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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: Perplex City » PXC: General/Updates
[INFO] The Hunt Endgame
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jbd
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Joined: 27 Jul 2004
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Antony C wrote:
This is a treasure hunt, but has been a high-tech one up to now. I think that hundreds of people digging up a large volume of earth would be odd. The cube could be incorporated into something mechanical, or even built into a structure of some kind? It's early days, I know, but expect the unexpected I say! (Or just tell me to shut up...)


Well, we were sort of worried about that. Hence the questions to the People in Charge to establish it is a.) explicitly a cube and b.) buried.

I'm a little more worried how this is going to play out socially. Is everyone going to shut down talking completely? What happens if you get a solve (or you think you do, ARG solves always tend to be fuzzy) but it's across the globe? Do you team up with someone nearby? And if so, how do you pick the lucky person?

There also will likely be 'solving convergence', so even if you are the sole person to have a solve, the window won't last long. I can imagine horror stories of someone planning a plane trip to the right location, only to be foiled by someone who lives closer by getting a solve and taking it first.

What if the solving convergence is because of the collaberative nature of the game, and a post by one person causes a whole bevy of people to make the final leap in a matter of hours? Should the initial person who posted get something? How would that be decided?

PostPosted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:00 pm
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locqust
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 		I think at the end of the day people will start to split off from the group in an effort to stop that happening to them, but also teams probably will start appear and alot of info will go to PM's only.

But this is a competition and this should be expected, although the scenario of buying your ticket and flying to the middle of nowhere only to find someone beat you to it only cos they live closer is a bit tight! Very Happy
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 7:18 pm
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sledgecallier
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 		There is only one cube, so only one winner. Saying that, I fully expect that the winner will be working within a team and that the winnings will be split between the team...
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 7:18 pm
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Ashin
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 		Been at Comic-Con almost all weekend, so responding to some things on this thread:

EvilGenius wrote:
MC has been brilliant about addressing concerns raised about it's lack of global fairness now that there are players from all over involved


I don't think this game is anywhere NEAR being globally fair yet. I've been with this game ever since the original 333 parcels, and even with all the work and responses on MC's behalf to globality, they're not even close yet. Up to Wave 3 it has been more efficient, unless you lived near a store, to buy cards through Firebox than most US retailers because it was cheaper (even with international shipping). This whole thing recently with locking cards and the global release date is bull$#!7 because probably 99% of the non-UK market lives nowhere near a store, and I doubt companies are going to ship early so everyone can get their cards on the release date. Next off, unless you have a lot of friends playing PXC, you're completely screwed getting the rarer cards because you have no one to trade with. So unless you want hundreds of duplicate cards, you pretty much have no other choice but to turn to ebay (or if you have duplicates of rare cards use perplexcitytrades). What I'm going to find amusing/enraging is if the cube is buried in the UK. If that ends up being the case, then fxck this game for real. Global nothing.

Merus wrote:
It looks like some specialised equipment will be needed. There was a link recently to a page on Kurt's blog where he's talking to a cube researcher, and the researcher told us that the cube emits electromagnetic radiation, much like microphone bugs do.


I'm all for TINAG, but I felt the need to respond to this. There is no such thing as electromagnetic radiation in the way you're thinking of it. Electromagnetic radiation is a really fancy way of saying "light". To expand on this: visible light, your microwave, infrared, UV, X-Rays, FM, AM, cell phones, gamma rays: they're all light. Light, Light, Light. They're just at different wavelengths.(If you want to see some math that explains this, and contains math symbols most people have never seen click here) So... Even if the real world cube is emitting light, if it's on the low frequency end of the spectrum, it will be undetectable (because it won't travel through the ground) and if it's emitting high frequency spectrum light, it needs a mega power source to keep that up over time, and its harmful to any sort of life around it (gamma rays and x-rays permanently kill cells in your body) and would therefore not a be a good thing to just have lying around somewhere. If it's middle range frequency, then there's still the power source problem.

jbd wrote:
What if the solving convergence is because of the collaberative nature of the game, and a post by one person causes a whole bevy of people to make the final leap in a matter of hours? Should the initial person who posted get something? How would that be decided?


I wonder about that also, I do not foresee good things coming of this. I see many an accusation of unfairness coming.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 10:16 pm
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Juxta
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Ashin wrote:
I wonder about that also, I do not foresee good things coming of this. I see many an accusation of unfairness coming.


I agree, I foresee many moans, complaints and whines from the usual assortment of malcontents and resentful protesters over the coming weeks and months. Most of which are either unfounded, or are obviously end-of-the-world stuff because they just happen to affect the person making the complaint. Yes, yes. Shock. Horror. I know.


Quote:
I don't think this game is anywhere NEAR being globally fair yet. I've been with this game ever since the original 333 parcels, and even with all the work and responses on MC's behalf to globality, they're not even close yet


Quote:
This whole thing recently with locking cards and the global release date is bull$#!7 because probably 99% of the non-UK market lives nowhere near a store, and I doubt companies are going to ship early so everyone can get their cards on the release date.


Quote:
Next off, unless you have a lot of friends playing PXC, you're completely screwed getting the rarer cards because you have no one to trade with.


Quote:
What I'm going to find amusing/enraging is if the cube is buried in the UK. If that ends up being the case, then fxck this game for real. Global nothing.


Quote:
...addressing concerns raised about it's lack of global fairness...



The internet, giving the entire world a license to opine, since 1989.

Cheese?

Rolling Eyes

J
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:34 am
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Ashin
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Juxta wrote:
The internet, giving the entire world a license to opine [sic], since 1989.


If you're trying to poke at me, that's fine. But my comment of unfairness claims to come was in reference to the physical location of the cube and the outcome of the game. You're reordering of my statements makes the comment out of context.

In terms of competing for first solves on puzzle cards, I don't think anyone would claim global fairness there.

Edit: I thought about this some more, and your comment of complaints
Quote:
they just happen to affect the person making the complaint

should be obvious. Rarely if ever do people complain about problems when they're not the ones affected. But that makes the complaints no less relevant or true.

(Other US players, and for that matter players outside the US, would have to comment here, but...) In my personal case, the sole reason I ever bought even a single card is because MC originally came out and said this game is "US friendly". If the cube turns out to be in the UK... do I need to finish the sentence? I could have saved myself the some odd 750 pounds I've spent so far on cards and just watched from the sidelines should that be the case.

You guys in the UK seem to have your own clique when it comes to PXC (and I don't mean that in a negative way). I'm jealous when I watch you guys getting together for this game and having fun with it, when so far I've met ONE PERSON that plays over here, and they're not even really serious about it. However... If the cube is in the states, I would be estatic to team up with UK players and find it and split the prize. But I would be shocked if it were in the UK and a US player were taken in the same way. I say this not because there is any sort of US shunning going on, but because we're the outsiders. It's only natural you guys get together with your friends and participate, you have no need to search for fellows that you can only befriend through the internet.

All I'm saying is, the cube being in the UK will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "US friendly" into a lie. Prove me wrong MC. Prove me wrong PXCers.

Prove me wrong.


(As an aside, I'm a very positive person for the most part. My major qualm with people is when they claim something, and then don't back it up. Hence the current post.)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 2:44 am
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batgirl
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Ashin wrote:
If the cube turns out to be in the UK... do I need to finish the sentence? I could have saved myself the some odd 750 pounds I've spent so far on cards and just watched from the sidelines should that be the case.


MC have always said that in order to win the big prize and find the cube then you don't need to buy a single puzzle card, you have bought the cards because you enjoy solving them, and with forums like this you can even solve them without every buying one, that's purely your perogative and in no way affects your abilty to participate in the story, whether you buy one card or 1000 cards.

Please can we stop the UK vs non-UK bickering and continue to enjoy the first self-supporting ARG on this scale which is just getting better and better? We obviously all enjoy the game or we wouldn't be playing it!
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:46 am
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mac_monkey
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 		Why is everyone so quick to assume things?

Why don't we let Mind Candy do their bit, and then you can all moan when you find out the Cube's in Outer Mongolia.

Seriously though, this is becoming a community of whingers lately, something I'm considering whether or not I want to be a part of.

Who cares about the prize, play the game, if you find the cube then hurrah!

Now go take a walk outside and enjoy the flowers and wildlife! Twisted Evil
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:51 am
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colin
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 		Have they ever said the cube is in one piece? (or more importantly, has anyone asked?) The cube could be 6 pyramids that join together to make a cube.

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:37 am
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European Chris
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colin wrote:
Have they ever said the cube is in one piece? (or more importantly, has anyone asked?) The cube could be 6 pyramids that join together to make a cube.


Or it could be a monkey that you have to squeeze in a box. Who knows?
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:56 am
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Juxta
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 		I'd like to thank Batgirl for essentially capturing the essence of the obvious, clear and plain facts here. Players choose to hunt for the Cube. I don't see any medieval implements of torture being used to force people into it. In most cases, it is because of the fact that it is an enjoyable experience, and not because they want to "OMG I winZoRZ!!!!!".

There are many players, there is one prize - the maths on that is relatively simple, I would have thought. If you are playing in order to win, then I would respectfully suggest that you could have chosen something which had better odds.

To return to your post Ashin, I hope that you don't feel as if I'm "trying to poke at you". It was merely an attempt to highlight the immense irony of foretelling doom and endless complaints, after an agressive, negative post full of...well...doom...and...endless complaints...

However, allow me to respond to your critique. Firstly, what I quoted was direct from your post. If you re-read it, there wasn't a vast amount snipped, and what I removed, was done for brevity and readability. They also weren't "re-ordered" in any way, shape or form.

First solves? "Globally unfair". Well, frankly, they were unfair to me too! My postman doesn't arrive until mid-morning most days, so people who have early deliveries got all the first solves! Or...or...the people who took the day off work got to work on the cards sooner than I did! Or...or...oh wait, nobody really cares... Seriously. If you have some foolproof system for ensuring that everyone, on the entire planet, gets the chance to solve things at the same second, then please suggest it (note: "Suggest" does not equal "complain") In the meantime, Wave 4's release is something of a return to Wave 1, which helped in this respect, but I'm sure that any better offers will be gratefully received.

Your comment about complaints that come from people complaining about their own problems - well, yes, undoubtedly it doesn't necessarily make them any less relevant or true. Of course, one must always consider context in such matters.

Your comment about saving yourself "750 pounds" is one which seems contradictory. As Batgirl pointed out very eloquently, you do not need to purchase cards in order to follow "from the sidelines". I personally have spent well in excess of that amount, and whilst my bank manager may disagree, I have no issue with it. If i didn't want to spend it, I wouldn't have. It's that simple.

"Us guys in the UK" having our own clique? Laughable. I'm very sorry that other countries are smaller, and more easily travelled. Or that there aren't more players in the United States for you to make friends with. I suppose that we could ask for volunteers, at the next live event, to emigrate to the USA if you like, but that doesn't seem all that likely to bear fruit I'm afraid. I'm also sorry that our merry clique-y band isn't going to be able to make it to San Francisco. Nor were we able to be in New York. Or Toronto. Or New York the time before that....and yes, I know that those places may not have been "convenient" for every American to get to, on those dates, at those times. You might have heard of a well known saying, about "Pleasing some of the people all of the time..."

Quote:
All I'm saying is, the cube being in the UK will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "US friendly" into a lie. Prove me wrong MC. Prove me wrong PXCers.


Gosh. All that is missing there is the "Daan dan daaaaaaaaan!" Rolling Eyes


Quote:
All I'm saying is, the cube being in the USA will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "UK friendly" into a lie. Prove me wrong MC. Prove me wrong PXCers.


Quote:
All I'm saying is, the cube being in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "Australian friendly" into a lie.


Quote:
All I'm saying is, the cube being somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "hydrophobe friendly" into a lie.


Quote:
All I'm saying is, the cube being in a tin of tuna will be the icing on the cake in turning the claims of "dolphin friendly" into a lie.


To sum up: Yeesh. Whingeing about whingers. The irony.

J

P.S. I think that if you check, the word "opine" is in fact correctly spelt - details of it can be found here. Whilst I wouldn't ordinarily offer this service, as you seem so keen on accuracy, I would like to give you the benefit of my own experience, which tells me that the "estatic" in your own post is missing a letter "c". It should be spelt "ecstatic". Happy to help. Smile
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:23 am
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Ashin
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batgirl wrote:
MC have always said that in order to win the big prize and find the cube then you don't need to buy a single puzzle card.


That's not true. MC said for a long time that solving the cards would give you points, and those points would unlock puzzles to allow you to proceed further into the game. After a while they made the more current comment that you didn't need to buy cards to participate (which made sense because of all the web pages, etc). But, it wasn't until after Wave 2, if i remember correctly, that they changed the statement to mean "you don't have to buy any cards to fully participate." (My dates may be off here)

mac_monkey wrote:
Why don't we let Mind Candy do their bit, and then you can all moan when you find out the Cube's in Outer Mongolia.


Actually, I hope it is. That would be a beautiful ending to this, because the whole community would have to come together just to retrieve it.


Juxta, I understand your comments and agree with most of them. I hope my comments so far have not seemed de-constructive. I do enjoy playing this game, and am not necessarily here just to win, but there are definitely some major growing pains that MC is going through and they haven't solved them yet. I'm sure if asked players opinions about things that needed improvement, everyone would have a gripe or two.

And yes, opine, hadn't seen that one before, thought it was a typo for whine or some ARG reference I was unfamiliar with.

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:14 pm
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Tintintin
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I, nearly two months ago, wrote:
Well, the game has been designed so that you don't need all (or perhaps even any) of the cards to find the Cube, if I understand correctly. So, this presumably means that the ongoing narrative is what will lead us - directly or indirectly - to the Cube, perhaps using the clues and meta-puzzles on the cards as a tool (and also the map, one guesses) or a reference. However, it is extremely unlikely, in my opinion, that any of the blogs or related sites will do anything so obvious as relay precise information to us as to where to find it, so it will at some point become clear how to find it using such information as we possess, or what information we will need to point the way. I suspect that it will initially be fiendishly difficult to puzzle out, although further revelations will gradually make life a little easier, especially if us Cube Hunters are taking forever to work it out.

At this stage, there isn't enough information (or it hasn't yet been made clear that we do have the information but have yet to interpret it correctly) to even take a guess at the location of the Cube. We still have no idea how it was transported to Earth, or when, or by whom, or from where. We have no idea who received it on Earth, if anyone. We don't even really have a concrete idea of what the Cube is, beyond a vague physical description (white-ish or metallic, about 10cm^3).

As for possible location... well, if it has been hidden by being buried in the literal sense, it would have been hidden somewhere where the chance of it being discovered by accident is minimised. That probably means private land, and the more remote the better. However, it would also have to be easily recovered if necessary, so the location must have a landmark or other distinguishing features that would enable anyone in on the secret of its location to be able to find it. It would also probably be under constant surveillance by the thieves or whoever it is that have hidden it, in case it was accidentally stumbled upon, or if the knowledge of its location is leaked, so it can be moved to another safe place. This is presuming that it has been buried as a whole piece; for all we know, it could somehow have been disassembled and its constituent pieces scattered, perhaps even being hidden in plain sight as we're all looking for the thing being entire...


Quote:
Yes, the only way to make it 'fair' ... for all the players is to make it equally remote and difficult to get to for everyone.

However, if it was buried somewhere remote, it would have to be somewhere that it would be entirely safe and stable - drifting sand-dunes, melting glaciers, quake-hit areas and so on are all probably not viable locations...!


EDIT: I should add to the above that I sincerely hope that the Endgame of the hunt will not devolve into anything as simple as 'who can get the first flight to Ulan Baator to dig up the Cube from the base of the pillar under the mouse-shadow cast by the second moon' or anything similar. However, in a global game, if there is a single thing buried in a single location, some or all of the seekers will have to travel potentially enormous distances to recover it.

PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:07 pm
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themandotcom
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Tintintin wrote:

EDIT: I should add to the above that I sincerely hope that the Endgame of the hunt will not devolve into anything as simple as 'who can get the first flight to Ulan Baator to dig up the Cube from the base of the pillar under the mouse-shadow cast by the second moon' or anything similar. However, in a global game, if there is a single thing buried in a single location, some or all of the seekers will have to travel potentially enormous distances to recover it.


I couldn't have put it better myself Tin. It seems that it would be not only dissapointing, but pretty lame to kids in school (me Crying or Very sad) people with jobs impossible to get out of, or some other reason. It would suck for that to happen, I hope that there is a way to just email Kurt, tell him where the cube is and then someone else in the MC payroll can dig it back up. Now Ashin, being a US player, in a crappy little town on Long Island sucks. 45 minutes to the city by car, too young to go on my own on the train, and the closest shop is somewhere in the big apple. Now I am the only one I know on Long Island that plays this game(prove me wrong ppl!) But other than that, it's all good, no live events for me. Laughing
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:07 pm
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xena
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 		how about we get the link to a webcam, and the first one there is the winner??

PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 10:45 pm
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