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I love bees: Difference between revisions
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'''i love bees''' is an [[alternate reality game]] developed by [[4orty2wo Entertainment]] used for the marketing of ''[[Halo 2]]''. During the summer of [[2004]], the website [http://www.ilovebees.com ilovebees.com] was used as a publicity site for ''[[Halo 2]]'', with the site being pointed to by adverts for the game during movie trailers. Ostensibly a beekeeper's personal site, the server appeared to have been taken over by an unstable [[Melissa (AI)|AI]] whose thoughts are scattered on the site. | '''i love bees''' is an [[alternate reality game]] developed by [[4orty2wo Entertainment]] used for the marketing of ''[[Halo 2]]''. During the summer of [[2004]], the website [http://www.ilovebees.com ilovebees.com] was used as a publicity site for ''[[Halo 2]]'', with the site being pointed to by adverts for the game during movie trailers. Ostensibly a beekeeper's personal site, the server appeared to have been taken over by an unstable [[Melissa (AI)|AI]] whose thoughts are scattered on the site. | ||
== Background == | ==Background== | ||
[[File:Axon.jpg|300px|thumb|Players wait at a payphone.]] | [[File:Axon.jpg|300px|thumb|Players wait at a payphone.]] | ||
On July 23, 2004, a group of ''Halo'' fans discovered | On July 23, 2004, a group of ''Halo'' fans discovered a hidden URL in the [[Halo 2 Cinematic Trailer]] that led them to a website that appeared at first glance to be hacked.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.org/news.html?item=10080 '''halo.bungie.org:''' ''Bees... you think Ant Farm was involved?'']</ref> A message on the frontpage directed viewers to the blog of a girl named [[Dana Awbrey]]. Dana claimed that she built the ilovebees site for her [[Aunt Margaret]] and recently her site got in this bizarre state, and asks if anyone could help her. Dana acted essentially as a narrator in the game, describing events for people who missed the action. | ||
The frontpage had a counter counting down to July 27, 2004 (when | The frontpage had a counter counting down to July 27, 2004 (when "network throttling will erode"), August 10, 2004 (when "this medium will metastasize"), and August 24, 2004 (at 8:06 A.M., when it will be "wide-awake and physical") – many thought something big would happen related to ''Halo 2''.{{fact}} On these dates, however, it was only related to the ILB game. Currently, (as of 2011) there is a counter counting down to the day the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] will [[Battle of Earth|attack]] [[Earth]], in 541 years' time. | ||
On 8/10/04, a list of GPS coordinates with times were added to the site's Links page, along with a countdown to "Axons go hot." With the exception of one leading to the Pacific Ocean, all of the coordinates lead to payphones. On 8/24/04, the countdown ended as it reached the first set time. People who answered the payphones (the "[[axons]]") at the scheduled times spoke to a recording of the [[Melissa (AI)|AI]] and were asked basic questions about the character. If answered correctly, an [[I Love Bees Axon Clips|audio clip]] would be released and a number would be added to a counter on the Website. The audio clips, when threaded together, formed an audio drama about characters in the Halo universe. As the number reached 777, the AI, as played by a voice actor instead of a recording, began interacting with players through the payphones. | On 8/10/04, a list of GPS coordinates with times were added to the site's Links page, along with a countdown to "Axons go hot." With the exception of one leading to the Pacific Ocean, all of the coordinates lead to payphones. On 8/24/04, the countdown ended as it reached the first set time. People who answered the payphones (the "[[axons]]") at the scheduled times spoke to a recording of the [[Melissa (AI)|AI]] and were asked basic questions about the character. If answered correctly, an [[I Love Bees Axon Clips|audio clip]] would be released and a number would be added to a counter on the Website. The audio clips, when threaded together, formed an audio drama about characters in the Halo universe. As the number reached 777, the AI, as played by a voice actor instead of a recording, began interacting with players through the payphones. | ||
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After the game was over, players were invited to go on a "training mission," which was actually a chance to play ''Halo 2'' multiplayer before its release. Various sites around America were used to host the event, including movie theaters and malls. Players were told to say the phrase "The Operator left a message for me." to gain access to the event. Unfortunately, several of the hosts were unaware of ILB and thought it was just a Halo 2 event, disappointing many fans. At each event, players were given DVDs containing all of the ILB audio files, as well as deleted material. | After the game was over, players were invited to go on a "training mission," which was actually a chance to play ''Halo 2'' multiplayer before its release. Various sites around America were used to host the event, including movie theaters and malls. Players were told to say the phrase "The Operator left a message for me." to gain access to the event. Unfortunately, several of the hosts were unaware of ILB and thought it was just a Halo 2 event, disappointing many fans. At each event, players were given DVDs containing all of the ILB audio files, as well as deleted material. | ||
== Story Synopsis == | ==Story Synopsis== | ||
{{main|I Love Bees Synopsis}} | {{main|I Love Bees Synopsis}} | ||
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== Canon status == | ==Canon status== | ||
The issue of whether ''i love bees'' should be considered canon is somewhat | The issue of whether ''i love bees'' should be considered canon is somewhat complicated. In the [[Halopedia:Apocalypso Chat|Apocalypso Chat]], the minds behind ''i love bees'' say that Bungie basically let them write their own thing, but offered certain suggestions regarding storytelling devices and corrected facets such as the original idea that ONI would hang traitors, which was changed to them being rendered permanently comatose.<ref>[[Halopedia:Apocalypso Chat|'''Apocalypso Chat''']], 18:03 - 18:05</ref> In October 2004, this was expanded on by [[Joseph Staten]] in an interview with ''[[halo.bungie.org]]'', who, when asked if ''i love bees'' should be considered canon, said: | ||
{{Article Quote|The Bees would not make the cut. Those guys basically did their own thing with very little Bungie input (save for massaging and approving the initial plot-treatment). While we helped define the boundaries of their fiction, we let them do what they thought best. And I think the game turned out great.<ref>[http://halostory.bungie.org/staten102204.html '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Joe Staten Interview - October 2004'']</ref>}} | {{Article Quote|The Bees would not make the cut. Those guys basically did their own thing with very little Bungie input (save for massaging and approving the initial plot-treatment). While we helped define the boundaries of their fiction, we let them do what they thought best. And I think the game turned out great.<ref>[http://halostory.bungie.org/staten102204.html '''halo.bungie.org''': ''Joe Staten Interview - October 2004'']</ref>}} | ||
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Still, ''i love bees'' cannot be considered entirely canonical. Some elements of ''i love bees'' directly contradict more recent material of definite canon status, such as the time in which [[Tobias Fleming Shaw]] and [[Wallace Fujikawa]] were alive. Thus, ''i love bees'' could be considered as having a similar canonical level to the ''Star Wars'' series' Expanded Universe, in which ''i love bees'' should be considered canonical unless contradicted by more authoritative sources. | Still, ''i love bees'' cannot be considered entirely canonical. Some elements of ''i love bees'' directly contradict more recent material of definite canon status, such as the time in which [[Tobias Fleming Shaw]] and [[Wallace Fujikawa]] were alive. Thus, ''i love bees'' could be considered as having a similar canonical level to the ''Star Wars'' series' Expanded Universe, in which ''i love bees'' should be considered canonical unless contradicted by more authoritative sources. | ||
== Trivia == | ==Trivia== | ||
*It is possible, with an | *It is possible, with an iPod or iPod Touch, to speed up the time on the countdown. However, the closest year a person is able to reach is 2038 and the countdown only loses a few thousand hours. | ||
*[[Yuri Lowenthal]], voice of [[Kamal Zaman]], is also the voice of the Prince in the [[wikipedia:Prince of Persia|Prince of Persia]] series, and Sasuke in the Naruto series. A piece of Kamal's dialog, "People think time is a river that flows in one direction, but time is an ocean." seems to be a deliberate reference to the Prince's "Some say time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time and I can tell you they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm." | *[[Yuri Lowenthal]], voice of [[Kamal Zaman]], is also the voice of the Prince in the [[wikipedia:Prince of Persia|Prince of Persia]] series, and Sasuke in the Naruto series. A piece of Kamal's dialog, "People think time is a river that flows in one direction, but time is an ocean." seems to be a deliberate reference to the Prince's "Some say time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time and I can tell you they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm." | ||
*Soon after ILB became popular, someone bought the domain name '''www.ilovepees.com''' and auctioned it on eBay. The person claimed whoever made it a redirect to their own site would get tons of traffic from ILB fans who would type in the address incorrectly.<ref>[http://nikon.bungie.org/news.html?item=10131 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''How Stupid ARE People, Anyway?'']</ref> Their starting bid was $1,000, but when it failed to sell, they made two more auctions, each lowering the price. It was finally sold for a price close to $40. | *Soon after ILB became popular, someone bought the domain name '''www.ilovepees.com''' and auctioned it on eBay. The person claimed whoever made it a redirect to their own site would get tons of traffic from ILB fans who would type in the address incorrectly.<ref>[http://nikon.bungie.org/news.html?item=10131 '''halo.bungie.org''': ''How Stupid ARE People, Anyway?'']</ref> Their starting bid was $1,000, but when it failed to sell, they made two more auctions, each lowering the price. It was finally sold for a price close to $40. | ||
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</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
== Sources == | ==Sources== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
== See also == | ==See also== | ||
*[[Ilovebees Credits]] | *[[Ilovebees Credits]] | ||
*[[I Love Bees Axon Clips]] | *[[I Love Bees Axon Clips]] | ||
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*[[Iris]] | *[[Iris]] | ||
== External links == | ==External links== | ||
{{col-begin}} | {{col-begin}} | ||
{{col-2}} | {{col-2}} | ||