Old Press Release + Log Files

[rrandy]

This has got to be a press release distributed out to various kid computer game review sites. I found this by typing 'toontown tester' in google.com and found the language within the search results to be all too similar. Geez, journalists regurgatating corporate propoganda as news without mentioning it was a press release, but I am digressing ...

The text is dated March 2004, and, to save you some reading, the interesting part is the last paragraph. Here is the text:

Cogs, those humorless robots that have been plaguing players of Toontown Online since its inception, have set up their own Cog Headquarters in the middle of Toontown. From this invasive base of operations, the robots are stealing fun-loving toons. Thank goodness, kids all over the world can create their own toons to rescue the stolen toons.

Toontown, the first online massively multiplayer game for children, went live last summer and, since then, has attracted quite a following. At any time of the day, there are thousands of children playing the game at www.toontown.com.

The gist of this nonviolent game is that kids become toons who go on quests so they can become more powerful toons and gain laff (life) points. All toons are trying to rid Toontown of the pesky businesslike Cog robots. Toons defeat the humorless Cogs by using gags on them, including throwing pies in their faces, or squirting them with fake flowers.

In December, Disney introduced the first Cog Headquarters (Cog HQ) neighborhood to Toontown. The Cog HQ adds depth and complexity for experienced players -- those who have been playing long enough to have amassed 60 or more laff points (points are gained by playing quests in the regular neighborhoods of Toontown).

The Cog HQ is a dark neighborhood filled with Cogs and goons. It offers Toontown players new puzzle elements, including flip-switch puzzles, mazes and conveyor belts with swinging and pounding parts.

Toons venture into the Cog HQ neighborhood to rescue toons that have been snatched by the Cogs. But before they rescue the toon they must defeat enough Cogs in the Cog factories to collect parts of a Cog disguise. When they have earned the 10 disguise parts, toons can sneak into the main Cog headquarters building dressed as a Cog. There, they will encounter the giant Senior VP Sellbot Cog, a 30-foot high, two-faced robot.

The trapped toon blows their cover, so then they have to try to defeat the Senior VP Sellbot in a series of intense encounters involving lots of gag-throwing and strategy. If they are successful, the trapped toon will be rescued, and it becomes the player's SOS toon, a new trump card that can be used at crucial times in other parts of the game.

The addition of Cog HQ to Toontown is an exciting new enhancement to an already outstanding online children's computer game.

``It gives me another exciting level of play,'' explained Mark Thom, a 15-year-old kid-tester from Vienna, Va. ``I am having a blast exploring it, because there are so many more obstacles! This is one of the few games that I have played that I keep on enjoying over months of play.''

In addition to this new enhancement, Disney plans many more innovations in the next year. They hope to launch a second Cog HQ containing new challenges in the second half of the year. Parents and kids can try before they buy with a free three-day trial at www.toontown.com.

Ok, now given that they state a new HQ is coming in the second half, the fact is second half can mean July - December. Did I just waste your time by restating what you already know? Probably But there is something else in the log file that I've posted in another thread that is interesting too.

:07-18-2004 2349 ClientDistClass(warning): Unable to import DistributedPet.py: No module named DistributedPet

So, it looks like the Pet module is complete and coded into the client, but the python file hasn't been distributed yet. The log file has other interesting stuff that's not relevant to this topic (sometimes they turn on debugging on certain events within toontown) so read your logs the next time you grab your screenshots outta the toontown folder.

In summary, we have an old press release stating a new HQ will be out the second half of this year, which is anytime between July - December, and we have a new Pet module waiting to be distributed to us. I'm not drawing any conclusions (at least publicly) but I can't wait! I can't wait! I really can't wait!

Rainbow Randy