Tag Archives: Hogwarts

September 14, 2026 · 20:58

It’s new Jim

That is the setting giving a little homage to Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and he rightfully deserves it. Don’t get me wrong, Karl Urban did a fine job, but I grew up watching the Original cast on TV and lets be clear, Karl was amazing as the little winged Cupid and he was the best judge we have seen in cinema. He looked really like the comic books, but it is not about either characters. There is however some light connection and this story I hand to Avalanche Software. You see, I got to thinking early this morning and I reckoned that backstories make for decent games and whilst we consider series like CSI (which is awesome) the idea of an Auror taking care of business was not greatly shown in Hogwarts Legacy and as such that role needed an update for the second game. But what is a story/vocation when you aren’t vested in the idea? So that’s when I came up with the trials of an Auror. You see, we can all look towards the stages of magic as there is greatness and greatness, but working with limitations is what truly could make a game great. As such we needed to see a magic class that has little magic, not a squib, but perhaps an alchemist derivative, so not magic press, but magically inclined and with additional skills. And as such the Auror Alchemist came to mind. Not a squib, but limited magic with skills. So even as some (namely one) that had the Philosophers stone, but alchemists has a long lineage of magic creatures and this one was driven into a police force as a forensic specialist and as such he was ‘summoned’ to work in Irondale. So this is where the setting starts.

Consider the CSI games and they were fun, but it is settled around statical settings. So what happens when the game is drenched in Hogwarts Legacy (to give it a name) and you need to look at the settings of crimes with a magical aspect and often it needs to be surrounded by muggle settings. As such it becomes a two tiered game. Consider like the crime scenes in Arkham Knight, but not that high tech, the setting however could be used and it needs to be set in both ‘muggle’ and magic challenges, because the evidence needs to ‘satisfy’ common folk (as in non-magical hardworking people) and that is the challenge for Avalanche. I consider the feeling I had with the scene of Potter/Dumbledore finding Slughorn in Budleigh Babberton (yes, I know, it is not a real town). But that setting inspired the idea and it needs to be a serious piece of entertainment. As such the groundwork needs to be done and all kinds of Lore would need to get created and perhaps this would be up to team Avalanche/Rowling. I have no idea how that setting is or works. But I am merely trying to dot the “iiiiii’s” So when the mechanics are given the proper considerations (I used the Batman as a setting, which might work) but there is no high tech, there is a ‘predator’ setting of the room with scents, different looks and a splatter view of substances you see and so on. Like a magical renaissance view of Batman crossed with what a snake might see (they have infrared vision) and link that with a cat and you get a whole new world. Optional these views are evolution views that the Auror could grow/embed. 

And there needs to be decent cases, which is up to Avalanche software to figure out. Can’t expect me to do it all. But I believe that the Wizarding world fans are numerous, so numerous that they will grow that side into a talking about this setting and this optional game (optionally rejected by Avalanche software) to consider. And as this is a Wizarding world setting is is (as I personally see it) the idea is now also co-owned by JK Rowling. 

So, consider the implications of it all, the idea of getting a magic/muggle stage and how to combine that? I think that Arkham Knight had the right setting (and amazing job by Rocksteady Studios) and we cannot tweak it, but we can set this stage in a similar fashion, more renaissance, less high tech and there are also red herrings (not the fish), because when can we see a muggle stage? It might be a more advanced case later in the game. 

As such I feel I have spend my day creatively and it beats looking at the lies from politicians in a stage we massively don’t care about. Personally I think that this could be its own game (or at least should be) whilst parts of this could be transferred (more transformed) into Hogwarts Legacy 2 (if this fits whatever story line Avalanche is considering.

As they say another day, another dollar (in my case, my issues should then be solved by February 10,415 (almost 2 centuries after Paul Atreides is born).  You all have a good one today. My Monday is nearly over and I see now on YouTube that the TIFF is running (Toronto International Film Festival), and rumor has it that Sebastian Stan will be seen there with both arms intact (can someone confirm this please?)

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September 8, 2026 · 16:15

Oink, oink school.

Yes, it is about a school with a winged boar, also known as Hogwarts. I am rewatching (yet again) the 8 movies. Not sure what HBO is bringing us and it will be a while before we get that on Blu-ray/4K, but there it is. And as I was considering a few options to add to the merchandise I got to thinking. The idea of something long term could be used in conjunction with other settings. 

So when I think calendar, I still think of the Lotus Organizer, I had to on Windows 3.1, since then we have had Windows95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows 7, Windows Vista and at least 2 more and nothing ever beat Lotus Organizer, worse for the matter, nothing ever came close. 

So whilst BI people look at outlook, they kinda missed the mark. At that same time Google has a more comfortable calendar, more intuitive and then it started to hit me. What if the Lotus Organizer was remastered/relaunched/reset into a new Organizer, but one with a lot of added choices. Set to Hogwarts, 1 of 4 houses, a separate setting (often personal) and it comes with options, with options to have ‘Hogwarts events’ added to your calendar Hogwarts and house specific settings. It is after all meant for the Wizarding world savvy kids, but one that is also meant for adults. 

There is an additional upscaling issue for Miral, when you are in a place, or planning to be somewhere, you can mark its in your calendar and the calendar can (if you desire) get added events tagged there and not just for the UAE, when you are in any place (New York, London, Paris, Munich) those are but few and as these additions are made, your Mon-Sun calendar will look a lot less empty. There is more, the anniversary and planner settings could also be filled with Hogwarts events and settings. But the idea to create an organizer that is not set to the  needs of Google, Microsoft, IBM and a few other sides might beneficial to Miral and to the UAE. Still, that was not my first priority. My first priority was to redesign a Hogwarts ‘friendly’ calendar. Like to old school calendar that we all had (an optionally loved). The setting is ready as Hogwarts is starting year 1 (yet again) and as I read they are starting filming year 2. As Miral isn’t opening Hogwarts Abu Dhabi until 2029, their departments have plenty of time to create a ‘better’ calendar. This calendar should interact with all the calendars you could have. Google, Microsoft and whatever else is out there. Giving you the option to make the interactions bi directional when they are linked, so that both are correctly updated. And as it gives the school going population a nice addition, this calendar should be on Computer (Mac/PC), tablet and mobile. It also gives Miral the setting to get spread into the Larger Huawei population giving traction and spreading the love (I meant the traction to a much larger population) so whilst the BI people are dead set on proclaiming they do not need Huawei, or Chinese goods. But it is represented by over 3,000,000,000 users over 170 countries. As such there is a need to exploit this situation in the best (and most customer friendly) way around. These gaps are showing up and as I see it (and as Lotus Organizer) was such a good product, there is a point of entry to the consumers at large and there are hundreds of millions of Harry Potter enthusiasts/fans a perfect match for Miral and they have time to get everything ready. This is but the top of the marker. Hogwarts is an 7 year (season)  enterprise and it is important that this is done right and my shot for the hoops (without a second dribble) is to reinvent a good idea to a great idea, one that aligns with the internet of things and see what the innovations of Huawei could bring Miral a consumer base of billions. And even if this setting doesn’t work out, it will provide a customer interest spanning 170 countries and as I see it, Huawei would also need that traction. A match made in the boardrooms everywhere. 
But this is only top of mind thinking. So I wish Miral all the luck in creating the upcoming merchandise. 

There is more
But this is not the only idea, the next one is for Saudi Arabia as they are now the owned of Electronic Arts. EA created in 1988 Battle Chess, it was a cool and decent Chess computer. Wouldn’t it be great if the was rereleased with an additional skin? A wizards chess skin should do that trick, as such the original game might need some tweaking in the graphics department so that it might fit tablets and laptops. There could be some additional tweaks could be made, so that there is an option to play with another person through an internet and or email link. Some people are driven to chess, but perhaps one move per cycle and that cycle could be set to hours, up to a day with a option to freeze the progression (for weekend and other settings) so as we consider that these are merely two options that are set to a larger option for Miral. Optionally they could make a deal with Saudi Arabia to be an exclusive dealer for the Hogwarts theme parks. 

So, in a day I found two additional merchant dish options and one has several additional options coming their way, especially if they could set the larger stage with Huawei. So whilst everyone is jumping at the setting of ‘Canada braces for prolonged trade war as counter-tariffs on US take effect’ I took the time to find more avenues of revenue and I decided to find other venues that most aren’ considering. Aren’t I clever?

Have a great day and consider you only need one wand to use the Cruciatus curse on your enemy.

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September 6, 2026 · 16:35

Mirror, mirror

So, here I was thinking of a few historically documented events (they are called movies now), so in  1937 a man named Walt gave us the recollections of a girl who used to live with several  individuals, namely Warwick David, Peter Dinklage, Kenny Baker, Mike Edmonds, Malcolm Dixon, George Claydon and David Rappaport. They all worked in the mining industry. But then I saw this so called ‘evil person’ with a magic mirror and then I saw it, that bitch was a Technomage. She was using a magic mirror (aka raspberry pie fitted two way mirror) to set the stage. What an evil wench. Well, two can play that game and as the idea took hold of me, I starting to consider.

So what if a new place like Warner Brothers Abu Dhabi had this gimmick, a mirror that is also a communicator. It links to your mobile and allows two way communication with whomever you are talking to. The idea is to apply a filter (through the app) that gives it that magical shine. And taking the elements of Hogwarts, there are 4 options. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor, the all have the same filters except two, these are house driven. A smoky filter (Yellow, Blue, Green and Red) and now, as we are now 89 years later, we have basically mastered miniaturization and we can make it a lot smaller. I would argue that each house has two options, the mirror you can set on your desk and a smaller one that you can fit in a bag, and when you answer the call, the mobile sends it to the mirror. I would argue that you could have 4 buttons on the mirror so you can call your 4 best friends, optionally these buttons are on the frame, so that the buttons can be a little bigger and the 5th on the mirror initializes the call. Wouldn’t that gimmick (original ‘creator’ the evil bitch from Walt’s company) fit nicely in the arsenal of merchandise that could be created and there are a few months before the new TV series start and I reckoned that the Abu Dhabi park opens up either in that same time, but the article tells us that this part of WB will open I 2029, as such Miral (the operator in Abu Dhabi) has time to look at the the options to create this merchandise for real and create alternatives. Or, at least investigate whether this idea could be made real. And from there they could offer it to the Wizarding World for real. A small idea to hand to Miral is that the United States is almost out of cash, so handing them credit might not be the best idea. 

Well that is it for me and this idea came out of the yellow (I’m a Hufflepuffer). In other news Blooloop confirmed two days ago “Warner Bros. has confirmed that the Harry Potter area in its Abu Dhabi theme park will be the only one in the world to feature recreations of the iconic Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley locations, as well as a Forbidden Forest.

We got last week (1st September) when Warner Bros. released a teaser video for the expansion at its annual ‘Back to Hogwarts’ event.” The video can be seen (at https://blooloop.com/news/harry-potter-abu-dhabi-lands) so at present you know as much as I do, apart from the innovative ideas that are forming in my mind to upgrade the mirror setting. Oh, as we are also given (by Blooloop)“Currently, the only theme park home to a recreation of Diagon Alley is Universal Studios Florida. A scale model of Hogwarts is found in the neighbouring Islands of Adventure, and although it is connected to Universal Studios Florida by a replica of the Hogwarts Express train, it is a completely separate park.”

So that’s it for today and I need to think of another filter to make the mirror ‘more’ magical and why stop at 2? The idea to insert the house crest in your communication is also an idea and there is more. The idea to link the apps that you have to the mirror when you are not communicating, as such whatever app is on your mobile (like accio dobby) or whatever the app world has to offer now, just thinking out of the box.

Have a great day today.

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August 28, 2026 · 17:26

A badger by another name

This is the setting and I just dreamt it up. Whether it was because I recently rewatched the 3 fantastic beasts movies (which I think it was) or as I had played Hogwarts Legacy, anyones guess is good enough. So as these elements united in my brain, it went to create a 4th Fantastic beasts movie. As such the title is Tea Bee Dee (To be determined) and no matter what or who gets involved, this IP is now property of JK Rowling. She made up the Wizarding World, she decides what happens. I cannot control what my brain conceives, but I can make sure that the people behind this become owner of this IP. That is just how I roll and I created enough unique IP to do this. 

Central Park
Jacob Kowalski was walking with his wife Queenie on the arm, it was a summer afternoon and they were enjoying the warm weather and the soft smell of grass in New York. Over the years his bakery had done well and even as his students are now in charge of the bakery, he could never resist taking charge and making all the fine trimming a little bit more awesome. The students (all three of them)( had come to expect and respect this. It was a good job and he was a good boss. His wife didn’t interfere and when she came down with a new strudel, it was to be expected that noses would soften at the delightful smell of the pastries she made. So as they were walking as close as they could, summer seemed the very delightful thing they could wish for. In the back there were children laughing over ice cream and there was a small kart handing out ice creams. “You want some darling?” Jacob invited and queenie smiled. She loved vanilla ice cream. They walked over to the vendor and Jacob bought one vanilla for Queenie and a strawberry for himself. He paid and they walked on enjoying ice cream. As they walked on the sky grew darker, queenie became a little rigid, she threw her eyes left and right. Jacob knew that this meant things were about to get serious. He looked at her and she looked around. He pointed at the edge of central park but the shook her head. There were too many people there. Jacob did not know what to do and Queenie took his hand and they ran towards the lake. Suddenly it was there a creature part Tiger, part elephant the tall seems to be of an ox [I later looked this up, it is a Baku].

Queenie used her wand to deflect the creature and whilst she did this, she also looked worried about what would happen next, because this creature was immensely strong. She put the wand towards her head and spoke a word. Jacob couldn’t hear what she said. He merely heard the words “I love you husband” and suddenly a jolt went into Queenie as she went rigid and the world turned dark. 

Magical Congress of the United States of America
Jacob Kowalski was still groggy when he looked at his surroundings. He recognised the place, but he had not been here for a long long time. He looked around and a lady in an elegant dress approached her. Mr Kowalski, My name is Beatrice Bishop, I am the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. We called for your sister in law, Iter Praesidentiale Hogsmeade Britanniae Goldstein, we are trying to reach her, but we are currently not aware where she is. Let me be the first to offer my condolences on the loss of your wife a sad setting. Do you know what happened? Jacob gave a rundown what happened and explained that he was not aware. He was confused and a intense sadness overcame him. The loss of Queenie was more than he had ever conceived and it was killing him. 

A man came over to Beatrice and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and excused herself from Jacob for a moment. Sh walked away and the man offered a paper, she liked at it and talked for a minute. She then nodded again and she handed the letter back to the man. She walked back to Jacob. Mr. Kowalski, a friend of yours, two friends have offered their condolences and asked you to come visit them in a place called Hogsmeade. Professor Dumbledore and a band named Newt Scamander. Are you willing to visit them now? Jacob felt a light brush of positivity when he said yes. But Queenie, what about her? Beatrice Bishop stated that nothing will happen until her sister is found and in the meantime he might be better away from it all. She beckoned Jacob to follow him. A man approached them and she waived him away. “This I do myself” she stated and the man stepped back. She took Jacob by the arm and pointed to a large empty fireplace. This is what we call a floo spot. I am not certain if you know it, but we will go to Hogsmeade together. She merely grabbed a handful of sand from a little cauldron attached to the beam of the fireplace and stated clearly “Iter Praesidentiale Hogsmeade Britanniae” and suddenly they were doused in green flames and a second later they arrived at the southern edge of Hogsmeade. She let go of Jacob and walked towards the square. She saw professor Dumbledore and Newt Scamander. She bowed to them both and handed them Jacob. “He doesn’t remember, but I reckon you can deal with that. We are trying to find her sister Porpentina at present. I will let you know when that happens and invite you both as well. Newt and Albus nodded in agreement, she bowed to both man, then turned to Jacob, deeply bowed to him and stated “I regret your loss in this matter, you have my condolences” she turned around and walked back to the floo spot, she grabbed some floo powder she spoke something clearly and vanished. 

Hogsmeade
Newt embraced Jacob. I am so sorry to hear this. Lets get you inside, we are just around the corner of the Hog’s Head Inn. They walked to the Hog’s Head Inn and entered. Aberforth was already waiting and bowed to Jacob. Mr. Kowalski, nice to see you again. I prepared a bed for you upstairs and I am preparing some food. He gave him a glass of giggle water. You’re preferred poison If I remember correctly. Jacob nodded. “Hey don’t forget the beef, it has been on the fire a little too long” Newt and Albus looked at Jacob. Jacob wondered how he knew that. Newt looked at Dumbledore with a puzzled look and them thought as loud as he could. Jacob looked at him and stated I has strawberry ice cream and Queenie had vanilla ice cream. What? What is going on with me?

The Dumbledores and Newt exchanged looks. Aberforth stated, I am empty for now, but he needs special care soon. They agreed. Newt stated to Jacob. It is only for a night, but tomorrow we are taking you to Hogwarts. We need to set a few things in motion first. Jacob nodded and as Albus Dumbledore and Newt left the Hog’s Head Inn, Jacob solemnly tended to the stew handed to him, it came with decent bread with garlic. The sadness radiated from his face.

The end of part one

As my mind can set these situations in seconds I had a lot more, but my arm is tired now. In the next setting they learn that Jacob has received the abilities of Queenie and he seemingly is part man part wizard. They will grant him access to Hogwarts and he is put in Hufflepuff house. It has a separate part that only the head of Hufflepuff and the heady of Hufflepuff have access to. There are barrels inside house Hufflepuff and one of them has a frog chiseled on it, it can only be used in combination with shackles and only the heady and the head of Hufflepuff can access it, no one knows of it. The day after they learn the extent of what queenie did, but not why or what. They learn that after the first part. There is also the setting of a new part of Hufflepuff. It is below house Hufflepuff and has ways directly to the infirmary and the kitchens. That part has its own house elf. It is not a prison, there are no real views, but the room is large and comfortable and the snacks will allow travel to the infirmary and the headmaster room. The shackle is a portly of sorts, with limited abilities and it is put in place magically above the elbow. 

For the most I merely got part done (In a day, so that’s not bad) and we learn that no-one can find Tina and Newt learns that the creature was a Japanese Baku, but these are rare even in Asia, they have no idea how one got to be in New York. As such there is need for Net to go to New York (with Jacob) and whilst job gets more skilled in basic magic, he is adjusting like a fish in water. They go to Olivanders to get a wand and there they learn that he is drawn to Hinoki made wands. Olivander only has two of those and advices that he might be better off with a wand from Mahoutokoro he would have Cherry wood wands but for now the Hindi will have to do. And we learn that Tina was looking into a Japanese thief who stole abilities of wizards and witches though the Baku. As far as It goes, this is as far as I got, perhaps JK Rowling can make more of this. This is her IP now. 

Have a great day all. This was an unexpected travel into my mind, but all travel is cool. So whether she wants to pursue this, use this for Hogwarts Legacy 2 or simply reject this is up to her.

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January 1, 2026 · 04:49

The games we cherish

We (namely gamers) have a weird knack. When we go ‘gaga’ for a game we cannot help but try to improve upon it in our minds, optionally create new IP based on that game. In 2012 I created Elder Scrolls VI (now basically VII) and after Bethesda was bought by Microsoft, I thought it might be better to put parts of this on my blog, but now ‘altered’ to fit new IP and I basically handed it to anyone making games for non Microsoft systems. I thought it was a good idea to create new IP to cater to the new game designers. I also came up with a new idea of setting a larger combat setting, so that we would not fall for the usual culprits (by stepping out of that combat area, a new way to increase the deadliness of the NPC and I used an idea that Vint Cerf created and gave it new life, but now in gaming. I reckon that this was never done before, so there was a nice niche for that designer. This background was slightly needed as I created an idea for the upcoming (somewhere in the future) of Hogwarts Legacy 2, there is no real timeline, but several sources tell bye that Avalanche Software is on the ball. That didn’t stop me from slapping my mind about for some quick fixes and I wrote about this in the past in two blogs I gave Avalanche Software the ideas, free of charge. I did put one small barricade in place, because as I see it, Hogwarts is the IP of JK Rowling and I have no idea how this is set in the corridors of Avalanche Software, as such the small barricade was that they get it (still free of charge) only with the approval of JK Rowling. 

It seems flimsy, but I believe that IP is holy, messing with it is not my forte. As such I keep some ideas and they go straight to JK Rowling, because she owns that IP. As such I cover myself in some protection and no-one can come and go with the setting “But he gave this to us”. To prevent that, all Hogwarts related idea become property of JK and if she doesn’t approve no harm was done. 

Anyway, I was thinking or speculating on what HL2 would be like, and that is a waste of my time, so I thought that it might be an idea to set a threshold in place. As such we get a condition if you transfer you HL character. And if done splendidly, you get to do that 4 times. And that was how I came up with the setting of a part (could be a DLC) where your Hufflepuff character could become a junior wand-maker (at Olivanders) the small scene at Azkaban gave the idea that people from Ravenclaw could get one of three jobs at Azkaban, Slytherin gets to be a ministry of Magic employee and Gryffindorians become Aurors, it came with a few ideas. First it shouldn’t impact the game, so it might be either DLC, or unrelated at the end of the game where you could get into that phase after you do the main story (or graduate from Hogwarts) in any way, it shouldn’t interfere with the main game (because that would be a pig move) the added benefit is that you get a lot more if you have to replay HL to get into the other houses, but I reckon that most Harry Potter Fans have played it for every house already, so that makes the threshold rather slim. 

There was some idea where there were more jobs, and the idea was that one is perfect for the house you were in, but there would be the setting where Hufflepuff students could get a smaller function in Azkaban (the Ravenclaw choice) as would the Gryffindor student, on the other side we have Slytherin they are fit for the ministry, but there Gryffindor and Hufflepuff could get a smaller job. And so on, as such you get to play 3 jobs (not at the same time). It was merely a thought and it would enable larger lore to be created and given a larger setting towards the magical world. I took this idea and put it here for Avalanche Software to capture the idea and make it their own (if JK Rowling approves). I am adamant about the latter part of this as I consider JK Rowling to be the owner of the original IP, then as I got into this stage of Harry Potter there were more sides that I was thinking of, but in this case I will refrain from (for now) as I have no idea what Avalanche is doing. And I have no intent on getting into their fairway. 

In that same setting I had (before Microsoft bought it) an idea for Fallout 5, not the story, but a wrinkle to connect your Fallout Shelter profile to fallout 5 and it would transfer up to a shelter (your active shelter) to create that shelter in Fallout 5 as a standalone mission, and the programming needs to transfer that shelter into a 3D image and as it is a 2D presentation, there needs to be a setting where the corridors are automatically created, I had some ideas on that too and when you get that, you can have your own shelter in Fallout 5, with some additional safety (security) settings and a few security gimmicks. All part of the idea and that is merely what my mind was up to and there is a lot more, but I wanted to start the new year thinking of games, not on the political disasters playing now. This is not the day to make that happen, but gaming can be done any day of the week, including day 1 of 2026.

So have a great day and enjoy yourself either already in the new year of following us when you get there. Enjoy the festivities today.

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August 2, 2025 · 21:20

As Hogwarts expands

That is the setting. We are given ‘Miral extends deadline for tender to build Abu Dhabi’s ‘Harry Potter’ land’ (at https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/miral-construction-tender-harry-potter-land-abu-dhabi/) the quote is that “Miral has extended a bid submission deadline for a tender to build the new Harry Potter-themed land at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island. Per a report from Middle East media publishing company MEED, the deadline has been extended from 28 July to 4 August.” Implying that next week the Start of a  $545 million – $816m expansion is due to begin. And in addition we are given “Three new rides in Harry Potter land Miral announced the Middle East’s first Harry Potter-themed land in 2022. It will feature iconic locations from the Wizarding World, as well as three new rides, retail outlets, and F&B facilities. The 40,000 M2 addition to Warner Bros. World will join six existing zones in the park – Warner Bros. Plaza, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch, Cartoon Junction, Gotham City and Metropolis.” As such The staff of Hogwarts will have to endure a rush of people howling “Yabadabadoo” whilst assaulting the death eaters. These death eaters are in a pincer setting as the other side will be shouting “Yibbity-Yabbity-Doo!”, those poor death eaters won’t know what hit them (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)

And as I see it, the quote “Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Miral, said: “This is yet another testament to our commitment to continue to position Yas Island as a top global destination for entertainment and leisure, and a great addition to Abu Dhabi’s tourism offerings, contributing to the growth and economic diversification of the emirate.”” Is not entirely accurate. It is that international tourism will see Abu Dhabi as a much more appealing destination and with the ‘idiocy’ (as I personally see it) settings that America is setting with immigration, the costly ‘visa integrity fee’ and several other settings. So as I see it, Universal just dished out $7.7 billion USD (Hogwarts is merely a part of it) and the other park in Orlando will have a rather large problem. With the Hogwarts expansion, Yas Island becomes the most appealing choice for a whole flock of tourists, now definitely deciding that there will be a viable alternative for Orlando, and when Disney arrives in 2027/2028 also on Yas Island, Florida will see the largest downfall in economy they have ever had. When millions of tourists will select Abu Dhabi over Florida, the rest will become a mere escalation of something you could have seen coming miles away. But not to worry, I had the setting in view even as the media seems to be coming up short. In addition Abu Dhabi has the Formula 1® Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 4-7 December 2025. I have no idea yet when the 2026 race is on, but for a lot of people combining the two would be preferable. Also there is a lot more around Yas Island. And the UAE has a much better visa setting where it is offered at a mere fraction of what America offers it. The setting was debatable (at best) when America was the only option, but that hasn’t been the case for almost 4 years. So now as America is bleeding money in almost every direction, the people in Europe, Canada, UK, India, Australia, New Zealand and China will consider Abu Dhabi and Yas Island as their destination in 2026, 2027 and 2028. So how many million of people will seek their preferred choice in EuroDisney (Paris), Efteling (Netherlands) and parks in Belgium, Sweden and several others. A setting that was there from the start. 

A setting that will also propel the UAE as a global tourist destination. They already were that, but the millions of Harry Potter fans had Florida, London and Tokyo in their sight, with Abu Dhabi added to the HP arsenal, I reckon that Florida (at present) is allegedly decently  much done for.

Have a great day and when in Abu Dhabi try the Emirati Chabab, it is a famous dish and decently yummy. 

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March 26, 2025 · 00:43

In dubio

That is where I am at the moment, I am in a state of ‘when in doubt’. To give you the full picture I have to go back to (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2022/11/27/it-starts-with-options/) when on November 27th 2022 I wrote ‘It starts with options’ at that point I wrote in a single setting an addendum to the entire Harry Potter stage and I added the stage to add jobs to Hogwarts Legacy. In this case I created the wand-maker setting for the game, or better Hogwarts Legacy 2, to evolve the game you need to add specialization to the game and I added jobs. To add replay ability to a game I am in favor to set this to a wider session, as such I considered that a job is only available to three houses, and in one house it gives you a bonus throughout the game. You learn that lore in the first stage of the game, through books and notes I reckon. So that was the first setting I set out, yet today as I play the fourth time the game (last week) and I just watched (yet again) Harry Potter and the Half Blood prince. A thought occurred to me and I almost got to write is down.

So what’s keeping me?
Well, that is harder to explain. The initial writings was set to the game, there was no IP violation made and as I offered the text for free to Avalanche software (the people behind Hogwarts Legacy), I feel good about it. Add value to an IP I adore and handing it over to the makers seems like a good idea. Now it is different. I thought of an extension to either Hogwarts Legacy (as a DLC) or part of Hogwarts Legacy 2. This is still ok with me, however I might like it better if Avalanche Software would hand me (a copy) of the letter from JK Rowling of showing her blessing for the addition. I consider the wizarding world stuff the ownership of JK Rowling.

The addition I had in mind are the setting where the creation of creatures comes under fire. Side missions that teach you more about the creation of the Inferi (in this case) on who created it and how it is down. Then unravel the curse lessening the power of this and diminish the inferi in the game. There are two settings. One making the amount of inferi less, the second is making the level of inferi less and set the lower powered inferi to zero. I am not clear on how to proceed, then there are a few creatures that can have a similar setting, but I tend to be the believer in balancing a game, so as the inferi are lessened, another creature gets more powerful (or more of them). For example you reduce the inferi, the spiders can become more powerful. These are mere simple considerations I am making in the progress of creating lore for a game. 

And to that effect, also create a house setting. As I see it, that mission is different for a Slytherin as the game gives a dark wizard a more powerful option and if we consider the game. All houses can do it and I will remain possible, but the owner of dark spells get a more powerful outcome and members of the house of Slytherin gets a bonus option. It is still a simple thought which I haven’t ironed out yet in my brain, but that is the setting my brain is thinking off (at present).

Having house dependent side missions might be a good way to set the bar in the next game. Another setting is that this could be done in more ways. So let’s keep it to the Inferi mission. In that mission, you any house can get the mission if they clean out an inferi layer, but a book in house Slytherin gets them a prequel mission, that becomes a more powerful stage to resolve it and get a bonus to the inferi layer mission, which in this case I call the Finite Inferi achievement. 

I always loved replay ability for any RPG game, but as I saw in the Bethesda games, doing the same thing over and over again tends to become boring and for the most part Hogwarts Legacy is no different. But the first mission involving Jackdaw was a revelation, four different ways to get there, the rest remains the same, but as we create more settings, we can enjoy the same game in different ways for much longer than we ever considered and jobs was one way, the houses are another way to give more options to the joy of gaming and as we gain that setting we could also opt for your own place to live with the option to modify your house your way and the setting is that you can only own one house and every house student (or former house student) can only own one house, they can buy a different house later on (more expensive), but the old house will be lost to you. I also thought of the mission where you could restore and own the house of Professor Rackham, it is where the game begins. This gave me the idea to incorporate the Wizarding world currency and push the use of Knuts, Sickles and Galleons. Yet the galleons are the ‘big incomes’ and that is required to get enough to own the bigger houses and at some point when you have enough it will open up a special venture. These are mere thoughts, but it is a direction that Avalanche can go for. So now wonder what is keeping some big game makers to become innovative in their strides, but that might merely be me.

Have a great day, I am almost at the midweek. I got there 43 minutes ago. Vancouver has to wait (or work) for another 15 hours to get there too. 

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July 21, 2024 · 20:33

Credit where credit is due

I was in a setting where I had to look at YouTube videos of the Hogwarts theme parks in Orlando and Tokyo. I saw a lot more than that. I also saw some Disney World places (for different reasons) and it struck me that there is a lot that is the same. I do not men Hogwarts, I meant that the Universal sites all work on the same premise. Now, this is to be expected, however the Disney places and the Universal places are a lot alike, more alike than unalike. 

This is not any kind of critique, it just is the way it is. Then we get the Abu Dhabi Warner Brothers world. Now they are all excellent in their own way and if you are a Harry Potter fan as I am, an uneasy feeling comes over me. Don’t get me wrong, these places, there is nothing wrong with them. As I said, they are too much alike. It seems that we are all pushed in the same box (painted in some colour). 

It then struck me that I might be too spoiled. I grew up in the Netherlands. As I can see it, there is nothing like The Efteling, besides the Efteling. Yes, it too has rides others have, but the setting of the Efteling, with a lot of Anton Pieck favoured styles is basically unique. In this places like UAE (Abu Dhabi) or Saudi Arabia (Riyadh or Dammam) might be in need of an Efteling styled theme park and it does not need to be a copy. The Efteling has a fairy tale forest and in Europe they strike a chord with these fairy tales. But a desert place where we can see the fairy tales like they exist in the Arabic nations would have a national and international appeal. There are “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor”, “The Enchanted Horse” and many more. I think that most Arabic Fairy tales come from the 1001 nights book, but I could be wrong there. You see the world needs more that a Universal setting. The Efteling has earned its place amongst the theme parks with the highest awards. In 2020 they had more visitors than Disney Paris. I believe that the fairy tale forest gave the people something they had forgotten. In this I blame Disney, they fed us what to like and didn’t inquire what people would like (the cost of the park and the waiting times at rides might have been a contributing factor). So as we turn to the UAE (or Saudi Arabia) for what to seek, the international market might like an original fairy tale forest with unique stories. Optionally stories from other places like Indonesia as well. In this I feel that an Efteling approach might give people another way to look at things. There is still enough space for places like Warner Brothers, Universal or Disney. Yet consider the aging IP, as such a new park can be done in the ‘trend’ of Efteling, but need not be a copy. 

There could be stories that would be present in both, no doubt about it.

There is the Gardener and the Fakir, I saw this on my first visit in the 60’s, it never lost its appeal to me, not ever when I saw it again in the late 90’s. Then there is ‘het spook slot’ (the haunted castle).

It is now either already demolished or it in the process on demolition, to make space for something new. That place had been around since 1978, I saw it in its first year which was my birthday present. The attraction had remained active for over 40 years, the show shown there which lasted about 7 minutes took an estimated 800 people per hour. And this was based on technology we had at that point. As far as I can see, unique experiences and there is more to be seen. But in reality, who has actually read the book 1001 nights? Wouldn’t it be great if someone had a different theme park based on Arabic lore? 

There are many ways to do this. I still believe that ride like pirates of the Caribbean with the boats, but they take you on a show though several fairy tales, narrated by Sheherezade. The ride would be about 15 minutes, taking you to the next stage which would be on foot showing you more fairy tales with rest rooms and snack sites, after that another boat ride of the same length and that is one side of the tracks. Then we could do more walking and see places like the Gardener and the Fakir and other places. The problem is a lot needs to be ‘in house’. These two places are just too warm in summer. In a previous article. I discussed part of this in Ratatouille (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2023/11/20/ratatouille/) I had some ideas based on droomvlucht (Dream Flight) but now set on a magic carpet like a real Aladdin. An expansion for the Warner Brothers park, but it could become its own place, with new attractions and a wholesome dive into Arabic fairy tales and It could be in Saudi Arabia for pretty much the same reason. You see, the lesson that places like Disney never learned was that there is something like saturation. ‘More’ at some point becomes ‘too much’ and infrastructures tend to collapse when we reach the ‘too much’ point. I cannot speculate here, it requires an econometrist with serious skills to make a better estimate. I perceive it to be a setting of balance. If the theme park is in the left hand, you need something another kind of fun in the right hand, so that balance can be reached. What that is? Not sure, but I imagine that Abu Dhabi with its waterpark, zoo and Warner Brothers has a seemingly good grasp of this balance. So is that the right place for this new park? I cannot tell, but it seems so sad that they are all copying Disney and Universal and the idea of another Efteling with its own unique features and a dozen global awards is largely ignored and thy aren’t just any awards. They won in 1972 the Pomme d’Or and in 2018 the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) award. Disney lost out on both that is one hell of an achievement. Especially as the Efteling has nowhere near the cash Disney has. 

But that is merely my point of view in this matter, enjoy the day, Monday is a mere 3 hours away for me.

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February 15, 2023 · 23:14

Evolving a game

That is the matter, it is part of any game if it was designed properly and I have to tell you that Hogwarts Legacy is a lot better than most reviewers see. There are a few good reviewers (except the one in Wired) and as I am not at 50% of the game at 30 hours of play with one character, I have to admit that this game has so much more than anyone realised. I do accept that like all RPG games there is a little too much fetch this, fetch that and go here, go there. But the way it is done, whilst giving you a choice of HOW you approach this game is brilliant. Avalanche software outdid themselves. But it is not about the now. My mind evolved this game into what is next. You see when you have a strong foundation and that is the golden bullet in any game. You see, we can consider what is next, some of the stories are just that good and even if it is not all about Hogwarts, you do get a larger setting to consider. 

To see this I need to take you to another game. A game masterminded by Richard Garriott. He created Sosaria and he mapped it, more important the map was basically the same in Ultima 3, Ultima 4, Ultima 5, Ultima 6 and Ultima 7. The graphics were upgraded and Ultima 7 was as perfect a game as any RPG every released. It is one of the few times I gave a game a review of 100%. 

But that never left my mind and it is time for Hogwarts to consider the next step. You see it will be soon when some want a DLC and that is fine, but what happens when they release the next version, something of bolster Hogwarts legacy? For example Hogwarts learnings? The map perhaps a little larger but with a part of France now added with the Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons? As the main character you become an Auror and how you get there is how you played the first game. With added places like London and Paris (these are always played at night), and a new story as an Auror. As this game is around 20 years AFTER Hogwarts Legacy and long before the Potters became a thing, or the events that started the Chamber of secrets. Different environments, different creatures and different challenges. If they can produce a capturing storyline they have a setting that could be big in 2024/2025. And the way the people embrace this game, it has every chance to do so again, especially if the second run is 4 times the size of this one. We forgot about evolution at times, it happens, because most of us see games as they used to be, a once off event. But games evolve and the gamer that embraces a franchise evolves too. And perhaps it is not France, but wherever Durmstrang is, or its American equivalent. There are a few options and perhaps Portkey games embraces these options, or perhaps they will not, but they have the option and they have it as they made heads turn. I am still a realist, so far I have found half a dozen glitches, only one annoying and I crashed once, but that is it and for a game of this size that is quite the achievement. Especially compared to a game playing in France filled with dozens upon dozens of bugs (not glitches) as such these makers did an amazing job. I cannot wait until I get more done in the game. I stopped because I remember the impact of non-stop gaming and I did 8 hours today. Tomorrow I can do more, so far this is the best investment in gaming I have made in at least two years and I do not regret buying the other games. But that is excellence for you. 

Have a great day and remember to embrace the games you really love, no matter what game it is.

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February 8, 2023 · 00:16

Wands, Witches and Wizards

To get to the good stuff, that yummie chocolaty centre we need to make a small detour and it matters.

Prelude
I have been a huge Skyrim fan. I bought the game on 11/11/11 and to the best of my knowledge it is pretty much the best RPG ever seen. I played it on Xbox360, Playstation 3, then the Legendary edition on PS4 and Xbox One and the Anniversary version on PS5. The game is close to perfect. This matters because it took someone 11 years to get there and surpass it. Avalanche got there and had room to spare. They upped the bar for quality gaming by a lot. 

Start
The previous part is important. This is not a Harry Potter game, it is an open world RPG with a wizarding world theme and they did one hell of a job. As stated it plays a century before the boy who lived came into the picture and what was done is as close to perfect as I have ever seen it. I am not fussed about the 1-2 second delays with some of exit parts of Hogwarts, it is a lot better then anything else and this matters. So far I played 10 hours and I got 4% done. This game is huge, the castle is huge and you will get lost there, but there are options (censoring spoilers). The world outside of Hogwarts is huge, optionally larger than Skyrim, but it is not a comparison, Hogwarts is so large it will strike you in many ways. I started as a Ravenclaw student (I like blue), but I already know that I will play the game three more times to see everything, Gryffindor most likely last. What does matter is that you will recognise parts and classrooms as you saw them in the movies, but that feeling of discovery does not wane and it merely improves and gets larger as you see more and more. Weirdly enough I lost my life three times and got to redo the fight. The game is invigorating and it leaves you with a sense of accomplishment as you progress. The game has puzzles, some are simple, some are devilishly evil and never boring. This game is for anyone who loves RPG and even more for those who love the (Harry Potter) wizarding world. 

You will see things, you will seek things and you will wonder and try to figure things out. The game is truly a step forward and I was speechless more than once. The important thing to realise is that I did not play it in 4K, I do not own a 4K TV and even then the game overwhelms. So, I reckon that once I have one of those puppies, this game will overwhelm even more. 

No matter how you slice it Avalanche software created something we all hope for and we never got it. Well, this time around this player (Avalanche) delivered. Avalanche created a new level gameplay so close to perfection, you are in for a treat. Any hater of this game is as I personally see it simple and stupid. People who dislike RPG’s might not go for this, but I urge them to try (if possible), If you disliked the Harry Potter movies, this game as an RPG is still fulfilling in several ways. This is definitely one of those must buy titles. But I do get that those who dislike RPG and Harry Potter will not go for it, but that should not make them haters, merely a gamer with other interests. 

Consequence
There is a consequence and it is for Bethesda and Microsoft. You see Avalanche has raised the bar after 11 years. Skyrim was the game everyone compared to and that is now no longer the case. It makes sense because it took 11 years to improve on it and Avalanche does pull that off. Yet for Bethesda and Microsoft it becomes a new issue. Starfield (which looks AWESOME) and whatever Elder Scrolls title comes next needs to be a lot better then this and that is a massively tall order. You cannot put them next to one another, but there will be comparisons and if these two RPG games fall flat next to Hogwarts Legacy their goose is pretty much cooked. I did not know what to expect but a game this good is a little overwhelming and possibly the other two titles will be better, but I have to say, it will be a herculean task for Bethesda. Avalanche the next generation of RPG that is never to be underestimated. 

Hogwarts Legacy is not merely a Harry Potter game, it is an open world RPG that will knock your socks off, that latter part I did not see coming. Well done Avalanche! And I would not be surprised if WB will turn this game into a TV series, the storyline is that good as are the locations (many we never saw in the movies). I reckon it will be a few months that WB will turn this 200 hour game (estimated) in a series with several seasons, but that is sheer speculation from my side.

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