+Andrew Davie Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 How hard should easter eggs be to find? How long should an easter egg be kept secret by the programmers until revealed? If ever. What should an easter egg BE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Hard to find but not improbable to the point of bordering on impossible to find over time. Keep it to yourself as long as you like. Perhaps let it loose after 10 years if not found but you want people to see it. The Egg can be whatever the heck you want it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Spriggy Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 How are Easter Eggs usually found? By someone just smashing the game to the point were they stumble upon it, or by looking into the code itself? I personally don't know. The answer could help decide on your path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmavision2000 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 (edited) An easter egg should be something that feels rewarding when you find it, so it should be well hidden and it should be almost a rumor. I would never fully reveal an easter egg, I would leave cryptic hints every now and then, and people can put two and two together. Like Shawn said, easter eggs can be anything you want it to be. From a cheeky reference to an unused music track, anything can be an easter egg. Just my opinion. Edited September 23, 2019 by Magmavision2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nukey Shay Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Uncovering a well-hidden secret sure makes news around here...so keep it to yourself if you programmed it. As long as the game still exists, somebody is bound to get it by accident eventually (when unaware that something is buried in there), or purposely (when knowing that something undiscovered IS hidden in there). What it should "be" is something at least out of the ordinary...so that the "how the heck did THAT happen?" reaction is in full swing. Preferably make it less annoying than the one in Yars' Revenge. Game-wrecking eggs are often followed by games people give up on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 If you replace "plans" by "easter egg" this is my thinking on that issue... Quote “But the plans were on display…” “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.” “That’s the display department.” “With a flashlight.” “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.” “So had the stairs.” “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?” “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.” the point: maybe you can make it too hard to find, so what's the point of having it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NostAlgae37 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 7 hours ago, Andrew Davie said: How hard should easter eggs be to find? How long should an easter egg be kept secret by the programmers until revealed? If ever. What should an easter egg BE? Is this about Boulder Dash or Sokoboo? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 Just now, NostAlgae37 said: Is this about Boulder Dash or Sokoboo? Is that an exclusive-or? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NostAlgae37 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 1 minute ago, NostAlgae37 said: Well, if I answered "Yes".... that doesn't really help you much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+McCallister Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Interesting topic. 1) If we're talking through gameplay, it should be hard enough to find that not just anyone can find it, but simple enough that when found, it's seems like anyone could. The recently solved Haunted Adventure Trilogy Ultimate Easter egg comes to mind. If it's a more mechanical Easter egg, I think it should be even more reasonable to find or some sort of hint provided. The paddle game Easter egg on the Flashback 2 makes sense, but only after you know about it. 2) I think it should remain hidden until a player finds it. A good chunk of my interest in homebrews is searching for long lost Easter eggs. It's another reason to pop in an older homebrew; to see if you can solve that last mystery. I bought a couple games from the store for the sole purpose of searching for an Easter egg that remained hidden long after they had been released; Haunted Adventure Trilogy comes to mind. 3) The most fun Easter eggs are hidden games, followed by hidden enhancements to the game, found through playing in a slightly different manner. Pitfall II on the 5200 is a good hybrid example. Though not through gameplay, the one for the 2005 mini game multicart was great. It's a hidden game, you could stumble upon it by accident and might not even realize it, and clues were provided in the form of a poem and in the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Andrew Davie Posted September 23, 2019 Author Share Posted September 23, 2019 1 minute ago, McCallister said: 2) I think it should remain hidden until a player finds it. A good chunk of my interest in homebrews is searching for long lost Easter eggs. It's another reason to pop in an older homebrew; to see if you can solve that last mystery. I bought a couple games from the store for the sole purpose of searching for an Easter egg that remained hidden long after they had been released; Haunted Adventure Trilogy comes to mind. There's a difference between knowing one is there, but not how to get it, and not knowing if one is there at all. I think you wouldn't pop in an older homebrew to find an easter egg... if you didn't KNOW there was one there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+McCallister Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 Just now, Andrew Davie said: There's a difference between knowing one is there, but not how to get it, and not knowing if one is there at all. I think you wouldn't pop in an older homebrew to find an easter egg... if you didn't KNOW there was one there. True. I meant I would buy a homebrew that maybe I passed over once I knew there was an Easter egg there that had not been found. Haunted Adventure Trilogy comes to mind. Well, mostly true. At one time, I bought and searched for an egg in Elevators Amiss because I thought there might be one there, with no mention of it ever having one by the programmer. Probably doesn't have one, but that didn't stop me from checking. Could it not be fun for the programmer to put in an egg and never say anything about it? Just to see if anyone can find it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NostAlgae37 Posted September 23, 2019 Share Posted September 23, 2019 39 minutes ago, Andrew Davie said: Well, if I answered "Yes".... that doesn't really help you much. The emojis were meant to express a mixture of bemusement, surprise, excitement, and approval. So we're all covered, you don't need to disclose anything further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBeefy Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Wasn't Haunted Trilogy crazy stupid though? I found the T:ME Salvo one on accident/purpose. And the Granny one in Stella's Stocking. The first one anyone can do easily and would be during normal gameplay. Stella's Granny one is easy if you know it or know the hints. Otherwise I don't think it would have been found on normal gameplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davyK Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) I remember finding the Wave 25 Easter Egg in Defender and the feeling was amazing. Thought I was the only person who knew about it!!!!! This was the 80s remember - no internet. Edited September 27, 2019 by davyK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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