darkSpyro

I have a small game store, and I just noticed that one of my distributors posted some of their Trap Team info.

It looks like the Traps are selling in 3-packs ($13.99 MSRP) and singles ($5.99 MSRP).

There is something called a "Trap Level Pack," which is packaged in boxes of 6 and has an MSRP of $24.99. I assume that is going to be the equivalent of adventure packs.

Trap Masters have a MSRP of $14.99, and come in boxes of 12.

There are triple packs, which are $24.99 MSRP.

There are "Mini Character 2-packs", which have an MSRP of $13.99.

Single figures are $9.99 MSRP and come in boxes of 12, just like usual.

Wow that is some odd info, but really thanks for the heads up. Actvision is getting very creative this time on selling these this year.

Interesting re: trap packaging. This configuration assures you'll have a number that will be at odds with the number of elements. And hopefully the configurations will minimize that impact. Good to know we can actually save money in bulk this time.

Sounds like the mini-characters are the sidekicks--sounds like they need to spill the beans on that soon.

Guessing Trap Level Packs are where you can get the "best" villains...anyone betting that Wolfgang is in one of those?

"Mini Character 2-packs"

Sidekicks being sold officially confirmed ?

One thing that is currently absent from the list: Lightcores

Quote: BP

One thing that is currently absent from the list: Lightcores

And THAT'S FINE with me. No path switching or wow pows make them have to produce multiples of each skylander...if they are sending out as many as they are thinking this time no one is going to be interested in duplicates.

I personally have no interest in the lightcores, so them being gone is fine by me.

Hopefully the 3-pack traps can actually finish out the first round of all 8 elements. Starter + 2 (3 packs). Otherwise we might see the specialty traps like Kaos are gonna be hidden in these at the start to force larger sales, before it gets a singles release.

Will be interesting if they are consistent and methodical in terms of what goes into those 3 packs, otherwise I see a lot of "rummaging" through stock for folks to get what they want.

Sadly as much as I hate lightcores overall, the only sad thing that they may be gone is that now we won't get characters earlier. While Giants did it terribly, Swap Force allowed us to play , , and earlier and we would have had to wait for wave 2 and 3 just for them if not for the lightcores.

Quote: BP

One thing that is currently absent from the list: Lightcores

That makes me a little sad, i enjoyed the reposes of the figures. i preferred them over the simple repaints such as Darks, Legendaries and the like.

ultimately though it means $136 less spent and 8 figures less overall.
multi packs for traps will be nice too, makes them a bit of a more reasonable price each

Yay! Adventure Packs, slightly confirmed. Plus, it's cheaper to buy a triple pack than a single pack. This is good news! BTW, "Mini Character 2-Pack" oooh... Skylanders is starting to become an actual toy line now isn't it.

Dang it! I loved Lightcores!!!

Huh. Do you have any info on the first Wave of figures?

Don't worry about the LightCores: There's still a slim chance that they could return.

It's interesting it's 15% cheaper to buy a Character Tripple Pack than 3 Cores and 20% Cheaper to buy a Trap Tripple Pack than 3 Single Traps.

Quote: ninja9351

It's interesting it's 15% cheaper to buy a Character Tripple Pack than 3 Cores and 20% Cheaper to buy a Trap Tripple Pack than 3 Single Traps.

They're both 1/6 cheaper...
1-15/18=1/6
1-25/30=1/6
I think..

Quote: Matteomax

Huh. Do you have any info on the first Wave of figures?

Don't worry about the LightCores: There's still a slim chance that they could return.

Yes, hopefully we get some info on Wave 1 soon!

And yay for Sidekicks. I don't own a single lightcore and I am glad.

Unfortunately, I never know what is going to be in any of the boxes Activision sends until I open them. Ordering Skylanders is like fishing...you place an order and hope you don't end up with another 37 Smolderdashes or Shroombooms. I know I can order boxes of Gear Shift for pre-order promotions, but that is the only character-specific information I will have until I get my shipments prior to launch.

BP do you think that you could potentially find some info on the contents of Wave 1?

Quote: BP

Unfortunately, I never know what is going to be in any of the boxes Activision sends until I open them. Ordering Skylanders is like fishing...you place an order and hope you don't end up with another 37 Smolderdashes or Shroombooms. I know I can order boxes of Gear Shift for pre-order promotions, but that is the only character-specific information I will have until I get my shipments prior to launch.

And then I realize how hard bigger companies make it for small businesses.

A couple days prior to launch, yes (and I would be happy to post a list of what is in Wave 1 then). Prior to that, I doubt it.

Until Activision ships Wave 1, I don't know that anyone outside the company will know anything for sure. I suspect the first wave info will be coming from TRU/Wal-Mart/Target/Game Stop employees that sneak a look in the boxes prior to launch, because I assume the major retailers will get their shipments earlier than anyone else.

Oh that's pretty neat. Trap Triples would be the way to go then, even if you have to double up on a element you'll still be ahead.

Mini Character packs have to be Sidekicks, so maybe they'll have an extended role in the console games as well.

Im thinking that LCs probably wont be returning. I can't really tell for sure, but it doesn't look like they've sold very well at all for Trap Team. Even re-released characters like Whammy and Warnado.

I think what is really interesting is the Trap Level Packs. Theoretically, that would be a perfect way for them to distribute the Kaos Trap; have a special level or something with him and you can trap Kaos on that level. It'd also allow them to have stuff like previous villains and include a trap for them to be captured in. (ie, bring back Vathek or Occulous, etc)

Quote: BP

I have a small game store, and I just noticed that one of my distributors posted some of their Trap Team info.

There are "Mini Character 2-packs", which have an MSRP of $13.99.

That's what I thought. SIDEKICKS!

On the lightcores, sales were really a mixed bag with Swap Force. At launch, the lightcores of Smolderdash and Grim Creeper always sold immediately (primarily because the non-lightcore versions were not out yet). They still sell reasonably well.

Lightcore Star Strike sold well at launch, but when the non-lightcore version came out sales dropped off steeply.

The Lightcore reposes have been terrible sellers for me. I have boxes and boxes of unsold Lightcore Warnado, Wham Shell, Countdown, and Flashwing. I understand bad sales with Lightcore Countdown, as the non-lightcore was in Wave 1 and many people bought the original version. However, with the others (especially with Wham Shell) I just don't understand it. For example, Lightcore Wham Shell works with SSA, so it is a great opportunity to get a rare figure for SSA that you can't buy in stores anymore.

The only thing I can figure is the consumers will pay to buy a character, but don't want to pay a premium for a more expensive version.

SIDEKICKS FINALLYY Also Does anyone know if the crystals are not mixed in the triple packs and really hope the kaos trap isnt mixed in so we have to look for them and keep buying crystal packs


13.99 for 2 MINI SIDEKICKS!!! They must play a bigger part

Quote: LloydDXZX

Quote: BP

I have a small game store, and I just noticed that one of my distributors posted some of their Trap Team info.

There are "Mini Character 2-packs", which have an MSRP of $13.99.

That's what I thought. SIDEKICKS!

I'm so mad at myself. I paid ebay money for them...

Quote: DaMadNes

Quote: LloydDXZX

Quote: BP

I have a small game store, and I just noticed that one of my distributors posted some of their Trap Team info.

There are "Mini Character 2-packs", which have an MSRP of $13.99.

That's what I thought. SIDEKICKS!

I'm so mad at myself. I paid ebay money for them...

Ouch! I have been lucky to find all my sidekicks for free or under $5.

Finally, people who couldn't get the sidekicks from the the last two games finally have a chance!

With a different base color of course. Not that it would matter to anyone but the person wanting to complete SSA and SG collections. We still don't know if the current sidekicks will have the same functionality as the new ones do we?

Yes, now I can start making my Launch Day plans.

Quote: lcopley98

Quote: DaMadNes

Quote: LloydDXZX

That's what I thought. SIDEKICKS!

I'm so mad at myself. I paid ebay money for them...

Ouch! I have been lucky to find all my sidekicks for free or under $5.

The only way this could be more painful, is if the NEW sidekicks are playable characters and the ones I paid $150 bucks for just remain the mindless things that walk off of cliffs. Cuz then I will need to buy the new ones, after I just bought the zombies... LOL

me too. I only paid £40 for SSA to buy terabyte and gill runt, I got trigger snappy with a book and whisper elf free on promotion with sweets. But I paid £70 for the giants sidekicks. So I am a little miffed.
But im just gonna try justify it to myself that a different base colour means their from different sets...
Its money that's already spent anyway, no point looking back.

this is very interesting.

Don't feel bad, everyone paid eBay money for them to some extent I imagine. I'd find it more hilarious if they suddenly re-released the volcanic vault with this one to boot.

Quote: Kung Fu Man

Don't feel bad, everyone paid eBay money for them to some extent I imagine. I'd find it more hilarious if they suddenly re-released the volcanic vault with this one to boot.

ah the volcanic vault. the most expensive purchase in my collection that does the least. looking at ebay currently, i don't feel so bad paying what i did lol

So if sidekicks are now part of the gameplay we might need one of each element as well. We only have sidekick for six elements which means two are missing. They also told there will be 18 new skylanders which is odd because we expect two per new element so 16 in total. So my guess is the two extra can be an air and a fire sidekick .

Quote: BP

On the lightcores, sales were really a mixed bag with Swap Force. At launch, the lightcores of Smolderdash and Grim Creeper always sold immediately (primarily because the non-lightcore versions were not out yet). They still sell reasonably well.

Lightcore Star Strike sold well at launch, but when the non-lightcore version came out sales dropped off steeply.

The Lightcore reposes have been terrible sellers for me. I have boxes and boxes of unsold Lightcore Warnado, Wham Shell, Countdown, and Flashwing. I understand bad sales with Lightcore Countdown, as the non-lightcore was in Wave 1 and many people bought the original version. However, with the others (especially with Wham Shell) I just don't understand it. For example, Lightcore Wham Shell works with SSA, so it is a great opportunity to get a rare figure for SSA that you can't buy in stores anymore.

The only thing I can figure is the consumers will pay to buy a character, but don't want to pay a premium for a more expensive version.

GREAT info! Thanks for the heads up.

To me - I would simply paint the lightcore sales as 'lightcore reposes don't do well'. So if its a new character via lightcore - then it sales like a new character, if its a repose, adding 'lightcore' doesn't actually impress anyone enough to warrant buying again.

So since you seem to get 'grab' bags, does that change later on? Can you contact a distributor and ask specifically for certain 'anything' really becaus you are low? It sounds like it would put a HUGE strain on stores - as what I see at TRU is tons of characters taking up pegs - that no one really cares about.
- Unreall

Quote: Unreallystic

So since you seem to get 'grab' bags, does that change later on? Can you contact a distributor and ask specifically for certain 'anything' really becaus you are low? It sounds like it would put a HUGE strain on stores - as what I see at TRU is tons of characters taking up pegs - that no one really cares about.
- Unreall

With a couple of exceptions, it is always a mix of 12 figures of some sort. Stores have almost no control over what they get. The one exception is special orders (like Kickoff Countdown, the pre-order Gear Shifts, the Easter Skylanders, etc).

During the Waves, each of the boxes has a predetermined makeup. For example, with the Swap Force characters:
Wave 1 boxes all had Free Ranger, Hoot Loop, Magna Charge, and Rattle Shake (3 of each).
Wave 2 all had Boom Jet, Fire Kraken, Grilla Drilla, and Night Shift (3 of each).
In Wave 3, they started mixing it up a little bit and included 3 figures from Wave 1 (Magna Charge, Rattle Shake, and Hoot Loop; one of each) along with Stink Bomb, Rubble Rouser, and Spy Rise (3 of each). However, every box was the same.
In Waves 4 and 4.5 (some boxes had "W4.5" as printed on the box and had a different mix than Wave 4), they have introduced 1-3 new characters with a mix of characters from the previous waves. My most recent boxes had a bunch of Doom Stone along with a mix of Wave 2 and 3 figures. Again the mix of characters is ALWAYS the same in the Wave boxes.

The difficulty with the waves is that there is NO way to tell what wave Activision is shipping. It changes without notice. However, the major retailers (especially TRU) enter agreements with Activision where they get a limited shipment of a Wave weeks early so that they can say the get the characters first. Despite the early promotional shipment, Activision continues shipping the previous wave. There have been many occasions on which I have also seen figures appear at TRU and placed a big order hoping to get the next wave of figures, only to end up with more of the previous wave for several weeks after that.

That is why Fire Bone Hot Dog and Scratch were seen briefly a month ago, and then not again until recently. Activision has been shipping Wave 3 singles up until until a week or two ago), but TRU and a couple of others got a limited run of Wave 4 early (followed by a bunch more Wave 3 shipments).

Now...after the Waves, my experience has been that all bets are off and things get more random. Skylanders become a box of chocolates. For Giants figures, I have seen a box that was 75% Shroomboom and a couple of random others. You sometimes get a good mix, you sometimes get a terrible one.

Trying to manage Skylander inventory is a maddening experience.

If sidekicks are going to do more in this game then there is remote chance the "old" sidekicks will be able to function the same way. They ALWAYS make you pay to add functionality. It wouldn't surprise me if they call them entirely something else just to make the distinction since they are going to want you to buy them all over again to use them in the "new" way.

I got busy and didn't have time to finish my observations yesterday...

Browsing through the Trap Team catalog, I noticed that there are two new types of items you can order (traps and minis), and two types that are not listed (lightcores and battle packs).

On the minis, I really have no idea what those will be for. All I know is that stores can order them for the launch of Trap Team. It is POSSIBLE, that the minis are a limited-run promotional item (like the Gear Shift pre-orders) that will only be sold at launch. It is also possible they will be a major part of the game and unlock special zones like Giants did in Swap Force.

It is possible that lightcores and battle packs will be added later, but they are not currently listed among the items available for order.

A couple of thoughts... Please note that these are my opinion, and based on no inside information, so take them with a grain of salt.

I think there are only so many things that people will buy. Trap Masters, traps, and single characters, and adventure packs, AND lightcore reposes, AND battle packs would be a lot. In my experience, light core figure sales have been terrible after the initial launch and Christmas rush. In my experience, battle pack sales were also pretty disappointing with Swap Force.

Personally, I bought the battle packs only so I could get Camo and Knockout Terrafin. Plus how many things do you really need to follow you around and "pew-pew" at the bad guys? In Swap Force, you have the SSA powerups that harm enemies (slowing, ect.), the SSA adventure pack items (which rain some sort of projectile), the Giants battle pack items that shoot, and the Swap Force battle pack items. For those of us that collect, that is a lot...probably more than anyone can use.

My guess is that Activision decided that since traps light up (I haven't even looked, do the trap masters light up, too?), Activision scrapped lightcores because they decided they another light-up item was distracting and didn't seem that attractive for buyers.

Also, based on my perception that buyers weren't as crazy about battle packs, I wouldn't be surprised if Activision decided to go a different way this time around. My guess would be that Activision either (1) has 4 adventure packs, instead of 2, each with some sort of limited-edition trap that you can only get in the adventure pack (Kaos trap, anyone?); or (2) decided to revamp the whole "pew-pew" item concept and replace battle packs with revamped minis that function similar to the battle pack items (extra damage for a limited time), but maybe with a little more flair.

Quote: Zylek

If sidekicks are going to do more in this game then there is remote chance the "old" sidekicks will be able to function the same way. They ALWAYS make you pay to add functionality. It wouldn't surprise me if they call them entirely something else just to make the distinction since they are going to want you to buy them all over again to use them in the "new" way.

This is just my opinion, but I think that if the new minis attack in Trap Team, the old minis will, too. Look at SSA adventure packs. In SSA and Giants, they open new zones. In Swap Force, they function differently, raining projectiles like a battle pack item.

There is no reason that Activision can't change how the mini figures function and make them attack things in Trap Team.

I'm just saying that history has shown that they have never added functionality to existing products. They even made it in Giants so you had to buy S2 versions to unlock the heroics for that character. The SA adventure packs example doesn't show them adding anything, they just unlocked the same levels in Giants.

Maybe they'll surprise us, but if they attack and can be upgraded I'm pretty sure they'll fleece customers by making them buy the "attack" versions to be able to do it.

Yeah I don't see why that won't happen. These figures are cleverly programmed to work differently from game to game like how reposes just become their older counterparts. So the question is are sidekicks any different? It's just a simple programming change in Trap Team to allow sidekicks to do more than before. My question is that can sidekicks be played switching to them like the villains?

The interesting thing is the 3DS version (which has been shown to have one trap master and a sidekick instead of a trap master, a regular figure and two traps for the consoles) is priced the same at every retailer. They are out of their minds on these things unless that is just a preliminary image and isn't the final contents. The 3DS versions, at best, are entertaining side games - and aren't even close to being worth the full price, even if they had similar pack ins. I get the feeling Activision doesn't realize they are driving over the cliff on this one, people are already cutting back with Swap Force and they are giving even more types of things to buy? Big figures, small figures, repose figures, variant figures, traps, sidekicks, adventure packs, and maybe even battle packs and lightcores. I like a wide selection of things, but stores don't like it when they shelve lots of things that aren't moving, then have to clearance them - we may very well be watching Skylanders get Guitar Hero'ed.

Also, one thing to consider, if sidekicks are now playable, those existing figures do not have the facility to store upgrade information. They are "read-only" as far as I can tell - probably to keep costs down. While you can easily make them playable since the figure doesn't contain anything other than a code to flag which character it is, you would need new figures if they need to store anything.

Quote: defpally

The interesting thing is the 3DS version (which has been shown to have one trap master and a sidekick instead of a trap master, a regular figure and two traps for the consoles) is priced the same at every retailer.

I just checked the catalogs at two different distributors to see what Activision had listed the MSRP for the 3DS version at, and neither of them has the 3DS version listed yet...at all. They have a starters for Wii, WiiU, XB360, XBOne, PS3, and PS4, but no 3DS.

If retailers are listing a price for the 3DS starter, the retailer may just be using the same price as the other starter packs because Activision has not yet told them what to charge...

Yes, the existing sidekicks would need a r/w chip to save stats/upgrades. They could have them but who knows...they could also just say they don't have the required chip because they want you to rebuy them.

Walmart has the price for the 3ds version $10 cheaper than the others. It has been that way for quite some time.

Quote: defpally

We may very well be watching Skylanders get Guitar Hero'ed.

I guess that's why Wolfgang is around for a proper send off.

My prediction for the Sidekicks:
They will act similarly to how they did in the past three games, except now they will be able to attack. The attacks wouldn't be on par with the average Skylander, but they could cause distractions or slowly chip away at enemies' health. They won't have upgrades, which would allow the old Sidekicks to work like the new ones. This theory also fits in with the stat card we saw for Barkley, as the power, defense(perhaps the Sidekicks could be given health?), speed, and luck stats could be used for the Sidekicks. The pathfinding should also be improved.

This way, the Sidekicks fill their role as sidekicks, instead of becoming playable.

Thoughts?

I still think that there's going to be some piggybacking abilities if sidekicks are a thing this go (IE: Nano force idea).

Quote: Jackalope

My prediction for the Sidekicks:
They will act similarly to how they did in the past three games, except now they will be able to attack. The attacks wouldn't be on par with the average Skylander, but they could cause distractions or slowly chip away at enemies' health. They won't have upgrades, which would allow the old Sidekicks to work like the new ones. This theory also fits in with the stat card we saw for Barkley, as the power, defense(perhaps the Sidekicks could be given health?), speed, and luck stats could be used for the Sidekicks. The pathfinding should also be improved.

This way, the Sidekicks fill their role as sidekicks, instead of becoming playable.

Thoughts?

Personally, I think they will be just like regular characters that can be upgraded. I am also expecting there to be sidekick zones that require a sidekick to enter.