Rob Veteran Posted December 23, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 23, 2006 (edited) This thread is now closed, and is continuing HERE. --------------------------- Neowin - Help us solve The Vanishing Point Game at www.vanishingpointgame.com Thanks to bobp for creating this thread, of which I've now taken ownership for easy updating! See here for the initial front page news item and more details. So far, we know that it's probably a marketing campaign by 42 Entertainment for Microsoft (as the initial teaser image was first seen on the Internet Explorer Development Blog, and the Flash login page is seen connecting to the 42 Entertainment domain). 42 Entertainment were behind the highly successful Halo viral marketing campaign. I'll be updating this post with the codes we find and the puzzles that are given as a result of that. Initial image as reported on Neowin front page - solved as wh0isl0ki Also solved as iw4nttwinyou from a blog post on HeavenGames.com Also solved as 3scap3grav1ty from an edited post by the mystery lokivanishes poster Also solved as imm0rtaliz3m3 thanks to a key from Doug Stockwell Also solved as wh3r3t0g0 thanks to the guys at unfiction iw4nttwinyou - gives US phone number (when called asks for PIN) - solved with PIN 35813, prompting the user to THIS webpage 3scap3grav1ty - gives different grid-based puzzle - solved, leading the user to THIS webpage 3akix3ozidd1b - identical to the above - solved wh0isl0ki - gives grid-based puzzle - solved, leading the user to THIS webpage imm0rtaliz3m3 - gives an mp3 file, the waveform of which looks like this and is solved like this (thanks go to Ehsan from Unfiction), leading the user to THIS webpage wh3r3t0g0 - gives some html-escaped data. Putting this into a basic html page reveals a word, leading the user to THIS webpage The sudoku-like puzzle is solved with the following numbers: 592 487 613 817 563 924 643 921 875 428 156 739 135 749 286 769 238 541 256 374 198 371 895 462 984 612 357 Edited January 11, 2007 by Rob Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyRush Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 The source code has <input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATE" id="__VIEWSTATE" value="/wEPDwUKMTUxMzcyMjQyN2RkbyO7jpOtE1Mb07Hm2nrpSyWWoQo=" /> I don't know if it is normal for the value to be like that, I don't know HTML and <!-- PIN=5813 --> towards the bottom Neither are the password Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160104 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastage Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Well reading it out loud didn't produce any noticable vocal results for me... tho some of the numbers and letters look like highways and directions Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160108 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Veteran Posted December 23, 2006 Author Veteran Share Posted December 23, 2006 The Viewstate is a standard ASP.NET variable that's put in to most pages, nothing to do with that. The PIN, on the other hand, is interesting. A raw dump of the HTTP session the Flash script uses when sending the password 'neowin' is quoted below. POST /PreCodeHandler.ashx HTTP/1.1 Accept: */* Referer: http://www.vanishingpointgame.com/login_s.swf x-flash-version: 9,0,28,0 Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded Content-Length: 49 UA-CPU: x86 Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30) Host: www.vanishingpointgame.com Proxy-Connection: Keep-Alive Pragma: no-cache Cookie: vaakokie=H3hOXjhzqeAzFtwGjbmmkCk7iMQ9w0z7oFBF0vETARCMV9ar9uwf4f7MNA47-_L-eTIoPoeJSVzbgrilYyVumfERJlhCZ4MvkcG6uGOfP2A1; ARPT=MMWQKNS192.168.1.128CKMYM; ASP.NET_SessionId=iyr5jxraoxvg5j55zg0t1255 var1=neowin&var2=989DCA4C56923144F848F12F6D49C484 Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160109 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraftman Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Yeah, I'm sure. What is that packet sniffer that is open source and the name starts with an "e"? This has been killing me trying to find it. It's a good sniffer :p Maybe I'm wrong about the "e" thing. Or the open-source thing. But it definitely does not run the native Windows GUI. Uses an "overlay" (much like Java, GTK, etc) Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160113 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastage Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 now 42 thrown in the mix! omg confusing... Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160114 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Veteran Posted December 23, 2006 Author Veteran Share Posted December 23, 2006 Ethereal is what you're thinking of. But I think Fiddler is better for this kind of analysis anyway as it deals with HTTP traffic specifically. Think perhaps we're thinking along the wrong lines though. We should be trying to work out what these mean. rpf6ncada34wget32-84 kvezz1x6cfp0egnyvm32 z3o6qj-o3ddwn3;u-loe Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160115 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 http://42entertainment.com/do.html This is one of their missions: Innovative Marketing Campaigns: As a standalone agency, we drive brand engagement and ROI by immersing consumers in our clients' brands. I'm pretty sure that's all relating to them. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160118 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastage Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 from 42's website - "Who hacked the website of a Napa Valley beekeeper, leaving behind a series of GPS coordinates? Why were pay phones at the Empire State Building delivering installments of a sci-fi radio drama? � As these questions gripped tens of millions of Web surfers last summer and fall, the answers led to a viral marketing campaign created for Microsoft by Seattle-based 4TwoEntertainment to promote Halo 2, the long-awaited sequel to the Xbox videogame hit." I'm thinking GPS stuff too... Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraftman Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Wait.. does the Fiddler look at only HTTP traffic, or HTTPS as well? Because it seems to be connecting securely. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160131 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyRush Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 I tried the first SWF decompiler on google and found this image Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160141 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraftman Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 You heard the man! January 8th, 6:30PM, Bellagio Fountains Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160144 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soham Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 January 8th, 6:30PM, Bellagio Fountains what is going happen on that day Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160149 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastage Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Las Vegas.... hmmm Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160151 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraftman Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 what is going happen on that day Nobody knows which makes this whole thing even more interesting. I have a feeling that we didn't learn anything at all, and that Microsoft just did this to add to the excitement... and that we need an actual code to gain access to another part of the site :shifty: Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160155 Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhouse Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/keynotes.asp this is interesting, Bill will be in Vegas that day Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160158 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastage Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 its CES.... its something that will be announced in CES and the winner will get a prize there Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160161 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2687 Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Yeah... I was thinking it's probably something related to CES. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160162 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsight2000 Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 i got some thing 63432-841603236-33;- Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160164 Share on other sites More sharing options...
p858snake Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Most of you won't figure this out rpf6ncada34wget32-84 kvezz1x6cfp0egnyvm32 z3o6qj-o3ddwn3;u-loe vanishingpointgame.com Im guessing that is the key but encoded/encrypted somehow Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160167 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darksoft Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 you can find the words (in spanish) cada & vez.. together it means each time. :p Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160193 Share on other sites More sharing options...
playagrande Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 i think it has something to do with "connecting the dots" using a keyboard layout and those letters...i tryed it but i didnt see anything....kind of a star at the beginning and then a triagnular pyrmid?? Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160197 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonRedMk Member Posted December 23, 2006 Member Share Posted December 23, 2006 Not much of a help...but the image was made in Adobe Photoshop 7 on Dec. 19 '06... And I'm trying to do one of those bible-code things where you skip this many letters and only use some...but so far no luck :( Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160213 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avi Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 rpf6ncada34wget32-84 My eyes see rpt anconada wget :) lol... Linux commands? :p Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160222 Share on other sites More sharing options...
callumy Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 In Vegas on the 8th of Jan? Well CES definitely starts on the 7th. But the code? Arrrrghhhh! I don't think so. I'll just wait until the answer is posted on the web. Because within hours it'll be everywhere! Cal Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/523893-the-pre-game-fun/#findComment-588160232 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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