Tips, tricks, and cheats for Poptropica

Islands of the Month

12/3/2016

I'm back! With the Creators still busy working away on the New Poptropica, I've been having a dearth of sensational new islands to post about, and that's why I've been taking somewhat of a break. With the holidays coming up, the Creators will be taking a break, and most likely can't keep their promise of delivering New Poptropica before the New Year. We'll all be waiting excitedly for when it arrives! But there's been quite a bit of news in the Poptropica world meanwhile, and I'm here to report it to you, loyal readers.

The Creators have started a series of nominating one or two islands each month to be "Islands of the Month," often according to a theme of the current time of year. Whenever an island is nominated, the Credits reward for completing it goes up, and -- if it was a Members-only island -- it becomes available to all for that month, as well as limited time items coming back to the Store for Members only.

With each IOTM, we also get some sneak peeks of sketches and ideas from the time of that island's development, which have been pretty interesting so far. Some are character sketches, but the ones that I love are those that show what the Island's designers were thinking when they created what they did (click to zoom):

The first one (from Poptropolis Games) shows that even though Poptropica uses multiple designers, they all have a common style guide to follow -- which explains the remarkable level of consistency in the visual quality of Poptropica islands over the years. Also, judging from the signature on one of the notes, it looks like Jeff Kinney himself still has a creative hand in the game that he founded!

The second picture (from Shrink Ray) reveals how the Creators design game mechanics, another very important factor in the success of an island. The mechanic shown here didn't actually make it into Shrink Ray, and I can understand why -- from the notes, it seems they might have found it to be too tedious or difficult. I would agree with that, but I imagine it might have been fun to swing around the level whilst clutching for dear life onto a treacherous improvised hot air balloon, followed by the satisfaction of just barely sticking the landing onto a platform high-up somewhere... ah, the possibilities.

This month's select are Wimpy Wonderland and PoptropiCon; playing the island or any of the episodes will net you 500 Credits each -- for a total of 2000! Now you may think that's an absurd amount of credits, especially if you have been playing the game for a while, and you'd be right. This has been going on for most of this year, as the Creators gave credits away in the Daily Spin Wheel, raised the medallion reward to 300 credits per island, started awarding credits for replaying islands, and held frequent special events, like IOTM. Why are the Creators suddenly causing massive inflation in the Credits economy? The answer is simple: because bigger numbers are more fun.

This doubtless makes the game a lot more engaging, as players (especially new ones) enjoy the rush of getting a large payout of credits and then dashing it all in the Store. It's actually not a bad idea; before this, buying cool items and costumes from the Store was not even worth it for non-Members. Saving up for a single item, let's say one that cost 350 Credits, would require you to complete five islands. Not only is this disproportionately difficult compared to the unlimited borrowing enjoyed by Members, you would run out of islands! Perhaps the new way is how it should be.

Congratulations to Massive Sun for winning the last Poptropica Hide & Seek competition! (This one lingered around for a rather long time because of my inactivity, but it turned out that it was somewhat difficult anyway, so it all turned out fine. Remember, the first entry that is correct and detailed enough is the winner, even if others also got it right!) She correctly guess the image below. As always, there's another challenge up already, so head on over to the Hide & Seek page and take a shot at answering it!

Hard to believe, but this guessing competition has been running for over five years now! It used to be called "Guess Where I Am," and here's the original post that started it all. Sadly, I haven't kept very good archives, so I don't know for sure how many snapshots we've gone through, but based on my guess that I post a new one every two months on average, I would guess that there's been at least 30.

Now I can't promise anything, but I might have dug up enough material for one last post before the year's end. Keep your fingers crossed...

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A few Observations on "New Poptropica"

1/5/2014

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In this post, I share some observations I found on the upgraded Poptropica islands. Nothing too critical, just something for your own critical mind to chew on. You may click on the images to enlarge them. At the end of this exhaustingly long post, I will draw a few objective conclusions--again, not judging. So, without further ado...

The Good...

Now, I'm not even going to talk about the music and sound effects. There is no debate about how amazing they are. I could write a whole post praising the sound. Which is why I'm not going to talk about it here.

One thing I noticed about the upgraded Poptropica was that the way you walk to a target is different. For example, clicking on the announcer on Poptropolis Games, you follow two different paths:

Classic Poptropica

Upgraded Poptropica

In the old Poptropica, you just dropped through whatever platform you were on and then met the person. But in the "upgraded" version, you follow the same path you might follow, if you didn't click on him but just went to him "yourself". And his isn't just for clicking on NPCs/objects/items, it works whenever you click the screen to move your Poptropican.

For example, when you jump almost straight up but aim the mouse a little opposite of the way you're facing. On Classic Pop, you would jump and flip at the same time, which is smoother but when you come to think of it, completely crazy. On New Pop, you would flip first, then after a tiny pause do the jump. What do you think? Good thing or bad thing? I think these modifications make the game more realistic.

The Bad...

One more change in the physics of new Poptropica is that you do not slide very much anymore. Stops and landings are more sudden and less smooth. The Creators seem to have added a little bit of friction and made the platforms more "magnetic", but this is robbing us of the charismatic player animations.

Another deal with the animations: when your Poptropican does slide, the animation is sort of disconnected from the scene. Like, if you slide near the edge of a platform on Classic Poptropica, you drop off the platform. On New Poptropica, your feet actually show up past the edge of the platform you're on and you stay on. Unlike the last part, I think the changes in this part make the game less realistic.

And the Ugly.

How am I able to walk?

← Another gripe I have is that wearing one peg leg completely messes up the other normal leg. Grrr...

→ And one more annoying thing is that when you stand on a slanted platform, your feet don't slant anymore! So tiny, yet so annoying.

ITS A SLANTED PLATFORM. WHY DO MY FEET NOT SLANT AS WELL? WHY, OH WHY DO THEY RESIST THE NATURAL ORDER?!

Why Can't I Jump As Far?

Another persistent little "problem", as many people have found, is that you can't jump as far nor run as fast anymore. Every time you move around, it seems like you don't move as far as you should. I thought this was irritating, too, but I've since discovered the root of the "problem". The illusion: you still jump as far and move as fast in New Poptropica, but the big screen makes it look constricted because it zooms-out the screen. Some proof:

Classic Poptropica

New Poptropica

Notice that in both modes, you jump the exact same height.

Conclusion

Like I said in the introduction, I'm not going to judge, nor criticize anything in this post. That's for you to do; take a look at the evidence, then post your opinion in the comments (click here to do that). But it'd be a shame not to end such a long post properly, so...

New Poptropica uses a totally different engine, which is not fully compatible with Classic Poptropica. The physics is different and generally more realistic. However, the animations and smoothness and style that gave Classic Poptropica its charisma are a little bit diminished. Even so, the story and plot and all the abstract elements are as charming as ever. Happy playing! And make sure to post your opinion in the comments!

School's starting again now (ugh!) so I may not be able to post as often. But you can still count on me to have something great for you at least twice a week. Nice Hawk out!

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Poptropolis Games is Rising!

9/27/2013

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Yes, it's the announcement we've all been holding our breath for a long time: Poptropolis Games is back, and it's getting the upgrade to a bigger screen and sound! Unfortunately, it's underwater... but that won't stop the games!

Virus Hunter Island has arrived for all as well, with a members-only bonus quest. Click here to see the guide!

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Poptropolis Games Rescue Mission??! Or an Island About Poptropica?

6/29/2013

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This turned out being an extremely long post because of what heppens to me when I'm presented with so much Daily Pop information at once: ramble mode. Please stay with me; I believe there is some serious sneak peeks to be gained from reading to the end of this lengthy post.

Come on, everybody, we all knew that Poptropolis Games was never really gone forever! Or at least we hoped that it would return sometime earlier than a hundred years. And it looks like we're getting our wish, only, it's not going to be the same as the last time we saw it. (By the way, I still have an account with a Poptropican on Poptropolis Games. I'm going to use it to spy on new developments on the above-ground version of that island, and I'll know if something happens.) The big news: We're going to visit Poptropolis Games. Underwater.

How do I know this, you ask? If only people actually bothered to check the Daily Pop from time to time, I wouldn't need to have a blog here... but that's another story. What do you say to this?!

I'd say that's the head of one of the statues from the Main Street of Poptropolis Games, with some of the ruins in the background, on an underwater-reef theme. Also, there seems to be some other important part to the story idea of this island that gives it some more promise of action: you appear to be competing with the seven other Poptropica tribes to find some sort of treasure from the underwater Poptropolis Games. What makes me think this?

But there seems to be another island on the horizon, which might even come before the revived Poptropolis Games. It seems to be an island... about Poptropica. And it also has something to do with glitches. There are three different images where you see messed-up objects from Poptropica:

Yes, you're saying, but what makes you think the next island is about Poptropica? Patience!

I bring your attention to a few mention-worthy points: this is the first time currency in Poptropica has ever actually had anything to do with Poptropica. They've all been doubloons, or drachmas, or just plain gold nuggets. This signifies a very obvious change. All the others are pretty easy to decode, with the exception of two. The office has a caption saying: "Not the magical wonderland you were expecting, eh?". Now, we know from the Graycom tablet that this island is about creating an island. And we know that the Creators create the islands, so the office picture must be a Creator's office. We know something about those from some pictures on the Creators Blog. And I don't know if this is just me, but does anybody else think that the red spheres in the brown rock with the crowd in the background look like Game Show Island? I wonder what that could mean.

Also, have you noticed that in the picture with the stone blimp, at the far right yu can see an unfinished version of the barbed-wire fence you can see in the mountain-scape in the second-to-last image? This makes you think that the fence in the first image was left unfinished on purpose, so that you, the player, could come and fix it. This, and the caption on the mountain-scape image ("If you build it, they will play."), emphasize that there is a big creative part, with the player actually building a Poptropica island. And that "creativity" part leads us to a deeper part of this island...

I never much liked poetry, but I have to admit that this is looking extremely interesting. I know this is part of Poptropica Island because the characters in the last image are wearing shirts with the Poptropica "P" and the caption on that image is "DRONES - Replaceable parts. Cogs in the machine." which makes me think of the first image, with Hopes and Dreams in the trash can. I have some crazy idea that this is all in a dairy factory, because of the "the machine" part of the caption of the last image and the fact that the milk truck in the image above is not only next to a factory, but has the same type of mountains in the background as the other images from the same island. *deep breath*. That's it, friends. I think I've exhausted enough thinking for one day. But before I leave... if you look in the Sneak Peeks you'll find pictures of an active volcano, with people actually doing some sort of race in it. And where there are volcanoes rising above the surface of the ocean, there are coral reefs and islands... suffice it to say that Poptropolis Games 2 will have some games after all. Whew! And if you'll excuse me, I'll take a break and listen to Kalimba.

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Poptropolis Games is Sinking!

1/19/2013

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And it's true! Poptropolis Games will sink back into the ocean from where it came by January 24th! I believe this is the only Poiptropica island ever to actually disappear... well, maybe it's the second one after the cancelled Monster Carnival island. But just like that one was replaced by 24 Carrot, Poptropolis Games will be replaced by Night Watch Island. The trailer is below and some new Members-only items have also been released. Check the Poptropolis Games page soon for more information! The video playthrough is available now!

JANUARY 18, 2013 – Mews Foundation seismologists have confirmed the unthinkable: Poptropolis Games is on the verge of sinking back into the ocean. As the Island’s shaking intensifies, it seems clear that it will slip entirely beneath the surface of the Poptropica Sea by January 24. “We’re doing our best to accommodate as many athletes as possible before we sink,” said the Games’ master of ceremonies. “Be we recommend anyone who wants to compete does so as soon as possible. Who knows if the Games will ever rise again?”

Some Night Watch Gear

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Zomberry Island Soon to Arrive to all!

1/5/2013

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Happy New Year! Kind of late, I know, but I've been on break. Zomberry Island is arriving to non-members on January 10th... and it looks like Poptropolis Games is disappearing very soon. Don't believe me? Look at the island map. You'd better hurry to finish all those games! And I'd better complete my Poptropolis Island Video Walkthrough in case it doesn't disappear...

The next island seems to have something to do with fashion and shopping and sports, but there isn't much information in the Daily Pop. Actually, it looks like it takes place in a mall. Here are a few snapshots:

As you can see, there are many shopping and fashion references, most likely linked. And there are also some pictures of something called the "land of nod", whatever that means: look at the bottom-left two pictures. There are also some "evil secret lair" pictures. All of this is obviously connected, but how? I'm not sure. And here's an extra: according to the Daily Pop, the name of the mall is Twin Palms Mall. The name of the mall in the movie Back to the Future is called Twin Pines Mall. Are they linked somehow? Probably not, there aren't any time-travel references elsewhere. I'll post more as I find out!

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It wasn't a Hoax?

12/28/2012

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Hasn't everyone heard of the apocalypse of 2012? It basically says that according to the Mayans, the world will end on December 21st, 2012. You're still alive, aren't you? The whole thing was a big hoax... but it looks like nobody told the Creators. Look at this Poptropican news report from December 21:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECEMBER 21, 2012 -- We are tracking reports of seismic activity in the North Poptropica Sea. Initial data indicates that the tremors are based in the proximity of the Poptropolis Games. Mews Foundation seismologists are en route to the location to investigate further. At present, there is no reason to fear widespread earthquakes or further damage to the Poptropolis ruins.

This is a breaking news story... updates as events warrant...

And here's the report posted after the reporters reached the island... not so exciting, it it?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECEMBER 27, 2012 -- Mews Foundation seismologists have verified reports of "sizable tectonic activity" taking place beneath the Poptropolis Games. "We've heard the stories about the island returning to the seas whence it came, but, frankly, we thought that smooth-talking emcee was just being dramatic," said Mews Foundation spokesperson Cheerful Spinner. "However, at this time we are not confirming that the Poptropolis Games are, in fact, on the verge of sinking back into the sea."

When asked if the Mews Foundation was denying that such an event was taking place, Spinner had no comment.

This is a breaking news story... updates as events warrant...

Could it be? Is Poptropica coming to an end, starting from the Poptropolis Games? Or is this another big joke, like the real apocalypse was? Well, if you go to Poptropolis, there's nothing out of the ordinary there... not at first. But look at the blimp map. Poptropolis Games is definitely sinking, at least it's lower than the last time I played it: Monday. Hmm... confusing... let's not speculate until we have more information.

What's this? Why, it's an image from Black Widow's latest post, dear fellow. It looks like a gallery of some sort, but she calls this a mall. It's obviously part of a new island... the first island of the new year! It better be good... and I'll post more updates on Sunday. But in the meanwhile... hope you had a happy holidays, and have a happy new year :-) !

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I Was Right!

11/29/2012

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I was right in my last post! The next island is really about berries and zombies, with shipping and movies mixed in. So it wasn't a crazy idea! Apparently it's about some imported berries that are mutating the citizens of Eastman into zombies and you have to stop this threat from expanding. Most of everything I guessed in my last post seems about true. The official description is below. And now for some out-of-the-ordinary news...

One by one, the citizens of Eastman are mutating into something horrible. Now, the city is quarantined, the survivors are trapped, and ghouls prowl the streets. No one knows how the zombie outbreak began... but how it ends is up to you!

Each of the eight Poptropica Tribes (originally from Poptropolis Games Island) now have their own common rooms! Only members of a tribe can access that tribe's jumbo-size and interactive multiplayer room. I'm a Nanobot; always was, always will be.

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Poptropolis Games open to all!

6/19/2012

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Poptropolis Games is now open to everyone who wants to take it on! Wimpy Boardwalk Island also seems to be coming soon. Below is a video that shows how the Creators design Poptropica scenes. Wow, it looks tough! But they still get to make a new island every month or so. Wimpy Boardwalk seems to have a lot of mini-games on the boardwalk, just like its prequel. One of them is a claw game, pictured below. Also, your Poptropolis Games tribe of choice appears on your Poptropica friends profile now. Have fun over your summer break!