Wine?
What medium will you be using? Programming an app, an install file, a website, something else?
Comment has been collapsed.
That's a very good question. I'm not limiting myself but I'm a total n00b in programming so I was thinking more along the lines of riddles spanning across readily available medium like video, fake social media accounts, websites from scratch or 'hacked" ones.
Comment has been collapsed.
Ok, cool.
I used to play ARG games for a wee while, those use all those things usually.
Recently a colleague did something similar.
He took something from another colleague and created a scavenger hunt.
So you could get a gift, but together you find a note inside instead (you are innocent after all), like a ransom note, that declares a villain took the item and to await further instructions.
Then use a fake email account to send a Youtube link from a fake Youtube account for a video. He used an existing video in a foreign language and added subtitles.
This could lead to a location, like a Geocache or Multi-cache, that uses a riddle to find coordinates...etc etc.
His hunt took months, slowly driving my colleague nuts :P
https://jenniferdewalt.com/ransom_note/page
type a message, generate note, copy/paste or snip it, and print it, or make your own from real newspapers/magazines.
Comment has been collapsed.
Haha that looks awesome!
He used an existing video in a foreign language and added subtitles.
Yep. I was thinking of that. I used something similar for her birthday once with bits of movies and games in foreign languages.
This could lead to a location, like a Geocache or Multi-cache, that uses a riddle to find coordinates...etc etc.
Coordinates is a really cool idea as a waypoint. She's also a big time traveler and has a huge scratch map on her wall with all her travels so I could definitely do something with that.
His hunt took months, slowly driving my colleague nuts :P
Hahaha my girl is not patient but she does enjoy a good riddle.
Thanks for the ideas and the ransomizer. I am pretty handy with photoshop but shortcuts can be very useful, especially if you need to change things up and don't have too much time.
Comment has been collapsed.
Haha, I read that wrong...
I read she was a big TIME TRAVELER, and I thought I missed some new game like Geocaching or Pokemon Go :P
Comment has been collapsed.
LMAO I think I probably am missing a hyphen somewhere to make it less scifi.
She'd love some time traveling, though, let me tell you.
That actually reminds me of a kind of ARG I did when I first moved to Paris with a meetup group that was using puzzles you needed to solve with an augmented reality app. They were using old pictures and postcards of Paris that you could trigger by being in the right location and find clues in. Very smart. I may use that.
Comment has been collapsed.
How do you approach a puzzle from scratch when you're crafting an event?
When I want a lot of people to play, I take a wide entrance.
Divide into easy, normal, and difficult.
Each will also have a treasure chest.
Humans spend effort and time at such times as "understandable and incomprehensible" (the boundary between reaching and not understanding).
And people will find it fun.
What pitfalls have you found laying around waiting to trip you up?
I think it depends on where you want the prerequisite knowledge necessary for the capture.
For example, many people assume that they are reading something like this.
The same applies to frequently used Puzzle and jigsaw related services.
zelgh magic guide to basic sg puzzling | UPDATE October 2017
And more generally, can you recommend any resources I could tap into to craft my game?
Free online jigsaw puzzles | Jigidi.com
Create A Puzzle(itstoohard)
Steam Dungeons 3D - create and explore dungeons with SG giveaways!
etc etc...
In any case, if you use an external service, there are also "Terms of Service".
I feel that annotations are necessary when using a completely new one.
Um?
Was this the correct answer?
Happy holiday!
I haven't been able to do it for a while.XDD
Comment has been collapsed.
Was this the correct answer?
Any help is the correct answer! Much appreciated Kappa!
And Jigi will definitely make an appearance. She can't stay away from them!
Humans spend effort and time at such times as "understandable and incomprehensible" (the boundary between reaching and not understanding).
Oh that's definitely true. And the hard part is to find the sweet spot between "hmm what is that? Let's spend a little time finding out" and "yeah it's going over my head, I give up:" but my lady is nothing if not stubborn and she just won't quit a good riddle so I think I'll be fine, even with something that takes a while to solve.
Happy Holidays to you
Comment has been collapsed.
First thing I'd consider is how much of difficulty will still be fun to your partner. For example my girlfriend wouldn't enjoy puzzles that are more challanging than Escape Room ones. I think that making it too easy is better than making it too hard (unless your partner is evil master of puzzles).
Test your puzzle from every angle. For example I forgot to sign top and bottom of some paper and it was impossible to solve the puzzle if you'd keep it the wrong way.
Comment has been collapsed.
I think that making it too easy is better than making it too hard (unless your partner is evil master of puzzles).
You are absolutely right. She does enjoy puzzling but she hasn't done any kind of hardcore puzzles, especially not online. Her experience is based on gaming and escape rooms. She likes a challenge so I may adapt the difficulty of the puzzles as I go along but I will start soft.
Test your puzzle from every angle.
Great advice. I was thinking of doing some beta testing with my sis and her bf. A couple of pair of eyes giving the puzzles a once over will probably help ironing out the kinks and seeing things I missed even if they don't solve it.
Thanks for the tips Mr Palindrome ;)
Comment has been collapsed.
Mikalye’s Magic Guide to Puzzles.
I didn't read it, but it might be helpful
Comment has been collapsed.
Oooh that's interesting. I never came across it here.
I read Zelghadi's guide a lot when I tackled puzzles here for the first time but never saw Milalye had done a more specific one
Thanks :)
Comment has been collapsed.
I will also throw in a little idea. ;)
Steam Dungeons, here you can read more about it.
I have created a few events in it myself and it's great fun. There is a lot of possibilities that you can create and you can put there anything you want. Custom pictures, videos, sounds and music. Hide gifts, hints. Even make NPCs to guide you through it.
If you didn't before, you can check the already created dungeons to see for yourself here. ;)
Creator is great guy and he made an excellent tutoring video and guiding wikipedia.
How do you approach a puzzle from scratch when you're crafting an event?
Well, I usually start with something I like and enjoy and on that I start building up something. Nothing much really. ;)
Good luck with your puzzle, hope you will tell us then what you have created. ;D
Merry Christmas and all the best in the upcoming year. :3
Comment has been collapsed.
I have a lot of fun dungeon crawling so i think there will definitely be some of that in there. I think it's simple enough that even someone with no prior gaming experience can figure out how to navigate and find clues so it's a definite yes. And I don't need to learn coding so yay for that.
Well, I usually start with something I like and enjoy and on that I start building up something. Nothing much really. ;)
I think what I will need to work on is the entry point. I want a bit of a rabbit hole that's not too obvious but not too oblique that she will not even think to check. But obviously since it'll be custom made for one person I know very well, it helps a lot to know what she's into and what will get her hooked in. I imagine it's much harder when you are puzzling for strangers.
Good luck with your puzzle, hope you will tell us then what you have created. ;D
Heh I will definitely update you guys. The main even should start in February and go on in some form of another until the end of the year.
We're usually on the same page for a lot of things but we will forever disagree on when our anniversary exactly is because we first met online on a forum, then became good friends, then met in real life, then got together so there are 4 dates to pick from and I want to get all of them included. It should take a while but I think it's very worth it.
Thanks for the help and for the wishes. Happy Holidays and have a good "so long 2020" celebration ;)
Comment has been collapsed.
i got the giveaway link but im black listed 🤷♂️ i dont know you even ,maybe you could tell me why
Comment has been collapsed.
Hey I usually blacklist people for two reasons: extremely low ratio combined with inactivity and you checked for both when you came across my radar, or winners who don't have the basic decency to say thanks. It's not personal.
Tell you what, you are making GAs again so I'll take you off the list. Good luck.
Comment has been collapsed.
Hey! I have some really good tips for you!
There is an app you can install called Cluekeeper. Basically it can help structure a puzzlehunt for you. You can also do some alternate reality stuff inside of it which was pretty cool, like one time you had to point your phone at something and it showed a rocket ship taking off. Link: https://www.cluekeeper.com/
I remember there was also something called Artivive which is AR on drawings! Basically if you draw something on the wall or on a sheet of paper, and your wife points her phone at it, it can move and possibly spell out a secret answer! Look into it https://artivive.com/
Comment has been collapsed.
Oh wow! Cluekeeper looks amazing! I'll definitely dig into that!
Artivive will come in handy for sure. I mean, the first time we met in person was at a museum so art will be a part of the game.
Thanks a whole lot for these two great pointers!
Comment has been collapsed.
Outside my forte, but congrats on the upcoming anniversary!
10 years, huh?
Comment has been collapsed.
Heh thanks for dropping in anyway. 10 years yeah. Can't quite believe it myself but then I had half a mind to move our anniversary by a year since we spent most of 2020 apart for 2020 reasons. She won't have it lol
Hope the end of the year is treating you well, my friend. Merry December and Happy "we're almost out of this damn year"!
Comment has been collapsed.
10 years together is very impressive. I think she's right about holding the anniversary this year - might as well add some joy and happiness to cap off the year. :)
I'm still as busy as ever - possibly even more so over the past month - but less stressed overall, so a step in the right direction.
Merry December and Happy almost done with 2020 to you too! I'll raise a glass of homemade coquito to toast. :)
Comment has been collapsed.
It's rather impressive she's sticking with me, I'll tell you that.
I have friends who just celebrated 7 years together and they've been in lockdown in a one bedroom apartment all year. Now that's impressive. I told them technically they're also celebrating 10 years because 2020 has to be counting triple! Like Scrabble.
but less stressed overall, so a step in the right direction
Is it the coquito helping or did you get a greenhouse and some relaxing plants? (I want to be clear I am talking about a zen garden and I am absolutely not suggesting anything illegal :P)
Comment has been collapsed.
Yeah, nothing like being stuck together under lockdown to test a relationship. And I know couples for whom a 2 hour car ride is a challenge.
The coquito does help a bit with the stress, though also disappears at an alarming rate. We did recently start growing hydroponic plants, though not the relaxing kind. We've had mostly success. The red mustard all shriveled up and died, and the tatsoi and arugula aren't looking too hot, but the lettuces have exploded - breen, butterhead, and cardinale are all growing fast enough to be harvested every couple days. Basil and sweet basil are coming in, still waiting on jalapenos and cherry tomatoes, and we have more dill and cilantro than we know what to do with (I hate cilantro).
Comment has been collapsed.
And I know couples for whom a 2 hour car ride is a challenge.
Haha I have a friend who got a divorce on a weekend in the country because they didn't have cell phone and had to you know... talk to each other so it can be a challenge.
The coquito does help a bit with the stress, though also disappears at an alarming rate.
I am convinced there is a little drunken elf somewhere in my place who is responsible for the high evaporation rate of all the spirits and liquors. The chestnut liqueur batch from last December is all but gone already! Damn elves. Maybe you have a latino elf.
We did recently start growing hydroponic plants, though not the relaxing kind.
Just as well. Veggie gardens are just as relaxing in the end anyway and safer legally, depending on your location. Lettuces are notoriously prolific when they like where they are so I guess they like your place.
Basil and sweet basil are coming in, still waiting on jalapenos and cherry tomatoes, and we have more dill and cilantro than we know what to do with
I dream of a little bit of garden to plant herbs and tomatoes. That's all I need. No matter how much money you put in, tomatoes you buy, even the best ones, never come close to the ones you harvest for yourself.
(My gf got some suspended herb garden for her Mom and was showing it up while we were chatting... her Mom thought we were sexting just from how hmmm enthusiastic we were about herbs growing. Like she didn't already think I was a perv snatching her daughter away enough)
(I hate cilantro).
Heathen! My favorite herb after basil! :P
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, hate is probably too strong a word. I hate celery and caraway seeds, and merely dislike cilantro.
I just tried some to confirm, and home grown definite tastes much better than what we'd get at the store, but there's still a strong soapy undercurrent.
What are you thoughts on blue cheese, lamb, and uni (sea urchin)?
Comment has been collapsed.
I hate celery and caraway seeds, and merely dislike cilantro.
Yeah I think all these are very strong so they often need to be found in balance. A lot of people just blast them to 11 in dishes and it can turn off the less inclined taste buds.
but there's still a strong soapy undercurrent.
My uncle had a veggie garden all his life and was very unhappy with his tomatoes when he moved after retiring. He always said tomatoes depend a lot of the quality and the minerals in the dirt used to plant. I know nothing about hydroponics but I'm guessing it also puts its own spin on the resulting fruit.
What are you thoughts on blue cheese, lamb, and uni (sea urchin)?
Umami is my jam so I'm hopelessly in love with all of these (I was breast-fed and apparently that plays a role in our addiction to umami)
Especially uni (don't get me started on Mediterranean sea urchins, it's like a trip to heaven). My gf is a reluctant omnivore because she loves animals so she really really hate me loving lamb so much but I just can't help it. I know they're cute but come on.
As for blue cheese, well I have not found a lot of cheese I didn't like but blue cheese is way up there in my top 5. I even made ice cream with it. My gf doesn't mind that though ;)
Are those hard for you? Extreme umamism is not for everyone.
Comment has been collapsed.
I've heard that some people are genetically predisposed to taste soap in cilantro, but I haven't found studies that back up that claim. This article thinks that it's more cultural and a learned associative behaviour, for why some people pick up on the soap tastes while others pick up on the fresh, pleasant tastes: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
I've always found cilantro to be off-putting, both in flavour and aroma. People kept asking me if I thought it tasted like soap, which I could never answer as I don't eat soap and didn't know what soap tasted like. But then I tried some soap, and yeah, it kinda tastes like cilantro.
My theory is that people are predisposed to like certain flavours, and that these divisive flavours are associated such that liking one makes you more likely to like another.
I hate blue cheese (it tastes like mold), lamb (very gamey), and uni (tastes like a fish pooped in my mouth). My SO feels the same, despite her repeated attempts to learn to like uni. But my brother and sister in law both love blue cheese and uni - they think uni is delicious. I don't know my brother's opinion of lamb, but I'm pretty sure my sister in law loves that too. The local restaurant reviewer loves lamb, blue cheese, and uni.
I think people either love these strong, pungent foods, or they find them offensive. It's not completely consistent, as my SO likes cilantro, but so far I haven't found anyone who likes blue cheese but not uni or visa versa - they either strongly like both or strongly dislike both.
Comment has been collapsed.
I have read extensively about taste preferences and every theory seems to point out to which food, and how many types of food you are exposed to as a very young child so yes cultural bias is a big part of that.
However, in the case of cilantro, the flavor is not the issue. the aroma is. There is indeed a genetical component to cilantro-hating and it has to do with how your brain perceives the aroma information sent by your nose, which erases the herby, citrus-y component the rest of us love in cilantro, and thus remain only the chemical component that reminds you of soap.
My sister was anosmic for several years, due to a chronic sinus condition, and she lost her taste for many things, most of which she loved before, due to the sudden absence of aroma. The flavor of a lot of ingredients is 80% in the way they smell. Herbs certainly (mint tasted unbearably bitter to her, basil tasted like pepper) but also a lot of fruits (pineapple, melon, citrus, tomatoes).
Before I launch into a diatribe, may I ask what would you say your favorite flavors are?
Is there any food, or even a dish, that you would eat even if you could never eat anything else ever again?
My theory is that people are predisposed to like certain flavours, and that these divisive flavours are associated such that liking one makes you more likely to like another.
I don't know if that's entirely accurate. There are many divisive flavors and not all of them have similar flavor components.
What you call predisposition can come from many factors but besides the olfactory receptors of Cilantro haters, and the "bitter gene", there hasn't been much evidence that genetics play a big part.
In fact the biggest part seem to be played by the flavors we are exposed to (or in fact not exposed to) in the womb and in the first year of our life.
It would certainly explain why people are increasingly challenged by bold flavors. They are exposed to processed food and the mild flavors the food industry is feeding kids in 'baby gourmet products" to make sure that it won't challenge even the pickiest babies, when it's actually the opposite that should be done.
Wow, sorry I didn't mean to ramble. Flavor, taste and flavor pairing are a big subject for me lol
It's not completely consistent, as my SO likes cilantro, but so far I haven't found anyone who likes blue cheese but not uni or visa versa - they either strongly like both or strongly dislike both.
My girlfriend dislikes uni and loves any kind of cheese, especially the sharp ones. I don't think she's ever had good sea urchin though. I've had bad uni and I've had beautiful clean sea urchin from the Mediterranean and I can tell you I understand how people can hate it. There are some downright horrible things sold as "uni" that taste like mud mixed with salt water to me. And then there's the clean, light, delicate flavor of the Mediterranean urchin.
Comment has been collapsed.
My favorite food is mapo tofu. We make mapo roughly using Kenji's Recipe, except we double the amount of sauce (love the sauce), leave out the chili oil (the store-bought chili oil was pretty flavorless anyway), and use extra Sichual peppercorns because I love that tingle.
Was that in line with what you were expecting? ;)
I tried uni at a really good Japanese sushi restaurant. It was Peruvian uni. I can't say how good it was as it tasted so awful that I've never wanted to try uni again, but the restaurant otherwise is really good - I don't like octopus in general, but I love their takoyaki, and their torched salmon belly is amazing! My SO has tried uni two other times, I think having Californian uni, and she said both other times were equally gross - like eating sea garbage that melts in your mouth.
I certainly believe that we grow to like flavours that we were exposed to as kids, but I also think there are exceptions that the theory doesn't explain. I happily ate mushrooms as a child until I turned 8, and then suddenly developed a strong dislike of mushrooms that has stayed with me ever since. I know a 4-and-a-half year old who ate cooked peas and carrots from the time he could chew, and shortly after he turned 4 he developed a dislike of cooked peas and carrots (he still likes raw carrots). I know a teenager who regularly ate eggs as a child, then around 8 years old announced that she doesn't like eggs anymore, and now she'll only eat eggs if they're scrambled with fish sauce and fried hard. It's weird.
Comment has been collapsed.
You can't go wrong with Kenji! Serious Eats is just such a brilliant website
Was that in line with what you were expecting? ;)
I was really just curious (I always ask people what their favorite dish is, it's a thing with me :P ) but I was indeed thinking you'd be into spicy stuff. And it wasn't just because you had jalapeños in your hydroponic garden (it's such a cute plant!)
At least we know your dislike of cilantro is not due to being a supertaster or you wouldn't be able to get near any chili or any kind lol
Mapo does have a lot of fermented flavors between the soy sauce and dou-chi. Do you enjoy fermented food in general or it's really just this recipe?
I am not picky with what I eat and I'll try everything at least twice, or three times, but Tofu is not very high on my list of stuff to eat. It's a textural thing more than anything else though.
and she said both other times were equally gross - like eating sea garbage that melts in your mouth.
Yep that was my experience eating Icelandic sea urchin last winter. It took all my willpower not to just on the bar and grab a bottle of vodka to erase the taste out of my mouth. Extremely disappointing considerng how much I usually enjoy it.
I happily ate mushrooms as a child until I turned 8, and then suddenly developed a strong dislike of mushrooms that has stayed with me ever since.
I actually meant to ask about mushrooms earlier but forgot. Since you dislike the taste of blue cheese, I didn't think you'd like mushroom either but it's a way milder taste so I was curious.
I mean, it's not weird. We do develop personal taste as we grow. When we're small, we eat what's put in front of us, without too much thought unless it's something we have a strong distaste for. As we grow, we start thinking "wait a minute, why should I eat that if I prefer this?" and get pickier.
I am a firm believer in personal choice when it comes to food (I hate hate professional cooks who try to convince people to eat something they don't like just because they think it's awesome) but I also believe that a lot of flavors need balancing and I managed to enjoy ingredients I don't usually like, in dishes that were "fixing" what I disliked in the first place.
Like I'm fine with the flavor of oysters but I have a hard time eating them, again due to the texture. Now if I fry them or add some crispy elements to it, I can enjoy them. Kinda like roasting greens to caramelize and balance the bitterness.
My girlfriend's Mom is a terrible cook and her idea of cooking vegetables is boiling them to death, and making you eat it as a punishment basically lol so my girlfriend started out very apprehensive about most veggies. Thankfully she has an open mind and she trusts my cooking so she tried stuff she thought she wouldn't like and some of her favorite dishes are now veggie based.
Her Mother still won't believe she's asking for Brussels Sprout and probably think it's just some form of masochism (or a sacrifice for love or something lol) but the roasting or shredding takes care of the textural issue with boiled mushy sprouts, and the bitterness works nicely with the caramelization and seasonings I use.
But again, it's personal and I will never force her to try offal, which she dislikes on sight, (unreasonably as I often point out, which earns me an eyeroll or a kiss, depending on the mood lol) because it's not my place to tell people what they "should" like. It's my job to make sure they enjoy what they eat, not what I'd eat.
Comment has been collapsed.
I actually didn't pick the jalapenos - they were included for free. I can probably use them for shakshuka or something.
I do love spicy food, though lately spicy food has not been loving me back. I now get heartburn just looking at something spicy, so I've been dialing the heat down from hot to medium. And it has to be balanced and flavorful - heat for the sake of heat is just unpleasant.
I don't know that I've had much fermented food. I tolerate kimchi, actively dislike stinky tofu, not really fond of fermented cabbage, and... I can't think of anything else fermented that I've had off the top of my head.
With tofu, I found that I actually rather like silken tofu - where normal tofu has that tough, somewhat chewy texture, silken tofu just melts in your mouth and is delightful in sauces like mapo tofu.
Regarding blue cheese and mushrooms, my SO loves mushrooms but strongly dislikes blue cheese (except, oddly, with buffalo wings - where she'll want blue cheese dressing, and dislikes ranch dressing).
I think what surprised me about my dislike of mushrooms is that I actually remember fondly eating muchrooms as a child, and then around 8 years old it's like a switch was thrown and I found them repulsive.
I went through most of my teenage years strongly disliking fried onions, and now I'll fry up onions or shallots to complement a dish all the time. I saute onions with just about everything. But maybe I just disliked my mom's fried onions? Kind of how I always disliked black pepper, but all I ever new was store-bought ground pepper that would sit out on the table in a shaker. Then about 8 years ago I bought a pepper mill, started grinding it fresh, and now I put fresh ground black pepper on everything. I'm still not into pepper-crusted meats, but a little black pepper just helps elevate a dish.
And I can totally understand your girlfriend's dislike of something based on sight alone. It's totally irrational, I know, but just looking at tripe makes me uncomfortable - I do not want to put that in my mouth.
Comment has been collapsed.
I sadly don't have anything helpful to add. But I did want to congratulate you on TEN YEARS!
It's lovely to read how you love your partner and have been together for so long. I wish you both many more happy years together!
🥳
Also, you started a very interesting topic! I have read the responses here with a big interest!
Comment has been collapsed.
It's lovely to read how you love your partner and have been together for so long. I wish you both many more happy years together!
Thank you very much. It's not always easy because we have to be apart for weeks at a time sometimes but we make it work. Thank the Gods for the internet, and telepathy I guess lol
No worries, I was also hoping to get people interested in puzzles in general to check the thread to see what's what.
I've never been on the puzzle making side so it's a completely new thing for me and I've already learned a lot so I was sure I wasn't the only one interested.
So many options and paths already! I'm trying to thing about the overall story and approach first not to get too overwhelmed by possibilities.
Comment has been collapsed.
Hey :)
That's actually a very old thread so the giveaways have been over for months.
This particular thread was a puzzle of sorts so the code of the giveaway was hidden in the picture. You can see a 5 character code if you roll over the picture.
More about puzzles on SG in this wonderful thread
Welcome to SG :)
Comment has been collapsed.
Alright, alright. First, I must apologize for the weak puzzle but it's my first time doing this and that brings us to the reason I'm asking for help.
Hi.
My 10th anniversary (kinda but that's besides the point) is coming and I had all kinds of plans of romantic trips, wining and dining and all but that probably will not happen if the first half of 2021 goes like the first half of 2020, which of course, it will.
Since my shrink insists I am not God and thus i probably won't be able to fix a global pandemic "just" for convenience, I have decided to change my plans and take into account lockdowns, closed borders and other niceties 2021 may offer.
My beloved is a great lover of all things puzzle, exploration and easter egg hunts so I have decided to create a small and custom-made Alternate Reality Game for her instead of a great big romantic trip and proposal. She would have said no anyway so a game seems like a safer bet.
Of course, even though I did some mild RPG leading and game mastering a long time ago in a galaxy far far away (basically high school), I have no experience in game making or puzzle making of any kind.
Since there are bona fide puzzle geniuses and a lot of puzzle enthusiasts around here, I thought I'd start by asking you for tips.
Specifically:
Any source is welcome. Forum, reddit, website, youtube videos, hell even books! I'll take all the help I can get.
Thank you all in advance for the help and if you manage to get to the end of this post, I think it's only fair you get a little L2 reward.
Also: Potato Wine is actually a thing, turns out. You learn something new every day.
Comment has been collapsed.