HappyMutant
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 36
Registered: 11-22-2004
IP: Logged

When the first clue was posted, I noticed the border stones, and decided that they must be the puzzle. I recognized them as Simpuhl Englihsh characters, and correctly deciphered them.
For quite some time, I messed with wildcard searches through some very long word lists, trying to fill in the blank stones. After determining that those weren't characters at all (mostly because of the presence of the dots), I tried different ways of rearranging the letters. However, a rather large final project for a programming class kept me from having sufficient spare cycles to work the puzzle further.

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

Well, my home computer died after the last secret was revealed. Actually, it was just the monitor... however, it still made it hard to see anything. I never got a monitor in time to complete the contest. Thanks for lettimg be be a part of something that I could not contribute to.

whitehelm
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 23
Registered: 05-22-2004
IP: Logged

My first thought when I started this contest was that since it was called "The Secret", it may have something to do with secret areas. So I spent a couple hours making sure I had found all the secret areas in the demos, which was a good idea anyway, so my time wasn't wasted.
The first clue I forgot about checking due to being sick, and I resumed working on the contest with clue 2. For the first time I noticed those letters around the title screen and started trying to decode them. I tried putting all the letters in an anagram solver, and got nothing. I noticed that "Erik" was in there, so I tried just solving the rest of the letters, and got nothing. I tried solving them as a cryptogram, and got nothing.
I briefly considered the possibility that the letters had nothing to do with the secret and maybe it was the door picture that appeared at the beginning, but taking a screenshot and zooming in with Photoshop revealed nothing. Then with the 4th clue I was back to the letters. My next theory was that the letters were only part of the secret, and I tried finding some relation between the letters and the poem which is sung...and found nothing. The map also didn't give me any ideas, and from there I headed into a very busy weekend and the end of the contest.

EDIT: I forgot to add that nowhere in this process did I even consider the correct approach, having never heard or read about this other language.

[Edited by whitehelm at Local Time:04-26-2005 at 05:22 PM]

____________________________
127th Skywatcher

techant
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 854
Registered: 06-08-2004
IP: Logged

whitehelm wrote:
EDIT: I forgot to add that nowhere in this process did I even consider the correct approach, having never heard or read about this other language.
[/localtime]]

The language is discussed on DROD.net under Stories. Under "The Eighth Pinned Down" you find a discussion of this language and in "The Wormspeaker" at the bottom of the page you see an example. I found this all while I was looking for information about the map.

There was more in the forum once you knew that there was a language.

Hope this helped.
That section in stories has lots of good new stuff and is worth the read.



____________________________
DROD RPG Released!! You must try it out it is Great!!

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

The words I carved into the stone were:

"There is so much in store."

Bibelot discovered it first on April 19th, with Watcher and Schep close behind. Nobody else was able to solve it. The code ended up being much harder than I thought. It wasn't quite fair for me to suggest it would take an hour, I suppose.

Here are some on the guesses that were not as correct:

Roach is in the storms.
More such is in the store.
This is more a roach nest.
The. Mess. Is. Roast. Roach. Inn.
This is roach monster.
This is monster roach.
Side. Choose. Meister. 'Neather.
No roaches must read this.
Assist Thokker Sniorm.
ThEh.ROSt.ROKh.IhS.MIhSUhN.
This must I choose: N. R. R.
Erik must rest soon.
Much rests on this story.
The monster is a roach.

It seems that the ability to spell "roach" ended up being a red herring.

Bibelot definitely deserves his 100 rank points and Prize Pile selection. Watcher will receive 50 rank points, and Schep gets 25 plus 10 for the rookie bonus. Everybody's rank points will be doubled in one month if I am forgetful again.

We had a fresh crop of rookies: Acidwolf, Acrobat, Asmussen, Chalks, Conker, Dali, Django, Farren, HappyMutant, Hix, Krishh, Larrymurk, Maurog, Penumbra, Phweengee, RuAdam, Schep, silver, Speicus, Squeekie, TheHammer and Whitehelm. Some of these folks look like new forum users, too, which is doubly nice. They all get 10 rank points for trying something new.

Now everyone can begin searching for the other secret I put in the game that is ten times harder to uncover! The first clue is--no, nevermind. That's it for secrets. Thanks to everyone who tried!

-Erik

[Edited by ErikH2000 at Local Time:04-28-2005 at 09:35 PM]

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2388
Registered: 05-29-2003
IP: Logged

Incidentally...

My signup jackpot thing had two different systems driving it. I'll give 3 rank points to whoever works out system number #1, and 7 to whoever works out system #2, which is far subtler. You need to tell me how I decided which post to give rank points to, and how I decided how many I was going to give.

Matt

____________________________
What do you call an elephant at the North Pole?

silver
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 915
Registered: 01-18-2005
IP: Logged

cough


[Edited by silver at Local Time:04-27-2005 at 10:46 AM]

____________________________

acidwolf
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 23
Registered: 04-25-2003
IP: Logged

We had a fresh crop of rookies: Acidwolf, Acrobat, Asmussen, Chalks, Conker, Dali, Django, Farren, HappyMutant, Larrymurk, Penumbra, Phweengee, RuAdam, Speicus, Squeekie, and Whitehelm. Some of these folks look like new forum users, too, which is doubly nice. They all get 10 rank points for trying something new.

Well I'm sort of new but older than most of you (if you look at my registered date)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

silver wrote:
cough

Yeah, I forgot you, Silver. Sorry!

List of participants:
Abbyzzmal, acidwolf, acrobat, agaricus5, Asmussen, bdwing, bibelot, bradwall, chalks, Conker, Dali, django, Doom, Farren, gamer_extreme_101, HappyMutant, larrymurk, Maurog, MeckMeck GRE, Nillo, Penumbra, phweengee, RuAdam, schep, Silver, Speicus, Squeekie, stefan, stigant, swann_88, techant, Tim, TripleM, vylycyn, Wackhead_uk, Watcher, whitehelm, Zmann

To be a participant you need to have either:
1. submitted a guess during the Revelations or...
2. announced yourself during the Committal and posted an account of your travails during the Reckoning.

There are some people I have guesses from that I still need matched to forum names, and I sent them e-mails about that.

Did I miss anybody else?

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

TheHammer
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 21
Registered: 04-06-2005
IP: Logged

*cough*

krammer
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 904
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

*also coughs*

____________________________
+++ Divide by Cucumber Error +++ Please Reinstall Universe and Reboot +++

"Oook!"

silver
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 915
Registered: 01-18-2005
IP: Logged

my name. it hates to be capitalized. it punishes me when people do that to it. I have these terrible scars...

more seriously, were you waiting until you have the full list to hand out points? I still seem to be at 80


____________________________

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3226
Registered: 07-05-2004
IP: Logged

Patience, silver. You'll get those points eventually.

Hix
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 106
Registered: 12-31-2004
IP: Logged

*coughs, but into a handkerchief so no one gets sick*

Maurog
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1501
Registered: 09-16-2004
IP: Logged

This technically was my first contest, but I refuse to be called a rookie. So I hereby officially decline any points I would gain from this contest. In addition, I would like to point out that listing me as a contestant of Grand Audition for some reason was a mistake, which should be fixed right now. I didn't have the means (microphone ) to participate in that contest, so I did not. As tempting as it is to claim undeserved credit, the washing bill on my karma is big enough as it is, so let's keep it stainless! You cannot evolve into a pure energy being with dirty karma...

____________________________
Slay the living! Raise the dead!
Paint the sky in crimson red!

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

TheHammer wrote:
*cough*

TheHammer, you Committed, but I don't see a recounting during the Reckoning. And it's possible you may have been one of the people who sent me an e-mail with a guess that I haven't matched up to a forum name.

If you e-mailed me a guess during the Revelation, then just send me another e-mail saying "My real name is *your real name*, a.k.a. TheHammer". Otherwise, just give a small description here of your efforts to discover the Secret!

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

krammer wrote:
*also coughs*

My mistake. I'll add you in for participants.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Hix wrote:
*coughs, but into a handkerchief so no one gets sick*

I think you probably fall into the category of someone who sent an e-mail guess but I couldn't figure out the forum name. There is an e-mail from somebody with "hix" in the address, so I'll just count that as you.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

I updated the list of people getting rookie bonuses and people participating. So now participants are:

Abbyzzmal, acidwolf, acrobat, agaricus5, Asmussen, bdwing, bibelot, bradwall, chalks, Conker, Dali, django, Doom, Farren, gamer_extreme_101, HappyMutant, Hix, krammer, larrymurk, Maurog, MeckMeck GRE, Nillo, Penumbra, phweengee, RuAdam, schep, silver, Speicus, Squeekie, stefan, stigant, swann_88, techant, TheHammer, Tim, TripleM, vylycyn, Wackhead_uk, Watcher, whitehelm, Zmann

Rookies are:
acidwolf, acrobat, Asmussen, Chalks, Conker, Dali, Django, Farren, HappyMutant, Hix, Larrymurk, Maurog, Penumbra, Phweengee, RuAdam, silver, Speicus, Squeekie, TheHammer and Whitehelm

I'll award points after I'm reasonably sure I haven't left someone out. Maurog, you get the +10 bonus and no more lip outta you!

-Erik

[Edited by ErikH2000 at Local Time:04-27-2005 at 08:39 PM: wiki formatting crept in.]

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Krishh
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 282
Registered: 06-05-2004
IP: Logged

*cough*

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

techant wrote:
Either do I

Ah, there you are--another mistake on my part, sorry.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

schep
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 865
Registered: 03-01-2005
IP: Logged

I would like to be included in the rookie list, even though I'm also a winner. I don't care so much about the rank points, but there's honor in that list of brave puzzlers.

Phweengee
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 66
Registered: 03-02-2004
IP: Logged

In answer to Techant's question a couple of days ago, no I didn't get it. I didn't get remotely close to it. All I could come up with was that the word on the left must be "earth's" so I was thinking that the secret would say something relating Earth to the Eighth somehow. So my experience counted for squat.

____________________________
-Phweengee

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

From almost everyone:
*cough*

I need to get out of this thread... I don't want to catch what everyone else has.

silver
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 915
Registered: 01-18-2005
IP: Logged

One would expect I'd be copying other people, but instead it must be reverse day, and everyone is copying cats.


____________________________

Maurog
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1501
Registered: 09-16-2004
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
Maurog, you get the +10 bonus and no more lip outta you!

Sure, just don't forget to subtract the +10 bonus you probabaly gave me for the Grand Audition.

Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

____________________________
Slay the living! Raise the dead!
Paint the sky in crimson red!

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

All right [sigh].

I really feel blind - when I tried to solve the puzzle, I only looked at the map of the Eighth and not the border stones. Naturally, I couldn't find anything for a long time until this phase. Oh well - that's what comes from trying it at the end of the day.

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

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

HopelessAmateur
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 177
Registered: 11-05-2004
IP: Logged

well I looked at the title screen, thought 'Arse, gotta work out what the runes mean' and played DROD instead.

At least I had a good go at Bavato's Level 1 again (see high scores tables). Is that worth something? Probably not, but it was more fun than google searching for bloody runes.

Keep the contests coming, though. I'll find one that's worth notplayingdrod for. Much appreciation of the time you put into creating the contests, just not much drive to take part. Sorry. A HopelessAmateur at contests too.

I had forgotten the meticulous deviousness which went into the planning of Bavato's. Ouch.

[Edited by HopelessAmateur at Local Time:04-29-2005 at 12:35 AM]

billbuckner
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 57
Registered: 05-03-2003
IP: Logged

I completly bombed. Once I realized it was a word puzzle, and given how much I hate word puzzles, I spectacularly, massivly, stunningly, gave up.