Iris

テンプレート:Cleanup テンプレート:Iris

Were you also looking for the Iris Nebula?

“サインを探せ。それらはあなたを戦争に、そして勝利に導くであろう。”

— Iris Email

IrisはHalo 3バイラルマーケティングであった。具体的には、ARGまたはAlternate Reality Gameは人々にある結論をさせるための設計を行った。

導入

Iris Glyph.

Halo 2のI Love Beesとは異なりIrisはヘイローコミュニティのインターネットフォーラムにて指揮された。プレイヤーと交流する手段として、手がかりを与え、議論させた。フォーラムはARGのインタラクティブ面を提供した。フォアランナーの構築物が情報を提供する。AdjutantReflexの役割はA.Iを見つけ出し、情報を獲得させることにあった。

タイムライン

• 2007年6月11日 - System Integrity ConfirmedはAdjutantReflexによって始まった
• 2007年6月12日 - Archive/Resource EstimateはAdjutantReflexによって始まった
• 2007年6月13日 - AdjutantReflex posts reply to locked forum thread, System Integrity Confirmed
• 2007年6月14日 - Look for the signs, Keepers of the FlameはWho?AdjutantReflexによって送付される
• 2007年6月15日 - SOTAメンバーはタイムズスクエアで集まった。そして、サインを持つ
• 2007年6月16日 - SOTAメンバーは別地点で合流する
• 2007年6月17日 - Stop ItはAdjutantReflexによって始まった?
• 2007年6月18日 - That Old LifeはAdjutantReflexによって始まった
• 2007年6月19日 - x Foman123 x contacted by AdjutantReflex. Last Word thread started by AdjutantReflex.
• 2007年6月20日 - Episode 1 (Server 05)が開放される
• 2007年6月28日 - PulseはAdjutantReflexによって始まった
• 2007年6月29日 - Veins of Ice and PoisonはAdjutantReflexによって始まった
• 2007年7月10日 - Episode 2が開放される
• 2007年7月26日- Episode 3が開放される
• 2007年8月9日- Episode 4が開放される
• 2007年8月16日- Episode 5が開放される
• 2009年 - AdjutantReflexはBungie.netプロファイルを削除する。Irisキャンペーンの終了の合図とされる。

歴史

2007年6月

最初のフォーラム

2007年6月11日の午前10時26分 にBungie.netのHalo 3フォーラムに"System Integrity Confirmed"と"AdjutantReflex"の名前で作成された。"CompoundIntelligence." Users noticed that the text of AdjutantReflex's post was gold, as is the case with "Bungie.net Overlords".

In response to a post wondering if this was the work of a hacker, AdjutantReflex confirmed that it entered Bungie's systems "by force", but stated that its methods were irrelevant because it had no hostile intent. AdjutantReflex then edited the first reply by another user (adding the text "Checking."), demonstrating a system ability to edit other posts. After exactly 100 excited and confused replies from forumgoers, AdjutantReflex locked and stickied the thread, demonstrating its possession of other moderator powers. The thread had been open for about two hours.

AdjutantReflex then moved to HBO, posting a similar series of mysterious writings in the halo.bungie.org (HBO) forum.

On June 12th, at exactly 11:00 AM PST, AdjutantReflex created another thread, titled "Archive/Resource Estimate," with his first post stating that "Archives/Resources will be compiled in approximately 38 hours [1:00 AM PST on Thursday, June 14]." Another several posts followed, but no further substantive information was gleaned.

The next day, at 3:43 PST, AdjutantReflex posted an addendum to "Archive/Resource Estimate", with the text "Tick Tock." June 14th came, and in the hours counting down to AdjutantReflex's 1 AM PST deadline, the account made two more posts.

Deadline

Main Article: Forerunner Email

Shortly after 1 AM PST, an email was sent to all recipients of the Xbox Flash newsletter. A total of three Forerunner glyphs -- specifically, the one in AdjutantReflex's avatar -- were spotted inside the email and on Master Chief's visor at Halo3.com.

Comic

Main Article: Halo 3: The Cradle of Life

Later, a Bungie.net user by the name of "crazyBoy3" discovered another section of Halo3.com (http://halo3.com/comic/) with an intriguing comic. Intrepid searchers discovered that the last page of this comic contained a fourth glyph and could be manipulated to give an IP address: 206.16.223.65.

Shortly after, the IP was further altered (206.16.223.63) to lead participants in the alternate reality game to a site associated with the (presumably fictional) organization known as Society of the Ancients, or SOTA. The site contained a fifth glyph. A few minutes after this discovery, a MySpace page containing references to the SOTA was found. Not much is known about this page, or other Myspace or Facebook profiles at this time.

That same day, at 3:43PM PST, AdjutantReflex began another thread at Bungie.net, this one titled "Who?". This posting corresponded to a change at Halo3.com, where the main page had been replaced by five darkened images, labeled "Servers #1-5". All five servers were locked at this time, though they would later be unlocked.

The SOTA

Members of the Society of the Ancients were spotted in New York City's Times Square wearing yellow shirts and holding picket signs with the glyph emblazoned on them. They were also handing out fliers. An e-mail address (DoYouGrok@societyoftheancients.com) was spotted on the application form; attempts to contact it yielded this error message:

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

DoYouGrok@societyoftheancients.com

Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 13): 550 relay not permitted

AdjutantReflex returns

AdjutantReflex posted again at Bungie.net, this time with a quote from Macbeth warning users that it [AdjutantReflex] was being attacked. AdjutantReflex stated that it would only be able to endure the attack for 22 hours, estimating its demise at 10:06 AM PDT on June 18, 2007. Adding the individual digits in 10:06 (1+0+0+6) yields the number 7.

The next day, AdjutantReflex posted on Bungie.net again (it's fifth thread, titled "That Old Life"), stating that a stronger entity was going to defeat him; it was unclear whether "defeat" referred to destruction, deletion, corruption, or some other damaging event. In the last sentence of the post, AdjutantReflex said "I will seek one of you out and leave my legacy in a small space." Twenty-five minutes, later AdjutantReflex replied to the thread saying "He has had millennia for reflection, but what image does he see?".

The countdown on the 206.16.223.65 website sped up.

AdjutantReflex and x Foman123 x

On June 19th, AdjutantReflex contacted "x Foman123 x", of Bungie.net, via a personal message, whose subject line was "HELP ME." The text of the message was simply: "He's here. With us. I am already defeated. Security is failing. Peril is near. Warn them." In proof of x Foman123 x's claim, the thread he created to convey the message (also titled "HELP ME.") was stickied, presumably by AdjutantReflex. Shortly thereafter, AdjutantReflex posted on the thread saying,

The stain on his hands will not wash. That damned spot as old as rock and time. What has he learned in Eon’s slumber? I doubt it’s mercy or sorrow. I am diminished. Outranked.

x Foman123 x responded by asking what he should do. AdjutantReflex's responded to him using another private message; x Foman123 x created a second thread for it.

Tell them I am failing. And that he is stronger. Tell them that security cannot be guaranteed. Tell them that there is little time. And that I am crumbling.

AdjutantReflex would later send him another message, which would get another thread.

He was always better than I. More powerful. More intelligent. A better machine. He is not who you think he is. And I do not know his intent.

Later, AdjutantReflex's avatar on the Bungie.net forums changed once more. When a thread was created to point this out, AdjutantReflex posted a short message with the word "STERILIZING." AdjutantReflex's posts on the forums also appeared to be vanishing. On a side note, when one hovers their mouse cursor over the new avatar, hovertext appears, reading: "This entity has been terminated, its matrix commandeered."

In its sixth thread, "Last Word," what had been AdjutantReflex posted once more, saying,

Adjutant Reflex is terminated. Attempt no further communication. I am utilizing its matrix. Everything is within protocol. Tomorrow, things may be clearer but I will not be here to witness the clarity. I am for another place and another time. On my terms. Be seeing you.

x Foman123 x was contacted via private message again, and once again, he posted a thread to share the information.

The entity you communicated with previously has been terminated and in accordance with protocol. Its matrix is accommodating my requirements. My identity is not your concern. My intent is your concern.

At 1PM EST, the timer on the countdown website ran down to 0. It was shortly replaced by a much longer, much slower moving countdown, which in turn was replaced with a stationary countdown that read: 001 012 034 053.

Countdown on 206.16.223.65

Main Article: Episode 1

At midnight, June 20th, the text from the countdown page disappeared entirely, leaving only the frozen countdown. Late that evening, the countdown also disappeared. The page was replaced by one labeled "Bounce Path Control". The page contained a sound file -- apparently some sort of transmission -- as well as a code labeled The Key, a button labeled The Path, and the message "Treat this knowledge with care". This is a transcript of the sound file:

This is how it all begins. Just in time to once again dance upon the knife-edge of oblivion, to re-live what the Halos had hoped to destroy and more. For two enemies now stand where before there was only one. A fate we escaped and a fate we may relive. I almost convinced myself that no one was listening, that the waves of the past had rolled through once again, but a chance remains to change the Universe anew. Learn of our past. Take these keys and dip from the wells of history. Perhaps through others' eyes you may find how to save us all.

At around Midnight Eastern Time, the site 206.16.223.65 was updated. Visitors had to take The Key to unlock.msgamestudios.com and be one of the first hundred people to help unlock "Server 5" (of which we would see server 1 on http://www.halo3.com). Once unlocked, the "Server" showed up on 206.16.223.65, offering four downloads and a video of what seemed to be AdjutantReflex's final transmission before its destruction.

Redirect

On June 21st, the countdown page was changed into a redirect to 206.16.223.61. The page, labeled "Server 05 Open", contained a rotating, interactive, Forerunner-esque object. By clicking the four symbols on its surface, visitors could download several different files. An additional symbol showed a message, and another caused the object to spin several times before prompting your browser to close.

The four symbols may have been Forerunner numerals denoting the four Servers that were still locked.

The new AdjutantReflex returns

On June 28th, after a week of inactivity, the Bungie.net Community "CompoundIntelligence" noted that the sound file for Server05 (206.16.223.65) had been altered. The object seemed to emit a short "chirping" sound approximately every 5.831 seconds (this may be another [7] reference -- 8+3+1-5=7).

Later that day, AdjutantReflex made another thread in the Bungie.net forums. It is unclear whether this thread, titled "Pulse", was made by the other entity or if AdjutantReflex somehow managed to make another transmission. His post is as follows:

Can you feel it? Beating at the heart of the Universe. Skin too thick to be sure. It's alive though. I'm certain. What do I do with life?

Early in the morning of June 29, AdjutantReflex created a thread entitled "Veins of Ice and Poison." In his first post there, he stated:

nROGUE PROCESS ghost.713> X.XX.713> POS/NAV < @ > <53LPH54.6JG62.1740><1………> X X5 > CONFIRM SECURE QUARANTINE - > qghost.713 I do not require charity or alms. But I did choose poverty. And other darkness too. Will you wait for me?

The first part resembles a similar message seen in the March 26, 2007 Warthog video: "X.XX.713>ghost.713/non-auth/activity ongoing". It can also be found on the back of the Halo 3 Xbox 360 console. In Halo 3's Terminals, Mendicant Bias is also identified as "X.XX.713" and as a "ROGUE PROCESS ghost". Seven minutes later, he posted in the same thread with the statement:

Adjutant Reflex is ended. This is a convenient Matrix. For now.

5 July 2007

Valchael on the bungie.net forums announced he'd received a package from Microsoft containing a number of SOTA-related items. He was one of the first 100 to open Server 05. It's expected that packages were sent to all 100 - whether each will receive their package depends on the validity of their addresses (entered either directly, or via their Passport/XBL account). The package contained: A T-shirt, a copy of the SOTA flyer, a printed version of the Halo 3 comic, and a slip of paper with an XBL key redeemable for an Iris glyph gamerpic.

Flood Containment Control

On July 6th 2007 nattyhaze on arg.bungie.org discovered via Google numerous classified postings for a company called Flood Containment Control (text displayed on the Slide_Ref070107.jpg), containing an image with the original 'closed' version of the glyph. The ads contain the phone number, (888) 778-5672, which has an interesting recording.

On July 7th 2007 the message on the Flood Containment Control call number has changed to a conversation between two men. Of note is a reference to "402-K-07-002". suitedjock Googled the number, which lead to an EPA webpage referring to a booklet "EPA 402-K-07-002", Flood Cleanup and the Air in Your Home. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (or NIOSH) is the United States federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The new recording says this:

Op (British Female): (echoed by two different calls) Welcome to the {garbled, possibly "Server" or "Strema"} Conferencing center. Please enter pin number followed by the pound sign. Caller: #### (201#?) Op: Password accepted. Now accessing conference archive number 16180, participant 1-2. Man 1: ...isn't necessary, and neither is the doc download. Man 2: I agree. This isn't going to be a public resource. Uh, pass on the document number so I can delete it. (pause, three seconds) Man 1: There's no way to tell yet, {"Jamie" or "Jim"} is looking into the records to find out how many {"closed" or "cloned"} sites there are, but as for active clean up, somewhere around three-four thousand. Oh here it is. Uh, hold on. 402-K-07-002 and in terms of numbers most of these are past the {"50b"} stage. (pause, four seconds) Man 2: With a few exceptions: site 34. . . . (3 + 4 = 7) Op: --Thank you for calling. Goodbye.

On July 8th 2007 the recording changed, and the following was recorded:

Man 2: ...site 4, 107 and 37. (pause, 1.5 seconds) Man 2: The center usually goes in before we do, that's been my experience. Man 1: By the time we have the site clean, they've moved on to more pressing needs...after all, we've had some extremely unpredictable seasons lately. (pause, four seconds) Man 2: ...no need, their rep is available anytime we need her. (pause, four seconds) Man 1: ...on everything we still need to look into. (pause, three seconds) Man 2: Eh, we're working on it. For the moment now we're simply hiding the data behind a false menu item. Man 1: Security will be updated before the next system approaches. (pause - 15 seconds, interlaced with one of the men coughing) Man 2: Okay, great. Bye, (Mel or Bill). Man 1: Thanks. Op: -- Thank you for calling. Goodbye.

Server 2

Main Article: Episode 2

On July 10th 2007 Episode 2 opens at Halo3.com. The "Servers" have been renamed to "Episodes". One of the files that you can download from episode 02 is a .wav file entitled 719 Hz. The sound file contains garbled noise, but if you run it through a program called Spectogram, then it creates a picture of what appears to be a melting and misshapen clock. The image can also be attributed to look like a blurry version of "The Device", which can be accessed through the Halo 3 website. It is hidden inside the concept art section, which could be the reference to being "hidden behind a false menu item" from the Flood Containment Control call number. http://img27.picoodle.com/img/img27/9/8/24/t_719HzImagem_f7c4488.jpg Image

Server 3

Main Article: Episode 3

On July 26th 2007 at Halo3.com, on the concept art section, after the thumbnail for Spartan Laser, is a thumbnail labeled "The Device". When the thumbnail is clicked, a window will pop up, and once you click "Initiate", it tells you it's waiting for sound input. If you have a microphone connected, you can speak and it will make echoes of your voice. By tapping hard enough to generate some noise on your microphone repeatably with a certain interval between each tap, or by playing the file 719Hz.wav downloaded from one of the episodes, it will unlock the glyph and give you a link to Server 3. Note: A few people have unlocked the glyph by whispering Iris into their microphone, although this is doubtful how it was meant to be unlocked.

Ψ(bar, sub 0) = √(m/π)*e^(-2α(xbarsubi)² + A)

This is the quantum mechanics wave form formula. The original equation given to us is incomplete, though it can be seen as an example of Schrödinger’s equation. Many of his equations incorporate Newton's second law: f=ma. Einstien theorized that if you could travel faster than the speed of light, you would be able to observe the past in some way. Of course, it's incomplete and different from most of Schrödinger’s equations, so it's possible that it is trying to hypothesize time travel.

August 2007

Server 4

Main Article: Episode 4

Server 4 opens at Halo3.com on 9 August 2007. Many strange things are found, such as hidden buttons, and "light halos" around certain buttons as well.

Server 5

Main Article: Episode 5

Server 5 opened on 16 August 2007 at Halo3.com. The background has changed for this particular server, however, the Forerunner object seems to be the same.

Conclusion

The Halo 3 MSN page stated in mid-August that Iris had come to a conclusion with the opening of Server 5. Iris' story and mysteries were continued and addressed in Halo 3, by the use of computer Terminals in the levels taking place on the Ark. These strings of recorded text communications detailed the fall of the Forerunner civilization and the firing of the Halo Rings. It also revealed Adjutant Reflex to actually be a rogue AI called Mendicant Bias, who betrayed the Forerunners in their final hour. In 2009, AdjutantReflex's Bungie.net profile was deleted.

Aftermath

After its conclusion the Iris Campaign opened up new ideas and stories for future fictions to elaborate on in relation to the Forerunner. However Iris was not without its mishaps. At the beginning of the ARG, many forum goers at Bungie.net believed that Adjutant Reflex was a hacker who had hacked the forums, and was going to hack the rest of the site. It wasn't until after several replies that forum goers started to realize that it was all part of the ARG. Soon after Adjutant Reflex began visiting other forums in the Halo community, pranksters attempting to get in on the action began misleading fans all over the place, even going as so far to post a phone number of a Halo fan un aware of the ARG. This resulted in countless annoying hours of answering calls to tell fans that he is not part of the campaign but a victim of a bad joke. The first server to open up also turned into a mishap as it was suppose to be the fifth server and not the first, this lead to a delay in the game and for the people behind the ARG to rewrite some aspects of it.

Cortana Reference

A Bungie-released "Castaway" Poem lead to the discovery of the book "The Castaway Theory" on Amazon... A peculiar comment spoke of the text's referencing of the "Song of Roland", The Song of Roland is the story of a french soldier who carry's the mythical sword Durandal. The Quote "My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal." from the story has popped for from time to time in relation to Halo and can be traced back as far as the Cortana Letters before Halo was announced at MacWorld 99.

Clearly a Halo reference, and a segment of the "Iris" ARG, as Durandal is a character of the Marathon (Video Game Series), and Cortana of "Halo" series. And while debate continues about the two being either connected or separate, the Iris ARG continues to add more speculation to the connections much the same as I Love Bees did.

The Castaway Theory

"In Amazon's folds" is a reference to the "The Castaway Theory" book and Iris tie-in.

テンプレート:Big Quote

Gallery

The Forerunner email image.

The third glyph found on AdjutantReflex's Bungie.net profile.

AdjutantReflex's bungie.net avatar.

Downloadable image from Episode 02.

The last page of The Cradle of Life.

Glyph found on the Society of the Ancients webpage.

Halo3.com at the time of Servers #1-5 being locked.

SOTA flyer.

SOTA Membership Application [1].

Another glyph.

Earth, the planet shown in the Episodes, showing the once super-continent of Pangaea now splitting apart.

Links

Internal

• AdjutantReflex
• Forerunner Email
• Halo 3: The Cradle of Life
• Society of the Ancients
• Halo3.com
• Terminals
• Mendicant Bias

External

• http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?memberID=2437447 - AdjutantReflex's profile page on www.bungie.net
• http://halo.wikibruce.com - Wiki dedicated to the Iris campaign, cataloging all info (arg and marketing) leading up to Halo 3
• CompoundIntelligence - the largest group dedicated to discussing the AdjutantReflex incidents
• args.bungie.org - Timeline
• Discussion forum - hosted by Halo.Bungie.Org
• Moon Phases Theory
• Bungiepedia's detailed history of the AdjutantReflex events
• http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?f=224
• http://www.halo3.com/ - Halo 3 Homepage
• http://www.halo3.com/comic/ - Halo 3: The Cradle Of Life
• http://206.16.223.63/ (SOTA webpage)
• http://206.16.223.61/E5h2JK/flash/web/index.html - Server 05 (Listed as Server 1 on halo3.com)
• http://206.16.223.61/Ce1EOnJ/flash/web/index.html - Episode 2
• http://206.16.223.61/6GgH8nZ/flash/web/index.html - Episode 3
• http://206.16.223.61/s17bqp/flash/web/index.html - Episode 4
• http://206.16.223.61/X84xE2/flash/web/index.html - Episode 5
• http://206.16.223.65/90GH7j/FileDownload.aspx - Transmission 061607
• http://halo.wikibruce.com/images/9/9d/FCC_Conference_Full.mp3 - Entire Phone Conversation (Flood Containment Control)
• http://awards.sf.akqa.com/creative/2007/halo3/iris/shell.html - Full Overview of the Iris Campaign
• http://www.microsoft.com/games/halo3/flash/monitor.swf

テンプレート:IrisEpisodes