GREAT word - it even fits with the theme, but it didn't work!!! :pcsmasher

[Jase]

maybe as the title suggests ... lock, stock and barrel ... we have 2 of those ... may have to look for the stock ... what grapes are used for each????

[GentsBabe]

Jase,

As far I can remember [and I'll admit that types of grapes wasn't what I was looking for at the time], wine is - at least mostly - made from white grapes... unless it's specifically red wine. And the list does suggest that the next item would be a wine... but I haven't found one that works.


And going back to Cryptos' earlier request... the Crytpos Team is asking that we post more in their forum. It IS better set up - having a special thread for each level, so no searching and sifting through 1000's of pages looking for help for one particular level.

So for those who didn't know or didn't realize Crytpos HAD one:
:rog::rog:Cryptos Forum (http://www.atfreeforum.com/cryptos/):rog::rog:



Is that noticable enough?? :laughSMILE:

[Jase]

I do believe that with his break, Cryptos has become far more devious :( I have no clue ... well we all do but not seeing them! :ma: :mad: :nzd: :crazy: :pcsmasher

[Cryptos]

Well, we've added Google Ads to the bottom of each page, and I hope they're not too disturbing (or could they be clues?)... Unfortunately, they appear to be referencing the text on the levels, so, you guessed it, ads about shipping on dock pages and ads about wine on the level you're working on, etc.

The way I've calculated it, we need 33 hits to make a dollar, and then we don't get sent any money until we make over a hundred bucks. I guess it could be a form of donation, but... has anybody ever considered donating directly through Paypal or something?

[kuang]

White wine can be made from any grapes - reds are made from the same grapes, but with the skins left in the mix. Some of the items in the list are types of grape, but the others are generic wine types, regions, etc.

Looking logically at it, the word that appears to be missing should be the lock code. That might imply that the others are also lock codes but for different circumstances, with the circumstance being determined by the preceding code. As the others all have 'A' in their prefix, it's probably more likely that they're not codes, but key elements in determining the code. Thinking aloud, so far we have:

- There are four consecutive prefixes for the eight words given

- Some prefixes have more than one word attached to them, suggesting that the prefix implies a process to be carried out on the word, or some sort of homophone. Is the order of the words important? Do the prefixes imply an order of precedence?

- The prefix for the missing word is numerically higher and uses a new letter. Does this suggest the process to be carried out on the result of the above calculations?

- The words refer to different aspects of the wine trade, but nothing more specific

Hmm.

[Cryptos]

$5.98 today. Not bad. :yay:

(Keep those clicks coming!)

[dresherm]

To piggyback off of kuang:

- I believe the order is important, each equation from top to bottom might represent the letters of the password from left to right, respectively. If not, then why weren't the equations with the same prefix grouped together in the note....

- If we think of the prefixes as functions, then processing the first 8 functions will give us information to plug into the 9th function and give us the answer... :hmm:

[Cryptos]

*ignores desperate puzzle solving attempts as he uses the reprieve to add more levels*

Let's try for $6 today, shall we?

*winks*

[Jase]

This one seems preety harsh and none us us still have anything :(

[dresherm]

I'm just wondering how many degrees of seperation are between the clues and the answer. Normally they give a clue thats a direct hit to obtain an answer, or at least a clue that leads to another clue. Of course, maybe they have and we're just overlooking something...

And I don't believe he's devious enough to make this a Grand Cru cipher....

[GentsBabe]

And I don't believe he's devious enough to make this a Grand Cru cipher....
*sighs*

I'm thinking that I don't even WANT to know what that is :ma:

[kuang]

I took a look at that the other day, and can't see how the data in the level could even come close to providing enough info to feed that cipher system.

Here's a thought - is the picture a real picture or a logical one. If it's logical then the following cases may apply:

1. The bottles have their labels to the viewer, in which case the mirror shows the back of the label and the colour of the contents.

2. The bottles are facing towards the mirror, in which case the labels will be invisible to the viewer or appear in reverse in the mirror.

If it's a real picture (and I've failed to trace one..) the clues may be a key to the picture's contents.

I'm pretty certain the words are irrelevant in themselves, but were just chosen because certain letters satisfy the needs of the code - they're too disparate to be anything other than a means to an end.

[fred]

I agree, Kuang. Have you tried other number bases besides hex? When I get some time (thesnow will arrive at midnight tonight in Fort Collins) I'll try some number base stuff to see if there isanyway of establishing commonalities among the words in the different A groups. Maybe it will lead to something that wioll allow us to jump to the D group and some special wine word will pop up. Maybe.............

[dresherm]

Well I can safely say that if I were in that room and only given 20 min to figure out the password, then in 21 min I'd be headed back to the states empty handed.....

[fred]

Yeah. Thank goodness we don't run this puzzle under a timer. L34 is killing us, unless we are working faster than the speed of light, in which case our lack of progress can be attributed to our speed of bewilderment................

[kuang]

*grins*

This is just a gut feeling but I'm not sure it's anything as complicated as number bases. Based on Jamieson's last reminder to himself, it was more a simple crib for his own purposes rather than message for someone else, and so the answer was easily calculated from the reminder rather than through resorting to an encryption system.

I get the feeling that A and D refer to words that will explain the process that needs to be carried out to each line - this is where my 'across' and 'down' thinking came from, as it's straightforward and cryptic enough that only the writer would latch onto it immediately. I've tried a few shifts and anagrams to test this theory, but have drawn blanks. I'm just trying to kick my brain into 'don't overthink it' mode so I don't try too hard and miss the obvious... :)

[Cryptos]

*mutters about Google ads*
$6 Tuesday, $9 Wednesday and only $2 today... Need $5 per day if I'm to get a check this month... If I get to $100 by the end of the month (the requisite amount to get a check for April), I'll give you all a hint.

At least they're in US dollars.
*attempts to convert american to canadian dollars and realizes that currency conversion might be an interesting theme for a level*

[Cryptos]

20,000 hits! *punches the air*

This weekend I'll be adding Google Search boxes to each page for your convenience and my profit.

[kuang]

You see, oh ye of little faith?

Build it, and they will click..

;)

[Cryptos]

20 000?!?!? That wasn't all ME was it?! :longface:

I meant on the hit counter on the first page.

[armadillo_pie]

Oy! This one is giving me fits!

I was reading Kuang's last (as always) detailed and insightful post, and it occured to me that perhaps we are not all in agreement as to the information about the painting.

Quote: "...and soon find a post-it note stuck behind the edge of a little modern painting of some wine bottles before a mirror set up on one wall."

Now, I'm not sure how everyone else is reading that, but I'm understanding it as "there is a painting of some wine bottles in front of a mirror" -- meaning that the mirror is an object within the painting. Both the wine bottles and the mirror are objects within the painting.

I think, if the painting is a clue, it would be a very different clue if the painting were somehow propped up in front of an actual mirror.

How are others processing that information?

I wish I had something more useful to contribute. :sad:

[kuang]

I was thinking about that earlier, as my brain is now starting to leak out of my ears :)

'a little modern painting of some wine bottles before a mirror set up on one wall'

I originally thought this meant that the painting depicted bottles in front of a mirror and that this painting was hung on a wall in the real world room with the door lock. On reading it again and thinking about your post, it occurs that the painting could be of a room, and the mirror happens to be on one of the imaginary walls with the bottles in front of it. I haven't found a painting ike the former, but it now occurs that there is a famous one resembling the latter and I can't quite put my finger on the artist or title. I know it's last century though, not sure it that counts as modern.

My current thinking is that the duplicate prefixes and the apparently random words imply that the clues may be a key rather than parts to be processed. This would place more significance on the painting though, and I'm not prepared to concede that just yet :)

EDIT: The painting I was thinking of was actually from 1882, and was entitled 'A Bar at the Folies Bergere' by Manet. I'm pretty sure that's not the right one.

[Cryptos]

Google Search functions have been added to all our pages. Please try to use them when looking up information, and also go ahead and click a few ads. Remember, it's cheaper for you than donating money.

[kuang]

I have an answer, it's a real word and very relevant in this context, but it doesn't work. Is the next page up, or at least a holding page?

Oh, and apparently my account on the official forum is deactivated - is that the case? Would it be possible to have a look, cheers :)

[dresherm]

Kuang, did you obtain your solution by not over thinking?

[kuang]

The solution is in two parts (although I may need to do a third on the word I already have if the next level is indeed up). Annoyingly I got the first part instantly when I first saw the puzzle but then didn't follow it up with the correct method - I must have tried everything but that in hindsight :)

Clue to the first part:

The first section involves rearranging the layout of the clues

Clue to the second part:

The picture is the clue to how to process the result from the first part - not the whole image, but what's in it.

[Cryptos]

I have an answer, it's a real word and very relevant in this context, but it doesn't work. Is the next page up, or at least a holding page?

Oh, and apparently my account on the official forum is deactivated - is that the case? Would it be possible to have a look, cheers :)

I've added the next page... Please don't tell anybody the answer, if you actually have it; give hints, etc.

I'm not sure about the forum problem, but shall look into it.

P.S. *click* *click*

[kuang]

S'ok, wasn't going to :)

Clearly I have one more stage to go then as the word I have isn't working - I'm going to go back through the variations/tangents of it I considered :)

EDIT:

Ah, I *do* have it after all :) I shall spend some quality time ad-clicking in the interim :)

[Cryptos]

S'ok, wasn't going to :)

Clearly I have one more stage to go then as the word I have isn't working - I'm going to go back through the variations/tangents of it I considered :)

EDIT:

Ah, I *do* have it after all :) I shall spend some quality time ad-clicking in the interim :)

I go through all that effort to write these devilishly tricky ciphers and you go and crack them. It's virulently unfair.

I shall have to be satisfied that it took you ten days to do so.

[kuang]

I'm sorry, I apologise profusely. For the next one I intend to pioneer the technique of tying one hemisphere behind my back :) If my typing goes a bit wobbly, you'll know why ;)

[Jase]

Well Done Kuang ... You are by far the most switched on out of us ;) ... Congratulations to you!

[emby]

I go through all that effort to write these devilishly tricky ciphers and you go and crack them. It's virulently unfair.

I shall have to be satisfied that it took you ten days to do so.

Oh Cryptos, please don't be disheartened by Kuang's speedy genius. Be assured that you're keeping the masses thoroughly bewildered with your cleverness ;)

[Jase]

Finally ... i had most of it all the time :) ... great one derek ;)

[armadillo_pie]

Hmmm... well I'm clearly not as clever as the rest of you. Kuang, I can't imagine what you saw right away in this puzzle. I have yet to see anything other than my own lack of insight.

Does this reformatting of the list have anything to do with the level title -- Lock, stock and barrel? Any hints most appreciated. :)

[kuang]

Nope, the title is just a title in this case :)

I'd assumed the meanings of A and D from the start as the most obvious thing I could think of. After trying various things related to the numbers, I started to consider why '0' would be one of them, and wondered if it basically mean 'do nothing to this clue', implying that there was a process to be carried out to the others.

One of the things I tried turned out to be true, but it was only after a flash of inspiration as to the meaning of the painting that I tried a process on all the possibilities of 5D I had before realising I'd stumbled on the correct one.

[Seymour]

I have shifted and deleted and found a short word but can't do a thing with it...Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

[kuang]

You shouldn't need to delete anything:

you just need to arrange the clues correctly, read off the relevant part and then decipher this using a cipher hinted at by the painting

[fred]

I finally got L34. Thanks, especially Kuang in this forum, for many usefl hints. I had the right idea about the A/D business, but I was using the picture hint on the "bottles" rather than the bottle "labels". Duh! Come visit us in the Cryptos Forums.

[kuang]

Well done - it takes time but it's worth it :)

I'd love to bounce across but I registered an account just after I started playing and it wouldn't let me authenticate it so it's now disabled. If any of the mods there could give it a kick, it'd be greatly appreciated :)

[Cryptos]

Well done - it takes time but it's worth it :)

I'd love to bounce across but I registered an account just after I started playing and it wouldn't let me authenticate it so it's now disabled. If any of the mods there could give it a kick, it'd be greatly appreciated :)

I'm looking into it, but make a new account for now.

[kuang]

No probs, will do :)

[Chrystal Lynn]

okay i know this sounds stupid but i am completely stuck on 'take the money and run' i have read all the posts before about it..and all the hints and i still do not have the answer..ive tried sooo many possibilities that i just need ALOT of help!!

[kuang]

That level is tricky, it took a lot of head scratching to get it.

It requires you to think as if you yourself were making the trip, and you were telling someone else where you were going. What you'd tell them is the answer

[armadillo_pie]

Sigh...

completely
hopelessly
blindly
s
t
u
c
k

:yel:
Hints, PMs, and sympathy cards gratefully accepted.

[Seymour]

Okay...I give up...I seem to be shifting in the wrong direction...<sigh> A nudge in the correct direction..as opposed to the right direction, which is where I thought I should be going...would be greatly appreciated. I have found lots of words that I thought might be appropriate but then I do a complete turnaround and find I am wrong...<double sigh> Help !!!!

[fred]

L34 is a booger. You are RIGHT about the shifting. The trick for me was to then use the thing in the pic to deal with label contents, not the "bottles they are on. If you consider all this, its as easy as ZYX.

[kuang]

The name of the airport is clear in the message, but that's not what you're looking for. Remember the 3 L's of property..

[armadillo_pie]

eiaohags, riniiaua, eanvcius, rotrsedc...???

Please, someone take pity. I've shifted, and counted, and reversed, and sacraficed a paper chicken to the gods. I've read all the hints here and at the Cryptos forum. I've been at this for weeks and am going quite mad. Help..

[fred]

eiaohags, riniiaua, eanvcius, rotrsedc...???

Please, someone take pity. I've shifted, and counted, and reversed, and sacraficed a paper chicken to the gods. I've read all the hints here and at the Cryptos forum. I've been at this for weeks and am going quite mad. Help..

Drop me a PM and I'll see if I can get you on the right track. As I've said before, in the end it is as easy as CBA.

[gus]

Are there anymore levels after level 34 or are the 2 words written on that page supposed to be the next clue? I see the last post to this forum was made 3 months ago. It can't be over without knowing how the story ends.

[Mistery]

Well, in the forum of this game (http://www.atfreeforum.com/cryptos/), there is no sign that there would be any levels after level 34. So the riddle seems to stop there currently.

[kuang]

I think the Cryptos team have been adding new sections there as the levels are written to keep it focused. I gather the plan was originally for 40 or so levels.

[pkticker]

I think the Cryptos team have been adding new sections there as the levels are written to keep it focused. I gather the plan was originally for 40 or so levels.

All I know is I need me some Cryptos... I'm suffering from withdrawal from brain-warping riddles that make me incredibly frustrated.

Anybody know when the new level will be here? :wht:

[Jase]

I really hope soon ;)

[jctut401]

No Clue !!!!
this is a 6-letter answer, huh???(/******)

[GentsBabe]

No Clue !!!!
this is a 6-letter answer, huh???(/******)
Nope, the answer is 29 letters in total

[jctut401]

thanks, gents---got it!

[GentsBabe]

:bigparty: YAAAAAAAAAAY!

[Cryptos]

Another level's up.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

[pkticker]

Another level's up.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

I just looked at it... and already my brain hurts. Thanks for the new levels!

:bigparty:

[fred]

At last. Thought the Cryptos team had graduated and grown up. Now, how does that Cryptos Forum work.......................

[Cryptos]

At last. Thought the Cryptos team had graduated and grown up. Now, how does that Cryptos Forum work.......................

Neither of us have graduated; neither of us have any plans to grow up in future, either. Cryptos will be completed between now and the end of summer, guaranteed. (We both get mandatory volunteer hours for such selfless acts of contribution to the world.)

[fred]

Ah, Crypto Pan returns. Speaking of oxymoronic fates, is it true that, eventually, "X marks the spot" is a fair assessment of the situation in Amantillado's Cask?

[kuang]

It's good to have you back :)

Now I just need to plug the leaks in my underused braintank and start to think cryptos-ly again..

[Cryptos]

Ah, Crypto Pan returns. Speaking of oxymoronic fates, is it true that, eventually, "X marks the spot" is a fair assessment of the situation in Amantillado's Cask?

I don't see why it would, and I have it open in front of me. (It's "The Cask of Amontillado", by the way; Amontillado is a variety of wine, not a person.)

[fred]

I don't see why it would, and I have it open in front of me. (It's "The Cask of Amontillado", by the way; Amontillado is a variety of wine, not a person.)

Ouch. Goes to show how far out of high school I am. At least I got the grammar right, even if the facts were messed up. OK, I'll try another tack.

[Jase]

Yeah ... Great to be back ... brain already hurts aswell

[kuang]

Anyone got any thoughts so far? I keep hitting things that seem too clear to be coincidences, but I'm not sure how it fits together and there are always a few bits I can't quite reconcile.

[GentsBabe]

I hit on something, I think... and it seems to be working out, but there's a couple I can't figure out. I could very well be on the totally wrong track, though.

Wanna share what we have, Kuang? I'm thinking you're trying the same thing I am, by the sounds of it.

I'll have to dig up my notes. With Cryptos not being updated, I stopped working on the other riddles. Just finished up with Enigma. Gimme a few to put the children to bed and get my notes....

[kuang]

This is my thinking about where this might be going:

I reckon it's going to be something straightforward, an instruction rather than a code. You only have the phone and hacking into anything to make changes implies a lot of complexity, so I think it's more an action rather than a password. It'll probably be simple because the context wouldn't really give rise to anything overcomplicated.


Here's what I'm trying


Simple substitutions - acronyms, words that represent the clue, etc. Hoping to come up with a simple four or five word sentence that says exactly what to do. By making these swaps a fair few real words appear, but interspersed with bits that don't make sense. Not sure about [smear] either - is that literal, or describing a smudge on the note concealing a word?

[fred]

My semi-cryptic remark earlier about X marking the spot referred to a TV show where the Gateway is featured. Some of its episodes lock into some of these clues. Does that help? I am googling stuff.

[Jase]

i messaged Derek and was told that i was over thinking things :(

Am I really missing something big time on this level or just not
getting it at all ... for the middle initial i have N
intelligence NETWORK gateway, atomic number Z for atomic number,
li for lithium, gh for growth hormone but am having a hard time
getting the rest. i have even tried the middle initial for all
words given but nothing ... any direction from you guys yet?

[fred]

Maybe me too. Initials are for names. Kuang's ideas of anagrams and such may be the best direction.

[Jase]

I still have no idea even after going all the way back through the levels and working them out to see if it could spark a train of thought but nope :(

[Jase]

I have even tried getting chemical compounds out of the words ( a letter from each) as the word "potent" seems to appear a bit ... maybe on purpose maybe not??? and the door seems magnetically shut

"there seems to be a potent wireless network throughout the building, & you are struck with a potent sense of impending peril."

[fred]

I worked with Molybdium (MO, at wt 42 -- a magical number for some) for a while (M from ChristMas tree & O from econOmics) but they are middle letters, not middle initials, so never mind. The INT is assocoiated with a popular scifi TV show -- The X Files -- of a few years ago, no? I found somel links with episode titles, but this didn't seem to work out either. 'Christmas tree' anagrams to 'mister --' or master --' whatever. 'Economics' anagrams to 'cosmic one' or 'comic nose' among other things, but this gets like numerology or lying with statistics. It will probably be something simple, and we overthinkers will slap our foreheads once again.

[Jase]

Hasn't anyone got any ideas yet?

[fred]

As you can see from my postings, I've got lots of ideas. None of them seem to be leading anywhere. No response to my TV show idea. Am I the only one exploring that one? Today I found a first name associated with Christmas tree and a last name associated with economics. This led to a sometime actor on the TV show with a middle initial. I have atomic numbers for the three at wt clues, but I can't make anyting happen. I'm trying to follow Kuang's idea of the answer being a command or other action phrase since the door is apparently opened after I solve the puzzle. That ought to mean that we go into the next room with the proper URL. I got very close to an action using the word 'amble' but I'm still standing still.

[Jase]

thats about where I am too Fred but the tv show thingie is not working for me ... I think we have to follow commands to try to open the door somehow

[Jase]

I even thought on a hunch to anagram all first initials of the puzzle, gave me a lot of words that I am trying to use in URL but no luck so far:(

[Jase]

ok ... if you use the first initial of words between colons you get nematic, abbrieviations of second part you get lighting. nematic is Of or relating to the mesomorphic phase of a liquid crystal in which the molecules are oriented in loose parallel lines.
and a cell phone has an lcd screen to create some sort of laser?

[fred]

That sounds interesting, though I'm hard pressed to see how you get a long word like nematic out of the niddle initials of two clues. And, the word 'initial' as used is idiomatic, referring to the first letter of a (middle) name, unless Cryptos would like to clarify their usage. The TV show may be a red herring. Maybe they just want the ING of the .initial letters' (not the same thing as 'initial') of Intelligence Network Gateway. On its face, they seem to be asking for one letter (a middle initial of some name) and one atomioc number (derived somehow from the three clues). That would give us an alphabet letter and a number between 1 and 118. Finally, the door opens just as we solve the puzzle, so we mell well be looking at some simple instruction to 'walk right in'. And so it goes....................

[Jase]

dont worry ... i was told i was over thinking things :( ... again ...

[kuang]

Just a thought - is the next level, or at least a placeholder, up so that if we do get it we'll know?

[Jase]

if it doesnt take much thinking ... It should be right up my alley but its not

[Jase]

nice to see that you are still with us Kuang ;)

[kuang]

Yup - not been too well recently though, hence the relative lack of profile. Got a few ideas about this, and the one that's the most compelling is actually staring everybody in the face. There are just a few tiny bits I can't quite make work but the coincidence is striking.

[Jase]

oh ok ... hope you are feeling beetr ... feel free to share a tidbit ;)

[fred]

Hey, Kuang. Hope you're feeling better. We need help, as usual. I thought X-Files was staring us in the face but the reaction to that has been like a lead baloon. Someone mentioned the double use of the word potent, and I liked Jase's nemetic lighting, even though it didn't seem to comport to any set of rules. Of course, I was delighted that I found Douglas (christmas tree) A. Smith(economics) who had been in the cast of several X-Files shows, but none of these deductive breakthroughs have taken us anywhere. What do you have in mind?

[kuang]

My thinking is far more simplistic, based on context. In a situation like that, with clues scribbled on a post-it note, I wouldn't imagine there was any great deal of complexity to the solution.. a bit like the weird 'shop advert' clue a few levels back.


I couldn't help but notice that if you take the capital letters in the first part of the clue before the hyphen, you can anagram them to get MAGNET or even MAGNETIC, with the letter L left over. I wondered if the last part meant that you should still use the initials ING but either append them to the end as they are, or anagram them but keep them in the final three positions. I'm assuming that the smear represents one or more missing capitals, but I haven't had any joy with pattern matching.

[fred]

OK. That would suggest that putting the "potent wireless network to good use" would NOT involve any Internet googling. I'll check the advert level and see if that helps. I don't like anagrams that are partial.

[armadillo_pie]

I find Kuang's line of thought interesting. I, too, noticed that the capital letters could be anagramed to MAGNET/MAGNETIC, and I also believe that the ING is meant to be used as a suffix.

I also find interesting this phrase from the Cryptos page: While pondering your oxymoronic fate...Why oxymoronic? It's an unusual choice of words, as there is nothing immediately apparent to me in the situation that is oxymoronic. I think it's a clue to the phrase we are meant to find, which will be the solution.

An oxymoron is a self-cancelling phrase -- two words that when put together in a phrase have the effect of canceliling each other out -- like "jumbo shrimp", "military intelligence", or "open secret".

Also interesting, is that there really isn't an opposite of "magnetic".

Hmmm....

[kuang]

Unless the answer it gives indicates a course of action to disable the door that must be researched? TBH the wording you've indicated makes me wonder if I'm barking in entirely the wrong forest too :)

Magnetic is it's own opposite in a way - it encompasses both positive and negative polarites. I don't think it's possible for something to be anti-magnetic as such, as a similar magnet reversed negates the effect.

I think oxymoronic may refer to dying from lack of sustenance in a place used to store drinks.

[armadillo_pie]

I think oxymoronic may refer to dying from lack of sustenance in a place used to store drinks.
I'm not so sure, yet. If so, it's a poor choice of words from someone otherwise clever in the use of language. That situation is better described as ironic. :)

[fred]

Since the door opens as we solve the puzzle, perhaps we need an 'open sesame' kind of phrase. We can have a command verb phrase with an -ing suffix, such as "Get going." "Starve alone in the wine vault" does suggest the source of 'oxymoronic', and the word magnetic is explicitly invoked, aong with the double use of potent. Can a wireless network be used to create a magnetic field, perhaps to cancel the magneitc field that holds the door shut. Is this what "overthinking" means?

[kuang]

Wireless networks use radiation on a tiny scale, far less than a typical phone and certainly not enough to do any damage to anything. A magnetic door lock usually consists of two metal plates, one of which has an electromagnet attached to it - as long as there is power to the magnet the only way to open it (other than the key!) is to muster enough force to separate the plates by a given amount so that the distance reduces the effect.

[fred]

In that case perhaps all we need is a simple instruction to enter the now-opened room. I hate to abondon all that clue content when we are told that we put the wireless network "to good use solving the odd series of clues."

[armadillo_pie]

If you take the odd letters from Middle Initial, you get MDLIIIL, which translates from Roman numerals into 1603. William Gilbert (aka Gilbard) died on Nov. 30, 1603. He was famous for his investigations into magnetism and electricity. A unit of magnetomotive force is named a "gilbert" in his honor.

Does this mean anything? Very unlikely, but I'm stuck and since no one else was impressed with my thoughts around oxymoronic phrases, I'm trying anything.:nap:

[fred]

Love it! Sounds like me getting Molybdium (MO) from the middle letters of the first two clues. Its atomic weight is 42, a mysterious number referred to from time to time in X-Files, whixch was neat when I thought -ING was a substantive clue. I swear, you can do anything with letters, words and numbers. None of which is getting us to level 36.

[Jase]

i have tried using just capitalswith anagram plus 1 nada, counting letters gives me
6 7 9 4 9 6 6 7 6 7 12 which turned to alpha is f g i d i f f g f g l then with ceasar shift get nothing even after anagramming ... so anything else with just whats written there?

[armadillo_pie]

Nope. I got nothing. I went back a few pages in the game to see if there was anything that might inspire an idea.
There is a real company in Singapore called C***** S******** that provides wine storage, and the description on its website sounds very like the place our hero is trapped. I learned a little about wine storage there, but nothing helpful to me.
I read up on WiFi at howstuffworks.com, and from there did some cross-referencing. I learned from Wikipedia that "Christmas tree" is a name given to a kind of packet that can be used to probe a network. I know I'm not explaining that correctly, but someone smarter might want to look at "Chrsitmas tree packet" at Wikipedia. There are related references to "nuke", as in thermonuclear. I tried a lot of related terms as answers, but no joy.
I'm not sure about Fred's idea that no Googling is being done by our detective. If there's a WiFi in the building that he can access, shouldn't he be able to access the Internet through it? Or maybe he's smart enough to dig into the security system and somehow unlock the door remotely. How? Turning up the temperature in the vault? Triggering a fire alarm? Ugh, this makes my brain hurt.

[kuang]

I think the real company was actually the basis for locating that level's URL - we used a postcode and address and referenced a real 'yellow pages' type site to get there.

I know of that type of packet, but I've never heard it called that before - they're pretty rare now with stateful packet inspection firewalls and easily updateable IDSs, and I don't think that the information you get back from one (if any) would be of any use outside a hacking course.

My feeling is that googling is the context in which the wireless is used - everything else assumes too much (that the door is controlled by the network, that it can be hacked and how, etc).

[Jase]

I still think that it somehow has to do with manipulating the words / letters that we have .... just have to find the right ones!

[fred]

My remark about googling was aimed at the notion that everything we needed was in the words of the clues, not in their content. My first reading of the clues was that some googling would be necessary, hence my efforts to find the answer in the TV show X-Files, since the clues seemed to be from INT, an X-Files outfit. If you just use the letters of the clues, you shouldn't need to google. I still think that amiddle initial is a letter that starts a name and that an atomic number is one that lies between 1 and 118. Fpollowiong that logic, our answer is a letter and 3 numbers, but I have no idea how to relate that to anything in our present vaulted context.

[kuang]

You might need to google if the result you got wasn't actually the URL, but a hint about what needed to be done - Googling might tell you how to go about it :)

I'll have a think about your angle though, hadn't really considered that yet.

[fred]

Looking more closely, ING appears to be a part of The X-Files The Game, and not of the TV show itself. Interestingly, it is just the sort of gizmo we could use about now.

[Jase]

I still have no ideas and any l;etter substitution that i try or even anagramming comes up with nothing ... this is the track that I am on after cryptos told me twice that I was over thinking things :(

[kuang]

That [smear] bit is too much of a wildcard - if we're considering an additional letter in an anagram it raises the bar a long way.

[fred]

Someone mentioned this earlier: The term 'odd' occurs twice in the description, as does the word 'potent'. My literal reading of the description says that the (magnetically sealed) door opens "as you (we) finish." I still feel as though there is some kind of 'open sesame' command involved here. Perhaps we should be focusing on the odd clues (Christmas tree, Lithium and Thermonuclear [smear]. I really do hate to give up on content altogether. Does Santa Claus have a middle initial?

[fred]

April 1, 2008. Got it!!
April fool!! Actually, I have no idea. Someone is gonna stumble across this one by chance. Good luck to us all.

[kuang]

You rotten sod :)

I'm stumped so far. My last line of thinking was this:


I was assuming an anagram of the capital letters, plus maybe one or two more from the [smear]. I also considered that the colons may give structure and the - implied a suffix. This would give

?? ???? *ing

where ? is a single letter and * is any number of letters greater than 3 (the number of remaining capitals). There are only so many valid two letter words to start with, and substitutions based on the initial letters of words that might follow thermonuclear (bomb, war, reactor, etc) have met with no success.

I'm still hung up over being able to make the word magnet(ic) from the available letters, but I'm also in agreement with Fred in that previous levels have left some form of cryptic clue as to the approach. 'Potent' is the one thing that stands out, but no idea if that's it or, if so, how to use it.

[fred]

Sorry. Couldn't resist, since I am one myself. I've followed your example with anagrams, but I've tried to restrict things to commands of some sort. I don't t hink we're looking for a destiination, since we're told that we go into the next room. Some exhortation to negate the magnetic fields in play or some such. On the content side, I still like Douglas (kind of Christmas tree) and Smith (father of economics) but a middle initial fails me, since the X-Files connection was overblown (by me, I'm afraid). I can getnobelium (102) but that's about it. And so it goes.....

[fred]

Good grief! Now I read in Wikopedia that the christmas tree was a symbol in The X-Files. Can I not rid myself of that damnable show?

[Jase]

iMy heart had actually skipped a beat there Fred *PHEW* ... but I am still playing with the anagrams to no avail either ... someone will crack it and we will all smack our selves silly due to overlooking the answer staring us in the face :(

[fred]

G'day, Jase. Perhaps so. I think this is one that is so open ended as to defy deduction. Stay with the anagrams (magnetic anagrams to magic net). I'll keep googling for initials and atomic numbers. It's April 2, and I still feel the fool.

[kuang]

I suppose the middle initial 'A' is already under consideration?


As in Edgar Allen Poe - writer of the Cask of Amontillado, in which a man was buried alive in a cellar as a result of lusting after 'treasure' of a sort. We've already had a Gold Bug level, so can I presume that the author is a fan? :)

[fred]

I have the letter "A" under consideration becauseDouglas (Xmas tree) A. Smith (economics) was an actor in the X-Files.

I like your angle, though. At least it has content. Let's see.............. What would a string of "A102" be worth?

[Jase]

These are my thoughts ...


I really think that Edgar Allan Poe's Cask of Amontillado has very much got something to do with our situation except that the buried party never makes it out as the book finished 50 years later and the guy was still hanging from the walls in chains???

[kuang]

It may well just be that the story is known and liked by the author and fits (or inspired) the scenario. They're not really alike in any respect other than the cellar, so it may be a blind alley.

[fred]

What about the general idea of a letter and some numbers? Anything there that would kill a magnetic field (if our job is to open the door) or cause our hero to enter a new room?

[kuang]

That's the thing about this that leads me to believe we're looking at a more down to earth answer. If you had a code you'd have to enter it into a keypad or similar to get the door open, and one of those isn't present. The lock might not be network controlled and even if it was, the chances of being told how to hack it in such a simple clue (and from a mobile phone) are minimal. What would you do with a short and equally cyptic answer? I can't see anything other than an instruction that will open the door in a sneaky way (or get you out by other means) that might be feasible. I'm thinking along the lines of:

- Set the fire alarm off, this opening all doors
- Wait until the timer on the door (presumption) opens it anyway.
- Force the magnets apart
- Locate the top secret door release button!

You get the idea - something functional and crunchy rather than abstract.

[fred]

OK. The lights are on. If we could turn them off could that cause a power outage and kill the magnetic field? Then the door might "swing slowly open." This assumes that we do something that solves our problem, but all we get for our trouble is an empty antechamber and hall -- and a "potent sense of impending peril." Not too happy a resolution. We're still in Singapore, right?

[Jase]

I am pretty sure that we are still in singapore ... and am dumbfounded as to what the puzzle means ... i have gone over and over to no avail. :(

[Jase]

I thought that I had it ...


I had it down to 1 word after anagramming, (CALMEST) by taking capital letters them minus the i,n,g letters to have MCEALTS (not using the small letters of tree or hormone) and taking S for smear ... but no :(

[fred]

Nice try, Jase. I got down to

A102 using the content of the clues. There's actually a model of some electronic gadget, but no dice.

We're really dancing around the right answer to this one. Wish we knew which song Cryptos was playing.

[kuang]

Funnily enough, that code is a model number of a particular company's emergency door locking bar that's tough when you're outside but can be released by hitting it from the inside. :)

[GentsBabe]

Ok, for what it's worth, the word "potent" only appears in this riddle, it's not been used before.

Anagraming has been a tedious task; there's too many combinations. I've narrowed them down to only dozens of words, and although some are pretty good words, none have worked.

Kuang has already hit on this: if it is a command we need to type in, it'll have to be rather short and to the point. Having to type in something like "BakeAPieAndUseTheFillingToOpenTheDoor" would be too long. I'm wondering if the "answer" we come up with would be something NOT to type in, but rather THEN figure out the answer. EG.: anagraming could come up with "BakeAPie" and we'd have to figure out the "UseTheFillingToOpenTheDoor" kind of thing. I'm only thinking along those lines since we haven't come up with the actual answer yet.

Or have I joined Jase's Overthinking Club? :laughSMILE:


ETA: the word "odd" appears in the riddles 7 times [including #35]
odd: 5, odds: 1, oddly: 1. I don't think it has any pertinence, but thought I'd add it.

[kuang]

I definitely agree with that 'stepping stone' kind of thinking.

[Jase]

Welcome to the club Gents ;)

[domino]

Hi. First time poster.

Please, someone take pity. I've shifted, reversed, I've read all the hints here and at the Cryptos forum. I've been at this for days and am going quite mad. Help..

riniiauc eiaohags cuaiinir sgahoaie

Only just recently found this game, so I have taken advantage of the clues you guys have left. So I owe you all many, many thanks!

But I just can't get the solution for this wine level!!!!!

[kuang]

Ello Domino, good to have you here - we could do with some fresh thinking, as we appear to have run aground :)

There are three stages to solving the level you're on

Work out how to lay the clues out
Arrive at an answer by playing spot the odd one out
Process the answer by thinking about how an important item in the level description works

[domino]

Ello Domino, good to have you here - we could do with some fresh thinking, as we appear to have run aground :)

There are three stages to solving the level you're on

Work out how to lay the clues out
Arrive at an answer by playing spot the odd one out
Process the answer by thinking about how an important item in the level description works

Thanks I appreciate you not giving me the answer, I really do like figuring things out myself.
Laid out the wines one under each other, then move them right by the indicated number of spaces. I looked down the *th column and reversed so far = gibberish

Maybe I am being really dense here!
the odd one out?

painting hint?

[kuang]

You've already worked out the the second clue, by spotting the *th column :)

The item you're looking for isn't the painting itself, but something in it..

..and you will need to use a cipher, but a simple one fortunately!

[domino]

You've already worked out the the second clue, by spotting the *th column :)

The item you're looking for isn't the painting itself, but something in it..

..and you will need to use a cipher, but a simple one fortunately!

*my computer is about to suffer a trauma injury*
a=z 5d=irmrrzfx
mirror cipher 5d=cuaiinir
Aggghhhhh!

off to drink some now! Thanks Kuang.

not the *th *-1th column
*feels very sheepish*

[armadillo_pie]

I go off to a conference for 10 days and come back hoping that someone has cracked this level, but alas... it seems we're very much right where we left off.

Regarding the Poe connection, I sent an email with that question to our crypt keeper. Here's that exchange:
Q: I was wondering if you might let me know if the title of the page "Amontillado, anyone?" and the fact that Edgar Allan Poe wrote a short story entitled "The Cask of Amontillado" in which an enemy was buried alive in the wine crypt, is merely coincidental, or if there's a clue in that?

A: Just a literary allusion. Nothing to write home about. :)

So, there you have it.

I, too, have been trying action commands hoping to trigger the door or summon help in some way. I even looked up the local police, emergency and fire response information, but didn't find anything useful. :(

I just took a look on the map of where this place is supposed to be, and one street over what do we have? We have Playfair Road. I'm hoping this is just a coincidence and not suggestive of a Playfair cipher.

[Jase]

Can't really be a playfair as we have nothing encrypted to go on ... so still stuck and *PHEW*

[fred]

Please play fair. Can't see that encryption toy in use here, thank goodness. Somehow we need just to say something that either causes something to happen to open the door, or just to cause us (like a command) to go through the door which has opened on its own (or the command of someone else, like the absent Nakamoto?). 1) lights on; 2) Nakamoto absent; 3) door shut tight. Those three things and the cell phone for googling. That's what we have -- and the fershlaginner (polite expletive) clues. Once again, I get

1)Douglas for xmas tree; 2) Smith for economics; 3)3 for lithium; 4) 7 for nitrate (growth hormone); 5) 92 for uranium (thermonuclear)

I don't know what to do with [smear]. Could be 'war' or 'disaster' or 'accident' or whatever. It's all too wide open to get a handle on, so we'll have to wait for one of us to stumble on it by chance.

[Cryptos]

You're looking for a destination.

[armadillo_pie]

Thanks, Cryptos! :)

I think I have left the building...

Before I start celebrating, I'm waiting on a reply from Cryptos. My "destination" is within the Cryptos realm, but it may not be where I am supposed to be, if that makes sense.

Once I know that I'm where one is supposed to arrive from the vault, I'll post a hint on where I am. If I'm completely off, I'll let you know.

[Jase]

did you get it armadillo?

[fred]

I take it from AP that there is no L36 page, not even a holding dummy page. If not, how can we know whether we've put up the right URL or not? And, we are told in the description that we escape from the cell, not the building. Cryptic, to say the least. I have "come". If I could find "go" we would have our oxymoron, of sorts.

[armadillo_pie]

Cryptos replied and confirmed that I am in the right place. I'm now working on how to give a hint. Back soon. :)

This would be so much easier if I had actually solved the puzzle, but I didn't. I sort of guessed. When I saw Cryptos' hint, I asked myself, "If I'm not trapped in the vault, then where should I be?" That, plus the earlier reply I got from my first message to Cryptos, took me to the right place. Be specific.

@ Fred -- Just to clarify, I did not say that there wasn't a page at the destination. A valid URL will return a page :)

[fred]

OK. I gather you just weren't sure it was the right page. Anyway, congrats on solving this one. I said it would be by accident. Can you say anything about the method of solving? We've been going back and forth between anagramming the initial letters of the clue words and trying to get at the content meaning of the words and phrases. Maybe a mix of both? Are any numbers actually involved. It still seems a pretty open field to me, and I don't feel as lucky as you were. Congrats again.

[kuang]

Well done :) DOn't run too far ahead until we catch up ;)

In hindsight, can you determine how the answer would have been derived from the puzzle?

[armadillo_pie]

I've tried to reverse-engineer the puzzle, but I don't really see any logically ordered connection at all. Not knowing how the puzzle is solved prevents me from knowing how it fits into the solution, so I'm really hesitant to comment on it much. The most I feel I can say is
The last line in the puzzle may have been intended as a gerund, but it could be something else that would have more of a direct connection.

I know that someone else has solved it. Perhaps that person cracked the puzzle and would like to share the method?

[Jase]

i still have no idea

[fred]

Got it! And, no foolin' this time. It required a major flight of fancy and hitting about the seventeenth of about seventeen permutative possibilities. Since I've been begging for help for a couple of weeks, I will say that the letters for one proper part of the answer are in the puzzle, within the stuff we've been massaging all this time. I'm close to an algorithm. More soon, I hope.

OK. Get the full acronym for the words in the puzzle. Then play it in the key of C on your piano -- that is, white keys only. That accounts for the pattern needed to get the letters you need for part of the answer, but it does NOT explain how to get to this conclusion by way of the puzzle. I only worked it out after the fact, and it may be another monstrous coincidence.

A bit later:

Oh, never mind. I've been clued into a pattern that actually makes some relevant sense, though the connection is still pretty tenuous, in my view. I certainly shold have spotted it, but I didn't. Shame on me. Tear a stripe from my puzzle-solvers merit badge sash.

[Cryptos]

I apologize for not having the next page up as it requires a camera.

An email sent to me said that a string of airport codes were used to find the answer, or dumb luck. The correct solution was as follows.

Middle Initial = acronym is MI
Christmas Tree = acronym is XT
Economics = acronym is EC
Atomic Number = acronym is AN
Lithium = acronym is LI
Growth Hormone = acronym is GH
Thermonuclear = acronym is TN
Information Network Gateway = acronym is ING

String those together and you get MIXTECAN LIGHTNING.

Cha'ngi is the word for lightning in some obscure subset of Mixtecan. (I remember there was a nice online dictionary page but I can't seem to find it now.)

Cheers.

[kuang]

Dammit, I was only one acronym off - I took the C for christmas literally rather than substituting an X :)

[Jase]

same here Kuang ... so close for weeks now feel a lil foolish ...

Ahhhh hindsight ;)

[fred]

That one got by me completely, and I was a linguist in a former life. Of course, some might find the acronymization of the clue words a tad arbitrary, but who's counting? I wonder, however, if Cryptos might consider deleting this explanation of level 35, in case others try to solve it in the future. This really lets the cat out fo the bag in public.

[kuang]

That will only work if there's a good dictionary out there - I couldn't find one at all.

[fred]

Wikopedia has a good history of the key word in question. It has nothinhg to do with any Amerind languages, but is fascinating in its own right.

[kuang]

Yup, read that earlier - I previously didn't know how little I knew about those languages and now I know precisely how little I know. Consequently I'm not sure if I've become more knowledgeable as a result or.. :)

[Cryptos]

Next level will be up this weekend.

[Jase]

glad to hear that cryptos ;)

[armadillo_pie]

Ummm... maybe we should all chip in and buy Cryptos a camera... :nailbite:

[Cryptos]

I have pretty much the whole thing planned now, and can get around to actually making it when major projects die down.

[fred]

Obviously, Cryptos' problem is that he doesn't consider this riddle game the most important thing in his life, like we all do. My wife and I are going camping, biking, geocaching for a couple of weeks (retirement is wonderful), so take your time, Cryptos.

[Cryptos]

I must say again that it's the end of the school year for me and that I guarantee the riddle will be completed over the summer. Sorry about the delay.

[Jase]

Looks Like Cryptos Has forgotten about us :(

[brainisdead]

hmm, that 1st level the War Of the worlds one?
It says you should find a place but if you go to that page, that paragraph and those words it turns out to be "to forbid"?

[kuang]

The principle is right, but the words aren't - have another go, and make sure you use the built-in search facility :)

[brainisdead]

what built in search?

[kuang]

Assuming you're using the website mentioned in the clue rather than your own paper copy of the book, you can use the site's search engine to pinpoint the exact words you need.

[brainisdead]

i used the site. it has no such search engine I'm aware of, you can't actually read any books there. You have to download them.
I guess I'm quitting there then?

[kuang]

http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?pageno=5&fk_files=98461

[brainisdead]

got it thanks. then ground to a halt after the "coloured german car", are we supposed to copy those letters down from that letter? has this person never heard of copy N paste?

I assume its some sort of keyword cipher?

[kuang]

It's attempting to create an atmosphere. Some of the later puzzles rely on the 'real' evidence rather than plain text. You might find that if you're reluctant to manually copy text at this stage, some of the later levels will really test your patience :) As with many things, the reward you get out is proportional to the effort you put in :)

As for that particular level, there are two important words in the text - one tells you what type of cipher is used, the other is a prerequisite for solving it. Once you have those it's very quick. You will end up juggling the letters around though, so better get copying :)

[brainisdead]

I'll quit there then, what I want from a riddle is a playable game.
If I wanted atmosphere I'd go outside and breathe ;-)

[Bronwyn]

I really need help at "Take the money and run". I know it has to do with E****** G**** A****** but I can't figure out the answer.

[kuang]

You're absolutely right Bronwyn, and..

now you need to be thinking geographically. The answer is a short one.

[Bronwyn]

Short one?

I've seen your hint in post 1647 but I still can't find out the right answer.

[kuang]

If you were heading to the place you've already identified, where would you be going? Think bigger.

[Bronwyn]

I sent you a pm.

[binkygg]

hi everyone im just gonna start playing now so can u help me if im stuck? thanks!

is anyone here?

if yeah i have no clue to when u begin the game after u decipher the number stuff :D

okay nevermind ill do this nexttime but u can PM me if you like!:haha:

[kuang]

Every answer you receive is the address of the next page - the intro page tells you how to get to the next level once you have an answer. Was that what you meant?

[Bronwyn]

I'm at Fire at will, thought it is p***f*** but getting only gibberish. It could be in Portuguese but still looks like gibberish to me.

Edit: I've got Fire at will.

I guess I'm now allowed to do multiple posting according to 48 hour rule?
In rhyme time I know the cipher and I'm pretty sure I have the right key. I still can't get the right decryption. What am I doing wrong?

[linkinpark333]

can anyone help me out with this level?

i thought i knew what to do but now im stuck

i found out what type of code it is but don't know how to decipher it

HELP!!!

[Bronwyn]

Linkin, check posts #1283 and #1552.

I'm still stuck at Rhyme time... I really need a big hint here, please...

[armadillo_pie]

Being a terrible glut for punishment, I stopped by to see if there had been any new level/s added to Cryptos. I have to wonder if the game is dead, or maybe comatose? The "official" Cryptos forum is offline; it seems the board is under new management and Cryptos hasn't reactivated the forum since the change over.

Sigh... still sitting at level 35, possibly forever. :(

PS - Bronwyn, I PM'd you.

[Bronwyn]

Thank you armadillo_pie! Finally I can continue :)
It's unbelievable that I was stuck in that level almost 2 months just because I didn't noticed that I should change the cipher text to small case letters.

[linkinpark333]

thnxs brownyn

i understand what to do but im not sure what r the keywords

do i use the ones there or is that just a clue

[Bronwyn]

It's a clue. Think of someone with a golden touch

[Cryptos]

Being a terrible glut for punishment, I stopped by to see if there had been any new level/s added to Cryptos. I have to wonder if the game is dead, or maybe comatose?

I take it you haven't checked the main page recently? Something is afoot.

[kuang]

A-ha, I'm glad I stopped by again :) Nice new logo and cryptic message, interesting ;) Good to see you back...

Apologies to all who were stuck for not being here more often to give nudges!

[jaxy]

HELP PLEASE!!!!!! I've been working on this level off and on for over a week now and I'm still stuck. I've read all the hints but I just cant get it.:frustrated:



EDIT: Thanks kuang

[kuang]

First of all, you need to make sure your code is just one thing or another. After that you shouldn't need to ascii for any more help :)

[Bronwyn]

Lock, stock and barrel - I just can't understand it...