Free Realms Patch Update.

We have update notes early for you today. Lots of adjustments to the racing and demo derby quests in addition to behind-the-scenes fixes and enhancements.

Here are the highlights for today's update.


Racing & Demolition Derby
*Tuned many Racing and Demolition Derby minigames and scenarios to make them easier to play and win! (Yay, about time they fix this !!)
*Target Acquired
*Ready to Redline
*You Want To Go Fast?
*Dominating at Wildwood
*Dominating at Frost Ridge
*Thunder Falls Sprint Challenge
*SG Tour 400: Wildwood
*SG Tour 400: Frost Ridge
*SG Tour 400: Thunder Falls
*SG Tour 400: Tangletrack
*Wildwood Endurance Challenge
*Frostridge Sprint Challenge
*Frostridge Endurance Challenge
*Thunder Falls Endurance Challenge
*Routine Maintenance

General
*Comic book heroes make their debut appearance! Visit Dane and Maya as they explore the horrors of Briarwood. Read more about their adventures in the Free Realms comic book!





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Free Realms - TCG - Blacksmiths

In keeping with our Free Realms TCG Stradegy posting yesterday, I bring you another post on a specific type of deck, the cards in it, and what to look for when building a deck (avg gem flip).

Blacksmiths are cool. Sure, they're not a combat job, but would you like a weapon custom built just for you? See your local Blacksmith.

This deck builds on the awesome coolness of the Blacksmith job and includes Sanctuary celebrities like Nirvi and Poe Tatters.

I always try to get the highest average gem flip with my Machine decks, and this one is no exception -- at 2.9 it's pretty good. You might notice that there are no 2-cost creatures included. When you're in search of high flips, you want to use as few 1-gem creatures as possible. The "skip 2's" philosophy says, "I can always play two 1-cost's on turn 2, so what's the big deal?"

How did that Kart Driver get into my Blacksmith deck? Well, the problem is, that card is just too good to sit in my collection. It keeps screaming out at full speed and ending up in my deck anyway.
You'll also find the amazing trick Breakthrough in this deck. What trick has a better effect than "score a card"? I can't think of one. You'll be cool when you play this on defense to win the game!

Smiths 'R' Us Deck

Creatures:
3 x Armorsmith
3 x Assistant Smith
3 x Smoky Blacksmith
3 x Weaponsmith
3 x Kart Driver
2 x Nirvi
2 x Poe Tatters

Resources:
3 x Discovery
3 x From the Trash Bin
3 x Under the Hood

Tricks:
3 x Hammer Strike
3 x Spring Forward
3 x Squeaky Wheel
3 x Breakthrough





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Free Realms - How To Level Kart Racer Fast !!

There is a nifty little video going around here on how to level up your Kart Racing Profession to level 20 quickly.

Basically, what you do is go to a Race Track and enter the Kart Race Lobby, Create a 5 player Race, turn off Enable AI, set laps to 5, and then start the Race before anyone else joins it. You will always come in 1st place and it will level up the Race Kart job for you.

I admit, this sounds boring as you'd probably have to 50 of these races to max it, but hey, it beats some of the impossibly hard quest lines for Racing that they have.

Now we just need a shorty level for Demo Derby :)

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Free Realms Thunder Speedway !!

Well, Well, Well...
Seems my prediction of the Free Realms Demo Derby and Race Kart update going in next week were a little off the mark. I figured since they had delayed it twice so far, that they would delay it again and it would go early next week. But they have suprised me and did the update last night. So, they big delay was to smash some bugs in the update before release, but I still think they have a ways to go yet...

For starters, the quests to beat the NPC in a race a pretty tough. I mean you have to be johnny-on-the-spot with the brakes and gas and know the race track inside and out to actually win this quest. Unless you buy some S.C. with some real life $$ to get the faster cart. Hehe, leave it to SoE to make a quest super hard to beat, but then offer an easy win with the purchase of a new cart from the S.C. store.
Maybe this job is really an update for Paying Customers only. Membership no longer has its privileges...

I think if they want to make these quests that hard, they need to overhall the controls of the whole rqace car games. Make the controls mroe responsive then they currently are. I've played racing games alot, but this FR Race Kart is really too non responsive in its controlling. Not to mention the lag on the tracks that can drop you a few places back.


Final thoughts:

The update is nice to finally have something new to do in the game, but once again in typical fashion, they frustrate their players with something. In this case it happens to be the shear difficulty of the quests and seemingly being forced to purchase for real life $$ the upgrade in race kart to win and progress the job.

Anyways, here are the patch notes:

FEATURES:
Over 40 New Quests each for the Kart Driver and Derby Driver Jobs!

Two New Race Tracks:
Thunder Falls Speedway
Sandstone Speedway

Two Never Before Seen Car Models:
Slicer
Trio

18 New Karts available in the Station Cash Marketplace
CLASSIC custom karts starting at 400 SC
PRIME high performance karts starting at 550 SC
SUPREME upgraded karts starting at 700 SC

New Car Upgrades
Steering, engine, turbo, and tires are just some of the newest modifications available for your racing machine.
Mix and match until your car is revved up and ready to roll!

Your very own garage Store and tune up your rides as much as you'd like.
View multiple angles of your car with a new garage camera controller.
Access your garage by talking to certain mechanics near the speedways.

Hot New Racing Apparel

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Free Realms Thunder Speedway

Free Realms Thunder Speedway delay...again. Pex just confirmed that the update for the race cart and demo derby did not go in as scheduled for this Mon. or Tues.
When can we expect it?
Well, today is Wednesday, so if not tonight then I suspect it will go in tomorrow or next week. Pex confirmed that they will not do a big patch like this over the weekend due to minimal support int he office on the weekends, so I'm guessing at this point it will go in next week on Mon. or Tuesday. But, fingers crossed, it may go in tonight.
I'm guessing as soon as it goes in we will see a lv. 20 demo derby and lv. 20 race cart by the weekend. Two days tops for someone to max out these jobs. Since I work, I know it will not be me :)

In other FR news, we received confirmation that in August/Sept we will see another huge update, like the Summer Sizzler update, centered around the soccer/football profession. This should be fun, and I hope they have some type of team tournament ala FIFA Cup (World Cup)for guilds and clubs to compete for.

And, the Free Realms Comic was released today in stores. In the comic on page 28 is a unique code to use for the Spider Bite lv. 20 Ninja Sword.

Now a few things here...

One: Sony obviously made this sword a ninja sword to entice folks to sign up for the membership so they can use this sword. I wish it were just a regular sword so ALL could use it, but hey that's marketing for ya.

Two: I was under the impression that the comics would have a code to redeem for a Live Collection quest. In other words, 1 code per comic all added up if redeemed to claim an uber in game item. Anyways, that's how I perceived it to be.

Three: These comics should come in a plastic bag because anyone can go in, open the comic, turn to page 28 and write down the code and redeem it with out having to buy the comic. Thus your comic code will be already used. The comic with code is an excellent idea, but poor design. I suspect future comics will be released in a bag to protect the codes.

I have not got my copy of the comic yet, but plan to go get a few tomorrow at my comic shop That's Entertainment.

I'll pick up extra copies and if anyone wants one I'll send one to them for cost + S/H. Just click on the PayPal Donate button. It will ask for $6.00 (3.99 for comic + S&H 2.01).
Comic will come bagged and boarded and be in Mint condition.
If I get enough orders I'll do this every month for the new comic releases in the series...

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Free Realms ~ What's New

There is some interesting Free Realms development news from Sony Online Entertainment’s annual Fan Faire in Las Vegas. In his State of the Game address, SOE President John Smedley revealed some tidbits on what our players can anticipate seeing in the future.

There will be new content for the Kart Racer and Demolition Derby Driver jobs, with 40 new quests. These new quests will open up the advancement track for both jobs allowing players to get to level 20 and acquire some cool new gear and abilities.
Also announced is a new job coming later this year: Soccer Star. This new job will be part of the soccer fields which have been visible in the game, but not yet accessible. A Soccer Star will be able to take to the field alone or with guild members (in matching uniforms) in this brand new action-packed mini-game that promises to bring a whole new level of competition to Free Realms.
Also revealed was concept art for a new desert themed area.
This new area will be the homeland of the Dwarves and include a new job: Druid.

For TCG fans, a special service will be rolled out which allows you to put your character’s portrait on a physical trading card that can be mailed to your home. Give cards to friends so they can use the special code to get a digital version of your unique card!


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Free Realms ~ Thunder Speedway !!

Free Realms MEGA HUGE update...Thunder Speedway!!

Expect a big update this week to Free Realms in the form of 2 new jobs, 80 new quests, new playable content, new vendor items, new lore quests, and new expert levels for existing minigames.

The 2 new jobs being implemented are the Race Kart and Demo Derby professions which can be levelled all the way to 20 with new lore quests . Also, there will be 2 new race tracks in Seaside and Thunder Falls with new vendors and a Garage NPC you talk to so you can access your garage and update your Kart with new parts you get from either completing quests lines, buying with Gold, or SC.




In addition to this huge game update, I also heard some whispers of some possible future games we may be soon seeing implemented. There are reports of some new fish signs in the game and other hints pointing to a Fishing Game. I have also heard some very faint rumors of a possible Mahjong/Herbalist game or minigame. I could see Mahjong being a minigame like chess is and possibly tying it into an Herbalist profession. Again...very Faint **Whispers...

A while ago I reported to you all about the Free Realms Comic Book series being released in late July. Well guess what time it is?? You got it!! Comic book time :) Expect the first issue to be release on July 29th by WildStorm. It will be a 12 issue mini series and word has it that each comic will have a code for a collection peice that once complete will grant the player a nice sword to use in game.





To preview the comic on ComicBookResource click HERE.

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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.







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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.