Hard Light Productions Forums
Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => Silent Threat: Reborn => FreeSpace Conversion => Phoenix => Topic started by: Goober5000 on February 05, 2009, 11:42:54 pm
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Phoenix was an alternate reality game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game) created to promote Silent Threat: Reborn. It was "announced" by the ST:R trailer (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=56878.0), in which the number 162 (corresponding to the forum id) was briefly displayed in the same manner as the www.ilovebees.com link in the Halo 2 trailer. A total of 56 people discovered the Phoenix forum and were treated to a series of puzzles and forum posts that revealed background information about ST:R.
Phoenix's story concerns Aadarsh, an employee of GTI, who becomes concerned about GTI's corruption and behind-the-scenes maneuvering and sends a series of transmissions in an effort to make his discoveries public. Through an unexplained temporal phenomenon, these transmissions from a GTI facility in the year 2335 are interpreted as new threads on a hidden HLP forum in the year 2008. This same phenomenon eventually allows HLP forum members to view the GTA "holonet" and gain access to additional tools they can use to discover the GTI's secrets.
Here are the threads in chronological order:
- Can anyone hear me? (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,56877.0.html) - Aadarsh sends his first tentative transmission
- Not as it appears... (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57055.0.html) - The first puzzle, which involves the Einstein's activities in Ross 128
- Gotcha! (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57138.0.html) - Colonol Dekker and faxi summarize the events of Phoenix and the community's discoveries so far
- Interesting times... (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57289.0.html) - Aadarsh expresses surprise that he can't figure out who's receiving his transmissions
- Some more highlights... (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57436.0.html) - Aadarsh posts a Classified Level Omega image, which contains another puzzle
- Calling Isaac Stone... (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57536.0.html) - MikeRoz attempts to blow Aadarsh's cover, but is foiled by the fact that he is unable to send information forward in time
- On the destruction of a multitude (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57555.0.html) - Aadarsh reacts to the devastation of Vasuda Prime and its associated events
- Always one step behind (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57704.0.html) - Aadarsh posts another puzzle, in the form of a Vasudan letter that was intercepted by GTI
- Analysis and speculation (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57835.0.html) - Aadarsh comments on the fact that the Lucifer appears to be heading for Earth
- Weird date... relevant? (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57857.0.html) - Various members attempt to figure out the significance of the bizarre timestamps on Aadarsh's messages
- Running out of time (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,57936.0.html) - Aadarsh comments on the collapse of the Sol node and posts another puzzle, which requires integrating information from several previous puzzles AND doing some real-world detective work
- Aadash [sic] is late (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,58056.0.html) - terran_emperor wonders why the next transmission has been delayed
- Problems (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,58069.0.html) - Aadarsh discreetly sends another transmission, revealing that the GTI is catching on to his activities
- Rescheduling (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,58204.0.html) - Because the HLP members haven't cracked the Vasudan puzzle yet, the Phoenix game masters are forced to invent another puzzle for Aadarsh to send
- #162 IRC channel (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,58457.0.html) - FreeSpaceFreak comments on the #162 channel (which had actually already been active for several weeks at that point)
- Timoke. No, delete last Fokker Triplane. No (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=58547.0) - The original finale thread, which got its unusual title from Aadarsh taking a few seconds to calm down and enunciate. I had to punt on the grand prize due to push to finish ST:R, so I substituted an early release of ST:R as an interim grand prize.
- I just got here. (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,58546.0.html) - Topgun just got here
- Database inconistency detected (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,60358.0.html) - Announcements attempts to remedy a gap in the story
- Timoke. No, delete last Fokker Triplane. No (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=93938.0) - After a number of years, the temporal anomaly syncs up again and the grand prize is finally released.
The Phoenix story was written by Goober5000, who also played the Aadarsh character and invented the Vasudan language. The Galactic Holonet was designed and coded by chief1983. Ransom Arceihn produced the end-of-game flash animation and wrote the Ross 128 briefings; and Galemp rendered the personal log video and created the Vasudan font. Ace and Setekh rendered the two puzzle images.
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The phoenix game was a nice twist for a campaign release. I think I saved the day by being the only one with a FS1 strategy guide. I never did scan the pages that illustrate the stars.
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Well, I know at least one other person had the guide, and at least one person ordered it, so it wouldn't have been too bad if you didn't have it.
But yeah, I think people would appreciate the page scans. :)
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You didn't mention/credit the Skype thing anywhere.
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Go go gadget Galactic News Network!
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You didn't mention/credit the Skype thing anywhere.
That kinda falls into doing "real world detective work" in "Running out of time".
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He might mean you didn't really credit the voice actress. Of course half the guys know who she was already anyway, stupid google.
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Oh. Well, the Skype people were listed in the voice acting credits for ST:R. Holonet Monitor, Captain Larson, Commodore Stone, and Frank were all Phoenix roles.
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Who made the ST:R trailer, Goober?
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Which one? :nervous:
If you mean the one that was hidden on the Phoenix board... that wasn't a trailer. :p
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Is the password to get into the holonet still valid? Because I perused the board and found the "isaac.stone" account. Can't use it to log in.
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Read the subsequent threads to find out what happened to that account. :)
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well yeah, I find out that the isaac stone account is deactivated. Andreas Rybak is not there either. And neither is Estevão Figueira.
Oy.
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Oh, so it really was Setekh's image after all. :)
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A total of 56 people discovered the Phoenix forum and were treated to a series of puzzles and forum posts that revealed background information about ST:R.
how did you count us? By reading our posts? ;)
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By doing a database query, as I said in the other thread.
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I remember a thread whose name was a reference to a WWI Fokker Triplane, but I don't see it in the list...
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I remember a thread whose name was a reference to a WWI Fokker Triplane, but I don't see it in the list...
EXACTLY what the hell happened to that? IIRC it had the login details for rybak.
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He was made into an unperson. You would have been too, except the GTI Internal Security Agents can't time travel.
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EXACTLY what the hell happened to that?
This (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,60358.0.html).
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Sigh...
For a moment I thought the country filter was part of the mystery.
It's not.
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There's also a word filter in play. :D
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*sings along with Rick's dulcet tones*
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Bleh it won't let me access the database inconsistency thread anymore....
In regards to the prize...what the hell could be better than a full release of ST:R? A HTL Hades just doesn't cut it.
The only thing better than ST:R I can think of is.............................
FreeSpace 3
:nervous:
*ducks rocks*
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A trip for two to Uganda.
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EXACTLY what the hell happened to that?
This (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,60358.0.html).
Which is gone...
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2 posts and I havn't been crucified yet >.>