Pitfall Harry Posted May 27, 2002 Author Share Posted May 27, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Thomas Jentzsch: Answering the box code question requires only my disassembly of the game and a very simple program to use the information found there. Examining disassembled game code is an interesting approach, and I'd love to hear more about it after the contest has concluded. However, I would like to assure everybody else that disassembling game code is not required to answer the box code question. I found the answer myself without analyzing game code. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapdash Posted May 27, 2002 Share Posted May 27, 2002 Yeah, I think I have that answer now, without any disassembly. The thing that was stumping me was a "rookie mistake" that I was able to think my way through once I looked at it in earnest. I'll want to double-check before submitting though, heh. More and more hints... Ben, you're killing me. :-) The best I can do right now is "HARRY OFT PRISM", so if that's not on the right track, than hopefully you'll find my blindness amusing. BTW, room34 -- if you still haven't gotten the number clue, aren't still in the running for that one? Or do you have to submit all answers at once? Guess I should reread the contest page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapdash Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Erf, forget Anna... I think I see the gist of the hint, but that misplaced letter is still a thorn in my side -- despite the hints, I don't see how it's clearly a single, particular letter. Or if it is, I'm not sure how it helps. Even taking other possibilities into account seem wrong. Of course, the rest of that message makes me wonder about something else I've found curious since the beginning, though I'm not sure how to apply it. Oy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Russ Perry Jr: BTW, room34 -- if you still haven't gotten the number clue, aren't still in the running for that one? Or do you have to submit all answers at once? Guess I should reread the contest page! I'm "out" on the big prize because I submitted a wrong answer on the Braille question. I haven't deciphered the number code yet, though, so I could still double my chances for the 3rd-place drawing if I miraculously get a clue about it. (By "get a clue" I meant figure it out myself, not "give me a hint" but feel free if you must...) As for the blue-and-red code, I'll reiterate what I said before. Deciphering any of Pitfall Harry's clues OUTSIDE of the map may be a fun challenge, and may be a HINT, but you can certainly solve the entire contest without even knowing these "hints" exist. Every one of them I've solved so far just reinforced something in the puzzle itself that I'd already found, though rarely understood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Goof Greif 380 posts thats a record and still no one has got the right anwser? (i am not reading every posts in this huge ass thread) Better hurry up guys before i submit the right anwser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Pitfall Harry: Examining disassembled game code is an interesting approach, and I'd love to hear more about it after the contest has concluded. Without telling to much: My commented disassembly of Pitfall! is public available at The Dig!. Especially I made comments about how the map is generated using a simple but clever random number generator. I used that info in a very simple Turbo Pascal program which did the rest for me. quoteHowever, I would like to assure everybody else that disassembling game code is not required to answer the box code question. I found the answer myself without analyzing game code. Sure, using a program was only the easiest and safest way (no counting errors!) for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Russ Perry Jr: More and more hints... Ben, you're killing me. :-) The best I can do right now is "HARRY OFT PRISM", so if that's not on the right track, than hopefully you'll find my blindness amusing. If you got "HARRY" then you should have no more problems with the misplaced letter. [ 05-28-2002: Message edited by: Thomas Jentzsch ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Important: If you look for an answer for the number code, don't believe everything that you find in the web! I found at least one page, with the wrong answer. Fortunately I've checked this before posting to Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smf_4ever Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 I love you all.. but you still make me feel stupid.. lol.... I have pages and pages of notes I go back and forth through... and I still just have hints to what the questions may be.. but not enough for that little light to go. "bing!"... Truck on as we must... grrrrrrrrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 28, 2002 Author Share Posted May 28, 2002 Harry and Anna were deep within a network of subterranean caverns when Anna looked down. She plucked a bundle of tattered rubber scraps that bobbed at the bank of the river. Harry Jr.: I recognize those scraps. They're from Father's hot air balloon! We must be close. Anna unwrapped the bundle carefully. Inside there was a note. She read it aloud... Dear Harry, I trust it is you who followed the trail of clues I left, which led you to what may be the final message I'll ever write. Please forgive my use of coded messages. But as you know, my quest was one of finding valuable lost treasures, and indeed I have found them! I could not allow just anyone to discover my whereabouts and steal priceless treasures away from me. I also fear for my own life. Rhonda and I have been captured by jungle natives. We had the misfortune of drifting overhead in our hot air balloon, blotting out the sun, just as the natives were making their sacred offerings to the sun god, Ra. Mistaking us for demon gods, they shot us out of the sky with blowgun darts and imprisoned us in the red chalet which sits high atop a sheer-faced cliff, deep within this subterranean cavern. They intend to kill us ceremonially at year's end unless we can prove ourselves to be "Gods of the Sun" by showing them some kind of miracle. Oddly enough, the natives permit Quickclaw free rein. They have adorned him with collars of gold, allow him to feast to his heart's content on fresh eel meat (a delicacy), and fall reverently to their knees every time he crosses their paths. Go figure. My thoughts: They are a primitive people. If someone were to come along and extract a rainbow from the colorless rays of the sun... to them, that would be a miracle. And the person who performed such a feat, along with his friends, would be hailed as true Gods of the Sun. But how to reach us? The only means of reaching the cliff plateau, of course, is via hot air balloon. Our balloon was torn to shreds by the natives, but ever-resourceful Rhonda discovered an emergency backup a long time ago. Her specimen bags may be fashioned into ballons by filling them with steam that rises from an underground geyser located at the base of the cliff. Rhonda keeps a cache of specimen bags onboard Native Sojourns, our little dingy which was left anchored in the middle of the underground river near the base of the cliff. Belowdecks, you will find a music box in Rhonda's cabin. Her specimen bags are kept inside. I trust that you have Ms. Graham along with you. I have nothing but respect for your abilities to unravel the clues I have left for you. But I know that Ms. Graham will be an enormous help to you. She may see something you may miss... something VERY, VERY VALUABLE to you... regarding Rhonda's specimen bags as you rise over the waves. Please hurry, and good luck! - Pitfall Harry Anna: Let's hurry! There's no time to lose! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 28, 2002 Share Posted May 28, 2002 Ooh! Harry's latest journal entry makes me really want to solve it!!! Too bad I already eliminated myself from the contest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapdash Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 Thomas wrote: quote: If you got "HARRY" then you should have no more problems with the misplaced letter. Even given that, I'm not sure how to apply that knowledge... I finally figured out the rest of that message at least; methinks I need to find the time to reread the other clues over the last couple of days. Oh, and speaking of clues... You're breaking my balls Ben! Breaking my balls! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted May 29, 2002 Author Share Posted May 29, 2002 The last clue has been given. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted May 29, 2002 Share Posted May 29, 2002 There we have that "Red Chalet" ( = elder chat)again. Does this ring a bell for anybody? I think it's somehow related to Pitfall II (perhaps the secret level), but I've no idea how... (yet! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smf_4ever Posted May 30, 2002 Share Posted May 30, 2002 hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smf_4ever Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 Still haven't gotten it yet.. but on an odd subject.. looking at this whole thread.. this would make a great 8-bit game!!!... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 31, 2002 Share Posted May 31, 2002 quote: Originally posted by smf_4ever: Still haven't gotten it yet.. but on an odd subject.. looking at this whole thread.. this would make a great 8-bit game!!!...(too bad I dont know enough programming) Maybe Thomas could take care of this for us, and Ben could make it part of the prize! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slapdash Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 So, no one has been working on this, or coming up with much then? Thomas, I think the ElderChat thing is just a reminder of the meta tag clue, but am not sure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Russ Perry Jr: So, no one has been working on this, or coming up with much then? I'm still stuck with the Braille anagram. I hoped the Ben's clue about a Native Sojounrs would help, but... quoteThomas, I think the ElderChat thing is just a reminder of the meta tag clue, but am not sure... Yes, that's true. It's a hint, where you find the text for decoding the number code. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitfall Harry Posted June 3, 2002 Author Share Posted June 3, 2002 Apparently, everyone who has been working on it is stumped. And eveyone else who hasn't given it a go has remeained on the sidelines because they believe they are "too far behind." That's an unfortunate decision, because I think it's entirely possible for somebody to start today and still take First Prize. If you're 20 laps behind but every car in front of you has crashed, does it make sense to give up because you're "too far behind?" All you have to do is read this thread carefully, put two and two together and then see something that the others are missing. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elektro33 Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 I took Pitfall Harry's advice, and started to try and solve this. I have found out about the two tree tops, found the boxes on top and left of the border, found the fraction like numbers and the question mark. I also found the Key and the red ring (?) Im really confused, where is this "box" puzzle, and the braile one? Ive been so far behind that if someone is not kind enuf to help me, I'll never catch up. Even a clue, anything - i cant figure out what clues are for what things, and if the clues are for thing i have already found. [ 06-03-2002: Message edited by: Elektro33 ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elektro33 Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 i think i have found the box clue, could someone tell me if it has to do with the boxes each frame of the game is placed in? i got some bizarre stuff like upside down Ts and Ss. and squares with lil lines stickin out ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 "There's no time to lose". The answer is 20 minutes? That how much time there would be to lose if you were playing the game pitfall. Or maybe if you reverse those letters you'd get something like: setunim 02 set the level to two? or maybe Pitfall 2? hehe, I'm just wildly guessing, don't mind me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffy Arensmeyer Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 Nope, not too far behind. Looking through my notes, which consist of several scrath pads, a handfull of folded sticky-notes, and a napkin, I've derived the following... The top right tree says... Resorting this poem is easy to do roses are red violets are blue I can only assume this is a clue for figuring out the top left tree... A log is a dot A trio is not Moving the bottom two lines of the graphic to the top Thus, any screen with one log is a dot and any screen with three logs is a dash, leading to Morse Code. Now you need something to give you which screens to use for the Morse Code. The actual map of each game screen is comprised of dark bordered boxes. The borders are not all the same color, however. By eliminating the dominate color, you get the message... A clue in braille blazes a subterranean trail. Also, there is a hidden ring in the dot of the exclamation point of the Pitfall! title at the top. It's possible that the location of the ring is the answer to one of the three questions, but you must also have the question for it to be complete. Now, the key; It appears above the 82nd screen on the map. This must relate to the series of hidden numbers in the paragraph "How to win at Pitfall!" at the bottom. As usual, by elimnating certain colors, you can see a number after each word in the paragraph. I'm still baffled by this one. Not a clue. It doesn't directly relate to game screens, so I can only guess that "red chalet, elder chat, crypt in the cradle" stuff has something to do with this. I'm not even going to get into the elder chat.png graphic. I will tell you I've twisted, turned, mirrored, flopped, flipped, rotated and spun the whole graphic, parts of the graphic, individuals letters, some letters one way and others the next and so on. For now, I'm content with being "on the outside looking in" on that one because it's driven me crazy. Maybe a little more research on the effects of a prism will help. Of course, there are other clues scattered about, like the hidden text on the html page (just highlight everyhting on the web page map to see it), or the message in the tail of the scopion animated gif file (The frames you must scrutinize if you want to win the prize), and the meta tag clue in the code of the page (The crypt is in the cradle){use view source to see the page coding}. That's where I'm at; One clue with an ambiguous answer, half a clue that's an anagram for some sounding unfamiliar to Pitfall! and a very cold and confused trail for the final question, which probably has a "philosophical answer" to it any way. Sidelines and behind? Sidelines for sure until some more time becomes available. Behind, not at all. We're all still in it until "Harry the Riddler" says there's a winner, then we can hope that the prize matrix on the hidden web page for the remaining stuff can help us win something. ò¿ó Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jentzsch Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Jeffy Arensmeyer: The top right tree says... Resorting this poem is easy to do roses are red violets are blue I can only assume this is a clue for figuring out the top left tree... A log is a dot A trio is not Moving the bottom two lines of the graphic to the top I think the poem clue refers to the Braille anagram. But that doesn't matter, does it? quoteThis seems to be an ambiguous question, however. Does it mean only the scorpions along the path to finishing the game successfully or all of the total scorpions in the entire game? None of them can hurt you if you don't go down a ladder, but you will never successfully beat the game if you don't. Seems like one of those questions "Have you ever been caught in the closet looking at girly mags?" to me. Never is... well... never. quoteIt could be How does the raj return to Harry?, but both make about the same amount of sense to me. I had the same (and a lot of other) ideas, and none made any sense to me, too. quoteNow, the key; It appears above the 82nd screen on the map. This must relate to the series of hidden numbers in the paragraph "How to win at Pitfall!" at the bottom. As usual, by elimnating certain colors, you can see a number after each word in the paragraph. The key is definitely not needed for the number code. But I have no idea where is might be useful for. The only thing I'm missing is the Braille question and answer. quoteI will tell you I've twisted, turned, mirrored, flopped, flipped, rotated and spun the whole graphic, parts of the graphic, individuals letters, some letters one way and others the next and so on. What about inverting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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