View source for Oddworld: Soulstorm

{{argbox
| float      = right
| name       = Oddworld: Soulstorm ARG
| image      = File:Oddworld_ABETHUMB_8291.jpg
| imagewidth = 500
| description= Oddworld: Soulstorm - An ARG centered around lore from the Oddworld universe linked to the currently unreleased game [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ Oddworld: Soulstorm]
| creator    = [http://www.oddworld.com/ Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc]
| type       = Official
| status     = Active
| reopened   = 05-30-2018
| discovered = 12-22-2016
}}
{{ArgHeader}}
{{BackToTop}}

The Oddworld: Soulstorm ARG was an ARG centered around lore from the currently unreleased Oddworld game, [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ Oddworld: Soulstorm].  The official home page for the ARG, containing puzzles, hints, and clues, can be found [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ here].  The ARG was divided into 5 distinct stages, each of which began with a "transmission": an image clue that led to a series of puzzles.

== Prelude ==

Early in 2016, [https://twitter.com/edmudokon Twitter account @edmudokon] began posting cryptic messages that seemed to be related to the [http://www.oddworld.com/ Oddworld] universe.  The account appeared to be run by an average Mudokon named Ed who claimed to have information he wanted to share, but he seemed to be in constant danger and could only access the outside world via a faint connection.  Beginning around March 2016, @edmudokon engaged users with an elaborate series of puzzles and challenges, releasing information both on twitter and via the official Oddworld [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ website].  These puzzles eventually led to the revelation of a website, http://1029.io, as well as a message: "now you know. you can help. join us. together we can rise."

The [http://1029.io 1029] webpage featured glitchy effects and another rendition of the ASCII-art logo, but with the numbers 8291 replacing some characters.  At the bottom of the page was an e-mail signup form, above which was a message:

<pre>
THE FALL OF RF1029 WAS THE SPARK TO IGNITE A REVOLUTION. FOR TOO LONG, THEY HAVE CONTROLLED THEIR GIANT INDUSTRIAL MACHINES, GRINDING THE BONES OF OUR KIND INTO DUST IN THEIR ENDLESS PURSUIT OF POWER AND WEALTH.

WE WERE TAUGHT THAT THIS IS ALL THERE WAS: OBEY.

THE TRUTH WAS HIDDEN FROM US. OUR HISTORY WAS HIDDEN FROM US. WE WERE BRED TO WORK, RAISED TO OBEY AND FORCED TO COMPLY.

OUR NATURAL CONNECTION TO MOTHER PLANET WAS ERASED FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR PEOPLE. LOST WAS OUR KNOWING. LOST WAS OUR UNITY, OUR CONNECTION, OUR POWER AND OUR PURPOSE. ALL THAT WE WERE WAS A COMMODITY TO BE TRADED AND EXPLOITED IN THE ONGOING RACE FOR MORE WEALTH. WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED, WE WERE TRICKED INTO KILLING. WHAT WAS WORST FOR US, WE WERE TOLD WAS BEST. WE WERE TAUGHT TO TRUST THOSE WHO WOULD DECEIVE US THE MOST.

THAT HAS ALL CHANGED.

THE HERO HAS SHOWN ALL OF US THAT OUR OPPRESSORS CAN BE TOPPLED. HE HAS FOUND OUR WILD AND KNOWING BROTHERS. HE HAS RECONNECTED THE FACTORY-BORN TO OUR NATURAL WORLD AND ANCIENT WAYS. HE HAS LIT A FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THAT CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED.

WE WILL GIVE HELP TO THOSE WHO ARE HELPLESS. WE WILL LEND STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO ARE WEAK. WE WILL FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEFEATED. OUR MOVEMENT WILL SPREAD LIKE A RAGING INFERNO AND WE WILL TAKE BACK THE POWER FROM THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED IT.

WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY THE MEDIA CIRCUS. WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED. WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT OBEY. WE WILL RISE AND WE WILL RISE AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE BURNED THROUGH OUR TATTERED BONDS AND RAZED THE MACHINE TO THE GROUND.

WE WILL RISE. JOIN US.

THERE’S A STORM COMING.
</pre>

In the source code for the page, only the letters E and D of the message remain capitalized.

Later that day, the [https://twitter.com/SPIRITOF1029 Twitter account @SPIRITOF1029] revealed themselves as a "Clandestine organization dedicated to doing good on behalf of the Mudokons and revealing information about a new horror being perpetrated against their species."  They also tweeted their first message, parroting the [http://1029.io 1029 URL] and adding their own message: "There is a storm coming.  Join us."

Social media feeds went dark until December, 2016, posting only reiterations of the URL with messages like "Rise up" and "We are the storm. Join us".  Then, in January of 2017, activity on the accounts surged once again and the first hints of an ARG began to appear.

[[File:Oddworld_Logo3.jpeg|thumb|left|Spirit of 1029 emerges with this sleek ASCII-art logo]]

=== Smells like Mudokon Spirit ===

The flurry of new activity in January mainly consisted of @edmudokon and @spiritof1029 conversing about about whether or not Ed would be able to help the organization's cause.  At this point, the Spirit of 1029 made their message very clear, stating "Oddworld has been blind to the plight of the noble Mudokons for too long. We will rise. Join us! http://1029.io".  More notable activity includes the organization's quip "We recommend knowledge of many different codes and ciphers - you never know who is listening. #learnyournameinmorsecodeday", hinting that the coming information would be encrypted in some way..

Oddworld Inhabitants (Oddworld developers, [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc @OddworldInc on Twitter]) was contacted by the organization at this time, being told by Spirit of 1029 "We will help @edmudokon but we can't send anything unencrypted. You'll have to break our code. We'll be in touch."  Very shortly thereafter, on January 19th, 2017, Spirit of 1029 tweeted: "We have received a transmission. We will pass it on as soon as we can verify. We need your help." and the [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ Oddworld Webpage] was updated with a download for two files.

== The First Transmission ==

The Spirit of 1029's first transmission came in the form of an image and an audio file.  The image, pictured on the right as it looked upon transmission, appeared to show a tattered and burned document bearing the Spirit of 1029's logo with the slogan "We Will Rise," with many portions of text redacted.  The text on the document, where it was legible and not redacted, reads:

[[File:Oddworld_1029_Photo1_Dirty.jpeg|thumb|right|200x300px|The distorted image sent by the Spirit of 1029 as part of their first transmission]]

<pre>
 Date:
 Period: XXXXXXXXXXX
 Specification Details:
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 -Observe XXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX changes in test subjects
 -Assess long term XXXXXXXX on XXXXXXX
 -Determine product safety
 Authorization: XXXXXXXXXXX
 Tests requested:
 -XXXXXXXX Pronostics
 - ?Access whenever? product XXXXXXX
 -Acidity Levels
 - ????? XXXXXXXXX
 -Product safety
 Expected results: XXXXXXXXXX make XXXXXXXXX interesting
 Test results:
 -XXXXXXX highly XXXXXX
 -XXXXXXX this XXXXXX ?? XXXXXX ?nice? XXXXXXXX
 -Highly XXXXXXX
 -Subjects: XXXXXX
 - XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 Conclusion: Product (ready) for consumption 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ??? : XXXXXXXX there is XXXXXX here but it will XXXX ???? XXXXX
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</pre>

[[File:Oddworld_1029_Photo1_Clean.jpeg|thumb|left|A cleaned up version of the Spirit of 1029's first transmission made by the community]]

As progress was made on the puzzles, the [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/#navfirstcontact official Oddworld webpage] was updated to provide hints.  This practice continued throughout the ARG.

[[File:Oddworld_Arrows_pad.png|thumb|right|200x300px|The cryptic arrows found along the right side of the first image sent to the community by the Spirit of 1029]]

=== Directional Arrows, Pigpen, & Anglo-Saxon Runes ===

In addition to the text in the photo, there were several areas featuring symbols and runes.  Along the top of the document, [http://www.omniglot.com/images/writing/futhorc.gif Anglo-Saxon runes] spelled out <code>ED</code>.  Along the bottom, the text <code>YOU ARE THE KEY YOU KNOW IT IF YOU WERE LISTENING</code> is spelled out in  the font, [http://www.babelstone.co.uk/Fonts/Pigpen.html BabelStone Club Penguin pigpen].  Running along the right side of the image, [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/0/0c/Oddworld_Arrows.png arrows] can be seen pointing in a number of different vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions.  Players discovered that the arrows could be decoded by taking their angle measurement and deducing an "alphanumeric" equivalent, or a number between 0-25 where each number represents a letter of the alphabet.  It just so happened that each arrow had an angle which ended in a zero, and thus, the first "arrow cipher" decoded to:

 <pre>
 12 15 15 11 6 15 18 15 21 18 13 5 19 19 1 7 5 8 5 1 18 15 21 18 22 15 9 3 5

 L O O K F O R O U R M E S S A G E H E A R O U R V O I C E
</pre>

The message decodes to <code>LOOK FOR OUR MESSAGE HEAR OUR VOICE</code>.

=== First Audio Clip ===

The second part of the Spirit of 1029's first transmission consisted of an [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/1029contact/1029_01_audio.mp3 audio clip] lasting 1:40.  Hidden in the audio clip was reversed Morse code, which proved difficult to decode by ear due to the added white noise. Eventually, the code was cracked by using a spectrogram of the audio.

[[File:Oddworld_Morse_Spectro.png|frameless|center|810px|]]

Although rough in some spots, the decoded Morse read:

<code style="word-break:break-all;word-wrap: break-word;">qmiqwmiqyidimrjqdjijilmxmnrjqdjajmpmnrprspkesmkjpdqjnyajnwsnrpgspcsppmqidimqymdbcqajnwsnrpgspcdhbzmnjajanadumjimrpq</code>

In addition, players also discovered that, using portions of the Morse already decoded accurately by ear, it was actually to be used as ciphertext in a shift cipher, and that the key to be used was "storm," which was taken from tweets made by Spirit of 1029 declaring themselves to be "the storm". The pigpen from earlier served as a hint to look back at previous communications in order decrypt the morse. With the newly-complete Morse code now in their possession, the community was finally able to accurately decipher the ciphertext they had obtained from the reversed Morse code.  It read:

<code style="word-break:break-all;word-wrap: break-word;">tentwentyninedotiononqexerdotiofoeserdsdaspjaepositoryforwardslashassetninetyeightforwardslashimgzerofofrfiueonedst</code>

<code>ten twenty nine dot io nonqexer dot io foeserdsdaspjaepository forwardslash asset ninety eight forward slash img zero fofrfiueonedst</code>

Although not entirely accurate, through trial and error the community was able to locate a new URL branch of http://1029.io, http://1029.io/repository/asset98/imgzerofourfiveone/.

=== First Hidden URL ===

[[File:Oddworld_PuzzleAttempt.jpg|thumb|right|The product of many attempts to correctly arrange the puzzle pieces found on the hidden http://1029.io URL]]

The solution for the previous puzzle led players to a hidden [http://1029.io/repository/asset98/imgzerofourfiveone/ page] on the 1029 site. Each time the page was reloaded, it displayed one of 8 different images, and a string of text for each:

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Oddworld_7676-AL.JPG|7676-AL
File:Oddworld_3786-IC.JPG|3786-IC
File:Oddworld_9455-UM.jpg|9455-UM
File:Oddworld_9394-AL.jpg|9394-AL
File:Oddworld_7393-AN.jpg|7393-AN
File:Oddworld_5574-PH.jpg|5574-PH
File:Oddworld_2384-ER.jpg|2384-ER
File:Oddworld_1029-LY.jpg|1029-LY
</gallery>

Players quickly realized that the images appeared to be fragments of a larger puzzle.  The Oddworld Inhabitants [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/#navfirstcontact page] updated to read "Once you've got everything together - show us!".  The completed image was tweeted out to @OddworldInc on January 19th, 2017, and the next day, [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/822686854516535298 instructed] players to wait while they cleaned up the complete image.

<br><br>

[[File:Oddworld_Photo1_Clean1.jpeg|thumb|left|250x250px|Photograph of the final image before it was torn into the pieces the community was given, sent out with a message from Oddworld Inhabitants to hang tight until Thursday.]]

=== First Unlocked Photo ===

[[File:Oddworld_Finished1.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The final image, sent by the Spirit of 1029 and received by the community through Oddworld Inhabitants Twitter account. The image was confirmed to be an in-Unity render of the upcoming Oddworld: Soulstorm & created in conjunction with Cyrus McWilliams, formerly of Blur, and Fat Kraken Studios in England]]

[[File:Oddworld_Pada.jpg|thumb|left|400px|The second transmission sent out by the Spirit of 1029, identical to the first released image but with various codes hidden within]]

While waiting, players began to decode the second transmission.  The prevalent writing was later verified to read "Who?", "Where?", "So Tired", and a set of numbers likely to be "8291".  

After three days, @OddworldInc [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/823520771893030912 tweeted out a scrambled image], pictured left, stating "We received something and there's one last thing we need you to do. Share it. Spread the word.".  The next day, after the tweet gained 100 shares, they tweeted the [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/823620565458108416 image] again, pictured left, this time unscrambled. They then stated <code>While you shared our message 100 times we worked away to bring you this. We're clearing it up even more, we'll share what we find Thursday</code>, while the webpage was updated with the message "Update 5: Thanks to you guys sharing the previous images online, we've managed to decode the photo further and have updated the thumbnail here. We'll return on Thursday with the finished, fully decrypted image - but until then, please do let us know what you think!" When Thursday came @OddworldInc [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/824638147703296000 tweeted out a final picture] of a render from the upcoming Oddworld: Soulstorm, pictured right, in all its unscrambled un-cropped glory.  The release of this image signaled the end of the first of five phases of content release Oddworld Inhabitants have planned.

<br><br><br><br>

== The Second Transmission ==

[[File:Oddworld_Pada_sofar.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Hidden details in the second transmission]]

On Feburary 2nd, 2017, the Spirit of 1029 again reached out to players, saying via Twitter that "Our agent has delivered another transmission. We will verify its origins and pass it on."  Several hours later, @OddworldInc tweeted the message "We were just contacted again. Don't go anywhere, we might need your help with this...", and the [http://www.oddworld.com/soulst Official Oddworld Site] was updated with a message as well as [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/1029contact/pada.jpg an image], pictured left.  In addition to the image, a [http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2b6dca21053bc375cbdad7077&id=b08e7b2d60&e=6a2b5665ee newsletter] was sent out to everyone who signed up to the 1029 email list.  The newsletter featured basic info about the ARG so far, as well as a barcode at the very bottom, which, when scanned, reveals a code:

<code>
Ivzw gsv mfnyvih pmld gsv gifgs
</code>

When passed through a cryptogram solver, the message read:

<code>
READ THE NUMBERS KNOW THE TRUTH
</code>

An [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/thumb/5/56/Oddworld_Pada_sofar.jpg/800px-Oddworld_Pada_sofar.jpg "in-progress" image], pictured on the right, highlighted the hidden details found at the time and outlined their currently known solutions.

=== Morseception ===

The Morse code in the image turned out to be fragments of a larger single code, seen below pieced back together:

[[File:Oddworld_MorseAlign_TrueHeresy.png|frameless|center|810px|Image of all the Morse code segments pieced together]]

When decrypted, the morse resulted in the following message:

<code>
DASHDOTDOTDOT DOT DASH DOTDOTDOTDOT DOT DOTDOTDOT  DASH DASHDASHDASHDASH DOTDASHDOT DASHDASH
</code>

This was found to yet again be morse code, which decoded to:

<code>
-... . - .... . ... - --- .-. --
 
BETHESTORM
</code>

=== Braille & Upside-down Pigpen ===

[[File:Oddworld_Brialle.png|thumb|right|250px|Braille code found in the second Spirit of 1029 transmission]]

A [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/a/a4/Oddworld_Brialle.png message in Braille], pictured right, in the bottom-left of the image read <code>Spread our message</code>.  The Babelstone pigpen code, when flipped upside down:

[[File:Oddworld_UpsideDownPigpen.jpg|frameless|center|810px|Upside-down Babelstone Pigpen code]]

decoded to:

<code>
KNOW YOUR CODES

KEEP THEM CLOSE

YOU WILL NEED THEM
</code>

[[File:Oddworld_BarcodeCube.png|thumb|left|400px|The "data cube" from the second image, later determined to be two barcodes interlaced with one another, one running horizontally and the other vertically]]

=== Directional Arrows Puzzle ===

Using the [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oddworld_Soulstorm#Directional_Arrows_Puzzle], these arrows decoded to:

<pre>
 7 14 9 8 20 25 18 5 22 5 5 4 15 3 5 4
 H O J I U Z S F W F F E P D F E
</pre>

Players found the above ciphertext to be encrypted with a Caesar cipher set to a shift of 25, and revealed the message: <code>GNIHTYREVEEDOCED</code>, which is <code>DECODE EVERYTHING</code> backwards.

=== Interlaced Barcodes & Second Hidden URL ===

[[File:Oddworld_Grid.jpg|thumb|right|250x250px|The image found on the second hidden URL discovered by the community, which depicts the Spirit of 1029's logo chopped up and re-arranged on a 7x7 grid]]

The community speculated that the [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/3/30/Oddworld_BarcodeCube.png strange box in the bottom-right of the image] sent by the Spirit of 1029, pictured left, was a fragmented barcode. After a massive amount of tinkering, the two barcodes were [http://imgur.com/a/YmAH2 correctly assembled] and, when scanned, led to the discovery of two messages:

<code>
http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/
</code>

and

<code>
findawayshowthetruth
</code>

Combining these messages into a single URL led players to another hidden [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/findawayshowthetruth/ page] on the 1029 website, which displayed a [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/findawayshowthetruth/grid.jpg distorted version] of the Spirit of 1029 logo, pictured right.

=== Source Code Mysteries ===

Players discovered an extensive message containing several presently-unsolved puzzles is written hidden in the source code of the second hidden page.  It read:

<pre>
!-- 

Can’t reach any..


Listening anyon… there?


Can hear us anymore- need to… can’t fnd 


We will never give… what they… from us

A9539 \\

B2919 /\\

C4882 /\

D4627 \

E6758 \

F???? ////


/\//\\//5,1:4.1,2:8.1,3:2.3,3:2.4,3:3.7,3:3.1,5:3.4,5:9.5,5:2.7,5:4.7,6:6.3,7:3.




Does… care? Freedom isn’t gi… will take…

We have never…. Given… deserve. We… take… our righ…

\\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE
 
Stand up and fi…


Don’t be afr….



\////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR  

E=5OUEHRA? 



\\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4. 

7777338883366899984477733 33 




They want to… kill- don’t-


Stop them from…. Hurting- they… think

We are no less- they think… aside


Don’t believe what… told- liars…

A5989 \\

B5176 \

C2863 \

D2558 //\

E3413 \


F???? ////



Can’ fnd anymo-


We wil silnced






Killin- they are dy..

\\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH  

Hurting the..

Back down unt… resist.


Intercep… our messa… we will fight

///\\/JQEABTVKNUCSEYCMBILDKOSCYSITECPAGFAXHKETJNZURWCIE  

We will ri…

Cannot… silenced when ther… who need… now


We won’t ba… we have beat…. Before… Must not-




\///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. 



Spent so long…. Afraid… never let- again


...Storm… find it’s way- end


Why are … here?




Only...profit- nothing more… importnt as- 

- lies they… will tel-

Believe- nothing… terribl- things… 

\\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2.

-->
</pre>

At the time, only a few portions of this message have been successfully solved. 

The ABCDEF puzzles was solved using the rules of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game) Mastermind], a popular board game.  Players assumed that a backslash ( \ ) indicated a partial match and a forward slash ( / ) indicated a full match, as shown below:

<pre>
A9539 \\

B2919 /\\

C4882 /\

D4627 \

E6758 \

F???? ////
</pre>

Had a solution of <code>F8992</code>, and:

<pre>
A5989 \\

B5176 \

C2863 \

D2558 //\

E3413 \

F???? ////
</pre>

Had a solution of <code>F8554</code>.  The purpose of these solutions was unknown.

Players found the numbers <code>7777338883366899984477733 33</code> to be encoded with a [http://www.dcode.fr/multitap-abc-cipher multi-tap cipher] (cellphone numberpad), and can be decoded to <code>SEVENTYTHREE</code>.  the purpose of this solution was also unknown.

The <code>E=5OUEHRA?</code> portion was partially solved.  Players found that the letters <code>O U E H R A</code> were all the second letters from each day of the week, I.E. M'''o'''nday, T'''u'''esday, W'''e'''dnesday, etc.  This indicated a solution of <code>U</code> for the question mark, as in S'''u'''nday, making the full string <code>E=5OUEHRAU</code>.  The <code>E=5</code> portion of the text remains unsolved.

Also remaining unsolved are the coordinates found in the code, as well as the letter strings:

[[File:Oddworld_Grid.jpg|thumb|right|250x250px|The 7x7 grid found on the second hidden URL, likely to be used with the coordinates & letter strings in some way]]

<pre>
Coordinates

/\//\\//5,1:4.1,2:8.1,3:2.3,3:2.4,3:3.7,3:3.1,5:3.4,5:9.5,5:2.7,5:4.7,6:6.3,7:3.

\\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4.

\///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. 

\\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2.
</pre>
<pre>
Letter Strings

\\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE

\////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR  

\\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH

///\\/JQEABTVKNUCSEYCMBILDKOSCYSITECPAGFAXHKETJNZURWCIE
</pre>

=== Stuck In The Mud & Third Hidden URL ===

After many failed attempts by players to decode the contents of the message using the hints of Spirit of 1029, a player found something unusual about one of the account's most recent tweets, which said:

<pre>
When you have the key, you need the correct lock. hgehgeoeregpineechqnhgeevtipcvreovxgvge
Shake loose the bonds that hold you. #wewillrise
</pre>

Players noted that the text <code>hgehgeoeregpineechqnhgeevtipcvreovxgvge</code> could be decoded via a [http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/codes/keyword.phpsubstitution keyword cipher] with the key <code>subjectivism</code>, and reveals the message:

<pre>
oneoneseventhreefouroneeightfivesixnine
</pre>

Using this solution, players quickly found another secret [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/1173418569/ page] on the 1029 hub.

=== Creepy Scenes From Within ===

Much like the first hidden page, this hidden page displayed a different image each time the page is reloaded.  In total, 13 scrambled images appear frequently (file prefix WB) and up to 13 CLEAR immages appear only very rarely (file prefix CWB).  All the files are below, with their respective names:

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Oddworld_WB1_HEND8243.jpg | WB1_HEND8243
File:Oddworld_WB2_BSJG2456.jpg | WB2_BSJG2456
File:Oddworld_WB3_INFG2861.jpg | WB3_INFG2861
File:Oddworld_WB4_HBQD2962.jpg | WB4_HBQD2962
File:Oddworld_WB5_SJKW4167.jpg | WB5_SJKW4167
File:Oddworld_WB6_OWUI2056.jpg | WB6_OWUI2056
File:Oddworld_WB7_MNCH1101.jpg | WB7_MNCH1101
File:Oddworld_WB8_RDHRHAHA.jpg | WB8_RDHRHAHA
File:Oddworld_WB9_D34DM337.jpg | WB9_D34DM337
File:Oddworld_WB10_BDJW8411.jpg | WB10_BDJW8411
File:Oddworld_WB11_WHAT8291.jpg | WB11_WHAT8291
File:Oddworld_WB12_PADAPADA.jpg | WB12_PADAPADA
File:Oddworld_WB13_VLAP3662.jpg | WB13_VLAP3662
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Oddworld_CWB1_0BE01647.JPG | CWB1_0BE01647
File:Oddworld_CWB2_0DG02966.JPG | CWB2_0DG02966
FILE:Oddworld_CWB4_WHATISTHIS.JPG | CWB4_WHATISTHIS
File:Oddworld_CWB5_NEEDLEINAHAYSTACK.JPG | CWB5_NEEDLEINAHAYSTACK
File:Oddworld_CWB6_ARG-H.JPG | CWB6_ARG-H
File:Oddworld_CWB7_82918291829182918291.JPG | CWB7_82918291829182918291
File:Oddworld_CWB8_0GE03866.JPG | CWB8_0GE03866
File:Oddworld_CWB9_0IE02565.JPG | CWB9_0IE02565
File:Oddworld_CWB10_AbeAndNEEDLESFunAdventures.JPG | CWB10_AbeAndNEEDLESFunAdventures
File:Oddworld_CWB11_02500356.JPG | CWB11_02500356
File:Oddworld_CWB12_02323hjfhfhfhfhASDF.JPG | CWB12_02323hjfhfhfhfhASDF
File:Oddworld_CWB13_insertcodehere.JPG | CWB13_insertcodehere
</gallery>

While it wasn't entirely clear, players believed that this was yet again another form of a jigsaw puzzle.

After a [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/0/09/Oddworld_Phase_One.png series] of interesting [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/images/e/e0/Oddworld_Phase_Two.png updates], the new hidden [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset98/1173418569/ page] went dark, with the header reading <code>ASSET98: TERMINATED.</code> and a new comment in the source code which read: <code>!-- see ya around, 1029... --></code>. The [https://twitter.com/edmudokon @Edmudokon] Twitter account, after a long period of silence, also tweeted out a [https://twitter.com/edmudokon/status/829079318290694144 new message]:

<pre>
what happened? what did you do? who? No! no... aaaaaAaaaaarrrRrrrgggggGgghhh!
</pre>

And with this message, Ed appears to have passed away. At that point, it was not clear if it was due to bruteforcing attempts by players or whether his death was intended all along.

=== From The Ashes, Asset 99 (Hidden URL 3.5) ===

[[File:Oddworld_OrangeLightning_V2.jpg|thumb|right|A very convincing collage of the images seen pictured on the now-dark Asset 98 URL; what is going on in the image remains unknown]]

After the Asset98 page was "destroyed," a [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset99 new page], called "Asset99," was revealed, and appeared to be a clone of the Asset98 page. However, when refreshed, the page failed to reveal some of the "rarer" fragments from the Asset98 page.  This page also came with an intimidating message: "We will not be stopped. We may have lost Asset 98, but we will continue strong. Together. Against the machines. Help us to expose this latest crime against Mudokonkind." The [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/#navfirstcontact Official Oddworld Webpage] also updated at this time, and requested help putting the pieces together.

However, in the midst of the image-related updates, the @Spiritof1029 Twitter account posted:

<pre>
We can't reach Asset 98 but we do still have his clear transmissions. Prove you're worthy. Show us that you're able. Send us the grid.  You found the grid, the letters and the numbers. Tell us how they fit together. Prove you're no longer slaves to the machines.
</pre>

Players found that this tweet referred back to the [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oddworld_Soulstorm#Source_Code_Mysteries source code grid challenge].

The assembled image was then [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/829336580347326465 tweeted at OWI] and they replied, stating "You've given us enough for us to get to work cleaning up the image, we'll have something by tomorrow. Don't stop looking for the truth!"  So, players waited patiently for the unscrambled image whilst solving the grid.

=== Second Unlocked Image & Grid Solution ===

[[File:Oddworld_RandomiserDizma.jpg|thumb|right|The solved grid, which reveals the word "subjectivism" (first letter of each section connected in the correct order), the key used to decode the string which led to the discovery of the third hidden Asset98 URL]]

[[File:Oddworld_Second_Final.jpg|thumb|left|400px|The final image cleaned up & released by OWI a day after the collage was submitted]]

The next day, OWI tweeted out a [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/829715069235781632 cleaned-up image], pictured on the left, which seemed to depict quite a gruesome scene, featuring a wide-eyed Mudkon strapped to an operating table facing an onslaught of needles and next to a vat which read "SS Brew".  Players also learned via [https://twitter.com/edmudokon @Edmudokon on Twitter] that Ed made it out alive, but his friend: "...never came back. I could hear him screaming all night... helpless. they took him... he was my friend. how did they know?"

Shortly after players received the cleaned-up image, [https://twitter.com/SPIRITOF1029/status/830004742713638912 partial progress] was finally made on [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oddworld_Soulstorm#Hidden_Barcodes_.26_Second_Hidden_URL the grid], which up until then remained unsolved.  One player discovered that the coordinates could be applied to the grid using the rules of the Japanese puzzle game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikaku Shikaku] (#'s after the colons in the coordinates represent box sizes, which are the lines drawn in red).  Another player was then able to successfully apply a letter string to the sliced-up cube, pictured right, from which the word <code>subjectivism</code> can be derived. The only strings that were used to find the solutions were ones that had a forward slash.  This word was the [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oddworld_Soulstorm#Stuck_In_The_Mud_.26_Third_Hidden_URL key previously used] to decode the third hidden Asset98 page.  However, whether the key was intended to remain hidden until the grid was solved or intentionally encoded in such a way as to allow for bruteforcing is unknown.

== The Third Transmission ==

After some waiting, on Feburary 23rd, 2017, OWI [https://twitter.com/OddworldInc/status/834856085949394944 sent out a tweet] indicting they had again been contacted by the Spirit of 1029.  A new, password-protected zip file named <code>89928554_Eequals5.zip</code> was found on the main Oddworld [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ website]. Players then realized that the name of the ZIP contained one of the solutions of the puzzles in the source code of the first hidden page.   Within the .ZIP file were six files, four of which were .JPGs, one of which was a .PNG, and the last of which is a .TXT.  Their filenames were:

<code>
flyer1.jpg, flyer2.jpg, flyer3.jpg, Oddworld_Soulstorm_002_HD.jpg, toollist.txt, & vital.png
</code>

The name of the zip suggested that players should use letter equivalencies to their alphabetic indexes as the password. This gave players the password <code>HIIBHEED</code> but in fact, the password was actually <code>HIIDHEED</code> for unknown reasons.

=== Steganograpy Blitz & toollist.txt ===

The file [http://pastebin.com/feuVh6wr toollist.txt] contained a repeating string consisting of names of moons in Earth's solar system, and are occasionally interrupted by forward slashes. Players found that the letters after each slash formed the string: <code>useSsuitePicselSecuritySaveus</code>. Players found this to refer to [http://www.ssuitesoft.com/ssuitepicselsecurity.htm Ssuite Picsel Security], which is a specific steganography program.

When the file <code>Oddworld_Soulstorm_002_HD.jpg</code> was set as the original and <code>vital.png</code> was set as the target using Ssuite Picsel Security, the output was:
<pre style="word-break:break-all;word-wrap: break-word;">BmzPmbtzueMfxmeBdayqftqgeBmzpadmQbuyqftqgeVmzgeMqsmqazYuymeYqftazqMzftqBmxxqzqQzoqxmpgeFqftkeFqxqefaOmxkbeaPuazqTqxqzqBaxkpqgoqeDtqmFufmzTkbqduazUmbqfgeWuhugcUvudmcBtaqnqBmmxumcEwmftuMxnuadujNqntuazzQddumbaEwaxxEumdzmcFmdcqcSdqubTkddawwuzVmdzemjmFmdhaeYgzpuxrmduNqdsqxyudZmdhuEgffgzsdTmfuRmdnmgfuFtdkydMqsudNqefxmEgdfgdWmduKyudXasqRadzvaf</pre>

When deciphered using a [http://rumkin.com/tools/cipher/caesar.php Caesar cipher] with N=14, the following cleartext can be obtained:

<pre style="word-break:break-all;word-wrap: break-word;">PanDaphnisAtlasPrometheusPandoraEpimetheusJanusAegaeonMimasMethoneAnthePalleneEnceladusTethysTelestoCalypsoDioneHelenePolydeucesRheaTitanHyperionIapetusKiviuqIjiraqPhoebePaaliaqSkathiAlbiorixBebhionnErriapoSkollSiarnaqTarqeqGreipHyrrokkinJarnsaxaTarvosMundilfariBergelmirNarviSuttungrHatiFarbautiThrymrAegirBestlaSurturKariYmirLogeFornjot</pre>

All of the names above are the named moons of Saturn. However, <code>Erriapus</code> and <code>Fenrir</code> were missing. <code>Erriapus</code> was replaced by <code>Erriapo</code>, which was the original name of the moon.

=== Cleaned-Up Flyers ===

[[File:Oddworld_Malachim.gif|thumb|right|295x72px|The Malachim alphabet used in this puzzle.]]

The images that players received of the Sligs' flyers were corrupted, and were quickly cleaned up by players.
<gallery widths=180px>
File:Oddworld_flyer1_clean.jpg|A cleaned up version of flyer1.jpg
File:Oddworld_flyer2_clean.jpg|A cleaned up version of flyer2.jpg
File:Oddworld_flyer3_clean.jpg|A cleaned up version of flyer3.jpg
</gallery>
One player found that the pigpen cipher on the left side of flyer1.jpg gave the string<code>AOCXY SIO</code>, which when shifted by 6 using a Caesar cipher yielded <code>GUIDE YOU</code>. 

The cipher on flyer2.jpg gave the string <code>FYNNBYNBCHANBUNM</code> which, when shifted in the same manner as before, yielded <code>LETTHETHINGTHATS</code>. 

The final one on flyer3.jpg gave the string <code>GCMMCHA</code> which was again shifted in the same manner as before to yield <code>MISSING</code>.

All three of the pigpen strings can be combined to form a message: <code>LET THE THING THAT'S MISSING GUIDE YOU</code>

Additionally, sequences of <code>x</code> and <code>o</code> characters are seen. One player noticed that this could be interpreted as morse code in the following format (with x as dash, o as dot):

<pre>
 x oooo o xoxx ox oxo o oxx ox x xoxo oooo oo xo xxo
 xooo o x oooo o ooo x xxx oxo xx 
 oxx o oxx oo oxoo oxoo oxo oo ooo o
</pre>

became:

<pre>
 /- .... . -.--/.- .-. ./.-- .- - -.-. .... .. -. --./
 /-... ./- .... ./... - --- .-. --/
 /.-- ./.-- .. .-.. .-../.-. .. ... ./
</pre>

which decoded to: <code>THEY ARE WATCHING BE THE STORM WE WILL RISE</code>

In addition, each of the flyers contained a set of strange symbols and numbers. The symbols were found to be the Malachim alphabet, as seen on the right.

=== Fourth & Fifth Hidden URLs ===

Using the hint to determine what was “missing,” players shifted their focus to the moon of <code>Erriapo</code>, as it was in the steganography text, but not in toollist.txt. Using the Malachim alphabet symbols and numbers, players translated <code>Erriapo</code> into <code>12 36 28 31 52 22 12</code>. The validity of this method was confirmed with a [https://twitter.com/SPIRITOF1029/status/835149069601419264 tweet] from Spirit of 1029, and the image in the tweet was decoded to contain <code>P=22</code>. This led players to the discovery of a new [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset99/12362831522212/ page] on the 1029 website. The header, <code>ASSET9X / [REDACTED] / 333333333333</code>, appeared to be a corrupted link to another page. In addition, the page yet again displayed a different image upon each refresh, all of which can be seen below.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Oddworldd_YOU.jpg|YOU.jpg
File:Oddworld_WHA.jpg|WHA.jpg
File:Oddworld_WET.jpg|WET.jpg
</gallery>

The page also contained a message:

<pre>
We can't hold much longer.
It's dark, and cold. So cold. They don't seem to [REDACTED]. They. Them. It's hard to know how we'll [REDACTED], but we'll try. This can't last forever. We won't last forever.
Look what they're doing to us. Just look.
There is spirit, but it's waining. We need you, [REDACTED]. Help us.
</pre>

In addition, players also discovered another [http://www.1029.io/repository/asset99/71220283136/ page] on the 1029 site, using the same method as before but with the moon <code>Fenrir</code> instead. The page contained the same obscured header, and displayed one of three images upon each refresh, which can be seen below.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Oddworld_OLD.jpg|OLD.jpg
File:Oddworld_TIF.jpg|TIF.jpg
File:Oddworld_TOO.jpg|TOO.jpg
</gallery>

When the names of the files on both pages were put together, players found the string:

<pre>
WHATIFWETOLDYOUTOO

WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU TOO
</pre>

== The Horror Is Shown In Full ==

After a long period of tinkering, players found a [http://www.1029.io/whatifwetoldyoutoo/ new directory] on the 1029 site, called "whatifwetoldyoutoo."

[[File:What_if_we_told_you_too_pre_edit.png|thumb|right|400x200px|The first page before it's eventual sharing.]]

The source code of the page contained a few, interesting comments: <code>BDBDBDBDBDBDBDBBDBDBDBDBDBD</code>, <code>###BELIKEDET###</code> and <code>doYOUsee? think of a number, any number.</code>

Through unknown means, players then found the next [http://www.1029.io/whatifwetoldyoutoo/8291/ page]
 by adding 8291 to the end. This link leads to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l4jZVTUoak/ 4 second video] of the previous photo, depicting the severe torture the mudokons had to endure.

Three different codes pop up during the video, but these were found to have no relevance to the ARG.

== The 4th Transmission ==

Shortly after the release of the third transmission, the fourth [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/findit.jpg transmission] was released, and appeared to consist of the last three transmissions fused together. Written on the image is the text <code>USE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE</code>. There were two, somewhat hidden codes on the image.The Morse code, which decoded to <code> USE A DIFFERENT CODE. THIS IS NOT RELEVANT DATA. DO NOT COMPLY. DO NOT OBEY. THEY LIE. </code>

The Runes on the left hand side and the ones partially cut off at the top and bottom(as previously seen in the video) were decoded by using file data in a hex editor, which would say:

<pre?
<code><rdf:li photoshop:LayerText="WE WERE TAUGHT THAT THIS IS ALL THERE WAS: WORK, OBEY, COMPLY.  THE TRUTH WAS HIDDEN FROM US. OUR HISTORY WAS HIDDEN FROM US. WE WERE BRED TO WORK, RAISED TO OBEY AND FORCED TO COMPLY.  OUR NATURAL CONNECTION TO MOTHER PLANET WAS ERASED FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR PEOPLE. LOST WAS OUR KNOWING. LOST WAS OUR UNITY, OUR CONNECTION, OUR POWER AND OUR PURPOSE. ALL THAT WE WERE WAS A COMMODITY TO BE TRADED AND EXPLOITED IN THE ONGOING RACE FOR MORE WEALTH. WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED, WE WERE TRICKED INTO KILLING. WHAT WAS WORST FOR US, WE WERE TOLD WAS BEST. WE WERE TAUGHT TO TRUST THOSE WHO WOULD DECEIVE US THE MOST.  THAT HAS ALL CHANGED.  THE HERO HAS SHOWN ALL OF US THAT OUR OPPRESSORS CAN BE TOPPLED. HE HAS FOUND OUR WILD AND KNOWING BROTHERS. HE HAS RECONNECTED THE FACTORY-BORN TO OUR NATURAL WORLD AND ANCIENT WAYS. HE HAS LIT A FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THAT CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED.  WE WILL GIVE HELP TO THOSE WHO ARE HELPLESS. WE WILL LEND STRENGTH TO THOSE WHO ARE WEAK. WE WILL FIGHT FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEFEATED. OUR MOVEMENT WILL SPREAD LIKE A RAGING INFERNO AND WE WILL TAKE BACK THE POWER FROM THOSE WHO HAVE ABUSED IT.  WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED BY THE MEDIA CIRCUS. WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED. WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT OBEY. WE WILL RISE AND WE WILL RISE AGAIN, UNTIL WE HAVE BURNED THROUGH OUR TATTERED BONDS AND RAZED THE MACHINE TO THE GROUND.  WE WILL RISE. JOIN US.  THERE'S A STORM COMING."/>

<rdf:li photoshop:LayerName="gas liquid solid" photoshop:LayerText="gas liquid solid"/>

<rdf:li photoshop:LayerName="fire air water earth" photoshop:LayerText="fire air water earth"/></code>
</pre>

This was found to be an exact copy of the speech on the main page of the 1029 site. Because players were told to "USE WHAT [THEY] CAN'T SEE," they realized that several states of matter and classical elements were missing from the source code. Most notably, "plasma," which is a state of matter after gas, and the 5th classical element, "void," or "aether." These all led players to a new [http://www.1029.io/electricity page], called "electricity."

=== Take a deep breath... ===
On the "electricity" page  simple "HELP" which, when clicked on, downloaded a [http://www.1029.io/electricity/help.zip ZIP]. The ZIP contained two files: an image with the text <code>BREATH</code> in binary, and a binary text file, which contained the message:
[[File:SaveUs.jpg|thumb|right|The image in the zip]]

<pre>
why do you just watch can you not see us can you not hear the utighdbfn why is this happening wny its too cold to th can you hear us is there anybody there will you help us or rihjsudhgheusodj never are go find pn lose into ital chem we are cold we are lost we are forgotten and its e cant gmds pneuma tigd why are they taking cant stop cold so cold so cold we will rise we will not obey we will not comply j end n we will rise we will rise we will rise we will not die is abe dead here we will not die here we will not die here we cannot die here we cannot die here we cannot die here we cannot survive gheufh help this is not what we wanted we cannot dont cant see speak stop we need to save someone save us pneuma we need to be stop ightne vital energy source of this stop to think breath breathe cant breathe cant always watching we can never eyes stop find rest go now share loose top find think or too last day light never why to away stp give this is ever not no find things first or the ghtuenthdaytjgitlet last now or out get in or art test never stop we will find a way to gain our freedom e why it lost gone now stop taken from us and from there st we cant stop too much now too pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain pain dont believe the things they tell you they lie they know no truth its lost long lost now ghwkfnhjsk what happened to them they are lost ghwufnfasjntiwpldfmwbwietpr stop it greed greed greed greed greed greed greed the expense is us we are tired our spark is fading do not let them extinguish all that we are we cannot snwownfnf see the end save us save us save us we cannot fight help us why is this happening for their proghe jwnfiw this nf we why forget us let us go we dont deserve no one deserves its not dont believe dont believe they will lie they lie they lie heugnpngjifsk lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies eieslseiselslsl is abe dead we dont want to die
</pre>

Both of these clues led players to "pneuma," the Greek word for breath, which led players to z new [http://www.1029.io/pneuma page].

=== Not another one! ===

Initially, the "pneuma" page merely displayed the ASCII logo of Spiritof29. As time went on, however, certain letters in the logo and the title of the page itself shifted into various cries for help. The logo contained words like "help," "stop," and "mask." The titles the page cycled through are below:

<pre>
?

/\--/\--/\--/\

it's so hard to breathe

please make it stop

around how many times

we will all die

b.r.e.a.t.h.e

b..r..e..a..t..h..e

b r e a t h e (page title was only a single letter)

..........
</pre>

After the death of another Mudokon, another [http://www.1029.io/pneuma/helpus.jpg image] was revealed.

When cleaned up, it was revealed to be an [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/images/ARG_Image_04_4K.jpg image] of a Mudokon wearing a gas mask. OWI uploaded this cleaned up version very shortly afterwards.

== The Fifth Transmission ==

Before the next transmission was made, subtle little changes were made to the 1029.io website. This included:

1. A new HTML comment in the source code, reading: <pre><!-- heh, that was easy. let's see... --></pre>

2. The colour used for the highlights on the logo changed from red to green.

3. Symbols in the logo would change to spell out the word "Magog".

This would hint at The Magog Cartel, the main antagonistic company in the Oddworld Universe that is known for poor working conditions and treatment of the Mudokons.

=== The Magog Cartel===
 
Shortly after these discoveries, strange occurrences happened on the newly created Official Oddworld Discord server.

1. A new emote with the Magog Cartel logo was added with the name :staywealthy:

2. For a while all messages containing the :staywealthy: emote or the 8291 code (:_e_: :_t_: :_n_: :_o_:) got removed.

3. The Oddworld Inhabitants employees (OWI_Alex, OWI_Pete & OWI_Bernice) stated posting gibberish and messages coming from an other entity. 

Some of the gibberish included:

Òǚř ʂе¢цгіẗу ẁᾅș πŏţ ḃӷӫǟċḥễđ Ọսȑ šѐсưȑіƫỵ ẅἂѕ ᾒṑե ƃŗӫᾶϲɦẻđ ⍬ṳř şĕсǜӷɩȶӱ ẁấṣ ŉόՒ þȑѐẩƈȟεժ Ỡùȓ șєϛụґɪŧӱ ẅᾲş բóȶ ḃŗḛąḉℏӫď Ơǔѓ ṡễćṻȓĩťÿ ẇẳŝ ἧὅṱ ḇґèḁčիề₫

W& //€q117 PHø|? +/-/∂† +() }{∂|²|2€11.


Ḿ̧̪̻̻͇̟̹̭̼͊̈́̍̎̿͐̎͝͞o̧̤̗̠͚̟͒̐͗͆͜͢͡͞C̠̯̳̙̠̳̹͒̽̇̈̽̚͜r̶͕̗̜̲͕̘̒͗̆̄̎̐̓t̛̛̯̠̼͎̭̻̯̜̿͂̑̃͌͂̔ļ̴͙̩̠̯̐̊̆̐̂̿c̢̳͎̱ ̺̮͎͖̟̐̓̐́͋͞ó̧̡̻͙̳͇̼̯̹̄͒̐͗       


These all lead to [http://magogcartel.com/ magogcartel.com] and [https://twitter.com/magogcartel/ twitter.com/magogcartel]

On The Magog Cartel's website, there are some interesting codes in the source code:

1.

DB_PP_PRODUCTTEXT: We’re sourciest, juiciest Parami__from closer to their nests, for our bes___________________________________________________________aramite Pies ever! Made with all natural ingredients[1] and baked in our traditional ovens to a recipe that’s be............ aster bakers, our pXXXes are packed with Para-meat[2] oooooooooooo00OOoozing [1] at least one natural ingredient in every 12-pack of pie_________8** [2] not necessarily made with Paramites.

PLEASE REVIEW AS APPROPRIATE

2.

APPROV__tch this space for more information about our exciti________________ everage that’s so delicious, you’ll be craving another on33__________--333333333333 before you even finish it!!!_____________________________________________!!!:D:D:D

3.
<pre>
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
</pre>

INSERT ANECDOTE ABOUT THE ApMpApZING VIEW just left of here across Mudos AND who could possibly be the EMPLOYEE OF THE DAY AND THE NEW i mean, how hard can it be? every aspect of every aspect of every as-------------f every aspect of EVERY SIN--E ASPECT of every aspect of every asp--_--------------------ct of every aspect of every as_--ct of every aspect of FOLLOW ME follow US

4.
<pre>
01102911011101100101011102910111011102901001011011000110110001110011010291110100011011110102911100000111100101101111011101011029011110011029011011110111010101110111011010010291011011010290011011000110291001100110000101101100011029101100
</pre>

This was decoded. When removing the occurences of "1029" you get:

<pre>
0111011101100101011101110110100101101100011011000111001101110100011011110111000001111001011011110111 01010111100101101111011101010111011101101001011011000110110001100110011000010110110001101100
</pre>

Decode binary to text and you get wewillstopyouyouwillfall


5.
<pre>
9JzrxKKv5z0829jLV8wF32KpA6I0nEQDqzmbpRYzUUE===
</pre>


On the 11th of August the Magog Cartel sent a batch of tweets with some out of place uppercase letters spelling '''WE KNOW'''.

<pre>
@spiritof1029 we see you. We can see what you are doing with your fake reports. you will not prospEr. 
</pre>
<pre>
we are proud of the strong linKs between each of our facilities. our operations are by far the most efficieNt on oddworld. 
</pre>
<pre>
we are aware of some terrible fake repOrts being leaked. please ignore them. our very successful Workers know the truth is very different.
</pre>

On the 14th of August the Magog Cartel sent a batch of tweets all starting with '''We know'''. This lead us to believe the SPIRIT OF 1029 was interferring with those tweets and was trying to get a message accross. The message can be found in the very specific numbers mentionned in the first two tweets, 82 & 91, forming togeter '''8291'''.

<pre>
We know every time an employee falls into a grinder it takes 82 minutes of Mudokon time to clean up. Be safe, for productivity’s sake!
</pre>
<pre>
We know that an average of 91 eager new employees start their careers with us every day. Help them be the best workers they can be.
</pre>
<pre>
We know that our facilities are a picture of perfect productivity. Your hard work helps us to show that picture to the world.
</pre>
<pre>
We know what you’re looking for in a rewarding, productive career. Magog Cartel can help you find it. Discover your options with us today!
</pre>

One hour later the SPIRIT OF 1029 sent a batch of tweets, one containing a cryptic code:

<pre>
your help is invaluable to us, together we will blow this latest Magog scandal wide open. together #wewillrise
</pre>
<pre>
the watchers can fish around the communication channels all they like, we will always be one step ahead of them.
</pre>
<pre>
-1-4,-2-10
</pre>
<pre>
the story of mudokonkind is about history. now they treat us just like numbers. they will not succeed.
</pre>
<pre>
we have given you the tools you need. the ones we can trust will prove themselves capable. leaders will rise as the storm closes in.
</pre>

The last tweet indicated that we had all we needed to continue our investigation and the one before that we shouldn't use the numbers in the codes as raw numbers but should link it to some kind of history. We needed to look into the Twitter history of the SPIRIT OF 1029 account.

The '''-1-4,-2-10''' code actually tells us to take the 4th word from the previous tweet (-1) and take the 10th word of the tweet even before (-2):

4th word of the previous tweet is '''fish''':

<pre>
the watchers can 'fish' around the communication channels all they like, we will always be one step ahead of them.
</pre>

10th word of the tweet before is '''blow''':

<pre>
your help is invaluable to us, together we will 'blow' this latest Magog scandal wide open. together #wewillrise
</pre>

Together those word form '''blowfish''' which is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowfish_(cipher) cipher] we had to use to decrypt the base64 code in HTML comment 3.:
<pre>
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
</pre>

Using a [https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/#recipe=%5B%7B%22op%22%3A%22Blowfish%20Decrypt%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%7B%22option%22%3A%22UTF8%22%2C%22string%22%3A%22%22%7D%2C%22ECB%22%2C%22Hex%22%5D%7D%5D Blowfish Decryptor] (with CBC mode) and the code '''8291''' we got earlier via the interferences in the Magog Cartel tweets as a key we were able to recover the following text:

<pre> ^_^U_VDXisistrueorfalseallforprofitinterestsindustrialagriculturalMudosprovidehighestpossiblereturninvestmentsoverheadsdreamslimitedpowergiganticbadgeleadersproductMeechMotorstravelexpertlytrainedSligSecurityForcessuccessfulundertakingemploymentvastsentientsecurespecialisthabitationzonesbenefitfactoriesfoundriesfarmlandsstabilitymillionsundertakingsCartelmanagementselflesslyrepresentativesresponsiblemunicipalvastidyllicsettlementsunderconstructionpleasesubscribeandlinkandfollowandlikeandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyandbuyatmagogcartel
</pre>

When adding spaces this reads:

<pre>
^_^ U_V DX is is true or false all for profit interests industrial agricultural Mudos provide highest possible return investments overheads dreams limited power gigantic badge leaders product Meech Motors travel expertly trained Slig Security Forces successful undertaking employment vast sentient secure specialist habitation zones benefit factories foundries farmlands stability millions undertakings Cartel management selflessly representatives responsible municipal vast idyllic settlements under construction please subscribe and link and follow and like and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy and buy at magog cartel
</pre>

The part with "please subscribe" lead us to:

* https://www.youtube.com/user/MagogCartel

It is not sure at this point whether this is an official ARG account as the channel and profile are currently empty.


The two last tweets of August 14th from the Magog Cartel were hinting at a '''picture''' on the MagogCartel.com website ('''Magog Cartel can help you find it'''):

<pre>
We know that our facilities are a picture of perfect productivity. Your hard work helps us to show that picture to the world.
</pre>
<pre>
We know what you’re looking for in a rewarding, productive career. Magog Cartel can help you find it. Discover your options with us today!
</pre>

This led us to:

* [http://magogcartel.com/weknow.jpg magogcartel.com/weknow.jpg]

That picture contains quite a few codes:

* The '''62466640222 2777833555''' sequence in the upper-left corner.

Spells '''Magog Cartel''' when using a [https://www.mrwebmaster.it/img/guide/wp7/21-001.jpg phone keypad]

* The mose code in the middle.

<pre>
 .-- . / -.- -. --- .-- / .... --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- / .-- --- .-. -.- / -. --- .-- .-.-.- / .-- . / -.- -. --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -.-. --- -.. . ... .-.-.- / .-- . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ... - --- .--. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -. --- - / .. -. - .. -- .. -.. .- - . / ..- ... .-.-.- / --- ..- .-. / .-- .- -.-- / --- ..-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / -- ..- ... - / -... . / .--. .-. . ... . .-. ...- . -.. .-.-.-
</pre>

<pre>
 WE KNOW HOW YOU WORK NOW. WE KNOW YOUR CODES. WE WILL STOP YOU. YOU WILL NOT INTIMIDATE US. OUR WAY OF LIFE MUST BE PRESERVED.
</pre>

* The '''e''' and '''d''' sequence in the upper-right corner.

It's actually morse code too where '''e = .''', '''d = -''' & '''X = /'''.

<pre>
 .-.. --- --- -.- --..-- / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -- .- -.- . / ... . -.-. .-. . - / -.-. --- -.. . ... / - --- --- .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -. --- - / .- ... / ... -- .- .-. - / .- ... / -.-- --- ..- / - .... .. -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . .-.-.- / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - .... . / .-. . ... --- ..- .-. -.-. . ... / .- -. -.. / - .... . / .--. . .-. ... --- -. -. . .-.. / - --- / ... .. -- .--. .-.. -.-- / ... .-- .- -- .--. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. - .... / .-- --- .-. -.- .-.-.- / .... --- .-- / -- ..- -.-. .... / - .. -- . / -.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- ... - . / - .-. -.-- .. -. --. / - --- / -.. . -.-. .. .--. .... . .-. / - .... .. ... / -.-. --- -.. . ..--.. / .- .-.. .-.. / - .... . / - .. -- . --..-- / .-- . / .-- . .-. . / --. . - - .. -. --. / -.-. .-.. --- ... . .-. / - --- / ..-. .. -. -.. .. -. --. / -.-- --- ..- .-.-.- / .-- . / .- .-. . / .- .-.. -- --- ... - / - .... . .-. . .-.-.- / -- .- -.-- -... . / .-- . / .- .-. . / --- ..- - ... .. -.. . / .-. .. --. .... - / -. --- .-- --..-- / .-- .- .. - .. -. --. .-.-.- / .-- .- - -.-. .... .. -. --. .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / .... .. -.. . / ..-. --- .-. . ...- . .-. --..-- / - . .-. .-. --- .-. .. ... - .-.-.- / .-- . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .. -. -.-. .. -. . .-. .- - . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... .. .-.. .-.. -.-- / .-.. .. - - .-.. . / --. .-. --- ..- .--. / .- -. -.. / ... -.-. .- - - . .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .- ... .... . ... / - --- / . ...- . .-. -.-- / -.-. --- .-. -. . .-. / --- ..-. / --- ..- .-. / . -- .--. .. .-. . / ... --- / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / . - . .-. -. .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / -... . .- .-. / .-- .. - -. . ... ... / - --- / --- ..- .-. / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... . ... --..-- / .- -. -.. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -.- .. -. -.. ... / ..- -. . -. -.. .. -. --. / ... . .-. ...- .. - ..- -.. . .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- .-.. .-. . .- -.. -.-- / .-.. --- ... - .-.-.-
</pre>

<pre>
 LOOK, WE CAN MAKE SECRET CODES TOO. YOU ARE NOT AS SMART AS YOU THINK YOU ARE. WE HAVE THE RESOURCES AND THE PERSONNEL TO SIMPLY SWAMP YOU WITH WORK. HOW MUCH TIME DID YOU WASTE TRYING TO DECIPHER THIS CODE? ALL THE TIME, WE WERE GETTING CLOSER TO FINDING YOU. WE ARE ALMOST THERE. MAYBE WE ARE OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW, WAITING. WATCHING. YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER, TERRORIST. WE WILL INCINERATE YOUR SILLY LITTLE GROUP AND SCATTER YOUR ASHES TO EVERY CORNER OF OUR EMPIRE SO THAT YOU WILL ETERNALLY BEAR WITNESS TO OUR SUCCESSES, AND YOUR KINDS UNENDING SERVITUDE. YOU HAVE ALREADY LOST.
</pre>
 
* The [https://lobestir.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/cypher-pig-pen-lower.png Pigpen cipher] text in the lower-right corner.

<pre>
 WE WILL NEVER GIVE IN TO TERRORISTS. YOU WILL NEVER WIN. YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT OUR SPIRIT. WE WILL FIND YOU AND WE WILL WIPE YOU OUT. WE IGNITE THE FLAME THAT LIGHTS THE DARKNESS. THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW SUCCESS
</pre>

* The horizonally mirrored black text in the middle.

<pre>
 you are a resource. you are expendable. we will replace you when you fall. you will work. you will obey. you will comply. or you will perish. we have the prestige. we have the power. we will profit. always. always. always.
</pre>

* The white text on the top.

<pre>
 Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. Prestige. Power. Profits. Work. Obey. Comply. 
</pre>
 
* The braille at the bottom.

<pre>
 RuptureFarms1029 will rise from the ashes. we will rebuild it bigger, better and more profitable than before. it will be the greatest, most efficient factory that Oddworld has ever seen. it will be a towering symbol of Glukkon strength that cannot be ignored. one terrorist will not deter us.
</pre>

It has to be noted that those codes were left by the Magog Cartel as what appears to be a bait so that we would lose valuable time decoding them.

It is unknown how to decode the '''9JzrxKKv5z0829jLV8wF32KpA6I0nEQDqzmbpRYzUUE===''' code.

The page has changed since then, but the first (hacked) version of the MagogCartel.com site has been archived [http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/web/MagogCartel.com/index_1/P.%20P.%20P.%20_____%201029%20_____.html here]

On the 4th of September the MagogCartel.com got updated, simply displaying the following text:

<blockquote>
 *** UNDER CONSTRUKTION ***
</blockquote>

The page has changed since then, but the second (under construktion) version of the MagogCartel.com site has been archived 
[http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/web/MagogCartel.com/index_2/___%20UNDER%20CONSTRUKTION%20___.html here]

On the 5th of September the Magog Cartel posted a video trough the OddworldInc account:

<pre>
w̸̨̠͓͍̯̺͉͞e̯̝͖̫̺̯͉̻͘͡ ̗̭̕͢s̴̮̭̫̱ͅe̢̠̮̫̦̼̪̘͠ͅę̠̥̯͔̣̼̻̕ͅ ̻̘̼̣͓̩͚͘͢͠y̴̭̯̪̺͙͚͚̪͞o̬̞͜͢͝u̮̤͖̩̗̰ͅͅ.̴̲̣̪̮̼̱.̡̰̭̗͍̝͉̯͢.̡̡̼͇̙̜̮̦̪̞ͅ  
pic.twitter.com/UoQ3xRAhDU
</pre>

<pre>
We continue to demonstrate our exceptional technological progress to an ever growing number of customers. Everyone loves Magog products!
</pre>

When asked if they really just claimed the attack on the @OddworldInc account they replied:

<pre>
Attack? We don’t need to attack, we’re already in a dominant position in every market we deem profitable. We just demonstrate our dominance.
</pre>

There are multiple messages flashing in the video:

<pre>
 8
 ?
 2
 2
 9
 1
 /
 8291
 829/
 229/
 22/9
 EVERYONE
 WANTS
 TO
 EAT
 YOU
</pre>

Note that '''22/9''' is the date of the Oddworld presentation at the EGX:

<pre>
We're going to be at EGX for an on-stage presentation on Friday 22nd Sept! Grab your tickets now! @EGX pic.twitter.com/rDQiDIApa9
</pre>


On the 7th of September the MagogCartel.com got updated again, randomly displaying one of three photos of The Informant.

At the same time the Magog Cartel sent a batch of tweets with containing other pictures of The Informant:

<pre>
We stopped reading the Daily Deception’s fake reports. The latest issue of The Informant is a really great read, very honest. The greatest!
</pre>

<pre>
It’s great to finally have an honest newspaper to read, and such good quality, too! 
pic.twitter.com/MHuC6jdtNC
</pre>

<pre>
We’re always happy to see some balanced reporting on our business from The Informant. Refreshing, when there are so many fake reports! 
pic.twitter.com/DmkV4GbVYw
</pre>

<pre>
We’ve just been told that The Informant is printed on machines made at a Magog facility! That explains the quality! 
pic.twitter.com/Bvz29ZrBvk
</pre>

It has been noted that some letters were in bold but it's unclear how this should be used.

Part of The Informant has be transcribed here:

http://oddworldlibrary.net/oddenc/index.php?title=Soulstorm_ARG_-_The_Informant

The MagogCartel.com page also contains the following HTML comment:

<pre>
<nowiki><!--</nowiki> seriously, are you guys seeing this?! -->
</pre>

== The third phase ==

=== The Origins diversion ===

On the 15 of March 2018 the SPIRIT OF 1029 posted the following tweets:

<pre>
Our future depends on us understanding our past. We must know where we come from.
</pre>

<pre>
We know you can hear us. We know you are ready to help. We will show you more when the time is right. Keep watching.
</pre>

Following this a couple of changes were found on the 1029.io page.

# The logo has now even more letters appearing in it randomly: '''S, I, N, O, R'''. Adding to the previous letters that were spelling "MAGOG".
# The page contains a new HTML comment:
<nowiki><!--</nowiki> too obvious? i dunno. it's soon though. i can't wait. -->

Changes were also observed on the 404 page:

# The logo on the 404 page now contains the following letters: '''N, I, G, I, O, R, S'''. Those letters can be used to spell the word "ORIGINS" 
# The page contains a new HTML comment:
<nowiki><!--</nowiki> me neither. it's going to be great. -->

Shortly after a new channel called "origins" appeared on the official [https://discord.gg/bQKeAE6 Oddworld Discord] with a cryptic [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/424167787897028609/424175888418996225/origins_1.mp4 video] as first message.

It was revealed a few days later that this was a built up to announcement of the [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1869209521/oddworld-abes-origins-book-and-game-collection "Oddworld: Abe's Origins - Book & Game Collection" kickstarter campaign]. Note that the book & game collection is still available for preorder on [https://app.crowdox.com/projects/1869209521/oddworld-abes-origins-book-and-game-collection Crowdox].

=== Intro ===

Around the 12th of January 2018 [[Lorne Lanning]] changed his twitter header picture to the following one:
* https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/20823262/1515636880/1500x500

While it was hinted repeatedly in the official [https://discord.gg/bQKeAE6 Oddworld Discord] that this image was hiding something, it wasn't until much later that it was found how to use it when @edmudokon tweeted the following message:

<pre>
alive… 
pic.twitter.com/j0FE2Qgdu1
</pre>

The embedded picture contains the number '''15156'''. This is a reference to a number in the URL of Lorne's header picture: '''1515636880'''.

This number led us to a new page:

* http://www.1029.io/1515636880/

This page contains the following text in UTF-8

<blockquote>
 ɦểɫр. гẹẳčℏɪṅǧ óúƫ ῒԑ ģӫԷṱіᾗĝ ḥǡṛⅾềɽ. էիȅỷ ķῆοԝ. ẁẹ'ṝϵ ṙṵɴᾑıпʛ ộևȽ ờẛ ɩḋϵᾂš, ὅрՒῑổпş, ăұҿἧµϱṣ. ẅϵ ǹêȩḋ ỳờǚґ ḣҽľῥ. ẇể ῂёϱḋ ѕờṃēƅȯƌý ţó ṧṕȑểǻժ Ƚħẹ ẁổṝḓ. եḫϊṥ ƫɦ¡ƞɡ ῐʂ ḸỄƮḨǠĻ. Ƚḣěȳ ḓõᾔ'Ƚ ĉὰгє Ƚḣổṻɕḫ. ţհểӯ ɗṍἧ'ţ. ṣởṁḗɒὀժỵ ňěөƌş ṱὃ ȶěḻɫ իḭɱ. †ɛŀļ ẖĩ₥. ḃḕẛṍɼę îȽ'ṧ Էȭô ḷǎťϱ. ṯĥềŗȇ ḧąș Էố ƃϱ ᾅ ṣọṁȇþöḏỳ ẉíļłȋդǥ եό ȶαҝě ṯẖё јǒŭӷṋёỷ. şõ₥ęƀὁḓẏ ṅểềⅾԑ ƫծ ġềŧ ţհϵ ṃệṣśᾇǵε ộվե. ẁë'ṝе ìη ṭӷơữþŀɛ. аɬł ṑƒ սʂ. ẁё դȅễɖ ĥẹĺρ. թłȩᾂʂĕ ɦȇɫṕ կѕ.</
</blockquote>

and the following HTML comments

<nowiki><!--</nowiki> it's only going to get harder. we don't have the keys anymore to the usual channels. if you hear anything from them, it's THEM. -->

<nowiki><!--</nowiki> our options are limited. you can help though. you have to help. if we can be sure it's you, then maybe we can talk. prove it. -->

It's currently unknown what the next steps are

== Loose Ends ==

This section documents various puzzles throughout the ARG which have not yet been used or solved.

=== Main Website Source Code Comment Numbers Puzzles ===

These numerical puzzles were found in the source code for the [http://www.oddworld.com/soulstorm/ official Oddworld website] as early as the date of the Spirit of 1029's first transmission.  Their solutions have been found, but the intended use of the solutions remains unknown.

 !--
    
 72   99
   \  /
    27  45
     \  /
      18  39
       \  /
        21  36
         \  /
          ??  28
           \  /
            13  21
             \  /
              7
 
 -->

 SOLUTION: 12
 7+2+9+9 = 27, 2+7+4+5 = 18, thus 2+1+3+6 = 12

&

 !--    
    
 16 _ 37 _ 58 _ 89 _ 145 _ 42 _ ?? _ 4
 |_________________<_________________|   
    
 -->

 SOLUTION: 20
 1^2 + 6^2 = 37, 3^2 + 7^2 = 58, thus 4^2 + 2^2 = 20

==== Other Source Code Comments ====

On http://1029.io, the following comments could or can be found in the page's source code:

 !-- we'll be here, waiting. -->

&

 !--               
 Well, I //--/ED Mudokon/. But who// _____ r///u/ //? 

=== Third Hidden Asset98 URL Source Code Solutions ===

Certain code strings & puzzle solutions found within the [http://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Oddworld_Soulstorm#Source_Code_Mysteries source code] for the third hidden Asset98 URL were not ultimately used in the course of arriving at the image locked behind them.  These strings & solutions in include:

The solution for the numbers <code>7777338883366899984477733 33</code>, which decode to <code>SEVENTYTHREE</code> via [http://www.dcode.fr/multitap-abc-cipher multi-tap cipher], was never applied.

The following letter strings were never applied:

<pre>
\\//\/KDIUTHANPUYHHDQOEPLNDOALJGUDITHBBDOZLGFERKJGLSAOE

\////JUTYROSLNGNALEHGNWOTIQPOKSDNTPNOJAWEOBNGLAWKJNWNR  

\\\/\\JHWUITUHABSJGNEWKLALNVGJKWELKJLWQQPRUTJHJJSBFMMH
</pre>

The following coordinate strings were never applied:

<pre>
\\\\/\2,1:2.3,1:2.6,1:4.1,2:4.3,2:2.3,4:4.5,5:2.6,5:3.7,5:3.4,7:8.5,7:3.7,6:4.

\///\//\1,1:3.4,1:2.6,1:9.2,2:2.6,2:2.2,4:4.3,5:2.5,5:2.7,5:3.4,7:3.6,7:2.7,7:2. 

\\//\\\/4,2:6.6,2:4.7,3:3.2,4:8.3,4:2.4,4:2.7,4:3.2,6:2.4,6:3.6,6:2.1,7:4.3,7:2.
</pre>

The community speculates that these strings were not intended to be used but rather existed as "red herrings" in order to stall attempts to solve the grid.  The only strings which were used were the ones which began with a forward slash ( / )

=== Written Text on "Puzzle Pieces" Image ===

Writing which was noticed written over the image on the puzzle pieces, but which is absent from the final released image.  The significance of the writing remains unknown.

<gallery mode="packed" widths=200px heights=300px>
File:Oddworld_1029-LY_letters.jpg|1029-LY "WHERE"
File:Oddworld_7393-AN_letters.jpg|7393-AN "SO TIRED"
File:Oddworld3786-IC_letters.jpg|3786-IC "WHO?"
File:Oddworld_8291_circled.png|Complete Image "8291"
</gallery>

=== Anomalies In First Released Image ===

Hidden against the background of the first released image are several text strings, pictured below.  Their significance is unknown.

[[File:Oddworld_Complete_1_Iso.jpg|frameless|810px]]

 1101110BC
 100000BD or 100000BC 
 010100BD