Part 5: Puzzle Time II

[Music: About Town]





It's unchanged from before, so a truncated version should suffice.



[Music: Puzzles]



2. After two round-trips, the raft returns to the ship. At this point, 18 minutes have passed, but since the ship hasn't sunk yet there's no reason the raft can't pick up a few more passengers. That's right, the raft has time to pick up three loads of passengers.
3. You now know that the raft has time to pick up three loads of passengers, so you're probably raring to answer. Just be careful, as there is one trick to this puzzle that you might not have picked up on. It's sad to say, but not every passenger will make it off that ship alive.

A little over half of those that attempted this one came to the same sad conclusion. One of the others was... highly pessimistic, but at least it wasn't quite as bad as it could've been, though the others had some form of optimism. Regardless, the majority decided on 13 survivors and they were...






It conveniently left out that someone needs to, y'know, actually sail the raft so you can't get a full 5 on each trip.





3. Naturally, when a very large group of people are using the hall, a large number of chairs are required. But what about smaller events? When only a smaller number of chairs are needed, storing the extra chairs can turn into a big problem. Which chair makes storage easiest?

With the exception of one person who was thinking in a slightly different manner, it seems everyone agreed on E, which is...






I think you can see why I think this one was given the wrong value all things considered.



And with that we've got the first piece of the painting we had to actually earn. Only 18 more before it can be finished.



Now this one had divisive results, which I pretty much expected. Since it's a wee bit harder than you'd expect for a mere 10 Picarats, especially given the above.




2. The wind blows out two candles, and then shortly afterwards blows out one more. So how many candles are extinguished? The candles that aren't extinguished by the wind continue to burn. What will happen to these candles if they are allowed to keep burning?

In total, these three answers made up half the solutions that were divised. As you might imagine by lumping them together, these three are all...




The other half was comprised solely of one answer.



3. Think critically about what "have left in the end" really means. It means that an item continues to exist, doesn't it? So, what becomes of a burning candle when it's left alone?

This one in particular, and this one is...






It's a pretty clever trick too; I fell for it the first time I tried this puzzle at least.

[Music: About Town]



: Delving too deep into the implied can cause misconceptions.



Were it up to me, I wouldn't. As it's not, yes. I guess.



[Music: Puzzles]



3. If you only count the number of upward-pointing triangles in the large triangle, you get a total of 21. You can draw three upward-pointing triangles with one dip into the ink, so...

I think most people came up with a trick to this one to make it easier, and as a result ended up with the above result. And it is...






I usually think it's 9 at first, since that's 36/4 but that also overlooks some of the more important aspects of it.

[Music: About Town]



: I strongly advise that you solve as many puzzles as you can. Oh, and while I'm at it, I strongly advise that you drop in on Granny Riddleton next door. She is a veritable treasure trove of puzzle-related informalia. Just remember, she's not always home.

Like right now, for example!



And that's the first of these we had to earn too.



[Music: Puzzles]



3. The number of red cards in pile A is equal to 26 minus the number of black cards in pile A. You can reverse this statement and apply it to the black cards, so...

Everyone agreed on the answer to this one being 1000, so there's certainly some confidence about this one. Now is it well founded or not?






As I said before, I always make this one more complicated for myself than it has to be. I keep thinking it's asking for the amount of times there's 26 blacks in one pile and 26 reds in the other (no thanks to the picture on the bottom screen), which is just a very tiny bit harder to figure out.

Ah well, let's go follow Claudia and finally catch her!

[Music: About Town]



: Sounds good to me, Professor.
: I was certain I saw an inn near the entrance to the village, just south of the square we're in. Let's head over right now and see if we can arrange some lodging.



Hey, Stachen's back now just outside the inn. Let's see what he wants now.



: Yep, solving puzzles is the only way to get by here. That's what the villagers value most. So, how about a puzzle right now? A little practice will keep you from embarrassing yourselves in front of others later. As a die-hard nonconformist myself, I love any puzzle where you need to find the odd oneout.



Eh, got more important things to do for the time being.





Since we're here, let's talk to the lady at the counter first. I have two reasons for this one.



: You see, visitors to our little village are quite rare.
: Ah, good day, madam. We seek lodging for the night. Do you have any vacant rooms we could rent?
: Oh my stars, what terrible timing. We're currently remodelling all of our guest rooms. The only rooms left are in the attic, but if you don't mind that, I'll make sure you're VERY comfortable. I do hope you'll stay with us. It's been a while since a fine gentleman such as yourself stayed with us. The rooms are, ahem, not very big, but I'll make sure they sparkle. Oh, and I'll do my best to get two normal rooms ready for you as soon as possible.
: Oh, thank you, but you needn't trouble yourself on my behalf. As long as I have a bed to sleep in, I'm satisfied.
: Ah yes, abut that... Oh, what terrible luck! You see, all the beds are out being refinished. But don't worry. Mama Beatrice will take good care of you two. I'll even drop the nightly rate. Here's something to make the place feel a bit more like home.

And here's one of the two reasons I did this before the obvious puzzle in the room...



Now we can also get pieces of furniture (and other assorted things) to place in our rooms whenever we finish puzzles. Where each of these goes is important, but which one it goes in isn't always immediately obvious. For the sake of this one, I'll throw it into Layton's room for the time being but if you think Luke should get it instead just say so. The same for any future pieces of furniture too; whenever we pick up a new piece of furniture, just say which room you think it should go in. Just think of it as a long-term puzzle if you like.

After getting the stool, the scene ends and we're expected to leave. So let's talk to Beatrice again just to see what else she has to say.



Not a whole lot, apparently.



So, let's finally tackle the elephant in the room and examine the painting just behind her.





[Music: Puzzles]



1. You're looking for an outline of the artist's lover. Yes, you read that correctly. Search for her silhouette.
2. The black background of the portrait can be reconfigured to form the silhouette of a woman.
3. Rearrange the pieces of the painting to form a silhouette of a woman from the waist up.



Hmm, looks about right. It doesn't seem perfect but I think that's as close as we're going to get with a silhouette and all.






[Music: About Town]



We could, or we could see what we can get at the very first screen we visited now!



Same two options as last time we came here, huh? Only now we can pick up the hint coins here too (remember, talking to Stachen originally caused them to spawn). Since it's not often we'll get to do this, let's see what examining Layton and Luke will bring us first!



: That bridge appears to be the only way out of St Mystere. It seems that we're confined to this village for the moment.
: Oh my... And what a pity that no one can find the crank to lower the bridge!
: Well then my boy, all we can do is wait. Let us attend to our business in the village.

And if we check the car?



: But of course. Much as I adore the contraption, it is just a car, after all. Ha ha ha! Luke, our little exchange has reminded me of a wonderful puzzle about cars. Why don't you give it a try?



[Music: Puzzles]



If this seems vaguely familiar, then it very well just might do. It is basically a single level of one of the many, many, many flash/cellphone games that have this as their sole objective after all. It's about as hard as one too, so y'know not very.

1. Just trying to clear the cars immediately in front of the professor's vehicle won't get you anywhere. Think about exactly what you need to do to clear a path to the exit.
2. Don't be afraid to take a step backwards in order to move two steps forwards. You may need to move some things into the way to get them out of the way in the end. When you're moving cars around, be sure to keep in mind each car's directional limitations.
3. To start, you'll need to move the two cars directly in front of the Laytonmobile. In order to do that, you'll first need to move the horizontally oriented car that's above those two vehicles. Once you've completed that task, move the Laytonmobile towards the exit. Then try to rearrange cars at the end of the car park opposite the exit.








Yup, I got that in 14 moves. It's not too hard to do at least; there's some with the "best" move limits that I will find completely baffling and accuse anyone who claims to have achieved it of witchcraft. Because I'm sure that's a requirement for doing them.

But we'll get to that when we get to that.

[Music: About Town]



Now we'll finally head off to where Claudia supposedly went. Hopefully we'll catch her in the act of doing cat things.



Well, let's start off this time by examining the poster just above the barrel.



If you're surprised by this, I don't know what to tell you.

Anyway, let's really talk to the very angry man on the left.



: What's that? Why am I angry, you ask? WHY AM I ANGRY?! Lend me an ear, will you? There are three idiots in the village, and we just can't STAND each other! It's so bad that none of us wanna see each other's ugly faces, but St. Mystere isnt a big place, right? Sometimes we cross paths on the way to work, and just like that, BAM! Time for a screaming match! I really wish we could find a way to stop bumping into each other in the mornings. Hang on, you look like you've got a good head on your shoulders. Do me a favour and help me out?



Y'know, I just don't really feel like it.



But let's assume I did. And let's also assume I spoke to Pauly again.



: Why am I so worked up, you ask? It's this blasted puzzle! I've been trying to work it out since yesterday! I just can't get it, and it has me so frantic, I can't sleep! STUPID PUZZLE! Come here and take a look, will you?



This time I really just don't feel like it.



Anyway, that's enough goofing off. Let's talk to the somewhat aged lady on the right and see if she can tell us anything about Claudia.



: A white cat? Ah yes, it ran over that way, towards the park. And what, may I ask, are you planning on doing with it once you find it?
: We are going to take it back to Lady Dahlia. It's her cat, and she's asked us to bring it back to her.
: Ha ha ha! And you're going to try and catch that cat bare-handed? Oh, good heavens! That's a bit naive, don't you think? Listen here, cats love treats, so try luring it over with some food!
: What do you suggest?
: I've got some old fish bones around here that I'm sure the little thing would go wild over. I'd be happy to give them to you if you solve this puzzle for me!



I went ahead and did this just to finish up the scene and end the update in a reasonable place, but it's with the others as per usual.



Hardly seems worth it in retrospect, but at least we now have a dead skeletal fish in our inventory.

...That doesn't sound so sanitary, now that I think about it. Hopefully we won't have to hang onto it for too long.




[Music: St Mystere]



For once, this is one I don't mess up. Might just be me, though.



1. The key to this puzzle is in knowing where to look. The detail that distinguishes the one picture from the rest has something to do with the cards, that much is for sure. It's not the number of cards, though, because each picture has five cards.
2. Each card is marked with one of four suits, and each set of cards is oriented in a different direction. Try to track the relative shift in movement for every card in the picture.



Seems easy enough, but...



Matchsticks. It just has to be matchsticks, doesn't it?

1. Can you see how the matchsticks form a dustpan? Notice that the scoop part is pointing up in the picture. To put the dirt "in" the dustpan, you need to arrange the matches so that the dirt is surrounded on three sides.



As far as I can tell, this is a puzzle with a basis in one that's a bit of a classic conundrum (one that I'm sure everyone's heard before, no less). This time it may be harder than you're used to, or it may not be.



1. You might think this puzzle is impossible, but rest assured, it's not. The first thing you should do is connect any pair of blocks. That'll limit where your next path can go. B's route is the shortest. Try enough times and you're sure to work it out.



I reckon this is the easiest one of this little batch but then again this is one that I got instantly so maybe I'm just biased.



1. If the man wants to indicate the order in which he needs to take his pills, he just needs to write a number on each of the 10 pills. While that's true, the bare minimum of numbers he needs to write is fewer than 10. Think about how he can accomplish this.
2. When you have two visually identical items, you only need to mark one of them. Therefore, you don't need to mark all of the pills in order to tell them apart.



Dunno why this one gets 30; took me quite a while the first time I tried it anyway. But that might be because I'm bad at anything that involves...



Dividing up things (land in this case) in a fashion as to meet the arbitrary requirements of any given puzzle. But, y'know, maybe you'll just have better luck.

1. Since you have seven pigs to seperate and only three ropes, it's basically a given that the ropes will have to overlap in places. Go ahead and hitch the ropes up a couple of times. You might just find the answer.



I don't even have an inkling of an idea why this one's different between versions. There's no linguistic, cultural or any weird tricks in it.



1. Each side of the square formed will be four smaller squares long.



Well, for this one I figured out the answer pretty quickly but not how to communicate it.



Because it's one related to matchsticks. Again.

1. The item you are after is necessary for human life, is found in most homes, and disappears gradually over time. You have to answer with the mathces provided, but don't worry about arranging them into a picture. It's the idea you're after.