Valve's New ARG

[LunaSocks]

So a long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away (which just so happens to be 4chan) a thread was started so people could construct a letter to Gabe Newell, one word at a time. You can read the result (which is absolute gibberish) here [http://i.imgur.com/jnYL3.jpg]. Oddly enough, Newell actually responded to the message with:

"I don't suppose it would ease your wrath if I told you we're announcing all of your favourite things at E3 2012?"

Then, a follow up message, posted on Reddit. "I can see how the wording caused some confusion there. Yes, we are announcing something with a three in it."

Of course, the e-mails may have been faked, of course, but VALVe has been a jolly bunch lately. There was that employee who showed up to a game conference in a Half-Life 3 tee. And now, with the release of a code-filled teaser over the weekend, and the appearance of a Doug Rattman Twitter [https://twitter.com/#!/Doug_Rattman] feed, we do know one thing. VALVe hath started yet another ARG.

Item One: Wheatley rants against a background of probable clues.

The video, which will be linked after the break, was shown as part of the Spike VGA Awards which were hosted over the weekend. In the background there are plenty of streaming numbers, barcodes and visual artefacts that are just bound to contain hidden messages.

Item The Second: In which Doug Rattman rants on the Twitters

After lying dormant for months, Doug_Rattman has burst into life with the words "It βegins."

Then he starts tweeting long series of numbers in a similar format to the ones strobing alongside Wheatley in the above trailer, things like: "AV - 10.0 | 8.2 | 12.6 | 15.2 | 7.8 | 0.2 | 17.9 | 6.9 | 21.1 | 3.7 | 21.2 | 20.4 | 10.7 - Connection Lost"

Oh losh, here we go again. Could this be a new Steam sale, or something we've all been hoping for?
(P.S. It'll probably just be a new trailer for Half-Life 3 while Gabe Newell swims in all of the money and puts HL3 back even further in VALVe time.)

Video: [video]http://www.gametrailers.com/video/vga-2011-best-character-nominee/724834

Source: PC Gamer [http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/12/12/gabe-newell-opens-up-possibility-of-a-three-musketeers-game-valve-arg-begins/]

 

[repeating integers]

Oh my god, that letter was the funniest fucking thing I've seen all bloody month.

 

[DasDestroyer]

Yay! Left 4 Dead 3! What? That's not it? Portal 3? No? Don't tell me they're releasing DOTA 3 ALREADY?

 

[EHKOS]

So they can't count to ten but they tried to write a letter?!

 

[Blue Hero]

β is the beta. Beta has a value of 2. They'll be released the beta for something. It will involve the number 3 somehow. Half-Life 2: Episode 3.

Case closed.

 

[Klumpfot]

That email was glorious. Really.

As for the coming announcement, my gut is uttering soft whispers of zombies and co-op.

 

[Beryl77]

Yeah, I know about this "ARG". The problem is, it's not even clear whether it is actually one. I have my doubts about this.

The first E-Mail may be fake, it does sound like it's from Gabe though but I think it's just a joke, since it's response to a very vulgar insult mail to Gabe. He has said that he often responds to those kind of mails because the people realise after that, that they're talking to a real person, so they end up apologising and being decent.
The second mail is a fake, it has been around before the VGA, someone faked it to make people think that they'll announce hl3 at the VGA because many were so excited.

As for the Twitter, it's highly likely that it's fake. During the Potato ARG, most agreed that it's a fake account but they could never fully prove that.

Now the video, I still think people are just seeing things there. Sure there are some coincidences, like OBSERVATION SATELLITE "LANTHANUM", which is written with a Lambda in Greek and it means "to lie hidden" but I doubt that it's actually a hint for an ARG.
It's either a big coincidence or a nod for hl fans.

Now don't get me wrong, I'd love this to be an ARG for the next hl game and I really want to be proven wrong because hl3 is one of my most wanted games but so far the only things which are hinting that we might see something soon, are the hl3 T-shirt wearing Valve employee and the voice actor who claims to have been doing voice acting for ep3. Even these two things are debatable.

 

[V TheSystem V]

The Beta sign could mean two things:

1) The beta for something. This could be Team Fortress 3 (you never know), Left 4 Dead 3, a demo for Half Life 3/Episode 3...anything

OR

2) Beta is a type of radiation, next to alpha and gamma. Substances give off radiation. When a substance starts degrading, the time it takes to degrade is known as its HALF LIFE. I may have defined half life wrongly, but they could be referencing the type of radiation, meaning it will be about Half Life.

But who knows, it's Valve.

 

[MysticToast]

Episode 3 just won't be enough. It needs to be Half Life 3 for me to care about a Valve game. If the hype is just for another quickie expansion ep, I'll be sad.

I totally agree. At this point, it absolutely has to be a full game to conclude the series. Otherwise, I'll be a sad toast

 

[ZeroMachine]

That email was glorious. Really.

As for the coming announcement, my gut is uttering soft whispers of zombies and co-op.

Could it be possible that it would be a Portal 3 Announcement, Half-Life 3 Annoucement, and a L4D3?

Three threes? That would be awesome, actually. Though I think it may be a bit to early for Portal 3.

 

[80Maxwell08]

Um has anyone been reading those twitter accounts? I found Glados and Wheatley flirting with each other, Doug and his wife talking and something called "Dead Mother". I am so lost here. Oh and now sex. All right then.

 

[Lilani]

This is all too awesome. I don't care which 3 it is, HL3, TF3, Portal 3, or L4D 3. Anything new from Valve is always welcome.

[sub]Though I would like to make it abundantly clear that if there isn't any HL3 news within the next 365 Days, Gaben, I will hurl myself off the top of Valve headquarters with My Heart Will Go On blaring from every speaker and PA system in the building.[/sub]

 

[Ieyke]

VALVe wins -infinite- Internets if they announce Portal 3, Left 4 Dead 3, Team Fortress 3, Half-Life 2:Episode 3 and Half-Life 3 ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

 

[jboking]

Of course, the e-mails may have been faked, of course, but VALVe has been a jolly bunch lately. There was that employee who showed up to a game conference in a Half-Life 3 tee. And now, with the release of a code-filled teaser over the weekend, and the appearance of a Doug Rattman Twitter [https://twitter.com/#!/Doug_Rattman] feed, we do know one thing. VALVe hath started yet another ARG.

Item The Second: In which Doug Rattman rants on the Twitters

After lying dormant for months, Doug_Rattman has burst into life with the words "It βegins."

Then he starts tweeting long series of numbers in a similar format to the ones strobing alongside Wheatley in the above trailer, things like: "AV - 10.0 | 8.2 | 12.6 | 15.2 | 7.8 | 0.2 | 17.9 | 6.9 | 21.1 | 3.7 | 21.2 | 20.4 | 10.7 - Connection Lost"

That twitter points out that it is an Aperture Science RP. I doubt Valve is doing that, they never really point out their ARG content.

 

[GigaHz]

What the hell is an ARG?

 

[Zersy]

We all know it's Half Life 3.

 

[Aircross]

Wheatley knows Blue Team's intel Password.

1111