As stated on the previous page, DIRCE is an ARG. This means that players must interact with various sites to complete puzzles to follow the narrative of the game.
Dirce was made primarily through Wordpress, using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for graphics, After Effects for video, Adobe XD for one puzzle and Unity for one of the ending experiences.
The first puzzle, shown on the left, uses a rotational cipher to decode the text.
The "shift = !#" is to hint that to decode the text one must shift 13 letters, as those numbers, when holding down shift on the keyboard, display
"!#"
"!#"
Decoding the text by rotating the letters 13 times in the alphabet, the message reads "overlay above and below"
with this, the player is instructed to take the bottom part of the image and place it on top of the top part, as displayed here.
The text reads "watch?v=TtdU2DkexJE"
This is the end of a YouTube URL, indicating the player find this video.
The video is also shown below.
This video provides symbols as substitution for letters, used to decode various messages in the ARG. The video also includes two halves of a QR code, that once again, need to be overlayed to be readable.
The symbols have a corresponding sound in the video, which is only discernible when it is played backwards, and best heard with the video sped up. This is indicated by the initial text in the video being a reversed version of the title, as well as the end message being <<2, also reversed.
Complete QR Code
Corresponding letters and symbols
The QR code takes you to the DIRCE website.
This site is where most of the game will work on navigating through.
This site is where most of the game will work on navigating through.
Using the corresponding letters, the player can read the title of the video,
&√€‡∞≈&√∞µ&≈ ◊∞√€≈ as ARCHIEARINAE DIRCE
and the description,
∑°±&√∞∑ &µ◊ ±¿µ&√∞∑ as SOLARIS AND LUNARIS
&√€‡∞≈&√∞µ&≈ ◊∞√€≈ as ARCHIEARINAE DIRCE
and the description,
∑°±&√∞∑ &µ◊ ±¿µ&√∞∑ as SOLARIS AND LUNARIS
This directs the player on the website to the page that is linked from the phrase "SOLARIS AND LUNARIS" on the homepage.
This following page, titled "SUBFAMILY" is password protected
This following page, titled "SUBFAMILY" is password protected
DIRCE is a genus of moth, ARCHIEARINAE is the subfamily it belongs to,
thus, the password is ARCHIEARINAE
thus, the password is ARCHIEARINAE
Upon entering the password, the player is shown this page.
Here the player is given a choice between two sides, SOLARIS, or LUNARIS.
Upon visiting each page, the player is met with a password protected page.
the note underneath the two buttons on the SUBFAMILY page reads
"SEE ASCIID"
"SEE ASCIID"
This refers to the "FREQUENTLY ASCIID QUESTIONS" page
After submitting a question, the player is given a set of binary numbers.
In ASCII code, they refer to the symbols
"qPqq1wQ0Src"
"qPqq1wQ0Src"
The v= before the binary indicates that like the first puzzle, this is part of a link to a YouTube video.
The video is shown below.
The video displays morse code that can be read with either the sun or moon sides representing either a dash or a dot.
the order of the code in the video is:
MM SS MS SSM M S SSS SSM MS SS M MMS MMM M SM SSS S M
MM SS MS SSM M S SSS SSM MS SS M MMS MMM M SM SSS S M
if the Sun is dot, the code reads: MINUTE SUN IT GOT A SET
if the Moon is dot, the code reads IMAGE TO GAME USE NOTE
if the Moon is dot, the code reads IMAGE TO GAME USE NOTE
These codes are to be put in as the password to each of the respective sites linked to by the SUBFAMILY page
SOLARIS route
After inputting the correct password 'MINUTESUNITGOTASET,'
a link to a new page is revealed.
a link to a new page is revealed.
This page is an 'Ascension Form,' after filling out, the player is shown a new encoded message:
ASCEND–ADFGVX:
VGVAAX AAAAFA FXVVAF XXXAVX DVVVGA VXXFGD
This is a type of cipher called ADFGVX, the keyword is ascend. To decode an ADFGVX cipher, one must first alphabetize the letters in the keyword, then assign them to each following letter sequence. Then one must make a grid of ADFGVX as both columns and rows,inset the keyword (and the letters' numerical position in the alphabet- up to ten) followed by the rest of the alphabet.
The set of assigned latter sequences are used as coordinates to display the message.
The resulting message is 'red letters archives.'
By reading through the archives, each entry has a code in a different color at its end. The red one ´√∞∑≈µ ∑¿µ' which when decoded reads 'RISEN SUN'
Typing 'RISENSUN' as the password into the ASCEND page, the player receives an .eve file in which they can walk up a set of stairs towards the sun, completing the SOLARIS side of the ARG.
LUNARIS route
After inputting the correct password IMAGETOGAMEUSENOTE, a link to a new page is revealed.
This page contains a note:
◊€±&€ 3: ↻2
nqysyqlppnagacncmcftjbg
◊€±&€ 3: ↻2
nqysyqlppnagacncmcftjbg
Decoded- the instruction is DCTAC 3: ↻2
DCTAC 3 and the following letters are additionally deciphered by ROT2-
to read as FENCE 5, and psauasnrrpcicepeoehvldi
to read as FENCE 5, and psauasnrrpcicepeoehvldi
A fence cipher of 5 is used to decode the message
The decoded message 'purple letters archives' when found, leads to the phrase '±¿µ&√ €°¿√∑≈'
which decodes to 'LUNAR COURSE'
which decodes to 'LUNAR COURSE'
Inputting LUNARCOURSE as the password for the CODEBREAK page brings the player to an experience of a pattern recognition test.
The correct answers are: 2,1,2,4,2.
Clicking th page upon its completion will redirect the player back to the DIRCE site to the page BROKEN
The page confirms success and displays a video of the failure of the ascension, shown below.
The video includes some additional encoded messages.
The title '& ±°µ≈ ∑¿µ §∞±± µ°§ €≈&∑≈' decodes to 'a lone sun will now cease.'
The message on the blue screen repeats lines about the end of the DIRCE project and ascension.