"What form does this cipher take?"
"How are the data points within this cipher linked?"
"Does there exist one or multiple rule systems within the cipher?"
Regarding the first element, of course, a true cipher is singular; therefore, to avoid becoming lost without direction, it is essential to determine what one needs to find or what the solution will be. At the same time, one must grasp how the information of the "solution" will be transmitted to the receiver—whether as digits, letters, or visual images—and whether it is appropriate for the context.
Just like Kain, when looking at the pile of fragmented blocks, he immediately associated them with letters placed side-by-side to form a text, and through several other integrated factors, determined that the answer he would solve for would be a text of letters.
The second element is similarly very important for placing the deliberately fragmented data into a common linking framework, which also relates to the first element.
