Slanted Fish

POPCORN #29 (plus changes!) & GHA short

January 10, 2016 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, the butter is back! 😀

Issue #29 of our Poptropica fan magazine, known as The POPCORN, has just been released, with all sorts of Poptropica fan creations, including a few prison stories inspired by Escape From Pelican Rock, artwork by Popular Wolf, and more! As usual, this is available as a PDF.

Check out the January 2016 issue now! (Or download it to read offline!)

With the new year, we’re also considering some changes to The POPCORN. In the past, we have generally been accepting of most every entry that gets sent in, but this means that the length of each issue tends to fluctuate, along with quality varying from entry to entry. In order to keep up, we may no longer guarantee inclusion of everything in the magazines, but instead encourage you to share in other places on the web for people to check out.

In particular, we’d like to emphasize using our Poptropica Help subreddit, our mini-forum for posting all sorts of Poptropica tidbits. No matter where on the web you like to post your stories, fan art, comics, costumes, island ideas, and whatever else you can think of – whether it’s on our We-Love-Poptropica deviantArt group or even a text post on the subreddit itself – you can link to it on Reddit! You can even link to other Poptropicans’ creations to share them with everyone!

As part of our desire to cultivate more consistent and quality magazines, we will also be posting them seasonally – about 4 issues a year. To see (and make!) more stories and art, get plugged into our subreddit year-round! It’s very simple to use and is a great hotbed for creativity.

Anyway, you can enjoy this issue and all the past issues over on our Magazines page. Leave your comments on subreddit postings to let people know you appreciate their work, and be sure to share some of your favorites from around the web so we can check them out!

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Speaking of stories, the prequel short to Giant Hawk Adventures (that’s the Poptropica fanfic series by Giant Hawk here on the PHB), An Afternoon at Queequeg’s, was just released! Read it now!

You may have noticed the new “GHA” tab on the top navigational bar of the PHB. That’s where new installments of the Giant Hawk Adventures will be posted, so keep an eye out for more of those! 🙂

Stay popping, Poptropicans. 😉

Hope you enjoy our pop-pop-Poptropica Help Network fan magazine and the GHA short!

Guest Posts, Home Island, PHB Sneak Peeks, Sneak Peeks

Skydock Island: the new Home Island?

January 7, 2016June 22, 2017 Slanted Fish

The island of many names is about to get another mouthful: Home Island, also known by its alternate names Hub Island or Tutorial Island, could soon become Skydock Island.

skydock

We’ve mentioned before of the Daily Pop hinting at upgrades to Home Island, including a ship-shaped renovation and the possibility of a personal home to display your medallions…

The rest of this post is written by Nice Hawk. He first made these findings on his site, Poptrickia, and allowed them to be shared here on the PHB. Enjoy!

…But it gets even better. Poking around in the unreleased files of Home Island, I found these highly interesting scenes and schematics which (partially) confirm my theories:

This first image is a preliminary look at what the Main Street of the new Home Island will look like; apparently it’ll be called “Skydock.” The buildings in this image will lead to the rooms below, the Town Hall and Saloon (click to view full size):

Town Hall

Saloon

These are actually scenes by the Creators that are in the earliest stages. Even though they’re mainly just line drawings and text on a black background, the descriptions are already getting me excited for the update. 🙂 It looks like the Creators are planning a lot of creative additions to Home Island this year.

Another thing that I found while looking at the code for Home Island, is that these rooms (Skydock, Town Hall, and Saloon) might even be common rooms! That’s right, you might be able to chat, friend, and battle with other players while also enjoying Home Island. Now I’m not 100% sure if that’s true based on the code, but it would be a reasonable enough assumption. 😉

It looks like the Creators themselves are still working out the details though, like for instance how the rooms will look like and how they’ll be connected, so the final product may be different from what I’ve outlined here. But so far this looks like the gist of it. And I’m definitely looking forward to this huge update!

–

Ever wondered why exactly the medallion shards are scattered all over the place when you play the Tutorial, and why there’s a pilot there talking to you? Well, another update to Home Island (that might be coming sooner than the ship-related one) gives the backstory to that. This dialog file shows what seems to be you talking with the pilot while you’re both up in the blimp:

You: The view is great from up here!
Pilot: Ahoy fellow traveler!
You: Ahoy!
You: Are you on your way to Poptropica too?
Pilot: I sure am! But first, a minor course correction.
Pilot: Woah!
Pilot: Oh no! The medallion!
You: Oh dear!
Pilot: I see where it landed, I am going after it!
Pilot: Want to join me in an adventure?

Then the pilot offers you a choice to either do the medallion-shard-finding tutorial or to go to Home. So basically, the medallion is in pieces down there because the Pilot dropped it from his own balloon. Interesting backstory.

pilot

Anyway, those are all the exclusive Home Island sneak peeks that I’ve got so far! Looks like the upcoming update is full of fun new things to do or to just enjoy looking at. The Creators haven’t officially announced it yet (though they did give hints of it in their New Year’s post), so we don’t know when it’s coming. But it sure is something grand to look forward to. 🙂

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Again, thanks to Nice Hawk for this guest post on the PHB! Be sure to check out his site, Poptrickia, which is full of tips, tricks, and Poptropica goodness. Stay popping, Poptropicans!

Guest Posts, Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: What’s in Poptropica’s Future?

January 6, 2016June 22, 2017 Slanted Fish

(Continuing our Popspiracy series, PHB reader Tall Cactus speculates about the direction of Poptropica’s future in this guest post. Keep in mind that Popspiracy posts are not to be taken as fact. If you have a Popspiracy, let us know – more details are below! Enjoy! –SlantedFish 🐠 )

Hello Fellow Poptropicans!

My name is Tall Cactus! You might know me as a commenter on the PHB.

Not too long ago, we all said goodbye to 2015 and welcomed a new year. But what will 2016 bring to Poptropica? What will the future bring to Poptropica? That is what I will be discussing in this Popspiracy. But before we begin, I just want to note that I’m not trying to criticize the game in anyway, and that everything said in this post might not even happen. Now that that’s over with, let’s begin

In 2016, I’m guessing that Home Island will get a huge update, more new islands will be released, and volume 2 of the graphic novel series will make its debut. But Poptropica may also be doing even more work to fully convert Poptropica to SUI. While it’s great to have bigger screens and music, there will just be even more glitches. See, Poptropica needs to realize that if they want to expand to things like the mobile app and TV, they need to fix the glitches in the original game first. I actually think that’s the problem- Poptropica’s so busy with other things that the quality of newer islands is just getting worse and worse. Hopefully one of their New Years Resolutions was to fix this.

But things may get interesting farther in the future. I think one of three possibilities will happen, ultimately changing how successful and how long Poptropica lasts.

Scenario 1: Slightly more or less popular

The first possibility is that Poptropica will stay more or less the same as it is now. New islands would be released every few months, along with giveaways and other fun things. The new islands will hopefully start to get better like Pelican Rock. However, the creators might still be converting to SUI, which means that some glitches and bugs might never get fixed. Poptropica might become more successful, but maybe only a little bit more or less popular. That all depends on the quality of the islands and the game itself.

How long will Poptropica last? – 5 to 10 more years, maybe a little more or less.

Scenario 2: Failing

But what if the islands DON’T get better? Would Poptropica slowly end in a few years? With glitchy SUIs, more sponsored and members only islands, and a focus on expanding, the game could suffer, with less and less kids playing the game each year, until Poptropica doesn’t make enough money and shuts down. If it did, would the website be deleted, or would it still exist, just never updated? Never mind. Let’s not think about Poptropica ending, but we need to know that it might still happen. However, with support with fans like all of you, this future might not happen.

How long will Poptropica last? – 2 to 5 more years.

Scenario 3: Most popular it’s ever been!

And lastly there’s that last possibility, which is more likely than the terrible second one, but wouldn’t happen for a while. It would happen if Poptropica’s dream of having a TV show and stuff like that DID happen one day. The good news? Poptropica would be the most popular it’s ever been! The bad news? The game itself would suffer. Less and less islands would be released each year, and even if kids did find out about the game that inspired their favorite TV show they might not want to play it. But you never know how successful this “TV show” could be.

How long will Poptropica last? – Who knows?

Well, we don’t know what the future will bring, but no matter what ends up happening, I’m sure 2016 will be the best year yet. What do you think will happen? Sound off in the comments below!

–Tall Cactus

Share your Poptropica conspiracy theories in the comments – we’d love to hear them. If you’d like to develop your thoughts into a full guest post like this one, contact the PHB (minimum 500 words) at [email protected]. Stay popping!

Advertisements, Guest Posts

Bear in the Big Apple! (Norm of the North ad)

January 5, 2016June 22, 2017 Slanted Fish

(Heyo! This guest post is written by a friend of the PHB, Spencer, with app pictures by Slippery Raptor. Thanks for the tip-off goes to Maroon Cheetah. Enjoy the post and the ad prizes! –SlantedFish 🐠)

Hey Poptropicanos, it’s Spencer! Alas, I have returned! Get your beautiful Poptropican self some candy, some popcorn, an extremely overpriced soda (or pop, shall I dare make a pun?), and let’s get ready to watch Norm of the North. Well, it’s not exactly the movie we get to watch. But, it is yet another Poptropica advertisement!

This ad is sponsoring the upcoming Dreamworks movie Norm of the North, in cinemas January 15th, 2016! From what I read, Norm and his friends wind up in New York City! Hey, that’s where I live! 😉

Anyway, you’re confronted by Norm the Polar bear to come into this peculiar looking building. (Remember kids, you shouldn’t always listen to strangers telling you to follow them if your parents aren’t around! 😉 ) There are two different versions of this ad: one for the mobile app and one for the web. Let’s start with the app.

Once you enter the building, you get to play a mini-game! Lucky you! (I admit, it’s a lot better than usual Poptropica watch-the-trailer ads.) Glad Poptropica stepped up its game this time around!

You’re presented with the quest of catching a bunch of anthropomorphic rodents in a condensed amount of time to win clothes. I can’t make this stuff up. Basically, you have to run around New York City collecting the three lemmies! They look just like they do in the picture, can’t miss ’em. 😀 (I noticed that this was incredibly similar to the mini-quest Don’t Be an Energy Hog, available in the Poptropica Store!)

Anyway, once you win, you get to have these fabulous prizes!

Oooh, incredibly fashionable Lemming Rider! Wearing this rat on your head is definitely socially acceptable behavior, in my book! This stylish cap is not the only thing your Poptropican gets to obtain: now, you get to impress all the hunnies with these designer sun Glasses. I love all the NYC references, by the way! 😛

If you’re playing on the web, it’s also the norm! (Do I seriously make a pun every paragraph?) Hop onto any SUI, and the building looks about the same. Except, it’s a common room! Hop directly up, and you can snatch this rad Norm the Polar bear costume.

lemmy2

Hop up again, or click anywhere it asks you to, and you can play Lemmy Launcher, which is different from the game on the app. Hit 8 tourists with your awesome lemmy aim and win! No prize, though.

lemmy1

High up in the left corner, you can grab a Tumbling Lemmies power. When used, a bunch of lemmies will roll on your screen.

lemmy3

Well, I guess my time is up yet again! Take it easy Poptropicans!

Guest Posts, Popspiracy Theories

Popspiracy: Legendary and Astronomical Similarities?

January 2, 2016June 22, 2017 Slanted Fish

(This is a guest post by Spencer, an avid Poptropican in the community here to share some Poptropica thoughts. Keep in mind that the theory he presents is only a theory, not to be taken as fact. If you have a Popspiracy, let us know (details below)! Enjoy! –SlantedFish)

Hey Poptropicanos!

You’re probably wondering who this intriguing, yet handsome guest-poster is. Well, I’m Spencer! If that sounds familiar, I did a few guest-posts way back in 2013-14, did some island walkthroughs for the PHV, was the co-creator of Blake Pops a Theory (which is being replaced by what I’m about to announce) and I tend to chill on the PHC and EpicSerenity (two major Poptropica chats) a lot, too. Anyway, Slanted Fish and I are happy to announce our new series, Popspiracy: Poptropica Conspiracies!

popspiracy

Guess what? You get to be involved too! Leave your own fan theories in the comments down below or email [email protected] and you may get a chance to get your conspiracy featured on the PHB.

My conspiracy theory today is why Legendary Swords: Battle Arena was never released. I personally think it is because of the little but major similarities to Astro-Knights Island. Why continue a story that’s already too similar? More in depth, the villains themselves.

E.Vile is way too similar to the infamous Binary Bard. Why? First, let’s check out the character design.

E.VileASG

Man, I sure do love that evil grin of his, the grey and red robotic headgear, his skin-tone, and his plans to take over Poptropica and the rest of the universe. Sounds like some evil, robotic, mentally-ill jester I know… Binary Bard!

Binary Bard is king! Er, jester.

Now, let’s look at the actual storyline and plot of Legendary Swords and Astro Knights Island. So, let me get this straight. Our Poptropican is traveling in space, goes on a planet that needs help for some reason, and along the way is bombarded by robots our villain created? (Legendary Swords: BattleBots and bosses, Astro Knights: The Robotic rat, Bards robot armor, possibly the Tigercopter on the ice planet, Robotic Dragon on the fire planet, and the mother phoenix on the jungle planet.)

Also, PoptropiCon is full of call backs and similarities to other things in Poptropica. A lot of parodies, might I add. Why would E.Vile be there if he is canon? The creators dun’ goofed! They realized their mistake. The mistake being the storyline, plot, and main villain are way too similar to those after Astro-Knights. That’s why they never added more parts to the series. More importantly, Battle Arena. Spencer, why didn’t they delete the first Legendary Swords, in that case? If you spent months developing something, would you just delete it like that? Well, this conspiracy has been popped! 😉

Hope you all enjoyed the read and will submit some Poptropica conspiracies of your own. Take it easy Poptropicans!

-Spencer

P.S. If you’d like to add me on Poptropica, my username is CaptainSpencer. If you’d like to see more of my blog-work, check out Spencerama.

Share your Pop conspiracies in the comments – we’d love to hear them. If you’d like to develop it into a full guest post like this one, contact the PHB (minimum 500 words). Stay popping!