Time Mariachis

2

Comments

  • edited November 2008
    You do indeed need to turn the card upside down.

    Some of the dots are given, since the left-most column and the lowest row are always filled in completely, while the top row and the right-most column are always alternating.

    I can't do an accurate count right now, but it looks like we're missing around 60-70 dots. Each dot has 2 options, so that's at least 2^60=1,152,921,504,606,846,976=~1.15 quintillion combinations, making a brute force check impossible. If we get another part of the code, we might narrow that figure down by quite a bit.

    One possibility for the ersult of the code in the picture is that it unlocks the full image. In that case, it will also be likely to require all the codes.
  • edited November 2008
    54 dots, it helps if you copy it into paint or something then add grey squares where you know there ISN'T a dot.

    and it's never appeared in the squares with me.

    EDIT: actually, another part of the code might reveal the card completely.

    EDIT (again): i'm 90% sure the line of dots in the middle extends to the bottom, it just seems right that way.

    EDIT (how many times am i going to edit it?): correction, 49 dots, had a couple in the wrong place.
  • edited November 2008
    Hi, you guys were looking for a Superball timecard, right? I have one, and when I inputed the barcode I got the password Cebra-Burro and this pic afterwards, but I don't know any good hosting sites where I can post it. Any suggestions?
  • edited November 2008
    Lena_P wrote: »
    Hi, you guys were looking for a Superball timecard, right? I have one, and when I inputed the barcode I got the password Cebra-Burro and this pic afterwards, but I don't know any good hosting sites where I can post it. Any suggestions?

    PhotoBucket is a good picture hosting site, but I think you need to be a member, By the way, all these people say they've been scanning their timecards, but with what? Like a Library Card Scanner or a Grocery Store Scanner?
  • edited November 2008
    Lena_P wrote: »
    Hi, you guys were looking for a Superball timecard, right? I have one, and when I inputed the barcode I got the password Cebra-Burro and this pic afterwards, but I don't know any good hosting sites where I can post it. Any suggestions?

    If you don't want to go through the trouble of hosting the pic yourself, you can always mail me the picture, and I can add it to the others. I'll PM you my mail-adress.

    Cebra Burro means Zebra Donkey - For the story behind the Zebra Donkey, I suggest you listen to the episode 4 commentary on the season 2 DVD. After this picture, we only need Momma Bosco!
  • edited November 2008
    Yes! When that ones up, i might possibly be able to guess the dot pattern. Hope it's up soon.
  • edited November 2008
    Does anyone know how to translate the cards? I've tried using the web tools but they all seem to fail. If there's some way to translate the partial card on the png maybe the letters revealed will point to some guessable words?
  • edited November 2008
    I've been asking the same thing, once I know that, I could probably see what that card does. I thought the part you decode to get the password was completely showing though, I must be looking at this the wrong way.
  • edited November 2008
    Like I've mentioned, the barcode is of the Data Matrix variety. I've got an application that can decode them (http://www.tasman.co.uk/netbars/net_demo.html), but that won't help guess the missing code unless it just so happens that there's not more missing than what error correction can deal with (and even then, you don't get the missing dots filled in).

    A look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DataMatrix should make it VERY clear that a lot of data can be packed into those, and therefore it's not really possible to guess anything without an exhaustive search or extensive knowledge of the bar code format (and most likely an idea about the decoded text).
  • edited November 2008
    interesting, I hope that superball timecard pictures up soon though, we haven't got long to go here have we?
  • edited November 2008
    My scanner is out of commission due to the sudden disappearance of an imporant USB cable that I can't order from a parts catalouge. Damn you, propriatary hardware!!

    And all my digital cameras seem to be missing as well. I think I took my personal camera to the studio to document my recent show, but forgot to take it home. The other camera in question is a video camera, but I don't know how good a DV image of the card would come out. I never used the photo button on it. :p

    Hopefully another Momma Bosco card owner will pop up. I can't be the only one with it... can I?
  • edited November 2008
    Oh well, let's just hope that the others with the Momma Bosco-card care to look in this topic (and care enough to participate in this little quest we're having). If you manage to get a half-decent pic of the relevant part of the Momma Bosco-card, just upload it (or mail it, I'll gladly PM you my mail-adress, just like I did with Lena_P). You could always create a grid in a program like paint or word, and mark the squares that are black (you would get a 8x32 grid), but that seems like a lot of trouble to go through.
  • edited November 2008
    So now we know people who has each card, once they're up, we can finnaly solve this riddle...not long now.

    EDIT: finally, i meant finally.
  • edited November 2008
    I cant believe how much I want to know how this image looks, the barcode thing is so strange, but awesome at the same time.
  • edited November 2008
    Superball Pic:
    http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s346/VG_Hunter/Superball.jpg?t=1227483416

    I don't think it's been posted before...
  • edited November 2008
    Ms. Bosco
    Password: Molcajete
    Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i301/dg10050/Molcajete.png

    VGHunter, we could really use a higher resolution verison of your picture. It's the only piece that's missing.
  • edited November 2008
    Managed to figure it out.
    Final password ends up being Huevo.
    This is the page that comes up: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i301/dg10050/Huevos.jpg
    Both links just link back to http://timemariachis.biz/
    :\

    EDIT: Actually, they both link to some special music. I'll upload both of them tomorrow.
  • edited November 2008
    Hmm that looks like it's supposed to link to some mp3s or something.
    I hope someone puts together the mariachi pic cleanly; and I'd also like to see high res scans of each of the cards, since everyone gets a random one of the bunch.
  • edited November 2008
    Oh great, we solved it? I haven't listened to the music yet, but I had a quick look at the season 2 soundtrack track list, and La Canción de Los Mariachis is on there.
  • edited November 2008
    Instrumental verison and "special version"? Huh, interesting...

    So who has the completed wallpaper?

    And why isn't there a blog post about this sudden discovery?!
  • edited November 2008
    I managed to combine the pictures of every time card, except for the Superball-timecard. It's saved at a lower resolution than the other pictures, and it looks really weird when I try to combine that picture with the rest. If VGHunter finds the time to save his pic at a higher resolution (just as it appears when you unlock it on the site), that would be great (or someone else with the Superball-card). I haven't tried the secret code yet, as I have been busy with university-stuff (and will be for the next couple of days), dg10050 is going to upload the music-files soon. I'll promise to try and complete the wallpaper later this week, if someone else hasn't done it by then.

    And I agree, a blog post would seem quite appropiate here, I think a lot of people who bought the case file don't even know they can do all this stuff with their card.

    Thanks to all of you who helped out! I certainly like these kind of small, online puzzels. I like Strong Bad, and I'm looking forward to Wallace & Gromit, but Sam & Max is the real reason I'm here. I hope we are going to get more stuff like this in the future.:)
  • edited November 2008
    Gah, sorry guys, Photobucket compressed the picture a lot when I posted it.

    Here's a higher resolution one:
    http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s346/VG_Hunter/Superball-1.jpg?t=1227557061
  • edited November 2008
    not what i expected, but still good.

    EDIT: why is the password the spanish word for "egg" anyway?
  • edited November 2008
    That's probably the egg at the beginning of time, which is the only time card that wasn't in any case file.
  • edited November 2008
    ah, so maybe the card in the picture WAS the beginning of time card.
  • edited November 2008
    La Canción de los Mariachis -

    Instrumental version: http://mvzig.com/samandmax/bonus1.zip
    "Versión Especial": http://mvzig.com/samandmax/bonus2.zip

    (And here's the constructed time card: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i301/dg10050/beginningoftimecard.png)
  • edited November 2008
    ROTFLMAO :D The "Special Version" sounds like a demo or temp track, but is worth the listen for the laugh. But, God, I feel bad for laughing since I know who is singing and what a wonderful job he's done in the previous Sam & Max songs. Or at least, I think it's him.
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2008
    Zeek wrote: »
    ROTFLMAO :D The "Special Version" sounds like a demo or temp track, but is worth the listen for the laugh. But, God, I feel bad for laughing since I know who is singing and what a wonderful job he's done in the previous Sam & Max songs. Or at least, I think it's him.

    That was Jared's scratch track from when the song was being assembled.
  • edited November 2008
    I thought as much. Now I feel even worse about laughing as hard as I did.
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2008
    It's pretty different from the final recording.
  • edited November 2008
    dg10050 wrote: »
    La Canción de los Mariachis -

    Instrumental version: http://mvzig.com/samandmax/bonus1.zip
    "Versión Especial": http://mvzig.com/samandmax/bonus2.zip

    (And here's the constructed time card: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i301/dg10050/beginningoftimecard.png)
    The first one isn't a bonus, that's the credits.
  • edited November 2008
    So is there a composite of the whole pic yet?
  • PigPinPigPin Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2008
    I have one.......but it's not a composite....
  • edited November 2008
    You're going to ruin all the fun :)
  • edited November 2008
    Huzzah, now I have scans of 2 other timecards than my own :)
  • edited November 2008
    Sorry for acting dumb, but what does this all mean?
  • edited November 2008
    Strong Max wrote: »
    Sorry for acting dumb, but what does this all mean?

    If you have sam & max season 2 casefile go to http://timemariachis.biz/ and put in the 2D barcode from the timecard.
  • edited November 2008
    Quuux wrote: »
    So is there a composite of the whole pic yet?

    I've just done it :

    compoqh5.th.jpg

    (it has some scratch)
  • edited November 2008
    Awww, Middle-Age Pedro doesn't look all that amused.
  • edited November 2008
    Felmarg wrote: »
    I've just done it :

    compoqh5.th.jpg

    (it has some scratch)

    What happens when we put the card in the picture in?
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