Thread: Breaking a code challenge

I don't usually ask for tips but I've tried about 9 different things that don't lead anywhere, so I'd like one lol. If you want to PM it to me so others who don't want one won't get one, feel free. This is pretty fun though, good idea.

Yeey, someone else who likes weird puzzles. Have you solved a lot of coding problems before? Theres some really cool stuff online, tho i have very little experience myself. Have u heard of the voynich manuscript? Its one of the very few coded texts / books that still havnt been decoded yet. For a long time now, we have had computers which can guess so many possibilities in such little time, among other things, that decoding nearly all texts that are older than about 1950`s is easy. Unless the texts are reeealy old, like thousands of years old. And even many of those have been cracked too. ^_^

A documentary of the voynich _> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awGN5NApDy4


WARNING, A TIP BELOW:



















B = black and W = white

WARNING, A TIP BELOW:



















Okay, so the first code i posted above is still very possible to crack, but its probably a bit too abstract.D So down below is nearly the same code as above and it portrays the [ exact ] same word in english.. Now how can it mean the exact same word?? Think out of thee box and climb up a tree to watch a sunset. (tree part isnt a tip really, ((tho its relaxing stuff recommend)) its just meant to underline thinking in different ways).




B,8H(W,DCBA)
B,7HGF(W,ECA)
B,6H(W,D)

The above part is the same, the one below slightly different, the numbers are changed in the code below and the dot before the number 4 is now a comma (the dot in the original code was intentional, not a mistake. Yes, i know i should have clarified this before, xD. But its not the biggest deal, as u can solve it without the dot, the dot just kinda helps u crack the " second layer " of code.) For the " first layer " u dont need the dot at all. Man this probably sounds complicated, but i promise the key is actually simple. You dont need any history in coding to crack this, tho it helps. Ive checked everything 4x now, shouldnt be any bugs.

B,4HGFE
B,3F
B,2FE

If nobody still gets any closer then i will give the " ultimate " tip and u still might not get it, but u probably will. If that doesnt work then ill just tell u the key.

Oh this will mess with my ADD. Its like in Algebra class, when the teacher will write an algebra equation for us to solve and i'm daydreaming about fried chicken.

Here is a new code thats unrelated to the previous one if you want to melt your brains from a different angle:

Riddles from the lord of the rings:

Gollum:

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter.


Bilbo:

A box without hinges, key, or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid.

Now add the answers to these riddles together and you have the key to crack the code below. The answers are revealed when you read from top to bottom. (ps. i couldnt get the letter rows to look straight, so i would advise u to write these on grid paper so that each letter is directly below / above the other. Then it will look less confusing). The answer consists of a few random words and one sentence. Ive triple-checked for bugs.

K n f b r t a
G a h l e m g
R a e e o s e
A r t y f a s
G m s l h i o
D g a e s l e
E d i a t t d

B,8H(W,DCBA)
B,7HGF(W,ECA)
B,6H(W,D)
B.5HGFE
B,4F
B,3FE

B,2F
B,1F
B,0D

Second

B,8H(W,DCBA)
B,7HGF(W,ECA)
B,6H(W,D)
B,4HGFE
B,3F
B,2FE

B,1
B,0


I had the same thought that B is black and W is white. Is it something to do with chess?

Will come back to edit and hopefully solve tomorrow as I should be sleeping.

" Is it something to do with chess? "

Tommo is on the right track! Now that u know this, it should be easy to solve.^__^

I have no idea how u came up with these tho -> " B,2F B,1F B,0D B,1 B,0 "

Man, I suck at this.



Even being given the hint of chess and being pretty much certain it has to do with the positions on the board (considering it has to do with chess, and you only go through H and 8), I still am having a really hard time making any sense of this.

Yep the answer was the word "the" (the pieces on the board made up the letters when u got the board facing u in the right direction).. The problem with this coding is that theres no room for long words, thus the word "the".

An idea : we could put more riddles here too.

Ive just made a few.

You rarely sense my presence, but during the few nights of exception, I never fail to make you smile. (i think everyone on this forum will get this one^_^)

Everyone is searching for me, many succeed, but few are able to keep from losing and truly understanding me.

This one i took from a site : I cannot hear or even see, but sense light and sounds there may be. Sometimes I end up on the hook, or even deep into a book.

Not going to have a crack at this just yet because my code breaking skills suck. I can do caesar ciphers and that's really about the extent of it. Any suggestions on where I could start to learn more about code-breaking etc? I've always found it such a fascinating subject, and it's so fun to do.

Some company were trying to restore an old game they found in some old books, and the guy had encoded some segments of it. They were looking for people to take a crack at it, so even though I sucked at anything of the sort I decided I'd give it a go. Ended up managing to decipher it (it was just a standard caesar wheel in the end) and it felt so good being the first one to get there and send in the info to them. So ever since I've kinda had the desire to do more!

Originally Posted by pelko

Yep the answer was the word "the" (the pieces on the board made up the letters when u got the board facing u in the right direction).. The problem with this coding is that theres no room for long words, thus the word "the".

An idea : we could put more riddles here too.

Ive just made a few.

1)You rarely sense my presence, but during the few nights of exception, I never fail to make you smile. (i think everyone on this forum will get this one^_^)

2)Everyone is searching for me, many succeed, but few are able to keep from losing and truly understanding me.

3)This one i took from a site : I cannot hear or even see, but sense light and sounds there may be. Sometimes I end up on the hook, or even deep into a book.

Oh dammit, now all of your clues make perfect sense (as well they should, but man I'm disappointed in myself).

1)I'm really wanting to overthink this one. The first thing that comes to mind is a lucid dream, but some people are very good at it and are prolific LDers. Then there is a dream itself, but you would have to have terrible recall to rarely even sense its presence (and can a dream really be present in the first place?). So, the next thing to come to mind that at first seems to fit better is Sleep Paralysis and the presence referring to a presence being sensed in the room. If you're healthy, you rarely experience SP or even REM Atonia (although I'm not so bad at inducing the latter), but the whole bit about making you smile seems like it would have to be ironic or something... usually the presence people sense is of something bringing impending doom with it. So, I'm not satisfied with any of those answers. But, given your statement, it may well be either of these answers, I'm just expecting some kind of misdirection because otherwise it seems... too easy, lol.

2)That actually first sounds like you're referring to the meaning of life or even the "secret to/of the universe". Usually people who have transcendental experiences (whether they be drug induced or otherwise brought on as a result of an altered state of consciousness) feel like, for a time, they figured everything out/the meaning of life/secret of the universe but not something they can put into words or thoughts, it can only be felt and understood. Then, as they return to sobriety or a normal state of consciousness, they feel as though they forgot it all (it's something you can experience and know for a short time but can't take back with you, as many put it) . However, I feel that answer isn't right, for whatever reason.

A better answer for me is some variant of knowledge/wisdom/or lessons learned, but even that doesn't seem right, it's a bit too contrived (if it's the actual answer, I'm not so much referring to the answer itself so much as how I came up with this one being contrived).

Another one could be a life partner/lover (like a boy/girlfriend husband/wife). It's pretty easy through any sort of circumstance for a falling out, death, or injury causing a vegetative state to happen, and it's debatable whether anybody can ever truly understand one another, even if you are extremely close partners.

I guess one last one is simply the "truth". There are many truths, no one truth is the "real" truth, and other truths that evolve over time can... untruth a previous truth you knew to be true. The meaning of "truth" is fairly elusive as well. Some truths can even be more true than other truths, depending on how accurate a truth must be in order to be considered the truth. Truths that are both true can even be contradictory, but true at the same time all the same, based on your reasoning.

3) I'm pretty confident this one is a worm. Book worm, worm as bait on a hook, they can detect different levels of light with light sensitive cells despite lacking eyes, and sound is a wave of vibration propagated through some medium, like water or air, and they are sensitive to vibrations (and thus sounds) in the ground despite not having ears to hear.

Originally Posted by Royaltramp

Not going to have a crack at this just yet because my code breaking skills suck. I can do caesar ciphers and that's really about the extent of it. Any suggestions on where I could start to learn more about code-breaking etc? I've always found it such a fascinating subject, and it's so fun to do.

Hello Royaltramp!

There are two things I recommend doing:

1) Read. Buy The Code Book by Simon Singh, it's the best book you can find on the subject. It gives an overview of the different cryptography techniques over the years, and, most importantly, their flaws and how to exploit them to find the message You think the Vigenère cipher is unbreakable? Read the book. The most interesting part of it in my opinion is how to decode the Vi. It also introduces the topic of modern cryptography methods (computer and internet encryption and stuff), as well as an 'unbreakable code' with quantum computers. It's an amazing book, and is the only thing you need to become a pro at cryptanalysis.

2) Practice. Look up the Alan Turing Cryptography Competition, if you're are within the age limits then compete, otherwise try and break the codes for fun with a team (I registered my friends who didn't do a thing, I was alone basically). It's a yearly thing, with 6 codes, one every week or two weeks, revolving around a cool story. There are leaderboards for the schools etc. The first code is really basic and can be decoded in 5-10 minutes. The next ones may take hours if you're good. The last ones are really tricky, most people can't do them even after days/weeks. The cryptography techniques aren't always that complicated (although I still recommend reading The Code Book, some of its ciphers are universal in a way) but they use really interesting and original ways of encryption and when you do find the answer, trust me, you'll feel even better than having had a lucid dream. I competed while I lived in England, and had only read The Code Book. I was the 2nd to figure out the fourth code (took me 3 hours of trying random stuff haha), and just before the 6th code went out, I was in the 5th position overall. But I couldn't figure out the sixth and that made me drop a lot (to 53rd lol)... I competed in the 2014 edition, if you wanna try it out! (my team name was Cryptonimous hehe)

If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to contact me! I'll be glad to help

I might post some codes in this thread someday

Okkay, so here u have to guess who / what the " i " is below. : D


I can sense the coming storm, the drop in barometric pressure and the shift in the static electric field. I stop in my tracks and try to convince my imprisoner to turn us around, back to our shelter, our wooden box, safe from the screaming creatures and their strange lights. My master is once again oblivous and clueless of what im trying to tell him. He just stares at me like im the one with mental deficiencies.

I eventually give in to his will and decide to begin the mental preperations. I start my mantra of visualizing flying sausages to distract from our impending doom. Soon i`ll be safe, safe and sound.

Centroid - post some post post. So that atleast one person on this thread knows what he`s doing & comes up with more traditional and thought out codes.

snoop - You sure got some interesting ideas & thougt these through from many angles.. ^^ the first ones answer is just lucid dream, but its fun to think of what other possible answers could fit and how to phrase the riddle so its simplicity doesnt matter so much in my opinion. On the other hand, i dont think anyone outside of this site would get the answer.^__^ On the second i was thinking of the words "happiness / peace" and the third is right.

What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?

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