Free Realms News Daily

Sony Free Realms Update Notes - SOE

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Summer Camp!

Chatty and Robbie have set up competing Summer Camps near the new Greenwood Forest Warpstone. There have also been sightings of Bigfoot in the area!

Log in today to check out the new quests, activites, loot items and clothing and cool Marketplace and Coin Shop items and housing decorations.

Summer Camp Marketplace items include:

Marshmallow pets in various colors

Wacky Waving Chatty and Robby decorations

Ghost Tails Campfire which grants a temporary ghost pet to those that click on it.

Flair Shards in multiple variants from campfire to s'mores!

Summer Camp Coin Shop items include:

Camp Chatty and Camp Robbie banners

Campfires

Tents

Totems that can be stacked to form totem poles

Playgrounds

A new playground built from blocks and launchpads has been added near the Sanctuary Warpstone

Housing

Fall-away blocks now have a "Color It Yourself" option.

Summer Camp housing items include tents, campfires and more!

Items

Medic Gear - New School Medic Gear includes items and wearables that level up with your character. They can be found on the Station Cash Marketplace

Membership

Multi-month Subscriptions can now be purchased though the in-game interface as well as the website.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Ref Ruby's Guide to Hoverboards

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:12:00 +0000

Oh, hey guys. I’m just chilling on my MOST AWESOME HOVERBOARD EVER!

Yeah, it’s pretty sweet. This is an ATH, or an All-Terrain Hoverboard. Land, water, air… no problem.

Sure, it hovers, and that’s awesome on its own…but guess what? It can also do tricks! Press the space bar while you’re cruising around and you’ll do some sweet moves.

So that right there is double awesome. But we aren’t done yet. Nope, we’re taking it up to TRIPLE AWESOME!!! Try it out on a launch pad to see what your hoverboard can really do.

Jealous yet? Ready to get your own? Just head over to the Rides section of the Station Cash Marketplace, or the Stables outside of Sanctuary to pick one up!
While you’re there, talk to my buddy Durn Cogspinner. He can tell you some pretty cool stuff about where hoverboards came from. Ooh, mysterious…

Yeah…I guess you could say I’m pretty much the master at hoverboards. Like I haven’t really met anyone who matches my skill or anything.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Meet Cakenstein

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:02:00 +0000

Cakenstein! What is it? Cake? Monster? A cakemonster? No one knows for sure. What we do know is that Cakenstein is the result of a strange baking accident in the kitchen of Glerga, a famous Robgoblin chef.

It seems Glerga decided to add Mystery Meat to the recipe in order to win the big bake-off. She baked seven cakes using Mystery Meat and now Cakenstein is appearing everywhere one of these cakes was sent.

Cakenstein is drawn to the special cakes and will fight anyone who gets in the way. He even has smaller Cakelings to help him.

If one of the Cakelings gets some cake back to Cakenstein he becomes invulnerable for a short time!

You never know when Cakenstein will show up. When he does, arm yourself with fireworks to fight him and his Cakelings away!

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Empty Lots For Your Construction Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Empty Lots For Your Construction Dreams

What can you do with an empty lot? Lots! Without a house in the way you are free to build upways and sideways and slantways and longways and backways. Any ways you want! Fill it with blocks, pirate ships, potted plants...whatever you like!

We currently have a Briarwood lot and a Snowhill lot available. Each holds a whopping 1500 items! Think of the obstacle courses you can make with something like that!

You can use Station Cash in the Housing section of the Marketplace to find the lot that is best for you.

To make a purchase, click on the Marketplace, Claim and Membership icon on the game tool bar.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms for the PS3 !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:09:00 +0000

They've always said the PlayStation 3 version was imminent, but they never gave us that official confirmation.

But it's here now: on the anniversary of the day Free Realms launched for the PC, Sony Online Entertainment has announced that their family-friendly MMORPG will be coming to the PS3 and furthermore, they plan to show it off at E3 this year. We'd like to know if PC and PS3 players will be able to go adventuring together on the same servers and of course, we need a launch date for the PS3 version, too. At this point, we could probably guess that Free Realms will be available on Sony's console towards the end of the year, but that's only a guess until we receive the finalized date (and maybe we'll get it in June). If you're unfamiliar, this is a game along the lines of old MMOs like EverQuest, only with a distinctly cartoon-y feel to it; the depth is still there (we think), but it's not as much about bloody battles as it is about a feeling of immersion in a large, colorful, interesting world.

PS3 Version in action for E3 2010

Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play PC MMO Free Realms is still coming to PlayStation 3, according to the publisher.

Speaking with Kotaku, SOE says the game is still "very much in development," and we'll see it in action for the first time at E3 this year. Free Realms launched a year ago, with some ten million subscribers to date. Not bad -- probably has something to do with how damned cute it is.

I played Free Realms very briefly, but was easily distracted by things like instant messenger, email, Google Reader, and work. I'll probably have better luck on the PS3, where my only distraction will be notifications of people coming online that I never game with.

Is a free-to-play MMO on the PS3 something you're interested in? That whole "free" thing has got to help, eh?

If this appeals to you, stay tuned for more info on the PS3 version. We expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming months.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Explore the Mother Lode Quarry

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:01:00 +0000

Deep inside Bristlewood is the Mother Lode Quarry. The mine is notoriously difficult to get to and only the best miners can dig here.

Located along the path northeast from the Vale of the Ancients, the area outside the quarry may be more dangerous than inside. The woods, which some claim to be haunted, keep all but the most dedicated miners from even trying to find their way to the mine.

What makes the mine a destination despite the dangers? Gold! There is more gold in the Mother Lode than anywhere else in Free Realms. With such riches just waiting to be dug up, many are willing to risk the trip.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Happy Brithday FreeRealms !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:28:00 +0000

Happy Birthday FreeRealms !! Sony's Wildly addictive and popular online MMORPG has recently celebrated its 1 year anniversary.

There was rockin' in the realms from 9am to 5pm all day as players logged in and celebrated the days events.

Here are some picts of various towns and server party's !

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Meet the Mayor !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:58:00 +0000

Mayor Gilly is the elder statesman of Seaside. For as long as most citizens can remember, he’s been watching out for the town, fixing problems and working hard so everyone else can have fun.

The Mayor is older now and moving a bit slower. He uses a cane and is unsteady on his feet, but he is still hard at work. He can usually be found near the post office.

Of all the problems he’s seen, the latest has to do with the Crays on the beach. For some reason they have been attacking people and destroying things. He’s too old to see for himself and could use some help. If you speak to him, he will gladly ask you to explore the Cray Caves and help him find out why

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Halloween Update

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Halloween is right around the corner and Free Realms has a lot of great stuff planned between now and the 31st. The residents of Free Realms are excited for some tricks and treats and their excitement is showing. Cobwebs and spooky cauldrons line the streets of Pixiewood making it clear this is one of the big holidays of the year!

If there is one thing everyone in Free Realms agrees on, it’s costumes! Creepy and funny outfits make Halloween special and the first costumes of the season are on the Station Cash marketplace. There is also a special limited edition costume!

You can pick up a Ghost, Ghostly Diver, Grim Reaper, Goth Rag Doll and the Candy Corn costumes and more right now from the Station Cash marketplace. If you want something really special, check out the Limited Edition Wolfman costume. Don’t delay because once the Wolfman costume sells out, it’s gone for good!
We’ve got more costumes, gear, decorations and quests coming throughout the month, so keep an eye out for new creepy stuff!
To make a purchase, click on the Marketplace, Claim and Membership icon on the game tool bar.
From here you can browse any available items and purchase them using Station Cash.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Spooktacular Update

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – October 2009 – From ghosts, goblins and creepy cobwebs to candy corn costumes, Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) gears up for its biggest virtual Halloween event of the season. Today, the hit online game Free Realms™ introduces its latest game update, Super Spooktacular, featuring decorations, daily trick-or-treating, mummifying minigames, 14 new quests, 2 new trading card game Quest Packs and more than 35 new costumes for players and their pets.

“We are celebrating the first Halloween in Free Realms, with weeks of spooky activities and festive live events,” said Andy Sites, senior producer at Sony Online Entertainment. “After a night of trick-or-treating the fun doesn’t have to end. Dressed as a chicken, mummy, witch or any of the other crazy costumes available, kids can explore virtual neighborhoods with millions of friends from the safety of their own home.”

Super Spooktacular is scheduled to run from October 14th through November 11th. For detailed information on Super Spooktacular, please visit Free Realms - Welcome To Free Realms.

Along with Free Realms, SOE’s online titles, EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Legends of Norrath® and Star Wars™ Galaxies are also scheduled to host a variety of in-game Halloween events:

EverQuest: Hungry halflings, wandering vampires and necromancers unite! Harvester’s Haunt has arrived with brand new quests and holiday-themed rewards. Players can track down the gravedigger, Edmund Strangeways in the Plane of Knowledge who’s been asking the brave to venture into Norrath and dig up corpses. Adventurers who seek more fun can try making candy apples or see a holiday merchant for costumes and special treats. Harvester’s Haunt is scheduled to run from October 24th through November 7th. For detailed information, please visit EverQuest Players - Official EverQuest Community.

EverQuest II: Nights of the Dead returns to EverQuest II with an all new Haunted Hedgemaze zone in Nektulos Forest which also includes a new holiday collection! Get lost in the Haunted Mansion in Loping Planes, trick-or-treat in the big cities and enjoy decorations and haunted homes in both Qeynos and Freeport. Players can buy a costume illusion from holiday merchants and reap great rewards from Nights of the Dead events, including Ponchy’s quest line in Antonica. Experience the midnight banquets and groovy ghoulies that wander the streets during Nights of the Dead. You may get more than you bargained for! Nights of the Dead is scheduled to run from October 16th through November 9th. For detailed information, please visit EverQuest II Players - Official EverQuest II Community.

Legends of Norrath: Save the Halfling citizens of Rivervale from an invasion of brain-eating zombies. Anticipated to run between October 15th and November 11th, players will face a horde of zombies and their leader, Eater of Brains, in an all-new Legends of Norrath scenario, Brraaaaaainss!, created just for Halloween. New and existing players alike are invited to bring their best decks and try this free scenario that rewards with Halloween treats. Players who successfully keep the Halflings alive and destroy their opponent's avatar or who complete the four quests to win the game will receive powerful promo cards and helpful loot cards for EverQuest or EverQuest II. For detailed information, please visit Legends of Norrath.

Star Wars Galaxies: When the crypt goes creak and the tombstones outside the cantina quake, you'll know it's time for the Galactic Moon Festival! Scheduled to begin on October 20, residents of Star Wars Galaxies can take a shuttle to Moenia and Mos Eisley and celebrate the Galactic Moon Festival in style...if you dare. That's right fright fans, the Festival has returned! We have added several new costumes this year including Salacius Crum, Gamorrean Guard and that’s right – by popular request the Burning Ewok costume! For detailed information, please visit http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com.

All throughout the month of October, Halloween-themed events are scheduled to take place in the virtual worlds of your favorite SOE games. Exact dates vary by title.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Sprint Sponsering Ads in Free Realms for Free Items !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:25:00 +0000

On Freerealms.com, Sprint and others are sponsering ads that you click on and watch an Ad spot and then gives you a code for a free item. One of the good items is the Panda Mask. It is trickey though, sometiems it works and sometimes it gives you an error and no code.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Spooktacular!!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Free Realms Spooktacular update is coming soon. Here is a post by the Free Realms Creative Director Laralyn McWilliams on her blog.

I can’t believe it October already! Time flies when you’re having fun!

October 28th will officially be six months after the launch of Free Realms, and we’re working hard on new features and fun additions for the game. There’s a major, mostly unannounced new minigame coming that I’ll be talking about soon… but right now we’re all excited about our favorite October event: Halloween and the next Free Realms game update, SUPER SPOOKTACULAR!

The Free Realms team loves Halloween, and you can tell just by looking at the game. What other virtual world lets you dress up in fun costumes for so many different jobs? From all-pink ninjas to pixie bananas to the limited edition Fourth of July Uncle Sam suit, you can tell the Free Realms team loves costumes!

We love Halloween so much that team members hand-crafted their own Free Realms themed costumes based on the panda pet costume and robgoblin npcs before the game ever launched!

So, we’re going all out for Halloween, as our first major live event. I don’t want to spoil too many surprises, but the costumes are awesome. Our artists have pulled out all the stops to create some of the most fun Halloween costumes I’ve ever seen in an online game. Here are two of my favorites: the vampire and the witch!

For traditionalists, we also include actual Halloween costumes—the kind you wear when you go trick-or-treating, including masks!

Costumes are just the beginning, though. You’ll find Halloween decorations all across Sacred Grove, along with special quests and even a new themed match three minigame!

Please join us throughout October to celebrate Halloween and the six month anniversary of Free Realms. Thanks for help making our virtual world a great place to call home!

Laralyn McWilliams
Creative Director
Free Realms

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Free Item Codes

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Today I have found some new Free Codes to redeem in Free Realms. And also, don't forget that Free Realms Comic #2 by Wildstorm has been released and also has a free item code in it to redeem.

EMD73DK - Jagged Scythe (ninja only blade)
MMMDONUT - Heavenly Donut - Matchers Advantage
BERRYCUPCAKE - Berry Cake - Matchers Skill
G3TACPCH - Wild Winger Shin Guards

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Goal Time Update !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Pex has announced over on the Free Realms message boards the Goal Time Update !! Yay !!

Here are the patch notes...

Goal Time is here!
Head to the Soccer field in Snowhill to try out the new quests
Highlights of today's update are listed below...

Marketplace
Check out the Marketplace or Merchants in Sanctuary & Seaside to purchase Style Cards! Use them to change up your eye color, hair color, hair style, face paint & wing patterns!

General
Free Realms introduces Soccer! Start a game with friends or compete against one of the teams waiting to play you at the Soccer field in Snowhill!
Try Player Inspect on players near you – click on someone to see their jobs & levels and what they’re wearing!
Now, when you move towards a quest giver, a merchant, combat gates, collections and more you’ll notice a pop-up asking if you’d like to check it out!
The skies have cleared! Meatballs, fruits and vegetables will no longer fall from the sky. If you have already earned a Spaghetti with Meatballs recipe, you may purchase ingredients from Helga Humbleloaf or the “FFA Reps” for a limited time only.
Many “no sale” items that were earned from quests can now be sold.

Pets
Pet trainers will now receive a coin reward whenever they score “Good” or “Awesome” on all pet tricks

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ New Free Codes

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Today we have 4 new free codes for you to redeem in Free Realms. These codes are from the fella's over at FreeRealmsInsider. The codes seem to have a theme to them...Milk, it does the body good :)

Crash Crunch Helmet - 6FG8ZT7
Cow Apron - MILKRULES
Cow Hat - MILKROCKS
Bullhorn Ninja Cowl - DRINKMILK

Crash Crunch Helmet - 6FG8ZT7

Cow Apron - MILKRULES

Cow Hat - MILKROCKS

Bullhorn Ninja Cowl - DRINKMILK

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Goal Time Update !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Free Realms Game Designer Chris Molina has posted an update concernign the Goal Time Update which will introduce the new soccer job profession to the game...

Well, we’re just about in the final stretch here at Free Realms headquarters, polishing the final touches of the new Soccer Star job and arcade style mini game. It’s been both an insightful and genuinely fun experience contributing to the new game update. As is the case with creating any new game, soccer has gone through an iterative process that began to really take shape in the last couple months. The biggest challenge was creating accessible soccer gameplay using a mouse and keyboard! Typically this control mapping is found on an arcade or a console style controller which forced us to really focus on how to make Free Realms soccer just as intuitive and fun on a PC.

Thankfully we were able to identify a solid control scheme midway through the development process by gathering data from our in house Usability Lab testing. Watching the different groups of kids get hands on with the game gave us immediate feedback on how to make the soccer controls more user friendly. The A.I. (artificial intelligence) balance was achieved by viewing these play sessions as well.

Overall kids in the focus test groups had a blast playing as a Soccer Star once they got a grasp on the functionality, not to mention the punctuating particle effects really pushed the squash and stretch principals for a nice layer of novelty. This also has a suggestive nature to the Stephen Chow – Shaolin Soccer film; fans of that movie will be sure to get a kick out of Free Realms Soccer. I’ll never forget the nine to twelve age group who were yelling in sheer excitement every time they executed a goal or slide tackle! There was hardly a moment of silence throughout that particular session but, it was reassuring to see the fun factor was in fact present at that point in development.

As a designer coming over from the combat team, the soccer quest line was my first quest progression implementation for the over world. This presented many challenges as I had to learn how the flow and dependencies of the tools affected the many aspects of the core game. Whereas the framework in combat is very much self contained in a bubble or instance which doesn’t have an overlapping presence on Free Realms proper. This was one those sink or swim moments, but luckily my development teammates were always on hand to provide support during any moments of uncertainty.

I’m really looking forward to reading and seeing the reactions of players once soccer launches. I actually found myself getting a bit carried away while fixing a bug the other night. The game got so competitive and came down to the wire that I actually yelled at the opposing team “Ha! I Knocked you down and scored! What are you gonna about it, huh?” Enjoy…

Chris Molina
Game Designer
Free Realms

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms : Computer Virus !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:28:00 +0000

This latest post has nothing to do directly with Free Realms, but instead has to do with all PC game players and computer users in general.

There is a new nasty computer virus going around that is infecting Windows rootKit and installing itself in system restore data via Zer-Day flaws. It is particularly hard to remove and is targeting PC Gamers to gain access to their account so they can steal the passwords and seel them on auction sites.

Gamers of EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and other MMORPG should be aware of this virus. Here is the official post on it...

Windows system restore targeted by virtual identity thieves
Thursday, September 24, 2009

The dogrobot virus that plagues Chinese internet cafes is being used to hijack online gaming account credentials, which can then be re-sold online.

The technique used to infect computers with the virus offers a unique advantage to cyber criminals: it infiltrates Windows' system restore functionality, so that computers remain infected even after complete reversion to a previously defined system restore point. This is accomplished via a combination of rootkits and zero-day flaws, which makes dogrobot difficult to clean from infected systems.

Experts say that the malware is a sophisticated delivery system for the dogrobot virus, which has been heavily modified to skirt security software and remain invisible on affected systems. This, in addition to its resistance to removal, makes the malware exceptionally suited to the theft of virtual identities for games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft.

Some online avatars can fetch hundreds of dollars at auction and sales websites, and an extensive market for virtual items and in-game money exists as well. Microsoft anti-virus researcher Chun Feng told ZDnet that the dogrobot group of viruses has cost Chinese internet cafes over $1.2 billion in losses.

--------------------

GENEVA -- Cyber crime gangs in China are penetrating the hard disk recovery cards on computers in Internet cafes and using a combination of zero-day flaws, rootkits and ARP spoofing techniques to steal billions of dollars worth of online gaming credentials.

According to Microsoft anti-virus researcher Chun Feng, five generations of the Win32/Dogrobot malware family have perfected the novel rootkit technique to hijack System Restore on Windows — effectively allowing the malicious file to survive even after the compromised machine is reverted to its previous clean state.

At the Virus Bulletin 2009 conference here, Feng (left) provided a fascinating look at the techniques used by Dogrobot, which is directly linked to the lucrative underground trading of online gaming assets like passwords and virtual property.

According to data presented by Feng, the Dogrobot family has caused more than USD$1.2 billion in losses to Chinese Internet cafes.

He explained that earlier Dogrobot used disk-level I/O file manipulation to penetrate System Restore but, as the malware evolved, it started using a “backdoor” that already exists in the System Restore functionality. A third generation introduced extensive unhooking code to thwart the protection offered by security programs and avoid removal.

Along the way, Feng discovered that newer variants were tweaked to get around security software and strengthen the code’s ability to maintain persistent stealth on compromised Windows computers.

In China, Internet cafes are very popular among the online gaming crowd where the use of USB sticks with account credentials is the norm. Dogrobot takes advantage of this, abusing the USB AutoRun functionality on older machines to propagate.

He explained that the malware author has found success exploiting zero-day ActiveX vulnerabilities and other flaws in Windows OS and third-party software — especially RealPlayer and WebThunder.

The attackers also use ARP cache poisoning to send malicious ARP packets to instruct other machines within the same LAN to download Dogrobot samples.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Pex has announced on the Free Realms message boards that the event 'Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs' is coming to an end soon. Here is his message...

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that the Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs quests will be going away on or slightly after September 30th.

I am waiting to see if Helga will remain to give out ingredients or if she is going away as well. I'll let you know as soon as I know.
Pex

So on Sept. 30th, this event will be no more. If you haven's finished it yet, you have a week to do so.

Also, the stealth updates will hopefully end with this announcement...

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms ~ Goal Time Update !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Free Realms is getting ready to release the highly anticipated Goal Time update which will introduce the new profession for the Soccer Job called Soccer Star which will have 20 levels.

We are getting various tidbits of info on how the job will actually work. Free Realms Game Designer Margaret Krohn has an article on MMORPG.com that explains alot about this new exciting job.

There will be a quest line of tiers that you and your team will progress through and challenge harder and harder teams. Also, throughout the quest line you will have acess to 2 outfits complete with shorts, jersey, cleats, shin guards, and a bandana. Also you can purchase upgrades through the SC Store. Also, you can spend tickets to get some gear in the vaults.

All your stats will come via the gear and shards. So the choice of gear for your position is definately important. So, you may have multiple sets of gear for the various positions you could play, which makes this job more interactive in nature.

The stats come in 5 different powers: kick power (for strikers), footwork (for speed with the ball), speed (for speed without the ball), toughness (for defensive), and tackle power (for defensive). Also there are dodge and charge abilities. Dodging lets you avoid getting tackled and charge will let you kick the ball hard and do some fancy cool kick animations like Tornado Kicks, Headers, etc.

Here are some of the highlights:

Different uniforms will be available, along with upgrades like special effects "snow frosted particles".

Single player vs computer generated players OR guild vs friends.

It will be a top-down view, always looking at opponents goal, backing up to see your goal.

Some moves are: Slide tackle, Tornado kicks and Headers (these will become available as you level up)

Power boost and speed boosts will be on the field for you to run and grab

Each half will be 4 or 5 minutes long

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms : Talk Like A Pirate Day !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Arrrr! Saturday September 19th be International Talk Like A Pirate Day! ‘Tis a day to grab yer best hat and talk like a pirate.
This ‘holiday’ is a fun excuse to don your pirate hat and enjoy a day of Arrrrrs and Thar She Blows! If anyone asks what is happening, just say “Shiver me timbers, matey! ‘Tis ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’.”
What started as a funny idea between friends is now celebrated in countries all across the world. It’s one of those things that is just fun, so give it a try. If all else fails, just add lots of Arrrr to whatever you say.
Enjoy yer pirate talkin’ time, scurvy dogs! Arrrrrr!

Looking for a slick pirate hat for you or your pet? You can find hats for your character, or your cat in the Station Cash store. The red pirate hat for your dog comes as an exclusive item on the 1,000 Station Cash cards available at retailers now.

Also, for you Free Realms players, it's double Station Cash week.

Don’t miss out a chance to get more bang for your Station Cash!
For a limited time only players with accounts in good standing in Free Realms can take advantage of this special offer!

Simply buy any pre-paid Free Realms Station Cash retail game card (excluding Free Realms Starter Cards) at any of our participating retailers and redeem that card during the promotional period for DOUBLE its value in Station Cash.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms Hits 5 Million !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:44:00 +0000

Free Realms reached 5 million users !! Smed confirmed this at the GDC in his keynote. This game is slowly closing in on the juggernaut that is WoW, World of Warcraft. Here is the press release.

Tomorrow in Austin, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley will make it official. The company's free-to-play, kid-friendly PC game Free Realms has passed the five million registered users mark -- and surprisingly, it did so sometime last month, says Smedley.

The news of the game hitting the five million mark -- or rumors of same -- have been part of the game industry lexicon for so long, the milestone hardly comes as a surprise (although it is interesting to note the game tallied its five millionth registered user in August, not July as many game analysts had projected). Still, the accomplishment is a huge win for Smedley and the Free Realms team.

Since SOE released the game in late April, Free Realms has ramped on an exceedingly steep curve, adding a million gamers a month to its registered-user tally.

What might actually come as a surprise, however, is just how hard Sony Online staff works at maintaining the white-hot streak of customer acquisition. According to Smedley, kid-focused MMOs is not a segment for the laid back or investment-averse.

"This is a market where you have to stay fresh, and you have to stay ahead of the competition in a way that you don't have to do with your core MMOs," Smedley told VirtualWorldsNews.com this evening.

Smedley (right) calls the under-13 market which gravitates to Free Realms' unique style of cartoony, adventure-heavy gameplay and questing "definitely a tough market."

One where you need to be proactive as a marketer, unafraid to allocate resources, and constantly on the leading edge as an advertiser, he adds. "You have to be willing to spend the money and stay with your investment," Smedley says.

Smedley, who has been SOE's president since 2001, gives the impression that while he's up for the challenge of maintaining Free Realm's pace, it wasn't fully understood just how committed he and his SOE colleagues were going to have to be to do so.

"Because kids' mind hare is so constantly inundated with new games, new things on TV, it's literally necessary to remind them [about the game] on a daily or weekly basis," Smedley says.

The competition for mindshare, which he is says is on the rise, is mostly other games.

"On TV you see a Free Realms commercial immediately followed by a Wizards 101 commercial, immediately followed by a commercial for Disney's ToonTown or Club Penguin. You see this huge, dramatic amount of advertising for kids and it's definitely something you have to stay on top of."

Part of the problem is the ease of attracting kids. "It's so easy to get kids' mindshare," he emphasizes, "they'll quickly go from one thing to the next. It's definitely a very, very different marketing experience than it is for the rest of our core games."

One element of the business which Smedley believes gives Sony an advantage over other game makers competing for the same audience is the degree to which SOE analyzes gamer data.

"We've instrumented literally every single aspect of Free Realms in ways that few if any game has ever done," Smedley says. "We report every click every person does when they register." As a result of that focus, the team of five full-time data crunchers found (earlier in the launch) that 40 percent of the people registering were opting out on one particular screen. It seems that asking a 10-year-old for his or her birthday was a showstopper. "Ten-year-olds don't know what their birth year is," says Smedley.

But those tweaks are behind SOE now. For Smedley and the game's live team, now it comes down to building on success. First, there's ongoing research: "We are constantly bringing kids into our usability lab and product focus lab…on a monthly basis we have a bunch of new kids coming in."

Then there are brand extensions, which Smedley isn't shy about talking about. Of course, Topps has the Trading Card Game license, but Smedley hints at larger deals yet to be inked. "We are talking to some different manufacturers about working with us on plush and a few other toy lines," Smedley says.

And there is the leveraging of lessons gleaned from Free Realms that can be put against other, new games from SOE. "We have other games in this space that are coming next year." Built on the success of Free Realms, yes, but different games completely, Smedley says.

For the record, Smedley and SOE are releasing some interesting user data tomorrow as well, specifically the top five marketplace items:

1. Free Realms Digital Booster Pack
2. Humongous Health Potion
3. Skeletal Hoodie
4. Humongous Replenishing Potion
5. Humongous Energy Potion

And the game's most popular jobs:

1. Brawler
2. Pet Trainer
3. Demo Derby Driver
4. Kart Driver
5. Chef

Additionally, Smedley updated some of the game's demographics, stating 67 percent of players are male and 33 percent are female. "We were shooting for more females, but that's way better than the MMO audience which is [typically only] 15 percent female," says Smedley. He added that Free Realms stats show females outpurchase males by a 30-40 percent margin, and that 51 percent of Free Realms gamers are under 13, with around 75 percent under 18.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms Tiny Head Cheat Code

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:15:00 +0000

Another cheat code has been found similar to the Bobble Head cheat code we posted a while back. This one is freaky looking and shrinks your head like in Beetlejuice. These codes only make the changes on your computer screen so all characters with heads will have a large head or a small head. It does not change how others see you, only how you see others. It is a cool cheat code and one I find worthy of mentioning here...

To get this view in simply type in /OMGLILIMH.
And the bobble Head cheat code is /ABSNBD.

Have fun with these codes and check back for more updates.

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms TCG Expansion !!

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Sony Free Realms has announced officially the first expansion set to the hit card game based on the world of their mmorpg Free Realms !!

This definately has me excited as the TCG is what I do most in this game. They have done a good job with this aspect and to me it is the best part of the game, plus I love collecting things :)

Here is the official announcement...

Online Tournament Play Introduced

DENVER, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that Shattered Past, the first expansion for the Free Realms(TM) Trading Card Game, is now available within Free Realms. Developed at SOE's Denver studio, Shattered Past introduces more than 100 new cards to the virtual playmat and includes virtual rewards in every pack, all of which are redeemable within Free Realms.

"The Free Realms Trading Card Game continues to introduce new and unique gameplay elements to the exciting online world of Free Realms," said Scott Martins, director of development, SOE Denver. "Shattered Past, along with the recently launched print-on-demand feature Duelist On Demand, the new tournament play system and the soon-to-be released Quest Packs, reinforces the commitment we've made to the integration of the trading card game format in SOE's titles."

The Free Realms Trading Card Game Shattered Past expansion features:

New Cards - More than 100 new cards and 30 exclusive virtual reward cards not found anywhere else.
Exciting Gameplay - Shattered Past introduces new gameplay such as Crush Cards, Trickster, Score Manipulation, and more ways to smack down opponents.
Virtual Rewards - Every Free Realms Trading Card Game pack features a virtual reward card redeemable for fantastic items inside the world of Free Realms. Shattered Past offers all-new rewards such as exclusive pets like Duke the Doberman, a five-piece outfit to "Goth out" your Free Realms character, a Hip Hop Boom Box, pet clothing for dogs and cats, special character effects, illusions, and more.
New Starters - Shattered Past adds four new sphere-based starter decks that players can use to begin constructing new gameplay strategies.
Tournament Play - Daily, weekly and monthly tournament events will be held, with great virtual prizes for players to win.

Shattered Past is available for 400 Station Cash ($4.00 USD) per 11-card booster pack and 800 Station Cash per 40-card starter deck and can be purchased at www.freerealms.com.

The Free Realms Trading Card Game lets players pit cool characters like dragons and goblins against one another in fun, fast-paced combat. Half the game is collecting new cards so you are armed with the best lineup of attacks and defenses to prove your might in online play or tournaments. For more information, visit the official Free Realms Trading Card Game site at http://www.freerealms.com/tradingcardgame.

Free Realms is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and up with content descriptors of Crude Humor and Fantasy Violence. To play Free Realms, visit: http://www.FreeRealms.com.

About Free Realms
Free Realms allows you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, in a lush, living, 3D world, filled with rich landscapes and fun wildlife. Play as a ninja one minute or be a chef the next! From pet raising to mini-games like kart racing, or battling giant spiders and adventuring with friends - there's something for everyone! With scheduled content updates and special events planned there is always something new to see and do in the world of Free Realms. Visit http://www.freerealms.com/ for more information.

Free Realms ~ Kitty Collar Code

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:13:00 +0000

A new code has been found for your pet. It is called the Kitty Collar. It's been a while since we've reported any free codes to redeem, and this one may be old, but it is new to me so I'll post it here form you all :)

DXNMJH9 - Kitty Jeweled Collar

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms DC Comic Delay

noreply@blogger.com (Maximo Rogue) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:37:00 +0000

We have confirmation from DC that the delayed 2nd issue of the Free Realms Comic will be coming out on Oct. 7th.

SONY teams with WildStorm and best-selling fantasy author J.S. Lewis (the Grey Griffins series) for an exciting adaptation of Free Realms, their new MMORPG! This 12-issue series mirrors the nonstop action of the game, offering exciting adventures, battles with vicious monsters and, of course, the allure of gorgeous fairies!
The story begins when a young boy is abducted and dragged into a darkened forest teeming with twisted monsters. It's up to a relic hunter and a pixie to save him, but their mission is cut short when a horde of troll-like creatures captures them!

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.