Well, it's 12:00 noon on December 31st (in California at least)(when I started typing this). That means we've got half a day until the Earth turns the final 180 degrees of 2013. So, let's try to keep this year alive for future generations. What happened, they may ask, in Poptropica in 2013? And this is the answer...
First of all, let's get the bad news of of the way first with some statistical information. This year, the Creators only released four new islands--FOUR. That's a record, all-time low. In 2012 and 2011 they released 8 per year (counting Legendary Swords in 2011). In 2010 the count is relatively low, five. Do you notice something? Until 2013, the amount of new islands a year was going up; now it's suddenly half as much as last year.
New islands of 2013
  |   |
The reason for this is probably the release Poptropica 2013, with the bigger screen, sound, and glitches galore. (now, I'm not hating on the new Poptropica, I'm just sayin', this is where the lag is coming from). This will probably continue into 2014 as the Creators keep getting their time wasted by making bugfixes. (Did you know, I never filed a bug report for any Poptropica island, EVER, until Beta Carotene). That said, you can help us all by reporting one now: click here to do that.
Another source of slowness coming from Poptropica 2013 is that the Creators seem to be spending more time on turning old islands that were perfectly fun by themselves, like Time Tangled, Spy, and 24 Carrot, into the new Poptropica. And another thing that will make new islands come slower next year is the Dream Islands Contest, which is presumably still being reviewed. Okay, that's the bad-news part of this post out of the way now.
The Good News
Now, there's a lot to say here as well! Let's start small. One of the shocking things that the Creators revealed is that they still have Monster Carnival on their mind. They showed us the notebook page to the left, made interesting posts on the Creators' blog, showed vague but exciting pictures on the Daily Pop, and teased us in a few videos. (Try adding the friend "MonsterCarnival2012". Interestingly, this is one of the only Poptropica usernames that shows different names in your friend list and in the Avatar Studio). However, we did finally get closure on the topic in Mocktropica:
 |  Image credit Poptropica Help Blog (http://poptropicahelp.net/) |
I guess that's the end of that.
Another fun thing was Poptropica's sixth birthday in September. That day, I suddenly realized what a huge amount of time I have spent on this wonderful game. Four years, and it never gets old. (...please wait as the author suddenly takes off for Astro-Knights...)
Poptropica 2013
"Poptropica 2013" is the name I chose to give to the "improved" Poptropica islands; other blogs may use another name, as the Creators haven't formalized one yet.
One of the worst parts of this year was also the best: the new and improved Poptropica engine, Poptropica 2013, which is capable of soundtracks and an HD display. Though many do not agree with the nature of the new game, it is the future, and I for one am willing to accept it. And it has made a few cool things possible, like the return of Poptropolis Games this same year!
One of the worst parts of this year was also the best: the new and improved Poptropica engine, Poptropica 2013, which is capable of soundtracks and an HD display. Though many do not agree with the nature of the new game, it is the future, and I for one am willing to accept it. And it has made a few cool things possible, like the return of Poptropolis Games this same year!
New Year's Resolutions
As per tradition, I shall now outline my goals for Poptrickia this coming year:
- Blog more. Er... No! We do not use the word "blog" around here! skipping this...
- Write more Journal entries. That's better. Lately I haven't been keeping this Journal up to date, which is a shame because there's always something cool happening in Poptropica. My biggest resolution is to go a little bit deeper in providing you with the best Poptropica news.
- Make more video walkthroughs. Also, find pictures for the existing written walkthroughs.
- Have more contests. Oh, but not those run-of-the-mill costume contests, no sir--something totally original.
- Get you, the Poptropicans, to have a voice on this website. Try commenting on my walkthroughs or journal entries, or talking on the forum. I will try to give you more opportunities this year.
So, waste no time in telling me: what new feature would you like to see on Poptrickia in 2014? You can get some ideas from other popular Poptropica blogs, and I'll see what I can do to make your dreams come true. (Also, I will try not to construe my thoughts into bad rhyme for you).
Now, I'm off to try to get one last-minute Poptropica goal done this year: collecting the last 11 photos.
Now, I'm off to try to get one last-minute Poptropica goal done this year: collecting the last 11 photos.
