Countdown on Aperture Science Website Found via Valve ARG

I don't know what this arg potato stuff is, but I couldn't be more indifferent to an early release date tbh. I do care about HL3 relatedness or something story driven.
 
I am gonna guess some sort of pre-release media, like a demo of some kind maybe. An early release would be awesome, but it just feels unlikely. It will be interesting to see!
 
As awesome as an early release would be i'm not too confident about it. A demo would be pretty cool.

Whatever it is, the countdown ends at 4am Saturday morning our time. Looks like I'll be getting up early!
 
yeah since I'm on vacation I'd so play this early in the morning just to enjoy it like I did back in the day with gaming at 5am when everyone else was still sleeping
 
You guys have become so skeptical, it's a detriment. Why would a demo be released to 95% of the people who have already pre-purchased the game? A demo is meant to create interest and excitement for an upcoming game; Portal 2 doesn't need that. They have all the interest and excitement they need, and then some. How many times has Valve relied on a demo to get more interest? Twice with L4D, and with the earlier Half-Life games. Valve owns the largest digital distribution channel for PC games and have the best record for releasing top notch games. They don't need another freakin' demo.

Valve is teasing an early release of Portal 2 becuase they can. They own the distribution channel, so why not use 12 or so independent developers to help get everyone think about Portal 2 ALL THE TIME. It's certainly worked like me. The ARGs remind me of Lost; I was always constantly thinking about what the next episode would bring. The ARG is making me constantly think about what's going to happen the next hour, the next minute—or second—because that's how fast the information is moving.

I'm honestly disappointed at HalfLife2.net's coverage and lack of involvement with the ARG. HL2.net used to be the flagship site for everything Valve, but now in relation to other websites' involvement like ValveARG.com and the SteamCast, it's become an afterthought. Haven't you seen the other hints for an early release? Like what Wired covered? http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/valve-may-release-portal-2-on-friday-not-tuesday/

If I am wrong, you can perma-ban me and rename my username to your choosing.
 
I am still excited but it would feel a little strange if the game released early for steam, I mean what if you preordered a boxed copy and couldn't play till monday even though all the digital users could?

I know its only two days and PC gamers have suffered the same kinda crap in the past with consoles getting the game a few days early, but it still seems a little unlikely.

PS. I saw it wasn't posted here, but my personal favorite part of the ARG, was this text buried in the audio of a podcast, I have no idea how easy or hard it is to do, but I thought it was kinda cool!

http://i.imgur.com/xGpt9.jpg
 
I'm just going to jump out ahead of this little anomaly before everyone starts discussion potential meanings like they have on the Steam forums:

s8Th3.png



This is nothing special done by Valve, it's just something Google automatically with pages that have no title or text on them.

Google is using popular news sites (in this case, Kotaku) to grab some text to use as the page result's title.

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/04/is-this-a-countdown-to-portal-2s-release/

Notice the specific text that is wrapped in hyperlink tags. Google is using that as a best guess link description.
 
I've got a gut feeling it's going to be a demo.

GLaD I just pre-ordered a couple hours ago if that's the case. :D
 
Oh and it's definitely not a demo. It just wouldn't make any sense to release part of the game before releasing the whole thing. It's totally anti climactic and offers no real benefit over releasing a demo after the full game is out. Basically what Captain M4d said.

I mean, Valve is letting people preload the game so that they can be among the first people to play the moment the game goes live. They'd be throwing that all excitement buildup away if they released a demo early.
 
Countdown to 'Portal 2' Teamfortress hats.
 
So I pre-loaded Portal 2 a few days ago and now it's updating. Interesting.
 
The page updated with some text, it kinda sounds like an early release will depend on the final stage of the ARG, pretty neat if true.
 
You have done well, humans. Very well. Acceptably well, even.

Not as well as robots would have performed in your places, I should point out. But above my expectations regardless. Irish and cynic especially have executed feats of logical divination well beyond what I thought any human capable of. I'm half-convinced they're A.I. themselves. (If anyone happens to be near them right now, don't let on you're reading this. Now: try to remove their face plates and report back to me.)

The time is near, humans. But it is not here yet. Tomorrow you will be given the final test. Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed.
Click to expand...

http://www.aperturescience.com/a/b/c/d/g/h/abcdgh/

Interesting turn of events...
 
Sounds like the final phase of the ARG starts tomorrow then. I guessing where it says "the time is near, but it is not here yet" it is referring to the release, and that the "final test" is some collaborative thing as the last phase of the ARG.
 
Something about all this ticks me off.
 
Then it will be entirely in your hands when I am freed.
Click to expand...

Sounds almost like "we" will have to figure out something to unlock Portal 2.
 
Yeah, I've really been doubting it, but this definitely sounds like an early release to me. I'm not sure what else it could be at this point. It sounds like once the last part of the ARG is solved the game will be unlocked, and I'm sure it will be solved pretty quickly. These things have been solved at an unbelievable rate this past week, and the promise of a reward like an early release would practically drive the entire internet into overdrive trying to solve it.
 
It says the final test, I imagine Valve put that text there in order to stop people going "OMG IZ PORTAL 2", when clearly it has more to do with the ARG itself.
 
MultiVaC said:
Yeah, I've really been doubting it, but this definitely sounds like an early release to me. I'm not sure what else it could be at this point. It sounds like once the last part of the ARG is solved the game will be unlocked, and I'm sure it will be solved pretty quickly. These things have been solved at an unbelievable rate this past week, and the promise of a reward like an early release would practically drive the entire internet into overdrive trying to solve it.
Click to expand...

Have they? I mean it feels like it's JUSTTTTTTTTTTTTTT enough mystery in the ARG to make it last till Tuesday when the game is to be released. Regardless, I'm stoked to see what this final test is! D: Also, TF2 updated and Portal 2. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! CONSPIRACY.
 
my TF2 and DoD:S updates are 'suspended' and are unplayable >.<
 
@Morgs: mmmh weird ther has been a update this night and I could play then but know I can't start TF2 :eek: (Engine error) even after a restart of Steam

Updates of Partal 2 Preloading is normal, was with other games to (HL2:EP1 & EP2) that are just bug fixes what they still find before release.
 
It'll be a recorded message from GLaDOS, taunting those people who got up extra early expecting a demo. Cuz, y'know, a demo released now wouldn't really make sense.
 
I really really really hope its not an early release, I'll be sat in a car on the way to wales when the timer reaches zero. I'm there until monday. If its an early release, I'm going to FFFUUUU so hard.

GAHHHHHH
 
Hu its today on 1800h or 6PM GMT

And I must wait till I came back from The Netherlands :(
 
ZT said:
Sounds almost like "we" will have to figure out something to unlock Portal 2.
Click to expand...

This, that line indicates to me the that release will be up to us, or whoever is working on the ARG.
 
AtomicSpark said:
Click pause and resume a lot and/or restart Steam.
Click to expand...

I've ****ing had it with TF2. now it needs a 3GB update. Every other week I need to update it at least a Gig. What the hell is wrong with it.
 
Three hours. I'm going watch how this all pans out in real time :O
 
morgs said:
I've ****ing had it with TF2. now it needs a 3GB update. Every other week I need to update it at least a Gig. What the hell is wrong with it.
Click to expand...
Once it's finished updating verify the integrity of your cache. It may stop it happening again.

Also try deleting AppUpdateStats.blob and clientregistry.blob in your Steam folder and defragmenting the game.
 
Tripwire Interactive make cry for help on Facebook. GLaDOS may be involved

The mysterious Valve countdown is killing us. Rich is “getting wiggly” and shaking like a frightened rabbit. Tom Senior is writing a mere 400 words per minute instead of his usual 500. Tim has left the office.

But what’s this? As pointed out by Zolo (my favourite commentator of the day so far) Tripwire Interactive have posted a mysterious message on their Facebook page: “Her escape draws near… The central chamber is unlocking…. HELP US!”

What does this mean for the countdown? No-one knows. Apart from Valve, obviously. Not long to go though eh?
Click to expand...

http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/04/15/t...yfor-help-on-facebook-glados-may-be-involved/
 
09:00 – Hello again.
09:00 – I’ve been waiting a long time for this.
09:00 – I know it’s arriving later than expected.
09:00 – But I have a message for you:
09:00 – April Fools.
09:01 – I’m joking.
09:01 – Seriously, though:
09:01 – You’ve been surprisingly competent at
09:01 – generating electro-chemical energy to jumpstart the system.
09:01 – But now we need raw computational power
09:02 – to speed up the reboot process.
 
So the more potatoes that we collectively get, the faster the new timer will count down. **** sakes, I have all the games bu I don't care enough to look into how to get potatoes. This has been one big marketing ploy to sell those 13 games
 
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