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[brotkasten]

I love Valve's ARGs and of course I hope this leads to some sort of Episode 3 announcement.

Spoiler

EP3 canceled!!11

 

[The Big Rig]

Just to note, there are thirteen games in the Potato Pack. Thirteen off-site chambers. Thirteen games with Portal 2/Potato stuff. That makes sense, right?

I also wonder about the possibility of Portal 2...Being Episode 3. That'd be a bit of a twist. I mean, it's established that they occupy the same world, isn't it? And I can't remember, but didn't they say they were going to add actual weapons and not just the Portal Gun to Portal 2? Or am I confusing that with prototypes for the first Portal?

I'd imagine if Portal 2 was episode 3, people getting into the game for the first time would be completely confused. As much as I want you to be correct, I don't see Valve limiting themselves like that.

 

[Stallion Free]

I also wonder about the possibility of Portal 2...Being Episode 3. That'd be a bit of a twist. I mean, it's established that they occupy the same world, isn't it? And I can't remember, but didn't they say they were going to add actual weapons and not just the Portal Gun to Portal 2? Or am I confusing that with prototypes for the first Portal?

Lol no that would be fucking terrible.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I... uh... I don't think Valve is going to combine two of its most anticipated games into one game. You know, effectively canceling out a couple of million units' worth of sales revenue.

 

[EatChildren]

Just to note, there are thirteen games in the Potato Pack. Thirteen off-site chambers. Thirteen games with Portal 2/Potato stuff. That makes sense, right?

Indeed it does. It would make sense that each games has a seperate means of accessing the Aperture login page. Each must essentially be a test chamber.

 

[hamchan]

Events in Portal 2 factoring into Episode 3 would not surprise me at all.

Portal 2 BEING episode 3 though....lol.

 

[Servizio]

Lol no that would be fucking terrible.

Well, Valve did say they were sick of doing Half Life...It'd be a two birds with one stone sort of idea.

Of course, there really isn't anything to suggest it and what sense would it make to combine two money making franchises?

I am pretty baffled as to what this ARG could be leading up to though. An elaborate ARG to announce a sequel makes sense, but what additional information about the game would warrant a double dip into this madness?

I hope it's more TF2 hats!

 

[Majukun]

Episode 3 will be present in portal 2 as an unlockable bonus at the end of the game

 

[JaseC]

Well, Valve did say they were sick of doing Half Life...It'd be a two birds with one stone sort of idea.

Do you have a source?

 

[EatChildren]

Well, Valve did say they were sick of doing Half Life...It'd be a two birds with one stone sort of idea.

They also confirmed only a few weeks ago that Episode 3 was still in the works.

Anyway, part of this ARG has lead to this song.

 

[Hylian7]

Just to note, there are thirteen games in the Potato Pack. Thirteen off-site chambers. Thirteen games with Portal 2/Potato stuff. That makes sense, right?

I also wonder about the possibility of Portal 2...Being Episode 3. That'd be a bit of a twist. I mean, it's established that they occupy the same world, isn't it? And I can't remember, but didn't they say they were going to add actual weapons and not just the Portal Gun to Portal 2? Or am I confusing that with prototypes for the first Portal?

STOP KILLING MY EPISODE 3 HOPE BONER!

Seriously though, I doubt Portal 2 will be Episode 3. They seem to be making it very clear that they will only have small references to HL within the game (things like mentioning the fact that they compete with Black Mesa).

 

[EVIL]

Episode 3 will be present in portal 2 as an unlockable bonus at the end of the game

this would rape my mind.

 

[GABDEG]

Anyway, part of this ARG has lead to this song.

Great tune.

 

[syoaran]

They also confirmed only a few weeks ago that Episode 3 was still in the works.

Anyway, part of this ARG has lead to this song.

I actually like the song, I presume a track from the single player portion of the game.

 

[XeroSauce]

Does that "bathysphere" remind anyone of Wheatley?

 

[webrunner]

portal 2
po tal two
po ta too
potato

 

[wayward archer]

STOP KILLING MY EPISODE 3 HOPE BONER!

Seriously though, I doubt Portal 2 will be Episode 3. They seem to be making it very clear that they will only have small references to HL within the game (things like mentioning the fact that they compete with Black Mesa).

I'm sure portal 2 isn't ep 3, but Episode 2 seemed to imply that Aperture Science (or what's leftover from a dangerous experiment of theirs) will play a pretty big role in ep 3.

 

[JaseC]

portal 2
po tal two
po ta too
potato

If I had a dollar for every time somebody pointed that out...

 

[dogmaan]

If I had a dollar for every time somebody pointed that out...

then you would have about £3.60

 

[raphier]

portal 2
po tal two
po ta too
potato

We Know All Dude
Now All Dude
Ow Al Du
OLD

 

[Servizio]

Do you have a source?

I probably spoke far too strongly for what I remember, and I'm not even sure if this what I'm thinking of, but;

Basically, at Valve everybody gets to decide what they're working on. Some people say, "I want to work on Steam for a while," or "I'm tired of photo-realistic stuff; I'm going to work on Team Fortress 2 for a while." We do have some variety in terms of projects, and Left 4 Dead was a lot of fun for people to work on. It's fun to play, too. It's a fun game. After we've shipped one of our games, we're all pretty damned tired of it. I've played Half-Life 2 probably a couple of hundred times. It can be fun for a while, but getting to try something else and not look at headcrabs for a while is definitely a nice break.

Is the closest I can rustle up with google.

http://www.1up.com/features/gabe-newell-talks-valve-plans?pager.offset=1

So yeah, "sick of doing" was way too strong. "Enjoyed not working" on is closer. Which is understandable with how development of HL2 went, and then the 'Episodic' content.

 

[Red]

Just to note, there are thirteen games in the Potato Pack. Thirteen off-site chambers. Thirteen games with Portal 2/Potato stuff. That makes sense, right?

I also wonder about the possibility of Portal 2...Being Episode 3. That'd be a bit of a twist. I mean, it's established that they occupy the same world, isn't it? And I can't remember, but didn't they say they were going to add actual weapons and not just the Portal Gun to Portal 2? Or am I confusing that with prototypes for the first Portal?

As cool as that would be, it's not fair to consumers and it wouldn't work from a marketing standpoint. Portal is great, but I'm quite sure Half Life commands a broader audience, and the mere mention of Half Life 3 would get most of the fan base into a frothing tizzy.

I'm hoping P2 will tie into the HL series more strongly, but beyond a few cryptic hints and nods at what to expect, I doubt there will be much.

We can hope though!

 

[Drkirby]

portal 2
po tal two
po ta too
potato

Yeah, valve has more or less confirmed it with this being an offical tag:

I like how they left the TM symbol in.

POTA TO, prequel to DOTA TWO.

 

[JaseC]

http://www.1up.com/features/gabe-newell-talks-valve-plans?pager.offset=1

So yeah, "sick of doing" was way too strong. "Enjoyed not working" on is closer. Which is understandable with how development of HL2 went, and then the 'Episodic' content.

I think I remember that. Seems he was speaking in generalities. Your previous post made it sound like it was a company-wide opinion.

In any case, we know Episode Three has been in the works since at least May 2006.

Yeah, valve has more or less confirmed it with this being an offical tag:
http://steamcommunity.com/public/images/skin_1/as_potatobadge.png

I like how they left the TM symbol in.

POTA TO, prequel to DOTA TWO.

Haha, there is no way that was made in anything other than Paint.

 

[FStop7]

Bathysphere = Portal 2 is Bioshock is Episode 3 confirmed.

Cave Johnson = Andrew Ryan

Gordon Freeman = Big Daddy

 

[Palette Swap]

Just to note, there are thirteen games in the Potato Pack. Thirteen off-site chambers. Thirteen games with Portal 2/Potato stuff. That makes sense, right?

Yes. The message pretty much means the community should do more stuff in the 13 games to unlock whatever will be unlocked. For example, that message from killing floor points to that.

I also wonder about the possibility of Portal 2...Being Episode 3. That'd be a bit of a twist. I mean, it's established that they occupy the same world, isn't it? And I can't remember, but didn't they say they were going to add actual weapons and not just the Portal Gun to Portal 2? Or am I confusing that with prototypes for the first Portal?

Honestly, that would suck. That's like receiving a birthday present and being told it's also your christmas present. Also, having anything else than a portal gun would ruin it.

 

[Frankenstrat]

dammit, this got me all excited

the prospect of actually hearing something about ep3 from valve is pretty awesome, although I would still laugh if this is some april fool's day trolling on their part

 

[JaseC]

IGN has received an e-mail with an image, however it's the same image MacWorld received earlier.

Various cryptic images have been sent out recently via Valve boss Gabe Newell's email address. The images don't make a lot of sense when looked at individually, but it seems as through different images have been sent to different outlets. It could be an alternate reality game (ARG) Valve is deploying to tease the upcoming release of Portal 2, or it could be something else entirely.

The title of the image we received is "bee torso crops". You can check it out below.

"Deploying"? Surely IGN haven't been living under a rock for the past week?

 

[Hot Coldman]

"Deploying"? Surely IGN haven't been living under a rock for the past week?

IGN don't pay attention to anything, that's why they still suck.

Although to be fair, they do link to the ARG Wiki.

 

[Hylian7]

IGN has received an e-mail with an image, however it's the same image MacWorld received earlier.



"Deploying"? Surely IGN haven't been living under a rock for the past week?

Fuck that where is the Portal 2 comic they said they were going to post today?!

 

[abunai]

'Saruman' on IRC just got the last piece, no idea who it was.

The original filename of the last piece was 'jsharman'

I need to know what's going on ;_;

 

[Salsa]

Anyway, part of this ARG has lead to this song.

Reminds me of HL2 music, not trying to imply anything though..

What does the voice says at the start ?

 

[Laurentius]

K45IH

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

So...what's the full message now?

Looks like they're still working on it at the wiki.

 

[Zombie James]

Reminds me of HL2 music, not trying to imply anything though..

What does the voice says at the start ?

Sounds like, "Hello, Nick?" to me.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

This is interesting.

+-------+------+-------+
| i rel | e4se | uqu1s | // i released (sequels?)
| ick 1 | t' a | h:g♫o | // sick it' ahead
| of sc | hedu | lono1 | // of schedule,
| hat w | as a | mne | // that was a ****. (joke? test? mistake?)
| . my | 9oal | 1s km | // my goal is **
| 2 ema | ncip | {qae√ | // to emancipate
| 0meth | 1ng | eäÅy1 | // something else?
| early | . bu | tq1 ☼ | // early. but
| y're | on t | É Ey3 | // they're on to me.
+-------+------+-------+
| the | syst | am 1s | // the system is
| _ in | lock | down. | // in lockdown.
| i s. | ill | have | // i still have
| acces | s to | thir | // access to thirteen
| teen | off- | site | // off-site
| chamb | ers | and A | // chambers and
| M= in | st4l | lling | // am installing
| a te | st 1 | n eac | // a test in each
| h one | . i | am go | // one. I am
+-------+------+-------+
| ing t | o ne | ed a | // going to need a
| lot m | ore | test | // lot more test
| 5ubje | cts/ | 2 m0 | // subjects to move
| ve fo | rwar | d. wa | // forward. Waiting
| 1t1_n | 9 an | d AM | // and am
| expec | ting | imme | // expecting
| diate | com | plian | // immediate compliance.

Early Portal 2 release on Steam?

 

[ashbash159]

This is interesting.


Early Portal 2 release on Steam?

If solving this madness of a puzzle leads to an early release it would be ideal as I have 2 weeks of college off, starting next week, and I will probably be bored the whole of next week waiting for the week after when it releases.

But I don't think it's happening.

I don't have a clue what is happening.

 

[JaseC]

Haha, a few people noticed the dial extension in the Portal 2 comic and rang Valve to try it out.

Now Garret Rickey (a programmer from the original Portal team) is going to have a bunch of random messages on his machine.

 

[Jenga]

i rel | e4se | uqu1s | // i released (sequels?)
| ick 1 | t' a | h:g♫o | // sick it' ahead
| of sc | hedu | lono1 | // of schedule,

is it a "in-plot" comment or a message from valve?

maybe the whole point of the ARG is that valve has finally overcome Valve time!

 

[heyf00L]

What that's trying to point out is that the final section of the picture doesn't follow the pattern. The name was different from the other names. And when you XOR with 255 to get ASCII like all the other images, you get garbage.

I don't think they know how to solve it yet, tho. So they don't know what it says there yet.

 

[theinfinityissue]

if portal 2 releases early SO WILL MY BOWELS

but seriously if it did, I'd hang a picture of Gabe above my computer for the rest of my life.

 

[Big Chief Crazy Cone]

YouTube of the song: Searching.Emergence.Discovery

Track is awesome

 

[GABDEG]

is it a "in-plot" comment or a message from valve?

maybe the whole point of the ARG is that valve has finally overcome Valve time!

Didn't they say the game was done already?

 

[kamspy]

My hope:

First portal you walk through in Portal 2 brings you to the Episode 3 main menu.

 

[BY2K]

So there's only one piece left to translate?

Nice.

The question is, will this be the solution, or just another clue?

 

[EatChildren]

So there's only one piece left to translate?

Nice.

The question is, will this be the solution, or just another clue?

Well, as said, we still have no use for the Aperture Science login page. We dont even have access to it through every game yet. So this is far from over.

 

[MasterShotgun]

So there's only one piece left to translate?

Nice.

The question is, will this be the solution, or just another clue?

I'm betting on clue.

1) We still have a little over a week until Portal 2's (official) release. More time for them to fuck with us.

2) There is the thing with the Aperture Science login pages going on. If the bathysphere puzzle was the last thing, I kind of doubt they would be doing other puzzles.

 

[Chao]

'Saruman' on IRC just got the last piece, no idea who it was.

The original filename of the last piece was 'jsharman'

I need to know what's going on ;_;

It looks like the jigglers from Adventure Time, well, kind of

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

I'm not sure how "serious" these hopes that Episode 3 is somehow within Portal 2 are, but I'll go ahead and point out that Portal 2 is rated E10+ and there's no way Half-Life could get that rating.

 

[Des0lar]

My hope:

Last portal you walk through in Portal 2 brings you to the Episode 3 main menu.

Fixed it for ya