Category: Update (Page 26 of 41)

Alfred Alan is Still Really Worried

January 13, 2007 / Krystyn Wells

Lurkers and active players alike were somewhat doubtful that the Lost Planet alternate reality game (AKA Nevec, the handy abbreviation for the Neovenus Construction trailhead web site) would last beyond the January 11th launch party — the game sites were noticeably dormant over the holidays, with virtually no updates or story movement.

However, thanks to a mini candy bar stash (noticed by astute player blue_j, who provided the picture for this article) at the launch party (see here for spoilers on access to that part of the site), Nevec players were given confirmation of new material in a new secret blog by the ARG’s main character Alfred Alan. Hiding in the 111 directory, he writes:

“Things have gone very wrong.”

What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas

January 12, 2007 / Carie Ward

The lights dimmed, the music stopped, and the fountains at the Bellagio started chiming like clocks. It was time for Loki, the enigmatic puzzle mistress of the Vanishingpoint game to work her magic. For over three minutes, the Bellagio fountains were turned into a massive movie screen as clues to the online portion of the game appeared like ghostly images on the water.

Earlier on Monday, the Vanishingpoint game site updated from its teasing countdown to include ways for players to register for the game. The update also included information about the grand prize which had previously driven players into a speculation frenzy. Their wildest dreams were confirmed when it was announced that the grand prize winner would win a trip into space aboard the RocketplaneÂ® XP Vehicle, along with various other goodies.

Wheeeee! Sammeeeees Wraps Up

December 14, 2006 / Jessica Price

The whimsical and popular indie ARG Sammeeeees concluded Tuesday with a hostage exchange, a mysterious ritual, and touching farewells.

The story centered around Mr. Alan Johnson, leader of a group called the Spoocheeeees who secretly ruled all world governments with power from a mystical disc, and a man who called himself Peeps, leader of the Sammeeeees who were trying to break the Spoocheeeees’ nefarious hold on power.

Players obtained the five pieces of the Spoocheeeees disk and its central serpent icon and Unfiction’s Konamouse performed the ritual to reverse the Spoocheeeees’ power. (See it on YouTube here.) Meanwhile, Peeps offered himself to Mr. Alan Johnson in exchange for the five Sammeeeees held prisoner. During a struggle with double-agent named Cathy who was attempting to rescue her son Dwin — one of the five hostages — Mr. Alan Johnson fell on his own knife, freeing both Peeps (who was, ironically, his estranged brother) and the hostages.

Top Ten Reasons I Love Sammeeeees

November 25, 2006 / Letter to the Editor

Every so often, we at ARGNet are fortunate enough to get a reader submission for an article. Today, we’re happy to be able to share konamouse’s Top Ten Reasons She Loves Sammeeeees:

10. Characters are well played both on video and via their emails. Psyche!
9. Play the game, get a T-shirt.
8. Thursday night trivia game always leads to a video.
7. Ima Spoocheeeee sends smoocheeeees to distract Mr Alan Johnson.
6. Puzzles that don’t make you feel dumb.
5. Great soundtrack.
4. Online sÃ©ance and a singing nun in the shower.
3. You can’t help but smile when you say “Spoocheeeee”, “Sammeeeees” and “hoopsssssthoo”.
2. Higg’s is so sexy when he’s all fired up.
1. We have our own cool slogan: SAVE THE FIVE, SAVE THE WORLD

Often we chat in #sammeeeees about why we are enjoying this ARG. This is an ARG with a great story; great characters; and puzzles that are not overly complicated. Maybe its the responsiveness of the PMs in addressing our concerns. When we got upset at the idea of players having to choose sides, the PMs made sure we knew that we should stay on one side and that there would be an in-game method to avoid the evil Mr. Alan Johnson from getting inappropriate information. When we voiced our concerns about having to pick someone to hold the Spoocheeeee disc pieces they had a character provide us with an idea on how to do it in a fair manner. And when a potential gamejacker showed up, the PMs used the most appropriate character to deliver a message that kept us from falling for it.

Ny Takma Says Goodbye, PM Chat Scheduled

November 23, 2006 / Jonathan Waite

The Ny Takma alternate reality game, which began on September 30th, has reached a successful conclusion. It was an ARG soap opera of sorts — Bryan and Chaya, aliens which have had their love for each other transcend the boundaries of time, got back together, thanks to Kendra, who opened the Ark, releasing Chaya. John, the ladies man, tackled the two lovers, which resulted in the three of them becoming trapped inside of the Ark. This left Kendra alone and full of sadness at the fact that there is no one left here on Earth to call a family. The story elements aside, what made this endgame special for the players was the fact that they had an impact on how the final events took shape. For those interested, there is a final video update at the game’s main website.

The PM’s will be having a chat in #nytakma on the Chat-Solutions IRC network tomorrow at 9pm CST (10:00 pm EST). You can access the chat room by clicking on the Chat tab at the top of the ARGNet homepage, and selecting the #nytakma room from the menu.

StudioCypher Back At It Again

November 18, 2006 / Nicko Demeter

StudioCypher Studio Cyphers returns with the release of the latest chapter of their multi-player novel (MPN), “The Cyphers”. This chapter, entitled Descry, starts with The Cyphers diving into the mystical world of rituals and spirits while following the experiments of a curious professor — experiments that might have gone a bit too far in the investigation of the paranormal.

What remains true from previous episodes is the overwhelming feeling of â€œspookinessâ€ and the This-Is-Odd factor that players experience when they first encounter an in-game site or clue. Also, the puppetmasters again seem committed to realism by emailing players individually (instead of canned responses from an auto-reply program) and by conducting IRC chats where the professor and his helpers interact in real-time with the players.

In past episodes/chapters, Studio Cyphers has worked with a subscription model where ‘Wakeful Agents’ (those who pay to play) get information more rapidly, or receive additional clues for game play. For Descry, it is not yet clear what premium content the â€˜Wakeful Agentsâ€™ are getting. Perhaps a more prominent or clearly defined set of benefits for the subscribing members would draw more players to participate in the paid version of the episodes.

A change of note is that this episode seems a more focused on establishing cooperative play between the players. This is evident by the number of players that currently use IRC and the Unfiction forums to discuss and solve the latest clues, which happened less frequently in previous installments.

To get started, head over to the Studio Cyphers Website and the Unfiction forum section for Studio Cyphers.