Joystiq

Destiny ARG begins: 'Distributed, synchronous effort required'

Jordan Mallory — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:05:00 EST

A Bungie release wouldn't really be the same without an alternate reality game to get pattern-obsessed conspiracy nerds/internet detectives (read: us) all worked up and obsessive, and thus Destiny's own ARG has officially sprung into life. Destiny, in case you're just joining the party, is Bungie's new original IP of which we know very little, beyond the fact that some leaked concept art places the game on a ruined future-Earth orbited by a massive, spherical alien ship.

Perhaps more obvious in its implementation than some of Bungie's previous ARG efforts, the new jam requires the user to "begin by aligning the day's pattern to the light," which is to say, arrange a pattern of eight diamonds into the correct configuration, thus granting access to the site in full.

Once inside, the user is presented with some delightfully cryptic information: A small section of a larger geometric pattern/glyph on the left, an abstract matrix of dots on the right, and at the bottom of the page, a message. "Your node will remain active for 5 minutes, but may be reactivated as necessary. Distributed, synchronous effort required."

Depending on the number of active users viewing the site at any given time, the image on the left will either be more or less obscured/legible. Likewise, the dot matrix on the right will be populated with more or fewer dots, based on current traffic. Once a sufficient number of users are online, a screenshot the dot matrix can be analyzed for information in Photoshop or similar. Yesterday's matrix, for instance, revealed a file extension that, once placed onto the end of the site's URL, rewarded studious sleuths with a large image and passage.

Games such as this typically evolve as time goes on, so the complexity of the puzzles and the amount of technical skill required to solve them is likely to increase on a daily basis. There's also no indication of what happens after the seventh day, but we're eager to help find out. And, by "help," we mean "read forum threads and get excited when smart people solve things for us."

Destiny ARG begins: 'Distributed, synchronous effort required' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amnesia follow-up teased with ARG, more clues

Mike Schramm — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:01:00 EST

Fans have been working around the clock since a new teaser site appeared for Frictional Games' suspected follow-up to the acclaimed indie horror title, Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Not only has the blurred image been revealed as a freaky tunnel entrance, with what looks like a limbless corpse (ew), but fans have tracked down the latest hint, which leads to a tower in Seattle called Smith Tower. Inside that you'll find The Chinese Room, named after the furniture it houses, donated from the Empress of China herself. Speculation suggest the new game may have some connection to China and its history.

Fans have also uncovered an interactive feature on the site, which has since revealed the picture above (called "fragment_ebola.jpg"), and a coded series of letters: "P F C I N C M I O I S G G."

Some guess it to mean "GIF PICS COMING," which would suggest more clues are on the way. Research is being headed up on this forum thread, so have at it. Our contribution? The letters above can also be rearranged into "SICCING OF GIMP." You should probably download everyone's favorite image editor posthaste!

Amnesia follow-up teased with ARG, more clues originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You could win gold in the Velvet Assassin ARG

Justin McElroy — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture

We know that some of you out there are absolute alternate reality game nuts, so we wanted to turn you on to one that's just getting into full swing, part of a promotional effort for Gamecock's upcoming Velvet Assassin, we've been lead to believe.

The hunt is currently on for the second of three caches of gold, and clues have started appearing in the public announcements section of UK's The Times. Because we love you so very much, we've put all three after the jump. If you're ready to do some investigating, we'd suggest digging through this in-game blog or, if you're up for something less immersive, this thread about the game.

Continue reading You could win gold in the Velvet Assassin ARG

You could win gold in the Velvet Assassin ARG originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Brief History of Game Ads

Xav de Matos — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fan stuff

As the technology and approach of gaming evolves one thing has stayed the same, advertisements suck. Sure ads aren't as ... uh ... flashy as they once were, but they still take up the pages our favorite magazines and disturb our search for news on our favorite websites.

Next-Gen.biz has taken a look at the evolution of game ads from the last three decades, including: the simplistic approach of the 80s, the radical colors of the 90s and the boring screenshot montages of the current generation.

While not Xbox specific, the feature teaches us a little about the evolution of marketing for games and how the new generation is breaking the mold wit Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) while still phoning in traditional advertisements. A worthy read for those looking for some gaming business knowledge.

A Brief History of Game Ads originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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