Weekend Puzzle 93

Hello!

I hope everyone's had a great week. I see that Little Jackalope has managed to keep everyone up-to-date on all of the office distractions, and of course the latest on launches. We've been enjoying cake and cathedrals this week, so all-in-all it's been a pretty good one. Hopefully we'll have some great new surprises next week. ^.~

Time to test that sleuth-y brain of yours! This week's puzzle is pretty awesome, check it out.

- Weekend Puzzle -

Foxworthy’s First
Dave’s Last
John’s (glasses) Last
Joon’s First
Randall’s First
Ned’s Last
Woodham’s First
Butterly’s First
Eustacia’s Last
Donal’s Last
Spayder’s First
Lillian’s Last
Joanna (striped shirt)’s Last
Richard’s (scientist) Last
Falcone’s First
Elliot’s Last
Rachel’s Last

--

That's all for this week, we'll see you on Monday! Good luck sleuths!

- Novel -

Characters in Production

I had a nice chat with our Character Designer today. He's been working on some cool new concepts and a few of his characters have already been sent to get all rigged up (after going 3D they get joints and such so that the animators can move them). I'm excited to see the results of their work! It's also pretty amazing how fast and early a lot of the work here gets done, while some people are working on the finishing touches of a project, some are already working on the next. Ah, the cycle of production!

The office kitchen puzzle that we are working on is coming rather slow, and no, it is not a castle. It is (like a few of you so cleverly figured out) the Notre Dame cathedral from Paris. It makes me think of Danger by Design, although we didn't get to visit it in the game. We love cool architecture. :)

For those of you following the Nancy Drew Radio Mysteries, the 4th episode was posted the other day! Check it out.

Hopping back to work!
~Little Jackalope~

Focus and Mulit-tasking

Something odd about our weather (rain-sun-wind-rain-repeat, in one day) must be making everyone in the office sneeze. Just a ponder.

It's been a day of reading reviews (yes, we do a lot of this reading), and catching up on some smaller, yet important tasks. For instance: I've been trucking away on some Secrets Can Kill Remastered and Shadow At the Water's Edge art pieces for some web sites that need thumbnails, screenshots, box shots and the like. Making sure each image is the right size and format requires good focus, a trait also very important to solving a case (and determining the correct culprit).

Some workers here at HI are good at focusing on one project at a time, while others (like me) work better when working on two or more at a time. I find it fascinating how Nancy can take every aspect of a case and connect its dots to make sense of all random thoughts, clues, and twists, making everything connect. She seems to think and focus on everything often at once, which is necessary, definitely a multi-tasker and multi-thinker!

The office is working on a new 3D puzzle! Here's the base:

Keep it real, savvy?
~Little Jackalope~

Random Thoughts and Multiple Distractions

I have several random thoughts and tasks to focus on. So many little things in such little time to do them, maybe it feels like this because February just flew by and it feels too early to end a month. March is here, though green madness is just waiting to burst forth and present itself in a grand spectacle. I'm trying to think up crafty things to do in honor of this month, particularly with the Irish holiday coming up. Any ideas how to decorate a cubicle or get festive in an office? So far my only thought is to play The Haunting of Castle Malloy and cut out shamrocks from green paper to post on my wall.

Other random thoughts include:

1. Upload the last of the game trailers
2. Think about the newsletters
3. Eat a cookie
4. Eat another cookie
5. Put together a few thumbnails
6. Doodle pictures all over Novel's calendar on the wall
7. Make a bookmark or two, maybe a third for fun
8. Read the dare to play blog posted today
9. Don't get distracted by the puzzle in the kitchen

Random picture from last week: Chocolate Castle Cake!

~Little Jackalope~

Packages and Scares

Monday, Monday, Monday! I'm glad to come to HI on Mondays. It means a new adventurous week in the office (well, as adventurous as an office could be). Today I mailed out some games to anxious fans. See the tower of fun the mailman gets to take with him? It's practically toppled over. What should I call it? The leaning tower of mystery? Santa's bundle? Suspicious packages? Nah, nix that last one, we wouldn't want to send the wrong message. I've been testing the latest game build (still, it's taking me a while and I have distractions), but for the first time ever I came to a part where I really did fly back in my chair and yell out loud. Kind of an embarrassing thing to do in a quiet office. I am proud of this team for successfully scarring me. Three cheers for them, they got me!

Playing games kind take up a lot of time, note to self: sometime this week I should work on some missing wallpapers and bookmarks. Speaking of which, there is a new bookmark up from The Phantom of Venice! Check it out!

Congrats to the super sleuth who cracked the weekend puzzle in less than two hours! Here's the solution:
[Draw up an analogue clock. Beginning with 1 o’clock, label each number with letters. Continue lettering the numbers around the clock, stacking up doubles and some triples. Place the lined circle over this clock and connect the dots to the accompanying letter. The numbers from the puzzle reference which stacked letter to include. The starting point is at 8 o’clock and the clue refers to the second letter (T) and then the 1st (H). It then goes to 5 o’clock referring to the first letter (E) and so on. The “1st and 1st” means to double that same letter (LL).]

Spoiler Answer: [The Haunting of Castle Malloy]

Take care!

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hellos!

The excitement has been quite high, what with the launch of Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch. We released a whole slew of great entertainment to go with it; trailers, contests, radio shows, and more! You can check out a lot of the coverage in this month's newsletter. Have you had a chance to play Shadow Ranch yet?

We're getting you set up for the weekend with a brand new puzzle - check it out!

- Weekend Puzzle -

Directions: 2nd and 1st. 1st. 1st. 1st. 2nd. 2nd. 2nd. 1st. 2nd. 1st. 2nd. 1st. 1st. 1st. 2nd. 2nd. 1st. 1st. 2nd and 1st. 1st and 1st. 2nd. 3rd.

Hint: The alpha is at 1:00AM but the end isn't till 2:00AM comes around again.

--

Good luck, puzzlers!

- Novel -

Winter Celebration

Yesterday was up-beat and exciting in the office with the release of Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch. We celebrated with amazingly cute cupcakes (and yes, I did get my red velvet with butter cream frosting, it was wonderful). Today is much quieter and here's why: It is a winter wonderland over here! I suppose some office workers made a safe decision to stay at home. It's too bad, because many of us went out to lunch for a well-deserved meal after a hard week's worth of scurrying.

My to-do list includes testing the latest game and documenting a few things, and to think about weekend puzzles. By the way, you sleuths have been doing great on cracking them. What are your favorite type of weekend puzzles? Is there a type of puzzle you wish for more of? Any new styles come to mind? I'd be glad to hear your thoughts on this!

~Little Jackalope~

iSHA Released! Yee-haw!

Hiyo! Today is a very exciting day for us! Our new series Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries has finally released Shadow Ranch for the iPadTM, iPhone®, and iPod Touch®! The office is buzzing to keep everything in proper order and double-checking it all to see if everything works for this new game. We will have a little celebration today in honor of this (I heard rumors of cupcakes; I hope they will get red velvet with butter cream frosting).

Also, today we will be announcing some lucky contest winners, so keep your eyes pealed for further tidbits!

As for me, I'll be playing the latest game build (my first testing round) and I'm excited to see a complete environment (it's so unique)!! I might find the time to maybe possibly squeeze in some video uploading and art creating for a few websites...but I like the idea of spending a whole day testing a new game. We'll see.

Office update: it was supposed to snow here, but the snow decided to bypass the office and is down pouring in nearby towns. It may or may not impact our work this week, we'll just have to wait and see.
Office image: Our finished castle puzzle #2:
Props to you sleuths for solving last weekend's puzzle (and shame on me for overlooking that the other day)!
Solution: [You need to count the words in the Shadow Ranch PC game's page summary. The first number refers to the word, the second letter refers to the letter in that word.] Answer: [Dave or Ned].

~Little Jackalope~

iSHA Suspense Build-up!

Hey howdy hey! Have a good weekend? I was a bit bored (don't tell anyone, but I like working when it's working here at Her Interactive). Since we were gone yesterday, everyone has been thinking today's Monday and we are scrambling to get two days' worth of work accomplished in one day. Exciting but busy!

While working on a new daily task list I found a sketch in my notepad from many months prior. It was a doodle I did while in an important meeting. Yeah, our creative minds never cease the creativity output.Hey! New wallpaper is up for download featuring an image from Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch, which is releasing tomorrow!! (I'm excited.)

Nobody started the weekend puzzle from last week? Well here's a push in the right direction: "Our site is an important tool."

Gotta get back to iSHA projects!

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hello all,

I hope this Friday finds you fine. We're all excited for the release of Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch. The launch is happening next week on February 23rd! Can you believe it? Plus we'll be announcing the winners and answer to the "Case of the Missing iPad" contest on the same day. Next week is going to be busy. And as Jackalope said, we're out on Monday. Ahh well, that's just one extra day to crack this week's puzzle. Check it out:

- Weekend Puzzle -

(33.1)(52.2)(64.3)(4.7)(14.3)(2.1)(58.6)(8.4)(23.1)

Hint: Discovering The Secret of Shadow Ranch, is all in how you summarize it.

--

Good luck detectives! We'll see you on Tuesday.

- Novel -

Fussy Machines

I started my day off with spilling tea on my shirt and sweater. Oops. Next I uploaded a few trailers to our other channels and documented the ones already up. After that I was informed that a brand new video went up! Yay! The second episode of the Nancy Drew Radio Mystery series with detective Private iPadTM continues its suspenseful saga. Be sure to check it out.

Next on my task list was to print some labels, but the silly printer was giving me attitude. With the help of a savvy few people we were able to make it cooperate.

On the topic of machines and labels, here's our disc replicator: this super machine copies and shoots out games from a master disc. After awaking from a sixth-month hibernation it didn't want to work, as if it was still rusty and trying to stretch its muscles. After our tech team gave it stern talking-to, it grudgingly submitted, and is making an abundance of early game builds, ready for testing!

Here's a sneak peak at what a few of us do in our spare time: yet again, another teasing image of an awesome castle puzzle! This time it's an image of the front (last image was of the backside). Until Tuesday (oh, just a note: we won't be here for President's Day Monday, so enjoy the puzzle releasing tomorrow and all the cool trailers we have until then.)

Ta-ta for now!
~Little Jackalope~

On the matter of Castles.

So I suppose we've been teasing some readers with all the super awesome stuff we do here at HI, including the things we do on our break times. Building castles out of foam puzzle pieces is such a relaxing yet brain-teasing pasttime, and we love them. They make for nice trophy displays and conversation pieces here, especially for the season of castle creating in our games.

While the castle in Treasure in the Royal Tower was lovely and the ruined castle in The Haunting of Castle Malloy was creepy and ominous, the castle in our latest game will be different. It will be it's own unique environment with its own unique secrets and its own unique beauty (can I stress the beauty more? It's gorgeous!) If you have some spare time, I recommend doing a little research on German castles, it will be even more exciting when you get to play the game.

We've been working on a new, smaller castle puzzle during our lunch breaks. Here's a peak at it, albeit still unfinished:

New Twitter quote contest today! Tweet your answer for a chance to win a digital download game!

~Little Jackalope~

The World of Nancy Drew + Feathers

Isn't it amazing how many different things Nancy has done in the games? I find it so much fun trying things in the games that I would never get to do in real life, and other things I've never even thought of doing. How often have you climbed caves to look for bats, or disarm a bomb, or explore hidden rooms? Not to mention all the second chances (and still get to live through them). My personal favorite is getting to explore the different environments and cultures of different countries. These games offer a world (fictional and some non-fictional) of opportunities that we can enjoy in the comfort of our homes. It's fun to say to someone "the first time I drove a car was in The Secret of the Old Clock" or "I know what an ohm is and what a soldering gun does" or "of course I discovered a small fortune, it's just on the screen and not in my hands". How cool is that? What experiences were new to you when you played the games?

On a side note, I got to experience a new outdoor game with the HI team when I started here and just the other day earned the "Feathers of Shame". Here's my temporary trophy:I hope to pass these feathers on to someone else, but it's raining outside, so I will wallow in humiliation. (This is actually quite a funny situation among office folk).

Today's the last day to submit your entry into the Nancy Drew Missing iPad contest. Check out the video and send your solution to solved@herinteractive.com.

~Little Jackalope~

Valentine's Day Update.

It's a sure busy Monday! People brought in some cookies and cupcakes to share (how nice!). There is a lot of things I want to mention, oh where to start...?

There is new carpeting in the entrance to our offices (and we can still smell the new carpet adhesive), I saved a ladybug's life, had a coffee meeting with Novel, there was an office shout-out email to an artist working on a very important puzzle (which I heard is quite intricate and it has been a battle with making it work without any problems) and he has done such a wonderful job! I had to snoop through the art files to find this mini game, it's looking great!

We have been busy with getting these games ready, especially with the Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch (iSHA), have you seen any of the new trailers and fun old time radio show for the iPad and Nancy? Don't miss out on that new series! Also, check out the new iSHA wallpaper to download from our homepage. Who-hoo!

Congrats to the sleuth(s) that solved last week's puzzle without hints! For those who have not seen the solve, here it is: [Each set is a letter found on the buttons of a phone; (3.2) refers to button 3, 2nd letter which is "E".] Here's what it says: [Eye Shadow].

February's only going to get better!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hiyo!

I hope everyone is doing well. We've been busy, as I'm sure you've seen. There's been a whole bunch of new content in the past couple of weeks, and we've got a bit more to go! Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch is on its way, and we're giving it the "red carpet" treatment. Expect to hear more soon!

But it's Friday, so on to the brain-teasing:

- Weekend Puzzle -

(3.2)(9.3)(3.2)(7.4)(4.2)(2.1)(3.1)(6.3)(9.1)

--

Good luck detectives! See you next week. ^.^

- Novel -

Partner Contest Winners!!

Congrats to Kate and Jolee for winning the Nancy Drew Partner Contest!!
(Out of a list of the judges' favorites, these two were picked randomly).

Here's Kate's entry:

"Nancy Drew. You can just tell by her name that she is a determined, smart, and courageous girl detective. She is famous for solving hundreds of mind-baffling mysteries. Hardly anybody can match wits with Nancy Drew. So who has enough true grit to team up with this sleuth? Why, Samantha Quick, of course!

Samantha Quick was introduced in the Nancy Drew PC Adventure Game series in the Phantom of Venice. Nancy has to impersonate Samantha so she can meet Enrico Tazza at the Casa dei Giochi Club in Campo Santa Margherita. She wears a red dress, blonde wig, white gloves, and dark sunglasses to complete the impersonation. Samantha is from the states, but is being educated at the Doppeler Institute for Independent Industrial Arts in Switzerland learning who-knows-what (and is at the top of her class). Apparently, though, she’s a thief, and a pretty good one at that. Stealing the Sadal Melik sapphire (for which Enrico hired her) would probably be a picnic for her, even though Nancy Drew, sleuth extraordinaire, was caught a couple of times. Samantha even phones the detective at the Ca’ Nascosta, where Nancy is staying, right before she is about to steal the sapphire. Samantha knows all about River Heights, and even Ned Nickerson. Although Nancy hardly knows anything about Samantha, Miss Quick certainly seems to know quite a bit about Nancy.

It seems as though Samantha can dig up information about anybody, break into high-Tec security places, and deal with fellow criminals without batting an eye, and all without being caught. If she and Nancy Drew teamed up, they would be just about invincible. You’ve got the sleuth who deducts, snoops, and solves impossible puzzles, and the thief who is living incognito, one foot in the criminal world.

Of course, teaming up with Samantha could have a couple of downfalls, too. Nancy and Samantha would probably have several discussions about obeying the law and breaking it. We all know Nancy stays in the lines as much as possible, while Samantha might jump at the opportunity to bend, if not break, the law. And hanging around a thief could be strange for Nancy, especially if Samantha wore her weird costume all the time. But I’m pretty sure that Samantha and Nancy would resolve all arguments fairly quickly, and that Nancy would gain good experience from being teammates with Samantha-for when she needed to face a real honest-to-goodness criminal.

Even though Nancy and Samantha wouldn’t be the best of pals, they would get used to each other, and work together almost perfectly. Combine an amazing detective who has solved impossible mysteries, and a sly, unknown enigma, and you get a team that could stand up to practically anything and solve the toughest, hardest, most inconceivable cases ever."
_____________________

...And here's Jolee's entry:

"I think if there was any character from the Nancy Drew PC game series that Nancy could team up with best, it would have to be Hilda Swenson from Danger on Deception Island. First of all, Hilda is extremely brilliant- she created all of those puzzles in hope that someone clever enough would come across them someday. Hilda is also nosy (in a good, detective way), which allowed her and her husband to discover all of those secret passageways that they did. Hilda is a master at creating puzzles and passageways, Nancy is a master at solving puzzles and navigating passageways- and they are both very keen. Together, they would be the perfect dynamic duo in solving mysteries! Besides, I personally thought Hilda was a very interesting character that I would love to hear again from in future games and would love to see her in person, rather than over a phone. It would be good to bring back some aspects from older games before they are forgotten."
_____________________


We love reading your thoughts and creative ideas, so keep entering these contests and sweepstakes!
Happy Sleuthing!
~Little Jackalope~

Box Art and Old Radio Shows

We took a look at a proof of a box layout plus the embossing design, it's is pretty cool to see our boxes from its early stages to the finished product. Also, another cover design for a new game is in the process of being fully illustrated (now that the layout design was decided upon). I'm excited to see the finished result! Note to self: find (snoop for) images that will go on the back of the box without getting distracted by the Koko Kringle candy bar wrapper in every folder I look through. How do I always manage to find that when I'm going through files? Or maybe the candy is calling to me...

Contest winners are being selected, so keep an eye out!
Oh! We posted a new video up, it's an old radio-style program mini-series (and it reminds me a little of "Creepy Corner" from The Secret of the Old Clock, but modern 2011 updated).

Congrats for solving last weekend's puzzle! New weekend puzzle on the morrow, heading your way.
~Little Jackalope~

Smelly fridges and clues under our noses. *Sniff*

I'm having quite a different day today. Office updates include the following: There's a new office puzzle we are working on during our lunch breaks in the kitchen, (maybe I'll post a picture when it starts to take formation), something smells in one of our refrigerators and we have yet to find the cause, testing on a few major in-game puzzles have begun, and I get to do some extensive snooping for images of our newest working-in-progress game. Any excuse to peek at the latest work is fun, I can tell you this (and I may have said this before); there are some beautiful environments and puzzles in this game! I'm super excited for the overall look!

By the way, the winners for the "Partner" contest will be posted soon, the judge(s) are spending a lot of time reading the entries. Keep a weather eye out!
Twitter quote contest is up today! Check it out!

New hint for last week's puzzle: "Keys under your nose". (No grammatical error here.) Have at it!
~Little Jackalope~

Office Cases, art, and Cursed Puzzles!

Our production department is scurrying to get a beta build done for some serious testing. This is the fast and busy part for them and I'm excited to test out this early version of the game. (I occasionally sneak a peek at some environment art, which is so beautiful and rich!)

As for me, today I have solved the case of the missing wallet (in the car glove box) and am now on the case of the "Cursed Puzzle #83". Something weird about this puzzle is making it unsolvable and I am determined to find out what the trick is (starting with tracking down its origin).

I have also been busy editing some art from past games and creating a layout design with what we already have. It is really fun to present the games in a nice design that really catches the eye. Studying the game cover art is also real inspiring, which I got to take a peek at (talk about thriller art!) It will be nothing like what you have seen currently on the Internet (although those artists are quite talented) so no worries folks!

Anybody working on last week's puzzle? As soon as you know what to look at, the rest is easy.
Hopping back to work,
~Little Jackalope~

Fans have great minds.

Not much on office news today. It's a Monday and therefore it is the wake-up day of the week. I've been catching up on some art surrounding the game covers, and I've also been reading the message boards. We are very interested in reading about what our fans are talking about, it's so much fun hearing what you predict and expect of the upcoming games, and you always have great ideas for future situations to put Nancy in. Just letting you know that we do take to heart and mind what our fans want!

Oh! Lookie: our office puzzle is complete! Hooray! Now the sad part is going to taking it down...maybe I'll wait until someone mentions it. Can you identify this famous German Castle?

Ooh..the weekend puzzle isn't solved yet? Perhaps my being vague paid off! (I've been trying to best you sleuths for a while now, but you keep cracking these puzzles so quickly!) Here's a hint: "Key" as in verb or noun, not code word or unlocking something.

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

It's Friday!

Yup, that means two wonderful things. One - I get to stop by and spread some end of the week cheer. :) And Two - Weekend Puzzle!

Jackalope's been keeping things running well around here. It has been quite a busy Winter for us. Usually we get a little time to relax at the start of the year, but with the Mobile Mysteries coming at the end of the month we're in launch mode already! Plus I hear that The Captive Curse is starting to go in to some major testing rounds. We're making some good mystery here folks!

On to business - Puzzles. Check it out!

- Weekend Puzzle -

5.10.25.26.23.8.16.16.5.9.3.22.3.11.9.14.25.3.

Hint: Key first, 3x6 next.

--

Good luck to everyone, we'll see you next week.

- Novel -

P.S. Don't forget to enter the "Partner Contest" the deadline is on Monday!

Castles and Cover Art

A little excitement is stirring in the kitchen today; our 3D castle is becoming more vertical! Although there are a few confusing stone pieces left to put together, most of it has yet to be assembled. Here's an image of the courtyard:Besides that I've been working with the cover designs of all our past games, and touching up a few box shots that look so awesome without text. I love looking at them without text! Speaking of images, there are a few wallpaper requests coming in. I may have a talk with Novel about getting those (no guarantees when they will be available, though). I wonder if a Sonny Joon wallpaper would be popular...

Hopping back to work,

~Little Jackalope~

Excitement in the slow times.

This is a really exciting time for some of us in the office (and the perhaps the most infuriating for our fans). Ok, maybe it's exciting only to me, because it's a bit mind-boggling and slow at times. It's the halfway point in creating a game when most of the art is done, the puzzling process of piecing the game together happens, first round of testings have begun, and preparations of presenting the whole game is on our minds.

Earlier we were looking at our old cover designs and went over a few ideas in a discussion about the future cover designs. It's a lot of fun to be in this process to see how the final images are brought together. For an example of this, check out the Secrets Can Kill Remastered game's blog on the cover design process. I'm also excited that I get to work on some new (small) designs that go into the future games. So cool! I hope it works out well.

Twitter quote contest is today, check it out along with the new Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch (iSHA) feature tidbit mentioned earlier.
~Little Jackalope~

The mysterious sounds are not my imagination!

As I may have mentioned before, every once and a while I would hear a horse whinny. It would come from any direction in this office, meaning not only is it coming from different locations, it also moves mid-whinny!

After two months, I finally discovered the source: the new Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries®: Shadow Ranch game, of course. (That explains the moving sounds, it's on a mobile device). More specifically I learned from what part of the game it is coming from. Our executive producer has been testing and timing a few of us office volunteers on a small area where the horse whinnies repeatedly. It was such fun! I sure hope many of you sleuths out there will enjoy it as much as I did.

By the way, more info has been released on iSHA! Yay! Check out the product page and Dare to Play blog. Many tidbits of iSHA info will aslo be released daily via Twitter, so keep a close watch for that.

Happy gaming!
~Little Jackalope~

Life is a puzzle, and full of many little puzzles!

I've heard some people in the office have been testing early game builds, which is exciting. (This is when much of the art is finished and it is then put together like a puzzle, then we see if it works). It is a motivation to imagine every task of ours as a challenging puzzle, it makes the more tedious jobs more fun. Sometimes an art project is a timed puzzle, documenting is like creating a story, and file management is like sorting the books in Danger on Deception Island. This might sound silly, but that's how I sometimes perceive my tasks on my to-do list.

Speaking of puzzles, our lead tester mentioned my putting up an image of our office puzzle, found in the kitchen. It is going to be a 3D castle, but we are a long ways from it becoming... not flat. Here's a quick peek of the entrance. As you cannot tell, there is nothing much more completed than this part:

You super sleuths solved that weekend puzzle zippy fast! Guess we'll conjur up something weirder or harder for you next time.

Ta-ta for now,

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hiyo!

It looks like Jackalope has been keeping you very up-to-date on all the office antics. It has been a pretty crazy year already, and we've got a lot more coming up! Hopefully you saw the newsletter and are now honing your mobile sleuth knowledge. We'll be releasing more awesome content for the Mobile Mysteries series soon. All secrets revealed, all veils lifted. So to speak. :P

But now it's time for one more mystery, the Weekend Puzzle!

- Weekend Puzzle -

VIFKZMV USYEKEXUSU M

Hint: It's all backwards

--

Good luck to everyone, we'll see you next week!

- Novel -

The clues are in the details.

I'm having quite a wonderful day so far, except for the part about Novel being out. :( He will be back tomorrow, though. :)

Our Game Production Manager is such a trooper what with that broken leg of hers! She's here working with a smile on her face, although in a bit of pain. She is pretty much awesome!

All the workers here at Her are totally awesome; I was given a little tutorial on an art trick on my computer by one of our super artists, which was so much fun! I love learning new tricks from the pros!

While on one of my projects, I was studying a few game covers (again!) and thought how intriguing the designs are! Take a close look at a few of them and you'll notice tiny details such as the reflection in the water of the Yurei (ghost girl) on the cover of Shadow at the Water's Edge, or the number 13 scattered all over Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon. I particularly like the small eye-catching ones like the lit window on the house in the image on The Secret of Shadow Ranch, or the treasure chest on the cover of Ransom of the Seven Ships.

Did you see the January newsletter? It's up with a slightly-new design, but the fun part is the content: finally more info on Nancy Drew: Mobile Mysteries Shadow Ranch! Whoo-hoo!! I'm excited.

Stay on your toes!

~Little Jackalope~

Attractive images and half-solved puzzles.

It is a beautiful, mellow day today where we can sit back in our chairs and quietly work on...whatever it is we do. (Magic, some might say). I myself am working on a new design that will be for drawing people's attention to older and current games. I hope it will be clean and catchy enough. What images interest you in a new game? Big, small, detailed, scarry, pretty, a cute cowboy...? For me, it's a perfect balance of one large image, surrounded by smaller images with detail, all in color sync. Yep, I think that's attractive.

I've decided to give you a half-solution to the mysterious puzzle #83.
The puzzle part is this: Dpd cm kp sfrasqcgovo
The numbers refer to the three different ciphers used in previous puzzles. Puzzle number 56 was a Playfair cipher, puzzle number 61 is a Vigenere cipher, and puzzle number 43 is a Railfence cipher. "Hut" is the keyword needed for the Playfair cipher, and "Hike" is the keyword needed for the Railfence. Let's see what you can do with this, savvy detectives!

Don't spoil a beautiful, opportune day! Carpe diem!
~Little Jackalope~

Commotion and puzzle relaxation.

There sure has been commotion all day today! Our printer was getting fixed this morning, people coming in and out of meetings, our Game Production Manager has a broken leg yet paid us a visit, the end of the month is coming and a few of us are scrambling to finish writing our plans and get what tasks we have left done... *Stop for air*. It sure is exciting, though! Thank goodness for fun 3D puzzles to relax with during lunch break. It's kind of a race to get it done for a meeting tomorrow. It would make a lovely addition to our discussions. Maybe I'll post a picture of it when it is finished.

Gotta hop back to some designs! I may just post the solution to puzzle #83 tomorrow; hopefully someone can solve it before then? *Wink.

~Little Jackalope~

Game perception: scariness!

I am guilty of snooping for info on the upcoming game, (unfortunately I can't share much with you) and looking through some semi-finished art for an environment got me thinking about how we perceive the games.

My current thoughts are what makes the games scary. Personally, I find the music and sound effects the most influential in the scariness of a game. The occasional squeak of a hanging sign or falling rock or swishing leaf makes me feel like I'm not alone. Dark spaces with spooky lights is another biggie, and of course, the monster animations and "boo!" moments are always an awesome touch. Does anyone else feel jumpy and jittery when Nancy is going through restricted areas or snooping in the dark? I love the feeling that I could get caught at any moment! How about thunderstorms and rain showers like in the intro to Message in a Haunted Mansion or the entirety of Legend of the Crystal Skull? Do you think the weather is a big enough factor to add to the scariness of the atmosphere?

This was something I found interesting, and depending on what you like in a game can mean a world of difference to how scary you think this next one will be!

Ooh, don't forget to check out the new wallpaper from The Secret of Shadow Ranch that's up, and be sure to try to solve and enter into the "Missing iPad" contest that we've got going on!

Congrats to you sharp sleuths who solved last week's puzzle! For those of you who are curious, here's the solve:
Puzzle: AOA OFX SKR PYM
Keyword: Clue

Solution:
1. Give each letter in the word “Clue” a number according to alphabetic order between itself. C=1, E=2, L=3, U=4.

2. Place the sets of letters (in puzzle) in columns
A O S P
O F K Y
A X R M

3. Arrange those columns in the order “Clue” is. Example: SKR which is in the third column belongs under "L" because "L" is the third in alphabetic order in “Clue”.

4. Read the message columns left to right.
ASPO
OKYF
ARMX
("X" is not counted in the read. "X" does not mean anything.)

Answer:
A Spooky Farm.

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hey Everyone!

I hope you've all had a wonderful week. We've got a lot of new content to tease out, particularly surrounding the "mobile" launch. I'm sure Jackalope will keep you "up on the up" regarding all our upcoming releases. In the meantime, enjoy the latest weekly puzzle!

- Weekend Puzzle -

AOA OFX SKR PYM

Keyword: Clue
step 1. stand tall
step 2. Use the key for order
step 3. Read it out - less one

--

Good luck sleuths! See ya soon.

- Novel -

Beautiful environments, beautiful colors.

Exploring new game environments for the first time is so much fun! I got to take a peek at a room and several mini-puzzles yesterday inside one of the games we are working on, and I must say, it is a very beautiful environment and the puzzles are so much fun! I'm super excited for the upcoming game...I may snoop around to find find more tidbits.

Today I'm taking a look at our website and the game box designs for an art project. Each game has a color theme to it, and the different colors on each box makes for a nice balance with all of them sitting on my shelf. Is there a color we are missing? I was thinking yellow earlier, but we did that with Lights! Camera! Curses! and Resorting to Danger. After all, many of the Nancy Drew books are yellow.

Another hint for last weekend's puzzle: Grid the alphabet, then number the letters.

Hip hop!

~Little Jackalope~

Check. Check. Che--Wait! Where'd that come from?

I'm feeling quite productive today. I checked off three things on my task list and hope to have four more done today. Of course, I did get totally distracted in my work when I stumbled upon a piece of art that I hardly recognized! See here:Can you identify which game this was from? I realized that there are several more inventory items that were collected in the games that often we don't notice. These mysterious items are the victims of Nancy-takes-then-gives-right-back events. We earn them, but immediately following is the part when we have to pass it along to another character or place. I personally like collecting a ton of stuff in the games, instead of losing my inventory. I suppose losing some for a purpose makes us sometimes feel accomplished, like putting a puzzle piece into the wall in order to solve it.

Suppose a hint for last weekend's puzzle would be helpful, yeah? The 4x7 refers to a grid.

Ta-ta for now!

~Little Jackalope~

Office life: Can't reach the snacks

Deciding it was time for a snack (wish we actually had Koko Kringles) I entered the kitchen and opened a cupboard. The last few bags of chips were on the top shelf, and naturally, I couldn't reach it. Thinking like Nancy, I had to choose one of the following options:
1. Get up on the counter (and hope I don't get caught)
2. Find something long to use to knock the chips off
3. Give up
4. Ask for help

Luckily our designer walked in before I chose #2, so I asked her for help. Yes, the workers here at Her Interactive are awesome! Sometimes they even surprise us with hot drinks. That was a nice treat this morning. I wonder what Nancy's favorite morning drink is?

You sleuths are reeeeally close to solving the weekend puzzle (and #83) by the way.

Gotta get back to some art documenting. That art better have not moved since I last looked at it...
~Little Jackalope~

Adding to the website.

After reading a dozen or more emails, I learned that there are a few things that could be added to our website. One fun project has me listening to music and re-sizing screenshots. Hopefully it will turn out nicely and not crash on me. Here's a picture hint:Other than that, it's Monday and schedules are getting arranged and re-arranged according to our task lists. Besides the part where I smelled something burning in the kitchen, and noticed that someone else had raided the unopened juice box case, it's been a mellow, quiet day. Maybe someone will stir up some mayhem later...just for talk.

Looks like you sleuths are busy hacking away at last weekend's puzzle...I don't think you need a hint just yet. You are on the right trail!

Hopping back to work,

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle

Hello, hello sleuths!

It looks like my partner-in-crime (Jackalope) has been filling you all in quite well with all the hubbub in the office. I've been demoted to just passing along the weekend puzzle. T.T

We'll, when you're busy, you're busy, I guess. On to the fun!

- Weekend Puzzle -

1-16-22-18-19-25-23-7-22-18-12-19-2

Hints: 4x7 a=t-b n=l-r

--

Good luck, puzzle-players. I know you can do it. ^.~

We've got some awesome stuff coming up, so be sure to come by next week. Keep it mysterious, y'all!

- Novel -

Second Chances and learning.

After making a mistake yesterday, I got to clean it all up today. Learning new software is quite a challenge, but one of the best ways to learn is through those mistakes. Now is a good time for a real-life "Second Chance" button, or maybe hitting Ctrl+Z a few times, but like Nancy, we've got to trudge through the tough times and not let anything stop us.

Lately I've been learning more about our new game launch of the Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch onto the iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch, and I think it is so cool! Books have never become more alive to me until now. The art is coming along very nicely and the stories are new, that's all I can say for now. I particularly like the logo:

Puzzle #83 still needs to cracked! Here's an added note about it: the letters are the actual puzzle, use previous puzzle types to solve it.

Keep it Real:)
~Little Jackalope~

Slow but Interesting...

It's a little quiet in the office today, probably because of the slush and snow scared people from coming in, or perhaps they are all here just being super quiet. I decided to walk around to see if they had anything interesting going on. Those artists are sure crunching through a lot of art! I walked by and saw an awesome project someone was working on...I couldn't figure out what it was for...or even what it was, but it was awesome! The process is interesting here, when one department is slow and easy-going, another is rushing to get their projects done, but later they switch. As for me, I've got some tedious work right now, but that's okay because the slow work makes the fun stuff all the more fun!

Here's something fun: there's a new contest that started yesterday! Check it out on the Dare to Play blog and tell us who Nancy's best detective partner would be!

You sleuths are thinking hard on puzzle #83, I've noticed. How about another hint to speed things up? You're looking for three different ciphers to solve this one.

Hop to it!
~Little Jackalope~

Creative thinking and its creations.

Oh how I love meetings! We just finished brainstorming some nouns, adjectives and verbs in Nancy Drew language. We absolutely love being creative, and coming up with new thoughts and ideas. Creative thinking first takes a little research to figure out what is needed, then brainstorming ideas, and finally it's about putting it all together. I am excited for this process in creating new things for this year.

This is me trying to be creative on the computer (or trying to steal some of Sonny Joon's work...)

By the way, you guys solved last week's puzzle super fast! Guess we'll have to trip you up a bit next time *schemes*.

Here's a big hint for puzzle #83 from weeks past:

The numbers are three different references and the "Hut" and "Hike" are clues for those.

Ta-ta for now!
~Little Jackalope~

Phone Charms and Katakana

I was reading some great quotes from the Shadow at the Water's Edge script. There are some funny lines in there! Here's one of my favorite conversations between Rentaro and Nancy:

Nancy: "Something weird happened...when I looked in the mirror I didn't see my reflection."

Rentaro: "Aha!"

Nancy: "You know what happened?"

Rentaro: "You're a vampire. Seriously though, that's pretty messed up. Maybe you need to get a little rest."

There were a few things I learned from this game as well. Take a look at this:

A real-live phone charm from Japan! I've had it for a year because I didn't know what it was and I couldn't read the katakana characters on the wrapper until now. As Yumi would say, "It's a phone charm! You can't not have one." Discovering new things like this at the office is always fun.

Peace Out!

~Little Jackalope~

1st Puzzle of 2011

It looks like we've got our first official Weekend puzzle of 2011! In an interesting turn of events, we're introducing a new puzzle-meister to the mix. She's starting you off with a lite faire; something to get the ball rolling so to speak. Without further ado:

- Weekend Puzzle -

HTCHNEASREWCORDEATHOSF

Hint: It's inside out

--

Good luck sleuths and we'll see you next week!

- Novel -

Sending presents to lucky fans.

I got to pack and mail some puzzles to some lucky contest winners today (super awesome). I hope they enjoy them as much as I enjoyed boxing myself into my cubicle (which looked like I was building a fort). Behold! The wall of winners:

Now that they are gone :( I get to snoop through some archives to find images of horses and ghosts for a Nancy Drew art project. That's always fun! Be sure to keep a lookout this month on the home page for some cool extras to add to your computer.

Peace out!

~Little Jackalope~

Task list: Check!

Ah, Wednesdays! In the heart of the week, we still create to-do lists. Here's mine:

~Make sure art is in the right place
~Use that art to create something awesome
~Read through old scripts
~Make a spreadsheet
~Send an email or two
~Eat a cookie

Unfortunately all I can check off is that last one. If only my task list looked like Nancy's from in the games. It would be cool if it was on my computer screen so when I try checking off something I will hear Nancy's voice saying "That's done!" or "Can't check that off yet!" and I would feel so accomplished.

Nancy has a smart phone, I wonder what sort of organizing abilities we could add to it in the future...if she even needs it what with her handy task list. Phones seem to do a lot these days, but in a fictional world, they could do even more. Hmm...*scheming*.

Ta-ta for now!
~Little Jackalope~

Those little things we love...

I've been doing some searching for old art while listening to some familiar game music. It got me thinking about some of the cool extras that are found in a few of the games, particularly the "sounds". Not the game music, but the music and advertisements in the games such as the radio in The Secret of Shadow Ranch, or the radio in Trail of the Twister (this one's extra funny I think). The one I almost forgot about was in Secret of the Old Clock. Remember "Creepy Corner"? I found the picture of that vinyl record and just now remembered what was on it... a clue to the mystery. I love this style of hiding clues! I wonder if there will be any more audio fun added in a future game. (I know there are a few more in several other games. Have you heard them all?)I should begin a list of bonus and fun stuff like this to add to our Easter egg wish list. Who knows, maybe someone will leave a secret message or Easter egg clue in a future game this year. Time to brainstorm!

Puzzle #83 is getting closer to being solved (poor puzzle, it's been weeks). Someone in particular is almost on the nose!

~Little Jackalope~

We're back and ready to rock!

Hey all, do you have a great holiday break? Hopefully you received a new game to play, winter breaks are perfect times to spend on a good mystery (I also played a game or two). I sure enjoyed a little rest, but now I'm excited to be back and among the action here in the office. (I was suspicious when I came to my desk to find my computer monitor turned 30 degrees off its original angle and a soda can next to my keyboard. No worries, we don't have villains here, just sneaky culprits.)

It's a new year filled with new ideas and new projects to add to last year's unfinished to-do list. There will sure to be more contests and fun things coming up! As I walked by a room I overheard some familiar western music...hmm...sounds like an awesome project they have going on. Speaking of westerns, have you seen the title banner on the website page for the first Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries game? There's an extra horse, and it's a pretty one! Ooh, I'm excited! I may do some snooping around to find a larger image. Until then, whoa! I just heard a whinny! What a distraction, as I was saying;

Stay sharp!
~Little Jackalope~

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

The goodies are dwindling down here (who took the last of the fudge?!) and we are getting ready to close shop. But don't worry, we'll be back January 3rd. We crazed sleuths could use a little rest and vacation. Of course, that just means some awesome mysteries to work on in Nancy's language.

Keep a weather eye on the message boards, the last of the avatars are coming your way, including the top fan choices. I'm excited for these last ones! They are my favorites.

Enjoy your holiday break and be sure to solve or re-solve a few cases (maybe one with snow involved?). From us to you:

~Little Jackalope~

Foods and Gifts

Ah these holidays! They are a great time for foods and parties. We had an office potluck yesterday and I thought I'd sneak back into the kitchen just now to get a few more leftovers and goodies. I don't think I have a favorite dessert, they were all so awesome. Which reminds me, I wish we could try one of Hannah Gruen's masterpieces in a future game, because I always remember reading about the wonderful foods she makes, and they are described so well, too!

By the way, if you're doing any baking this week, I suggest getting your ingredients now, because stores get a bit crazy later. Same goes for gift shopping, but if you want to beat the crowds in the electronics section (for all your gaming desires), there's always the cool sales we've got going on our site, this week it's for Shadow at the Water's Edge. This is a really fun game to play over winter break, and you don't need to get trampled over to get it. (Being small is not very fun in crazy crowds, trust me).

Stay warm!

~Little Jackalope~

Story Quote Contest Winner!!

What a crazy start to the day! Several Her Interactive employees were locked out of the office because the secure door was being overly secure. It insisted on remaining closed. No worries, we have a back door. Super detectives always have a backup plan for escapes and such. *Sly grin*.

In all the Christmas week buzz, we have an important announcement to make! Congratulations to Rachel for winning the Story Quote Contest!! Curious to see her story? Here it is:


The Case of the Triple Layer Chocolate Cake

“Okay! Nobody is leaving this room until this thing is solved; and I mean nobody!”

George Fayne eyed the occupants of the room as if daring them to retaliate.

“George, don’t you think you’re overreacting…Just a little bit?” Bess Marvin spoke nervously, sure George would not agree. Which she didn’t.

“Are you out of your mind? This is important!” George exploded. “My birthday party, and the cake goes missing? That this was three layers of pure chocolate HEAVEN, and I want it back. No one goes until it comes.” She glared at Joe Hardy, her prime suspect.

“George…” Nancy Drew sighed, curling a lock of her Titian hair around her finger.

“Don’t ‘George’ me! This is serious, and no one is leaving until I find out who did it! I’m going to look for anything suspicious in the kitchen. While I’m gone, reconsider your ‘stories.’ I know one of you took it.” The last line was spoken most pointedly at Joe, who had sworn he only smelled like chocolate due to the candy bar he’d eaten, not from eating her cake, a story which George found suspect at the very least.

After George exited the room, the group formed into a huddle. Ned Nickerson leaned forward to whisper.

“Is she always like this about cakes?”

“Not usually,” Bess Marvin answered worriedly.

“It was probably because she was up so late last night watching movies,” Nancy whispered. “On her last birthday, she made a list of things to do before her next birthday. Yesterday she decided to go for it and try to finish the things she still had on her list. Yesterday she’d already fit in three picnics, a swimming trip, and a hike around the town. She decided to cram some movies in too, to meet her goal. You all know how George is about accomplishing her goals.”

Frank Hardy shook his head. “She’s a determined one. Anyone know how late she stayed up?”

“Not exactly,” Bess answered. “But by three in the morning she was losing it. I asked her what on earth she was doing up so late on the night of her birthday, and she said something crazy-sounding like ‘Isn't it marvelous to be up and about when others are sound asleep? I find my brainwaves are at their most powerful during this time.’”

“Well that’d explain why she was so exhausted and grouchy this morning,” Joe whispered.

“Yeah. She sure isn’t now, though,” Nancy chimed in. “Nothing like a good sneaking suspicion to keep you on your toes I say.”

George re-entered the room.

“Okay! What are your alibis? Speak up! Joe!”

Joe, who hadn’t expected to be called on, had the same reaction he had when this had happened to him in school. He just about shot out of his seat and hit the ceiling.

“Yes ma’am!” he shouted, jerking to attention.

“Did YOU eat my cake?” George demanded.

“No, ma’am. ‘N it’d suit me just fine if I never saw it again,” Joe answered quickly.

George wasn’t buying it.

“Well then who did?”

“Ahem.”

Everyone turned and saw Hannah Gruen in the doorway, blushing just a little. In her hands was the cake.

“Hannah?” Nancy asked.

“I’m afraid I’ve caused a bit of a misunderstanding. George, no one stole your cake. I just got downstairs a few minutes ago and realised that I’d left the candles off your cake. I looked around, but realized we were all out of birthday candles. So, I rang up a neighbor and went over there to get some candles. I took the cake over there with me so I could compare the candles she had to the color of the frosting I used. Sorry for the confusion; I should have left a note” Hannah explained.

Everyone stared in silence for a moment, while George’s cheeks grew red with embarrassment. Then Joe spoke up.

“So, I’m not going to jail forever?”

Everyone broke into laughter and got on with the party; a highlight of which, everyone agreed, was a certain triple layer chocolate birthday cake."

-- Rachel


And congrats to you sleuths for figuring out puzzle #84! Here's how it's done: Start in the center (S) and then move to it's right, following in a spiral movement similar to the dart board in Warnings at Waverly Academy. Here's the answer: "See it on the cover of Glam Glam".

Keep the wheels spinning!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle 84

It looks like we had a pretty exciting week. But I'm thinking next week will be even more awesome! We'll have a few more fun things going on, so be sure to stop by. :)

We've got a new puzzle for you this weekend. I'm hoping maybe it will inspire some good ideas for puzzle #83 as well. Good luck sleuths!

- Puzzle 84 -

M G L A M
A N T H E
L O S E C
G T I E O
F O R E V

Hint: This puzzle starts with 50 points at Waverly Academy

--

We'll see you next week. Have fun!

- Novel -

Solving cases and keeping on our toes.

Today is alive and we are running! This place feels like a hot zone for all sorts of action; meetings all day, phone calls, contests to check out, schedule planning, and lots of food talk is what I'm hearing all at this moment. (These things that keep us on our toes and our minds alert are what make it so exciting in this office!)

Earlier a few office sleuths solved "The Case of the Disappearing Chair". Using their keen observation and interrogating skills, they cracked the case. There is predicament I'd like to try solve, too: how to get into the special snack closet, which of course "Is locked!" without anybody noticing...

The ND Decoder sweepstakes is hopping! Lots of you have entered, but if you haven't, you still have time! Tomorrow night at 11:59pm PST we will stop accepting entries. So hurry to it!

By the way, Sonny Joon wishes you a "peaceful" season.

~Little Jackalope~

Fun Quotes and Jackalope Displays

I've been reading a lot of fun stuff today. There are some awesome quotes in the games that I haven't caught before, and they are really funny! I've missed several of Frank and Joe's conversations in the past because I don't call them very often for hints in a few of the games...and they are hilarious, totally worth listening to! Here's a couple I like from Trail of the Twister:

Radio Commercial:
VOICE 1: "How much would you expect to pay for this top of the line product?"
VOICE 2: "$64.95"
VOICE 1: {Caught off guard} "That's...yup. Thats right. Did someone tell you?"

Frank and Joe Hardy:
Joe: "Now I've forgotten what I was saying...oh yeah. Acts of revenge always make less sense than sabotage. But remember, Every act of sabotage reveals the nature of the saboteur. Think about what type of person would behave this way..."
Frank: {Lightly teasing} "That's very deep, Joe...not extraordinarily helpful, but deep."
Joe: "Eh, one out of two ain't bad."

I've also learned the secrets of the jackalope display in Trail of the Twister, which I love. Have any of you figured it out?

Weekend puzzle 83 is waiting for a master detective to figure out its answer. Give it a try!


~Little Jackalope~

Ah, Ambience.

I've been listening to some well-known Nancy Drew music from the games, and wow! It is so much fun just to sit back, close my eyes, and hear the stories they create. It is so beautiful, and many are epic! The titles to the songs are simple, and just by looking at them I can make a very good guess as to which game they belong to...can you?

"Memoirs"
"Harpsichord Enchantments"
"Desert Lands"

Weekend puzzle is yet to be solved! "I'm counting the days of old in hopes you will find the answer!"

As for the new sweepstakes (see previous post), I figured you would be more excited to see what the prize actually looked like in its box form:

Looks complex, right? Perfect! Hop to it for the chance to win!

~Little Jackalope~

Contests, wallpapers, and sales, whoo-hoo!

Mondays here are like caffeine boosts! After resting up on the weekends, we come in to greet tons of exciting new tasks and then amp up the old tasks. There is so much going on: contests, new wallpapers, newly added avatars, and this week's game sale! Whoo-hoo!

While the judges are deciding on the winner from our last contest, we've got something fantastic to announce; A brand new sweepstakes!

For this week only you can enter for a chance to win a Nancy Drew Decoder Puzzle! To participate simply email us at HIcontest@herinteractive.com along with your name and email address with the subject line: "Decode Nancy Drew." Submissions will be accepted until 11:59PM December 17th. We'll randomly select 20 winners from the entrants to receive a Nancy Drew Decoder Puzzle! For your best chance, be sure to follow the rules below:

Rules:

• Each contestant may only enter once.
• Entries must be received before 11:59PM December 17th.
• Entries will only be accepted by email.
• This contest is open to everyone.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and drop your name in the hat! And keep your eyes peeled for more great information.

~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle 83

Hey-o everybody!

The weeks have just been flying by here at HI. I've been enjoying reading Little Jackalope's posts probably as much a you have! She's been doing some awesome projects recently. We'll hear more from her next week, so stay tuned.

We haven't forgotten about the weekend puzzle, here's the latest mind-bender.

- Weekend Puzzle 83 -

Dpd cm kp sfrasqcgovo

56, 61, 43! Hut! Hike!

--

Good luck and we'll see you next week. ^.~

- Novel -

P.S. correct puzzle now posted. :P

December Brainstorms

Lots of meetings have been happening today. It is in those hours that we brainstorm Nancy Drew hurricanes! It's a lot of fun, but it's also work, which I love.

We've been getting ready for the new year while cranking away at all of December's action, it's quite an interesting juggling trick. I find it better when there are several things to work on, so I can go back and forth, clearing my mind for an hour of one task, and coming back to it later. Hm, does Nancy have a one-track mind, or do you think she can concentrate on several things at once?

This is me working on very important projects; I figured you'd like to see what that looks like:

Don't take any wooden nickels!

~Little Jackalope~

Elves and Sneakiness

Santa and Elf hats are sort of funny looking, I think. I've been staring at them all day and goofing off with their different shapes and how they rest, and I realized that elf hats look a little like a medieval archer's pointy hat. You know, the kind with a feather in it? (Using detective skills really trains the eyes to such details and observations). Here's the hat I have:

Lose the stripes and fake ears and fuzz ball at the end and voila! I'm an archer! Or just a sneaky elf in disguise.

Speaking of being sneaky, I casually walked by a meeting room not too long ago and subtly looked through the corner of my eye to see what's going on. It was a secret meeting in the dark, the schemers were speaking about the future. Ooh! I walked quickly by because I wanted to be surprised later.

We have a few surprises in the near future as well! Just wait a bit and you'll see!

~Little Jackalope~

Researching and Art projects

It's been a while since I have read through one of the yellow hardcover Nancy Drew books, and I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy it as much as when I was younger, but my doubts soon vanished when I started reading one for some "research". It was awesome! I loved every page of it and since I just couldn't put it down, I never used a bookmark.
It reminded me that Nancy is a fighter for justice, and that is what drives her to find answers. Well, that and her curiosity, of course!

I've been doing some snooping for old art images to mischievously alter for future projects. I'm particularly looking forward to Thursday when more goodies are released! Busy, busy, busy! I should be wearing my elf hat right now...

Oh the puzzle! Congrats to you super sleuths who quickly solved the weekend puzzle! Here's how it went: Start with the first letter and count every third until you reach the end. Next, go back and start on that second letter, counting every third. Do this one more time (starting on the third letter, counting every third) so that every letter and space and punctuation mark is used. You get three titles:
1. Trail of the Twister
2. Secrets Can Kill Remastered
3. Shadow at the Water's Edge

Keep it real!
~Little Jackalope~

Surprise! It's Monday!

Guess what happens on Mondays? Just about everything. There's buzz in the office because a couple got engaged! Congrats to them! It must be the season for everything special. It's also the season for being sick. Several people here at Her Interactive aren't feeling too well but came in to the office anyway. What troopers!
We are super busy with all kinds of things, and a few of us are having a discussion about character hairstyles. It's interesting to hear the artists' and designer's thought process on this!

Ooh! The new holiday wallpaper is up for you to download, and can be found on the home page. Also, if you are on the message boards, there is a new avatar you can use. :)

Cheerio!
~Little Jackalope~

Weekend Puzzle 82

I've been enjoying reading Little Jackalope's posts. She's had some rather interesting adventures already! I can't wait to see what happens next week!

Anywho, here's the puzzle for this weekend:

- Weekend Puzzle -

tssrehacairdleo_twos_f_a_ctta_hnte_h_keti_wlwilas_ttreeerrm' _as_s__te_ed_rg_ee_d_

--

Good luck, we'll see you next week!

- Novel -

Goodies and ciphers... and a leaky roof

This is what I've learned since I've been at Her Interactive: something interesting happens every day. Yesterday a leak was discovered in the roof, and today (as I speak) someone is trying to fix it (right across from my cubicle). Thankfully the leak isn't over any one's desk!

Whoa! I just realized it's December already! That means some great stuff will be coming your way. Actually, there are a few things available right now. A holiday wallpaper is up for downloading (this is from Trail of the Twister), so check out the Dare to Play blog for details. If you are a member on the message boards, check out the new avatars you can use, (the "Whale" is on page two and "Nancy Drew Book" is on page three under the "Standard Avatar" list).

Congrats to all you sleuths for solving the puzzle from last week (and for catching the typos...that is totally my fault and I will make it up to you, meaning Novel might fire me from puzzle creation.) Here's how it is solved:

Find the lyrics to the song "Let it Snow!" and notice how it is broken up into four verses ("paragraphs" or "sections" for us non-musical people) and use the Ottendorf cipher to find individual letters.
The first number represents the verse/section, the next number is the line, third is word and last is the letter in that word.
For example: 1.3.5.1 = P

2.2.3.5
4.3.2.1
1.4.3.2
3.1.3.2
3.1.3.3
2.3.4.4
1.2.6.6
3.2.8.1

2.2.7.1
4.3.1.2
2.2.4.3
1.3.5.1
3.1.4.1
4.4.2.1
1.3.4.1

2.1.6.4
3.2.2.1
4.1.2.4

Here's the complete answer: (Hannah's Pumpkin Pie).
Stay sharp!

~Little Jackalope~

Old Secrets Discovered

I was just doing some simple artwork when it happened. It appeared in the art, as if it transformed in front of my very eyes, and then revealed itself to me. The words were invisible to my naked (actually glasses-gazing) eyes until now...now when it wanted to be found...

OK, so I'm being a bit dramatic, but it's because I'm super excited!! I discovered a secret that I never knew! (Well, some of you may have already known). Have any of you studied the old Nancy Drew game menu with the stacked brown-red books? Take a closer look to the right of the Nancy Drew silhouette, where there are some jagged, textured lines. Those lines are actually words!

It says (Her Interactive) in capitals. I thought this was pretty cool. Just think! There are several other Nancy Drew and company references hidden in the games. Try looking for them, even in the old games, you may have missed something, like I did.

Last week's puzzle is still unsolved! I'll be posting the answer sometime soon, but for now, another hint: Use the song lyrics to find letters that make up the three words (hence the three sections of numbers).

Let's get case crack'n!

~Little Jackalope~

The start of goody giving

That's right, it's goody giving time! New holiday wallpapers are up and if you read the Dare to Play blog that just went up, you'll see clues on December's holiday extras. Novel_Sleuth has been super busy with these, that's he's worked himself into losing his voice. :( Get better Novel!

We spend a lot of time thinking about the upcoming holidays and specials and all the possibilities that we can fit into our day. So much time that some of us are decorating to keep the festive inspirations close by. I've heard that an artist nearby has Christmas lights in his cubicle, so I thought I'd start decorating mine. Here's what I have so far:

Gingerbread cookies on my wall! (OK, so I was inspired by Yumi's room decor in Shadow at the Water's Edge). It's not much, but I intend to add more, later. Maybe I'll sneak a peek at the artists' cubicles to see what ideas I can glean. *Sly grin*

Oh! The puzzle is still unsolved! Here's an even better hint: Each row of numbers equals a letter.

Keep it real!

~Little Jackalope~

Codes, Ciphers and Clues, oh my!

Whoo-hoo! It's Monday! Why is it that Monday seems to be the most mind-boggling day of the week? I love it, all the more challenges to take on! It's kind of like playing dodge ball in reverse. Multi-tasking (and thinking) is a Nancy Drew trait, I think. I'm practicing it now.

Speaking of challenges, last week's puzzle (mid-week for the Thanksgiving break on Thursday and Friday) has not yet been solved, but oh boy! Someone is on the right track on the message boards... So here's your semi-vague hint: Every letter counts. Ciphers are fun...half the problem is trying to figure out which one. :)

Ooh... I'm thinking of using my purple journal from the Nancy Drew Collector's Edition Fan Favorites to create a Nancy Drew cipher, code-cracking and sleuth guide. Any suggestions to what puzzles from past games I could add to it?

~Little Jackalope~

Holiday Preparations

It's the season of great food and gift giving. My favorite! We are busying away in preparation for all the upcoming holidays and treats you will be getting. Gifts just add an extra spark to all the excitement, and someone here in the office received a nice big gift basket filled with goodies not too long ago. So much fun! I wonder what Nancy gives as gifts?

Anyways, for your temporary enjoyment here's a little puzzle I've gift-wrapped for you:

Let it snow!
2.2.3.5
4.3.2.1
1.4.3.4
3.1.3.3
2.3.4.4
1.2.6.6
3.2.8.1

2.2.7.1
4.3.1.2
2.2.4.3
1.3.5.1
3.1.4.1
4.4.2.1
1.3.4.1

2.1.6.1
3.2.2.1
4.1.2.4

And Happy Thanksgiving!
~Little Jackalope~

A Nancy Snow Day

Well, we are snowed in today. That means cocoa, a blanket and extra time to spend on playing one (or more) of the Nancy Drew games! I haven't decided which one to play, though. I'm thinking "Classic old game? Or exciting new game? Snow in the game, or ghost in the game?" Oh I know! How about Treasure In the Royal Tower followed by The Secret of Shadow Ranch, and in the dark of night I'll play Curse of Blackmoor Manor if I have that much time. What a great combination for a wintry season like this. Sounds like a great gift idea, (Collector's Edition Fan Favorites, anyone?) especially when or if you get snow or storm days and need some excitement in the warm indoors.

How fast do you suppose you could get through these games (if you have already played them), and how long does it generally take to finish a new game? I know I take days on a new one, but can zip much faster through a classic we all know so well.

Oh dear, with all these games to choose from, I should make sure I have some time for work...

~Little Jackalope~

A New Sleuth

Day 1: Whoo-hoo! Had a snowy start on my first day at Her Interactive, but would snow ever stop a sleuth from doing "sleuthy" things? Of course not, Nancy would not have it. I will say, though, the snow makes the world look so mysterious, it can hide large objects yet outline details with its sharp, contrasting color, and it makes the outdoors seem so quiet. It's as if the snow is hiding many secrets.

Anyways, I've been getting the low-down on the inner workings here at HI from a more professional sleuth, discovering some secrets and learning how we do things here (this includes magic). A couple things I have learned from Nancy is to keep great notes, and to use a handy task list. I have full confidence that these highly developed skills from my detective training will help in my work. Hmm, I wonder what other Nancy skills I could use to make my work excellent...

~Little Jackalope~

The Next Act

Okay so I'll make this super-duper-short (e.g. tl;dr).

We've got a brand new voice here at HI and I thought I'd give her a spin at running the show for a couple days a week. I've still got some stuff planned for you all so don't worry bout that, but in the meantime, enjoy the classic stylings of our latest sleuth!

- Novel -

P.S. Puzzle solution tomorrow. Kudos for the solve.

Weekend Puzzle 80

Here it is, your weekly puzzle. We've got something a little bit different, but I think you'll totally dig it. Check it out.

- Weekend Puzzle 80 -

(click for a larger image)

--

Good luck! And have a good weekend.

- Novel -

Gratitudes and Platitudes

Did you see the newsletter yet? I know it totally just went out, but whatever it is awesome. There's some sweet developer commentary about Shadow at the Water's Edge. Plus they talk about some excellent promos during the holiday weekend. Good stuff.

Thanksgiving is next week. It's kinda got me thinking about all sorts of stuff. Like what's for lunch? But more importantly what are we, here at HI, really thankful for. I'm thinking of doing a short poll around the office today and tomorrow and then posting a few of the answers I get. What do you think!? Yeah, it would be awesome, thanks.

I'll tell you what, I'll say what we're thankful for, and you can let me know what you are thankful for?

Cya tomorrow!

o Novel o

The Life Cycle

Sometimes it's a wonder how things end up given where they started. For instance, I snapped this shot earlier today.

- The various stages of an HI journal's life -

It shows the progression of the exclusive journal (only in the Collector's Edition Fan Favorites tin). I think there was little chance of us ever going with the white book on the bottom, but it helped us select a bit more solid sort of book. Odd binding and the desire for more pages helped push us from the green version to the sleek looking brown. But of course this is HI, so we gave it a royal color (matching the tin and games) and put the famous silhouette on the front. And wham! We've got our journal.

Of course this is the simplified version of the process... it took us over a month to do and there were a few other considerations, but it's interesting to me to see the changes from what we originally concepted, to what we ended up shipping.

Heads-up, newsletter. Tomorrow. Be there, or be somewhat quadrilateral.

- Novel -