Tuesday, July 26, 2011

What I Really Want Is...

Hey Gang,

I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. I'm on break at the moment, and when I feel excited enough to play Wizard101 again, I'll definitely start blogging and posting episodes of The Commons Courier again as well! Currently I'm into Minecraft. You can check out the game here. If you ever been into legos, or if you think you might want to be an engineer, I highly suggest checking it out. Right now it's in Beta, so the price might go up in a few months. I'm currently making a remodel of Hogwarts. :)

Which, interestingly enough, brings me to my next topic: a few weeks ago, as I announced on my blog, I went to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Premier. It was great, but it was also really sad. I started reading the series after I saw the first movie when I was around 8 or 9, and ever since then I grew up with Harry Potter. I followed him through Hogwarts, battled the Basilisk with him, helped him save Sirius Black, and even fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. The movies helped me remember that, and the feeling I got when I read those books. Now, not only are the books gone, but so are the movies, and the only thing I might possibly have left is Pottermore (which I'm currently staying up for right now).

Anyway, so all this got me thinking; why not make a Harry Potter MMO? Now obviously this isn't an original idea; there have been millions of other people who have thought of this before. Heck, even the part-owners of the Harry Potter Franchise, Warner Bros, has thought about it before, however, there seemed to be a problem when the game was actually in development, and it was canceled. However, I personally think that Warner Bros. should pursue this game for several reasons:

1. Tons of fans: There a millions, if not billions, of Harry Potter fans. I'm sure for a pesky $10-15 a month would be considered a STEAL for any Potter fans who wish to join Harry at Hogwarts. Now, use some multiplication: take those billion fans and multiply by $10. That's roughly $10,000,000,000 ($10 Billion). Mind you, that's also a monthly income. If Warner Bros. did their work right and invested a great amount of time and money into this project, they could have a gold mine.

2. Millions of accessible features: In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are tons of features we don't even see or hear about in the books or movies. For example, how many of you knew there were vampires in the Wizarding World? My point is; there are thousands of features that can be accessed. I've heard of Dragontaming, Potion making, Order of the Phoenix fighting, Teaching, Ministy-working, and even the occasional Death Eating. After a student leaves Hogwarts, there's many thing one can do, so this (lack of content) cannot be used as an excuse to avoid making this particular MMO.

3. Wizard101: Why do you honestly think Wizard101 succeeded as much as it did. Did you think it was particularly good graphics? While the graphics are pretty good, they aren't the best out there. Did you think it was the gameplay? MMOs are meant to be very involved and socially based; a relaxed MMO isn't really attractive to many hard core MMO players. This particular flavor of MMO players happen to be the most populous. Wizard101 has succeeded as it has thus far because of one word: Magic. No, it wasn't a miracle that Wizard101 succeeded. It was the fact that Wizard101 was based around a magical school.

Now please don't get me wrong; I'm not saying Wizard101 is a cheap remake or knockoff of Harry Potter. In fact, KingsIsle played their cards smart, right, and legal. They realized that there was a particular fondness in the world of humans of attending a magical school and learning different spells. The makers of Wizard101 also noticed that there was no current Harry Potter MMO, and as they saw this, they also realized all the money that was hidden in this glorious gold mine. My point is; If you think Wizard101 was not inspired by Harry Potter at all, you're living under a rock.

I would like to say that I believe 100% that if a GOOD Harry Potter MMO came out, they'd steal almost all of Wizard101's players in a heartbeat. As sad as it is to think, it's very true, or at least I believe so.

Anyway, now you know what I'd like to see. I'll see you around,

P.D.

P.S: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY POTTER!!!!! (July 31st, 1989!!)

Monday, July 11, 2011

Analysis of The Commons Courier

Hey Gang,

So this past Friday, the first episode of The Commons Courier was uploaded to YouTube (for the third time; there were a few technical difficulties the first two attempts). I just wanted to talk to you guys about the feedback I've been getting from all the viewers. To me, it's really important to share with you how I feel about anything I produce and share with the Wizard101 community. You can assure yourself that this is one of those times.

Let me just say that I never expected the turn-out of views and support that I got. I really didn't expect people to like The Commons Courier this much, and I was planning on stopping at around episode four or five because I didn't believe it would ever make it. However, you can know beyond a doubt that I plan to develop The Commons Courier until I simply can't stand it anymore.

I must say though, it was a lot more work than I expected. There were over 200 clips (attempts at correctly filming the segment) of bloopers. There were multiple technical hiccups when editing the episode. I had to scrounge up things to talk about. It was a lot of work. However, it goes to show you that with dedication comes success.

Anyway, I have a TON of cool stuff coming for you on The Commons Courier. On the next episode, I even have a special mystery guest! :) Also, please don't forget to submit your questions and Jackpot entries. Simply commenting on the post/video does not enter you; you must tell me you want to be entered for the weekly jackpot, along with a way I could contact you (please try to stray away from emails; I'd like to explore any other possible option before emails). Also, dont be afraid to enter! Every week, 5 codes are going to be given away, which means over 260 codes will be drawn! Please don't pause to enter because you'd like to give others a chance. There are enough codes for everyone. :)

On an unrelated closing note, I'm going to the premier of the last Harry Potter movie EVER! I know, so exciting right? And I'm going to the 3D premier, which means I get these:


I really am super excited! Harry Potter was my roll model way back in my early childhood (I think I lived up to him pretty well as a very successful Pyromancer of Ravenwood, don't you think?) I'm kinda sad to see the whole franchise come to a close (and not like, "Oh, the last book's coming out, but we're only on Movie 5." But more "The last book's been out for a while, and this is our last movie!") *tears* I'm happy to have gotten premier tickets though. I think I'll cry a river when seeing this movie.

Finite Incantatem!

P.D.

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Commons Courier- Episode One

Hey Gang,

So the first episode of The Commons Courier is here! Check it out:


I really hope to have a transcription out soon for those that can't hear. If you're interested in helping out with the transcribing, let me know, and we'll work something out (leave something like a W101 Central name, YouTube name, Twitter name, or something of the sorts). If you need any links to any of the topics discussed, read the video description on YouTube. If you want to enter the Jackpot Segment or ask a question for the Question Segment, you can either comment on this post or on the actual YouTube video page. I'm going to try and upload episodes every Thursday evening.

***EDIT: TRANSCRIPTION IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST!***

There are a few things that I'd like to ask of the listeners who liked the show and see potential in it:

1. Participate! Ask questions and enter the Jackpot Segment giveaway! KI Free Games codes are getting to be really valuable nowadays, as they're giving pets, mounts, wands, gold, pet snacks, furniture, transforms, and other awesome prizes! Questions can be asking my opinion, asking for tips, or even questions that ask about the prerecorded podcast itself.

2. Spread the word! Tell any friends that you think may be interested in the show and get them to spread the word if they like it too! I personally see a lot of potential in this podcast, and more people = more views and more publicity.

3. Submit your ideas and feedback! If there's a way to improve the show, I'll do it by all means! I could also use another idea for another segment for the show, so if you have any ideas, don't be afraid to submit some of your ideas!

Thanks for all your support!

P.D.

***EDIT: P.S: I've been getting asked (quite frequently, actually) if people could put this video on their blogs. I honestly have no problem with anyone using any piece of my work, as long as they don't take credit for it. I just wanted to tell this to my readers so they don't hesitate to share something of mine because of fear that I would get angry. :)

Transcription (The Commons Courier Episode One):

Greetings wizards of the Spiral, and welcome to the very first episode of The Commons Courier! I’ll be your host, Luke GoldHorn, and it’s my job to take you to the awesome [and] exciting world of Wizard101 prerecorded podcasting.

Now normally, we’d be heading into the news right about now, however, since it is our first episode, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. That way, you, the listeners, will have a better understanding of me, the host of The Common[s] Courier.

My name’s Luke GoldHorn, as I previously stated, and on Wizard101 Central, I’m known as Drdemon411. That’s D-r-d-e-m-o-n-4-1-1. My favorite badge is the Yojimbo. You can get this badge by defeating 100 Samoorai in Mooshu. I’m a Legendary Pyromancer, which is fancy for a Level 60 Fire Wizard. I run a community blog called The Pyromancer’s Digest. Lastly, the attire you see me in here is pretty much the same as I usually look, except for a few differences: One, my normal clothing color is red and the trim is usually yellow. Two, my pet’s usually a Shadow Phoenix, and, well, her name’s Pepper. Three, I usually wear a Celestian Trident, not a sword.

Now onto the News. There hasn’t really been much news in-game, however, there’s been a lot going on in the community and for KingsIsle itself as a corporation. First on our list is the Epic Bundle now arriving at Toys R Us. This is a HUGE relief for a lot of wizards out there who haven’t gotten their Epic Bundles yet. You see, there’s been a rumor out there, and [it’s] not necessarily a rumor, I should say more of a theory, about how these bundles are only lasting for a certain amount of time. The theory is, when one bundle goes in, the other goes straight out the window! So a lot of people thought with the new Mega Bundle coming into GameStop, the Epic Bundle was going to be completely forgotten, or maybe they’d have to wait another one or two years to get it. However, KingsIsle has assured us that they are just moving it to another store, and it’s still available for wizards who want to purchase it.

Onto the next point of news, KingsIsle has announced that Wizard101 has reach 20 MILLION players! THAT’S HUGE! A lot of MMOs don’t even have that many players. So I would personally like to give a huge congratulation to KingsIsle for reaching this epic and momentous achievement.

Next on our list, KI Free Games has updated their loot tables. I recommend going there and checking it out, I mean, everybody knows that, back in the beginning of June the updated it for the Pet-a-palooza. I mean, we were seeing Energy Elixirs, Mega Snack Packs, Mega Snacks, Pet Snacks; all that good stuff. Now, though, we’re seeing Pet Snacks, Furniture, Pets, Mounts, and all types of things! So I recommend you go check it out. If you have an interested in helping KI Free Games improve their site, they are asking any wizards who have Twitter accounts to tweet the following: the mini game you played, the score you had in that mini game, the prizes you won, and the hashtag [#]kifg. For those of you that don’t know, a hashtag is a pound sign [#]. So be sure to go on the lookout for that.

Next on our list is the Patriotic Leprechaun. Now, this came out about last Friday, however, it’s only going to be here for a certain amount of time. For those of you that don’t know, the Patriotic [Leprechaun] gives one Satyr card, comes with a 58 pedigree, and will only cost you 2,500 Crowns. So for those of you who have the Crowns, I suggest you buy it, since, you know, it’s only going to be here for a few more days.

Now onto our last note of business. Have we seen it all for the summer? Professor Flamea, who writes the Producer’s Letter for Wizard101, has recently announced in June that KingsIsle has been observing a few worlds out there far out in the Spiral seeing if they’re safe enough for us to travel to. Now personally, I think she’s talking about a new world, I don’t know about you. So, it seems KingsIsle has a few still up their sleeve. What do I think? I personally think that we won’t hear anything about this supposed new world until late July [or] even mid-August, and we won’t actually see the world until about October or November. What do you guys think? That’s pretty much it for the News; let’s head into some other segments.

It’s that time again wizards; Rush Hour! During Rush Hour, I’ll give tips for crafting, gardening, and housing; basically, anything that’s kinda like a job in Wizard101. Today we’re going to talk about Rare Reagents, and I’m going to tell you basically some of my routes that I like to run, and I’ll give you some tips on how to run them.

Let’s start out with Black Lotus. I like to run my routes for Black Lotus in the Village of Sorrow. Specifically, I go to Oyotomi, then to both portals and switch realms. I sometimes transmute Nightshade, which can be a difficult reagent to find at the Bazaar, but I pick a lot of Nightshade in Deep Mushroom (which is their earlier transmute) on my Black Lotus route through the Village of Sorrow as I just said.

Lava Lilies aren’t too hard to find, as not many people look for these or did look for these, because with the addition of the Celestian Observatory, this has sorta changed. Before they weren’t needed for anything special. You can find these at the Atheneum and Tower Archives route as I’ll later explain in my Ore route. Basically, you just go along the lava rivers in these areas and you’re bound to find a whole bunch of them! You can also find Stone Block and Ore, as I said earlier, on this route.

For Scrap Iron, I usually go to Hyde Park in MarleyBone. The route there isn’t quite too popular, and there are many exceptions to it, which make it worth checking out. If you just switch realms between the three portals on the street, and check behind the water towers, you should be able to find a decent amount of Scrap Iron.

Ore tends to be rare nowadays, and you should consider yourself lucky if you can find a decent route that isn’t well used. The route I use, however popular, is in the Atheneum in DragonSpyre. I go behind the actual Atheneum building, where the stone rose is, and you can actually pick up some Stone Blocks doing this as well. Then I go over to the mini games and also in the Tower Archives at the two open areas right outside of the door to the Atheneum. This route can also be used to farm Lava Lilies, as I said, due to the fact that you can always stop by the lava river at the Atheneum or in the Tower Archives.

For Red Mandrake, there are two routes I run, the later usually being more successful. The first is in Nightside in Wizard City, but the thing about that one is, too many people know about it and use it, so you can find yourself waiting for hours with not much to show for it. However, there is also a less popular route in Cyclops Lane that is usually more prosperous. If you start out by Eyus Maximus’s Tower [and] then head over to Romulus’s Castle, you should be able to get a decent amount of Red Mandrake. That’s it for this week’s episode of Rush Hour, be sure to stay tuned!

Welcome to The Community Portal segment. During this segment of the show, I’ll basically be talking about what’s been going on with official fansites and blogs. First on our list, Wizard101 is now again accepting fan fiction submissions. While I realize the Wizard101 site is not really a fansite or a blog, I want to recognize the fans who write these stories. They are, after all, fan fictions, and fans are a part of the community.

Next on our list, Jessica FairyHeart from An Awesome Pyromancer’s Diary has been taking a lead role in organizing the Guardian Support Team. What’s the Guardian Support Team, you ask? It’s basically what it says; a support team for the Guardians. You’re expected to wear black with silver lining. Now … what? Guardians? Who are Guardians?

That brings me to my next topic, Homework in a Graveyard’s recent contest. Now, it’s too late to enter the contest already, however the contestants that are already submitted are called The Guardians. See, if wizards who aren’t the Guardians support the Guardians by cheering them on, then, supposedly, we’ll all win a prize! There are several ways you can support The Guardians: One, you can go to Jessica FairyHeart’s blog, An Awesome Pyromancer’s Diary, and comment on her post “Guardian Support Team” to join the Guardian Support team. You can tweet about it. Simply tweet anything as long as it has the hashtag #WizardsforGuardians in it. And lastly, blog about it if you have a blog! Just make sure the blog post has something in the title along the lines of Wizards for Guardians.

Lastly for our Community News, Wizard101 Central is coming up to their Third Anniversary in August! They said that they’re going to have a lot of awesome contests coming up, so be sure to check that out soon. Ok, let’s roll on to some of our other segments!

It’s question time! Unfortunately, since it’s our first episode, we obviously don’t have any questions, but we can change that! For the next episode, make sure you ask questions it could be asking me an opinion about something, or asking me about tips or advice; anything! [Just] as long as it’s Wizard101 related. You can ask a question by commenting on my blog or commenting on this very YouTube video. Let’s roll on with the segments!

It’s time for our final segment: The Jackpot Segment! Now, unfortunately, like the Questions segment, since it’s our first actual episode, we don’t have any entries. But basically, how this segment would normally work is, I would announce five or seven (or somewhere between that) winners of KI Free Games codes. In order to enter, simply comment on this YouTube video with your wizard name, and a way I could contact you. This could be a Wizard101 Central name, it could be a YouTube account, or it could even be a Twitter account. Just make sure I have a way to contact you with the code. Ok, that pretty much wraps this up!

Ok wizards, that pretty much wraps up our show! I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, subscribe, comment, spread the word please, [and] make this really cool, and I really thank you so much for tuning in to this first episode of The Commons Courier. See you in the Spiral!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Commons Currier

Hey Gang,

Sorry I've been away so long; I was on a family vacation. Anyway, I have something exciting to share with you!

So remember when I had that poll waaaaay back in about May asking if I should start a vlog? Well, I kinda mutated that idea into a pre-recorded podcast! The show will be called The Commons Currier. Here's what I have so far:

1. News Segment: What would a podcast be without a news segment? Here I will just cover any news happening within the Spiral.

2. Community Portal: This segment will talk about any news going on around the community. This mainly includes certain contests that will be held by OFFICIAL blogs and fansites. The only reason why I say official is because I'd like to post these episodes on Wizard101 Central, and I cannot do that if I have links to unofficial sites in the description of the video.

3. Rush Hour: During this segment, I'll cover different tips on any career-like actiivities in Wizard101, such as crafting, gardening, housing, and pet training.

4. Questions: Obviously, here I will be asking any questions the show is given

While I'm really enjoying seeing this show come along, there are still a lot of things that need to be done. While I'm not accepting any segments from anyone nor am I going a co-host, I still need a TON of help, and I'd really be thankful for every ounce of support I get. Here's how you can help:

1. Spread the word! Tell your wizard friends about the show! Get the word out!

2. I need about two or three more segments, and I'm just about out of all my ideas (I do have quite a few, however, most of them are already being used). Simply comment below if you have an idea, or tweet @LukeGoldHorn on twitter.

3. I need to make some title images for the segments. If you wouldn't mind taking on one of these yourself, or if you have an idea, I'll certainly see if it can be done. If you want to make one, try to make it simple, yet awesome! Also, I ask that you use a picture editing website (GIMP, Photoshop, etc.) and not a simple screen shot. I'd like the image to be sorta original.

Again, I'm thankful for every ounce of support I have gotten, am getting, and will be getting in the future!

Have fun in the Spiral!

P.D.