100 percenters anonymous

[abra]

I'm sure we will be seeing some records for Zach, soon. If you've been around for a while. They're probably already there.

I guess I don't go for speed and I'm definitely not a 100%er.

I feel bad if my average goes below 95%, so I try to solve most of them. I'm not very fast either. I'm thrilled that every once in a while, I make it into the top 20 for speed. Because I really do spend a lot of time here, I'm usually able to place in the top 10 for points.

I really enjoy doing what I can do.

[puzzleme]

Hi, Everyone!
I'm totally amazed by the speed-solvers and totally mystified by the 100%-ers. You all are amazing to me. I like to solve quotes quickly just to see how close I can come to the champions and I like to solve as many as possible only because my favorite part of the game is reading everyone's comments. Sometimes they really do make me LOL. I don't get bummed about solving slowly; mostly I just slap my forehead and groan for being so dense once I finally figure out some incredibly easy quote. If I'm in the mood to spend some time on a quote, well, okay; If I'm not, well, that's okay, too; I can let it go, move on, and never look back. Guess I'm not going to make it to the Crypto-Olympics but I'm having a great time!

[mikehallbackhoe]

well said puzzleme, that's what makes this site so great. if you aren't into speed, that's just fine, and if you aren't into solving 100 %, that's fine too. the main objective is to have a great time. If you enjoy competition, or just find puzzles relaxing, there is something here for everybody

[CarpeLanam]

Problem? No problem here! I quickly figured out it would always bother me if I didn't solve every puzzle I started. When I first found the site I wasn't very fast at all, so having a high percentage was the only way I could get in the top 20 every month and get that little trophy. Sometimes I'll find a puzzle hours later that must have been a double-load... I'm compelled to solve it even if it totally wrecks my time for the month. It's particularly galling if it's a stupid quote, but I solve it anyway.

[abra]

I have said it before in comments, and in chat, but maybe not here, I am SO impressed by the 100%ers. All of them. Those who always finish in the top 20, to those who don't but just need to do keep 100%. You all do great solving.

[mikehallbackhoe]

watch out carpelanum, denial is a sure sign of addiction

[gryhnd51]

DMVJDCPA is missing from this thread! Having started playing in 2008, his/her solve rate has always been 100% until this month!! Quite an astounding accomplishment!!!
Perhaps I got this wrong, but I'm pretty sure that it's true. Wish that he/she would add a comment to this thread.

[ddph]

If I get far enough into a month to still have 100% rating, I will take much longer than normal to solve. It's nice to occasionally get that ribbon. OTOH, if we get far enough into the month and I'm like 14-16 on the fastest time, I won't do a 10 minute solve.

Silly me, just today I had a 20 minute solve even though I had already missed six puzzles. Actually. I had it solved in about 50 seconds and lost connection to the server. But I just had the urge to get the solve posted even though I severely hit my average time. Just checked the leaderboard and I'm still at 16th despite the 20 minute solve. I hope I can avoid that dreaded lost connection for a while.

[marnita]

Yes, the dreaded lost connection has hit me a few times this month. It's one reason I don't worry about trying for a fast time, although I don't think I'm capable of fast solving anyway. Right now I'm in first place for solve rate, but only because poor Gryhnd got cheated out of her 100% record. I will feel really lucky if I get through the rest of the month without the same thing happening to me!

[sloehand]

I probably do need help

I can't compete with the highest and fastest yet but I have 3 100% trophies and now I'm addicted to being a 100%'er. I was devastated when I found one this month I could not solve. I just spent 5 days on the quote from Michel de Montaigne that Annamariah mentioned in this thread. MS updated and rebooted my computer overnight and I lost the ability to retry it or I would probably still be trying to solve it.

I'm not sure why it was so hard but now that I see the answer I feel even worse. The only consolation is that Annamariah had problems with it also.

[maradnu]

Staying at 100%

When I've played, I've stayed at 100% except the first month the site was back, when I was fighting for a speed trophy (my #3 and the only time I've really done well on speed). There was one other time when the site was down for longer than it saved the puzzles for retry, and I missed one that month.

I do them as fast as I can and still stay at 100%. I do have my own little cheats though. When I hit a really difficult puzzle, I save it to an Excel file by author and how many letters in each of the first five words. If I get stuck, I check my file to see if it gave me problems before.

I also have a key word list in MS Word, organized by pattern - it has 108,000 words in it and helps at times too.

[imported_Tilottama2003]

Are any of you spies???

I see a quote the size of a page, and somebody did it in like 10 seconds, how does it happen???????????????????????????

You people should apply for your country's secret service and become code breaking spies!

And when i become a actress/director i will make movies about you all, and, you can star in there!!

https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/71383488.jpg

[marnita]

Not as arcane as it seems

One thing to remember, Tilottama, is that no matter how long a quote is, you never have to type more than 26 characters to solve it - usually a lot less, because very few quotes use all the letters of the alphabet. It's more a matter of how quickly you can either recognize the quote or see some familiar word patterns.

[debzhaus]

I think there should be another category for the competition, because people like you who can solve so quickly AND get 100% solve rates are a cut above the rest of us! It should combine percentage solved with speed.

[munchlet]

I think there should be another category for the competition, because people like you who can solve so quickly AND get 100% solve rates are a cut above the rest of us! It should combine percentage solved with speed.

Debzhaus, I've been thinking that for years.

I quickly figured out it would always bother me if I didn't solve every puzzle I started. When I first found the site I wasn't very fast at all, so having a high percentage was the only way I could get in the top 20 every month and get that little trophy. Sometimes I'll find a puzzle hours later that must have been a double-load... I'm compelled to solve it even if it totally wrecks my time for the month. It's particularly galling if it's a stupid quote, but I solve it anyway.

Same here, Carpe, exactly the same. Yesterday I found a quote that should have been solved hours before -- turns out I missed one letter -- solved it, and my average time went up to 89.1 seconds. Woo hoo! That happened a day or two after the Shakespeare quotation that had to marinate overnight.

Distraction often does the trick -- any distraction. Come back, and there's the answer.

I am a perfectionist, always have been, and like to learn new skills. Trophy or no, the more cryptograms solved, the more you figure out various solving heuristics -- although I do lack maradnu's focus and self-discipline: I have no Excel file sorted by author, no key word list organized by pattern.

Solving 100% also means you get to read more bios and -- the best part -- lots more crypto comments, which often surpass the original quotation in intelligence, wit, depth and sheer audacity.

So, there you have it.