Free Realms (PS3, PC)

What do I know ? :)

GDC Austin Keynote:
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/16/free-realms-coming-to-ps3-mid-2010-may-support-playstation-eye/

When we asked about the release window for the PS3 version of Free Realms, Smedley cheekily replied, "I'm wondering, too!" He then added, "It's next year sometime, toward the middle of the year."

During his speech, Smedley also addressed the functions which would be specifically tailored for the MMO's console outing, saying, "For the PlayStation 3 version, it's very likely that the Eye is going to be something we support."
Click to expand...
 
Middle of next year?!?! Did they not start it until after the PC release or something? That's crazy. Anyone interested in it will surely be on PC by then.
 
What's taking them so long? The graphics are simple. The game world is rather tiny. There isn't exactly a lot of cutting edge technical bling or gameplay involved.

I'm going to guess it's just that Sony is now having to play with a very limited budget and it's very low on the list.

Maybe they only have 1 or 2 people working on the port? Or maybe they only throw a dev on it when they have some free time. :p

Regards,
SB
 
We won't know for sure. However the timing would coincide with Sony's new controller launch timeframe. :)

EA Sports pushed back Tennis to wait for the new controller. If Free Realms is targeting the casuals, then it may be able to ride the hype with the right controller idea. Meanwhile, they can try to perfect the platform and marketing on the PC platform first. They seem to spend quite a bit of resources marketing and supporting the PC version in the mean time.
 
Free Realms strengthening and streamlining their abuse management:
http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2009/09/soe-taps-crisp-thinking-for-free-realms.html#more

Moderation and online community specialists Crisp Thinking adds Sony Online Entertainment to its roster of web properties it manages from the perspective of inworld safety. The companies tomorrow will make an ongoing relationship official by announcing that Crisp Thinking’s online threat protection software, NetModerator, is being deployed by SOE to identify and filter out threats posed by bullies and predators lurking in the otherwise innocent and lighthearted Free Realms.
Click to expand...

Designed for what Crisp calls "the next generation of family-orientated MMOs and virtual words," its NetModerator software analyzes more then just words or word strings, it also employs algorithms and scripts to determine the intent of dialogue between players, can identify language on its face but also identify and flag potentially escalating situations. Among those harmful situations are potential self-harm, cyberbullying, and activities that suggest online predation.

“Our solution goes way beyond black lists of ‘bad’ or inappropriate words and filtering solutions," Andrew Lintell, CEO of Crisp said. "We analyze context and well as content so we catch coded and invented words and slang, for instance."
Click to expand...



EDIT: On a related news, SOE opened a usability lab recently:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25437

"By opening the doors to the Usability Lab we are able to share our industry expertise with other development companies, while offering a cost effective way to test their products and services prior to launch," said SOE's Paul Venuti, director of development services at SOE in a press statement.

SOE recently touted its usability labs during GDC Austin earlier this month, when SOE president Jon Smedley said the company used the labs extensively to monitor kids playing the MMO Free Realms, using cameras fixed on their hands and faces.
Click to expand...
 
Silent_Buddha said:
What's taking them so long? The graphics are simple. The game world is rather tiny. There isn't exactly a lot of cutting edge technical bling or gameplay involved.

I'm going to guess it's just that Sony is now having to play with a very limited budget and it's very low on the list.

Maybe they only have 1 or 2 people working on the port? Or maybe they only throw a dev on it when they have some free time. :p

Regards,
SB
Click to expand...

The graphics are pretty good for the genre, it looks like a kid friendly WoW. The world seems rather large to me, there are dozens of quest in each area and many areas.

I don't know about the port, but the team is over 100 people in size.
 
Free Realms Celebrates 8 Million Players:
http://kotaku.com/5466743/free-realms-celebrates-8-million-players

So how does a kid friendly game gather eight million-plus players? According to Sony Online Entertainment, it's all about listening to the players and giving them what they want.

"Free Realms is more than just a virtual world for our players; it is a portal for imagination. A place where players transform their house into a jumping maze for friends to compete or a petting zoo that boasts all their pets," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "Our job as developers is to listen to and predict what they want and give them the tools that inspire and compel them to share their experiences with eight million others."
Click to expand...

Would be interesting to see how many users it can get from PS3.
 
Probably waiting for the user base to grow big enough. The 360 is also getting some MMO announcements now.

So far on PS3, the closest to launch are probably FF14 and Free Realm. The beta code for PS3 FF14 was distributed in early FF13 Japanese copies. Free Realm supposedly this April.

I believe newer MMOs were announced, but don't know their dates yet.
 
There was a big deal with NCSoft....actually, that's getting OT. I'll censor myself. Where's that warning button?
 
The NCSoft MMO is supposed to target at casuals, like Free Realm. I can understand why they can it due to PS3's price point. I'd imagine Free Realm track the same user numbers to see if it make sense for them to do a PS3 version.
 
patsu said:
Probably waiting for the user base to grow big enough. The 360 is also getting some MMO announcements now.
Click to expand...

How big does it have to get? They haven't even decided if console and PC will be able to play on the same network.

I believe newer MMOs were announced, but don't know their dates yet.
Click to expand...

DC Online seems like it's shown off at every single Comic Con. The Agency... has been very quiet, after they supposedly did a rehaul on the visuals.
 
That's why I said it'd be interesting to see how many users they can get from PS3. ^_^
I don't know what's the composition of PS3 user base.

I think the issue of PS3 - PC cross play may also be related to the user base question (besides game mechanics differences).

So SOE has 3 PS3 MMOs planned ? The Agency, DC Online and Free Realm for PS3 ?
 
At the very least. I might have missed others. But hey, SOE published Peggle on PS3, so they're not completely absent from the system.
 
When will this appear on the PS3 ! I play sometimes on my PC, but then PC is mainly work for me, PS3 is where I Play :D !
Also, this is something I would love to show to my little Niece :cool: !
 
I remember it's delayed to April this year. We speculated that may be they want to add Arc support to the game. Now that Arc has been delayed, I don't know what's gonna happen to Free Realm's target release date.

What do you play in Free Realm ? I thought it's for kids ?
 
patsu said:
Probably waiting for the user base to grow big enough. The 360 is also getting some MMO announcements now.

So far on PS3, the closest to launch are probably FF14 and Free Realm. The beta code for PS3 FF14 was distributed in early FF13 Japanese copies. Free Realm supposedly this April.

I believe newer MMOs were announced, but don't know their dates yet.
Click to expand...

The real problems is the limitation of the hardware.


I think your going ot see FF14 suffer in terms of traditional mmorpg content. Esp compared to other mmorpgs that are pc only launching at the same time.
 
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