[ARG] The Pizza Code Mystery

[kitor]

Ok, whole QE in two files - downstairs and upstairs:
https://imageshack.us/a/img834/1492/qefull.jpg
https://imageshack.us/a/img24/1162/qetop.jpg

If you need another maps overviews, just write.

[dky.tehkingd.u]

@faed

sv_cheats 1; prop_physics_create props_canteen/pizza_box.mdl

Any triggers would be name-specific, so you’d have to give the prop a targetname that corresponds to a name that a trigger would react to, which you don’t know.

[darkone]

any one know how to disable the fixed cam on map background11? want to see if there is anything there.

[ev1te]

@kitor

Ok, whole QE in two files - downstairs and upstairs:

If you need another maps overviews, just write.

One tip, use PNG files instead of JPG, they have non-destructive compression and they will become smaller in size for this kind of computer generated images (JPG is only effective on photographs, but with the always present blocky-artifacts)

[darkone]

so is there any way to search the background map for the level? cause there might be somethign there.

[dky.tehkingd.u]

Decompile it and open it up in Hammer.

Or I guess you could type "map ", wait for it to load, and then type
“ent_fire point_viewcontrol disable”

[darkone]

thanks searchign map now

other than2 buttons that do nothing (make the button sound when pushed) nothign there

[faed]

@darkone

thanks searchign map now

other than2 buttons that do nothing (make the button sound when pushed) nothign there

I checked the other background maps too and didn’t find anything.

[Fallout10mm]

Probably won’t turn up anything but anyone noclip around the areas in the tram ride? If not I’ll go have a look I suppose.

Edit: Found a reference to dr horn in one of the little offices, I’ll upload the pic ASAP.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015250584/screenshots/?shortcutid=375

most recent 7 uploaded pics, includes a couple random things I found nocliping around the admin chapter.

[kitor]

@ev1te

One tip, use PNG files instead of JPG, they have non-destructive compression and they will become smaller in size for this kind of computer generated images

Well, not. PNG this time is 8 times bigger than JPG
Anyway:
https://pdasite.pl/kitor/bms/qe1.png
https://pdasite.pl/kitor/bms/qe2.png

[AwesomeFaceCH]

@dky.tehkingd.u

Decompile it and open it up in Hammer.

Or I guess you could type "map ", wait for it to load, and then type
“ent_fire point_viewcontrol disable”

just went through all background maps, nothing related. only thing to do there is gib soldiers with random props. I even tried out some noclip or rocketjump locations.

[Han_Shot_First]

@Fallout10mm

Probably won’t turn up anything but anyone noclip around the areas in the tram ride? If not I’ll go have a look I suppose.

Edit: Found a reference to dr horn in one of the little offices, I’ll upload the pic ASAP.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198015250584/screenshots/?shortcutid=375

most recent 7 uploaded pics, includes a couple random things I found nocliping around the admin chapter.

For that picture with Dr. Horn’s message on it, he claims that “Dr. Stone stop using the boards for personal equations”. Stone, as we know, is “OnBoardError”, someone we think is also on the ARG. Do you think that there is something important about that equation, or is it just them poking fun at each other?

[redgun]

Could the “philosopher’s stone” be a reference to OnBoardError or some part of the game that he made?

[Toxyn]

At this point, I’m hoping more clues will be revealed when Black Mesa gets its official release on steam and/or the Xen levels are released with updated content, I kinda have a feeling they gave us an older version of Black Mesa and that they’ve got a better version ready for the Xen levels.

The philosophers stone really got me thinking, maybe just maybe someones living off Xen creatures and is living a cursed live or something.

I recall watching The philosophers stone, and that Centuar said something about having a “half-life, a cursed life” for slaying a unicorn.

[Pyroclase]

The philosopher’s stone isn’t exclusive to Harry Potter. :hmph:

[Toxyn]

I never said it was exclusive to Harry Potter.

[ev1te]

@kitor

Well, not. PNG this time is 8 times bigger than JPG
Anyway:
https://pdasite.pl/kitor/bms/qe1.png
https://pdasite.pl/kitor/bms/qe2.png

Thanks, and sorry about that, PNG is often very efficient when you have large areas of the same color (like the black areas around the map) but apparently not in this case

If i save the PNG as JPG with maximum quality (still some loss of quality compared to PNG) the JPG will be 4.5 MB and PNG 7.4 MB.

[bebbosvx]

@ev1te

Thanks, and sorry about that, PNG is often very efficient when you have large areas of the same color (like the black areas around the map) but apparently not in this case

If i save the PNG as JPG with maximum quality (still some loss of quality compared to PNG) the JPG will be 4.5 MB and PNG 7.4 MB.

png prefers solid colors, while those pictures contains lots of shades
one way of improving the size would be applying a poster filter, but that would also reduce the quality

[expertmac2]

someone named Watcher just dumped a bunch of base64 onto #BMS-ARG. His IP is similar to Dr_Horn’s and _Watcher|afk’s (or whatever the name was).

This happened:

* Watcher_ (webchat@host-84-9-123-177.dslgb.com) has joined #BMS-ARG
<Watcher_> W
* Watcher_ (webchat@host-84-9-123-177.dslgb.com) Quit (Quit: Page closed)

For reference, Dr_Horn and _Watcher|afk:

[03:41] * Watcher__|afk (webchat@host-84-9-123-164.dslgb.com) Quit (Quit: Page closed)
[01:51] * Dr_Horn (webchat@host-84-9-123-89.dslgb.com) has joined channel #BMS-ARG

Later, Watcher_ came back and dumped this into IRC: https://pastebin.com/jjJSS3c7

I decoded the base64 (= sign at the end of the code and the fact that Watcher_ used base64 the last time gave it away) and it came out with this:

NOrTh thirty eight degrees fifty seven minutes Eight point zero five seconds WEst seventy seven degrees eight minutes fourty four point eight two seconds. soLution two ignore loc data north thirty two degrees fifty two minuteS fifty point seven seven seconds west one o six degrees twenty minutes fourty nine point four zero not buried at initial loc, fly Here. Travel fourteen point one six miles east we transferred the niobium there. Await further instructions.

tl;dr - someone named Watcher_ joined IRC, put base64 into chat and I decoded it

[redgun]

@expertmac2

someone named Watcher just dumped a bunch of base64 onto #BMS-ARG. His IP is similar to Dr_Horn’s and _Watcher|afk’s (or whatever the name was).

This happened:

* Watcher_ (webchat@host-84-9-123-177.dslgb.com) has joined #BMS-ARG
<Watcher_> W
* Watcher_ (webchat@host-84-9-123-177.dslgb.com) Quit (Quit: Page closed)

For reference, Dr_Horn and _Watcher|afk:

[03:41] * Watcher__|afk (webchat@host-84-9-123-164.dslgb.com) Quit (Quit: Page closed)
[01:51] * Dr_Horn (webchat@host-84-9-123-89.dslgb.com) has joined channel #BMS-ARG

Later, Watcher_ came back and dumped this into IRC: https://pastebin.com/jjJSS3c7

I decoded the base64 (= sign at the end of the code and the fact that Watcher_ used base64 the last time gave it away) and it came out with this:

NOrTh thirty eight degrees fifty seven minutes Eight point zero five seconds WEst seventy seven degrees eight minutes fourty four point eight two seconds. soLution two ignore loc data north thirty two degrees fifty two minuteS fifty point seven seven seconds west one o six degrees twenty minutes fourty nine point four zero not buried at initial loc, fly Here. Travel fourteen point one six miles east we transferred the niobium there. Await further instructions.

tl;dr - someone named Watcher_ joined IRC, put base64 into chat and I decoded it

Yeah, according to Google Maps this is CIA in Washington - thank you for putting me on every watchlist ever - watcher…