darkSpyro

Maybe this is old news to most of you, but I didn't know this until I actually played the game.

The whole backward "compatibility / your collection matters" feel from previous games is gone. You have ZERO reason to play with your previous edition skylanders, there isn't even quests anymore (unless I missed it somewhere).

I think this is a horrible design choice. I would have liked it better if only trap masters could trap, and all skylanders could open gates. That would have made trap masters unique while keeping my collection useful.

I haven't seen any posts about this, am I the only person who is bothered by this design choice?

Yeah it stinks, it was reported a while back and was amazed that most people were fine with it.

It likely was Activision who made that decision, not TfB.

Quote: HeyitsHotDog

It likely was Activision who made that decision, not TfB.

I'm surprised Activision didn't cut into the story and sell it to us as DLC.

There are plenty of posts about it.

It IS an horrible choice, and Trap Masters being the only ones able to trap villains of the same Element (maybe with light-up weapons) would have been a way better way to implement them.

However, as I already said multiple times, the non increased level cap, the lack of Heroics and the impossibility to open Elemental Gates with Cores won't absolutely stop me from playing them all again, because, aside from the obvious investment on them, I really like every single Skylander I own.

I even avoided keeping leveling those who didn't reach level 20 yet, so I could use them in Trap Team.

Umm Drek you can trap villains with any Skylander...

Quote: ninja9351

Umm Drek you can trap villains with any Skylander...

I know.

That's why I said it would have been way better, if only TRAP Masters could do that.

No sure about adding any more limitations to play their marvelous game

I think i'll only get the trap masters I like AND with a decent gameplay (no screaming weird redhead for instance).
And if we miss some hats, i'll deal with it.

We i see the first life gate, it takes 20 seconds to get the hat, i wonder if it's the same for the other gates.

Quote: FaboulousFab

No sure about adding any more limitations to play their marvelous game

I think i'll only get the trap masters I like AND with a decent gameplay (no screaming weird redhead for instance).
And if we miss some hats, i'll deal with it.

We i see the first life gate, it takes 20 seconds to get the hat, i wonder if it's the same for the other gates.

Only bad thing with that plan is some of the gates have soul gems and other stuff behind them. Its not just hats. Which kind of sucks. I don't mind getting the characters but hate the wait to unlock stuff. Like they with a sneak ability in SF. Had top wait a couple months before you could even play that part of the game.

It's little things like this and the lack of Heroics, no backstories in the Collection screens, and objectively worse Story Scrolls (which means no lore building which for a universe as broad and varied as Skylanders is a huge negative) shows that this game is a huge step back in overall quality and love poured into the product.

Sad thing is that Activision and TFB will only see the sales and go "Yeah yeah, they're totally okay with this! LESS effort but MORE paywalls!"

Quote: thunder1648

Quote: FaboulousFab

No sure about adding any more limitations to play their marvelous game

I think i'll only get the trap masters I like AND with a decent gameplay (no screaming weird redhead for instance).
And if we miss some hats, i'll deal with it.

We i see the first life gate, it takes 20 seconds to get the hat, i wonder if it's the same for the other gates.

Only bad thing with that plan is some of the gates have soul gems and other stuff behind them. Its not just hats. Which kind of sucks. I don't mind getting the characters but hate the wait to unlock stuff. Like they with a sneak ability in SF. Had top wait a couple months before you could even play that part of the game.

Are you sure about that? I don't believe any Soul Gems or Villains are locked behind Elemental gates. Traptanium Clusters sure but not gates.

there is a soul gems behind an elemental gate in the first level and one behind one in the second as well, those are the only two i remember off the top of my head, as i can't get them yet (no life, magic or mystery trap master). if someone can tell me i'm wrong, the strategy guide isn't out here yet, so can't know 100%.

No villains are behind elemental gates

I've yet to play the game outside of at shows and on the tablet, but I agree that this is a ridiculous decision. Giants and Swap Force may have had specific areas for those types of characters, but they were in addition to the gates. I always thought it was weird that any character could trap too. It would have been awesome to be able to whittle enemies down with any character and then being promoted to bring in a Trap Master for a spectacular finishing move.

As long as the Soul Gems are behind gates that can be opened by the characters that will use them, then that should be fine. That isn't unreasonable. In the first game, the Soul Gems for the figures in the Adventure Pack were in the unlocked level. It doesn't make sense marketing wise though, because finding a Soul Gem pretty much amounts to getting to watch a commercial - which I would think would want front and center for the kids ...

As far as story scrolls and Lore, eh the Lore isn't really that great, so they probably figured why bother, kids skip past it anyways. At this point the Skylanders are seeming less and less like an exclusive, elite fighting team and more like your average workplace softball league that lets the big creepy guy from accounting play if he wants to.

Phil was fed up with pushing numbers around all day in his flourescent lit office and wanted something more. Renowned for his ability to combine large piles of paper with nary a bound staple, as well as his attention to detail down to the last expense report. He felt he could be better used as a force for justice. So he decided to pick up has handy Swingline stapler and go fight evil in the Skylands. Eon welcomed him to the team and he took on a new name ... Stay Plur!

There, that's one for Skylanders 5 ...

unfortunatly, i think Fling Kong's soul gem is behind one of the Life/Magic/Mystery gates in either level one or two.

it is the only character that is saying I'm missing its soul gem, although there are two levels i don't have all the soul gems in. i'm assuming one is for an mystery element character, and the other three are in adventure packs.

no soul gems in nightmare express

Anyone have the strategy guide that wouldn't mind checking through and making sure about the Soul Gems behind elemental gates thing? If what min8or above says is true, that's pretty messed up that a character could never get their final power if you don't buy some other character just to open the Elemental Gate for them (and would definitely be final evidence of the theory that the elemental gates originally did not require a Trap Master and that this pay wall was added late in development from Activision pressure).

The guide indicates that "as you journey through Skylands you occasionally come across Mystery Gates which require an unknown element. The required element is not yet available for your Skylanders. Because you cannot access these areas right now, you are NOT always able to collect every Soul Gem, Hat, or Treasure Chest for a chapter." The maps in the guide do not show you what is in these mystery areas only what is outside.

I added the emphasis on "not".

Oh, the guide indicates 3 Soul Gems in Soda Springs. You only see two on the map, therefore, the third one is behind the Mystery Gate.

Oh man, so even the guide can't tell us for sure if there are any Soul Gems locked behind a gate that the character who needs it can't open themselves...

Quote: min8or

unfortunatly, i think Fling Kong's soul gem is behind one of the Life/Magic/Mystery gates in either level one or two.

it is the only character that is saying I'm missing its soul gem, although there are two levels i don't have all the soul gems in. i'm assuming one is for an mystery element character, and the other three are in adventure packs.

no soul gems in nightmare express

They've never put soul gems in the adventure packs since they require an extra purchase to get. With that said, I'm sure that would be exactly what Activision did this time around. They've already made it so that you can't unlock a single gate without their new gimmick characters. At least, if you have no interest in feeding their bank account with buying all the new characters, missing soul gems wouldn't be all that bad.

Quote: Eggers

They've never put soul gems in the adventure packs since they require an extra purchase to get.

Yes they have, they put the Soul Gem of the character that comes with the Adventure Pack in the Adventure Pack level. They just haven't put the Soul Gem of a completely different character in there. I'm just hoping they continue with that, and didn't put any Soul Gems for characters behind Elemental Gates that those characters can't get to themselves (in other words, any Soul Gems behind an Elemental Gate should only be for Trap Masters of that same element, otherwise it would be beyond evil to deny a player the final power for their character if they don't purchase a completely separate unrelated character).

Quote: GatorShea

Quote: HeyitsHotDog

It likely was Activision who made that decision, not TfB.

I'm surprised Activision didn't cut into the story and sell it to us as DLC.

This!

Flip Wreck's soul gem is in an air gate in one level

EDIT: I remembered it incorrectly, sorry everyone. It was behind traptanium shards. It might have been because I was playing as

Quote: Zauron

Quote: Eggers

They've never put soul gems in the adventure packs since they require an extra purchase to get.

Yes they have, they put the Soul Gem of the character that comes with the Adventure Pack in the Adventure Pack level. They just haven't put the Soul Gem of a completely different character in there. I'm just hoping they continue with that, and didn't put any Soul Gems for characters behind Elemental Gates that those characters can't get to themselves (in other words, any Soul Gems behind an Elemental Gate should only be for Trap Masters of that same element, otherwise it would be beyond evil to deny a player the final power for their character if they don't purchase a completely separate unrelated character).

Did they really? Well I stand corrected then. I guess because I played SSA last (after Giants and then Swap Force), I never noticed since characters already had their soul gem upgrades for most of them.

Quote: ExcitonKnight

Flip Wreck's soul gem is in an air gate in one level

Seriously? So if you buy Flip Wreck and don't buy any Air Trap Masters, you can't get his final power. That is MESSED. UP. !!! This kind of shenanigan should be publicized, I expect Activision to get angry letters about it from parents at the least. Its borderline false advertising, at no point in the past have you had to purchase a different character in order to get all the powers of a character you did buy!

^This is kinda messed up...no one is gonna know until little Johnny already has the game though and starts complaining to Mom who knows nothing about the game.

Quote: Drek95

Quote: ninja9351

Umm Drek you can trap villains with any Skylander...

I know.

That's why I said it would have been way better, if only TRAP Masters could do that.

From a story perspective, I would've preferred they only allow a trap master OF THE SAME ELEMENT being able to inflict damage and defeat the villain and left the gates to simply elemental of ANY character. However I can see more complaints with this approach than the one they took...I would even bet that was the original design at some point.

I'm wondering why they didn't "swap" this approach on Nightmare mode; it would've been a VERY EASY SPIN on the game to mix it up a bit.

Quote: ExcitonKnight

Flip Wreck's soul gem is in an air gate in one level

Really? I just got Flip Wreck's soul gem in Mystic Mill, just behind a traptanium shard and a bridge puzzle.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

Quote: ExcitonKnight

Flip Wreck's soul gem is in an air gate in one level

Really? I just got Flip Wreck's soul gem in Mystic Mill, just behind a traptanium shard and a bridge puzzle.

So seems he was wrong? I hope so, I can only imagine something like this would be a mistake missed by QA and not intentional. I wouldn't put it past Activision but surely TfB would push back hard against such a thing being done on purpose.

K so with wave 1 and 2. Only element without a trap master so far is what, magic right?

I haven't looked at everything I bought since sunday and so far only opened lob star cause he was the one i wanted to play most, 2nd is wallop/nitro king.

So basically magic master is going to be wave 3...it's sneak all over again?

Quote: GhostRoaster

From a story perspective, I would've preferred they only allow a trap master OF THE SAME ELEMENT being able to inflict damage and defeat the villain and left the gates to simply elemental of ANY character. However I can see more complaints with this approach than the one they took...I would even bet that was the original design at some point.

I'm wondering why they didn't "swap" this approach on Nightmare mode; it would've been a VERY EASY SPIN on the game to mix it up a bit.

Yeah I was wondering this myself. From a strict gameplay perspective, it would make more sense if the trap masters needed to be the ones to trap the villains of their own element. Like you could beat an air villain with a magic Skylander and continue the story, but the replay value and monetary incentive would come from returning as Gusto at some point to properly trap the villain.

I guess if you weigh the pros and cons, whoever made the final design call decided to boost the accessibility of the 'play as villains' gimmick above finding every little area. If you also bought the two trap triple packs on launch day, you had a trap of each element and could potentially play as 40+ new characters for the price of two additional trap master figures. That's a deal as far as Skylander games are concerned, and I'm sure it was a calculated decision to make all trap elements available immediately vs. all trap masters to open the gates.

Holly crap, it's really depressing to see in which direction they've gone... the dark side of money

The game is out in 3 days for us, i'm still getting it but maybe the last made by my friends of toy for boy,
smells like boycott for the future (if there's one)

Quote: FaboulousFab

Holly crap, it's really depressing to see in which direction they've gone... the dark side of money

The game is out in 3 days for us, i'm still getting it but maybe the last made by my friends of toy for boy,
smells like boycott for the future (if there's one)

its a kid game, kids dont know when they get exploited, they just ask mommy to buy them more.... the more money activision/tfb get the more exploits/gimmicks/less features and effort they are gonna put in the next game. vote with your wallets is the only cure for their idiocy.

i have decided to not buy the this year game, thats what all of you should do to...

Quote: TerraFizz

Sad thing is that Activision and TFB will only see the sales and go "Yeah yeah, they're totally okay with this! LESS effort but MORE paywalls!"

THIS, ALL DAY!!!!

@FabulousFab - I am with you, I think we should boycott.

Personally, I slipped up and bought the game and was disappointed. I will not buy a single additional figure until they change the limitations they put on our existing collections. My DREAM, would be a patch that would allow all skylanders to open all elemental gates. If they did that, I would gladly go back to buying one of everything. Sadly, I doubt that will happen, which means I will need to wait until Skylanders 5 to see what they do. If they get it WRONG, again, I'm done.

I encourage you all to curb your purchases in protest. Activision needs to know they messed up.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: FaboulousFab

Holly crap, it's really depressing to see in which direction they've gone... the dark side of money

The game is out in 3 days for us, i'm still getting it but maybe the last made by my friends of toy for boy,
smells like boycott for the future (if there's one)

its a kid game, kids dont know when they get exploited, they just ask mommy to buy them more.... the more money activision/tfb get the more exploits/gimmicks/less features and effort they are gonna put in the next game. vote with your wallets is the only cure for their idiocy.

i have decided to not buy the this year game, thats what all of you should do to...

Its ok my son asked just yesterday why he cant open the life gate with his food fight guy, he's like its life. So i told him why and he thought that was dumb and wanted to know why they did that so i told him cause the makers of the game are idiots now

Quote: SlayerX11

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: FaboulousFab

Holly crap, it's really depressing to see in which direction they've gone... the dark side of money

The game is out in 3 days for us, i'm still getting it but maybe the last made by my friends of toy for boy,
smells like boycott for the future (if there's one)

its a kid game, kids dont know when they get exploited, they just ask mommy to buy them more.... the more money activision/tfb get the more exploits/gimmicks/less features and effort they are gonna put in the next game. vote with your wallets is the only cure for their idiocy.

i have decided to not buy the this year game, thats what all of you should do to...

Its ok my son asked just yesterday why he cant open the life gate with his food fight guy, he's like its life. So i told him why and he thought that was dumb and wanted to know why they did that so i told him cause the makers of the game are idiots now

lol... but it is the truth. you also cant just go get the soulgems with any skylanders anymore either. you must own specific skylanders to get them, thats another idiot move from the makers.

Quote: ExcitonKnight

Flip Wreck's soul gem is in an air gate in one level

No it's not an Air gate, I have gotten his Soul Gem and I don't have Gusto yet I can't remember what element the gate was though.

I agree that this is an absolute terrible decision, and an obvious moneygrab. The only reason they probably did this was to give people a reason to buy the overpriced Trap Masters, since there's almost nothing else that makes them stand out from the other characters.

While I understand the frustration with it...what irks me more than anything is that - just like Stinkbomb last year, we still don't have a magic Trap Master.
- Unreall

Quote: Unreallystic

While I understand the frustration with it...what irks me more than anything is that - just like Stinkbomb last year, we still don't have a magic Trap Master.
- Unreall

the game can be finished in 10 hours, now you gotta wait 6 months to be able to access some parts of it... great... not!.

Who ever calls the shots for the release schedules has a special place in Hell reserved just for them. I mean seriously we have both Water Trap Masters, both Tech and both Earth. We have no magic and the same Air that comes in the 3DS starter...seriously WTF?!? I am having fun with the game itself but so much about the quality of life changes (for the worse) and the launch/release is pissing me off.

Quote: Tigorus

Who ever calls the shots for the release schedules has a special place in Hell reserved just for them. I mean seriously we have both Water Trap Masters, both Tech and both Earth. We have no magic and the same Air that comes in the 3DS starter...seriously WTF?!? I am having fun with the game itself but so much about the quality of life changes (for the worse) and the launch/release is pissing me off.

It's a shame you won't be able to do every bit of every level in the game and be done with it in a week.

Seriously, what's wrong with them holding something back a little while, why be anxious to close it off so fast and then just have figure collecting to do? When you finally get a Magic Trap Master in Wave 3, it will be more than just a new playable character, you will also have some new content.

I will never get why people are so anxious to get bored with this game. Or the people that get upset that they have to buy figures for a game that is all about buying figures. If you want a fully open game where every character and every level is available for no extra charge there are plenty of them out there, Diablo 3 Ultimate is an excellent choice.

I get that people don't like the extreme amount of stuff to buy as a collector, but for this game you can get by with 7 additional Trap Masters and just the Adventure Packs if simply seeing the levels is your goal. The Newlanders/ Variants/Reposes/Minis/Traps don't get you any new level content and can be skipped if you like. I've personally put MANY of those on my "not this time" list. My selection in the cart was quite modest compared to the others I saw there Saturday.

Quote: Tigorus

Who ever calls the shots for the release schedules has a special place in Hell reserved just for them. I mean seriously we have both Water Trap Masters, both Tech and both Earth. We have no magic and the same Air that comes in the 3DS starter...seriously WTF?!? I am having fun with the game itself but so much about the quality of life changes (for the worse) and the launch/release is pissing me off.

Pretty sure they do it on purpose as a way to remind people later in the year "remember that game you didn't 100% finish! Now you can! Oh and while you are getting the thing you need to complete it, might as well check out some of these other cool figures that have come out since last you played!!". Hell it worked on me for Swap Force I'm sorry to admit...

I seem to remember when SSA came out there was one element that only had a single Skylander available and it was hard to find (or maybe it was that it required a triple pack?), and I'm not sure it was even available in Wave 1. Then of course we know about Swap Force missing the Sneak swapper for a long time. I'm sure Giants would have tried to do the same thing but that game didn't really have any special pay walls (the Giant it shipped with could do all the Giants-specific stuff and you could use the older Skylanders to open the elemental gates).

I agree that its pretty infuriating though!!

Quote: defpally

Quote: Tigorus

Who ever calls the shots for the release schedules has a special place in Hell reserved just for them. I mean seriously we have both Water Trap Masters, both Tech and both Earth. We have no magic and the same Air that comes in the 3DS starter...seriously WTF?!? I am having fun with the game itself but so much about the quality of life changes (for the worse) and the launch/release is pissing me off.

It's a shame you won't be able to do every bit of every level in the game and be done with it in a week.

Seriously, what's wrong with them holding something back a little while, why be anxious to close it off so fast and then just have figure collecting to do? When you finally get a Magic Trap Master in Wave 3, it will be more than just a new playable character, you will also have some new content.

I will never get why people are so anxious to get bored with this game. Or the people that get upset that they have to buy figures for a game that is all about buying figures. If you want a fully open game where every character and every level is available for no extra charge there are plenty of them out there, Diablo 3 Ultimate is an excellent choice.

I get that people don't like the extreme amount of stuff to buy as a collector, but for this game you can get by with 7 additional Trap Masters and just the Adventure Packs if simply seeing the levels is your goal. The Newlanders/ Variants/Reposes/Minis/Traps don't get you any new level content and can be skipped if you like. I've personally put MANY of those on my "not this time" list. My selection in the cart was quite modest compared to the others I saw there Saturday.

Couldn't agree more.

I wonder if there was so much hurry when SA came out too...
Unless a character of each Element was out D1... Cannot remember well, unfortunately...

Also, following the Internet logic, the same persons who are complaining about that would probably do the exact same thing if they released a Trap Master of each Element at D1, because "we won't have any reason to go buy anything else, and the game won't last long enough!".

Games will never be satisfied...

It's a little irritating and very understandably so when you can't three star the game's *very first level*, a level that's meant to be a tutorial. And on top of it, the greater sting comes from the payout for that waiting. These aren't large sprawling areas like the first few games that offered platforming bits to have fun with and little points of interest here and there...they're usually tiny little rooms that are just that: tiny little rooms. Oh and a hat/trinket at the end.

But yeah, why be annoyed about that?

SSA held back just Empire of Ice and Dragon's Peak.

Complaints about this are just whining. You are right, if everything were out day 1 we would have the very same people complaining that "such an expensive" game had no longevity after they power gamed through it in a day.

There is just no pleasing some people. Back when Final Fantasy used to be a thing, people would wait for months then buy the game alongside the strategy guide and beat it in a day so they could be the first person to complain how they beat it and how easy it was.

Giants:
I beat it too fast!
then Swap Force/Trap Team:
Why don't you give me everything so I can beat it fast?

Giants:
The game and levels are too short!
then Swap Force:
The game and levels are too long!

Swap Force:
Why do I have to have so many different things to get through the gates?
then Trap Team:
Why are only Trap Masters useful for unlocking gates?

holden back an adventure pack i see no problem with but when you have played the game for 6 months and cant get in that trap master port for a hat or a soulgem so you could finish your skylanders move set or improve speed with the hat... thats max irritating.

Quote: defpally

SSA held back just Empire of Ice and Dragon's Peak.

Complaints about this are just whining. You are right, if everything were out day 1 we would have the very same people complaining that "such an expensive" game had no longevity after they power gamed through it in a day.

There is just no pleasing some people. Back when Final Fantasy used to be a thing, people would wait for months then buy the game alongside the strategy guide and beat it in a day so they could be the first person to complain how they beat it and how easy it was.

Giants:
I beat it too fast!
then Swap Force/Trap Team:
Why don't you give me everything so I can beat it fast?

Giants:
The game and levels are too short!
then Swap Force:
The game and levels are too long!

Swap Force:
Why do I have to have so many different things to get through the gates?
then Trap Team:
Why are only Trap Masters useful for unlocking gates?

You know its possible the complaints are just from different people right? Rather than the same people complaining in both directions?

Everyone has different tastes, one person's likes is often another person's dislikes. For example I was one of the ones that complained that Swap Force's levels were way too long, but I never complained that Giant's levels were too short (in fact I thought they were a tad too long as well, they seemed longer than SSA's which I still think had the best balance of length of levels and number of levels so far). Some people thought Swap Force had the best art style thus far, others prefer TfB's art style. Its just different tastes. You pretty much can never please everyone, so some people are going to complain no matter what because different people are different.

Its true what they say - there's no accounting for taste.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

holden back an adventure pack i see no problem with but when you have played the game for 6 months and cant get in that trap master port for a hat or a soulgem so you could finish your skylanders move set or improve speed with the hat... thats max irritating.

I don't think we will have to wait that much, for a Magic Trap Master, nor for the Dark and Light characters.

We will probably have anything we need to 100% the game near the start of next year, if not around Christmas.

Quote: Zauron

You know its possible the complaints are just from different people right? Rather than the same people complaining in both directions?

Everyone has different tastes, one person's likes is often another person's dislikes. For example I was one of the ones that complained that Swap Force's levels were way too long, but I never complained that Giant's levels were too short (in fact I thought they were a tad too long as well, they seemed longer than SSA's which I still think had the best balance of length of levels and number of levels so far). Some people thought Swap Force had the best art style thus far, others prefer TfB's art style. Its just different tastes. You pretty much can never please everyone, so some people are going to complain no matter what because different people are different.

Its true what they say - there's no accounting for taste.

If you hang around long enough and are observant enough you would know it is true.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

holden back an adventure pack i see no problem with but when you have played the game for 6 months and cant get in that trap master port for a hat or a soulgem so you could finish your skylanders move set or improve speed with the hat... thats max irritating.

A hat is an issue? You can't make do with the dozens you can get now? No one has confirmed that any needed Soul Gems for released characters are hidden behind Magic Trap gates. And a good bit of the target audience won't even PLAY the game until Christmas (like my family) - when a Magic Trap Master will either be out or soon to be out.

You're just looking for things to complain about now. Hey, I've had my own issues with how they did this year's game, but come on. Besides, what does it matter, I thought you were done with Skylanders because of patches or something?