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[Backfoggen]

Murder Death Kill (3?)

lol

 

[Stumpokapow]

Murder Death Kill (3?)

lol

I can't help but read your posts assuming you actually are Alvin Greene. Which would be awesome.

 

[derFeef]

Opened the pic up in photoshop
got weird blue lines.

press CRTL+H :lol

 

[TTP]

Opened the pic up in photoshop
http://gyazo.com/fe794d43bbaedaa71f81614e18b580c5.png[Img]
got weird blue lines.[/QUOTE]

Standard Photoshop guides. Nothing special.

 

[The Technomancer]

Larger png: http://imgur.com/WuXub.png
This is what you get when you ramp the exposure up. It should have revealed any irregularities in the big black background, so there doesn't seem to be anything there. Maybe there's something encoded in that garbage at the top, but it strikes me as just standard rasterizing artifacts blown out of proportion.

The larger png isn't very useful because the scaling messes with whatever pattern there might be. Which I doubt...

 

[EatChildren]

The most confusing code yet. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

 

[∀ Narayan]

Murder Death Kill (3?)

lol

MDK3. Do want.

 

[The Technomancer]

MDK3. Do want.

...actually....that's somewhat plausible.

 

[Furret]

...actually....that's somewhat plausible.

Have you ever seen what the MDK games look like?

 

[water_wendi]

...actually....that's somewhat plausible.

i really doubt its MDK3.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

i really doubt its MDK3.

I will go out on a limb and bet my entire video game collection and car and my two cats and $5000 in cash that it is not MDK3. Any takers?

 

[gregor7777]

I will go out on a limb and bet my entire video game collection and car and my two cats and $5000 in cash that it is not MDK3. Any takers?

I'll take that wager. I'll drop a '7' off my username if I lose. I think we're going to need lawyers.

 

[Furret]

I'll take that wager. I'll drop a '7' off my username if I lose. I think we're going to need lawyers.

Is this some sort of in-joke I'm not getting? Do you even know what MDK is?

That teaser is more likely to be for Earthworm Jim 4 than it is MDK 3.

 

[kinoki]

 

[gregor7777]

Is this some sort of in-joke I'm not getting? Do you even know what MDK is?

That teaser is more likely to be for Earthworm Jim 4 than it is MDK 3.

He put up 2 cats, and all I had to wager was a digit in my username at GAF. It could be Barbie Horse Adventures for all I know, but you take that bet every time.

 

[EatChildren]

Updated the information compilation to include the latest two QR codes, and some additional speculation curtesy of the members here.

The teaser video

1. View here. Does not show anything other than quick cuts of a soldier in armor lifting up a sniper rifle. Brief view of outside his window, nothing specific shown.

2. The rilfe is the Incisor Rifle from Mass Effect 2. Outside of a slight alteration to the front and subdued texture, it is 100% identical right down to the little details. If this does not indicate the project is Mass Effect, it is a reused art asset from Mass Effect. It is, unquestionably, the Incisor Rifle.

3. Soldier's armor does not directly resemble any of the armor from Mass Effect. However, it also appears quite futuristic compared to modern armor, and is a similar 'style' to what might appear in a Mass Effect game.

4. There are quick bright yellow cuts with black silhouettes scattered throughout the video. Most of these are impossible to identify, and so resemblences to Mass Effect material is impossible to verify. There is only one still that can be identified; this shot happens to be this character from Fallout: New Vegas. It is possible then that parts of this teaser were cut with material from other games that intend to be revealled at VGA 2010, in this case the New Vegas DLC pack. For this reason it is important to be skeptical that any of the bright yellow cuts are even related to BioWare specific teaser, or any of the cuts at all for that matter.

5. At the end of the trailer we briefly see the message 'Look Closer'. This would imply that there are details in the video to pay attention to.


The QR code clues

1. BioWare are releasing QR codes with apparent clues to their next game. These can be found on their Twitter account, Facebook page, advertisements, and elsewhere. This will be updated as new codes and clues arrive.

2. First code is here. It reads as the binary code '001101010011010100101110001110000011010000110101'. This, when converted to ASCII is '55.845'. The meaning for this number is unknwon, however it is likely that it is referencing the atomic weight of an iron atom, which shares the same value.

3. Second code is here. It reads as the binary code '0010110100110001001100100011100000101110001101011011000001000110'. This, when converted to ASCII is '-128.5°F'. This is approximately the coldest temperature recorded naturally on Earth, at Vostok, Antarctica.

4. Third code is here. It reads as the binary code '0110100001110100011101000111000000111010001011110010111101110111011101110111011100101110011100110110100101110011001011100110011101101111011101100010111001110101011010110010111101101111011101010111010001110000011101010111010000101111011100110110100101110011001011010110100001101111011011010110010100101101011101110110010101101100011000110110111101101101011001010010111001101000011101000110110101101100'. This, when converted to ASCII is this URL. The website is for the Secret Intelligence Service of the UK. This is not BioWare's website, so there are unlikely to be many if any clues on the website itself.

5. Fourth code is here, and was found in the latest VGA trailer. Decoded it gives this URL, which links to a VGA website containing this image. The image appears to have no hidden content, simply the words 'Look Closer' and 'Murder'. This particular code is the only one yet to be directly linked by BioWare, and so may not be related to their teaser. However, as they are the ones pushing QR codes as clues, I included it in this listing.

6. Like any good puzzle, we dont know for sure what all these bits and pieces mean. However, if we are to run with Mass Effect, it is interesting to note that in Mass Effect 2 there appears a planet called Aequitas. The official description of this planet has it's surface temperature as -89.1°C, which is approximately -128.5°F, Additionally, the planet is described as having 'famous Iron Canyons'. This planet, in Mass Effect, is the only obvious referencing of both of the number clues. The third code linking to the SIS website may indcate that the SIS headquarters, or the rough location, appear in the teaser trailer, as the SIS headquaters are here, and the positioning of the bridge and fence look very similar to this shot from the teaser. As for the 'Look Closer - Murder'? I dont think anybody has any idea at this point


BioWare Montreal's history

1. March 2009, BioWare Montreal opens. Employs approximately 30 staff, with the studio set to provide development support for Mass Effect 2 (art assets, side quests, etc).

2. January 2010, BioWare confirm that Mass Effect will not be confined to a single trilogy.

3. June 2010, BioWare Montreal advertises for a multiplayer programmer, with the role to "take existing single player user experiences and make them multiplayer safe".

4. July 2010, ex-Raven (Wolfenstein, Singularity) developer Manveer Heir joins BioWare Montreal as a senior level designer for an unspecified 'Mass Effect' project.

5. September 2010, BioWare Montreal plans to doubles staff from approximately 27 to 55 employees. Yanick Roy reconfirms Mass Effect work by stating “We're also doubling our contribution to whatever happens next in the Mass Effect franchise".

6. September 2010, BioWare Montreal advertise for various positions associated with genres described as 'military-grade FPS' and 'popular FPS'. Listings were switched from a BioWare specific advertising to EA, and so it may not be BioWare specific.

 

[HK-47]

This will consume you.

 

[EatChildren]

This will consume you.

Shuddup Harbinger.

 

[wolfmat]

Maybe the new pic's got coded pixels? Secret message embedded in RGB values or whatever.

 

[golem]

Mass Effect spinoff focusing on N7 or other human spec ops ?

Would love to see a STG game though..

 

[Xabora]

i really doubt its MDK3.

I really wish it was MDK3. :lol

 

[Thagomizer]

Shuddup Harbinger.

THIS HURTS YOU

 

[Somtaaw]

Mass Effect spinoff focusing on N7 or other human spec ops ?

Would love to see a STG game though..

A spinoff game game focusing, on taking some missions from the new shadow broker.

Spoiler

final mission assasinate the ilusive man

.

 

[EatChildren]

It probably means nothing, but the size of the third QR code;

Fits perfectly with the size of the Murder image;

 

[Lakitu]

I must be mad, but I was watching TV earlier and a Waitrose Christmas ad came up and I swear I saw that bar code thing appear at the end of the advert. It must be a coincidence obviously but I immediately thought of the hints as soon as I saw that. How often do these things appear in ads?

 

[Doodis]

I must be mad, but I was watching TV earlier and a Waitrose Christmas ad came up and I swear I saw that bar code thing appear at the end of the advert. It must be a coincidence obviously but I immediately thought of the hints as soon as I saw that. How often do these things appear in ads?

They're starting to pop up all over the place, in all kinds of advertising. It's an easy way to send someone to a particular URL when it's a super complicated address, for example: neogaf.com/thread/19473619748/whatever-whatever-and-what-not/

 

[Lakitu]

They're starting to pop up all over the place, in all kinds of advertising. It's an easy way to send someone to a particular URL when it's a super complicated address, for example: neogaf.com/thread/19473619748/whatever-whatever-and-what-not/

Ah that makes sense, thanks!

 

[Firestorm]

6. September 2010, BioWare Montreal advertise for various positions associated with genres described as 'military-grade FPS' and 'popular FPS'. Listings were switched from a BioWare specific advertising to EA, and so it may not be BioWare specific.

IIRC, BioWare Montreal is a team in the EA Montreal campus. They aren't their own physical studio. It's much like EA Blackbox and EA Canada now. That might be the reason it was changed.

 

[Songbird]

Edit: Scratch that, I'm a day late.

 

[∀ Narayan]

THIS HURTS YOU

ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.

 

[pahamrick]

Personally, for a spin off single player experience I'd like to see it show the three major conflicts that are part of the back story you can choose for Shepard (Torfin, ect).

As an added bonus, be able to import a save game from ME2 so it'd show your Shepard in any scenes she/he would be in for that particular conflict.

 

[Door2Dawn]

I wish this turned out to be some more juicy info on The Old Republic, eff all of this Mass Effect crap!

 

[Atilac]

It probably means nothing, but the size of the third QR code;

Fits perfectly with the size of the Murder image;

I think I cracked it:

 

[sweetvar26]

Mass Effect 3 is BioWare's VGA Game Says Sony Russia
Written Sunday, November 21, 2010 By Dan Webb

If BioWare's aim was to confuse gamers and keep them on the edge of their seat with this week's teaser image and trailer for their new project, they've certainly achieved that.

On Wednesday, the Canadian developer released an image and a short trailer of their upcoming project, which is set for a VGA reveal. A few impromptu clues later and a Shattered Steel reboot or a Mass Effect spin off were theories being thrown around. Sources even told Kotaku it would be Mass Effect online.

Over the weekend though, BioWare released another cryptic clue, leading code crackers to eventually trace it to the British Secret Intelligence Service website, and while that should have grabbed everyone's attention, it was the Russian leg of Sony that was stealing the limelight.

Over on Sony Russia's Twitter account, they posted, as translated and discovered by Ripten, "Company #BioWare Award for #VideoGameAwards showed a teaser, in which we can see the first footage #MassEffect 3." The tweet has since been removed.

It appears that either Sony Russia got their facts wrong or they let slip on one of the biggest talking points of the week.

This is by no means official confirmation of course, as we all know that this could be put down to a breakdown in communication between region specific offices, but it's as close to something coming from the horse's mouth that we've got so far.

Still, consider this a rumour, and watch this space... I'm sure this isn't the last we've heard of it before the December 11th VGAs.

Interesting.

 

[Hot Coldman]

So Mass Effect 3 confirmed for PS3. Yayyyyy

 

[sweetvar26]

So Mass Effect 3 confirmed for PS3. Yayyyyy

Everyone knows that is happening, if not we wouldn't see ME2 on the PS3. Only thing that matters now is if Microsoft will make it a timed exclusive or if it will be available on the PS3 day one, when released.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Everyone knows that is happening, if not we wouldn't see ME2 on the PS3. Only thing that matters now is if Microsoft will make it a timed exclusive or if it will be available on the PS3 day one, when released.

EA actually like the PS3 so I'd say day-and-date on all 3 platforms.

 

[sweetvar26]

EA actually like the PS3 so I'd say day-and-date on all 3 platforms.

EA and Sony seems to be like bff's right now :lol

 

[Lime]

That Russian rumour has already been posted and I can certainly imagine it isn't true, due to it probably being a mistranslation. Or vodka.

 

[Rad-]

EA actually like the PS3 so I'd say day-and-date on all 3 platforms.

Yeah I bet it's same time release for all. I can already smell exclusive DLC however. :lol

 

[EatChildren]

I'm really not sure about the Russian rumour. Either they are spot on and had it removed for the obvious reasons, or they were just speculating on the image like the rest of us. A lot of people arn't aware or pay no attention to the rumblings of a Mass Effect spin-off, and simply assume that whatever comes next for Mass Effect must logically be Mass Effect 3.

See sci-fi looking gritty soldier with gun from Mass Effect, assume its Mass Effect 3.

Though, as said, they could be right. It has to be Mass Effect related, and we're probably due for an announcement of ME3. There will be a Mass Effect spin-off from BioWare Montreal, of this I am sure, but I dont know if they are far enough into production to reveal something like that.

EDIT: And of course ME3 will be on the PS3. Should be a no-brainer.

 

[Arnie]

I still maintain that this will be a spin off in the ME universe, rather than an outright numbered sequel. It just feels too soon.

 

[mescalineeyes]

I think the reason it has to be ME3 is to get ps3 owners an incentive to buy ME2.

 

[EatChildren]

I still maintain that this will be a spin off in the ME universe, rather than an outright numbered sequel. It just feels too soon.

Thats how I feel. Plus, with ME2 PS3 coming out in January, I dont see why EA would want to rush the announcement of ME3. I guess knowing that ME3 was coming to the system could encourage sales of the second game, but it still seems a bit silly to announce it prior to release. Especially when more DLC is still in the works.

But a spin-off would fit nicely, and wouldn't overshadow ME2's release.

 

[WillyFive]

I loved the Portal 2 reveal thread, this looks similar! It's always fun seeing people decode these things.

 

[Lionheart1827]

Thread is quite interesting now! Whatever it is, I just want some more mass effect universe. Lots of potential there for different genres of games and stories.

 

[EatChildren]

It would be nice if we got a new clue today BIOWARE IF YOU ARE LISTENING PLEASE THANK YOU.

 

[derFeef]

I would totally appreciate a ME-spinoff as a filler.

 

[Mindlog]

I think I cracked it:
http://imgur.com/EijDz.jpg

Hopefully we're getting ME3 info along with new DLC. Bioware has been slacking on that front.

 

[Miggytronz]

Hopefully we're getting ME3 info along with new DLC. Bioware has been slacking on that front.

SHEPPARD

leads me to believe we are dealing with a prequel story to Shep's past.