Sorcerers of the MK (video)

[Amused to Death]

Okay, this is SO untrue it's not even funny.

I was in the MK and had no idea - ZERO - that the portals were even there until the day they opened up the Firehouse.

Try visiting the MK at night. Everywhere you look there are glowing video screens. It would be impossible for you not to notice them.

 

[Mike730]

The worst offender is the one by the Liberty Belle. Nothing says magical like a TV on in the background during the electrical parade.

Try visiting the MK at night. Everywhere you look there are glowing video screens. It would be impossible for you not to notice them.

Ya know what, silly me didn't even think about it during nighttime hours. I can see how at night it could very well ruin the environment. That's a shame. Perhaps theres a way they can dim them a bit at night? Or even just close the game up in the late evening? I doubt they'd do that though...

 

[Tip Top Club]

I was sort of assuming that the game would only be running limited daytime hours, if for no other reason then the Fantasyland portals are all in the area that is blocked off for fireworks. Seeing as how that's where your final battle is, I can imagine being annoyed to be playing all day and find out your last area is closed for the night cause of the fireworks.

 

[Flight Safety]

You know that Wonders of Life wasn't an original pavilion, right? It opened in 1989.

You beat me to it, I was just getting ready to point that out.

 

[WDW1974]

Honest question - how do you feel about Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure?

I would hope all questions are honest and free of agendas!

How I feel about KP ... I like it a fair bit. I think it uses the pavilions well and gets folks into places they may have ignored ... I think it is integrated well ... I like the effects on most of the 'adventures' ... and I don't think it really is disruptive unless you happen to get five people lined up at the same point with their Kimmunicators.

But that hardly ever has happened when I've been around.

I think it's a nice small scale enhancement to EPCOT. Mostly harmless and adds some value for families.

I don't view this MK game the same way.

~77.4~

 

[erstwo]

Try visiting the MK at night. Everywhere you look there are glowing video screens. It would be impossible for you not to notice them.

I have. They do nothing to distract from the ambiance - if anything they add an extra layer of magic. The added lighting gives it a total 'wow!' effect - at night, it's not just the screen that lights up - there are extra spotlights that illuminate the player(s). It's magical both for those playing and for those passing by.

As for the portals you mentioned above - you do know that when the stone portal isn't on it looks just like stone right? We literally had to search and search for these portals. Even with the lock boxes, they are so well hidden it can take forever to find them.

ETA (this portion below not directed directly toward Amused to Death
As for it distracting in Liberty Square during the MSEP, you have got to be kidding. First - the whole portal by the Liberty Belle is covered by a curtain that opens only when key is used. IF it works during the parade (some portals supposedly are disabled in Fantasyland during Wishes as the CM's prepare for the fireworks fallout zone) and IF you can even notice it over the music playing from EVERY SPEAKER along the path of the parade and the noise of the 400000000000 people packed along the parade route (7 people deep with another 8th layer of people standing in the area the poor CM's are trying to keep clear so that people can move to/ from SM and BTMRR) then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. IF you are standing by the Liberty Belle portal trying to watch MSEP, you aren't seeing much but the tip top of the floats anyway. And IF someone wants and unobstructed, uninterrupted view of the parade with ZERO lights distracting them, they should arrive early with a team of bodyguards to confiscate the 4 billion cameras and video cameras with flashes and outside lighting that go off every. single. second. of the parade.

 

[Jakester]

I played the game for the 1st time on sunday, I thought it was a nice addition to the park to kill time, and I'm gunna try and collect all the cards

 

[JungleTrekFan]

Honestly i think SotMK is a fun little side attraction. I have done all the KP missions and as fun as they are, they really don’t compare. KP is just you walking around one of the pavilions pressing ok on a cell phone. Yes it was cool to see the steins start to sing, or pull a door and hear lord monkey fist yelling, or even better when you had to say a secret password to the cast members, but most of the action happened on your phone and was anti-climactic and really had no re-play ability. Which is why not many people still play KP today, or even know what it is.

SotMK has a lot more re-play ability, with more screen based technology they caan add different villains, have different levels of difficulty, etc. Im not a fan of how you know depending on what portal # in that story it is for you, what your going to do, ex. portal 1 you just listen, #2 you show the sorcerers’ crest, etc.

Most of the portals themselves (in Adventurland and Frontier/Liberty Square) are off the main path, very well themed, and wouldn’t disturb any usual guest. Personally I do not like the castle courtyard just because of how many people are walking through that small area. and the Little Mermaid portal at the emporium is also a very trafficked area. The side street is fine since not many people venture through there, and the art of disney store is usually quite quiet.

Im not a fan of how, unlike KP, there can be an endless amount of people using the portals at once which can create a line for them.
But there are some really cool effects that happen at at least one of the portals in each land i’ve found. The chemistry window in the castle courtyard has beakers with water that bubble or create a whirlpool effect when you use that portal which looks best at night when the LEDs make it look even better. In adventureland the portal that is in the big dresser (idk how to describe it) but there is a genie lamp in it and when you first open the portal appears to release smoke and then the smoke goes back in once the portal closes. In Frontierland the portal at the wanted poster by the shooting arcade has the eyes of the bull skull glow green, which is not as cool as the others, but still a nice little detail.

And i have attempted to play Sorcers in frontierland during the electric light parade and i assure you no one noticed the sound or light from the portals, in fact i couldn’t hear what was saying over the music from the parade and decided to just wait till it passed to continue.

Overall I really like SotMK and find collecting the cards kind of addicting. It is a fun game, mostly out of the way from the average guest and doesn’t interfere with any parade or the average guests day. I can see this game expanded to Tomorrowland (if they can think of any villains other than maybe Zurg and Randal) one day and definitely changing up with difficulties and maybe even seasonal overlays. You never know.

 

[ptaylor]

SotMK has a lot more re-play ability, with more screen based technology they caan add different villains, have different levels of difficulty, etc. Im not a fan of how you know depending on what portal # in that story it is for you, what your going to do, ex. portal 1 you just listen, #2 you show the sorcerers’ crest, etc.

.

I don't know what I am missing, but I couldn't see any gameplay in Sorcerers. You pick up the cards, go to Window 1 to get the briefing, goto Window 2 and hold up a card, go to Window 3 and hold up 2 cards, and you are done. Where is the gameplay? At least with KP, you do different things on the Kimmunicator, such as entering codes, taking photos etc.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I don't know what I am missing, but I couldn't see any gameplay in Sorcerers. You pick up the cards, go to Window 1 to get the briefing, goto Window 2 and hold up a card, go to Window 3 and hold up 2 cards, and you are done. Where is the gameplay? At least with KP, you do different things on the Kimmunicator, such as entering codes, taking photos etc.

You were playing easy mode (geared toward 4-year olds). Try the medium and hard modes which are now operational.

 

[bhg469]

KP is just you walking around one of the pavilions pressing ok on a cell phone. Yes it was cool to see the steins start to sing, or pull a door and hear lord monkey fist yelling, or even better when you had to say a secret password to the cast members, but most of the action happened on your phone and was anti-climactic and really had no re-play ability. Which is why not many people still play KP today, or even know what it is.

I would say that half of everything happened on your phone, the other half brought inanimate parts of the park to life.

One could say Sorcerers is JUST pulling out a card and showing it to a screen. No different than many cell phone AR games and advertisements in magazines that use a webcam to interact with a special logo. This is old technology and not used in a fun way at all. That's why microsoft, nintendo and sony are always looking for new ways to make their motion games better, because they get incredibly stale. Heck the coolest thing about kinect is what developers can do with it.

As far as difficulty that has yet to bee seen but I am going down on the 1st and I will be giving this a try. I am a huge geek when it comes to this sort of thing, but Disney is seriously behind the curve here when it comes to this particular technology.

 

[Donald96]

I was just their Monday and played it! While we had to wait it was only like the group finishing up so at the most 2 minutes! I felt it was timed perfectly! Also, the screens are really hard to notice even at night if you decide not to play! The volume is perfect and overall, especially with the higher difficulties, it's ALOT of fun! Plus, the aspect of keeping the cards and bringing a little magic home with you couldn't hurt either :sohappy:

 

[WDW1974]

Just out of curiousity, but do any of the huge social media 'personalities' (is that better than whores? but less accurate?) not think this is one of the most amazing MAGICal things Disney has ever done?

~Sid sez 'Don't (blank) with the rabbit!'~

 

[disneyrcks]

I have. They do nothing to distract from the ambiance - if anything they add an extra layer of magic. The added lighting gives it a total 'wow!' effect - at night, it's not just the screen that lights up - there are extra spotlights that illuminate the player(s). It's magical both for those playing and for those passing by.

As for the portals you mentioned above - you do know that when the stone portal isn't on it looks just like stone right? We literally had to search and search for these portals. Even with the lock boxes, they are so well hidden it can take forever to find them.

ETA (this portion below not directed directly toward Amused to Death
As for it distracting in Liberty Square during the MSEP, you have got to be kidding. First - the whole portal by the Liberty Belle is covered by a curtain that opens only when key is used. IF it works during the parade (some portals supposedly are disabled in Fantasyland during Wishes as the CM's prepare for the fireworks fallout zone) and IF you can even notice it over the music playing from EVERY SPEAKER along the path of the parade and the noise of the 400000000000 people packed along the parade route (7 people deep with another 8th layer of people standing in the area the poor CM's are trying to keep clear so that people can move to/ from SM and BTMRR) then something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. IF you are standing by the Liberty Belle portal trying to watch MSEP, you aren't seeing much but the tip top of the floats anyway. And IF someone wants and unobstructed, uninterrupted view of the parade with ZERO lights distracting them, they should arrive early with a team of bodyguards to confiscate the 4 billion cameras and video cameras with flashes and outside lighting that go off every. single. second. of the parade.

This is the most honest, well balanced and fair post I have seen on here. Naturally it will be ignored or illogically slammed.

Thank you for posting!

 

[RSoxNo1]

I would hope all questions are honest and free of agendas!

How I feel about KP ... I like it a fair bit. I think it uses the pavilions well and gets folks into places they may have ignored ... I think it is integrated well ... I like the effects on most of the 'adventures' ... and I don't think it really is disruptive unless you happen to get five people lined up at the same point with their Kimmunicators.

But that hardly ever has happened when I've been around.

I think it's a nice small scale enhancement to EPCOT. Mostly harmless and adds some value for families.

I don't view this MK game the same way.

~77.4~

That's what I assumed. I've only done one "adventure" or whatever they're called for Kim Possible and I was entertained. Things in the park were moving that I had never seen move before - it was like jiggling keys in front of a baby.

Having said that, I haven't played since. I know many hate the chirps of the Kimmunicators but I don't really notice it.

Just out of curiousity, but do any of the huge social media 'personalities' (is that better than whores? but less accurate?) not think this is one of the most amazing MAGICal things Disney has ever done?

~Sid sez 'Don't (blank) with the rabbit!'~

I expect my opinion to be similar to that of Kim Possible - I expect I'll look at it as a nice distraction but not very high on my list of things to do. I don't anticipate it annoying me any more than stupid guests.

Seriously, this looks terrible:

Perhaps it's the photo, but that doesn't look bad to me at all.

 

[SyracuseOrange]

That's what I assumed. I've only done one "adventure" or whatever they're called for Kim Possible and I was entertained. Things in the park were moving that I had never seen move before - it was like jiggling keys in front of a baby.

Having said that, I haven't played since. I know many hate the chirps of the Kimmunicators but I don't really notice it.



I expect my opinion to be similar to that of Kim Possible - I expect I'll look at it as a nice distraction but not very high on my list of things to do. I don't anticipate it annoying me any more than stupid guests.



Perhaps it's the photo, but that doesn't look bad to me at all.

I don't mind it either.

 

[asianway]

Just out of curiousity, but do any of the huge social media 'personalities' (is that better than whores? but less accurate?) not think this is one of the most amazing MAGICal things Disney has ever done?

~Sid sez 'Don't (blank) with the rabbit!'~

All the low rent bloggers who heap praise and check in daily at FDMK were out at MK Rope drop today to report on the big ribbon cutting. Of course they proved they weren't well connected enough to know it was before the park opened. Was kind of embarrassed for them really...

 

[EvilQueen-T]

after reading this thread i'm disappointed. i was hoping it would be at least like kp. i can only imagine what some of the problems could be like since mk is always soooo much more crowded than the other parks (we lovingly refer to fantasyland as stroller hell and ankle bitter alley). at least with playing kp i was surprised at how many places we'd just skipped past in previous visits. plus my granddaughter has grown up loving mysteries from blues clues, dora and on to scooby-doo etc... as she's gotten older (now 7) so playing kp has been a blast for her (we're annual passholders so she's a disney vet). she was d__________g around corners to make sure she wasn't being spotted etc... it was fun plus it was nice to let her figure out the adventure while we had a cocktail in each land lol (fun way to still let the grown ups drink around the world and not have someone begging to go on nemo).

 

[EvilQueen-T]

lol it doesn't like the word duck ing. like i'd use the f word and disney in the same message. ok i hope i never have to.

 

[Victoria]

Well, I finally got to play this game over the weekend. I give it a resounding "meh." Maybe I am not the target audience but this game just didn't do anything for me. :shrug: We were assigned Liberty Square as our location and unfortunately this coincided with the 11pm MSEP. It was a complete nightmare getting to our starting location. We had to zig zag all over the place just to get where we were going. We found our first window but then got totally trapped by parade area control CMs and had to watch the entire parade before we got to the second portal. Despite the late hour, there was at least one or two other groups ahead of us at all subsequent portals. We watched the videos, flashed cards when instructed, and went where we were told. I lost interest in the story quickly and by the end was completely bored with the concept. :shrug: I am not sure if a more complicated level or need for strategy would do much for me.

Some things I did like were how well the portals were integrated into the land. We found them all a little challenging to locate so I figure that means they aren't too intrusive. I don't know who was complaining about volume, but without the subtitles I wouln't have had a clue what was going on. I really enjoyed seeing the various villains in the game. Disney villains are my favorite and I like seeing them get some action. I appreciate the amount of animation effort that was put into this game. I also like that game play is continuous and saved. That gives a bit of a replay value advantage over KP.


However several things concern me with this overall concept for the game. One, I think some consideration should be given to where guests are routed to during parade and firework times. Maybe even suspend all play during that time. Also, this game has a distinct "collect them all" factor to it. This is an issue for anyone who isn't a local really. If you can only get 5 cards each time you play, it would take at least 14 games to get all the cards...assuming that you never got a duplicate. (highly unlikely) Trading with other guests seems like a nice idea, but unless trading times and places are arranged, this might be a bit difficult to achieve. I assume the game could be played fully without all 70 cards but still.

Additionally, playing a game of this is a little time consuming if you have to wait at each portal like we did....nevermind the parade blocking access to some of the portals. I don't know how many "normal" families who are only around for 5-6 days are going to want to spend hours playing this. These are the same families who probably aren't going to be back to MK for months if not years. For this large majority of guests, game progress is going to be insanely slow and painful. As far as being able to get spells stronger/more powerful/etc this would be very hard for the typical guest since they won't be constantly playing this.

The only people who I envision having a strong connection to this game are locals who have a lot of time to devote. Even then a strong interest in other games like Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh, and Magic is probably a pre-requisite. Casual guests probably aren't going to get much out of it and will most likely find it pointless (like myself). I know I won't be back to MK for months and I can't say SotMK will be my first stop.