[Leo]

The United Nations just refuted the growing rumor according to which the strange radio message detected today had been determined by the International Committee for Extraterrestrial Signal Decipherment as a conversation leaked from an alien fleet heading for the invasion of the Earth. In the absence of more information I'm calling the Hypographers to join their strengths to determine what this message is.

The message was repeated several times with various methods: frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, polarisation shifting and semaphore waving. Each signal unit is of one of 8 identified frequency levels, noted "A" through "H". Frequent pauses occur in the signal, noted by a stop ".". A few longer pauses occur in the beginning of the message, noted by series of stops.

No doubt, if they are trying to tell something to other civilizations, they will not encrypt anything, on the contrary they will try to make the message as clear as possible, but in the absence of a common language the only solution is to devise a simplified language, and try to teach it. No doubt more messages will follow soon, this one is too short.

Here is a line-formatted version of the message, with a numbering of the signal units (pauses included):

0000: A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H....AA.F.A
0025: B.F.AC.F.AD.F.AE.F.AF.F.A
0050: G.F.AH.F.ABA.F.ABB.F.ABC.
0075: F.ABD.HH....A.CC.B.AA.F.A
0100: A.H..A.CC.B.AB.F.AB.H..A.
0125: CC.B.AC.F.AC.H..A.CC.B.AB
0150: D.F.ABD.HH....A.CA.CC.B.A
0175: A.F.AB.H..A.CA.CC.B.AB.F.
0200: AA.H..A.CA.CC.B.AC.F.AF.H
0225: ..A.CA.CC.B.AF.F.AC.H..A.
0250: CA.CC.B.AF.F.AH.H..A.CA.C
0275: C.B.ABD.F.AG.HH....A.CC.B
0300: .DAA.D.AB.F.AB.E.F.AC.H.A
0325: .CC.B.DAA.D.AB.F.AC.E.F.A
0350: D.H.A.CC.B.DAA.D.AC.F.AB.
0375: E.F.AD.H.A.CC.B.DAA.D.AF.
0400: F.AD.E.F.ABA.H.A.CC.B.DAA
0425: .D.AD.F.AF.E.F.ABA.H.A.CC
0450: .B.DAA.D.AF.F.AF.E.F.ABC.
0475: H.A.CC.B.DAA.D.AB.F.AC.E.
0500: F.AD.H.A.CC.B.AD.F.DAA.D.
0525: AB.F.AC.E.H.B.DAA.D.AB.F.
0550: AC.E.A.CC.B.AD.H.B.AD.A.C
0575: C.B.DAA.D.AB.F.AC.E.H.B.D
0600: AA.D.AB.F.AC.E.F.AD.A.CC.
0625: H.B.AD.F.DAA.D.AB.F.AC.E.
0650: A.CC.HH.A.CC.B.DAA.D.AD.F
0675: .DAB.AB.E.F.AC.H.A.CC.B.D
0700: AA.D.AD.F.DAB.AC.E.F.AB.H
0725: .A.CC.B.DAA.D.AD.F.DAB.AD
0750: .E.F.AA.H.A.CC.B.DAA.D.AD
0775: .F.DAB.AE.E.F.DAB.AB.H.A.
0800: CC.B.DAA.D.AD.F.DAB.AF.E.
0825: F.DAB.AC.HH.B.DBA.D.AB.F.
0850: AB.E.A.CC.B.AB.H.B.DBA.D.
0875: AB.F.AC.E.A.CC.B.AC.H.B.D
0900: BA.D.AC.F.AB.E.A.CC.B.AC.
0925: H.B.DBA.D.AC.F.AC.E.A.CC.
0950: B.AE.H.B.DBA.D.AD.F.AD.E.
0975: A.CC.B.ABB.H.B.DBA.D.AF.F
1000: .AA.E.A.CC.B.AA.H.B.DBA.D
1025: .AD.F.AF.E.A.CC.B.ABH.HH.
1050: B.DBA.D.AE.F.DBB.AC.E.A.C
1075: C.B.AC.H.B.DBA.D.ABA.F.DB
1100: B.AE.E.A.CC.B.AC.H.B.DBA.
1125: D.ABA.F.DBB.AC.E.A.CC.B.A
1150: E.H.B.DBA.D.AC.F.DBB.AC.E
1175: .A.CC.B.AB.H.B.DBA.D.AC.F
1200: .DBB.AE.E.A.CC.B.DBB.AC.H
1225: .B.DBA.D.AC.F.DBB.AG.E.A.
1250: CC.B.DBB.AD.HH.B.DBA.D.AD
1275: .F.AD.E.A.CC.B.DBC.AC.AD.
1300: H.B.DBA.D.AE.F.AE.E.A.CC.
1325: B.DBC.AC.AE.H.B.DBA.D.AF.
1350: F.AF.E.A.CC.B.DBC.AC.AF.H
1375: .B.DBA.D.AF.F.AF.F.AF.E.A
1400: .CC.B.DBC.AD.AF.H.B.DBA.D
1425: .AF.F.AF.F.AF.F.AF.E.A.CC
1450: .B.DBC.AE.AF.HH.B.DBC.DAB
1475: .AB.AE.A.CC.B.DBB.AE.H.B.
1500: DBC.DAB.AB.AF.A.CC.B.DBB.
1525: AF.H.B.DBC.DAB.AC.AD.A.CC
1550: .B.DBB.DBC.AC.AD.H.B.DBC.
1575: DBB.AC.AE.A.CC.B.AC.H.B.D
1600: BC.DBB.AC.ABB.A.CC.B.AD.H
1625: .B.DBC.DBB.AD.ABA.A.CC.B.
1650: AC.H.B.DBC.DBB.AD.ADD.A.C
1675: C.B.AD.HHH

[Jay-qu]

cool

First line starts by spelling out our "alphabet" that we have to work with. Then it goes into a series where A is placed with each other 'letter' with F used as a break in bettween. The pattern is then started with 3 letters but stops, perhaps illistrating a counting progression that continues on, ie numbers. Perhaps they use base 8 since there are 8 frequencies..

[Leo]

I will refrain from telling whether you're on the right track, Jay-qu. I will generally refrain from giving hints unless people get really stuck, but I'll give something to ponder for now: If we Earthlings wanted to send an elaborated and efficient message into open space, would binary ASCII be the best format?

[Jay-qu]

Clearly binary since it is the most basic of number systems.. Ill work on it some more later I have some notes for this kind of stuff from first year astronomy

[Leo]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

Clearly binary since it is the most basic of number systems..

It is indeed, and the first version of this message had only two frequency levels, but the patterns were harder for a human mind to recognize, so I chose a middle term for the sake of "game playability". There are some other, more objective, advantages of not using binary, and specifically not a fixed byte size format. I won't say more in order not to reveal everything.

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

Ill work on it some more later I have some notes for this kind of stuff from first year astronomy

I drew a good deal of inspiration from previous such games, so those looking around will get valuable help from them.

[Jay-qu]

LOL well the ones I did previously where not games!

One was a message sent to a rather dense region of stars in the LMC I think.. and the other was the message that we attached to our viking probes!

[Leo]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

LOL well the ones I did previously where not games!

One was a message sent to a rather dense region of stars in the LMC I think.. and the other was the message that we attached to our viking probes!

Well, I call it a game but it's a rather sophisticated one, a simplified offshot of an abandoned project I began a few years ago to devise an interstellar inter-language. The idea was to keep the language open to the various kinds of mind that may populate the galaxy, trying not to restrict it to human psychology - a hard task, considering that we know nothing about other minds. A second challenge is added now: trying to teach the language within a limited space.

[Leo]

Here is a plain version of the message, easier to manipulate:

A B C D E F G H    AA F AB F AC F AD F AE F AF F AG F AH F ABA F ABB F ABC F ABD HH    A CC B AA F AA H  A CC B AB F AB H  A CC B AC F AC H  A CC B ABD F ABD HH    A CA CC B AA F AB H  A CA CC B AB F AA H  A CA CC B AC F AF H  A CA CC B AF F AC H  A CA CC B AF F AH H  A CA CC B ABD F AG HH    A CC B DAA D AB F AB E F AC H A CC B DAA D AB F AC E F AD H A CC B DAA D AC F AB E F AD H A CC B DAA D AF F AD E F ABA H A CC B DAA D AD F AF E F ABA H A CC B DAA D AF F AF E F ABC H A CC B DAA D AB F AC E F AD H A CC B AD F DAA D AB F AC E H B DAA D AB F AC E A CC B AD H B AD A CC B DAA D AB F AC E H B DAA D AB F AC E F AD A CC H B AD F DAA D AB F AC E A CC HH A CC B DAA D AD F DAB AB E F AC H A CC B DAA D AD F DAB AC E F AB H A CC B DAA D AD F DAB AD E F AA H A CC B DAA D AD F DAB AE E F DAB AB H A CC B DAA D AD F DAB AF E F DAB AC HH B DBA D AB F AB E A CC B AB H B DBA D AB F AC E A CC B AC H B DBA D AC F AB E A CC B AC H B DBA D AC F AC E A CC B AE H B DBA D AD F AD E A CC B ABB H B DBA D AF F AA E A CC B AA H B DBA D AD F AF E A CC B ABH HH B DBA D AE F DBB AC E A CC B AC H B DBA D ABA F DBB AE E A CC B AC H B DBA D ABA F DBB AC E A CC B AE H B DBA D AC F DBB AC E A CC B AB H B DBA D AC F DBB AE E A CC B DBB AC H B DBA D AC F DBB AG E A CC B DBB AD HH B DBA D AD F AD E A CC B DBC AC AD H B DBA D AE F AE E A CC B DBC AC AE H B DBA D AF F AF E A CC B DBC AC AF H B DBA D AF F AF F AF E A CC B DBC AD AF H B DBA D AF F AF F AF F AF E A CC B DBC AE AF HH B DBC DAB AB AE A CC B DBB AE H B DBC DAB AB AF A CC B DBB AF H B DBC DAB AC AD A CC B DBB DBC AC AD H B DBC DBB AC AE A CC B AC H B DBC DBB AC ABB A CC B AD H B DBC DBB AD ABA A CC B AC H B DBC DBB AD ADD A CC B AD HHH