For new readers - Frictional Games (creators of Amnesia the Dark Descent) have created a viral/ARG campaign to reveal their next game, including a website, C64 emulator and tons of interesting clues. The community have set up a wiki for this ARG http://fgsarg.wikidot.com/start and an IRC chat https://cbe005.chat.mibbit.com/?url=irc://irc.gamesurge.net/FGSarg and a history of the ARG so far - http://fgsarg.wikidot.com/history
Final update (I think) - So the ARG is over http://tinyurl.com/frictional64 now says
Notice the CC email is TCR - which is widely believed to be The Chinese Room - http://thechineseroom.co.uk/?page_id=53 is the site widely believed to be the next Amnesia
Final Concept Artworks
Update - 19th Feb
People are now waiting for the timer in the bottom left corner to end - http://tinyurl.com/frictional64
EDIT: 19th Feb - And here is the deciphered code! Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs coming Fall 2012
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-119275.html#pid119275
Update - 19th Feb 2012 - Image cracked
So they've gone and worked out the password to the last archive which revealed the full art
Also the two texts were deciphered -
18th Feb 2012 - And more!
It would appear that more images have been revealed. It's actually hard to follow the thread since a lot of it has been moved to an irc chat. But here's the link for any interested
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-page-83.html
Another update -
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-118496.html#pid118496
Can an admin change the title to reflect the new direction, something along the lines of "Frictional Viral Campaign for Next Amnesia"
Thanks!
EDIT - 17th Feb - Even more!
EDIT - 17th Feb - More!
EDIT - 17th Feb
Another update
it goes further!
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-118242.html#pid118242
The forum have discovered this - http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/inject_db.php?select_user=' or '1'='1 a C64 emulator
Edit- 17th FEB - Big site update!
takes you to - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=506+2...6+2nd+Ave,+Seattle,+Washington+98104&t=h&z=16
and the image is now unblurred.
Edit- 14th Feb - site updated
Image is more clear http://nextfrictionalgame.com/ goes to the UK - Boreray
http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/
Just went up in the last day, seems to be a viral campaign. I would post a new thread but have been bumped to junior
Final update (I think) - So the ARG is over http://tinyurl.com/frictional64 now says
TO: THEWORLD@NEXTFRICTIONALGAME.COM
FROM: COMMUNITY@NEXTFRICTIONALGAME.COM
CC: TCR@NEXTFRICTIONALGAME.COM
BCC: FG@NEXTFRICTIONALGAME.COM
SUBJECT: AMNESIA
A MACHINE FOR PIGS COMING FALL TWO THOUSAND TWELVE.
Notice the CC email is TCR - which is widely believed to be The Chinese Room - http://thechineseroom.co.uk/?page_id=53 is the site widely believed to be the next Amnesia
Final Concept Artworks
Update - 19th Feb
People are now waiting for the timer in the bottom left corner to end - http://tinyurl.com/frictional64
EDIT: 19th Feb - And here is the deciphered code! Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs coming Fall 2012
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-119275.html#pid119275
Update - 19th Feb 2012 - Image cracked
So they've gone and worked out the password to the last archive which revealed the full art
Also the two texts were deciphered -
LZW WNAD ESQ ZAVW LZW YJWSLWJ WNAD. TML LZW WNAD SDKG ZAVWK LZW YJWSLWJ YGGV.
THE EVIL MAY HIDE THE GREATER EVIL. BUT THE EVIL ALSO HIDES THE GREATER GOOD.
from the CSS and...
XTCN KVMED CN S FSZTCHR. S FSZTCHR QVM WCYN. QCX VHEP QVM XTR NESOYTXRMCHY VQ WCYN.
THIS WORLD IS A MACHINE. A MACHINE FOR PIGS. FIT ONLY FOR THE SLAUGHTERING OF PIGS.
18th Feb 2012 - And more!
It would appear that more images have been revealed. It's actually hard to follow the thread since a lot of it has been moved to an irc chat. But here's the link for any interested
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-page-83.html
Another update -
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-118496.html#pid118496
HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS, VERY SIGNIFICANT FIND!!!
By a coincidence, I've discovered something. I was browsing this thread, seeing stuff about this building in Seattle with 'the Chinese Room', when a friend sent me a link to a game that just came out on steam called Dear Esther http://dear-esther.com/ . I thought it was cool, so I went to read their 'about Dear Esther' section. You can't imagine my surprise when I find a section at the bottom called "The Chinese Room"!!! The Chinese Room is a game development group with a website at http://thechineseroom.co.uk/ . From their front page:
"We currently have three titles in development. Dear Esther, the commercial remake of the award-winning, critically acclaimed mod will be released on PC via Steam in early 2012. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, an openworld game for PC and possibly PS3 starts development in January 2012, and gameB is a secret project due for development and release sometime in late 2012."
If you go to the page for this 'gameB', you find this page http://thechineseroom.co.uk/?page_id=53 , where it says:
"gameB is the codename for a top secret game we’re working on that will be due out in Q4 2012. All we can tell you is that it’s a survival horror and we have a fantastic development team working hard right now. More information will be released in the new year. The concept art is by Ben Andrews"
I think the evidence is overwhelming that there is a connection here! I am so excited typing this... my hands are shaking... I literally stumbled across all of this completely by accident...
Can an admin change the title to reflect the new direction, something along the lines of "Frictional Viral Campaign for Next Amnesia"
Thanks!
EDIT - 17th Feb - Even more!
from left to right
c p f g o i i c m n i g s
Guys i think i found something. Zoom in at those letters you can see that certain letters got a tiny dot besides them and some got a tiny yield or pin next to them. This could have something to do with the order of the letters
EDIT - 17th Feb - More!
type in
PROMOTE THOMAS
then close the page and load it again.
and then type in
USER THOMAS
This will give you a rar file which contains a screenshot.
EDIT - 17th Feb
Another update
it goes further!
http://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/thread-13197-post-118242.html#pid118242
The address in Seattle is Smith Tower... or more accurately the CHINESE (!!) rooms at the smith tower.
It's clear that the new Amnesia will be set sometime after the happenings in the original. Metal is the primary resource and there is a transportation system hooked to the roof of the sewer. Maybe it's just me who's colourblind, but isn't the water red?
The forum have discovered this - http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/inject_db.php?select_user=' or '1'='1 a C64 emulator
Edit- 17th FEB - Big site update!
takes you to - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=506+2...6+2nd+Ave,+Seattle,+Washington+98104&t=h&z=16
and the image is now unblurred.
Edit- 14th Feb - site updated
Image is more clear http://nextfrictionalgame.com/ goes to the UK - Boreray
http://www.nextfrictionalgame.com/
Just went up in the last day, seems to be a viral campaign. I would post a new thread but have been bumped to junior
I posted this in the Amnesia thread, but I think this might be related:
http://thedarkswarm.com/
nextfrictionalgame.com is pointing to the nameservers ns1.thedarkswarm.com and ns2.thedarkswarm.com. That page looks like something right out of a typical viral campaign...especially with that timer and everything at the bottom.