Wave 4 Number Strings

PERPLEX CITY, SEASON ONE The search for the Receda Cube on Earth

The following information has been gathered together from various places

Speculations and Solutions

There is now a strong suspicion that the Number Strings relate to paths on the Perplex City Map.

Geist has pointed out in #syzygy that the number strings end on the card #253 (Sightseeing). This appears (with the benefits of hindsight and CT's prodding) to have been a very strong clue to the solution of this meta puzzle, in that the suggested start location on the Perplex City Map is the solution to this card, and the back has "Translation Approach" as the most significant feature.

A fuller description of the possible solution to this puzzle is contained on the Number Strings Paths page.

This solution leads to the following possible text string:

FRBPULAFHPOSMLUCNIDYMENDBKIELGTPDOAAKILTIO

This can also be broken into 4 child strings by taking every 4th character.

Other earlier suspicions pointed to the game of Risk, perhaps in relation to the Risk pieces and the Dice, though this is now be consensus discounted.

Observations

• Numbers range from 1-4, including 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5.
• There are a total of 42 numbers.
• There are 42 territories in Risk.
• There are 11 numbers that start with "1-" and "2-" each, and 10 numbers that start with "3-" and "4-".
• In a 4-player game of Risk, two players start with 11 territories and two start with 10 territories.
• See the Number String Analysis page for further statistical, uh, analysis.

Proper Order

Through the help of The Library of Babel site, the proper order of the number strings was discovered by ilikepucks. The order, paired with the cards the strings are from:

#029  1-14443432.5-3 
#058  2-21122214-4 
#029- 3-232.52.51.5-1 
#058- 4-23232.534334-1 
#040- 1-1144144414432.5-4 
#040  2-11444414412-3 
#063  3-34-1 
#060- 4-44444444111111111114-3 
#060  1-414141414144144441-1 
#063- 2-414441141-1 
#090- 3-433333334-2 
#090  4-4444444443.5-1 
#094  1-1114112321-1 
#094- 2-4111111441-2 
#096- 3-44411414441444112.5-4 
#136- 4-143334-3 
#096  1-222233332-4 
#188- 2-21121111221-4 
#136  3-2333234-1 
#188  4-11122221412234-2 
#191- 1-344411444443-1 
#191  2-11444444444411111111444-2 
#192  3-3333322333332-4 
#203  4-33223333234-4 
#192- 1-444444114411112-1 
#218  2-4444433333323-2 
#203- 3-11144144144443-3 
#222  4-1414411122-2 
#218- 1-44334-3 
#156  2-111221111112-4 
#222- 3-34433333432-4 
#235- 4-222233332222.5-1 
#235  1-4444444434444444444443-4 
#237- 2-1222323-2 
#236- 3-2112223-2 
#236  4-4333223323-3 
#250- 1-343-2 
#156- 2-2232-4 
#237  3-3333334433334-1 
#250  4-3322333333333332-1 
#253  1-1111211112-4 
#253- 2-111114441114114-1 

Older Speculations

The prior speculation was:

• The Start Numbers, or those before the first dash character, identify a player.
• The Middle Numbers, or those between the dashes, could represent a path, where 1=South, 2=West, 3=North, 4=East.
• The Middle Numbers could represent conquests on a Risk map.
• The End Numbers, or those after the second dash, could identify a player who ends up in control of a territory in Risk. There are 9 numbers that end in "2"; there are 9 regions in North America on a Risk board. There are 7 that end in "3"; there are 7 regions in Risk's Europe. There are 12 numbers that end in "4"; there are 12 regions in Risk's Asia. There are 14 that end in "1"; there are 14 regions in Risk's South America, Africa, and Australia continents combined.