Source
r/ARGsociety•
tipsle

5d9a possible playfair or grid cipher

Website

I know the crossword is not a crossword puzzle. I can't get over the amount of database commands in the clue, though.

Init and Skip are both used when backing up data to media in Microsoft TSQL.

If skip is specified in the media set, it doesn't check the backups expiration date on the media (tape, disc, etc). You use this if you are sure you want to overwrite the existing media on the backup (regardless of when it expires).

If init is used it will overwrite the existing backup sets on the media (it doesn't append to it).

To truncate a table, you are deleting its contents without logging the transaction.

To me, this: "Init decode sequence... five down nine across... skip truncation" reads like this: Overwrite the decode sequence to the empty crossword table.

Which is where I've been stuck. You can read more about Microsoft TSQL Backup here: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms186865.aspx

And I've entered all different kinds of text into my Photoshop layers of the crossword puzzle, and I couldn't do it anymore...

So I made this: http://ecorp-intl.com/crossword.html

I made it quickly, so please don't judge my code. :)

This crossword is the same crossword shown in the show (the one the jailer/Elliot's mother is answering). A PDF version of it. If you put any text in the textarea at the bottom, it will populate the crossword (click out of the space). You can check the boxes to toggle the view of the text.

You can reverse the text, trim out whitespace, use symbols, use numbers, use uppercase, lowercase... etc. If you guys think of anything I should add, then let me know.

Also, there is a Migrate Sequence that's on the Midland Cities Maintenance mode site http://i251.bxjyb2jvda.net/jq.js. I don't recall if the sequence has been used for any other puzzles. Maybe it's for this one?

Edits:

modified crossword script to separate out the white and black text.

added ability to toggle between the two crosswords.

Posted Sep 30, 2016, 3:52 AM UTC · edited

620
Kiasdyn•

I'll start off by stating that you have some great ideas here. :) I just have a couple of comments.

I know the crossword is not a crossword puzzle

We have confirmation from the ARG creators that "It's not a crossword puzzle" was related to "init decode sequence...five down, nine across...skip truncation...."

To me, this: "Init decode sequence... five down nine across... skip truncation" reads like this: Overwrite the decode sequence to the empty crossword table.

Why does it have to be a crossword table? Could it be another kind of table or grid or chart?

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tipsleOP•

It doesn't have to be a crossword table. That's just what the clues read like to me. The ARG opinions, so far, have been mostly focused around the Kernel Panic screens. And those may have a place in this solution. It's entirely possible that the crossword has nothing to do with it. It just seems kind of weird that "5 down, 9 across" wouldn't apply to the crossword puzzle at all.

My point was: The clue seems to point us to the crossword, but it's not a crossword; maybe it's supposed to be used as a cipher decoder. And the table references are meant as "delete the text out of the table" or "use it like a grid".

I'm also planning on making the other crossword table (I think it referenced the Times Crossword - don't remember off the top of my head, and I have it saved at home). Since the references concern backups, maybe the one in focus (the TeX puzzle) is not the puzzle we're supposed to use.

But I could be in the wrong direction.

Worse case scenario: I have all the javascript created for a puzzle on a grid - if one is ever used in the future.

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Kiasdyn•

I hope you're right; I'd love to see someone solve this thing. :)

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murdercitymrk•

Would you mind terribly giving us a crash course on what to do with your tool, and what we might hope to use it for?

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tipsleOP•

Yah, I guess I didn't explain it very well.

The crossword is the same crossword shown in the show (the one the jailer/Elliot's mother is answering). A PDF version of it. If you put any text in the textarea at the bottom, it will populate the crossword (click out of the space). You can check the boxes to toggle the view of the text.

Edit: I modified the text at the top for clarification.

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murdercitymrk•

Thanks buddy. Great work.

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u_can_AMA•

Cool thing you made! If somehow you can integrate simple ciphers like letter shift or substitution, that would be really cool for testing.

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tipsleOP•

Thanks! That's a great idea. I want to make an option to hide the letters shown on the black squares first, then I'll work on that.

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u_can_AMA•

Eh? Didn't you already do that? (Use blackspaces..?) or do you mean show them seperately? Also some other things if you want suggestions:

  1. Save/separate the values for the original "5 down, 9 across" boxes.
  2. In fact, you could add a "brute force" option to output the contents of those boxes for every possible combination of settings. (and then run basic ciphers on them.)
  3. Brute force with letter substitution is hard, so maybe try just some of the suggested substitution ciphers. You can find 3 of those sets in these old notes of mine if you want : http://pastebin.com/hXfKBFW3 and http://pastebin.com/yUwYzTzE
  4. Incorporate the option of using cleanup methods similar to those [here as shown by u/fuxsocy ] (https://www.reddit.com/r/ARGsociety/comments/54oysb/kernel_panic_master_thread_day_2/d83xrvu). Notably removing possible nonsensicals like keyboard or alphabet consecutives, and certain doubles.
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tipsleOP•

The letters still draw on the page. If you highlight the text, you'll see it.

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tipsleOP•

I have added an option that will remove the letters off of the black spaces. Going to bed now, I have an early meeting in the morning. I'll try to get some of the requests in over the weekend.

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BuckRowdy•

I've wondered before if this could refer to a polybius square or a tap code. The tap code could be a possibility if we have sets of number pairs.

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Ax31•

see the commented lines in the code of midland?

if you take the values and place them in the order suggested by te comments you get "Henri Frederic Amiel"

for example: '65' : '144', // 2, 9, 11, 19

65=e, so "e" would be the second, ninth, eleventh, and nineteenth letter of the message

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tipsleOP•

Ah, I see! Ok... maybe I won't go down that rabbit hole, then. Thanks!

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u_can_AMA•

Here's the commented lines recoded, in case it is of significance. http://pastebin.com/yUwYzTzE

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Kiasdyn•

So the two crossword puzzles (the partially filled "PracTEX Crossword Puzzle", and the previous week's puzzle solution from the LA Times) from episode 4 could be another puzzle entirely. I really like your suggestion of using a crossword puzzle as part of a Playfair or grid cipher.

So I made this: http://ecorp-intl.com/crossword.html

This is wonderful! Can we combine it with Elliot's cryptic journal entry?

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tipsleOP•

I've added the other puzzle. You can toggle between the both now.

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tipsleOP•

Yes! Please! The journal entry is what inspired this. I've looked at it so many ways. I'm hoping fresh sets of eyes and different perspectives will help.

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ezredd•

could the crossword table become a QR code ?

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tipsleOP•

I recall someone already trying, but there were not enough points to make one. (Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/MrRobot/comments/50ptyo/spoilers_s2e9_alright_they_told_us_its_not_the/d773kfn)

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[deleted]•

[deleted]

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