Free Realms hits 3 Million !!

Holy Schnikey !! The celebration continues in Free Realms with the huge milestone of 3 million registered players. WOW!! 3 million since launch. This game just keeps breaking records left and right. I am sure this is the fastest growth of a online mmorpg and SOE (Sony) must be partying hard everytime they reach a new milestone. Their offices are probably not even cleaned up from the last 2 million party when they are rolling out the kegs again for the 3 million. They mine as well order the beer and food for the 4 and 5 million parties now as I am sure they will be reaching these marks in the next coming weeks. Here is the press release...

'3M Pet Party Pack' Granted to All Three Million Players

SAN DIEGO, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that more than three million unique users have registered for Free Realms(TM) (www.FreeRealms.com), the free-to-play, family-friendly online video game that launched on April 28, 2009. Recently awarded recognition by Guinness World Records for conducting the first concert to take place simultaneously in the real world and a virtual space during E3 in Los Angeles last week, Free Realms continues to redefine the scope and pace of online games.

"SOE worked diligently over the past four years to ensure that Free Realms would take the online space by storm," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "We are pleased to be able to provide such a vast, in-depth and, most importantly, fun world to an average of 500,000 new gamers per week."

To celebrate the rapidly growing community of players, SOE will grant its first three million Free Realms registrants the "3M Pet Party Pack," filled with goodies for use with their virtual pets, both cats and dogs. In Free Realms, players are free to do or be anything, including donning the job of pet trainer to raise a pet! From the in-game Marketplace, players can choose from more than 20 different types of playful dogs and cats to train, feed, groom and dress up. Players have until Friday June 19, 2009 (11:59 PM PDT) to redeem the "3M Pet Party Pack".

Free Realms also features 14 other fun jobs to master, as well as 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 sold wherever you buy trading cards.

To support the initial release and launch of Free Realms, nearly one million Station Cash(TM) game cards were made available across five major retail chains. Free Realms players can pop into select retailers to purchase Station Cash cards, which are used to redeem Station Cash and buy virtual goodies or upgrade to a Membership status in the game.

Here is a picture of the 3 mil party pack. It is only claimable until June 19th. So log in and claim the prize by clicking on your Station Cash icon on the dock.




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

Free Realms Housing News

I found some very interesting news about the Housing situation in Free Realms. this is post over at VirginWorlds.

Now that Free Realms is live - and by anyone's standards, tremendously successful - SOE's Free Realms team (at around 100 people) is busy working on new features and improvements. In September (or October, perhaps) they plan to add in player housing for everyone to enjoy. For those of you who have been pelting them on the forums for a home of your own - your request has been heard! A nice, shiny home in Free Realms should be yours in time for the holidays.

You'll be able to select land, size, and style of house; then really dig in and modify it to make it all your own. The plan is also to create new mini-games involving maintaining your house as well - we're guessing something along the lines of time-management games, perhaps? According to what we've heard, the garage coming out in July will be attached to your house, so you can show off your cars to friends. Neighborhoods will be instanced (currently planned for three buildings per personal plot with no word on neighborhood size) but they expect this will give players a new place to hang out and enjoy their time in Free Realms. There's currently no specifics on what will be available for F2P and paid members, so we'll have to wait and see.


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

Free Realms hosts The Dares Concert

So I went to the concert in Free realms that was supposed to be a live stream of the The Dares performing It's Your world. Instead what we got was a pre recorded animation of the dares performing to their MP3. The first time they came on stage the song ended half way through, then 15 min later they came back on and the full song played fine. I guess Sony made it seem like it was supposed to be a LIVE stream of the song The Dares were performing. Not a pre recorded MP3 of the song.

As posted on Sony's site:
Rock out with The Dares and experience the music of Free Realms in a live streaming concert on the …

So, as expected alot of folks were pissed and started to spam chat bubbles BIG time. That kind of sucked, but hey, when ya get 100's of people online in a space like this and then don't deliver, I guess you can expect that. And, on the Sony Forums people are pretty pised off. And rightfully so. Anyways, here are some of the screens I took and I'll have a video to upload of it all later as well...




And with this huge turn out as seen in the images above, The Dares set a guinness record for the most online for a concert?? Honestly I'm not sure what the actual record is, but they got one :)



Pictures taken by Hammerfel from Twitter @ E3

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.

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.

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!!

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/

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.

Free Realms Trading Card Game in Stores This Week

http://pc.ign.com/articles/979/979221p1.html

May 4, 2009 - DENVER, COLO. - Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) and The Topps Company Inc. (Topps) today announced that the highly anticipated Free Realms Trading Card Game hits stores this week. Developed at SOE's Denver studio in close collaboration with Topps, it integrates a trading card game format with the exciting online world of Free Realms, featuring more than 180 game cards as well as more than 50 virtual reward cards redeemable for exciting items in the online game. "Free Realms is poised to be a tremendous success for us," said John Smedley, president of SOE. "Now, we're taking the next step and putting the trading card game in stores nationwide. This week, you'll be able to walk into many of your neighborhood retail stores and pick up one of the best trading card games I've ever played." As Topps continues to explore fun and interactive ways for their young consumers to get involved, Free Realms becomes the latest in a roster that includes Topps Town, Topps 3-D Live, and BabyBottlePop.com, which link physical products to innovative online entertainment destinations. Michael Eisner, whose Tornante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. acquired The Topps Company, Inc., in October 2007, said, "It's been exciting working with Sony Online Entertainment on this endeavor, which has resulted in the development of a multiplatform product that is likely to spark the imaginations of trading card game fans everywhere." The physical Free Realms Trading Card Game features: More than 180 Cards – The premier release of the Free Realms Trading Card Game features more than 180 cards, as well as 50 exclusive virtual reward cards not found anywhere else, and 16 physical exclusive cards with codes that unlock the equivalent card in the online game. Exciting Gameplay – Developed by SOE's Denver studio, the minds behind Legends of Norrath, the Free Realms Trading Card Game brings the lively and colorful world of Free Realms to the familiar and fun format of the trading card game. Virtual Rewards In Every Pack – Every Free Realms Trading Card Game pack features a virtual reward card redeemable for fantastic items inside the world of Free Realms, such as exclusive pets like the Toyger, the tiger-striped housecat, cool virtual clothing like the Rocker outfit, pet clothing, special character effects, and more. The Free Realms Trading Card Game arrives in stores this week and is available in two formats. New players can pick up the Passport to Free Realms Starter Pack for $9.99 USD (plus applicable taxes). The Starter Pack features a 40-card starter deck, one full color playmat with rules, and a virtual reward card redeemable in the Free Realms online game for an exclusive virtual Black Labrador dog, an exclusive card player T-shirt for your character, three jumbo health potions, an exclusive virtual Cardie Racer and a one-month membership with full access to Free Realms (a $4.99 USD value). Players looking to enhance their existing decks can purchase the $3.99 USD (plus applicable taxes) booster pack, featuring 10 game cards, one virtual reward card that can be redeemed for an exclusive in-game item, and 50 Station Cash, the virtual currency for the Free Realms online game. For more information, visit the official Free Realms Trading Card Game site at http://www.freerealms.com/tradingcardgame. 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. About Sony Online Entertainment Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest, EverQuest II, Champions of Norrath, Untold Legends, and PlanetSide, as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX; Seattle, WA; Denver, CO; Tucson, AZ and Taiwan, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development. About The Topps Company, Inc. Founded in 1938, Topps (www.topps.com) is a leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps entertainment products include Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The company's confectionery brands include "Bazooka" bubble gum, "Ring Pop," "Push Pop," "Baby Bottle Pop," and "Juicy Drop Pop" lollipops. In June 2008, Topps unveiled Topps Town (www.toppstown.com), the first online virtual sports community for kids, bringing together the popularity of trading cards with the exploding world of web-based social networking.

http://www.freerealms.com/

Sony's Free Realms

From our friend Wikipedia.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Realms

Free Realms is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) set in a humorous, kid-friendly, fantasy-themed world[1] for the PC and PlayStation 3. The game was released on April 29, 2009 for the PC.[2] The PS3 version still doesn't have an official release date currently.[3]
The game is available to play and download free of charge. The PC version is accessed via the web. During character creation, a 3D client downloads in the background and then streams as the user plays, which eliminates the need for a large download. The PlayStation 3 version will be accessed via the PlayStation Network.[4]
Free Realms offers an optional subscription for a single player, costing $4.99 per month for a single account, allowing for 3 characters to be created per account plus other benefits.[5] Only one character can be played simultaneously [6] but in the future, a "family" subscription will be offered allowing multiple logins at the same time.[7] Also, micro-transactions will be available for players who are interested in purchasing in-game items for their characters. Unlike typical MMOs, combat is completely optional and the focus, instead, is spread across a variety of gameplay mechanics – exploration, combat, building, housing, pet-raising, mini-games and social networking – to ensure its appeal to a variety of audiences.
Players are able to choose from classes such as adventurer, ninja, postman, medic, blacksmith, miner, warrior, archer, treasure hunter, wizard, kart driver, chef, brawler, card duelist, explorer and switch on the fly without creating a new character. The game limits barriers to entry and encourages social gameplay where, regardless of level or class, players will be able to interact, join forces and play together.[8]
Due to the social networking nature of the game, players are able to send links, share images and videos, and chat with friends from their own, personal, customizable social networking page, which is all optional for parents that want to restrict their child’s access to user generated content.