jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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The first Tarot game is actually the hardest to win, because the AI is quite effective at blocking you. You need to know pretty much all the properties (Treacherous, Worldly, etc.) so that even if you can't win a hand, you can at least minimize the AI's score. In all the later games, I was able to win soon after working out the mechanics and some of the better combinations. They're my favourite puzzles, but I guess YMMV.

By the last auction, do you mean Aldridge? The trickiest part there is effectively playing off the last two bidders (as the story suggests).

Also, a word to the wise: don't save the windows until last, because they unlock something else, and THAT unlocks something else, and THAT etc.

Rinaldo
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 04-07-2007
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I have now won the earlier card games, and have the last two of those remaining. I find that with all of them, it's just as important to block the opponent's favorable moves as to make my own. With all of them, even knowing the rankings etc., I find that I have spend a fair amount of time playing (i.e., losing) to get familiar with the mechanics and the feel of the game. Which is as it should be.

These will never be my favorite puzzles though -- rather the opposite. I like logical puzzles in which knowing the elements and rules guarantees that I will solve it correctly. There's no guarantee in these games.

I did mean Aldridge, and I didn't have any real problem with it; it just took time and care. It's done now.

So now, besides those last two W(ager) games, I have the 4 T(racing) ones left. And those are perfectly doable, just frustrating; I'll have to print and label the patterns. However:

jemann wrote: Also, a word to the wise: don't save the windows until last, because they unlock something else, and THAT unlocks something else, and THAT etc.

Can you explain that a bit more, please? (In secret encoding, if you wish.) I did all the windows as soon as they were available, but I haven't found them to unlock anything yet. One of the windows has been "doing something" for a while, but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere interesting. (Yet.)

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[Last edited by Rinaldo at 11-03-2012 01:41 AM]

jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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Rinaldo wrote: I did all the windows as soon as they were available, but I haven't found them to unlock anything yet. One of the windows has been "doing something" for a while, but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere interesting. (Yet.)

Initially the windows give you access to seven Deliveries, each with three stages. It's only when you beat all seven that something else unlocks.

Rinaldo
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 04-07-2007
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Thanks. In fact, in the traditional way things happen after asking for help, I figured out what I had to do just before your reply showed up.

Gordius
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 91
Registered: 12-16-2008
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I should have realized this was being discussed here.

In the spirit of limiting preventable frustrations while trying to remain non-spoilery, non-native English speakers should know that the endgame involves anagramming to not-necessarily-in-the-dictionary words that anagram tools won't always help with. As a native speaker, I was able to get them, but it involved a lot of knowing what letter patterns made sense and being able to recognize plausible answers when I got them. It wasn't a serious complaint for me, but I could imagine it being a major obstacle for non-native speakers.

Rinaldo
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 04-07-2007
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The map is probably in my near future (inner squealing with delight!). Standing between me and it are the last 2 Tracers, and tracing a moving target (plus whatever will come after that). My least favorite things, as neither my memory nor my coordination are what they once were. But there are ways to help myself....

jemann, I agree that the later card games were not nearly so hard. The last two were even (dare I say it?) kinda-sorta fun.

One change from "Errand" that I do regret is the move to the now-accepted way of saving games. The older system made it possible to save a single playthrough at multiple points, preserving "snapshots" of different points in the game. My special joy was having a game saved just before assembling the Map. I would duplicate that, and go in and put the Map together again, it was such fun to relive the endgame.

Rinaldo
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 04-07-2007
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Oy. The only thing holding me up now is I may have to ask one of my well-coordinated undergraduate students to do that part for me.

Later: Not so! I finished that. Now dealing with something that no doubt can be solved quickly and elegantly (though CJ's solution in his hints doesn't work), but can also be dealt with by blunder-through-endlessly. Onward.

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[Last edited by Rinaldo at 11-04-2012 06:22 PM]

jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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Gordius wrote: In the spirit of limiting preventable frustrations while trying to remain non-spoilery, non-native English speakers should know that the endgame involves anagramming to not-necessarily-in-the-dictionary words that anagram tools won't always help with.

Indeed. I'm up to this now, and it's tricky, although nothing has indefinitely stumped me yet.

In lieu of using an anagram solver, I've found this letter shuffler quite handy.

MauveCloud
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 10
Registered: 11-09-2012
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jemann wrote: Playing the second auction game (Argyle) made Agar more obvious for me. As the help says, the answers have something in common, in line with the fragment of story.

This post helped me a lot with Agar (though it took me several rereads before the clue in the story text hit me), but I haven't solved Argyle yet - I think I've got the right words, but selling letters in a different order can produce a different total even when the words formed are the same. Can you provide any tips on figuring out the right order?

jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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MauveCloud wrote: This post helped me a lot with Agar (though it took me several rereads before the clue in the story text hit me), but I haven't solved Argyle yet - I think I've got the right words, but selling letters in a different order can produce a different total even when the words formed are the same. Can you provide any tips on figuring out the right order?

The story suggests selling to the man with a top hat first, and the lady with an umbrella last. If you can, sell two letters in a row to the same person. On the other hand, only the last letter should be sold for the minimum price, so you'll need to manage the last two bidders with more care.

The last auction (Aldridge) multiplies the difficulty still further. Have fun!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
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Just purchased this game and it says the link will be sent *within a week*. Did anyone have to wait long for the link?

skell
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3734
Registered: 12-28-2004
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I've waited 3 or 4 years, so hard to tell.

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Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
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Got the link within a few hours in the end... so far so good

Rinaldo
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 50
Registered: 04-07-2007
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I think the "week" was to cover him just in case; this is literally a one-man operation and he does have to get out of the house and do other things at times. But in my experience Cliff is very prompt and conscientious about responding to customers and gameplayers. I emailed about one of the puzzles this week, and we must have had 5 back-and-forths in a day. (He was very nice and agreeable, and asked what I thought of this or that feature.) I was one of the early orderers; my name floats by quite early in the Compendium of True Believers.

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
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Rinaldo wrote:
this is literally a one-man operation

That's exactly how I was going to describe it

Something really cool knowing it's just one person on the other end. I was being impatient at first and as you say - didn't end up waiting long in any case. Great game so far - definitely kept the original unique style which is I'm very happy about.

MauveCloud
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 10
Registered: 11-09-2012
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jemann wrote: The story suggests selling to the man with a top hat first, and the lady with an umbrella last. If you can, sell two letters in a row to the same person. On the other hand, only the last letter should be sold for the minimum price, so you'll need to manage the last two bidders with more care.

The last auction (Aldridge) multiplies the difficulty still further. Have fun!

Thanks. I got through the auctions, now I'm stuck on the puzzle that says

jemann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 160
Registered: 01-13-2006
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MauveCloud wrote:
Thanks. I got through the auctions, now I'm stuck on the puzzle that says

Click here to view the secret text

×Go to the Prescribed Location and Open the Third Gateway by Key alone.

I was stumped by this one (or possibly just impatient) and looked up the solution. It's not exactly intuitive, but certainly worth trying to work it out on your own. Some hints:

The Prescribed Location:

Open the Gateway:

MauveCloud
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 10
Registered: 11-09-2012
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jemann wrote: I was stumped by this one (or possibly just impatient) and looked up the solution. It's not exactly intuitive, but certainly worth trying to work it out on your own.

Edit (previous reply removed): I found the Elixir pdf (which I'm guessing is where you found it, though when it came up in google search results a day or two ago I got a "connection reset" or something like that). I seriously doubt I could have worked it out entirely on my own.

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[Last edited by MauveCloud at 11-13-2012 03:14 PM]