Well, hello people of SteamGifts, you seem to have found yourselves in the middle of a rather puzzling puzzle, or at least I hope it is!

Now there are 3 reason why I have done this:

  1. I'm going off to college and this is my last hoorah before I have no money left to speak of.
  2. I am here to help promote my friend's website: Indie Game Bundles (and even if you don't go to it I'll be forcing you to sometime later ;P)
  3. Because I felt like it. (I swear I had a better third reason, maybe I'll remember it later) I changed my mind, my 3rd reason is that I don't have a reason. I don't need a reason to give. Cliche ftw!

So, without further ado, here is the puzzle!

EDIT: Almost forgot this most appropriate giveaway!

EDIT: Have a few more (these end in 2 days)! 1 2 ENDED!

EDIT: And here's another one! ;D Click


The instructions are rather simple. All you have to do is search for three things!

  1. How are you going to find the message.
  2. What this message is.
  3. Where to put it.

If you do everything right, you will go on my whitelist!

You get one week (August 31, Noon CST)!

Geniuses: 22

Genius Train!


Hints! (I'll probably release one every day!)

  1. Seems I wasn't very clear on where to start, so I've edited it a bit to make that part easier!
  2. New hint ... somewhere!
  3. The story is not what you think it is!

Prizes!

To come:

Well that's all of the giveaways! Still got some time to get on my whitelist and enter them though!


I made this fairly difficult because I put a lot of work into this puzzle and a lot more work into getting the prizes, so please don't let me down!

All of the giveaways start on August 26th, Noon CST and end on September 2nd, Noon CST; because reasons. They're also all level 2+!

Hmm ... what else ... ahh! I will help out from time to time (yes I do like CV so I will be trying to get at least 5 people into each of the GAs!)

Also not all of the GAs have been created yet as I ran out of slots, so hopefully more to come! (Maybe support will help me out?)

Oh yes, one last thing! Good luck!


P.S. I did kind've "borrow" some other person's ideas for this, but he said he was totally cool with it!

9 years ago*

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Are you going to solve this?

View Results
Yes
Maybe
No
Antidisestablishmentarianism!

Alright, now that we have some solvers. The big hints stop. (I got a little excited and probably gave them too early anyway xD) It'll just be small nudges from here on out!

9 years ago
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forgot to bump...

bump

9 years ago
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Alright, all questions in the How ITH should be fixed now ... I hope ... I really messed up on some of them, I honestly have NO idea how I got some of those. xD

9 years ago
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Wanna bump in order to reserve for future Qs.

Atm, found How

EDIT: 2 Hard :/ i simply can't 2

9 years ago*
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Don't give up! There is a solution!

9 years ago
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its logic is not logical for me.

67 and 21?

9 years ago
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For what now?

9 years ago
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(Left of W)2 of How.

7 then 21 then 67 :D Been trying this since morning

9 years ago
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Okay?

9 years ago
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Unfortunately none I can think off. One question left, but I'm stuck :/

9 years ago
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Just keep banging (;D), something will happen eventually!

9 years ago
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8 solvers of what appears to be 17 players.

Come on guys, I believe in you! Also, we could do with some more players so tell your friends, family, pets, neighbors, and friendly hobos who somehow have a computer and Wi-Fi about the event!

9 years ago
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When I grow up I want to be that kind of hobo :3

9 years ago
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So... the "not heterosexual talking devices" and the "I answered that in the OP" hints are for the same Q5 of the Where puzzle?

9 years ago
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No, I was thinking something else when he asked me that.

"I answered that in the OP" was in response as to why I made the event.

The "not heterosexual talking devices" does relate to Where/Q5 though.

9 years ago
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Oh, and a bump for solved as well :)

9 years ago
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I feel really stupid on being stuck on q2 of the how puzzle as nobody else is... Im quite sure I know the correct answer but the computer says no...

I've got all other answers on this one, so apparently I'm doing something right...

little hint? pretty please?!

damn, mushclone298 went offline 20 minutes ago... there goes my precious puzzling time for tonight...

9 years ago*
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Q2 of How? or Where?

The cake is a pie!

9 years ago
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i'm stuck there too

9 years ago
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Finally got both how and what, now it's time for the where part.

9 years ago
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so, as mushclone298 encourages us to work together / help eachother out, could you help a bro out and tell me if q2 on how is somehow illogical? no spoilers of course, I just don't get why my answer isn't working...

9 years ago
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Is finding the How easier than finding the Where?

9 years ago
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I had no trouble finding the How. Didn't even think on forwarding to the where or what... just figured it's a step by step thingy. LOL

9 years ago
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I really have no idea what to do with that code.

9 years ago
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Wait, found it. Dear God, it was so simple.

9 years ago
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Those are the best ones :)

Good luck on q2 and let me know if/when you're there :)

9 years ago
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That's the only one left here too.

9 years ago
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I'm going conspiracy theory now, thinking mushclone298 has edited the answer to this question so it can't be solved any more just to claim this really is a hard puzzle :P

Perhaps the little hint (?) of aldcoran helps you out...

9 years ago*
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I did change it, but that was because I messed it up.

The answer was one number off, and so was one of the sequence numbers (like I have said, I won't make ITHs at 2 am anymore).

Just gotta find the pattern.

9 years ago
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but the pattern now shown on ITH is correct as well is the answer?

the cake is a pie hint isn't helping me, perhaps because I'm not a native speaker. :(


EDIT: ah.. after two hours I got it. :) Onwards to where and what!

9 years ago*
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Yay!

9 years ago
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so how you got it?

9 years ago
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see the advice aldcoran gives a few posts down. If you are where we were, you;ll see (eventually).

and after rush to my aid with that damn why question :D

9 years ago
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I havn't seen the version before the change, but after reading this I got the idea about the fine tuning part I was missing. I overdid it, but in the end my best bet was only 1 off

9 years ago
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My best guess also was incorrect, but approximation can be enough in some cases. This time it turned out to be true

9 years ago
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Given the nature of the question, this seems really odd. You'd expect only the exact answer can be right... I'd hate to bruteforce it, but by now I'm almost ready to give that approach a try... :)

9 years ago
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I'm thinking of bruteforcing as well, but it's so boring to bruteforce math questions.

9 years ago
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not only boring, it's dissatisfying. I want to understand why the logical answer isn't working...

9 years ago
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Same here. I got a formula for the given numbers, but the answer didn't work. After few variations of the formula I simply checked the few answers form the range I havn't tried. Now with another number I'll probably try once more to find the order, but still I'll postpone it till I get the third part

9 years ago
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Solved it by doing the same thing.

9 years ago
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Bump for solved the How. Still stuck on Q5 of the Where.

9 years ago
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Aaand solved! So simple again. The hint helped a lot.

9 years ago
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If you're stuck, read the comments! I've dropped hint pellets around. ;D

9 years ago
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ah the joy of q5 on where... Now I know what everyone was talking about... :)

9 years ago
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Is it bad that the Where ITH was supposed to be the easiest part?

9 years ago
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it is. :D

Didn't even find the what ITH though, so the where puzzle looks in comparison pretty easy although I'm completely stuck again :D

9 years ago*
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There is no What ITH.

9 years ago
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roflol :D

okay: i have to go to work in 4 hours.... so it's probably wise to give up
for now

9 years ago
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just found the three things and stuck. >.>

9 years ago
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Just keep trying, maybe it'll make sense eventually.

9 years ago
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naah, gonna sleep now. but tomorrow i'll try harder.
thanks btw, i really enjoy hard puzzles. :D

9 years ago
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PROGRESS REPORT: We have 10 solvers so far, with 10 others still in play, and 7 other people still stuck at the beginning.

9 years ago
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Bump for put something somewhere.

9 years ago
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The hidden pieces, I found.
Know how to use them, I don't.
So give up, I will.

9 years ago
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Ahhh ... don't just give up! I'm sure you can figure something out with more head-to-wall combat!

9 years ago
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Solved the How ITH.
Thought the What message found.
Stuck at Q5 of the Where ITH.
Gotta patch some walls for the next round of head-banging...

9 years ago
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BUMP! for train arrival.

9 years ago
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A bump to celebrate going past one of the steps.

9 years ago
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Ok, a three hour sleep and a hard day's work definitely helps you thinking straight again...

I made progress. Too bad it did not result in finding the correct answer yet...

Is searching for it in the middle of it all the key to success?!

9 years ago
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I thought it was but don't know anymore. In a total loss with where :D

9 years ago
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I'm pretty sure I'm on the right path... just not getting it quite yet.

Maybe because I have no clue what to do with the "not heterosexual talking device... "

Is there no rule mushclone can not be offline longer than 1 hour as long as his puzzles are open?!

9 years ago*
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Ahahahahahahahaaaa ... I have a job ...

So unless you wanna pay me to monitor my puzzle, you're outta luck there!

9 years ago
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Are you willing to provide a nudge in the right direction on the "not heterosexual talking device"? I'm looking for gayphones everywhere... LOL

9 years ago
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Nope, that's a huge hint by itself already.

9 years ago
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That is quite close... I can tell you the proper word if you want to spoil the fun (via steam since wouldn't tell it here to spoil everyone). I'm still trying to find where, running out of ideas really. Well, still some days before deadline!

9 years ago
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Instead of giving me the actual word, I'd rather have a little hint or nudge.

Normally I give up on puzzles like this one, because I just don't have the spare time to invest in them. But somehow this one i just need to finish, fair and square that is.

how can you know what the word is if you didn't find the puzzle yet with the question where this word is a hint for?

9 years ago
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Ofcourse I can't be 100% sure but there aren't many possibilities for "not heterosexual talking device". You have almost the right word just think other possibility for "not heterosexual". A bit longer word than gay but not much :) And yes, it's a proper word, not just some scrap put together.

9 years ago
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Queerphone?

(damn, not being a native speaker does not help on this one...)

9 years ago
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ahhh, never heard of this new word I thought of and never knew of it's meaning... Don't know if it'll shed a light on the puzzle, but it certainly is a lead... :)

9 years ago
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Heh, not a native either. Actually I just googled the word to be sure it was a real word :) Somehow I think that I had heard it before somewhere but didn't know the meaning or anything. Good luck for the rest, I'll try to get to same point as you :)

EDIT: And finally I found the where. Feeling so stupid now. This puzzle makes me humble.

9 years ago*
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I know how you feel :) Took me the full three days but I think I might have actually finished it. I hope

9 years ago
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Added some GA's! (Check the OP)

9 years ago
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bump

9 years ago
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Bump for saying the GAs levels! One less puzzle to solve...

9 years ago
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I did say in the comments that I might make some Lvl 1 GAs if Lvl 1's solved my puzzle.

9 years ago
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"might" is not 100% promise, so no reason to start :D

9 years ago
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Whatever :P

9 years ago
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hahahahahah, exactly =)

9 years ago
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Status report:
1)Solved "How"
2)No idea what do do with "What"
3)stuck on Q1 and Q5 on "Where"
I love this puzzle, I need to solve it! :D

9 years ago
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Statistics
940 guesses
21 players
15 solvers

I guess 700 of those guesses are mine :D

9 years ago
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Closed 9 years ago by mushclone298.