Pinnacle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1129
Registered: 06-10-2004
IP: Logged

I just want to know if other people agree that it is an exceptionally difficult game.

____________________________
Once (adv.): Enough.
Twice (adv.): Once too often.
~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5058
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

I have to admit to feeling some kind of physical pain welling out of the tips of my hair after beating against the three tar momma room for a couple hours without checkpoints (Webfoot) and dying yet AGAIN.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1181
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

I'd give it 5 out of 10 brains.

____________________________
Deploy the... I think it's a yellow button... it's usually flashing... it makes the engines go... WHOOSH!

The_Red_Hawk
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 783
Registered: 09-02-2003
IP: Logged

That's what it has anyways on the Holds board.

____________________________
Slashing, whirling, diving, twirling,
Snapping, turning, rising, swirling,
Screeching, flipping, gliding, sliding,
The red hawk's dance of death.

.....the king of the skies.....

b0rsuk
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 489
Registered: 11-23-2003
IP: Logged

It may not be so hard when compared to other holds, but it IS hard for first time.
You have to develop a habit of thinking in different, creative ways. They don't teach this at school.

____________________________

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051128/adams_01.shtml

agaricus5
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1838
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

b0rsuk wrote:
It may not be so hard when compared to other holds, but it IS hard for first time.
You have to develop a habit of thinking in different, creative ways. They don't teach this at school.

Not only that, but you have to get used to the ideas of diagonal movement and frozen states of time between moves (Therefore meaning you must count).

If you want to learn to think creatively or in a different way at school, ask questions, preferably lots of them. The only reason why you are not taught to think is beacuse you have a curriculum to follow and exams to do. If you take the initiative and ask your teacher something unusual or thought-provoking, I'm sure he/she would be delighted to help you.

____________________________
Resident Medic/Mycologist

Zmann
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 241
Registered: 04-21-2003
IP: Logged

DiMono wrote:
I'd give it 5 out of 10 brains.

Nice... seeing how that's the standard the brains are based on.

Tooth and Nail
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 39
Registered: 04-20-2006
IP: Logged

I would definatly put it up there with one of the most difficult games I've ever played, but I also feel that this is one of the few video games out there that may actuallybe good for you. Well, for sharpenning your mind, not your social life.

____________________________
GIR: GIR, reporting for duty!


Zim: GIR? What does the 'g' stand for?


GIR: I don't know!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

agaricus5 wrote:

b0rsuk wrote:
It may not be so hard when compared to other holds, but it IS hard for first time.
You have to develop a habit of thinking in different, creative ways. They don't teach this at school.

Not only that, but you have to get used to the ideas of diagonal movement and frozen states of time between moves (Therefore meaning you must count).

If you want to learn to think creatively or in a different way at school, ask questions, preferably lots of them. The only reason why you are not taught to think is beacuse you have a curriculum to follow and exams to do. If you take the initiative and ask your teacher something unusual or thought-provoking, I'm sure he/she would be delighted to help you.

My favourite question to ask any maths/science teacher (who *should* also be a master of logic) is as follows:

2 teachers (and great friends) crossing down the corridor and one asks the other about his childrens' ages.

So the other teacher (after thinking for a while) responds:
Well, you know I have 3 kids.
Add their ages, and you'll get my office number.
Multiply their ages, and you'll get 72.

The first teacher then explains that he needs more info, so the second says:
The eldest plays piano.

How old are the kids?

If any teacher can answer the question, then you know he/she will teach what really matters.

I've only met 1 teacher who could, and he was by far the most illuminating person I was ever privileged enough to be taught by.

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

The ages of the kids are

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

RoboBob3000 wrote:
The ages of the kids are

Click here to view the secret text

×3, 3, and 8.

Well if you are a maths teacher, I'd have wished you had been mine.
Odd sentence though valid I believe.

Though please confirm you did not work that out in that short space of time... Took me an hour at least.

Stefan
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2119
Registered: 05-25-2004
IP: Logged

That puzzle has actually been discussed on this forum (you posted it), here:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=7591

____________________________
0.099³

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

Well, I admit to being privy to the trick involved. But after that, all you need is to do some factorization and then there really aren't that many possible combinaitons.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

RoboBob3000 wrote:
Well, I admit to being privy to the trick involved. But after that, all you need is to do some factorization and then there really aren't that many possible combinaitons.

I would have to disagree... there are lots of fitting solutions. The thinking of how the 2, supposedly irrevalant, clues matter is the thing that truly either throws people, or, well, throws people.

DROD connection:

Look at larrymurk's latest "The Secret Temple" (I think it's called that), entrance, level 1.

It's impossible to solve, right? Just like my question is impossible to answer, but in the same way.

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

I remember, about 12 years ago, when I was doing the placement exams for my military service, I had to take a test where I was given a graph of phone call costs in the morning and evening in a particular town, and was presented with a series of 30 questions such as "Which country does the town's largest factory export to" and "How old is the factory manager?"

The trick was that you had enough information early on to answer a few of the questions, and in doing so, you gain enough information to answer other questions (so, you can figure out where the factory manager lives by figuring out which country he exports to, which is in a time zone that would mean he'd be making phone calls there in the morning rather than the evening, so he must be in the appartment that makes a lot of expensive morning calls. By the address you can figure out he's in a part of town where younger people live, and so forth.) You were given enough time to easily solve the exam if you figured out the dependencies between the questions and solved them in a sensible order, but not nearly enough time to brute force it. I really enjoyed it.

Anyway, not entirely relevant, but Syntax's posts made me think of this.

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

Stefan wrote:
That puzzle has actually been discussed on this forum (you posted it), here:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=7591

Brilliantly remembered!
For some reason I never actually posted back :s

The 2 usual assumptions are that none of either the adding up to the door number, or the fact the eldest plays piano, matter.
And of course they do.

I was asked this at Cambridge and could only come up with an answer (reasoning included), the next day. Let it be said, I didn't end up attending very much

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

thanks for reminding me how much in terms of intelligence i lack.

I think i will go crawl down a hole now.



Back on topic now, i would agree with you, pinnicle, that it is a exceptionally difficult game. In fact, the only game which had a similar difficulty level was Far Cry.

Tooth and Nail
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 39
Registered: 04-20-2006
IP: Logged

I hate to get off topic here again but that puzzle inspired me. I actually heard a sililar (though in my opinion much simpilar one) the other day.

You and two of your closest friends are captured by natives on an expedition. These particular natives are canibalistic but have rather strange customs. They explain to you that they will not eat intelligent people. (bad aftertaste)
Their leader prepares a test to disprove your intelligence. He tells you he's going to blindfold you and sit you and both of your friend in a triangle so that you can see one another, once the blindfolds are removed. Before doing so, hes going to randomly put a hat on each of your heads, either black or white.
There are a limited number of each color however. 2 black. 3 white. Its completely random who will end up with what color hat.

You may take as much time as you wish, but one of you must correctly descern what color hat each of you is wearing. Only one answer may be given. You may not comunicate with your friends in any way.

Assumeing you are intelligent people, what is the only possible logic you can use to get yourself out of this situation?

____________________________
GIR: GIR, reporting for duty!


Zim: GIR? What does the 'g' stand for?


GIR: I don't know!

---

[Last edited by Tooth and Nail at 04-23-2006 10:49 AM]

TripleM
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1373
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Pilchard VIII
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 392
Registered: 01-21-2006
IP: Logged

It's quite a funny thing actually, 'cos I found 23+24 really hard, but I found the 'Neather really easy

____________________________
The DROD Dragon

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1308
Registered: 11-24-2005
IP: Logged

Agreed.

The thing about DROD is that it is one of those games with a steep learning curve. Also, you start to learn tricks subconciously. For instance, I was having real troubles with the Nine Puzzles. After fighting my way through Perfection through the H&S board, timing elements slowly came to me. Now, the Nine Puzzles are easier. Same with mimic puzzles. For instance, KDD 22 really helped me with getting my multiple mimc control up. As you get stronger, the general concepts behind things become easier, such as how to kill a serpent in a room with only one killpoint that you must force the serpent into without going in yourself. Another thing that I like about DROD is that the one thing that keeps me out of the running with other games is timing. In no place is timing in DROD present. I mean real timing, not "Do this in 90 moves or less" timing. It's why I suck at action games and things like that, but excel at RPGs. The less timing I need, the better. LoZ fits in between, requiring some timing, but not having a whole game based around the perfect sequence of events. In the end, I like a game that challenges me in where I excel. DROD fits that to a T.

Tooth and Nail
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 39
Registered: 04-20-2006
IP: Logged

Yes. (applauds TrippleM) Quite a bit easier than the Teacher's Children riddle, but in my opinion still ingenious. The problem with this one is how most people go about it. You need to approch it from a non-egocentric point of view, which for some reason isn't immediately obvious to everyone, even with the clues given.

____________________________
GIR: GIR, reporting for duty!


Zim: GIR? What does the 'g' stand for?


GIR: I don't know!

Syntax
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1218
Registered: 05-12-2005
IP: Logged

Pilchard VIII wrote:
It's quite a funny thing actually, 'cos I found 23+24 really hard, but I found the 'Neather really easy

Oh I can help you out with that one... 23 + 24 = 47