Harry Potter - Quidditch, Sorcerer's Stone?

Thanks to two different readers for submitting Harry Potter game-related stories. On the one hand, a recent IGN Cube interview talks with EA about Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, an interesting sports game concept if ever there was one. According to EA, "..there's a progress from Hogwarts to working your way up a World Cup ladder. I can confirm that Viktor Krum (who appears in book 4) is in the game--which is appropriate since he's the 'Michael Jordan' of Quidditch in a sense." On the other hand, the ever rumor-spreading C+VG site are claiming that next-gen versions of Harry Potter And The Sorceror's Stone are scheduled for later in 2003, based on a leaked release schedule, since there has only a Playstation 1 console version of the first movie/book so far - this is far from confirmed, however.

Comments

this is good news

[toddhunter]

The only change I would recommend for the next-gen versions is they actually make the game half-decent.
I wonder how the sports game will work though. I presume you will be able to switch between the different players and the roles. But in this case wouldn't it always just be best to be the seeker and use your advantage over the AI to win the game?

Re:this is good news

[bmorton]

Ever play Final Fantasy X? The blitzball game was an awful lot like quidditch. Just a thought.

I hope that the game is half-decent, myself. Maybe my mother won't make me play it thru it for her. ;)

-B

I can't believe they're making this.

[Tediak]

The rules for Quidditch are so insane. Essentially, almost all the time, the seeker is the one who wins the game. 150 points for one individuals accomplishments, it might work in fiction with a protagonist, but it's horrid for an actual game.

Re:I can't believe they're making this.

[Schnapple]

Yeah was I the only one who, when they read the rules for Quidditch, immediately thought of Calvinball?

Re:I can't believe they're making this.

[matlokheed]

The rules for Quidditch are also noted in the books for being insane. Matches were known for going on for days with substitutions being made to allow players to get some sleep.

Since games are usually balanced in the player's favor, particularly sports games, I'd imagine they'd just make the golden snitch catchable a lot more easily and that would allow the player to progress. If they'd want to balance it, all they'd have to do is take out the 150 point sweep which balances because the leader is expending resources on catching the snitch while the other team is working to catch up.

Re:I can't believe they're making this.

[Anonymous Coward]

yep, you were the only one!

Philosopher's Stone

[trouser]

On behalf of the rest of the English speaking world I'd just like to remind everybody here that the book is actually called 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'.

The American publishers elected to change the title to appeal to an American audience. There's a list of changes made to the rest of the book circulating on the net. Seems like at least one word/phrase was changed on every page of the book so that American readers wouldn't be confronted by the realisation that people in other countries have different names for common items and can spell properly. (Aluminium)

Re:Philosopher's Stone

[Anonymous Coward]

You're new here, aren't you?

Re:Philosopher's Stone

[tdelaney]

More importantly, "Sorcerer's stone" has no meaning, whilst the "Philosopher's stone" is an age-old myth (and the Holy Grail of alchemists since time immemorial).

The US publishers judged the intelligence of the US public and found them wanting. I haven't seen too many comments on this issue to prove them wrong.

Re:Philosopher's Stone

[PainKilleR-CE]

(Aluminium)

Not the best choice of examples of proper spelling, since Aluminum was the name chosen by the man that discovered the metal in the first place, whereas Aluminium was someone's else's idea of spelling the name so that it would conform to the ending of many other elements' names.

In other words, Aluminium is a matter of conformance, not a matter of correct spelling. Much like the changes in the book are a matter of either arrogance on the part of British publishers or a sincere wish to pander to the largest possible audience. Either way, I'd rather have my books in the English in which they were written, or the best possible translation of their native language, preferably with the original language version included.

Re:Philosopher's Stone

[elveu]

umm it wasn't the british publishers who changed it it was scholastic (the us publishers) as you might note the book was first released and written in Britain, so i'd say it's a fair chance that they're not the ones who made the changes.

Re:Philosopher's Stone

[PainKilleR-CE]

Then that would leave us with a sincere wish to pander to the largest possible audience, now wouldn't it?

Either way, it comes down to the author or her representatives allowing them to change the book for the US audience, which I think is a load of crap.

cool

[Boromir son of Faram]

I'm glad to see they're updating the game for the newer generation of video game systems. I'm a little skeptical of the EA Quidditch game. Lots of folks have pointed out that since each game must necessarily end with a 150-point swing, it doesn't make a lot of sense from a sporting point of view. I guess this is to be expected considering that J.K. Rowling, as a single mother, probably wasn't very caught up on sports when she conceived of it. Maybe they'll make the value of grabbing the Snitch a configurable option. 30 points would be about right, IMHO.

Also, it'll be interesting to see how the new book affects the upcoming HP games. There's a new Quidditch move introduced in Order of the Phoenix, and it actually sounds pretty cool. Also, I wonder if they might add some more emphasis on Sirius Black's role in Sorcerer's Stone, considering he dies. Either way, I can't wait to see how the new games measure up to the Harry that we all know and love.

Re:cool

[watchful.babbler]

I wonder if they might add some more emphasis on (deleted)'s role in Sorcerer's Stone, considering he dies.

Dear God, Slashdot actually gets through most of a week without dropping a major spoiler, and now you have to do it for them?!!?!

That's it. I'm gonna read at +5 from now on....

Re:cool

[Gulthek]

Zero points would be pretty much perfect for catching the golden snitch -- it should just end the game. Then the seekers' roles in the game become much more strategic, i.e. one seeker (whose team is ahead) will try to snag the snitch when it appears before his/her team can fall behind, while the other would be trying to prevent that from happening until his/her team manages to take the lead.

As it stands right now, Quiddich isn't really a team sport but a device that looks like a team sport and allows Harry to be a superstar all on his own.

Re:cool

[MaverickUW]

There's one part that everyone seems to forget about when they dog on the 150 point win. The standings for a season don't just go by wins, they go by overall points won/lost by. So even if your team ends up losing by a lot of points (book 3 anyone), and they end up getting flattened by another, and then you flatten that team, you can still be in the lead. It's overall points earned in a season, not just one game that counts for who really wins. Remember that. Plus as they say in book 4, some games have gone on for literal weeks, because catching the snitch isn't always just a simple affair.

Re:cool

[Anonymous Coward]

Ranking by margin of victory seems like an orthogonal issue to me. IIRC, some (most?) professional soccer leagues take scores into account, which is probably where Rowling got the idea. That's still no reason for making catching the snitch worth so much.

Another aspect of Quidditch scoring that I really don't like is that decision to go for the snitch even when your team is behind by more than 150. I can understand that it may be the best approach pragmatically (if it's clear that you will only lose by more as time progresses), but it just flies in the face of all sporting values.

-BsoF

Re:cool

[elveu]

at 30 points that's only 3 goals and as there are three goal hoops and only one keep it makes the snitch too insignificant. i think that 150 points might be a little too high but i does need to be a ratehr high amount becease i imagine it can't be too difficult to score particually (as you might note in some of the books players have caught the snitch and not won).

It is rather odd how they do that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Can't they just provide a glossary or something?

I mean I have to understand both Great Britain terms and the Yank ones where I live.

Would that be Viktor Krum...

[freeBill]

...with a "k," the seeker for the Bulgarian national team? The only one who spells Krum's name with a "c" is a jealous Ron Weasley, who calls him "Vicky."

Yes, he could be considered the "Michael Jordan" of Quidditch, if Michael Jordan were 18, kind of dense, talked like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and played in a game where a single strong player at a single position (seeker) could make up for a lackluster team otherwise.

Re:Would that be Viktor Krum...

[brkello]

where a single strong player at a single position (seeker) could make up for a lackluster team otherwise

Hmmm, well that part sounds about right:)

We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[TerryAtWork]

Because it's broken.

The Seeker getting 150 pts for the snitch is ridiculous. That decides the game right there.

Re:We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[Pvt_Waldo]

Next thing you know we'll hear "Yea B3 (book not beta) was best. In B4 they totally nerfed the bludger. Amuse oneself with the redphive rant-o-matic as it gives you it's view on Quidditch....

Re:We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[burns210]

the whole point is, is that catching the snitch is SO hard, that is doing it means that you deserve the win! It shouldn't be a comment feat to catch the snitch.

Re:We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[amorsen]

If catching the snitch decides the win, why are they even bothering with the rest of the game? It annoyed me greatly in the books. In the same vein, arbitrary awards at random times decide the victory in the point games between the houses.

Re:We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[Anonymous Coward]

That's because, like the game, the books are complete crap. I can't believe anyone older than 10 would be interested in this poorly written pap. Fucking soccer moms think they're literate now because they put down their Danielle Steel novels and picked up JK Rowling's hacked piece of trash. Anyone supporting this horrible cancer in pop culture should be taken outside and shot in the face...along with Eminem fans and SUV drivers.

Re:We'll let's hope they fix Quidditch,

[Anonymous Coward]

You've never been to an English public school have you? That is exactly how the house point system works in most schools.

Not again, Harry

[The Eye of the Behol]

have they not milked this Harry Potter enough, I mean, was there not Quidditch in the first game?

Trolls and moderation (OT)

[OldMiner]

The grandparent post is a troll posted by a logged in troll. This is what the zoo system is for. Set your Foe modifier to -3, mark him as a troll, and let moderation do its job. As far as AC goes, just give AC -1. Knowledgable ACs normally get modded up anyhow. At that rate, you can generally read small comment articles at 0 with few trolls. That is, if you read often enough to foe logged in trolls.

Re:Trolls and moderation (OT)

[Anonymous Coward]

Judging folks by their nickname rather than the content of their posts? Isn't that sort of like what the National Socialists did in Germany?

Re:Trolls and moderation (OT)

[OldMiner]

The content of all of his posts in the past were trolls. I'm making a reasonable assumption about the value of his posts. I view at 2 by default. If he's modded up to 5, -3 puts him in my viewing range all the same.

Re:Trolls and moderation (OT)

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't notice anything in his name, but that should have been at ZERO. The fifth book has been released for less than a week now and I still haven't found time to get past the first chapter.

And then he makes an enormous spoiler that I'm sure would've shocked me as it came.

Of course now I'm going to have to read this almost immediately just to make sure there aren't any other jerks out there that get modded up to 4 that aren't going to be doing any more spoiling before I finish.

Changed Quidditch

[LazerImp]

I personally think that the Quidditch game is going to suck balls. For one thing, they've cut out the Seekers entirely (anyone can catch the Snitch). Also, I'm pretty sure that anyone can attack Bludgers (the preview I read wasn't quite clear, but that's what it sounded like).
Being a hardcore HP fan (read each of the first 4 books over 40 times EACH, got the 5th book at midnight and finished it by noon on the release day), I think it's absolutely terrible they're altering the rules, especially something so drastic as cutting out a team member entirely.

Re:Changed Quidditch

[Jerf]

Yes, because goodness knows the original Quidditch rules where a work of art, destined to echo down the ages, and were so well-thought-out and conceived that not only were they ideal for a diversionary color device in a children's book series AND some nifty special effects shots*, but are also perfect to actually play with... despite being some of the the most unbalanced, crappy rules in the history of fake games.

*: Actually, those are some of my least favorite shots in the movies, because having played my fair share of twitch games like Quake and such, I can't help but realize as I'm watching "Quidditch" on the big screen that no real human would survive the game. The people are moving around at what, thirty, forty miles an hour? So an oncoming person zips by you at sixty miles an hour, swinging a stick at you no less! (Oh, sure, they're really swinging at the blodger. At least, that's what the Slytheryn player tells the ref when they get caught, right?) Nobody's reactions are that fast. (And you don't really get to go with "Well, they're wizards, they're special", because they're not made out as supermen in any other way...) The shots tear me right out of my suspension of disbelief.

I suspect that much of the problem is taking the scenes out of the book too literally; Quidditch could kind of work if you couldn't just go zipping around on a broom at full speed, but instead were limited to 10 or 15 mph... although even that would be enough to kill nearly instantly if two people collided head-on the wrong way.

On that topic, the Playstation game designers will suffer from similar problems, since they have to actually make the game playable in 3D while allowing human-speed reflexes to play the game. Given the relative realism of 3D, they're going to have to actually decide how fast these people are going in an accurate model. I'd be intrigued to hear how they are going to do that/have done that.

Cool Ideas vs Reality

[KU_Fletch]

In some recess of my mind, I recognize that a Quidditch game could be cool. Think about it. Online play. 14 players (plus there could be substitutes on the sidelines). Player customization and skill stats. Essentially a 3d flight sim and sports game in one. High speeds, lots of action, a little bit of violence. Fun for everybody.

Then the part of my brain trained over the years to interject with reality steps up. It's going to be a crappy movie liscence game. From EA. Geared towards childen. With crappy AI cause everybody wants to be the seeker. Let's toss in crappy controls too.

If it wasn't for the fact that it would be Fox-ed rather quickly, the task of making a good Quidditch game would fall to mod devlopers for UT2k3/4, q3, d3, or hl2. Thank god trademarks will prevent a good movie game from ever being made.

Michael Jordan?

[floydigus]

Trust me: being English, Harry Potter has probably never heard of Michael Jordan.

Re:Michael Jordan?

[Anonymous Coward]

Trust me: being English, Harry Potter has probably never heard of Michael Jordan.

That has to be about the dumbest comment I have ever seen. Harry Potter is a fictitious character in a book...he is fantasy. He doesn't know anyone because he doesn't exist. But let's pretend for a second that you can make a comment like that and Harry can know someone in the real world. What difference would it make that you are English. Does being English give you special insight in to the matter. Almost every kid in the US has read the book and knows just as much, if not more about Harry Potter than you do. Man, talk about letting down your people, I wouldn't post something so daft, it reflects poorly on your country. Slashdot is an American site, the admins freely admit it, the poster was just trying to get across that this guy is very good at Quidditch just like Michael Jordan was at basketball. Every American knows who Michael Jordan is. See, this post was intended for Americans to let them know why that guy is important. It wasn't intended for Harry Potter. But being English, you should know that. *cough*

Mod the parent up

[N10sb2002]

I didn't think he was trolling.

This doesn't make sense

[N10sb2002]

Posts like this get modded to +4 but every post by me and my bad karma is modded down. People are wasting their mod points.

Learn how to troll, dumbass.

[Anonymous Coward]

Pathetic. It's awkward, contrived, and obvious. It's also a pale imitation of a far superior troll. Get back to us when you've learned some real trolling skillz.