wu :: forums
        (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        riddles >> what happened >> Torment
        
(Message started by: alien2 on Mar 6th, 2010, 10:01am)
Title: Torment
Post by alien2 on Mar 6th, 2010, 10:01am
You’re naked inside a room with force field instead of one wall. Looking through the force field you can see an unknown forest to you. There’s the statue of a sphinx protruding from the middle of the eastern wall. A button is sticking out of sphinx’s mouth, but it’s stuck and you cannot take it just yet. On the right of the sphinx is an intercom. On the sphinx’s left there are two riddles written on the wall in black ink. They’re The Riddle of the Sphinx (http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv28/alien624837/sphinx1.jpg) and The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx (http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv28/alien624837/sphinx2.jpg). There are two doors in the northern wall. Behind one door is a fast and trigger happy robot. A small refrigerator full of cold beer cans is behind the other. There is a control panel with a socket in the middle of the room. There’s a niche on the southern wall. The niche is in the shape of a human face, with two tiny holes in the indentations of eyes. If you put your face in the niche the force field will be lowered. But there’s a 40% chance that a needle will pierce your eye. There’s a 20% chance that no harm would come to you and a 40% that both of your eyes would be pierced. You know all this because a deep voice of your unseen, mysterious captor explained it to you over the intercom.

As you’re pondering over what to do, the deep voice continues - I am watching you sweat through the tiny camera. You were brought here for my amusement. But don’t think that I’m totally sadistic. If you manage to survive the predicament, I’ll never do anything similar to you again. I will explain the purpose of the intercom and the button to you now. If you press intercom’s button and solve The Riddle of the Sphinx, the button will become unstuck. If you put it in the socket and press it, one door will open at random and the force filed will be lowered. If you say the correct answer for The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx, I’ll lower the force field. Good luck. You’re going to need it.


What would you do?
Title: Re: Torment
Post by cheesepuff on Mar 7th, 2010, 6:07pm
Well, I would answer The Riddle of the Sphinx [hide]man[/hide], take the button, and try my luck :D Probably  not the intended answer.

Any chance I could [hide]break off the sphinx and put it in the niche with needles that might poke out my eyes?[/hide]

Is there a penalty for guessing The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx? Because then I'd just keep guessing. My first guess is [hide]cat[/hide]
Title: Re: Torment
Post by Grimbal on Mar 8th, 2010, 12:46am
You put your face in the niche and you are free.  Possibly you loose your sight, but the riddle doesn't say it is forbidden.
Title: Re: Torment
Post by icecoldcelt on Mar 8th, 2010, 9:28am
Could you post the 2 riddles in text? (Work computers don't like photobucket)
Title: Re: Torment
Post by alien2 on Mar 8th, 2010, 11:34am
Sure. No problem.


The Riddle of the Sphinx

What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?


The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx

Looking through the eyes of the Sphinx
Into the rising, setting sun
Nine lives past, Into the sands
Are the gifts of gold, Untold
When unearthed and understood
Within the key is found
To see the truths
With crystal eyes
For all eternity.
Title: Re: Torment
Post by cheesepuff on Mar 9th, 2010, 12:11am
I take it what I said wasn't the intended answer. I also take it that the force field is on the western wall (only direction not mentioned)

What time is it? Figure out [hide]the sun's position[/hide]

Is the statue of the sphinx just the head, or the whole body? Are the eyes hollow or containing anything?

[hide]Press the button on the intercom. Then, take the button from the sphinx and break off the button on the intercom. Then use those as eye-shields for the niche that lowers the force field ("Crystal eyes")[/hide]

is the bottom of the room [hide]diggable (made out of any material that could be dug with a shovel, like dirt or "sand?"). Anything to be "unearthed?" Anything to be "unearthed" near the sphinx? It's partially a cat (right?) and into the sands would be right under it (by my tired (it's midnight) logic anyways)[/hide]

Am I getting hot or cold with these guesses?

Also, hasn't The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx [hide]not been solved yet?[/hide]

------------------------EDIT-------------------

Actually, wouldn't it be [hide]noon because I'm on two legs? What's on the ceiling?[/hide]
Title: Re: Torment
Post by icecoldcelt on Mar 11th, 2010, 8:43am
1) Can we tell the construction materials of the sphinx, walls, ceiling,  floor, and control panel?
2) Is there artificial lighting?
3) [hide]Can we assume that the robot has thermal imaging?[/hide]
4) [hide]In the interest of keeping my life and eyes (as a pair), I will assume that nothing is actually automated but is manually controlled by our captor. This keeps me from searching for the camera (plus he would probably just free the robot if we were not entertaining to him).[/hide]
5) Is it correct to assume that the sphinx is facing West?
Title: Re: Torment
Post by alien2 on Mar 13th, 2010, 6:56am
The deep voice speaks to you for the last time - There is a solution that guarantees leaving the room unharmed.



on 03/07/10 at 18:07:22, cheesepuff wrote:
Well, I would answer The Riddle of the Sphinx [hide]man[/hide], take the button, and try my luck :D

You solved the Riddle of the Sphinx. Good luck with pressing the button.


on 03/07/10 at 18:07:22, cheesepuff wrote:
Any chance I could [hide]break off the sphinx and put it in the niche with needles that might poke out my eyes?[/hide]

Nice try.


on 03/08/10 at 00:46:00, Grimbal wrote:
You put your face in the niche and you are free.  Possibly you loose your sight, but the riddle doesn't say it is forbidden.

Some people would rather risk to be killed than be blind. I count myself as one of them.  So, you would put your face in the niche? Good luck.


This isn’t one of those riddles when you have to ask questions. But you cannot dig. There’s the LED bulb on the ceiling. The robot probably has thermal imaging. The sphinx is facing West. You can guess as much as you like.


Title: Re: Torment
Post by ChunkTug on Mar 16th, 2010, 6:17pm
Put your face into the niche, but don't line up your eyes with the holes (eg. upside down).
Title: Re: Torment
Post by alien2 on Mar 17th, 2010, 12:37pm
Nope.
Title: Re: Torment
Post by icecoldcelt on Mar 22nd, 2010, 1:05pm
Well, I would press the intercom button and say [hide]"The correct answer for The Modern Riddle of the Sphinx."[/hide]  ;)
Title: Re: Torment
Post by alien2 on Mar 22nd, 2010, 1:50pm
...........and you're out of there w/o a scratch.


Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.4!
Forum software copyright © 2000-2004 Yet another Bulletin Board