Smarter Than You puzzle solved: Pocket Tactics readers defeat METIS, save humanity

Close to you.

The AI that 10000000 creator Luca Redwood built to play forthcoming duel game Smarter Than You got loose on Monday, making vague threats to humanity in the form of a cryptic puzzle. Although the readers of several other mobile gaming sites stepped forward to solve it, only one community had the intestinal fortitude to see the problem through to the end: the fine citizens of Pocket Tactics.

Let that be a lesson to the world: if the Sphinx awakens or the Riddler breaks out of Arkham Asylum, don’t go running to Touch Arcade or Kotaku commenters to save you. Come straight to Pocket Tactics — we shall be your Bletchley Park. Please bring us the traditional offering of hexes and 10-sided dice along with your appeal for aid. And biscuits.

But our work isn’t done. After five days of code-breaking, I’ve received another email from the sinister METIS, this time a list of real-world locations. If you can visit any of these on our behalf, drop a line here in the comments.

METIS’s missive after the jump.

The next phase of METIS’s challenge will involve leaving the house, it seems.

Subj: Congratulations

Thank you for your assistance.

49°18’13.4″N 123°08’15.0″W
34°07’25.9″N 118°17’05.0″W
51°07’19.3″N 6°51’06.2″E
37°47’29.8″N 122°23’23.9″W
51°33’23.5″N 0°01’32.1″W
40°40’14.1″N 73°41’55.0″W

Your days are numbered,

Meredith

Note the unusual signature.