Arcade
- Kind
- Part of Webkinz World holding its games
- Main file
SWF/ARCADE/arcade.swf- Games stored at
SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/
The Arcade is the part of Webkinz World where games were played for KinzCash. The site's tour for newcomers puts it in one sentence: "You can also earn KinzCash by playing in our Arcade. With so many games to choose from, you're sure to find your favorite."[1] Most of what the Flashpoint Archive preserves of Webkinz is Arcade games; the list of games gives them all.
The Arcade's program
The Arcade's own program, arcade.swf, is preserved. Its readable text is mostly programmers' notes, but it holds a few things shown to players. A score panel carried the headings "Highest Score of the day" and "My Highest Score".[2][2] The program checked scores before accepting them: a player whose score was too high to be believed was told "The score you achieved is greater than the maximum reasonable score for this game. Your score will not be submitted and your KinzCash will not be awarded."[2] The same message is inside several of the games.[3] Another message asks a player who has "completed your task" whether to return to the Adventure Park, which suggests that an Arcade game could be played as a task set somewhere else in the world; the files say nothing more about that.[2]
How a game was laid out
The preserved games share a pattern. Most have a separate instructions file, which carries a button labelled "Back to Main Menu" and usually states the rate at which the game pays KinzCash, in the form "You receive 1 KinzCash for every 40 points".[4][4] They end on a shared screen with the words "GAME OVER", "Final Score" and "KinzCash Awarded".[5][5] That screen is kept in two sizes, named for 600 by 450 and 800 by 600.[6] Several games offer a "1 Player Game" on their menu, and a few add a game for two; see Tournament Arena.[7]
Some games gave more than KinzCash: trophies, a statue, a printable certificate and unnamed "surprises". See Trophies and prizes.
Kinds of game
The preserved games are of familiar kinds: puzzles of matching and clearing (Cash Cow 2, Goober's Lab, Tile Towers, Color Storm), platform and dodging games (Bananza, Lily Padz, Zacky's Quest), games of timing (Wacky Zingoz, Wacky's Bullseye Batter), and games that practise a school skill: sums in Booger Gets an A and typing in Lunch Letters.[8][9] Many have a named hero; see Characters.
The files do not say how many games the Arcade held at any time, in what order they were added, or who made them. One game opens with the credit "Webkinz Studios Presents".[10]
References
- ↑ The game file
Webkinz Site Tour 2008/content/www.webkinz.com/XML/L10N/US_EN/siteTour.xml, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The game file
www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/arcade.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Operation Gumball/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/operationGumball_hack.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ 4.0 4.1 The game file
Dex Dangerous and the Lunar Lugbotz!/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/lunarLugbotzInstructions.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ 5.0 5.1 The game file
Ant Mania_ Picnic 2/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/Game_Over_600x450.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Bananza/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/Game_Over_800x600.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Cash Cow 2/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/cashCow2_hack.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Booger Gets an A/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/Instr_Booger_Gets_An_A_hack.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Lunch Letters/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/lunchLettersInstructions.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14). - ↑ The game file
Dex Dangerous and the Lunar Lugbotz!/content/www.webkinz.com/SWF/ARCADE/GAMES/lunarLugbotz_hack.swf, as kept in the Flashpoint Archive (Flashpoint Ultimate 14).