Signal fragment puzzle
This page contains spoilers. If you don't want to ruin your own fun, start here.
On 2020/02/04, signal fragment stopped being a junk item, and started giving sequences of 5 characters as part of a larger message. Interactions related to this puzzle were first discovered on or around 2020/02/04, when some players discovered that the popular damaging combat item New Age hurting crystal stopped being usable in the deepest parts of The Sea. Later, it was discovered that very rarely, using a hurting crystal in those high-depth pressure zones would result in a 18-picohertz resonator crystal rather than simply a shattered crystal. From there, the hunt was on.
Stage 1
When used, a signal fragment gives a sequence of 5 characters as part of a larger message. 1462 (although not distinct or even necessarily different) signal fragment messages are compiled here: https://pastebin.com/NxmPBrmm
Message
Because the characters lined up together, it was possible to form pieces of the larger message. The message goes:
Attention all field operatives: Receiver shipment compromised. Recommend field assembly of ad-hoc portable signal receiver. Component 1: medium-wave antenna. Local source isolated, designation PADL Phone. Extraction: conditions of extreme heat. Component 2: 18 picoherz[sic] resonating crystal. Local source isolated, designation New Age hurting crystal. Extraction: extreme pressure. Component 3: short-pulse transistor. Local source isolated, designation short calculator. Extraction: overload addition buffer. Component 4: speaker cone. Local source isolated, designation superamplified boom box. Extraction: vacuum exposure. Components 1-4 to be assembled in arcanoferrric housing. Local source isolated, designation phototoprotoneutron torpedo. Extraction: conditions of extreme cold.
From these, a total of 5 combat items were required to be used in different locations in order to acquire pieces.
Components
From the signal fragment messages, 'Ezandora' compiled a list of 5 items to be used in various locations, in the same vein as using New Age hurting crystals in the Sea. Using these combat items in the appropriate zones would cause them to behave differently from their regular effects. Sometimes (roughly 2.5% chance), you will receive a new item.
| Combat Item | Location/Monster | Acquired Item | Discoverer |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Age hurting crystal | Locations in The Sea with Intense (-200%) pressure (e.g. The Marinara Trench, The Dive Bar) | 18-picohertz resonator crystal | SoyoBoyo |
| PADL Phone | The Bubblin' Caldera | intact medium-wave antenna | Katarn? |
| superamplified boom box | The Hole in the Sky | blown-out speaker cone | Katarn |
| short calculator | Against a rampaging adding machine | overloaded short-pulse transistor | n00beast and spatuLAundersLAsh3000 |
| photoprotoneutron torpedo | The Ice Hotel | arcanoferric housing | RUPATUPA |
Using an arcanoferric housing while possessing the other 4 parts consumes all 5 to create the signal receiver, a new off-hand item.
Stage 2
Completing combats with the signal receiver equipped will occasionally (~10% chance) give fragments of Morse code-like messages comprised of beeps, boops, buzzes, and hisses in some locations. Translated into Morse code with beeps at dots, boops as dashes, buzzes as letter separators, and hisses as word separators, the message is:
- HOLE IN THE SKY METALLIC FOIL CAT EARS ANEMONE MINE AQUIMARINERS[sic] RING KNOB SHAFT RIDICULOUS BELT DOMED CITY OF RONALDUS STEEL SWORD DOMED CITY OF GRIMACIA CLOCKWORK SWORD FUNGAL NETHERS VELCRO BOOTS HAUNTED LAUNDRY ROOM BOTTOMS OF THE BARREL ICY PEAK AUXILIARY BACKBONE HAUNTED LABORATORY SNAILMAIL HAUBERK SPOOKY GRAVY BURROW ANCIENT HOT DOG WRAPPER
Stage 3
Completing combats in one of these locations with the corresponding item and signal receiver equipped gives a sequence of three numbers:
| Location | Equipment | Verb | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hole in the Sky | metallic foil cat ears | vibrate | 499 129 1 |
| Anemone Mine | aquamariner's ring | pulse | 370 514 288 |
| The Knob Shaft | ridiculous belt | thrum | 451 15 445 |
| Domed City of Ronaldus | steel sword | shudder | 118 98 108 |
| Domed City of Grimacia | clockwork sword | rattle | 547 86 57 |
| The Fungal Nethers | velcro boots | shake | 116 5 110 |
| The Haunted Laundry Room | bottoms of the barrel | clatter | 19 331 215 |
| The Icy Peak | auxiliary backbone | twitch | 291 529 554 |
| The Haunted Laboratory | snailmail hauberk | crackle | 497 449 113 |
| The Spooky Gravy Burrow | ancient hot dog wrapper | crinkle | 200 170 452 |
- Because the signal receiver is an off-hand item, it was originally impossible to equip it with the clockwork sword, which was a two-handed weapon. On or about March 16, 2020, the sword became a one-handed weapon, allowing it to be used with the signal receiver.
- It is also impossible to equip it with the ancient hot dog wrapper, another off-hand item. On or about April 2, 2020, April's new Item-of-the-Month, the Left-Hand Man, was introduced to, umm, handle the problem. Unfortunately, not being an elemental gravy fairy, it was originally unable to open the Spooky Gravy Burrow; this was corrected later the same day.
Stage 4
Every number obtained in Stage 3 is divided by 26 to get a quotient and a remainder, leaving us with the following numbers,
19+5 4+25 0+1 14+6 19+20 11+2 17+9 0+15 17+3 4+14 3+20 4+4 21+1 3+8 2+5 4+12 0+5 4+6 0+19 12+19 8+7 11+5 20+9 21+8 19+3 17+7 4+9 7+18 6+14 17+10
The last column of numbers are arranged in ascending order (1, 2, 3, ...), confirming that the order of locations and numbers are correct, save for the locations with incompatible pairings of items.
Letters from the English alphabet can then be used to substitute the numbers obtained starting with 0=A, 1=B, and so on for quotients and 1=A, 2=B, and so on for remainders. Doing that, we will obtain the result as follows,
T E E Y A A O F T T L B R I A O R C E N D T E D V A D H C E E L A E E F A S M S I G L E U I V H T C R G E I H R G N R J
The letters are then read from top to bottom, left to right, giving us
TOREVEALTHEFINALSECRETADDAMURGYTOTHESIGNALRECEIVER
Adding the appropriate spacing into the sequence gives us
TO REVEAL THE FINAL SECRET ADD A MURGY TO THE SIGNAL RECEIVER
Stage 5
Player 'El Terwilliger' noted that the Asymmetric game "Reckonin' at Gun Manor" has a library with a dictionary, which defines "murgy" as slang for a murgatroyd diode. Looking up "murgatroyd diode" reveals that they were all lost at sea. Ask Grandpa about "murgatroyd diode" to receive a Murgatroyd diode. Using this item while owning a signal receiver consumes both to create an enhanced signal receiver, an off-hand item that grants random effects at the start of combats.
