Perplex City Wiki - User contributions [en]

FAQ

2005-08-19T09:59:52Z

MarcB: /* The Playing card symbols */

== Overview ==
This is an unofficial Perplex City FAQ. The official one can be
found [http://perplexcity.com/faq.html on the Perplex City site] and
is a little sparse at the time of writing. With this being a
player-created "living document," we home we can address some common
questions as they arise.

== The Cards ==

=== Purchasing Cards ===

'''I have to purchase cards? That sucks. I should be able to play for free!'''

No, no you do not have to purchase cards. It has been said in several places
(including [http://www.unfiction.com/compendium/2005/05/adrian-hon-perplex-city/ this article]
and [http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=177516#177516 this presentation])
that the cards are optional. You can participate with or without the cards,
it just may require a little more work without them. If you do purchase cards,
you help finance the game. Unlike ilovebees or The Beast, both of which had Microsoft,
and Art of the Heist, which had Audi, Perplex City is not backed by big company
marketing dollars.

That being said, the cards are quite fun and entertaining. They give you good
insight into the Perplex City universe. You can amaze your friends by knowing the
answers. And the more you buy, the more fun stuff the people running the ARG can
do!

=== The [[Playing card symbols]] ===

'''Some of my cards have what looks like playing card symbols hidden on them. Whats that all about?'''

These symbols only appear on prime-numbered cards. Given cards numbered from 1-256, that gives us 54 cards on which the playing card symbols appear. This would cover the 52 cards in a normal deck plus two jokers.

They are certainly for one thing, and probably for another as well. [http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11964 MarcB on Unfiction] noted that if you put the cards in order, the corner "quarter-letters" form a message.

Secondly, it is unconfirmed, but assumed, that the order of the playing card symbols may be important to [http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com/view.php?item=243 Card 243: Shuffled] because it makes use of a [http://www.schneier.com/solitaire.html Solitaire cipher].

Because these symbols only appear on prime numbered cards, there may also be some unknown connection with [http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com/view.php?item=238 Card 238: Riemann], since it has no obvious answer. At this time, there is nothing conclusive and this is just pure speculation and hope.

See the article [[Playing card symbols]] for a running list of the numbered cards.

=== The Quarter-Letters ===

'''Some of my cards have these watermark-type things in the corners that look like they might be letters. What do they say?'''

See above: [Playing card symbols]]. There is a connection.

=== Card 215: Harmony ===

'''I can't quite seem to get the right answer for [http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com/view.php?source=bookmarklet&item=215 card 215]!'''

According to [http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=179274#179274 some reports], there may be a printing error on this card and the arrows are incorrect.

Parcel Letter

2005-05-04T01:49:55Z

MarcB: /* Puzzles */

A letter tucked into the [[Parcels]] delivered to people who solved the [[22.04.05 Update]] email.

==Content==

<pre>
THE PERPLEX CITY ACADEMY

Dear Friend, 28th April 2005

Thank you for your patience; our Cube retrieval project
has been a mammoth undertaking and we are grateful for
your loyalty and support. You were one of the first people
on Earth to answer my plea for help and, on behalf of the
citizens of Perplex City and our agents on Earth, Mind
Candy, I offer you our collective thanks.

For the last 15 months I have been planning a puzzle game
that, I hope, will lead you to the Receda Cube. Preparations
are not yet complete, but they are now sufficiently advanced
that I can give you this exclusive preview. Six prototype
puzzle cards are included in this parcel. You are one of the
first 333 people on Earth to see these cards; they will soon
be available from sources across your world. Hundreds of
different cards will be issued, creating a complex puzzle game.

It may strike some as perverse to create a game in such a
grave situation as this. For us in Perplex City and in the
Academy, the logic is clear. We have observed your culture
and witnessed how fast information can spread in the right
circumstances. We want as many people to be looking for the
Cube as possible; we want the news of our quest to spread
rapidly by word of mouth. A game, in your world and in ours,
gets people talking.

Through the cards, and the growing number of our websites we
will make accessible to you, you will have a window into our
world. You will learn about the people and places of Perplex
City and, most importantly, our way of thinking. We have
investigated the theft very thoroughly and have been unable to
solve the mystery. We hope that you will be able to make links
and propose solutions that we might have overlooked. It is also
our firm belief that the greatest problems are solved by new
thinking, by lateral thinking; the kind of thinking that is
engendered by a game or puzzle. Puzzles are a central part of
our culture and society. We hope that this game will be a trigger
for the people of Earth to enjoy and respect them as much as we do.
Intelligence and puzzle-solving skills are to be applauded, not
hidden away.

As a further incentive and to encourage the largest possible number
of participants, our agents on Earth, Mind Candy, are able
to offer a reward of PCL2,000,000 which is approximately
equivalent to Â£100,000, $200,000, 150,000 or ~20,000,000 to the
person who finds the Cube. Mind Candy will also be arranging the
distribution and marketing of these cards across your world. They will
be selling the cards for PCL5O, Â£2.50 or $5.00 for each pack of six.
There is yet more I have planned, but this must all wait for now.

My friend, the Cube is an irreplaceable part of our history; it
vital for us to retrieve it, and for this we need your help. This is
only the beginning of the journey we will make together. May we find
success waiting for us at the end.

Sente Kiteway

Perplex City Academy, One Taversen Square, The Old Town, Perplex City
</pre>

==Puzzles==

The letter contained withing the parcel contained at the bottom a small clue.

At the very bottom was a number followed by an equals sign and then a letter or a number.

The codes at the bottom of the letter seem to be unique. Though until all 333 are known we are unable to confirm what it says.

So far the codes and their owners that are known are:

<pre>
BigBadDaryman: 1=I
dtrains: 7=W
Stormalong: 9=I
rowlock: 11=E
Russell_k: 12=T
boac: 15=E
cassandra: 18=A
SilentAvenger: 22=E
Sep7imus: 23=L
strifey: 26=A
cortana: 27=T
kidzdoc: 29=O
BC: 30=N
firefox: 31=O
yanka: 32=F
spaceXplorer: 35=E
chippy: 40=T
vibration13: 41=9
Rob_Riv: 48=T
Reason: 55=L
[Unknown]: 57=T
lotusflower: 62=E
step: 78=H
Listacorta: 88=A
Lysithea: 90=S
Sparkles: 91=T
zaeil: 92=O
Mason: 95=S
StevenapeX: 99=L
Muffin: 100=O
mafalda_quino: 102=A
number9dream: 109=O
brat-sampson: 114=U
ellipses: 118=R
theMoo: 123=A
Porka25: 126=O
hakab2060: 129=G
Ebay Auction: 130=E
thrush: 132=E
DogsHead: 135=S
z0z0: 136=T
uptownishnyc: 139=E
Hamoir: 144=D
hikey: 145=O
Xara: 147=J
Buceph: 150=E
Belga: 151=M
sober: 152=Y
RobPal: 170=S
Flidget_Jerome: 176=G
chrome_halo: 177=A
Nerfball: 178=M
Kastanok: 179=E
<blank>: 185=R
KillSwitch: 187=E
Enigmaster: 188=L
D4N: 189=E
Davermouse: 193=R
impossibledave: 194=K
gjindancer: 195=E
Xanatos: 198=Y
redpanda: 202=E
LouMac: 203=T
Catherwood-offline: 204=T
Mozzie: 205=E
filmguy1013: 208=E
seannyob: 209=S
Duluoz: 215=O
madam o'brien: 222=R
l.cpl. boudreaux: 229=E
cskane4life: 230=T
Spankit: 232=U
WaCKo1138: 236=A
Der_loki: 251=R
Snowball: 252=G
karlosuk: 255=S
Falken: 256=T
Catfurnace: 259=K
[Unknown]: 262=L
earlgray: 266=D
Solaris: 269=T
fimacmo: 272=K
dopefiend: 273=K
JebJoya: 275=B
Lazarus: 283=D
maxim: 287=P
Salkunh: 289=N
James Lyon: 294=N
tanner: 296=U
Openfly: 300=S
Swanneh: 304=C
sequoya: 307=V
AdamF: 310=T
arieh: 312=Y
jerryt: 316=Y
sonofajoiner: 317=O
InspJJ: 321=A
bocahedron: 326=E
othuum: 328=E
MrShifty: 329=W
Wishi-san: 332=R

</pre>

Current text for this is as follows. Line breaks are every 40 characters.

To generate this text automatically from the list above, see
[http://www.jermy.net/perplexcity/parcel_letter.py parcel_letter.py]

<pre>
I_____W_I_ET__E__A___EL__AT_ONOF__E____T
9______T______L_T____E_______________H__
_________STO__S___LO_A______O____U___R__
__A__O__GE_E__ST__E____DO_J__EMY________
_________S_____GAME_____R_ELE___RKE__Y__
_ET_E__ES_____O______R______ET__________
__________RG__ST__K__L___D__T__KK_B_____
__D___P_N____N_U___S___C__V__T_Y___YO___
A____E_EW__R_
</pre>

There is also some basic analysis of the known letter weightings at [http://www.jermy.net/perplexcity/parcel_letter_analysis.py parcel_letter_analysis.py]

==Images==

{|
|[[Image:280405_letter.jpg|thumb|Parcel Letter]]
|}

Parcel Letter

2005-05-02T22:57:15Z

MarcB: /* Puzzles */

A letter tucked into the [[Parcels]] delivered to people who solved the [[22.04.05 Update]] email.

==Content==

<pre>
THE PERPLEX CITY ACADEMY

Dear Friend, 28th April 2005

Thank you for your patience; our Cube retrieval project
has been a mammoth undertaking and we are grateful for
your loyalty and support. You were one of the first people
on Earth to answer my plea for help and, on behalf of the
citizens of Perplex City and our agents on Earth, Mind
Candy, I offer you our collective thanks.

For the last 15 months I have been planning a puzzle game
that, I hope, will lead you to the Receda Cube. Preparations
are not yet complete, but they are now sufficiently advanced
that I can give you this exclusive preview. Six prototype
puzzle cards are included in this parcel. You are one of the
first 333 people on Earth to see these cards; they will soon
be available from sources across your world. Hundreds of
different cards will be issued, creating a complex puzzle game.

It may strike some as perverse to create a game in such a
grave situation as this. For us in Perplex City and in the
Academy, the logic is clear. We have observed your culture
and witnessed how fast information can spread in the right
circumstances. We want as many people to be looking for the
Cube as possible; we want the news of our quest to spread
rapidly by word of mouth. A game, in your world and in ours,
gets people talking.

Through the cards, and the growing number of our websites we
will make accessible to you, you will have a window into our
world. You will learn about the people and places of Perplex
City and, most importantly, our way of thinking. We have
investigated the theft very thoroughly and have been unable to
solve the mystery. We hope that you will be able to make links
and propose solutions that we might have overlooked. It is also
our firm belief that the greatest problems are solved by new
thinking, by lateral thinking; the kind of thinking that is
engendered by a game or puzzle. Puzzles are a central part of
our culture and society. We hope that this game will be a trigger
for the people of Earth to enjoy and respect them as much as we do.
Intelligence and puzzle-solving skills are to be applauded, not
hidden away.

As a further incentive and to encourage the largest possible number
of participants, our agents on Earth, Mind Candy, are able
to offer a reward of PCL2,000,000 which is approximately
equivalent to Â£100,000, $200,000, 150,000 or ~20,000,000 to the
person who finds the Cube. Mind Candy will also be arranging the
distribution and marketing of these cards across your world. They will
be selling the cards for PCL5O, Â£2.50 or $5.00 for each pack of six.
There is yet more I have planned, but this must all wait for now.

My friend, the Cube is an irreplaceable part of our history; it
vital for us to retrieve it, and for this we need your help. This is
only the beginning of the journey we will make together. May we find
success waiting for us at the end.

Sente Kiteway

Perplex City Academy, One Taversen Square, The Old Town, Perplex City
</pre>

==Puzzles==

The letter contained withing the parcel contained at the bottom a small clue.

At the very bottom was a number followed by an equals sign and then a letter or a number.

The codes at the bottom of the letter seem to be unique. Though until all 333 are known we are unable to confirm what it says.

So far the codes and their owners that are known are:

<pre>
BigBadDaryman: 1=I
dtrains: 7=W
rowlock: 11=E
Russell_k: 12=T
boac: 15=E
cassandra: 18=A
SilentAvenger: 22=E
Sep7imus: 23=L
strifey: 26=A
firefox: 31=O
spaceXplorer: 35=E
chippy: 40=T
vibration13: 41=9
Rob_Riv: 48=T
Reason: 55=L
lotusflower: 62=E
Lysithea: 90=S
Sparkles: 91=T
zaeil: 92=0
Mason: 95=S
StevenapeX: 99=L
Muffin: 100=O
number9dream: 109=O
brat-sampson: 114=U
ellipses: 118=R
theMoo: 123=A
Porka25: 126=O
hakab2060: 129=G
Ebay Auction: 130=E
thrush: 132=E
DogsHead: 135=S
z0z0: 136=T
Hamoir: 144=D
hikey: 145=O
Xara: 147=J
Belga: 151=M
RobPal: 170=S
Flidget_Jerome: 176=G
chrome_halo: 177=A
Nerfball: 178=M
Kastanok: 179=E
<blank>: 185=R
KillSwitch: 187=E
Enigmaster: 188=L
D4N: 189=E
impossibledave: 194=K
gjindancer: 195=E
Xanatos: 198=Y
LouMac: 203=T
filmguy1013: 208=E
cskane4life: 230=T
Der_loki: 251=R
Snowball: 252=G
karlosuk: 255=S
Falken: 256=T
Catfurnace: 259=K
[Unknown]: 262=L
earlgray: 266=D
Solaris: 269=T
fimacmo: 272=K
dopefiend: 273=K
JebJoya: 275=B
Lazarus: 283=D
maxim: 287=P
Salkunh: 289=N
James Lyon: 294=N
tanner: 296=U
Openfly: 300=S
Swanneh: 304=C
sequoya: 307=V
AdamF: 310=T
arieh: 312=Y
jerryt: 316=Y
bocahedron: 326=E
othuum: 328=E
MrShifty: 329=W
Wishi-san: 332=R

</pre>

Current text for this is as follows. Line breaks are every 40 characters.

To generate this text automatically from the list above, see
[http://www.jermy.net/perplexcity/parcel_letter.py parcel_letter.py]

<pre>
I_____W___ET__E__A___EL__A____O___E____T
9______T______L______E__________________
_________ST___S___LO________O____U___R__
__A__O__GE_E__ST_______DO_J___M_________
_________S_____GAME_______ELE____KE__Y__
__T____E________________________________
__________RG__ST__K__L___D__T__KK_B_____
__D___P_N____N_U___S___C__V__T_Y___Y____
_____E_EW__R_
</pre>

There is also some basic analysis of the known letter weightings at [http://www.jermy.net/perplexcity/parcel_letter_analysys.py parcel_letter_analysys.py]

==Images==

{|
|[[Image:280405_letter.jpg|thumb|Parcel Letter]]
|}