P.I.HUNT 9/Sequence 1

Sequence 1 (internally, "intro") is the first sequence in P.I.HUNT 9. It establishes the story of the hunt, taking place in an alternative history where instead of puzzle hunts, riddle searches are instead the mainstay. It also introduces the interface for selecting the map and submitting answers.

There are a total of 8 riddles in this sequence (7 if the introduction page is not counted), of which 2 riddles are entirely optional and do not block progress, and a minimum of 5 solves are needed to unlock the next sequences, Sequence 2-1 and Sequence 2-2.

Description

Aside from the first "riddle" (which simply provides the story, as well as introducing an overarching restriction that applies to the whole hunt (although this can only be enforced by honor code)), all of the riddles in this section follow the format of showing a piece of media that writes out the code (with the format "THIS RIDDLE'S CODE IS ____"). However, the twist is that the code is often partially or totally obscured, so the goal is to determine the code through the limited information given.

List of Puzzles

Use the image on the right as a reference as to what numbers correspond to which riddle.

Riddle 0

This is the introduction node. It does not have any puzzle content, but gives various puns and fun facts about the square root of 3. The page also introduces the overarching constraint for the whole riddle search that the source code should never be viewed.

Riddle 1

This is the first riddle in the set, showcasing a piece of paper that has been torn such that the answer is partially obscured. It introduces the preamble, "THIS RIDDLE'S CODE IS...", a theme that is applicable to the other puzzles in this sequence. Click to revealAssuming the font is consistent throughout, we can immediately deduce certain letters, such as the last letter being D, but other letters are (intentionally) ambiguous. However, there is only one answer that is an English word, which is “PERFORATED”, the answer.

Riddle 2

This riddle is also required to complete the sequence. The riddle is formatted as a video, showing Jack writing out the answer, though only the hand, and later, only the shadow of the pencil is visible, requiring solvers to follow the movement to determine what letters are being written out. Click to revealFollowing these movements, you can extract the answer “OUT OF FRAME”, where FRAME is written on a second line.

Riddle 3

This riddle is technically not required for accessing future sequences given it is on a branching path, but it still counts towards completion. The riddle is formatted as a looping gif, showing the words being spelled out on digitally, this time requiring solvers to use the position of the text cursor to determine the code. Click to revealBased off the size of the change in the text cursor's position, and the relation to the width of letters, a measure of distance the solver can determine the code to be “MILLIMETER”. (Spelt lowercase in the gif to give correct spacing)

Riddle 4

This riddle is technically not required for accessing future sequences given it is on a branching path, but it still counts towards completion. The riddle is formatted as a video, showing Jack writing out the answer, this time requiring solvers to use the sound made by the marker to determine the code. Click to revealBased off the noise made by spelling each letter, whether it be through the number or length of the strokes, you can determine most of the letters eventually getting “NOISE MAKER”.

Riddle 5

This riddle is not required for accessing future sequences, but it still counts towards completion. The riddle is formatted as a video, showing Jack saying the answer, but the volume quickly decreases until it mutes, resulting in the solver having to use the mouth movements to determine the code. Click to revealBased off the mouth movements and the fact that the volume decreases, solvers can deduce the answer to be “SOFT SPOKEN”.

Riddle 6

This is a bonus riddle not required for accessing future sequences, or for completion. The riddle is in the same style as Riddle 4, being formatted as a video showing Jack writing out the answer, but this time in Chinese. This riddle requires more specialized knowledge that most solvers will likely not have, and as such the method is more restrictive. Click to revealBased off the rhythm of the sound made by the individual strokes and the riddle's nature as a difficult bonus question the solver may determine the answer to be “非常难”. (Directly translating to ‘Very Hard’)

Riddle 7

This is the final riddle in the set, showcasing a piece of paper which has been torn. On the piece of paper, the words:

“THIS RIDDLE’S CODE IS

IS”

is written on it.

“Sometimes it's just a silly little trick, …”

Click to revealThe answer is written on the paper. It’s just “IS”.

TO DO

Sequence Elements

TO DO