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[syoaran]

Not the second part.

True, but I'm having issues accepting literally anything that looks like an edit to already posted information, we've been burned by ninja edits so many times in this thread alone.

 

[BY2K]

Is it related to the ARG or is it just someone piecing a connection that we would not know wihtout playing the game?

It isn't even on the wiki, so either the second part was found recently, or it's fake.

 

[clav]

Its episode 2 stuff.

All right thanks.

Yeah, I read this message from the Portal 2 News feed on the Steam news site that linked a blog.

It isn't even on the wiki, so either the second part was found recently, or it's fake.

Seems like the second part is new, so I see what's happening.

 

[MRORANGE]

It's time like these you wished steam released sale figures :|

 

[Red]

The community response was not big enough. End of story. Valve set it up to be difficult. Valve set it up to require community dedication and effort. That has not happened. There is some effort, but collectively, the difference has not been that large. Peak times are still peak times and the total number of players has only increased marginally. Thus, we aren't breaking through this challenge and it is reflected in a relatively constant progression.

Also, they could have just as easily included a curve to reflect the fact that as people players over the weekend, more potato multipliers would have been collected which means that they become less effective. There is a relatively constant potato multiplier curve so clearly people aren't involved enough to make that become a major factor in the progression...

The community response wasn't big enough. Thus, we only get the game a few hours early.

See, this is dumb. For two reasons. One: it's brute force. It's not fun, it's just a waste of time and energy. Two: it's punishing us for playing the game, which can't possibly be what Valve intended. If Valve had prepared this to require more "CPUs," they should have had a back up plan in case that mark wasn't hit. As of now there is no sign of that back up, so I can't believe that the answer is simply "the response was not big enough."

It seems more like it was designed to be reached at a certain time.

They created this ARG for a reason. When you play an ARG, you always expect a winning outcome of some kind, whether or not it is what you expect at first. But here, our expectations are in a single place because Valve has outright told us what the goal is. When you get off track in an ARG, or aren't able to complete a task, the people orchestrating it help you along. That isn't happening. We are at a standstill. It is poorly designed.

 

[Sibylus]

If this were a case of them setting the bar too high, they would have adjusted the numbers.

Hard to say, they might have set an attainable threshold for potatoes and tweaked the power of such (and announce that taters are now being "overclocked"), instead of manipulating the basic values. Advantageous, if they don't want to just magically double the base completion values of every single player, and for reasons of making the end-game faster without bailing everyone out outright.

But all of this is speculation, we'll see what pans out.

 

[BY2K]

Seems like the second part is new, so I see what's happening.

Would Valve really make a clear reference to the Combine in a Portal 2 ARG like that?

 

[TheExodu5]

See, this is dumb. For two reasons. One: it's brute force. It's not fun, it's just a waste of time and energy. Two: it's punishing us for playing the game, which can't possibly be what Valve intended. If Valve had prepared this to require more "CPUs," they should have had a back up plan in case that mark wasn't hit. As of now there is no sign of that back up, so I can't believe that the answer is simply "the response was not big enough."

It seems more like it was designed to be reached at a certain time.

Yup.

 

[Drkirby]

Well, unless something big happens With Toki Tori or Bit Trip (The 6th and 7th), I am just going to guess I won't be play till Monday at best.

 

[TheExodu5]

Tuesday here, unless I take Tuesday off so I can play Monday night.

 

[Lostconfused]

Well, unless something big happens With Toki Tori or Bit Trip (The 6th and 7th), I am just going to guess I won't be play till Monday at best.

Monday is a very hopeful estimate.

 

[theinfinityissue]

I'm probably going to regret posting this because I'll end up sounding like some deluded fanboy, but part of me thinks they maybe let glados@home be a disappointment to set up something else to be truly crazy. Unlikely, but I doubt many people would deny that that is the level of game Valve is capable of.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

Is this stuff you learn from Portal 2? Otherwise I aint highlighting that.

Nothing from Portal there. Just some Episode 3 teasing.

 

[Red]

I'm probably going to regret posting this because I'll end up sounding like some deluded fanboy, but part of me thinks they maybe let glados@home be a disappointment to set up something else to be truly crazy. Unlikely, but I doubt many people would deny that that is the level of game Valve is capable of.

They're good but they aren't infallible.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

I'm probably going to regret posting this because I'll end up sounding like some deluded fanboy, but part of me thinks they maybe let glados@home be a disappointment to set up something else to be truly crazy. Unlikely, but I doubt many people would deny that that is the level of game Valve is capable of.

I think you're the one who has gone truly crazy . Unless you just mean Portal 2 being crazily amazing, which is a given.

 

[Campster]

See, this is dumb. For two reasons. One: it's brute force. It's not fun, it's just a waste of time and energy. Two: it's punishing us for playing the game, which can't possibly be what Valve intended. If Valve had prepared this to require more "CPUs," they should have had a back up plan in case that mark wasn't hit. As of now there is no sign of that back up, so I can't believe that the answer is simply "the response was not big enough."

It seems more like it was designed to be reached at a certain time.

Yeah, if we "failed" then what was the lesson here? That we suck as a community and aren't good enough for a Portal 2 early release? That despite tens of thousands of lost manhours put towards unlocking the game that we simply aren't numerous enough? And if we did "lose" because Valve set the bar too high, isn't that on them? They dangled an early release carrot in front of us with an impossible to achieve goal and then shrugged their shoulders as we struggled to meet "CPU" counts that were simply infeasible.

It definitely seems designed to release the games at preset times, and in no way does our input really influence this one way or another.

 

[syoaran]

See, this is dumb. For two reasons. One: it's brute force. It's not fun, it's just a waste of time and energy. Two: it's punishing us for playing the game, which can't possibly be what Valve intended. If Valve had prepared this to require more "CPUs," they should have had a back up plan in case that mark wasn't hit. As of now there is no sign of that back up, so I can't believe that the answer is simply "the response was not big enough."

It seems more like it was designed to be reached at a certain time.

I believe the intention at the design stage was for people to play the additional content, or at least be aware of it. If everyone who bought the product based on estimated sales played the new content this weekend and got the potato's, we would be at an early launch by a day or (day 1/2 max based on the numbers). The only logical reason why they have not addressed this problem by now is that everyone is still play-testing the product for final bugs or getting ready for a massive launch on both the PS3 & PC combined, which isn't illogical.

 

[celebi23]

FUCK YEAH!!!

That Amnesia: Justine DLC thing was actually pretty interesting/disturbing.

 

[clav]

Would Valve really make a clear reference to the Combine in a Portal 2 ARG like that?

Most likely not.

 

[webrunner]

We dont know for certain their intentions or anything so any sort of assumptions that they screwed up seems kind of premature.

 

[Red]

I believe the intention at the design stage was for people to play the additional content, or at least be aware of it. If everyone who bought the product based on estimated sales played the new content this weekend and got the potato's, we would be at an early launch by a day or (day 1/2 max based on the numbers). The only logical reason why they have not addressed this problem by now is that everyone is still play-testing the product for final bugs or getting ready for a massive launch on both the PS3 & PC combined, which isn't illogical.

If this was the case I'd prefer having more tasks to complete instead of essentially doing nothing but watching bars fill.

Toki Tori about the finish btw

 

[Cindres]

Come oooon Toki, nearly there. A lot seemed to start switching over to BIT.TRIP like 20/30 minutes ago, good transitions between the games though.

 

[Salsa]

I laugh at all you late potato getters using your cheats and getting to work once you knew what the reward was

LAUGH I TELL YOU

 

[Caesar III]

waaah, my Overlay is broken in Bit Trip Beat ! :/ After beating the song the game is stuck and I can't do anything. I cannot open the overlay by hand either

 

[Phantom Limbs]

On a side note, since a lot of people have played and are playing Portal 2 by now, I'm guessing the "surprises" and references to half-life aren't that ground-breaking.
Which makes me very disappointed.
I'm going to love and play every bit of Portal 2, but I'd be lying if I said the most exciting thing for me about the game, are the possible hints to more Half-Life.

 

[Nabs]

Come oooon Toki, nearly there. A lot seemed to start switching over to BIT.TRIP like 20/30 minutes ago, good transitions between the games though.

Toki hit 100. Now it's time for people to finish up Bit

 

[syoaran]

If this was the case I'd prefer having more tasks to complete instead of essentially doing nothing but watching bars fill.

Toki Tori about the finish btw

That's a given, but the only way for those bars to fill is if the numbers for the potato pack really spiked on Friday/Saturday, and given that you have 13 games to see new content in (from scratch), I'd take almost all weekend to do it - this was their baseline.

So we expect Bit Trip Beat to be done within the next 4-6hrs, and then Audiosurf finished after the game is launched by default right?

 

[Hawkian]

I laugh at all you late potato getters using your cheats and getting to work once you knew what the reward was

LAUGH I TELL YOU

Better to be late to the party than to have no friends?

 

[theinfinityissue]

I think you're the one who has gone truly crazy . Unless you just mean Portal 2 being crazily amazing, which is a given.

You're probably right. I did notice myself feeling awful strange during the final hours of my potato hunt...

Also, Justine is phenomenal. They did an awesome job of setting up a microverse inside the greater Amnesia fiction, kept the terror of the original, and even managed a compelling story with a nice twist at the end all in around a 25 minute game. Can not wait for whatever Frictional comes out with next.

 

[Danne-Danger]

I laugh at all you late potato getters using your cheats and getting to work once you knew what the reward was

LAUGH I TELL YOU

What is the reward? I no naaathing

 

[Drkirby]

I laugh at all you late potato getters using your cheats and getting to work once you knew what the reward was

LAUGH I TELL YOU

We have no clue what the reward is, just that there is one.

Toki Tori should be done, now to just wait for the site to update.

 

[The Elite]

If something is going to happen. It has to happen now.

 

[syoaran]

We have no clue what the reward is, just that there is one.

I think he's acting, that, or he has gone crazy with potato fever.

 

[José Mourinho]

I saw all this and posted it as soon as the countdown that runs on paying for other games popped up and people leapt on me for daring to say anything against Valve. Well where are they now!

I too said this and got similar reactions.

 

[Cindres]

Toki hit 100. Now it's time for people to finish up Bit

Yeah does appear to be at 100 now, just need it to flick blue.

EDIT: And it was done as i posted that.

How much time did that knock off?
Projection appears to be ~5 hours ahead of original now...

 

[enzo_gt]

Toki Tori GET.

15:35 - Calculations complete for Toki Tori. Recalculating a new launch projection...

 

[Doopliss]

Yeah, if we "failed" then what was the lesson here? That we suck as a community and aren't good enough for a Portal 2 early release? That despite tens of thousands of lost manhours put towards unlocking the game that we simply aren't numerous enough? And if we did "lose" because Valve set the bar too high, isn't that on them? They dangled an early release carrot in front of us with an impossible to achieve goal and then shrugged their shoulders as we struggled to meet "CPU" counts that were simply infeasible.

It definitely seems designed to release the games at preset times, and in no way does our input really influence this one way or another.

This is backed up by the fact that there are diminishing returns on number of CPUs. More people participating was designed to have a disproportionally low effect on progress rate.

 

[clav]

Shaved off nearly 5 hours. Meh.

 

[Campster]

Yeah does appear to be at 100 now, just need it to flick blue.

EDIT: And it was done as i posted that.

How much time did that knock off?

It went from 35:15 to 34:19. About 50 minutes.

 

[Red UFO]

On a side note, since a lot of people have played and are playing Portal 2 by now, I'm guessing the "surprises" and references to half-life aren't that ground-breaking.
Which makes me very disappointed.
I'm going to love and play every bit of Portal 2, but I'd be lying if I said the most exciting thing for me about the game, are the possible hints to more Half-Life.

Definitely. I'll still love the game but this is what I was REALLY holding out for.

 

[XeroSauce]

I don't know how well our "focus" is going to work out when the bigger games have 5-6k players and barely move, while our "group" is about 3k large.

Anyways, ONTO BIT.TRIP, MEN.

 

[Fox318]

What is the reward? I no naaathing

Reward is not worth playing 1...2...3..Kick it. I would rather be waterboarded.

 

[The Elite]

What percentage of the Computations Completed for Launch bar is finished?

 

[Campster]

Reward is not worth playing 1...2...3..Kick it. I would rather be waterboarded.

With the save file modifications and the .dll loader 1...2...3... Kick it is probably one of the easiest sets of Potatos to get.

 

[Hawkian]

I don't know how well our "focus" is going to work out when the bigger games have 5-6k players and barely move, while our "group" is about 3k large.

Anyways, ONTO BIT.TRIP, MEN.

I'll be playing that to get my potatoes after rush, so I'll be helping out in some small part.

Reward is not worth playing 1...2...3..Kick it. I would rather be waterboarded.

I liked it. But one of the best things about this to me was being challenged with playing a little outside your comfort zone, as for me with Amnesia.

edit: Also, see above, the backdoor approach is ridiculous easy for kick it

 

[CrookedRain]

Reward is not worth playing 1...2...3..Kick it. I would rather be waterboarded.

This is the only game I regret buying.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Hey I got home before it came out.

 

[Drkirby]

What percentage of the Computations Completed for Launch bar is finished?

69.64%

 

[Nabs]

What percentage of the Computations Completed for Launch bar is finished?

69%

 

[clav]

I'm beginning to think overclocked CPUs is just an excuse for Valve to bump up the CPU completion bars when the release date inches closer and closer.