Puzzle 049 is Floor Seats, a 30-picarat Write Answer puzzle from Tyrone, the ringmaster of the Big Top. Ms. A is complaining about her seat at last night's play, and you have to work out from her four complaints which row and seat she had. In the UK version the puzzle is called A Whinger's Tale.
This page covers story Puzzle 049 in Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask on Nintendo 3DS, in the US and UK English versions. If you're after Daily Puzzle 049, one of the other puzzles in the Big Top or Puzzle 049 from another Layton game, see Wrong Puzzle 049? below.
What Puzzle 049 is
| Name | Floor Seats (A Whinger's Tale in the UK version) |
|---|---|
| Type | Write Answer |
| Picarats | 30 |
| Location | Big Top, Monte d'Or |
| Chapter | Chapter 3 |
| Puzzle giver | Tyrone, the ringmaster |
| Comes after | Puzzle 048, Lighting Action |
| Comes before | Puzzle 050, Kitty Solitaire |
The puzzle says: "Ms. A is complaining about the seat she had for last night's play. Can you work out where she was sitting?" Then come her four complaints:
- "The five of us sat in a row, with me in the middle. Talk about a fifth wheel!"
- "Of course I got stuck behind some oaf in a top hat. I could hardly see the stage!"
- "There were four seats between me and the aisle to my right. I needed the loo, but I didn't dare make a fuss!"
- "Since my view was blocked, I took to looking at my ticket and noticed the seat number and row number were two apart."
The objective bar says, "Enter the row and seat." The top screen shows the seating chart, with the stage at the top and row 1 nearest to it. The touch screen has one box for the row and a wider box for the seat number. Write the numbers in, then touch Submit.
Why it looks hard
The rows aren't the same length. Rows 1 and 2 have six seats on each side of the centre aisle, rows 3 and 4 have seven and rows 5 and 6 have eight, so the seat numbers run higher towards the back.
Each complaint on its own leaves lots of seats. It's only when you put them together, in order, that the list gets short. The hints below go through them one at a time.
Puzzle names
The puzzle is called Floor Seats in the North American version and A Whinger's Tale in the UK version.
| Version | Puzzle name |
|---|---|
| North America | Floor Seats |
| UK English | A Whinger's Tale |
| Japanese | 劇場の座席 (Gekijō no Zaseki, "theatre seats") |
| German | Die Leiden der A |
| Spanish | Lady quejica |
| French | La mal siégée |
| Italian | Capricci a teatro |
| Dutch | Zitplaatsgezeur |
The Japanese title may be 劇場の座席. The North American release labels it 劇場座席のナゾ ("theatre seat puzzle").
Wrong Puzzle 049?
- Daily Puzzle 049 is Zoo 05, from the Pen Pals set.
- Other puzzles in the Big Top are different puzzles: Puzzle 048, Lighting Action, hidden in the lights above the stage, Puzzle 050, Kitty Solitaire, and Puzzle 122, Kitty Solitaire 3, later in the story.
- Puzzle 049 in another Layton game is a different puzzle. If yours doesn't show a theatre seating chart, you're in the wrong game.
Where you find it
Floor Seats is in the Big Top, the circus tent in Monte d'Or, in Chapter 3. You can get in once you've solved Puzzle 047 and the story sends you to the circus. Talk to Tyrone, the ringmaster in the top hat. The UK version probably just calls him the Ringmaster.
He greets you with, "Ladies and gentlemen! Children of all ages! Welcome to the One-Ring Circus! I am Tyrone, your ringmaster!" and then admits, "I have the heart of a lion...but the brain of a salmon who swims downstream. Perhaps you can help me with this puzzle here?" If you quit, he says, "A block upon your brain as well, eh?" Talk to him again and he says, "Until this puzzle is solved, I just won't be able to concentrate on anything else."
The Big Top has three hint coins: on the diamond banner on the left, on the chair and on the diamond banner on the right.
You probably have to solve it: the story seems to move on to Maurice the tiger only after you solve it.
When you can't see it
- You're counting from the wrong end. Row 1 is nearest the stage, so "behind" someone means a higher row number.
- The aisle on the right-hand side. For a seat on the right of the centre aisle, the game's Hint 3 counts the gap at the right-hand end of the row as the aisle.
- "Too bad." That's the game's message for a wrong answer, and it says, "Read each of Ms. A's statements carefully and narrow down the possibilities." Check each complaint against your seat before you touch Submit again.
Hints, one at a time
These hints follow the game's own hints. Open only the next one you need. In the game, Hints 1 to 3 cost one hint coin each and the Super Hint costs two.
Hint 1: The middle of five
Ms. A sat in the middle of five people, so she had at least two seats on either side of her.
Hint 2: Someone in front
Someone in a top hat sat in front of her, so there was at least one row of seats in front of her. She wasn't in row 1.
Hint 3: The list
The third complaint narrows it down a lot. The game's Hint 3 gives the seats that are left: seat 3 or 10 in row 3 or 4, or seat 4 or 12 in row 5 or 6.
Super Hint: Two apart
Take the list of seats from Hint 3 and find the one where the row number and the seat number are two apart.
Answer and full solution
The answer below gives the row and seat, and how the four complaints lead there. Open it when you're ready.
Show the answer
Ms. A was in row 6, seat 4. Write 6 in the row box and 4 in the seat box, then touch Submit.
Step by step:
- Complaint 1: she sat in the middle of five, so she needs at least two seats beside her on each side.
- Complaint 2: someone sat in front of her, so she wasn't in row 1.
- Complaint 3: four seats between her and the aisle on her right. In rows 3 and 4 that's seat 3 (with seats 4 to 7 before the centre aisle) or seat 10 (with seats 11 to 14 before the end of the row). In rows 5 and 6 it's seat 4 or seat 12. In row 2 it would be seat 2 or seat 8, but each of those has only one seat on its left, which breaks complaint 1.
- Complaint 4: the row and seat numbers are two apart. Row 3, seat 3 is 0 apart, row 4, seat 3 and row 5, seat 4 are 1 apart, and the seats numbered 10 and 12 are 6 or 7 apart. Only row 6, seat 4 works.
- Enter it: write 6 in the row box and 4 in the seat box, then touch Submit.
It probably also accepts 04 in the seat box, or the 4 written in the right-hand half of the seat box. It doesn't accept the answer with the row box left empty.
The game's message when you're right says, "Correct! Ms. A was in row 6, seat 4. Right at the back! Oh dear... At first she seemed very fussy, but anyone would complain about that seat."
Picarats, hints and hint coins
Floor Seats shows 30 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 30, 25 or 20 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Hints cost hint coins, not picarats. The costs are one coin each for the first three hints and two for the Super Hint, five in total. The three coins in the Big Top aren't enough for all of them on their own.
Versions and systems
- Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and New 3DS: no difference. You write the numbers on the touch screen.
- US and UK English versions: different puzzle names (Floor Seats and A Whinger's Tale), same seating chart, same answer. The UK text writes "Ms A" without a full stop, and the UK Super Hint writes "2" instead of "two".
After the puzzle
When you solve it, Tyrone says, "Quite impressive, my good man! You would make quite a clown. Or an animal trainer." He then introduces the circus's tiger, Maurice, and Luke wants to talk to him. Speak to Tyrone again and he says, "Have a nice talk with Maurice. Hahaha! Oh, this town... Full of characters."
FAQ
Where is the answer to Puzzle 049?
It's in the Answer and full solution section above, hidden until you open it. If you only want a push, open the hints one at a time first.
Where is Puzzle 049?
In the Big Top in Monte d'Or, in Chapter 3. Talk to Tyrone, the ringmaster (probably just "Ringmaster" in the UK version).
Is A Whinger's Tale the same puzzle as Floor Seats?
Yes. A Whinger's Tale is the UK name for Puzzle 049. The seating chart and the answer are the same.
Do I have to solve Puzzle 049?
Probably. Tyrone's puzzle seems to stand between you and Maurice the tiger, so the story probably waits for it.
How many picarats is Puzzle 049 worth?
It shows 30 picarats when it starts. The puzzle can award 30, 25 or 20 picarats. Wrong answers may reduce the picarat value.
Is Daily Puzzle 049 the same as Puzzle 049?
No. Daily Puzzle 049 is Zoo 05, from the Pen Pals set. Story Puzzle 049 is Ms. A's theatre seat puzzle in the Big Top.
More Miracle Mask puzzles
- Puzzle 048: Lighting Action
- Puzzle 047: Trial by Tennis
- Puzzle 044: Suit Crates
- Puzzle 122: Kitty Solitaire 3
For the rest of the game's puzzles, see the Miracle Mask puzzle index.