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Badge Drop #4: THE PRIZES ARE COMING, THE PRIZES ARE COMING!

by Sara W




Oh, hey, game players. What's up? Aw, thanks, I'm pretty good. Actually... I could use your help if you've got a minute. I'm carrying ALL.THESE.BADGES. And I'd hate to DROP THEM.



KERRRRSPLOOOOOOONK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Oh no!!! It's a badge-tastrophe!!!!! Well, now I really need some help. Some help COLLECTING ALL THESE BADGES!!! And who better to tackle this TREMENDOUS task then you, you gaming game players, you! Because these are not just any badges. They are the Muppetiest, Steveniest, National Parkiest, other miscellaneous-thingiest badges we've dropped all summer! We're dropping the first round of Contributor badges. We're introducing a brand new badge series, called Ann Arbor Stories which you will earn by listening to a podcast called, wait for it, ANN ARBOR STORIES. That's right. We can't be stopped!


2016 Badge Drop #4
echo theme_summergame_badge(1198, 1199, 1200, 1201, 1202, 1209, 1197, 1212, 1196, 1203, 1207, 1211, 1205, 1204, 1208, 1213, 1214, 1210);
?>




It's badge drop #4, but who's counting? Oh, you are? Like, as closely as you are counting your points? Well, do you know what you're going to do with all those glorious points? ...Because I may have forgotten to mention that it's SUMMER GAME SHOP WEEK!!!!!!



That's right - the SUMMER GAME SHOP IS NOW OPEN!




Tell your mom! Tell your friends! Tell your cousin! Tell your barber! He'll be like, stop squirming around, kid. And you'll be like, I can't! I have to TELL EVERYONE! THE SUMMER GAME SHOP RIDES AGAIN!!!




So gear up to spend you some points - we've got another amazing, a-crazing selection of bonkers delights! A CUBE that tells TIME! A GLASS made of WONDER! A KITE for your POCKET! And new items coming with EVERY BADGE DROP THROUGH MID-AUGUST! WOW!



So go forth, Summer Gamers and game on! Oh, and might I also just say...




THANKS FOR PLAYING!

P.S. If you want a SNEAK PEEK at some of the forthcoming summer game shop PRIZES visit the DOWNTOWN youth department and look for the DISPLAY case!


Comments

So exciting! Now to work on getting BEAR HANDS so I can use the cool cooking and eating related tools! :)

I like the addition of the podcast. However, despite the sound effect, it is hard to know which words are required/when to stop especially if the sentence doesn't naturally end there. . The hint should say how many words are needed. I can't get the last one and I tried many strings of words starting with s**d.

LUDICROUS PLAID!

You are making me laugh so much. I look forward to the item descriptions more than the items themselves.

Question: Are there plans to have no bundles towards the end like last year? Should we save up or pick things out as we can and when they are available?

(That said, I'm getting a minikite ASAP!)

Hang on, there doesn't seem to be a Steven Universe badge this week. I am SO DISAPPOINTED.

I'm gonna go watch Crying Breakfast Friends.

So excited for the shop opening! I can't wait to see the cassette tape bag that I saw at the library show up :D

@ Sara W GM
I tried the amount. Two words written without a space. No good with or without the label at the end. Not sure what I'm missing.

No worries Fevvers, Believe in Steven! Still two more badges in production tonight that didn't make the post. Also, there will not be packages this year, but there will be new items in the shop every friday with many exciting things old and new yet to come!

Just trying to finish the Lets have a blast badge. I am pretty
Sure I have the right code. I enter it and it accepts it but
doesn't award me the badge.

We had a bug in the It's a Blast Badge, it's fixed now. The badge should award upon your next scoring action once you have all 6 codes! Thanks for your patience!

By the way, it is not actually necessary to delete spaces. The codes work even if you include spaces; they just get stripped out and correctly entered. I don't know why there are always warnings to delete the spaces. This is true this year and also was the case in previous years.

I love the Ann Arbor Stories badge, but, only one of the codes I heard worked. Maybe I'm not spelling things correctly. Is anyone else having trouble?

I am also having trouble on the Ann Arbor STORIES badges. I haven't gotten any of the codes for that series yet.

Correction: Stories

There is a glitch when you order stuff from the shop. You can set the pick up location as the West Branch.

Lbootzin - try just the number. not the words - the numerals only.

:-)

Well never mind actually, I just realized that that redeemed some random 2014 code and not the code for this clue. So I'm as confused as you are! There are only so many ways to write that amount. ha!

Back again - got it! leave a space between the two words o** ******d

no idea why that worked and having them together didn't, but hope that helps.

@Wolfe.lindsey thanks. It didn't occur to me to put in the space since they seem to be highly discouraged elsewhere.

@sara
It was kinda tricky. All the answers are two words, if that helps. If I wasn't sure on spelling I threw it into google. It probably took me 3 or 4 tries for each code because I didn't know how many words or exactly which ones to use.

@lbootzin @sara and others - we had an error in the Ann Arbor Stories badge that was preventing the final code from getting redeemed - this has been corrected and it's now working. Spaces don't matter - they aren't necessary but if you use them, they'll just be stripped out. Updated the hints too in order to point a little more clearly to the word or phrase we're looking for. This is the first time for an audio badge in the Summer Game, thanks for helping us work out the bugs!

@GuerrieroAdam the explorer badges are some of my favorites! My three pieces of advice for exploring the city are to read carefully a couple times every time you move to the next clue/paragraph, go in order (especially at the Arb!), and investigate anything in your path that looks like it has potential.

@Sara W GM, now I'm curious what the new hints are. But I basically used brute force earlier until I got them all and now I can't see the hints. Oh well.

To all the summer gamer's out there,
I am working on the Welcome to Jupiter badge and I need help finding the second code word. I think I have the anwser they are looking for but when I plug it into the catlouge I get hundreds of anwsers to filter through. I am a hoping that some of you gamer's out there can help me out with some more clues as where I can find the second codeword.
Thanks for the help
Lmd3577

@Eli GM
Thanks for the info on the shop stocking! Knowing ahead of time that the no-packages plan is going to be in effect this year is helpful.

And hurrah for more Steven Universe badges to come! Eagerly awaiting a Square Mom badge. :)

Ann Arbor Stories Badge

Got it, knowing that the clues are two words helped. Will the clues in the future be two words as well? Spelling was a problem- I tried to use the old news link, but it didn't work. Then I searched old news for " meteorite" to read the articles and check the spelling.

I'm so glad you made this badge so that everyone is aware of this podcast. They are very well done. Thanks!

Let's have a blast badge

Won't recognize last code when typed in.

I love the podcast badge! Thanks for introducing me to Ann Arbor Stories, I'll be sure to give all the other podcasts a listen when I have time. :)

I can't figure out exactly what I am supposed to search for on the final clue of Where Could D.B. Is the "where" a city, or a more specific location, is the "what" m***y or b***s? I have tried every combination I can think of, and cannot figure it out. Even with the hints.

@Lmd3577 the one tricky thing I found about this badge is several of the answers have a number in their name like Apollo 1, but the code for some didn't include the number and others did, so try both ways when searching. All the codes came up within top 10 results.

@Funnysox - the "where" is the thing that "the Columbia" is, and the "what" is a term for what hijackers' demands are called. It's a tricky one, so you can also search the capitalized word in the hint as an author or just as a keyword in the catalog. Good luck!

Just an FYI if you're doing the "Walkabout the Arboretum" badge.

You're supposed to park at the Washington Heights lot, but there is major road work on Observatory, and the road is closed, so you can't get in.

We parked down by the river, walked up to the peony garden to begin the badge, then back down, then up. So, it was a little bit of extra walking.

Still got the badge, though. :-)

how do you get the ann arbor stories podcast code I listened to the podcast but i did not get it

Where Could D.B.?

Is the code for the second clue missing? Pretty sure I've got the right name, but can't find the code.

@palanijr Don't forget to enter the codes - there are 4 and they are indicated by a special sound effect that they explain at the start of the podcast. Use the badge hints for extra help!

@sara - Nope, second clue is in there. You are looking for the first name that Cooper gave when he bought his ticket, and you may have to search the web for that info. Search the name in the catalog and find the code in something "blu."

The last clue of the podcast is looking for the dollar amount and it is looking for two words. They want the number spelled out.

new to the games this year - does anyone recall how many (approx) points were needed to get a coffee bundle? Hopefully some kind of java will appear again in the shop!

The third clue for Shere's Swagger is a little misleading since there is another team not too far away that uses the specific name for the animal (as opposed to the general name). I'm probably being a little overcritical here, but I thought I would mention it since I needed the hint to solve it.

to all the summer gamer's out there,
I am working on the Behind Bars badge right now and I need help finding the very last code word. I have googled up the correct anwser and I have pluged it into the catalouge to no avail. I am hoping that some of you gamer's out there can help me with some more clues to help me find the final code word for this badge.
Thanks for the help
Lmd3577

To all the summer gamer's out there,
I am working on the Yearbook of Yore badge right now and I need help finding the third code word. I have googled up what I think is the anwser to the third code word to no avail. I am hoping that some of you gamer's out there could help me with some more clues as where to find the third code word.
Thanks so much for the help
Lmd 3577

Hi SBNB --
If I catch your drift I'll just say that Cincinnati is not 'local.' :) Unless there's another team you're thinking of?

Oh yeah, THERE'S the next Steven Universe badge! And it is MADE OF LOVE. Garnet is my idol.

Thanks for the great items (and the hysterical descriptions) in the Game Shop. Have been waiting all year to get a new blanket- and you did not disappoint. Ordered my cool 'blanket with a handle' already!

@Sara W re: D.B. Cooper Badge

I had the correct name, but couldn't find the clue until I searched the first name plus blu (in case anyone else is having that difficulty.) Thanks for the help!

To the Summer Game Team -

I just finished the "Let's Have a Blast" badge and absolutely loved it! I'm fascinated with volcanoes and it was fun to learn about some others in the US besides just Yellowstone's caldera, Mt. St. Helens, & Kilauea. :)

~Step967

@ThomasBBrown - I'm behind too. I was away for the weekend of the 4th and a few days afterward and I wasn't online during that time so I hear ya! Gotta work extra hard to get caught up! Good luck. :)

~step967

@erin GM - No, I suppose Cincinnati isn't local. Regional, perhaps?

On another topic, the hints for Let's Have a Blast seem to be misaligned.

Very excited to see the summer game shop open. The messenger bag looks quite nice.

I am trying to get the 2nd code for the Ann Arbor Stories badge, but I can't seem to understand what the speaker is trying to say. Would it be okay if I sent a contact us to ask for help?

I love the summer game and appreciate how much work goes into. You guys do a great job! I am hoping the percentage of "walk about to get codes" badges will go up as we go on. It feels like there are mostly "sit on the couch with a screen in front of you" badges this year. I loved walking around town to look at transformer box art, check for LEGO dioramas, visit parks, museums and other libraries last year. You always take me to some new places! Thank you.

My just-recently-graduated PiHi senior used last year's AADL messenger bag to carry books around school. The strap ended up breaking part way through the year, and I even went out to buy heavy duty thread to repair it before I rememberd that I'd ordered TWO of the bags last summer. So we ended up swapping out the straps instead - much better 'repair.' Not sure if he plans to use it as his primary bag in college but it's certainly roomy enough for that purpose! I hope this year's bag is just as roomy.

I have to comment on the wonderful Yearbook of Yore badge -
too much knowledge can trip you up here.

For the first clue, the bird species used to be the oldest known, but no longer is.

and

For the fourth clue, the "hometown" to search in the catalog is not actually a town (or, as the clue suggests, a city.) Less precise geographic information will serve you much better here.

Thank you, AADL, for all the Dino badges!

I'm having trouble finding the second code of the Lets Have a Blast badge. Any hints? Thanks!

Behind Bars Badge - last code

I have tried so many combinations of words which may not even be appropriate for children....nothing seems to work. Any hints on how to get the last code?

I need help with Welcome to Jupiter 2nd code I think its V******d 1 but I could not find the code can someone please help

Thank you @Funnysox and @Sara W GM for helping with the last clue for the D.B. badge. That was another very annoying one to complete. Is the creator deliberately trying to make it frustrating by allowing for many different search possibilities without any direction as to which word/set of words will actually get you what you need (the second, third, and last were all like this)? Also, the capitalized words in clues and hints were generally unhelpful. I have a feeling the creator of this badge is out there somewhere with a smirk on his/her face, tapping the tips of his/her fingers together, getting ready to let out the evil "muwahaha" laugh.

@palanijr

You have to search without the number. I went through 30 search results before trying it that way.

@sharmas

For the 2nd code in the "Let's Have a Blast" badge, you're looking for the type of stone that was made. I suggest searching for the name of the National Monument and looking at the Wikipedia article. It tells you in the "Geography & Geology" section of the article. Then search for that word as a book and you should find your code. :)

Last code for Welcome to Jupiter: I've tried four different elements (one with two different spellings) and gone through oh so many search results and have found nothing. Can someone point me in the right direction?

@SBNB - I'm afraid I can't help you, as I am stuck on the same clue and was actually just about to post on here asking for help myself. I've spent quite a time hunting fruitlessly for this code; like you, I've tried several different elements, but have had no luck for any of them. I feel like the hint (referencing a certain genre of music) should be helpful, but I can't seem to catch what reference it is - if indeed it is a reference.
I'd welcome any tips anyone else may have for this code as well. :)

@ValerieL- Thanks so much! I finally figured out what the hint actually meant after I got the answer for that code. :)

Yaaaay! The Summer Game Shop is open! l hope they add the chocolate as an option to buy. (MAYBE977)

@sara

Searching the first name of character + last name of character + what kind of actor plays character "Willie" get you on the right road again.

@keebs23

Thank you for trying to help me. I'm stuck on so many badges... are you helping with the Break the Bank badge? I still don't understand. This is the clue I'm having trouble with:

Break the Bank

Sutton was what you might call the Ultimate Man of Style, and in the end, that's how they threw the Book at him. Since he was known for being a dapper dresser, the feds circulated his photo to tailors throughout Brooklyn, and it paid off. A clothing salesman recognized Willie from the photo and called in the tip leading to his arrest. Oh Willie, would it have killed you to just wear jeans?

@ sara right in the first sentence of the clue you will see several words that are capitalized. If you search for those words you should find what you're looking for!

@keebs23

Thanks! I thought about that music group, but didn't think of that element because nowhere in any of the articles on any of the websites in any of the internet did I see that particular element mentioned.

@keebs23 - Thank you so much for the hint! @SBNB said, I was confused because I hadn't found any mention of the element in question while searching the Internet. With your additional tip, though, I found the code and won the badge. :) Thanks again!

- FAVORITE496

@sara - Sorry for the confusion! I was responding to your post about the Behind Bars Badge.

Like another commenter said, a capitalized phrase in the middle of a sentence is often the title of something.

To all the summer gamer's out there,
I am working on the Where Can D.B. badge and I need helping the very last code word. I have googled what I think is the anwser and I go to plug the anwser in the cataloge to no avail. I am hoping that some of you gamers out there can help me with some more clues as to where I can find the very last code word.
Thanks so much for the help.
Lmd3577

Thanks for the clue on the Last clue for the Behind Bars badge. The Clue is a little misleading in that I thought I had to fine the name plus D---. But you were right stick with the simple word M--

@Lmd3577

There are some extra hints about the last DB clue in the comments above. Basically, you don't want specifics. Search for two words in the catalog: r----- r----.

I get such a kick out of the badge clues themselves. They are clever and well-written and fun. Thanks for brightening my day.

you know what's really cool about this game? The serendipitous discovery of items I want to check out that I never would have even thought to search for. While working on Muppetology, I found two items that I requested. One I found accidentally when I didn't quite search for the right word and the other I had no idea such a book existed and am excited about it.

Just saw an article that there's going to be a special about DB Cooper on tv lol

@SBNB

Thanks for your hint about the final D.B. Cooper clue! I was being way too specific in my searches, you saved me!

I'm stuck on the 3rd code for the Where Could D.B.? badge. I've searched for all variations I can think of but am obviously missing something. Any additional hints would be appreciated!

@chrisp35

If you search the capitalized word in the clue (s-----), it should be right there. If you search that word and the capitalized word from the hint (D------, if I remember correctly), then you'll get only one result.

@AprilCDB - I do that too! I think I have four or five books checked out right now that I've stumbled across while looking for codes.

@sara - Glad to help! :)

To anyone:
I was downtown today getting birth certificates and I didn't see the code in any exterior window of the county clerk's office building, and I checked both sides. ???

Please bring on the out and about badges! :)

Last year I got the codes at the county building, but I had to go to the office inside the building. But I haven't done it this year. Hope you are able to sort it out.

@ SBNB According a staffer who walked over there today the SIGN is up and visible off of Ann Street - second window from the door. If you submit a 'contact us' we can pass on the gamecode so you don't have to make another trip.

@keebs23

Thanks for the hints on the last code of the Jupiter badge. The hint in the clue didn't really help me and like the others said, I couldn't find mention of that element in any of the articles I read about what it was researching. So thank you for saving me lots of frustration!

cool

I'm going back to do 2015 badges just for fun. I'm stuck on the 2nd code for the Power Up badge. I've tried everything I can think of, I can't find any obvious answers on Wiki pages. Even my Nintendo loving husband is stumped.

Any suggestions or hints from those who did this last year? Thanks!

I guess I should have posted sooner. FOUND IT! Silly me, I was over complicating it.

Friend Code: Maybe644

I don't see any badges for the branch codes ... is there a way to keep track of progress while we work our way around a branch or just keep count ourselves?

I was wondering the same thing as Buzz. I know last year at least when the badges showed up, it was easy to keep track. Can these badges show up sooner rather than later?

Hi all re: Branch Badges! Those badges will be dropping on Friday with this week's badge drop! But in general we make it easy because the numbers are the same: 10 branch codes each at Malletts Creek, Traverwood and Pittsfield. 15 Downtown!

@SBNB - Added your daughter's code. It was really considerate to specify that it hadn't been posted before. She (or anyone) can add me as well with STAR473 - which is NOT new as I got it last year. I have it in my user name, but I know not everyone can do that, so sharing the new codes here is good.

I hope she is enjoying the summer game!

Oh man, I shouldn't have done all the easiest badges first, because now I can't mix up the challenge levels throughout my playing time. At least another badge drop should help me with that pacing somewhat!
*rolls up sleeves*

@SBNB - Thank you so much! It was really helpful that you said that it had never been posted before, because then l knew that l hadn't entered it before. Once again, thank you!

MAYBE977

I having trouble finding the second code of the Welcome to Jupiter badge. I'm pretty sure the spacecraft is V******* 1 Any help? Thanks!

Edit: I found it :)

July 7 City Council Meeting

I, too, watched the meeting and missed the code. Did they show it without speaking about it? I admit I wasn't looking at the screen the entire time. I did learn a lot about what's going on in town, but... 3.5 hours of a meeting is exhausting. I don't know how the council members do it! I assume the code was before the break, but never heard it.

@sharmas

If you're still looking for the third code for the DB badge, the book the code is in should be right there if you search for the capitalized word in the clue (s-----) with the word from the hint (d------).

@sharmas, 3rd code in Where Could D.B.?: search for two words in the catalog, the first word is a word meaning back of a plane or ship and the 2nd word is capitalized in the clue, code is in the Top5 results

5 codes inside Briarwood with no clues where abouts they could be... THAT could be interesting and challenging!

@sharmas

Are you sure you spelled everything like they did in the clue/hint? Because I just did the search and if you use the two words (s----- d------), it's the 6th result (a book).

@AprilCDB and @SBNB

I copied the two words (S***** D******) from the clue/hint and it tells me that I have no matching results. I'm not sure what the problem is.

@AprilCDB

Regarding the Briarwood Mall badge, I agree with you. This sounds really exciting and fun. But I also bet it will be slightly hard to find the codes since the hints don't say exactly where to go. Can't wait! :)

"Hidden in plain sight" is your clue for BRIARWOOD - they are all very visible in the concourses of the mall - in this case we didn't want to hide them since we're also promoting the game! Have fun and help us spread the word!

@sharmas

You're looking for the third code from DB, right? The clue you have starts with "So after officials delivered his demands," right? I'm just trying to determine if we're all on the same page here because I'm looking at the third code in the catalog right now. It's definitely there.

If we are on the same page, the "d" word you've been searching is the first word in the name of a popular tv show. If you search the entire name of that tv show and limit the search to books, the book with the code is one of the first results.

@ sharmas, I don't think your searching for the right thing, a** s*****, when I search it's in top 5 of at least 100 results. The last sentence in the clue is what your looking for.

the where is the Columbia thing. Try using the capitalized word in the hint as your search keyword. Only then did I find it.

I have all the codes in for the Super Malletts Master, but the badge has not been awarded to me. I put them all in weeks ago. Is there some way to correct this. Do I need to reenter the last code?

@Funnysox

If you haven't received it by now, you should soon! We've had a script churning its way through every badge to see if it should be awarded. These days there are SO MANY players, SO MANY codes entered, and SO MANY badges someone could have gotten, it takes a long time to make it through them all. You know your ledger that keeps track of everything you do? Well everyone's ledgers combined is over 5.6 MILLION ledger rows! Keep checking back and you should see it soon!

-andrew

@www.com - Which code are you having trouble on? I've earned the badge, so I can look back and see if I can help if I know a bit more detail. Have you made any headway at all, or are you stuck at the very beginning? :)

- FAVORITE496

The Summer Game shop lists West Branch as a pickup option. Is West open yet or is this a mistake?

The West Branch is not open, but it will be open (if all goes as planned) into September/October when the shop will still be open and when players can still pick up prizes.

Thank you for running this game! I started playing to get my son involved, but now I've been having so much fun! I also love a lot of the codes--so punny ;)

@SBNB @AprilCDB

Thank you both so much!! I finally got it! I'm not sure how, but I never thought of the clue that way. I spent so much time on it, and I would've spent more if it weren't for your hints! Thanks again!! :)

@ sabana5 - Agreed. The puns and pop culture references wordplay in the codes themselves regularly crack me up.

The Summer Game staff should have a webcomic or something....

@Xris - Don't worry - I never get all the badges. And people are asking for hints or other help on these boards all the time. And, for me at least, some are just harder than others, regardless of their difficulty ratings.

I've found that experience also makes a difference. The first year I played I felt really lost. But as I got more familiar with the AADL website and read tips and hints from other players, I was able to achieve some badges more easily.

(It also makes a big difference that I have a lot of down time, and can spend it doing a lot of the websearch badges, as well as logging the daily points for reading, watching, or listening to something. Realizing I could count stuff that wasn't necessarily in the catalog was helpful in terms of just accumulating some points - having music or podcasts on, or a show while you do something else really adds up.)

(ETA: Yes, to any GM staff wondering, I really do listen to the Twin Peaks and Blade Runner soundtracks on a regular basis.)

The Briarwood codes are fun and not hard to find. They are kind of like the bus badges: promotion for the library so very large and easy to see.

I finally got around to trying the Ann Arbor Stories, and they are pretty fun. :)

I've really enjoyed the prizes this year for the summer games, they're quite cool.
-book447

Awesome

Thanks for having the sneak peek at prizes. It helped some people in my family decide what they really wanted to use their points on.

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