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[StuBurns]

Last year's ARG wasn't this big and it led to Portal 2's announcement. This HAS to be a new game announcement.

I still think HL3, this'll lead up till Portal 2 is out and we all get to see the 'bridge' between the games and they'll announce the game officially a little later.

 

[MasterShotgun]

Hell, for it to be this big, I wouldn't be surprised if they announced their next engine.

 

[celebi23]

You know what? What if this all leading to MULTIPLE announcements? Like HL2:EP3/ HL3, Steamworks for Xbox 360 & possibly more things?

 

[kai3345]

You know what? What if this all leading to MULTIPLE announcements? Like HL2:EP3/ HL3, Steamworks for Xbox 360 & possibly more things?

ehhhh

 

[BY2K]

You know what? What if this all leading to MULTIPLE announcements? Like HL2:EP3/ HL3, Steamworks for Xbox 360 & possibly more things?

Too much, man.

Too much.

I'll go with game announcement.

 

[Blizzard]

Episode 3/3, Episode 4/3, Left 4 Dead 4, and Half-life 3 all rolled into one big announcement. The black and blue boxes will also be announced.

(Kotaku I am joking)

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Too much, man.

Too much.

I'll go with game announcement.

Black box: CS 2, HL 3, TF3

 

[dave is ok]

5 POTATOES AND COUNTING

 

[Sibylus]

Just like last year for Portal 2. Remember the fake BSOD "Suspended until E3." message at GDC 2010?

This must be it, Valve will announce something at E3 and the ARG will give clues as to what it is.

Starting to think that this is the most likely case. Some Portal 2 nuggets will probably be revealed, but this definitely is starting to smell of something bigger down the line. It'll probably tease E3 or some other event if so.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Has anyone tried photo manipulation on that? On the other box art the top, below the logo is perfect, but on this there's something funky happening and the the cords appear to wrap around the back of the image on the right middle.

Crap, I just lost 30 minutes of my life playing with my drawing program to see if there was something, and found absolutely nothing.

Oh well, maybe for the next boxart.

EDIT: Although, I do agree that there's something strange there, why's the ESRB logo so transparent?

 

[kai3345]

Portal 2 is the Black Box

Episode 3 and updated TF2 for consoles are included

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Portal 2 is the Black Box

Episode 3 and updated TF2 for consoles are included

MY GOD, THE TRUE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY REVELATION!

Spoiler

Seriously, no company can top that bundle

 

[theinfinityissue]

can.. anybody help me out with this tonylanche game for the DG potato. If I keep failing at it, I'm going to run someone over with my car. I saw the hint about launching 2 copies of the program, it didn't do shit for me.

 

[StuBurns]

The name Black Box never made any sense.

For a while I thought EP3 might secretly be in Portal 2, that would have been incredible, however it's not.

 

[Luigi87]

I got me one potato from Super Meat Boy.
... I expect I will get no more potatoes.

 

[kai3345]

The name Black Box never made any sense.

For a while I thought EP3 might secretly be in Portal 2, that would have been incredible, however it's not.

Why not? Havent the half-life colors always been orange and black?

And the black box was the name of a PC only bundle that was going to be cheaper than the Orange Box but would only include Portal, TF2 and Episode 2

 

[StuBurns]

Why not? Havent the half-life colors always been orange and black?

I guess, I thought Orange Box was a reference to the asset-free level construction.

 

[blamite]

Just got my second, and last, Potato from Defense Grid. Now to sit back and watch the magic. Whatever this is, I have a feeling it's gonna be epic.

can.. anybody help me out with this tonylanche game for the DG potato. If I keep failing at it, I'm going to run someone over with my car. I saw the hint about launching 2 copies of the program, it didn't do shit for me.

Have one copy of the game move first, and tho other move second. Take the CPU's move from the game in which it went first, and do the same move in the other game. Use the CPU's move in that game in the first one, and so on until you win one and lose the other. It's worked every time I've tried it.

 

[BY2K]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box

A Black Box does have some links to science, so for Valve it would make sense to name another Orange Box-like deal Black Box.

 

[TheOGB]

Next box would have to be Blue.

Spoiler

In one portal, out the other.

also

Spoiler

orange and blue

 

[Baha]

Got my 3rd potato, using Defense grid. I used this strategy from the wiki:

The easiest way to win in Tonylanche is to open up two instances of Defense Grid. In one of them assign yourself as player 1 and in the other as player 2. Next, simply input whatever the computer does back and forth across both games essentially forcing the computer to play itself. You will be guaranteed to win in one game and lose in the other. Your reward is an aperture log-in screen.

You can launch tonylanche from the console after logging with the jsharman/ultraz7x4 account, it's in the root directory.

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Next box would have to be Blue.

Spoiler

In one portal, out the other.

also

Spoiler

orange and blue

 

[theinfinityissue]

Oh, I got it now. Thanks guys.

...but now I feel like a cheater. Oh well, whatever puts more potatoes in my sack. 2 down!

 

[Salsa]

Alright, starting on that potato banner and potatoes. Gonna start with Super Meat Boy

 

[dave is ok]

I lost at Tonylanche about 500 times before I saw that hint about running two copies of the game - then I got it on the first try.

 

[Baha]

Oh, I got it now. Thanks guys.

...but now I feel like a cheater. Oh well, whatever puts more potatoes in my sack. 2 down!

To be fair that game is like playing chess, the computer always wins.

 

[kai3345]

Next box would have to be Blue.

Spoiler

In one portal, out the other.

also

Spoiler

orange and blue

ffff

 

[QuantumBro]

Are there any tips on how to get the login screen in Killing Floor easily or are there any gaffers who are trying to get the potato on a server?

 

[LegendOfGood]

So is there any way to know if this ARG is approaching the end? Pardon my ignorance.

 

[Jintor]

But it doesn't matter how many times I see GlaDOS, I can't unsee bondage GlaDOS. ;(

Given the cool cats at Valve, it's probably a safe bet that bondage GlaDOS was the whole point. Especially the way she (or her mechanical primary body or whatever) shakes and moves from the ceiling.

 

[BY2K]

It will probably end when Portal 2 is released. Or at E3.

Regarding the Defense Grid recruitment. I just received an invite for a Defense Grid: The Awakening Recruits group. It's a private group so I assume you get only an invite if you are part of the recruits. (I'm the 17th recruit.) EDIT: Hmmm... it seems to be fan-made... Bummer.

Got the Potato for DG at the same time. That's 3 down.

 

[Jintor]

Fuck it, I'm dedicating tonight to getting me some potatos

 

[theinfinityissue]

To be fair that game is like playing chess, the computer always wins.

oh. That makes me feel way better. I thought I was just stupid.

The only remaining potato for me to get is Amnesia, but of course no one can even find the login in that game. Some people think it'll be in a secret level in the final Amnesia rar, but it is, as of right now, still uncracked.

 

[XeroSauce]

I've done two, Cogs and The End of the World game. They're fairly easy if you follow the instructions in the wiki.

Gonna try the 90 minue marathon for Killing Floor Potato Gun tommorow. I can't handle any more potatoes tonight.

 

[Baha]

I'm going to work on getting to 4-19 in SMB either before or after they find the login screen fo Amnesia and confirm the password. Wonder what they'll uncover by tomorrow morning.

 

[Alaskanbullworm]

Whoa, I never knew some games on Steam can be run more than once (Defense Grid). Mindblown

 

[Jubbly]

Just did Killing Floor, taking me to 3 potatoes.

Spoiler

It took 1.3hrs of constant katana slashing :/

 

[QuantumBro]

I just found a really easy way to get the Killing Floor Potato in like 5 minutes.
Use this map http://www.gamebanana.com/maps/97854
This map has infinite money regenerators so go there and when you have 70,000, go kill the wave, then go to the trader, then buy the gun, and profit.

Make sure you host this map as listen server

 

[Salsa]

I played all the potato games but i dont seem to be getting the banner

 

[epmode]

I just found a really easy way to get the Killing Floor Potato in like 5 minutes.
Use this map http://www.gamebanana.com/maps/97854
This map has infinite money regenerators so go there and when you have 70,000, go kill the wave, then go to the trader, then buy the gun, and profit.

Doesn't work. Probably counts as cheating.

 

[QuantumBro]

Doesn't work. Probably counts as cheating.

It worked for me

 

[Roofy]

Next box would have to be Blue.

Spoiler

In one portal, out the other.

also

Spoiler

orange and blue

Thank you! I've been reading this whole thread and getting frustrated nobody had mentioned it yet.

 

[Drkirby]

Black box: CS 2, HL 3, TF3

Valve already released the Black Box, it had TF2, Half Life Episode 2, and Portal, and only came bundled with certain video cards.

 

[kai3345]

Valve already released the Black Box, it had TF2, Half Life Episode 2, and Portal, and only came bundled with certain video cards.

I thought the black box was canceled?

ah checked wikipedia, nvm

 

[epmode]

It worked for me

I just realized that it has to be done in multiplayer, not single. It worked fine when I hosted my own server.

 

[MasterShotgun]

I just found a really easy way to get the Killing Floor Potato in like 5 minutes.
Use this map http://www.gamebanana.com/maps/97854
This map has infinite money regenerators so go there and when you have 70,000, go kill the wave, then go to the trader, then buy the gun, and profit.

Make sure you host this map as listen server

I felt cheap for resorting to this, but I got my fourth potato.

The ARG also said to have a player count of two, whether real or through the fake players mutator (must be downloaded). I didn't test it without the mutator, so it may still work on a server alone.

 

[KiKaL]

The KF Perk level worked fine for me. I did it by myself. I just hosted a server, set it on easy and stood on the money.

 

[Doncamatic]

So I'm only just now entering this thread, having bought the potato sack on the 4th. Can anyone link me to a post which tells people who haven't been following this ARG what the deal is? Following on from this, gathering the potatoes in the games gives the individual who does this what exactly? Is it required to progress the ARG, or, are people just doing it to say they have x many potatoes?

 

[QuantumBro]

So I'm only just now entering this thread, having bought the potato sack on the 4th. Can anyone link me to a post which tells people who haven't been following this ARG what the deal is? Following on from this, gathering the potatoes in the games gives the individual who does this what exactly? Is it required to progress the ARG, or, are people just doing it to say they have x many potatoes?

The wiki is where all of the info is http://valvearg.com/wiki/Valve_ARG_Wiki

No one knows what will happen when someone gets all 13 potatoes.

 

[Articalys]

Jesus, I tried looking at the ARG wiki pages and went cross-eyed within minutes. How long did it take for them to plan this all out?