darkSpyro

From the Gameplay I've seen so far it appears that you have to have a vehicle on the portal at all times, this seems excessive and pointless. So the question is :- Why are we forced on keep a vehicle on at all times rather than just when it is needed in game?
Also, does this mean we won't be able to use magic items?

I'm not sure that's the case. I would assume that if you didn't have a vehicle on the poetal when you reached an area they needed one, it would tell you that you need a vehicle just like elemental gates told you what you needed to get through them.

It is the case. When you start a level you're prompted to put the Vehicle first(though like Traps you can do whatever order), and if you ever remove it in gameplay it kicks you back to the Magic Moment. Yes,even on-foot sections.

It's dumb and pointless,even with the plot explanation,because they'll just be unable to resist doing required gimmick next game AGAIN. Sure, having Digital Owners means that you won't even see Hot Streak is there(unless,like me,you're not even interested on it and will get a different one),but I pity the tablet users that'll be playing on the car or something and have the game stop because the land vehicle merrily rolled off. Might as well just keep a sub(which don't have wheels, at least Dive Bomber and Reef Ripper don't) at all times to prevent that but it's really a fix that shouldn't be needed.

Plot explanation is early game spoilers(though I went and said it on the news topic without noticing), but for those who want to know:

I belive it is so the game is more fluid.

Quote: Bifrost

Plot explanation is early game spoilers(though I went and said it on the news topic without noticing), but for those who want to know:

Reveal Spoiler

Kaos' objective of severing Earth's ties with Skylands? Already done. Vehicles have engines that act as replacement portals, because otherwise your Skylanders are on their own if there isn't a Rift Engine vehicle on the portal. Still not that good of an explanation, no one needed to trap the villains fully to get them arrested and thrown in the Villain Vault.

That is the worst explaination VV could've thought of.... I mean.... The SuperChargers have engines for bases...

. . . an engine that would be worthless without a vehicle.

That explanation is kinda pointless!
Also, no one have any idea about magic items working or not?

Don't want to read the spoilers but the engines are useless.

They clearly aren't used in any way (at least from what I've seen so far) since any Skylander can use a vehicle and SuperChargers use magic to supercharge them.
They are simply a design choice to immediately help you recognize them among your collection (which isn't needed at all and nor are the symbols on them).

If they actually explain it with some coherent lore I'll accept the mandatory vehicle on the Portal.
If not... It would only be another thing I sincerely dislike about this game.

Well, for now they didn't explain the engines on the skylanders. The spoiler is about the vehicles.
And it's really pointless, it also bothered me on Swap Force to have the Swappability symbol standing out like a sore thumb in the front of the figure,but at least that was just a tiny medal and nothing else. This one takes a good chunk of the figure, when it could've been just the Supercharger symbol somewhere(the bolt sign that shows up in Supercharged damage bonuses).

Quote: Bifrost

Well, for now they didn't explain the engines on the skylanders. The spoiler is about the vehicles.
And it's really pointless, it also bothered me on Swap Force to have the Swappability symbol standing out like a sore thumb in the front of the figure,but at least that was just a tiny medal and nothing else. This one takes a good chunk of the figure, when it could've been just the Supercharger symbol somewhere(the bolt sign that shows up in Supercharged damage bonuses).

Yep I didn't liked the Swappers' medals too but at least they might be helpful for kids to remember the different abilities.
It's not like a kid couldn't tell Spitfire's from the Fire Element or Dive-Clop's from Water... But even if they couldn't they would just have to look under the bases (flaming base... Definitely Air) to see the symbols.

These are just part of what I consider the "new, shiny and better" V.V. politic.
Pointless but, hey, they looked cool so why not?

Funny this is they don't even look cool, to me.