Talk:Store Thank You Messages

From Homestar Runner Wiki

Revision as of 16:51, 5 December 2008

Title

This page will describe the special "Thank You" messages from the Store. The title should be better, but I can't think of a better one. Any ideas on what it should be moved to? ⇔Thunderbird⇔ 19:10, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

Mirrors

Can we get mirrors to the toons that we usually can't see? Or would that be going too far legally? - Joshua 15:22, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah and that's kinda my question too that's been nagging at me... --Stux 17:33, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Someone had made a mirror and posted the link to the Forum. I cannot find the post, though. If someone can, that would be great.— Bassbone (^{TALK CONT}) 21:22, 14 April 2006 (UTC)

Here you go http://forum.hrwiki.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4339 64.131.243.107 19:52, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

How does the flash know something's been bought?

How does the flash know something's been bought? There must be some kind of parameter or something passed to the HTML that tells the flash that an Item's been bought... Does anyone know? --Stux 16:02, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

From what I can tell, the JavaScript on the page reads the browser referrer, then adds it as a Flash variable (for example, "thankyou.swf?rf=Referrer goes here"). I guess that if it doesn't match a preset value embedded in the Flash, then it takes you to the backdoor message. --ENUSY 16:15, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm... quite interesting. So we'd just need to disassemble the Actionscript to figure out what the referrer codes are (or is)... --Stux 16:23, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Just decomplied thankyou.swf. See below for the actionscript. It seems like the only referrers are "https://order.store.yahoo.com/" and everything else. --ENUSY 16:40, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Decompiled ActionScript

// Frame 1 actions...

function masterPresent () {
    return true
    }
function controllerLoaded () {
    var _local7 = _root.rf.substr(0, 30)
    if (_local7 == "https://order.store.yahoo.com/") {
        var _local6 = new Array ("thankyou_celegante.swf","thankyou_bubsness.swf",
            "thankyou_song.swf","thankyou_cinnamon.swf")
        var _local2 = sceneChoice = Math.floor(Math.random() * ((_local6.length - 1)))
        var _local4 = new Date ()
        var _local5 = LocalData.load("ty", "lt")
        var _local3 = LocalData.load("ty", "n")
        if ((_local5 == undefined) ||  (_local3 == undefined)) {
            } 
            else if ((!isNaN (_local5.getTime())) &&  (!isNaN (_local3))) {
                if ((_local4.getTime() - _local5.getTime()) / 60000 < 10) {
                    _local2 = Number(_local3)
                    if (_local4.getHours() < 5) {
                        }
                    }
                }
        _local2 = 3
        LocalData.save("ty", "lt", _local4)
        LocalData.save("ty", "n", _local2)
        _root.content_mc.loadMovie(_local6[_local2])
        } else {
        _root.content_mc.loadMovie("thankyou_bonus.swf")
        }
    }
test_txt.text = _root.rf
stop()
_root.onEnterFrame = function  () {
    if ((_root.getBytesLoaded() > 4) &&  (_root.getBytesLoaded() >= _root.getBytesTotal())) {
        controllerLoaded ()
        delete(_root.onEnterFrame)
        }
    }

Sweetness! I'm making the links and will watch them shortly to see which one's which (though it's pretty obvious)...

• https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou_celegante.swf
• https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou_bubsness.swf
• https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou_song.swf
• https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou_cinnamon.swf
• https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou_bonus.swf

--Stux 17:07, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Okay, I tried the files above and couldn't get any to work properly except the bonus. They all blank out for me. I can only guess that they need to be loaded through the main SWF file. I'll see if a custom-built HTML file works... --Stux 17:14, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

I managed to make it so I can see one of the toons. Though all the files had to be saved locally in order for this to work. It was the homestar singing one, and unfortunately it kept playing every time I reloaded the page regardless. Then I tried chaning the clock and saw the late night homestar, and when I changed it back saw the version with strong bad and all his money. It's still stuck on that one and I'm not really sure why. The flash shouldn't save information across sections unless it's setting some cookie... is it doing that? --Stux 17:30, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

It might be easier to click here and press back to see all of them. --ENUSY 17:41, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
EDIT: Found why they cannot be watched from a direct URL link: in frame 5, the actionscript below is present:

// Frame 5 actions...

if (_parent.masterPresent()) {
    blocker_mc._visible = false
    content_mc.play()
    } else {
    content_mc.stop()
    var snd = new Sound (content_mc)
    snd.setVolume(0)
    }
stop()

Basically, it stops the Flash from playing, and puts a black screen over the Flash if it hasn't been loaded from thankyou.swf.

So I could've just clicked on that link above!? Sweetness! Why didn't I think of that before? Oh, actually, I didn't know you could do that with swf's... Though the back button solution isn't working on my compy for some reason (when I do it blanks the SWF). Anyway the single file protection is quite sneaky. I'm gonna have to buy something now to make up for this work ;) Thanks a lot Venusy! --Stux 18:03, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

I downloaded the linked SWFs (thanks, Stux!) and managed to play them only by using SWF Decompiler to view the key Sprite directly. Meneth 07:52, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

Work around for blocker_mc

I was fooling around with a flash decompiler trying to see how to get the movies to play through the thankyou.swf. I couldn't figure out how to trick the thankyou.swf, but the decompiler itself will play the clip with minimal graphical errors. There's a Sprite labeled as content_mc in each of them. If you click on that the decompiler will play the clip. —NFITC1^talk 06:15, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

OK, ignore that. I figured it out...sorta. This will work in tandem with the heythanks.html

The heythanks.html on the site has a script in it that looks like this:

<script type="text/JavaScript"> document.write('<embed src="thankyou.swf" FlashVars="rf=' + document.referrer + '" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="550" height="400" name="confirmation_test" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="https://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />');</script>

If you make the following change to the file and save it on your computer along with the rest of the thankyou_*.swf files they'll all play according to the time on your system if you open the heythanks.html file. You can change the time on your system to play a different one.

<script type="text/JavaScript"> document.write('<embed src="thankyou.swf" FlashVars="rf=https://order.store.yahoo.com/" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="550" height="400" name="confirmation_test" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="https://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" />');</script>

I'm not sure how to make them not be links, but there you are. They just worked for me. It's easier than getting a flash decompiler and only using it during the trial period. Thing about this is that it will always take you back to the store page since all the thankyou_*.swf files are coded to do that. —NFITC1^talk 06:24, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

I just noticed that it's only playing the thankyou_celegante.swf during 6am-12am, but it will play the cinnamon between 12am-6am. Is there some way to get the random function to work for the flash files? It's probably some resource file on the site that gives it code. It's a different random function from Marzi's character page so it's probably a math library of some kind. Can anyone who writes flash help look for such a file?

Edit: It just seems like the Math.Random() (which is part of flash library since Flash 5 so I don't think it's a separate file or class object) isn't setting var _local2 mentioned in the above topic. I can't figure out why it isn't working. Can someone else try this? Maybe you'll have better luck with it. —NFITC1^talk 14:40, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

New discovery on the time

I've just found that which Flash file that's played depends, on my computer, on what third of the hour it is, i.e. it plays the Bub's file from 1-20 min after, the SB one from 21 to 40, and the Homestar Runner song from 41 to the next hour. 24.50.36.147 21:27, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Wow, very good! We're going to have a look into that! —BazookaJoe 21:40, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

"To see the different purchase scenes, set your system clock between midnight and 4:59 am (or if already set there, between 5:00 am and midnight) then click on your back button. This can be done multiple times, just keep setting the clock to the desired time and going back. (Note: the same scene will always play when your clock is set between midnight and 4:59 am as stated above)". My question is, what back button? MHarrington 07:00, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

How many back buttons do you have? My browser only has one... --phlip ^T_C 07:02, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Oh, that one. I thought you were talking about the backspace button. On the Internet, the left pointing arrow is evidently the back button. I'm not sure, though; that's why I asked. MHarrington 07:04, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Er, coincidentally, in firefox (and derivatives) the "backspace" button performs the same function as the "back" button unless you disable it in about:config (set browser.backspace_action to 1 -- type 'backspace' in the filter w/o quotes to find -- dont' touch anything else!). --Stux 18:02, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

Current time- 1:26 Just played the Bubs one for me. :/ Theory disproved? --24.196.3.70 19:26, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

A Real Back Door

With some playing around, I may have found a real back door into viewing the Store Thank You Messages. Somebody want to try this for me? I did just buy something, so it's entirely possible that a cookie is remembering me or something. Give it a shot and post it in the article if it works. Just follow this link and click the Continue button: https://order.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wg-thank-you?catalog=homestarrunner OptimisticFool 08:25, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

It's working for me, and I haven't bought anything since strongbad_email.exe Disc Five came out. —Shwoo 08:28, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

I've never bought anything and it works for me. — Has Matt? (talk) 12:55, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

(I'll bet you can guess what I bought.) I went to add the link to the article, but I found this message: <!-- These Thank You messages were specifically designed to be seen only after a purchase. Please do not add any mirrors of them. --> ... The URL (above) is not a mirror site.. but maybe the spirit of the message is to preserve the mystery for those who haven't bought something. I don't know what authority put that message there, but I'll wait for a higher power to make the decision to either add the link to the article or delete this portion of the talk page. In the meantime, it seems the cat's out of the bag.. for a while, anyway. OptimisticFool 16:23, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

It seems to give me strong bad's le restige version even though it's 12:59 AM though. --71.150.251.197 05:55, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

The REAL, REAL Backdoor is (for the SWF itself): https://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou.swf?rf=https://order.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wg-thank-you?catalog=homestarrunner

What a mouthful. ColdReactive

This is a little simpler: http://secure.homestarrunner.com/thankyou.swf?rf=https://order.store.yahoo.com/ (this was already linked above, by Venusy, well before I found "my" back door). OptimisticFool 00:18, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

.swf files

does anybody have the actual .swf files for the thank you meassages? I've tried saving them but couldn't.

FlashVars makes it impossible to do that. You'd have to decompile it both with an actionscript decompiler and a flash decompiler that gets all the scenes and stuff. ColdReactive

Removed?

Were the videos removed? It looks just like their security certificate expired. I can access them fine by setting it as a safe site. ThePizz^{√ Pick} 22:44, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

I think the main point is that they're no longer playing after purchases. --DorianGray 22:46, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

Mirrors

Can we make mirrors of any of the Thank You Messages, if not all five? BBG 01:29, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

I personally don't think we should. Those messages are supposed to be to thank people who buy the merchandise, and I don't think we should cheapen those thanks by making them easily visible to anyone who clicks a link on our article. Heimstern Läufer 01:52, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

Can we at least make a mirror of the "Thought you could sneak through the back door?" video? BBG 01:57, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

Well, does anybody have mirrors already? Because, as I said in the forum, the messages won't play anymore. I actually bought something- at two different occasions- and didn't get as much as a loading screen. Which is exactly what I get when using the links. A loading screen, followed by a big black empty nothingness. It made me sad. I really wanted to see those messages. The backdoor thing seems to be the only one still working. ;( --Cass from Germany 16:51, 5 December 2008 (UTC)