Notpron
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| This is not pron | |
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| Developer(s) | David Münnich |
| Publisher(s) | David Münnich |
| Designer(s) | David Münnich, Helena van Ipenburg |
| Release date(s) | July 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Online puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Media | Internet |
| System requirements | an Internet browser with Javascript support |
Notpron is an online puzzle, a relatively new genre of browser-based game that involves solving puzzles from clues on the page to reach the next level.
Notpron's website states it has had over 10,000,000 visitors so far, which makes it one of the most popular online puzzles[citation needed]. It was started in July 2004 by David Münnich, from Saarbrücken, Germany, when he was 22 years old.
The game's success is attributed to that it blurs the boundaries between typical digital games and more traditional challenges such as brain teasers, logic riddles, spot the difference pictures, crosswords and other riddles and puzzles. Some digital games – like Myst – contain puzzles similar to those in Notpron and other online puzzles.
Because many levels of the game require knowledge or performing research on various topics, especially computers (viewing a page's source code is necessary to solve some levels), Notpron can be seen, in a way, as an educational game. Many people have commented that Notpron taught them a lot of things about computers.
Notpron also has an active community, mainly on the IRC channel and the official forum, where the Notpronners (as they call themselves) can give each other hints on how to solve different levels and discuss other topics related to the game.
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[edit] History
When David Münnich created the riddle in July 2004, there were only 5 levels. During one year he published new levels continuously (about 2 or 3 levels each week) until he stopped in July 2005. The whole game now consists of 139 levels, and Münnich made it clear that there will be no more levels[citation needed].
Notpron has had over ten million visitors already – but, as of December 2006, only 114 of them have solved all the 139 Levels.
In May 2006, David Münnich designed a certificate for the people who did finish the game. It states that the certificate's owner solved Notpron, and is said to have competence in "sound editing, graphic editing, musical understanding, html-programming, rapid learning of new programs, efficient online research techniques and insight into the complex workings of a computer".
[edit] How to play
[edit] Example levels
[edit] Level 1
The first level of Notpron. The web page consists of a picture with the level number, and a sound loop playing in the background. The game's difficulty increases with each level. The first level is very easy; simply clicking on the door will take the user to level 2.
[edit] Level 2
However, the game quickly becomes more complicated. Level 2 announces: "Try all (except cheating) to get to the next screen, no matter what. It's no point and click thing!" In this level, clicking on the door, like on the previous level, prompts a popup window that reads: "The door is closed. Trick it or reach LEVEL3 in a different way! (Address?)". The hand that points to the browser's address field is a hint; the html file is named "level2.htm". The solution is to change the filename in the browser address field to "level3.htm", the location of level 3. The second method is to simply hold the mouse cursor over the knob, and when the box comes up, press the space key. The door can then be opened by clicking on it.
[edit] Level 3
This level is, again, more difficult than the previous. The picture is an animated GIF with the flashing text "Stop being so negative!", and the title of the page is "Turn me ON!". Looking at the address field reveals that the URL contains the word "false". Changing it to "true" unlocks the next level.
[edit] Level 4
Level 4 introduces some new features. There is a Google bar beneath the picture, along with the text, "All levels with a google bar potentially require googling. So use the built in google". It also involves a new method of inputting the answer. The user is asked to enter two words in a username/password-window which is prompted by clicking on the alarm clock in the picture. The page's title is "Look in the dark..." and the username/password window is titled "LightThisPlace". The implication is that the user must brighten the dark part of the image. One way is to change screen brightness, another is to save the picture and brighten it in a picture editing program, like Photoshop, Picasa, GIMP or a similar program. The brightened image reveals a message in Morse code, and the player must use the Google bar to find something with which to decipher this message.
[edit] Methods of solving
David Münnich points out that Notpron requires computer literacy, but that users also learn a lot by playing the game. As stated above, getting to the next level involves finding a hidden word to be entered in the browser's address bar (or, in some cases, a username and password combination). The ways to find these words are never the same. This is perhaps the essence of the game: there is no rule on how to find the secret word.
In various levels, the answer can be found in the picture or in the background sound; it can be revealed by editing the image in some way, such as brightening or magnifying it, or even by playing the background music backwards or by accelerating it. To do these things, the user needs the tools and the skill to manipulate digital pictures and sounds, using software like GIMP or Audacity. All the needed tools can be acquired for free on the Internet.
The source code (HTML code) of the web page often hides a clue to the solution. To find these clues, one has to know how to access the source code and to have a basic understanding of HTML.
Googling is often necessary to solve a level. The hint could, for instance, be a date and the secret word what happened on that date. For example, the hint could be the day Isaac Newton was born and the word to be entered in the address field would be "newton.htm".
[edit] Getting help
It is always possible, when stuck, to get help from others. This is a widely discussed issue in the Notpron community. There is a thread for each level in the associated forums; in these threads the community members give each other "hints" for the solution to that level. The forum moderators are constantly watching over this and drawing the line between "hints" and "spoilers", with the purpose to remove the latter.
Getting help can sometimes feel a bit intimidating. Sometimes the hints that the moderators supply are just as cryptic as the puzzle itself.
[edit] Word of the creator
About the learning curve, Münnich has said:
| Well, It's my job to slowly drag up people, teach them new "skills" in a subtle way. Perfect would be a dumb nut joining Level 1, slowly going up to 80, without any help, because he slowly learns enough, but on the other hand it would be boring again if everybody could beat it. The fact that only few can get through sort of makes the riddle interesting and mysterious in my opinion. | ||
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—Quote from David Münnich's Book "NOTPRON Behind the scenes", Version 1.1 Mar. 2005, page 14. |
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[edit] Designers
The 139 level ideas come from many different people. Most come from David Münnich, and quite a lot by Helena van Ipenburg. The rest can be seen here. The pictures and music are created by David Münnich.
