#magiquest website

[trixtermagi]

[willowheartswarriors]

Those Join ThunderClan/RiverClan/ShadowClan/WindClan trailers up on the warriors website remind me SO strongly of the videos that play with MagiQuest  in some of the locations and that’s an extremely fitting vibe.

[lotsofdogs]

A Weekend at Great Wolf Lodge

We spent the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina and it was a whirlwind! Though Great Wolf Lodge has been on our radar for a while, this was actually our first experience at the resort. As I typed up the word “resort,” I realized I actually have no idea what one word to use to describe the place. It’s equal parts water park, lodge, arcade, bowling alley, interactive character experiences… basically it’s a kid’s paradise and Chase was in heaven from the moment we walked through the doors on Friday evening.

Our family was invited to Great Wolf Lodge along with a handful of other families for their media weekend and walked into a winter wonderland. (Disclosure: GWL hosted our family for the weekend but I was not compensated for this post.) The lobby was completely decked out with holiday lights and greenery and the giant roaring fire that never ceased gave the place a cozy feel despite its enormity.

We checked into our room and spent all of 10 minutes unpacking before we set out on a quick walking tour of the lodge before dinner. It became very clear very quickly that there was going to be no shortage of things for us to do during our brief stay. We practically had to drag Chase along on the tour because he was captivated by every last thing but we managed to sit down for a quick bite to eat at the media welcome dinner at the Lodge Wood Fired Grill and concluded our meal with decorate-your-own sugar cookies and s’mores.

As we left, we walked right into the Hustle and Howl dance party happening in the lobby and Chase practically sprinted into the middle of the action. It was so cute to watch him attempt the Cupid Shuffle because he was blissfully unaware of his lack of choreographic knowledge. Ryan, Ryder and I couldn’t resist joining in (I had Ryder in my baby carrier) and I loved seeing so many families let loose and just be goofy with their children.

We made it up to our room a little before 8 p.m. and Ryder was clearly ready for bed, so I hung back to nurse him and settle him in for the night while Ryan and Chase changed into their pajamas and headed back down to the lobby for story time and pictures with Santa. I had Ryder snoozing in his pack ‘n’ play by the time they returned and listening to Chase attempt to whisper everything that he just saw to me — Santa! A moose character! Snow! — was so adorable.

Our family fun got put on pause from about 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. because we admittedly had a bit of a rough night. Ryder was very restless which woke Chase up and while Chase was thankfully not cranky, he kept thinking it was morning and wanted to “help” me with Baby Ryder which got Ryder all the more awake. Couple that with Ryan having a coughing fit he couldn’t kick and I was quickly reminded why people call time away with kids “trips” and not “vacations.”

Our whole crew was awake a little after 6 a.m. and somehow the buzz around the lodge helped energize us along with some much-needed coffee. I had a media breakfast and tour of the property on the books first thing in the morning, so I said goodbye to Ryan and the boys as they were digging into doughnuts and headed off to meet up with our group.

We kicked things off with quiche and yogurt parfaits (so good!) before we learned a little bit about the lodge’s history and other locations. I had actually never heard of Great Wolf Lodge before we moved to the Charlotte area (the Concord location where we stayed is about 40 minutes from our house and people in our area seem to go all the time for staycations), and I was surprised to learn that they have nearly 20 locations.

Once we were all acquainted and our tour was complete, we had free time with our families and I met back up with Ryan and the boys and we immediately headed to the water park.

The water park is HUGE and admittedly our kids were too young to really take advantage of all the water park has to offer but Chase had a BLAST and didn’t care one bit about the giant water slides and tube slides he was too little to ride. (The Explore by Age tool on their website gives you a good idea what activities might be appropriate for children of certain ages.) We saw a lot of large families and big groups at the lodge and traveling with a whole crew of people makes a lot of sense to me since it would give parents a little more flexibility to swap watching each other’s kids so Mom and Dad could take advantage of some of the bigger, faster water slides, too.

Even though we couldn’t experience the entirety of the water park, the parts that were three-year-old friendly were perfect for Chase. He was 100 percent obsessed with the jet ski in the Cub Paw Pool and when I say he didn’t leave that thing for 45 minutes (other than for brief moments when another kid approached for a turn), I’m not lying. It was the hit of the water park for him!

We also made sure to pack some swim trunks for Ryder so he could get in on the water fun!

He was a little skeptical at first…

But quickly started kicking and splashing.

He loves bath time at home, so we had a feeling the water park would be right up his alley!

The biggest shock of the day for me was the moment when Ryan and Chase headed up to the top of the water fort tree house and Chase came down the big orange water slide all by himself.

I was surprised he was brave enough to attempt such a giant slide but he acted like it was no big thing and then asked to go ride his jet ski again. Ha!

After several hours at the water park, we were all hungry so we headed up to our room to change into dry clothes. Pizza sounded good to all of us so we ordered a large cheese pizza and a family-size salad to share and brought it up to the large sitting area outside the elevators on the fourth floor for a lunchtime family picnic. With full bellies, we were ready for our next adventure which included plenty of time at the arcade and the miniature bowling alley.

(In case you are wondering, yes, Chase is wearing slippers. One of the BEST things about Great Wolf Lodge was the casual anything-goes dress code. We saw kids and parents in holiday pajamas all day long and swimwear and cozy loungewear was the norm. I wasn’t sure what to pack so if a trip to GWL is on your radar, know that comfy and casual is the way to go!) 

I loved that the arcade had a lot of decent prizes for not a lot of tickets so we we re able to walk away with a few small toys for Chase — a small whale shark and a snake — without feeling like we needed to spend hours in front of the games to win anything. Ryan and I may have had a little too much fun at the wack-a-mole game and felt our competitive sides come out a bit. I swear I am the least competitive person on the planet in most aspects of life but when it comes to games (mostly board games), I feel that fire emerge!

When we looked at the time and saw it was only 3 p.m. Ryan and I had to laugh because we felt like we had already lived 5 days in one short morning. Great Wolf Lodge is heaven for kids but man oh man it’s stimulation overload at the same time! I was shocked Chase wasn’t ready to conk out in our room but he was fired up and ready for more fun so we activated our wands and spent the rest of the afternoon on various quests thanks to Great Wolf Lodge’s MagiQuest.

Ryan and I were both unfamiliar with MagiQuest before our stay at GWL, but it’s basically one part video game, one part scavenger hunt and one part fantasy! You first choose a wand to activate and then pick your magic name and run all around the lodge searching for crystals, jewels and other odds and ends on your quest as you try to accumulate various runes. It honestly didn’t appeal to me at all at first but Ryan and Chase were all about it, so we got two wands and then quickly realized that despite Chase’s young age, he was REALLY into searching out crystals and even more into pointing his wand at various things to see if they would light up. We completed three quests that took us up and down and all around three floors of the lodge and left us totally wiped!

We headed back to our room to refuel with some snacks and relax for a bit (and catch some of the UCF game — Go Knights!!!) and about an hour later a knock on the door came from Oliver the raccoon with a special delivery of milk and cookies!

Such a sweet surprise!

The rest of our time at Great Wolf Lodge included revisiting some of our favorite activities from earlier in our stay — the Hustle and Howl dance party and story time in the lobby — before it was time for us to head home.

In case you are wondering how long it took for our boys to fall asleep in their car seats, the answer would be less than five minutes. They were wiped but clearly had the best time! Thank you so much to Great Wolf Lodge for such a memorable experience!!

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/a-weekend-at-great-wolf-lodge/

[draketv07-blog]

Join us as we check out MagiQuest in Pigeon Forge.

Check out their website. http://www.magiquestpf.com

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[trixtermagi]

[trixtermagi]

[trixtermagi]

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another intro video from the old MagiQuest website

[trixtermagi]

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an intro video from the old MagiQuest website

[trixtermagi]

HauntedQuest...?

SO. I’m hesitant to reach out directly to either of the CK emails I found, considering the state of everything MagiQuest (never mind the fact they’re probably both defunct). The trail of HauntedQuest has always been lukewarm at best and I think I’m going to let it drop— however, I do want to catalogue what I’ve found alongside some general thoughts.

A 2006 archive of the MagiQuest website (with a 2005 copyright) lists multiple MagiQuest Themes, including SawyerQuest and HauntedQuest, as well as a “B” medieval theme (presumably a closer variation of the standard MQ skin, which I’m considering “A”)

SawyerQuest (presumably Tom Sawyer themed, considering the other CK attraction called The Great Barn from Stone Mountain in Atlanta) and HauntedQuest both appear on the “Our Creations” page of a 2009 archive of the Creative Kingdoms website. In 2012, the website is redesigned and now has a “Portfolio” page, which lists only MagiQuest, CompassQuest, GWL Story Explorers, and DinoQuest. There is no further mention of either HauntedQuest or SawyerQuest.

It’s worth noting that on that same 2009-2011 archive, MagiQuest and MedievalQuest are now two different things. It seems that “Medieval B” would’ve been more historically accurate (VS the more fantasy-based standard MQ/”Medieval A”). This is entirely speculation.

There was a 2001/2002 patent filed by CK (which is now abandoned) that discusses the possibility of an interactive dark ride. 2-16 riders/players would face each other in a ride vehicle (each vehicle would have a different personality/associated character and would itself be able to interact with riders) as they use wands (or other IR activators; potentially something similar to the SplashQuest gloves) to interact directly with the scenery and complete challengers. Think MagiQuest but timed and on a set track. There’s some cool potential here, and CK continues to dabble in similar attractions like their Slideboarding concept (2015 article discussing the gamified water slides; these also appear to be defunct).

The most interesting thing about this abandoned dark ride patent is that, while it does briefly mention haunted houses among a list of standard dark ride themes, it includes some... curiously haunted-sounding things in its list of ride vehicle effects: “whispered breath in ear,” “spook cold chill effect,” “cold finger brushing neck,” “crawling bugs,” “chilled air on neck effect,” “vehicle possessed effect,” “traveling ghost,” and “nails on a chalkboard.”

(the list also includes things like “heaving romantic kiss effect” and “running snot effect” so clearly they were covering all their bases for a potential audience)

Based off the date of the patent and the date range of the archives, I think it’s safe to assume that HauntedQuest started life as a potential interactive dark ride concept before pivoting to a MagiQuest retheme after MQ took off significantly (the first archive of the MQ website is from 5/27/2005 while the first archive of the CK website is an under construction page from 6/19/2001 and the patent linked above was filed on 6/14/2001).

So, we’ve got one piece of concept art, some vague mentions of ghostly effects in an abandoned patent, and jack squat else. Where exactly does that leave us? Well...

Running our tiny concept art through waifu2x doesn’t do much to make it CLEARER, but hey, at least now it’s big enough for me to add notes!

There appears to be a main entrance to a haunted forest/graveyard area with an old tree surrounded by graves serving as a stand-in for the Quest Tree/Quest Stones. Some of the tiny little people appear to be holding wands still, which is interesting. There’s the potential to do something like the PKE meter from Ghostbusters, since having graves function as the Quest Stones would imply to me we’re helping and/or hunting for ghosts in this creepy graveyard/mansion.

Behind the Quest Graves (lol) is another old fence which seems to lead into a mansion area. There’s a fireplace with a creepy portrait hanging over it, fake stairs and fake alcoves, potentially a dining room? It’s extremely hard to tell, but it definitely transitions from some sort of outdoor space to a more standard “haunted mansion” environment. You’ve got the same “screen behind a themed barrier” setup as standard MQ, and quite honestly I’m sad that this theme in particular never came to fruition.

I love Halloween, I love all things creepy and dark and scary— competitive ghost-blaster dark rides are already a thing, and a popular one at that. Theme park haunted houses are also already a thing. It would be very, very fun to mesh the two together. Run around with your friends competing to see who can defeat the most ghosts, get spooked by scare-actors. Market it to older teens/adults, maybe tie it to a barcade or something (though that’s risky; drunk people and scare-actors shouldn’t really mix. watch any of the Halloween Horror Nights behind the scenes footage and hear them talk about how one of the primary things they check for is whether or not props can be stolen and things still go missing. I’m just saying) — I think there’s a real recipe for greatness here. I would certainly pay to spend an evening running around a slightly tamer, competitive haunted house!

It’s unfortunate to me that this seems to be all that’s out there online, but it is what it is. Creative Kingdoms had a lot of good ideas, but some were clearly more marketable than others and with the way 2.0/MagiQuest+ is going it seems like those ideas will stay mostly-forgotten relics of the early 2000s.

EDIT: if you would like to see all of the Creative Kingdoms patents I found, here’s the link!

[trixtermagi]

Also, while I’m on the topic of Clans,

I think this blurb from the website is interesting: The Inhabitants of the World of MagiQuest are all descended from the Five Clans. These noble (and sometimes nefarious) families strive to work in harmony to establish a society rich in culture, craft and courage. Here you may discover your Clan and claim your place in history!

While it makes sense that Clans are "passed down,” so to speak, I find the idea that they are literally determined by blood really interesting. It begs the question of how that actually works. Is it patrilineal? Matrilineal? Do kids have a choice of which parent’s Clan they join? If you choose to join a Clan not established in your family, would it essentially be renouncing your bloodline? Were there other, smaller Clans that eventually died out? (on that note, could there be smaller, regional Clans that exist as offshoots of the main five, as family trees branched out/immigrated to other areas?)

If young Magi do have free choice of either parent’s Clan, and Candice and Amora are sisters, that means one parent is Majestic and one is Woodsy— is it determined by traits rather than preference, though? It certainly seems like magical talents are shared through a family line, since Amora and Candice both have some power over the stars.

The wording and implications of that little blurb open such a rabbit hole I love it. Your edgy teen Magi just ran away from home, renounced the Warrior name and became a Shadow, what are you gonna do about it?

[trixtermagi]

I’ve officially completed my trawl through the old MagiQuest website(s), and salvaged as many graphics as I could (and some flash content! still very glad I was able to save those SWF videos; sadly there was a third of the QuestMaster speaking that was dead). Unfortunately a lot of it was lost to time/full of dead links, which left one major rabbit hole I want to pursue: HauntedQuest.

Obviously there’s ShadowQuest/other similar games, but “HauntedQuest” is one I’ve never heard of before and I’d like to see if I can uncover anything.

However, before I pursue that further, I think I want to archive as much as possible from my MQO disc. I’ve posted all the videos/wallpapers and a handful of the audio files, but there’s a lot more I didn’t post. Mostly background noise to be layered over the music/different walk cycle sounds, but I think it’s worth having accessible here. I believe there are some images I haven’t posted yet either, but I’m not sure.

I’ll also take a quick moment to say, I take gif requests! I can’t guarantee anything, with the state of MQ content— but if there’s a character you want gifs of and I can find a video of them, I’d be happy to throw together a quick gifset 🪄🧙🏻‍♂️🧚🏻‍♂️

[trixtermagi]

Unfortunately, I can’t get either of these pages to work, but I wanted to document them both.

The first screenshot (link) is of a Build-A-Wand flash game; I don’t believe you would’ve been able to order the wand you built, since the “Shoppe” page just led to an advertisement about the actual shops in the various locations. As you can see, trying to emulate the flash program gave me a Ruffle error.

The next screenshot (link) is of a page displaying various MagiQuest “themes.” All the images and links are broken, but it seems to be game overlays rather than any sort of desktop theme. I’m personally very intrigued by HauntedQuest, as an avid haunted house fan— I’ll be digging more into that once I’ve gone through the main MQ website all the way. (current progress has me at about 2007, so there’s still a lot to be explored)

[trixtermagi]

I can’t remember where I heard this, and thought it was in the Book of Wisdom but now I can’t find the source! If I can track it down, I’ll link it— anyways, I always liked the idea that your chosen Clan grants you a rune (obviously not in the actual game, but as far as lore goes) and they’ve got representatives which grant it to Magi from other Clans. Here are some blurbs on those runes from the MagiQuest shop page:

Runes are the most valuable commodity in MagiQuest. These are the ancient sources of magic that will give your Wand additional powers once you possess them. Each MagiQuest Quest Rune symbolizes a Quest in the game. Each MagiQuest Adventure Rune symbolizes the virtual reward received once you complete a MagiQuest Adventure. Display your runes from your wand, topper or belt.

Distract Rune: The Distraction Rune is the rune of the Shadow Clan. It is the power to distract creatures and opponents from their intended purpose and allows one to sneak past guarded entrances and into secret areas and hidden chambers.

Music Rune: The Music Rune is the rune of the Trixter Clan. It empowers anyone to summon beautiful music from objects within MagiQuest and use it to tame beasts, communicate with other Magi or entertain.

Healing Rune: The Healing Rune is the rune of the Majestic Clan and allows the power to heal creatures and mend magical objects that have been damaged or drained of power.

Lightning Rune: The Lightning Rune is the rune of the Warrior Clan. It has the power to summon the lightning and thunder used in dueling Magi and dark creatures.

Enchant Creature Rune: The Enchant Creatures Rune is the rune of the Woodsy Clan. It empowers anyone to communicate with the creatures of MagiQuest.

[trixtermagi]

[trixtermagi]

Dark Brown Wand: Hand-crafted from fallen winter trees reclaimed from the Twisted Forest Realm, our classic Dark Brown Wand is a time-honored tool among even the most discerning Magi. Each MagiQuest Wand is unique.  It remembers you and the points and powers that you earn in the MagiQuest game forever.

Black and Gold Wand: Forged from molten gold taken from the Princess Candice's treasury, this BLACK & GOLD WAND only grows in value, once in the hands of a skilled Magi!  A priceless ally in the fight against dark forces!

Silver Wand: Dipped in the moonlight, reflected in the pools of the Unicorn's Glen, this magnificent SILVER WAND is sure to please Magi from Majestic Clans as much as it delights the silvery-tongued Trixters who covet it!

Flame Wand: Your fire power will never go out with the new FLAME WAND. It remembers you and the points and powers that you earn in the MagiQuest game forever.

Sparkle Pink Wand: THE POWER OF PINK! Be among the first to add a burst of sparkling color to your Questing gear with this deceptively new Wand. Don't let the color fool you - Pink is Powerful, indeed! The Mystics of MagiQuest know that Pink symbolizes Energy, Action and Confidence, and if you have all three then you'll be able to unlock the powers of this weapon of magic when it comes time to duel the Dragons!

Red Dragon Wand: The Power of this Wand is great, indeed, for even though it glows with the fire of the breath of Dragons, it is cool to the touch, and even cooler when wielded by a Master Magi! The Dragon Wand Series allows for greater powers and opportunities within the MagiQuest game plus it also remembers you, your points and powers.

Ice Dragon Wand: Shaped by decades of ice flows, deep in the caves of Winterra, the Ice Dragon, this Wand's tempting blue cleverly disguises its red-hot powers! The Dragon Wand Series allows for greater powers and opportunities within the MagiQuest game plus it also remembers you, your points and powers.

(all blurbs taken from the old MagiQuest shop page)

[trixtermagi]

a cool rocky banner from the bottom of the old website