General »  [Sticky] F.A.Qs. Read first before posting.

There's no question to answer! How is this a riddle?

The main dictionary definition for 'riddle' suggests "a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed". But another definition includes "something difficult to understand".

You may call them puzzle if that makes it better for you. Most of the times there will be questions, other times you need to have a closer look, fill the blank or find something that is "not quite right there".


Why isn't my answer working?

All answers are always in lower-case and never contain spaces. So if you think the answer should be a multiple-word phrase, do not inject underscores (_) or use "CamelCase" or use spaces. Just string the words together, all in lower case... like "thisisanexample.html" ... If you think the answer is a name, I usually ask for the first AND last name, there are only very few exceptions.

Answers are always URLs that end in ".html". Without it are likely to find a nice 404 error page.


I can't find the thread for the question I'm stuck at.

The questions are organised according to their place in the riddle in categories fitting their colour scheme. It's probably best if you view this forum using the tab "Categories" that will hopefully make things clearer.


Why has my post has been edited or deleted?

There are a few reasons your post may have been edited or deleted.

I realise that the judgement of a human being is fallible. Sometimes I will make mistakes. Still, every my decisions are binding and final and edits are done to keep the board running smoothly. Try to remember that I try to ensure that spoilers are not given and to keep the forums tight so that you don't need to wade through 25 pages to get a single useful hint.

To that effect, I delete posts I feel contain spoilers. If I feel your post had a lot of value outside of the spoiler, I may at our option simply edit out the spoiler and leave the rest of the post intact. But I do reserve the authority to delete the entire post. Please understand.

Here are a few of the rules for what I consider SPOILERS:

- Giving away the answer outright will be not only considered a spoiler, but will get you WARNED. Enough warnings and you will very likely be completely banned from the forums.

- Giving away the answer in a 'clever' manner by trying to fit it into a sentence, or constructing a sentence with the answer but leaving a blank where the answer should go. Don't do this, no matter how clever you think you have been.

- Giving any hint that would direct a user towards guessing the ANSWER without understanding the RIDDLE is considered a spoiler... Example: If the answer was "coffee", then it would be a spoiler to say anything concerning hot beverages, Starbucks, Juan Valdez, or even 'words that end in two sets of double-letters'.

- Giving away any URL, ever. Don't ever mention a URL from Twilight Riddle, whether it is an answer or just an interim clue, even if it concerns a previous level. No URLs.

- Explicitly giving away anything that is not given away in the riddle. Example: If you need to look something up in the books or on another website, don't come in here and say "I found the page in (insert any title here)" or "What you're looking for is located on (insert any website here)".

- Please note: Posts that ask for answers or spoilers are treated the same as spoilers themselves and may be completely deleted.


What is the difference between a Hint and a Spoiler? How can it be a Spoiler if some people are still stumped?

- Hints and Spoilers are tricky things. One person's spoiler will mean nothing to someone else. Not every hint is going to help every person. Some people will solve a given riddle with no hints at all. Others will need light hinting. Others will need more hinting. In most cases you will get stuck at the level you should get stuck. Take some time to think about it, have a re-read, I might just come to you.

I also perform edits to try and keep the board clean and tight.

- SPAMMING the forums can get you WARNED or BANNED. Learn how to edit your previous posts; do not submit multiple posts on the same topic thread within a short period of time.

- Harassment of other members is never tolerated (such as insults, flaming, political debate, or suggesting that someone isn't smart enough to be here... do I need to go on?). Play nice, or take it outside. Extreme cases will be banned without warning.

- Posts that amount to "Never mind, I got it!" or "Such-and-Such was the best hint ever!", or "PM me with help please" will be deleted.

- I encourage you to help each other and work together to find an answer. But please don't do your group work inside the question threads.

- Off-topic conversations (such as discussions of other levels, etc) should be limited as much as possible. Friendly conversation is fine, but please don't get carried away; people use the hint forums for help... please be considerate and don't make them wade through pages of off-topic chatter.


I don't have (application X) installed! What do I do?

The riddle does NOT require you to have a certain brand of software on your machine, for ANY riddle. Your computer should already have the software it needs to solve every one of these riddles. If it doesn't (for whatever reason), free software is absolutely available to help you out.

The "Keep it Simple" rule: Where additional software is needed, the simplest software is usually the best choice... I designed these puzzles for the simplest possible external program, and using fancy expensive programs may in fact HURT you, as those programs may contain too many features, which might confuse you... or it may implement those features with fancy settings you don't want.

In cases where you are confused, and you think your software may be confusing the issue, just ask me or someone else who has completed the riddle.


I'm colourblind or I have bad eyesight! What do I do?

Some users have various challenges, including the above and others I haven't thought of that can impair their use of the riddle. Any of the above make it hard to complete all riddles without assistance. That's why it's a good thing we're all part of a community here!

Write a little polite note explaining your situation and post it to the boards or send it via an e-Mail to me (dusted.dreams(at)googlemail.com) so we can find a way to help you overcome the challenge and interpret the information, without spoiling the riddle itself for you.


Why is this forum the way it is?

Simple answer: Because it's the best I can come up with at the moment.
More elaborate answer: Because it's supposed to support my project and not for private entertainment. That's why you can't open new discussions. There are no extras in here (as of yet) since I don't think that would be necessary to ask and answer questions concerning the project.


When does this end?

I'll leave the website online. The contest has ended by now, the winners' shirts have been ordered. However, there is a "Hall of Fame" with everyone who finished and I'll add to that as long as I receive solution mails.


My question was not covered above!

Please feel free ask in here I'll try to answer it in private or on this list, but consider that I still have courses for university to attend or a real life to participate in. So answers can take some time, but usually not more than 24 hours.

Yes, the page with 'letitbegin' on the rule page is the beginning

And no, it's not clickable =]
It's a riddle - you've to figure it out to begin!

And please take your questions to the appropriate threads =]