Sacosphilz

I hadn't read the other thread properly. Sorry.

I have few experience with game play beyond MP3, so I don't know how serious the loss farming problem was, but I'm worried about the long term effect of the new system as well. In my opinion, no matter what rules are put in place, total win and loss counts in the game world should always be equal. (Aside: Of course, there is the effect of new players who lose a lot with few won fights giving up and leaving the game, and the effect of people rushing wins to advance to MP4, which make total win counts exceed loss counts at high MP, but they do not affect the overall balance in the long term in any extreme way -- the player-average win/loss difference at each MP level would stay the same. I believe there are other ways to address these problems other than the new win/loss system.) As long as there is no better solution to the loss farming problem, I'd like to suggest that the current "new" win/loss criteria works the same way for win and loss counts, meaning if a player gets a loss count if and only if another player gets a win count. There are also some comments that the new criteria isn't fair or doesn't make sense in some scenarios, and that some rules might need to be tweaked, but I'm not qualified to comment on the details.

... my apologies if I missed a previous post with the answer while skimming for it. Wow The "optimal" method has already been given in one of the posts. It is probably simpler to put into words, and has a bit better chance than your method. That said, I'm amazed that you could come up with a completely different method that actually works and has better chance than 1/2. If this was some kind of test you'd get points for the uniqueness. :lol:

Many of you have probably heard of this puzzle before: There are 9 coins. (gold, silver, copper, whatever, doesn't matter) 8 of these coins are authentic, while one of them is made of counterfeit material. The fake coin has the same appearance and texture as a real one, but is slightly lighter than a real coin. Given a balance scale which you can only use twice, describe a method which can always identify the counterfeit coin. (Another version includes only 8 coins total, and it can be solved in a similar manner.) For the four of you who haven't heard it before, give it a try first before continue reading. Then there is a harder version which isn't as popular as the first (because it is difficult for average folks) but still somewhat well-known: There are 13 coins. (aluminum, tin, nickel, whatever, doesn't matter) 12 of these coins are authentic, while one of them is made of counterfeit material. The fake coin has the same appearance and texture as a real one, but its weight differs slightly, and you don't know if it is heavier or lighter than a real coin. Given a balance scale which you can only use no more than 3 times, describe a method which can always identify the counterfeit coin. (Another version includes only 12 coins total, and it can be solved in a similar but noticeably more flexible manner.) Assuming you haven't lost interest by now, there should be at least several people here who don't know the solution(s) yet. Give it a try. It should take you a while. I can wait a few days. Now, for the rest of you fellow puzzle nuts... As I tend to extend on existing ideas more often than being really original, here is a souped up version for those who have a deep understanding of this puzzle: There are 40 coins. (platinum, mithril, kryptonite, whatever, doesn't matter) 39 of these coins are authentic, while one of them is made of counterfeit material. The fake coin has the same appearance and texture as a real one, but its weight differs slightly, and you don't know if it is heavier or lighter than a real coin. Given a balance scale which you can only use no more than 4 times, describe a method which can always identify the counterfeit coin. (No other popular version exists. I mean, come on, what's the point? It's unnecessarily hard, and who still uses balance scale to check counterfeit coins anyway?)

@MB: Thanks for the crash course. Now that you mention it, I've seen the term Machiavellian before, but I just learned from you where it came from. About your take on good and evil, I'll just take it as it is without completely accepting or disregarding it. There are some holes I'd like to contradict, as with most arguments on morality, but since I can't come up with a less holy... err...holey argument at the moment, I'd rather not waste our time. @Train riddle: The only thing I think I got right was the wagon layout: Some initial guessworks: Conclusive guessworks, don't ask me how it evolved into this. I have no idea: I'd rather not attempt anything about the moral of the story now. Someone get me out of that wagon! >_< EDIT: Oh, okay, I'll give it a try anyway, how about: @The box puzzle:

Oww I knew it, the clues were too vague. Sorry, but (or , for that matter) wasn't the answer I've intended. Fortunately, I have a few counterpoints. 1. How could exist before ? As far as I'm concerned, it is a concept which exist to (Please don't bring up a holy book. It can't satisfy ALL of us, at least not me.) 2. has never changed? Really? You may disagree here and I admit this is a weak counterpoint, but I think does change when it is redefined in different time and place. 3. Forgive my ignorance, as I don't know (please educate me if you would be so kind), but how exactly do you exploit ? 4. Just personal preference, but I wouldn't bother muddying it up and saying that two things are twins when they are clearly exact opposites. Their relationship has to be more subtle than that. ......Ahem, excuse me, but they were far from being as indisputable as I want. After consulting some dictionaries, I think I seriously shot my own foot with the first two lines of the riddle , so...... I should fix it. Apologies to those who have wasted mind space on it. I cannot exist without people, yet people can exist without me. I can work without people, yet people cannot work without me. I cannot be seen, yet people see things better through me. I cannot be heard, yet people understand me. I cannot be touched or moved, yet people exploit me. I am Her twin, yet people mark me as Her enemy. What am I? Please take your time. I'll just go cry in a corner and make up more rigid puzzles.

Was it 4? I thought she got 6. Anyway, I suspect those pieces of paper to be parts of the Book of Principles. If indeed they are, and if the Book cannot be stolen or destroyed, then trying what Grayhawk suggested first probably wouldn't hurt. Probably. The problem would be whether the flames are too high to reach. Another thing that could be done is writing on the papers. The important question is what should be written. Some random thoughts: - Command words, like Yrthilian suggests. - Names or detailed concepts of the principles which she already knows. But since no one is at MP6 yet, this might be a problem. - Names or detailed concepts of the principles which attribute to the "slow fire" and the floating pyramid. (Principle of Elements? Time? Imagination? What else?) Who knows, something might happen as soon as she starts writing.

I have always existed, yet people redefine me. I have never changed, yet people know me differently. I cannot be seen, yet people see things through me. I cannot be heard, yet people understand me. I cannot be touched or moved, yet people exploit me. I am Her twin, yet people mark me as Her enemy. What am I? Just made that one up. Not sure if it's comprehensible, or is it too easy? Anyway, have fun and take your time with the math problem. So far, one of my friends have managed to solve 5 out of 10 (which is actually 9), so I'm not giving up on mankind anymore. :lol:

Right, that's the correct method. You also got the number correct. A few key points to this riddle: 1. 2. 3. I was waiting for this. Now, I wouldn't call the problem below a riddle or a puzzle since it's obviously just one big math problem. It's neither flexible nor artistic, just a math freak's piece of mind. Please don't flame me if it is not to your taste. Here it goes: Concerted effort is welcome. However, in case any of you are a programmer, please try to solve it yourself first before writing a program. There are less than 4,000 ways to tinker with 4 numbers and 4 type of functions, and your program would solve all this before you can even blink, but where's the fun in that?

Pfff (no diploma's on my wall like Metal Bunny ) so i'm not so sure on the math, but I think i'm getting closer ... With the method you described, the chance that the prisoners will survive will be less than 1/2, so it is not the correct answer. I'll let you figure out why, but here's a Morrel-specific hint: It's good that you're writing things down and counting things in order to solve this riddle (the numbers aren't too big to count, promised ) but are you sure ? @Metal Bunny: The riddle is solvable alright. As for the "numbers", I'm not going to say which one is right and which one isn't until a correct method is posted, then the number will come naturally. Giving away that number without explanation can be too big as a hint, and the riddle specifically asks for the method anyway.

@Light&Switch riddle: I already knew the answer to the riddle, and I didn't figure it out myself, so no point in answering. (And I don't think the number of light bulbs really matters.) @Dead man riddle: I think I've heard a similar one before, and the answer was something along the lines of , but who would put that in a Hello Kitty backpack? @Metal Bunny's answers: You nailed the 2nd riddle right on. Good job! The answer to the 1st riddle still isn't right though. Let me cut the long story short and add another assumption that the wardens are quicker and smarter than you, so don't try to cheat.

Please be a bit more specific, e.g. who does what in which condition, etc. I think you've mostly figured it out, only the number isn't correct yet. EDIT: Here's another similar one, but it's much shorter and easier: There was a television game show where the winning contestant gets to play the "jackpot round". Details of the jackpot round is as follows: The contestant is presented with three doors. Behind one of those three doors lies the prize, the "jackpot", while behind the other two doors are empty. The contestant have no clue which door holds the jackpot, but the host secretly knows it in advance. The host will first ask the contestant to choose a door, but that door will not be opened yet. Instead, the host will walk to another door and open it, showing that it is empty, then the host will ask the contestant again whether he/she wants to change his/her choice to the other unopened door. After the contestant has made his/her choice (for the second time), he/she will walk to the chosen door while the host walks to the remaining door, then they will open both doors simultaneously to reveal the content within. The question is: If you were the contestant, would you change your choice when asked the second time? Why? (The important part is the "Why?" )

Here's an old puzzle/riddle. I'm writing it from my memory so it won't be as detailed or as poetic as the original, I also can't recall the names of the characters, but the important bits of the puzzle are intact: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three prisoners had been convicted of a terrible crime and sentenced to a lifetime in prison. However, the king had decided to give them a chance at a game which could result in either their freedom...... or death. The king told the following rules of the game to the prisoners one day before the actual game began: 1. As soon as the prisoners are adjourned from his presence, a crown will be chosen for each prisoner. Each crown will be painted either black or white, and the color of each crown will be decided by a flip of the king's favorite coin. The prisoners will never be informed of the colors of the crowns. 2. Before the game begins, the prisoners will be tied up separately at three corners of a courtyard, all facing the center of the courtyard and all with their eyes covered. An armed warden will put the chosen crown on each prisoner's head, and stands guard beside the prisoner. 3. When the game begins, the wardens will uncover each prisoner's eyes, and he will be able to see the crowns on the heads of his two peers, but not the one atop his head. Each prisoner is then allowed a few moments to tell the warden beside him what he thinks the color of his crown is. He may only answer "white" or "black", or refrain from answering. The prisoners are not allowed to look at the crown on their own heads nor use any means to communicate with anyone but the wardens. Any suspicious move by a prisoner would be dealt with swiftly by the warden's blade, and his peers will soon be handed the same fate. 4. When the time is up, the wardens will make gestures signaling the prisoners' answers (or their silence) to each other and to the audience. The fate of the prisoners depend on their answers: - If at least one prisoner guesses the color of his crown correctly and no prisoner gives a wrong answer, they will all be set free. - If at least one prisoner gives a wrong answer, they will all be sent to fight the Minotaur barehanded, facing certain death. - If no prisoner gives any answer at all, they will likewise be sent to death at the hands of the Minotaur. The king then suggested to the prisoners that if each of them decided to make a blind guess separately, they would only have a 1/8 chance at survival, but if they were smart enough to appoint only one person to make a guess while others remain silent, their chance would improve to 1/2. However, hinted the king, there existed a method which would make their chance of survival even greater than that. What is the method that the king spoke of? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By the way, I'm itching to post a puzzle of my own making here. I prefer puzzles to riddles since they are more straightforward, but many people dislike puzzles because they can be flavorless and unforgiving. The puzzle I want to post is one such bland and cruel puzzle (unless you really, really, really love numbers). Would it be okay? EDIT: just fixed some typos

Next time I post riddles, they will be riddles that need an explanation, so you can't guess the right word Well, I could give some explanation, but not all. I am my enemy's creation. Though I'm no longer, when he is gone. I grow stronger, when he moves his pawn. (I'll admit I still have no idea about this one. For I sadly cannot tread, Where his gale full bane has shed. My two guesses fitted the first two lines and, assuming I didn't misinterpret the last line, is the only answer which fits all three lines (not counting the third line), hence my guess. Riddles are never deterministic. Some riddles are much clearer than others, while some are very ambiguous and depends a lot on what the riddle maker's thinking, so don't feel bad if someone gets the right answer without fully understanding the riddle. It happens. (and hey, at least I got 3 sentences out of 4. ) In this case you could call it informed luck, not blind luck like a lottery.

Thanks for the correction but that sentence still makes no sense to me. :lol: A few shots in the dark that should fit the first two sentences: or , and its enemy is But they probably have nothing to do with pawns.

Is the word "galefull" there a typo or intentional? In any case, I still don't know how to translate that sentence.

The answer to the first riddle, , has already been given. A classic one indeed. On the second riddle, I'm not sure what to make of the riddle's four lines: Hear me child for what I am. (something which makes same/similar sound as its name?) I am as cold as day and night. (some kind of creature? ? ? ?) I have lived in what I am. (something with an ?) Near my kin and we'll give flight. (something that flees when approached? does it imply speed? the ability to fly?) I failed to find anything which fits all these descriptions, so I'll assume that the line(s) that Metal Bunny didn't emphasize on aren't clues. My (current) take: , , or EDIT: beaten to it what's the word again.... ?

I'm not really good with riddles, but I think Glaistig and Venger might be onto something here. Who knows, maybe the right answer is already in one of their posts. To me, "So close but yet so far" could be almost any intangible concept. Anything intimate but not fully comprehensible would fit this description. Dreams or nightmares being examples. I have no idea what to make of "Ones fear is the other ones war" though, but I'm liking Glaistig's first suggestion, and I don't see the point of discarding a possibility for being "too obvious". Possibility 2 and 3 sound more like "ones fear is the other ones boon". I doubt it fits with the riddle.

You're right, but a human brain probably can't handle that many tiles and their relationships at once. That's why we have pens and papers, or computers and spreadsheets.

I guess I'm just another noob who found the puzzle, solved it, got the message about the challenge upon solution, checked the change log, and discovered that the said challenge was over. Anyway, I love puzzles, especially mathematical ones like this one, so I don't mind the few hours spent. I even sent the email describing my method as instructed. Must be my ego. By the way, I don't think it's easier or harder to solve from all black to all orange or just go straight to all orange. If you've really figured out the puzzle, then you should be able to make the tiles' colors any combination without more difficulty than finding the nature of the puzzle in the first place.