I Love Bees

a quick start guide.

So, you've discovered ilovebees.com and are wondering what the heck is going on. You are not alone and, frankly, we can't really tell you much. However, we can help you get caught up with what we do know. This document is not designed to give you all the answers. It should, however, answer a few of your basic questions and point you to resources to learn more.

First of all, this is what some call an Alternate Reality Game. It's a game that you can play by yourself but you'll have far more fun working with a group of others. The first and only rule of ARGs is that there are no rules and it's not just a game. It is an experience and one that you won't regret getting involved in! Best of all... it's free! (see ARGN and Unfiction for more information on these types of games)

What you really want to know is the who, what, when, and where of it all (with a few extra tips thrown in).

Who?

Who is behind all of this?

We don't really know, but all signs point to Microsoft (xbox) and Bungie (Halo), which is great news as they both have great experience in these types of things. The big clue to this is that www.ilovebees.com replaced www.xbox.com on the Halo2 theatrical trailer. For more information on their past promotions, check out Cloudmakers and the Cortana Letters.

 

Who are the main characters?

Right now, we know of Dana, Aunt Margaret, and some entity known as the Operator.

Aunt Margaret is a bee keeper in Napa Valley and has a website (http://www.ilovebees.com) that has some sort of craziness going on. Dana created the website for her, but doesn't quite know what to do about the craziness. She created a blog (http://ilovebees.blogspot.com) to record what was happening. Apparently the craziness is created by someone/something called the Operator. Feel free to email them and give them a call. I'll leave it up to you to get their email addresses off their websites. If you're curious enough, you can also find a phone number (you'll get an answering machine).

 

Who can help Dana?

Anyone. Everyone. You!

 

What?

What exactly is this, I don't understand?

You aren't alone! This type of experience is new to many (most) of the others you'll see on the forums and in chat. It's a new type of game called an ARG and it's a real blast to be a part of. This one, in particular, looks to be promotional... but don't expect to be inundated with ads. Instead, you'll uncover a story through websites, emails, and who knows what else. Think of it as a new form of story telling that requires you to do more than just read... you need to explore and uncover things in order to create the story. There will be some puzzles and interaction to help you do that. In addition, you can work with a group of other people all as frustrated and excited as you are.

 

What can I do to get involved?

Explore the websites, send an email to Dana, read the forums, talk in chat.

You can get as involved as you like, but you tend to get out of this type of thing what you put into it.

 

What should I expect?

Expect the unexpected! This is a game that plays you as much as you play it. Wait, I take that back... this is not a game, it's an experience.

 

When?

When did this all start?

Several people received a strange Fed Ex package containing honey on or around July 17th. A couple days later, people began to notice the ilovebees.com/xbox.com switch in the theatrical trailer for Halo2.

 

When will more stuff happen?

It looks like something big is going to happen on July 27th and on August 10th.

 

Where?

Where is this bees site that I keep hearing about?

Check out ilovebees.com! Scary, no?

 

Where can I find more information?

Check out the forums at unfiction.com. They're filled withloads of information on this as well as previous experiences. To dig deeper into the history of Alternate Reality Gaming, check out theARGN and Unfiction websites.

 

A few more tips & tricks...

Trout! If you spend any time at unfiction or in chat, you will come across this strange saying. It's basically a quick and easy way of saying "we already know this, thanks." You can avoid being hit with it by searching the forums before you post. This is very important as you'll come to value the high signal to noise ratio... cut down on the noise and throw out a signal!

Trout! Again because it needs to be repeated... SEARCH the forums before posting! We want to read your post, but it's very likely that something similar has been posted before. Searching will help you to find the right topic to post under and will reduce the likelihood that your post will be locked or trouted.

Chat There is a chat room set up on IRC. You can connect via a java at unfiction and cgi at Martha's Boarding House. If you have an IRC client (mIRC is great for windows users), you can connect to irc.chat-solutions.com #beekeepers. If you haven't been in the chat room before, it's sometimes best to sit back and watch for a few minutes to get a feel for the pace and conversation. If you're new to IRC and want a bit more information, check out newircusers.com.

A bunch of links:
Unfiction Forums: a forum used to playing these sorts of things, loads of info
Bee Wiki: a group collaboration of the info we have so far, a great browse
Bee Log: a sort of moderated list showing only the major updates (no spec only facts)
Bee Quicklinks: A great tool for your browser that links to all the sites
Letter to Halo Fans: A great explanation that I really wanted to just cut and paste into this... read it, it'll help!
ARGN: Alternate Reality Gaming Network - find out more about the genre
Unfiction: the home of the forums is also filled with lots of great info on the genre