ARG: Intimation-Responses

[Off-Topic][Weird] Shot-Code from Reach

Kilination@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 04:19:02 +0000

I don't know why, but Bungie added the shot-code as an Avatar on their community website sort of randomly.

Also, I have the journal, and it came with so much stuff! Including Dr. Halsey's ID card that she used on Sword Base.
Maybe you could mod it so you could use it as an ID card?
You know, I might try that. It would be cool.

[Off-Topic][Weird] Shot-Code from Reach

Kilination@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:36:27 +0000

Happy Reach launch!

Edit:
That journal is amazing.. O.O
I wish I could have a custom UNSC ID card.
or that Bungie would use it in some sort of interactive fashion.
The barcode really scans, i dont think the other ones do though.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:02:24 +0000

Very nicely done!!!
:wafel: :mmm: :wafel: :mmm:
Wafels and brownies all around.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:34:24 +0000

*Rogi directs everyone's attention to the beginning 16 cells of the following lines he posted as a spreadsheet , previously.

24, 36, 40, 44, 74, 78, 86

Guess I should have stated that I wasn't entering any codes as I didn't read back to figure out how.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:04:19 +0000

It all falls into place. I got 5 of the 6 sets to work -- sadly, I had wasted a lot of time with that first set, which still refuses to fall, and so I must assume it has a "typo" in their image.

(blue 32)
BXXASXQABCXQYTGS -> http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/FZI3-GH52-O11V
VIDCLJSSFKQTGRWB -> http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/DF6V-1SAC-3V2A
(green 32)
UVSRPVNOMUEKKXER -> http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/SGF6-5F4D-Y8Y3
PKELQXTJRJWGVGYL -> http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/4AW8-EF43-AW51
(red 32)
HAQOSVAHWDSKFZXD -> (should work but fails)
ZZAVQGVRKKOFZTBF -> http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/GH85-NS8G-F9FG

and by my count, we now have 47 of the promised 48 assets. (I can post the full list if people want it)

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:53:23 +0000

At the risk of asking a stupidly obvious question: What method did you use to translate the five-digit binary numbers into letters, i.e. 11110=A, 11101=B, ... 00101=Z? Is it the inverse of that Five-bit Communication Protocol?

Edit: Yes, it is -- reading left-to-right one row at a time like a normal, logical person, instead of top-to-bottom one column at a time. Comparing my first guess for the blue layer (BSBYXXCTXQXGAAQS) with the one that worked, I see that we got the same letters, but you were intelligent enough to put them in the right order.

Assuming no transcription errors on my part (HA!), that means the bottom set from the blue layer should be VIDCLJSSFKQTGRWB?

'Nother edit: Bingo.

http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/DF6V-1SAC-3V2A

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:26:59 +0000

bumping for (partial) success, I'll add more after the soccer game World Cup match.

on the red layer, lower right transcribed (my way):
00101 00101 11110 01001
01110 11000 01001 01101
10100 10100 10000 11001
00101 01011 11101 11001
gave me this pathlock:

ZZAVQGVRKKOFZTBF
http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/GH85-NS8G-F9FG

But when I used that same methodology on the red layer's upper left set, it failed for me.

Similar success with one set on the blue layer, top set:
11101 00111 00111 11110
01100 00111 01110 11110
11101 11100 00111 01110
00110 01011 11000 01100
gave me this pathlock:

BXXASXQABCXQYTGS
http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/FZI3-GH52-O11V

I'm prepared for there being transcription errors in my work, and the possibility that some of these flow in a reverse direction (as did other layers)

btw,

... Five-bit Communication Protocol ? For example, Blue 6 might give us BSBYXXCTXQXGAAQS and VLFGIJKRDSQWCSTB... if those are valid pathlocks, which I have no idea.

no, neither of those strings worked on the "cornfield".

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:40:35 +0000

OK, I'm attaching a PDF with a very short, rough description of how to solve this along with all the visual goodies.
...
Also note that there are at least 4 more easter eggs to be found from this image.

I am finally settling down to look at this. Thank you so much for documenting the process and including the intermediate files. From what I can see, there are only 3 layers unsolved (assumed to be using the same endoding method), and a 4th layer which yielded a potential pathlock but which failed.

I'll revisit my notes to see whether those would take us up to the full number of easter eggs as originally announced. Then I'll play with that last encoding method.

(shamelessly bumping the thread without contributing much at this point)

(edit to add)
By my accounting, those last 3 unsolved layers should resolve to 6 pathlocks (strings of 16-letters each). That would bring our total count up to 48 unlocked assets, not counting other easter-eggs (like that layer with the pignose, nor the hidden messages which told us how many eggs to find) -- but I did count that "typo" layer you have in there as leading to an asset too.

(returning to add)
The one layer listed in that PDF as being a typo or not working in fact does work.

EDNBQNYLLZXGJZWY
http://thewaytheirworldended.com/SFTACOMM/VEIL/N46F-8VF5-WA13

yay!

(yet another edit to add)
my progress so far, taking those layers that look like woven fibers... I reversed the black/white of the pixels to make it easier to work with mentally, and I'm imagining each horizontal line as a rope which is travelling either over or under the vertical "threads". It's hard to describe in words, so here is a picture, with a green dot or a red dot at each over/under crossing. There are natural breaks which create 4 units across each "rope" with 5 binary bits in each unit, and 4 rows down would give us 16 letters in each cluster. (I just haven't found a good mapping yet of the data, beginning with a Bacon cipher template)

[Off-Topic][Weird] Shot-Code from Reach

Kilination@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:37:58 +0000

Really weird looking thing from Reach.
Not ARG-related in anyway whatsoever, but cool nonetheless.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=16188

[SHEET MUSIC] Foreboding Dream

jarsp@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:37:25 +0000

Sure! Enjoy!

[SHEET MUSIC] Foreboding Dream

jarsp@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:45:14 +0000

Could someone possibly upload this here as well? Rampancy won't let me download the files.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:50:17 +0000

Okay. I see now.

I hadn't considered reading each group of 4 vertically, instaed of horizontally.

ETA: The "real" spreadsheet does all the work, I just paste in the binary.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:33:23 +0000

I can't figure out how you came up with the characters you did on your post.

Here's a link to a google spreadsheet that has the Blue 6 binary converted to pretty much any and all 5-bit encodings and parity variants I'm aware of. These include the base encoding and the reverse (flipping the order of the 5-bit values). The process is repeated on a 2nd sheet with the ones and zeroes flipped.
So, that's about 200 in all.
I entered the bits going left to right and top to bottom in the image.

Oh, I didn't do anything nearly that complicated:

1) Observed that the "weavings" (for lack of a better word) appear to be grouped into 5x4 blocks, with four blocks in each big line.

2) Assuming we want 16-character strings, that meant that each block could represent two or four characters, depending on whether the entire layer decodes to one string or two strings. Since each block contains four horizontal lines with a length of five, that would mean converting one or two of those horizontal lines into a letter or number.

3) Wondered how to convert a five-bit binary representation into a letter or number. Started Googling.

4) Hit this link for FCP (the link contained in my previous post)

5) Converted each five-segment line into numbers, treating the horizontal segments as 0 and the vertical segments as 1. Moved top-to-bottom within each block of four lines, and left-to-right for the blocks themselves. Observed that all values appeared to fall between 00001 (A) and 11010 (Z).

6) Made the foregoing post.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:14:53 +0000

That really is an amazing bit of deconstruction!

@Shad0

While I consider myself pretty good with analysis of binary data, I can't figure out how you came up with the characters you did on your post.

Here's a link to a google spreadsheet that has the Blue 6 binary converted to pretty much any and all 5-bit encodings and parity variants I'm aware of. These include the base encoding and the reverse (flipping the order of the 5-bit values). The process is repeated on a 2nd sheet with the ones and zeroes flipped.
So, that's about 200 in all.
I entered the bits going left to right and top to bottom in the image.

SFTA Communication

MrToasty@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:41:31 +0000

Amazing job! Regarding the layer that has yet to be solved (Level 6), could it be a visual depiction of Five-bit Communication Protocol ? For example, Blue 6 might give us BSBYXXCTXQXGAAQS and VLFGIJKRDSQWCSTB... if those are valid pathlocks, which I have no idea.