unforum

[irene.adler]

I was thinking the same thing about reverse engineering a phone number. I still can't figure anything out. Any pre paid cell number is going to be random and wouldn't come from a name or a place or anything.

And was anyone else floored when Tyler asked Tim who Ethan was? I thought she had remembered Ethan. After the first decoding puzzle, I got a response from her that said:

"Thank you, Irene, for helping me. I feel like I don't know whom to trust. If this message is true, then Ethan loves me. And that's all that matters, Moments like these, things seem so clear. Then out of the blue, they go all fuzzy and I can't remember. Please be there for me, I need you."

So I kind of took that as she remembered me, she remembered Ethan.

Yeah, and its so true that the "phone number" was one of the circle of friends level thingys too.

I totally agree with the frustrations with point system. But a lot of this ARG doesn't involve many 'typical' ARG techniques like link guessing or clues in the video. And I wouldn't be jealous of the "live interaction" thing, because its not really "interaction." We basically showed up at Bedford and North 7th and watched a scene they set up for our consumption. I thought we would go around and get some clues and follow them around the neighborhood, look at posters, talk to other planted actors that sort of thing. But all it was was 5 minutes of watching Tyler get abducted and apparently killed. The scene they filmed for the episode was different than the one we watched. Ours had a red van.

That and there's no real technical, visual clues in the videos as far as I can tell. In the trailer, they highlighted part of a phone number...etc. The episodes so far have been just filling in holes.

You would have thought the PMs would have figured a way to nudge us along a little bit. But apparently they thought it more prudent to kill off the main character.

I also think the point system is a major detraction. I don't know how many points I have, but I was telling someone at some point...guys, I really don't need to win a trip to New York City. My points could have easily gone to someone else, but apparently in order to play the game I had to get some points from it! A good prize is an awesome ARG.
But...
and I do not mean this in any way shape or form negatively about certain people...
there are a couple good ARGers playing this game who are probably obviously benefiting from the public information we all post, but never post themselves with their theories, ideas that could be followed etc.
Is it entirely possible a player knew that picture from Ethan's blog was taken in Capri? Sure. Or is it also possible that she read it on here? (I posted the pic to the travelocity forums and got the location that way.) But if anyone would have needed that players help in figuring out a puzzle, that player doesn't come here to give...they come here to take. And if you are interested in winning, that's not a particularly bad strategy. So I'm not trying to be negative about those people. I'm just saying the point system has set this game up this way. Any info I've ever had or theory or whatever, I've always posted it and all of the active players on unfiction have done the same and I think we're to be commended for that (even if it really is against our interests.) Just like the "live action" thing on Thursday. I only got one photo up to my Flickr photostream and the iPhone doesn't do video, but if it was a situation where clues were being given out, I was all ready to share them in real time.

A couple weeks ago I was even toying with the idea of getting all the active players from the community (unfiction) to move to another place that I could have set up with a password protection or over to IRC. Since we're sharing information with each other and helping each other in the true spirit of an ARG, I thought we should cut out of the deal the people that browse here as guests, get what they need and never contribute themselves. But I didn't bother to bring that up (we are linked on the Deleted the Game homepage)

Maybe the PMs should have realized first and foremost than an ARG isn't really a competitive exercise. I know people over the The Lost Experience thread seem to agree that the points and leaderboard destroy the TINAG element. This came can still be really good. I hope these changes help this game. And I guess I can bring myself around to helping Zach, since he having a crisis of faith since Tim's death. But the PM's showed us that Ethan said in his decrypted message that Tim was to be trusted. And then they make Tim a bad guy. Well that isn't the players fault. Ethan himself believed that Tim was ok and therefore, since Ethan was the good guy we had no choice but to believe Tim was ok. Otherwise this game would never go anywhere.

Anyway, that's my rant.

[Schrijvertje]

Good rant, Irene.

Grindboy, that's a good theory about how to unlock the phone number. Only, the decoding method had already been hidden in the sound file on the cd long before Tyler disappeared. And I always assumed Ethan put it on the cd in the first place, to decode his message.

Something else which I find strange. I still haven't heard of anyone completely deciphering Ethan's message to Tyler. As far as I can tell, nobody got any further than unlocking the meeting place, not the time.

So, how is it then that Tyler knew when to be there (last Thursday at 2 pm?) Did one player solve the puzzle completely and told Tyler?

Because if no one did, then Tyler would have been nowhere near that place and the storyline would have had to follow a completely different path, just like it did when they killed her because no one could solve the phone number puzzle. Which, in fact, would have prevented that fatal outcome to happen in the first place! (Am I making sense here?)

Anyways, I'm still game and have exchanged some messages with Zach, though I've let him know that it's not a personal choice that I'm willing to help him out, rather that I'm somewhat being forced due to recent developments. Zach hasn't told me anything useful though, but wants me to explain how I know of Tim and the package. I'm playing it like I'm "Mr X", you know, that guy Steven Williams played in "The X-Files"?

[sirpoins]

it's nice to hear so many people's opinions on this ARG, it's really interesting to see how everyone else views the goings on so far..

For me, I didn't like and never cared for the points system. I like to try to figure out or at least help figure out puzzles and see where they lead. I didn't feel like there was any real continuity in this ARG. Maybe a little, it was hard to tell. You can tell I didn't want points because I tried to help the bad guys! I didn't have an interest in winning or getting Tyler's number, I just wanted to be part of the game. I sent emails, comments on myspace and facebook etc, and only received one reply the entire game. Maybe it is because I wasn't really trying to achieve the goal they wanted...

I don't care about the lack of live interaction, just the lack of interaction at all. I also don't like a popularity contest I'd like to say maybe this just isn't the game for me, but most ARGs seem to find a way to be inclusive to some point...

well, anyway, that's my "rant." I'll lurk a little and try to help out as best I can..

[redshoesrock]

I posted this on Deleted's forum, I thought I would post it here as well.

-------------------------------------------------

To the puppetmasters and writers of Deleted: The Game,

I have spent the day thinking of what I wrote, and got home to see what you had written back. While I do not feel anything I wrote was incorrect, I do want to offer the opportunity to allow the producers a chance to correct their mistake. If indeed Deleted's promise of, as it was written to us, having "our players influence the way our story unfolds: a genuine collaboration between the producers and audience", then I believe we as the audience should take them up on thei offer and see if they truly mean what they say.

I propose an 'audience' challenge to the producers for this week.

The challenge is very simple: Bring Tyler back.

Now while I cannot claim to speak for 'the audience', I propose the challenge based on my belief that I am not the only one in the audience who feels that Tyler should not of been killed; in fact, I propose the challenge based on my belief that the vast, vast majority of the audience feels Tyler should not of been killed. And even more, I propose the challenge based on my belief that (at least some of) you, the producers, feel Tyler should not of been killed.

If that is the case, then the challenge is simple to solve. We want it, you want it, everyone wants it. If indeed, this is all about, as you wrote only hours ago, the opportunity "to give viewers the ability to share the lives of our characters and 'influence' things:, then this is a superb opportunity to prove what you say. Otherwise, it's all just lip service, right? It's all just smoke and mirrors, yes?

I'll even offer a way out - we never actually saw Tyler die. What we saw was Tyler pushed into a van, and a man shoot into the van. We didn't see 'if' Tyler was shot, and if she was, where she was shot. The possibilities are wide open from not shot, to flesh wound, to even coma if necessary.

If anyone in the audience feels as I do, that the decision to kill Tyler was made with flawed logic, incorrect, and that she should be brought back, then I humbly ask you to post your positive reply on this thread. If this is a collaboration between both parties (producers and audience), then let us see just what kind of a collaboration this is. I cannot speak for any of the other members of the audience, but I can speak for myself. I will agree to watch one more episode, number six. If Tyler is alive in the episode, not including a flashback sequence, then I will wholeheartedly agree to continue watching and playing Deleted, even going far enough to get others to start watching. If however, Tyler is dead, then I will assume that your words of producers and audience collaborating together are empty and I will depart from Deleted.

So that is your challenge, producers. Bring Tyler back. A simple challenge and, like this game, has one correct answer and a myriad of incorrect ones.

What is your answer?

[lual]

YES, BRING BACK TYLER

[irene.adler]

I can't get camouflage to run either. I can try it at work tomorrow though. I bet you copies of the documents are embedded in there because its a big file for a small photo.

I've been in touch with Zach. I'm trying to convince him that Carlyal is after him too, not just Ethan. I told him the Carlyal lackey saw Ethan running up the street and he could have nabbed him but didn't. I told him Carlyal killed Rivo and Tim and Tyler and they will kill him too. I told him we have common interests in bringing down Carlyal and the documents can help us do that. I'll let you know what he says...

[grindboy]

I've had a look at the image from Zach's blog with camouflage but I think it's probably password protected. Any ideas as to the password?

[lual]

Tim's package

[Schrijvertje]

At least you got a bit more out of Zach than me. This is his last message to me:

[Schrijvertje]

So we're back to password guessing again? I wish I could get a better grasp on the internal connections the PM's make. I'm sure it's all very logical to them, but I'm just not seeing the stuff I'm supposed to be seeing. It's getting progressively worse. Of course for a good game that's necessary, you have to raise the bar to keep it challenging, but still ...

Nothing to it than keep on trying.

[lual]

I got another message from Zach. Before this I could barely get even the littlest of info out of characters, and then out of blue it seems as if a door has opened. I was right about what was in the box.

[grindboy]

I got another one. Mines shorter

[Colmy_DD]

when?

[grindboy]

There you go colmy:
http://camouflage.unfiction.com/

[Colmy_DD]

thank you, also is anyone close to a password??