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Author Topic: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest  (Read 8782 times)

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Offline erv

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Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« on: December 20, 2019, 05:30:03 AM »
Greetings Saberland,

[SOME OBVIOUS COPY/PASTE FROM THE PAST YEARS]
     It's been a while since I got some time to run this thing (again), this year right on time for The Rise of Skylwalker and the Holidays.
The rules are similar to the previous contests, there's a single directory on my website where everything happens (well, most of it), and answers are under the form of files located there. If the answer file are HTML, they have the extension .html
There are no space nor weird characters in the file names. However, classic separators can be occasionally used, if needed, but no weird section of the ASCII table.



This year, it's amazing, YOU ARE GIVEN THE STARTING POINT. We're getting close to a spoon-fed challenge... oh well  :cheesy:
Now regarding difficulty, since everything has been found in the previous years, it's probably more difficult. I kept it fun as you progress, but it's real work to solve, and it's difficult (just a fair warning). There is also a large amount of Easter Eggs hidden along the path, and I'll give bonuses to people finding those extra (not always needed to solve the puzzles but avoid brute force).

No particular clue, I'll just state again what I posted on FB sometime ago : you need a CFX to play (or play with someone who has one). It can be installed in a saber or barely wired on the bench. It can even have fried power drivers, as long as it boots.

The directory is:

https://www.plecterlabs.com/Media/Fun/2019-Challenge/start2019.html





As it's been a while and things are more "social media" oriented and less on the forums, I'll do a little recap here, especially for the newcomers: I started those in 2013. A quick search with "xmas challenge" will give you some examples of what it used to be.

The contest has many goals, one being to stimulate thinking, drive you to use many tools and techniques, and learn things. As a collateral damage you might loose / waste a large amout bit of your time, but it's not like you're not use to sit a nerdy activity for hours with a dremel, file and soldering iron in hand :-)

Some of the challenge theme and contents bloomed last year at the same period of time, I just collected a few pictures and took a few notes, nothing major. I started to ponder again on it 2 months ago and wrote a real pitch and plot (a term probably used in 2 meanings  :angel:) and I have to say I'm pleased with the result, and how the different puzzles link well together and with the theme. I took a complete week to craft, I wish you to use *less* time for solving it, but just saying, those things take ages to build, so I'm an active participant to the waste of my own time  :grin:


Prize:
The first prize is a CFX Board (probably not BMF as I have to assemble those by hand and for now, they are for the Golden Tickets) and I'll probably throw other items like embroidered patches sets and other thingies. I also laser etched & cut some christmas tree ornaments with the CFX patch artwork.

As it's hard to find how you can propose a second prize on such a contest (first to solve it wins), I though about a way to eventually bring more people to the party.

So, you can choose to :

- Do it on your own, try to solve the riddles, and expect to be the first to win

- Do the same but team up with some friends, then chop the CF into pieces to share among the team  :cheesy:

- Try on your own and if you feel stuck, post a smart clue below to help others solving one (or several) steps of the challenge. If you commit to post such a clue / hint, you dismiss from trying to win it and remain the "rabbit" of the greyhound race.

The best clues (best presentation, best "engineered", well thought, exposed with poetry, in Alexandrian, whatever) will get a prize.



Winning:
Winning is being the first to post all the answers, with the explanation of how it's been solved (technique, tool, explaining the riddle) at each step.
All steps must be there, in the right order.
I'm not posting how many steps there are. Reaching the end is pretty obvious, you know when you're there.

Please be kind of not editing too much your posts here to avoid any date/time conflicts.


Too complicated, no time, don't wanna play?
No problem ! feel free to chat a bit here, show you support if you want to ! You can also like my FB page, if you feel to (thank you)!
http://www.facebook.com/props.electronics.plecterlabs/

You can also chat about this in the Official CFX group as long as you stay in original post to keep it clean.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/735661673524311/

Final note:
To win, your results must be posted HERE.... AQUI... ICI
and in no other places. I'm actually more than happy to run the discussion mostly from here, forum style (<insert old fart joke here>)





Offline Acerocket

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2019, 06:30:21 AM »
The answer is...   42.

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2019, 06:36:48 AM »

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2019, 08:13:16 AM »
xmas ornaments from prize list. A small thing.

Offline K-2SO

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2019, 03:57:18 PM »



I find your arguments vague and unconvincing.

Quiet! *Slap* And there’s a fresh one if you mouth off again.

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2019, 12:26:42 AM »
no takers here ? C'mon folks, this is xmas holidays...

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2019, 11:42:43 PM »
Updated the start page  :cool:

Offline Tatyana.o

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #7 on: December 23, 2019, 02:21:33 AM »
Updated the start page  :cool:

Now only if I can figure out how that is helpful, SOB  :wink:.

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #8 on: December 23, 2019, 02:32:44 AM »
LMAO (and welcome to the forums  :azn:). At least, you figured something out  :cheesy:
Well, I'll just say that all the words are important and make total sense. This intro page is almost an instruction sheet of what to do, there's very little to do to put the pieces together, as long as you think logically.
[addon] merciful soul I am. Here's something to munch: CTRL+F
« Last Edit: December 23, 2019, 02:38:53 AM by erv »

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2019, 05:31:32 AM »
Sounds like the clue was helpful to some *thumbs up* keep going!

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #10 on: December 23, 2019, 05:51:25 AM »
You know me better than this. You can hardly say a cfx doesn't log anything. Be quick or be dead! Or page 87 😁

Offline kissymark

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #11 on: December 23, 2019, 07:18:06 AM »
Stuck at puzzle 2. Maybe it requires skills I do not have.

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #12 on: December 23, 2019, 08:42:50 AM »
Stuck at puzzle 2. Maybe it requires skills I do not have.

Very cool to have you onboard regardless! All puzzles can solved with available tools

Offline Tatyana.o

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #13 on: December 24, 2019, 04:16:56 AM »
Updated the start page  :cool:

Now only if I can figure out how that is helpful, SOB  :wink:.

Lol... I meant it as a joke earlier, thinking I was one step away from "moving along" to the puzzle#2, but now it's not so funny anymore  :shocked:. Oh well, there is always tomorrow  :laugh:

Edited: at this rate I may finish it by next Christmas, lol. I need to work on my time allocation for this challenge, hummm.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2019, 04:22:38 AM by Tatyana.o »

Offline erv

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Re: Plecter Labs 2019 Christmas Challenge & Contest
« Reply #14 on: December 24, 2019, 05:58:24 AM »
I hear you, my wife asked the same for xmas : buy me free time she said. I was close to bring a Boromir stating that's there's no such thing like free time, plus "free time" is actually exepensive  :cheesy:

Anyhow, referring to SOB, I though you posted this regarding the contents of the start page of the challenge ? mmmm
whoooops, I gave up a clue I'm afraid  :cheesy: :angel:

 

retrousse