The second test

[Calhoun]

The second test is here and this time It's in an image file.

I got the file from the base source shared materials.gcf file and in the file It even lists a password but due to my limited decoding capabilities I cannot find a link.

 

[blahblahblah]

Can you elaborate some more please?

 

[Calhoun]

There's data embedded in the file including a password and information saying It's the second test however there is no link in normal uncoded format and I cannot uncode the type the other data may be written in so It's up to you guys to figure out the second test.

 

[blahblahblah]

I'll defer until somebody who has the HL2 preload can make a comment on this matter.

 

[talem]

english man... second stress test on steam?

 

[DeltaBlast]

Either you're making stuff up, or this is very interesting...

(The guy seems to think there is a followup on the "secret whiteboard page test thing" in the preload file)

 

[KagePrototype]

I don't remember seeing anything like this in the HL2 preload. Especially nothing in .jpg format. Explain how you got it, how you found the data etc. in full.

 

[Calhoun]

english man... second stress test on steam?

There was a test a while back where the people here accessed the page: www.half-life2.com/secret/pwn3d

Now this is the second test you see and this image file has the information required to get to the second test's page or something more complex than just a page.

I don't remember seeing anything like this in the HL2 preload. Especially nothing in .jpg format. Explain how you got it, how you found the data etc. in full.

I extracted all the files from the Models materials folder and then was looking around curiously at the stuff until I came to the /Gman/ folder and saw a JPEG file and at first I was going to brush It off as just an easter egg or something but curiousity got the best of me and I opened it in notepad which revealed:

password is nova/prospekt this is the second test

 

[talem]

The second test is here and this time It's in an image file.

I got the file from the base source shared materials.gcf file and in the file It even lists a password but due to my limited decoding capabilities I cannot find a link.

illigal stuff that is, i have the beta from steam and ati voulcher and i dont have it, also , it would have been on steam powered

 

[Dr. Freeman]

uh...didn't we already have a second test?
so this would be the third.. if it is actually a test to begin with.

 

[Calhoun]

Here maybe this can help direct you to the correct directory.

illigal stuff that is, i have the beta from steam and ati voulcher and i dont have it, also , it would have been on steam powered

Illegal? how is It illegal? I simply opened the file, extracted the Models folder, and found gman.jpg.

There is nothing illegal about that.

 

[talem]

ok i see, so this is for Hl2 when they unlock it, so then u can have a HL2 stress Test

 

[KagePrototype]

It's true, it's right there in the .gcf. But where's this data and password you're speaking of?

 

[Calhoun]

It's true, it's right there in the .gcf. But where's this data and password you're speaking of?

Open it in notepad:

ÿØÿà JFIF

H H ÿí*Photoshop 3.0 8BIMí  H

H

8BIM
 x8BIMó  8BIM

8BIM'

8BIMõ H /ff
lff 
/ff
¡™š 
2
Z 
5
- 
8BIMø p ÿÿÿÿpassword is nova/prospekt this is the second test ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿè

Can't find a link though as It may be encoded and I am not that great at decoding.

 

[SMT]

My GCFScape won't open the cache file. What gives?

 

[KagePrototype]

Open it in notepad:

ÿØÿà JFIF

H H ÿí*Photoshop 3.0 8BIMí  H

H

8BIM
 x8BIMó  8BIM

8BIM'

8BIMõ H /ff
lff 
/ff
¡™š 
2
Z 
5
- 
8BIMø p ÿÿÿÿpassword is nova/prospekt this is the second test ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿè

Can't find a link though as It may be encoded and I am not that great at decoding.

Oh, I get it now.

See, this is why you explain everything in the first post.

Ok, let's get cracking I guess.

 

[Calhoun]

My GCFScape won't open the cache file. What gives?

Steam cannot be running.

 

[KagePrototype]

My GCFScape won't open the cache file. What gives?

Either Steam is running, or you don't have the latest version. Valve kept changing the way the .gcf files were made up, so gcfscape had to keep being re-written.

[EDIT]: the latest version seems to be 1.13 Beta.

 

[DeltaBlast]

Oh, I get it now.

See, this is why you explain everything in the first post.

Ok, let's get cracking I guess.

What he said ^^

 

[talem]

so what? just look at the pictures? lol

 

[Wraithen]

Did I miss the second test?

"you are now, dare I say it, normal little girls!"

 

[Calhoun]

so what? just look at the pictures? lol

There is data in the picture.

 

[DeltaBlast]

You can't just add stuff like that to a picture, so it must be done with a program... Maybe there is an option in Photoshop that allows you to add notes to a picture or something like that?

 

[Calhoun]

You can't just add stuff like that to a picture, so it must be done with a program... Maybe there is an option in Photoshop that allows you to add notes to a picture or something like that?

There is a water mark feature but I found nothing.

 

[SMT]

Of course I don't have Steam running. I downloaded the latest version from the site, I already have .NET installed. It opens every other .gcf but that one. It gives some error about not being able to map it to memory.

 

[Calhoun]

Of course I don't have Steam running. I downloaded the latest version from the site, I already have .NET installed. It opens every other .gcf but that one. It gives some error about not being able to map it to memory.

There's nothing else in the gcf file and I've posted the picture here what is the point of opening It now?

 

[SMT]

Anybody have Photoshop? Sometimes the thumbnail in the Photoshop preview pane can show differently than the actual .jpg itself. Try loading it up and checking.

 

[Adrien C]

Yay, cracking night.Let's beat the other sites, get runing people.

 

[Dedatorv]

I'll be looking into this right away. If anyone find just any word at all in one of the files that looks worthy post it here(I DO NOT MEAN SOME IDIOT NOOB POST NONSENSE).

 

[-=jt=-]

"Steganography" or something like that
http://www.stegoarchive.com/

 

[vicefredav444]

i get the same "map to memory" error.


why is there a link to IEC (International Electrotechnical Commision)
http://www.iec.ch

 

[SMT]

There's a link to www.iec.ch in there. I think it's embedded in .jpg's from Photoshop by default. Probably just a red herring, but worth mentioning.

 

[Adrien C]

Ok, good, please no Stupid Spamming, we'll just get lost.

Mean while, I'll check on the competition....

 

[FoB_Ed]

Yay, cracking night.Let's beat the other sites, get runing people.

I don't think you have to worry about that. Hl2fallout's forums are full of 12 year olds, and HL2world speaks for itself

 

[63]

you guys are slow..

http://www.cryptobola.com/index.htm

when you're done converting (use the "nova/prospekt" phrase) you get another file. Probably nothing, but there is something hidden in that picture...

I've converted the file that comes out (.htm .doc .rtf .zip .rar etc.. ) with nothing worth mentioning...

 

[SMT]

you guys are slow..

http://www.cryptobola.com/index.htm

when you're done converting (use the "nova/prospekt" phrase) you get another file. Probably nothing, but there is something hidden in that picture...

I've converted the file that comes out (.htm .doc .rtf .zip .rar etc.. ) with nothing worth mentioning...

After I type in the passcode, it's telling me it has to be at least 16 characters.

 

[63]

After I type in the passcode, it's telling me it has to be at least 16 characters.

yes use it in a phrase "nova/prospekt this is the second test" (notice it's a 'passphrase' and not a passcode/word?)

 

[Computer5k]

It says Photoshop 3.0 at the start.

 

[Ahnteis]

I'll stick to NOT looking into the .GCF files personally. Too many spoilers already. Good luck to ya though if that's what you want.

 

[SMT]

yes use it in a phrase "nova/prospekt this is the second test" (notice it's a 'passphrase' and not a passcode/word?)

Dude, of course that's not going to do anything. The passphrase is "nova/prospekt," not "nova/prospekt this is the second test." And "nova/prospekt" isn't long enough.