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<title>Personal Projects</title>
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<a style="text-decoration: none;" href="index.html"><--</a>
<h2>Personal Projects</h2>
<h3>Synacor Challenge</h3>
After participating in <a href="https://adventofcode.com" target="_blank">Advent of Code</a>
for a few years now, I have grown a fan of Eric Wastl's puzzles. This
is a multi-part challenge that involves implementing a virtual machine
to interpret and run the supplied binary file. You are also given a
document outlining the <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/waffle87/synacor_challenge/master/arch-spec" target="_blank">architecture specification</a>
of the machine that can run the binary file. Once completed and the self-tests
are passed, you're taken on an adventure as the program runs, that is very similar
to AoC stories. The goal is to find 8 codes while completing various tasks in
the program. Before the original <a href="https://challenge.synacor.com" target="_blank">site</a>
was taken down (pretty sure Eric doesn't work at Synacor anymore), you could validate the
codes found on the site, but since it is no longer up, The codes can be manually verified.
Thanks to <a href="https://github.com/Aneurysm9/vm_challenge" target="_blank">Aneurysm9/vm_challenge</a>
for providing a binary file and matching checksums for the codes. I wrote a <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/waffle87/synacor_challenge/master/validate.sh" target="_blank">small script</a>
to validate them from a text file. I chose to implement my solution in C with a simple stack
data structure, as that seems most fitting for the task at hand. My implementation can
be found <a href="https://github.com/waffle87/synacor_challenge" target="_blank">here</a>
for those interested. The rest of what's here is likely to be spoilers...
<h4>Code 1</h4>
This one is found in plain text in the <code>arch-spec</code> file.
<pre>
== hints ==
- Start with operations 0, 19, and 21.
- Here's a code for the challenge website: <CODE>
</pre>
<h4>Code 2</h4>
After implementing a basic interpreter that supports the first subset of
opcodes, this one is found in the output.
<pre>
Welcome to the Synacor OSCON 2012 Challenge!
Please record your progress by putting codes like
this one into the challenge website: <CODE>
</pre>
<h4>Code 3</h4>
To retrieve this code, the interpreter must be fully implemented and must
pass the initial self-tests. If those conditions are met, the third code
is printed.
<pre>
Executing self-test...
self-test complete, all tests pass
The self-test completion code is: <CODE>
</pre>
<h4>Code 4</h4>
Now, the adventure aspect of the challenge begins. From the prompts, you
should take the tablet using <code>take tablet</code>, then use it.
<pre>
Taken.
What do you do?
use tablet
You find yourself writing <CODE> on the tablet. Perhaps it's some
kind of code?
</pre>
<h4>Code 5</h4>
This puzzle appears to be a maze after several entries of south, north,
west, etc. I believe the intention was to write a script to solve it for you,
but I chose to draw a map instead.
<!--<img src="data/projects/map.png" alt="maze map">-->
I did also make note of all the inputs used for this binary file <a href="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/waffle87/synacor_challenge/master/input.txt" target="_blank">here</a>.
After far too many attempts, you will reach the solution.
<pre>
What do you do?
north
Chiseled on the wall of one of the passageways, you see:
<CODE>
</pre>
<h4>Code 6</h4>
The next puzzle is a maths problem. There will be some coins that you
should take/use; each will have a numeric value. The coins need to be
arranged to solve this equation.
<pre>
There is a strange monument in the center of the hall with circula
r slots and unusual symbols. It reads:
_ + _ * _^2 + _^3 - _ = 399
</pre>
<ul>
<li>Red coin: 2</li>
<li>Blue coin: 9</li>
<li>Shiny coin: 5</li>
<li>Concave coin: 7</li>
<li>Corroded coin: 3</li>
</ul>
After completing this, a previously locked door opens and our next code
is revealed.
<pre>
What do you do?
use teleporter
You activate the teleporter! As you spiral through time and space, you thi
nk you see a pattern in the stars...
<CODE>
</pre>
<h4>Code 7</h4>
This is by far the most clever puzzle in this challenge. There's a
strange book that you should take and look at. The logging facilities
I implemented are crucial for this. After reading, it appears we must
set the 8th register to a certain value, find the value by reverse
engineering the confirmation mechanism, and then disabling it. We can
set the register to a non-zero value to progress in the program, but
it will not provide the correct code, thus we need find the correct
value. The underlying algorithm is a variation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_function" target="_blank">Ackermann function</a>.
Finally the code can be obtained.
<pre>
You wake up on a sandy beach with a slight headache. The last thing you remember is activating that teleporter... but now you can't find it anywhere in your pack. Someone seems to have drawn a message in the sand here:
<CODE>
It begins to rain. The message washes away. You take a deep breath and feel firmly grounded in reality as the effects of the teleportation wear off.
</pre>
<h4>Code 8</h4>
This is a BFS application consisting of numbers and arithmetic functions
shown on tiles. You must find the shortest path to given result by applying
these operations. More in depth information is found in the journal you pick up.
After completing this, the final code is shown in a mirror. It's then entered in
reverse of course.
<pre>
You gaze into the mirror, and you see yourself gazing back.
But wait!
It looks like someone wrote on your face while you were unconscious on the beach!
Through the mirror, you see <CODE> scrawled in charcoal on your forehead.
Congratulations; you have reached the end of the challenge!
</pre>
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