Pottermore v.10

[WildFloo162]

oh no i can stir, it's only the higher pointed potions that wont register the stirring motion, and it's only been happening for the last few days. i didn't have a problem when I first got on the site, it's actually been since they overhauled the points system

[UnicornDust]

Originally Posted by WildFloo162

oh no i can stir, it's only the higher pointed potions that wont register the stirring motion, and it's only been happening for the last few days. i didn't have a problem when I first got on the site, it's actually been since they overhauled the points system

That's so weird and frustrating. I don't blame you for not wanting to put yourself through that any more.

[threecats]

Originally Posted by WildFloo162

oh no i can stir, it's only the higher pointed potions that wont register the stirring motion, and it's only been happening for the last few days. i didn't have a problem when I first got on the site, it's actually been since they overhauled the points system

Have you rebooted your computer lately? Flash is a memory hog and can get really slow over time.

[Lisl_Loveheart]

On the subject of how many studets are in already I must say, if the site is this slow and glitchy with this many people on, I can't imagine they'll be ready for 2 or 3 times this number anytime soon. I think maybe Rowling underestimated the inicial financial investiment to run such a MAJOR site. I know nothing about technology, but I think they need better hardware, better software and more people (which all cost a lot of money). Let's hope the site does get boring for some after a while, so that those who wish to enjoy it more intensily can do so with free access.

On the subject of the sorting: there are people interested in learning if it is "random" or if the questions / answers can really capture your personality. I can say that my sorting was true and if you are interested in this, please look for the people dicussing this subject on tumblr. Maybe you can help them find the truth.

On the matter of brewing: I have a couple of tips (some heard on Pottermore)

Spoiler: show

- leave your potion open on a tab while it brews, the chance of you losing it is smaller this way
- hold bottles by its neck (or top most part), this helps you control quantities and avoid spills
- make a physical book of potions and write down your recipes, this saves your time
- if the stirring isn't working, maybe you are stirring in the wrong direction (it happened to me)

Happy brewing!

[cybobbie]

Originally Posted by BrianTung

Spoiler: show

Another possible recommendation is the Wideye. It has a number of things going for it. One is that two of the ingredients regenerate in the first layer of Hagrid's House, and the third ingredient is just two Galleons for 36 measures. That works out to about a Sickle per successful potion. Not bad for a nine-point potion.

Another is that it doesn't have any weird timing things, like having to add an ingredient while the cauldron is still on heat (whatever that means, exactly).

And a third thing is that it's fairly heavily front-loaded. The second page is dirt simple: Add two twigs of wolfsbane, and stir three times counter-clockwise (anti-clockwise for you UK-ers). That's it. The advantage of that is that it's extremely unlikely that you'll spend 95 minutes brewing this thing, only to foul it up in the second half.

Thank you BrianTung, I will try the Wideye next. Today I have tons of work but tomorrow I will do it

[silverowl]

Originally Posted by cybobbie

Thank you BrianTung, I will try the Wideye next. Today I have tons of work but tomorrow I will do it

That one is my favorite.

Spoiler: show

Just make sure you use the on-screen counter for all the amounts required. Sometimes it is flakey about registering what you have done. Also, remember if you put too much in, or are running out of time...refresh. It will let you start over without blowing up a cauldron.

[leah49]

Though refreshing sucks when you've already gone through the 80 or so minute waiting...

[Hes]

Reminder

please respect the wishes of the Pottermore staff e.g. if you think you've worked out a way that members can rig their answers to the Pottermore sorting quiz to get the house they want, please don't share it here, as it's obvious that the Pottermore team don't want people to rig their quiz. This includes hinting at websites/spreadsheets were people collect questions/answers to the sorting.

[ignisia]

Spoiler: show

I remember when the HBP game for the Wii came out, and every time you would brew a new potion, they'd give you some sort of coaching beforehand on what the new techniques in this potion were and how to use them. Your ingredients and procedure were also to some degree labeled right in front of your eyes. I blew up a few potions from time to time, but that was usually because I wasn't fast enough or made some error, not because I had no clue what to do next. And when I did mess up, the game let me know and there was often some way to salvage it. You also had the Potions club in the greenhouse, where you could practice everything you'd brewed. I would like some of this to appear in the Pottermore potions section.

I especially think there really should be more practice potions available. I was only able to brew one potion for practice, so I was only able to figure out how to use and identify about four ingredients in the practice session (yes, there are pictures in the book, but they're tiny and it took actual looking to find them when I was under the time limit). The dried billywig stings, apart from having the most counter-intuitive name ever (how can something dry be liquid?) was a pain to effectively use. This wouldn't be such a problem if there'd been a way I could identify and use the ingredient without risking points each time I tried to use it. After a while, I could probably figure out a way, but it isn't worth -5 points for each attempt. I do know about reloading, but I think the game should be possible without resorting to that. Since there is one potion available for practice, I don't see why others can't be.

There's also apparently some force-field preventing you from passing anything in front of your cauldron. Clearly some meddling prankster with a thorough knowledge of warding spells is behind this, because air normally doesn't work that way.

[UnicornDust]

Originally Posted by ignisia

Spoiler: show

I remember when the HBP game for the Wii came out, and every time you would brew a new potion, they'd give you some sort of coaching beforehand on what the new techniques in this potion were and how to use them. Your ingredients and procedure were also to some degree labeled right in front of your eyes. I blew up a few potions from time to time, but that was usually because I wasn't fast enough or made some error, not because I had no clue what to do next. And when I did mess up, the game let me know and there was often some way to salvage it. You also had the Potions club in the greenhouse, where you could practice everything you'd brewed. I would like some of this to appear in the Pottermore potions section.

I especially think there really should be more practice potions available. I was only able to brew one potion for practice, so I was only able to figure out how to use and identify about four ingredients in the practice session (yes, there are pictures in the book, but they're tiny and it took actual looking to find them when I was under the time limit). The dried billywig stings, apart from having the most counter-intuitive name ever (how can something dry be liquid?) was a pain to effectively use. This wouldn't be such a problem if there'd been a way I could identify and use the ingredient without risking points each time I tried to use it. After a while, I could probably figure out a way, but it isn't worth -5 points for each attempt. I do know about reloading, but I think the game should be possible without resorting to that. Since there is one potion available for practice, I don't see why others can't be.

There's also apparently some force-field preventing you from passing anything in front of your cauldron. Clearly some meddling prankster with a thorough knowledge of warding spells is behind this, because air normally doesn't work that way.

You make some excellent points.

Spoiler: show

I would very much like to be able to practice handling the ingredients before trying a potion for the first time. Those bottles are tricky and there are differences between them. And I would like to be able to have the book open while working to be able to identify ingredients, etc. It takes too much time switching back to the book.

[LumosSempra]

Spoiler: show

Well I just spent practically my entire night brewing the Cure for Boils. I finally did it, only to receive 3 lousy house points. I still don't understand how some people are up to the thousands in points! Do they spend all day long endlessly brewing potions? Don't they run out of galleons after a while? Or is 400 galleons enough to brew hundreds of potions?

Also, does the type of cauldron you use make a difference? I bought a copper cauldron because it says it brews potions faster, but my potion still took 80 minutes to brew. Would it have taken longer on a pewter cauldron?

[hpfan101]

Anyone else having trouble with the Sleeping Draught? Every time I try to brew that particular potion, I wait my time and it takes me back to page 1. So I waste 90 minutes every time! I'm not having a problem with any other potion, only that one.

[ignisia]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

Spoiler: show

Well I just spent practically my entire night brewing the Cure for Boils. I finally did it, only to receive 3 lousy house points. I still don't understand how some people are up to the thousands in points! Do they spend all day long endlessly brewing potions? Don't they run out of galleons after a while? Or is 400 galleons enough to brew hundreds of potions?

Also, does the type of cauldron you use make a difference? I bought a copper cauldron because it says it brews potions faster, but my potion still took 80 minutes to brew. Would it have taken longer on a pewter cauldron?

Spoiler: show

Cure for Boils is the only one I've managed so far. I use Pewter because I'm cheap, and it's still 80 minutes on that one. Interesting that it isn't faster on other cauldrons. Definitely going to keep my galleons, then.

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

Spoiler: show

Well I just spent practically my entire night brewing the Cure for Boils. I finally did it, only to receive 3 lousy house points. I still don't understand how some people are up to the thousands in points! Do they spend all day long endlessly brewing potions? Don't they run out of galleons after a while? Or is 400 galleons enough to brew hundreds of potions?

Also, does the type of cauldron you use make a difference? I bought a copper cauldron because it says it brews potions faster, but my potion still took 80 minutes to brew. Would it have taken longer on a pewter cauldron?

Spoiler: show

Once upon a time - until a couple of days before I got into Pottermore - there was dueling. That's how people racked up all those points.

It takes shorter teams to heat the brass and copper cauldrons. It takes the same time to brew.

[UnicornDust]

Originally Posted by ccollinsmith

Spoiler: show

Once upon a time - until a couple of days before I got into Pottermore - there was dueling. That's how people racked up all those points.

It takes shorter teams to heat the brass and copper cauldrons. It takes the same time to brew.

Spoiler: show

I wonder if it will be shorter brewing times with the more expensive cauldrons after the site opens in October. Definitely not worth the money now.

[ardnaxela]

Originally Posted by BrianTung

I'm sorry, was that the site's objective? I think it might happen, especially as Pottermore advances through the following books, but I thought it was primarily just a way for Rowling to give back to her fans--meaning, her existing fans, principally.

The site, as it currently is, can only be sufficient to grab a foothold for future involvement. I like it quite a bit, but I'm a bit of a "redoer"--I rewatch movies, I reread books, and I replay games--and I'm probably not the best person to evaluate it on a subjective level. But even someone like me recognizes that it simply won't sustain most people's attention for very long in its present state. Dueling will help...but probably not for months and months.

Sorry I didn't intend for my post to imply that I thought that grabbing new fans was the sites only objective - because it's certainly not. It's not even the sites main objective - which is to my knowledge, as you said, to be a 'give-back' to current fans. However in the information that was released by JK and the Pottermore team there was definite mention of it being a tool to bring in new fans, and also to introduce HP to a new generation. (I will go hunt down the quotes now.)

[ccollinsmith]

Originally Posted by UnicornDust

Spoiler: show

I wonder if it will be shorter brewing times with the more expensive cauldrons after the site opens in October. Definitely not worth the money now.

Spoiler: show

That's a possiblity. The Pottermore Insider said they'd be tweaking brewing times. So maybe the tweaks will come with the more expensive cauldrons.

But yeah... not worth the money now. Plus, I promptly blew up a copper cauldron on Cure for Boils because it heated too fast even on medium. I probably wouldn't blow it up now on that potion because I know a few more heating tricks, but I'm still a bit skittish over anything but my pewter cauldron at the moment.

[UnicornDust]

Originally Posted by hpfan101

Anyone else having trouble with the Sleeping Draught? Every time I try to brew that particular potion, I wait my time and it takes me back to page 1. So I waste 90 minutes every time! I'm not having a problem with any other potion, only that one.

Spoiler: show

I have had that frustration with sleeping draught, but I have also been able to complete it sometimes. For a while I thought I was in the dreaded potions loop, but maybe it was just because I was doing sleeping draught (or trying to) so much.

[hpfan101]

Originally Posted by UnicornDust

Spoiler: show

I have had that frustration with sleeping draught, but I have also been able to complete it sometimes. For a while I thought I was in the dreaded potions loop, but maybe it was just because I was doing sleeping draught (or trying to) so much.

I thought that too, but I've been able to just wave my wand, "fail" the potion and then start a new one that's NOT the sleeping draught. It's annoying because that one is worth the most points and I can't do it and I'm beginning to think that after three tries, I'm just going to stay away from that one and focus on the ones that work.

[blueroses]

I'm actually a little dissapointed with Pottermore. I think the anticipation of getting in was better than the site itself. After the book was finished I haven't been on much. I kept screwing up the practice potion. Apparently you have to wait in between dropping the snake fangs in (so the little counter goes away) which takes up more time and makes me run out of time. I think they tried to make is SO child-friendly that it is..boring.