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The Stone ( thestone.com ) was an online puzzle game and, in many ways, an early predecessor to alternate-reality games. It was created in the late 1990s by Abject Mondernity Internet Creations, and debuted online in 1997. It took ten years before a user solved all the puzzles contained on The Stone. The Stone's original website shutdown in early 2008 and the puzzles are now re-hosted on http://www.scarecrowsfield.com .... It's free to sign up and solve.Like a lot of New Age 90s woo, The Stone drummed up fringe culture and attempted to connect it to greater themes of consciousness, transhumanism, and technology. The riddles address -- and often combine -- conspiracy theories, mythology, history, and technology. They reflect a particular preoccupation with alternative history and events, funneled through a Millenialist slant. The graphics and mechanisms associated with each puzzle are admittedly crude: lots of slapdash image editing, Flash, and poor resolution. They're fun anyway. When solving, it’s important to keep in mind that the puzzles were created in the mid/late 90s. There are answers that, in the past 15 years, have changed. This is also a game that emerged before Google, so the process of getting far in the game meant hours spent researching in the library and other early search engines. I first got involved by buying one of The Stone necklaces at The Museum Company (c1998): a small, black stone pendant with a series of six symbols. Accompanying the necklace was a short guidebook, which introduced the buyer to the online community and gave some background. A major selling point for buying into the game was finding one's "Other:" the individual with The Stone pendant that had the same six symbols as one's own. I tried my hand at a few puzzles, but couldn't get into it -- then, in the past few weeks, I've gotten a lot more interested in it both as a giant puzzle, and as something to (in a side project), resurrect with a more current iteration. The Puzzles are divided into three main sections: The Unknown, The Immediate, and The Movement. There's certainly a knack to getting the correct answers, and the old-school coding on the website can make the list of accepted answers amazingly inflexible. Each puzzle is more a riddle than direct inquiry, and most require a degree of creative interpretation and free-association. Here's a sample puzzle, from The Unknown. This is one of the earliest puzzles available to new users.  The Unknown - 9 puzzles (9 immediately accessible) The Immediate - 219 puzzles (12 immediately accessible, 219 that are revealed, a few at a time, as you solve) The Movement - 38 puzzles (all 38 are immediately accessible upon creating an account)  A screencap of The Immediate puzzle gateway. As puzzles are solved, the white dots turn grey, and more white dots appear as more puzzles are 'unlocked.' Nudges are requests made from one solver to another for a hint, without direct (or even very strong) direction/advice/guidance on solving. There's definitely an 'art' to a good nudge, meant to guide but not dictate the solver. Scarecrow's Field has a somewhat active forum which compiles nudges. The Answers Upon submitting a correct answer, the solver is given a blurb connecting the puzzle - and its parts - to overarching philosophy guiding The Stone. A lot of the information is pretty hokey, but still perfectly captures a very particular brand of 90s paranormal/fringe/millenial/new age/conspiracy culture (think Art Bell meets the X-Files). Incorrect answers are met with a "Sorry" page, sometimes providing more information on the question being asked. "Close" or "Clever" answers are incorrect, but are on the right track -- indicating the solver is addressing the puzzle from the right angle. In this thread, I'll be posting my progress while working through different puzzles. My username on Scarecrow's Field is the same as it is here -- Bitchrkieg. I'm hoping other goons will join me and chime in, but if not, I think it's still a fascinating game that was way ahead of its time. It would lend itself nicely to a contemporary re-imagining, a side project I'm thinking of undertaking. Resources: http://www.scarecrowsfield.com -- the site currently hosting The Stone original puzzles, and a smattering of pretty obscure user-created puzzles Included booklet with The Stone pendant, hosted at Scarecrow's Field Bitchkrieg fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Jan 11, 2015 |
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Jan 4, 2015 06:25
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Thanks for this. Seems like just the kind of early internet weirdness I like.
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Jan 4, 2015 23:46
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(In this area, I'll be updating with puzzle titles as they avail themselves, and notes. I'll be posting, too, for each puzzle solved/cluster of puzzles solved (including screenshots of each), in later posts. I will also include solved, clevers, and closes, behind spoiler tags, for anyone who wants to follow along). The Unknown (9/9/9)- 9 puzzles solved, 9 available, 9 total. Unlike The Immediate, more puzzles don't appear when you solve -- there are 9 immediately accessible, and 9 total, in this area. For beginners, start with 3:X - Top Secret, 1:W - Celebrity Status, and 1:Y - Enlightenment. A couple puzzles in this area show their age; different answers were correct when The Stone came out, versus answers now. A small number of puzzles are very poorly engineered: crude paint-style clues, with irrelevant/misleading information.  All 9 Unknown Puzzles are solved on my account 1:W - Celebrity Status 1:X - Gravity 1:Z - The Matador 1:Y - Enlightenment 2:X - The Watchers 2:Y - Eye of the Storm 3:Y - The Movement 3:X - Top Secret 3:W - Entertainment Value The Immediate The Movement Bitchkrieg fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Jan 10, 2015 |
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Jan 10, 2015 23:48
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