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reesylou
Decorated

Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 260

 		Updated post... still not (currently) back. Sad

Quote:
UPDATE: Some have questioned the legitimacy of the above because it was written in the same tone we have always used. So let's try this again. I'm one of the programmers on this project. I've put countless hours of my time into this project, as have others, and we've now had to shut it down due to stalking reported by a few different members who were thought to be PMs. (Stalking we have seen proof of in most cases.) In the interest of their safety, we decided it was best put our project on hold, at least for now.

I really hope we can continue to seek out and ban the people who caused this to happen, who do not understand that in ARGs, there are lines you just don't cross, who think that actively stalking people by looking into their personal lives and their work lives is an ok way to investigate people who MAY be PMs in an ARG. Or for that matter, is an ok way to investigate people who ARE PMs in an ARG. Some of you who were so upset about the personal information we asked for on the registration form are the same ones who were posting this exact type of information about innocent members. Challenges to "Investigate Us" to discover who is behind this project or "Hack Us" to find any vulnerabilities in our website are not, to any kind of sane person, an invitation to cross that line. "Hey, I discovered that ___ is a PM and here are his social media accounts!" is a valid investigation. "Hey, I discovered that ___ is a PM and here is where he lives and here is where he works!" is not. Neither is a challenge to "hack us" an invitation to perform cyberattacks on the servers of ANYONE. We were very specific about what was allowed as part of that challenge. Our rules stated to not even perform any kind of attack on our host, did we really need to include a rule not to do it to members as well? It is so incredibly sad that any of this is something we should have had to explicitly state. Or that those who understood this would go ahead and do it anyway.

Once we are sure we can once again provide a safe environment for our members, we will happily bring the website back up. The emails and posts we saw from people who said they loved what we were doing and felt so proud for having learned things made all of the long hours and hard work and lost sleep more than worth it to us. We have some really cool and fun things planned and we would like to continue what we started.

And to address one more thing we've been asked a few times, NONE of your personal information was accessed by outsiders during any of this. We are as committed to your privacy as we have always promised. And if we do ever decide that we cannot bring our project back online, a decision we will likely make in the next month or two if not before, all of your data will be deleted.

To those of you that none of the above applies to, thank you. Seriously, thank you. For your emails, your forum posts, your participation in our challenges, everything. Again, we really hope we can continue. At least a few of us, me included, have said that this has been the most rewarding thing we've ever done in our lives. And we were just getting started.

And sorry for the wall of text. Apparently some people need VERY explicit explanations for things.

P.S. And no, we will not "prove ourselves" by providing any of our personal information, just as we have kept our word and not provided any of yours. We also want our families to feel safe and our business to not become targets.


PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 6:15 am
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Zobot257
Entrenched

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Posts: 805
Location: Wandering...

 		... Sad

Seriously, why do some people take things way too far? This was one of my favorite games to play in years. Not just one of my favorite ARGs, but one off my favorite GAMES at all. Not only did I learn a lot, but I've had a ton of fun doing it.

I don't want it to end like this just because of a few jerks.

For the people who have been putting this game up, if you're reading this:

Thank you.

For everything you've done so far. Because of you, I solved my first few ciphers. Because of you, I've learned to use tools I hadn't used before. This game piqued my interest. It was novel and curious and fun and I know for sure that a friend of mine and I both really got into it and are sad to see it going.

Honestly, the ARG community shouldn't come off as creepy. It sucks that some people took this way too far, and I hope that all you PMs and your families stay safe.

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:51 am
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themightymooker
Veteran

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Posts: 109
Location: Not Quite Lincoln, NE

 		Following up on the last post: since we know the PMs do follow this thread--we who took this seriously and were sincerely enjoying ourselves will also be the first to say that this is just a game; we all want you to put your safety and well-being first. Take care, and we will wait patiently for the day that your game can come back.

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 1:20 pm
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MsDirection
Boot

Joined: 13 Oct 2016
Posts: 66

 		I know this game is officially on pause, but I noticed something in the look closely puzzle that probably everyone noticed and I meant to mention sooner because I loved it, but better late than never:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
I thought it was SO CLEVER that the control in Photoshop that's manipulated to reveal the solution is LEVELS.


Seriously. Learning how the brains behind the game think is so important to solving future puzzles.

When all the jackanapes who've spoiled the fun for now are out of the picture I really look forward to examples of future cleverness.

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 2:48 pm
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Zobot257
Entrenched

Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Posts: 805
Location: Wandering...

 		... you know...

There's nothing we can do to stop these scumbuckets who are/were stalking the PMs or people around them. But that doesn't mean there's nothing we can do right now to support the game.

They mentioned that it was really rewarding to see people talking about we learned from this game, or how much fun we had, right?

I think the best thing we can do is get some fan love going. Talk about what we really liked, what challenged us about this game so far, what really caused us to learn or improve. Show the PMs that their efforts aren't being wasted on us, you know?

So what did you like about the game so far?

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 4:52 pm
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reesylou
Decorated

Joined: 07 May 2003
Posts: 260
MsDirection wrote:
I know this game is officially on pause, but I noticed something in the look closely puzzle that probably everyone noticed and I meant to mention sooner because I loved it, but better late than never:

Spoiler (Rollover to View):
I thought it was SO CLEVER that the control in Photoshop that's manipulated to reveal the solution is LEVELS.


Seriously. Learning how the brains behind the game think is so important to solving future puzzles.

When all the jackanapes who've spoiled the fun for now are out of the picture I really look forward to examples of future cleverness.

I never thought of manipulating the image in that way - I achieved the same result, but did it differently.
Spoiler (Rollover to View):
I converted the image to indexed colour and changed each colour to be distinctly different (eg white, red, green) which made everything stand out


Site aim achieved... we have learned different methods to achieve the same goal Smile

PostPosted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:59 pm
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MsDirection
Boot

Joined: 13 Oct 2016
Posts: 66

 		I think PMs deserve a lot of credit for creating game that has us still digging into and talking about it in spite of the present situation.

I honestly find it so remarkable that I brought it up at dinner last night to people who are not ARG people and it got their attention (or at least they pretended like it did Rolling Eyes ).

Reesylou - thanks for sharing your methods. as you said: mission accomplished!

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 11:30 am
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bambusar
Unfettered


Joined: 02 May 2012
Posts: 684

 		Not everything is lost yet.

Petition to bring back Levels ARG:

https://www.change.org/p/whoever-the-hell-the-pm-is-bring-back-the-levels-arg
(and for once, it might actually work)

PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:36 pm
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themightymooker
Veteran

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Posts: 109
Location: Not Quite Lincoln, NE
bambusar wrote:
Not everything is lost yet.

Petition to bring back Levels ARG:

https://www.change.org/p/whoever-the-hell-the-pm-is-bring-back-the-levels-arg
(and for once, it might actually work)


Not entirely confident this will end up working, since it's a safety and security issue they're dealing with, but I signed it anyway. Any attempt to get this back online is a step in the right direction.

PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:11 am
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DR6
Boot

Joined: 08 Oct 2016
Posts: 20
bambusar wrote:
Not everything is lost yet.

Petition to bring back Levels ARG:

https://www.change.org/p/whoever-the-hell-the-pm-is-bring-back-the-levels-arg
(and for once, it might actually work)


I don't think this makes sense: the PMs already know lots of people want them to come back, they shut off the website because they were being harrassed. A petition telling them something they already know won't change anything.

PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 1:57 pm
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fingerlickin'
Boot

Joined: 30 Sep 2016
Posts: 15
DR6 wrote:
bambusar wrote:
Not everything is lost yet.

Petition to bring back Levels ARG:

https://www.change.org/p/whoever-the-hell-the-pm-is-bring-back-the-levels-arg
(and for once, it might actually work)


I don't think this makes sense: the PMs already know lots of people want them to come back, they shut off the website because they were being harrassed. A petition telling them something they already know won't change anything.


I wouldn't count them out just yet. They do say on their site that they need a bit of a break. Probably taking that time to think about how to retool the game here and there.

If they were really done they would just close the site, methinks.

PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 8:53 pm
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themightymooker
Veteran

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Posts: 109
Location: Not Quite Lincoln, NE

 		A new update:

Quote:
UPDATE: And please, be patient while waiting for that decision. All involved severely need rest right now. There are no formal discussions planned for at least two weeks. But as was just posted on Twitter, we are far from alive, but not yet dead. Please have patience while we take some time to recharge and regroup and discuss plans for the future. Make no assumptions. And our deepest gratitude for your patience and continued support. Your kind words and emails and forum posts and petition(!) are the life-support those behind this project desperately need right now.


I guess they've heard us, and are trying to do what they can.

PostPosted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:11 am
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MsDirection
Boot

Joined: 13 Oct 2016
Posts: 66

 		That is a really kind message, and kind of them to respond. I'm glad we decided to let them know how highly we have been thinking of them and what they created.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:29 am
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themightymooker
Veteran

Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Posts: 109
Location: Not Quite Lincoln, NE

 		All right, everyone! In the wake of the US election disaster, I thought I'd share some more optimistic news (hopefully this part of my comment becomes outdated soon...?). Anyway, the front page of LEVELS has changed again. It's now an image that says "Please stand by." Is the game returning? I sure hope so! Very Happy

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:46 am
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MsDirection
Boot

Joined: 13 Oct 2016
Posts: 66

 		Has anyone examined this to determine if it's a puzzle?

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:16 pm
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