Toontown Online

Toontown
Toontown Online Official Logo
Developer(s)	Disney Interactive
Publisher(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Designer(s)	The Walt Disney Company
Composer(s)	Jamie Christopherson
Engine	Panda3D
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release	Beta: August 2001, LE: October 4, 2002, Official Opening: June 2, 2003 Closure: September 19, 2013
Genre(s)	MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Disney's Toontown Online (commonly referred to as Toontown) was a children's massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by The Walt Disney Company. Toontown was founded in August 2001 and was officially released to the public in June 2003. Toontown's 3D virtual world had a very similar theme to the colorful style and humor of classic animated cartoons. The game was rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB for "Cartoon Violence" and "Comic Mischief". Disney's Toontown Online closed on September 19, shortly after Disney released a statement that the company would be shifting its focus to other online and mobile play experiences.

Plot

According to the game's story, which was shown through a video in the old installer for the game, Scrooge McDuck was visiting Gyro Gearloose, an inventor, in a land known as Toontown. Gyro wasn't in his home, but Scrooge stumbled upon a giant robot. Scrooge, the greedy billionaire, thought he could sell this robot to help the citizens of Toontown and make a ton of money. He connected a couple of loose wires to activate the robot, which turned evil and took control of Gyro's assembly line. He created the Cogs, a line of robots that had the sole desire to destroy anything fun and run large corporations and businesses. The first Cog, the one Scrooge awoke, is seen to be approaching Scrooge at the end of the video, but the game does not feature Scrooge or this first robot in any way.

Apart from this intro video, which was not included in future versions of the game's installer or launcher, no central plot existed in Toontown. The main goal was simply to destroy as many of the Cogs as possible. However, there were "ToonTasks", allowing the player to do a specific task in order to level up, and progress further into the game.

Gameplay

Create-A-Toon

Upon launching the game the player was be greeted by the character log-in screen. This player log-in Screen could hold up to 6 toons per account, provided that the player had a paid membership to Toontown. After the player selected an empty slot they were sent to Create-A-Toon. Create-A-Toon was stage in which the player can fully customize their toon with various designs, shapes, colors, sizes, and clothing. The player also had the option of choosing from a variety of different species. These species consisted of cats, dogs, ducks, mice, pigs, rabbits, bears, horses, and monkeys. After completing the character design phase of Create-A-Toon, the player was then sent to the name screen. This screen allowed you to name your character by either selecting several pre-generated names, or by submitting a name, which was then sent to a team of moderators for approval. After finishing the creation of their toon, the player had an option of going through the “Toontorial,” where they would learn the basics of the game.

Each Toon also had a “Laff Meter,” which acted as a health meter. After a Toon ran out of health, or “Laff,” it would be sent back to the playground where it would have to regain laff points before leaving. Laff points were typically lost during battles when Cogs would decrease a Toon’s Laff with attacks. However, Toons could also lose Laff by interacting with obstacles such as moving trains.

Playgrounds

Playgrounds were the areas of Toontown that were permanently safe from Cogs. In the playgrounds, Toons could receive new Toontasks, turn in completed tasks, purchase gags, play trolley games, and go fishing. Each playground featured one of Disney's classic animated characters (Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, or Chip 'n Dale) as an NPC. In the middle of Toontown Central, one of the playgrounds, was Toon Hall where the mayor of Toontown, Flippy, resided.

Toons also used the Playgrounds to heal laff after they have become injured in battle. Toons did not die but rather became "sad"; a sad Toon teleported to the nearest playground automatically to heal and restock gags. Playgrounds healed Toons slowly, but scattered around them were various "treasures" that sped up the process.

There was a playground in each "neighborhood" of Toontown: Toontown Central, Donald's Dock, Daisy Gardens, Minnie's Melodyland, The Brrrgh, Donald's Dreamland, Goofy's Speedway, and Chip n' Dale's Acorn Acres. Each playground and neighborhood shared a unique look. The looks were given with a character, and a theme to match the name of the neighborhood. Each playground, except for Goofy Speedway & Acorn Acres, connected to two or more neighborhood streets that contained Cogs and Cog buildings. The difficulty increased with each neighborhood.

Every neighborhood also had it’s own set of “Toontasks” to complete. Advancement in the game required completing “Toontasks”, tasks or “missions” assigned by the NPCs. Every Toontask had an award for completion, such as additional Laff points, jellybeans, and a variety of other benefits. Toontasks were mainly acquired and handed in to the Toon Headquarters located in every playground except for Goofy’s Speedway and Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres.

Estates

Every Toontown account came with a Toon’s estate. An estate is where the toon’s home was located and several other activities could have been performed. Each estate consisted of six houses for each toon on the account, one fishing pond and a wheelbarrow which allowed toons to sell flowers. Each toon received a house, is where the toon "lived". Each house contained features like a phone, a wardrobe, a jellybean bank and furniture. Additional furniture could be purchased from Clarabelle’s Cattlelog if the player had a paid membership to Toontown. Other elements of the estate included doodles, gardening, fishing, cannons and mailboxes.

Street M.A.P.S

On January 18, 2013, an update came to Toontown Online with new, improved, & animated street maps that were on Test Toontown Online, called Street M.A.P.S (aka "Marvelously Animated Pathfinding System"). Instead of the player opening their book on the street they were in when trying to do tasks or find cogs or buildings, it showed where toons were in the street with a blue arrow, a red circle with a number in it showing where task(s) were on the street and the percentage of each cog or cog probability on the street.

Cogs

The Cogs were robots who only cared about business and could not take a joke. They were bent on forever changing Toontown to a gray place where no fun existed. Cogs came in four types: Bossbots, Lawbots, Cashbots, and Sellbots. They came in varying levels that represented how strong they were, ranging from the "Level 1" Cogs, to stronger "Level 12" Cogs. The Bossbot HQ had also introduced "v2.0" Cogs, which were regular Cogs that became "Skelecogs" when their outer shell was destroyed. Goons were another type of cog that functioned as patrol robots but could be stunned when jumped upon. If a toon were to walk into the beam of light that a goon projects, they would lose laff points.

When summoned, a Cog "invasion" would take place which would make it so the only Cogs that appeared were the invading type of Cog unless in a Factory, Mint, DA Office, and Golf Course. An invasion could be either a random occurrence or summoned by a Toon. Goons and Skelecogs could not have invasions.

Skelecogs were cogs that didn’t have their outer Cog shell and were made up of metal frames. Skelecogs were only found in Cog Headquarters. Aside from looking different than a normal cog, there was no difference in attacks between a skelecog and a normal cog of the same type.

Cog Battles

The game was largely centered around cog battles, in which Toons had to use their 'gags' to destroy the evil robot cogs. Cogs were battled using a timed turn-based combat system with up to four toons. During a Cog battle, a Toon would select any 'gag' among the gag tracks they possessed, call a friend for assistance, use an SOS card, call for their doodle to perform a trick, flee the battle, or fire the cog. A toon's health was measured by their Laff Meter, while a Cog's health meter was displayed by the color of the light on the Cogs chest. If a toon’s Laff was completely depleted by the Cog’s attacks, they became “sad” and were sent to the nearest playground.

Cog buildings

Cog buildings were a feature in Toontown where one to four toons would work together to defeat a series of Cogs in a building. Cog buildings were created when Cogs entered Toon buildings, located on the streets, and would subsequently take over them.
The type of Cog that took over the building determined the outer look of the building as well as the types of Cogs that would occupy the building, unless an invasion was happening.
After defeating each set of cogs and ascending floor to floor, the cogs would became harder. If the top floor was reached, the Toon(s) would face the Cog "boss" of the building, which was generally the highest level Cog in the building. After the boss was defeated, the Toons would gain credit for the cogs they destroyed along with any other Cogs on that building. Then, the building would be replaced by the old Toon building. If the Toons did not successfully conquer a floor and went "sad", the cog building would remain at the same place. Generally, higher level buildings are found as Toons progress through each playground. A Toon could also earn either a bronze, silver, gold, or spinning star above their head by defeating a set number of Cog building floors in the same district.

Cog Field Offices

Field Offices were a special type of Sellbot Cog building released in early 2011 that featured more variety than a typical Cog building. On the first section of a Field Office, Toons would participate in a mini-game in which they would throw water balloons at Cogs in a maze-like course and collect jokes for Laff boosts. Once the challenge was completed by defeating the Cogs, the Toons would proceed to a second area in which they would battle many Cogs using gags, similar to what was done in normal Cog buildings. Once the cogs were defeated, the Toons were rewarded with a weaker type of SOS Toon card which were awarded by defeating the Vice President in the Sellbot HQ.

Cog HQs

As players reached the mid- to higher-level content in the game, they were assigned Toontasks related to the four “Cog Headquarters” in the game. The HQ’s were large areas that were permanently controlled by Cogs and headed by a giant-sized Cog boss. As many as eight Toons could join together to defeat a Cog HQ boss. All cog HQ’s had special areas like the Factory, DA, Mints and Golf Courses. Those locations allowed toon players to get the requirements they needed to defeat Cog Bosses.

Gags

“Gags” — silly pranks that are reflective of the slapstick humor found in classic cartoons, were the tools used to destroy the Cogs in Cog battles. There were a total of seven gag tracks: toon-up, trap, lure, sound, throw, squirt, and drop. Each gag track consisted of seven gags. Toons were only allowed to have six gag tracks, two of which every toon had from the very start of the game (squirt and throw). Each gag track had it’s own unique properties and powers against cogs. The properties of every gag track could have been used with each other in Cog battles to the player’s advantage or disadvantage to encourage teamwork. Gag tracks were obtained by completing a number of Toontasks to train for the selected track.

Non-combat activities

Toontown offered several non-combat activities for players. These allowed players to earn jellybeans, additional Laff points, and other bonuses to use in the game. Trolley Games were mini-games players could play by themselves or with up to three other players. Other activities included fishing, gardening, kart racing and parties. Players also owned their own estates and pets called Doodles, who were able to help in battle. Items such as clothing, accessories and furniture were purchasable using in-game currency.

Online Safety Features

Chatting

Toontown Online was marketed towards and developed for children. Therefore, a chat restriction was placed on the game. Toons could only chat using "SpeedChat," which was a list of pre-approved phrases set by Disney that the player could select. It included general English phrases, in-game strategy phrases, and, occasionally, seasonal phrases. Players could purchase more SpeedChat phrases using jellybeans. SpeedChat also featured an "Emotions" section, which caused the Toon to perform an action on-screen. "SpeedChat Plus" and "True Friends" were introduced some time after the game's release, which had to be enabled using a parental account if the player was under 13 years of age. SpeedChat Plus allowed the player to type their own messages against a word filter developed by Disney – if a word was not allowed, it was replaced with an onomatopoeia of that player's Toon's species. True Friends allowed players to chat with a less-restrictive filter with certain friends whom have shared a "True Friend code" with each other.

Report Button

Un-Toon-like behavior, which may have been in violation of the Disney House Rules, could have been reported to the moderators in charge of keeping Toontown a safe, family friendly environment. When a toon was reported by another toon, they were evaluated by a moderator who analyzed the report. If it was deemed a legitimate report, the account would be suspended or, in extreme cases, terminated. Punishments varied depending on how severe the offense was. These offenses included racism, bullying, threatening a toon, swearing, etc. Hacking was considered the most serious offense by the Toon Council, and, if caught, an account termination would be authorized. Reported toons would automatically be removed from a Toon’s friends list.

Whenever Toons used foul or violent language, an automated warning message would be displayed.

Paid Membership

Toontown Online featured two types of accounts: free accounts, and paid member accounts. Originally, free accounts were only allowed three days of unrestricted gameplay before being forced to pay for a membership. This was changed to allow free players to play for an unlimited time with certain restrictions on the game. These restrictions originally meant that Toons were bound to the starting neighborhood ("ToonTown Central") and its buildings and streets, as well as Goofy Speedway where the racing events took place. Toons were also only allowed to complete Toontasks up until the final one that would allow them access to their third Gag Track. This was changed to allow free players to roam in the streets of all of the neighborhoods and to complete that final Toontask for the third Gag Track. However, free players could still only enter buildings in ToonTown Central and were not allowed to enter the Cogs' Headquarters or Cog buildings outside of ToonTown Central. Paid members were allowed complete and unrestricted gameplay for the duration of their subscription. Options included monthly, semi-annually, and annually subscriptions. This unlocked access to things such as house furniture, golfing, and access to Cog HQs and buildings outside of ToonTown Central. Prior to 2010, a newsletter was also sent out every so often, by mail, to everyone who had a paid membership.

ToonFest

Not to be confused with Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest held annually in Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri.

Disney organized two real-life gatherings for Toontown fans called ToonFest. ToonFest included themed activities and games, trivia and costume contests, previews of upcoming features for the game, and developer Q&A panels. The first gathering, ToonFest 2006, was held at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California , while ToonFest 2007 was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. No future ToonFests were ever announced.

Awards

Toontown Online has won several awards, including:

• Computer Gaming World, 2003 MMORPG Game of the Year
• Webby Awards, 2003 People's Voice Award, Kids Category
• Parents' Choice Foundation, 2003 Silver Honor
• Children's Software Review, 2003 All Star Software Award
• WiredKids, 2005 Safe Gaming Award
• 2008 Webby Awards "Webby Worthy Selection"

Closure

On August 20^th, 2013 Disney announced that, after 10 years of operation, Disney's Toontown Online was being shut down. The game remained open for a month after the announcement, finally closing on September 19^th, 2013. As soon as this announcement was made, every player was given membership for the remaining time of the game. As an effect, membership was no longer able to be purchased and players were not allowed to register new accounts. Disney stated during a press release that their reasoning for closing the game was to shift their focus to Club Penguin as well as mobile applications. The website was updated with a FAQ after the game's closure to inform visitors to the site of Toontown's discontinue.

External links

• Toontown Online UK official website Template:En icon - Coupled with Toontown USA as of 1 August 2010
• Toontown Test Server Template:En icon
• Template:StrategyWiki