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Badge Drop #10: *STARSTRUCK*

by Sara W

Summer Game 2017 may have put STARS in your EYES, but stay tuned for some excitement from the STARS in the SKIES!



There's some AWESOME ASTRONOMY afoot on Monday, 8/21! The only thing that can eclipse the AWESOMENESS of the Summer Game is AN ACTUAL ECLIPSE!!! Join us at the Downtown Library on Monday, 8/21 from 1-3 pm for our SOLAR ECLIPSE VIEWING PARTY. There will be solar eclipse viewing glasses (the must-have accessory of the summer) available to share!



But BEFORE you look up, LOOK BELOW! Hey! BADGES!!!!


2017 Badge Drop #10
echo theme_summergame_badge(1504,1501,1502,1509,1507,1512,1506,1503,1511,1513,1505,1510,1508);
?>



Now think of a number. NO, another number. Did you think of 13? Well, think of it now. THIRTEEN!!!!!! It's important because....



THAT'S HOW MANY DAYS OF SUMMER GAME REMAIN! Just 13 more days of CODE HUNTING and POINT GATHERING, SG hunter-gatherers! Gotta get out there and FORAGE for FUN while there's still FUN to FORAGE!



Time's a-tickin'! Collect those codes! Create those comments! Procure those points! BADGE THOSE BADGES!



As always, THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!

Comments

Only 13 more days of SG bliss??? Oh no!!!!!!

{ Please feel free to add me as a friend -- my friend code is SWEET646 }

Just did the poison ivy badge as I am dealing with the itching of poison ivy on my arms. Badge came just a little late.

I'm having trouble finding two codes at the downtown branch for the branch explorer badge. Can anyone give me a hint where to look?

It's the first one and the eleventh one.

The first one's clue is "straight away to the straightaway!" What does this mean?

The eleventh clue is "learn how to stir a little spice into your nightly menu."

I assumed that one meant to look in the cookbook section. No luck. Should I look again? Usually the branch explorer codes are hidden in plain sight. Somehow, I missed these.

Thanks for any hints you can give me about these two clues. I'm stumped.

surfgrape Try going downstairs for the first clue. The other one I think is in the cookbooks.

I need help with this weeks badge Train Crashes. The Second Clue is write it all out as one big clue. I have tried every possible combination with no luck.

Just finished the last "Experation Date" badge. Must admit, I did not enjoy that series, but I still did all of them because, well, they're summer game badges.

Do we know if the last badge drop will only be masters badges, or if there will be things to solve?

Cinder:
I'm having the same issue on the second clue of Ann Arbor Stories. Train crashes.
TB

@cinderellariley and @Thomas B Brown - the second clue in Train Crashes is a three word phrase with a conjunction in the middle. Does that help? The hint has been updated.

@Cinderellariley @Thomas B Brown @Sara W GM -- I'm also having trouble with the second clue in Train Crashes (which actually occurs first in the story) -- the only conjunction near the sound is "and" and the two words on either side are not the clue. Help!

I'm having trouble with the first Expiration Date code. I've tried all types of possible answers that are scientific, and so on with NO luck... Any clues???

Having trouble with the third clue in Expiration Date, about the running start in German. I've spent about 20 minutes searching for starting positions and can't find any when adding "German" to the search terms. Thanks!

@gardenfaerie, look at how she prepared her running shoes, not a position. And when you find the german name you're looking for, don't include the umlaut in the code.

I'm also having trouble tithe the Train Crashes code. I've listened to that part of the story more then once so I know im playing with the right words, and I even checked my spelling (I always mess up if it's ei or ie). Getting frustrated, help!

@gardenfaerie - I'll bet you're looking for the same thing I did, which was the wrong thing. I won't admit to how much time I wasted on that. What you need is a little bit earlier in the story, what she perfected so she could do it without looking.

@emeloche and @Zekicmom-- thanks so much! I sure made that harder than it needed to be. I'm having trouble with a bunch of clues in this badge set!!!

@ssmyth, for the first code, first google something like "types of hallucinations" to find the kind he has, then enter that term into Google again for the scientific name. Ends with "phy".

@Zekicmom,what are the masters badges you mentioned? Are they obtained by completing a whole set of other badges? First time player, so I appreciate any guidance. I'm gunning for a golden bundle!
-TALL963

@surfgrape: for the straightaway clue, focus Low in the basement corridor ;)
-TALL963

@ferielp, in previous years the last badge drop would contain master badges that as you thought, would be awarded to anyone who finished all the badges in a series. It applied to pretty much everything - the Branch Explorers, Ann Arbor Stories, all the Search Badges, every category. I don't know for sure that they'll do it again, but it can be a big boost of points at the end.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the game so much. It's one of my favorite parts of summer.

I am also having incredibly frustrating difficulty with the second Train Crashes code. I have tried every combination using a conjunction with words near the special sound. Nothing is working and I've noticed that this badge has not yet been awarded to anyone. Something is wrong. Help!

And as always, THANK YOU AADL staff for doing this for us, making our summer this much better. Even if my children now refer to themselves as my "code slaves".

I'm also having lots of trouble with the Poison Ivy badge. How am I supposed to figure out what is the 1st and 11th pictures if they scramble them every time.

Hey to all those folks who struggled with the Train Crashes badge - we're so sorry for the confusion. Turns out there were audio editing errors in the podcast that didn't match up with the hints. It was too scrambled to try to untangle, so our apologies to the players. We've just removed it from the badge list. Still a great episode to listen to - not so great to try to interpret clues from. Sorry and thanks for making an attempt!

My self esteem is glad to know the problem wasn't with me, and thanks for putting us out of our misery. Is it safe to say that the train crashes badge crashed?

I need help with the first code of the Expiration Date badge 9. I've tried:
- CellEnlargement
- CellDivision
- Enlargement
- Division
- Hypotrophy
- Hypoplasia
- Cell

None of them worked. I'm out of ideas. Help please?

@Zekicmom: Thank you for the explanation! More's the pity that I cannot visit all the branches. Explorer, Goblin and now Master badges - so near and yet so far T_T
-TALL963

Also feeling similarly bemused by Expiration Date:Chapter 9 Code #1. What else could it be?!?

@ferielp I still have no idea. I've gotten the other 4 codes for badge #9 already. Literally the last code I need to finish the Expiration Date badge series. And I'm with @Zekicmom, I have not enjoyed it. It's supposed to be only ?? in difficultly, but since about badge 5, there's been one code on each badge that is definitely a ??? difficultly. So frustrating. And the story itself did not make up for it. I really liked the concept of this badge series, too bad it didn't execute well. Maybe next Summer they'll try again?

@jgerman and @ferielp, jgerman's fifth guess is the closest. Just switch the prefix from meaning sodium thiosulphate to meaning overly excited/worked up. :) I've not enjoyed the Expiration Date story or badge, either, but feel like I needed to finish the series. Guessing there's a chapter 10?

Help with the last clue in Fordlandia, please. I'm pretty sure the country is B----l, but I've been through the first 40 results and can't find the code. This set of badges has been the hardest for me!

For the 2 people who have figured out the All for Nautical badge, I cannot figure out the second clue. I've been looking on line for the history of ICS but no names are coming up.

@aunty, I can't even figure out the first code for All For Nautical. I deciphered the clue and it's not the code, then enetered about a dozen variations of flag signals, nautical sugnals, etc. and nothing. ?????

@gardenfaerie Thank you so much!

I found that technical term online, and I did wonder about it because I know "hypo" means going low. I couldn't figure how hypo meant to grow, but I got it from a study-for-the-exam site talking about the two ways organisms grow, so I figured it knew what it was talking about. Apparently not!

And no, there is not a chapter 10. The character from whose perspective and thought process the story is written is dead. Just another reason I don't like this author's writing. How convenient to not have to explain away the bizarre mess concocted up by having the focus character die! Ugh.

@gardenfaerie -- take that phrase you decoded and search it in the catalog.

I'm still working on finding the second clue, so that's as far as I can help for now :)

@emeloche -- thanks!!! For the second clue, google the second thing you decoded and the name POPs up, which you then plug into the catalog.

Re Poison Ivy Badge

The first link is just for your own edification (those photos scramble) the second link is the one you for the code (it doesn't scramble.)

I found the answer to the second clue (All for Nautical), but there are so many results I don't know what I'm looking for. Is it a book? CD? DVD?

@aunty

not sure what you searched. I got only 3 results for 2nd clue and 1 for 3rd clue. Use the hints with the badge. Enter only the last name to get 2nd code. Enter the three word phrase meaning for the single flag to get the 3rd code.

I'm trying to finish the All for Nautical badge and decoded the very long final clue, found the 1st historical event with the M***** and seems the 2nd would be the A****, but am getting no results with that. Any advice from the 11 who have finished it?
Thanks.

@aunty, I think you're having the same trouble I had and stopped before you got to the right name. Keep reading that wikipedia entry, and find who devised the code in 1800.

I've lived in some amazing library district, including ones that were voted top libraries in the country, but I have never seen anything to this level before. This is our first year playing this fantastic program and I hope to participate for many years to come. AADL is absolutely amazing!!

A third vote for being completely baffled by the final nautical clue here. I've tried the obvious name as a code and as a clue, along with its English translation, the person, and everything else mentioned in the relevant Wikipedia article, both as codes and as clues in the catalog. I also got pretty far into the catalog for results related to the event itself, as well as the greatest film about it (no, not the one named after the event). I'm completely and absolutely stumped, for what I think is the first time. Any help is appreciated, as apparently it's crackable by at least 11 brave souls!

I think the badges are cute and all, but aren't they a bit too much work for the actual payoff? I guess what I'm trying to say is that they should be worth more points when earned...!!

[ { One & all -- please add me as a friend! My friend code is: SWEET646 } ]

I keep checking back to see if anyone has given a hint to the last code for the nautical badge. I'm stuck at the same place as everyone else who has posted. I even tried searching for something that has nothing to do with flags, but a type of something that would come up if I googled only the word m_____. I have this terrible feeling that once I finally get it, it will be something that should have been obvious from the beginning. Another case of overthinking it?

Like @MeganH, @Zekicmom and others, I'm stuck on the last code of All For Nautical. I also tried the name of EVERY ship on the wikipedia page, both as codes and in the catalog, and nothing. And that's not even the worst thing. The worst thing is that the song Sailing by Christopher Cross is now stuck in my head. Spoiler: The canvas can't do miracles.

"The canvas can't do miracles?" Just you wait and see. Believe me!

But yes, I feel your pain, garden faerie. And now the sweet earworm of the NSYNC version of "Sailing" shall lull me to sleep.

For everyone stumped on the last nautical badge clue: I just somehow managed to become the 13th person to get it. I don't know if I just got lucky or if the clue isn't great, but after searching the catalog for A**** and every other ship on that wikipedia page a million times, I just searched the original M***** and got the final code. Happy searching!

@kelleyc: Thanks so much for this! That's the *one* thing I didn't try (it always is), but I learned a lot of miscellaneous things while trying everything else that made a shred of sense!

@kelleyc, thank you SO MUCH. That never would have occurred to me since the clue was worded to search for ANOTHER ship. Wooo.

sorry about All for Nautical confusion, players! this is why you (and when i say "you", i mean "i") shouldn't make super confusing badges at midnight! BOTH ships now will get you titles with that code. Thanks for bringing it to our ("my") attention!

-andrew

All for Nautical, 4th code - the translation of the 3 flags (I.... B.... #) isn't the code, and it isn't yielding anything when I search the catalog. What am I not thinking to try?
-TALL963

@ferielp, you have to look to the initials and number combo in the PDF guide that is linked in the clue.

This badge drop is fun, I particularly like 'Dot Don'. Jar'Edo Wens is a good one.

I think that many of the badges are pretty tough, too... Some of them take a ton of effort!!

[ { friend code: SWEET646 } ]

"All For Nautical" - what a flag-flying fun badge!
There's a good reason for the difficulty level;
but it mostly takes time.
Waiting to do the last clue when I have more of that (time)!

@gardenfaerie, thanks for responding. I used the handbook and got I**** B**** # and tried the full and abbreviated versions as codes and category searches. Am I reading the flag key wrong?!

Surfgrape The cookbook code is on the second floor in the cookbook section. Look down near the ground.

feriep - re All for Nautical, 4th code:

Your answer is in the handbook - dig deep!
Your letters - and probably the "#" - are correct.
Scroll down - way down, and you should be able to figure it out.

Bingo!

Oh my!! So many new badges, but I am still so far behind with the other badges! How can it be so close to the end of summer already? :(

@teri: Hurray! Thank you so very much. I had only quicky scrolled through to see if there were other flag keys, and ignored the text.
-TALL963

Thanks, andrew, for making the nautical badge and so many other great badges over the summer, and for tweaking them as needed!

This is my first year playing the game, and it has been so much more fun than I expected! Addictive, too, in a good way. :)

The real McCoy

Stuck on name of the invention. I have tried the official name, common names, singular, plural,...

I know the answer, so frustrating!

For the real McCoy invention, I think the hint on the badge page has a number in it, right? Try that!

A friend asked recently what I was grateful for this summer. I said that I'm grateful for the summer game!

How do I get the Fordlandia badge started? I got the name of the company, I----------- C------, and searched the first 20 catalog entries for a code. The company name isn't a code either. Maybe this is what badge burnout feels like.
-TALL963

@bethlang

For the first poison ivy code, you are looking for four words that fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. If you can't guess the words, just search for "poison ivy rhymes" and you will get a list. Also, use the hints. If you need further help, just let me know which clue you are having trouble with.

@ferielp: You're on the right track, but there's a proper name as the first part of the company name. That is both the code itself and found via a catalog search (though not all of the codes for this badge are exactly the same as the answers). Good luck!

Nautical Badge Help!

I'm stuck on the second clue. Where can I find the old flags? Are the white flags spaces, or actual flags? I don't think my translation is correct.

@sara - I also couldn't figure that first batch of flags. If you just translate the second series using the flag alphabet you must have found already, it will be enough to lead you to the next code.

There are flags used in the second clue that are different than those in the standard alphabet used in the first clue. I found some of them, but not all. Googled, but couldn't find them.

I'm sorry, I'm not always very good at being clear when I'm trying not to give too much away.

The clue for the second code contains two groups of flags. After trying to figure out the first group with the white spaces, I gave up and moved on to the second grouping. That you can solve the same way you did the first clue of the badge. That should give you enough information to find the code.

I hope that makes sense this time.

I might be a little late on cutting corners but can someone help me with the third clue? Thanks!

@Zekicmom

Thank you! I had enlarged the screen so much to see the flags, that I hadn't seen the second part! Now it all makes sense (as it should have with your first hint.)

All for Natuical

I know the person to enter for code two, but can't enter it as a code, and looked though 45 items in the catalog using his last name only....nothing. Nothing with first and last names either. Now what am I doing wrong?!

@sara - my guess is you're entering the wrong name. You don't want the person who signaled the message, you want the person who devised the vocabulary. Again I don't want to give too much away, but if you search the catalog for just his last name, it will be in one of the three results you'll get.

The Poison Icy badge was very informative. A couple years ago, I had tried to figure out if a certain plant I had come in contact with was poison ivy, but I couldn't find any good information. Now after this badge, I'm confident I could identify it if needed. Thanks to whoever made it!

@maywang, don't give up! Everyone here is super helpful, ask away. Maybe it could even help someone else stuck on the same clue :)
-TALL963

Ditto on the Poison Ivy badge. It's been a long time since I've read anything botanical, and that quiz brought back fond memories of learning phyllotaxy in school :)
-TALL963

Brand New Code...

sigh944

...for a late-coming gamer who finally generated a code in hopes of getting a tshirt :)

Does anyone else feel like they've learned a new language after completing the "All for Nautical" badge? Thanks, AADL badge creators!

Oh yeah I found it much easier than Morse code. These flags are such unique combinations of shapes and colors it would be quite easy to develop fluency. Unfortunately typing Morse code is easier but I can't seem to keep the alphabet straight Y_Y
-Tall963

Just finished Expiration Date chapter 7 gave me the most problems took three weeks because I was confused by the clues, I was looking in the wrong direction.

@SBNB and ferielp

Thanks for your comments about the poison ivy badge. I wrote it, and it was so nice to read that someone enjoyed it.

Monster Mashup was a nice badge -- very quick to do and not difficult, but a fun way to get the codes. All the wordplay is perhaps my favorite part of the Summer Game.

@sara, it was very well made! At first I was a little overwhelmed when I figured out I'd need to memorize some of those plants from the rearranging-slideshow, but that quickly dissipated because it was SO MUCH FUN. I've learned all manner of arcane facts from the other badges, but this one might actually save my skin one day ^.^
-TALL963

Oh, wow, just got a whole slew of master badges. Now I'll have to frantically refresh the homepage for the rest of the afternoon... :-D

Thank you for the poison ivy badge. I just had to put that knowledge to good use in my own backyard!

How long after today's Shop Drop will we be able to continue ordering items? If the Big Summer Blow-out is on the 31st, will there be a grace period to spend all those points?
-TALL963

Did the Ann arbor stories train badge disappear? I see people talking about it here but it doesn't show up on my badges page. the last stories badge for me just the zoo one (and I still can't get clue #2!!!)

This summer has been somewhat stressful. I have almost all the badges, but the skyline badges are impossible to locate and I tried three times to make plans to go see the Wonder of Learning exhibit and every time I had to deal with family so I never got to see it. I don't understand how anyone ever gets 100% of the badges each summer.

@aunty, my guess is that most of the people who get all the badges are youth on summer vacation without too many responsibilities. Personally, I usually get everything that can be done on line from home, but not all of the event or explorer ones. I just got the last of the Skyline badges today. Sundays it's free to park in the structures so it makes it easy to either drive to the top or park somewhere and take an elevator. That would be my hint to you I guess - all of the "views" are from the top of parking structures. I'm sorry if anyone feels I shouldn't have revealed that.

I'm struggling with the first code of the All For Nautical badge. I think the message is IN**********************LS, but it isn't accepting the code. Any hints?

Thank You to the creator of the Poison Ivy badge.
I will be sharing the links and resources with family members who need to know.

Well done!

-HERE949

The Expiration Date badges were not my favorite, but I still did them. I liked the idea behind them and thought it was fun to try something new. I can't wait to see what's in store next year!

Ahh now I can't get the second code of the All For Nautical badge. I think it's N*****n, but it's not accepting it. Any hints?

Edit: I found it. Just had to go through a bunch of older comments. But now I can't get the fourth code. Any hints on that?

I can't figure out the last riddles on the "poison ivy" badge, which means I'm stuck with the first code. Help?

I am about done with trying to earn anymore badges at this point. Codes can't found or don't work.

@maywang

Use the hints for the poisin ivy badge. Google "poison ivy rhymes" and you should find them -or email the staff for help. Good luck!

Help! Trying to finish the dessert series and am stuck on the first clue for Stacked Snacks. I get K***********R, but putting it in as a code or into the catalog comes up with nothing. :(

@ferielp, sorry for the late reply! Thanks! I sometimes do need to give up because it kills time.

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