OK, I am back in Switzerland.... and no pizza is waiting for me
So here is the solution for the code in LTFC's Information round of June:
First the encrypted message:
The message was:
XXXXQXQQKKXKKKXXQQXKXQQQXXQKQKXQQQKKXXXKXQQKQXQKXQKXXKXXQQXKXQQQKXQQQXXKXKQXQKQXKXXXQKXXKXXKXKQXQQKKXQKQXXKXKQXQQQQXQQKKKXXKKKXXXQXKXKQXQKQQKXXXKXQKXQXQQQXXQKKQXKXKQKXXKXKXXXKKKQKKKXXXQXQQQKKXXXKXKKQQXKXKQKXXXQXQQXKXKXKQXQQQKXQQQXXKXKQXQQKKXQKXQXKXKQXQKKKXQQQKXQQKQKXXXXKXXXKXQKQXXQQQXXQKKQXKQXKXXXKX
The symbols were chosen because they looked cool - but there are three of them, thus creating a trinary encoding:
X=0, K=1, Q=2
The symbols are in groups of 5, thus making 243 possibilities, which is close enough to the 256 ASCII positions.
Code: Select all
Rank 4 3 2 1 0
Dec. 81 27 9 3 1
________________________________________
<sot> 0 0 0 0 2 XXXXQ
l 0 2 2 1 1 XQQKK
' 0 1 1 1 0 XKKKX
i 0 2 2 0 1 XQQXK
n 0 2 2 2 0 XQQQX
f 0 2 1 2 1 XQKQK
o 0 2 2 2 1 XQQQK
r 1 0 0 0 1 KXXXK
m 0 2 2 1 2 XQQKQ
a 0 2 1 0 2 XQKXQ
t 1 0 0 1 0 KXXKX
i 0 2 2 0 1 XQQXK
o 0 2 2 2 1 XQQQK
n 0 2 2 2 0 XQQQX
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
e 0 2 1 2 0 XQKQX
s 1 0 0 0 2 KXXXQ
t 1 0 0 1 0 KXXKX
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
l 0 2 2 1 1 XQQKK
e 0 2 1 2 0 XQKQX
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
p 0 2 2 2 2 XQQQQ
l 0 2 2 1 1 XQQKK
u 1 0 0 1 1 KXXKK
s 1 0 0 0 2 KXXXQ
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
g 0 2 1 2 2 XQKQQ
r 1 0 0 0 1 KXXXK
a 0 2 1 0 2 XQKXQ
n 0 2 2 2 0 XQQQX
d 0 2 1 1 2 XQKKQ
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
t 1 0 0 1 0 KXXKX
r 1 0 0 0 1 KXXXK
é 1 1 2 1 1 KKQKK
s 1 0 0 0 2 KXXXQ
o 0 2 2 2 1 XQQQK
r 1 0 0 0 1 KXXXK
, 0 1 1 2 2 XKKQQ
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
s 1 0 0 0 2 KXXXQ
i 0 2 2 0 1 XQQXK
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
o 0 2 2 2 1 XQQQK
n 0 2 2 2 0 XQQQX
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
l 0 2 2 1 1 XQQKK
a 0 2 1 0 2 XQKXQ
0 1 0 1 2 XKXKQ
c 0 2 1 1 1 XQKKK
o 0 2 2 2 1 XQQQK
m 0 2 2 1 2 XQQKQ
p 1 0 0 0 0 KXXXX
r 1 0 0 0 1 KXXXK
e 0 2 1 2 0 XQKQX
n 0 2 2 2 0 XQQQX
d 0 2 1 1 2 XQKKQ
. 0 1 2 0 1 XKQXK
<eot> 0 0 0 1 0 XXXKX
The resulting message is:
<sot>L'information est le plus grand trésor, si on la comprend.<eot>
(<sot> = start of text, <eot> = end of text)
In english, the translation is approximatively:
Information is the greatest treasure, if it is understood.
... obviously, it wasn't
Thanks again to Talv and the judges for their work for LTFC!