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General Hidden Side Discussion

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  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,215
    Baby_Yoda said:
    I would never pay several times extra for a product solely because of its brand name.
    If it is a rare exclusive limited edition collectible, and I'm one of the first, globally - then I want two of them!

    Premium, premium, premium.
    Baby_Yoda
  • AanchirAanchir Member Posts: 3,014
    CCC said:
    Aanchir said:
    snowhitie said:
    My Huawei P smart, android 9 doesn't run it.it's only 5 months old but not a premium phone so guess that explains it.
    The sheer inconsistency of Android phones and how well or poorly they run these apps definitely helps illustrate why so many of LEGO's first endeavors into mobile apps were only on iPhone.

    It's bewildering how many different runtime environments mobile app developers are having to optimize for anymore… definitely a big difference from video game console development, which at least for most of my lifetime has tended to revolve around three main manufacturers at a time, each with three or fewer devices on the market at any one time.
    It is a shame that they didn't check with a high volume seller of tablets for kids though. They could have chosen one cheap and popular tablet used by kids (so something like an Amazon Fire or similar) and made sure the app worked with that. They could have gone even further and paired with Amazon (maybe give them an exclusive on Hidden Side for a few months) to make sure it was available on their cheap tablet. Good (or cheap) tablet access for customers, good for Fire sales.
    Honestly, I suspect the expectation is that a large number of kids will play these on their parents' devices or on shared family devices, rather than expecting kids to already own or purchase smartphones or tablets of their own. So I doubt focusing heavily on tablets for kids would have increased the audience for the theme and app.
    I also think that they were probably limited to a certain extent by the form of integration between the toys and app that they wanted to achieve. And that meant ARcore or ARkit were pretty much a necessity. Otherwise the best they could achieve would probably be a much more limited type of camera interaction like in LEGO Fusion or LEGO Life of George, which were already perceived as kind of underwhelming even for their time.
    If they weren't committed to the "hunt ghosts you can only see with a special app/camera" concept, then the theme's very premise might have ended up vastly different to maintain serendipity between the gameplay style and narrative.
    Baby_Yoda said:
    iPhones are for those with more money than sense. I would never pay several times extra for a product solely because of its brand name.
    *Proceeds to spend hundreds of dollars on Lego*
    Honestly these sorts of comments always feel confusing to me, because I've stuck with iPhone more out of laziness than anything. My first smartphone was an iPhone 4S I got in 2012, and I didn't replace that until a couple years ago when I upgraded to an iPhone SE, since it had mostly the same UI and a similar size screen. It was pretty inexpensive too, since it was neither a high-end model nor one of the newest models.
    Android tends to feel confusing to me whenever I have to do stuff on my parents' phones or help them troubleshoot problems, but I'll admit that might be because of how they have their apps organized and other individual and generational differences between me and them (after all, my dad gets frustrated with pretty much any phones or computers, and I suspect that in at least some cases it's not the device that's at the root of the trouble).
    Lyichir
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Aanchir said:
    Honestly, I suspect the expectation is that a large number of kids will play these on their parents' devices or on shared family devices, rather than expecting kids to already own or purchase smartphones or tablets of their own. So I doubt focusing heavily on tablets for kids would have increased the audience for the theme and app.
    Really? Most kids I know that of that play with LEGO and are in the target age range for Hidden Side have their own tablets.
    SumoLegoLittleLoriSnizzlebutts
  • dmcc0dmcc0 Member Posts: 778
    My 2 teenagers are hardly typical in terms of the tech they have (or want) compared to their peers, and even they have their own tablets and phones.

    Looking at the list of compatible devices, my wifes Pixel 3 is the only one in our house that seems to be compatible.  No chance she'd part with it long enough for anyone to use it for a LEGO app though!
  • AanchirAanchir Member Posts: 3,014
    CCC said:
    Aanchir said:
    Honestly, I suspect the expectation is that a large number of kids will play these on their parents' devices or on shared family devices, rather than expecting kids to already own or purchase smartphones or tablets of their own. So I doubt focusing heavily on tablets for kids would have increased the audience for the theme and app.
    Really? Most kids I know that of that play with LEGO and are in the target age range for Hidden Side have their own tablets.
    dmcc0 said:
    My 2 teenagers are hardly typical in terms of the tech they have (or want) compared to their peers, and even they have their own tablets and phones.

    Looking at the list of compatible devices, my wifes Pixel 3 is the only one in our house that seems to be compatible.  No chance she'd part with it long enough for anyone to use it for a LEGO app though!
    Hmm. Maybe it's a difference between how things are in the US and in the UK, or (more likely) I just don't know enough kids in or around that age range to have as strong a sense of what the norm is.

    Certainly any time a new LEGO app or product with mobile compatibility is being discussed (even apps like LEGO Boost, LEGO City Explorers, LEGO Powered Up, or LEGO Technic Control+ that don't require technical specs nearly as advanced as this) I see an astonishing number of comments from parents who are militantly opposed to their kids even using mobile devices, let alone owning them.

    Some parents (and bizarrely, even AFOLs) even insist that the chief purpose of LEGO is getting kids away from screens. But considering my own childhood experiences as far back as twenty years ago playing games like LEGO Island, LEGO Loco, or LEGO Racers; programming LEGO Mindstorms robots; making LEGO Studios movies, and reading about my favorite themes or playing games on LEGO.com, I definitely find y'all's account of the digital environment today's kids are growing up in easier to believe!
    Ayliffedmcc0
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    edited October 2019
    My main criticism of the Hidden Side range is that it fits in so well with the Old Fishing Store. I was planning a harbour front MOC with that anyway and now I want to do it as a haunted one. So I've had to buy the whole range, except for the train so far. The High School demands a decent MOC to turn into a proper building so will have to buy at least one more set and place a Bricklink order. This will, in turn, probably necessitate several expensive after market purchases from the Scooby Doo and Monster Fighter range.

    Thanks, Lego
    Fizyx560HeliportBumblepantscatwranglerBaby_YodaKungFuKennySumoLegosnowhitiesklamb
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    milamber said:
    My main criticism of the Hidden Side range is that it fits in so well with the Old Fishing Store. I was planning a harbour front MOC with that anyway and now I want to do it as a haunted one. This will probably necessitate several expensive after market purchases from the Scooby Doo and Monster Fighter range.

    Thanks, Lego
    Or snag a few of the Juice Bar promo sets (currently on offer at [email protected]). It comes with a bunch of teeth and eyes to work with. 
    FizyxLordmoral
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    klinton said:
    Or snag a few of the Juice Bar promo sets (currently on offer at [email protected]). It comes with a bunch of teeth and eyes to work with. 
    Probably will get it when I can, but also need a bunch of spooky characters to inhabit said buildings. Then if you have spooky characters you have to have Scooby Doo and the team to deal with them :)
    klinton
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    milamber said:
    klinton said:
    Or snag a few of the Juice Bar promo sets (currently on offer at [email protected]). It comes with a bunch of teeth and eyes to work with. 
    Probably will get it when I can, but also need a bunch of spooky characters to inhabit said buildings. Then if you have spooky characters you have to have Scooby Doo and the team to deal with them :)
    It also comes with a ghost head and hair piece! :p 
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    edited October 2019
    Ha! He's actually in the game. I hadn't played with the school yet until this evening, so I guess that's why I hadn't seen him before? He popped up multiple times this evening. I think I will only play there now until I can rank this little guy right up. :D


    FizyxBaby_YodaLittleLori
  • dmcc0dmcc0 Member Posts: 778
    Aanchir said:

    Some parents (and bizarrely, even AFOLs) even insist that the chief purpose of LEGO is getting kids away from screens. But considering my own childhood experiences as far back as twenty years ago playing games like LEGO Island, LEGO Loco, or LEGO Racers; programming LEGO Mindstorms robots; making LEGO Studios movies, and reading about my favorite themes or playing games on LEGO.com, I definitely find y'all's account of the digital environment today's kids are growing up in easier to believe!
    Unfortunately, neither of my kids are particularly into LEGO anymore, so substituting for screen time not really an option now.  My son's disability means he hasn't got the motor skills to build LEGO although he does have some of his favourite minifigs in a frame up on the wall.  My daughters' Friends collection is mostly broken down in boxes under her bed and the last set she bought earlier in the year is still sealed; hasn't touched any of it it months.  She's actually suggested selling it so she can buy a Nintendo Switch!

    I'm more about the quality of the screen time, than the quantity though.  I don't mind if they are doing something constructive, but I would have a problem if they were just sitting watching reality TV all day or staring at a phone playing Candy Crush or something.  
    andheKerre
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Aanchir said:
    Hmm. Maybe it's a difference between how things are in the US and in the UK, or (more likely) I just don't know enough kids in or around that age range to have as strong a sense of what the norm is.
    I don't think it is a US - UK thing, all my US friends' families with 6-14 year old kids have separate tablets for the kids. During sales events like Black Friday, the ones aimed at younger kids are often priced at about around the price of a mid range LEGO set, and ones for older kids even cheaper. The days of a family tablet that is shared are long gone at those prices.
    gmonkey76dmcc0CaptainRogers
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    There's a new episode up! :D


    wardmstluxbandit778
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    Geeze. No wonder it's so demanding. It legit renders the street all the way to the wall, in both directions. You never play over there, but it's there.


    stlux
  • panchox1panchox1 Member Posts: 722
    Just got the shrimp boat. Need to find a discounted graveyard and a Jack and Sally now, lol.
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    panchox1 said:
    Just got the shrimp boat. Need to find a discounted graveyard and a Jack and Sally now, lol.
    Reached 45% off here. Think they might have a bit more to go. Great for buyers, not so good for the prospects of a second wave. I'm doing my best to support it :)
  • JudgeChuckJudgeChuck Member Posts: 1,576
    edited October 2019
    @milamber Where did you see them at 45% off? Best Amazon price is the current 33% off, according to camelcamelcamel. Was that a local store discount?
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    JudgeChuck said:
    @milamber Where did you see them at 45% off? Best Amazon price is the current 33% off, according to camelcamelcamel. Was that a local store discount?
    It was John Lewis actually. Guess I should have said I got them for 45% off, rather than that's the price the shop had them at. Think they were 42% off with the £15 off £80 code, plus cashback from a referral site which brought it to 44.8%. Think they are out of stock online now though. Still very much worth it at the current Amazon price, though I'm betting they will drop to 50% at some point.
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    milamber said:
    panchox1 said:
    Just got the shrimp boat. Need to find a discounted graveyard and a Jack and Sally now, lol.
    Reached 45% off here. Think they might have a bit more to go. Great for buyers, not so good for the prospects of a second wave. I'm doing my best to support it :)
    There will absolutely be a second wave. It's likely already far along in production, if not packaging. Lego has invested far too much in marketing for the line for there not to be a second wave already in the pipe. I'd posture thag there will likely be a third wave too, tbh. It's really everything after that (work that would still be in various stages of design at this point) that'd be in question if all of the anti-hype is to be believed (we seem oblivious to these deep discounts herd in Canada, so I've no clue as to the merits of all of the bluster).
  • piratemania7piratemania7 Member Posts: 2,146
    As someone who bought these sets when they first had been released I shudder reading these comments in this thread.
    klinton
  • JudgeChuckJudgeChuck Member Posts: 1,576
    milamber said:
    JudgeChuck said:
    @milamber Where did you see them at 45% off? Best Amazon price is the current 33% off, according to camelcamelcamel. Was that a local store discount?
    It was John Lewis actually. Guess I should have said I got them for 45% off, rather than that's the price the shop had them at. Think they were 42% off with the £15 off £80 code, plus cashback from a referral site which brought it to 44.8%. Think they are out of stock online now though. Still very much worth it at the current Amazon price, though I'm betting they will drop to 50% at some point.
    Thanks for the clarification! I'm definitely thinking of getting #70420 and #70422, but might wait and see if they drop a bit more, because they're not a planned purchase.
  • flordflord Member Posts: 797
    Bought my first one (graveyard) at 20% off. They’re fine. The ghost dog is cute. I would have liked a bigger discount but oh well. I don’t really care for the game though. It’s a bit junky. My kids wanted to try it. While I’m sure there will be a second wave, they are not selling well where I live. Give me more Scooby Doo please!
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    klinton said:
    milamber said:
    panchox1 said:
    Just got the shrimp boat. Need to find a discounted graveyard and a Jack and Sally now, lol.
    Reached 45% off here. Think they might have a bit more to go. Great for buyers, not so good for the prospects of a second wave. I'm doing my best to support it :)
    There will absolutely be a second wave. It's likely already far along in production, if not packaging. Lego has invested far too much in marketing for the line for there not to be a second wave already in the pipe. I'd posture thag there will likely be a third wave too, tbh. It's really everything after that (work that would still be in various stages of design at this point) that'd be in question if all of the anti-hype is to be believed (we seem oblivious to these deep discounts herd in Canada, so I've no clue as to the merits of all of the bluster).
    Certainly in the UK the reviews, at first glance, are generally poorer than you'd expect, but all of the negatives are about the app, not the sets. Personally I couldn't care less about the app, the sets themselves are mostly fantastic. I'd love to see more in the theme
    Fizyxwindjammergmonkey76klinton
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    flord said:
    Bought my first one (graveyard) at 20% off. They’re fine. The ghost dog is cute. I would have liked a bigger discount but oh well. I don’t really care for the game though. It’s a bit junky. My kids wanted to try it. While I’m sure there will be a second wave, they are not selling well where I live. Give me more Scooby Doo please!
    I want some Scooby Doo now as well. The two themes mesh perfectly
  • eggsheneggshen Member Posts: 596
    I'm curious if the second wave will include the actual ghosts instead of just possessed townsfolk.
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    eggshen said:
    I'm curious if the second wave will include the actual ghosts instead of just possessed townsfolk.
    As long as it doesn’t include any more Jacks, Parkers or Spencers........Like a clone factory on my shelf
    SumoLegogmonkey76Baby_YodaBumblepantsKungFuKennyLittleLori
  • SumoLegoSumoLego Member Posts: 15,215
    ^ Nope, just Spider-Man, Batman, Owen Grady and Emmet.  
    gmonkey76milamberBumblepantsdavetheoxygenmanKungFuKennyLittleLori
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    @The_Rancor Do you ever meet Lady E? I keep meeting everyone around her, like her servants, rivals, her nanny, her best friend, etc... but there's still no clue as to what it was that she did or why.
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    There's a new episode up! :D


    wardmLyichir
  • AanchirAanchir Member Posts: 3,014
    edited October 2019
    klinton said:
    @The_Rancor Do you ever meet Lady E? I keep meeting everyone around her, like her servants, rivals, her nanny, her best friend, etc... but there's still no clue as to what it was that she did or why.
    She's the little girl in the painting in the high school. There's a little more info about her in some of the boss ghost bios here: https://www.lego.com/en-us/campaigns/kids/hidden-side
    Apparently, when she was alive, Lady Evelina recruited Dr. Drewell to help her find a means of obtaining eternal youth. Apparently they succeeded, and Lady E. ended up living and maintaining the appearance of a little girl for centuries… but at a great cost, as maintaining her life and youth depended on harvesting other people's soul essence. Presumably this was the means by which she became the de facto ruler of Newbury around 200 years ago. At some point, she either died or was banished from the world of the living by some other means. She recruited the eight boss ghosts that are now haunting Newbury and attempting to restore her to her former glory, though whether that means restoring her to life or simply allowing her to rule Hidden Side as a ghost remains to be seen.
    FizyxstluxklintonLyichir
  • The_RancorThe_Rancor Member Posts: 2,522
    klinton said:
    @The_Rancor Do you ever meet Lady E? I keep meeting everyone around her, like her servants, rivals, her nanny, her best friend, etc... but there's still no clue as to what it was that she did or why.
    I should’ve got back to this sooner but Aanchir basically spelled it out on my behalf. Perhaps she is being saved as a second or third wave boss?
    wardm
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    Aanchir said:
    klinton said:
    @The_Rancor Do you ever meet Lady E? I keep meeting everyone around her, like her servants, rivals, her nanny, her best friend, etc... but there's still no clue as to what it was that she did or why.
    She's the little girl in the painting in the high school. There's a little more info about her in some of the boss ghost bios here: https://www.lego.com/en-us/campaigns/kids/hidden-side
    Apparently, when she was alive, Lady Evelina recruited Dr. Drewell to help her find a means of obtaining eternal youth. Apparently they succeeded, and Lady E. ended up living and maintaining the appearance of a little girl for centuries… but at a great cost, as maintaining her life and youth depended on harvesting other people's soul essence. Presumably this was the means by which she became the de facto ruler of Newbury around 200 years ago. At some point, she either died or was banished from the world of the living by some other means. She recruited the eight boss ghosts that are now haunting Newbury and attempting to restore her to her former glory, though whether that means restoring her to life or simply allowing her to rule Hidden Side as a ghost remains to be seen.
    Thank you! That link has the kind of information I've been looking for!  I tried following the link on the packages from the sets at some point, but they just take me to the [email protected] page for the theme, hahaha.

    I knew that she was the girl in the painting (her name is emblazoned on a decal below it). I just assumed that she was the mistress of the manor or something, before it was used as a school. It just seemed like everything is connected to her somehow, as half the ghosts you meet are associated with her. Now, there's a little bit clearer a picture.

    The game does a piss poor job of relaying the story. There is more information on that page than in my entire experience with the game. There's absolutely no coherent narrative in it. The only information you really get is in the bios of the ghosts you encounter.

    The_Rancor said:
    klinton said:
    @The_Rancor Do you ever meet Lady E? I keep meeting everyone around her, like her servants, rivals, her nanny, her best friend, etc... but there's still no clue as to what it was that she did or why.
    I should’ve got back to this sooner but Aanchir basically spelled it out on my behalf. Perhaps she is being saved as a second or third wave boss?
    Hopefully she actually pops up at some point. I've met all of the current bosses, and she's nowhere to be found. I was thinking that perhaps she was linked to an unusual in game event. Like, I've seen no use of the bricks behind the pennants or the orange brick inside the tree at the school, while I've only once ever had it ask me to rotate the oven in the diner, and seldom am I asked to scan the puddle in the graveyard. There are all kinds of various random actions that rarely (or never) come up.
  • The_RancorThe_Rancor Member Posts: 2,522
    In the lab, where interactions are limited, it very rarely ever seems to ask me to place a minifig on the yellow plate next to the computer. The ‘unusual’ interactions are almost always placing a minifig in the lab chamber or moving one of the coloured canisters. Kind of like the interactions can be as rare as one or two of the ghosts
    klinton
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    There's a new episode up! It's weird, I never really thought about it until watching this just now, but Spencer fully died at some point. Like, the poor kid lost his dog. I wonder if that was motivated him to investigate the Hidden Side?


  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Looks like an advert for Danish goods: LEGO and bacon.
    klintonBludchylde1
  • CM4SCM4S Member Posts: 1,370
    Oh thank god they shrunk the eyes in those animations. The original clip they revealed months ago really turned me away bc the minifig models bothered me so much
  • LyichirLyichir Member Posts: 1,009
    CCC said:
    Looks like an advert for Danish goods: LEGO and bacon.
    Is bacon a big product of Denmark? I never knew!
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    edited November 2019
    Lyichir said:
    CCC said:
    Looks like an advert for Danish goods: LEGO and bacon.
    Is bacon a big product of Denmark? I never knew!
    It used to be, and a lot of it came to the UK.


    They are still big pig breeders / pork manufacturers.


    In fact, one of the major financial reasons they joined the EC (now EU) was because the UK joined, and Denmark wanted to protect its agricultural (a lot of it bacon and butter) exports to the UK.

    KungFuKenny
  • TheOriginalSimonBTheOriginalSimonB Member Posts: 1,771
    Don’t know if they are still there, but the Danish Bacon Company used to have their UK hq in Welwyn Garden City. They had reserved spaces in the car park we used when food shopping so if ever you went in there would be a line of expensive cars with DBC1, DBC2... registrations.
    KungFuKenny
  • bpk2300bpk2300 Member Posts: 245
    New sets 2020 dropped. Surprisingly big wave from my point of view.
  • CCCCCC Member Posts: 20,526
    Yeah, on front page. They look great to me. And not going too big / expensive in this wave.

    My view of this theme as a whole is pretty much the same. Great and fun sets, shame about the availability of the app for kids' tablets!
    Mr_CrossBaby_Yoda
  • LordmoralLordmoral Member Posts: 920
    New 2020 sets: https://brickset.com/article/46920/2020-hidden-side-sets-officially-revealed!?fbclid=IwAR1UmhpBGKbBGnldhjC1Zegpa18ylNimxWeJ8nbF8v2u0TjvsWZEIo06Y5s#.Xc058lkp9Po.facebook
  • daewoodaewoo Member Posts: 793
    I'm not that impressed, but at least we'll get roller coaster track in dark red.
  • mustang69mustang69 Member Posts: 544
    edited November 2019
    The Lighthouse doesnt look too bad and the Ghost Fair looks like it has some fun fairground parts but the price seems a little steep.
    Lordmoral
  • flordflord Member Posts: 797
    These are basically Scooby Doo sets.
    MynattSumoLegoSwitchfoot55gmonkey76starwars4evermsandersdatsunrobbieBrickchapLordmoral
  • panchox1panchox1 Member Posts: 722
    has anyone had trouble opening the app today? Mine is getting stuck in the load screen at the very beginning. Tempted to delete and reinstall it, but i'm afraid of losing all my progress.
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    edited November 2019
    flord said:
    These are basically Scooby Doo sets.
    Aren’t they just. I already planned on building a haunted harbour front along with some of the 1st wave sets and the old fishing store, parking the mystery machine in the road 
    SumoLegoLordmoral
  • klintonklinton Member Posts: 1,248
    I really wonder what happened to Douglas in the interim between wave one and wave two. He's not looking so well... 
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