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This thread is not for spoilers, posting them will get you banned! However, if you want to be safe download this script made by Dehodson!
Fucking yeah, update to my script, now with expandable text boxes for the Aprilfags who don't happen to be trolls. Next up: I dunno.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4223221/html...rdeter.user.js
What it looks like in action:
Thread music:
Robots FTW
Reconstructing Science
Some Assembly Required
Science Can Be Fun
What's this?
This is not a place to beg for #PotatoFoolsDay games or sell them for TF2 hats! This is an ARG metafiction created by Valve involving the Potato Sack Pack on Steam. This thread serves as a repository for our current knowledge and understanding of the ARG as well as a public space to discuss and debate theories which arise. Feel free to sign up and add your input!
Not up to date with the story so far? Read the Investigation History, News, and the SPUF thread!
GLaDOS@Home
How the site works
The red bars next to each video game represent the total time people have played that game for; this fills up over time.
The number under each bar (current CPUs) shows how many people are currently playing that game, and hence the rate it's filling up. [Confirmed via consulting the Steam stats page].
The main bar at the top represents the average of the length of all the red bars. Once this is full (when every red bar is full), we get Portal 2!
The potato number at the bottom shows the total number of potatoes that everybody has found. The rate at which all the bars fill up is proportional to the number of potatoes; if we double the number of potatoes, the entire thing goes twice as fast! (Confirmed by data analysis and by Doug). If you get all 36 potatoes by the time Portal 2 is out, you also get a special prize.
When a red bar fills up completely, it turns blue. This acts as a checkpoint of sorts, knocking off a guaranteed chunk of time from the release date. This will only matter though if we fail to fill the main bar up in time. Note that once a bar is full up, there is no longer any point playing that game; switch to another.
More popular games require more people in order to fill up at the same rate; it is the proportion of game owners playing a game that matters, not the number of people by itself. (Also confirmed by Doug).
We have word on how the progress bars work from Dougley!:
[list][*]The individual game progress bars are based on sales made. The more times a certain game has been bought, the more you have to play it to finish its bar.[*]For example, 1 2 3 KICK IT! was released at (nearly) the same time as the pack, so it has the fewest sales making it the easiest to complete out of the whole pack.[*]Killing Floor and Audiosurf were out for longer and as such have had way more sales, so they require a ton of more hours to complete.[*]According to Dougley, Potatoes still matter and are of importance (but don't neglect playing the games). Get them.[*]The Store might be keeping a record of how many times a certain game has been bought, so we need to go find that and order which games we should play based off of that.[/list]Tactics
In order of priority;
1. Collect as many potatoes as you can (guide)
2. Then, constantly run a game in the potato sack for as much time as you can (leave it on when you're away from your computer!), preferably one at the top of the priority list below.
It follows from the above that we should be doing the easiest (least popular) games first. Firstly, this means we get the guaranteed checkpoints. Secondly, and most importantly, by leaving the hardest games until last, we ensure that we have the maximum number of potatoes when we get to that hard game, making things a lot faster.
Priority list
This is based on which games have bars that are easiest to complete, which we should focus on first. If you have the current focus game, play that; if not, the next highest game. It is recommend that you quit and restart the game every few hours.
For reasons why we have the priority list, and why we switch before they are complete, see [[Switching Games Before Completion]].
1.The Wonderful End of the World
2.1... 2... 3... KICK IT!
3.AaAaAA!!!
4. RUSH = Current Focus
5. BIT.TRIP BEAT
6. Toki Tori
7. Cogs
8. The Ball
9. Audiosurf
10. Amnesia
11. Super Meat Boy
12. Defense Grid
13. Killing Floor
Countdown trackers
Here is some data, and some calculators predicting when Portal 2 will be out based on current rates. Bear in mind these might be late, because the countdown is constantly speeding up due to having more potatoes.
[list][*] HasPortal2LaunchedYet.com[*] gladosAtHome unofficial twitter[*]http://www.gamingmasters.co.uk/portal/[*]http://www.themcgoverns.info/portal/[/list]The story so far
At 17:00 on April 14th, 2011 Audio Clues led to a QR code. It leads to an ApertureScience.com URL with a countdown to 4/15 9:00 AM.
At 09:00 on April 15th, 2011 the countdown page redirects to here, confirming an early release provided enough people log in to Potato Sack games.
Theorised formula for timers
This is a Mathematical Theory that attempts to explain how the GlaDOS@Home system calculates the game time.
Assuming that when we reach 100%, Portal 2 is released-
[list][*]Originally slated time of P2 release = b[*]Actual moment of P2 release = V[*]Man Hours of a single user = m[*]Number of concurrent Players (NOTE: One game per unique User ID) = c[*]Potato Multiplier/Auxilliary Power = p[*]Game completion bonus = g[*]Time Reduced = t
[*]thus: t=mcp+g, V=b-t[/list]
Auxilliary Power (The Potato Multiplier)
This email from a member of the team at Valve confirms that the Potatoes act as a multiplier to each user's Man hours.
But we need to reach a certain milestone of potatoes for that multiplier to activate. The actual milestone amount, and how much of a multiplier this will give us is unknown. Please update the Wiki with this information when the milestones are achieved.
Red Herrings
Wiki page with more details.
[list][*]Half-Life 2 Episode 3[*]Team Fortress 2 glyphs[*]VVVVVV (It has no relation to the ARG)[*]Rube Tuberson YouTube account (troll)[*]Zalgo (It's just a Meme)[*]Babel Research (its part of a 2 year old arg)[*]Sarah Fincher (part of another ARG altogether)[/list]
Game specific pages
[list][*]1... 2... 3... KICK IT![*]AaAaAA!!![*]Amnesia[*]Audiosurf[*]BIT.TRIP BEAT[*]Cogs[*]Defense Grid[*]Killing Floor [*]Portal 2[*]RUSH[*]Super Meat Boy[*]The Ball[*]The Wonderful End of the World[*]Toki Tori[*]Team Fortress 2[/list](Game Developer Roster)
Analysis and Theory
[list][*]Aperture Science login page[*]People[*]Twitter[*]Cyphers[*]Glyphs[*]List of Unused Strings[*]Razer[*]Theories[*]Possible Clues[*]Red Herrings[*]Stupid Theories[*]Stupid Questions[*]Investigation History[/list]
Other Useful links:
SPUF Thread (Must Read): http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=1824635
Facepunch v1 Thread: http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1074965-PotatoFoolsDay
Facepunch v2 Thread: http://www.facepunch.com/threads/107...uot?highlight=
Facepunch v3 Thread: http://www.facepunch.com/threads/107...oes?highlight=
Official Valve ARG 2 Steam Group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/valveARG2
Official Valve ARG 2 Wiki: http://valvearg.com/wiki/Valve_ARG_Wiki
Note: Due to trolling all wiki registrations must be done on the Wiki IRC Channel!
Valve ARG 2 Wiki Signup Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG 2 Private Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG 2 Main Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Off-topic Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 AaAaAA!!! Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Amnesia Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Audiosurf Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 BIT.TRIP BEAT Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Cogs Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Defense Grid Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Killing Floor Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 1 2 3 KICK IT! Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 RUSH Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Super Meat Boy Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 The Ball Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 Toki Tori Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Valve ARG2 End of the World Channel: Direct link Mibbit link
Who lives near what developer?: http://valvearg.com/wiki/User_Locations
Who owns which games?: http://valvearg.com/wiki/Game_Owners
Extra Potato Sack Game Gifting: http://valvearg.com/wiki/Gifting
Want something added to the OP? PM Political Gamer with your idea, complaints, or other random ramblings today!
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298,999 potatoes.
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Troll harder Valve.
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1,001 potatoes away
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Just 1001 taters left.
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Go go go!
Almost there!
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Just about 300,000!
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So many taters, so little time.
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New thread, new chances, more potatoes and more Portal 2! Yay!
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298,999 potatoes how funny.
Hopefully 300k helps us out with this shit.
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Ugh, I wanted to make a funny last post... :smith:
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What did that guy say? I have my sound muted because everyone around me is asleep.
and at the 300k potatoes: To think 4 of those bad boys are mine..
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Really, really, really, really likes parrots and water caustics. Also, hates titles.
March 2009
10,890 Posts
you hurt me
Edited:
meanie
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Almost to 300,000!
[/firstpagespot]
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I'd like to begin this thread with my favorite GlaDOS Quote.
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This thread does not have enough concern for higher potato counts.
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Ah, fresh new thread smell.
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"I'm going to kill you, and all the potatoes are gone."
What's the code for the enhanced GLaDOS@home page?
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Get ready... for disappointment...
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I like this banner
you hurt me
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Having the overclock enabling itself at 500k means 13500 players with all 36 potatoes :colbert:
Considering there are 25,000 players participating right now, they need to all have 20 potatoes, and that's waaaay too optimistic on Valve's part.
That is, considering it doesn't enable at 300k, and I doubt it's going to
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You type very fast mister!
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Smells like French fries. :h:
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299,257 :smithicide:
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HNNNG 750
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299,257... almost close...
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Just a few potatos to 300k
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299,257 taters!
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299+k..
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800 more potatas till 300,000
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I think everyone stopped playing and they are looking at the page waiting for 300,000 potatoes.
Last thread right before it closed I asked:
Why does that one potato require a Razer device?
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I had the OP ready to go while watching the ticker.
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I like how the ticker now also shows ratings and other events like bans and stuff.I had the OP ready to go while watching the ticker.
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I APPROVE OF THIS THREAD TITLE.
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Bon soir, V3...
Gonna predict ~10 minutes for 300,000.
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because Razer is premiering their new motion control device for the PC with Portal 2
I think it's that, take my info with a grain of salt
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I am currently wearing my dissapointment clotches. (PJ's) Somewhere deep inside me I know nothings going to happen at 300k, just like nothing happened at the end of the first counter, or that date in the code..
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Someone should gift me a priority game, I wanna help!
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Damn site, Y U NO UPDATE
Friendly x 8
Winner x 4
Informative x 2
Optimistic x 1
Agree x 8
Late x 1
Funny x 6
x 15
x 1
Useful x 2
Disagree x 1
