Web Development – Page 7 – 🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺

Hey Poptropicans, I’d like to introduce you to some new friends…

Previously, we reported on the “Pick a Character” feature in Poptropica’s HAXE Javascript build. But we hadn’t mentioned that each of these guys have their own names—and now, their own poses! Meet the gang:

“Wild Fire” on the new “Pick a Character” screen

(Thanks to PHB reader Perfect Fish for the tip.)

Wild Fire, who shares a name with a Poptropolis Games tribe, is rocking a big puff of orange hair. Beside him is Pink Crush, with the pink ponytail. Then there’s Got Game, who’s got a big afro and a big smile, and Old School, who’s dancing with a tuft of swishy purple hair over their eyes.

Cool Slice is out here flexing a snazzy plaid overshirt, and Girl Power is just staring defiantly, daring you to challenge her. Finally, there’s Fast Ride with the shades, and happy-go-lucky Love Star with the slight blush.

You can’t see these names from the character selection screen—which as we mentioned last time, no longer allows you to pick a name—but you can find them on the Avatar Studio (which may soon be obsolete, as it requires Flash) when you save a HAXE Javascript character and look up their username.

PHB reader Perfect Fish also reported seeing the URL change depending on the character picked, like so: poptropica.com/haxe/master-minified-200421-1657/?npc_name=FastRide (and “FastRide” is replaceable with any of the other aforementioned names, no spaces). You can also enter these URLs in your web browser to go directly to playing with certain characters.

And by the way, you might find that the “pick a character” screen now dominates the Poptropica.com homepage. (For me, it showed up on one web browser but not another.) Goodbye, “play for free” button!

All these bizarre yet seemingly permanent names, and now the added poses on these stock characters and URL integration, raises the question: are these pre-named, pre-designed characters here to stay?

On that idea, we’re ambivalent. Despite all the swagger these characters carry, this new feature takes away a key aspect of making a Poptropican one’s own: the naming. At the same time, though, it is convenient (especially for new players) to just be able to pick and play, and once you’re in the game, you’ll have options to customize your character the way you like it.

Since Poptropica on HAXE doesn’t have the friends feature yet, and Flash is making the Avatar Studio obsolete, we may be entering a time where Poptropicans’ names are inconsequential. But for us nostalgic older players, picking the perfect name for our Poptropicans among a list of strange but familiar nouns and adjectives was part of the fun. And if the names are going to show up anywhere (like the friends feature, if it comes to HAXE), having only a handful of possible names is going to be a little awkward.

Right now, if you want to create a character with more freedom in the naming process, there are a couple of options. You can try the Custom Name Genie from our Glitching page, which lets you make a character with just about any name you like. Or you can create one on Poptropica Worlds, which still lets you pick from a randomized list like old times. (Update: There’s a third option—you can still pick a name on the mobile app.)

That’s the latest in Poptropica’s post-Flash development. Share your thoughts in the comments—about your favorite HAXE character, the story behind your Poptropican’s name, or your conspiracy theory on why Poptropica seems to be foregoing player names. Or just petition to bring them back.

Till next time, keep on popping on, Poptropicans!

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Haxe Javascript

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!

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Store, Uncategorized, Web Development

Store springs old classics for March

March 8, 2020March 8, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’re in the beginning of a new month, which means another rotation of items at the store! And for March, the store has brought back some old favorite costumes and powers. Check ’em out:

Old-timers may recognize powers from the past like the Phantom*, Torch, and Hypno-Powder, while newer players may remember springtime outfits like the Rib Wrap, Navy Raglan, and Red Heart outfits, which were introduced last spring. Even suit-ups from the earliest days of the store are back, with classics like the Fairy Queen and four iterations of the Rock Star.

(*The Phantom is looking a little different from old times though… besides the disjointed appearance, you also can’t adjust your character’s opacity.)

However, more than half of all the current stock is for members only, including items that were originally available for everyone via credits. Still, some of the items which were rolled out last year for members are now available for all, such as the Mardi Gras Jester, Clover Kid, and Lilac Star outfits.

The Poptropica homepage has also been host to another little update, this one involving the login process. Now, clicking on the “Play for free” button in the middle will bring you straight to creating a new character.

To log in as usual, instead click the “log in” button in the corner (of the homepage or character creation)—which will pop up with this new login box.

On a more delicious, yet irrelevant-to-game-development note, the Creators also shared a pop quiz on the official blog to ask the all-important question: What’s the best Mardi Gras breakfast? Poptropicans have been casting their votes for pancakes or waffles in the blog comments—and maybe crepes, too?

That’s all for this post! What other costumes and powers do you want to see return to the store? Want to weigh in on your favorite breakfast foods or the new login thingamajig? Comment below—the Creators might be reading!

Web Development

Get on a different level with PHB game guides 💪

February 23, 2020February 23, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, get your game face on! We’re about to blast you into the arcade scene and show you how it’s done…

Some distant time ago, Poptropica brought us the Blast-off Arcade, and with it, three new games. They also refined three other games (and took out seven others, rip). Anyway, here on the PHB, we’ve (finally) updated our Game Guides, complete with pages for the newer arcade games Blaster Attack, Crash-n-Bash, and Poptastic. (Better late than never, right?)

We’ve also updated our guides for the older games Balloons, Sky Dive, and Star Link, which, although they’ve retained the same gameplay and style, did receive slight graphic refinements. Have you noticed, for example, that the background on Sky Dive is colored a little deeper than before? Or that falling too fast doesn’t make a Poptropican-sized hole in the ground anymore?

To get to our new and improved Game Guides, look for “Pop Plus” on the PHB site menu and go to “Game Guides.” From there, you’ll find all the head-to-head and single-player game pages, with tips and tricks to make you a pro.

But that’s not all! Scroll down some more on the page, and you’ll also find a section dedicated to the Bygone Days with info about classic, now-retired games like Hoops, Pathwise, and Soupwords. Plus, we’ve included memories of old multiplayer hangouts like the Multiverse, tribe rooms, and even those good old five-star battle rankings — all gone with Flash’s impending doom.

Oh well, at least we still have all these other flashy arcade games. I mean, did you know that the balloon animals on Poptastic move at different speeds depending on their color? Because if not, you might need that game guide. 😉

🚀 So what are you waiting for? 👇
Get on out there and beat your high scores with PHB Game Guides!

Haxe Javascript

SUI’s will stay, old school islands maybe someday

February 7, 2020April 10, 2020 Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, it’s time for another check-in on the post-Flash future.

The Creators’ Blog came out with a (cleverly titled) “State of the Game” address, confirming many of the things we covered in our own similar post last month on “Preserving Poptropica post-Flash”: mainly, that the Creators are working hard to keep Poptropica alive after Flash technology is gone.

*This is a screenshot of the HAXE JavaScript build the Creators have been working on since last year, which will be how Poptropica lives on. So far, looking pretty much the same as the actual game!*

Here’s a snippet from the “State of the Game” post (our emphasis added):

As many of our older fans know, there were two different Flash engines that previously ran Poptropica. In technical terms, they are called AS2 and AS3. Some members of the community might know them better as Old School and Sound Updated islands. Our main task right now is converting every AS3 island.
We want to emphasize that the Old School islands are still on the table! But the code that built them is so old that they would need to be remade from the ground up if we were to re-insert them into the live game. We’ve seen this rumor quite a bit, so we’d like to put it to bed: They will definitely not be playable when the JavaScript build launches.
Poptropica Creators’ Blog, “State of the Game: Converting from Flash”

Sound updated islands (SUIs / AS3 islands) include Virus Hunter and every island that has followed its release in 2013. You can still play all of them on the current Poptropica. But the Creators still have work to do to make sure they’re all ready for the next iteration of Poptropica, which is being built on JavaScript.

Old school islands (AS2 islands) are every island that preceded Virus Hunter and that did not get an SUI upgrade in subsequent years. As of July 2019, these 30-some islands—which include classics like Astro-Knights and Skullduggery, as the Creators’ Blog laments—are no longer on the map. (For now, though, you can still play them using idk’s Old Island Directory!)

And now, a moment of silence for the fallen:

Early Poptropica
Shark Tooth
Super Power
Spy
Nabooti
Big Nate
Astro-Knights
Counterfeit
Reality TV
Skullduggery
Steamworks
Great Pumpkin
Cryptids
Wild West
Wimpy Wonderland
Red Dragon
Mystery Train
Game Show
Ghost Story
S.O.S.
Vampire’s Curse
Twisted Thicket
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Wimpy Boardwalk
Lunar Colony
Super Villain
Zomberry
Night Watch
Back Lot
Legendary Swords

🙏

Based on the post, it looks like it’s going to be a while before we see those classic islands officially resurface. However, it’s reassuring to hear that they’re still being considered for a return, some distant day… though not when the JavaScript build comes out.

This bit of news about the old school islands may be a downer, but as the Creators remind us, it’s still pretty incredible that Poptropica gets to remain playable even after Flash is no longer supported, especially in a time when “so many browser games from the 2000’s and 2010’s are disappearing.” So thanks back at you, Poptropica Creators, for doing what you gotta do—even when it may not be as exciting as creating new islands.

Plus, the Creators say they’ll be letting players in on open beta testing for the upcoming JavaScript build, which is coming with special rewards for those who try it out. Now that’s something to look forward to!