Reply To: Daily Cipher

@madness
Reading your message gave me hope. I have been struggling to write a python program to solve @Puzzling_Pelican’s last cipher. I was able to use THECATSATANDATETHERAT hint to quickly create a program, but building that out to a full solution is proving difficult, and I think relates to the inconsistencies you have found.

Finding a rule set, simple or otherwise, to form the encode/decode triangle pairs, has been taxing. I re-started quite a few times. I am coming to the conclusion that it might be better to create a pre-calculated list of all possible encode triangles, and then pre-calculate a matched decode triangle for each. I can then work out which triangle pairs cause problems and try a different orientation for that pairing. Some triangles can have a few possible pairings.

Just as an example: I can define a rule for a simple equilateral triangle, which ‘should’ just need a rotation as shown in the hints. However. a single unit sided triangle will not rotate to a decode pair, the decode would need to be offset somehow or bigger than the encode triangle. A double unit sided triangle might rotate depending on it’s orientation in the hexagon grid or might not.

I won’t be beaten, but I might not solve it until the next NCC starts !!