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[darkpaladinmfc]

http://cpucount.zapto.org/game/1250

It definitely sped up the completion rate. Now all that's left is for someone with time on their hands to calculate the new approximate time all the games will finish. :/

I still don't think Killing Floor will finish in time, unless the potato effect ramps up significantly, assuming it even has an effect.

 

[Gandie]

I don't think the objective is to consume all the potatoes (which would mean earlier effort by the community would've been counterproductive) but rather to fill up the bars which is happening way faster thanks to the overclocked GlaDos.

 

[dollartaco]

D) It doesn't matter what we would have done up until this point, Valve would have fudged the math to launch the game precisely when they had planned to launch it.

I like this one the best.

 

[gregor7777]

Who trolls you like valve trolls you?

 

[Sn4ke_911]

It'll be hilarious if they're removing potatoes that people unlocked by cheating... :lol

nice one :lol

 

[shigsy]

So who else in Europe will be FUMING when this all turns out to be a US only thing and we get it Thursday as originally planned regardless?

 

[throwawayname]

From wiki:

Hmmmm?

 

[The Elite]

I didn't notice the thread title change, ha.

It's subtle but awesome.

 

[TimmiT]

Unless the rate the potatoes are drained goes faster, this won't matter much for me. I live in the Netherlands, so the game wouldn't unlock until tommorow morning, and because of school I probably wouldn't be able to play it until the evening.

 

[The Technomancer]

Ok i'm sure i can see the G-Man's face after that picture, probably just trying to convince myself too hard though.

But i definitely saw the potato counter start decreasing faster!

I think it just looks faster because it changed from decreasing in threes to decreasing in ones.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

This has definitely turned into a huge fucking troll.

Were they not planning on releasing this at midnight or something? Why all this trouble just to make it obvious they are releasing at midnight?

 

[gregor7777]

WTF has Gman been there the whole time?

OK we're getting Episode 3 news or that's the ultimate troll.

 

[Stitch]

It'll be hilarious if they're removing potatoes that people unlocked by cheating... :lol

they already did

 

[KScorp]

This has definitely turned into a huge fucking troll.

Were they not planning on releasing this at midnight or something? Why all this trouble just to make it obvious they are releasing at midnight?

Marketing.

 

[Owensboro]

The countdowns close to hitting 100%, everyone's F5'ing like crazy, suddenly the page turns black. "Hello Mr. Freeman"
INTERNET ASPOLDE

I would love for this to be exactly how it ends. Everyone gets trolled by the king of all trolls: the G-Man.

 

[Twig]

so the third countdown clock is active, I wonder how many there are.

Did you say... THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?

 

[The Elite]

Yeah, I see G-Man's face. I'm officially freaking out a lot.

 

[Liquid Helium]

WTF has Gman been there the whole time?

gman has never been there, its just wishful imagining.

 

[StuBurns]

D) It doesn't matter what we would have done up until this point, Valve would have fudged the math to launch the game precisely when they had planned to launch it.

It does seem like that. They could have calculated the potato consumption rate to be a multiplier to have the game release exactly when they wanted up until this countdown started.

 

[JKTrix]

So Kotaku got an email from GLaDOS with a hex code that lead to a Facebook page. That facebook page then posted this code

119 104 101 110 32 116 104 101 32 112 117 114 99 104 97 115 101 32 105 115 32 120 119 110 102 100 115 49 48 48 48 32 99 100 115 107 108 101 105 54 226 133 162 226 153 128 114 101 108 101 97 115 101

which decodes to some junk like

when the purchase is xwnfds1000 cdsklei6��release

 

[TheExodu5]

Yep. You have.

Well your head is made of wood. It's hard to get facts to stick in there.

It does seem like that. They could have calculated the potato consumption rate to be a multiplier to have the game release exactly when they wanted up until this countdown started.

Yep. Like I've said before, I'm pretty postiive this indicates that they simply cannot release the game before the 19th due to legal reasons, or partnerships with retailers.

It was a really cool arg, and I think the potato countdown is an awesome way to end it, but the whole "buy our games to release Portal 2 faster" is peeving me even more at this point, seeing as how they never intended it to have any real impact whatsoever.

 

[gregor7777]

gman has never been there, its just wishful imagining.

HE'STHEREISEEHIM

 

[Treefingers]

Guys that is the G-Man.

It has to be.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

All the potatoes are counting down.

 

[snoopeasystreet]

Audiosurf be truckin along.

 

[Gandie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ii8m1jgn_M

 

[Blizzard]

gman has never been there, its just wishful imagining.

Why did no one take a screenshot of the site on Friday or Saturday for comparison.

(I didn't save mine)

 

[Twig]

Well your head is made of wood. It's hard to get facts to stick in there.

You say that like I didn't believe you. ):

 

[clav]

So Kotaku got an email from GLaDOS with a hex code that lead to a Facebook page. That facebook page then posted this code


which decodes to some junk like

MASON WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN

 

[electristan]

It's unlocking at 12 AM EST and the whole 'potatoes' thing is pure nonsense and a hilarious troll because this whole thing is incredibly opaque and impossible to interpret and/or predict.

seems to be, and hay look! disappointment is back. will play this tomorrow so

EDIT: :lol so late

 

[Cindres]

Oh man this level of insane excitement and shitstorm was worth the weekend xD

 

[The Elite]

Valve: All your potatoes are belong to us.

 

[morningbus]

Just so we have a point of reference, from that estimate website, these are the current rates of completion:

Audiosurf: 1.26% (or 1.27%, I've noticed it going back and forth)/hr
Defense Grid: .78%/hr
Killing Floor: .70%/hr
Amnesia: .62%/hr
The Ball: 1.02%/hr

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

they already did

They removed it from people's profile but not from the ARG if I am correct.

 

[The Technomancer]

Why did no one take a screenshot of the site on Friday or Saturday for comparison.

(I didn't save mine)

Same, I didn't save mine

EDIT: From google:

 

[Calm Killer]

All the potatoes are counting down.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN!?

 

[Takamura-San]

I can only hope that the game is unlocked when i get home.

I'm on EST

 

[Arozay]

From wiki: http://disgui.se/images/gman.jpg

Hmmmm?

Reminded me of:

 

[SamBishop]

I can't wait until you guys can get in. Having press copies since Saturday and not being able to share in the glory with you has been torture.

 

[Salsa]

SO IS IT OKAY TO POST THIS NOW?

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

G-MAN is actually eating all the potatoes and in Episode 3 he is fat :/

 

[Covfan]

Has anybody noticed if any of their potatoes have disappeared on their profile?

 

[ultron87]

If you see Gman there Valve has won by making you go insane.

 

[TheBez]

What happens if you use the java code on the site now?

 

[The Elite]

G-MAN is actually eating all the potatoes and in Episode 3 he is fat :/

Potatoes make you fat?

 

[gregor7777]

That's g-man. And he looks like he's taking a big bite out of the side of that webpage.

My theory: he likes potatoes.

If you see Gman there Valve has won in making you go insane.

 

[Plasma]

I can't see gman at all :/

 

[MurkyZebra2417]

Potatoes make you fat?

450.000 will

 

[dollartaco]

http://i53.tinypic.com/dpcp53.jpg

That is the background from Friday. Note the Potato text has changed.

 

[clav]

Potatoes make you fat?

G-Man is Irish?