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Thread: Count to 200 but beware the bots!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2022
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    13

    Count to 200 but beware the bots!

    As we all know, bot abuse has become a big issue these days, so we have to have CAPTCHAs to sort between humans and bots. Considering the fact that it would be rather trivial for someone to make a set of bots and quickly count to 200 before the mods can do anything, what do you say we add a bit of puzzle-solving to the mix?

    The goal, as in all the other "count to whatever" games, is to create replies on this post with a number that increments by one. So I post "1", then you post "2", and so on and so forth, until we reach 200. The problem is that there's an opposing team who's goal is to thwart our efforts - the moderators! However, rather than the mods simply being able to cause indiscriminate damage to the count, their job instead is to filter out the bots - by throwing CAPTCHA puzzles into the mix.

    Oh, but right. There are no bots. But the mods still have to thwart the count-up, meaning that these "CAPTCHAs" are going to have to be a whole lot more involved than a simple math question.

    So there's the theme of the game. The rules:

    1: There are two teams. The users, Ubuntu Members, Staff Emeritus, and Ubuntu Developers are on Team UP (for getting the count to go up). The Forum Staff, Super Moderators, and Admins are on Team DOWN (for getting the count to go down).
    2: Each player on Team UP is to reply to the last reply by incrementing the current count. So if the comment they reply to is at 5, they are to reply with 6.
    3: No player on Team UP can increment the counter twice in a row.
    4: At their discretion, Team DOWN may post a CAPTCHA puzzle at any time. These puzzles can be pretty much whatever the Team DOWN member can dream up - a complicated mathematical equation, a logical conundrum, a rather complex but safe Linux command with a hidden typo, etc. The only limitation are that:
    >>> 1. The puzzle must be solvable without needing to use an operating system other than Ubuntu (for instance, requiring that someone know the file size of ntoskrnl.exe from Windows XP isn't allowed).
    >>> 2. The puzzle must be solvable in the first place, without the need for an excessive amount of computing power.
    >>> 3. Users must not be restricted from using any resources available to them (calculators, websites, proprietary software, artificial intelligence, VPS instances, etc.) to solve the puzzle. (So if a user wants to use their cloud compute instance to crack your puzzle, they can, but don't make a puzzle that absolutely requires the computing power of RAMNode or some such to break it.)
    5: When a Team DOWN member posts a CAPTCHA, they must attach an ID number to it so that it is clear when someone is posting an attempted solution.
    6: Once a CAPTCHA is posted, any further comments are to be considered discussion until someone specifically states that they are solving the CAPTCHA and references it by ID number.
    7: Once a CAPTCHA solution is posted, if the solution is correct, the counter is incremented 10 points and the thread is unlocked for Team UP to continue incrementing it.
    8: If the solution given is wrong, the counter is reset back to 0 and Team UP is left to start all over again. The counter is also reset if no one solves the CAPTCHA for a week.

    If Team UP increments the counter to 200, they score a win and the counter is reset. If Team DOWN posts a CAPTCHA that receives an incorrect solution or that remains unsolved for a week, they score a win and the counter is reset.

    Good luck, happy puzzle solving, and increment that counter as fast as you can!

    One!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
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    The Left Coast of the USA
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    Hidden!
    Distro
    Kubuntu

    Re: Count to 200 but beware the bots!

    If you expect the Staff to implement something manually and lock/unlock the thread manually when a puzzle/riddle/etc is posted/solved, you are going to have a very slow and boring game. We aren't going to take the time. We, like everyone else here, are volunteers not employees. Note that in the original thread the Staff really only participate intermittently -- and all that takes is a simple post decrementing the count.

    Example:

    CAPTCHA #1: Now that the thread is closed and only Staff may comment, how will others solve the question of which Staff member will take the time to check the answer and re-open the thread?
    Last edited by QIII; August 8th, 2022 at 12:44 AM.
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