@boboquack All good then - yeah it probably wasn't clear from how I phrased the write-up, but I thought E was missing and wasn't sure whether there were any other clues I missed

(I don't know where E for EXIT was intentional but it seemed fitting)

No, it wasn't intentional. In fact, the whole EXIT thing was unintentional, I just made the grid and it happened to be there.

It seemed like you had a lot of leeway in the top right and bottom left corners (since there's not many cross letters there) so I thought the EXIT thing was intentional :P

I found it amusing when I found it. Anyway, congratulations to you and whoever else helped for being able to decipher my garbled clues :P

Oh, that reminds me - @boboquack, I really liked that meta! The only real issues I had were the missing E and the anagramming.

@Deusovi Maybe I should have made it more clear - do you think that would have helped?

But thanks!

Made what more clear?

@Deusovi The anagramming (and the missing E)

Oh, I'm not saying it was unclear - it was just a bit inelegant, that's all.

(Especially because you had that really cool extraction, then you sorta... tack on an E at the end.)

But yeah, I've never seen anything like that extraction method, and I think it worked pretty well.

Yeah I was trying to backsolve an ordering but couldn't find one - maybe if the characters or items were in order of the letters that would have helped. I didn't mind the E too much due the "missing" theme (but did poke fun at it with BEACONS), but yeah as a meta extraction that was pretty neat.

@Deusovi What did you think of the antonym-ish part? Was that not metapuzzle-y enough?

I think it was fine.

Metapuzzles don't have to require the exact words be used directly. They can be clues to other things. For instance:

monsters-et-manus.com/round/bridge.html

@Sp3000 That would have helped, but I actually had the first couple of puzzles almost done, when I had a look at the FTC, and tried to make something out of it.

That round's answers were:

Each clued a four-letter word (skyscrapers --> TALL, despereaux --> TALE, pixie --> DUST, prerequisite --> MUST). They could be arranged into a word ladder with four steps missing, which spelled the answer (HUGE DUCT TAPE ROLL).

I see.

(I know, I should probably shut up about the MIT Mystery Hunt. The puzzles are good examples though, and I wanted to point out that answers don't have to be used directly.)

@Deusovi It's fine.

I don't see a reason to be quiet about it :P It's a good reminder that there's a lot more puzzles out there

@Deusovi What's your favourite one.

Hm... the two from my "lecture" a while back are probably some of my favorites.

Also, the Mega Man one from the 2011 hunt was good.

Man, the instructions from mit.edu/~puzzle/1987/mysteryhunt1987.pdf look like a mess!

Well, that's the entire hunt.

Did someone say instructions that look like a mess? :P

The Duck Konundrum's always a good one.

Oh, so that's what the Duck Quonundrum was based off. I had a feeling there was a reference I wasn't aware of.

Ah, yep. That was the first one.

@Sp3000 I wonder if anyone actually did that properly.

With the paint and everything? Probably not. (For one, live ducks are notoriously hard to get, and I doubt they'd cooperate with the puzzle instructions.)

@Deusovi Don't worry - 'be friendly and it will eventually play along'.

More likely teams did it with substitute items :)

@Sp3000 That's spoiling the fun! :P

By the way, is the Final Fortress locked to those not in a team?

That was an in-person event.

(As were "Rescue the Linguist/Economist/Chemist" and "Big Bad Battle".)

They went over what the event was like in the wrap-up. Don't remember exactly where in the wrap-up, though.

Ah, I see.

Here: youtube.com/watch?v=BQAQCOik6DE

(For extra fun, start watching from 56:46)

Ooh, the linguist event was fun.

(It starts around 57:22, actually.)

Oh right, oops. Forgot they shuffled around with the video for a minute.

(For context: The linguist was trapped in an "impenetrable soundproof box". To break them out, we had to successfully enter three of the passwords, and we had 30 seconds to do each of them.)

What happened if you failed one?

Nothing, really - we just had to try again when the next password popped up. (It didn't reset our progress or anything.)

Gahhhh. I've got a theme that I need to write a meta around and can't figure out a good way to do it.

I'd offer help but I also want to solve :P

Yeah, I'd considered asking you but I figured you'd like solving this

...if I get it done :/

Oh boy, Deus is not going to like this

@Rubio ENERGY ("power") + DR ("doctor") + INK ("Octopus's escape mechanism") = "Full Throttle, maybe"

...Why wouldn't I like it? The only issue I have is the capitalization, and that can be fixed by putting it in all-caps or something

I was thinking the capitalisation :P (having made the same mistake in my first C4)

CCCC: Assign, amongst loud high-pitched male singers, high-pitched voices (9)

Wow, just looked at GPR's "There's no place like home"x3 clue.

Is it an &lit?

Yep.

Oh, and TGE is having problems finishing their metapuzzle too (or least was the last time I contacted them), so you're not the only one :P

Ooh, didn't know TGE was making something.

I'm excited :D

The main metas are done! The rest shouldn't be nearly as difficult.

(It probably will be, but it shouldn't.)

@Deusovi Things have a way of turning out like that...

(And if you're unlucky [some might say lucky?], people will solve it in a fraction of the time you took to make it)

I mean, considering I've been working on this (on and off, not consecutively) for at least a month and a half, it's almost certain that they will.

(Then again, I said that about Chess Fortnight, and look how that turned out.)

I considered that title! Couldn't come up with a good pun for the final answer, though, so I went with a different approach.

How close would you say you are to finishing?

I have no idea.

I'm bad at estimating time.

Is it a meta- or a meta-meta-puzzle?

No.

It's a meta-meta-meta-puzzle.

(There aren't any "base" puzzles, though (sort of). So I guess you could call it a meta-meta-puzzle? I dunno.)

cryptic-clues?

Oh god no. I was planning on doing them for the "lowest level" puzzles, but then I realized I'd have to write at least 200.

This is a big puzzle.

Deus, is this a dupe?

It looks like it would be.

I'm almost certain it is. I can't find it, though.

Hmm... maybe it's been deleted? (I can't say though)

Ah, just found it!

Dunno how that got 2 upvotes in such a short period of time

Huh?

Never seen that style before

Yeah, that's new.

Is it because it was closed?

For a few minutes earlier, there was a bug on the homepage where it thought everything was a tag search - maybe that's related to some sort of update?

Don't think so.

Interesting as well because it says 'This question already has an answer here: Fill the holes? [closed] 8 answers...' which means it's copying directly from the displayed body, not just the actual question body

Hi @Techidiot!

Hey bobo.

@Deusovi I think, we have a new CC but not pinned.

Oh, whoops! Forgot to pin - thanks for the reminder!

No probems.. I am thinking it to be F(synonym for assign)Pmale singers something like that

F for loud

high pitched could be P

amongst could be container indicator..

What an awesome write up @Sp3000 and @Deusovi

Hey, I only solved it. Sp deserves all the credit for making a very enjoyable puzzle.

Seeing the wrap-up, I'm somewhat surprised that no one noticed the Fault in Our Stars in the word-search

@Sp3000 FALSETTOS: SET, among F+ALTOS

and yes, my prior clue was of course ENERGY DRINK - I forgot about needing caps there, oopsie. :)

Nice. My knowledge was limited for getting ALTOS.

In hindsight I feel like my containment indicator is on the wrong side of ALTOS, but yes that is correct.

Personally, I think its placed right.

CCCC: Secular-following forum becomes hackneyed. (9)

I thought it was fine @Sp3000 - I hit on falsettos quickly but couldn't connect it for a minute or two while I was fiddling with "LET" for assign; when I hit on "SET", FALTO landed in my lap and it was all over. :)

I actually was asleep when my phone buzzed and woke me. while dealing with that I saw the ping that you'd solved my CCCC, went to read the context, saw the new c4, put the phone down and started going back to sleep, and solved the damn thing three minutes later. So yes. you're responsible for dragging me out of bed fully, nice job :)

I'm now going back to sleep - good night hehe

Is there any way to see what comments you got the pundit badge for?

I don't think so.