Hint for Level 3 puzzle (Greek numpad), courtesy of Jimbo2222 (Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition):
"The code you're looking for is written in a very ancient greek language, but the solution is a 6 number code."
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Hint for WW2:5 Q2, courtesy of achiles1984 (Ultimate Word Search 2: Letter Boxed):
"There are actually some ciphered messages that still are unbroken, and there is a project ongoing to still solve them called 'Q1-answer'@Home."
Also added another year as an acceptable answer, because of a new source I found while investigating this hint.
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Hint for Level 1 puzzle, courtesy of achiles1984 (Mini Golf Mundo):
"11 letters need to be turned into an 8 character code for ITH. Perhaps there are 4 letters that can give you something other than a letter?"
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Hint for Level 2 puzzle, courtesy of TFrostPG (Inexistence):
"A rune used in the first part of the message can also be translated to another letter. This rune exists twice in the code as well, but there's no indication which of the two letters they should translate to. Or perhaps it's both?"
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Double-Hint 1&2 for Level 5 puzzle (Top of Pyramid), courtesy of Adelion (Train of 4 GAs):
"1 character in the 4 character codes is not even needed. However, it does give you a hint on where to put the codes. Once all 29 codes has been positioned, carefully examine their placements, where they are can be just as important as where they aren't."
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Hint for Level 2 puzzle, courtesy of achiles1984 (Botanicula):
"Using Wikipedia, no runes in this alphabet translate to neither Y, nor Q. But there still is one rune that can be, and is, translated into two different letters."
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Hint 3 for Level 5 puzzle (Top of Pyramid), courtesy of Lugum (Train of 2 GAs):
"29 pieces to repaint the board, what cubism art will be revealed?"
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Hint for Level 3 puzzle (Greek numpad), courtesy of achiles1984 (Enemy Front)Can't be redeemed in Germany:
"Once you've translated the message, just press the corresponding buttons on the keypad."
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Hint for AE1 Q6, courtesy of snoopyman528 (Train of 3 GAs):
"I guess another way to put it is that he's the God of Denial."
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Hint 4 for Level 5 puzzle (Top of Pyramid), courtesy of Momo1991 (Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide):
"Once hint 3 has been taken care of, the pieces are no longer of relevance, you can shove them off the board."
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Hint for Top of pyramid Q7, courtesy of Novazch (Grey Goo Definitive Edition):
"Read the question carefully, the character I'm looking for is not able to speak the language. In fact, he has nothing to do with that movie's universe. You need to first translate the words and then figure out which character would say those things."
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Hint 5 for Level 5 puzzle, courtesy of Deathx9 (Train of 3 GAs):
"The cipher used will always start with the same character when encoding an alphanumerical character. Use this to your advantage, not only to figure out the cipher, but also to confirm your other findings."
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Hint for Top of pyramid Q4, courtesy of thed4rkn1te (Train of 3 GAs):
"Focus on what's being written, not what's in the image. That's a pun."
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Hint 6 for Level 5 puzzle, courtesy of jerminel (Train of 2 GAs):
"I've previously mentioned the cipher used and the common characteristic of always starting with a specific symbol in older Puzzle Agency puzzles. In fact, in one of the old Puzzle Agency cases it was important to know what this character was because you only needed to solve the remaining 7. Figure out this symbol and apply relevant information to the rest."
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Hint 7 for Level 5 puzzle (Top of Pyramid), courtesy of DarkX13 (Train of 3 GAs):
"Hint 3 tells us to repaint the board, and while the cubism part is mostly for flavour, it also hints to it being a chessboard. Hint 2 tells us to examine their positions and this is important. There's a pattern for what type of pieces can cover what type of square. When you put these two together, and done what it tells you to do, remove all the pieces and you will be left with something new."
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Changelog:
21 Dec
Fixed typos in WW2:1 and added a variant to an answer.
Added 5 GA bonus train for solving first level. Added 8 "first-to-solve" keys to the very top of the pyramid (has been free before).
Added 8 GA bonus train for solving second level.
Fixed Q2 in WW2:2, somehow the end of the question had dropped out, it should now be clear which movies it's referring to.
Added 7 GA bonus train for solving 3rd level. Added 1 "first-to-solve" key to the very top of the pyramid (has been free before).
Added 2 more acceptable answers in WW2:1 Q8.
Added 5 GA bonus train for solving 4th level.
Fixed typo in WW2:3.
Added 8 GA bonus train for solving the final puzzle.
Changed wording of V2, Q5, and added 2 more variants to the answer.
Changed wording of ww2:2, Q5.
Link for solving all Greece-ITHs added. Whoops!
Viking puzzle image reworked, it should now make 150% more sense. New solvers will reach a new ITH instead of the old one, but the content is virtually the same other than that the leaderboard is reset.
22 Dec
Added alternative answers to Top Q2 and Q7.
V3Q4 now accepts plural versions of the class names.
23 Dec
Added another variant of spelling on WW2:2 Q7.
27 Dec
Added clarification on WW2:5 Q2, that I'm asking about the cipher from Q1.
28 Dec
Changed gender of Ancient Egypt:2 Q5. I forgot to look under the skirt.
Changed wording of V2, Q4, added "in english".
Added one more possible answer in WW2:2 Q2. (An uncredited role)
29 Dec
AG:3 Q5 was too unfair, so the ITH hint will show an acceptable answer. Freebie!
AE:2 Q1 answer fixed according to the format rules I set up myself. Can't believe noone noticed my error until now. ^^
Added a lot of different answer variants to a lot of different Qs all over the place. Lost track of it. :)
2 Jan
Added something to hint 3 for final puzzle.
4 Jan
Added 22 GA bonus train for a total of 261 points for complete solvers.
Added alternative spellings for AG:1 Q3.
5 Jan
Added AG:3 Q5's hint to the question so you don't have to reload the page to see it after your first answer on the page.
13 Jan
Added a 5 GA bonus train for complete solvers. We're now up to 100 GAs in total for this event. That's a great achievement for everyone participating!
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Shout out to Jeff, who inspired not only the format of the pyramid, but also the creation of the Puzzle Agency by showing me how to make a story come together via series of puzzles. You're an endless source of inspiration!
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Wall of Fame (Top 50):
- Kinkami
- Starlynk
- Citrinate
- Grosie
- Adelion
- OnlyTwin
- mgbnn
- SilentGuy
- Yukulele53
- Ozpicious
- Foobie
- Saucisse
- Momo1991
- EvilBlackSheep
- xeskeko
- Orestisf
- Koitenshin
- avengito
- Lugum
- frikeldon
- edwintan
- TheUnitedVibe
- CalculonJones
- PHWimm
- Fragy
- snoopyman528
- mousewithbeer
- papasmok
- Selby
- thed4rkn1te
- Zhewriix
- SoulNibbler
- aiziks251
- saarfranke
- nickchanger
- doubleomurfy
- jeffuy
- Tigo
- Dankk
- lxmn
- jerminel
- waff1
- IAmZorglub
- andrzejl
- radagast82
- bellthecat
- robin90
- chour
- gracee
- JohnRyder
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That's a nice labyrinth event. :) Well done on getting through the first section, I know the feeling of getting drained when creating big puzzles!
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Reserving a post, will take a look tomorrow.
WW2:2 Q2 is not accepting one of the real answers. Just because he's uncredited doesn't mean it's not an acceptable answer.
WW2:2 Q5 & Q7 was really damn difficult to find.
WW2:4 Q8 is technically incorrect, but I can see why you think it needs to be this answer.
V2: Q4 is giving me the "wrong" even though it's right. So I've found an answer you do not have.
V2: Q5 having lots of issues, tried the two names (and all variations) I've seen, and nothing (you wanted 3 words, not just the name?).
V3: Q4 isn't accepting any answer either. I know the answer, it's just not being accepted.
Solved every single thing so far except Top of the pyramid Q7
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There's somewhat of an irony here, can you feel it? :)
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Looks very interesting! Will try to pass them all! :)
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*Regular whining about hints*
the sooner we start, the sooner you'll give hints ^___^
*Read description*
Darn...
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...But I don't like googling history for puzzles. :(
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Me neither!
The hint system, is that a good or bad wow? :) Wouldn't mind some feedback on it.
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Both. It's good because it makes people involve in the prize which makes them feel, well, involved. And then there's the obvious benefit of having a lot of rewards for the event. It's bad because it limits the kind of people who can ask for hint. And I imagine some people would prefer a more pure reason to donate gib to an event than to receive benefit from it. Then there's the fact that the gibs will probably be throwaway games, not really adding to the value of the event, and people who solved early can never be sure they're done with the event because new gibs might come in later after they solved them.
Those are the first things that pops up in my head without giving more thoughts.
But uh, the wow was mostly because I've not seen the hint system before :P it's technically a neutral wow. Haha
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Thanks for the feedback.
I'm adding rewards myself as time progresses, but I will keep writing them in the changelog so early solvers can check there if there has been any added rewards that they've missed. Once we're closing in on the end of the event, I will try to remind solvers to check if they've missed any rewards. It's a really good point though.
Well, even trash bundle games has value to some people, and there's a lot in this event to begin with, it's my chance to empty out my key collection ;). But I've mixed it up with some unbundled and good bundled games as well. Hopefully at least everything will appeal to someone.
Since the hints will be added for everyone to enjoy, even people that can't manage to send in GAs can benefit from it, I don't think that's a big problem. But I will keep an eye on the pace of the solving to make sure the event isn't too hard to finish if it doesn't get enough GA-hints. It's a concern I have as well.
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I'd imagine that if i'm a solver (if I get enough energy to google everything @_@) I wouldn't want to check back again and again for new gibs. But with an informative change log, that's a rather small price to pay for additional rewards for the event. Best if there's a reminder before the event end so early solvers only have to check back once, although that adds work to y'all makers. Change log also include a lot of other things, edits and all. Would be nice if additional gibs are listed separately or has its own label within the log for easy ctrl-F search.
And aha, I didn't realize the hints would be for everyone. That makes things a lot different actually. :d Makes the whole giving for hint more noble, for one. And the limit to who can ask for hint becomes more irrelevant.
Just wondering, are you accepting a fillable quota of gib values for higher level hint? eg. A solver makes a gib of value 5 for level 5 hint, hoping later other people would make a gib of value 25+ to fulfill the required 30 pt for a lvl 5 hint. Also, are bundle/unbundled gibs counting differently toward the hint points?
Lastly, bravo for trying out this hint system, even though apparently ercalote's puzzle (which I missed) had it too, or some form of it.
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The list is a bit spammy at the start, but it will be less edits later on, so I think it won't be a problem. But if it feels too cluttered, I'll separate them. Good idea.
2 people can get together and make a "train" to reach a higher level hint. That's completely fine! It would work the same way as if one person did it. Will add it as a clarification. They will however plan it ahead instead of putting it into a pool that I have to keep track of. Would create too much work.
Only the "points" it costs to enter a giveaway counts, doesn't matter if it's bundled or not. I feel a bundled value would limit people too much.
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thumbs up
You could consider double value for non-bundle if you want to encourage non-bundle. Just a thought. :d
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the thing is you can just edit the topic when new gibs are include to the event (like ercalote did). It put lights on the donators and help to follow the new GA for those who solved the event fast.
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Indeed, that's true. I personally like to finish something once and not have to check back again. But then the benefit probably outweighs the mild annoyance (if the makers don't mind the extra work, of course).
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Perhaps a hint will be added for the level 1 final puzzle to help you solve it. :)
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I know that thing goes with the other thing, but somehow I can't see what the others saw
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The Professor-link is just for flavour and a nod of tribute to Jeff's (and the YSAE) pyramid event from a year ago. You can happily ignore that link. Focus on what's on the image.
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Can you check Q5 for Viking Explorers? One name keeps popping up in my research but it's not accepted :-P I tried all his family members too but no luck
EDIT: ah nvm got it now...
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And fixed wording for it, plus added two answer variants. Thanks for the feedback!
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Stuck at Q5 for WW2 - Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Tried 39 different answers.
Bump for now, solving again later. :)
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I'm looking for his first and last name (lieutenant in front is optional, works both with and without). Make sure you're not trying the survivor's names. If you still can't get it, add me on Steam and I'll check what answer you're trying.
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I think there's something missing on the ITH solution of the Greek passcodes ;-)
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Here too! Just wait for Nordh to add the link for next stage access ^^
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I can't answer Q7 from Invasion of Normandy and it's driving me crazy.. Is the answer the date when the Operation "answer to Q6" ended? Am I missing something obvious?
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It is. I'm having problems finding the exact date on wikis myself now that I'm checking, try a museum website.
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Wikipedia to the rescue :) I am still so so far away from being done :/
Thank you for putting this together and have a bump :)
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It's a code for 8 symbols that leads to an ITH page. Such as http://www.itstoohard.com/puzzle/yyyyyyyy (replacing the y's)
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Bump, because I have no time to read/solve now but i'm extremely excited we get a new case!!
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Stuck at Q8 in WW2: Codes of War. What are you exactly looking for? Can't get that cipher's name ( There are actually 3 color named ciphers) also tried some other cipher names.Can I get a hint, is it related to the answer of Q7 or not?
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Not related to Q7. There are several colour coded ciphers, but only one fits the rest of the description in the question. Just need to google-fu some more. :)
For ease, I accept just the name of the colour as well as the full name.
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19th January, so I still have time. The quizzes so far have not been that hard but for the moment I'm stuck at the decoding of the WW2 message. I got the first part but can't put together what the translation means. Since there are still some other stuff/events I want to do I will take it slow. ^^
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https://www.steamgifts.com/go/comment/8CAzaRE Might help you.
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.... yea it was. Don't know why it never occured to me. For some reason I was set on the thought that I will get the code for the Viking Levels from this directly.
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Is the example format for V3 Q4 how the answer should look? I keep finding the same answer everywhere I look, but it's apparently not correct.
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Completely stuck on Q3&4 on the top... I don't have the slightest clue for Q3, don't even know what to search in google. But for Q4 : is the answer supposed to be in english?
Edit : forget I said anything! Got it!
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Stuck in top of the pyramid on Q2, Q4 Q7. obvious answers are not obvious
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Try Q2 again, added a simplified answer.
Also added another version for Q7, but it's a lesser known name, so that shouldn't matter.
No hints.
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Vikings traditions , Q5 is the answer in english or in norse? Can't get it right
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The final question for me in level 1 is so hard :/
While Alan Turing contributed a lot to the breaking of several ciphers, the Imitation Game is used for another type of intelligence, what kind?
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Try looking up what "The imitation game" is, other than a well made movie. :P
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The Puzzle Agency Storyline has been going on for almost a year, and this is the 9th part. No previous experience is required though, so join us on this adventure, and enjoy the event.
Solutions
Optional Story:
When you arrive back from your mission to take down the Order of the Jigidi, you're met by a young girl who introduces herself as Katie. Nordh tells you he met Katie and her mother Cathy almost a year ago while working undercover inside Quiz HQ, a building shaped like a pyramid and home of the International Terror Heathens, or ITH for short. Even though they worked there, it was noticable that the staff didn't have any idea what was really going on behind the scenes.
"While mom, Cathy, was investigating some strange things going down at the Quiz HQ she just disappeared", Katie explains. "I haven't heard from her in over a week, and she told me if things went bad I could always count on Nordh here to help me."
Katie hands you her Security badge from work. "You can use this to gain entrance to the bottom level of the Quiz HQ. Nordh tells me you did an excellent job undercover in the last place and if he trusts you, I do as well. So, please, find my mom and bring her safely back home."
Well, you asked when the next one was going to be, but you had at least hoped there'd be a short time to rest up between missions. And while you knew you had to take on ITH one day, this new development makes it even more important.
Ancient Egypt Passcodes to reach the next level
Ancient Greece Passcodes to reach the next level
Vikings Passcodes to reach the next level
World War 2 Passcodes to reach the next level
This Puzzle Agency story takes place in two different locations. Nordh will help you from the Puzzle Agency mansion to try and guide you to the top of the Quiz HQ pyramid. There will be a set of quiz-like ITHs that symbolizes the different floors of the pyramid. You must start at the bottom and solve the first 5 ITH links before you can unlock the next level. Between each floor a more proper puzzle has to be solved to continue on your way upwards.
Codes deciphered are used on itstoohard.com.
No more hints can be bought.
Hint system
You can buy hints for everyone to use by creating GAs and sending me links privately. Let me know if you're interested. The GAs will then be added as rewards for solving the different levels, and a hint(s) for that level will be added.
Level 1 (WW2): 1-4 points GA value
Level 2 (Vikings): 5-9 points GA value
Level 3 (Ancient Greece): 10-19 points GA value
Level 4 (Ancient Egypt): 20-29 points GA value
Level 5 (The top): 30+ points GA value
You can, for example, create 3x10 point GAs for a level 5 hint. Or 1x8 points can give you two hints for level 1. You can even make a train with someone else to reach a higher level if you hand them in together.
As an addition, it should be games. No clickteam fusion GAs ;P
Last chance to buy hints will be January 16th, after that I will remind all complete solvers to check the top for any new GAs that may have arrived so they have a chance to check them out.
If anything seems wrong with an answer, tell me what question it is and I'll give it a look. You can try to drop subtle hints on what the answer should have been.
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