Hogwarts Live Blog

So your Headmaster (me) just dropped a new feature that's basically Pokemon but with more British accents and ethical ambiguity. Enter the Fantastic Beasts Module, where you punch magical creatures in the face, then shove them into a sentient suitcase like a deranged wizard hoarder.

You'll meet Newt Scamander (aka Magical Steve Irwin), buy a suitcase (because apparently backpacks are passe), and start your morally dubious journey to "catch 'em all" but only one of each, because this isn't a petting zoo, it's a prestige prison.

Fight creatures. Capture them. Log their trauma in your Bestiary. Rank up until you're a Supreme Magizoologist (which sounds fake but okay). Give your beasts names like "FartGoblin" or "VoldyDaddy" because this system allows color formatting and we know you can't be trusted with power.

Will there be trading? Maybe in the future. Will we read your feedback? Also maybe. Just don't cry if we don't implement your 42-slide deck on creature mating mechanics.

Now go forth. Capture beasts. Name them dumb things. Do your best impression of Cesar Millan.

Could you use a new day? Quidditch training not progressing quickly enough? Are you tired of dying to the Dementors and not being able to escape through the tunnel? Or maybe you want to try to win the Wizard Card contest? Whatever the reason for wanting a new day, this could be your lucky week! We are raffling off 25(!!!) New Days to ONE lucky winner! It will run for 1 week only so be sure to buy a ticket or two! But wait, THERE'S MORE!

Next week we will be giving away another 25 New Days to yet another winner! In fact, we'll be having a weekly New Day Raffle for the next 5 weeks! So get out there, collect your beans, and buy some tickets!

Good luck!

Your Headmaster has just dropped a steaming hot cauldron of NEW FEATURES into the game and now my wrists hurt cause I've been working like a house-elf on mop duty after the Quidditch World Cup.

Found a bug? Just petition for help or hop on our Discord and we'll get to it when we have time.

Don't like something? Don't whinge like a third-year denied a Hogsmeade pass. Instead try suggesting a better alternative.

Voldemort Challenges & Encounters
- Implemented a 7-year cycle of Voldemort encounters
- Created 5 unique challenges per year

Quidditch Cup Tournament
- Added Quidditch training and matches
- Implemented different positions (Seeker, Chaser, Beater, Keeper)
- Created house-specific teams and competitions
- Created pro league for Hogwarts graduates and older students

Niffler Pet Forest Special
- Implemented the ability to get Nifflers as pets like from Fantastic Beasts (similar to the Phoenix, but the Niffler helps you find more gold and gems)

Other Forest Specials
- Aragog and the acromantulas
- Obscurus
- Unicorns
- Centaurs
- Troll in the Dungeon
- Dracula
- Vampire Bill from True Blood
- Lestat de Lioncourt from Interview with the Vampire
- Edward Cullen from Twilight (w/ chance of Jacob)
- Van Helsing
- Selene, the Death Dealer from Underworld
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (w/ chance of Angel or Spike)
- Florida Man (w/ Quidditch tie-in)

New Races
- Implemented vampire as a playable race with special events
- Added trolls as a playable race with a special event
- Added house elves as a playable race

New Places
- Hogwarts Classes
- Slug Club
- Magic Dojo
- Whomping Willow
- Lottery
- Fangtasia, Vampire Bar
- Staten Island Residence from What We Do in the Shadows
- Madam Pomfrey (for Donators)

And other small things I won't mention, but you may run into...enjoy :)

Now, you may be wondering, "Why do I need new colors?" First of all, how dare you. Second, because people asked for more colors.

Are these colors final? No. (So stop complaining or come up with better ones.)

The current (again, not final) list:

1 - Dark Blue
2 - Dark Green
3 - Dark Cyan
4 - Dark Red
5 - Dark Magenta
6 - Dark Yellow
7 - Soft Off-White
~ - Ash Gray
! - Light Blue
@ - Light Green
# - Light Cyan
$ - Light Red
% - Light Magenta
^ - Light Yellow
& - White
) - Gray
e - Dark Rust
E - Light Rust
g - Extra Light Green
j - Mid Gray
J - Mid Blue
k - Aquamarine
K - Dark Sea Green
l - Dark Link Blue
L - Light Link Blue
m - Wheat
M - Tan
p - Light Salmon
P - Salmon
q - Dark Orange
Q - Light Orange
R - Rose
T - Dark Brown
t - Light Brown
V - Blue Violet
v - Ice Violet
x - Burlywood
X - Beige
y - Khaki
Y - Dark Khaki

Try them out. Experiment. Go full Burlywood if you must. (No one knows what Burlywood is, but it feels like something that would either be sold at Whole Foods or summoned during a blood moon.)

And if someone tells you your chosen color is "hard to read," simply respond in Light Cyan: "My aesthetic transcends your ocular limitations."

Heads up, HLers! Exciting bit of news! Danilo has made it possible for Juan and myself to hold raffles for you! This means more raffles on a more regular basis! Thank you, Danilo!!

Most of you are familiar with how raffles work, but for any newer players who have not yet been around for one, I'll do a brief explanation before announcing our first raffle of the year.

I'm sure you've come across Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in your travels across the site and as you've been fighting in the forest. You have three options when you find them- Save, Eat, and Throw it out. Hopefully you've been saving at least some of them because these are what you use to buy raffle tickets!

Each raffle has a set price for tickets and you are free to buy as many tickets per raffle as your beans allow. To check your beans, simply click on your name from the Student List or in chat and your Candy Stash balance is posted in your bio. If you are low on beans and want more in a hurry, you can use donator points to Buy Candy in the Prefect's Lounge.

The most recent and any current raffle(s) are shown in the Candy Raffle link on the left, as well as your bean balance if you forgot to check beforehand. The link will display ACTIVE to alert you to any current raffle. Entering is easy. Click on any current Raffle you'd like to enter, enter the number of tickets you'd like to buy, then sit back, cross your fingers, and wait for (hopefully) your name to be picked! Winners are chosen at random automatically through an online generator- staff has no control over the winners.

And now, drumroll please....

This month's raffle is for.. a whopping 10,000 donator points to ONE winner!!!
This means ONE person will walk away with 10,000 points which they can spend in the Prefect's Lounge, it means enough points for tons of Custom Titles, gives Hogwarts Live Alumni status to protect their account from deletion, AND even ONE Name Change if so desired!! What?! Woohoo!!

Now go out there, find some beans, and buy your tickets! Remember, it only takes ONE to win!! Have fun and good luck!

Look, we thought we were done. We really did. We unleashed the first major Hogwarts Live redesign in over 20 years, dramatically wiped the sweat from our brows, and prepared to retreat into the dark abyss from whence we came.

But no. That would be too easy. Instead, like a Hogwarts staircase deciding it's had enough of your nonsense and moving just as you reach the top, we realized: there were still things to fix. And there may be more to come.

The Updates You Didn't Know You Needed (and Might Still Not Appreciate):
First off, the blog design now actually matches the main game. That's right. No more weird dissonance where you felt like you had stumbled into Bizarro World every time you clicked from the game to the blog.

Secondly, minor tweaks to improve the mobile experience. Because apparently, you all keep insisting on playing this game on your phones instead of carving ancient runes into stone tablets like reasonable people. So we made it slightly less painful to navigate, which means less accidental button mashing, less weird formatting, and fewer moments of existential dread as you try to click a link and instead open eight different pages at once. (No promises, though. Chaos finds a way.)

On a final note just because you ask for something doesn't mean we'll do it. Not because we don't love you (we don't), but because democracy is a lie and we're running this place like a slightly benevolent dictatorship. (If enough people scream the same thing at us, though, we might listen. Maybe.)

Yes, you can still complain, but it won't change the fact that this update is happening. Your options are: adapt, accept, or stage a dramatic protest.

So go forth, explore, break things (preferably not on purpose), and if you find any bugs, remember: they're not bugs. They're features.

And if you've read this far? You either have impeccable taste or far too much free time. Either way, you belong here.

I know it has felt like Hogwarts Live's old design had been running since the dawn of the internet or at least since the age of dial-up, which is basically the same thing. If you're reading this, congratulations, you're witnessing history. For the first time in over two decades, we've updated the website's design. That's right. The old version has finally gone the way of VHS tapes, floppy disks, and whatever dignity we had left.

Why the update, you ask? Because apparently, time moves forward and people don't just sit at their desktops anymore. Some of you maniacs actually leave the house and expect to play Hogwarts Live on tiny, glowing rectangles. Ridiculous, but fine. So, like the benevolent gods that we are (at least on HL), we have bestowed upon you a mobile-friendly version of the site.

Yes, this means you can now duel, cast spells, and waste your life away in HL while pretending to listen in meetings, ignoring your family at dinner, or avoiding responsibilities in ways previously thought impossible. You're welcome.

Now, let's address the elephant or Thestral (if you have the sight) in the room. Things Look Different. We know change is scary. Some of you have been playing this game since the Bush administration--pick one (well not quite that old). You probably have muscle memory for the old layout. And yes, this is like coming home only to find that someone rearranged all the furniture, replaced your chair with a slightly comfier one, and burned your favorite old sock in a ritual sacrifice to the CSS gods.

Look, we tried to keep things familiar while making sure your precious experience is less likely to break if you so much as breathe near a mobile browser. It's a delicate balance. Like keeping a Dementor as a pet--possible, but you'll probably still lose most of your soul in the process.

What You Need to Know:

- You can now use HL on your phone without feeling like you've traveled back to the GeoCities era. That's right-no more zooming in and out like a lunatic just to read the text.
- If something's broken, we totally meant to do that. No, really. But also, maybe tell us if it's broken so we can pretend to fix it.
- You can send us feedback, but we will ignore 80 percent of it. Democracy is an illusion. However, if enough people request the same thing, we might consider it. Otherwise, your suggestion will be tossed into the same void as why doesn't Hogwarts have normal high school subjects like Math.
- The game is still the same ridiculous, chaotic, text-based nonsense you know and love. Just, you know, with less suffering on mobile (hopefully).

If you're struggling to adjust to the changes, just remember. Dumbledore changed the entire House Cup standings overnight based on pure favoritism, and people survived that. You'll survive this. And if you don't, well, someone else will take your place. That's the circle of life at Hogwarts (Live).

So go forth, explore, break the new layout in ways we didn't expect, and if you find any bugs, just tell yourself they're features or petition for help and we'll get to it when we have time.

I'm making some necessary updates to our DNS settings over the next 72 hours. During this time, you may experience temporary difficulty accessing the site or notice minor data loss for recent actions.

I'm working hard to minimize disruptions and appreciate your patience. If you have any issues, please petition for help, though they'll likely be resolved after 72 hours.

Thank you for understanding!

This is the first time since 2013 that we're accepting applications for new volunteer staff members!

We're looking to put together a brand new development team to help revamp the site, alongside expanding our administrative staff and moderator team, who play a vital role in the day-to-day safety and enjoyment of the site. This team will focus on monitoring chats, ensuring players follow the rules, and keeping the community safe and welcoming.

We're looking for enthusiastic, imaginative, and passionate individuals to help us create the next stage of Hogwarts Live.

Please note these positions do come with in-game perks, but are otherwise unpaid as HL is a labor of love.

Roles We Are Looking to Fill:

Administrator/Moderator

Description: Responsible for moderating chats, ensuring players follow site rules, and addressing any issues to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Skills: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Fairness, Ability to Handle Sensitive Situations, Familiarity with Site Rules and Policies.

To apply, Petition for Help explaining why you'd be a good fit for this role and any relevant experience.

Software Engineer/Developer/Programmer

Description: Responsible for programming new features for the game.

Skills: JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS

Note: If you program in another language such as Go, Java, C, C#, C++, Ruby, Python, etc., please apply (especially if you have experience building web services or mobile apps).

To apply, Petition for Help with code samples, links to applicable work, or a resume.

Project Manager

Description: Responsible for gathering feature requirements, making sure features are delivered on time, and making the public aware of new features. Will help prioritize when and what features are built.

Skills: Organization, Communication, Time Management, Project Management

Note: The ideal PM will keep tabs on everyone involved in a project and ensure tasks are completed on time.

To apply, Petition for Help with examples of how you've helped teams deliver projects on time.

Digital Illustrator

Description: Responsible for designing game art such as characters, objects, backgrounds, icons, and other graphics. Can use generative AI art, but should be skilled enough at image manipulation to fix the mistakes AI makes.

Skills: Image Manipulation (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, etc.), Illustration

To apply, Petition for Help with links to custom graphics or artwork you've created.

Game Scenario Writer

Description: Responsible for creating game scenarios/storylines.

Skills: Imagination, Good Ideas, English, Grammar, Detail-oriented, Descriptive

To apply, Petition for Help with writing samples or links to applicable work.

Web Designer

Description: Responsible for the design and layout of HTML and CSS pages.

Skills: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Image Manipulation (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, etc.), Layout Design, Information Design, Usability, User Experience Design

To apply, Petition for Help with screenshots or links to websites designed.

It would be helpful if any of you who apply include a personal statement describing why you would like to volunteer for Hogwarts Live and why you think you're qualified to do so.

Would really appreciate it if you could fill out this survey about what keeps you playing HL:
https://forms.gle/g4Yoy7rRgHqvJBVq5

Hogwarts Live has been a magical experience for many over the years, and we want to understand what keeps you playing and how we can make it even better. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us explore ways to revitalize the game, enhance its features, and keep the magic alive for both current and future players.

By sharing your thoughts, you'll help shape the future of HL and ensure it continues to be a place where fans can explore, compete, and connect. Whether you're a long-time player or have taken a break, we want to hear from you!

Thank you for being part of this journey and for making HL special. Your voice matters!