Fishy business

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Agent Herring's picture
Posts: 84
Joined: 1988-10-31

Chat about the mission 'Fishy business' here.

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Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

This is a major puzzle which has already been discussed in the forums, but the suggestion already given was not the right answer.

1500 points on offer!

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Agent
Miss J's picture
Posts: 25
Joined: 2008-09-26

Hi Andy,

Which forums has this been discussed in? I tried unfiction, but no joy.


Agent
Batgirl's picture
Posts: 163
Joined: 2008-09-23

This one Miss J: https://operationsleepercell.com/node/100

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Agent
Зoя's picture
Posts: 121
Joined: 2008-10-13

Funny how Agent Nova and Sweety both have a cold Smiling

If the puzzle grid is 11 by 11, how can it match up with the puzzle, which is only 9 by 9?

There are 27 numbers altogether, we have to find 17 of these. Do you think that 10 is the greatest number on the board, or that they continue going up?

I searched 9 by 9 grids on internet and it came up with loads of games.. Not sure if that's a dead end or not. Meh

 


Agent
Rogi's picture
Posts: 89
Joined: 2008-09-23

Where are we getting the 11x11 grid, again?

Mine is 13x13, if we're talking about the main missions grid.

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

If you go with possible cell numberings, then 13 x13 is viable.  I think the 11 x 11 comes from the current extent of the grid and IIRC, one of the agents telling us that there are only allowed to be 121 cells in operation.


Agent
Зoя's picture
Posts: 121
Joined: 2008-10-13

Yeah that's where I got the 11x11 thing from. Either way, it doesn't match up does it?


Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

Well the one thing you can do with a 9 x 9 square is to fit it into an 11 x 11 square! It'd be a bit harder the other way round!

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Agent
Зoя's picture
Posts: 121
Joined: 2008-10-13

Okay I know I'm an idiot... Have you solved this one yet AndyAndyO?


Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

No, but I know how the puzzle-grid links to the Sleepercells. It can't be solved yet - nor do I know exactly how it will be solved.

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Agent
Зoя's picture
Posts: 121
Joined: 2008-10-13

What mission sits in the centre?

Perhaps it's to do with

Spoiler: Highlight to view
The order they were entered in


Agent
esu96kph's picture
Posts: 41
Joined: 2008-09-24

that could work, particularly as

Spoiler: Highlight to view
no numbers are repeated
back to the drawing board!!!

 

however...

Spoiler: Highlight to view
the example solution has 17 digits and there are 17 queation marks leading me to believe that we are looking for single digits all the way.

 

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Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

Which in turn....

Spoiler: Highlight to view

.... map to 17 Sleepercell clues that haven't been used yet.

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

And this is where the Agency, after bludgeoning me for those missions I can't do, now kicks me when I'm down.  *sigh*


Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

Join MAM - share the load, Molnar!

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Agent
practicalman's picture
Posts: 23
Joined: 2008-10-02

So it's all over and I'd like to add my congratulations to the OSC team for an operation that was breathtakingly brilliant in both content & presentation, not to mention support for good causes. 

Frustratingly, our agents Harding & Abbo4 were a few feet from the Password on Saturday without actually uncovering it.  However even had they done so, we would still not have had the Username, which we think may be behind Fishy Business - has anyone solved this one?

The ones we're missing are below...

- Concorde/Mona Lisa/Number 4, 5th Street

- San Francisco and the four degrees

- Les Jamelles 1961

Does anyone know

Spoiler: Highlight to view
the number associated with each of these three rewards?  Or alternatively have you located the business cards elsewhere?

If there are any other connections you're missing, let me know and I'll post them (spoilered).


Agent
Batgirl's picture
Posts: 163
Joined: 2008-09-23

We have the business cards.... but still lacking in the method of reading them (waiting on order from Amazon to arrive now!)

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Agent
practicalman's picture
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Hmm - care to hint how you came by them?


Agent
angelsk's picture
Posts: 63
Joined: 2008-09-24

Got a whole bunch at the end of game party..... which only Batgirl and I attended.

Also, you apparently get them attached to the certificates when you unlock a cell


Agent
Batgirl's picture
Posts: 163
Joined: 2008-09-23

The cells you unlocked were only recent and it takes The Agency a while to send out the certificates...  we've been unlocking them since the start though!

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Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

I don't know how the rest of you feel about this but this major puzzle could be cracked by a brute-force approach of all available agents, if we were to pool our information on the forum before it's unplugged.

With 20 agents using their 5 attempts each day, that's 100 combinations we could input daily. With only a few numbers outstanding from the 17 needed, it shouldn't be too long before someone hits the jackpot!

If we can get more agents involved, it might be even quicker.

What do you all think?

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

Well, I only found about 7 of them.  If a few means 2 or less, then it is manageable.  If a few means 3+ then that's over a thousand combinations and probably not practical.

 

I guess I should expect my certificates some time between never and a short time later, then. Sticking out tongue


Agent
Batgirl's picture
Posts: 163
Joined: 2008-09-23

Considering the time now and how much information we have gathered already, I think a collaborative brute force approach could be good...

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Agent
AndyAndyO's picture
Posts: 111
Joined: 2008-09-24

Okay! I won't go into all the details right now but I think the MAM have the following confirmed digits for this puzzle.

Spoiler: Highlight to view

2??3?628??567512?

What other numbers do we think we have? And do any teams/agents believe our thinking is wrong?

 

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

The numbers in slots 1,4,6,8,14,15,16 match what I got.  I don't have access to slots 7 & 12.  I think I know where 11 & 13 come from, but haven't tracked them down.

 

Any ideas what the ten given numbers are for?


Agent
Batgirl's picture
Posts: 163
Joined: 2008-09-23

You haven't managed to find any we haven't listed above then?

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

Sorry, no.


Agent
practicalman's picture
Posts: 23
Joined: 2008-10-02

No idea on the ten given numbers, but can fill in a few more ?s...

Spoiler: Highlight to view

3rd digit is 7

5th digit is 4

Last digit is 1

Giving: 2?734628??5675121

Agree on brute force approach if we can get it down to 2.  Abbo4 has requested some hints and he/I will post if & when received.


Agent
Rogi's picture
Posts: 89
Joined: 2008-09-23

I just wish I knew what you all are talking about.

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Agent
Molnar's picture
Posts: 46
Joined: 2008-09-29

The sleeper cell clues from the cells at the locations of the questions marks have a commonality that implies a number.

 

For example,

Spoiler: Highlight to view
The sleeper cell info for Cell 122 (Driven) describes the plot from the series Department S,  episode  Six Days -> 6