On Monday, October 13th, my clan mate IsNotNull posted a thread in our Clan forum mentioning the Last Day Viral campaign that Epic is running to support the November 7th release of Gears of War 2. For those of you unfamiliar with this campaign, Epic is placing 1000 heavy duty GoW COGs in various locations throughout the world and leaving hints in an number of online locales.
To get updates on this campaign, check out Epic's GoW Community blog. After Null mentioned the campaign, I did a little investigating and learned that Epic's Community Manager, SixOkay was the ringleader of this program. SixOkay posts updates via Twitter, sometimes including GPS coordinates and other hints to where the latest COG has been hidden. As any true GoW fan would do, I signed up for an account on the Epic GOW web site and decided to keep an eye out for any COGs that might show up in Boston where I live.
Being busy with work, I would check the Epic web page now and again during breaks, but never thought a COG would show up in Boston. But, I was wrong. After a long day of meetings and office work, I came home on Wednesday, October 15th and plopped down at my computer to get caught up on what was going on in the world of AOW.
I noticed some updates on the Last Day Campaign and clicked on the thread. I see that a COG has been dropped in Boston -- at Fenway Park, only two blocks away from my office! I begin to go into overdrive looking for intel on the location. I post for more info in the clan thread and head over to the Epic site to see what is up. After reading a few pages of posts, I realize (much to my dismay) that the COG has been found, much earlier in the day. I kick myself, thinking that this was my one chance to find a COG. I cringe to think that I was only two blocks away and oblivious to the prize that was minutes from my desk. Here is the COG as it was found:
That day I signed up for a Twitter account and had SixOkay's posts forwarded to my cell phone. I swore that I would not miss another opportunity, if by some stroke of luck, another COG would be placed in Boston. I followed Epic's site religiously, refreshing way too often while in the office. I became obsessed with the search and followed other GoW fans as COGs appeared around the world.
Forward to October 20th, the call goes out that a COG has been placed in Berkley, and this time there is a clue to go along with the GPS Coordinates: "They Marched into Sunlight". My clan mate Tank lives near there and was thinking about going on the hunt. But Tank had been foiled twice before in the Bay area and was hesitant to meet with disappointment a third time.
I had the day off and offered to provide beta to Tank as info came into the Epic web site. After some hesitation, Tank decided to go check it out, and after some work, Tank was the owner of his very own COG. Here is Tanks prize:
My story begins as I swung by the office in Hingham, MA on a Friday night to pick up some supplies for the following day. A few minutes after I arrived, my phone vibrated; I looked to see three text messages in rapid succession, all GPS coordinates from SixOkay's Twitter. All of the coordinates seemed to be in the same general area. I logged into my computer and went straight to google maps, figuring the West Coast was getting more love. To my surprise the coordinates were in Boston! HOLY CRAP!
I printed one set of coordinates, logged out of my computer and hit the floor running, not even slowing as I ran past the printer to pick up the directions. I called Tank on my cell and told him I was on it and heading to my car. My fellow employees must have thought someone died as I bolted out of the store to my car and sped away.
I called Tank, asking him where the three coordinates were located. The one set that I had printed out were on Commonwealth Ave, near Boston University. Not good, too many people with too much time on their hands in that area. Next set were near Hanover Street, that sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure where it was. The third set were on Memorial Drive, near M.I.T, another bad location due to it's proximity to several colleges.
I decided to go for the Hanover Street location and started peppering Tank with questions. In rush hour traffic, driving a bright yellow Subaru Baja, weaving in an out of traffic all while trying to read a road atlas to figure out where the hell Hanover Street was located. Finally, I figured out that the coordinates were near an area call Government Center. Perfect location for a GoW drop. This place is like a huge concrete fortress, with barriers and it's own subway station.
I told Tank I would call him back when I got close and hung up the phone. The next twenty minutes seemed like an eternity. I kept thinking, "what if someone beats me there?" I thought I would never make it, but finally saw the exit for Government Center and cut over, got off the exit and called Tank back. "Where on the street do the coordinates put the COG," I asked him. "Right in the middle of the street," he said.
I looked for a place to pull over, but there was no street side parking in that area of town. So I banged a hard right and luckily found a public parking lot, pulled in and snagged my ticket. The coordinates were released at around 4:30 pm local time and I was thirty minutes late! Headset in place, I called Tank back for more details. He said the coordinates landed right in the median, so that is where I started my search.
I started walking up and down the median, looking in each planter, digging in the shallow dirt and along the rail fence that split the walkway -- NOTHING. Twenty minutes after casing out the entire median, Tank indicated that the coordinates plotted slightly to the south of the road, which is in the area of Government Center Proper, several acres of concrete, pillars and ...people. I look everywhere and I noticed a section of stairs that was blocked by concrete barricades similar to those in Gears of War used for cover. Ah Ha! This must be it!
Failure. Still, no luck. Worried and weary, I began to think I might loose this one. Tank told me to check out the Park on the North side of the road as many of the COGs found up to this point were located in parks, so this seemed like a logical choice, so I headed to the park.
The park was full of potential hiding spots, tall grass, light fixtures, statues... millions of places to hide a COG. The sun was setting and people were milling about the park. I envision everyone in the park looking for my COG! I saw a few college aged guys who definitely looked as if they were searching out the prize. I walk up to them and asked, "are you looking for the COG?"
They look at me as if I just asked them to donate a kidney and then I clarify I'm looking for a Gears of War COG. I explain the viral campaign and ask if they will help me on my search. Together we start looking around and doubt creeps into my head... are these allies or competitors?
One guy finds a fake rock apparently used to house a light, the case is cracked open and he says, "I think the COG might have been in here, but it's gone." My first thought, "you took my precious!" Man, was I going off the deep end here, if these two strangers showed me the COG right now I would likely have grabbed it and run... not really, but the thought did cross my mind. I kept looking and saw a sign:
I then noticed the "Holocaust" sign as well, I thought to myself, "this has to be the location, Holocaust Memorial at Carmen Park? Come on!" You couldn't make this up! At this point, I relay my findings to Tank, who has been on the phone with me for almost 40 minutes. I kept looking, even asking a few bums if they have seen the COG. When one says, "yeah, I saw that thing two months ago" it was then I knew I would get no help from them. But, I offer them an unspecified amount of cash if they find the COG and keep looking.
Discouraged, I tell Tank I will call him if I find anything and asked him to let me know if someone posts any COG discovery.
I keep looking and start to feel a little bad, running around this memorial for the dead as others are paying their respects. I decided to stay there and keep looking until I find the COG or learn that someone else has found it. Throughout the park there are these stone monuments with the names of the dead on them. Beside each monument is a stone bowl with numerous small rocks in each. People who visit the memorial take a rock out of the bowl and place in on the stone monuments in a sign of respect. So I decide to do just that, feeling that I should pay my respects given all the trespassing that I have done.
I started to walk around and look at the monument -- really looking at it. I was still searching for the COG mind you, but I was also taking in this place I never knew was even here, despite living just outside of Boston for over four years. I began to really admire this choice of location for the COG search; gaining a new level of respect for Six and his team as they create this parallel reality that we have all been bought into. This place looks and feels as if it has been pulled right out of Sera itself. Right out of the Gears Universe.
I kept walking around, looking and thinking. By this time the sun had long set and I and wondering if I should go back to my car to get my headlamp to help in my search. I feared as soon as I walked away someone would show up and find the COG... my COG, so I keep searching.
Then something catches my eye, a little glimmer in the lights that illuminate the park! I found it! I actually saw it just lying there under a few dead leaves. I could not believe it! I found it! I immediately called Tank to tell him the good news. A few minutes later I Twittered SixOkay with the news and Jedi with the CSID info from the tag. My heart was beating like I was on speed. I tip my head to the monument one more time and head home, stopping to pick up some beer on the way home. It was a long night.
