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Frequently Asked Questions












  • General Questions
    • Q: What is the Great Internet Duck Hunt?

      A: The Great Internet Duck Hunt is an online virtual treasure hunt. A number of tasty ducks have been distributed around the internet. Your challenge is to bag them! A number of different types of clues will need to be solved to find the the quackers.

      "The Duck" aka "The Master Duck" is the king of the game. He sets the clues and hides the birds.

      Points will be awarded for the bagging of a duck. How much a duck scores is dependent on the difficulty of the duck, how long the duck has been hidden and how many other people have found the duck. Once the location of the duck starts to appear in the public domain then the value of the duck will drop quickly.

      As you start to discover ducks, you will begin unlocking other (often more difficult) ducks.

      Initially this is just for fun, but the hope is to be able to award prizes for special golden ducks or for the highest scoring duck hunter in a given window of time.

      Some ducks will be embedded within the Great Internet Duck Hunt website, other ducks will be embedded in external websites.
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    • Q: Do I need to register to play?

      A: You don't need to register to read the duck clues and hunt for the ducks. However, to bag your ducks you will need to create an account. The only information needed, though, is your email address, username and real name. Your email address and real name will be kept absolutely private, only your username (and any biography you chose to write) will be visible to other hunters.

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    • Q: What is an active/inactive/invalid duck?

      A: All ducks are automatically active when they are created. They become inactive when The Duck decides that their location has become compromised (i.e. if somebody has revealed their location). They become invalid when the duck is removed from its hiding place.
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    • Q: How do the scores work?

      A: There are two types of score: an active score and an all-time score. Your active score relates only to points scored against currently active ducks. Your all-time score relates to all ducks you've bagged whether they are active or not.

      The active score enables new duck hunters to compete against old duck hunters as they won't be disadvantaged by not being able to score invalid or inactive ducks.

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    • Q: How much does a duck score?

      A: The amount a duck scores will depend on a number of factors; including complexity, category, how long they've been hidden and whether their location has been compromised in any way.

      You can see the current available score for a duck by clicking on it. The score indicates its current worth. The Duck can, of course, change this score at any time. However, it's the score of the duck when you bag it that counts!

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    • Q: How can I get a hint for a duck?

      A: The Duck may well be amenable to providing the occasional hint. Try posting a comment asking for a hint. The comments link is found underneath the duck clue.

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    • Q: What is a duck category?

      A: The 'Duck Category' describes the type of clue that you need to solve to find the duck. At the moment they are as follows (more categories to be introduced later):

      Hidden- These ducks are hidden somewhere on the internet. The location of the duck is determined by solving a clue or a series of clues.

      DuckWorld - DuckWorld is a customised Google Earth which contains a large number of ducks. A clue or series of clues will direct you to a point on earth. The corresponding point in DuckWorld will contain an image of the duck being hunted containing his key.

      Challenge - To discover the challenge ducks you will need complete a task or set of tasks. This could be answering a question, completing a puzzle or solving a conundrum. Generally the answer to the challenge will be the key to the duck.

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    • Q: What is duck complexity?

      A: The duck complexity indicates how difficult a duck is to find. These complexities are currently:

      1. Beginner - Simple, follow the instructions
      2. Easy - No great difficulty
      3. Medium - Starting to get interesting
      4. Hard - This should test you
      5. Ducking Impossible - This will sort the mallards from the Mickeys.

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    • Q: What is the duck discovery status?

      A: This is a filter option on the main duck listing that enables to you view:
      • Just the ducks I haven't yet found
      • Just the ducks I've already found
      • All ducks.

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    • Q: What is a duck level?

      A: A duck level indicates your overall level of experience in the world of duck hunting. It is based on your all-time score. Your profile page shows your current level and how many more points are needed to attain the next level.

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    • Q: Why am I here?

      A: Good question. I suspect you are fun seeker; you have a healthy intellect; you look fine; you smell great; you are a winner.

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    • Q: How do I view the source and title of a page?

      A: Some of the ducks may have clues embedded either in the title of the page or in the source of the page.

      Title
      To see the title of the page just look in the title bar of your web browser. The title bar is found right at the very top of the window. There you will see both the name of the web browser and the title of the page you are currently viewing (e.g. Duck Hunt - FAQ - Windows Internet Explorer).

      Source
      The source of a web-page is the actual code that is sent to your web browser. The web browser interprets this code and turns it into the web page. It's possible to embed comments within this code that don't then appear on the actual web page. Each web browser will have a different way of accessing the source of the web page. For example, in Internet Explorer right-click on the page and select 'View Source'.

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    • Q: Can I have a duck on my web page?

      A: Indeed you can. A duck is an alternative form of advertising, effectively driving duck hunters on to your website. Email the duck at:

      theduck@thegreatinternetduckhunt.com

      and it can be arranged!

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  • Hidden Ducks
    • Q: What is a hidden duck?

      A: These ducks are hidden somewhere on the internet. The location of the duck is determined by solving a clue or a series of clues.
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  • DuckWorld Ducks
    • Q: What is a DuckWorld Duck?

      A: A clue or series of clues will direct you to a point on earth. The corresponding point in DuckWorld will contain an image of the duck being hunted containing his key.

      To bag the duck enter this key into the input field in the duck clue.

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    • Q: What is Duckworld?

      A: DuckWorld is a customised Google Earth which contains a large number of ducks. It is found by clicking the 'Duck World' link above.

      If the Google Earth plug-in is installed then, after a few seconds, Duck World will automatically switch into Earth mode. Otherwise Duck World will remain in map mode. In both modes you can either use the search box to identify locations or manually browse the earth.

      Duck World contains both valid ducks and red-herring ducks. The valid ducks will include their keyword which enables you to bag them.
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  • Challenge Ducks
    • Q: What is a challenge duck?

      A: To discover the challenge ducks you will need complete a task or set of tasks. This could be answering a question, completing a puzzle or solving a conundrum. Generally the answer to the challenge will be the key to the duck.
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