unforum

[CoffeeJedi]

[Pause]

you summed it up in one sentence ...

[Dorkmaster]

Oh and just to be clear and repeat, I really really am enjoying this. I just unlocked an axon yesterday, and if not done by the weekend, I'll be hitting another then... I'm in this, and I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to the PMs... I really like what they've done thus far. I just feel like we're on a precipice of something great, but we gotta jump or stay here...

And Sherpa, I'm totally with you. I didn't really think that the people we've got now are the people who will be here till the end. But I do feel you know what I mean... that sometime (very soon) we're going to hit that crossing point where things will either rock on or get dicey... (see attached humorous diagram)

[CoffeeJedi]

ha! love it

[johnny5]

Updates seem to happen on Friday and Tuesday. We should get the SPs answer to our voted questions tomorrow.

[Zemat]

Hey, I'm not very much into ARGs myself. This being my first one. And I really just joined to throw just one speculation or two. I'm fascinated with the history but I also feel your dissapointment with the whole Axon-hunting-and-nothing-else thing. But (and here comes another speculation) the possibility that what we are hearing are almost real-time recording of events that occur in the future instead of Mellisa memories before the crash implies that there's a real chance we can interact with the events in the recordings somehow. Consider that those are being thrown with a week separating each one. And that they are quite short in duration. So [META] is probable that they are being recorded in the time between transmissions. That would explain the lack of Fx, video, or quality (yes, they are almost well done but they are cheap anyway), and also the lack of updates between transmissions. [/META]

So, maybe this will not reach the level of involvement "The Beast" had nor it's complexity but still we can change the outcome of the game. Or so the PMs will make us beleive.

[JimmyJames]

[Hyperion]

I think one of the problems is .. this game is probably being created by a corporation and not ARG fanatic PM's.

People who play ARG's know what they like, what they want, and how to make a great game. This seems almost like a corporate deal, but hey, we all thought that WB was making Metacortechs, but it turned out to be a group of ARG'iers.

I've been following ARGs for a while, since Metacortechs, and I only post when I have something to contribute or say. I have to say that the scope of this one, with the country-wide payphones, is impressive. But, I'm still waiting for some hardcore puzzles to sink my teeth into.

[raw19]

I agree with you guys that we're ready for the next level. But what if we're the ones who need to initiate it:
Melissa wrote:

[Dorkmaster]

The only problem I have with "This is created by a corporation, what do you expect?" is that so was the Beast! I know it was a special game. A groundbreaking, genre-defining game... But at the same time, it was by Microsoft and some others. It wasn't by hardcore ARGers cuz there were none yet! I just think that with this kind of genre (as similar to other forms of entertainment, to be honest) you need to innovate and more. While the telephone thing (massively multiplayer physical interaction) is quite the interaction, you still need the more. It's like this:

I've got this great invention that will change television forever! It's feel-o-vision! You put on a specialized glove, and you can feel whatever's on screen! And I'll have an entire season's worth of episodes where you can feel stuff...

Which yeah, is really really cool for about the first two episodes, but gets really old, really quick, unless there's substance to it. With books, you need a good story. With film, you need a good story, but also good acting. With television, you need an story that can bend and characters that are lovable and hateable....

Finally with ARGs you need all of that, but you also need puzzles! So, that's the end of my ranting. You get what I'm saying. I'm not trying to put this down AT ALL!!! I'm not trying to start a complaining-fest here... I'm just remarking at how idle this is. Automated is an apt word, as this is independent of us. Running around town is exciting once, twice, even three times... But when it gets to the point where you're the only one doing it, and we're dependent on mass amounts of people rather than mass amounts of intellect... well, then we're not really gaming are we?We're just gathering... And that's ok, but not what I had hoped.

And to balance this all out, I also repeat that none of us have paid for this. This is free. So we have no right to complain at all... Don't play if you don't like it. And that's totally true. I'm just voicing my concerns, (and I guess just figuring out what I would do for MY ARG if I ever get one together...) and this could even be placed in the "Various and sundry" category, except that it specifically relates to this ARG in general...

Anyway, that's that... I'm still interested in hearing your take on things though, people... I'm curious how many people think I'm nuts and how many people feel I'm onto their pulse too.... Thanks for listening... Thanks for not hating. Thanks for gaming!

-DM

[gheritt]

[Zemat]

[Zemat]

I'm starting to wonder if anyone is reading what I'm writting here.

[raw19]

[Slothboy]

I also am a newbie to the ARG scene, but from what I've heard around the forums I would say this has an intermediate difficulty. I'm not an idiot, but I'm not a |-|AX0R either. I probably never would have found text in the images, because I never would have thought to look. Some of the stuff on ILB is spoon fed for sure, but there are some tricky puzzles to be had. I likely wouldn't even try to play if there wasn't enough "easy" stuff for me to feel like I'm not completely lost.

I would have to agree, however, that things have gotten a little stale. The first week of Axon hunting was fun to watch and I would have joined in had there been one that was more in range, but this week I find I am getting impatient with it. Whenever one .wav doesn't go hot I groan and dread another day of waiting. Also I have to say, the fact that we expect updates on Friday and Tuesday ruins the atmosphere. Updates should be random and unplottable, and would be if this was "really" happening.

I have hope though. The story is great and well put together and I have an "edge of my seat" sorta attitude about learning what's next. There is obviously plenty of money to throw at this from a PM perspective so I imagine something new is just around the corner. I do think we will have one more week of Axon grabbing but I think that will be it. (Please let that be it.) I do also think this will end with a bang. With the kind of attention this has received there is no way the PM's can think that a "Be sure to drink your ovaltine" ending will fly very far. I'm betting on the chance that we will be able to influence the Jersey storyline. I also have my fingers crossed for an actual crash site that we will have to visit.

So, I guess maybe this could be seen as an ARG primer. The folks here at Unfiction have done a great job of making me feel welcome and I have thoughts of jumping into one of the next ARGs that pop up. I love a good puzzle, and who knows? Maybe someday I'll actually solve something.

The force is with you Slothboy, but you are not a Jedi Yet.