Notpron Refreshers for 2017
Posted: 22-01-2017 19:54
I must admit, as a disclaimer, that this list comes mostly from boredom as opposed to a genuine, fiery passion for a notpron revolution. I've been living out of a hotel for like a week thanks to flood damage at my house (long story), and I'm quickly running out of things to do! In any event, here are some of my thoughts on this lovely riddle now that it's in its 13th year, as I stare at tacky wallpaper...:
* Reorder levels based on difficulty. I've mentioned this before in IRC as a healthy change. Level design is inconsistent because notpron was developed in waves, and thus, very commonly, difficulty ramps up in sets of 20 or 30, and then almost "resets." I personally feel, especially, some of the negatives are laughably easy...while others are among the hardest, best, and most rewarding puzzles of the entire riddle. A committee of notpron solvers and other experienced players could easily be polled and the results averaged to determine a logical progression of difficulty. Yes, some passwords and URLs would have to be shifted around, but that's nothing a single hard day of work or two couldn't combat.
* Feature a separate tutorial. As it stands, notpron hand-holds for about the first 5 to 10 levels, but I feel like an actual "training" course of 5 to 10 levels might be more valuable. Certain levels (16 and 80 come to mind) kind of make players rethink their approach to the entire thing, and although it's evident from the beginning that certain software packages will be needed to solve notpron, I think it would be a cool gesture to gently introduce things like photo manipulation and sound editing so that people can get used to picking apart riddles. That having been said, I recognize giving away TOO much would be a bad idea...and you want this thing to remain tricky...I don't claim to have the magical balancing formula...
* Change the password style so that Chrome works again. Chrome has over half the world's browser usage share. Instead of a popup password box, I don't see why the system couldn't be retooled to link individuals to a password page that could feature the hints that some browsers, including Chrome, omit. I recognize the annoyance factor here, but I'm willing to be notpron loses players unwilling to download a separate browser or to switch from the browser they're comfortable with.
* Change a few answers again. To combat FAQs and the like, this used to be a somewhat common practice, but I don't think any URLs or passwords have changed in forever. Consequently, a dishonest player can now be handheld through the riddle for a long, long time if they search diligently around the web. Notpron is overdue for some anti-cheat mechanisms.
* Finish the greek letters. I know. I know. But seriously. Part of my soul aches because Omega isn't the last level.
* Change the requirement for the final password set. Can't talk about this one publicly too much, but I think a cooler idea to prove notpron worth would be to submit evidence of prior commitment (which is basically what I did instead of the conventional route, as people told me David also accepted such...but I'm arguing that way should be the norm). For instance, having to prove completion of 72 by submitting a picture, or having to answer a survey that would be very difficult for any cheater to fill out...
* More tits. Especially later on. Come on, now. You all know around Lambda you could have used some breasts to keep you going.
So...that's it. Stupid ideas? Good ideas? Just my thoughts on a lazy Sunday...
* Reorder levels based on difficulty. I've mentioned this before in IRC as a healthy change. Level design is inconsistent because notpron was developed in waves, and thus, very commonly, difficulty ramps up in sets of 20 or 30, and then almost "resets." I personally feel, especially, some of the negatives are laughably easy...while others are among the hardest, best, and most rewarding puzzles of the entire riddle. A committee of notpron solvers and other experienced players could easily be polled and the results averaged to determine a logical progression of difficulty. Yes, some passwords and URLs would have to be shifted around, but that's nothing a single hard day of work or two couldn't combat.
* Feature a separate tutorial. As it stands, notpron hand-holds for about the first 5 to 10 levels, but I feel like an actual "training" course of 5 to 10 levels might be more valuable. Certain levels (16 and 80 come to mind) kind of make players rethink their approach to the entire thing, and although it's evident from the beginning that certain software packages will be needed to solve notpron, I think it would be a cool gesture to gently introduce things like photo manipulation and sound editing so that people can get used to picking apart riddles. That having been said, I recognize giving away TOO much would be a bad idea...and you want this thing to remain tricky...I don't claim to have the magical balancing formula...
* Change the password style so that Chrome works again. Chrome has over half the world's browser usage share. Instead of a popup password box, I don't see why the system couldn't be retooled to link individuals to a password page that could feature the hints that some browsers, including Chrome, omit. I recognize the annoyance factor here, but I'm willing to be notpron loses players unwilling to download a separate browser or to switch from the browser they're comfortable with.
* Change a few answers again. To combat FAQs and the like, this used to be a somewhat common practice, but I don't think any URLs or passwords have changed in forever. Consequently, a dishonest player can now be handheld through the riddle for a long, long time if they search diligently around the web. Notpron is overdue for some anti-cheat mechanisms.
* Finish the greek letters. I know. I know. But seriously. Part of my soul aches because Omega isn't the last level.
* Change the requirement for the final password set. Can't talk about this one publicly too much, but I think a cooler idea to prove notpron worth would be to submit evidence of prior commitment (which is basically what I did instead of the conventional route, as people told me David also accepted such...but I'm arguing that way should be the norm). For instance, having to prove completion of 72 by submitting a picture, or having to answer a survey that would be very difficult for any cheater to fill out...
* More tits. Especially later on. Come on, now. You all know around Lambda you could have used some breasts to keep you going.
So...that's it. Stupid ideas? Good ideas? Just my thoughts on a lazy Sunday...
. Also this makes the game NSFW and I have to admit that I did play in the office sometimes. Additionally there might be legal issues because the site is not marked as unsuitable for children.