Sony Free Realms Update Notes - SOE

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.

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Free Realms ~ Ref Ruby's Guide to Hoverboards

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.





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Free Realms ~ Meet Cakenstein

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!

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Free Realms ~ Empty Lots For Your Construction Dreams

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.









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Explore the Mother Lode Quarry

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.



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Happy Brithday FreeRealms !!

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 !

















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Free Realms ~ Free Item Codes

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

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Free Realms ~ Goal Time Update !!

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


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Free Realms ~ Kitty Collar Code

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




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Free Realms ~ Goal Time Update !!

Free Realms is finally announcing the Soccer Job update called "Goal Time". Throughout the world you will notice that there are many empty soccer fields. Well, soon these will become a bustling bee hive of activity once this job is implemented. I for one cannot wait!!

Here is the official announcement from the Free Realms website.

Great news! Goal Time will be the latest game update to come to Free Realms! Goal Time will feature fast-paced, fun soccer action! With the addition of the Soccer Star job, you and your friends will be able to match up on the fields and explore a whole new job together!













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Free Realms ~ Meet Mr. Therin !!

Folks of Free Realms, Meet Mr. Therin !! The hard-nosed strict mining foreman in Singing Crystal Mines above Snowhill...

Therin is the foreman of the Singing Crystal Mines in the hills above Snowhill. He is a no-nonsense taskmaster who is always shouting out orders to the other miners. “No sleepin’ on the job!” “Get a move on. These crystals won’t mine themselves.”

Therin is a great miner, but he doesn’t like to get dirty. If it isn’t a gem or a rock, he wants nothing to do with it. That is why he will get other people to do the dirty work for him...like taking care of the bat problem.
Despite his dislike for bats, Therin is the Dwarf to talk to if you want to take up mining as a job. You’ll have to prove yourself to him before he’ll officially call you a miner, but once you show your stuff he’ll give you some beginning gear.










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Free Realms Pixie History

Free Realms posted some really interesting history about the playable race The Pixies. Are you curious where they came from and learning about the history of the race?

If you want to learn more about the history behind the world of Free Realms -- and in particular the history of the Pixies -- you should visit the Memorial Caverns in Sanctuary...

The Memorial Caverns are located directly north of the World Tree. Inside you will find a museum detailing the long and troubled history of Sanctuary and the Pixies. Tour the murals to learn more about the Age of Harmony, the Gloam Council, the Gleam Council, Ayani the Druidess Queen, World Tree and the Heartseed. Members can talk to Tori to find out about becoming a volunteer guide. In addition to the museum, there are some battles to be fought underground. Darvon’s Descent and Forgotten Caves are two exciting combat quests you can explore in addition to other quests. You can also get some collection updates inside Memorial Caverns, and if you look closely as you explore, you might even find some Sanctuary Rare Exploration coins!

I'll know where I'll be going tonight. I want to check this place out and I'll bring back some more picts and a reports on the caves...

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Free Realms Item Codes !!

Some new Free Realms Item codes to redeem have been found. It has been a while since we reported a free item code, but non-the-less we report them as we get them, and the latest one is pretty cool. It is a red sparkler item to make your character stand out. And also we have a code for a spiffy new stripped shirt. The Red Sparkler can only be redeemed until July 12th midnight. So make sure you click the SC button in your UI redeem this code before it's too late...

FBREDSPARKLER - Red Sparkler
3G9MKT2 - Stripped Shirt







Also Pex came out with an announcement last week about the holiday festivities...

Lot's of great stuff today! The Seaside Summer Splash begins, there are some new Marketplace items and more!

Quests, Collections & New Content:
Sizzlebottom has drawn quite a crowd near the inn at Seaside. To celebrate his booming business, this Robgoblin has decided to kick-off a special holiday called Seaside Summer Splash!

Join in the fun and find these celebrants and take on their challenges:
* Tarisa Teaspoon is trying to host a cooking competition...
* Heddy Heathcliff needs help making more fireworks...
* Shelly Sandishoes lost her stuff to a bunch of kids playing "Treasure Hunter"...
* Grekel is open to a friendly game of cards...
* ...and Sizzlebottom is trading pinwheel fireworks. Check it out!

General
* Several Guild fixes
* A new camera controller has been added. You can turn it on and off from your game options menu.

Marketplace
There are new items added for the Seaside Summer Splash Holiday celebration!
* Uncle Sam Outfit
* Sand Castle
* Hula Outfit
* Ducky Floaty
* Palm Tree Island Shirt

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Free Realms Item Codes

Today over at FreeRealmsInsider they posted new directions to receive by email a Free Realms item code to claim on your account in the Station Store. Basically you go to the website HardCoreGamer and enter in some contact info and they will email you an exclusive in game item code.


Every code will be for a 1 time use and is for the same item, but different codes for each person who signs up.

Basically, it is a way for them to capture your email address and add you to a newsletter mailing list, which, I imagine, you can then opt out of once you receive it.

The item you receive is the Hot-To-Trot-Tots which make your feet on fire!! Pretty cool!!




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Free Realms Dungeon Maps !!

Free Realms is huge vast world in which one can get lost of they do not know where everything is. I came across a few maps that were posted online by Tara aka. Lady P. They are maps of where dungeons and trainers are located. Click the maps below to see the larger version.
The top on is of all the trainers in the world, and the bottom map is of all the dungeons.

Enjoy...

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Free Realms Item Code

Reported today over at FreeRealmsInsider is a new free item code. It is for the spiffy new Raceway Jacket which I suspect is to go along with the new Race Cart Driver profession.

CP24C5N - Race Away Jacket



Also, Pex posted some new updates to be expected in the next game update:

In addition to a number of behind the scenes bug fixes and performance enhancements, there are a few items in today's update players may find useful:
Pets
* Boomboxes now cause pets to dance that are near them.
User Interface
* Improved interface for cancelling buffs and status effects. * Power ratings are now visible for power shards in the merchant window.








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Free Realms : The Dares : Guinness Book

With the concert at E3 and in the Free Realms game at Snowhill on all servers, The Dares and Sony Free Realms enter into the Guinness Book of World Records for the first ever simultaneous live and real world concert. (I think this has been done before in Second Life.) But, none-the-less, they are now in the Guinness. Cheers !! Here is a photo and some of the videos I promised yesterday of the performance both in game and live on the floor at E3.









I must say, these boys have to be psyched! Word has it they are huge fans of EQII and to be able to have their song as the theme to Free Realms and then being invited to play at E3? WOW !! And on such a huge stage (virtually) with all the press it has received? I know I would be on top of the world if I were them. Congrats to The Dares !! They deserve it 100%!

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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

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Free Realms ~ The Dares Party is under way !!

The Dares Free Realms party is under way on server 1. It is craaazy and there at least 100 toons there. Lots of fun and dancing. Everyone getting ready for the concert in 3 more hours :)

Here are some of the pre party pictures I've taken on server 1.









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