This is all the information on how to solve the ARG revolving Toontown Rewritten's Field Offices update.
If you want to help solve future ARGs with other toons, head to https://discord.gg/toontown, under #arg
Reward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xztLMUZS2-w
The ARG started with a blog post containing an image.
The image above contained a message crypted using Caesar Cipher. Shifting the message by 15 gave the following message.
Toon Sleuths: We need YOU! toon town resistancesupplies
To whom it may concern,
Today, we offer you a chance to end these heavy-handed tactics taken in the streets of Toontown every day. See this as us handing you the proverbial olive branch, Toons. We could handily come to a compromise between Cogs and Toons, but what we need is your cooperation.
We've been stricken glad by the support this proposal has received up and down the corporate ladder of Cogs, Incorporated. All that remains now is for the final handshake, Toontown's written signature agreeing to our terms of truce.
We know that the jargon of contracts can be quite the handful for you Toon types, so we'll go ahead and sum it up for you in clear words:
You'll go ahead and hand over select Toontown assets to Cogs, Incorporated, whose legal department will promptly seize them. In return, the Toons will be introduced to new forms of conducting business, improving your oh-so-silly society. Plus, both sides will cease their qualms with one another.
Let's shake on it, Toontown. Our Cold Callers will be in touch whenever is least convenient.
The message contained the following short link: https://toon.town/resistancesupplies It was left by A.S., who seems to be the main actor behind the ARG.
The short link contained the following image.
Toons noticed that the marked gags corresponded to the gag icons found on the barrels inside the Sellbot HQ Factory. Through brute force, the following order was determined.
If toons messed up the order, they received the following message:
[RESISTANCE BROADCAST]: n/13
(n indicates a correct barrel)
Upon success, toons received the following message from the Toon Resistance.
[RESISTANCE BROADCAST]: 13/13
[RESISTANCE BROADCAST]: Someone in Toontown may know the answer to your new question.
In addition, toons obtained a new phrase: "Where is the Toon Resistance?"
Upon entering Honeydew This, Honeydew That! and asking "Where is the Toon Resistance?", Naggy Nell whispers with the following:
Naggy Nell: What are you asking me for? You've already got the answer!
Naggy Nell: Firehosejellybeanslaff, you know the drill!
Naggy Nell: Link 'em up!
Toons then had to create a link using the order of barrels. This resulted in the following: https://toon.town/firehosejellybeanslaffbirthdaycakefeatherjellybeanswholecreampielipstickelephanttrunkjellybeansfeatherfirehoselaff
This link lead to an unlisted youtube video, which concluded the first day of the ARG.
Reward: https://toontownrewritten.com/comic/joiningforces/part1
The ARG started with a blog post, along with multiple skelecog invasions containing a specific amount of cogs. The following invasions were:
The blogpost also contained the following: "539 means KEY", which A.S. has left behind.
These numbers could be translated to letters using T9 Predictive Text. Entering the invasion numbers into a translator gave the following shortlink: https://toon.town/doomsdayarchv
The shortlink lead to an archive post dating from June 2003.
The archive contained three images. The first image contains a blueprint of Sellbot Headquarters with A.S.'s autograph on the bottom right. The second image is a newspaper dating from June 2003. The third image contains a brief diary written by the Resistance Ranger Bonnie Bubbles, scribbled with drawings.
Upon analyzing the newspaper and with the aid of a Twitter Post, Toons noticed that the highlighted letters corresponded to jellybean combinations used to plant flowers. The following flowers had to be planted:
Once toons planted, collected and sold these flowers, they received a note in the mailbox from Toon Resistance. The note contained:
Access code: 11T00n82Re5istance173
Using the access code, a link could be made: https://toon.town/11T00n82Re5istance173, leading to a comic, which concluded the second day of the ARG.
Reward: https://toontownrewritten.com/comic/joiningforces/part2
The ARG started with a blog post containing an audio file
The audio file contained a specific combination of stompers. The combination, determined by the frequency of stomps between pauses, was the following:
1 4 3 3 1 2 4 3 3 2 1 4 3 4 2 2 1 4
Toons had to head to the Warehouse inside the Sellbot HQ Factory and press the buttons on the warehouse paltform in that specific order, from left to right. Doing the order correctly provided the following message:
[SYSTEM]: Accessing dispatch logs...
[SYSTEM]: Cold Caller-23.1.9.20.6.9.22.5: Scouting Toon Headquarters. No word back yet.
[SYSTEM]: Two-Face-12.15.21.19.25: Razzled and Dazzled his superios. Pending demotion.
[SYSTEM]: Mingler-19.15.3.9.1.12: Returned post-mingle with oversized key.
Inside the dispatch logs, numbers were crypted using A1Z26. Decrypting the numbers gave the following:
Using the access code, a link could be made: https://toon.town/waitfive, leading to a grid containing highlighted squares.
The Cold Caller mentioned in the dispatch logs turned out to be a reference to Fred, the Cold Caller found in the Toontorial. This Cold Caller said a quote every 5 minutes:
Surely, I could have been offered the other job.
Fresh out of S.I.T. with a masters in operating phone systems
Grumble grumble. An assignment barring any action.
Of all the random assignments, they better give me a stipend for this.
Of all the jobs, I didn't dream that this would be the one I got.
Where's that Flunky for the standard scapegoating procedure?
Ugh, trapped patrolling this street.
How rude of them to assign me to this.
Seriously. The boss is having me patrol Tutorial Terrace?
For all I've done for the company....
And I thought that street patrol would be a fun job.
Should've known this job wouldn't be all the hoopla they made it out to be.
Entering these phrases in the image linked above revealed the following message using only the highlighted letters:
silo buttons grab a friend find the right phrase the foreman is trouble
Inside the Sellbot HQ Factory, Toons had to stand on the buttons located inside the West and East Silo of the factory and say the speedchat phrase "We are in trouble." at the same time. Upon success, the following phrase was whispered:
Factory Foreman: Those Toons are in trouble alright.
Factory Foreman: They're barking up the wrong tree if they want the C.F.O. Project.
Once toons have defeated the Foreman and left the factory, Samantha Spade sends a whisper to the toons:
Samantha Spade: Looks like there's some competition around town for the title of 'star detective', huh?
Samantha Spade: I should've known that a Toon would come around and show me up eventually.
Samantha Spade: You did a great job cracking the case. Heh, maybe I've cracked up, but you'd be a good partner.
Samantha Spade: Hey, you didn't hear this bit from me. The Toon Council's leads have run dry.
Samantha Spade: They needed this. I'll let those clueless cats know what we found here today.
After a while, Samantha Spade sends a global broadcast to all toons:
Samantha Spade: Say, it looks like a Toon Council meeting is going on as we speak, and I've got some big news to share! Let's listen in: toon.town/tooncouncilmeeting
This broadcast, sent shortly after Toons figured out the ARG, is a link to this comic, which concluded the third day of the ARG.
Reward: https://www.toontownrewritten.com/comic/joiningforces/part3
Teasers from Field Office Interiors (located below)
The ARG started with a blog post containing blueprints.
The blueprint from the cogs are encrypted using vignère cipher. The key to the cipher originates from a memo sent from the elections.
Using the following key:
tosellbotdepartmenteighteenafromthechairmansubjectambushmarketingsuccessiwouldliketocongratulateeveryoneonasuccessfulsalespitchlastsaturdayeverythingisgoingaccordingtoplanwemayhavebeensentbacktothestreetsbutthatisthepreciselocationtomodernizesoontheplanwillgointoeffectandourcorporationswilllaunchthequotahasbeencountedfromourpitchlastsaturdayandthemoverandshakershavecomeoutontopwiththeshakeygroundtheyhaveleftthetoonsonaspromisedtheywillberewardedwithaqualityofficewhenourcorporationsarrivegetbacktowork
Sellbot Field Office
Revised Schematics
The Boiler Room operates at the top of each Annex.
Gags drained by ruining stolen jokes in the Stomper Room.
Cold Callers receive ice cubicles to store cold hard cash.
Takes over CLASSIFIED TARGET (SEE BACK SIDE).
Live feed in the Surveillance Room to detect undercover missions and unproductive workers.
Multiple Annexes per building for maximum productivity.
Mover & Shakers receive upgrade for Ambush Marketing success: MEGA-MOVERS.
Marketing Assessment: Toons are COMPLETELY unprepared!
Using the following key:
berewardedwithaqualityofficewhenourcorporationsarrivegetbacktoworkthechairmantosellbotdepartmenteighteenafromthechairmansubjectambushmarketingsuccessiwouldliketocongratulateeveryoneonasuccessful
TO ACCESS NEARBY TARGET STATUS:
- Use street schematics to pinpoint location.
- Fly to the coordinates near the target.
- Tune internal antenna according to operating handbook.*
* In the event this feature is unavailable: Send in a bug report.
Using the decoded message as a hint, toons needed to overlay the backside of the map over street M.A.P.S. of the following streets:
These streets were determined by the coloured letters on the blueprint. By placing the M.A.P.S. based on their Toon HQ, toons got the following image (credit to jacky#4731):
Using the numbers located outside of the overlayed M.A.P.S's, a coordinate could be made: 295, -78. Heading to a Toon HQ located on a street at those coordinates (such as Pajama Place) and saying the phrase "Send in a bug report" (found in the decoded message), toons received the following message:
Toon HQ: Hey, get your parent's permission first!
[SYSTEM]: This feature is not yet available.
[SYSTEM]: For assistance, please contact 1-830-COGS-INC.
[SYSTEM]: Grumble grumble... Yes, phone charges may apply.
Warning: The audio may be uncomfortable for most users. Phone charges may apply if users try to call the number.
Upon calling the phone number given by [SYSTEM], you are greeted with music, along with a minute of cog speak. Pressing a number from 1 to 9 afterwards will play some office from Field Offices, some music, and then an encoded audio message. An archive of the phone call can be found here. (credits to Super Mouse#1633).
These audio messages contain surveillance feeds from Field Offices. Using a SSTV decoder, toons may convert the audio to images:
Shortly after these images were decoded, Doctor Surlee was advised, https://toon.town/joiningtaskforces was announced, which concluded the fourth day of the ARG.
I'm impressed they went so far out of their way for this that they got a vanity number. That was epic to listen to even though I had no idea what the cogs were saying (well, other than steganographically transmitting CCTV frames)
@darkhappy Amazing, thank you so much for doing this!
I just want to add as well, if anyone is still attempting to follow Part 1 of this guide, I found this information posted by Sandi Wong in the TTR Facebook group very useful:
Paint Mixer barrels:
• Hose, Lipstick, Jbs, Cream Pie, Feather
Lava room barrels:
• Trunk, Jbs x2, Ice cream, Hose
By the duct room:
• Ice cream, feather
By Hallway outside Lobby:
• Birthday Cake
Don't forget to add the Toon HQ warning about asking your parents! Other than that, very useful; thank you.