Creator Indicates Difficulty of New Puzzle Was Increased by a Self-Implemented Change

MeatheadMilitia acknowledged that he recommended a change to the puzzle that made it much harder. He stated, "this puzzle would have probably been easier had I not recommended I change 1 thing, which, as it so has it, is definitely making it much harder to solve." He felt bad for a player who was close to solving it but was stopped by others, suggesting it could have been solved an hour earlier. He is considering providing a hint either immediately or waiting until 8 PM PT, similar to a previous puzzle release. He also confirmed that AI was not involved in the puzzle's difficulty. Later, he reiterated that only two individuals were on the right track, and most theories were incorrect, advising players to stop working on their current approaches. He later gave the answer to a player and confirmed another player who got "parhelion" was also correct.