If your 200 symbols start like in @zombiheiler 's post, there's an ordering that fits the theme. (If you've managed to get the other set of symbols, first seen on page 2, then you're going to have a hard time.)
At least the 5 different symbols has a very logical order that match with the theme. Previously I didn't get the correct 5 because I pour the mixture into an ingredient instead of pouring the ingredient into the mixture.
I'm still searching for the "obscure cipher" thing. :/
Great. Either that's intentional or a byproduct of the (simple) decode. And I though I was getting somewhere....
Indeed, you can have two different sets of 8 characters (although the sets overlap a bit); both have the same distribution. But only one of them makes sense, though.
Stuck here. I think I get the method which was not intended for English words, but am kinda lost with the order/mapping. Am I still on the right track if the last 2 chars of the 100 are the same at this point?
The Polybius requires a "key" of 25 characters laid out into a 5x5 grid. Technically repeated characters are indeed "allowed". But there is nothing in any prior step of this puzzle indicating anything we can use to fill in the grid.
The way to turn pairs of numbers of 1-5 into letters is literally ancient. It’s such a classic that it doesn’t need a direct clue as long as the ordering 1-5 is natural (which is the main problem of the QT letter set - no obvious ordering).
That leaves 26 possibilities, and given the code works both horizontally AND vertically, that's 52 things to "try". The output being 100 gibberish characters that need another step to decode, and that's IF I actually do have the correct "5 symbols" in their right ordering AND there wasn't any additional obfuscation step here like reversal.
So the key could be:
bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
acdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
...
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
The tiny bit of drifting through the alphabet, there is a LARGE amount of overlap in the decoded output, and nothing screams "yes! oh my! this will be easily decoded from here!"
Finally solved.. A good one after two not-so-good ones. Well fit the theme.
Converting 200 symbols to 100 could leads to a set of alphabet with some missing, one is a default choice of the cipher.
The result may not look correct, you need to look closely (or not too closely) to find a familiar pattern. Then you perform the last step of the process (I mean the process that matches the theme, not the decoding process)
Having a bunch of trouble with the keyword(s)... Will I know I have it right? Does it(they) fit the theme of the puzzle in any way? Currently, there seems to be a lot of ambiguity. Lots of words I could choose here. I'm afraid to start firing off guesses and hit the cooldown.
I've read through this thread at least 3 times and I still can't seem to figure out what method is supposed to be used to decrypt A. The only thing I can think of is that periodically, a group of letters in the string will look like it makes sense with part C, but that doesn't seem to get me anywhere.
You've done other challenges so the decryption method should be familiar. If you've found the key (don't overthink it) you will immediately see that you've started something right. The fun part is discovering how you can continue from there 😃
I was stuck for a very long time at C, which I definitely analyzed too much. It was a bit annoying, not gonna lie.
When I finally realized what A, B and C were supposed to indicate I began to love this challenge. While not being a fan of the middle part, I absolutely loved the part where you finally get to 13ar. Not sure how I feel about the last part though...
All in all, even though C threw me off hard, I think this is a very clever and well done challenge.
thanks for that, i had tried many of the single words there but didn't think to try multiple words, still took a couple of attempts to find just the right phrase for the passcode
@Vorticity Thank you for creating the most fun, enjoyable and elegant puzzle I have had the pleasure of working on! Without a doubt this is my favorite puzzle of the whole series, an example of how each puzzle should be. It contains ways to verify you are on the right path, it has small twists and red herrings, and is a perfect match to what the theme is meant to be. Compliments! 😍👌
Are you sure about the prefix? I heard the keyword, suffix is there, but still "Invalid passcode". Can't really make much more of the prefix than what's on my screen (apart from a trivial computation, which makes the prefix shorter).
Comments
If your 200 symbols start like in @zombiheiler 's post, there's an ordering that fits the theme. (If you've managed to get the other set of symbols, first seen on page 2, then you're going to have a hard time.)
At least the 5 different symbols has a very logical order that match with the theme. Previously I didn't get the correct 5 because I pour the mixture into an ingredient instead of pouring the ingredient into the mixture.
I'm still searching for the "obscure cipher" thing. :/
Same format as in the previous challenges.
Prefix: Six letters / digits.
Keyword: Three words, two short ones and one middle long.
Suffix: 13ar.
Correct timing is important to find the keyword.
Yeah... I made a silly mistake. Once I corrected it your timing comment came into play.
And yes.... Timing is important. Cost me a few invalid passcode attempts.
Great. Either that's intentional or a byproduct of the (simple) decode. And I though I was getting somewhere....
Indeed, you can have two different sets of 8 characters (although the sets overlap a bit); both have the same distribution. But only one of them makes sense, though.
this one was a lot of fun. Thanks for the puzzle!!
Finally got it everything makes sense now listen to the music ;) and the end makes perfect sense. Good luck everyone only one puzzle left after this!
That's right, yes.
It's not the tap/knock code, and the similar "Polybius" requires a key, and nothing previous in this puzzle indicates anything resembling a key.
Please review those requirements.
Stuck here. I think I get the method which was not intended for English words, but am kinda lost with the order/mapping. Am I still on the right track if the last 2 chars of the 100 are the same at this point?
yes
The Polybius requires a "key" of 25 characters laid out into a 5x5 grid. Technically repeated characters are indeed "allowed". But there is nothing in any prior step of this puzzle indicating anything we can use to fill in the grid.
Alfabet, Forget about 1 letter to fill 1 box, or other tools without filling the box
@0X00FF00 Try the default (might depend on the tool used) without overcomplicating. Good luck.
The way to turn pairs of numbers of 1-5 into letters is literally ancient. It’s such a classic that it doesn’t need a direct clue as long as the ordering 1-5 is natural (which is the main problem of the QT letter set - no obvious ordering).
That leaves 26 possibilities, and given the code works both horizontally AND vertically, that's 52 things to "try". The output being 100 gibberish characters that need another step to decode, and that's IF I actually do have the correct "5 symbols" in their right ordering AND there wasn't any additional obfuscation step here like reversal.
So the key could be:
bcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
acdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
...
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
The tiny bit of drifting through the alphabet, there is a LARGE amount of overlap in the decoded output, and nothing screams "yes! oh my! this will be easily decoded from here!"
There is a standard way of using the alphabet here (no need to fiddle around with custom ones). If you use the french site it can be straightforward.
Finally solved.. A good one after two not-so-good ones. Well fit the theme.
Converting 200 symbols to 100 could leads to a set of alphabet with some missing, one is a default choice of the cipher.
The result may not look correct, you need to look closely (or not too closely) to find a familiar pattern. Then you perform the last step of the process (I mean the process that matches the theme, not the decoding process)
Edit: typos
Having a bunch of trouble with the keyword(s)... Will I know I have it right? Does it(they) fit the theme of the puzzle in any way? Currently, there seems to be a lot of ambiguity. Lots of words I could choose here. I'm afraid to start firing off guesses and hit the cooldown.
Oh... I feel dumb now...
I've read through this thread at least 3 times and I still can't seem to figure out what method is supposed to be used to decrypt A. The only thing I can think of is that periodically, a group of letters in the string will look like it makes sense with part C, but that doesn't seem to get me anywhere.
Wow, @Vorticity thank you for this beautiful challenge!
I enjoyed it from the first second to the last second, and the ending was grandiose - complete with a soundtrack! 🤩
I'm glad I chose to sleep at 5am though (started at 1), I managed to salvage a small part of my workday 😴
You've done other challenges so the decryption method should be familiar. If you've found the key (don't overthink it) you will immediately see that you've started something right. The fun part is discovering how you can continue from there 😃
I was stuck for a very long time at C, which I definitely analyzed too much. It was a bit annoying, not gonna lie.
When I finally realized what A, B and C were supposed to indicate I began to love this challenge. While not being a fan of the middle part, I absolutely loved the part where you finally get to 13ar. Not sure how I feel about the last part though...
All in all, even though C threw me off hard, I think this is a very clever and well done challenge.
Any hints that haven't already been said for the key? I've tried some more obvious stuff, but nothing's coming out.
(Also: if you use TG, can I message you to see if I have the correct type of cipher?)
thanks for that, i had tried many of the single words there but didn't think to try multiple words, still took a couple of attempts to find just the right phrase for the passcode
@Vorticity Thank you for creating the most fun, enjoyable and elegant puzzle I have had the pleasure of working on! Without a doubt this is my favorite puzzle of the whole series, an example of how each puzzle should be. It contains ways to verify you are on the right path, it has small twists and red herrings, and is a perfect match to what the theme is meant to be. Compliments! 😍👌
Are you sure about the prefix? I heard the keyword, suffix is there, but still "Invalid passcode". Can't really make much more of the prefix than what's on my screen (apart from a trivial computation, which makes the prefix shorter).
Your turn to delete the quote @feistyzag
Yes, I am sure. Look for someone to compare notes on the prefix. Your can hit me up on Telegram if you like