Free Realms Item Codes

We have another Free Realms Item Code you can redeem. thanks to FreeRealmsInsider. Also, there are now images of the party pack player receive.

Chatdy Cap - T86766R (What is a Chatdy ?!?!)



Also reported is the 2 mil. rewards palyers will receive. The Free party pack which contacis the following:

*Hot Cheese Fondue - Increases your matcher's advantage in mini games.
*Super Star Booster - Boosts stars earned in battle and mini games.
*Super Coin Booster - Increases coins found in battle and mini games.
*Kavod Rainbow Candy - Increases your maker's reach in mini games.
*2x Cotton Wool Candy - Turns you into a shaved ewe for 30 minutes
*2x Silver Surf n' Turf - Makes a vortex appear around you for 30 minutes.

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

Free Realms Game Update

Pex announced a game update last night with some minor changes. Mostly to subscription based palyers.

Members Only - Quests and In World Minigames

TCG :
If you've reunited the cardie crew, Sam Potts has a new challenge for you!
Seaside :
Slinky thinks he's got a cute for the hiccups. Want to help him test it out?
If you can catch him, Wernald needs help by his house.
Durango Zoo :
Zannia Sugarzing is offering a sweet reward for anyone willing to help her out.
Snowhill :
Jonathon Forkpath is looking for the next hero to take up his place as "Protector of Snowhill"
Wugachug :
Wootmoot is looking for those with musical talent for additional help! (Special Members Only quest at the end of the quest line.)
General :
Miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements.

Personally, I'd like to know what the miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements are. What is it they are tweaking? Does it effect game play? Anyways, this is the update for today. On a side note, I think they should give more rewards for the card game when we beat the quests. Throw up like 10 cards and let the player choose 2 or 3 of them. This does 2 things...it allows players to build their own deck faster to immerse them more in the CCG and it makes it so everyone will not have the same rewards, thus the same exact deck. People will still purchase virtual packs, but for those of us who don't it allows us to get more into the CCG with building our own custom deck.





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

Free Realms observations

Free Realms is immensely popular right now. The numbers show the popularity is among younger players, but I know a few of us older gamers are logging in and enjoying it. Sort of. The Free aspect is great. I haven't paid a dime yet and still am enjoying the game. With the huge world and tons of quests I'm not finding the time to do everything I want, which is good. Very good. This equates to alot of content for free that the player base can explore in. But, the content gets stale very very quickly. The only really fun thing to do in the game is play the card game, race, and explore the world. Which is fine for a little while, but then it leaves you wanting more...
The fighting is very very redundant due to all the instances being cookie cutters of one another. More variety please. The mining and cooking puzzle games make my eyes bleed after about 5 mins of them. There are soo many more options they could implement in this area. Off the top of my head, a tetrus type game, old school space invaders type games, pac man type games. With the success of old school games, people would eat this up.
So, Im very excited about Free Realms reaching 2 mil. but if they want to keep them for more then 30 days, I think they need to implement more types of these mini games besides the connect 4 puzzles, add variety to the fighting instances, and make the item GUI more intuitive.

That's my rant for today, feel free to comment - agree/disagree...






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

Free Realms hits the 2 Mil Mark !!

Free Realms has hit the 2 Million mark !!
Of those users, 75% are under the age of 17, 46% under 13 and 1/3 are female gamers.
“In less than a month, Free Realms has captivated a core player base of tween and teen gamers, while also strongly resonating with MMO gamers,” said SOE president John Smedley.
“We wanted to create a game to play with our families and are excited to have hit the mark with our intended audience.”

In honor of this milestone, all current players will receive a “party pack” bundle of in-game items to help celebrate! The packs will be rolled out in stages over the next two weeks."

So with this announcement I'll bring you a report posted about some nice shortcuts and key commands you can use in Free Realms. Also it has the paths of where the Screen Shots you take are stored.

Here are some more useful keyboard commands to use:

Esc - Opens Game options and exit the game
F10 - Hides the graphical user interface
F12 - Screenshot
C - Opens the Jobs and Equipment window
I - Opens the inventory window
J - Opens the Job selection window
M - Brings up the Game Map
Num Lock - Autorun (really useful for traveling long distances!)
P - Opens the Pet Window
Spacebar - Jump!

Tab - Targets the nearest enemy in combat. Only works on enemies while in a combat instance -it does not select non-player characters (”NPC’s”) or other players
If you hit the Enter/Return key, the Dialogue.Chat window comes up - this is for things you want to speak to others in the game. Like IM, you may decide to say it out loud to a whole channel or privately message someone, or just speak to a group you have created or joined. In order to do this, add a slash ” / ” before what you want to say in text:
/tell This sends a private message or “whisper” only to another specific player. To use this command type /tell then the full player’s name in quotation marks./g or /group Sends a sends a message only to people in your group.

You can take screen shots while playing Free Realms with the following keys:

First remove the user interface so you only see the scenery (optional of course):Clearing the Interface: F10
Taking the Screenshot: F12
Your screenshots are stored in the following locations on your computer:
Windows XP:C:\Program Files\Sony Online Entertainment\Installed Games\Free Realms\ImageCaptureOutput\
Windows Vista:C:\Users\{your account name}\AppData\LocalLow\Sony Online Entertainment\Installed Games\Free Realms\ImageCaptureOutput\







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

Free Realms Item Codes

Today we have new code to redeem in Free Realms for a black baseball cap. It's a nice free item if you have no other head gear or hat to use. Posted from our friends over at FreeRealmsInsider.

XCZG923 - Black Baseball Cap

And here is the cap that all Beta tester received. It is very similar to the free item code today we posted. Except it does not have the Free Realms logo on it.

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

Free Realms Item Codes

I have some new item codes you can redeem for free in-game items.


FROGGY - Froggy Fries to turn into a frog
SANDWICH - Small Sandwich - Shrink Potion
PXNH6HB - Spook Sphere - Turn into a werewolf.












Thanks to FreeRealmInsider for the Spook Sphere !!

Also, Sony announced a new character to its online superhero game still in development. the FLASH !!

Sony Online Entertainment just revealed another hero in their lineup for their highly anticipated upcoming MMOG, DC Universe Online. The hero just revealed is a cult favorite of comic fans and fastest man alive known as 'The Flash'. This hero has been around for decades and is a long standing member of the 'Justice League'.
Sony Online Entertainment Reveals The Flash in DC Universe™ Online!
The Fastest Man Alive, Wally West easily runs at light speed, vibrates through objects, create explosions through friction - and, when at agonizing top capacity, can manipulate time and bridge dimensions. The Flash is a time-honored member of the Justice League. The latest in a long line of Flashes, each with their own unique way of tapping into the primal "Speed Force," Wally is determined to live up to the noble legacies of speedsters such as Barry Allen, Max Mercury, and Jay Garrick.Flash's enemies call themselves the Rogues Gallery. This deadly collection of brutal foes includes Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, and the lethal speedster Zoom - villainous threats not just to Keystone City, but the world.

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

Free Realms Update notes

Free Realms performed an update on all their servers last night and added more quest givers for Members and put in optimization fixes for Video Cards. Hopefully they fix they slide show lag in high popualted areas. It really sloooows the game down for me...


Our latest update has a ton of new stuff. Here are the highlights:

* There are new members only combat, non-combat and collection quests added across the world (see below for details).
* Bristlewood now has its own warpstone
* Added in several new in-world minigames to Seaside
* Pets will stay happy, clean and fed for longer and will also find collection and mining nodes more often
* We've continued to optimize video card performance to allow lower end cards to have higher frames per second in game

Members Only Quests have been added to the following areas:

Merry Vale:
* Ronnie Britesmile is not allowed to play until he finishes his chores. He might give you something cool if you give him a hand!
* If you've already found Mugwopp for Blorple at the Greenwood Camp, he'll have a new task for you.
Briarwood:
* Recruit Agga afraid of getting lost in the hedge maze. Help him piece together a map.
Farnum's Farm:
* Rucks, the farmhand, has thrown down the gauntlet and has a series of challenges for skilled harvesters. Dare you take him on?
Pixie Nursery:
* Blazing Star and Flax thought that if they put a collar on their pet fish, no one would take it from the pond, but it's gone now! Help them find out what happened.
Wuagachug:
* Tugaboom would like a brave fighter to help him solve the rebelling Bixie problem.
Shrouded Glade:
* Cella Cedernook found a baby penguin and need help caring for it. "*Squeel!* It's so cute!"Meanwhile, Emil Jadefish and friend had a little boating accident. They could really use a hand!Tald Daybreaker's friend is lost up in Misty Mountains. Are you brave enough to rescue him?
Sanctuary:
* Auralie wants to invite the queen to her next party, but is too shy to ask. Can you help her deliver the invitation?Feldman wants to be a famous journalist, but need help gathering more information for a story he's working on.
Blackspore Swamp:
* Sirdo "Squirrel Chaser" is embarrassed about his nickname. Would you be willing to help him out so he can overcome his bad reputation?
Seaside:
* Rainchaser has more challenges for you.
* Kendall, the lifeguard, needs someone quick to help him out.
* Mr. Mudd is sickened by the trash on the beach, but has a fun way of cleaning it up.

New combat quests:
If you're a member see if you can help out the following people:
* Spruce Waynehammer's pet, Robin, keeps getting lost in the Bat Caves.
* Susy Cloudrunner by the Briar Patch has a big bear problem.
* Yuri Petaldancer by the rebelling Bixie Hive wants to taste what royal honey is like.
* Blari wants to cure the sickly saplings in Bristlewood Glade, but isn't strong enough to fight off the creatures there.
* Vasher claims he'd like to recover some old explorer bones from Cracked Claw Caverns so he can give them a proper burial.* Buttercup Webbywand's spider was kidnapped by trolls in Grexan's Camp.
* Help Puck Petalpucker near Misty Mountain ace his science project.
* Johnny has an idea for you to try out at the Mushroom Cavern.
* Jimmy Squarefeet's snowman friend has been kidnapped! Seek him out in Snowy Canyon.
* Jenny Greenteeth wants to plant some friendly plants in Treeleaf's Retreat.

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

Wild Storm announces Free Realms Comic !!

Sony teams up with Wild Storm and announces the 12 issue Free Realms comic book to go on sale in July.

Written by J.S. Lewis; Art and cover by Jon Buran

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!

· Wildstorm
· 32pg.
· Color
· $3.99 US

On Sale July 15, 2009

There has been a ton of games that have been or will be adapted into comic books and DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint is responsible for many of them, including World of Warcraft, Prototype, Gears of War and the upcoming StarCraft comics. Now Wildstorm has announced that the just launched MMO Free Realms from Sony Online is getting its own comic as well.The first issue of the planned 12-issue maxi-series is written by fantasy author J.S. Lewis (not to be confused with the late fantasy author C.S Lewis). Like the MMO it's based on the comic seems to be made for a younger audience (something that's a tad rare for a Wildstorm published comic). Look for the series to begin in July.







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

There are also some Everquest updates and a double exp increase.

From around 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, May 22nd until around 10:00 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, May 26th, EverQuest adventurers will be surrounded by a magical DOUBLE experience increase. And double XP means 100% extra XP, or 200% XP... Whichever way you want to look at it, that's a lot of XP! Happy adventuring!

Server Downtime for Game Update – May 21st at 2:00am PDT

All EverQuest Live Servers (except Al'Kabor) will be coming down around 2:00 am PDT (PDT is -7 GMT: 3:00am MDT, 4:00am CDT, 5:00am EDT, 9:00am GMT) on Thursday, May 21, 2009 for a Game Update. The servers are estimated to be down for about 6 hours. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Free Realms Codes

Free Realms Codes. Today we have a few more codes you can redeem for free items to use on your toon. These came from our friends over at Free Realms Insider.

MPT38B3 - Layered Skirt (for female only toons)
ROBGOBLINBOOTY - Robgoblin T-Shirt

Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest. And try our new search engine dedicated to finding new Free Realms Codes posted anywhere on the Web below.





We also have some game updates to report on the Treasure Vault and Pets from Grimwell over on the Free Realms Community Forums.

Pets:
- Members can now try/buy the ghost cats and dogs located at the Blackspore Pet Adoption Center.
- Players can rent Max the Lazy Dog at the Blackspore Pet Adoption Center.

Treasure Vault:
- The Member’s Only Treasure Vault has received extensive improvements.

Free Realms Party ~ Brenlo and Pex Picts :)

Friday May 15th, 2009 at 8pm EST was the 1 mil. subscriber party. I jumped in and danced with Pex, Brenlo, and some others and took a lot of pictures. They had a boombox blaring some tunes and everyone was dancing and having FUN !!


One all servers the party was in Snowhill under the large Xmas Tree. I logged into multiple servers and they were all packed. I must say, Sony has really made this game alot of fun by going the extra mile for the community. Throwing parties like this really shows they are caring about this game and the players. For now .... hehe.

Here are some pictures I took of the party and Brenlo in his spiffy outfit...



The hotdog outfit is defiantely groovy. I want one !!




And here are some more pictures on Server 3 of the all the players dancing with Brenlo and Pex.







And here is a cool video of the party shot by a player...

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

One Lucky Winner in Free Realms

According to the press release from sony, all users will receive a limited edition in-game T-Shirt, matching shirt for your pet, and 200 Station Ca$h. And the One Millionth subscriber will receive a life time free membership, a 1 of a kind astronaut suit, and 10k Station Ca$h!! Wow thats a nice bonus !!




Free Realms(TM) Soars Past one Million Registrants in 17 days, an Unprecedented Achievement for a new IP

Sony Online Entertainment Celebrates Accomplishment with Lifetime Subscription for Game's Millionth Registrant and Limited Edition In-Game Item for All Other Players

SAN DIEGO, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) today announced that more than one million unique users have registered for Free Realms(TM), the free, family-friendly online video game that launched on April 28.
To mark this milestone, SOE is rewarding all current Free Realms players with limited edition, in-game T-shirt featuring special graphics. The one-millionth player will also receive a lifetime membership to the game, a one-of-a-kind in-game astronaut suit, and 10,000 Station Cash(TM).

"The excitement surrounding Free Realms, and the positive response the game has already received, is overwhelming," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "To achieve this milestone so rapidly speaks to the quality and the fun gameplay experience Free Realms offers to players of all ages."

Along with the limited edition Free Realms T-shirt for their character to wear, 999,999 players will receive a matching pet T-shirt for their four-legged friends, and 200 Station Cash to use toward the purchase of in-game items.

In Free Realms, players can customize their characters, explore, quest, battle monsters, and play a wide variety of minigames in a safe, online environment, packed with stunning visuals, distinctive environments, and social networking capabilities. Players are free to do or be anything: Fight like a ninja, cook a tasty meal, raise a pet, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking site. Also available is the Free Realms Trading Card Game: a full-featured trading card game, playable both digitally within the Free Realms online game and offline via physical card decks available wherever you buy trading cards.
The Free Realms game starter cards and Station Cash cards, which can be used to purchase a membership, in-game items and more, are available at such stores as Target, Best Buy and 7-11.





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

Free Realms Hits Milestone !!

Sony Free Realms announced today it hit 1,000,000 users in 17 days. This has got to be a record for an online game. I don't think WoW has this type of subscription activity. Although this game is free-to-play, a million subs in 17 days is HUGE. I expect on the heels of Sony's success we may see more companies with this type of game model in the future.


Also, Everquest has come out with some new marketplace items that look really cool. You can now summon a puma cub companion and also spiffy up your blades with a nice ornamental blue effect.









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

Nice Everquest Lore

Over on the Everquest site, some new lore is written on the 2 original zones of The Estate of Unrest and Guk for the 10th anniversary group events this week. These were some of my favorite zones, especially Unrest and the sounds of the Zombies laughing.

And also because I am interested in this game, here is some more info on the SOE game DC Universe Online.




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

Free Realms Patch Notes

Here is the patch update from last night.


We are planning a game update tonight starting tonight at 11:30pm PDT. The servers will be unavailable for approximately one and a half hours.
There’s a lot of good stuff in tonight’s update. Here are a few of the highlights:

* Members will now have an increased chance of encountering rich mining nodes
* Member potions and spheres are once again being distributed in-game
* The Marketplace now has a Members Only category
* There are several new items in the Marketplace
* The Briarwood warpstone is once again active
* A pet adoption center has been setup in Blackspore
* Base Ninja health has been increased across all ranks
* Contract: Life and Death Magic and Contract: That'll Teach 'Em are now repeatable quests
* The Changelings in Darvon's Descent are no longer able to keep the artifacts they stole from showing up on the minimap. Players on the quest Stolen Artifacts should have an easier time locating them now.
* The quests “I Love Mushrooms” and “A Thorny Situation” can now be completed
* At the end of a kart race, Portraits, Total Time and Placement now appear properly
* The quest path will now properly update when selecting quests in your Quest Journal
* The lightning bolt bomb powerup is much more zappy than before! It will now blow up enemies from greater distances!
* Quickchat is now available from the Friends list
* Players will now be removed from the acquaintance list once they are added to the Friends list

In addition to the highlights, we’ve stomped out a lot of bugs submitted by our players. Thanks a lot for your help!

Also, posted over at FreeRealmsInsider is that in addition to Blockbuster having Free starter cards, also Best Buy is offering them too. They are the ones that are selling for .99 cents and are only valid with NEW Accounts. Can not be used with an existing account.



It contains 30 day free membership, 250 Station Cash, and 1 Free Magical Potion.
A $7.50 Value for FREE !! Not too shabby.
Thanks you for viewing my Blog, and check back daily for updates on Free Realms and Everquest.

Free Realms Gold & Hunting Guide

Posted on the Free Realms Message Boards is a nice hunting and gold making guide. It consists of going to find a troll mob and killing him over and over again.

Here are the step-by-step details ...

1) Teleport to Lakeshore
2) Turn to face the farm and tree
3) Head between the tree and rock (to the left of the farm)
4) Jump off the cliff
5) Cross the river
6) Look for a big troll named Brugo
7) Battle him and he will usually drop an item worth 500-1200 coins!

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

Everquest Legends of Norrath 2009 World Championship

Sony Everquest announced the Legends of Norrath 2009 world championship. They are having qualifier events and the winners will go for the World Championship Title.




Gen Con Indy 2009 is fast approaching and it's time to determine who will be crowned the 2009 Legends of Norrath Champion!

SOE has scheduled four Legends of Norrath Championship Qualifier events. The first Championship Qualifier is scheduled for Saturday, May 16th at approximately 10:00 AM PT. Each of these two-day Championship Qualifier events will feature the best and brightest Legends of Norrath players, as they compete for their share of an approximately $3,800 USD prize pool and a seat at the Legends of Norrath World Championship Tournament at Gen Con Indy 2009!

Day one of each Legends of Norrath Championship Qualifier will consist of multiple tournaments, organized according to Standard Constructed Match Play (best 2 of 3 games) Swiss tournament format. The top 16 players from day one of each Championship Qualifier event will move on to day two. Day two will consist of a single tournament that features the top 16 players from day one, organized according to Standard Constructed Match Play (best 2-3 games) Swiss tournament format. At the end of four rounds of gameplay, the top two players will face off in a single winner-take-all Match Play (best 2-3 games) final to determine the Championship Qualifier winner! This year, both of the top two players from each Championship Qualifier will win a trip to the Legends of Norrath World Championship Tournament at Gen Con Indy 2009!
Each Legends of Norrath Championship Qualifier has NO ENTRY FEE, so get your best deck ready today!

Legends of Norrath 2009 World Championship Qualifier Tournaments Dates:

* Scheduled for May 16-17, 2009
* Scheduled for June 6-7, 2009
* Scheduled for June 20-21, 2009
* Scheduled for August 1-2, 2009

Time: 10:00 AM PTEntry Fee: No Entry FeeFormat/Deck: Standard Constructed Match Play (best 2-3 games)


Posted at WarCry




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

Sony and Blockbuster teamed up to offer free starter cards Free Realms, which usually sell for .99 cents. Limited supply so hurry to your local Blockbuster and grab them before they are all gone !!



Check back for daily Free Realms updates.

Also, the Free Realms TV commercial can be viewed here on the FR website. It's pretty short but shows parts of the world, some jobs, a battle, race cars, and some of the TCG, and some various pets.

Enjoy and check back often for FR updates and codes.

Free Realms TCG Updates

The Free Realms CCG is being now sold at a variety of different retail stores. Target, Blockbuster, Best Buy, Rite Aid, Toys-R-Us, and 7-Eleven.



TCG - "Target Exclusive" Special Value Pack - $1.99.
It includes 3 game cards, 1 virtual reward card, 50 Station Cash, and a $2 coupon for the Starter Pack.

You can purchase the Value Pack first, remove the $2.00 coupon, and buy the Starter Deck for $7.99 ($9.99 - $2.00 coupon)

TCG - Passport to Free Realms Starter Pack - $9.99.
Includes 40 game cards, starter guide with playmat, 1 month free membership, exclusive virtual black lab dog, exclusive virtual card player t-shirt, 3 jumbo health potions, and a raceway speed boost.

So for a total of $9.98 you get the 2 purchases.
Target Exclusive Pack and the Starter Deck.
43 game cards, 1 virtual reward card, 50 station cash, 1 month Free membership, exclusive virtual black lap dog, exclusive in game virtual card for a T-Shirt, 3 Jumbo health Potions, and the raceway speed boost.

Not too shabby.

Also they are selling starter these other items…
Starter Card - $0.99
"New Accounts Only" - includes 30 day membership, 250 Station Cash, and 1 magical potion.
1000 Station Cash Card - $10.00
Includes an exclusive red pirate hat for your in-game dog.

The Free month is only for new accounts...NEW Accounts only.
Othewise, I would go buy 12 of them for .99 ea. and keep using it on my account for a free year for only 12 bucks. Sony isn't that stupid.

Also, Best Buy has the Free Realms TCG 11 card-pack for 3.99.

Add to the fun of your Free Realms gameplay experience with this expansion pack of cards for the Free Realms trading card game. Each pack contains 10 game cards plus an online item card to help you expand your fun in online gameplay. The 11-card pack also includes 50 Station Cash for added excitement.

Product Features:
For use with the Free Realms trading card game.
Includes 11 cards that can be used to play the online card game.
Add to your collection with 10 game cards and one online item card.
Also includes 50 Station Cash

Be sure to visit again for more News, Info, and updates for all things Free Realms.

Free Realms Codes

Here are some more Free Realms codes to redeem either on the login screen or the redeem-a-code in game.


6TNBTGH - Charcoal Bermuda Shorts
ROSESFORMOM -- Mother's Day Bouquet - Available only until May 17th.

To claim your items redeemed, click on the Station Cash button in-game and choose "claim" next to each item.

Enjoy the free items and be sure to check back here for more codes and news for Free Realms!!

Free Realms Codes !! W00T !!

Here are some Free Realms codes from our friends over at FreeRealmsInsider.


You can redeem them at the login screen and then log into your account to collect your prizes.
All for FREE! W00T!

FACEBOOKFANS01 -- ????
FACEBOOKFANS02 -- Froggy Fries - makes you into a Frog when eaten
FACEBOOKFANS03 -- Goat Cheese - makes you into a Goat when eaten
FACEBOOKFANS04 -- Shadowblade
FACEBOOKFANS05 -- Dynamite
FACEBOOKFANS06 -- Checker Charged Helmet
KN78CH2 -- Striped Shoes
JFRE87J -- Doggy Bowling T-Shirt
CMNJGGE -- Spider Snack - eating will make you a Shaggy Spider
N4PF9R3 -- Crystal Hammer

These codes I have redeemed and they worked as of this afternoon at 2:30pm EST.

Go Go Go Go redeem your codes!!

Everquest II ~ Exp Bonus Weekend in HotZones

Sony : Everquest II announced that adventurers this weekend will receive an EXP Bonus when they adventure in older original EQ2 zones. These zones will be called Hot Zones. Meaning that they will attract a large amount of players and thus become "hot". Oweee.

A list of the old skool Hot Zones:

• The Caves


• Antonica


• Sunken City


• Commonlands


• Nektulos Forest


• Enchanted Lands


• Everfrost

So, go back to your roots and experience some of the old zones where all of that rich history that built the games lore comes from.

Announcement about Beta Caps

This is an announcement from Ambassador Pex over at Free Realms.


We started giving out the beta caps to beta players, but not all of them have gone out yet. We are going through our database in batches, so if you didn't get one yet, it's not quite time to panic. The next batch should go out tomorrow.
To see if you got your beta hat, click the Station Cash button on the game dock and then choose the CLAIM button (it's in the middle). You will see the hat show up there. Claim it then go to your inventory and try it on. Remember, not all jobs can wear it, but your adventurer can.



So do not panic yet Beta Testers. your reward cap is coming soon.
Next batch to go out tomorrow.


Also, a new article over at Dragon Chasers entitled Seven Free Realms details you may have missed.

Two New Servers in Free Realms

With the popularity of Sony Free Realms this past week, they had to open up new servers for a total now of 8. Today was the busiest day they have seen yet and had to bring online 2 new servers to keep up with the new users trying the game out.

Way to go Free Realms.

Also, I found out some neat coding tid bits

For their Collision detection they use the Bullets Physics Library.

We're using Bullet collision & dynamics.We use it for our character controller (our own custom one), line of sight checks, and so forth as well as for vehicle physics in the Racing and Demolition Derby instances.Check out the beta here. Go sign up, we are letting people into the beta in waves over the next week or so.

Roy Eltham

Senior Engine Programmer

Sony Online Entertainment

http://www.freerealms.com/

My first experience with Free Realms CCG

So I got some booster and they contained, besides cards, various goodies, one special item per booster. These are somewhat complicated to claim, you first need to release them in the card game, then claim them in Free Realms itself. But I did find a dog in one booster, so I didn't need to buy a pet. And I also found a special card players club card, which allowed me to play through a short series of extra trading card quests, which aren't available to players without the club card. The other items were things like clothing, or items with temporary special show effects. I think these will be very popular as it is a way to get certain items in game. Knowing Sony, they will be some very cool and rare items on these cards forcing kids to go out and buy them in store, or on eBay for Bouku Bucks.

It's a shame really that they do this, but from their trial run in EQ and EQ II with the Legends of Norrath CCG, they have seen that this is a very successful way of making people purchase boosters.

Blizzard is doing the same thing with their World of Warcraft CCG, and some item cards, Spectral Tiger, are selling on eBay for over $1000.00. The demand is there for them to add even more rare useful items on these cards forcing people to purchase.

Hopefully Sony will not push the envelope too far with Free Realms.

CCG Playmat & Rule Set

Here is a link for the Free Realms Playmat and Rules.

Enjoy...

Playmat

Rules

The Machine Deck

And so it begins ...

With the release of the Free Realms TCG this week, eBay has already some auctions up for cards with scratch prizes on them.

I expect this craze is going to get out of hand.

$1000.00 cards anyone ??

Free Realms Patch Notes

Tonight's update has many bug fixes and changes.

We are planning game server maintenance tonight starting around midnight. The game servers will be unavailable for aapproximately an hour and end around 1am on the 6th.

Highlights
* In Tower Defense, fixed an issue that allowed towers to be placed in invalid locations
* The max limit for tin ore in Rich nodes has been removed
* Pet Trainer quests can now be completed using trial pets
* Declining a friend request will no longer auto accept that person as a friend
* Fixed some flow issues in the Marketplace when consuming a game card
* All-Star Brawler Pauldrons and Helmets have been added as Brawler job quest rewards
* The profile portrait will now update each time you switch your job

See the rest here.


http://forums.station.sony.com/freerealms/posts/list.m?topic_id=4258

Also, a really nice interview that Massively has done.

http://www.massively.com/2009/04/30/massivelys-post-launch-interview-with-free-realms/

Everquest Nostalgia

Here is a great interview with Everquest producer Brad McQuaid and Kevin McPherson from Game Studies. The interview is from 2004-2005, so it is a little dated, but very interesting to say the least.

Interview with Brad McQuaid and Kevin McPherson

by Eric Hayot, Edward Wesp

Brad McQuaid was the co-designer of EverQuest, managing the development team from the project's inception until its launch. He later became a founder of Verant Interactive and its Vice President. Kevin McPherson was one of the first EverQuest team members, working just under 3 years on the project on primarily the EverQuest client, and also writing the original background and setting for the Ruins of Kunark expansion.
This interview was conducted via email in late 2004 and 2005. In some cases, only one of the two interviewees had a response to the question. The order of the questions here is thematic rather than chronological.

Read more at...

http://gamestudies.org/0901/articles/interview_mcquaid_mcpherson

In keeping with the EQ nostalgia Raph Koster is devoting this month to EQ Game Studies and publishing other interesting pieces on the history of EQ.

http://www.raphkoster.com/2009/05/05/all-everquest-game-studies-issue/

Also, the poll Sony ran for the new server came out to be the 51/50 server.

Yay???!!! Anyone ??

With all the HYPE old schoolers have for the game and wanting to come back to EQ, classic server would of been the way to go on this one.

So, some folks got together and started a petition to roll out a classic server.

It can be found at HERE. - http://www.classiceqpetition.com/

I'll have to say that the memories I have of the years and years I played EQ are some of the best. So, yes an EQ Classic server would get me to resub again if Sony would open one.

Free Realms TV commercials start 5/06

Quoted from http://twitter.com/j_smedley/statuses/1713694205:

According to some late breaking news, Free Realms TV commercials are going to start today nationwide.

So be on the lookout for some cool TV commercials on channels like Cartoon Network, Adultswim, and Disney Channel.

Virtual Goods News: Free Realms CCG In Stores This Week, With Virtual Loot Cards

ccg,trading card game,online game,mmorpg,free realms sony online

Quoted from http://www.virtualgoodsnews.com/2009/05/free-realms-ccg-in-stores-this-week-with-virtual-loot-cards.html:

Virtual Goods News: Free Realms CCG In Stores This Week, With Virtual Loot Cards

Free Realms CCG In Stores This Week, With Virtual Loot Cards

This week fans of the free-to-play all-ages MMORPG Free Realms can begin looking for the physical versions of the game's virtual CCG in stores nationwide this week. The first series contains 180 cards developed in partnership between the Sony Online Entertainment Denver studio and Topps. The Free Realms cards play up the link between the physical and the virtual by stuffing each pack with "virtual loot cards" containing codes that can be redeemed for in-game virtual goods.

There are fifty different virtual loot cards in all. Many of the virtual loot items are exclusive to the CCG loot cards and include exclusive virtual apparel and pets. In addition, there are 16 series-exclusive cards that can be used in the physical CCG but also come printed with a code that can be redeemed for a virtual copy of the same card for use in the online CCG. Each booster back of the Free Realms CCG will contain one virtual loot card.

The physical CCG starter deck, priced at $9.99, comes with an exclusive Black Labrador pet and codes that can be redeemed for an exclusive t-shirt and racing kart for use by your Free Realms character. There is also a code offering a free on-month subscription to Free Realms (which would usually cost $4.99). In addition, every physical booster pack for the CCG will contain a code that can be redeemed for 50 Station Cash, the virtual currency of Free Realms.

New EverQuest ruleset: 51/50 server wins over progression server

mmorpg,everquest,Sony,SOE,online gaming

Quoted from http://mmorpg.qj.net/New-EverQuest-ruleset-51-50-server-wins-over-progression-server/pg/49/aid/131018:

New EverQuest ruleset: 51/50 server wins over progression server - MMORPG News - QJ.NET

EverQuest senior producer Clint Worley of Sony Online Entertainment is announcing that there's going to be a new server ruleset for the EQ fans. The decision for the new EQ ruleset was based on a poll which ended the other week - see, developers do listen!

The new server ruleset now allows players to create level 50 characters for some high-end content on the get-go. In his seemingly final blog post to the community, Worley said that:

The winning server rule set was… 51/50 server!!! We are pleased to see everyone cast their votes and can honestly say that we are very excited to see this server roll out to the EQ community. We are starting the work on getting the backend setup and ready to go, and will announce the details soon.

Though this was the ruleset that was most-voted by the community (or so they say), there seems to be some backlash against SOE's decision. What other people seem to want more is the prospect of a progression server - some of the members even openly admitted of reactivating their accounts just to vote for the progression server.

Free Realms Observations

http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2009/04/free-realms.html

A few more observations, after having clocked up a few more hours playing time:
1. The trading card game provides the PvP element. This is a pretty clever design decision, as it will hopefully not be as prone to griefing as traditional PvP. (e.g. both parties have to agree that want to play the card game against each other).
2. My initial dissatisfaction with the quests was partly due to them being too easy for an experienced MMO player - it gets better once you've moved on to the harder ones. The stories are still lame, but the game play gets more interesting. (Starting players off with really easy quests is clearly the right thing to do, though).
3. The items you can buy on the official RMT market are an interesting combination of things that just look cool and have no in-game advantage (e.g. avatar clothing) and things that give a real advantage. This must be one of the hardest aspect of the game to get right - if they overdo it, the leaderboards will just be the people who are willing to spend the most money.
4. The Ninja magic swords you can get on the RMT market look incredibly like vibrators. The manufacturers of sex toys and virtual magic swords are presumably trying to achieve a similar kind of phallic appearance, but rarely has it been this blatant.You can get a glowing one, too.