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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » ARG: Anyone Seen James?
Defect puzzles
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JustLurking
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Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Posts: 80
Location: Santa Clara, CA

 		Defect puzzles
Figured that we should start a new thread for all these.

Here's puzzle #2 (will repost #1 here)

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
new image in the Defect's folder, dottodot.jpg.

Braille characters. Translating, you get this out of it (pretty much):

S e c r e
r t
e
i S
d l o

(it's not lining up correctly, but you can see where each letter goes if you look at the image)
Since you see the hands of clock, read it clockwise. Get "secretsoldier". Put that in james.libereelmundo.org. You get this:

*F.A.C.A.B. Surveillance system, translating into plain text*
<Kevin Ashley> Has James reported in?
<Tom Sipper> No, there's been no word.
<Kevin Ashley> Fuck, what's the last report we do have?
<Tom Sipper> He was in Uruguay and had found the location of Abdul Je Herald. He was proceeding to the location to take him out.
<Kevin Ashley> What went wrong? We should have heard something by now.
<Tom Sipper> Hang on, report coming in now.
<Tom Sipper> Oh shit, one of our agents reports seeing members of Libere El Mundo carrying him away. He was totally limp.
<Kevin Ashley> What!? Fuck, was he alive?
<Tom Sipper> Unknown.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:50 am
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JustLurking
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Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Posts: 80
Location: Santa Clara, CA

 		Puzzle #1
Here's puzzle #1

Spoiler (Rollover to View):


So, going back to here, we have a new image, scram.jpg. Looking at the image, we see a bunch of different halves of letters.

Corla decoded the letters in the image. Anagramming them, I found among the results "unstoppable". Trying that on the James page gives us this:

Test Subject: James Vanderhuff

Current Health: Extremely Good

Doctor: Anonymous

Proposal: We are planning to insert several networked neural stimulant chips into this man's brain, in theory they will increase every sense he has and improve strength, stamina and agility. The subject has agreed to the procedure.



PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 12:59 am
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JustLurking
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Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Posts: 80
Location: Santa Clara, CA

 		puzzle #3
Got a new one tonight, guess.jpg

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
It's a jumbled up picture. Looked like an airplane to me, so I guessed it was a stealth bomber Try "stealth" in the james.LeM page. Got this:

<Jonas Cruz> Access main programming.
<James Vanderhuff> Password?
<Jonas Cruz> Maria.
<James Vanderhuff> Password accepted.
<Jonas Cruz> I have a new mission for you.
<James Vanderhuff> Mission?
<Jonas Cruz> Protection.
<Jonas Cruz> Your mission contact in Argentina will be codenamed Foxtrot Angry Weasel.
<James Vanderhuff> Expected resistance?
<Jonas Cruz> If things go badly, then heavy. We are going for a weapons deal, but I don't like these guys and they may try to stab us in the back. You could kill them all by yourself, that is why we are bringing you.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 2:39 am
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twenty benson
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 		Is that what passes for a puzzle in this arg???

Honestly, I've been lurking since the start, and this game seems to largely revolve around poorly orchestrated AIM chats and puzzles my baby sister could have a real stab at...

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:42 am
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Max Steele
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Joined: 26 Apr 2005
Posts: 456
twenty benson wrote:
Is that what passes for a puzzle in this arg???

Honestly, I've been lurking since the start, and this game seems to largely revolve around poorly orchestrated AIM chats and puzzles my baby sister could have a real stab at...


Your baby sister knows braille and can tell time?

Seriously though, if puzzles are too easy for you, it doesn't mean they are too easy for everyone following the ARG. It's alright if there are different levels of difficulty in ARGs. They don't all have to be mind-twistingly difficult for every person.

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:50 pm
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wintermute_au
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Joined: 29 Nov 2004
Posts: 82
Location: Sydney, AUS *(curr. Reims, FRANCE)

 		ahem... not to mention that this is an Alternate Reality Game not a giant puzzle game -- it's about creating an 'alternate reality'... ARGs don't have to have puzzles that only the most dedicated can break...

And if you want to work on an impossible puzzle or two, come help us out in Angels & Daemons Wink

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:58 pm
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twenty benson
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 		Sorry guys, I think I came across as a bit of an eejit there. Point is well taken Max.

And Wintermute (LOVE the name, fella), I'm ploughing through the forum right now. Bring on teh brainache.

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:25 pm
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MissWiSH
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Joined: 15 Apr 2005
Posts: 93
Location: East Coast
Max Steele wrote:
It's alright if there are different levels of difficulty in ARGs. They don't all have to be mind-twistingly difficult for every person.


Righteo Max.. some of us aren't whizzes at everything that comes down the pike. That's the beauty of working with a team Very Happy
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I guess I'm out of retirement...

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2005 1:43 pm
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JebJoya
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Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 679
Location: UK

 		new one here

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
it's international code thingy foxtrot juliet etc, spells out justice, which brings us to here which says:
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
*F.A.C.A.B. Surveillance system, translating into plain text*
<Nathan Grant> Do you understand what you've agreed to?
<James Vanderhuff> Of course I do.
<Nathan Grant> If you do this, you will never be the same.
<James Vanderhuff> I understand that. I'm doing this to help my country.
<Nathan Grant> If you're sure, then the procedure is tomorrow at 9AM.
<James Vanderhuff> I understand. I look forward to it.
<Nathan Grant> You will be our secret weapon.
<James Vanderhuff> Of course.



Jeb
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Last FM Smile

PostPosted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 12:14 am
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JustLurking
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Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Posts: 80
Location: Santa Clara, CA

 		puzzle #5
got another one tonight, MCDefect.mp3

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
Download the mp3 and listen to it. Sounds kinda ttechno, right? Well, it's actually morse code. You hear some electronic percussion sounds in it. Pay attention to the low "boom" (bass drum?) and the "ching" (high hat, maybe?). The "ching"s are -, the "boom" are dot. Separate out the letters. This is what I got:

-... .. --- -. .. -.-. .- --. . -. -

Translate, you get "bionic agent". Put that into James.LeM and you get


*F.A.C.A.B. Surveillance system, translating into plain text*
<Emily Jacobs> I've been reading over the files for James.
<Kevin Ashley> Listen, you're new around here, James isn't something we like to discuss.
<Emily Jacobs> Why is that? Because we turned him into some kind of robotic killer?
<Kevin Ashley> We did no such thing. The implants increase his senses, he still has control over his mind.
<Emily Jacobs> You and I both know that if those implants are used incorrectly they can override his will and make him do anything.
<Kevin Ashley> We never did that though.
<Emily Jacobs> True... But what if someone else does?



PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 1:05 am
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JebJoya
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Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 679
Location: UK

 		new one here

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
it's just binary, which gives us the word altered, which takes us here which says:
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
<Jonas Cruz> Sir, you might want to see this.
<Abdul Je Herald> What is it?
<Jonas Cruz> Well, James's fiancee, Alesha...
<Abdul Je Herald> What about her?
<Jonas Cruz> I think she's just become a lot more important to us. Look at this.
<Abdul Je Herald> ... Ready the men. I want her here by tomorrow.


Alesha Periwinkle was successfully captured on May 19 at 11:15. Interrogations began on arrival.



So what's she been up to then?

Jeb
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:21 am
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JustLurking
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Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Posts: 80
Location: Santa Clara, CA

 		puzzle #6
Just to keep track of them all, we also got #6 last night. caution.html.

We haven't gotten anywhere with it, though.

PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:31 am
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JebJoya
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Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 679
Location: UK

 		I AM TOO GOOD! WOO!

/me coughs
Spoiler (Rollover to View):

Well, this morning I was on IRC with KSG just chatting vaguely about puzzles, and I mention this, and say "yeah, we've put it in alphabetical order and stuff, in fact, I was going to try bunging it in a grid and reading it diagonally..." Lo and behold, it revealed "interibm...", which was bollocks, THEN KSG mentioned that it said "interrogation" (I didn't count spaces, she did damnit). Bunging that into the magic jameserator reveals this which says:
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
From: Arroyo y Lopez, Piedro
Sent: Wednesday,19 April 2005 11:30 a.m.
To: Cruz, Jonas
Subject: Moving the American

Jonas,

Je Herald has said that we must bring the American back in to start watching him. He's finished using him now, and is not sure how long his programming will last, or even if he programmed him properly, and doesn't want to risk his memory coming back out in the field.

We are supposed to put him in one of the two-way mirror rooms so we can constantly monitor what he does and how he reacts to whoever he talks to on the computer. The end goal is for Herald to find out how this chip thing works, and how he can duplicate it. Me? I'm not so sure about this. If he gets these chips into production, he might put them into us, and then we might forget our families and lives. I don't want to live like that, but orders are orders.

Go and get the room set up, I'll contact you about bringing him in. You'll need a few tranquilizers though, I had to put 3 in him before he fell asleep the first time.

- Piedro



Now, that's a nice one Smile

Jeb
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:41 am
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Paulzilla
Decorated


Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Canterbury, UK

 		New item in defstuf: heart.jpg.

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
And there are 26 marks up the left hand side, so that's probably something.

I is something. I took the marks to equal letters reading up the page, and got nonsense... So I did it backwards, taking into account the start and end points, any point at which the line changed direction and got "terror"

Plugged into the Jamesy thingy, it gives this....

<Abdul Je Herald> Jonas.
<Jonas Cruz> Yes, sir?
<Abdul Je Herald> The American... Is he alive?
<Jonas Cruz> Yes, he is, but...
<Abdul Je Herald> What is it?
<Jonas Cruz> There is something different about this man.
<Abdul Je Herald> What do you mean?
<Jonas Cruz> Our doctors have found several implants in his brain, and were unable to explain why he passed out.
<Abdul Je Herald> This pig killed my daughter. As soon as he wakes up, let me know.
<Jonas Cruz> Yes, sir.


I suddenly stopped feeling as sympathetic to James as I did - that's just not cricket. Evil or Very Mad

Edit: lol - quotes inside spoilers really don't render too well Razz
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 8:02 am
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Nezuji
Boot

Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 30
Location: Melbourne, Australia

 		New puzzle here

Not a solution, but some preliminary work:
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
From a simple eyeballing, there doesn't appear to be any complex digital steganography involved in this clue.

The text is a slightly butchered version of the second verse of the Uruguay National Anthem. Here's the text from the puzzle image:
Libertad, libertad Orientales!
Ese grito a la Patria salvó.
Que a sus bravos en fieras batallas
De entusiasmo sublime inflamó.
De este don sacrosanto la gloria
Merecimos: tiramos temblad!
Libertad en la lid clamaremos,
Y muriendo, también libertad!
Dominado la Iberia dos mundos
Ostentaba su altivo poder

There are numerous small differences which just seem to be editing for length. The major alteration is the addition of the last two lines, which in no way appear in the actual anthem:
Dominado la Iberia dos mundos
Ostentaba su altivo poder

According to Babelfish, this translates (roughly) to:
Dominated to Iberia two worlds It showed its arrogant one to be able

If you're as terrible with your geography as I am, it might help to know that Iberia is either an area of Spain, or an old name for it, or something like that. I'm not quite clear on that.

Nezuji Smile

PostPosted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 6:45 am
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