Portal Update - Hidden achievement & Viral Riddles [Updated]

[sixteenth]

Vorts yo.

 

[Cpt Tenacious]

Looks familiar...

Anyone else think this building looks exactly like an elephant?

 

[sixteenth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DXvs0NV6uw

Higher quality version:

http://kevin.fobby.net/portal_puzzle/blah5.ogg

Definitely turrets in the first image.

One of those GlaDOS Orbs in the second.

The third one on the left kinda looks like Dog.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Oh christ, this is intense. In one of those ASCII pictures, it looks like a running man. Maybe CJohnson is still alive, or maybe an android preserved just like Chell was?

 

[sixteenth]

Oh christ, this is intense. In one of those ASCII pictures, it looks like a running man. Maybe CJohnson is still alive, or maybe an android preserved just like Chell was?

There's a lot of chat over stuff like that in some of the IRC channels I've been following. Some people are even thinking CJohnson is synthetic or like mechanical now. Idk, too early to tell. Too much speculation.. I'm getting a headache.

Here's another variation of one of the BBS streams:

Spoiler

I don't honestly even know, the left image is creeping me out (from third stream):

Spoiler

Annnnd another stream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh8c9JkroEE
Annnnd a third stream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U0DUK2LJUw

 

[sixteenth]

Anyone else think this building looks exactly like an elephant?

I laughed when I saw that.

 

[Crazy_killer]

In this sound file (people still working to clean it up) you can hear Barney, Kleiner and Alyx but it's almost impossible to hear what they're talking about.

On 0:14 you hear either Barney or Kleiner say "That's amazing!" or "I can't believe it!" but I think it's the first one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNQ5fKldXjs#movie_player

 

[sixteenth]

Fourth BBS Stream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbl6IpLaf6o&feature=player_embedded
No idea what to make of it.

 

[blackout]

sorry I'm kinda confused can someone explain whats going on?

 

[Sneaki]

sorry I'm kinda confused can someone explain whats going on?

Here's a general summary on what's been found so far.

Also here's something continuing the dinosaur theme, for those of you that haven't already seen it..

 

[JUL3]

Oh my god, oh my god.

Please, please let this be something serious.

 

[sixteenth]

Fifth stream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKsmLfN5AGw
Another img:

 

[Sneaki]

Img from it:

Looks a bit like the old concept art, that shape in the middle at the top of the picture could be an advisor.

 

[blackout]

Here's a general summary on what's been found so far.

Also here's something continuing the dinosaur theme, for those of you that haven't already seen it..

ah, many thanks!

so is this just portal or do we think it has anything to do with half-life? (episode 3 maybe?)

 

[Sloth]

This will be great as it unfolds...

 

[sixteenth]

Another BBS image. Thought I'd point out some of the stuff I saw.

Alright. I'm out. Time to pass out.

 

[ríomhaire]

From the beekeeping page could it be that those rumours about Cave Johnson's brain being on a computer are true?

Has anyone found any new logins for aperturescience.com? I can't access it from this PC due to lack of flash.

 

[The Monkey]

I don't understand why they could only access it with an old modem.

EDIT: Been reading through the Steam forums, here's a compilation of all the images:

Spoiler

 

[unozero]

valve spends more time making up this crazy shit then developing their games.

 

[Polaris]

I don't know how they did it but here it is...

Spoiler

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Those last 3 thudding noises at the end sound like automatic rifle shots

 

[Zephos]

Hey guys look what I found:

Spoiler

Jokes aside, this is all rather riveting.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

The best Viral in ages

News on the project/s have been stagnant for the past two and half years and now this comes along

 

[Paulaner]

Viral marketing is so funny. This reminds me of Star Trek 2009.

 

[Omnomnick]

At the top of those images I see...

"GLaDOS Login: Backup"

and below that...

"GLaDOS v3.11"

And those Morse code messages sounded like a machine being rebooted, GLaDOS...?

EDIT: and on the final picture with the ball or sphere object, at the bottom theres a message from C.Johnson...

 

[Paulaner]

Let's see if this gives some hints about the "Portal meets HL2" matter.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

At the top of those images I see...

"GLaDOS Login: Backup"

and below that...

"GLaDOS v3.11"

And those Morse code messages sounded like a machine being rebooted, GLaDOS...?

EDIT: and on the final picture with the ball or sphere object, at the bottom theres a message from C.Johnson...

3.11 is when Gabe gives that acceptance speech at GDC for that award he got for being fat, so we may get an announcement then. Of course this may just be wishful thinking.






I'm just going to call this now. The Gman is the twisted, stuttering version of Cave Johnson, who got his beginnings as the Caveman.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Summary so far for people late to the party:

-Portal gets surprise update yesterday afternoon
-People see new mystery achievement
-People play and see the radio in the beginning room now has a green light
-Carry it around and notice it makes strange broadcast interference noises in certain places
-Locate and place all 26 of these mystery radios for achievement
-Smart people yank wav files out of game content folders and run them through steganography programs
-Produces 26 weird cryptic image files in a numbered sequence
-Some dude runs the number string through an md5 hash translator and gets a landline number
-Internet traces it to Kirkland, WA (near Valve HQ)
-People find out its not a phone/fax line but a data line hosting a BBS and telnet it
-Use a clue from one of the files to figure out the BBS user/password login info
-End up with a bunch of weird ASCII artwork

http://www.alexyork.co.uk/imagedump/bigimage.png

 

[The Monkey]

Actually, it was 22 cryptic images and 4 morse codes.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

There's an android in one of those images. The androids mentioned by Glados in one of the test chambers?

 

[MJ12]

Here's this for those with bad sight. The paragraphs you can find in one of those pictures. There's a lot more I'm surprised hasn't been typed out.-

- WARNING: UNDISCOVERED CORRUPTION IN ERROR CORRECTION ( ABEND 143 )
---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\05083881.801\04186850.542' (1751 BYTES) ----
CONFIDENTIAL
October 17th, 1976
Re: Human Enrichment & Testing Initiative, Resource Acquisitions

1. "Low Risk" Human Resource Acquisitions

a. Hoboes and Tramps
Lives spent wandering aimlessly, cowering before authority, and drinking
concussive amounts of home-distilled potato alcohol make hoboes the perfect
Human Enrichment test subjects. The hobo questions nothing, will follow orders
if fed, and, like all hoboes, has a restless, wandering heart. (Note: The
wandering heart of the hobo should not be confused with Drifting Heart
Syndrome, which several transients contracted during testing.)

b. Child Orphans and Foundlings
Deep-rooted abandonment issues leave most orphans highly susceptible to
shame-based psychology (for a complete list of opportune moments to obliterate
the esteem of test subjects, please consult Training Video #89-D, "You'd
Perform This Test Better if You Had Parents"). Recent advances in the use of
scorn, flattery used in an ironic context and naked contempt as motivational
tools have yielded similarly profitable results.

c. Psychiatric Patients
Past experience shows these fellows are simply not shy at all about carrying
on, disrupting tests and defecating just about anywhere that pleases them.
Frankly, itís off-putting, and small wonder why Aperture-brand mental
institutions are being phased out in favor of more orphanages.

d. Seniors
Frail, brittle hands make holding science devices difficult. Most were born
before the advent of science, and can become confused and disoriented when
asked to participate in relatively simple tests (teleportation, invisibility,
adjusting esteem levels of orphan children).

---- RECORD ENDS ----
-- CAUTION: ANOMALOUS EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED ( #980 )

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Are you supposed to do something with the radios?

 

[GeneticM]

This picture

should be look like this.

 

[ríomhaire]

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Combine soldier picture because it's kinda similar to the "android photos". Possible enemy recycling by Valve? Taking the combine super soldiers and remaking them into aperture robots?

In the last picture the one to the left of the circle looks a lot like GLaDOS and the one under it looks like turrents (and a black turret?)

The one undet the hand holding a flask looks a like a portion of the GLaDOS image, as does the one above it.

 

[ChiliFan]

Possible enemy recycling by Valve? Taking the combine super soldiers and remaking them into aperture robots?

Presumably these would be the 'military androids' that chamber 16 was designed for.

 

[Barnz]

It's not a Combine Super Soldier. Why would Aperture Science create super soldiers, anyway? They're obviously androids, or something similar.

 

[peter]

It's not a Combine Super Soldier. Why would Aperture Science create super soldiers, anyway? They're obviously androids, or something similar.

They never said it was, they just said it looked like it.

 

[ríomhaire]

It's not a Combine Super Soldier. Why would Aperture Science create super soldiers, anyway? They're obviously androids, or something similar.

No I'm saying it may be that Valve are taking their old super soldier code and redesigning it into the Aperture Science military androids that were mentioned in chamber 16.

 

[ríomhaire]

 

[MJ12]

MEMORANDUMS: Filed under CJohnson: 188454-G
88^5211762 json remind you that Apeture Science is built on three pillars. Pillar one: Science without results is just witchcraft. Pillar two: Get results or you're fired. Pillar three: if you suspect a coworker of bein' a witch, report them immediately. I cannot stress that enough. Witchcraft will not be tolerated.

MEMORANDUMS: Filed under CJohnson: 7655-293-G
A lot of you have been raising concerns about the so-called "dangers" of what we're all doing here. The beancounters told me to tell you that as of today, testing will no longer be as mandatory or as dangerous. That's not gonna happen, and here's the reason:

Science isn't about why, it's about why not. You ask: Why is so much of our science dangerous? I say: Why not marry safe science if you love it so much. In fact, why not invent a special safety door that won't hit you in the butt on the way out, because you are fired.

Plus, in the event of your death, I personally guarantee that, thanks to the form you were required to sign this morning, your family will not suffer the indignities of a prolonged and costly legal battle against Apeture Science. Trust me, I am rich, and it is a burden I do not wish on anyone.

To summarize: 6218376213 wjqehjk -213888^%@5*(*@)@)#*a@ +---+++

I love you, Valve.

Also, is that one Vort holding a portal gun?