darkSpyro

Hey Everyone,

Just like last year I am fortunate enough to have been invited to E3 to cover Skylanders Trap Team.

I'm already getting feedback from folks on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and other outlets, but wanted to involve you as well.

If you have anything you need clarification on, or have questions about post them up and I will see what I can do...Obviously, a lot of things are probably going to be held back, but I'll work towards getting as much info as possible, just like with Swap Force.

I will, as time allows, compile the archive of questions onto this post:

http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...hat-do-you.html

I will literally have the post with me while in attendance and any time the opportunity arises I'll start going down the list. I spent a lot of time picking the brains of the Vicarious Visions guys last year and had a great time doing it, as well as getting info on the 3DS version.

Hopefully we can get clarification on a lot of things given the conflicting info from the announcement AND turn up a ton of new information!

If anyone from the forum will be there and wants to meet up let me know...Can't guarantee it will happen, but it is always cool to meet fellow Portal Masters and have a name for a forum handle.

Oh, and naturally one my first questions will be the fate of the Forgotten Four

Wow, thank you a lot for your willingness!

Aside for all the informations about the new Skylanders and Villains, which is almost sure we will get, I would like to know more about the following things, if possible:
- Adventure Packs (will there be new ones? Are the older compatible with Trap Team?);
- Are we going to need a Trap Master for each element to 100% the game? (don't think so);
- Will the hub be the castle leaked from the concept arts?
- Will older characters have new Quests to complete?/Are Quests returning?
- Are Heroics returning?
- Will the game be an open world one, a levels one or a mix of the two? (think about the Lego games, where you have a big open world hub and serveral Story levels)
- Will we be able to fight again a Villain after capturing him (Story Mode and Free play mode, maybe?)

Thanks again! I know these are a lot of questions, but luckily they could be the same for someone else.

To find out more about the Target exclusive Outlaw Brawl and Chain. Is he trappable in the game , is he a variant? Is Target pre order the only way to get him?

Forget the characters, anyone that can get scoop on the game---I'm not talking about levels, the villain names or anything...I'm talking about content/mechanics:

1. Bonus Missions / Quests returning?
2. Heroics still on hiatus? If yes, does that mean that upgrading a skylander will have a mechanic similar to Legendary Treasure from Last game?
3. How does the game support re-playability besides difficulty level?
4. Portal Master ranking returning? Improvements?
5. Mini game confirmations / walkthrough examples
6. Achievements
7. Is the game still story based on levels? How many? Do they have Boss Only Levels?
8. Are there cool mechanics this time around that we haven't heard?
9. Character breakdown in terms of net new, reposes, lightcore etc. Do reposes provide anything new?
10. Please re-iterate that sequences should be IMMEDIATELY skip-able. They had this nailed in first two games (for most part)...do NOT repeat VV's failings.
11. Trap costs/bundling ... storage options from Activision or third parties
12. Elemental inspired levels? They totally ignored that in SF apart from elemental zones. Really want Undead levels...
13. Impact of completed quests/heroics on stats, if any.

If all of this is demoable, along with the inevitable parade of gimmicky skylanders and level demos should be enough for me to determine if I'll bother this year.

Thanks 1ofWiisdom--appreciate the effort.

It may have been mentioned previously, but I think something to ask and kind of "grill them" about is the online. Why did they once again decide to not include it?
Like GhostRoaster mentioned, I'd like to know more about the traps. Their cost, bundles, storage. It'd also be great if we could have some clarification on what we can do with them; is it one villain in a trap? Can we hold other villains in a trap and select them or how does that work?

Ooh and also about the 3DS; is there going to be another exclusive character or variant in the pack? Trap? It'd also be neat if you can ask them about their relationship with Nintendo, especially in the wake of the NFP figure reveal.

Thanks for doing this! Hope its awesome haha

I have a few questions, mainly concerning the packs.

Will Sidekicks do anything different?

Will there be Trapper Double Packs?

Will there be variant villains available at retailers?

How many Adventure Packs will there be?

Will Battle Packs be continued?

Love your work, 1ofWiisdom! Good luck at E3

The main thing I want to know is a breakdown of the amount of Skylander types in this game. That and how traps (especially the Kaos trap) will be distributed. Hopefully the Kaos trap isn't a rare thing and is distributed fairly. One more thing, what happens when you don't have a trap of a particular element and you come across a trappable villain of the element you don't have? Will the game just be stuck when you defeat him, or will you have the option to send him to the Villain Vault? My guess is the latter but I just want to be on the safe side

Let's say a villain runs out of health, I assume they have to rest like a Skylander. However, does this affect my Skylander on the portal in any way? Do they lose health as well? And if a villain dies, are we still allowed to switch to another villain in that level or does that entire feature need to "rest" for the remainder of the level?

Quote: spyroflame0487

It may have been mentioned previously, but I think something to ask and kind of "grill them" about is the online. Why did they once again decide to not include it?

They DO need to feel uncomfortable about its lack of inclusion of ANY online component at this stage. I'd like to understand what Activision's viewpoint is on this. If they need to see a precipitous drop in sales to send a clear message, I'm happy to oblige.

Oh, and we need confirmation that traps are "one and out" so some of us consumers can choose to skip it if they aren't forward compatible. If they can't/won't answer this, I think you need to send a message that many will choose not to engage.

Sorry for the lack of activity...Basically since Thursday night we have been hit with all kinds of severe weather: tornadoes, large hail, damaging straight line winds, some of the most intense lightning I've ever seen (and I'm a weather buff), and very heavy rainfall. The storms tend to roll in late afternoon-/evening and have been going on thru the night. Sadly, 10 PM-whatever time I go to bed is when I get to work on Skylanders stuff...Needless to say, I've basically gotten to do nothing since then (I had really wanted the Swapper and Newlaners Upgrades complete before E3). All I've really done gaming wise is record 30 minutes of Minecraft with my Nephew yesterday (right before shutting down due to another round of storms).

That said, I think we are finally in the clear (the rain was much needed, just not in the form of giant chucks of ice) and I should get to archive everyone's questions tonight. I head out tomorrow and assuming the hotel's WiFi is solid I'll be able to continue on thru the night. The main presentation we all get to take in is a late PM affair...I tried last year to live tweet all the PowerA stuff (packaging, never before seen characters etc), but the convention center doesn't really grant a great strength of signal. If things are different this year I will have it

Worst case scenario, late Tuesday night I will be working on some post and can sign in and post it up here...I fly out Thurs morning and will get in very late Thursday. Friday is booked and if I am dumb enough to do it I might make a 5 hr drive to a car show, haha...If I convince myself I'm too tired for that the actual video content should start to go up very early Friday morning, or more realistically late Friday night.

I'll try to hit this thread tonight with the archive...thanks for all the questions!

Will the heroics we have done on current characters count towards their stats in Trap Team.

Will heroics be back for Trap Team

^ Adding to this- will the completed SF Quests on older characters award any extra stats, etc. within TT (not a measly medal that does nothing practical)?
Will completed Giants Quests give any kind of practical reward in TT, unlike SF?
Also, I doubt we'll get specifics like I'd love but will Quests/Heroics/equivalent within TT give a small stat boost like the Quests did in SF when all are completed, or at least decent boosts to multiple stats, closer to SA/Giants?

Can all characters use the jump-slam attack or just Trap Masters? Gameinformer said all characters can but SkyKids said only Trap Masters can and I'm looking forward to jumping becoming a bit more useful so I've been wondering about this...

I'd like to know if any other unreposed characters are coming back in this game or if any of the Swap Force characters.

I have a ton of questions to ask which usually skip the radar.

Are Lightcores coming back? Are they going to give Lightcore's Wow Pow's or some benefit at some point?

Heroics, are all 50 going to be useable in Trap Team? Are new Heroics going to be in Trap Team? Are older Heroics going to work in Trap Team? (Deal breaker for me).

Quests, are they going to return, also if so will it have some type of reward given like in Swap Force?

Hats, are we going to be getting any new hats? Are all hats post Trap Team going to be useable in Trap Team? I haven't seen any mention of hats anywhere.

Skystones, is it going to be more implemented into the game or will it be just like it was in Giants.

Level, is the cap at 20 or has it been raised to 25? Has been a lot of misunderstanding going around with this question.

Traps, is it 1 Villain per trap or can 4 be hold in a Trap or are all other villains just send to a Hub thing? Also how many villains can be stored in the hub?


3DS Stuff:

Will it have Street Pass again like the Swap Force version?

Will the 3DS version have exclusive villains that are not available in the console version?

Where are villains stored for the 3DS version? In a hub somewhere or specifically to the Traps?

P.S. If this is a lot of info sorry, you asked for what people wanted so I sent some that came to the top of my head.

I would love to know about heroics, since this is a big issue for me. Am I going to have a way to work on my individual character with heroics, and make mine have better stats that someone who wouldn't care and wouldn't do heroics at all?

Quote: Eggers

I would love to know about heroics, since this is a big issue for me. Am I going to have a way to work on my individual character with heroics, and make mine have better stats that someone who wouldn't care and wouldn't do heroics at all?

they dropped heroics with swap force so its not coming back.

Could you ask some of these questions plz?

-Online? Want it to be confirmed for sure.
-Do Sidekicks have powers? Seeing Mini-jini in the title, trigger snappy and the spyro sidekick in the trailer makes me wondering
-Who will have control of the villains in battle?
-Heroics must return

Thanks

Yeah, what's up with Mini-jini in the Trap Team logo? Is there something Activision wants to tell us. Or we're they just to lazy to put in an actual Skylander that is playable in this game in the logo?

Also... Can someone tell me the exact time of the Trap Team diffusion? I wanna watch it live and don't want to miss it

By the way...

Quote: WickedRogue

Heroics, are all 50 going to be useable in Trap Team? Are new Heroics going to be in Trap Team? Are older Heroics going to work in Trap Team? (Deal breaker for me).

Level, is the cap at 20 or has it been raised to 25? Has been a lot of misunderstanding going around with this question.

I know I'm far from an official source, but on the heroics: they didn't support the ability for ANY heroic to be gained in Swap Force, not sure why you'd expect them to work in this game. A more realistic question is if they are going to support "new" heroics and/or reward for any legacy heroics earned.

On the cap: it's on video that TfB has confirmed level 20. For me the big question is: What can I do with my army of skylanders then if I maxed them all out in Swap Force?

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Eggers

I would love to know about heroics, since this is a big issue for me. Am I going to have a way to work on my individual character with heroics, and make mine have better stats that someone who wouldn't care and wouldn't do heroics at all?

they dropped heroics with swap force so its not coming back.

Maybe it's only wishful thinking, but there is a nothing that says they can't make something new for heroics. Just because Swap Force took heroics and destroyed it, doesn't mean that they'll never replace it with something.

Quote: Eggers

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Eggers

I would love to know about heroics, since this is a big issue for me. Am I going to have a way to work on my individual character with heroics, and make mine have better stats that someone who wouldn't care and wouldn't do heroics at all?

they dropped heroics with swap force so its not coming back.

Maybe it's only wishful thinking, but there is a nothing that says they can't make something new for heroics. Just because Swap Force took heroics and destroyed it, doesn't mean that they'll never replace it with something.

They didn't technically "drop it" as they recognized them from a stat perspective. They could use the space that heroics take on the figure and do something else...they should. Not holding my breath on this stuff.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: WickedRogue

Heroics, are all 50 going to be useable in Trap Team? Are new Heroics going to be in Trap Team? Are older Heroics going to work in Trap Team? (Deal breaker for me).

Level, is the cap at 20 or has it been raised to 25? Has been a lot of misunderstanding going around with this question.

I know I'm far from an official source, but on the heroics: they didn't support the ability for ANY heroic to be gained in Swap Force, not sure why you'd expect them to work in this game. A more realistic question is if they are going to support "new" heroics and/or reward for any legacy heroics earned.

On the cap: it's on video that TfB has confirmed level 20. For me the big question is: What can I do with my army of skylanders then if I maxed them all out in Swap Force?

Heroic's count in Swap Force for characters that are not from Swap Force, thus the question is important.

Example, if I buy Series 2 Shroomboom he can get 45 Heroics, the question is will they work in Trap Team also.

Air dragon,that's it

Also, how many different kinds of traps are there going to be (as in unique designs, like the Life Torch is one unique design, while the Life Hammer is another)? I'm curious because I want to build some kind of storage for them (I'm already expecting the official storage items we get for them to be crud, they haven't released one storage option I'm satisfied with for Skylanders, many are pretty but impractical).

Quote: WickedRogue

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: WickedRogue

Heroics, are all 50 going to be useable in Trap Team? Are new Heroics going to be in Trap Team? Are older Heroics going to work in Trap Team? (Deal breaker for me).

Level, is the cap at 20 or has it been raised to 25? Has been a lot of misunderstanding going around with this question.

I know I'm far from an official source, but on the heroics: they didn't support the ability for ANY heroic to be gained in Swap Force, not sure why you'd expect them to work in this game. A more realistic question is if they are going to support "new" heroics and/or reward for any legacy heroics earned.

On the cap: it's on video that TfB has confirmed level 20. For me the big question is: What can I do with my army of skylanders then if I maxed them all out in Swap Force?

Heroic's count in Swap Force for characters that are not from Swap Force, thus the question is important.

Example, if I buy Series 2 Shroomboom he can get 45 Heroics, the question is will they work in Trap Team also.

Re-read what I said and bolded. I said the same thing. Will they "honor" any heroics completed in previous games and if so what can we expect? It was tremendously underwhelming last game and I expect more stupdity.

With the new Skylanders and villains arriving, can we at least know exactly whatever characters' species haven't been classified yet? For instance, Gusto looks like an ogre or a genie, but I cannot say for certain what he is. Wallop could be a Sasquatch.

Quote: TheShadowDragon

With the new Skylanders and villains arriving, can we at least know exactly whatever characters' species haven't been classified yet? For instance, Gusto looks like an ogre or a genie, but I cannot say for certain what he is. Wallop could be a Sasquatch.

Where's the link for Gusto? I've looked at all of the content/videos from IGN and youtubers...didn't see him.

it was posted here on the forums awhile back

Not sure how I missed it as I check regularly, but thanks. Is this the same Barkley I already have and if so--will I actually be able to play him or what's going on?

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: TheShadowDragon

With the new Skylanders and villains arriving, can we at least know exactly whatever characters' species haven't been classified yet? For instance, Gusto looks like an ogre or a genie, but I cannot say for certain what he is. Wallop could be a Sasquatch.

Where's the link for Gusto? I've looked at all of the content/videos from IGN and youtubers...didn't see him.

Gusto is listed on the Skylanders Trap Team Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/skylanderstrapteam?fref=nf

I've got the questions from the site, email, social media, the video, and here archived in a note...I will see what I can turn up...

Quote: 1ofWiisdom

I've got the questions from the site, email, social media, the video, and here archived in a note...I will see what I can turn up...

Cool! Good luck with getting some of the answers. Some are really difficult to get this year.

How many new and returning Sidekicks will become playable for Trap Team?

Yeah, I won't have much time, but I will try to get as much as I can...

I haven't really been able to keep up with much from yesterday as the Internet signal is really weak...I'm sitting outside so I can get this to submit, lol.

I will try to cover the gameplay stations...a lot of times those ple have cool insights if you catch an insider...granted, a lot can't be "said."

I really hope to at least get clarity on the simple things and hopefully answers to a few of the advanced questions.

If anyone will listen to me I am totally going to do my LightCore sermon, lol...I've had so many contact me about Sidekicks I'll try to get some info there too.

One of my forward questions will be if the traps will continue to be functional in future releases.

There is a big difference in what people want to know that are honestly into the game and what ple want to do to get views, or traffic to their site. I play the game because I honestly love it and that's why I tend to err to the side of less flashy info/facts as opposed to solid gameplay etc. having access to developers/designers is RARE...I'll be playing the snot out of Trap Team come October, lol.

Head out in about 45 mins! Can't wait to see the KAOS statue, lol.

Thanks in advance for trying to get us valuable information. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the videos, but very little new and useful info has been released.

So, did you get to ask your questions? Let us know!!

Quote: Graz73

So, did you get to ask your questions? Let us know!!

Yep, cause all we got is a small preview of a level (who cares), various villains and characters (was expected). Seeing the hub world was a bonus, as well as the skystones game. But I suspect many of our questions won't be answered until August timeframe, if we even get it then. They don't want to let us know all of this just yet. My .02.

Absolutely critical to many people on the fence on this game is forward capability of the traps. I'm assuming no until hearing a yes, but I know a number of people that won't buy the game without knowing this fact.

NO.

I don't see why the big secret on how many figures they are releasing / element. Also, why the secrecy on whether light core will be back, and how many figures are reposes.

Quote: DaMadNes

NO.

I don't see why the big secret on how many figures they are releasing / element. Also, why the secrecy on whether light core will be back, and how many figures are reposes.

It keeps you wanting to know, which means it keeps the game on everyone's mind. Granted, I don't think it is needed just to build or keep hype, but I think this is why they are doing it. If you get to know everything you want to know now, then you have space in your brain for other games like Infinity. I think they are trying to string us along in the hopes we'll primarily keep their game in mind.

Sure that makes sense. Personally I don't think quantities are necessarily great carrots. The only reason I want to know is because I want to get started building my new display, and I need to know how many characers it needs to fit. I don't think the average collector has a similar concern (could be wrong tho). In my mind, the individual characters and what they do is the really prized information.

It just seems silly to me.

Quote: DaMadNes

NO.

I don't see why the big secret on how many figures they are releasing / element. Also, why the secrecy on whether light core will be back, and how many figures are reposes.

I'm so over knowing about the characters...let us not know until we open the starter and get the poster, I say. I just want to know this is not a complete copy/paste game. They've twisted light puzzles (not a biggie), the lock puzzles (not a biggie), locked areas (not a biggie)...just give me a sign SOMETHING in this game is seriously different other than swapping villains. So far, I've yet to see the sign.

The one thing that has dissapointed me big so far was the reveal that there are no more areas for Giants or Swapforce to do anything special.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: DaMadNes

NO.

I don't see why the big secret on how many figures they are releasing / element. Also, why the secrecy on whether light core will be back, and how many figures are reposes.

I'm so over knowing about the characters...let us not know until we open the starter and get the poster, I say. I just want to know this is not a complete copy/paste game. They've twisted light puzzles (not a biggie), the lock puzzles (not a biggie), locked areas (not a biggie)...just give me a sign SOMETHING in this game is seriously different other than swapping villains. So far, I've yet to see the sign.

I guess that's the fundamental difference between us. To me, the game "IS" the new characters. It seems like to you the game "IS" the mechanics. So I feel like I get a new game every time, more of the same gameplay with a different story and new characters is fresh to me. If I understand correctly, you are looking for a new way to interface with the game. Sadly, I don't think that's where activision is going to go, mostly because the don't need to, and partly because its such a big risk.

Quote: DaMadNes

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: DaMadNes

NO.

I don't see why the big secret on how many figures they are releasing / element. Also, why the secrecy on whether light core will be back, and how many figures are reposes.

I'm so over knowing about the characters...let us not know until we open the starter and get the poster, I say. I just want to know this is not a complete copy/paste game. They've twisted light puzzles (not a biggie), the lock puzzles (not a biggie), locked areas (not a biggie)...just give me a sign SOMETHING in this game is seriously different other than swapping villains. So far, I've yet to see the sign.

I guess that's the fundamental difference between us. To me, the game "IS" the new characters. It seems like to you the game "IS" the mechanics. So I feel like I get a new game every time, more of the same gameplay with a different story and new characters is fresh to me. If I understand correctly, you are looking for a new way to interface with the game. Sadly, I don't think that's where activision is going to go, mostly because the don't need to, and partly because its such a big risk.

Risky or lazy? Gameplay is the gameplay, right? The characters are they way to accomplish the task, but the gameplay isn't evolving. Smash characters, move forward, finish level, rinse/repeat. Dunno, how about a hub that integrates a number of other characters from online? Open seamless world where you have to move between them to acocmplish story objectives instead of a linear story? Or simple multiple paths between a level to promote replay.

Ludicrous example: Imagine a troll blocking a bridge with an invisible shield guarding level 3. You can't do that until you accomplish other objectives or solve a simple puzzle to move forward.

Lots of things they can do and still keep it safe. It just takes creativity and brain cells and fortitude to do it. Taking a mild stance and re-hasing previous content isn't cutting it to me. A character's ability is fun for me sure but that is just part of the equation. I guess from the E3 showing I know what to expect.

I would argue that there is a substantial risk in changing the formula. An open world would be awesome, non linear missions... AMAZING, however, I don't think that is catering to their main demographic. From what I have seen, many kids don't do well in open worlds because they get frustrated and bored from not knowing where to go. I haven't done extensive research, but I have three step daughters and 6 small cousins ages 6-12 who all play the game with me. Aside from two 12 year old boys, non of the other kids like open world gaming (side note: this is why Infinity flopped in my house, a lack of structured gameplay). Gamers like you and I are not the target market, we are the vocal minority. They are making these toys and games for kids. I don't know what percentage of revenue comes from parents buying for Kids, and what percentage comes from people like us, "Kids at heart", but I guarantee you the bean counters at Activision know. My guess is that the overwhelming majority of revenue comes from the former, so that is where they are focusing. They can't afford to lose the kiddies by putting out a game that bores or frustrates them because its too different.

I personally think that the activision / TFB / VV guys aren't lazy or uninventive, the fact that they created the Toys to Life category is some evidence of this. I think they have been given a strong directive and focused vision from "on high" and they are doing their best to be creative within those parameters.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: DaMadNes

Quote: GhostRoaster

I'm so over knowing about the characters...let us not know until we open the starter and get the poster, I say. I just want to know this is not a complete copy/paste game. They've twisted light puzzles (not a biggie), the lock puzzles (not a biggie), locked areas (not a biggie)...just give me a sign SOMETHING in this game is seriously different other than swapping villains. So far, I've yet to see the sign.

I guess that's the fundamental difference between us. To me, the game "IS" the new characters. It seems like to you the game "IS" the mechanics. So I feel like I get a new game every time, more of the same gameplay with a different story and new characters is fresh to me. If I understand correctly, you are looking for a new way to interface with the game. Sadly, I don't think that's where activision is going to go, mostly because the don't need to, and partly because its such a big risk.

Risky or lazy? Gameplay is the gameplay, right? The characters are they way to accomplish the task, but the gameplay isn't evolving. Smash characters, move forward, finish level, rinse/repeat. Dunno, how about a hub that integrates a number of other characters from online? Open seamless world where you have to move between them to acocmplish story objectives instead of a linear story? Or simple multiple paths between a level to promote replay.

Ludicrous example: Imagine a troll blocking a bridge with an invisible shield guarding level 3. You can't do that until you accomplish other objectives or solve a simple puzzle to move forward.

Lots of things they can do and still keep it safe. It just takes creativity and brain cells and fortitude to do it. Taking a mild stance and re-hasing previous content isn't cutting it to me. A character's ability is fun for me sure but that is just part of the equation. I guess from the E3 showing I know what to expect.

You want them to risk changing the whole formula? If that was the case Call of Duty wouldn't be selling year after year. lol

I am back home and somewhat free now after the E3 rush. I got to meet a few new Portal Masters, see some old friends, and reconnect with some folks. Even with a tight time frame, it was a ton of fun and an all around great experience. Once again, I can't thank the folks behind the opportunity enough and everyone that posted up questions or follows along with the site/videos...Hopefully I can deliver some fresh content for you. The flights home had a few delays that slowed things down Thursday and then I had to work today so getting info/videos up wasn't an option.

I still haven't really seen anyone else's coverage so there will likely be some overlap as watching/reading what others post up just slows things down on my end.

As I'm sure most of you know, details past what was pretty obvious were kept wrapped up very tight. There were a few pretty generic things I had hoped to get teased that were even denied...

For example, last year when I asked about the Castaways (SSA's Original 8 that went without a repose in Giants), I at least got a, "Yeah, you may see a few" (accompanied with a reassuring sly smile). This year anything related to the character roster were kept to the standard response of, "At this time, we are not detailing that," and a few other deviations of the base statement. I made it clear we didn't need a name thrown out, but would eagerly take a teaser and was continually met with the same response. For those wondering, I ask pretty much anyone that will entertain the questions, so it isn't without a lack of trying I report that back to you. At this point, they seem to want to keep the emphasis on the NEW Skylanders. I personally think revealing 1-2 more Core and another Trap Masters (or villains) might have been a smart move, but I am sure they have a timeline for the rollout planned given how well versed everyone was.

I think I had a pretty solid strategy this year, and hopefully it pays off for some of you with info that doesn't turn up other places. A few of us explored the South Hall a bit, opted to hit the booths early (and then realized we couldn't due to the insanely long lines waiting to play Trap Team, so we kind of broke off). Paul and I went to a less crowded booth to get some gameplay and wound up with a really cool guy that got some very base questions answered definitively. It was mind numbing the conflicting reports coming off the initial release from virtually every outlet and this guy had the info down pat and took all of about 20 seconds to deal it out to us. He turned out to be a programmer and we got to pick his brain on some stuff and record gameplay. I think there is a big gap between reports you get from generic media and those that come from true fans of the game. The nice thing is, Activision is aware of this and allows some of us at the grassroots level access to E3 to bring in that different perspective...Again, it is still kind of weird for me to be in attendance at E3 and not monitoring Twitter all day for updates from the desk at work.

We got back to the booth with about 10 seconds to spare and headed up for the screenings...Once that wrapped up not many were up to ask questions so I fully took advantage of the opportunity to fire off as many as possible. In the private time I had another cool guy at the booth and hit him up with questions, and wound up impressing him by exploring a few areas of the level everyone else was bypassing...I'll just say this, if you remember in Giants there were all those hidden areas that required you to basically scan the perimeter of every cliff...yeah, TFB is apparently a fan of those, lol. Personally, I think it is cool as it encourages intense exploration as opposed to a slightly concealed alternative.

I was able to get a one-on-one interview I'll try to get up fairly quick, but I can already tell you I need to apologize for the shaky cam, haha. I can't control lighting and surrounding noise levels at E3, but I def should have done a better job of imitating a tripod (I was very close to bringing mine, but opted not to). I haven't watched the video, I just know I tend to look directly at the person, not thru the camera, and then my hand may drop just enough to clip some hair or a chin from time-to-time.

The dinner was awesome (not just because of the food), but because of the folks I was able to sit by...I probably ruined the dinner for them personally, but I got to fire off more questions and was then even allowed to pitch a few ideas at them. I think by the time we left, even if I made their fajita's less enjoyable, it should have been a good time for them as it is should have been pretty obvious I am a genuine fan of the series and had a ton of interest in any insights and backstories they could reveal.

I'll just leave you with the teaser topics for now, but I was able to pitch topics including LightCore Skylanders and Battle Mode among others. There wasn't the free flow of info with Trap Team as much as we saw with Swap Force, but I think getting to toss out ideas of my own and a different side of the community is something they had a genuine interest in hearing...They are aware of the prevailing sentiments of the fanbase and always have them in mind...I think their desire for a well polished product greatly outweighs quickly clamoring to implement something, or detailing a solution that they aren't 100% sure could be in place by launch etc. I know a TON of you here want the Online Battle Mode and wanted it grilled in that it would be a huge selling point for the series...I would like to think I did just that, but in a professional, considerate manner. I will detail some of the angles I took and options I tossed out in some recap vids.

The main thing I took from the combination of what we saw and what was withheld is that the main focus seems to be continuing to innovate the franchise (in this case, the Traps) as the top priority and then let other facets fall into place. They clearly, at this point, want the focus to be on what is "new" to the game and have coverage that correlates to that. With that said, I like to think I can read people fairly well and I can say, without doubt, that many of my (and your!) questions would strike a chord with different folks I was able to ask and I could tell that they hated having to withhold info, or detail on something that is currently being tested out that would have sufficed for an answer or teaser.
The folks on hand aren't pretty faces hired to reverb common info, but rather actual developers, programmers, writers, and artists...You can tell that they are very proud of what they have in Trap Team and several wanted nothing more than to detail a question akin to their role...Over half the folks I asked cited Trap Team as their favorite...I have no reason to doubt them when others were claiming SSA, Giants, or SWAP Force. We definitely don't have the same quantitative info like SWAP Force's E3 granted us, but there is enough in the air for it to be discerned we can expect good things from Trap Team.

Again, I'm saving the good stuff for the videos and website, but didn't want to keep everyone waiting. I've been into Skylanders since Day 1 and even though my videos don't get the spotlight like they did back in the SSA days, I still do things the same way...Very detailed and as informative and accurate as possible. My style of delivery isn't for everyone, but it also affords me chances to get information others might overlook. I'm pretty sure I've got a few insights everyone can enjoy! For those still miffed about the lack of new info, you can at least take solstice that I invested a good 20-30 minutes in on Battle Mode and LightCore's for everyone

Well, 3 AM here...I'm going to shower and get ready for a day of reliving E3 tomorrow, lol...I'll try to remember to come in and post links as things go Live. Once again, thanks for all your questions and feedback...We will see how things pan out going forward!

Since some will no doubt not be happy with the length of my above post, here are the cliff notes:

-E3 was awesome! Got to reconnect with some folks and meet a few new friends
-Clearly, there wasn't as much Trap Team info as SWAP Force info at last year's event
-I asked a crud ton of questions to anyone willing to entertain them
--Due to the amount of info being withheld I got to pitch a few ideas
---As professionally as possible I made sure folks know how some sides of the fan base would like to see Battle Mode evolve
---I shared my LightCore sermon
-The main Trap Team emphasis at E3 was to highlight what is NEW and the highlight the INNOVATION
-I probably have several details to share no one else does...nothing too major, but little things true fans will appreciate
-The people on hand are very proud of Trap Team and many hated not being able to share insights
-Videos and posts will start going Live Saturday
--Graphics and gameplay looked great; Figures, despite being "prototypes," were also impressive
---Bonus for reading the cliff notes: the t-shirt is truly EPIC and yes I am going to wear it in public

Awesome to hear, looking forward to the videos.