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Company Announces $30,000 Prize For Solving iPhone Game
dlpasco writes "Puzzllotto. The game, styled after titles such as Myst and Zork, will be available in the iPhone App Store later this week for $4.99. 10% of the sales revenue from the game will go to the Madagascar Fauna Group. At this point, only US citizens may participate in the contest but it has been stated that UL wishes to make future events world wide. 'Even though Puzzllotto represents a significant investment of engineering and legal resources, the company refuses to apply for patents on any invention. Instead, the company hopes to share its investment with other developers through its fundware.info site, while the company's ten employees hope Puzzllotto will raise enough money to capitalize bigger dreams.'" This could also be seen as a test for greed, since the prize money will only start at $1,000 and will grow by $1,000 each day for 30 days, at which point, if no one has solved it, the entire pot will be donated to charity.
Can't someone reverse engineer the enigmas, backtrack through the puzzles and 'win' the game ?
\u262D = \u5350
This appears to be the most relevant site and it includes game rules. This does appear to be blatant Slashvertizing though and should probably be on the Idle page.
Well, back to rejecting software patent applications.
How are they going to make money?
If I'm reading it right their prize pot is $30,000. They're selling at $5 a throw and apple get 1/3 of that. So to break even they've got to sell 9000 copies. Doesn't sound a lot but I bet the majority of iphone apps never get near that.
What bonus features do you get with a subscription?
I tried to walk into Target, but I missed. --Mitch Hedburg
Text "Winner" to PLOTO to win your $30,000!!!!*
Puzzllottoâ is an interactive logic-based game which is set in the jungles of Madagascar. The rules, fundamentals of Game play, Game format and overall objective of the Game have been intentionally omitted by Sponsor (i.e., the developer of the Game). The Game does not tell you how to play or how to win: the challenge of the Game is for the player to figure these things out for him/herself. In order to solve the Game puzzle, the player must deduce and determine the Gameâ(TM)s format and what is required of him/her to successfully advance through all levels of the Game notwithstanding the presence of certain obstacles. Puzzllottoâ may be played as long as the device used for Game play (i.e., iPhoneâ or iPod® Touch**) is active for the Game. But, once the Game ceases to be active on the device regardless whether the device is used for another, different application (e.g., an incoming telephone call on iPhoneâ; watching a movie on iPod® Touch**) or has been shut off or is being recharged, the Game will automatically end and will be reset to the start screen; and, in such event, all previous Game play will be lost. Partial Game plays cannot be stored or saved by the player. The first player to solve the Game puzzle by successfully advancing through all Game levels and to thereafter communicate that he/she has done so (by following the procedure set forth in the Game, such procedure being made a part of these Official Rules and incorporated herein by reference) wins the prize subject to verification by Judges (see Â5 below). The solution to the Game puzzle has been pre-determined by Sponsor as developer of the Game. Prior to the start of the Contest Period, Sponsor has securely transmitted the solution to Judges who, in turn, have secured the solution and have agreed to keep the solution strictly confidential. Such solution, without alteration, amendment or modification of any kind, shall constitute the sole accepted solution to the Game puzzle for purposes of this Contest.
Giving money to puzzle solvers has happened before. See for instance The Eternity Puzzle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternity_puzzle).
It'd be great if the product's home page said something about the rules of game, because then we could geek out and try to solve it programatically (if possible). It says "Puzzle" on the tin, but is it like playing Zelda or is it like the push-the-ice-blocks-around puzzle in Snowpeak Ruins from Zelda [roughly comparable to a small instance of Sokoban]?
Also, interesting, if this _is_ easy to solve programatically, we'd all be playing a big instance of something like the centipede game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centipede_game).
While in one month the company may not recover the cost of the prize, the possibility of generating enough of sales to earn a quarter of a million dollars is there.
Why do I mention $250,000? Because that's how much Steve Demeter's puzzle game Trism earned between 11 July and 18 September.
This mentioned by John Gruber on the very day.
My best guess is that if this prize money get the company many downloads, the company may easily make back it's money in the first week.
blog
Zork and Myst should not be mentioned in the same sentence.
Myst is like playing Zork with your hands tied behind your back. Just play Zork. It has better graphics and your nose doesn't hurt so much.
I just got spammed and they wanted me to reply to anita04_2008@yahoo.com. That is why I am putting it on slashdot, to get picked up by the bots. Hopefully this makes one spammers email address useless and wastes some of their time.