Thread: Portal 2 / Episode 3 - Valve is fucking with us

This is awesome, I haven't seen it before. Thanks Marvo.

I think Valve said they won't be giving us anything about Ep3 and portal in 2010, which made people quite pissed. But seeing these things makes me wonder if perhaps it's just that they are doing "their thing" again, which would be pretty awesome. On the other hand they may just be doing this to compensate the fans after getting caught in their standard practice of "Valve time" with all the delays. Anyway, all other game developer companies are so distant and "commercial", but Valve just has this wierd way of doing things and connecting to their fanbase. Makes me all excited about HL again.

Oh and did you see the chicken robot from Portal 1 in those pictures? very cool.

The Game Developer's Conference (GDC) starts in a few days. Valve will most likely make an announcement on there.

L4D 3

I. Can't. Wait.

I'm glad they decided to do something interesting with the upcoming release...

The GDC is on March 11th.

You can check out the Steam Forums for a link to an IRC server where everything is being talked about.

Right now, we just have to leave all the puzzle solving to the guys with the BBC equipment. Also, do not call the number if you find it. You'll only be getting in the way.

Here is the link to the Steam Portal forums.

Check it constantly because people are finding things every 30 seconds. I've found a couple things myself.

Originally Posted by Bonsay

This is awesome, I haven't seen it before. Thanks Marvo.

I think Valve said they won't be giving us anything about Ep3 and portal in 2010, which made people quite pissed. But seeing these things makes me wonder if perhaps it's just that they are doing "their thing" again, which would be pretty awesome. On the other hand they may just be doing this to compensate the fans after getting caught in their standard practice of "Valve time" with all the delays. Anyway, all other game developer companies are so distant and "commercial", but Valve just has this wierd way of doing things and connecting to their fanbase. Makes me all excited about HL again.

Oh and did you see the chicken robot from Portal 1 in those pictures? very cool.

Valve hasn't said anything at all about Ep3.

We can only hope they say something during the GDC or E3, which E3 is in June.

However, I would believe they will most likely talk about The Passing, which is the Left 4 Dead 2 DLC that is supposed to have both the L4D Survivors meet up with the L4D2 Survivors.

I followed the Steam forums for a few hours and concluded that nothing new is gonna show up. Most of the time people are just hunting ghosts. Some went as far as calling complete strangers who happened to own websites that seemed related to Portal, and ask them obscure questions.

Right now I'm just sitting back and checking the SA thread+Steam forums every couple of hours.

Apparently another update has been released to Portal, supposedly adding 11 new files, 2 of which have been found so far.

Originally Posted by Marvo

Apparently another update has been released to Portal, supposedly adding 11 new files, 2 of which have been found so far.

One of the updates is in the map escape_02. After you kill GLaDOS, listen to what happens.

This is something that you have to hear for yourself.

Just load up the game, type in map escape_02, then sv_cheats 1, noclip to the hallway just before fighting GLaDOS, turn off noclip and sv_cheats 1, kill GLaDOS, then wait.

You will seriously go "WTF"

Originally Posted by slayer

One of the updates is in the map escape_02. After you kill GLaDOS, listen to what happens.

This is something that you have to hear for yourself.

Just load up the game, type in map escape_02, then sv_cheats 1, noclip to the hallway just before fighting GLaDOS, turn off noclip and sv_cheats 1, kill GLaDOS, then wait.

You will seriously go "WTF"

Yeah I figured that out, but I simply watched the videos being uploaded on FacePunch.

I can highly recommend this thread if you want to follow this entire thing in a bit more intelligent environment than the Steam Forums.

http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=903178

Of course, this thread won't be updated as much as the Steam Forums or probably even FacePunch (haven't checked that site in awhile...)

Of course, this thread doesn't have all of the findings thus far, as it would be quite a lot to post and I'm not even sure what's what right now. Too many noobs running around posting useless info and fake images.

That's why you should stay off the Steam Forums. FacePunch is actually moderated, hehe.

Apparently the BBS terminal is no longer accessible with the backup/backup login.

e: going to bed.

Damn, we need to get to the choppah bunkers on the 11th, something big's gonna happen....

Originally Posted by Marvo

That's why you should stay off the Steam Forums. FacePunch is actually moderated, hehe.

Apparently the BBS terminal is no longer accessible with the backup/backup login.

e: going to bed.

Yeah but when something new shows up you'll get about 10 threads on the update so it keeps you pretty informed

The only problem is finding a thread to put all the info in.

I suggest you watch this: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/portal-bbs

It's a live video stream of this guy that's been doing a LOT of stuff.

This thread is an example of the pure genius of Valve marketing. I've got to hand it to those guys, they really know how to interact with their fanbase. Although, I do believe they stole the concepts from Trent Reznor.

Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

This thread is an example of the pure genius of Valve marketing. I've got to hand it to those guys, they really know how to interact with their fanbase. Although, I do believe they stole the concepts from Trent Reznor.

Trent Reznor?

Why him?

Originally Posted by Marvo

So a few days ago, Portal was updated with a new achievement, which also implemented a bunch of new items all around in the game, in each map specifically. Radios. They play a morse code audio track.
There are 26 tracks all in all, and some kind of method known as SSTV, people have been able to extract pictures from the audio tracks.

Here they are:






















Now, all the pictures from the first to the twenty second, people have been able to get letters and numbers from, that present an MD5 hash, which subsequently was translated into a landline number in Kirkland, US. This landline you can connect to with one of those old dial-up modems, and from there open a Bulletin Board System session, a kind of communication system used back in the old days. If you can authenticate yourself with the system with the correct username and password, which were recovered from some of the morse code mentioned earlier, the BBS terminal will put out a lot of ASCII pictures. You can see those on these links, pretty huge stuff:

Who/how would anyone be able to determine this?

Originally Posted by youssarian

Who/how would anyone be able to determine this?

We have amazing people who can decode the images with special programs. While we're not really sure what all of the images mean, some people have been able to figure out what's in the image.

Edit: Good news/Bad news

http://forums.steampowered.com/forum....php?t=1173159

So, it's been confirmed that Valve is pretty much going to port Steam to the Mac. That's cool for Mac users, however, this seems to take up more space at the GDC. What I mean is, Valve has announced both The Passing for Left 4 Dead 2, and now this Mac stuff which could potentially keep Valve from talking about Ep3 and Portal.

One of the images for the Mac promo is:


One thing I'd like to point out is that the Team Fortress 2 Turret (which is representing the PC) can be upgraded, while the Portal Turret (representing the Mac) just looks pretty. Coincidence?

It's about time we got some Ep3 info... the whole point of episodic releases was that we got a little chapter every six months or so, lol. I reckon Ep3 will be epic though. Ep2 was brilliant.

Also, since when did they rule out info in 2010? That'd really be pushing it a bit too far, you'd have expected them to have made Half-Life 3 by 2011.

This is more than likely related to Portal 2 rather than EP3. Perhaps a cross-over might happen.

Here's what we know though:

Cave Johnson (owner of Aperture Laboratories) is preserved as a GLaDOS-like robot. Judging from his memos, he's insane, much like GLaDOS.

Chell survived the explosion at the end of the first game, as she was dragged away by an android.

Episode 3 will involve a ship owned by Aperture Laboratories, known as the Borealis. It is a very high-tech ship, that has abilities that even the Black Mesa scientists are afraid of. Need I remind you, the Black Mesa scientists did not hesitate to create a resonance cascade (resonating energy, multiplying forever) in the first Half-Life game, so the Borealis is probably capable of teleporting the Earth or something.

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).

lol Valve.

Originally Posted by Marvo

This is more than likely related to Portal 2 rather than EP3. Perhaps a cross-over might happen.

Episode 3 will involve a ship owned by Aperture Laboratories, known as the Borealis. It is a very high-tech ship, that has abilities that even the Black Mesa scientists are afraid of. Need I remind you, the Black Mesa scientists did not hesitate to create a resonance cascade (resonating energy, multiplying forever) in the first Half-Life game, so the Borealis is probably capable of teleporting the Earth or something.

Well, Portal and Half-Life are in the same universe, so whatever is related to Portal is related to Half-Life.

Also, Gman was the one who orchestrated the Resonance Cascade. Eli knew about Gman, because he said "Prepare for unforeseen consequences" just before everything went to hell. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to talk about the Gman...

And according to the Half-Life saga story guide website (which Valve said was the most accurate time line site for half-life), the Borealis disappeared 5 years before the resonance cascade even happened.

A lot of the scientists in Black Mesa were aware of the risk of a resonance cascade happening. They went ahead and did the experiment anyway

Originally Posted by Marvo

A lot of the scientists in ..... were aware of the risk of a ..... happening. They went ahead and did the experiment anyway

Originally Posted by Marvo

A lot of the scientists in Black Mesa were aware of the risk of a resonance cascade happening. They went ahead and did the experiment anyway

True, as I believe it was Eli that said something like "I never thought I'd see the day a Renonsance Cascade would happen, let alone make one."

Also, fun fact: Eli and Kliener are the two scientists that you meet just before entering the elevator, where the tubes are at where the headcrabs appear in.

Originally Posted by slayer

True, as I believe it was Eli that said something like "I never thought I'd see the day a Renonsance Cascade would happen, let alone make one."

Also, fun fact: Eli and Kliener are the two scientists that you meet just before entering the elevator, where the tubes are at where the headcrabs appear in.

There are only 4 different scientists in Half-Life.

I think you see all of them die 10 times, atleast.