zoombini
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 43
Registered: 01-06-2006
IP: Logged

Thanks for the compliment! We figured there was a man in the bathroom because of the newspaper, but never thought about stiffing the check (we've never heard of such a tactic). Great game - we're looking forward to the next one!

Tuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1588
Registered: 02-22-2003
IP: Logged

Cool! I won!

The first serious theories I had were mostly down the line that the waiter had maybe spilled something, an order had been screwed up, the chef had needed to whip up a replacement meal in a hurry etc. Then the bill turned up in clue 63 and moved things forward to after the meal.

I eventually worked out what was going on after clue 74; the ten minutes bit suggested that the angry man was waiting, and at that point there was only one real place in the scene where a person was missing. The final clue (which I don't think was up when I started the final crunch through the clues, but probably was by the time I came back and posted) just confirmed things.

I didn't tweak that the angry man was getting stiffed for the bill either, just that he was impatient. Maybe I'm just too trusting.

---

[Last edited by Tuttle at 04-24-2006 09:56 AM]

Amourav
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 31
Registered: 12-01-2005
IP: Logged

I'm so giddy at being mentioned. You have no idea.
Congrats to Tuttle and the rest of you winners, and thankee to Erik for the fun contest. I had a blast checking the clues every day to see if I got it.
Can't wait till the next one.

*Savors.*

____________________________
That settles that, then.

jbluestein
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1670
Registered: 12-23-2005
IP: Logged

Shock. Awe.

I'd just like to thank the (Smitemaster's) Academy...

Nevertheless, I didn't expect to even come close, so I'm totally psyched.

Thanks to Erik for a very interesting and innovative puzzle.

And congrats to Tuttle, for beating me to the answer by four hours. On the other hand, I got to sleep for those hours, so I think the tradeoff is fair.

Josh

____________________________
"Rings and knots of joy and grief, all interlaced and locking." --William Buck

Znirk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 613
Registered: 07-28-2005
IP: Logged

Good job, winners and other Explainmasters.

I'm still confused about what has happened and what happens next at Angry Restaurant though -- does Angry Man urgently need the other couple's 50$ in the next few minutes, before the Return of the Restroom Man? Or is Restroom Man planning to abandon his debt and his wife and escape through the emergency exit? And doesn't Mrs. Restroom have any money?

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2806
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Znirk wrote:
I'm still confused about what has happened and what happens next at Angry Restaurant though -- does Angry Man urgently need the other couple's 50$ in the next few minutes, before the Return of the Restroom Man?

No, Angry Man's just going to pay the bill. To prod for money makes him look cheap and impolite.

Or is Restroom Man planning to abandon his debt and his wife and escape through the emergency exit?

He'd come back to the table, and apologize for being gone so long, mentioning he isn't feeling so well. Then he'd act surprised that the bill has already been paid and very, very slowly reach for his wallet. "So what do I owe you?" Angry Man's wife replies, "Don't worry! We've got it covered." Angry Man agrees, because again, if he asks for reimbursal, he will look terribly cheap. Restroom Man asks "Are you sure?" twice to confirm and then thanks the Angry Man and his wife profusely.

And doesn't Mrs. Restroom have any money?

She left her purse in the car. Angry Man is not going to ask her to go and get it.

If you think this is an exaggeration of how complicatedly polite people are about paying restaurant bills, you haven't ate with same people I have.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
Decent Apps - open source tools for writing and deploying privacy-focused LLM-based web apps.

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

I don't think I would have ever gotten it because this whole argument is alien to me.

with me and my friends/family the usual argument is to _try_ to pay the bill. "I got it." "No, I got it..."

After being forced to pay half a few times, I developed a number of sneaky manuevers, such as feigning a restroom trip only to hand my card to the waiter elsewhere in the restaurant and similar misdirection tactics... one time I showed up first, so I just instructed the waiter that no matter what else was said at the table, I was paying for everything. so we handed him three cards but only receipt came back. one time I feigned "giving in" and letting a friend pay because I had to leave early. so I paid on the way out and got an angry email the next day...

though my best was the time with this one lady who had been tricked several times too many and wouldn't let me leave or hand her card back... she insisted I take her card to pay for half.

which was her mistake because there I was holding the check thing and the two cards inside it.

holding the check thing so she couldn't see my index finger, I said "put half on this card" (pointing at mine) and then "and put half on this card" ... moving my hand up but my finger down so that it still pointed at my card. then I turned towards the waiter to hand him the check and gave him a small wink. waiter understood. another round to me


____________________________

Schik
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5525
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Hey silver, do you want to go out to dinner with me?

____________________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
--Mahatma Gandhi

Znirk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 613
Registered: 07-28-2005
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
Angry Man's just going to pay the bill. To prod for money makes him look cheap and impolite.

Conclusion: a) People can have strange taboos about money, and b) Angry Man should never, ever, work as a waiter himself

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

Schik wrote:
Hey silver, do you want to go out to dinner with me?

I love to meet fellow gamers, but I only cover food/bar tabs, not airfare. (or are you often visiting seattle? )


____________________________

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2806
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

silver wrote:
I don't think I would have ever gotten it because this whole argument is alien to me.

It sounds like you are at the opposite extreme of the Restroom Man. You'll play all kinds of tricks just to pay the bill, like some kind of scam artist in reverse.

It depends what group of people you go out with. My father-in-law always, always tries to pay the bill, and I have to be quick and sneaky like you if I want to pay it. I only recently noticed what was going on and started making an effort, and I think he's paid for 5 or 6 of my meals while I've only paid for one.

But most people I go out with will divvy up the check, and overpay their share a bit so that whoever ends up collecting money to pay the bill gets more than what is needed. With larger groups, it's a little more frequent that the money pile comes up short. Usually the collector quietly makes up the difference, but sometimes you get an awkward hunt for the missing funds.

I have one relative that used to use the restroom trick to avoid paying, and it's a family joke now. After my Dad figured it out, he followed the relative into the restroom and handed him the bill. We give the relative a really hard time, and he's probably sick of hearing about it.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
Decent Apps - open source tools for writing and deploying privacy-focused LLM-based web apps.

Schik
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5525
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

silver wrote:

Schik wrote:
Hey silver, do you want to go out to dinner with me?

I love to meet fellow gamers, but I only cover food/bar tabs, not airfare. (or are you often visiting seattle? )

Argh, and here I thought I had a free dinner! If I ever make it to Seattle, I'll have to look you up, but only after I make Erik buy me dinner.

____________________________
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
--Mahatma Gandhi

Oneiromancer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2936
Registered: 03-29-2003
IP: Logged

Most of my family tries really hard to pay the bill, but usually only with other family. Well, they always try to pay the bill, but how hard they argue depends on how close they are to the other person, I think. I'm just happy I finally have a job where I can afford to be the person always trying to pay...

Game on,

____________________________
"He who is certain he knows the ending of things when he is only beginning them is either extremely wise or extremely foolish; no matter which is true, he is certainly an unhappy man, for he has put a knife in the heart of wonder." -- Tad Williams

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2806
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Oneiromancer wrote:
Most of my family tries really hard to pay the bill, but usually only with other family.

Yeah, that seems to be a dividing line for me too. With relatives, it more often comes up that somebody elects to pay the whole thing. With friends and acquaintances, it's typically divide-up-the-bill.

This could all be codified into a really spiffy etiquette flowchart, no doubt. And then I would bring it with me to all meals ate at restaurants.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
Decent Apps - open source tools for writing and deploying privacy-focused LLM-based web apps.

DiMono
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1184
Registered: 09-13-2003
IP: Logged

I generally set up an arrangement like "I pay this one, you pay the next, I'll pay after that, etc" with everyone. With my Dad we alternate who pays, and the other picks up the tip, and with my girlfriend we just alternate who covers it all.

For my guess... After about clue 36 I made a guess "The angry man is angry because his bill is higher than he believes it should be." Not nearly specific enough, but I was unable to revisit the forum after clue 61 to check on the newer clues.

Congratulations to the winners!

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

jbluestein
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1670
Registered: 12-23-2005
IP: Logged

In our case 'who pays' seems to have a generational compoonent. When we go out to dinner with friends our age, it's almost always split between the groups. Going out with my wife's parents, we almost never get a chance to pay.

But it's not just a family thing. We have some good friends who are a generation older than we are, and we never get to pay when we go out with them, unless we make arrangements with the restaurant ahead of time.

It is, perhaps, a matter of pride for some.

____________________________
"Rings and knots of joy and grief, all interlaced and locking." --William Buck

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3768
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Well, that's what happens when a guy gets busy late in the month. Oh well, I did pretty well with what I had.

I might not be able to participate in the next contest due to some complications, but I think the month after that is good. Hope Ezlo does well!

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

Citrus
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

That's too bad. I knew you would love the contest I'm running, it has a nice challenge.

____________________________
Call me Citrus.

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3768
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Huh. Well, I had a good contest idea, but I never submitted it anywhere because I just figured I wasn't the sort of guy who would be allowed to do that. How'd you get on Erik's good side?

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

Citrus
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

I.... uh... PM'd him and asked. I saw that MeckMeck ran a contest, and I was interested. All he required was that I run a "minor" contest first, and the mafia game counted.

____________________________
Call me Citrus.

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1309
Registered: 11-24-2005
IP: Logged

Erik doesn't accept PMs.

Anyway, I guess that since mafia counts, 2 is even better. So, what ideas might I have? You may never know 'till I run a contest.

Citrus
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1240
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

Blech, I ment E-mail him.

____________________________
Call me Citrus.

ChrisB
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 61
Registered: 05-23-2005
IP: Logged

Hey Erik - great contest. I couldn't keep up with the clues and made a very early guess (way off key).

I wonder where other members would place themselves in the scenario - would they see themself as a waiter, a grumpy chef or a plate of fettucini - or maybe that's another contest.

Keep up the good work

Chris

____________________________
If the pen is mightier than the sword, why does Beethro not use a pen??
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it's no match for an AK47!!

gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

Here's a big question, Erik: Does the angry man tip? And if so, is it at least 10% like recommended?

____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

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

gamer_extreme_101 wrote:
Here's a big question, Erik: Does the angry man tip? And if so, is it at least 10% like recommended?

10%?! 15% is the "standard" recommendation where I grew up (I'm usually in the 20-30% range, myself)


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gamer_extreme_101
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1939
Registered: 03-07-2004
IP: Logged

Well, I consider 10% a very bare minimum, assuming that the food and service were mediocre. If the meal was really good, I'll tip anywhere from 15-25%.

____________________________
--That guy with a million different aliases since he doesn't like this name anymore.

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2806
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

gamer_extreme_101 wrote:
Here's a big question, Erik: Does the angry man tip? And if so, is it at least 10% like recommended?

Sure, Angry Man tips. He doesn't like tipping, but he does it anyhow. Angry Man has heard from people he trusts that 15% is enough, and seems to remember that the accepted tip was at 10% when he was younger. Yet, occasionally a bill arrives with a polite comment that the suggested gratuity is 18%. This makes him angry, particularly because his wife pressures him to tip in this range. Why should the percentage of tips keep increasing? Where does it end? He has also recently heard that sometimes if you tip smaller than 18%, the person waiting on you will run a charge through on your card for a larger amount, ignoring your intentions. This also makes him angry. For that reason, he always pays restaurant bills with cash. Yet still, he worries that restauranteurs will find some other sneaky way to gouge him--perhaps mandatory coat-checking fees or urinal-cake restocking deposits. Every bill is analyzed carefully.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
Decent Apps - open source tools for writing and deploying privacy-focused LLM-based web apps.

leroy00
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 155
Registered: 09-30-2003
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
Sure, Angry Man tips. He doesn't like tipping, but he does it anyhow.
....
-Erik

I would recommend to the Angry Man that he avoid eating in restaurants. He can't enjoy the meal for all the bile rising in his throat when he thinks about the check, anyway, and there's no sense getting an ulcer over urinal cakes. Or can't Mrs. Angry Man cook?

Yeah, I guess it's okay for the thread for an expired contest to get very offtopic.

-leroy


____________________________
You can hear happiness staggering on down the street -- footless, dressed in red.
-Jimi Hendrix, "The Wind Cries Mary"

Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

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

He could always move to Australia, where you are not expected to tip because the waiters all get paid.

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

Tuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1588
Registered: 02-22-2003
IP: Logged

Aye, but then you go to the US for a holiday, and by the time you come back it instantly feels weird to not be tipping.

Personally I'm not a fan of the practice, but it's awfully easy to get used to.