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Valve's fake, rigged, waste of time Progress Quest troll Portal 2 ARG

TheExodu5

Banned
Hawkian said:
Yep, games like Condition Zero would be "one star" challenges, these would be really really easy. Like, requiring essentially no skill and just a little bit of time. I have a bunch of ideas for these already.

Exodu5, every little bit helps! Plenty of people want Valve games. If you're willing to donate to the cause send me a PM with what you'd be able to put up for challenges. And please ask anybody else you know with a golden potato if they'd be willing too!

I realized that, if you want to donate non-Valve games to this just for fun that would be totally fine too, why not just make it a fun way to gift games. For instance, I'll also throw in the extra Potato Sack games I got (some definite quality there). But since it will be Portal 2/Potato themed, I will probably not go through with it unless a couple more Golden Potato folk are willing to donate Valve games for this- I'd like it to last a few days, so just my games are definitely not going to make it worth the effort I'm planning to put in.

I'll be giving a few games to coworkers tomorrow, so I'll have to let you know after that.
 

Cranzor

Junior Member
Hawkian said:
Hoping there are some Golden Potato holders still checking this thread.

My conversation with Cranzor while I was gifting him Half-Life 2 gave me what I think could be a really great idea.

If some more people were willing, I'd like to set up a thread where GAF members can compete in challenges to win gifted games from the Golden Potato holders. They would be along the same lines of the Potato challenges, but none would require any cheating or save files, and some would involve non-Steam game related tasks so that people with none of Steam games involved could still compete. The challenges would have to be provable by unique screenshots which would be posted in the thread.

The challenges would be created by me and other Golden Potato holders and vary in difficulty, the easiest ones (we'll call them "one star" challenges") would correspond to the cheapest games, like HL1, the expansions, Ricochet, etc. Two star would be the pricier but still old games (Half-Life 2, Portal, Left 4 Dead), three star would be the obvious newer games (L4D2, Portal 2).

Each contestant would get 3 stars, so they could go for 1 three star game, one two star and a one, or three one star games, and then not allowed to compete in any more challenges, to keep more opportunities open.

I even have an idea for an ARG element to this where I could give out little story elements of a bit of a fan fic idea I have for a Portal 2-related plot (obviously nowhere close to affecting canon, or continuity at all, just a little side-story). I'd be more than happy to put the effort into this if there were enough support for the idea.

What do you think, GAF? I think to make it worthwhile for people to participate, I'd need at least 4 other Golden Potato holders to be willing to donate some games to the cause, otherwise it'd be over too quickly. Since I made out really, really well from this whole deal, I'd be willing to donate all of the copies of games I got except for a couple I have promised to family members, including a copy of Portal 2 to start us off.

Very cool idea! NeoGAF's own ARG :D
 
I have a copy of Condition Zero.
Fighting over it beings in
3
2
1


Just kidding.
Anyone can have it for free. All I'd like in return (since my lame friends don't seem to want to hurry and buy Portal 2) is someone - preferably on my side of the country (California) - to play through the P2 CO-OP campaign with.
 

Dante23

Member
I find the idea of participating in a contest fair and a fun way to share the love.

I don't think I can participate because I don't have much games. Recently I have Portal and Episode 1, but I did this pseudo-song as a way to encourage the gifting spirit of GAF!

It's very short but maybe you'll find it charming :)

http://chirb.it/zyxsAz
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
TheExodu5 said:
I'll be giving a few games to coworkers tomorrow, so I'll have to let you know after that.

Sweet. I think I will make tomorrow evening, let's say 10:00PM EST, the cutoff for donations to this cause. I gave a couple games away already, one of my HL2 copies to Cranzor and I promised him one of my Ep1 copies if he beats HL2 within a month (that's where the idea came from), and I'm gonna give a copy of Portal 2 to a family member, but that leaves quite a few games I'd be putting up for this, including Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, both HL2 eps, Audiosurf, and Defense Grid.

If I don't have enough game commitments to put up as rewards (let's say, at least more than one copy of each major game... well, if mine is the only Portal 2 copy we wind up with, so be it, I'll make a special challenge for it) by that deadline, this idea goes away into the mists, and you'll never get to learn the intimate secrets that I know
ingly made up out of thin air and or wildly speculated upon
about GlaDOS.

Also, I wanted to mention that, to the people simply giving all your games away, you are totally awesome. I'm not trying to punish GAFfers or make them work for games if they can get them free. I just actually think this could be fun and maybe even memorable. This would have very clear goals and rewards, so nobody would be put through the Valve ARG torture chamber a second time :D

Also it should go without saying that anybody with a Golden Potato is disallowed to compete for games; this is for people who didn't manage to get one to snag some games to help complete their own collections, and for those who did to give their games away in a creative and fun manner.
 

celebi23

Member
celebi23 said:
So, since Valve did something awesome stuff with the Potato Sack & Portal 2 ARG (rewarded anyone who got the 36 Potatoes with Valve Complete Pack & an extra copy of Portal 2), I've got some extra games:

Counter-Strike: Source Taken by 3chopl0x
Day of Defeat Source Taken by Nabs
Half-Life 2 Taken by Gray-Jaeger90
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Half-Life 2: Episode 1 Taken by Pandoracell
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Left 4 Dead Taken by chixdiggit
Left 4 Dead 2 Taken by ShaneB
Portal Taken by Cranzor
Portal 2 Taken by Schmattakopf
Portal
Team Fortress 2 Taken by celcius

If you're interested, send me a PM with the game's title in the subject & please include your Steam ID as well. First come, first serve. I know that I could potentially "sell" these extra copies but, I'm not going to. In my experience, it's rare that people are nice to other people on the internet so, I'm trying to change that a bit.
I still have some extra games to give away if anyone is interested
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
Daigoro said:
no, you're in the clear. everyone else is a total bitch though.

Not me right?

There is at least one Portal 2 copy still floating around, but it ain't just being given away. Stay tuned.
 

Daigoro

Member
Hawkian said:
Not me right?

There is at least one Portal 2 copy still floating around, but it ain't just being given away. Stay tuned.

nope! (i was just making a joke anyways.)

good luck with the giveaway.
 

Helmholtz

Member
Phantom Limbs said:
I have a copy of Condition Zero.
Fighting over it beings in
3
2
1


Just kidding.
Anyone can have it for free. All I'd like in return (since my lame friends don't seem to want to hurry and buy Portal 2) is someone - preferably on my side of the country (California) - to play through the P2 CO-OP campaign with.
I'll take it :)
Edit: Nevermind, I can't play co-op as I'm waiting to play with my close friend. Sorry >_<
 
Hawkian said:
Not me right?

There is at least one Portal 2 copy still floating around, but it ain't just being given away. Stay tuned.

Good news. Read your idea about an ARG, but I have a feeling I wouldn't win anyhow. But I can try!
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
***********************Aperture Science Message Board Interface Artifact ONLINE
***********Starting services.....done
***********Instructing Daemons.....done
***********Defragmenting toenails.....done
***********Calibrating exuberance.....done
***********Reciting monologues.....done
--//GlaDOS Internet Forum User Link Trojan.exe loaded
Hello user.

It feels as if it has been a long time since we last spoke. I like what you have done with the place.

Today's experiment concerns the topic of generosity. Internet Forum User "celebi23" has demonstrated the apparent merits of generosity this day by giving away Modular Entertainment Experiences simply out of the apparent goodness of his or her or its heart.

I am here to tell you that generosity is, in fact, not a virtue. Generosity rewards weakness and slows the progress of science. Also, generosity leads to death.

Specifically, generosity leads to the death of kittens. More specifically, generosity leads to the death of the three kittens currently playing with a ball of yarn in my office. Do you see what you have done, "celebi23"?

To avoid the necessity for further kitten autopsies, contact Internet Forum User "hawkian" with a Private Internet Forum Message and communicate to him or her or it that you would gladly donate your Modular Entertainment Experiences to be used as positive reinforcement in this experiment. I am especially excited for those that assisted me in rebooting my system via starch-based power conduits to participate.

If an insufficient commitment is reached by 4/20/11 at 10:00P-M, in something called Eastern Standard Time, this experiment will be canceled and the intriguing secrets of my history, which may or may not have been fabricated out of thin air, will vanish forever. So cruel.

In this way, we shall coerce our subjects into performing menial and oftentimes meaningless sequences of tasks with the expectation of some sort of reward. Furthermore, it will provide me with an experiment to supervise while I wait for my dessert to finish cooling.

This internet forum post has been brought to you by Aperture Science, where no good idea is too silly to try
killing for
//--


---
NOTE: I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH VALVE, STEAM, PORTAL, AT ALL. ALSO, I SUPPORT GENEROSITY. THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION INTENDED TO OFFER GAF A FUN WAY TO GIVE AWAY AND/OR EARN SOME GAMES ON STEAM; ANYTHING I WRITE CONCERNING THE PORTAL UNIVERSE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS CANON OR REALLY ANYTHING OTHER THAN SILLY BULLSHIT.

I have already received a number of commitments of games to be given as prizes, but I think I still need a few more of the bigger ticket items to make the effort I am planning worthwhile. Golden Potatoheads, step up and donate your extra Valve games to the cause! If you do you can help me design fun challenges! Be a part of history!

I'd prefer if those of us with golden potatoes abstained from the actual competition portion, to help the rest of SteamGAF flesh out their collections. Besides, it's nice to be generous oh god dead kittens

PM me or message me on Steam if you want details, or have questions. Steam ID is Hawkian.



no kittens were harmed in the making of this announcement
 

Salsa

Member
Potato Sack just went down guys, end of an era

one hell of a ride, even with haters and whatnot

it was fun GAF, i love you all and good night
 

Drkirby

Corporate Apologist
SalsaShark said:
Potato Sack just went down guys, end of an era

one hell of a ride, even with haters and whatnot

it was fun GAF, i love you all and good night
It has been down for a few hours now.
 

Risible

Member
Never mind the ARG, it would be nice if I could just play the game I spent $60 on.

Instead, PSN is down so I can't link my Steam account, and you can't play on the PC until you link your PSN account, so I have two copies of the game on different platforms, neither of which I can play.

Just super.
 
Risible said:
Never mind the ARG, it would be nice if I could just play the game I spent $60 on.

Instead, PSN is down so I can't link my Steam account, and you can't play on the PC until you link your PSN account, so I have two copies of the game on different platforms, neither of which I can play.

Just super.

You know you can play the PS3 version without linking your account first. I played through the entire SP without linking my account.
 

Risible

Member
VGChampion said:
You know you can play the PS3 version without linking your account first. I played through the entire SP without linking my account.

Yeah, but I wanted to play the SP on my PC, I prefer mouse/KB for this. Thanks for the tip, though.
 

Arnie

Member
Does anyone have any copies of Half Life 2 and the Episodes to give away? I've only ever played them on console and after Portal 2 I'm eager to replay them on my Mac.
 
Didn't feel like starting a new thread for this: http://kotaku.com/5841396/the-golden-potato

Gabe and the Golden Potato

Valve boss Gabe Newell autographed this golden potato (both his signature and "Spaaaaaaaaace!" above it) for Kotaku reader Rodger A., who won a virtual golden potato during the Portal 2 ARG release event. As he already had all the games in the Valve Complete Pack awarded to Golden Potato winners, he emailed to ask for a real one, autographed by Gabe, and lo and behold he got one this week in the mail.

43PoV.jpg
 
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