Hmm, I used to buy a lot of extra keys from dirt-cheap places like dailyindiegame, steamground, etc. Looks like around 20,000 unused keys, plus another 60,000 or so already-used ones, in case I just can't find a pattern, or I want to troll people with already-redeemed AAA game keys. Looks like I didn't need any already-used keys for this final version of the puzzle, but I was scraping the bottom of my key barrel for a while...
If you take a look at the middle set of characters, they move around in different positions for (spoiler!) no reason at all. The position could have been conveying information, but it's really because I couldn't get the puzzle working otherwise. :(
I tried to write it with only the middle character, several different times, but just didn't have the luck to find 50 valid keys. :( So finally I said screw it, doesn't need to be the middle character.
So it sounds like a lot of keys, but it's not quite enough to hide three separate things. :(
I should definitely have got this faster after solving the first puzzle but I thought no way this could work twice with a set of random keys. I should know better considering your previous puzzles.
The trick is to have a lot of random keys... :) Unfortunately I couldn't get it working three times, you can see how I basically gave up for the middle part...
A shorter message could have worked, but really I should just write a program to automate this crap, then I don't have to repeatedly almost make the puzzle only to fail near the end. :)
That is a problem with using this method - it just doesn't work on mobile... :( But I'm too lazy to think of something else, since I also want to keep the bots from redeeming everything at once... :)
You don't have to workaround bugs of android. After all, everyone on SG needs a PC to play. And your giveaways is long enough to not worry about it, I haven't been at home for 24 hours, but here I am, with all puzzles solved.
Hmm, that is a good point, although the evidence suggests not everyone entering giveaways intends to play them... I wouldn't want to be unfair to all the clowns desperate for yet another +1... :)
Why not try some and find out? :) I mean, what would be the point of a pile of random characters that only look like Steam keys? :)
I suppose it's only possible if you have a lot of leftover bundle keys, though. Most of them won't fit this pattern, so you'd have to hide your message differently. You could write one character per key differently as "anti-bot protection" and not worry about which position it occupies. Probably makes it too obvious that way, though. Oh well... :)
Because I don't activate random things anymore, as then I feel obligated to play them. The backlog struggle is real enough with games I actually wanna play.
It's really neat tho that it worked out so well. Also great choice of quotes <3
I figured something Lovecrafty might be appropriate for this game. :) But for the middle part I just didn't have enough keys to make it work, tried several times with various quotes... :(
So I finally gave up and let it move around a bit. Oh well... :)
Hmm... Not sure copying myself counts as creative puzzling, but I'll take what I can get... :) People who haven't seen the bundle key business before might be stumped, but everyone else knows what's up... :)
Just how many keys do you have in stock to be able to do this? :D lol...
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Hmm, I used to buy a lot of extra keys from dirt-cheap places like dailyindiegame, steamground, etc. Looks like around 20,000 unused keys, plus another 60,000 or so already-used ones, in case I just can't find a pattern, or I want to troll people with already-redeemed AAA game keys. Looks like I didn't need any already-used keys for this final version of the puzzle, but I was scraping the bottom of my key barrel for a while...
If you take a look at the middle set of characters, they move around in different positions for (spoiler!) no reason at all. The position could have been conveying information, but it's really because I couldn't get the puzzle working otherwise. :(
I tried to write it with only the middle character, several different times, but just didn't have the luck to find 50 valid keys. :( So finally I said screw it, doesn't need to be the middle character.
So it sounds like a lot of keys, but it's not quite enough to hide three separate things. :(
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I should definitely have got this faster after solving the first puzzle but I thought no way this could work twice with a set of random keys. I should know better considering your previous puzzles.
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The trick is to have a lot of random keys... :) Unfortunately I couldn't get it working three times, you can see how I basically gave up for the middle part...
A shorter message could have worked, but really I should just write a program to automate this crap, then I don't have to repeatedly almost make the puzzle only to fail near the end. :)
Good luck! :)
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jeez, I'm so stupidly blind.... :S
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Sorry... :) But yeah... :)
Good luck! :)
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Because of symbols not showing on mobile I thought that this part is actually second... No wonder it didn't took my answer XD
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That is a problem with using this method - it just doesn't work on mobile... :( But I'm too lazy to think of something else, since I also want to keep the bots from redeeming everything at once... :)
Good luck! :)
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You don't have to workaround bugs of android. After all, everyone on SG needs a PC to play. And your giveaways is long enough to not worry about it, I haven't been at home for 24 hours, but here I am, with all puzzles solved.
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Hmm, that is a good point, although the evidence suggests not everyone entering giveaways intends to play them... I wouldn't want to be unfair to all the clowns desperate for yet another +1... :)
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Got this one !
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Glad it didn't take too long, and good luck! :)
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third one!
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Hmm, just one left now! :) Good luck! :)
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Hey! I think I know that guy...
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Sadly I had to think about this for a few seconds... :)
Good luck! :)
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Under-thinking wins again, I could've sworn I'd already tried that phrase... 😅
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It seems too many people were expecting a real puzzle when it's just dumb... :)
Good luck! :)
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Out of curiosity, are those random keys actual keys? I couldn't believe it worked with both side O_O
Color me impressed or mad
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Why not try some and find out? :) I mean, what would be the point of a pile of random characters that only look like Steam keys? :)
I suppose it's only possible if you have a lot of leftover bundle keys, though. Most of them won't fit this pattern, so you'd have to hide your message differently. You could write one character per key differently as "anti-bot protection" and not worry about which position it occupies. Probably makes it too obvious that way, though. Oh well... :)
Good luck! :)
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Because I don't activate random things anymore, as then I feel obligated to play them. The backlog struggle is real enough with games I actually wanna play.
It's really neat tho that it worked out so well. Also great choice of quotes <3
Thank you :3
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I figured something Lovecrafty might be appropriate for this game. :) But for the middle part I just didn't have enough keys to make it work, tried several times with various quotes... :(
So I finally gave up and let it move around a bit. Oh well... :)
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Not gonna lie, that's why it took me so long to solve step 2. Silly me was actually trying to find a quote. >___>
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Your cache of keys never ceases to amaze... wonderfully creative puzzling as always :)
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Hmm... Not sure copying myself counts as creative puzzling, but I'll take what I can get... :) People who haven't seen the bundle key business before might be stumped, but everyone else knows what's up... :)
Good luck! :)
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