Sounds like a cool idea but I think it would be unfeasible for the creator to search the entire keyspace of bitcoin and cherry pick h160 to create some sort of code, as far as my understanding goes (please correct me if I am wrong) the creator generated a fixed number of keys and padded each key with zeroes to make them "fit" within a lower bit entropy, using some sort of code that could give hints to speed up the process of "unlocking" those puzzles, would defeat the purpose of this puzzle "simply a crude measuring instrument of the cracking strength of the community"

Not to ruin anyone's hopes and dreams, but I believe that the only ways to crack these puzzles are sheer computing power or an insane amount of dumb luck, maybe one day someone finds a flaw in ECC but if that day was ever to come... most crypto would immediately tank to 0