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Cogs
From Portal 2 ARG Wiki - Valve ARG Network
Contents |
Get The Damn Potatoes
The easy and lazy way:
- Download a save file. This will make you gain all achievements, so if you want to play fair, earn the 400 stars manually.
- Download Suzpaz and magcius's AHK script(In The Box script fixed by Samgamgi, it was too slow)
- Make sure that the sequence files are in the same directory as the .exe, then run it.
- Open up the BestLaidSchemes level. Press F1.
- Open up the Portals level. Press F5.
- Open up the WCC level. Press F2.
- Open up the In The Box level. Press F3.
April 14th Update
Patch Notes:
- Fixed an install bug for non-English localizations.
- Stripped away the thin veneer of politeness by removing any requirements to speak magic words... But don't think I didn't consider "abracadabra."
The game is so far unchanged bar the removal of the requirement of saying "please" on the title screen to access the ARG levels. Investigation is underway.
April 12 Update
This update added three new levels: "Portals", "WCC", "In The Box",
Lazy solving for all levels.
- Download Suzpaz and magcius's AHK script
- Follow the instructions in README contained within the .zip file.
Video solutions from Sniper John UK for the new levels:
- Level 1 "Portals", Requires 200 Stars to unlock:
- Level 2 "WCC" (the game explicitly states "It's an acronym..." [for Weighted Companion Cube]) requires 300 Stars to unlock:
- After completion opens http://www.aperturescience.com/interl/ocking/?k=2138948617 and plays an audio fragment of GLaDOS
- http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=BCBrzP-WDqg
- http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=iRQKUugaVDc (sequence from Sniper John's video read aloud by your fellow neckbeard)
- Level 3 "In The Box" requires 400 Stars to unlock. It heavily features pipes linked by blue and orange portals, and GLaDOS replaces the normal jack-in-the-box.
- http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Zym0hPca2PI
- http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=n_Duj4YD1Pc (slow solve for those asking)
- http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=cVJiTvAVs6Q (sequence from Sniper John's video read aloud by your fellow neckbeard)
Getting Master Mechanic (Gold/Gold/Gold) on "In The Box" Boots you to the Steam Overlay, where a sound is played.
Media:Arg_hints1850.mp3 "Grants Foundation Invented Wednesday Quizzes"
Investigate: Some players report getting the Aperture Science overlay after completing WCC. I am unsure why I didn't get it first time round, but have since got it, possibly by setting a better time - Sniper John.
Media:Arg_hints33.mp3 "Game cards first appear in Whyland, in 1994" (Y-land, Ireland?)
Investigate: Might be worth trying to set a really good time on Portals, to see if there is a third login (one for each new level). For reference, My best is 2:16/259 moves
Save file
If you find the levels too hard, or dont have enough stars to unlock the levels/don't have enough time to earn them here is my save file, complete with 896 stars (you may have to complete a level for the counter to update) and all levels Gold.
This will affect achievements, so use at your own risk. Also, it's great fun completing them yourself :) - Sniper_John
Place the file in c:/users/*you*/Appdata/Roaming/Lazy 8 Studios/Cogs (Win7)
http://rapidshare.com/files/457171436/playerInfo.zip
MegaUpload for those having trouble with RS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M6HE3OP0
April 8 Update
BestLaidSchemes... level
This is the most recent level that has opened up and became available in the April 8 update. The models for the two jack-in-the-box levels have been slightly modified as well.
Solving the puzzle will open an Aperture Science login page. (Video showing how to solve the Cogs puzzle Thanks to "Sniper_John_UK and jbc429")
Easy Solving:
- Download this save game file and follow the instructions.
- This save allows you to skip doing other puzzles in order to access the BestLaidSchemes level.
- Download this file, read the README in the .ZIP, to automatically solve the puzzle.
Solution notes:
- You need to earn 100 gears by playing other puzzles before you can play the BestLaidSchemes puzzle. Search YouTube for solutions.
- You may also have to be under the time and moves limit to trigger the Steam browser login screen.
- The back of the puzzle looks exactly like the front.
- finishing the quote oF MiCe aND MeN Go oFT aWRY, so FMCNDMNGFTWRY.
- The solution to the puzzle is a continuation of the name of the puzzle.
- The puzzle's name was "BestLaidSchemes" with a hint of "..." signaling that the solution was to finish the phrase
- The remainder of the phrase is "oF MiCe aND MeN Go oFT aWRY"
- To solve, just place the matching tiles in order, making sure to leave a grey or a blank in the three original grey/blank locations.
Solving the puzzle opens a link on the Steam browser to address http://www.aperturescience.com/movetha/tthing/?k=number (where the value after 'k=' changes for unknown reasons). The link will work in any browser if you log into your Steam profile first.
There is a save file with about 100 stars complete (or more). You can download it here to help you out: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RBSKJJ1W [Place it in Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Lazy 8 Studios\Cogs\]
Potato Levels / Getting the login screen
To have the Potato levels appear, you need to type "please" on the main screen, it will trigger a chime sound effect and unlock the additional 2 (at this time) levels.
Update: The previous 2 will now appear without the need to type at the main menu, but you probably still need a certain number of stars
<Test> level
This level does not need to be completed to access the BestLaidSchemes level.
- Completing the <Test> level results in the following: http://oi56.tinypic.com/r2rptv.jpg
- Completing the <Test> level within 600 moves and 6:30 minutes does not matter: http://tinypic.com/r/23m97k2/7
- Completing the Time and Moves challenges results in the same message as completing the normal level
- No other level in Cogs displays a message like this and it's currently unknown if the message changes if the score is improved
- Second look at the test level: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21581082&postcount=243
- Every time a <Test> level is completed, the score given is lower. The longer Cogs runs, the lower the score gets. By leaving Cogs running for over an hour, the score given dropped to zero and instead of getting the regular message, it shows message that includes mysterious symbols
- "Safe, we avoid no seaside noises as we loom."
- The first is the logo for BIT.TRIP BEAT, with a corresponding letter N.
- The second is the baby logo from 1... 2... 3... KICK IT! (Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby), with the letter P.
Note: these and other hidden letters seem to be pointing towards a key to unscramble the nonsense phrases in the games.
Other Notes
- The lines around the eyes are Morse code for "every piece"
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 Glyphs mapped to corresponding letters |
 Texture of the "Beta" puzzle |
 The solution to the puzzle |
 "Portals" Puzzle from 4-12 Update |
 Solution to Side A "Portals" |
 Solution to Side B "Portals" |
From coin.exe
%sdata\puzzles\spud01.dat<Test>potatotimelimit60timelimit45timelimit30timelimit25timelimit20timelimit15timelimit10hideoccludeshowoccludeshadersoffshader sontunehintsofftunehintsonmystatsmateditorobjexportshowtuneshowscrambleprofileroffprofileronflameoffflameonunlockhas been cheating.It looks like someoneDirect3D��I?�O�AzD�BError loading puzzle data file
- "Looks like someone has been cheating" appears if you try to solve spud01.dat as a user map.
