Slanted Fish

The adventures begin in Haxe Javascript

April 10, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! Remember back in February when the Creators mentioned their Haxe Javascript project, which they’ve been working on since last year, and which would allow Poptropica to survive post-Flash?

So far, there hasn’t been much to see—but recent developments are showing signs of progress, or at least, experimentation. Let’s take a look!

Poptropica’s Haxe Javascript build so far includes a limited Home Island, with some features like the Pet Barn, but missing others like the Arcade. It’s covered in fall leaves like the look we’ve seen in regular Poptropica, but this version is a bit emptier.

For some time now, the Haxe build has been accessible at a link that’s not too hard to guess: poptropica.com/haxe. Now, clicking on the “Play For Free” link on Poptropica’s homepage goes directly to this link, and players have been reporting some interesting features they’ve seen.

For starters, here’s a screenshot from Perfect Fish, showing daily login rewards of credits that increase as you keep up your login streak.

There’s also a new character selection screen, with about seven pre-designed characters you can pick from to hop into the game right away — no customization of name or appearance. (Thanks to Quick Fang for the tip.)

This “Pick a Character” screen used to be more similar to the one we’ve had since late 2018, but with different (one might say less appealing) colors of bright orange and purple. (Thanks goes to Scrooge200 for these screenshots.)

As seen above in the Home Island screenshots, your player clubhouse is among the features not yet ready in Poptropica’s Haxe. Still, a new clubhouse icon has popped up in the menu, replacing the friends icon. It might be a while before the friends feature is ready in this new Poptropica… 😢

If you visit the Haxe build at the link above, you’ll find that the map is looking even more sparse than usual: there are literally only 6 islands so far. (But don’t panic just yet—you can still find a more populated map by logging into the regular Poptropica, at poptropica.com/game.)

Along with Home Island, Snagglemast and 24 Carrot are counted as beginner islands, while “Adventures of Mystery” offers Survival 1, PoptropiCon 1, and just recently added for members only, Timmy Failure. (This is probably why they used the phrase “early access” when you click into it.)

But there is still one more page: the “Adventures of Deception,” which shows (unlabeled) Escape From Pelican Rock as coming soon. Silhouettes of two more islands can be seen on this page: Mythology up top and Shrink Ray on the right, by the looks of it. All these missing islands seem to suggest the Creators still have a long way to go with rendering AS3 (newer) islands into Haxe.

Survival 1 had me stuck in a never-ending loading loop over my character as soon as I’d crash-landed onto the island, and with this being the early stages, these few Haxe islands may still be working out bugs. Proceed with caution!

Poptropica in Haxe also brings in a couple of subtle changes to the iconography of in-game movement. When hovering over an entrance, the text that tells you what room you’re entering is now wrapped in a white bar, as opposed to the white outline on the text as before. Also, the movement arrow loses part of its white outline on the side facing your character.

That about wraps up what’s up in Poptropica’s Haxe so far. Not much, but not nothing, and with new features on the way, it seems!

Have you noticed anything else new in Poptropica’s Haxe Javascript build? What islands do you hope will return next on the map? Share with us in the comments or contact us by email, Twitter, or Discord. Keep on popping on!

~/🐠

Store

April forecast: a weekly showering in store

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, April’s showering of store items is here—with a new twist?

A billboard on Home Island is promoting several springtime items now available in the store, with the promise that there will be “new stuff every week.” That weekly part is a first, since we’ve been getting monthly updates in the store for a couple years now.

In the store, we’ve got followers we’ve seen before from other places, such as last year’s Easter items: Chick, Narf, Mini Astroknight, Woodstock. Pranks this time are the Silly Streams, Egg Launcher, and Sneezing Powder. And in Miscellaneous, we have Hiking Shoes and a Marshmallow Roaster.

Some items from last month remain as well: in Powers, we still have Torch, Phantom, and Electrify; while in Costumes, there’s the Chomper, Red Heart, Clover Kid, Lilac Star, Wrestling Gear (boy and girl), and Prom King and Queen.

And if the billboard is any indicator, we’ll probably see the return of the pink bunny costume and pastel green dress in the coming weeks!

Stay tuned for updates to the store, as well as our next PHB post! Coming soon: we’ll be exploring the latest in Poptropica’s HAXE Javascript project…

~/🐠

Pranks

Flashy Fools: the real April 1st experience ⚡️

April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 Slanted Fish

Heeey Poptropicans! So you remember all that talk we posted yesterday about a grand PHB Flash Experience? Our little Flash game of homage to the pending doom of Flash and old school islands? Well, check your calendars…

Yup. So, April Fools! How long were you clicking to “allow Flash” and refreshing the page so you could play the game? Were you convinced that your computer just couldn’t handle Flash anymore? Did we fool you?

Whether our shenanigans had you flashing with anger at game that was never meant to load, or flushing with embarrassment for refreshing way too many times, we hope that, in the end, we can still make you flash a smile. So here, enjoy the behind-the-scenes of this year’s PHB prank.

Gentle Dolphin put a ton of work into making the preview scene of a glitching bridge in our prank post. Check out the stills behind the gif, from a peaceful Red Dragon Island scene to the world falling apart with game-breaking code.

In addition to the scenery, she also made plenty of outfit prototypes before settling on the final look of our invented villain, Addo B. Flash. (And yes, he even has the Flash logo in his design!) Addo also came with views from different angles when we introduced him, which was Gentle Dolphin’s idea to add to his legitimacy as a game character.

Which of these outfits do you like most? Were you bamboozled by the PHB Flash Experience, or cautiously suspicious through it all? We’d love to hear from you in the comments! Keep on popping, Poptropicans.

—the PHB—

p.s. Play the old school islands before Flash is truly gone, here.

p.p.s. Quarantined? We’ve come up with ideas for making the best of Poptropica in these bizarre times here.

Pranks

Once and for all: the PHB Flash Experience ⚡️

April 1, 2020April 2, 2020 Slanted Fish

Heeey Poptropicans, we’ve got a little surprise for you…

*Meet the evil meddler of worlds Addo B. Flash! Read on to find out what he’s up to… and how YOU can stop him.*

As you’re probably well aware by now, the oncoming end of Flash has done quite a number on Poptropica. It’s already killed Poptropica’s classic old school islands—and yes, you can still play them with this Old Island Directory. But in the official game, they aren’t coming back anytime soon.

Of course, here at the PHB, we couldn’t just let that happen without a proper goodbye! So, we’ve been working up a little something to pay homage to the many great classic islands that have gone before us, and now we’re ready to reveal this thing. What is it, you ask? We call it: the PHB Flash Experience.

Warning: The following experience contains bright, flashing imagery. It may cause discomfort for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.

*Gahhh! What happened to the bridge on Red Dragon Island? That’s just a taste of the wreckage to come…*

The PHB Flash Experience a sweet RPG adventure (kind of like Poptropica!) where you travel around through different dimensions—from the clouds of the purple giant in Early Poptropica to the distant planet of E. Vile’s Legendary Swords battles—all in a noble quest to save them from perhaps the most nefarious villain of them all: Mr. Addo B. Flash, vanquisher of a zillion islands.

*The many sides of the devilish Addo B. Flash. He’s legit, y’all.*

You can play this epic PHB Flash Experience right here, right now on this PHB post in the blue box below. Of course, as the name implies, you’re going to have to enable Flash. But you already know how to do that, don’t you? 😉

Have fun, and hey, when you’re done with the game, share your feedback with us in the comments. 😜

—the PHB team—

Comics, Virus Hunter Island

When in quarantine, play Poptropica

March 22, 2020March 22, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans. By now, you’ve probably heard of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping over the world, causing school shutdowns, closing businesses, and more. With life on lockdown, why not turn to Poptropica to pass the time?

*Like the postcard? You can download Virus Hunter Island printable postcards from Poptropica and send them to your friends!*

Real talk, though: we haven’t heard from Poptropica in about a month, and with all of this going on, Poptropica Creators may have their workflow disrupted, too. That could mean a lull in activity for Poptropica, despite earlier promises about updates for this year. We’ll have to wait and see.

Anyway, whether the virus has been on your radar for months, or has just started to affect your area in the past couple weeks, at least one thing is clear: staying away from crowds helps keep you and everyone safe.

The outside world may be falling apart, but on the flip side, the online world is thriving. Here on the PHB, we’re bringing you recommendations for enjoying the best of Poptropica while under quarantine. There’s plenty to do inside!

Can you stomach the comics? 🦠

One obvious island comes to mind: Virus Hunter. In this island released in 2013, your mission is to locate the person harboring a dangerous new virus, then enter his body to remove the disease before it spreads! There couldn’t be a more relatable adventure in these trying times, and whether it’s your first time playing or you want to revisit it, the PHB has a guide for you.

Before the island came out all those years ago, Poptropica created a six-page comic called Pandemic Panic as a prelude to Virus Hunter Island. Check it out below, and read tons more official Poptropica comics on the PHB!

More island adventures, for all the benchers 🏝

Besides Virus Hunter, Poptropica is also filled with lots of other great island adventures to play. If staying at home is starting to feel like jail, try busting out of prison on Escape From Pelican Rock Island. If you miss large gatherings full of people, mingle with the cosplayers on PoptropiCon Island. Or if you prefer to strike it out on your own, embrace the solitude of Survival Island. There’s something for everyone, and we have all the guides you’ll need!

Here’s an open secret: the islands currently on the map aren’t the only ones you can play. With the Old Island Directory, you can play about 30 more old school islands, which Poptropica had taken down from the official game due to the older technology causing bugs. Since Flash is going down, now’s the time to play them before they’re gone for good!

Create or compete, staying upbeat 👩‍🎨

Even beyond the decades of islands, Poptropica still has a fair amount of fun to offer. The Photo Booth is back, your club house could use a refreshed design, and worlds are waiting to be made on Realms. And while you’re at it, maybe you’ll enjoy giving your character a new look, too!

Meeting up in real life may not be a great idea these days, but you can still hang out with friends online! Drop by the arcade at the same time and you can play games like Star Link together, or head in solo and find new buds. You can also challenge yourself on solo games like Blaster Attack.

And last but not least, join in on the PHB’s Community Creations challenge! This month’s theme is Hobbies, and all this downtime is a great opportunity to explore some (within health precautions, of course). Whatever the hobby, you have until the end of March to capture it for us Poptropica-style. Details here.

What have you been up to in this pandemic panic? Share your stories in the comments, keep washing your hands, and take care, everyone! 💪🧼

—the Pop-pandemic Help Blog—