On September 11, 2003, Pharaoh made the following announcement on the System channel:
A week ago I mentioned that I spoke at an IGDA ("International Game Developers Association") meeting here in Pittsburgh about ATITD. As part of my talk, I did a little experiment with the audience, a number of which have played ATITD.
I first made everyone agree that what they were about to see was secret, and if the secret got out *AND* I was able to figure out who, then they have to take me and Josh out to the most expensive restaurant in Pittsburgh.
But if the secret got out and I couldn't figure out who, then of couose I wouldn't get dinner.
(I have an idea for a Test toward the end of our Telling based on this.)
So after I got all 50+ in the room to agree on this, I pulled up the source code for garlic seed reproduction and explained it. Even explained in very plain terms how to do it.
And so it's been a week now. I'll give a single Large Sapphire to the first three people who can explain the secret to me, however...
If I can trace it back to a person in that room, I will give twenty Large Sapphires to the person that most helps me out.
Or, seven mentor shrine points - your choice.
See, I don't get to *play* ATITD, so I have to make my own trouble for amusement. Ok, for now, Pharaoh out.
So far, Teppy and Josh are still waiting for their dinner and no large sapphires have been handed out. The Search for The Secret of Garlic is continuing to this day. Any methods that have been proven not to work should be documented on the Failures page.
On May 7, 2004 Pharaoh announced:
Pharaoh here...
I've started signups for a *real* "Dinner with Pharaoh" at this year's E3 Expo, next week.
We'll be relaxing at Moun of Tunis Restaurant - a great place. Let me try to describe it...
We'll have a private room - huge platters of food are brought out - lamb, chicken, vegetable dishes...
And served family style. The food is eaten with your hands.
After dinner (or maybe before desert?) a belly dancer arrives and does a traditional show.
It's easy to imagine the room as a desert tent - if you're in the LA area, *really*, don't miss this.
It's $45/person, and that includes beer, wine, tax, tip, everything. Sign up and pay under the billing menu. Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Pharaoh out.
PS: At this year's dinner, I will reveal the secret to reliably making garlic seeds.:
Quoth Keely on May 14, 2004 over on the forums:
Garlic gets mostly a no wonder reaction, combined with I hope someone else finds it more useful than I do. Every player has a unique set of geographic locations where they can grow an extra garlic seed. Apparently some of you have stumbled on one or more of your locations, I haven't. The nasty part is that it won't work if you grown garlic anywhere in the last 10 minutes. So looking for said spot requires waiting 10 minutes before trying again. Those that have found their spot in the past, on retrying right away had no luck and didn't attribute it to location. If any in that category happen to remember where they were when they serendipitiously got a 2nd seed you now have the secret for making more.