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MagiQuest

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MagiQuest is a live action role-playing game in which players take the role of magic users. Players, called Magi in the game, use an infra-red (IR) emitting wand to interact with objects. These objects are usually scattered throughout the place. By waving and pointing the wand at an object, a player activates the object's action. For example, pointing a wand at a treasure chest might cause an amount of gold to accrue to the player's account. At some locations there are also optional items available for purchase such as a key which unlocks secret areas or a compass which allows a player to go on additional quests. Completing certain compass quests unlocks more features such as a map showing the location of every object from the basic quests.

Locations

The first MagiQuest opened in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at noon on June 15, 2005. The opening celebration included live appearances by actors featured in the quests. Additional MagiQuest locations have subsequently opened in East Hanover, New Jersey; Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Lombard, Illinois; and those located within Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark resorts in Williamsburg, Virginia; Charlotte - Concord, North Carolina; Grand Mound, Washington; Grapevine, Texas; Kansas City, Kansas; Mason, Ohio; Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania; Traverse City, Michigan; Williamsburg, Virginia; and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. There is also a MagiQuest location within Six Flags Great America. On July 31, 2011, the newest MagiQuest location opened in Fun City at the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, New York. In Japan, locations include the Tokyo Dome and Lagunasia parks.

The Myrtle Beach and Mall of America locations are owned by Creative Kingdoms (owner and developer of MagiQuest's technology and associated patents). Other locations are franchised.[1]

DinoQuest, a dinosaur themed interactive game based on the same patented technologies is located in Santa Ana, CA.[2]

Announced at the IAAPA 2009 (International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions) trade show are plans for Creative Kingdoms (the parent company of MagiQuest) to create a spin-off company, 'AquaKingdoms' that will bring a new form of the technology used in MagiQuest to water based attractions. The first product of AquaKingdoms, SplashQuest, was introduced in prototype form to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, TX for the summer of 2009.[3]

Gameplay

The Ancient Book of Wisdom

New players are provided a booklet, the "Ancient Book of Wisdom", that provides hints to the necessary steps in each quest. The riddles are simple, presented in verse, and add an element of story to game play. Since the quests and adventures available vary by location, the booklet's contents are unique to each location.

Wands

The basic wand comes in multiple color variations and comes with an "orb" topper that has no effect on game play. Dragon wands were released in 2008 which give players in-game advantages against the dragons. All wands contain motion sensors and an infrared light-emitting diode (see Technology below), which transmits a unique code to in-game objects when the wand is "cast"--shaken and pointed at the object. While wands have multiple sensors and the ability to differentiate between types of motion, types of wand motion do not currently have any effect on game play.

All game-play is individual, but any person can wield a given wand at any time. No advantage is gained from having multiple wands in a group, unless players wish to compete against each other, for instance by seeing who can complete tasks more quickly.

Quests and adventures

The objective of MagiQuest is to build and gain power by obtaining magic runes. These runes are awarded for completing certain tasks, using the wand to activate targets marked with a stylised Q. The runes available on Rune Quests are: Lightning, Enchant Creature, Music, Protection, Freeze, Distraction, Healing, Portal, Dazzle, Reveal, Ice Arrow, and Master Magi. While the Master Magi Rune does not grant any spells like the other Runes, earning it opens up new Rune Quests specifically for Master Magi. These Runes are the Fire, Shield, and Potion Runes. A Great Wolf Rune is also available at Great Wolf Lodge locations.

Also, outside of the kingdom of MagiQuest, a player can use his or her wand and the powers they have earned in the experience to duel each other for gold and experience points[clarification needed]. At the Myrtle Beach location, Magi can also participate in "Garden Quest", a special rune that takes Magi around Broadway at the Beach, an outdoor shopping mall in Myrtle Beach where the MagiQuest is located.

MagiQuest Online

MagiQuest Online (MQ Online) is an online version of the game. Created by Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst, the game runs on the same engine used in Cyan's own online game, Myst Online: Uru Live. Currently only available for Microsoft Windows, MQ Online may be downloaded from the MagiQuest website.[4] MQ Online is sold in chapters; as of September 2011, only the first chapter is available. While the game has a free trial mode, each "chapter" must be purchased individually per player account. Players who complete chapter one online may access an additional quest, the silver dragon, at some MagiQuest locations.

Technology of MagiQuest

The MagiQuest wand is a battery-powered infrared (IR) remote control device with an LED at the tip. Motion sensors (a spring sensor and a ball-and-tube sensor) inside the wand detect movement and cause the LED to emit a brief series of flashes which is unique to that wand. (These flashes can be seen by pointing the wand at the lens of any digital video camera in a dark room). The wand's range is several meters. There is no on/off switch; when the wand is left motionless, the circuit is not energized, saving battery power.

The Compass Quest compass is a plastic housing containing an embedded RFID device (an unpowered microchip and antenna circuit.) No battery is required. Like the wand, every compass has a unique numeric code; this is transmitted when the compass is placed within range of a detector, approximately 1-2 centimeters (about 1 inch).

No information is stored in either the wand or the compass. The player's name, birthdate, and nickname are associated with the wand and/or compass ID number at the time of purchase. The exact names and date given are irrelevant. This association is stored in a central online database server, and can be transferred to a new wand if the original one is lost. The server tracks the current status (runes and gold acquired, current quest, etc.) of every player in the system.

The physical topography consists of a large set of objects throughout the hotel/mall/park complex with embedded IR sensors, plus a set of RFID panels shaped like the outline of the compass. Game objects can include pictures on the walls, statues, ceiling tiles, animatronic chests, and video kiosks and projection rooms. Most stations have lights and audio prompts which play briefly on activation and shut off automatically, but kiosks and projection rooms additionally contain touchscreen video displays which allow the player to interact with the system for a short session; no login is required other than the presence of the wand or compass.

Game play typically consists of using a kiosk to receive instructions for a quest or adventure, then finding and activating a series of game objects. The requirements for the initial quests are printed in an instruction booklet supplied with the wand, but some quests must be received from the kiosks and committed to memory. Informational kiosks throughout the complex can be used to find out what parts of the current quest have been completed and what is left to do, but these omit certain clues to the locations of the objects.

The database is nationwide. The player's status (current quest, number of gold pieces, etc.) for every location can be queried from any informational kiosk in the network. Within a complex, it is updated continuously—for instance, after activating one object, a time limit (e.g. 30 seconds) may be given to find and activate the next object in the series, and if the limit is exceeded by even a few seconds, the next object will instruct the player to return to the previous station.

Content creation

Blackmore's Night

The band Blackmore's Night performs some of the music for MagiQuest. Candice Night, the band's vocalist, plays the role of Princess Candice. She also plays the role of Princess Amora, who is seen only at Great Wolf Lodge locations.

Wand accessories

There are several different replacement "orbs", known as "toppers", available for purchase. There is also a rune keeper to on which to keep purchased rune replicas. The orb toppers relate to the specific clans that the player can join. While the toppers relate to the clans, the player or Magi, can choose any topper s/he wishes. The Clans are:

  • Warrior (red)- Warriors' strength is in their bravery. Clan members have the power of dueling.
  • Woodsy (green)- Woodsy's strength is in their relationship with nature. Clan members can summon any naturalistic element to help them in their quest.
  • Trickster (purple)- Trickster's strength is in their magic. Clan members often use jokes or magic to distract their opponents.
  • Shadow (black)- Shadow's strength is in their power and deceit. Shadow can disappear from a place on cue.
  • Majestic (blue or pink)- Majestic's strength is in their healing powers. Members of this caste possess the power to heal themselves and others.

Toppers, Powers, and Recharge Requirements (A list of these can also be found while creating a new wand):

  • Red Dragon/Global Dragon: Using the power "Fireburst", Magi can instantly defeat Wintera, the Goblin King, and the Dark One Who Dwells in the Crypt (Defeat Charlock to recharge this ability)
  • Ice Dragon: Using the power "Iceburst", Magi can instantly defeat Charlock, the Goblin King, and the Dark One Who Dwells in the Crypt (Defeat Wintera to recharge this ability)
  • Skull/Dark Stone: Using the power of the "Laughing Skull", Magi can instantly defeat Wintera, Charlock, and the Dark One Who Dwells in the Crypt (Recover the Princess' Jewels to recharge this ability)
  • Pegasus/Unicorn Horn: Using the power of "Music", Magi can ask Esmeralda the Spider, the Old Man in the Stone, and the Unicorn for what the Magi seeks from them and it shall be given freely (Recover the Unicorn's Star to recharge this ability)
  • Ice Crystal/Pixie: Using the power of "Nature's Favor", Magi can dazzle the Pixie's Crystal or Unicorn Star, or summon all of the Princess' jewels and return them to her (Accept and Complete the "Music Rune" quest to recharge this ability)
  • Pink Gem/Majestic Crown: Using the power of "Healing", you can heal the Pixie's Crystal or Unicorn Star, or you can get an extra chance to defeat the dragons or Goblin King (Accept and Complete the "Healing Rune" quest to recharge this ability)
  • Armillary (to be incorporated): Magi can summon the "Owl", who can provide valuable knowledge that will assist them during a quest (Accept and Complete both Master Magi quests to recharge this ability)
  • Trickster's Crown (to be incorporated): Using the power of "Laughter", Magi can make the kingdom smile by confronting he who put the spider in the queen's cider (Pay a large amount of gold to the Trickster)
  • The Blue Claw (to be incorporated): Magi can instantly summon Xavier into the kingdom (Accept and Complete all 12 quests and the Garden Quest)

Notes

  1. ^ Fleisher, Lisa (2007-11-14). "MagiQuest's creator franchises MB-first game in U.S., Japan". The Sun News. Retrieved 2007-11-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) [dead link]
  2. ^ Colbourne, Scott (2006-07-19). "Lose those Dockers and pick up a sword". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-11-15. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ "Industry News". ScreamScape. 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2009-01-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ [1]

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