__ __ _______ _ _ _____ ________ \ \ / / |__ __| / | / / ___/___ ___/ \ \ /\ / /__ _ _ __| |_ __ ___ _ __ / | / / /__ / / \ \/ \/ // _` | '__| | '__/ _ \| '_ \ / |/ / ___/ / / \ /\ /| (_| | | | | | | (_) | | | |_ / /| / /___ / / \/ \/ \__,_|_| |_|_| \___/|_| |_(_)/_/ |__/_____/ /_/ README.TXT - information about The WarTron Game ######################### ## THIS IS NOT A CLUE. ## ######################### ----------------------------------------------------------------- CHANGELOG ----------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Jul 2012 - added Friday night details - added food and equipment info - removed sign-up info - added spaces around all URLs 17 May 2012 - added registration cost per player - updated rules for sign-ups - added system requirements for sign-ups 03 May 2012 - added application web site URL - added note on team size 26 Apr 2012 - added Friday start time (approx.) - clarified time zones everywhere 11 Apr 2012 - new GC e-mail address - added application time estimate 07 Apr 2012 - initial release ----------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================= CONTENTS ================================================================= I. Description II. Where and When a. FRIDAY NIGHT III. Registration Fee IV. Sign-ups V. Forming a Team VI. Preparation a. FOOD b. COMPUTERS c. OTHER EQUIPMENT VII. Alternate Participation VIII. Additional Resources ================================================================= I. Description The WarTron Game (a.k.a. WARTRON) is an instance of "The Game:" < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(treasure_hunt) > WARTRON is a "road rally" puzzle hunt, in which teams will spend all weekend traveling from location to location in the Portland metro area, solving puzzles and completing activities. II. Where and When WARTRON will take place in and around Portland, Oregon ("PDX") starting Friday night, August 3rd, 2012, and ending Sunday afternoon, August 5th, 2012. IMPORTANT: Since we ("Game Control") made our first "save the date" announcement, we have changed the start date to FRIDAY, AUGUST 3RD. That's not a typo. II.a. FRIDAY NIGHT Please meet us Friday night, August 3rd, 2012, at the NORTH STAR BALLROOM (635 North Killingsworth Court, off Killingsworth STREET at North Borthwick Avenue) in Portland, Oregon. Doors will open shortly before 7:30 PM Pacific Time, and we expect the festivities to conclude no later than 11:00 PM Pacific Time. You can park in the community college lot next to the building (spaces are NOT reserved after 4:00 PM on Friday). There will be food, drink, and fun! You'll receive your team orientation packet and have some time to mingle before enjoying a private concert by local nerdfolk duo THE DOUBLECLICKS. You will also solve at least one puzzle and discover the Saturday morning start location for The Game. IMPORTANT: Each member of your team will need to provide a signed copy of our event waiver no later than Friday night check-in: < http://wartron.net/gotowaiver.pdf > III. Registration Fee WARTRON will cost $215.00 per player. Full payment is due within seven(7) days of a team completing the sign-up process. IV. Sign-ups Sign-ups are now closed. You can see the Leaderboard at: < http://www.gotovision.net/board.shtml > V. Forming a Team Recommended team size is between 4 and 6 people (inclusive). You may form smaller or larger teams, but we believe teams in the 4 to 6 person range will enjoy the best Game experience. If your team is accepted to play and includes more than 6 people, please e-mail WARTRONGC@GMAIL.COM and let us know! Teams with a broad range of skills and knowledge are likely to perform better during WARTRON, but remember that you will be spending the whole weekend together. Make sure everyone on your team will get along! VI. Preparation Teams will need to provide their own: * transportation to and from Portland, Oregon * transportation during WARTRON (one motor vehicle per team) * Friday night lodging * food and drink * puzzle solving equipment Game Control may recommend specific items to bring, but will not provide packing lists. It is each team's personal responsibility to ensure that they are prepared for this Game. Unless otherwise announced, there will be NO scheduled food or rest stops on Saturday or Sunday during WARTRON (except for the EndGame party). You will be able to sleep on Friday night--in fact, we encourage it! VI.a. FOOD Food and drink will NOT be readily available during the first part of the route on Saturday (from start of Game until afternoon). Game Control will provide some grab-and-go snacks at the start location, but you'll probably want more food and drink later. If possible, we recommend getting provisions for your team BEFORE the start of the Friday night activity on August 3rd. Many grocery stores are NOT open past 11:00 PM in the Portland area! You can search online to see what's specifically near your hotel. Here's a short list of food stores near North Star Ballroom: < http://wartron.net/food.shtml > VI.b. COMPUTERS Your team will need: - at least one laptop computer with a free USB port and serial terminal software installed (see below; serial port not required, just the software) - at least one smartphone with a working camera and an SSH client app installed (see below) For laptop serial terminal software, we recommend: - on Linux: minicom ( http://alioth.debian.org/projects/minicom ) - on Mac: OS X includes GNU Screen, but you may need to install virtual COM port drivers ( http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm ) - on Windows: PuTTY ( http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html ) While we cannot recommend specific SSH client smartphone apps, we can tell you what Works For Us[TM]: - for iPhone: Rove Mobile Admin ( http://www.roveit.com ) - for Android: VX ConnectBot ( http://connectbot.vx.sk ) - for Windows Mobile: PocketPuTTY ( http://pocketputty.net ) IMPORTANT: You will need to access the Internet with your smartphone several times during the event. Please make sure that your cell phone plan includes data coverage in the greater Portland, Oregon metro area. (Other mobile Internet solutions, such as tablets or Wi-Fi hotspots which operate over 3G/4G, should work as well, but please verify your service provider's coverage area!) As always, don't forget to bring car chargers for all your electronics! VI.c. OTHER EQUIPMENT We recommend these puzzle-solving supplies: * paper * writing implements * scissors * tape * straight-edges * code sheets (sample: http://www.derf.net/encodings/codesheet.pdf ) * an audio CD player * valid driver's licenses * potable water * snacks * comfortable clothing VII. Alternate Participation If you cannot play in WARTRON, you can join Game Control! We need: * playtesters in Portland, Oregon * playtesters in the Bay Area * remote playtesters (e-mail/Skype/Google+) * volunteers during WARTRON * ...and more! Please e-mail WARTRONGC@GMAIL.COM for more information. VIII. Additional Resources The WARTRON web site will be updated periodically as new information becomes available: < http://wartron.net/ > You may also hear relevant announcements and discussions on "SnoutCast:" < http://snout.org/podcast > -- Team Snout < http://snout.org/game/ > END OF LINE.