Spyro - A Source of Conspiracy and Mind Control?

prince-Dari · Apr 25, 2011 2:50 AM

I was looking through the files in Spyro 2, and found a file which consists of just this:

Now is the winter of our discontent....It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....Call me Ishmael....Stately, plump Buck Mulligan....Call me Jonah. My parents did....Gaily bedight a gallant knight....Beware the ides of March....Tyger tyger burning bright........I always get the Shemp

Repeated over 20,000 times. This file is apparently in all the Insomniac Spyro games, and supposedly if you slow down the game you can see this text in-game.

One site claims that this is a subliminal message, which I don't believe, but I'm struggling to see the purpose of it.

PHRASES ARE ALL PARTS OF POEMS AND VERY KNOWN AND OLD BOOKS, with the exception of the last sentence "I always get the Shemp ..." (I could not find the definition of Shemp, BUT REMEMBER THAT THERE IS A MONSTER IN SPYRO 1 CALLED "DR. Shemp" THAT IS IN THE LEVEL, JUST, "Doctor Shemp")

Anyone have any ideas about what the purpose of this is?

Jackson117 · Apr 25, 2011 3:05 AM

It's a inside joke from what I can tell that the company does, Heck some of the words are littered around Rachet and Clank 3's secret musuem

Stormy · Apr 25, 2011 3:08 AM

I have no idea, but for anyone interested, here's a chatlog from IRC of a conversation between me, prince-dari, and (sort of) Neon about it. (Lambda is me, using my boyfriend's nick for lulz.)

[21:21:32] <+prince-dari> Now is the winter of our discontent....It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....Call me Ishmael....Stately, plump Buck Mulligan....Call me Jonah. My parents did....Gaily bedight a gallant knight....Beware the ides of March....Tyger tyger burning bright........I always get the Shemp.......
[21:21:39] <+prince-dari> I don't remember that being in Spyro 2. O_o
[21:21:46] <~Lambda> o__O
[21:21:50] <~Lambda> what...?
[21:22:12] <+prince-dari> It's in one of the files for Spyro 2, repeated several times.
[21:22:30] <~Lambda> mabye it was an unused character line or something
[21:22:36] <~Lambda> *maybe
[21:22:46] <+prince-dari> But it's written 100s of times...
[21:22:52] <+prince-dari> Just one after another.
[21:22:59] <~Lambda> um
[21:23:01] <~Lambda> No idea then
[21:23:02] <~Lambda> XD
[21:23:07] <+prince-dari> O_o
[21:23:10] <+prince-dari> Weird.
[21:23:11] <~Lambda> is this from a legal copy?
[21:23:16] <+prince-dari> Yeah.
[21:23:22] <+prince-dari> I ripped it from my disk.
[21:24:15] <+prince-dari> WTH?
[21:24:22] <+prince-dari> The whole file is just that repeated.
[21:24:45] <+Neon> Failure.
[21:26:34] <~Lambda> http://mrmodez.livejournal.com/2032.html
[21:26:40] <~Lambda> this tells me nothing about what that means
[21:26:48] <+Neon> I never ate my green vegetables.
[21:26:54] <~Lambda> but that's one of the only results I got
[21:27:01] <+Neon> I'd spit them out while mommy wasn't looking.
[21:28:16] <+prince-dari> PHRASES ARE ALL PARTS OF POEMS AND VERY KNOWN AND OLD BOOKS, with the exception of the last sentence "I always get the Shemp ..." (I could not find the definition of Shemp, BUT REMEMBER THAT THERE IS A MONSTER IN SPYRO 1 CALLED "DR. Shemp" THAT IS IN THE LEVEL, JUST, "Doctor Shemp")
[21:28:30] <+prince-dari> O_o
[21:30:17] <~Lambda> http://www.psicofxp.com/forums/consolas … nales.html
[21:30:26] <~Lambda> the one page that might have something to do with Spyro
[21:30:29] <~Lambda> and it's in spanish
[21:30:33] <~Lambda> or portugese
[21:30:35] <~Lambda> can't tell which
[21:32:00] <+prince-dari> So...Strange...
[21:32:40] <+prince-dari> Why the hell would they have that repeated 20,000+ times in a file? O_o
[21:33:57] <~Lambda> to screw with people who are trying to mod it?
[21:34:04] <+prince-dari> Lawl.
[21:34:04] <~Lambda> I dunno
[21:34:18] <+prince-dari> I wonder if the game still works if I change it.
[21:34:35] <~Lambda> hmm
[21:34:43] <~Lambda> I don't see how that could possibly be important
[21:35:06] <~Lambda> unless it's some kind of weird programming language insomniac just made up for that one file
[21:35:15] <+prince-dari> One of the sites said if you slow the game down you can see that text written in the game.
[21:35:26] <~Lambda> o.O
[21:37:46] <~Lambda> that spanish site seems to think it's some kind of subliminal messaging
[21:38:00] <+prince-dari> Lol. o__O
[21:38:28] <~Lambda> "Let's make sure it's safe, and if it's not we have to spread a warning across the internet"
[21:38:31] <~Lambda> lol
[21:38:41] <+prince-dari> Wth, haha.
[21:39:41] <~Lambda> "Confirmed. In Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon, also found the file under the name "SPYRO3.TDR." In addition, also found in the demo of spyro crash bandicoot k comes in under the name "Source.tdr" ..."
[21:39:52] <~Lambda> o.O...
[21:41:11] <~Lambda> http://www.spyroforum.com/post-335180.h … 482#335180
[21:42:41] <+prince-dari> I'm going to post it on SF.

Basically, all we could find out is that this same text is also in the sources of Spyro 3 and a Crash Bandicoot demo. A member of a Spanish-speaking forum found this and seems to think it might be some kind of subliminal messaging and also discovered that all the phrases (aside from "I always get the Shemp") are famous phrases from books. Also, a Spyroforum user that had the text "I always get the Shemp" in their signature was apparently posting from Russia, and one of the websites I found with that text on it was in Russian. But none of this explains it at all.

Swaffy · Apr 25, 2011 3:18 AM

I really like what Neon was saying about his vegetables. It made me
quietly burst out in laughter.

But to stay on topic, I'll just go with what Stormy said. I think it is just a
joke that the developers put in the game. I doubt it was put there because
it actually relates to conspiracy.

I don't get why people try to look for conspiracy in everything, and I am
sure I never will. Whatever. I never ate my green vegetables either.
Actually, I did. Half of the time.

Jackson117 · Apr 25, 2011 3:51 AM

I ignore these things as most of the time dev's put in random things that only they or people who know about it will get.

RangerOfIthilien · Apr 25, 2011 4:12 AM

*stumbles into this thread to discover he's been impersonated by Stormy*

Back on topic... I bet they're trying to brainwash us all. Only reasonable explanation.

Jackson117 · Apr 25, 2011 8:06 AM

Brainwash us to love Cynder

riverhippo · Apr 25, 2011 1:15 PM

where the hell are these messages? Where do you 'slow down' to see them?

prince-Dari · Apr 25, 2011 3:19 PM

If you rip the .bin from a Spyro 2 CD and open it up with Magic ISO, there's a file in it called SPYRO2.TRD, that's the one I was talking about. As far as I can tell the game needs it to run.

As for where to slow down to see the text in-game, refer to one of the sites that Stormy posted in the log, it's not in English so translation may be required.

I assume you slow down the game during emulation.

LXShadow · Apr 25, 2011 4:08 PM

I've seen this message a few times. I think it's supposed to be a dummy file to use up some unneeded space on the disc (and maybe some other related stuff - copy-protection perhaps?). Normally companies just use null data for this, but apparently Insomniac wanted to be a bit more creative than that. =P

I don't know where all this stuff about subliminal messages came from, though. I can say myself that this text doesn't appear in Spyro 2 or 3's memory during gameplay - so we're probably not being brainwashed.

I think I also once knew what being "shemp'd" meant, but I can't find any sources of it anymore. I think I remember seeing an interview where it was eventually explained where Dr. Shemp got his name, and it had something to do with an office joke at Insomniac. I don't remember the details, but basically, "getting the shemp" or "getting shemp'd" (can't remember) wasn't a good thing.

Swaffy · Apr 25, 2011 4:46 PM

LXShadow wrote:

but apparently Insomniac wanted to be a bit more creative than that. =P

You see, that's what I liked so much about Insomniac. The people who
worked for that company were just so creative. You don't see creativity
like that in any of these modern game-making companies.

36IStillLikeSpyro36 · Apr 25, 2011 4:51 PM

i'll believe that the file exists, but i kind of won't believe it actually appears in-game until someone can provide some kind of proof. i've seen plenty of Spyro videos, and played it a number of times, and i've never seen anything hmm

Clock-la · Apr 25, 2011 5:03 PM

Jackson117 wrote:

Brainwash us to love Cynder

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- D:

Latias fan · Apr 25, 2011 8:24 PM

Jackson117 wrote:

Brainwash us to love Cynder

My hate is to great for that to work on me.

Stormy · Apr 25, 2011 9:30 PM

KingLambdaThePolish wrote:

*stumbles into this thread to discover he's been impersonated by Stormy*
Back on topic... I bet they're trying to brainwash us all. Only reasonable explanation.

You call that on topic? BANNED!

LXShadow wrote:

I've seen this message a few times. I think it's supposed to be a dummy file to use up some unneeded space on the disc (and maybe some other related stuff - copy-protection perhaps?). Normally companies just use null data for this, but apparently Insomniac wanted to be a bit more creative than that. =P
I don't know where all this stuff about subliminal messages came from, though. I can say myself that this text doesn't appear in Spyro 2 or 3's memory during gameplay - so we're probably not being brainwashed.
I think I also once knew what being "shemp'd" meant, but I can't find any sources of it anymore. I think I remember seeing an interview where it was eventually explained where Dr. Shemp got his name, and it had something to do with an office joke at Insomniac. I don't remember the details, but basically, "getting the shemp" or "getting shemp'd" (can't remember) wasn't a good thing.

Hm... interesting.
So if someone were to, say, change the text of that file or delete it altogether, would the game still work?

As for the shemp thing, the only definitions I could come up with were Shemp Howard (an actor in The Three Stooges) and fake shemp (explained here).

Swaffy · Apr 27, 2011 11:02 PM

The word shemp.

http://www.fakeshemps.com/FSsplain.htm

LXShadow · Apr 30, 2011 11:54 AM

Stormy wrote:

So if someone were to, say, change the text of that file or delete it altogether, would the game still work?

I just tried to do this, but for some reason none of my programs want to leave a valid image file in any case (even if I don't change anything). D'oh!

I did notice, though, that the file had a high LBA (probably the highest of all the files). That means that it's on the very edge of the disc image - this is normal for a dummy file as it prevents interference with other files. With that in mind, I can doubt that deleting the file would really make a difference to the game.

Until I can actually try it out, though, I can't prove 100% that Insomniac isn't brainwashing us. sad

prince-Dari · Apr 30, 2011 2:11 PM

Changing the text in it doesn't cause any problems in the game - it runs fine.

36IStillLikeSpyro36 · Apr 30, 2011 4:25 PM

that's my wallpaper now.

still, can anybody verify that the original "brainwashing" text actually appears in the game? o.o

prince-Dari · Apr 30, 2011 4:45 PM

I've had a look, but I haven't found it anywhere yet.

LXShadow · Apr 30, 2011 5:21 PM

I can verify this as far as "It's not in the game's memory during gameplay" goes. The only thing I've found in memory is its filename, and it's never read. (SYSTEM.CNF is also there, and that also is a file that a game doesn't normally read.) Basically the game doesn't seem to have anything to do with it.

In my opinion, the message is nothing more than a bit of fun by Insomniac. It might be even less significant than a dummy file. It's easy for someone to say that Spyro 3 was part of some elaborate scheme to turn us all into mindless zombies; but in reality, hidden messages like this aren't uncommon in games - especially their code.

Sometimes the developers take it too far as well. If you don't like expletives, I wouldn't recommend looking too hard through Spyro 3's code!

prince-Dari · Apr 30, 2011 7:05 PM

SYSTEM.CNF is a file all PSX game have I think. It basically just says which file is the PSX-Exe.

Swaffy · Apr 30, 2011 8:02 PM

I leave all sorts of goofy messages when I'm editing the code in Battlefield
1942. I throw in a few jokes here and there. Or if something is annoying
me I'll leave a crafty little joke. No one playing the game will see it, but if
they open up the .RFA files, they'll find my little messages. Sometimes I'll
make them when I get mad at issues that come up.

ObjectTemplate.create RotationalBundle WillyNitroFrontRudder
ObjectTemplate.setNetworkableInfo WillySteeringInfo
ObjectTemplate.hasMobilePhysics 1
ObjectTemplate.hasCollisionPhysics 1
ObjectTemplate.hasResponsePhysics 1
rem rem rrrrreeeeeeemmmmmmmgh Remm Vremmmmghghghghg ghghghg Remmmmgh
ObjectTemplate.addTemplate WillyNitroRudder2
ObjectTemplate.setRotation 180/0/-90
rem rem rrrrreeeeeeemmmmmmmgh Vroom Vroom Rooomgh Vroomgh
ObjectTemplate.setMinRotation -30/0/0
ObjectTemplate.setMaxRotation 30/0/0
ObjectTemplate.setMaxSpeed 200/0/0
ObjectTemplate.setAcceleration 50/0/0
ObjectTemplate.setInputToYaw c_PIYaw
ObjectTemplate.setAutomaticReset 1

rem      I like cheese!

ObjectTemplate.create HandFireArms Thompson
ObjectTemplate.itemIndex 3
ObjectTemplate.networkableInfo HandFireArmsInfo
ObjectTemplate.projectileTemplate ThomsonProjectile

Aicebo · May 01, 2011 10:07 AM

omg dari it's like 3 AM here and I almost burst out laughing at that picture
you're amazing

I'd also love to see some sort of screencap of the other text, though.

#1 Apr 25, 2011 2:50 AM

Spyro - A Source of Conspiracy and Mind Control?

#2 Apr 25, 2011 3:05 AM

Re: Spyro - A Source of Conspiracy and Mind Control?

#3 Apr 25, 2011 3:08 AM

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#4 Apr 25, 2011 3:18 AM

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#5 Apr 25, 2011 3:51 AM

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