It’s Photography Day today! Did you know that in Wizard101 and Pirate101, you have a kind of camera built right into the game? We call it “taking a screenshot.” It’s very handy and a great way for fans of our games to catalog their wonderful times, great friends, and happy moments.
The first thing you should know, taking an actual photograph of your computer screen with your phone or a camera is probably the easiest way to ruin a good photograph! The colors never come out right, you’ll get lines through your picture, and it’s never very straight. You’d be surprised how many photos our Community team sees like this. Just say “No” to taking pictures this way!
Next, to take a simple screenshot, all you have to do is press either the F12 button or the PrtScn button. Like magic, your screen is captured and saved in a file on your computer. The location where your screenshot is saved flashes on your screen for a moment, and usually that’s located in your Documents folder in a subfolder called “Wizard101.”
Now if you want to take a screenshot like a pro and really make your screenshots shine, we have some tips that will help you work your magic and impress your friends.
- Remove the Interface – Before you take your screenshot, hold down the Control key and Press G. Control+G removes the health and mana globes, the quest arrow, and all the other things on the screen that are getting in the way of your great screenshot! After you’re done, just press Control+G to bring all of those handy icons back into view.
- Back up against a wall – This is kind of tricky, but sometimes you can back up against a wall and your player will disappear from view so you get a nice screenshot of the environment only. In Pirate101, this is even better because you can hold down your right mouse button and move around to position your “environment-only” screenshot.
- Shoot for even higher quality – Looking for an even higher quality screenshot? Go into your game settings and try putting your game into its highest resolution and select full screen size! Try turning Bloom on and off and see which one you like better.
- Edit like a pro – If you use the PrtScn button, you can open up another graphic program like Photoshop, Gimp, or even Window’s Paint, and use Control+V to “paste” your screenshot. Then you can enhance the colors, crop it, and save it in a higher resolution format that’s still web-friendly, like .png files.
- Don’t overdo it – Once you start messing around with filters and features in Photoshop, it’s very easy to go crazy and make a beautiful catastrophe of a picture. Eek! Stick to the basics and make your favorite game shine!
When you’re all done, your Community and Social Media team would love to see your creations! In fact, we repost the screenshots we receive on Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr! So join in the fun and send us your best creations for Photography Day to community@kingsisle.com!
Do you have a really good tip for taking a good screenshot? Please leave a comment below!
We’re having a bit of fun today in the KingsIsle office looking at Travel Review sites in the real world—read on and let’s imagine these also exist for Wizard101 locations!
Travel review sites have become very popular in the Wizard101 Spiral. There is a lot to review with so many Wizard101 zones to explore in the Spiral. After all, how else are you going to decide the best locations for questing, shopping or just finding a place to relax and socialize?
In fact, the use of travel sites have become so widespread that even the older members of the population, such as Merle Ambrose, have figured out their way around the website (although we suspect that Ambrose may have had help from one of his young students). Here are four of the most popular reviews from all around the Spiral.
Review #1:
Username: Meowiarty (Marleybone)
Location: Newgate Prison
(Image via wizard101.wikia.com)
After a prolonged stay, I can honestly say that the accommodations here were dreadful, not at all what one would expect from a long-standing establishment of repute. Room sizes were quite small, with inadequate common Wizard101 areas and few opportunities to take in the air. The bed was hard, and I am certain I found bedbugs in the bedding. Room service was awful, with poor menu options, and the food that was delivered was cold. When I demanded recompense, the waiter had the audacity to hit my door with a stick of some sort, for the purpose of frightening me into accepting the meager fare as my due. I was glad when, with the help of my friend Malistaire Drake, I was able to find accommodations more befitting of my status and repute.
Review #2:
Username: Sherlock Bones (Marleybone)
Location: Royal Museum of Marleybone
(Image via wizard101central.com)
Students of my level of deduction will appreciate the intellectual haven that is to be found in the Royal Museum. This is an excellent place to look for clues and practice your observational skills. There are at least six exhibits containing treasures from the ancient world of Krokotopia, which I highly recommend seeing. Unfortunately, Meowiarty and Malistaire Drake are trying to steal the Krokonomicon, a book containing many powerful spells. Visit these wonderful exhibits before it’s too late!
Review #3:
Username: Mimir Winterbane (Hrundle Fjord, Grizzleheim)
Location: Well of Urd
(Image via wizard101central.com)
If you’re looking for some spirited fun, stop by the Well of Urd. Don’t be fooled by the, er, rustic setting of this vacation destination. The accommodations are strictly BYOB — bring your own bread — and please don’t forget the honey! It’s a true adventure, hosted by yours truly. I can promise that no matter what, you won’t be bored!
Review #4:
Username: Merle Ambrose (Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, Wizard City)
Location: West Ende Girls Snack Shop
(Image via wizard101central.com)
By far the best place in Wizard City to satisfy your cravings. The West Ende Girls Snack Shop has everything from harvest corn to star fruit, although its radioactive pizza is a bit potent and not for the weak-hearted. The only reason I’m not giving this wonderful snack shop five stars is, frankly, the girls’ appalling behavior when someone let it slip that it was my birthday. My advice: Don’t go here on your birthday unless you want to be embarrassed with singing, cupcakes and persistent inquiries as to your exact age!
We hope you’ve enjoyed these travel reviews! Which were your favorite reviews? If you were to write a review about a location in the Spiral, what would you say?
One day you wake up, get ready for the day and head off to school… to find that your school is no longer a part of Earth! You have to get there by walking into The Spiral to find a floating chunk of land with your school building on it. Once all the students are there, the PA system announces that Merle Ambrose, previously headmaster of Ravenwood, has come to your school and is now the new principal. Not only is your school no longer in your neighborhood, there will be also be few changes to your normal schedule while he’s here…
Math
When you get to class, you find a woman with an unfamiliar face decked out in blue robes, telling you she will be teaching you math from now on. You expect her to hand you a problem sheet, but instead you’re given a deck of cards. The cards allow you to engage in battle, just like in Wizard101. This time, however, you have a unique foe: multiplication problems. Ice Magic is the best to use in this case because math problems, especially big ones, require time and endurance to solve. Bit by bit, you defeat the math equations with your Ice Magic, wearing away at them until you have the answer.
Science
When math time is over and your Ice teacher leaves, another new faculty member in purple robes comes to teach a science lesson. This time, you’re instructed to use Storm Magic to explore the mysteries of the universe. The creativity and energy of Storm Magic is just the thing you need to conquer science and absorb what you need to know about chemical elements, the animal kingdom and our solar system.
Lunchtime
Once science is defeated, it’s time for lunch. Lunchtime is also unexpected: You go into the cafeteria to find that there aren’t any lunch ladies or food. Instead, there are wisps floating around. You spend your lunch catching the wisps and replenishing your mana, healing the damage from fighting with math and science.
P.E.
In P.E., all the sports have been replaced with Wizard games. In fact, spirals on the floor let you into real-life versions of the minigames from Wizard101. In a game of Dueling Diego, you take the place of Diego and fight your way through the monsters in your gym, rather than on a ship or island.
After Dueling Diego, you play a game of Skull Riders. Riding a dragon is some of the most fun you’ve ever had! However, when a blast of fire comes your way, your dragon is defeated. Unlike the Wizard games online, when your dragon drops a skull, you fall. Hurt from the fall, you have to go to the nurse, who is now a life mage. Instead of giving you a bandage, she heals you with her magic.
Social studies
Following P.E. is social studies. Your yellow-robed teacher instructs you in Myth Magic for this subject. Myth Magic focuses on knowledge of stories, so it proves perfect for learning history. This type of magic has the added bonus of summoned minions. With a handful of them at your command, you are able to fully capture the historic periods: Your minions act out scenes of the past as a part of the storytelling. With the visual aid, memorizing history is a cinch!
Reading and writing
Finally, it’s time for writing and reading. This time, your teacher is in red robes. He greets you with a smile and teaches you Fire Magic. Fire Magic is all about passion, and therefore the best magic for this task. After all, writing is about expressing yourself, and reading involves tapping into the feelings of someone else. With Fire Magic at your side, you can express your emotions through your magic and defeat both writing and reading.
At the end of the day, the culprit behind your school’s relocation is found. It’s an evil Death Wizard! Merle Ambrose turns to you for help in defeating the Wizard with your newly learned magic. Thanks to the powers you learned from math, science, P.E., social studies and writing, you vanquish the Death Wizard and return the school to its proper location.
It’s summer time in the Spiral! What’s a Wizard to do when it’s too hot for much questing? Create amazing fan art of course! Each month we like to feature Wizard101 fan art submissions through or official social media like Facebook and Pinterest.
We had many talented artists submit amazing drawings, paintings and more in the past month. Here are some of our favorites so far from the month of August!
Want to submit something creative of your very own? If you are under 13 years of age, ask your parent or guardian for permission to send us your screenshot. If you would like to submit something, send the picture and your character name in an email to community@wizard.com! Please attach no more than three images per email, and please limit total submissions to no more than nine screenshots in a month. Try to only submit your very best images!
The best way for kids to beat the summer heat is to go for a dunk in the water, preferably with friends. If you’re planning a pool activity for your little Pirate this summer, make your child’s little black heart happy with an exciting Pirate-themed party. Here are a few easy ideas to tie in your child’s love of the Pirate101 game with the perfect Pirate pool party.
Pirate identities
As party favors, give an eye patch and/or an inexpensive costume Pirate hat to each child. To make it more interesting, though, assign each hat and eye patch combo a different identity from the Pirate101 game, and have the kids choose their identity for the duration of the party. Prevent fights by making grab bags so they don’t know who they’re getting. Boochbeard, Captain Horace Avery and Morgan LaFitte are examples of Pirate101 characters you could use, but if you need help, be sure to ask your own little Pirate — he or she is sure to have suggestions!
Dive for lost treasure
Instead of handing out all the favors in goody bags, make your little Pirates work for them. Put treasure such as colorful Mardi Gras necklaces and plastic jewels at the bottom of the pool, and let everyone take turns diving for booty to fill their goody bags. This is a great Pirate’s game that the kids will love. Weight the treasure with diving rings or rocks to keep it on the bottom, and put the better treasure in the deeper areas of the pool. You can also sink bags of plastic coins (call them Crowns to tie them in with the game) by putting a rock in with the coins.
Photo by James BeuerleinE
Capture the Flag
Looking for more Pirate party games? Divide the kids into two teams and set up a game of Capture the Flag, with a flag tied to a flotation device at each end of the pool. Prohibit dunking and encourage kids to test their swimming skills against one another in their race to capture the other side’s flag first. Have the losing team “walk the plank” by walking off the diving board one at a time.
Floating boats contest
Another fun activity that will keep your little Pirates busy involves putting them to work making boats, and holding a contest to see whose creation floats the longest or holds the most weight. Provide a variety of materials such as paper, cardboard, craft sticks and egg cartons, and let the kids use their imaginations. When it’s time for the contest, use “Crowns” to weight each boat equally and see which one stays afloat the longest.
Photo by Zen Kid Parties
Pirate snacks
With all the swimming, contests and walking the plank, your little Pirates are bound to get hungry and thirsty. You can keep them well-hydrated by serving cups of blue-colored water or juice with Swedish fish in it, or various colored drinks with the names of potions or elixirs from the game, such as the Energy Potion or the Health Elixir. Treats can be as simple as bite-size pieces of fruit skewered on little plastic cocktail swords or wooden kabob skewers, or real-life replicas of the snacks found in Pirate101.
Yo-ho-ho! Planning a swashbuckling pool party for your wild band of Pirates is a lot of fun, not to mention it gives you a chance to demonstrate that even landlubber moms and dads can put together a pretty cool party! These ideas will get you started, plus your Pirate101 player may have some suggestions for other games or snacks.
What tips do you or your kids have to make a Pirate-themed pool party a rip-roaring success?
KingsIsle Blog 
_West_Ende_Girls_Snack_Shop.png){kind=link}
