I find the whole thing patently ridiculous. Of course there are multiple ways to solve problems. You can use brute force, you can work out the key for yourself and visually search for possible solutions, or you can use the key you deduced and use a computer to deduce the possibilities for you. It's like in the LC when there's a linear algebra equation; those who don't know matrices have to do it by brute force, I did it by hand, and there were others who coded it and let a computer solve it for them in ten seconds. TNT should not dictate how you solve something. Helping others with plots has ALWAYS been allowed (even encouraged -- why else dedicate neoboards to it), so if you came up with a "smart" way to solve a step, you should be allowed to share it. That's all that calculator did -- apply someone's hard work to the puzzles and use logic to solve it (at least, that's what I assumed it did -- if it did hack the system, he should have told us so we would know)! I considered writing a program myself, but it'd been done.
I worked out three of the puzzles on my own last night. I'd have worked out the rest on my own today, but the calculator was posted and I didn't want to fall behind in the plot -- it happened to me during TOW at the potions step (midterm week), and I stupidly didn't ask for help here since I was behind. I *think* there was some kind of calculator that helped with the math for that, but I didn't realize it until the plot was closed. If I get frozen for using the calculator, I'll leave Neopets for good. It's been going to crap anyway, and I only really care about the plots, LC, and a handful of fun games.
Can TNT tell if we used the calculator? They could determine who accessed the page with the code for your puzzles and freeze all of them, assuming they only went there to use the calculator. Also, they could freeze anyone who solved any of the 3-puzzles first try. But that could unfairly freeze people who used the key and logic rather than brute force.
Last edited by
TDG on Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: New thread: http://www.pinkpt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=35666