I got inspired by Stormseeker. So I made this tonight: The Ultimate Puzzle
For your ARG’ers and others who like some pretty damn hard puzzles.
So Gunsrequiem, when did this idea come up?
Well, for years now I have been admiring Storm’s work and racking my brain for hours at a time trying to figure this ARG out. There is something oddly enchanting about starting down a new route and spending X amount of time dedicated to fleshing out and implementing a fresh idea. Then, of course, there is the wonderful surge of adrenaline that comes with solving something that has stumped you for so long–like with the SECOM solution. I suppose it was a desire to bring that odd mix of emotions to someone else that led to me creating the project site. I imagine Storm was inspired in much the same way by his experiences with ARGs, as he mentioned taking part in a few of them on the IRC channel during the beginning stages of his ARG.
As for the prize aspect of it, I figured that, although there are people like us that love to solve puzzles for the hell of it, there are others who would be more inclined to solve it if they got something out of it. Offering a small monetary reward in the form of a gift card seemed to be the best way to do it. And, if you think about it, Storm offered a small reward too at the onset of the ARG, but at this point I’m sure 90% of us are only here to see it to the end no matter what the reward is.
I’d like to see the site blow up, possibly have multiple puzzle arcs and provide multiple competitions for people to join in. However, I’m happy just making the puzzles and knowing that perhaps somewhere out there someone is working as diligently on it as I am on Storm’s puzzle.
It’s an art form, to be sure, and most artists just want to share their work with the world. I imagine Storm gets a similar vibe from it.
As for the exact timing of it, I had been toying with the idea during work yesterday. Last night, I grabbed a six-pack and got to work. Thanks to the wonderful power of WiX, it only took about 3-4 hours.