Perplex City Wiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:Timeline:Meta

2006-06-10T20:27:32Z

Onegoofy:

Are the mirrors such as http://wiki.incognitus.net/mirror/ppc/ still alive in some form or fashion? The links are dead. Any guidance on where to locate the mirrors would help?

I found this site: http://qube.netninja.com/pxcmirrors/

Should we change all broken mirror links to that site?

[[User:Onegoofy|Onegoofy]]

Timeline:Meta

2006-06-10T20:14:48Z

Onegoofy: /* Syzygy and Gatehouse 24 */

{{Shortcut|T:M}}
This is a work in progress.

==Pre-Game==
===Syzygy and Gatehouse 24===
* 16-JAN-04 - Though we don't know it yet (nor will we for some long while), the cube is stolen!
* 24-Feb-04 - [[Projectsyzygy.com]] Initial Announcement
* 08-Oct-04 - [[Perplexcity.com]] Website Update
* 14-Oct-04 - "Project Syzygy Is Complete"; New cache file added "0595630738.cache"; Link on Firebox to "The Cube" found in catalog. Description of item on website follows to UnForums!
* 18-Oct-04 - The [[Perplexcity.com]] website was being explored and trawled over by many people. Among the discoveries: talk of [[Shoes]], [[Gatehouse 24]], and some [[Perplex City Errorlogs]].

===The Newspaper Text===
*[[Perplex City Postcard]]s were spotted in random places around the world.
* 16-Feb-05 - [[Perplex City Video]] was spotted on the [[Perplexcity.com]] website. It would be updated periodically over the next few weeks. All of the cumulative bits would combine to become the [[Newspaper Text]].
** 17-Feb-05 - [[USA Today 17.02.05]] Also the first actual contact: [[Sente Emails]]
** 23-Feb-05 - [[NY Sun 22.02.05]]
** 23-Feb-05 - [[The Times 23.02.05]]
** 28-Feb-05 - [[Daily Telegraph 28.02.05]]
** 02-Mar-05 - [[La Presse 02.03.05]]; learned Sente's full name is [[Sente Kiteway]]
** 05-Mar-05 - [[Toronto Globe & Mail 05.03.05]]
** 08-Mar-05 - [[LA Times 08.03.05]]
** 11-Mar-05 - [[SE Fifth and 40th]]
** 14-Mar-05 - [[South China Morning Post 14.03.05]]
** 19-Mar-05 - [[Abbey Road]] Live Event
** 21-Mar-05 - [[The Guardian 21.03.05]]

==Grand Opening==
* 21-Mar-05 - The [[Newspaper Text]] was completed; [[The Perplex City Sentinel]] discovered.
**Updates would occur weekly.
**Past issues can be read here: http://wiki.incognitus.net/mirror/ppc/
**This issue: http://wiki.incognitus.net/mirror/ppc/www.perplexcitysentinel.com/28.03.05/ gives surprising amounts of contextual setup for events which would continue to unfurl over the next year.
**Updates to the Sentinel continue to this day, though the schedule has changed slightly over time.

* 02-APR-05 - [[Scarlett Kiteway]], Sente's daughter, writes a letter to the Sentinel. In it, she embeds a clue to her own website: The Scarlett Kite. This site, too, has been updated continuously ever since then.

* 06-APR-05 - "Recon Eight Released from Police Custody"; we are introduced to the Reconstructionists as a radical group of religious zealots.

* 22-APR-05 - [[22.04.05 Update|Sente sent us some mail]] promising a package. We were sent to http://www.perplexcity.com/email/ (which is now defunct). This simple action allowed people to get entered into the system to recieve their "[[Parcels|333 packages]]". This appears to be the only time the 333 [[Leitmarks]] are ever to be given out.

* 24-APR-05 - The Sentinel announces a desire to run articles written by people on Earth. This would be known as "View From Earth". This feature continues to this day. Starting in early 2006, points on the [[Leaderboard]] were awarded for published articles.

* 24-APR-05 - [[Bernardo Holyoke]] is murdered. We don't find out about it for some while.

* 26-APR-05 - "[[Five of Cups]] Owner Found Dead" article published. It is the tip of the ice-berg, for us. From here we can go forward in time to [[Pietro Salk]]'s death, which lead to the [[Salklogs.doc]], which led to us talking to [[Monica Grand]], which led to the [[Receda Trail]], which led us to ask about [[The Third Power]], and on, and on, and on.

* 09-MAY-05 - the first "View from Earth" article is published. It is by Hannah Saks. it is excellent. :)

* 11-MAY-05 - "Holyoke Housed Stolen Academy Equipment" article published. Followup item. It seems aimed at misdirecting us from what's really going on. Though they aren't mentioned, the "equipment" mentioned is the first appearance of [[Reynolds Ionizers]] and [[Klebold Plates]].

* 23-MAY-05 - We first learn of [[Joya]]'s pregnancy, at least speculatively. It has little impact on the story proper, a this time.

* 24-MAY-05 - [[Jessica Holyoke]] is located, amongst the [[Reconstructionists]].

Puzzle Cards

2006-06-10T20:10:43Z

Onegoofy: /* General */

==General==
Puzzle Cards first appeared in the [[Firebox Advert 28.04.05|Firebox advert]] and were soon followed by an appearance in the [[Parcels]] sent out. The cards have different colours, numbers and sets. The colours correspond to the difficulty and the rarity of the cards, ranging from red (easy and common) to silver (difficult and rare).

According to the "[[:Image:Sente_howto.jpg|Rules Card]]" you have to collect the cards and solve them to win [[Perplex Points]] at [http://www.Perplexcity.com www.perplexcity.com], making complete sets of four to win extra points. The cards may hold clues as to who is behind the [[Theft]], and where the cube is.

While the idea of using puzzle cards to lead the way to a resolution might seem a bit sadistic to some, it is in fact perfectly in keeping with Perplexian culture. The game ''Clash'', which is extremely popular within the [[PCAG]], is in fact the root of using puzzle cards.

Selected cards may be seen in the [[Selected Cards]] article. Please note, this wiki will not be hosting all cards, but rather just those which fall into certain categories. See the Card Catalog at http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com for a comprehensive listing of all cards with much meta data.

*See: [[Card Designers List]] to see which designers have made which cards.

==Unsolved Cards==
3 Cards in particular have discussions and information hosted here. They are exceptionally difficult to solve.
*{{Card|238|Riemann}} '''See [[Riemann]]'''
*{{Card|243|Shuffled}} '''See [[Shuffled]]'''
*{{Card|251|The Thirteenth Labour}} '''See [[The Thirteenth Labour]]'''

==Card Sellers==
The initial card sellers, according to [[Parcel Letter]] was a bit short. This list has since expanded greatly. Online retailers include:
*[http://www.firebox.com/perplexcity Firebox]
*[http://search.insound.com/search/artist.jsp?artist=INS31358 InSound]
*[http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/games/82f9/ ThinkGeek]

==Large Ghosted Letters==
:''See main article: [[Playing card symbols]]''
*On some cards, there are also faint parts of what appears to be letters.
*It could be assumed that these will form a message when the cards are placed together in the correct order
*Some of the cards have [[Playing card symbols]]. Their purpose appears to be a key to proper arrangement for the ghosted letters.

==Spreads==
The Telegraph has started publishing monthly spreads featuring a number of perplexian puzzles, and some previews of up-coming cards. The collected assembly can be seen here:

<gallery>
Image:Telegraph 1.png
Image:Telegraph 2.png
</gallery>

In June 2006, a new magazine in London - ''Penny'' - started printing puzzling spreads. Only one has been produced so far.

<gallery>
Image:Penny_1.jpg
</gallery>

{{CardCat}}

Timeline:History

2006-06-09T00:34:00Z

Onegoofy:

==General==

{{Shortcut|T:H}}

2006 on Earth corresponds to 269AC in Perplex City. Perplex City years are the same length as Earth years, with the same months and dates. The years are designated with "BC" and "AC". See [[Calendar]] for more on this topic.

Also note, we know of a number of periods of time which have been referred to, though we dont have a good sense of when these happened. These include:
*[[Pre-Hausam]] period - seems to be about two to three thousand years ago
*[[The War]] - took place just before the Modern Era.
*[[Parencycle period]] of architecture - took place around the early 100s, and includes the [[Milamont Theatres]]
*[[Resurgence]] period - seems to be about one to two hundred years ago.

==Ancient History to Beginning Of Game==

{|
|-
| '''[[Perplex City|PERPLEX CITY]]'''
| '''EARTH'''
| '''EVENT'''
|-
| 3500 BC
| 18th Century BCE
| [[Perplex City]] history begins
|-
| 3000 BC
| 13th Century BCE
| Loose settlements become stable
|-
| 2000 BC
| 3rd Century BCE
| Evidence of great technical advancements
|-
| 1250 BC
| 487
| Slow but steady progress in the city's development
|-
| 700 BC
| 1037
| City went through a period of modest expansion
|-
| 573 BC
| 1164
| [[Academy]] Founded
|-
| 571 BC
| 1166
| Group of scholars take residence in the city
|-
| 452 BC
| 1285
| Academy's first significant expansion
|-
| 443 BC
| 1294
| [[Aetiant Taversen]] becomes the first Academy 'Master'
|-
| 325 BC
| 1412
| Academy introduces its own league in several games, setting up the premise of the [[PCAG]]
|-
| 250 BC
| 1487
| [[Ellen Poor]] studies at academy
|-
| 246 BC
| 1491
| [[Ellen Poor]] leaves academy to open a tea house
|-
| 245 BC
| 1492
| [[Helios Noi]] returns to the City
|-
| 243 BC
| 1494
| [[Helios Noi]] offered Academy Mastership - Declines
|-
| 226 BC
| 1511
| Death of [[Helios Noi]]
|-
| 190? BC
| 1547?
| White square dropped from the game of Twin-wheel
|-
| 179 BC
| 1558
| Unknown quote from Sente's first letter
|-
| 172 BC
| 1565
| Academy [[Museum]] founded
|-
| 170 BC
| 1567
| Judiciary Pogroms. [[Faith Giordana]]: criminal mastermind.
|-
| 70 BC - 0 BC
| 1667
| [[The War]], in various forms.
|-
| 47 BC
| 1690
| Academy sinks into temporary academic despond
|-
| 35 BC
| 1702
| Stories of "Ilja and Anja", the ghost children, begin; see: [[The War]].
|-
| 23 BC
| 1714
| Death of Master [[Victor Mardian]]
|-
| 22 BC
| 1715
| [[Vianne Adamek]] elected Academy Master
|-
| 17 BC
| 1720
| [[Vianne Adamek]] suggests an "overall champion" of [[PCAG]]
|-
| 1 BC
| 1736
| [[Anthony Granier]] & [[Edwina Mountling]] embark "Northern expedition"
|-
| 0 BC - 22 AD
| 1737 - 1759
| Hiatus of celebration of the midwinter festivals and games
|-
| 0 BC
| 1737
| End of [[The War]]; Beginning of the "modern" era.
|-
| 1 AC
| 1738
| Switch from BC to AC
|-
| 7 AC
| 1744
| [[Receda Cube]] Discovered
|-
| 37 AC
| 1774
| [[Games Plaza]] built by [[William Henderson]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Perplex City Museum]] Opens
|-
| 75 AC
| 1812
| [[Perplex City Zoo]] opens, after the closure of [[The Old Town Zoo]]
|-
| 81 AC
| 1818
| [[Tanhill Botanic Gardens]] built
|-
| 89 AC
| 1826
| [[Sentinel]] founded
|-
| 107 AC
| 1844
| [[Sentinel]] and [[Vanguard]] merge
|-
| 115 AC
| 1852
| Death of [[Redward Innes]]
|-
| 137 AC
| 1874
| [[Sentinel]] purchased by the [[Heathcote Group]]
|-
| 138 AC
| 1875
| [[Emmi Hartlin]] begins editing the [[Sentinel]]
|-
| 148 AC
| 1885
| [[S. Marchant]] quote from City Archives
|-
| 156 AC
| 1893
| [[Emmi Hartlin]] retires
|-
| 167 AC
| 1904
| "Great Political Scandals"
|-
| 173 AC
| 1910
| 700th anniversary of the [[Academy]]'s founding
|-
| 174 AC
| 1911
| [[Sentinel]]'s investigative work leads to resignation of [[Perplex City Council]] and seven deputies
|-
| 175 AC
| 1912
| Last criminal case to be declared a mistrial
|-
| 188 AC
| 1925
| Landmark statue at [[Scott Young Memorial Plaza]] built
|-
| 200 AC
| 1937
| [[The Second Archway]] Built
|-
| 223 AC
| 1960
| [[Sanjean Adamek]] has a series of wins at the [[PCAG]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Sente Kiteway]] joins Academy cryptology department
|-
| 228 AC
| 1965
| [[Receda Cube]] goes on public display in Academy [[museum]]
|-
| 229 AC
| 1966
| [[Sente]] works as a Junior Fellow at the [[Academy]]
|-
| 230 AC
| 1967
| [[Sente]] published seminal work on cryptological mathematics
|-
| 234 AC
| 1971
| [[Ruth Coralhouse]] & [[Horatio]] Flynn win [[Ikonnikov Prize]]
|-
| 235 AC
| 1972
| [[Adamek]] publishes book - "Intricate Design"
|-
| "
| "
| Last serious attempt at [[Cube]] theft
|-
| 237 AC
| 1974
| [[Alyce Turnbull]] creates the [[Inventus Puzzle]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Sente]] takes up a senior position at [[Centrifuge]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Centric Artificial Rainforest]] built from inflatable modular sections
|-
| 239 AC
| 1976
| [[Ruth Coralhouse]] & [[Horatio Flynn]] win [[Ikonnikov Prize]]. Again.
|-
| "
| "
| [[East Dalia Way]] becomes pedestrian-only
|-
| 240 AC
| 1977
| Professor [[Estelle Sedgewick]] becomes Senior Fellow of Languages
|-
| 241 AC
| 1978
| [[Hunan Mansoor]]'s company MPG becomes part of [[Key Surety]]
|-
| 242 AC
| 1979
| [[Violet Kiteway]] Born
|-
| "
| "
| [[Whipsmart ice cream]] established
|-
| 243 AC
| 1980
| [[Jonathan Smart]] becomes member of [[PCBC]] board
|-
| 246 AC
| 1983
| [[Hunan Mansoor]] wins Academy's Cryptological prize
|-
| 248 AC
| 1985
| [[Astrid Lindstrom]] wins [[PCAG]] championship
|-
| "
| "
| Public foreign-language debate over the environmental policies of the Council
|-
| "
| "
| [[Scarlett Kiteway]] Born
|-
| 250 AC
| 1987
| [[Ruth Coralhouse]] retires from [[Academy]]
|-
| 252 AC
| 1989
| Professor [[Adamek]] becomes Senior Fellow of Arts
|-
| "
| "
| [[Sente]] returns to the [[Academy]]
|-
| 253 AC
| 1990
| [[Astrid Lindstrom]] wins [[Allanson Prize]]
|-
| 255 AC
| 1992
| Development of the first generation of [[Ceretin]] begins
|-
| 256 AC
| 1993
| [[Robert Solitano]] wins [[PCAG]] languages section
|-
| 258 AC
| 1995
| [[Ahuva Qui]] becomes a commentator for the Political News
|-
| "
| "
| [[Jonathan Smart]] becomes CEO of [[PCBC]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Margaret Wildwood]] wins [[Raschid Prize]]
|-
| 260 AC
| 1997
| [[Inari Ekeba]] becomes [[PCAG]]'s resident astronomical puzzle setter
|-
| "
| "
| First Generation of [[Ceretin]] ("Ceretin G1") is released to the public
|-
| 261 AC
| 1998
| [[Ahuva Qui]] wins [[Borek prize]]
|-
| "
| "
| Professor [[Inari Ekeba]] becomes Senior Fellow of Natural Sciences
|-
| "
| "
| [[Robert Solitano]] wins [[Sperka prize]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Sente]] becomes Chairman of the [[Carrick Foundation]]
|-
| 262 AC
| 1999
| [[Armand Levi]] moves from journalism to politics
|-
| "
| "
| Professor [[Margaret Wildwood]] becomes Senior Fellow of Social Sciences
|-
| 263 AC
| 2000
| [[Carrick Foundation]] names [[Sedgewick Travel Bursary]] in honour of [[Estelle Sedgewick]]
|-
| "
| "
| Professor [[Hunan Mansoor]] becomes Senior Fellow of Cryptology
|-
| "
| "
| [[Sente]] becomes Master of the [[Academy]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Mobius Strip]] "Figure of Eight" completed.
|-
| 264 AC
| 2001
| [[Rebecca Croft]] wins the Alexander Prize in music.
|-
| "
| "
| [[Centre for Reality Research]] opens.
|-
| 266 AC
| 2003
| [[Janna Gold]] selected as the Rejian Fellow
|-
| "
| "
| Professor [[Astrid Lindstrom]] becomes Senior Fellow of [[Mathematics and Logic]]
|-
| 267 AC
| 2004
| [[Receda Cube]] Stolen from The [[Academy]]
|-
| "
| "
| [[Ryan Cahill]] wins [[PCAG]] Championship
|-
| "
| "
| Security analysis reports from [[Academy Museum]] leaked.
|-
| "
| "
| Surprise virus sweeps the City
|-
| 268 AC
| 2005
| [[Nachman Assaf]] solves the [[Inventus Puzzle]]
|-
| 269 AC
| 2006
| Present Day
|}

===Sources & Resources===
* http://www.perplexcitymap.com/timeline/ - [[User:Daffy889|Daffy]] (archived)
* http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9219 - Old Unfiction Timeline topic
* http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10131 - 'BC/AC new information' thread

Trails

2006-06-07T02:12:32Z

Onegoofy: /* Trails */ Couple minor changes

This page is intended to list all Timelines involved in chronicling the Perplex City World.

==Timelines==

'''[[Timeline:History]]''' - This page will list the very extensive and deep history behind Perplex City. Eras and epochs, births and deaths, anniversaries and foundings. Everything we can pin-point will be here.

'''[[Timeline:In-game]]''' - This page will list everything everyone has been doing for the past year or so. [[Sente]], [[Violet]], [[Scarlett]], [[Kurt]], [[Anna]], and the whole gang. want to know where someone was on some given day? It's probably listed here.

'''[[Timeline:Chapters]]''' - A slightly more digestable version of the above, this page will walk new players through what has happened and when. Light on details, heavy on accessibility.

'''[[Timeline:Meta]]''' - This page should be used to list events such as pre-game, first contact, introductions, and the like.

==Trails==

'''[[Theft]]''' - While not exactly a Timeline in its own right, this very handy document lists everything we know about the Theft specifically, with some handy dates and times and facts and figures.

'''[[Articles By Date]]''' - The [[Sentinel]] newspaper has been publishing its articles to the patrons of Earth for the past few years. All the articles are collected in order with cross links here.

'''[[Salklogs.doc]]''' - Between early May and mid June 2005, [[Pietro Salk]], a [[Sentinel]] reporter, began working on the greatest scoop ever written. It cost him his life, of course. You can peep in on his conversations with [[Monica Grand]].

'''[[Timeline:Scarlett's Adventure]]''' - Starting in August 2005, [[Scarlett]] took a very, very extended vacation in the [[Tanraga]] mountains, and beyond. Lying to her family and friends and leaving her boyfriend, she seeks The Truth.

'''[[The Receda Trail]]''' - Over late September and most of October 2005, we ran ourselves ragged hunting a bunch of obscure clues and web-sites. The trail is collected here, for your enjoyment. Laugh at our pain.

Trails

2006-06-07T02:07:06Z

Onegoofy: /* Timelines */ just a spelling mistake

This page is intended to list all Timelines involved in chronicling the Perplex City World.

==Timelines==

'''[[Timeline:History]]''' - This page will list the very extensive and deep history behind Perplex City. Eras and epochs, births and deaths, anniversaries and foundings. Everything we can pin-point will be here.

'''[[Timeline:In-game]]''' - This page will list everything everyone has been doing for the past year or so. [[Sente]], [[Violet]], [[Scarlett]], [[Kurt]], [[Anna]], and the whole gang. want to know where someone was on some given day? It's probably listed here.

'''[[Timeline:Chapters]]''' - A slightly more digestable version of the above, this page will walk new players through what has happened and when. Light on details, heavy on accessibility.

'''[[Timeline:Meta]]''' - This page should be used to list events such as pre-game, first contact, introductions, and the like.

==Trails==

'''[[Theft]]''' - While not exactly a Timeline in its own right, this very handy document lists everything we know about the Theft specifically, with some handy dates and times and facts and figures.

'''[[Articles By Date]]''' - The [[Sentinel]] newspaper has been publishing it's articles to us on Earth for an impressively long time, now. All the articles are collected in order with cross links here.

'''[[Salklogs.doc]]''' - Between early May and mid June 2005, [[Pietro Salk]], a [[Sentinel]] reporter, began working on the greatest scoop ever written. It cost him his life, of course. You can peep in on his conversations with [[Monica Grand]].

'''[[Timeline:Scarlett's Adventure]]''' - Starting in August 2005, [[Scarlett]] took a very very extended vacation in the [[Tanraga]] mountains, and beyond. Lying to her family and friends and leaving her boyfriend, she seeks The Truth.

'''[[The Receda Trail]]''' - Over late September and most of October 2005, we ran ourselves ragged hunting a bunch of obscure clues and web-sites. The trail is collected here, for your enjoyment. Laugh at our pain.

Getting started

2006-06-06T17:02:47Z

Onegoofy: Fixed player gallery link

==General==
This page is meant to be a resource for anyone new to the game, to make sure all bases are covered. To get oriented, skim over the [[Quick start|basic intro]].

==What to do==
*'''First, [http://www.perplexcity.com/signin/login.build sign up on perplexcity.com]'''
**This will be the place where you enter puzzle card solves.
**Be sure to fill out your profile and add tags, so that everyone can get to know you!

* '''Discover the Story'''
**Read through the [http://story.perplexcity.com/catchup.html official story so far] and listen to the podcasts
***As you discover more details, check out these wiki pages if you have questions and for additional information
**Once you've caught up on the story so far, read through the four (and a half) character blogs, starting at the beginning of each
***[http://www.thescarlettkite.com The Scarlett Kite]
***[http://www.quirkyacuity.com Quirky Acuity]
***[http://www.thepathofleasttime.com The Path of Least Time]
***[http://www.perplexcityacademy.com/ah328451/ Anna Heath's Personal Site]
***[http://www.thescarlettkite.com/scarlettsstory/ Scarlett's Story]
**Visit the [[Trails|trails and calendars]] section

* '''Interact with other players'''
**Check out the two forums, [http://forums.perplexcity.com perplexcityforums] and [http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/ unfiction]
***We recommend registering on both, so that you can join in on the conversation.
***A word of warning: there is an overwhelming amount of information on both these forums, and it is usually quite scattered. You should wait until you're familiar with the basics of the game and story before reading them or posting on them.
**Pop into IRC to say hello!
***Connect to #syzygy through [http://www.unfiction.com/chat a website] or by downloading [http://www.mirc.com/ mIRC]
**Add your picture to the [http://perplexcitywiki.com/gallery/v/players/ player gallery]

If you have questions as you go along, feel free to ask in #syzygy, search the wiki, search the forum archives, or try to locate it on the [[Trails|trails/calendars]] page. Try to not post in the forums asking people to catch you up, as there are ample resources and individuals available to help you.

*Now that you're caught up, be sure to bookmark all of the blogs and news sites, including [http://www.pxcsentinel.com Perplex City's newspaper, The Sentinel] so that you'll stay up to date.

==The next step==
*[http://www.perplexcity.com/help/buycards/index.build Buy some cards and start solving!]
*If you find info missing on the wiki, you can request a login and add the info yourself, or notify someone who will fix it up
*To manage your cards, visit the following sites:
**[http://www.perplexcitycardcatalog.com Perplex City Card Catalog]
**[http://www.perplexcitycardmanager.com Perplex City Card Manager]
**[http://www.perplexcitytrades.com Perplex City Trades]
*We also recommend bookmarking [http://www.pxcsentinel.com The Perplex City Sentinel], PXC's newspaper which updates about once a week

User:Onegoofy

2006-06-06T16:26:01Z

Onegoofy:

'''Name:''' Jason

'''Location:''' Michigan, USA

I am a brand new player to [http://www.perplexcity.com Perplex City]. I hope to catch up soon and start to contribute to the fun! Until that time, I'll edit the wiki as I learn...

[mailto:onegoofymartin@yahoo.com email]

Getting started

2006-06-06T16:19:47Z

Onegoofy: Player gallery link is broken - reordered the "what to do" bullets

==General==
This page is meant to be a resource for anyone new to the game, to make sure all bases are covered. To get oriented, skim over the [[Quick start|basic intro]].

==What to do==
*'''First, [http://www.perplexcity.com/signin/login.build sign up on perplexcity.com]'''
**This will be the place where you enter puzzle card solves.
**Be sure to fill out your profile and add tags, so that everyone can get to know you!

* '''Discover the Story'''
**Read through the [http://story.perplexcity.com/catchup.html official story so far] and listen to the podcasts
***As you discover more details, check out these wiki pages if you have questions and for additional information
**Once you've caught up on the story so far, read through the four (and a half) character blogs, starting at the beginning of each
***[http://www.thescarlettkite.com The Scarlett Kite]
***[http://www.quirkyacuity.com Quirky Acuity]
***[http://www.thepathofleasttime.com The Path of Least Time]
***[http://www.perplexcityacademy.com/ah328451/ Anna Heath's Personal Site]
***[http://www.thescarlettkite.com/scarlettsstory/ Scarlett's Story]
**Visit the [[Trails|trails and calendars]] section

* '''Interact with other players'''
**Check out the two forums, [http://forums.perplexcity.com perplexcityforums] and [http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/ unfiction]
***We recommend registering on both, so that you can join in on the conversation.
***A word of warning: there is an overwhelming amount of information on both these forums, and it is usually quite scattered. You should wait until you're familiar with the basics of the game and story before reading them or posting on them.
**Pop into IRC to say hello!
***Connect to #syzygy through [http://www.unfiction.com/chat a website] or by downloading [http://www.mirc.com/ mIRC]
**Add your picture to the <strike>[http://wiki.incognitus.net/gallery/v/ppc/ppcp/ player gallery]</strike>

If you have questions as you go along, feel free to ask in #syzygy, search the wiki, search the forum archives, or try to locate it on the [[Trails|trails/calendars]] page. Try to not post in the forums asking people to catch you up, as there are ample resources and individuals available to help you.

*Now that you're caught up, be sure to bookmark all of the blogs and news sites, including [http://www.pxcsentinel.com Perplex City's newspaper, The Sentinel] so that you'll stay up to date.

==The next step==
*[http://www.perplexcity.com/help/buycards/index.build Buy some cards and start solving!]
*If you find info missing on the wiki, you can request a login and add the info yourself, or notify someone who will fix it up
*To manage your cards, visit the following sites:
**[http://www.perplexcitycardcatalog.com Perplex City Card Catalog]
**[http://www.perplexcitycardmanager.com Perplex City Card Manager]
**[http://www.perplexcitytrades.com Perplex City Trades]
*We also recommend bookmarking [http://www.pxcsentinel.com The Perplex City Sentinel], PXC's newspaper which updates about once a week

Talk:Quick start

2006-06-06T02:50:31Z

Onegoofy:

I'm using this page as a quick reference, used for recruiting people to the game by quickly explaining exactly why we're all so fond of it. Think of it as the "elevator speech". For that reason, it's very brief and concise, and while I'm not going to lock it, I think it's best if editing is minor, just to keep the length down. (But feel free to do stuff for clarity!)

~LHall

== Small changes / additions ==

I added a few minor changes and updated a few links / facts on the page. If it is not concise enough, please feel free to edit or revert.

[[User:Onegoofy|Onegoofy]]

Talk:Quick start

2006-06-06T02:49:25Z

Onegoofy: Small changes / additions

Quick start

2006-06-06T01:58:05Z

Onegoofy: Several updates and changes to text. Is Perplex city an alternative "universe" or another planet in our universe?

The alternate reality game [http://www.perplexcity.com Perplex City] (PXC) is a real-life treasure hunt, a collaborative competition and an interactive mystery/conspiracy/adventure story, in the vein of "Alice in Wonderland", William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition", "the Da Vinci Code", 'The Game' starring Michael Douglas, and Kit Williams's "Masquerade".

Perplex City itself is the story of an alternate universe that is actually quite similar to our own. They have a precious artifact known as the Receda Cube, which has been stolen. The role of players is to become familiar with Perplex City culture, which is based on mental agility (whereas Earth would be physical), and eventually find the Cube.

This task is being put forth by the [http://www.perplexcityacademy.com Perplex City Academy], run by Sente Kiteway. The Academy contacted Earth-based company [http://www.mindcandydesign.com Mind Candy], who have "sorted through the information provided" to produce puzzle cards for Earth players to solve. It isn't necessary to buy the cards to play the game, but they are a lot of fun.

There's [http://perplexcity.com/leaderboard/leaderboard.qbuild?start=1 a leaderboard on the website] that primarily tracks the points for solving puzzle cards (400000+ cards solved so far, by over 30000 registered players as of June, 2006). The cards have been out in the UK since July of 2005, and they were recently picked up by multiple [http://perplexcity.com/help/buycards/index.qbuild distributors] in the UK and US. Some of these distributors are capable of shipping anywhere in the world. So far, three waves of 66 cards each have been released, with the fourth and final wave (totaling 256 cards) of season one anticipated before the end of 2006.

Puzzle cards are ranked by difficulty, with silver cards representing the most difficult puzzles. Of the cards that have been released, three silver cards remain unsolved, each posing a very difficult and unique problem.

One of the silver cards, [http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com/view.php?item=251 "The Thirteenth Labour"], requires unscrambling a block of text that has been encrypted using the RC5.64 standard first cracked by [http://www.distributed.net distributed.net]. To do this, players have [http://www.13thlabour.tk/ banded together] and combined processing power to form a grid computing attack, not unlike the SETI at home program.

Yet another puzzle asks players to band together to devise a proof for the famously difficult [http://www.claymath.org/millennium/Riemann_Hypothesis/ Riemann Hypothesis].

In addition to card solving, Perplex City is a diverse, involved game that combines online activity with offline interaction:

* When a character needed credentials in a library to get access to a rare book, Earth players wrote short stories which were published by a Perplex City company and which is [http://www.lulu.com/content/225745 now available for sale on Earth].

* [http://wiki.incognitus.net/ppc/index.php/The_Receda_Trail Another trail] led from a woman's dying words to a London university, to movie theatres in Canada, to an automated phone system, to a turn-based multi-player online game, to a banner pulled by a plane in the skies of Manchester, to a live meeting where players solved puzzles together.
** After that live event, a mole that had been helping solve puzzles and interacting with players all day fled the scene and escaped in a black helicopter.

* [http://perplexcity.com/events/london/liveevent.html At another recent event], players formed an impromptu 127-person long conga line in London's Trafalgar Square, stuffed themselves into phone booths and went on a treasure hunt in the National Gallery, all while texting trivia answers to a home base and receiving updates via SMS.
** Later that night, while riding the London Eye, players witnessed messages being flashed in Morse code from the banks of the River Thames

Will the Receda cube be found this year? Will you be the lucky one to solve the ultimate puzzle and take home the cash prize? There is only one way to find out.... play on.

==Some helpful websites==
http://www.perplexcity.com

http://www.mindcandydesign.com

Interested? Check out our [[getting started]] page!