I've read several caches that I have been able to decypher, but I've just found one that blows my mind.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=8bd6833e-b18b-4295-83a3-9cf93bd7ed7a

How in the world does one even begin to figure caches like this out?

LOL, that one has been giving Cymbaline and Dougs94 headaches for several days now. They've tried many ideas, but none seem to be working.

Ya just gotta figure out what 'language' he is using. ...and hope he didn't make it up (like one old 'bird' I know).
On most of these code caches, I have spent much, much more time solving them than finding them. Let the Googling begin.

And some folks will use several coding methods on the same page but they are usually just trying to suck you in.

quote:

How in the world does one even begin to figure caches like this out?

Well, one usually starts by counting the characters and comparing the frequency with the frequency of letters found in the English language. If you're lucky the Es, Ts, and As will start to appear. Then you can look for common letter combinations. If you have T?E in a three letter word maybe the ? is an H.

But if it's more complicated than a simple substitution cipher you'll have to do a lot more noodling.

I have given up on trying to solve these, since I've found it much easier to create them instead.

~erik~

Ok so it's just regular cyphering. Guess I'll pass then. Thanks.

Sometimes Google can be a powerful tool for solving these puzzles. Many of the more recent puzzles are variations on former codes ... so a knowledge of the older puzzles can help a lot. Some of them use methods that are so obscure, you need to be lucky, or have a LOT of time.

Given the characters used in the puzzle and the ending = character, the initial code is something we computer geeks call Base64.

Doing a Base64 decode of the string yields some binary data that is non-obvious.

My advice for deciphering caches like the one I assume we're currently referring to (don't want to mention any names but it's initials are MY SECRET by ThatGuyFromBuford GCNHMW) is to use the convienient IGNORE feature on geocaching.com until such time as someone else cracks the code then get some personal 'dirt' on that individual and use that to leverage some useable coords out of them. Hope this helps! -JB

quote:

Some of them use methods that are so obscure, you need to be lucky, or have a LOT of time.

Yes but I really fail to see the point. "Hey I can put up a set of obscure strings of numbers that only an engineer, math teacher or computer geek would even recognize." Unless there is really some over-riding reason to expend my time and effort to figure out something so obscure I always just delete these from my PQ's. Secondly, of all of the finders to log these obscure code caches . . . how many were figured out by every cacher that logged it. I suspect that many of the finders were told by somebody else how to figure it out. Not much of a challenge to me. Have fun but count me out.

If you are interested in puzzle caches,here is a site The Enigma Machine that will explain some of the codes and get you thinking in the right terms.

Can someone give me a nudge on GCHQ59? I don't want the solution, just a compass heading, so to speak.

Seems I can't decipher any of them even with hints. I'm stumped on all of them...The Wall, The Real Empathy Zone, A Stint for Trailer Man, A Deep Introspection and some others I can't even remember right now. I don't know if I'm making them harder than they really are. I have no experience with codes and have no clue how to break them. HELP!

I use the following for cyphers:

http://www.pookey.co.uk/binary.php

http://deafandblind.com/word_frequency.htm

I've had some real fun figuring out Puzzle Caches in Arizona. One that's ALWAYS stumped me though, is: Giggles, which everyone here will surely get since I said it was so hard.

We made Tablet of Kaidoz into a group activity where a room full of my friends were introduced to GeoCaching by my dare to decipher the code. It took us about 30-40 minutes, and I REALLY liked this cache.

I solved So You Think You're a Geek very quickly by Googling for a binary converter and cut-pasting the numbers in. It was still a lot of fun, and it took us to a Best Buy parking lot, which I thought was appropriate, though it elicited a "Duh!" headslap from all of us.

One that I will DEFINITELY try to crack if I go back to AZ is LouCipher that appropriately combines Cipher with Lucifer for a puzzle that apparently involves some sort of Stenography (hiding stuff in picture files without changing the image or giving any clue you've done it). Very interesting stuff.

I REALLY miss having such cool puzzle caches around, but I have had a hard time coming up with something this cool.

I intend for any cache that I put out in my crowded area to be a letterbox or puzzle cache, to make sure I'm adding something new and of quality. Unfortunately, that means I don't get to put a lot out.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Team J,