There's really not much to actually do.

Getting the full McGonagall backstory is kinda awesome, but everything else is meh.

 

Yeah, now that I've brewed all of the potions...there's nothing overly interesting.

 

Well I got Hufflepuff. My username is PatronusRune21038.


Seems the computer I am on is way to slow to finish any potions on time, so I am gonna keep going through and finish the book for now.

 

Replied to a post from yesterday. Thoroughly ninja'd.

 

With only two things to do, one if you consider the eventuality that you'll run out of Galleons if you continue to brew potions, the likelihood of this maintaining people's interest for a prolonged period of time is fairly slim.

MidnightThestral8781 - Ravenclaw.

Don't like the fact that we can't choose our own names, but I'm pretty stoked with the result anyway.

Actually created a test account prior to that one, figured I'd end up in Sytherin by answering honestly but was quite pleased to find myself in Ravenclaw. After testing out everything with that account I decided to create a proper one, completely different set of questions (far more interesting ones actually) and ended up in Ravenclaw once again. Over the years I've taken more sorting quizzes than I'd like to admit, with results most often splitting between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, but having turned up Ravenclaw twice on a test that JKR wrote? I'll take that as official.

Again, it's fun for about an hour... but after that it's just becomes a slog for people who want to earn a fuckton of house points. I mean really, who has the time to get 250k house points via duels that net you 5 each?

I really wish they had just sacked up and made an MMO. (Not trying to start a discussion on this, we've had countless ones over the years, and it's unlikely we'll add anything new)

All in all, I'd say that the art is my favorite thing about Pottermore. The extra background and spell incantations are nice, but the art style won me over from the start. Oh, and since I didn't remember the solution from the book and generally just glance over that section in fics, the potions riddle was a blast to solve on my own.

Dueling is repetitive as hell and really comes down to who's more accurate with the Full Body Bind. Potions are fun, but the waiting, cost of materials, and general clunkiness guarantee it won't keep me interested for long.

Overall, it's cute... but not particularly engaging.

 

Do beta accounts still work? Several of you have mentioned making new accounts.

 

Don't know about that, just used a secondary email. For getting a better selection of names I just cleared my cookies and started registration over until I found something I liked.

 

I did a second sorting and got Gryffindor. D:

But I guess I should accept my fate. Bell is a much nicer surname anyway.

 

I got a sick name (StrikeSword21981) and got a nice wand as well, Hazel with Phoenix feather and quite bendy.

Then I was sorted in Slytherin, and I am very happy with that. The first time I tried to get into Gryffindor on purpose just to see Gryffindor stuff and see how easy the sorting quizz was. This time I was honest and got Slytherin, so while my first choice was Ravenclaw I'm very happy.

 

Don't know if it's been mentioned before, and I've been up for a really long time at this point so I really don't feel like digging through 43 pages to find out.

As predicted, my interest in Pottermore took a quick dive after doing everything (Potions, Dueling, etc. [Actually, scratch the etc. Potions and Dueling are pretty much it...]) but I find myself checking the house points almost daily.

When I first joined, Slytherin was in first, followed by Ravenclaw, then Gryffindor, and the house of the loyal and hard working in last. Over the last week or two, Gryffindor has overtaken Ravenclaw and are steadily closing the gap with Slytherin.

Normally, I wouldn't give two shits about a digital recreation of a fictional system of arbitrary rewards and punishments... But the huge disparity in terms of house member numbers actually got me interested.

At present, the number of members in each house and the current house points are as follows:

Slytherin - 524,500 members - 39,430,928 points
Gryffindor - 545,864 members - 39,329,721 points
Ravenclaw - 497,408 members - 38,663,312 points
Hufflepuff - 528,267 member - 33,849,075 points

So Ravenclaw has almost 50,000 members less than Gryffindor and are only around 700,000 points behind them. The member gap is pretty big there when you consider that those 50k people only need to get 14 house points each to create that 700k point difference, which basically means they just have to collect the most obvious items in the story.

I also can't understand why Hufflepuff is so far behind. I've never pictured myself in that house, but at the same time I never considered them 'duffers', as they're so frequently described. Maybe just a ton of rerolling?

Either way, that wasn't the point, it's just the setting.

It got me thinking on just how many people created accounts that were subsequently abandoned because they didn't end up in Gryffindor, and what the real member gap is between the houses.

That was question one for me.

The second was, I get that JKR is going for authenticity when it comes to the sorting and would likely never consider balancing sortings by leaning them one way or another based on current house member numbers... but did they never consider point balancing issues? Clearly Gryffindor was going to be the one that the majority of the fanbase was going for, so why not actually figure out a method of point gain adjustments based on both/either members and/or standing for the house cup?

It's fairly easy to solve, the lower the position on the house cup rankings, the more points your house gets for completing challenges (Dueling/Potions).

At the same time, why would they even bother? Since the majority of the fanbase wants to be Gryffindors, the majority will want them to win. Not to mention the expectations given by the books that Gryffindors should win the cup. I get that them winning in first year by saving the stone makes for the perfect Gryffindor happy ending, but I still find it annoying.

Not really sure why I brought this up actually... I really don't care who wins (is there even an endpoint?) and I'm actually kind of proud that Ravenclaw is doing so well with 25k - 50k less members than the other houses. Maybe I'm just so used to the extreme balancing in video games today that when I see no effort being made to do so, my mind just can't handle it? Or maybe I'm just an annoying prick with way too much time on his hands...

Despite not having a clear purpose, I did enjoy writing it.

Ah well.

 

Does it even matter? Rowling will be sure to give out just enough Gyffindor points at the end of the year to beat Slytherin.

 

I thought that when you get to the first chapter of a new book the House Cup would go to the ones with the biggest amount of points at the moment. Evidently, that's just me guessing with no true facts to base this on but that's the way I've always envisioned this so it would be fair for everyone playing, besides never awarding the Cup, I mean.

 

Well I tried this out for the first time today - was pretty cool while it lasted, but I can tell this is going to get boring fast. Not being able to choose your own name is pretty lame, ended up with IceCloak6829. Answered all the questions honestly and ended up in Slytherin with a 14 1/2 in Black Walnut Phoenix Feather Unyielding wand. I was expecting Slytherin or Ravenclaw and I like the wand I ended up with, so no complaints on that end. We should have a who has the longest wand epeen contest ;p

 

Contrary to above, Slytherin won the house cup with Gryffindor on 2nd. Badgers were the last as expected.

 

Yeah, we won.

I have to admit, though, I wouldn't have been that surprised if the PM team had pulled a "dumbledore"...

 

I had such high expectations for Pottermore.

None were met.

 

I gave up on Pottermore ages ago. So busy trying to expand the servers to accept every half-wit whose seen the movies that they neglect the experience once you're in and through that introductory bit.

ah well, Can only hope that the 'team' gets better at fixing the site.

Yay Slytherin. Good to see my house sojourned on without me.

 

It would be about 50% better if I could brew more than one cauldron at a time. I do have three, after all