Secret Agent (Wo)Man
Jan. 6th, 2009 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azuriteOkay, so for the first time, I'm participating in MacHeist, a secret agent-like game where the prize is free Mac software. Yay for puzzle solving plus prizes!
All of the clues are posted as "Directorate Communiques" on the forums, so you do have to sign up to see them, and you get the benefit of brainstorming with other MacHeisters.
For signing in, you get the free program "Process" in your Loot, which I have yet to fiddle with, but once I do, you can expect a review here.
In the meantime, I figure it might be useful to chronicle my attempts at understanding this whole MacHeist thing, since it does appear to be confusing for others. And hey, if it helps get more people having fun, challenging their minds, and getting free software, why not?
The first thing our Directorate has us do is visit the website Garden of the Forking Paths. The site is just a simple image that changes when you hover over it.
The image is of a garden maze, and when you hover over it, you see the underground section. Different portions of the maze have letters and numbers in it, so presumably there's a clue in it.
Start at the maze entrance on the "garden" side (so don't have your cursor hovering over the image), and follow what the letters say. When you get to the underground staircase, hover, and follow the path to the exit.
You should have seen the letters that spell out "Swords of the Television Generation." Hmm, what could that mean? Well, what's the sword (power tool?) of the "television generation?" It's a remote. Now, assuming a trend established by the weird website (gardenoftheforkingpaths.com featuring a garden maze... with forking paths), let's try going to swordsofthetelevisiongeneration.com. It takes you to another site with a single image on it-- that of a guy watching TV, his girlfriend (?) looking bored on the other end of the couch.
And hey, there's a remote! As you hover over it, you see a preview of a rather interesting image-- looks like it could be a fractal with a rainbow gradient (infrared?) applied over it, or one of those Magic Eye pictures. When you click on it, you are asked to download a *.tga file-- an old-school image file. Old-school though it may be, it still opens up with most default image editors on all the usual OSes, so grab that sucker.
Okay, so now what? What do you do with your Magic Eye image? People have suggested overlaying it with the maze image (one or both), as well as the idea that this whole thing is a red herring, and we were supposed to follow ANOTHER path in the maze and find other clue(s), even though the route we took was from the entrance to the exit-- and there are apparently no other entrances or exits.
So keep up with the communiques-- Sophia, our directorate handler, says we should input the URL of our *.tga file into the Mainframe and let it get "analyzed." In the meantime, we have two more clues from our mysterious "Source."
One of them appears to be random capital letters in English. It doesn't appear to be an anagram or word scramble, but who knows? All kinds of codes appear in all kinds of ways. We'll get back to that.
The second message is clearly in German, with some random words in English. Let's hop on over to a translator to see what it says!
In order to solve this is your acumen asked. It is a tricky task ... a paradox ... a dilemma. Use the three rollers, one and two. Set the top positions at M, I and A. body finally plugboard so the O with F, P with Q, W and S, E with R and Z with I exchanged. Good luck ... you candelabrum finding the most authentic simulator.
Yeah, well, no one ever said Google Translate was a genius. Still, it does kind of make sense:
(1) Use the three "rollers," 1 and 2.
(2) Set the top positions at "M," "I," and "A."
(3) Exchange the O with F
(4) Exchange the P with Q
(5) Exchange the W with S
(6) Exchange the E with R
(7) Exchange the Z with I
Someone I know who is more proficient in German than Google said that the "rollers" is more of a verb-- like "mull over," or "toss and turn." In other words, to think about something heavily, to study it. I got to thinking, maybe it refers to some sort of puzzle on a click-wheel, like the codex in "The Da Vinci Code." I'm guessing that the location of this "roller" might be revealed with the first clue... or perhaps the first clue IS what we're supposed to exchange. Let's try:
KDNRAAOVSNGTJGZQBQISRBJHSDSQTSLA
Problem: how can we set the "top" positions to "M," "I," and "A?" We can't. So we're looking for some sort of coder (encoder or decoder). Someone in the forums mentioned an Enigma simulator for OS X-- Enigma being the famous encryption device used by the Germans during WWII. Enigma is a word that could be considered synonymous with dilemma and paradox, or at least has ties to it. Let's give that program a try:
http://www.xat.nl/enigma/
Turns out this is a fairly accurate Enigma simulator, complete with the "plugboard" mentioned in the German. You need to click on the "Window" menu and click on "Steckerbrett" to get to it. Then, just follow the instructions above to drag the plug from the first letter to the second (dragging it from the second to the first creates the same kind of connection).
But to use the three rollers, "1" and "2," that implies the TYPE that the rotor uses (out of five possible ones; it doesn't say if you should use 1 2 1, or 1 2 2, or something else) which you can set in the preferences.
Using 1 2 2 for the rotor types and Reflector B (the default), the tape reveals this:
KDNEAHROVNGTJGHQBJEQEBJHYDSPTPLA
Hmm, doesn't seem to make much sense.
Let's try 1 2 1: SYFBFZMZBLBULIBOZTBECGYAVJMFPMAI
Still nothing-- I'm looking for words (a jumble) or reversal, or some kind of code-- despite it already being decrypted by Enigma. I'm thinking something's wrong with my settings. I'm not sure I got the whole "use the three rollers, 1 and 2" thing correct.
Maybe try 1 1 2? MOKXKTAGRVLKUKNWFUWIOVHKCWLXZRYR
Nope.
Let's try the previous three rotor settings, but with a new reflector setting: A.
1 2 2: XWYQOLHSHTPVTZQECXTVIGUCWQCOPKVD
1 2 1: JAZIZYZCDEQMBEXLRWBAXVXTMTPDLQUL
1 1 2: ZNLGISTDBBTWTHVEVFBGIIUUKJCOMIRJ
Hm, we have a problem. Re-reading the phrase, it says "use THREE rollers, ONE and TWO." Maybe the rotor type order should be 3 1 2, or 3 1 1 (the types are in Roman numerals, and two Is make 2!)
3 1 2: QSXYRTRSTDLYYUJTHWFHOVGCLWINLHSX
3 1 1: TFTPWORMZAPPERTHEAPPGETENIGMATXT
Hey, that kinda makes sense!
TFTP WORMZAPPERTHEAPP GET ENIGMA TXT
Presumably, TFTP is a command (so says Wikipedia, anyway); WormZapperTheApp is a site (let's tack a .com onto it for simplicity's sake), and we're supposed to GET enigma.txt. Let's try it!
You can TFTP by using a command line program; I used Terminal.
What I typed is bold; keys I pressed afterward (to execute the commands) are in brackets. Anything else that is included is already there after typing.
tftp wormzappertheapp.com [Enter]
tftp> get enigma.txt
It then tells you it's transferred 66 bytes in X number of seconds.
For me, the file went to my user folder ~/, so I went there and got the enigma.txt file. It revealed the location and name of the next *.tga file:
b5cabcde1533bd90d8551748bb583fba.tga
Input the URL into the Mainframe.
Grab the *.tga file for yourself anyway; it's the piece of a larger puzzle that you'll want to assemble later (it seems).
There are more parts of the mission to be had, but I think I'll end this entry here. Until next time....
Actraiser Fillmore Freestyle OC ReMix by McVaffe from http://www.ocremix.org (Rating: 0)
All of the clues are posted as "Directorate Communiques" on the forums, so you do have to sign up to see them, and you get the benefit of brainstorming with other MacHeisters.
For signing in, you get the free program "Process" in your Loot, which I have yet to fiddle with, but once I do, you can expect a review here.
In the meantime, I figure it might be useful to chronicle my attempts at understanding this whole MacHeist thing, since it does appear to be confusing for others. And hey, if it helps get more people having fun, challenging their minds, and getting free software, why not?
The first thing our Directorate has us do is visit the website Garden of the Forking Paths. The site is just a simple image that changes when you hover over it.
The image is of a garden maze, and when you hover over it, you see the underground section. Different portions of the maze have letters and numbers in it, so presumably there's a clue in it.
Start at the maze entrance on the "garden" side (so don't have your cursor hovering over the image), and follow what the letters say. When you get to the underground staircase, hover, and follow the path to the exit.
You should have seen the letters that spell out "Swords of the Television Generation." Hmm, what could that mean? Well, what's the sword (power tool?) of the "television generation?" It's a remote. Now, assuming a trend established by the weird website (gardenoftheforkingpaths.com featuring a garden maze... with forking paths), let's try going to swordsofthetelevisiongeneration.com. It takes you to another site with a single image on it-- that of a guy watching TV, his girlfriend (?) looking bored on the other end of the couch.
And hey, there's a remote! As you hover over it, you see a preview of a rather interesting image-- looks like it could be a fractal with a rainbow gradient (infrared?) applied over it, or one of those Magic Eye pictures. When you click on it, you are asked to download a *.tga file-- an old-school image file. Old-school though it may be, it still opens up with most default image editors on all the usual OSes, so grab that sucker.
Okay, so now what? What do you do with your Magic Eye image? People have suggested overlaying it with the maze image (one or both), as well as the idea that this whole thing is a red herring, and we were supposed to follow ANOTHER path in the maze and find other clue(s), even though the route we took was from the entrance to the exit-- and there are apparently no other entrances or exits.
So keep up with the communiques-- Sophia, our directorate handler, says we should input the URL of our *.tga file into the Mainframe and let it get "analyzed." In the meantime, we have two more clues from our mysterious "Source."
One of them appears to be random capital letters in English. It doesn't appear to be an anagram or word scramble, but who knows? All kinds of codes appear in all kinds of ways. We'll get back to that.
The second message is clearly in German, with some random words in English. Let's hop on over to a translator to see what it says!
In order to solve this is your acumen asked. It is a tricky task ... a paradox ... a dilemma. Use the three rollers, one and two. Set the top positions at M, I and A. body finally plugboard so the O with F, P with Q, W and S, E with R and Z with I exchanged. Good luck ... you candelabrum finding the most authentic simulator.
Yeah, well, no one ever said Google Translate was a genius. Still, it does kind of make sense:
(1) Use the three "rollers," 1 and 2.
(2) Set the top positions at "M," "I," and "A."
(3) Exchange the O with F
(4) Exchange the P with Q
(5) Exchange the W with S
(6) Exchange the E with R
(7) Exchange the Z with I
Someone I know who is more proficient in German than Google said that the "rollers" is more of a verb-- like "mull over," or "toss and turn." In other words, to think about something heavily, to study it. I got to thinking, maybe it refers to some sort of puzzle on a click-wheel, like the codex in "The Da Vinci Code." I'm guessing that the location of this "roller" might be revealed with the first clue... or perhaps the first clue IS what we're supposed to exchange. Let's try:
KDNRAAOVSNGTJGZQBQISRBJHSDSQTSLA
Problem: how can we set the "top" positions to "M," "I," and "A?" We can't. So we're looking for some sort of coder (encoder or decoder). Someone in the forums mentioned an Enigma simulator for OS X-- Enigma being the famous encryption device used by the Germans during WWII. Enigma is a word that could be considered synonymous with dilemma and paradox, or at least has ties to it. Let's give that program a try:
http://www.xat.nl/enigma/
Turns out this is a fairly accurate Enigma simulator, complete with the "plugboard" mentioned in the German. You need to click on the "Window" menu and click on "Steckerbrett" to get to it. Then, just follow the instructions above to drag the plug from the first letter to the second (dragging it from the second to the first creates the same kind of connection).
But to use the three rollers, "1" and "2," that implies the TYPE that the rotor uses (out of five possible ones; it doesn't say if you should use 1 2 1, or 1 2 2, or something else) which you can set in the preferences.
Using 1 2 2 for the rotor types and Reflector B (the default), the tape reveals this:
KDNEAHROVNGTJGHQBJEQEBJHYDSPTPLA
Hmm, doesn't seem to make much sense.
Let's try 1 2 1: SYFBFZMZBLBULIBOZTBECGYAVJMFPMAI
Still nothing-- I'm looking for words (a jumble) or reversal, or some kind of code-- despite it already being decrypted by Enigma. I'm thinking something's wrong with my settings. I'm not sure I got the whole "use the three rollers, 1 and 2" thing correct.
Maybe try 1 1 2? MOKXKTAGRVLKUKNWFUWIOVHKCWLXZRYR
Nope.
Let's try the previous three rotor settings, but with a new reflector setting: A.
1 2 2: XWYQOLHSHTPVTZQECXTVIGUCWQCOPKVD
1 2 1: JAZIZYZCDEQMBEXLRWBAXVXTMTPDLQUL
1 1 2: ZNLGISTDBBTWTHVEVFBGIIUUKJCOMIRJ
Hm, we have a problem. Re-reading the phrase, it says "use THREE rollers, ONE and TWO." Maybe the rotor type order should be 3 1 2, or 3 1 1 (the types are in Roman numerals, and two Is make 2!)
3 1 2: QSXYRTRSTDLYYUJTHWFHOVGCLWINLHSX
3 1 1: TFTPWORMZAPPERTHEAPPGETENIGMATXT
Hey, that kinda makes sense!
TFTP WORMZAPPERTHEAPP GET ENIGMA TXT
Presumably, TFTP is a command (so says Wikipedia, anyway); WormZapperTheApp is a site (let's tack a .com onto it for simplicity's sake), and we're supposed to GET enigma.txt. Let's try it!
You can TFTP by using a command line program; I used Terminal.
What I typed is bold; keys I pressed afterward (to execute the commands) are in brackets. Anything else that is included is already there after typing.
tftp wormzappertheapp.com [Enter]
tftp> get enigma.txt
It then tells you it's transferred 66 bytes in X number of seconds.
For me, the file went to my user folder ~/, so I went there and got the enigma.txt file. It revealed the location and name of the next *.tga file:
b5cabcde1533bd90d8551748bb583fba.tga
Input the URL into the Mainframe.
Grab the *.tga file for yourself anyway; it's the piece of a larger puzzle that you'll want to assemble later (it seems).
There are more parts of the mission to be had, but I think I'll end this entry here. Until next time....
Actraiser Fillmore Freestyle OC ReMix by McVaffe from http://www.ocremix.org (Rating: 0)
