Jump to content

Toontown Online

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bugzy499 (talk | contribs) at 20:54, 25 July 2017 (→‎Gameplay). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Toontown Online
DeveloperDisney Interactive
Schell Games[1]
Frogchildren Studios[2]
TypeMassively multiplayer online game
Launch dateJune 2, 2003 (2003-06-02)
Discontinuedyes
Platform(s)Online
StatusDiscontinued (September 19, 2013 (2013-09-19))
MembersUnknown
Websitehttp://toontown.go.com/ [dead link]

Toontown Online was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, developed by Disney Interactive and published by the Walt Disney Company.[3]

The Toontown Online online servers were shut down and/or merged over the years, with the final server to close being the United States (then merged with the United Kingdom) on September 19, 2013.[4] A month before the closure, Disney released a statement that the company would be 'shifting its focus to other online and mobile play experiences, such as Club Penguin and a growing selection of mobile apps.'[5]

Gameplay

Players could create characters called "Toons". Players were able to customize their Toons in various shapes, colors, clothes and sizes, as well as their species, with choices consisting of cats, dogs, ducks, mice, pigs, rabbits, bears, horses and monkeys.[6]

Combat

"Cogs" were the antagonists in-game, stylized to be corporate robots that wanted to take over the town to propagate business culture. Cogs came in four types: brown-clad Bossbots, blue-clad Lawbots, green-clad Cashbots, and maroon-clad Sellbots, each with increasing levels throughout the game that increased their health and damage.[7]

Toons began with basic 'Gags' and a 15-point 'Laff' meter and have a maximum of 137 point laff meter at the end of the game. Gags, rooted in old cartoon slapstick humor, were weapons used to destroy the Cogs in Cog battles. Each 'gag track' had Gags with different properties that could be unlocked by completing 'Toontasks', and each gag track would get progressively more powerful as 'toons' used their gags more.[8][9] The Laff meter functioned as health meter, representing how much damage toons could take from the Cogs before going 'sad' – in-game death.[10] Cogs were battled using a timed turn-based combat system with up to four Toons in a battle. Cogs could be fought on the streets of the game, in 'Cog buildings', or in their own designated 'Cog HQ'.[11]

A Toon in Toontown Central, the first playground available in-game.

Non-combat activities

Playgrounds were the only areas of Toontown permanently safe from Cogs. In the playgrounds, Toons could regain lost Laff Points, receive or complete ToonTasks unique to each playground, purchase gags, play trolley games, go fishing, kart racing or golfing. By completing ToonTasks, Toons would grow in strength through additional Laff Points or new Gags. Laff Point increases were also available through fishing, racing and golfing challenges. There was a playground in each neighborhood of Toontown. Each playground featured one of Disney's classic animated characters as a non-player character. These playgrounds consisted of the following: Toontown Central, Daisy Gardens, Donald's Dock, Minnie's Melodyland, The Brrrgh, Donald's Dreamland, Goofy's Speedway, and Chip & Dale's Acorn Acres.[12]

Every Toontown Online account came with a player's estate. Each estate consisted of a fishing pond and six houses for each Toon on the player's account. Players could customize their Toon's appearance and house with objects ordered from the in-game catalog in exchange for jellybeans, the in-game currency. Wardrobes held clothing and accessories that were not being worn. Other elements of estates included Doodles (pets), gardening, fishing, cannons.[13]

Online safety features

Toontown Online was marketed towards and developed towards all ages. Therefore, a chat restriction was placed on the game. Players could only chat using "SpeedChat", 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 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 who have shared a "True Friend code" with each other.[14]

Distribution

CD-ROM

Platform Publishing, a subsidiary company of Sony Online Entertainment that publishes games for third-party developers, announced on August 25, 2005 it had acquired rights to publish a CD version of Toontown Online for the PC and bring the game to online game consoles.[15][16][17][18] Toontown Online became available on CD for the PC on October 3, 2005.[19] This allowed players to play the game without downloading it onto their storage devices. This version came in a box set with two months of subscription, a poster, a game manual, and an in-game bonus.[20] Toontown Online chose to create a CD that could be purchased in stores, due to customer insecurity when downloading and buying things online that they could not physically hold.[21]

Closure

On August 20, 2013, Disney announced that after 10 years of operation, Disney's Toontown Online was being shut down permanently on September 19, 2013.[5][22] Subsequently, every player was given membership for the remaining time of the game. Seasonal and holiday celebrations and special in-game events took place in the time remaining. Recurring paid memberships were automatically cancelled, memberships could no longer be purchased and accounts could no longer be created.[22] The website was also updated with a closing FAQ.[23]

The main Toontown Online website was not due for closure until another year. The game remained open for a month after the announcement, finally closing on the set date, September 19, 2013, at 11:59 A.M. Pacific Standard Time.[4] After the game's closure, Toontown's website was updated with a new FAQ to help with billing support and inform users about the game's closure.[4] Petitions are continuously signed by fans regardless of the closure. Toontown's site, toontown.go.com, now redirects to Disney's main site, disney.com. In response to the closure, former players have created multiple private servers of Toontown Online. The most popular server, Toontown Rewritten, is described by its developers as "a fan-made revival of Disney's Toontown Online, created using publicly available downloads and information made freely available to the general public."[24]

In June 2015, Jesse Schell hinted that Toontown Online closed due to becoming unsustainable in its business model (subscription-based downloadable RPG).[25] Rumors were being spread that Microsoft was interested in purchasing Toontown Online if it could become mobile-friendly, and Jesse Schell confirmed that Disney wants to be able to port the game to mobile devices,[25] but there's no working business model for self-sustaining, constantly-updating RPGs on mobile devices as of yet.

Contrary to popular belief, Disney did not abandon Toontown Online or close it in spite of their userbase. The company has hosted internal meetings discussing the future of the game, taking the popularity of mobile games and the payment options available on that platform into consideration for planning the next step for Toontown Online and the Toontown license.[25] A solution has yet to be agreed upon, but as of 2024, these internal meetings still continue.[26][citation needed]

ToonFest

Not to be confused with Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest held annually in Marceline, Missouri.[27]

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.[28][29] The first gathering, ToonFest 2006, was held at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California,[30][31] while ToonFest 2007 was held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.[32][33]

Reception

Toontown Online received "favorable reviews". The game has won several awards.

Awards and nominations

Year Association Award Category Result Ref
2003 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Annual Interactive Achievement Award
PC Massively Multiplayer/Persistent
World Game of the Year Award 		Games Nominated [42]
Computer Gaming World MMORPG Game of the Year Online Games Won [43]
Game industry News Family Game of the Year Games Won [39]
Parents' Choice Foundation Silver Honor Online Video Games Won [44]
Web Marketing Association WebAward Outstanding Website Game Site Won [45]
The Webby Awards Webby Award Games Nominated [46]
Webby Award People's Voice Youth Won [47][48]
2004 Web Marketing Association WebAward Outstanding Website Game Site Won [49]
2005 Web Marketing Association WebAward Outstanding Website Game Site Won [50]
The Webby Awards Webby Award Games Nominated [51]
"Webby Worthy Selection" Games Won [citation needed]
WiredKids Safe Gaming Award Computer Games Won [52][53]
2006 Web Marketing Association WebAward Game Site Standard of Excellence Game Site Won [54]
The Webby Awards Webby Award Games Nominated [55]
2007 iParenting Media Awards Greatest Products Award Winner Video Games Won [citation needed]
Web Marketing Association WebAward Outstanding Website Game Site Won [56]
2009 Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval Website Won [57]

References

  1. ^ "Games developed by Schell Games". Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Frogchildren Studios Games Artwork". Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online to Launch June 2003" (Press release). North Hollywood, CA: The Walt Disney Company. 2003-05-05. Archived from the original on 2004-11-27. Retrieved 2014-05-30. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c "Disney's Toontown Online: Closed FAQ". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "Disney to Shutter 10-Year-Old Toontown Multiplayer Game". Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Meet the Toons". Disney.
  7. ^ "Meet the Cogs". Disney.
  8. ^ "Gags". Disney.
  9. ^ "Toon Tasks". Disney.
  10. ^ "Laff Points". Disney.
  11. ^ "Meet the Cogs". Disney.
  12. ^ "Neighbourhoods". Disney.
  13. ^ "Neighbourhoods". Disney.
  14. ^ "The Untold History of Toontown's SpeedChat". Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Disney's Toontown Goes To Retail This Fall" (Press release). San Diego, CA, and North Hollywood, CA: The Walt Disney Company. 2005-08-25. Archived from the original on 2005-12-02. Retrieved 2014-05-30. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (25 August 2005). "Toontown headed for consoles". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  17. ^ Raiciu, Tudor (26 August 2005). "Disney's Toontown Goes To Retail This Fall". Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Sony Online Entertainment's Platform Publishing Label Bringing Disney's 'Toontown Online' to Retail This Fall". PR Newswire. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Platform Publishing Lets the Toons Out With Disney's Toontown Online". PR Newswire. 3 October 2005. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  20. ^ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Disney's Toontown Online [Retail Box]". AllGame. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  21. ^ Goslin, Mike. "Postmortem: Disney Online's Toontown". Gamastura. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  22. ^ a b "Disney's Toontown Online: About Closing". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online: Closing FAQ". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Palmeri, Christopher. "Disney's Defunct Toontown Remade by Unsanctioned Teen". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  25. ^ a b c File:OMG!Con 2015 - Jesse Schellivision.
  26. ^ File:OMG!Con 2016 - Jesse Schellivision.
  27. ^ "Ziggy Artist, Other Cartoonists, Gather For Tribute at Disney Birthplace" (Press release). Walsh Public Relations. 2005-09-12. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  28. ^ "Disney 365 - Toon Town Online's ToonFest". The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  29. ^ "Toontown Online Video - Toontfest". GameTrailers. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  30. ^ "Thousands of 'Toons' to Gather at Disney Studios in Burbank for FirstEver 'ToonFest'; Disney Channel Stars Among Attendees at August 26th Fan Event Dedicated to Disney's Toontown Online" (Press release). Disney Online, a division of the Walt Disney Internet Group. 2006-08-25. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-30. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Dobson, Jason (11 August 2006). "Disney Celebrates Toontown Online With ToonFest". Gamasutra. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  32. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online Hosts ToonFest 2007" (Press release). Disney Online, a division of the Walt Disney Internet Group. 2007-08-04. Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  33. ^ "ToonFest 2007 (Video)". Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  34. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  35. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online for PC Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  36. ^ Deci, T.J. "Toontown Online Overview". AllGame. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  37. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online PC Review". GameZone. 15 June 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  38. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online Critic Reviews for PC". Gamefaqs. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  39. ^ a b Crowe, Greg (29 December 2003). "Review: Disney's Toontown Online". Game industry News. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  40. ^ Anderson, Michael (23 November 2005). "GamerDad ToonTown Online PC". Bub Writing. Archived from the original on 2 March 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  41. ^ Dan Costa (28 October 2003). PC Magazine. Ziff Davis, Inc. pp. 158–. ISSN 0888-8507.
  42. ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  43. ^ "Game of the Year Awards" (PDF). Computer Gaming World (236): 63. March 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  44. ^ Oldenburg, Don. "Parents' Choice Silver Honor Disney Toontown Online Review". Parents' Choice. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  45. ^ "Toontown Online Team wins 2003 WebAward for Toontown". Web Marketing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  46. ^ "Games The Webby Awards Gallery". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  47. ^ "Youth The Webby Awards Galley". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  48. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online Receives People's Voice Webby Award in Kid's Category" (Press release). North Hollywood, CA: The Walt Disney Company. 2003-06-09. Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2014-05-30. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online wins 2004 WebAward for Disney's Toontown Online". Web Marketing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  50. ^ "Disney's Toontown Online wins 2005 WebAward for Disney's Toontown Online". Web Marketing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  51. ^ "Games The Webby Awards Gallery". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  52. ^ "Teenangels: the award-winning cybersafety expert group, Computer Games". WiredSafety. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  53. ^ "Disney Online Awarded Best of the Web and Safe Gaming Honors at Fifth Annual WiredKids Summit" (Press release). North Hollywood, CA: The Walt Disney Company. 2005-05-25. Archived from the original on 2005-12-06. Retrieved 2014-05-30. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ "Disney Online, Premium Products wins 2006 WebAward for Disney's Toontown Online". Web Marketing Association. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  55. ^ "Games The Webby Awards Gallery". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  56. ^ "Walt Disney Internet Group wins 2007 WebAward for Disney's Toontown Online". Web Marketing Association. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  57. ^ "Parent Tested Parent Approved Disney Toontown Online". Parent Tested Parent Approved. Retrieved 13 March 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toontown_Online&oldid=792317721"