Counter

Counter is the April Event of 2024. Although made by reddit developer Rgood, it was not an official reddit event. It focused on a number that could be increased by pressing a button. Originally, the number could only move upward. Later a button appeared to move the number down. Eventually a second number was added, that could be moved left and right.

Mechanics

Various Interfaces

The interface started with a single number, and a blue button that said "count". When a user pressed the button, the number went up by one, and the user was given a flair with the current number. The color of the flair was determined by the last digit of the number. The number 10,000 was given a special white flair. Each account could only press count once.

Shortly after reaching 10,000 the button changed to "Uncount". After this pressing the button made the number go down. At this point, users could press the button multiple times. Users maintained their original flair.

After the count reached 0, the button disappeared, and the message "Thank you for counting" was shown.

A few minutes later, both the Count and the Uncount buttons reappeared. Both buttons maintained their respective functions, and could be pressed multiple times by users.

About an hour after this, a second number was added, along with a leftcount and a rightcount button. Pressing leftcount moved the second number down, while rightcount moved it up. The count and uncount buttons were also renamed upcount and downcount, respectively.

Locations

After the counter descended the first time, every end method was given a label.

Ground Level

• Up: Ascend to Upper Level
• Right: Go on adventure
• Down: Descend to Depths/Volcano
• Left: Go to sea

Depths/Volcano

• Up: Ascend back to Ground Level
• Right: Go to Ashy Wastes
• Down: Descend to Windy Place
• Left: Traverse Lava Lake/Sail the Fire Sea

Windy Place

• Up: Ascend back to Depths/Volcano
• Left: Explore
• Down: Descend past a big snake to Rain Storm
• Right: Seek Shelter

Rain Storm

• Up: Ascend back to Windy Place
• Left: Look for something to ear
• Down: Descend a staircase
• Right: Go fight the big dog

History

Note that this history is told with a focus on the April Knights.

The Count

The early hours of April First had no signs of an April Fools event. The counter was first launched at 11:34 am EST, and the first Non-mod press occurred at 12:09. Word quickly spread, and an announcement in the April Knights discord was made around 1:40 PM EST. By then, the mechanics of the flairs had been discovered. Grandmaster LadyVulcan declared the April Knights goal to be pushing the count as high as possible. Knights were instructed to aim for whatever number appeals to them. Some battalions coordinated to attempt to have members have matching flairs.

Voiding Numbers

The Swarm attempted to void as many numbers as possible. They did this by creating alt accounts, claiming a number, and then deleting the account, permanently removing the number. At various points in the event, bugs allowed the Swarm to void thousands of numbers at a time. They especially targeted "important" numbers, such as centuries. A special effort was made to save 10,000 from the swarm, which succeeded.

10k was reached at 9:34 pm EST. The counter continued as normal until around 12:00pm EST on the 2nd. At this point the counter was around 14k.

The Uncount

At 12:00 pm EST, the count button became the uncount button. Everyone could press this button as many times as they wished. Within 20 minutes, the counter reached 0. At this point, many assumed the event had concluded.

Battle of the Upcount and Downcount

Within a few minutes, the Upcount and Downcount appeared. The April Knights continued to count up, attempting to reach 100k, while The Swarm fought to bring the counter to the unholy negatives.

The April Knights reached their goal of 100k at 1:12pm

Two Dimensional Counting

At 1:20 the event updated to have four buttons and two numbers. At this point, many groups aimed to bring the counter to (0, 0). The April Knights maintained their goal of counting up. When manpower could be spared, the Knights helped maintain the X balance, but they could not give ground on Y. The knights had information that the counter would ascend at 250k

Around 6:30 pm EST, as the counter approached 250k, it reversed direction and began falling. The knights put every resource they could into counting up, but by the morning of the 3rd, the counter had descended. The counter remained in this state for many hours. As such, the event was declared finished, and preparations for the 2024 election began.

The Counter's Return

On April 4th, at 2:30 pm EST, the counter returned. The Knights continued their relentless pursuit of ascension. The election was temporarily paused until the event could safely be declared finished.

Unfortunately, little progress was made, as a giant botnet trapped the counter in a box. The counter remained in this state for many days.

On April 15th, around 4:15pm EST, it was discovered that the botnet was down. The knights immediately roused their forces, turning everything they could to the Upcount. Swift progress was made, coming within 5k of the goal. However, the botnet returned quickly extinguishing all hope of success. Within 30 minutes, the botnet pulled the counter to the bottom, causing it to descend once again.

The counter reactivated by 12:00 pm EST on the 16th. Although it was slow, the knights began to make steady progress. On April 17th, at 12:22 pm EST, the counter ascended, returning to the depths.

Factions

Factions based on flair number/color

Faction descriptions from this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Counter/comments/1ck2xqi/the_history_of_rcounter/

• Scarlet Zeros
  

Peaceful and accepting, the Scarlet Os welcome anyone with open arms to their community. As the oldest and most prosperous of the number communities, they serve as the hub for much of numberkind's communication and diplomacy. "For all numbers, infinitely."

• Red Ones

A fiery and proud empire, the Red 1's are passionate about their chosen number, and will do anything to protect against it. They can achieve anything they think of, one step at a time. "Stand tall and proud, for we hath been blessed to be 1s!"

• Humble Twos

Always jolly, the 2s are a cheerful and upbeat group. Perhaps not as humble as they claim, they still work towards peace for all. They bask in the sunlight of a new nation, sticking together no matter what. Through thick and thin, they'll always have each others' backs. "Two is the glue!"

• Orange Threes

Devoted to worshipping their holy digit, the Orange 3s are a dedicated and powerful country, with a mighty commander to lead the way for all. You'll be surprised what they can do, for 3 is truly a magic number. "We are the original. We are the best. We are 3."

• Golden Fours

Fortunate but formidable, the Golden 4s are forever for peace in numberkind, using the policy of 'forgive and forget' for foreigners. Their forefathers, before 4 itself, brought forth the kingdom; they now hold the fort for all. "We are the Golden Legion of sacred number 4!"

• Yellow Fives

An old ally of the Os, the balance and the boundary formed one of the strongest bonds. The fives survived and thrived, being optimistic and confident of a bright future. They celebrate side by side, two fives completing each other. "Five will thrive, for we are the balance."

• Lime Sixs

Forever protecting the number public from the Incident, the 6s despise the 7s for reasons only they know, refusing to even get near them. They protect the 9s from harm as if their own. After all, they're just them, rotated. "For This is Six's Sacred Duty: to Safeguard Thee from Seven's Sins"

• Green Sevens

The 7s who don't remember the Incident (or were too young) pride themselves on being lucky and kind. And the ones that do remember pride themselves on their resilience. Either way, their relations with 9 and 6 are... tense, to put it lightly. "We have fate on our side."

• Krazy Eights

A fun squad to be with, the 8s may seem a little loopy at first, but in reality, they're a great time to be with. They're lighthearted and jolly, always up for some tomfoolery, but can be surprisingly deep sometimes. "Your time as a Krazy 8 will be eternal, as 8 forever will be."

• Purple Nines

The shyest of the groups with a surprisingly small population, the Purple 9's history and intentions have always been shrouded in mystery. They rarely interact with other numbers, and seem to have plans beyond comprehension. "9 is the best, for it is the highest you can get!"

Other Factions

• Non-Pressers

Even though the vast majority of us are Non-Pressers, few realise it. The ones that do take pride in staying pure from the Counter's temptations. They take their name from their forefathers, the Non-pressers of the Button of ages past, carrying it on into the future. "We are the strong. The proud. The Grey!"

• The Unified Numbers

Serving as the conduit for a more united future, the Unified Numbers aim to set aside differences and restore peace by allowing for communication and settling disputes between all numbers, non-pressers, and other parties. "For we are the ones counting, and we are the ones being counted.

Trophies

Because counter was not an official event, no trophies were awarded.