2011 Mystery Hunt

[gftt]

Migrated to the google doc. SOY/OSOYOOS for the wine town.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq1IiQ8fbOs2dG85c2U5dUkzWE9LOVVuTmhQWWU0TlE#gid=4

[gftt]

So I suppose we should call in SALTAIR

[Suspence]

SALTAIR is correct.

Next:
Worthy of Picasso - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/worthy_of_picasso/
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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[SuperSlug]

Got the grid, now what to do with the letters...


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Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[novice]

What was the extraction method in Flat Head?

[Suspence]

The number listed at the start, used as an index to the asterisked word.
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[gftt*]

256 letters originally. 128 are shaded yellow. Is that meaningful? Unfortunately neither is a cube (Picasso->cubism)...

Maybe cut out the 5 yellow regions and see if they make decent puzzle pieces?

[novice]

Maybe the lines mark fold lines, and we're creating 3-dimensional objects?

[SuperSlug]

[gftt*]

Interesting. How does the W|D|A|E|E in the bottom left piece fold up, though, I wonder? Overlap the W and the E? Fold one of them "out"? Make it a pentagon, rather than fold at right angles? Curious.

[SuperSlug]

[novice]

[gftt*]

[Scurra]

Just in passing I will note that I was planning on stealing adapting this one for my Top GL'er entry in the last round because I loved the central mechanic and still remember it. But I couldn't figure out a way to generate an answer that didn't involve words in some fashion, so I dropped it in favour of the one I eventually went with. (Personally, I found the last stage of this one fell a bit flat after the steps that led up to it, but you can't have everything.)
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[gftt*]

I built one. I don't have time to do the others right now but I think the math will work out so that the two 26-square pieces can form 6-cubic-unit blocks and the three 22-square pieces will form blocks with volume 5 cubic units. Total is 27, so maybe we are supposed to put them together to make a 3x3x3 cube and read the outside.

[gftt*]

They do indeed form a 3x3x3 cube... but I can't see anything comprehensible, inside or outside.

[gftt*]

Top face:

[SuperSlug]

ty, was having great difficulty with my graph paper models

[Suspence]

Correct.

Next:
Mountain Pass - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/mountain_pass/

Seems like one for the spreadsheet.
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[gftt*]

Now why couldn't I see that? Too busy trying to make sure my makeshift cube didn't fall apart, I guess! Good spot.

[SuperSlug]

[SuperSlug]

Mountain Pass work is on the spreadsheet

Call in WASATCH
_________________
Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[Suspence]

WASATCH is correct.

Next:
Unfair Cryptogram - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/unfair_cryptogram/
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[SuperSlug]

Unfair Cryptogram work is on the spreadsheet.

Call in ASHAMED


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meta Mario World 1-3

Each of our answers contains the name of a star.
Use the Bayer designation to index into the constellation name
alpha 1, beta 2, gamma 3, delta 4, epsilon 5

HANK AARON
ANKAA = α Phoenicis
P

SAFETY LAST
TYL = ε Draconis
O

VEGANISM
VEGA = α Lyr
L

SALTAIR
ALTAIR = α Aquilae
A

URI GELLAR
RIGEL = β Orionis
R

WASATCH
WASAT = δ Geminorum
I

ASHAMED
SHAM = α Sagittae
S

Call in POLARIS
_________________
Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[novice]

Very nice work, SuperSlug. Very nice puzzles too, I'm amazed at the quality of the puzzles and at how thematically coherent everything is.

[gftt*]

My, that was quick.

That diagramless crossword has a fantastic theme.

Time to tackle Bowser?

[novice]

[novice]

[novice]

These two actions seem to be the only valid continuations:

6. The one and only Koopaling with the highest point total gives his or her lowest-valued card to the Koopaling on his or her left, the next lowest to the Koopaling two places to his or her left, and so on, until he or she has only one card left in his or her hand.

7. There is one Koopaling who holds a card which has the first letter of his or her name written on it; this is Koopaling A. There is one other Koopaling who holds a card with that letter printed on it; this is Koopaling B. Koopaling B discards Koopaling A's hand, and Koopaling A steals Koopaling B's Stars in retaliation.

[gftt*]

Action 1 would seem to imply that ASH is formed at some point. Is there any other common tree that can be made with these letters?

Can't think of a way to do this without brute force... so here goes the first step. We can do actions 2, 6, or 7 in stage 1.

[gftt*]

I doubt action 2 is meant to go first, but technically it could. Doing it only allows 6 or 7 afterwards.

[gftt*]

2-6 and 6-2 are the same. Afterwards only 7 is possible:

[gftt*]

2 forces 7, then, after which we can do 4 or 6:

[Suspence]

Sorry all, too busy today.

ASHAMED and POLARIS are correct.

Current Puzzle:
Mario World 1-4: Bowser's Castle - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/bowsers_castle.html
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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[Quailman]

With ASHAMED and POLARIS you can apell ASH and ELM, but not OAK.

[novice]

[gftt*]

someone else will have to take over. Will have no time the rest of today or tomorrow, at the very least.

[Suspence]

This one is out of my league. We need SuperSlug.
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[SuperSlug]

[Suspence]

AIRSHIP is correct.

Correctly solving Bowser's Castle leads to this - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/warp_zone/ - which SuperSlug aptly described as a campus runaround.

After a few levels of running around, you arrive here - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/world1/warp_zone/warp4.html

Clicking on that portal takes you here - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/introduction.html - and which then lead to the Mega Man home page - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/introduction.html

We'll begin with Bebop Man:
Bebop Man home - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/bebop.html

Next Puzzle:
Handbells - One More Try - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/one_more_try/
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.