Pitfall Harry Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 Giving the dial a few quick turns, Harry Jr. pulled down on the latch and flung open the door. Anna watched wordlessley, her arms crossed, while Harry withdrew eight bars of gold from his father's safe and piled them into the wooden crate at his feet. "Now if I wasn't in shape, do you think I'd be able to do this?" Harry planted his feet, bent at the waist and firmly gripped the slatted sides of the wooden crate. He strained and he groaned. The tendons in his neck stood out like steel cords and his face turned an unholy shade of burgandy. Slowly, slowly his burden lifted from the floor. Anna laughed. Harry's load fell to the floor with a thunderous boom. "Oh?" he said, panting. I suppose the powerful Ms. Graham can lift this too? Anna gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder in answer. Then she withdrew another four bars of gold from the safe and added them to Harry's crate. Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. Anna gave him an imperious look and waved him to step back. "I don't want you getting hurt now," she smirked. Harry stepped backward dutifully then rolled his eyes. Anna squatted before the crate and gripped it firmly. She took a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly. Within seconds, a dozen gold bars rose effortlessly from the floor. Harry nearly fell over. "How did you do that!?" "The secret," she said, "is in the knees." Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I'm beginning to think the word search was a diversion... I have been contemplating this possibility as well. And on top of all of this we have the return of Harry Jr. and Anna Graham! Looks like Ben's up to his old tricks after all... Good thing I've been playing Text Twist on my Treo a lot lately! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Hmm... I spot a few conspicuous phrases, 14 characters in length... and a couple of (deliberate?) spelling mistakes. Is this tale of Jr. and Anna just another diversion or the key to the puzzle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Boy... it is starting to look like I'm just hanging around waiting for Ben's next clues, doesn't it? In fact I must just have a psychic sense of timing. I honestly have been doing my work all afternoon! (he said, on the off chance that his boss was a closet Atari freak...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I think I'm throwing in the towel on this one. This is the closest thing to a phase I came up with and I seriously doubt I'm even close: I fear it too has no key I was also able to put together a few words, but nothing special. Good luck to those who journey on. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 I found 33 "knees" (actually 34, two are sharing the same "knee") in the map, but I have no idea what to do with them. BTW: Most of those "knees" are only single letter variations of a straight word and I wonder if they count at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Jefferson Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 Maybe the whole puzzle is secret messages to thomas: "are shy win tom?" Ben's last clue helped me make sense of one of the earlier clues... I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Posted May 14, 2003 Share Posted May 14, 2003 A few of my musings: I found 47 Activision titles plus "OINK" 3 times. Which "Oink" is the correct one? The "bent" words in the puzzle that I've found are either 90degree( right ) ANGLES or obtuse angles. ( Like a knee ) Kneepads, Touch, Folder, and Ring imply to me that they all have to do with a flexability of a bodypart. I've always liked how Pitfall Harry's legs always seemed to be bent at right angles when he runs. ( or maybe I'm getting it confused ) I gotta go to work now since I'm running late.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 14, 2003 Author Share Posted May 14, 2003 I found 33 "knees" (actually 34, two are sharing the same "knee") in the map, but I have no idea what to do with them. BTW: Most of those "knees" are only single letter variations of a straight word and I wonder if they count at all. They don't. Because no leg I've ever seen has more than one knee. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gateway Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 ARGHHH!!! I keep running into dead ends! I'll have to look over this again tomorrow when my head is more clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 They don't. Because no leg I've ever seen has more than one knee. Oh, I wasn't talking about "double knees", but very short alternative parts at the start or end of a word, e.g. FROSTBITE E I assume those are not counted as knees. But those are: KNIx H (x = non-matching letter) O xERO Right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 By the time you are ready to ask the questions you have asked, it should be clear to you that the game titles to be found in the 30x30 letter matrix fall into four categories: 1. Titles which appear ONLY in straight lines, NEVER in variations involving one knee. 2. Titles which appear in straight lines AND in variations involving a path with one knee. 3. Titles which satisfy the conditions of either Category 1 or Category 2. 4. Titles which appear in a path with one knee, but NEVER in a straight line. Which of these four categories was important to the puzzle designer? The onslaught of clues involving knees -- especially Anna's proclamation of "the secret is in the knees" -- strongly suggests Category 1 titles are not significant. If you dismiss Category 1 on that basis, then Category 3 becomes logically equivalent to Category 2 and the puzzle designer must have meant for you to focus on either Category 2 or Category 4 titles. Unless you have reasons [clues] to suspect Category 2 is more "special" than Category 4 (or vice versa), it would be wise to consider both possibilities separately. If you do consider both possibilities separately, which category will you consider first and why? What are you looking for? Perhaps the difficulty of the step which follows will lead you down the right path. Then again, you just might find your answer in the clues I've already given. One thing you can count on is this: I've already given the last clue I have to give about knees. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaManFan Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 If anybody's crazy enough to follow this thing to it's conclusion, maybe they'll be crazy enough to sell me the game for $20 too. Here's hoping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I understand the significance of 14 now. (I think.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I have read Ben's last post at least ten times now, but I still don't get it. All I understand is that titles which appear only in straight lines are not significant. But everything beyond this is completely confusing me. I think there must be some subtile language clues which I don't get. Can anybody "translate" that for me? (e.g. are "variations" the same letters in the map, just with minimal differences of the first or last letter, or are they the same title but on different positions some with a "knee" and others not?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keir Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I interepreted his message as follows: To use your examples, OINK and HERO belong to category 4 and are definitely important. FROSTBITE belongs to category 2 and may or may not be important. You should look at both possibilities separately. Of course, I didn't even realise there was a category 2 until today, so I could be wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I wouldn't even count the "bent" FROSTBITE... There's only one letter in a different position. I find the dropped "E" at the end of FROSTBITE more significant because it forms part of the word KEY which appears several times in the puzzle (in KEYSTONE KAPERS and ICE HOCKEY, of course, but elsewhere too). The word RING also appears in the puzzle. KEY and RING figured prominently in Ben's original map contest as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 The mystic stared at Anna as if lost in thought. He had witnessed the entire weightlifting drama unfold but thus far had said nothing. He rose silently from his seated position on the floor and thrust a palm at Anna, signalling her to cease all motion. Anna froze where she stood. Harry admired her ability to sustain her burden of twelve bars of gold. The mystic went over to the safe and withdrew a single bar of gold. Gently, he settled the bar onto the others inside of Anna's crate. Anna's knees folded at once. Harry raced over and pushed Anna clear of the falling crate. The two of them fell safely to the floor in a heap. "You see?" the mystic entreated sagely. "The secret, Anna Graham, lies not only in the knees but in the number, as well." Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I am compelled to speak two cryptic phrases: "fill in the ad for" ...and... "blenders primer" But what do they mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 To use your examples, OINK and HERO belong to category 4 and are definitely important. FROSTBITE belongs to category 2 and may or may not be important. You should look at both possibilities separately. Thanks! BTW: Hero doesn't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Duh! I am a doooofus. I have a feeling that I am not going to solve this puzzle since I am overlooking occasionally blindingly obvious things (such as the "straight" H.E.R.O.)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 I have a feeling that I am not going to solve this puzzle since I am overlooking occasionally blindingly obvious things (such as the "straight" H.E.R.O.)... Since I wrote a litte program than can't happen to me. Well, except there are more of those nasty programming errors (like that one where I missed Icehockey). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keir Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Wow. I didn't see the straight HERO either. What else have I missed?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keir Posted May 15, 2003 Share Posted May 15, 2003 Since I wrote a litte program than can't happen to me. Nice. I started to write a little program too, but I was too lazy to have it include diagonals or "bent" words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 15, 2003 Author Share Posted May 15, 2003 Thomas, I apologize for my imprecise categorical definitions. I hope the following elaboration makes things clear for you and for everyone else. If not, please let me know what part is still unclear and I will take another stab at it. Here's what I meant... Game titles found in the 30x30 letter matrix fall into four categories: Category 1: This category is limited to titles which can be found only in straightline paths. Search as you might, you will never find an instance of a Category 1 title in a path with exactly one knee, neither as a slight variation of the straightline instance nor anywhere else. Category 2: This category includes titles which can be found more than once and which satisfy the following two conditions: There is at least one straightline instance of the title. There is at least one instance of the title in a path which has exactly one knee. Each knee-path instance of the title may (but not necessarily) occupy the approximate same location as the straightline instance. Category 3: This category includes titles which satisfy the conditions of either Category 1 or Category 2. Equivalently stated, Category 3 includes all titles which have at least one straightline instance. Category 4: This category is limited to titles which can only be found in paths with exactly one knee. Search as you might, you will never find an instance of a Category 4 title in a straightline path. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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