Press enter after choosing selection

Badge Drop! Badge Drop! Badge Drop!

by andrewjmac

You guys are BLOWING US AWAY! The numbers are ASTOUNDING! STAGGERING! WE'RE A LITTLE BIT SCARED! 16,430,863 points earned this year. 63,918 game codes entered. 11,764 badges earned. And 2,789 players. The game started two weeks ago. Scaring us, guys...BUT IN THE BEST WAY!

Since we're so frightened by you and your INCREDIBLE SUMMER GAME PLAYING SKILLS...here's a badge drop! Don't hurt us!

2014 Badge Drop #3
echo theme_summergame_badge(759,763,768,758,767,766,765,769,770,764,760,761,762);
?>




We already KNOW you are going to find all of those codes and get all of those badges. So what are you going to do after you've done that? How about coming to some amazing concerts? This Sunday is the final concert in AADL's Kids Rock @ TOP concert series featuring the awesomely dance-to-able music of Aaron Nigel Smith! And next Thursday at the Downtown Library, the wizard/bookish/nerdy/GREAT music of Tonks & the Aurors!

So get hunting for those badge codes and get on your dancing shoes, Summer Gamers! AND THANKS FOR PLAYING!

Comments

Submitted by estermyer on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 6:48pm

@Latitude some of the badges appeared on the badge list earlier. I know, i still haven't gotten all of the codes for the first Polkemania one either :P

Submitted by kathscot on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 9:06pm

@latitude

it's a really long phrase. Just translate carefully. I included commas and spaces, but the code didn't need them.

Submitted by beeniepie on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 9:41pm

Yay for new badges!

Is anyone else having a problem clicking on the hints for the Barton Nature Center badge? I usually like to click on all of the hints before I print it out and take it with me to earn the badge. But for some reason, I can't get any of the hints to expand. Help!

Submitted by Jan Wolter on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 10:54pm

Maybe there aren't hints for the Barton Park quest. You really don't need any. All the clues seem pretty straight forward. In fact, I guessed three of the six without leaving my chair or doing any research and I know exactly where to look for the other three.

Of course, I do know Barton Park pretty well. I've walked through it many times, and I've helped collect seeds from the prairie patches along the train tracks to plant in other prairie restoration projects. I also set that park on fire a few times, back when I used to volunteer on burn crews for the parks department.

Submitted by estermyer on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 10:18pm

Is anyone else having problems finding the last code for the Framing Roger Rabbit badge? I found out what animal it is, but I searched the catalog but I cant find it anywhere.

Submitted by estermyer on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 10:55pm

Can anyone help me narrow down the search for the Sprouts Be Stylin' badge #3? I tried a couple different synonyms of "roast", but a lot of items come up.

Submitted by sara on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 12:33pm

Friends of Bill badge help

I know who the female sharpshooter is, but, can't find the clue in the catalog. I've looked through a lot of items. Any hints?

Got it. It's not the nickname given her by her adoptive father, but her nickname in advertisements.

Code 3 on <strong>Friends of Bill</strong> was hard - tip by @sara finally helped me figure it out. Thanks!

But now for the <strong>Friends of Bill</strong> bonus code: I tried the name of the poem, the name of the unoriginal mother, the real name and pen name of the poet/author. None of those work. Help?

Submitted by JoannaSulimin910 on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 10:47am

Can someone help me with the killer plants badge? I can't figure out what they mean by water-holding organ.

Submitted by jmock on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 12:51pm

The new code entering design is easier, but I think it's just another incentive to create a fake account to get more points to use in the shop. The old design kind of kept people from doing that a little bit by making it take a lot more time.

<strong>Question: </strong> I know I've found the species for the third <strong> Killer Plants </strong> code, but everything I've tried as come up as nothing in the catalog. Any help?

@jmock, don't worry, we watch closely for fake accounts and always have. It's much easier than you'd think to spot them. Also, we had so many requests for this feature from families who play together, and we are more interested in making the game easier to play for them than we are concerned about lame point scamming. Thanks for your concern!

-[:eli]

Submitted by Jan Wolter on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 1:12pm

For the crocotta badge I found the Unix command "tr XYZA-W A-Z" very useful.

Wait, you aren't running Unix on your computer?

What's <em>wrong</em> with you?

Submitted by Jan Wolter on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 4:03pm

When I searched for MIFKV QEB BIABO I didn't find the book either. I had to search for just the last part of his name and the English translation of his book title before I found the right book. But when I tried it again now, both searches worked. Sometimes repeating searches seems to give different results. I suspect the AADL website has grown so complex it is developing sapience (which some may say is just a nice word for bugginess).

RE: MIFKV QEB BIABO

The game code was not in that book the first 2 times I checked. It happened again on the last code for the badge as well. Library people, is there some reason the codes are popping in and out of the catalog? An extra level of difficulty for game-players this summer?!

Submitted by yaldah on Sun, 06/29/2014 - 1:36pm

@Latitude: Your hint to @Sara helped me with that code, so thanks! But didn't the clue say that the author of the item with the code was MIFKV QEB BIABO? I'm just a little confused.

Re sara's "There is only one book by/about MIFKV QEB BIABO in the catalog, and there is no code in it." -- I am doing this badge now, and I *am* finding a book in the catalog that has a code. I am confused that the catalog seems to be so ever-changing.

Yesterday I was working on some badges, and it wasn't particularly obvious if the point was to enter a code or search for something using that phrase. I thought it could be clearer.

@ willow
I think that almost all the codes are in the catalog this year. I remember one polkemania that you had to enter in the code, and the ciphers bonuses are also for entering in the code.

Submitted by SBNB on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 1:36pm

Can anyone help me with the fourth bonus on Polkemania 078 (the one about the 70s song)? Thanks.

@ SBNB

Try Wikipedia for Songs of the Century that came out in the 1970s, and then hit the catalog and hunt through the Pokémon black and white series for the right volume. Good luck!

Submitted by Avliss on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 3:11pm

These new badges are tons of fun! Can anyone help me with the first bonus on the POLKéMANIA Badge? I'm certain I know which trainer they're talking about, but I don't understand what I'm supposed to do - do you enter their name as the game code?

Submitted by Avliss on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 3:42pm

@Latitude

Thanks for help! I must have the wrong trainer then - I thought it was Ash, but his name won't work for the code.

Submitted by Avliss on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 4:27pm

Could someone help me with the last code for the Surf's Up Badge? I really have no idea what to do with the clues "adVentures" and "walk".

Submitted by northeorg on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 5:46pm

cOOL!

Submitted by Jan Wolter on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 7:39pm

The last POLKeMANIA 078 bonus clue asks for an English translation of a German phrase. I speak decent German and tried two dozen possible translations before one worked. The secret is to ignore the last word of the German phrase, which admittedly doesn't mean much, but which a more literal translator could have found several different words for.

Submitted by Avliss on Sat, 06/28/2014 - 9:49pm

I'm sure the answer is staring me in the face, but I just cannot get the first Pokemon Badge bonus! I've tried every combination of "Ash" and "Polka", and it's not working. Can anyone help?

Submitted by sara on Sun, 06/29/2014 - 10:44am

Old News

I love browsing through Old News, but trying to search for anything is a pain. Any hints for how to get the first clue in the Ghost World Badge? Searching by date does not work, searching for photos does not work, searching for "tavern on east huron" does not work, ...

Ghost World Badge / Old News

I have an old computer, but no matter how I search Old News, I can't get the first clue in the Ghost World Badge. Is there a trick to searching Old News? It's frustrating.

@sara For the first clue, best to try figuring out the answer with Google first! Then try searching the name of the place in Old News once you know it!

@Lmd3577, make sure to read the wikepedia source to find the cousins. It might be a bit confusing, but there are only two names to try even if you are unsure who dealt the blow.

Submitted by yaldah on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 5:21pm

I'm stuck on the bonus code for "Crocotta Industry." I thought I had it ciphered - "vshdnv lq d pdqqhu vr kxpdq, dqg wklv zlwkrxw d whdfkhu, dv wr jr wr krxvhv, dqg fdoo wkdw shuvrq zkrp kh nqrzv kh fdq hdvlob ydqtxlvk" - but it doesn't recognize the code, so I'm not sure what I'm missing. Can anyone help me? Thanks!

Submitted by sara on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 6:53pm

Ok, you can laugh at me. I found the Ghost World clue in the old news, but the large animal backside was blocking my view of the tavern so I couldn't see the answer to the clue!

Submitted by yaldah on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 7:23pm

I'm stuck on the 2nd code (and bonus code) for the "POLKéMANIA No. 078" badge. I thought I had found the "made-up word" (Z****), but there is no o in it. What am I missing? Thanks!

Oh, never mind, I just find my code! For some reason I'm not quite clear on, I thought I was on a different code number than I was - I'm really not sure what I thought. Either way, I found my code.

Submitted by estermyer on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 10:36pm

Can anyone help me with:
-Loch Ness Mess #5 (I figured out what the book is and the author of the book, but I can't find in the catalog)
-Crocotta Industry #1 (I figured out who it was named after, but when I searched the person in the catalog, 100+ items came up, so if someone could help me narrow the search ;))
-POLKeMANIA No.006 #5 and bonus #4? (I have no idea for this one lol)

Thanks

Submitted by SBNB on Tue, 07/01/2014 - 9:44am

@estermyer - No problem! :)

For Loch Mess #5, don't look for the book, just the author. When I search the author, I only get four results.
Crocotta #1 - I don't know how to narrow it down, but if you start checking each entry from the beginning of the list, you should find it pretty quick.
Polkemania #5 - Do a google image search for ordinal numbers to figure out which number to use, and then search that with the word "polka" in the catalog.
Polkemania bonus 4 - If you search the name of the movie you just found in the catalog, you'll get two results.

Submitted by kbowden on Tue, 07/01/2014 - 10:36pm

I'm going to find all of those codes and get all of those badges and come to some amazing concerts. Especially this Sunday for the final concert in AADL's Kids Rock

Sorry, but Kids Rock is over! There is still one more Sunday of TOP and a chance to play TOPOPOLY at the Library on the Lawn Tent, but our three Kids Rock Shows for 2014 have come and gone!

-[:eli]

Submitted by beeniepie on Wed, 07/02/2014 - 8:53pm

Hi Summer Gamers,

I'm not sure if this is old news, but did you know that last year's Lillie Park Explorer badge isn't worth as much as they were in 2013? Instead of each clue being worth 100 points, they are only 10 points. When I completed the badge, it was still worth 500 points, but I was surprised that the clues went from 100 to 10. I'm going to try to finish my Arb badge next week, so I guess I'll know if the decreased point earnings affect all 2013 Park Explorer badges.

Luckily, Park Explorer badges are my favorite, so I'm ok with less points. I just found it interesting and thought I'd share.

@beeniepie - Glad you love the Park Explorer series! It's true - all badges from past years are reduced in point value. Usually, as you noticed, things that were 100 pts become 10, etc. You can still earn points, no question, but we want to keep the focus on our current badges.

With that said, there will be plenty more badges about exploring (parks and maybe some other spots!) coming soon, so you'll have lots more excuses to get out and about! ; )
-[http://www.aadl.org/mariah|mariah]

@beeniepie - So does this mean that the codes from the park badges from last year still work? I really wanted to do them, but I wasn't sure if they were reactivated for this year. Which ones from last year have you done this year?

@SBNB - I went through the other day and made sure all of those codes were active, so you should be able to earn any of the park explorer badges from last year. If anybody runs into any trouble with any of them, be sure to let us know; things can change in parks from year to year!

-andrew

@SBNB - I've only done the Lillie Park badge from 2013. Head last year's advice and apply a lot of bug spray. The mosquitos were vicious, and the last clue was the most challenging to find.

I'm hoping to knock out the Arb and eventually finish Bandemer. I haven't been back to Bandemer since my then 2.5 year old infamously melted down. I'll report back to everyone if I run into any problems.

Submitted by AprilCDB on Thu, 07/03/2014 - 9:13pm

Is it possible to make the badges page more user friendly for use on the iPad? It's really difficult to follow the clues and impossible to get the hints when playing on an iPad

@AprilCDB - I'm sure one of the AADL staffers will address this, but I believe it's a limitation of the iPad and not the website. The iPad does not fully utilize the technology the summer game website uses. If they were to change the technology to fit the iPad, we (the gamers) may lose a lot of the cool features we love.

With that said, I believe there are some keyboard shortcuts others have mentioned in the past to get the hints to expand for you. I can't remember if someone found a control shift combination -- anyone?

Submitted by Lmd3577 on Thu, 07/03/2014 - 10:44pm

To all the summer gamers out there I am having trouble finding the clue words to four different badges and I am hoping some of you gamers out there can help me out.

1.) I am having trouble finding the very first code word for the Nessie badge

2.) I am having trouble finding the second code word for the killer plants badge

3.) I am having trouble finding the third code word for the Brussel Sprouts badge

4.) and I am having trouble finding the fourth code word for the Friends of Bill badge

I am hoping you gamers out there can give me some more clues on how to find these code words.

Thank you so much for the help
Lmd 3577

@Lmd3577
3.) third code word for the Brussel Sprouts badge -- the clue mentions cookbook and 'roast', What is an another for roast - current tense or past tense? use that word in your search of the catalog.

4.) fourth code word for the Friends of Bill badge - I had a hard time with that one too! It's the nickname the person that is the 3rd clue gave her - in english. Wikipedia's page on the person from the 3rd clue has her name and the nickname. Then search the catalog with that nickname.

Submitted by jmock on Fri, 07/04/2014 - 5:24pm

can anyone help on on the last code for the <strong> Karma Chameleon </strong> badge? I can't seem to find the word.

Submitted by willow on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 2:03pm

The solution to the first clue in the Brussels Sprouts badge depends on the term "Brussel sprouts" rather than "Brussels." The hint made me think to search for Brussel. But, really, they are Brussels sprouts. (I don't call them that either but it's confusing.)

Submitted by estermyer on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 12:48pm

Can anyone help me with Crocotta Industry #2? I tried using the Caesar Cipher, and when I searched the catalog for that author, thousands up items come up......

Submitted by willow on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 2:08pm

I have a suggestion from a member of my household to bring back treasure quests and secret shop tokens, and other such things.

Also....I think it would be nice to have some badges that are a little easier and aimed at kids. Many of these require background cultural knowledge of things most young children aren't acquainted with, such as R rated movies or music from their grandparents' youth.

Finally, when one member of the household has found a page, extra players have the codes revealed when they click on badge info -- that makes it hard for kids to complete them at different times.

@willow, one thing you might know about is that the badges have varying difficulty ratings, and that easier badges for younger players do exist. Look for the difficulty on the badge information card that pops up when the badge is clicked on most pages, or in the mouseover text when you hover the mouse cursor over a badge.

I am guessing that your family are all registered as 'extra' players under one site account, based on your last paragraph. Having separate library web site accounts and/or library cards can solve that issue, as long as one person logs out and the other logs in, so that might be something to consider. That might not work for your family, especially if your children are very young. There is a mechanism for parents to monitor other family members' library accounts by adding "additional accounts" on your own account page. My own kids are middle and high school age. Their aadl.org accounts are separate from but linked to mine so I view their activity and can nudge them if materials will be due soon. Or in my teen's case say, "do you really need that many checked out items at once?" :)

@cherylo and @willow - A way to get around logging in and logging out for different family members is to assign each family member a different internet browser. I do all my library game stuff on Chrome while other family members use Firefox or IE. Each person can remain logged in with their stuff open without affecting the others.

Thanks, cherylo and SBNB for the suggestions.

I have one of the most Summer Game-crazed residents of Ann Arbor living under my roof. My kids have been working together but have been mostly feeling bogged down in Old News articles in the beginner badges they were trying to complete, and when I suggested they try several other beginner badges, I had to help them with some of the clues. It's not about the difficulty of the clue, per se, but the background knowledge required. It seems that the badges are getting harder and more puzzly as the years pass; the clues for 2011 badges, for example, are very straight forward and require finding one easy clue, whereas current ones require a bit more knowledge of Ann Arbor itself (Panda-monium, beginner rating) or (such as Down the Rabbit Hole's second code, beginner rating) make glancing reference to an R-rated movie made more than a decade ago (I won't specify it since this is the solution). Just sharing my family's experience with the games.

Submitted by yaldah on Fri, 07/11/2014 - 7:42pm

Hi, I'm stuck on the second code for the "Ghost World" badge. I've tried searching all kinds of combinations of the words provided in the clue, with no luck. Can anyone help me? (By the way, just so you know, the Old News Search thing won't load on my computer, so I use a regular search engine, adding the words "AADL Old News" to whatever I'm searching.) Thanks!

Submitted by Alliemayzee on Sat, 08/23/2014 - 3:19pm

Wild Bill Hickok was my great great great great uncle. Just wanted to throw that out there. :-D

Submitted by willow on Thu, 08/28/2014 - 1:44pm

Bookbird -- I was able to complete all the Pokemon/Polka badges, but I didn't think the directions were very clear about whether the player was supposed to enter the code or search for it; I often had to try both.

It is a complete mystery to me how to find the stated entrance to the Barton Nature Area. I drove around for a while and then gave up. The combination of questionable street signs (also the case in several of the park explorer badges from last year which I wasn't able to complete....[yet?]), city maps with no street names, and my lack of familiarity with the specified parking lot has led to a lot of confusion. Since moving to Ann Arbor, I have just never really felt that labeling things is a priority -- even house numbers are weirdly rare in some places.

@willow, welcome to Ann Arbor! My favorites are the streets that end at another street, but if you turn and continue down a quarter mile or so, the street starts back up again (ie: Geddes and Ellsworth was like that until they fixed it many years ago).

Graphic for blog posts

Blog Post

Subjects
Summer Game