Mysterious Portal update is a Portal update tat is mysterious

[Howard Alan Treesong]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/62575

Today, Valve Software published an update to Portal through Steam. The only patch note:

"Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations"

Steam users have begun finding images hidden in the updated game files. All of these images clearly show the Aperture Science logo from the game.

Along with this cryptic change, is a new achievement, titled "Transmission Received", which one gamer reported unlocking after he "put the radio on the red button on the first stage." At this point it "started spitting out Morse code."

Steam users have found 26 new sound files containing around 17 minutes of Morse code. The first file has been translated to read: "interior transmission active external data line active message digest active". Something big is going on.

One potential translation of the Morse code is:

Code: [Select]

    Interior transmission active

    External data line active

    Message digest active

    The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

    System data dump active

    User back up active

    Password back up active

    Beep beep beep beep lol

 

[Don Flamenco]

Gotta be a Portal/EP3 tie in:

portal

valve updated the game today with some secret achievement

apparently you have to find a radio (26 total) in each test chamber and take to a spot in the level where the music fades out to morse code

people on the steam forums have found that morse/sound files have imbedded images such as this

http://direct.z-95.com:8888/pics/dinosaur2bad.jpg

might have something to do with portal 2 or DLC

some crazy fucking revelations in the gaf thread...

This:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=20054258&postcount=178

real HL2 EP2 spoilers:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

FUUUCKCKCUCJCKCYKJCKCJ@KHH!!!

[Vizzys]

ya

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169218

ive been playing and have like 19 radios so far, they are getting pretty tricky now

[Don Flamenco]

holy fuck!!! Just popped in Orange Box for the PS3 and got prompted for an update...the radios are in, but they have different messages, I think. The first radio has a short morse code message, which I translated:

Code: [Select]

HELP BEEP BEEP WRONG DATE BEEP NOT LEAP YEAR BEEP BEEP BEEP YET

Just loops over and over again.  Not sure how this ties into the game, but pretty cool nonetheless.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

they actually updated the console version ?!?!

EDIT: oic what u did there

[GilloD]

I love how they;ve stopped doing big press releases and whatever and are  making shit fun instead. Like TF2.

[Don Flamenco]

What if it's all just a big joke and at the end tey r leik "find da cake!" and we all no that teh cake is a lie!  hurrrrrr

[Vizzys]

What if it's all just a big joke and at the end tey r leik "find da cake!" and we all no that teh cake is a lie!  hurrrrrr

Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "Goodbye" and you were like "No way!" And then I was all "We pretended we were going to murder you"? That was great

[Howard Alan Treesong]

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

[Don Flamenco]

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

<3 my weighted companion cube~~!!!  I sat there for 3 hours refusing to put it in teh asinerator!1

[The Fake Shemp]

You guys are making me want to play Portal again

[CajoleJuice]

Portal <3

[The Fake Shemp]

It is admittedly, a pretty awesome game.

[Vizzys]

apparently whats been pieced together so far from the images is a BBS

http://i.imgur.com/5wbap.gif nobody has figured out the correct login tho

who knows what information awaits, it could be cake recipes

[Great Rumbler]

Portal's pretty sweet, bro. No lie.

[The Fake Shemp]

There's an anti-cake joke backlash?

[Vizzys]

nobody who played portal when it came out hated its humor

this is what really happened:

[cool breeze]

I bought The Orange Box for Portal.

[Don Flamenco]

The ongoing anti-cake joke backlash is far, far more annoying than the cake jokes ever were.  Sorry guys, the cycle has bit you in the ass.

shuh tup hipster

[Himu]

Portal is amazing.

[chronovore]

holy fuck!!! Just popped in Orange Box for the PS3 and got prompted for an update...the radios are in, but they have different messages, I think. The first radio has a short morse code message, which I translated:

Code: [Select]

HELP BEEP BEEP WRONG DATE BEEP NOT LEAP YEAR BEEP BEEP BEEP YET

Just loops over and over again.  Not sure how this ties into the game, but pretty cool nonetheless.

they actually updated the console version ?!?!

EDIT: oic what u did there

I don't get it. What did he dood thar?

I was thinking if it was a Leap Year thing, maybe they're making an initial viral campaign for Portal 2 in 2012: TEH END OF DAR WURLD

Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "Goodbye" and you were like "No way!" And then I was all "We pretended we were going to murder you"? That was great

This is one of my favorite moments of gaming, ever. Also see: "Assume the party submission position." :epiclulz

[Vizzys]

people have gotten into the bbs now its looking more and more like this info is all about portal 2 now

also funny:

---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\09394469.756\07583916.313' (371 BYTES) ----
MEMORANDUMS: Filed under CJohnson: 1
&&^521762 jsow remind you that Aperture Science is built on three pillars.ÛÛÛÛ
Pillar one: Science without results is just witchcraft. Pillar two: GetÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜü
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.
---- RECORD ENDS ----
-- WARNING: OUT OF MEMORY BELOW 640KB ( -3 )
---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\05889440.652\03173138.235' (2167 BYTES) ----

i think portal 2 is a prequel

[treythemovie]

Aww, I wanted EP3.  :'(

Or maybe this is just the leadup to "The Black Box" 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I am a river in that desert country

[close]

[tiesto]

Speaking of Portal, I tried loading up the game last night (unbeknownst of this update) and it was crashing... I'd get the Valve logo, then see the "loading" screen for a second, then it keeps bugging out, flickering back and forth to and fro Windows and a black screen. New laptop with Win 7 64bit and a Core i7, I hear the game has some trouble with Win 7. Anybody know what the deali-o is?

Half Life 2 runs fine, for instance.

[Dickie Dee]

Thought I heard once that Ep3 broadened a bit from Half Life 2: Episodic Content Part 3 into something more resembling an actual sequel.

[Draft]

HL Ep3 and Portal 2 will be the same game.

[chronovore]

Speaking of Portal, I tried loading up the game last night (unbeknownst of this update) and it was crashing... I'd get the Valve logo, then see the "loading" screen for a second, then it keeps bugging out, flickering back and forth to and fro Windows and a black screen. New laptop with Win 7 64bit and a Core i7, I hear the game has some trouble with Win 7. Anybody know what the deali-o is?

Half Life 2 runs fine, for instance.

Clearly, GlaDOS has installed herself as a dual-boot.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

The images hidden in the sound files contained an MD5 hash that could be decoded into a BBS phone number you called on an actual modem. Once users hacked the username/password for the BBS, they got data streams that appear to be ASCII art and incoherent memos from Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson.

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

Code: [Select]

---- RECORD ENDS ----                     
  -- CAUTION: UNEXPECTED DISCONNECTION EXPECTED ( #838 )                                                       
---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\07533945.935\09823219.940' (570 BYTES) ----                                                                 
MEMORANDUMS: Filed under CJohnson: 1564029-G                                           

&&*&)90 &^@^@% &@!%@$%@!&@^ ((#(kjkjsdsajdlkdjsk ^@%% and do not 2612%^54talk                                                                             
to me about casualty rates. The bean counters told me I couldn't fire a man                                                                           
just for bein in a wheelchair. Did it anyway! Ramps are expensive. Or when                                                                         
they said I couldn't practice beekeeping in the office. They should have told                                                                             
that to the honey that won first place in the state finals! &43$$$ $#@^^&@*&^                                                                             

Hell, they even said I couldn't cheat death. You know where I'd be if I                                                                       
followed the rules? Dead! Dead, and honey prize-less!                                                     
---- RECORD ENDS ----                     
  -- CAUTION: ANOMALOUS EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED ( #654 )                                                           
---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\08692436.580\05637080.262' (8340 BYTES) ----

Code: [Select]

---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\09394469.756\07583916.313' (371 BYTES) ----                                                                 
MEMORANDUMS: Filed under CJohnson: 1                                 
&&^521762 jsow remind you that Aperture Science is built on three pillars.ÛÛÛÛ                                                                     
Pillar one: Science without results is just witchcraft. Pillar two: GetÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜü
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.
---- RECORD ENDS ----
  -- WARNING: OUT OF MEMORY BELOW 640KB ( -3 )
---- BEGIN RECORD 'C:\05889440.652\03173138.235' (2167 BYTES) ----
Valve

[cool breeze]

owns other lame viral attempts

adds new content to a game from 2007 and has kickass hints on the next game

[demi]

If only they put as much thought into their little gimmicks than they do their games

[Howard Alan Treesong]

"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."

[chronovore]

Valve makes me wish I had a PC gaming rig. And more time.

[ManaByte]

Aww, I wanted EP3.  :'(

Or maybe this is just the leadup to "The Black Box" 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I am a river in that desert country

[close]

They already did The Black Bix so they'll have to call it something new.

The Black Box was HLep2, TF2, and Portal without HL2 or Ep1.

[ManaByte]

HL Ep3 and Portal 2 will be the same game.

I originally thought that, but then I think Valve will be able to milk the Portal franchise a lot more than that setup would allow. I fully anticipate there being a bunch of Portal games, but Ep3 will pick up from both Portal and Ep2 in equal measures.

Yea they'll be different. But you will definitely get to use the Portal gun in Ep3.

[Great Rumbler]

Aww, I wanted EP3.  :'(

Or maybe this is just the leadup to "The Black Box" 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I am a river in that desert country

[close]

They already did The Black Bix so they'll have to call it something new.

The Black Box was HLep2, TF2, and Portal without HL2 or Ep1.

The Black Box never got released though.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

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 Drifing 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 consulting 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 of motivational tools have yielded similarly profitable results.

c. Psychiatric Patients
Past experiences shows these fellows are simply not shy at all about carrying on, disrupting tests and defecating just about anywhere that pleases them. Frankly, it's off-putting, and small wonder why Apeture-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).

[The Fake Shemp]

 

[tehjaybo]

I love viral marketing, especially with this kind of game.  Can't wait for Portal 2 / EP3 / whatever this is!

[Vizzys]

I love viral marketing, especially with this kind of game.  Can't wait for Portal 2 / EP3 / whatever this is!

there are rumors more info will be revealed at GDC march 11th

[ManaByte]

I love viral marketing, especially with this kind of game.  Can't wait for Portal 2 / EP3 / whatever this is!

there are rumors more info will be revealed at GDC march 11th

The GDC announcement is Steam for Mac.

[Vizzys]

they changed portals ending slightly today

http://www.xfire.com/video/2393cf/

[Don Flamenco]

is that...george takei's voice?   

I just watched the futurama episode where he says "you assume that just because I'm of japanese ancestry that I know the art of karate"

maybe it's just the accent...

[pilonv1]

Why are my only copies of Portal on 360

Why is Portal for PC $20