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Looking at a challenge but it feels like there's something missing, or you need some additional context? There may be some hints hidden in our wiki! http://wiki.mentats.org/

Flags

Flag Types

A "Named Challenge Flag" is the flag that needs to be submitted to claim points from a challenge which has a proper name. Examples include:

• BBS Brilliance
• Call Me "Captain"

A "Hidden Flag" is the flag that needs to be submitted to claim points from a challenge which is named in the format of "Hidden A2C" or "Hidden A2C4". In all cases, the extra digits at the end of the title indicate the last 3 or 4 digits of the flag string itself.

Identifying Flags

In most cases, the flag takes the form of a UUIDv4, wrapped in "gc24{}". Example: gc24{44cab965-7b11-41a2-99f7-f1fb8b9d28f5}

For Named Challenge Flags, the flag will always be presented in its entirety, as the result of solving a puzzle, completing a challenge, or finishing a task.

For Hidden Flags, the flag may be presented in whole or in part, and may be split across multiple challenges within the same Category. The Hidden Flag may be in the form of a UUID, a checksum value, or a word, series of numbers, or anything that can fit in a string. A Hidden Flag will not exceed the length of a UUID.

It is advised to always note when you located hexadecimal strings, as they may be part of a Hidden Flag.

Submitting Flags

If you find yourself having trouble submitting a flag, we suggest the following, in order:

• If the flag you have has a gc24{}, try removing it before submitting.
• If the flag you have does not have a gc24{}, try adding it before submitting.
• Check the category you're working in for Hidden challenges that match the last 3 or 4 digits of the flag you have.
• Check other categories for Hidden challenges that match the last 3 or 4 digits of the flag you have.

If none of the above work, keep the flag you've found handy - It might be that you've located the flag for a later step of the series you're working on.

Media Knowledge

Throughout the Challenge Series, we utilize a number of media from the 1980s and 1990s to help build a more immersive experience with the Challenge Series Theme.

For all Named Challenge Flags, knowledge of this media is NOT required to solve the puzzles or challenges and retrieve the flag. However, for Hidden Flag challenges, these may be revealed by knowledge of the media in use, or the flag itself may have some relation to the media.

The two exceptions to this is the "Text Adventure Travails" series and the "BBS Brilliance" challenge, as in these cases, the Media IS the challenge.

Asking For Help

If you need help with solving a challenge, we suggest going through the hints that are available for the challenges before reaching out. The Admin team will, upon being asked for help, determine whether to add more hints for the requested challenge based on the difficulties being experience by contestants during the competition.

The Admin team will be at the contest area for most of the conference, and we're happy to help when there's a need for technical support or addressing bugs.