I think I have the answer to the Volvo hunt?

Question

I agree, I do believe it has something to do with the bermuda triangle and the 8's I believe are pretty close to being correct also. But if you remember every island we have been on, the keyword to enter was also a hint to finding out the answer to the coordinates. I believe that ssssssst is a hint for the string of numbers...77777778 the seven sevens for the seven seas and the eight is an infinity sign...think about it.

Answer 1

Try this map, it will show you all of the locations that you can interact with on the map, and hilights the two spots you can actually dig at...

http://www.woostergenerals.com/hunt.jpg

Answer 2

SPOILER ALERT -- DON'T READ IF YOU'RE STILL TRYING TO CRACK CODES ON YOUR OWN.




For those who still need help hunting ...

(1) Port Royal's coordinates are 1755N 7649W.
(2) Enter SSSSSSST as the keyword to enter Port Royal.
(3) Coordinates for next destination are: 2558N 7713W. This will take you to an island appropriately named "Somewhere".

The riddle says "a cursed isle in a cursed sea holds the cursed key to Serenity".

In the sand dunes are buried two artifacts. The first is an empty box, with coded lines written in an 8X8 matrix in the bottom. The second artifact has been referred to in various Yahoo posts as a piece of paper, the lid to the box, a map, etc. (Although my personal opinion is that it looks like the lid to a stone box that it is still covering which is buried further under the sand).

Here's my two cents on the final solution (which needs to be a sequence of 8 single digits):

Looking back on it, the clues, the riddles, and the way the game has played up to this point have all been reasonably straightforward. Therefore, I don't believe they would suddenly ask us to become serious code breakers. For this same reason, I think it is unlikely they would make us struggle to find a way to reconcile the codes on both artifacts.

You have to admit that Volvo worked it out so that nearly everyone who was serious about playing could get to Port Royal in time today. However, they did need a way in the Semi-Finals to separate the lucky from the unlucky. And hence they buried both artifacts in the sand. One holds the real clue, the other is a diversion.

The empty box, with its complex 8X8 matrix code, is just that: an empty box. Some prior treasure hunter stole its contents and left it there for us to find.

The lid on the stone box is obviously the real clue. First, it has a *BIG* X on it (that should be the giveaway right there!), and second, it has exactly a sequence of 8 characters to be deciphered. And third, the lid is still on the box underneath, protecting its contents (i.e., "the key to Serenity").

The final solution is derived by counting the strokes to write each character. Seems too simple? Not to the Japanese, who are also playing this game. They would have solved this in a heartbeat, because stroke count is one way in which they categorize their writing symbols. (Trivia fact: the Japanese tally mark is actually the symbol for the number 5 which coincidentally has 5 strokes. How convenient!)

So, the final solution is 46446372.

Or is it? That depends on how you count strokes ....

In Japanese, both a horizontal stroke and its connecting vertical stroke (and sometimes vice versa) are often written as a single motion. So allowing for editorial license, the solution 34334242 is equally valid. (And others will undoubtedly get slight variations).

Which to choose? It doesn't matter, someone else has already submitted the real answer by now, so we'll have to wait until July 24 to find out who won.




If you're wondering, what happened to me on Somewhere?
Unfortunately, I found the empty box first. Though I initially resisted the temptation to attempt to solve such a complex code, I hunted in vain to see whether anything else was buried. Feeling the time pressure, I gave up the search and proceeded to devise a scheme to crack the code, to no avail. When I finally did go searching the sand again and found the lid, the answer was obvious (though much too late to do me any good).

I hope you enjoyed the game as much as I did! Congrats to the winners (unfortunately not me).

Answer 3

It's a good thought, except the exact coordinates for the Bermuda Triangle are 38 06 N 69 12 W

I think this game has a million red herrings out there trying to lead people off track...including myself...

Answer 4

Hey guys. The answer could be on the lid!

Think half circles, and quarter circles add to the top and bottom of the markings to get numbers such as 8, 5 etc. Give that a go!

Please let me know if you think this kinda works. All the best!

Answer 5

How do you participate in the volvo hunt? I saw you need a code or something? Does anyone have one I can use to start cause im not buying a car just to play a game.

Answer 6

I just sent my answer in.
There is a key part of this you all are missing...


--->Try holding down the letters in the word "serenity" on the keyboard and click around the island..

Answer 7

I think I'm following you but what does the hint 77777778 have to do with the lid and box.. is there a paper too?

Answer 8

You are wrong. The best way to find it is entering it on the solution card(all your possible answers).

Answer 9

Funny thing is I can only find the empty box. Cant find any lid

Answer 10

holding down the letters in serenity just makes your computer make a clicking sound. it will also do this when you hold down any five letters.