If he added a directory with all letters of the alphabet, you are supposed to hack it.


By the way, is it a source code or compiled program?

Edited 4/10/2022 18:08:20

Source code

This is really interesting but I don't speak fluent Robot.

I agree with Grover, riddles are hardest things I can solve in the puzzle category

RIN ET GEAG IHS

Edited 4/11/2022 02:01:09

solved it

config dan warlight

wheres my lifetime membership

So is the puzzle solving competition over yet? Can anyone confirm it?

Sometimes I return to the puzzle, trying to understand and clean the orignal text (finally solvint it and winning that prize would be very pleasing :) ). Just want to be sure on whether I should continue.

Edited 4/12/2022 18:17:47

It’s not over yet, the joking comments don’t with match with how long the original text is.
And I’ve not seen your attempt (presumably knyte is still figuring it out)

Edited 4/13/2022 01:06:57

Still working on it, yeah, but distracted by other things. I don't think anyone is as close as 5S is.

@DanWL

I have sent a DM with a link to my submission of decoding the puzzle. I have majorly refined it since my original post in this topic.

It is the JS code with encode function which basically does the encoding used for the puzzle. Yet there is one small difference in the produced output, which I guess was done externally. (I would be happy to know whether it is so)

It does not have exactly 5351 characters probably to spacings in code. But really close to that number.

I guess, it is not possible to write a strict decoding algorithm and get the 100% original text. Because some symbols from original text may be whatever character if they satisfy some conditions, and when encoded they will produce the same encoded output.

Although my submission is not 100% original text, I believe that it may be called a solution and it really complies with the puzzle's intent. I really hope that would qualify for the win.

Edited 4/14/2022 01:34:38

NONsWatertNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNorRsHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHoRrsNCRHNtANNNAtANANAtNNNRCorsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNHNtNNNNHorsNNNNCtNNNCNtNNCNNtCANNNtNANNNtHANNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNoNONNNONsWatertNRNRRtANANNtANANNorsANNNAtARRRAtANNNAorsHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHtNNNNCtNNNCNtNNCNNtNCNNNtCNNNNorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAorsWatertNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorRsHNNNNtNHNNNtNCNNNtCNNNNoRrsANNNAtARRRAtANNNAorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsRRNRRtNNANNtNNANNtRRNRRoNONNENsRRRNAoNENNNONsWatertHNNNNtNHNNNtNNRRRtNCNNNtCNNNNorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNorsRRRRNtNNNNAtNNNNAtRRRRNoNONNENsRNNNNoNENNONsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNHNtNNNNHorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAoNONNNONsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsRRNRRtNNANNtNNANNtRRNRRorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAoNONNNDNRNDNNONsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNoNONNNONsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNNNorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAorsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNHNtNNNNHorsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNorRsHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHoRNONNNONsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNoNONNNONsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNorsRRRRNtNNNNAtNNNNAtNNNNAorsHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHtNNNNCtNNNCNtNNCNNtNCNNNtCNNNNorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAoNONNNONsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsRRNRRtNNANNtNNANNtRRNRRorsANNNAtARRRAtANNNAorsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNoNON

(FiveSmith wins in short)

Edited 4/14/2022 06:41:28

The accepted solution can be found at

NONsRRNRRtNNANNtNNANNtRRNRRorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNNNorsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNoNONNENsANNNAoNENCCNONsNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNNNorsNNNNCtNNNCNtNNCNNtCANNNtNANNNtHANNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHorsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorsANNNNtARRRRtANNNNorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAorsNRNRNtANANAtANANAtNRNRNorsANNNAtARRRAtANNNAorRsHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHoRNONNENsNNNNAoNENNONsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAorsNRRRNtANNNAtANNNAtANNNAtNRRRNorRsHNNNNtNHNNNtNCNNNtCNNNNoRNONCNONsNRNRNtANANAtANANAorsWatertHNNNNtNHNNNtNNHNNtNNNHNtNNNNHtNNNNCtNNNCNtNNCNNtNCNNNtCNNNNoNONNDNsNRNRNtANANAtANANNtNNNRNoNDNNONsNRNNNtANANAtANANAtNNNRNorsWatertHNNNNtNHNNCtNNHCNtNNCHNtNCNNHtCNNNNorsNNNNHtNNNNAtRRRRCorsWateroRsNNCHNtNCNNHtCNNNNorsWatertNRRRRtANANNtANANNtNRNHNtNNNNHoNON

Because some symbols from original text may be whatever character if they satisfy some conditions, and when encoded they will produce the same encoded output.

Shouldn't encoding be injective?

Edited 4/14/2022 09:26:43

Wow, that's really cool. Thanks DanWl!

I would like some thoughts on solving the puzzle for the sake of history:

- Basically my ability to decode 26 English letters was both the key to solving the whole puzzle, but in the end it a bit crippled my abilities to solve it completely.
- I think that from my initial assumptions only the 26 letters and JS detection proved to be true. Most of other stuff I initially assumed partially or completely wrong. (@l4v.r0v, I am sorry, those my assumptions may have have guided you the wrong way)
- Strictly speaking, if you analyze only source code, some characters may be whatever characters with certain conditions: they should not be used in base encoding dictionaries and be 1 letter wide, when printed. It works this way because those characters are injected to text during the initial encoding, and then again replaced with other characters, which we see in the encoded text. And their occurence in the original text is just replaced in the end. To solve for them you need to either to examine the interim representation of the text and to study the Easter egg in the code. DanWL's second clue actually points to that. The "easter egg" text in the interim repesentation is actually a very neat ASCI art, which should point you to what these undefined characters really are. As I was directly reverse engineering the source algorithm, I actually has never seen or examined that interim representation.
- You do need to really know JavaScript to solve the puzzle my way, there was some pure JS syntax gimmicks, for which I had to consult the internet (as well as to install VSCode and Node.js to test the scripts).

Edited 4/14/2022 10:04:56

Ya put tha bread in tha toasta

An updated version of the code which covers more symbols and number support can be found at https://danwales.github.io/scripts/I-sea.js
Note that the original uses the windyANCHOR system and this uses the stormyANCHORED system and some definitions of characters may have been changed.

config dan warlight

NONWATERNAONSNSNNNNGNGHHHHSGAHHSHGHASMHDHGAH

ARGHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH