darkSpyro

What do you think will be the status on Imaginators in Sky 7? Playable still or something new for them do to?


I'm expecting them to be playable and maybe, just maybe, be able to get new Imaginator parts.

Ever since SF they pretty much disregard the prior year's theme and make all the money we spent semi pointless...I expect nothing less lol

I'm personally expecting a lack of a Skylanders 7 next year. Last year was a bust and this year retailers are being very, very conservative. I didn't see many people at the stores buying them this past week. I think they give the franchise a rest a few years, besides this year's gimmick is more of an "all in" thing, taking away that flexibility next year would be very poorly received. Besides from everything we have heard they have VV off on other tasks.

Playable but you cant change parts

This is the first gimmick that I would like to stay or even, further developed.

Sky 7, whenever it's released, will have to deal with how this gimmick stood out from the rest, and finding another "novelty" which doesn't feel inferior to this one is will not be an easy task. I mean, taking off this freedom from player's hands and going back to pre-designed skylanders only, may mean a step back for a lot of users.

In this context, they should provide sky 7 with a similar sense of freedom which may come in the form of designing your own levels and minigames (like in DI), a mind blowing gimmick which is so good that it will keep imaginators in the realm of the forgotten stuff ( like huge online capabilities, PVP, etc), or even keeping imaginators as a option, even if it is with the same parts we have had in SI.

But again, this is Activision we are talking about...

I expect to be able to play as our Imaginators....beyond that, it's anybody's guess. My hope is that they'll carry everything over ( the random nature of the Imaginite chests, combined with the fact they respawn on replays, add tons of replay value ), and maybe add new parts & sets ( maybe feature new CC molds to further differentiate Imaginators...especially if they add swashbuckler legs and ninja torsos in Sky 7 but not a patch for Imaginators. What? I can dream can't I? ). I'm honestly more worried that VV's follow-up gimmick will be uninteresting ( which it will be in comparison to making our own Skylanders, but after vehicles I'm really not sure how well they'll do with he next gimmick )

I expect them to be heavily downgraded just like Traps and Vehicles, anything more than that will be a pleasant surprise.

Quote: defpally

I'm personally expecting a lack of a Skylanders 7 next year. Last year was a bust and this year retailers are being very, very conservative. I didn't see many people at the stores buying them this past week. I think they give the franchise a rest a few years, besides this year's gimmick is more of an "all in" thing, taking away that flexibility next year would be very poorly received. Besides from everything we have heard they have VV off on other tasks.

I agree. Sky6 will be the last. If it is around, expect this gimmick not to work, we have proof/evidence that non lander gimmicks have limited use in the next game. Only when the gimmick IS the skylander itself will it be maintained. This was only done on the first 3 games. It will be argued that your own skylander is not an Activision skylander, and therefore will not be maintained. They might do the magic item "smart bomb" effect, or give gold or give snazzy upgrades to stats, but that will be all. Of course, they could surprise us all. No one knows the answer, and no one at Activision will EVER give an answer, so don't bother.

That being said, I'm not HOPING for curtain call, but hope doesn't run a business...it's all in the numbers. Everyone that actually DOES want to keep the game around needs to BUY BUY BUY. I've definitely did more than my share so far.

I WANT them to be playable but probably unable to be edited, but they'll probably just become elemental bullets.

i dont want to think about it

I think they will be playable, but cannot be changed.
I think the price increase of the skylander characters to 15 to 16 instead of 10 make it harder to buy new skylander with an allowence. I think that is why sales are les. I love this game. It play much beter than SC, but I am not a racer.

Well, Vehicles got all their mods available from the start in Imaginators, due to the lack of Mod Chests. However, upgrades and the extra cosmetics were removed, due to the lack of Gearbits.

Best case scenario, they do the same for Imaginators: All parts are available, due to the lack of Imaginite Chests, but no stat boosts for the same reason. Power upgrades still have to be bought (if you haven't already), since there will still be normal money in the game.

I think they will still be playable in the next game, since this is the closest a side gimmick has gotten to being an actual Skylander. I know VV is developing the next game, and that they also talked about using Cloud to keep backwards compatibility.

I do have to worry about how they'll play in the game though since they can be pretty overpowered with the right gear.

I think Imaginators are here to stay because it gives Activision two new income streams for Skylanders: Creation Crystals and Chests

As long as each game adds at least one new class, a few new crystal molds, and some new parts and gear, people are going to be picking up more crystals and more physical and digital chests for parts.

In an ideal world, gear would also start being applicable to non-Imaginator Skylanders and they'd blow the whole system open as a way to progress characters both old and new, but that seems like it might be too much work to implement considering how many skylanders there are now.

But for the Imaginators themselves? I just don't see them selling 3D printed custom figures for characters that will work for one game and then never again. People would be livid if they spent $50 on their custom character and only got to use them in this year's game.

They've got to be a returning thing in the future. I am convinced of it.

I'm expecting them to be playable but not editable, and I'm absolutely not expecting any improvement: no extra features and no new parts, Crystals or Chests.
Activision already wasted their opportunity with traps and I doubt they'll be wiser in the future.

But looking at how TfB supported playable vehicles, instead of turning them into bombs or treasure chests, makes me hopeful for Imaginators.
I'm actually quite confident in V.V., certainly more than last year.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

I WANT them to be playable but probably unable to be edited, but they'll probably just become elemental bullets.

So, that means that the entire catalog and process that creates the imaginator has to be included....so that's not much of a concession. To include ANY part of it may as well include ALL of it. I know they included racing tracks this go round to "show" they are providing support for last game, but that's not new content.

Assuming we have a game, I'll assume the worst and plan accordingly. Our traps and no new vehicle content is all I have to look at to know what makes sense past on past decisions (and actually the game would be an all out mess of each game had all of the previous game's gimmick). Personally allowing imaginators to be playable makes sense to me but they've made a lot of decisions that made no sense.

To bring up this point again: Correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't VV say something about using Cloud Storage for backwards compatibility in the future? Maybe that's how they'll port over Imaginators and the creator?

Quote: AdamGregory03

To bring up this point again: Correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't VV say something about using Cloud Storage for backwards compatibility in the future? Maybe that's how they'll port over Imaginators and the creator?

That was indeed said during an interview about SSC

Quote:

But for the Imaginators themselves? I just don't see them selling 3D printed custom figures for characters that will work for one game and then never again. People would be livid if they spent $50 on their custom character and only got to use them in this year's game.

This.

It would be very bad to turn a $50 figure into a bomb.

Granted, us long-termers have sunk way more than that into pieces which have essentially become worthless (location pieces, magic items, traps, vehicles), so it wouldn't surprise me... but, wow... I just don't see it.

this is, of course, assuming there is a Sky7.

It will come down to how they can make money. If they have a way to make money from ongoing Imaginators then it would stay but I can't see how they can so I expect them to be dropped or seriously nerfed.

As for non-changable, we could always pop the Imaginators disc back in and change them and then bring them back into S7 if they are playable.

And just on thoughts of there not being a Skylanders 7, that's possible but from the stores I've spoken to sales of this game have been very, very strong at least in my local area. Superchargers was a predictable disaster - for everyone except VV and Activision it would seem - but this game seems to be making up for it.

I feel like when Skylanders ends, Activision is going to *try* to end it on purpose. With a lot of their previous annual games, the market gets stale, and they just stop. I think, or rather I hope, that they have more respect for Skylanders than that. So, I do not want to speak for Skylanders 7, but I feel like if they are going to end the current iteration of the franchise, they will do it with something like Skylanders All-Stars, or Skylanders The Final Chapter, or even Skylanders Evil Undone. At this point, with all of the newer games on current gen systems, you have 50 gigs worth of disc space, and this game is only 20 gigs. There is plenty of room left for just about anything. You don't even need cloud storage, you still have 30 more gigs you can play with. Though, that particular figure relies on the game being released only on XBOX One, PS4, and Switch.

Anyway, both stores and Activision still have plenty of stock of everything going back to the first game, so you do 10 new Skylanders, 10 new traps (or 7 new, if you know what I mean), 10 (or more) new trappable villains, and you make 10-20 reposed and/or recolored All-Star Skylanders, which could be from any game. You include all of the gimmicks and previous Adventure Pack levels, possibly reimagined, and no new gimmick at all. The gimmick would be that the game is made with all of the previous games in mind. If they decide to end the franchise, this would be the intelligent way to do it. Any driving sections would provide you with an instant sea, land, or air vehicle, but you can use any you already own. Magic items would retain their original effects.

I still want a game where the portal has a built-in USB hub and you can plug in up to three more portals for 4-player action and PvP arena battles.

The final skylanders game will have a portal where you can throw your toys in to destroy them once and for all.

Playable, but not editable. if there will be a sky7 (and i hope there will be) they will want to focus on the new gimmick.

I'm worried that they'll no longer be playable in Sky7, like Traps were in SSC and SI. Maybe they would unlock bonus stuff for the new gimmick, but I can't see them being fully playable again, unless they're the 3D printed Imaginators.

Quote: LordElohim

Any driving sections would provide you with an instant sky, land, or air vehicle, but you can use any you already own.

You may want to make a slight edit there.

Quote: AmbushFan

I'm worried that they'll no longer be playable in Sky7, like Traps were in SSC and SI. Maybe they would unlock bonus stuff for the new gimmick, but I can't see them being fully playable again, unless they're the 3D printed Imaginators.

I'm pretty sure there is no way for the game to tell which Imaginator is inside a Crystal and which one has been 3D printed.
In fact, you can still edit the latter just like you would with a Crystal: they simply changed the "box".

The same fate as the traps.. make us pay first, than slap us in the face by not supporting the old crystals and make us buy new, better ones.

Speaking of Sky 7.....
I know the game just came out a week ago, but what do you think the gimmick of Sky 7 will be?
I say Evolving Skylanders

Quote: King-Pen Krazy

Speaking of Sky 7.....
I know the game just came out a week ago, but what do you think the gimmick of Sky 7 will be?
I say Evolving Skylanders

I say skypets as the gimmick, but skylanders tamers as "senseis".
I know its less batter the imagnitors but i figuerd if there will be sky7 then it will be the best to lower expectations...

Well, V.V. mentioned wanting to experiment more with the concept of Elements (same article where they talked about Cloud storage).
While that makes me think they might want to bring back Elemental Areas and maybe Element-specific powers it might also be a hint for the gimmick itself.

yes man

Quote: Drek95

Well, V.V. mentioned wanting to experiment more with the concept of Elements (same article where they talked about Cloud storage).
While that makes me think they might want to bring back Elemental Areas and maybe Element-specific powers it might also be a hint for the gimmick itself.

I'd like the levels to be more like sprawling worlds with tons of activity, quests, contents and hidden gems. I guess their take of what we said was the hub world in Sky 6, but that wasn't it.

Quote: TakeYourLemons

Quote: Drek95

Well, V.V. mentioned wanting to experiment more with the concept of Elements (same article where they talked about Cloud storage).
While that makes me think they might want to bring back Elemental Areas and maybe Element-specific powers it might also be a hint for the gimmick itself.

I'd like the levels to be more like sprawling worlds with tons of activity, quests, contents and hidden gems. I guess their take of what we said was the hub world in Sky 6, but that wasn't it.

The M.A.P. is indeed a huge step towards creating a better game structure, considering we still have the Academy as the utility hub, but it can indeed be improved.

I'd like it to be even wider (and with a closer camera), and a direct access to the levels: no loading times, just some cutscenes the first time you enter them.
Maybe 10 elemental-themed areas on the map which contain the different levels: for example, the Life area could contain a jungle level, a green hill village and a wood, while the Magic one could include a temple, a castle and some ruins; and among the proper levels there could be smaller places to access minigames or simply explore and gather collectables.

Okay, I just thought of this.
I think they'll still be playable and still be customizable thanks to Cloud Storage and all that, but I think they'll cap off their max level at 20 just like any other Skylander. That and maybe weaken the effectiveness of gear.
That way they wouldn't be too overpowered compared to the other Skylanders.

Actually yes, vehicles did carry over: they are fully playable with mods and everything in Racing mode.
I would have appreciated some extra functionalities, but that's certainly different from traps becoming special projectiles for them.

Quote: Pokelander

You people are crazy to think your imagination are going to be playable next year if a new game even comes out. Did vehicles carry over No did traps carry over the year before No.

Actually, yes to both.
In Superchargers, traps rewarded players with Skystones based on the villain inside them, and could be used as an additional weapon for your vehicle. And in Imaginators, they ported over the racing mode from Superchargers. So while they're not as integral as they were in their starring games, they were still carried over.
Plus, vehicles and traps can't really be considered playable characters as much as Imaginators can.

Quote: Pokelander

We got over the 30 mark in characters this year so it's obvious that next year is a 10 to 20 figure release. A majority of people buying the 3d prints most likely understand this.

How do you figure that?
If you're referring to Superchargers, then keep in mind they also had the vehicles they needed to make toys for.
And in terms of new characters, Swap Force had over 30 new characters, which was followed by Trap Team, which also had over 30 new characters. Giants and Superchargers are currently the only games to have only 20 new characters, but even then they still had reposes and vehicles.

Quote: Pokelander

And to whoever said turn this into DI.... do you really want this series to tank?.....You want to play MineCraft then go play MineCraft for god sakes.

WOW, that took a dark turn...
Also, what do you mean "turn this into DI"? And what's Minecraft have to do with any of this?

^The minecraft comparison refers to DI toy box, which is a side (or even main) mode of the game that allows you to build yor own levels and minigames.

Quote: AdamGregory03

Quote: Pokelander

You people are crazy to think your imagination are going to be playable next year if a new game even comes out. Did vehicles carry over No did traps carry over the year before No.

Actually, yes to both.
In Superchargers, traps rewarded players with Skystones based on the villain inside them, and could be used as an additional weapon for your vehicle. And in Imaginators, they ported over the racing mode from Superchargers. So while they're not as integral as they were in their starring games, they were still carried over.
Plus, vehicles and traps can't really be considered playable characters as much as Imaginators can.

Quote: Pokelander

We got over the 30 mark in characters this year so it's obvious that next year is a 10 to 20 figure release. A majority of people buying the 3d prints most likely understand this.

How do you figure that?
If you're referring to Superchargers, then keep in mind they also had the vehicles they needed to make toys for.
And in terms of new characters, Swap Force had over 30 new characters, which was followed by Trap Team, which also had over 30 new characters. Giants and Superchargers are currently the only games to have only 20 new characters, but even then they still had reposes and vehicles.

Quote: Pokelander

And to whoever said turn this into DI.... do you really want this series to tank?.....You want to play MineCraft then go play MineCraft for god sakes.

WOW, that took a dark turn...
Also, what do you mean "turn this into DI"? And what's Minecraft have to do with any of this?

I think his point being "level creation" would push Skylanders down hill because DI had exactly that and is now dead. DI closing down wasn't because of the toy box Pokelander, it was because The Big Boys at Disney HQ thought it would sell better than it actually did (despite it selling pretty damn well), so despite it making tons of money, they closed it down.

Level creation is a TON of work for a feature only a small portion of the playerbase would actually use. The only games that can thrive on that kind of content are ones built entirely around it (Little Big Planet, Super Mario Maker, etc) and Skylanders would not be able to lean that hard into it.

The entire Imaginator system was clearly a big portion of the budget for this game (both in terms of money and time/resources) and I can't see them putting this much work into creating something like that without bringing it into future games. It's completely different from something like vehicles or traps. It's a huge, complex system.

If anything we should expect to see it get expanded in small ways in future games to promote further sales of Creation Crystals that have new designs released alongside those future games. These are more like Giants or Swap-Force characters, they're gimmicks but they'll continue to be usable in the future.

They wouldn't be asking people to spend $50 on a custom Skylander that can't be used in other, future games. That would be total insanity.

Quote: kelpplankton

Level creation is a TON of work for a feature only a small portion of the playerbase would actually use. The only games that can thrive on that kind of content are ones built entirely around it (Little Big Planet, Super Mario Maker, etc) and Skylanders would not be able to lean that hard into it.

The entire Imaginator system was clearly a big portion of the budget for this game (both in terms of money and time/resources) and I can't see them putting this much work into creating something like that without bringing it into future games. It's completely different from something like vehicles or traps. It's a huge, complex system.

If anything we should expect to see it get expanded in small ways in future games to promote further sales of Creation Crystals that have new designs released alongside those future games. These are more like Giants or Swap-Force characters, they're gimmicks but they'll continue to be usable in the future.

They wouldn't be asking people to spend $50 on a custom Skylander that can't be used in other, future games. That would be total insanity.

There are a ton of games that do this well, I don't personally need this in skylanders. I'd prefer a more robust closed experience, complex pathing in the game and such. I'm really tired of self contained levels of which there is only one path.