$10M+ Code Breaker Game

GAME IS NOW CLOSED SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 2!

WINNER: riskoriented

Hello,

I have assembled an EXTREMELY DIFFICULT puzzle. Solve the puzzle win the prize pool. I will start the prize pool at $200K. I have changed the starting prize pool to $2M. I have received a nice donation from a player quitting the game, Starting Prize Pool is now $10M! 90% of every entry will be added to the prize pool.

Even knowing the exact method to solve the code it still takes over an hour for me to do. Expect this to take you some time. The code will take between 18-25 steps to solve depending on exact methods used and your definition of a step.

BE SURE TO CHECK THE THIRD POST WHERE I PUT CLARIFICATION UPDATES FROM CHATS I HAVE HAD WITH ENTRANTS!

 

RULES

1. Break Code.

2. Enter the answer below in forum.

3. Describe method used to break code.

4. You must give me $10K to enter.

5. After sending me $10K I will give you the code to break.

5b. The code will have 2 Sections.

6. Study the hint closely, without it, you will fail.

7. While the hint will tell you how to solve the code, the puzzle cannot be solved without the code.

8. Only answers submitted to forum will count.

9. The first post with correct answer and explanation wins.

10. No further hints will be given.

11. I may clarify some things as necessary.

12. The final answer will somehow be related to TORN.

13. Feel free to collaborate or work solo.

 

HINT

This one might require some schooling. So let me tell you a story. One tale of two paths that were travelled.

It is rumored that Shakespeare was a man well known at the time of his writings.
A man who is also known for having his own ciphers. Sometimes words are confused in patterns like this: 00001. Sometimes they resemble patterns such as this 001. Sometimes some of the aforementioned patterns resemble binary and other times they are just patterns.

Regardless our "Shakespeare" met 3 men on the road to Walzenlage. He asked the first, "Um, can
you point me to the local kehr, or even the walze, if you will?" To which the man responded, "To be or not to be."

To the second man he asked, "Hello friend! Mr. Grund was it? Yes I have just seen the most incredible thing on the St. Ellung!" The man replied, "I have no cares for such matters! I am busy practicing my ABC's."

To the third man he said, "From you, I'll buy that ring. As you've surely heard, I've made a fortune on St. Ellung!" The man replied, "A ring. A fortune. A good transaction."

Our "Shakespeare" then began his message to the pope with, "A-B as C-D but I am not yet sure what to do with U and V"

The reply from the pope was, "A long time ago it was 6 B.C. Do not fret over i and j, nor U and V as you can see, they are each their own. All that matters is that N=1. It may be wise to occasionally ignore the 13th word in a sentence. If you ever happen upon this number, '9304121' remember there are actually two zeros between three and four. This of course is to distinguish between a rectangle and a square."

On the seal of the pope's letter was the following inscription: C Y EDH XCD E DEGO BHII OGC
Under that in letters written with a quill was the following: I KHOI O. JE LJO II J AL. OI JRWO H. (IGNORE < THOSE PERIODS)

Look closely for a good start.
Under most rocks things hide.
From nothing.
To something.
Wise men seek.
And wise men find.
Forget what is forgotten.
Future or past.
Even the sky is blue at 3pm

What are now letters must eventually become numbers before they can become words.

P.S. If you use 6BC and get periods PM me.

Because you all kind of suck at this and I really want someone to win:

There are only a handful of methods to convert letters to numbers... ...one of them is missing from all of the hints above this line^

END OF HINT

ENTRANTS:

31 - Prize pool $10,279,000 + Certificate of Awesome(donated)

***This game was inspired by another code maker. Check out this Password Encryption Game by MrMonkeyMan:Find his game here!***

 

Think you know about code making, cryptography and the like, post your ideas below for future games!

If not correctly decoded by 27/07/18 11:59PM TCT Answer will be given. No Refunds.

ENTER IF YOU DARE!

this game seems cool! I'll be actively working on it!

To keep things fair here are discussions I have had with entrants:
irivi: be sure not to put any spaces in the codes
entrant: Im sorry, this is givverish
entrant: xD
entrant: Wait so
irivi: i would suggest copy/pasting them direct
entrant: the code is one string
irivi: yes 2 sections, one string per section
entrant: or are the sections seperate
entrant: Lets say I unscramble the first
entrant: no word is mixed up with section 2
entrant: correct?
irivi: yea, but you are already proceeding down the wrong path, best to analyze the hint
entrant: i know
entrant: Im gonna analyze the hint first
irivi: cool, yes section one and section two describe how to solve each other, but there is no direct interaction of the letters in section one with the letters of section two
irivi: *they describe how to solve each other to arrive at the answer once they have been decoded*
entrant: Sigh
entrant: you're already giving me mindcramps
entrant: The reply from the pope was, "A long time ago it was 6 B.C. Do not fret over i and j, nor U and V as you can see, they are each their own. All that matters is that N=1. It may be wise to occasionally ignore the 13th word in a sentence. If you ever happen upon this number, '9304121' remember there are actually two zeros between three and four. This of course is to distinguish between a rectangle and a square."
entrant: i j and U V are useless
entrant: I assume
irivi: they will be important once you reach the correct stage of decoding
entrant: Can I ask for a clarification?
entrant: I assume there are multiple parts in the hint
entrant: However, are the parts of the hints needed in order
entrant: FOr instance if i needed a cipher key, would that kep show up first, if the cipher key is needed first
irivi: the hints are of various orders
irivi: if a cipher key is needed it can be found within the hint, but not necessarily in the order you need it

entrant2: So if I am correct in thinking these letters possibly represent numbers which then could be reordered????
irivi: possibly
irivi: ultimately yes, in the direct sense you asked the question, no

entrant3: i swear that if it was a encryption... then I'll...
irivi: yes, yes, if it is an encryption, surely the methods of decryption are revealed in the hint.

entrant3: y I'm thinking that all the talk before that f**king ABCD message started was useless *thinks*
irivi: Not every word of the hint is important, however, every paragraph of the hint is.

entrant2: I'm so uncertain But if I may ask is there a lot of mixing and matching like instead of one key but two
irivi: there are a minimum of 5 ciphers

entrant3: woah, *starting all over again*
entrant3:1st paragraph's hint is "Binary"
entrant3: *finding 2nd*
irivi: the first paragraphs hint may or may not be binary, read carefully :)
entrant4: well i'm kinda stuck with the last paragraph of the hint. i feel like "6.b.c." and "9304121" has some sort of significance, but i can't seem get a hand on it. i also feel like this paragraph is giving me the order of decoding..? can't solve the pope's letter as well.
entrant4:seem to*
irivi: yes 6bc and 9304121 do have significance. nothing in the hint reveals (or at least does not intentionally reveal) the order necessary to decode. The hints are to get you one the correct options of decoding, but are not meant to guide you through when to do what/which.
irivi: If you ever happen upon this number, '9304121' remember there are actually two zeros between three and four. This of course is to distinguish between a rectangle and a square.
irivi: if you have not yet happened upon that number it cannot help you
 
entrant 5: is this like cipher code or something
irivi: it does involve ciphers yes
 
entrant 6: do any of the cipherkeys actually directly translate to plaintext?
entrant 6: so far all the stuff i've decoded still looks like cipherkey
entrant 6: will i have to decipher each code more than once to achieve an plaintext answer?
entrant 6: a*
irivi: yes, there are many steps involved before you will reach anything intelligible
 
 
entrant 7: still thinking redacted cypher and redacted cypher i have the redacted settings but i cannot find the correlation between the two as i would be expecting to see out of the redacted cypher key redacted ive tried different things relating to striping stuff to 3 and removing 13th words plus looking for the popes word in my workings im sure there is something else in the hint that im missing but i keep reading over it and cannot see it haha its very challenging
irivi: are you working on section 1 or section 2 first? or both?
entrant 7: i'm not even been working on the sections i've just been trying to work out what the pope has been saying
irivi: hmm, each sentence in the reply from the pope is either a reference to a cipher or a reference to a result you will see after ciphering
entrant 7: Thanks ill have a muse over that
irivi: sure, also, if you haven't run into actual words yet (which based on what you've told me i doubt you have) don't worry about this part: " It may be wise to occasionally ignore the 13th word in a sentence."
irivi: I'm going to add something to the hint section that might make things easier, but i'll tell you it now: "What are now letters must eventually become numbers before they can become words."
entrant 7: yeah that should help hopefully
irivi: yea i hope :) overall you should be looking for clues of what types of ciphers are used rather than trying to unscramble scrambled things, once have worked through the ciphers, it will be close to clear what to do
 
 
entrant 8: So far, I've made some progress but not too much yet. I found something that corresponds to the numbers 9304121 and they represent a letter
irivi: fancy, but wrong XD
entrant 8: OMG? Really? Tsss
irivi: that is the wrong path*
entrant 8: But they correspond to the letters correctly :)
entrant 8: Sigh
irivi: hmm, so it says, " If you ever happen upon this number, '9304121' remember there are actually two zeros between three and four. This of course is to distinguish between a rectangle and a square."
entrant 8: Am I really wrong? But the N=1 correlate well with 9304121
entrant 8: Alright, I'll check it again
irivi: well answer me this, did you arrive at the number from something else, or are you trying to take the number alone and make it into something?
entrant 8: Well, the latter actually, because when a I decided to extract a set of letters in alphabetical order, they equate correctly to that given number
entrant 8: And N=1 was guide for me I think
entant 8: Well, I will recheck it again. :)
irivi: that is fascinating, one of the best parts of codemaking/breaking is how people approach it
irivi: based on the hint, you should interpret the phrasing to mean, "As you are on your journey to decode this you will eventually happen upon this number, but something about it isn't quite correct for some reason."
 
irivi: Hi, ok so there is a Baconian cipher, once you reach a code that might be read as binary is when you will look to the Baconian cipher. any variations of spelling of Shakespeare or with/without quotes is not a hint. The baconion cipher will be towards the very end and breaking it will be the first time you start to read anything remotely intelligible. You are correct in realizing this can only be solved with a brute force methodology. You mention ceasar ciphers and the pope. You also mention the pope's message having something to do with enigma. I would suggest you look at 6 BC as a reference to the power of Caesar. Considering you have found the Luftwaffe and within it is a reference to a time, perhaps the time is just a clarification of enigma settings. You are on the correct path and leagues ahead of anyone else, so let me...
irivi: ...set you up further, you know there is an enigma, you may be aware of a handful of other ciphers used, and from what I have told you, you know you will need to convert a binary number into a baconian cipher. Since the initial code is all letters, and binary is all numbers, there must be a middle link to transfer the letters to numbers. There are only a handful of ciphers used for this task and I chose one of the most common. However, there is no hint given for this step. Consider it an intentional missing link, another element of the brute force. However, as you are so far ahead of all others and I do actually wish to award this prize let me say this which moreso than all else I have said today you should pay attention to:
irivi: If you run are presented with an enigma, and you consult with Ceasar, he will tell you your letters are gibberish and must be adjusted per the apparent codes already presented within the hints. Only after their proper adjustment may they be turned into numbers. Many numbers may equal many things but at their root they are all just 1's and 0's. However the method to achieve the 1's and 0's varies by the power of n. <<<Study this closely and combine it with what you already know and have mentioned, and you will find I have all but handed you the path to the solution. Good Luck!
irivi: I introduced the pope because I needed a timeline and a character to reveal more data necessary to solve the problem. Shakespeare and the pope are not meant to relate to each other in any manner. Shakespeare is meant as character A with a set of information. And Character A is a reference to Francis Bacon as you have deduced. The pope is meant as character b. Character B is not a reference to a code, but not a person/cipher like Shakespeare was to Bacon. The pope has knowledge necessary to solve the various ciphers such as the A-B C-D bit and pay close attention to 6BC as it might relate to a Ceasar cipher. There are other things the pope says OR reveals that will be imperative to properly solving the code. But again there is no significance to the relationship between the pope and Shakespeare, nor is there significance to who..
irivi: ...the pope represents.
irivi: One last bit, if you make it through the enigma and look very closely at not only what the pope says but what is revealed by his actions, and compare this with your results of the enigma, you will see there is in fact an indication you are on the right track. Further not only does it indicate you are on the right path it indicates a manipulation that must be made to what you have as a result of the enigma and what must be done with it before you present it to Caesar. Look very closely at the enigma results and the popes seals and markings on his letters.

irivi: what you have found with section 2 and the quill notice the difference is after the enigma there are no spaces, but in the quill there are spaces, you should try making whatever you receive from a decode that matches up with letters/numbers from the hint match exactly. in other words, if there is a space, add a space, if the numbers are slightly different change the numbers to match the hint
irivi: TORN SUX is funny but coincidental
irivi: you will find the "9304121" number in section 2
irivi: your thinking about n=1 is correct
irivi: until you have decoded real (easy) to read types of words you should ignore this hint: "one thing that still throws me is "It may be wise to occasionally ignore the 13th word in a sentence""
irivi: I would say try going down the same path again with these new bits of information and see if you run into 9304121 somewhere

irivi: So OIKHOI -> I KHOI O
irivi: OR
irivi: OIKHOI -> OI KHOI O

irivi: beware though everything before and after that number still matters, it is what is between it that needs to change. for clarity the next number after 12 should not be 1 but 17

So if we start dissecting the hint, 

"It is rumored that Shakespeare was a man well known at the time of his writings.
A man who is also known for having his own ciphers. Sometimes words are confused in patterns like this: 00001. Sometimes they resemble patterns such as this 001. Sometimes some of the aforementioned patterns resemble binary and other times they are just patterns. "

This paragraph probably means that some of the jumbles of words we will come up against will be binary or patterns



Paragraphs 2-4 seem to be related to the hint, but until further breakthrough, it doesn't seem too easy to dechiper. 

"Our "Shakespeare" then began his message to the pope with, "A-B as C-D but I am not yet sure what to do with U and V"

The next paragraph, where he writes to the pope, seems to be referring to a cipher in which the letters move up one unless they are U or V. Maybe it is referring that A and B should be swapped, and C and D should be swapped.

""The reply from the pope was, "A long time ago it was 6 B.C. Do not fret over i and j, nor U and V as you can see, they are each their own. All that matters is that N=1. It may be wise to occasionally ignore the 13th word in a sentence. If you ever happen upon this number, '9304121' remember there are actually two zeros between three and four. This of course is to distinguish between a rectangle and a square.""

The next paragraph where the pope responds says that i, j, U, and V should remain the same. It also states that N will become a number, or perhaps hints at it. It says to skip the 13th word, which will come up when we decipher, I assume. The last 2 sentences about the string of numbers and the rectangle/square will also probably show up later.

"On the seal of the pope's letter was the following inscription: C Y EDH XCD E DEGO BHII OGC
Under that in letters written with a quill was the following: I KHOI O. JE LJO II J AL. OI JRWO H."

The last paragraph seems to be a cipher, but after consulting the creator, it seems that this can only be solved if the other few are solved first.

I was the entrant in this conversation :P



TLDR; The sections are separate and any words within them are not jumbled together. The hint should be analyzed first and things we need to solve the puzzle will be in the hint, though maybe not in the right order of need...

Wow,didn't know I had to be a gamer and historian and codebreaker,waste of time and money.Have fun schmucks.

Dude the prize pool lhould be 245 M lol

Tip: check out the other riddle game going on right now. prize is a dp.

good luck though, it's probably 5 times harder.

Feel free to donate to the prize pool :)

Considering the first 3 codes in the riddle game you refer to were solved within 5 minutes, and only 1 person has solved 1 section from the hint of my game, yet still hasn't figured out how to use it, I am not so sure you are correct about it being harder.

Having immersed myself deeply in the Section 9 game, I retract what I said. I don't know that my code is harder, but it is certainly different.

this is really hard but i do hope somebody solves it

It will take mettle!

Certainly looks fun but I don't have the 10k entry fee so I'll just hope to see a winner.

I would like to try to solve this, out of curiosity and free time. :)

Edit: This is an interesting puzzle, so far I have found some hidden information by just analzying each paragraph. Worth the time :)

Edit2: Alright, after a few days break, time to resume. 

Well, based on what you (and others) have shared with me, you are currently either tied for the lead or in the lead, nice work!

second this!

any progress made on this? I'm kinda stumped on this whole thing. It's definitely a brain buster of a code.

as far as I am aware the person who has done the most has identified 2 types of cyphers

I have placed an ad in the newspaper! Hopefully we will get more participants soon, I think some of you should consider collaborating, as it looks like everyone is pretty stumped overall. Good Luck :)