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Post by jiladis on Jun 3, 2016 23:38:33 GMT
Hi everyone,
It's still so quiet here (lots of puzzle solving going on!) so I thought I'd create a little diversion and pose a question to the members of the forum... outside of 52masterpieces, what have been some of your favorite puzzle-based games? They can be armchair treasure hunts, computer games, phone apps, etc.. Mostly looking for those that people might not have heard about before.
Some examples I thought I'd share:
(*) The RHEM series - if you like the Myst series, definitely check out this independent series (they're up to 4 games). These are for the serious puzzler only, as the dialogue is almost non-existent, and the graphics are often very drab. Tons of buttons/switches to interact with! They are definitely more difficult so prepare for some serious thinking! Each one can be played independently, so no worries if you can't get your hands on the original RHEM (it's hard to find)
(*) Games by Cliff Johnson - These are some excellent puzzlers that build on each other. The best one (although dated) is "Fool's Errand" although his newest game is "A Fool and his Money". These games are a variety of puzzles that all build on each other to weave together a pretty interesting story. I even recommend getting a MAC emulator to be able to play the older games ("3 in Three" is great too!)
(*) For my 11th birthday, my parents got me the book "The Eleventh Hour" - this is probably what inspired me to continue armchair treasure hunting and look for clues in every detail. Although it appears to be a children's book, it is totally enjoyable by adults, providing many difficult codes/ciphers to break.
(*) While not out yet, Obduction is the spiritual successor to Myst/Riven and is supposed to be coming out this month. Should be another great immersive puzzler!
Anyway, this is just a sampling of ideas you might not have heard of before. How about you all - anything you care to share?
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Post by catherwood on Jun 4, 2016 14:53:28 GMT
Quiet indeed! Perhaps the weekend will bring puzzlers back to the table. You have reminded me that I never did finish RHEM. I know I have RHEM 3 buried in a pile somewhere as well. I didn't realize there was a 4th, and I heard the 2nd was rather dreary, but I really should revisit the series. I missed out on the Cliff Johnson era, but my impression is that they were very difficult-yet-clever puzzles. I think he ran an Easter hunt or some annual challenge for a while, but that was years ago. I have "The Eleventh Hour" and "The Egyptian Jukebox" and many of those kinds of puzzle books. Again, it seems like decades ago these were popular, but maybe I've only missed out because I don't browse the picture book section anymore. I did participate in "The Clock Without A Face" (wow, six years ago!) and managed to dig up a buried gem with the help of some local puzzle friends. Lastly, I am anticipating Obduction, too. Sadly, we'll have a bit longer wait, as they just announced the release date for the end of July. My interest in puzzles overlaps with the Alternate Reality Games community, the Puzzled Pint events, online competitions likes MUMS (and SUMS and CiSRA) and "Pablo's Armchair Treasure Hunt" pablosath.com and local outings like Shinteki and DASH (Different Area Same Hunt). I would probably enjoy geocaching too, and participated in Orienteering back in college, but I am just too sedentary these days. |
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Post by reesylou on Jun 5, 2016 0:33:07 GMT
I need to look into RHEM obviously... it sounds like my sort of games series.
I remember Fools Errand - I also went to the effort of getting a mac emulator to play. Wow, that was AGES ago.
I have a few picture puzzle books, but never really managed to make significant progress on them. I think part of that is not really having a local community (or in fact anyone really) interested in that sort of thing. Being able to discuss some of that stuff makes coming up with and testing theories a lot easier.
I haven't heard of Obduction. Another thing to look into.
My puzzle interests also overlap with ARGs (although I rarely participate significantly - I find that I fall so far behind due to having limited time to "play" that I get left behind). I love participating in the various other puzzle comps, but again am stymied by being in Australia. There really isn't anything like that here.
I really love geocaching, and although I don't get out as often as I would like, I have completed over 700 caches.
Beyond that, I find games like Space Chem, while not true "puzzle" games, sufficiently entertain me and my desire to solve logical problems and optimise the solutions. I also "play" coding based games, and various puzzle/"hack"/brain teaser sites like blacksheep and caesum, although not been on many of them recently. (heads off to look up old haunts)
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52mp
New Member
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Post by 52mp on Jun 6, 2016 1:59:43 GMT
Hello to the tiny group of wonderful posters on this barely-used forum, Thanks for the posts! My first puzzle games were the classic text-based Infocom games such as Zork. In the very first Zork game, you need to enter an abandoned home through a window, roll up a large rug in the main room, and then enter the trapdoor hidden below. At first, my brother and I played for a short while without really understanding how to play such a game. Once someone showed us the first steps (i.e. how to find the trapdoor), the whole game opened up and I was hooked. As a small hint for anyone playing 52 Master Pieces, I view the start of this contest the same way. If you can discover the very first steps, the whole adventure will suddenly become available to you. After that, I fell in love with the Sierra games like King's Quest, Space Quest, and even Leisure Suit Larry. Those games were incredible. The Fool's Errand was a fantastic experience too (and influenced a few elements of 52MP).  I wasn't aware of the book "Eleventh Hour", but that is the name of a computer game that I enjoyed, which was a sequel to another fun puzzle game called The Seventh Guest. Following that I also greatly enjoyed Myst followed by Riven and Exile (although I honestly can't remember much about the sequels). As mentioned in the Author's Notes I grew up reading Games magazines and always hoped to someday win one of their contests. In my early 20s I managed to win my first, followed later by two others. Two of these three entries are related to content in the 52MP contest. I'll reveal which ones after the contest phase has ended. The children's book / puzzle contest "A Treasure's Trove" by Michael Stadther was an extraordinary experience. I've got some amazing stories related to that contest that I'll have to share another day. That contest stands out to me as one where the puzzle elements were challenging for adults but could be explained to a child. I won't list out the many armchair treasure hunts I've attempted over the years where I felt that the contest itself was a scam of some kind, or was based on puzzles that ended up being illogical or arbitrary. One well-designed and underrated contest was in a David Blaine book called "Mysterious Stranger" (the contest was also designed by Cliff Johnson who created The Fool's Errand). I'll conclude with a book recommendation - if you haven't read it already, all of you will absolutely love "Ready Player One" by Ernst Cline. |
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Post by jiladis on Jun 7, 2016 2:33:56 GMT
Hi all! Yes, I imagine our paths have crossed with our shared interests over the years. Catherwood, in particular your name jumped out at me as soon as I saw it was on the list of players. I'm pretty sure you were active in another treasure hunt/ARG I was involved in. Perhaps Chasing the Wish? (My first ARG experience).. At that time I went by Chisealpin and wasn't terribly active, so you probably wouldn't remember me. That's so cool that you guys have won prizes from treasure hunts - I totally want to do that some day! I've done a small bit of geocaching (somewhere between 50 and 100) and leave my signature buttons when I go, that are ambigrams I crafted. I've also done a bit of metal detecting, though have had no luck finding anything interesting. Hoping once my boys are a bit older we can work as a family on these activities. My desk is full of Sierra games, Myst-clones, etc, and I have a bookshelf full of armchair treasure hunts so it sounds like we're in good company. I have stacks of Games magazines I just can't part with yet. One book I totally forgot to mention that's a newer release is called "The Maze of Games" by Mike Selinker. The price tag is a bit heft ($50) and it is not a treasure hunt - but it is a finely crafted book of puzzles that has left me extremely happy with my purchase. I've gotten more enjoyment out of that book than most treasure hunting puzzles. I don't want to give anything away, but definitely worth a look - I'm only about half-way through it, and I've been working on it off-and-on for over a year. That's the second time in a week that "Ready Player One" has come up, so I've reserved it at the library. Can't wait to check it out! Happy puzzling, Sean |
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Post by catherwood on Dec 15, 2017 18:55:11 GMT
And the annual hunt is live now! Pablo's ATH (formerly run by Logica social club) can be worked on alone, but you'll want a buddy or a team just for a mixture of skill sets. While the end goal is to find a location in the UK where a real treasure cache is buried, remote teams can win prizes based on the speed and accuracy of their submitted solution. Mirror site at ath2017.org/ shows a montage of the pages within the full PDF file. BTW, this is not your "classic riddles and puzzles" kind of hunt, but will test your ability to search for historical trivia, break ciphers, and make visual connections. It's a great challenge! |
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