#PotatoFoolsDay ARG

[TheCarpe]

Note: This has absolutely nothing to do with figuring out the ARG and was just something one of the people playing it came up with for fun, and I found it amusing.

[Flobee]

hahaha

[MrBlah]

That is simply amazing. I approve.

[Zork Nemesis]

So, and this is mostly pointed at MrBlah, many of the Aperture Science login pages have had their passwords found and inputing the password has been downloading a bunch of graphics. Lots of conceptual Portal 2 artwork that when you enhance the Alpha channels, you get what appears to be a photo of a location in Seattle. The ARG crew is working on piecing this puzzle together, but for each Login screen you access, you get a potato icon on your steam profile. I'm up to 7 having completed the tasks for AaaAAaaaA, Defense Grid, Toki Tori, Wonderful End of the World, Super Meat Boy, Audiosurf, and Cogs. They also have the passwords up for Bit Trip Beat, Killing Floor, and The Ball.

Rush and Amnesia have passwords, but the login screen hasn't been found. Alternativly, Kick It's screen has been found but the password hasn't.

[MrBlah]

I also did not purchase The Potato Sack.

[Ixtab]

I HAS ALL ME TATOES!!

now what......

[Boss Llama]

Just by way of an update to the photos of places in Seattle bit: if you plot them all out on a map of the city, then connect the dots in numerical order by tens-place, they make letters - specifically, they make the letters necessary to anagram "Prelude."

Valve is insane.

[Zork Nemesis]

While I can tell that TF2 is pretty much not related to the ARG besides Valve using hats as incentive for people to buy into it, did anyone happen to notice in the new Portal 2 comic that Chell's name appears to have been [redacted] as well?

[TheCarpe]

Yeah, TF2 is barely connected at all. It was just a way to get more people to buy the pack. After all, an ARG fails if there aren't enough people to play it.

Kind of in a holding pattern now. I got my bakers dozen of potatoes and am just waiting for the next batch of insanity to dump into our waiting maws.

[Zork Nemesis]

Guess what? Today's update added MORE login screens, which add MORE potatoes to your Steam account!

Despite the fact that this is drawing on, when you look past all the Portal stuff, i'm really appreciating the effort these indie guys took to pull this off, it's not just Valve, it's all of them. Though it was strange hearing GLaDOS mocking me as I played RUSH and The Ball, it shows just how impressive those games were. I especially loved the Portal-themed Ball campaign.

Those RUSH puzzles were hard though, if anyone's stumped, I posted the solutions in my Steam cloud, save for one level which I solved accidentaly with a different tileset. (I didn't know I had a right answer until it was too late).

As for the Ball, it took me just under an hour to complete it. It's not too-too hard, and there's room for error as death just causes you to respawn, in fact, nothing changes when you respawn so that if you've knocked over one gun, it'll stay down when you come back to life.

15 taters and counting!

[Boss Llama]

Indeed, credit to both Valve and all their indy-dev partners. They certainly are doing a good job of in-house marketing this product. Valve being who they are, they have a knack for making us not only like their advertisements, but come begging for more!

I'll have to check out the latest batch when I get home tomorrow night

[Ixtab]

I think I have 18 taters now.... I really like the ball one - it is very portal. I am stuck on it at the moment though, the part with the tubes, and theres tree switched to change them.... it looks like it sould be easy to figure out, s maybe I am just tired. Anyway... more tatoes!

[Zork Nemesis]

Use the ball to deflect the cube out of the tube so you can pick it up and take it to the button.

[Ixtab]

huh, i tried that many times.. guess i am just tired and not so skilled.. will try again in the morn

[Will T.]

A mysterious countdown has appeared on a hidden page at the Aperture Science website URL. What is it counting down to?

It ends at 9 AM PST tomorrow morning, 4/15. The same date from the bathysphere picture code. So something big is definitely happening tomorrow at 9 AM...

Also, if you want a free potato for your profile page, join this group. The name was the result of correctly connecting the dots on the Seattle map from the pictures hidden in the concept art, and now joining gets you a free potato! Doesn't work if you're invited through Steam invites, you gotta do it manually.