SECRETS FROM RAGNAR'S BLOG
Ragnar Tornquist, creator of TSW, occasionally posts new clues and hints on his blog, riddles wrapped in enigmas dipped in mystery and served with gods-know-what. What follows is a chronological summary of key hints and information from the man himself:
May 11 2007 - How deep is the rabbit hole?
The story for this game [TSW] is deep, people, and there's going to be tons of stuff to mull over in the months and years to come - both before and after launch.
September 6 2007 - A possible TSW beastie is revealed:
Has a Mythical Beast Turned Up in Texas?: El Chupacabre! To be honest, it just looks like a weird dog to me - but then again I'm rarely one to employ logic and good reason in the face of exciting cryptozoological finds, so let's just play along. This stuff would be perfect fodder for some kind of game set in the real world and featuring mythological beasties. Hmm� (Scratches chin and gazes into the air.)
September 23 2007 - Ragnar writes:
The writing team - myself included - is working hard on a number of wiki articles, most importantly the high-level designs for most of the game's major locations, all of which are positively laden with stories and characters; far surpassing, I believe, any online game thus far� The Secret World will be a treasure trove for those of you who love to dig deep into intriguing characters, ancient history, myths and legends, adventurous quests, and occult lore. There should be enough of that to keep players busy for years and years�in addition to all the other cool things we've got up our long and wide sleeves.
Ragnar also links to a news story investigating eyewitness sightings of Bigfoot.
September 24 2007 - Kicking up a storm:
It seems that yesterday's update kicked up a � storm � on the message boards - which, to be honest, was my intention from the start. Keep in mind, however, that while everything I linked to has some sort of significance, it doesn't mean there's any cryptic puzzle to be deciphered or hidden messages to be found (footnote: in other words, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar). Cryptic puzzles and hidden messages are for those crackpot conspiracy nuts who decided to mess with our first reveal back in May. We don't have anything to do with 'A friend' or 'Avenine Belmont' - nothing at all. Not that you kids ever listen to me�but you've been warned.
September 30 2007 - Ragnar answers TSW questions:
There's some real writing to be done (the kind I get paid to do, not the freebie kind) with words like 'antediluvian', 'ancient', and 'Gaia'. (You'll know what that means�some day.) ... I'll wrap up the week with some questions from 'our readers', starting with this one:
"I was wondering, will The Secret World be a story heavy game or a combat heavy one?"
None of that either/or stuff: it's going to be both. If you want to focus on the story, you can do that (although you'll still need to fight beasties; always with the beasties). And if you want the action without the story, you can have that, too. We're not excluding anyone. (But you'd be very, very silly to ignore the story, because it's going to be a gigantic amount of fun. Also, there will be beasties in the story, too.)
"What's up with the timer? Please tell us that not the expected release date."
It's not the expected release date. Happy?
September 29 2007 - Ragnar gives TDG a well-deserved plug:
TDH - Science, Magick, Myth and History: While wacky 9/11 conspiracy plots and tales of alien abduction give me a rash, (The) Daily Grail collects all the wonderfully weird - and often very thought-provoking - stories that litter the net, serious and not-so-serious, covering everything and anything from �proper' science to weird science, from biology to cryptozoology, mixed with current events, history (both real and, um, imagined), conspiracy theories, New Age occultism - and everything in-between. I check in a couple of times a week, just to see if I've missed anything�and hopefully also to be inspired. Keep it up, guys: I'll never find all these stories by myself.
October 1 2007 - Ragnar loves October:
October is, as a matter of fact, my favourite month; not just that - and partly because of that - October is also a very important month for The Secret World. I'm not saying this October, mind you, but October in general. (And no, I'm not talking about a release date.) In observation of the year's moodiest - and most scariest - month, here's all the (October) trivia you'll ever need (not really, but it's a start). We'll get back to October somewhere down the road. In more ways than one.
October 9 2007 - New TSW concept art is seen, and Ragnar desperately tries to cover it up...but the cat is out of the bag:
F**k, you guys are fast.
No, sorry, it's not a clue, it carries no embedded message, it has no special significance nor is it part of any major new reveal. This was, embarrassingly enough, an honest slip-up, part of a test for a new banner (I've grown weary with the one I have), but not actually the banner I was planning on using. A bold experiment gone terribly wrong, like a Frankenbanner, or that movie where they created a really hot chick using computers and stuff�except not as good.
It's a bit late to save the day now, so hopefully we can keep it to ourselves and no one will notice.
Oops. Too late.
Damn.
October 31 2007 - Ragnar trick or treats:
We're using the opportunity - 31st of October, etc - to do some proper research into the appropriately creepy atmosphere for our upcoming MMO extravaganza, and we'll be checking out (scenes from) three classic Japanese horror movies this afternoon: Ju-on, Dark Water, and Kairo - all of which have been remade, Hollywood style. These are the originals, however, and hopefully the creepy-crawlies will rub off on the game itself.
November 26 2007 - Ragnar answers a fan's question by saying that a Dreamfall film adaptation is intriguing, but highly unlikely. However:
The Secret World, on the other hand, I'd be surprised if something didn't happen there sooner or later. Film and TV adaptations are definitely part of the whole strategy for that universe.
On December 8, Ragnar posted a new blog entry that has TSW fans drooling. Two weeks from this blog entry, Ragnar will be presenting about twenty minutes (due to time constraints, not because that's all they have to show) of "live, never-before-seen multiplayer gameplay" at Funcom's biannual company product presentation, where employees get to see what everyone else has been working on for the past six months. The Secret World devs will show off their game to about two hundred Funcom employees all of whom are sworn to secrecy. Ragnar also has some "other awesomely cool kick-ass stuff" that he can't say anything about.
In addition to this news, Ragnar also gave us three words to ponder: Nableikr, Angell, and Solomon.
Because of PR and marketing priorities, that's all we'll officially be getting for a while. The shroud of secrecy won't be lifted from TSW until after Age of Conan is launched in March 2008. However, Ragnar says, "I'm not saying there will be total silence, as conspiracies tend to have a life of their own, and, as some of you know, the game appears to have stirred up some controversy in certain circles. Make of that what you wish."
Ragnar will return with updates before the TSW presentation deadline, which could be any minute now�
Return to the beginning of the timeline
Quick Clue Navigation:
The First Clue: THE POEM
The Second Clue: CITIES & SYMBOLS
The Third Clue: A FRIEND'S WELCOME
The Fourth Clue: TIBETAN SHERPAS
The Fifth Clue: FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
The Sixth Clue: PRECISION AND VIGILANCE
The Seventh Clue: AU REVOIR
The Eighth Clue: THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY
The Secret Blog: SECRETS FROM RAGNAR'S BLOG
