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So, after a disappointing Sabres game today (I really worry, if we don't get a defenseman or two back soon, we may be out of it), I decided to play through the Eurostar Da Vinci Quest. I've already made my comments about the good and bad of the Google one. The Eurostar is all positive and I was quite impressed.
The puzzles are very varied and oftentimes challenging. I enjoyed sorting Michelangelo versus Da Vinci works although most were obvious. The "tangram" and pompidou puzzle were simple but fun. The blueprint was a real pain. The name search helped if you knew the names. And so on. Lots of variety, and with me having traveled to both London and Paris, I enjoyed the interactivity of maps and locations with these puzzles. A very solid and well-put together competition, except for the slight lag in the java scripting that seemed to occur with each puzzle.
What seems best about the Eurostar Quest though is how they determine the "prizes". At the end of each of the 3 rounds, and for a grand puzzle, there are cryptex/safe cracking challenges that basically involve guessing a random sequence of digits (each used at most once) in the code with different sets of prizes for each level. These play out like mastermind, except for the fact you are told for each digit if it is right, misplaced, or wrong instead of being given the data for the whole set. You get three tries to play at each level and your best result counts. First, fewer guesses or "attempts" at the code is important, and then the overall time is used to separate people after the first criteria. So, getting it in 3 guesses is better than 10, but faster is better.
Puzzle round one was a 5 digit cryptex (0-9) and I solved it in 3 guesses in about 39 seconds and change. (I'm only reporting my best result, but can report my worst if people are really curious)
Puzzle round two was a 7 digit safe (it was key to realize you should use the keyboard to move between digits in this one in part as I had huge mouse lag and clicking the positions and then the numbers on the keypad was way way way too slow) and I got it in 4 guesses in 49 seconds and change.
Puzzle round three was a 10 digit cryptex (0-19) which I got in 6 guesses in 5 minutes 11 seconds and change.
The grand puzzle was very similar (ok, 1 variable more difficult) than the round three challenge with a 10 letter cryptex (B-Z, no AEIOU vowels) which I got in 6 guesses in 4 minutes 46 seconds and change.
I have no reason to lie about these times as about 4 people read this board, so feel free to use them as a comparison to your own. The competition runs until May 30th so get cracking if you haven't done it yet. The puzzles will be up until later this fall though if you are reading this too late to try it.
If anything, I only felt inefficient in the round three puzzle and the rest was determined by luck. After I perfected a method for the larger cryptices to efficiently move the correct but misplaced numbers/letters while also sorting through the untested letter space, it was basically when all the characters would fall into place that mattered and that depended more on chance and my starting point than anything else. Lag in response for me was still the main challenge, but overall my times felt strong and I am quite sure others did not work as efficiently to solve these puzzles. Given other times I've read online, I beat most of those I consider legitimate. I don't beat the "got cryptex one in 2 tries in 12 seconds" or "got the final puzzle in 4 tries in 1 minute 15 seconds", but that can only happen if you are tremendously lucky, extremely blind and cannot read your actual result, or are a cumpulsive liar. I felt lucky to have the first fall in 3 tries (my other attempts here were both 4) but this is about as good as you should be able to guess a 5 digit code in this game with your three chances.
Anyway, we'll hear about the 4 sets of prizes in a little while but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Unlike the google where I hoped to just win the cryptex, here I'd like to get something more.
Now back home to bed, and to think of how 3 3 8 and 8 (in some order) can be added/subtracted/multiplied/divided to get 24. I feel really stupid, but what else is new. Curse you Wei-Hwa.
The puzzles are very varied and oftentimes challenging. I enjoyed sorting Michelangelo versus Da Vinci works although most were obvious. The "tangram" and pompidou puzzle were simple but fun. The blueprint was a real pain. The name search helped if you knew the names. And so on. Lots of variety, and with me having traveled to both London and Paris, I enjoyed the interactivity of maps and locations with these puzzles. A very solid and well-put together competition, except for the slight lag in the java scripting that seemed to occur with each puzzle.
What seems best about the Eurostar Quest though is how they determine the "prizes". At the end of each of the 3 rounds, and for a grand puzzle, there are cryptex/safe cracking challenges that basically involve guessing a random sequence of digits (each used at most once) in the code with different sets of prizes for each level. These play out like mastermind, except for the fact you are told for each digit if it is right, misplaced, or wrong instead of being given the data for the whole set. You get three tries to play at each level and your best result counts. First, fewer guesses or "attempts" at the code is important, and then the overall time is used to separate people after the first criteria. So, getting it in 3 guesses is better than 10, but faster is better.
Puzzle round one was a 5 digit cryptex (0-9) and I solved it in 3 guesses in about 39 seconds and change. (I'm only reporting my best result, but can report my worst if people are really curious)
Puzzle round two was a 7 digit safe (it was key to realize you should use the keyboard to move between digits in this one in part as I had huge mouse lag and clicking the positions and then the numbers on the keypad was way way way too slow) and I got it in 4 guesses in 49 seconds and change.
Puzzle round three was a 10 digit cryptex (0-19) which I got in 6 guesses in 5 minutes 11 seconds and change.
The grand puzzle was very similar (ok, 1 variable more difficult) than the round three challenge with a 10 letter cryptex (B-Z, no AEIOU vowels) which I got in 6 guesses in 4 minutes 46 seconds and change.
I have no reason to lie about these times as about 4 people read this board, so feel free to use them as a comparison to your own. The competition runs until May 30th so get cracking if you haven't done it yet. The puzzles will be up until later this fall though if you are reading this too late to try it.
If anything, I only felt inefficient in the round three puzzle and the rest was determined by luck. After I perfected a method for the larger cryptices to efficiently move the correct but misplaced numbers/letters while also sorting through the untested letter space, it was basically when all the characters would fall into place that mattered and that depended more on chance and my starting point than anything else. Lag in response for me was still the main challenge, but overall my times felt strong and I am quite sure others did not work as efficiently to solve these puzzles. Given other times I've read online, I beat most of those I consider legitimate. I don't beat the "got cryptex one in 2 tries in 12 seconds" or "got the final puzzle in 4 tries in 1 minute 15 seconds", but that can only happen if you are tremendously lucky, extremely blind and cannot read your actual result, or are a cumpulsive liar. I felt lucky to have the first fall in 3 tries (my other attempts here were both 4) but this is about as good as you should be able to guess a 5 digit code in this game with your three chances.
Anyway, we'll hear about the 4 sets of prizes in a little while but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Unlike the google where I hoped to just win the cryptex, here I'd like to get something more.
Now back home to bed, and to think of how 3 3 8 and 8 (in some order) can be added/subtracted/multiplied/divided to get 24. I feel really stupid, but what else is new. Curse you Wei-Hwa.
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