darkSpyro

Quote: WickedRogue

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

$59.95 versus hundreds...dunno. Seems like a bad investment to play the same game for hundreds. Content is barely worth Black Friday 50% off without buying new stuff. I don't expect anyone to come to my way of thinking, but as I indicated being a bit more inventive would be nice to help longtime fans of this series. I suspect they suspect that their target customer buys one or two games from the franchise and moves on.

1ofWiisdom, thanks for the check in...please post your youtube / links if this site allows, as I think it would be of benefit to all here. Your observations match my perceptions of the event, so I still have hope something will eventually be said before the launch that will turn my head. I haven't seen it yet.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: WickedRogue

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

$59.95 versus thousands...dunno. Seems like a bad investment to play the same game for thousands. Content is barely worth Black Friday 50% off without buying new stuff. I don't expect anyone to come to my way of thinking, but as I indicated being a bit more inventive would be nice to help longtime gamers. I suspect they suspect that their target customer buys one or two games from the franchise and moves on.

I agree with your way of thinking, and would love to see a more "grown up" version of the game. I just think that activision has made a conscious decision not to change the recipe. I suspect we are going to need to wait for a brand new IP to get what we want. I wonder how succesful it could be. I doubt that many seasoned gamers will support the toy buying aspect of the game.

Quote: DaMadNes

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: WickedRogue

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

$59.95 versus thousands...dunno. Seems like a bad investment to play the same game for thousands. Content is barely worth Black Friday 50% off without buying new stuff. I don't expect anyone to come to my way of thinking, but as I indicated being a bit more inventive would be nice to help longtime gamers. I suspect they suspect that their target customer buys one or two games from the franchise and moves on.

I agree with your way of thinking, and would love to see a more "grown up" version of the game. I just think that activision has made a conscious decision not to change the recipe. I suspect we are going to need to wait for a brand new IP to get what we want. I wonder how succesful it could be. I doubt that many seasoned gamers will support the toy buying aspect of the game.

I agree, and maybe that's what I'm waiting for...and why something like DI 2.0 (warts and all) is looking better to me this year.

I've been cranking stuff out all day and I'm making some of it LIVE now!

Here is the link to my interview with Scott Krager, the Executive Producer of Skylanders: http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...-exclusive.html



For me, it is a pretty short video...BUT, if you still want things fast, just read the text highlights below the video. I didn't drill him with tough questions in the interview because prior to interviewing him I tried a few...He was under the same restrictions as everyone else. So, I opted for positive things, his take on the series, new characters, highlighted a few new points (villain theme songs and jump attacks), and figured my Nephew would be stoked if I got his take on his two favorites...So, for Slam Bam and Freeze Blade fans you get some bonus content, lol. I tried at the end to get a scheduled rollout of when we might expect more info (ie teasers like they have been doing) and he deferred to PR, which is tight lipped at the moment. I honestly think they must be going to slowly roll things out and always try to stay in the headlines. The emphasis at E3 was clearly the innovation in the TRAPS and a focus on the NEW Skylanders. He did confirm the price points I got earlier from Jin along with Paul.

Right before going on camera I addressed the potential return of Castaways, differences in TFB vs Beenox, what roll the Sidekicks would play (particularly with a giant Mini-Jini looking down us from the OFFICIAL poster), gameplay/chapter length, and any info on the 3DS version...particularly if the "character roster" would be there like in SWAP Force. Basically made zero headway...last year the higher up the ladder you went, the more likely you were to get info. Again, I think the ultimate goal was for the focus to remain solely on the innovation (Traps) and new stuff (characters and villains). I probably totally caught him off guard going back to Slam Bam, but he handled it great and clearly remembers the history of each character, which I thought was pretty cool.

Once again, I apologize for the bobbing camera...I tried to stand beside the cam so I could get closer to him and have better audio quality...you miss his chin/hair from time-to-time, but the information was most important, lol. I believe I also referred to him as the CEO at one point...I am fully aware he is the Executive Producer. I was very glad I got to have the opportunity to interview him! Much more is on the way!! I somehow spent 20 mins on the video covering the trap, haha...that one will be best recommended for the hardcore fans only.

Quote: 1ofWiisdom

I've been cranking stuff out all day and I'm making some of it LIVE now!

Here is the link to my interview with Scott Krager, the Executive Producer of Skylanders: http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...-exclusive.html

For me, it is a pretty short video...BUT, if you still want things fast, just read the text highlights below the video. I didn't drill him with tough questions in the interview because prior to interviewing him I tried a few...He was under the same restrictions as everyone else. So, I opted for positive things, his take on the series, new characters, highlighted a few new points (villain theme songs and jump attacks), and figured my Nephew would be stoked if I got his take on his two favorites...So, for Slam Bam and Freeze Blade fans you get some bonus content, lol. I tried at the end to get a scheduled rollout of when we might expect more info (ie teasers like they have been doing) and he deferred to PR, which is tight lipped at the moment. I honestly think they must be going to slowly roll things out and always try to stay in the headlines. The emphasis at E3 was clearly the innovation in the TRAPS and a focus on the NEW Skylanders. He did confirm the price points I got earlier from Jin along with Paul.

Right before going on camera I addressed the potential return of Castaways, differences in TFB vs Beenox, what roll the Sidekicks would play (particularly with a giant Mini-Jini looking down us from the OFFICIAL poster), gameplay/chapter length, and any info on the 3DS version...particularly if the "character roster" would be there like in SWAP Force. Basically made zero headway...last year the higher up the ladder you went, the more likely you were to get info. Again, I think the ultimate goal was for the focus to remain solely on the innovation (Traps) and new stuff (characters and villains). I probably totally caught him off guard going back to Slam Bam, but he handled it great and clearly remembers the history of each character, which I thought was pretty cool.

Once again, I apologize for the bobbing camera...I tried to stand beside the cam so I could get closer to him and have better audio quality...you miss his chin/hair from time-to-time, but the information was most important, lol. I believe I also referred to him as the CEO at one point...I am fully aware he is the Executive Producer. I was very glad I got to have the opportunity to interview him! Much more is on the way!! I somehow spent 20 mins on the video covering the trap, haha...that one will be best recommended for the hardcore fans only.

Awesome! Thanks a lot!

Thanks Drek95!

Here is the next round...The guy in these videos is Jin, a Senior Producer. Easy to tell he is big time into the game and that if he wasn't working on it, he'd be just like the rest of us clamoring for news and collecting all the figures.

I broke it down into two parts...The first is gameplay with all kinds of random questions thrown in and the second is after the gameplay with just a straight up interview and run down on a few things.

Like the interview above, you can find a text based "highlight" version on the site, as well as both videos:
http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...and-q-with.html

Gameplay and Q&A with Jin:



Q&A with Jin, Senior Producer:


There are a lot of cool little tidbits to pick up on in the gameplay video...I'll let you find them.

He basically stated in a professional way that the traps are the innovation and that the portal reflects the innovation....ie don't expect your traps to work beyond this game.

Thanks 1ofWiisdom for the video...hoping the faucets of information will move from a trickle to a pour before end of summer.

Here is what Traptanium finally looks like and how to destroy it guys and gals! Enjoy!

I pushed pretty hard off camera for info on the trapped villains forward compatibility. I got no where. I think they are aware of it, but I am also not sure they aren't 100% dedicated to the current game and will start to worry more about it later...However, for piece of mind, they probably should have offered up some tease like, "Yes, you can expect to continue to play as the villains." I say that because there is so much uncertainty right now...The next game would basically have to have some way of reading the traps to even get the villains in...

I tried several angles...My personal favorite was, "Say we have a villain like Painyatta (every demo person seemed to love him) that you like, and one I like, Wolfgang, who may wind up being more popular with the fan base than some Skylanders...Is there ever a chance, going forward ,that we might see dedicated poses for those villains as good guys?" I basically got a "we can't rule that out" and "we aren't talking about future games." The issue is, we know Trap Masters and new core will work, but even at half the price ($5.99) folks really want that reassurance there will be some way to get the villains into the mix next time. I really think it would be the same portal, a new one with a trap allotment, or just being able to use the Traptanium portal to get the villains loaded up etc. The concept really is great, so maybe the next game will just continue to let us trap villains in addition to whatever is the latest and greatest.

For folks like myself, the future compatibility of the Traps will likely dictate if you buy one of each element (8), the base 8 and extra for favorites, the base 8, extras for favorites, and special traps, or one for each villain. That is a lot of money left on the table if there are 40 villains and most are buying 8-16 traps. Maybe going forward they can reveal more, or workout a reassuring promise that somehow the trapped villains will work going forward.

I am honestly inclined to believe that they are still working really hard on the current game and have all their focus there right now...Hopfeully the push at E3 regarding the future function of the Traps will at least put it back on the forefront and maybe lend us some information quicker. I will definitely buy one of each trap, and if there are epic villains (like Wolfgang) I might have extras to keep him always on hand...That said, I think most will want that reassurance before crossing past the base 8 traps.

I was kind of surprised I couldn't get names for the traps...The Riot Shield Shredder just calls it a "Life Trap." I know there are the different sculpts, but since we have seen them, I thought we might get names on them (ie Torch, Tiki, Hammer, Mega Hammer, Skull, etc). One of the traps I wanted a look at which wasn't present is the "hand' coming up from the ground that we saw in the first trailer...That one would look pretty sweet imo.

E3 Exclusive Life Trap with Riot Shield Shredder (This is best for hardcore fans, I cover the packaging, and along the way a few details on traps. It is not a 90 second video showing off the giveaway):

http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...usive-life.html

Kaos Holy Trap! T-Shirt: (Please Like and Comment on this one...It kills me that we don't really have any available adult swag for Skylanders):

http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...-holy-trap.html

As I warned yesterday, I got into a lot of detail on the Life Trap. I asked and asked and finally got one person who said, "Yes, I believe that is the final packaging." There are so many signs it is I would be inclined to believe that direction even without their acknowledgement. The packaging is really nice and well executed imo.

Also, on the Holy Trap T-Shirt, I have always pushed for adult sized merchandise. I remember seeing several t-shirts for my Nephew that I would have bought and worn...Maybe if enough people get behind it we can convince someone to pursue a little swag in the way of adult sizes. That said, that Holy Trap t-shirt is full on epicness. If we had to pick between the trap and the shirt, I probably would have been the only one to take the shirt. I think there is a big market for similar designs and I am hoping we can help make that clear with people voicing their desire to buy, or designs you'd like to see etc.

I've got a lot more coming out...I kept having a render error last night on the t-shirt vid and it slowed me down a little.

Quote: 1ofWiisdom

I pushed pretty hard off camera for info on the trapped villains forward compatibility. I got no where. I think they are aware of it, but I am also not sure they aren't 100% dedicated to the current game and will start to worry more about it later...However, for piece of mind, they probably should have offered up some tease like, "Yes, you can expect to continue to play as the villains." I say that because there is so much uncertainty right now...The next game would basically have to have some way of reading the traps to even get the villains in...

I tried several angles...My personal favorite was, "Say we have a villain like Painyatta (every demo person seemed to love him) that you like, and one I like, Wolfgang, who may wind up being more popular with the fan base than some Skylanders...Is there ever a chance, going forward ,that we might see dedicated poses for those villains as good guys?" I basically got a "we can't rule that out" and "we aren't talking about future games." The issue is, we know Trap Masters and new core will work, but even at half the price ($5.99) folks really want that reassurance there will be some way to get the villains into the mix next time. I really think it would be the same portal, a new one with a trap allotment, or just being able to use the Traptanium portal to get the villains loaded up etc. The concept really is great, so maybe the next game will just continue to let us trap villains in addition to whatever is the latest and greatest.

For folks like myself, the future compatibility of the Traps will likely dictate if you buy one of each element (8), the base 8 and extra for favorites, the base 8, extras for favorites, and special traps, or one for each villain. That is a lot of money left on the table if there are 40 villains and most are buying 8-16 traps. Maybe going forward they can reveal more, or workout a reassuring promise that somehow the trapped villains will work going forward.

I am honestly inclined to believe that they are still working really hard on the current game and have all their focus there right now...Hopfeully the push at E3 regarding the future function of the Traps will at least put it back on the forefront and maybe lend us some information quicker. I will definitely buy one of each trap, and if there are epic villains (like Wolfgang) I might have extras to keep him always on hand...That said, I think most will want that reassurance before crossing past the base 8 traps.

I was kind of surprised I couldn't get names for the traps...The Riot Shield Shredder just calls it a "Life Trap." I know there are the different sculpts, but since we have seen them, I thought we might get names on them (ie Torch, Tiki, Hammer, Mega Hammer, Skull, etc). One of the traps I wanted a look at which wasn't present is the "hand' coming up from the ground that we saw in the first trailer...That one would look pretty sweet imo.

I agree that they are feverishly finishing up the game...in fact I think feedback from the first event about the jump/attack only being available on trap masters probably took them back a bit, hence the rush to add it for other characters. I honestly think a lot of the "hold back" on information could be that they are massively tweaking the game based on feedback. I also think the sheer size of this game from a character standpoint is probably making Lou''s job very involved.

In regards to future compatibility: I think if you hear Jin's comments that the trap is heavily aligned in the portal, and that you can expect the portal to change every year. Fill in the blanks, but I definitely think the answer is trap is this game only. Heck, look at the game title "trap". Arguably the reason why they aren't figures is so you can mentally separate the toy purchases (future compatible) from the "thing" purchases (game only) and allow them to easily communicate the lack of compatibility moving forward.. Trap Team could conceivably be the first game where a game toy purchase won't be forward compatible. I'll let that sink in for you guys.

I'm actually ok with the traps not moving forward; what I would expect from them is being up front from the get go on it, and just say it. I would also appreciate it if they had designed the gimmick so you could store multiple characters on it and designate a "primary" so you wouldn't have to buy so many if you like multiple guys in the same element. This in effect would promote a more consumer friendly stance...I hope their decisions/inactions don't come back to bite them. What I would ask of them moving forward is that if they introduce a new mechanic that involves a sizable investment from parents, is to know the future disposition of it and be able to answer the question up front. Considering they are leapfrogging development I think they could reasonably do this, but that's just a guess.

Yeah, the traps not getting fancy names is very interesting, especially since they've been giving them names. I think the E3 packaging was done before they finalized names, so I wouldn't rule out actual names for go live.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: 1ofWiisdom

I pushed pretty hard off camera for info on the trapped villains forward compatibility. I got no where. I think they are aware of it, but I am also not sure they aren't 100% dedicated to the current game and will start to worry more about it later...However, for piece of mind, they probably should have offered up some tease like, "Yes, you can expect to continue to play as the villains." I say that because there is so much uncertainty right now...The next game would basically have to have some way of reading the traps to even get the villains in...

I tried several angles...My personal favorite was, "Say we have a villain like Painyatta (every demo person seemed to love him) that you like, and one I like, Wolfgang, who may wind up being more popular with the fan base than some Skylanders...Is there ever a chance, going forward ,that we might see dedicated poses for those villains as good guys?" I basically got a "we can't rule that out" and "we aren't talking about future games." The issue is, we know Trap Masters and new core will work, but even at half the price ($5.99) folks really want that reassurance there will be some way to get the villains into the mix next time. I really think it would be the same portal, a new one with a trap allotment, or just being able to use the Traptanium portal to get the villains loaded up etc. The concept really is great, so maybe the next game will just continue to let us trap villains in addition to whatever is the latest and greatest.

For folks like myself, the future compatibility of the Traps will likely dictate if you buy one of each element (8), the base 8 and extra for favorites, the base 8, extras for favorites, and special traps, or one for each villain. That is a lot of money left on the table if there are 40 villains and most are buying 8-16 traps. Maybe going forward they can reveal more, or workout a reassuring promise that somehow the trapped villains will work going forward.

I am honestly inclined to believe that they are still working really hard on the current game and have all their focus there right now...Hopfeully the push at E3 regarding the future function of the Traps will at least put it back on the forefront and maybe lend us some information quicker. I will definitely buy one of each trap, and if there are epic villains (like Wolfgang) I might have extras to keep him always on hand...That said, I think most will want that reassurance before crossing past the base 8 traps.

I was kind of surprised I couldn't get names for the traps...The Riot Shield Shredder just calls it a "Life Trap." I know there are the different sculpts, but since we have seen them, I thought we might get names on them (ie Torch, Tiki, Hammer, Mega Hammer, Skull, etc). One of the traps I wanted a look at which wasn't present is the "hand' coming up from the ground that we saw in the first trailer...That one would look pretty sweet imo.

I agree that they are feverishly finishing up the game...in fact I think feedback from the first event about the jump/attack only being available on trap masters probably took them back a bit, hence the rush to add it for other characters. I honestly think a lot of the "hold back" on information could be that they are massively tweaking the game based on feedback. I also think the sheer size of this game from a character standpoint is probably making Lou''s job very involved.

In regards to future compatibility: I think if you hear Jin's comments that the trap is heavily aligned in the portal, and that you can expect the portal to change every year. Fill in the blanks, but I definitely think the answer is trap is this game only. Heck, look at the game title "trap". Arguably the reason why they aren't figures is so you can mentally separate the toy purchases (future compatible) from the "thing" purchases (game only) and allow them to easily communicate the lack of compatibility moving forward.. Trap Team could conceivably be the first game where a game toy purchase won't be forward compatible. I'll let that sink in for you guys.

I'm actually ok with the traps not moving forward; what I would expect from them is being up front from the get go on it, and just say it. I would also appreciate it if they had designed the gimmick so you could store multiple characters on it and designate a "primary" so you wouldn't have to buy so many if you like multiple guys in the same element. This in effect would promote a more consumer friendly stance...I hope their decisions/inactions don't come back to bite them. What I would ask of them moving forward is that if they introduce a new mechanic that involves a sizable investment from parents, is to know the future disposition of it and be able to answer the question up front. Considering they are leapfrogging development I think they could reasonably do this, but that's just a guess.

Yeah, the traps not getting fancy names is very interesting, especially since they've been giving them names. I think the E3 packaging was done before they finalized names, so I wouldn't rule out actual names for go live.

Sadly, I don't think forward compatibility on the traps will be coming. Look at the past: giants became useless and obsolete in Swap Force (most became too slow to really use and they had no feats of strength). Swappers are going to become obsolete and useless in the new game: no swap zones and thus it sounds like their movement types will probably be non-existent. Why would traps be any different? They'll become obsolete and useless as an old gimmick in the next title, except that these aren't figures like the others. That means their type of useless is even worse. They won't be used at all.

Plus the one interview (can't remember which), the guy basically said they only choose to focus on the next gimmick. That's why swappers and giants have nothing of their own to do. So reading between the lines to see the hidden meaning: traps won't be worth anything in the next game.

This is, of course, how I personally am seeing things. Feel free to not take my word on it but, after all my swap force disappointment, I feel as though I've figured how to read between the lines of some of their comments.

there will probably be something similar to the "giant only chests" in Swap Force for the swapper guys in Trap Team.
Something that is not essential to getting all the collectables if trap team is the first game you've played.
I think that is part of the issue, they need to cater for people who are first timers, and can't get ahold of the old gimmick-landers.
Personally, i'd love to see the Swap Zones return, even if they were just something unlockable and accessible at the hub.

Quote: Eggers

Sadly, I don't think forward compatibility on the traps will be coming. Look at the past: giants became useless and obsolete in Swap Force (most became too slow to really use and they had no feats of strength). Swappers are going to become obsolete and useless in the new game: no swap zones and thus it sounds like their movement types will probably be non-existent. Why would traps be any different? They'll become obsolete and useless as an old gimmick in the next title, except that these aren't figures like the others. That means their type of useless is even worse. They won't be used at all.

Plus the one interview (can't remember which), the guy basically said they only choose to focus on the next gimmick. That's why swappers and giants have nothing of their own to do. So reading between the lines to see the hidden meaning: traps won't be worth anything in the next game.

This is, of course, how I personally am seeing things. Feel free to not take my word on it but, after all my swap force disappointment, I feel as though I've figured how to read between the lines of some of their comments.

You are spot on with the gimmick being downplayed...however this is just a bit different...now we're talking about not being able to play with them at all outside of this game. That's much different than giants and swap force...which can be played in future games. This is why I think they should just spit it out that this is for this game only, which Jin did in an about way. Like 1ofWiisdom says, I would definitely consider buying a trap for all 40 if I knew I could play with them down the road. No way if I couldn't. They will definitely jade newcomers if they bite them on this (as the franchise has had an unmarked record outside of the adventure pack being dropped in Swap Force).

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Eggers

Sadly, I don't think forward compatibility on the traps will be coming. Look at the past: giants became useless and obsolete in Swap Force (most became too slow to really use and they had no feats of strength). Swappers are going to become obsolete and useless in the new game: no swap zones and thus it sounds like their movement types will probably be non-existent. Why would traps be any different? They'll become obsolete and useless as an old gimmick in the next title, except that these aren't figures like the others. That means their type of useless is even worse. They won't be used at all.

Plus the one interview (can't remember which), the guy basically said they only choose to focus on the next gimmick. That's why swappers and giants have nothing of their own to do. So reading between the lines to see the hidden meaning: traps won't be worth anything in the next game.

This is, of course, how I personally am seeing things. Feel free to not take my word on it but, after all my swap force disappointment, I feel as though I've figured how to read between the lines of some of their comments.

You are spot on with the gimmick being downplayed...however this is just a bit different...now we're talking about not being able to play with them at all outside of this game. That's much different than giants and swap force...which can be played in future games. This is why I think they should just spit it out that this is for this game only, which Jin did in an about way. Like 1ofWiisdom says, I would definitely consider buying a trap for all 40 if I knew I could play with them down the road. No way if I couldn't. They will definitely jade newcomers if they bite them on this (as the franchise has had an unmarked record outside of the adventure pack being dropped in Swap Force).

I certainly hope you're right, because it would suck to buy these things only for them to become useless pieces of plastic in the future.

I'm sure we'll be seeing yearly new portals. Will they be willing to build the trap section into each future portal? Especially when they've flat out told us they don't like to look backwards at the past gimmicks during a new game? While I'd like to hope they would keep it there for us, their comments don't leave me much hope.

So let's assume that Skylanders 5 brings us no spot for traps and villains. Do they tell us this summer to be upfront and honest with their consumers? Do they wait until sometime next summer after all the traps have been sold? The later hurts their business profits, as some or many might consider not buying ton of traps without a future for them. Of course, withholding the truth makes them look bad in the eyes of the consumer since they weren't upfront. So which path do you think Activision would take if, theoretically assuming, traps won't be used at all in Skylanders 5?

I think them not saying anything will hurt their sales just as much as saying that they are not usable in Skylanders 5, as i think most people who will buy more than one trap for each element will be the older gamers buying for themselves, rather than parents buying for their children, and they(we) will take their silence as meaning they won't be usable, plus the added jadedness for anything in Skylanders 5 that isn't a character figure, whatever the new gimmick will be, and people will be more reluctant to buy another "trap type thing".

Personally i think its a "Hope for the best, but expect the worst" kinda situation.

I'm guessing that if they don't communicate it until next year that it's going to be a tough year for them. Given the assumed position of "forward compatibility" with 99% of their product line, they really should be open now and state the direction. Parents can go in knowing what to expect...people can spend accordingly and life moves on. Maximizing for a quick buck now will kill them later. My .02.

Of all of the things to take a risk on, this was not one I would bet. But I guess they're looking at 600% profit or more for these things, so I guess to them they think it's worth it.

I'll be watching these developments with great interest over the next few months.

Whether the traps are forward compatible won't really be impacting my decision on how many of them i buy, i am pretty set on getting one of each design, it will impact whether i try and get the villain variants though, if they are only for this game i won't really go out of my way to get ahold of them, i'm in australia, so that usually means buying from the US off ebay.

Thanks again for the videos. I do have a couple of observations from the videos. First, I was wondering if the Wolfgang trap shown just before the 9 minute mark in the gameplay video is a trap that we haven't seen before. I myself do not remember seeing it before, but I haven't always been paying attention to all of the trap designs. It is an undead trap (obviously) that looks like a sphere that is surrounded by a thin ring. Does anyone know the name of this trap design? Also, I find it quite interesting that I have now heard promoters of Trap Team comparing the value of this starter pack in comparison to previous ones. They talk about the value being greater this time around, probably to deflect criticism because we have always been used to getting three figures and this time we get only two. Doing the math, however, the promoters are not being entirely truthful. From a gameplay standpoint, I am way more excited for the gimmick of Trap Team than I was for the gimmick of swapping, so I do believe that, for me, there is more value this year. However, I don't think that they should come out and tell us that they are giving us more toy value when that is just not the case. The starter pack for Swap Force gave us two swappers($15 each) and one core ($10) for a total toy value of $40. Trap Team gives us one swapper ($15), one core ($10), and two traps ($6 each) for a total toy value of $37. I am pretty sure that mathematically $37 is rarely greater than $40 (read never). I do want to reiterate that from what I have seen so far, I believe that my son and I will gain more satisfaction from Trap Team than Swap Force, but I do not want Activision to insult me by stating that we get more value from the starter pack this time around when that is clearly not the case (unless of course they are giving us a box/holder for the traps in the starter pack and then my argument falters).

On an entirely different note, I wanted to toss an idea out there for the rest of you, to see what you think. Many of us would like to have all of the figures in our hands sooner than in past games. This contradicts with what Activision wants, though, because they want to roll the figures out slower to keep Skylanders on consumers' minds. I have thought about a possible solution. What if they slowly release reposes of characters that were not part of the last game in the two or three months leading up to the next game. For instance, they would release red bases of figures like Shroom Boom, Ghost Roaster, and Slam Bam, but not reposes like Spyro, Flashwing, and Smolderdash (they could save those for after the release of the game). This would keep Skylanders on the minds of consumers and allow those new to the games an opportunity to play with characters that might be difficult to find. You could use these red based figures in the previous games, level them up a little bit, and get used to their gameplay. Obviously, you would still get to experience something new when you finally get to play with their new wow pows when you play with the figures when the new game is released. What do all of you think?

i think the "value" that they speak of is more the number of characters you get to play with in just the starter pack rather than an actual monitory value of the figures, 1 trap master, 1 core, 1 water trap, 1 life trap is at the least 4 characters to use in game , possibly 12, if the estimates of 5 villains for each element is correct.
this is what the "value" they are speaking of is, i believe.

You know, the crazy thing is I tried so hard to get names for the traps. "Torch, Tiki, Eagle, Skull, etc" whatever they may be...The funny thing is I never really got anyone that said, "We can't talk about that" or the equivalent. Everyone on the staff just referred to them as "the Magic trap" or "get the Life trap to play as Broccoli Guy." It was never, "Oh, if you want to switch villains try that Life Hammer for Broccoli Guy" or, "Wolfgang is on that Undead Staff."

The staff that I pushed for names just said they'd have different sculpts to help players tie certain villains in to the certain trap if they are a favorite etc.

I know someone that designed them had to have a name in mind, but in terms of them revealing them it was no go...but in a different manner. I would ask about Upgrades, the hub, Adventure Packs etc and get a stone cold, "not talking about that now" or with the more upbeat something like "Oooh man, sadly I can't tell you that just yet" but with the Trap Names I never really encountered similar resistance, yet there was no info?! Between the trailer and the back of the giveaway we have seen tons of them, but they on't seem to want to tie names to them...I honestly wonder if the majority are just content referring to them as x Elemental Trap and will be content with no "official" name? That is all just speculation on my end, but it seems like something they totally could have revealed given we have seen them already. Couple that with the lack of alarm when I'd ask and I am seriously inclined to think they may just all be "traps" to the staff. That may change or it might just be totally insignificant to them. I think there are varying levels of "Fandom" and I and many of you would fall on the extreme side of the scale valuing any info where as a large portion of the audience would just want "the magic one" to get the villain on screen.

But back to the game itself, regardless of the forward compatibility of the Traps, I think they are going to deliver a good one this time. I know I am in the minority, but SSA remains my personal favorite. I really think we are going to see more, albeit shorter, chapters and action as opposed to having to swap characters every 2 minutes for some other "zone." They wouldn't divulge much, but a few higher up mentioned lots of bonus content and hidden content.

I will outline a lot of this in stand alone videos and posts, I am just focusing on the concrete stuff and E3 videos for now. I'm still hopeful the villains will be something we can use in future games, but what I do know is it will definitely make this installment unique and very enjoyable!

Here is the latest video...basically just a booth tour where I hope around trying to get you a quick look at the available characters and traps. Luckily this awesome lady on the staff hooked me up with a few from other booths, including Gearshift towards the end! For hardcore fans, you will want to see the size comparison in the video. Wallop remains the heaviest Skylander I have ever held...Krypt King was the tallest (I think he'd be taller than GearShift, but I didn't get a side-by-side. The money shot is Food Fight on top of Chopper and still being shorter than Krypt King!

http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...h-tour-new.html



Also of note for the hardcore fan, one of the guys in the demo room (I was in a different one than most of the YouTubers) said Krypt King spit out a swarm of locusts...it makes perfect sense given his name and look. I really had no clue what they were past a swarm, but I know many were thinking beetles or bees. I am going to run with locusts as one of the guys mentioned as it was first hand and he works with the game on a daily basis, lol.

I've debated how to best do the "questions" and I think I will just take what you submitted here, the site, YouTube, Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and via e-mail and go down the line...That means if you asked something I should have your name in the vid...Lots of the questions will be "no info" etc., and some overlap, but still...I'm charging up the good batteries now.

This will be a longer video, but I'm the type that would rather cover everything as opposed to have 50 short videos...just my preference. I honestly had all the stuff transcribed over to my iPad to run thru...so I will at least get to make use of that in readdressing the questions, lol.

The next one will be where I get in to the ideas I pitched at them (we got to that point because there was so much off limits and unknown). Plus, I assume they could tell I was pretty into the game and had a good grasp on what the fans would like to see...Hopefully some of the ideas come to fruition!

In the meantime I still have a few more E3 vids I'll work on getting uploaded.

Thanks as always. We appreciate your efforts and bringing it here for our convenience!

I begin to notice that every time a villain is being played, all the victory points and gold collected by them won't raise the level and gold meters for Skylanders. Everything that is collected by the villains will be lost instead of being transferred.

Quote: TheShadowDragon

I begin to notice that every time a villain is being played, all the victory points and gold collected by them won't raise the level and gold meters for Skylanders. Everything that is collected by the villains will be lost instead of being transferred.

I'm pretty positive in an interview at e3 it said that the coins and experience transfer over.

Quote: stealth

Quote: TheShadowDragon

I begin to notice that every time a villain is being played, all the victory points and gold collected by them won't raise the level and gold meters for Skylanders. Everything that is collected by the villains will be lost instead of being transferred.

I'm pretty positive in an interview at e3 it said that the coins and experience transfer over.

Maybe they just get mass added to the Skylander when you switch back to them.

Quote: Eggers

Quote: stealth

Quote: TheShadowDragon

I begin to notice that every time a villain is being played, all the victory points and gold collected by them won't raise the level and gold meters for Skylanders. Everything that is collected by the villains will be lost instead of being transferred.

I'm pretty positive in an interview at e3 it said that the coins and experience transfer over.

Maybe they just get mass added to the Skylander when you switch back to them.

Or maybe they have still not implemented the changing numbers and the growing XP bar, visuale speaking.

Given that hundreds of people where constantly demoing the game and the figures, I'm pretty sure the leveling of the characters was deactivated for E3. Otherwise we'd have seen some demos with people running around as level 20.

Sorry for the lack of activity, work has been swamped and I had a few more storms to deal with...

I never got to post this one...It just highlights the "wall of fame" if you will of Skylanders they had on display:



Last night I recorded the "Your Questions Answered" and I'm literally at around 70 mins or so...That is steep even for hard core fans...

I am now debating whether to divide that one up with a few ?s per installment, or to just start from scratch.

I will work on it tonight!

Split the questions vids into two parts if you feel like they're gonna be long.

Quote: Toynerd14

Split the questions vids into two parts if you feel like they're gonna be long.

Yep, organize the content and concentrate on a set of themes. The questions are good enough to be grouped as such I think.

Take all the questions with an answer of "we can't talk about that right now" or some variant of that answer, and lump them together in one video. Then I can just skip that altogether That seemed to be their favorite answer to questions with a lot of E3 videos.

yeah, I ran into some storms last night after MK8 with my Nephew and have been thinking about it...

I believe I will just start from scratch and go by subject matter, expanding on things where possible...

This will result in more videos, but much shorter. The only downside for some is that in the 4 rounds I have (camera stops me around 21-22 minutes, which is just shy of 4 G I literally addressed everyone's individual questions, so those who asked had their name mentioned etc...Not a big deal to most here, but a lot of the questions came from younger kids that it probably would have been cool to hear. I think I'll just do a group shout out in a separate video to cover those individuals.

I do think I can use the original recordings, but I am going to convert the massive 15 or so GB comprehensive size into just an MP3 audio track and then upload it with a title slide, or long running still images...That way, things are as they were for those who want to hear the original info and individual questions...It'll be a long video, but no one has to watch it, lol.

I'm going to get started on the new batch now.

You're in charge...what do we know. Do what you want...appreciate the information however you deliver it.

Well, several hours later here is Part 1 of Your Questions Answered: My Questions Answered (lol...feel bad about that, but it is what I started with):



Here is a text based version...not as detailed, but some prefer text over video:
http://www.1ofwiisdom.com/2014...at-e3-your.html

And for those into the video, this is a rough timeline:

-Trap Team Emphasis at E3: New Gimmick (Trap and Play as Villains) and New Skylanders
--Why? Keep the controlled focus on what is new, withhold info for slow rollout and launch anticipation
--Value of Kids Focus Groups

Console
-Toys for Bob vs Beenox
-Wii U GamePad Screen: What will it display?

3DS
-3DS Starter Pack: Different Characters, Special Character?
--3DS Gameplay: Character Roster Coming Back?

GamePlay:
-Traps: Price, Villains per Trap, Can 2 Players play as Villains?
-Single Player Battle Mode?
-Is there a Special Role for Giants or Swappers in Trap Team?

Characters:
-Castaways
-LightCore
-Adventure Packs and Battle Packs

Hardware:
-Portal Info

Obviously, some of those questions are self explanatory at this point, and given the fact most know how little was revealed, you may not be interested...That list is pretty chronological though, so you can slide around as desired. Biggest info I haven't seen discussed yet is that I did get someone to tell me the new "Traptanium Portal" will work with your older games, albeit without the extra effects etc.

Quote:

Q6: Is it possible in 2P Mode to both play as a villain?

A6: No comment.

Okay, WHY WOULDN'T they answer this? This confirmed AGES AGO that you can play two-player while ONE PLAYER can use the villain. Unless they've changed that now, or the original source was incorrect, I see no reason to hold back this info. The lack of info from E3 is awful and if a couple of reps really did give more info out in two obscure US demos I'm deeply disappointed.

If I remember rightley someone from Activison or TfB said at the question to the Adventure Packs and Battle Packs that we can except roughley the same as in the last year. And if I'am not mistaken came the Adventure Packs mostly from other developers. Such as Beenox.

I think they works hard to fix the game. In the game industrie is it in these days anyway that they say rather nothing as that they confirm something and they must behind admit "sorry guys, we haven't managed it in this short time".

All I know is, less info doesn't get me excited or want to purchase. I'm clearly too old for their focus groups so I won't go into a rant, but ignoring the fact that adults buy these for kids (and perhaps themselves) is very amusing. I see that as code for "We don't have to push maturity or add features in the the game--why you ask? We're targeting kids. They're not sophisticated...why should our games be? Now shut up and go buy our stuff." I hope the kids have the money to buy this, especially if the adults veto it until the traps future disposition is determined, or some important features that the adults really like.

I appreciate the effort. Looking forward to future non-answer videos

Well the effort is appreciated with the questions, but whoever you were talking to clearly made video one a bust. 90% of that is just a bunch of blow-off non answers. Well now I'm even more excited for this game for sure....

Why'd they waste our time setting up an E3 booth and doing interviews when it's just the same useless crap we already knew?

Quote: Eggers

Why'd they waste our time setting up an E3 booth and doing interviews when it's just the same useless crap we already knew?

That's the question of the day for me. I can only say they're behind in development and not sure footed with themselves with this one, if I was speculating. Maybe there's no answers because, well, there's NO answers.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Eggers

Why'd they waste our time setting up an E3 booth and doing interviews when it's just the same useless crap we already knew?

That's the question of the day for me. I can only say they're behind in development and not sure footed with themselves with this one, if I was speculating. Maybe there's no answers because, well, there's NO answers.

While I dont think they are behind in development of the game itself, I do think that some of the mechanics of things like the timer for the villains might be something they are still unsure of. Because of that, they didnt want to give an answer in case they decided to change it. I'm curious also why at this E3 they forced people to play the game to get the exclusive trap. Could it have been to force people to play, and in turn provide feedback. This way they could get as many responses back on the timer, switching villains, etc.

Let's just say Toys for Bob was simply badly prepared. Or they would really just confirm that, what they could show us in the game. We've seen a few new characters and villains, a small part of a level and the hub, some old re designed characters, skystones is back in a new variety and the lock puzzles too. For now is that okay, but on the Gamescom, PAX Prime or wherever I really hope, they will give us more details or answers.

Quote: GothamLord

Could it have been to force people to play, and in turn provide feedback. This way they could get as many responses back on the timer, switching villains, etc.

I had no idea you had to play to get the trap. If that's the case absolutely they are "figuring it out". I know TfB wants to get it right, but maybe something like this in Feb would've been more appropriate. It just feels too close to release to make these kinds of changes. If I were QA I'd be getting nervous.

Quote: Arc of Archives

Quote:

Q6: Is it possible in 2P Mode to both play as a villain?

A6: No comment.

Okay, WHY WOULDN'T they answer this? This confirmed AGES AGO that you can play two-player while ONE PLAYER can use the villain. Unless they've changed that now, or the original source was incorrect, I see no reason to hold back this info. The lack of info from E3 is awful and if a couple of reps really did give more info out in two obscure US demos I'm deeply disappointed.

You may have miss interpreted what I was taking the question as. You can definitely play 2P Co-Op and have a villain (ie P1 as Wolf Gang and P2 as Wallop). The way I took the question was "Can I play as Wolf Gang and my friend play as Pain-Yata?" and in that case, the mechanic of one villain per trap and one trap per portal dictates no...But again, in 2P you should be able to rotate out just fine.

I've said it before and I will say it again...The big emphasis at E3 was to highlight the NEW Characters and the NEW Innovation, which is trapping and playing as villains. I honestly think the answers to a lot of this stuff is known, but they wanted folks to leave E3 and be amped up about the Trap Masters, Traps, and playing as villains. You have to realize that for the vast majority this is what will sell the game and create hype. I fall in the same boat as all of you, but we would be more on the "extreme" end of the scale in terms of wanting and valuing every last detail.

I will agree, however, that some teaser answers would have been better for a rabid fan base than "no comment." Things like stating how many Adventure Packs, Battle Packs, and saying something like around 8 S2, 4 S3, 4 S4 Characters etc would get people clamoring over the possibilities of who is getting reposed and who isn't etc. as opposed to being angry about the lack of info.

I know not many were there to see the game and play it, but it really does look great and it played (in the demo anyway) a lot like SSA, which remains my personal favorite. The lack of information right now may disappoint, but I personally think Trap Team is going to deliver come this fall.

In the area of villains and 2-player, I think it would be a really cool feature if in PVP, the trap slot is ignored, and you simply pick one of the villains from the vault to tie to your skylander before the battle, so that both players have their own tag-team. Would be a really fun addition to the multiplayer.

Here is Part 2 of Your Questions Answered (and this one includes your questions, lol):



Here is a run down of who had questions in this part:
OrionsIslands, YoshiGolems, FloridaRulz, Drek95, Wgeorge111, GhostRoaster, Spyroflame0487

I've got to be at work here shortly (Part 3 is editing and starts with Matteomax's Questions), but a rough outline of a few of the topics/questions is as follows:

Heroic Challenges, Portal Master Rank
Villain Upgrades
Quests
Outlaw Brawl and Chain
Cut Scenes
Elemental Inspired Levels (I'm 100% on board with this, it is in part why SSA remains my favorite installment)
Traps/Storage
Nintendo NFC

I hate that the videos are bumming some of you out...It is weird, because most feedback on YouTube and other social media people just pick up on what they are interested in and happy about, lol. I keep saying it, but I truly think the #1 goal was to highlight the new (revealed) Skylanders and the innovation (trap and play). I will say it again...the game looks and plays great...It seems a lot more like the flow of SSA, which I personally loved. I also believe they know 90% of this stuff, but wanted it kept under wraps to both highlight their focus and have stuff to wet the whistle between now and October. The other thing is they truly value the kid based focus groups and will really custom tailor stuff to make that experience the best it can be as that is what is going to move the games. I saw it all first hand and I am very excited for Trap Team...I know that doesn't supplant "more info" for most of you, but I honestly think when it is all said and done you will enjoy Trap Team. I was sad about not getting more questions directly answered, but ultimately left E3 happy and excited for the new game...I'm hoping that conveys thru the video, but if not I will reiterate that the game, which is ultimately what matters the most, was very impressive and the figures look great.

I should have Part 3 up at some point tomorrow night after work.

I've also had several people request pictures...I have quite a few (mainly the characters etc) and will get them up soon, hopefully late this weekend.

Quote: 1ofWiisdom

It seems a lot more like the flow of SSA, which I personally loved.

I think you mean the underground level from the E3. I loved the first game, not the best story but a lot levels with different scenarious. Giants had a better story, was more like a road movie and one of my favorite level: Wilikin Village. And then Swap Force. I like the game, but I miss the underground levels from the first two games. Or to put it anothy way it is a dungeon brawler without dungeons.

Very cool thanks for the info. Nice to hear someone else likes the nostalgia of 100% elemental inspired levels as opposed to these "zones" which doesn't set the correct tone. I'd be ok with each level having two elemental inspired components to it before getting into the "boss lair" levels. The "zones" just seem cheap to me, in SSA they were naturally part of the levels. Let me guess...customer feedback said that it "confused them" without a blaring sign telling them what it is. Sigh...

Immediately skippable scenes...that alone makes the game an upgrade.

Thanks for re-iterating that many people in fact EXPECT the trap storage box in the Discovery trailer to be available lol.

@1ofWiisdom I'm not sure what you're trying to say in that post. I didn't actually watch the video, I just read the bullet points you made on the post about it. I don't know if you phrased it differently in the video, but the way it's written on the bullet list, I read it as "can both players use different villains while in co-op?".
I don't know if you meant something more along the lines of wether the second player can switch into the single villain in the current Trap, or if only the first player can do so, or something I'm just not thinking about- but the article I linked to is months old and clearly says that you can't have both players using villains at the same time in co-op. Perhaps the author misunderstood info they were told or made it up (this is the only source I've seen this info in, which is really strange), but if not I don't see why Acti would hold this back now.
Quote: Article

- Trapped villains will be able to be instantly switched in and out during combat, but there can only be one trapped villain active at once and only one player can use the villain at a time when playing multiplayer.

Also, I don't exactly think that how Traps will work in multiplayer is info exclusively hardcore fans would care about. It's about this game's Trap gimmick and the multiplayer- which I personally don't play, but considering this is supposed to be a family game, I'm sure that a lot of families would play it together. Even if the article's info was false, holding back this info seems counterintuitive and I imagine the only reason they wouldn't talk about it is because it wasn't finalised, which is really bad. They should have decided on how the co-op mechanics will work by now- again, considering this supposed to be a family game, and the multiplayer is probably a popular mode for families. I'll just agree to disagree with you if you think it's not that important.