Newsletter 6 November 2006

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This week Yavn reveals more changes to VMK! Including how making Quest will be more rewarding!

Yavn Speaks!

Yavn Speaks 11/06

VMK Changes With the Seasons

You've probably noticed a change or two in VMK, but before I get into that, did everyone have a good Halloween? Free candy and costume fun, how cool is that? What do you think of our Holiday overlay? Yeah, I know it's a little early, but it was either keep the Halloween decorations up a little longer or put up out the Holiday decorations earlier, and we chose to bring on the holiday cheer! But that's not all - we have lots more holiday surprises that will roll out over the next 2 months, so stay tuned.

Charge!

So you took a ride on the Space Mountain Ride-A-Thon this weekend, pretty cool huh? We hoped you enjoyed the event, it was free this go 'round, but that will soon change. How you may ask? Well, we'll start charging you a few credits to get in on these events and here's why: As you know we're always listening to our players, many of you told have us that you love making Quests - but having good prizes for those Quest can be a problem. Our solution? Allow room owners to charge entry for an event.

As a Quest Maker, you'll be able to set Turnstiles to 4 different costs (0 credits, 5 Credits, 50 Credits and 100 Credits). As a Quester, players will be able to see the type of Quest offered as well as the prizes available for that Quest before they enter a turnstile. Quests are not the only uses for the turnstile, I can see rides, cafes and exclusive events all taking advantage of this option. We'll be testing turnstiles and entry fees for rooms over the next few weeks. I'll have more news on that soon...

Ride On!

Starting today our 4th track set will be on sale, drum roll please... Space Mountain! As you have already seen we debuted 2 new track pieces - Switches and Doors. We're trying to make the ride experience more interactive - personally, I can't wait to see how everyone uses theses pieces, since VMK players are a very creative bunch. ;-) If you missed the Ride-A-Thon (and your chance to win Up and Down tracks), don't worry the pieces exclusive to the Ride-A-Thon event will be on sale soon.

Speaking of rides, don't forget about the ride building competition at the end of the month - we'll have all the details for you on the event by next week...

See you in VMK,

Yavn

Jake's Blog

Hey guys, Jake here, what's up!? I'm just back from visiting Walt Disney World with the VMK team! Here's my report on that awesome trip! Thanks to the guys at VMK for letting me tag along!

Party at the Polynesian

I arrived in Florida after a five hour airplane ride from Los Angeles with the VMK team. After grabbing our bags, we headed off to check into our hotel – the Polynesian. What a great hotel! From the second you walk into the lobby you think you're in Hawaii! I've never been to Hawaii but if it's anything like the Polynesian – man, I can't wait to go. I give high marks to any hotel with a cool pool - but this one takes the cake – it has a volcano in it!

The Polynesian is located right on the water and just a short walk to the Monorail – we he hopped on the Monorail and made our first stop - The Magic Kingdom to check out the Boo To You Halloween Parade – probably the neatest thing in it was The Headless Horseman who was the Grand Marshall. Equally as cool was the fireworks show afterward - this was really awesome! You could even see the show from our hotel which was a mile away!

One night we watched the fireworks as we at Ohana – this is a family style Hawaiian restaurant - with meats served on a giant stick! (I made the mistake of filling up on all the tasty appetizers before the meats came out but next time I'm holding out just for the meat!) I love meat on a stick, and especially love it when it's all-you-can-eat AND it's brought right to your table! The best way I could describe it would be to say it's like an indoor luau, but we didn't have to sit on the ground or anything… ;-)

More Adventure - Disney World Style!

Anyways, Epcot's Food & Wine Festival was also going on at Epcot the week we were there. Each country has booths set up, but you could also try foods from countries that weren't represented in the World Showcase, like Poland, Greece, and Spain! While I didn't have any wine, I did taste some pretty interesting things in the World Showcase area. Besides The Magic Kingdom, Epcot is my favorite park and I got a chance to ride Mission Space and Test Track with Yavn – he didn't get on Mission Space with me and after riding it, I know why! Mission Space is an extremely realistic simulation of space travel and it's not for everyone, but it was definitely my kinda ride!

Later in the week we needed to get into the holiday spirit for some Holiday Questing, so Yavn took the VMK team to Winter Summerland and I was lucky enough to tag along. This is a holiday themed mini golf course just a few minutes down the street from our hotel. It was really "cool" to play golf here! The holes aren't too hard but what makes the course really fun are the wintery obstacles you have to avoid to get the ball in the hole – and the Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers. We all sang along to Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer and I had such a good time I even beat Yavn by a few strokes!

Back in Cali

Speaking of holidays, after we got back to California, I had to get down to Disneyland and check out the newly redecorated Haunted Mansion – in case you haven't heard, Jack Skellington and friends moved in and decks the hall with Nightmare Before Christmas cheer! If you've never seen this ride redone like this, you are missing something pretty spectacular – it's like a whole new ride! The Mansion will be redecorated like this until January – so be sure to check it out before it's gone!

Well, I gotta run, they'll be lots more to talk about with all the holiday happenings in the parks so be sure to keep reading my column for the inside info!

– Jake out!

Tips

Tips, Tricks Hints and How To's

Getting high fireworks scores!

Have you ever hit all the fireworks in the Castle Fireworks Game and still not advanced to the next level? When the fireworks shoot up in the sky, wait until they almost burn out (when they begin to sparkle) and then click on them. The longer you wait before the disappear, the higher the score you will get. The more "flawless" clicks, the higher your score!

Contact Us Tips

Problems? Contact Us!

When you use Contact Us to ask a question or report an issue, please be aware of the following:

If you use AOL or EarthLink for e-mail, you won't receive our response, as AOL e-mail filters block our replies. Please provide an alternative e-mail in the Contact Us form where it asks for your e-mail address.

Some Spam Filters will automatically block e-mail from an unknown source unless you tell the program to allow it: To get email from VMK, allow mail from [email protected]. (Please note this email address does not receive e-mail except via the Contact Us form.)

Dear Yeti

You've Got Questions, Yeti Has Answers

Dear Yeti, I love roller coasters! My favorites are the ones that send you upside down - are there any looping roller coasters in the Disney parks?

- Monet

Dear Monet,

You bet there are! The first Disney roller coaster to feature a looping section was Indiana Jones and The Temple of Peril at Disneyland Paris (which opened in 1993). Visitors to Disneyland Paris are also turned upside down on Space Mountain (it took off in 1995). You can also flip your fancy on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney - MGM Studios at Walt Disney World and California Screamin' at Disney's California Adventure.

Dear Yeti,

I have a question about the horses that pull the carriages on Main Street at Disneyland - where do they live?

- GreenMonkee

Dear GreenMonkee,

When Disneyland first opened in 1955 there were many attractions in the park that featured live animals, for example teams of horses pulled Old West stage coaches through Frontierland - you could even get a mule ride if you were brave enough to hop on! In all, almost 125 different horses and mules worked at the park, now since many of those attractions have gone away as the park has changed over the years, only about 25 horses remain - and they all hang their saddle backstage (behind Big Thunder Ranch) at The Circle D Corral.

Do you have a question for the Yeti?

Send it to me through the Contact Us section at the bottom of this page. Be sure to have your VMK registration info with you (the email and information you registered with) and select "Dear Yeti" from the drop down menu. Each week I'll answer a question or two here in the Newsletter.

Push's Trash Trivia

Space Mountain at Disneyland was part of a new Tomorrowland project scheduled to open in 1967, what was that project called?

Know the answer?

Send your answer using Contact Us at the bottom of this or the main VMK webpage. Be sure to have your VMK registration info with you and select Push's Trash Trivia from the drop down menu. Out of all the correct answers, three players will be randomly drawn as the winners and sent a cool prize. But hurry! Only entries submitted by the close of game on Friday will be accepted.

Here's the answer to last weeks Trash Trivia question:

Q: Who voiced Mickey Mouse in his earlier years?

A: From the late 1920's until about 1946 Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey Mouse. When Walt became too busy with the day to day operations of running the studio he turned the honor over to sound effects man, Jim McDonald. McDonald provided the voice for Mickey until 1974 when McDonald retired. Wayne Allwine provides the voice for Mickey today.

Did you know: While most people think Mickey Mouse made his movie debut in Steamboat Willie (the first cartoon to feature sound and released on November 18, 1928), Mickey actually made his theatrical debut in Plane Crazy which was released on May 15, 1928.

Congratulations to the 3 lucky (and randomly picked) players that sent in the correct answer for last week's question! Your prize is on its way!

Dremwvr
coolbluePiglet
SirGoofsALott

Awards and Top Players

What makes a Guest Room award-worthy?

Guest or Game Rooms that stand out show originality in concept and design. It could be a use of conventional furniture in unconventional ways, the use of a theme or color, or humor. Game rooms that get the nod offer a new game idea or a new twist on an old favorite. In all rooms we look for room owners who welcome everyone with a smile and show a willingness to answer questions about their room.

Check out this week's Best Guest Rooms and Best Game Rooms.

Best Guest Rooms

Ahoy me mateys TropicalDude asks: Will you serve under a pirate hand and work with a pirates heart? If so then the Cursed Ship of Davey Jones is the right navy for ye.

Welcome to The Haunted Mansion Ride! Take a wall to wall tour of the Mansion grounds. Googlemouse asks that you please be patient with waiting times and hopes you enjoy your ride.

Best Game Rooms

CL_BlueReap would like to know if you might help Stitch get going in the right direction on Stitch's Driving Course. Help Stitch get his driving license and watch out for the competition!

Be sure to wear a costume in this fun new game called Halloween Lights! Halimeda shouts ready, set, go! You race to turn on all the lights for your Trick–Or–Treaters. Now hurry inside the door before they see you.

Best Player Quests

Come in and take your chances at CL_WizardMerlin's Museum Halloween Quest Room. This Quest is not too difficult and filled with lots of Halloween Spirit.

Players who have been previously recognized for their design talents will receive the VIP award.

VMK Cards

Have you ever wondered what cards you are missing in your collection. Well there is now a great new way to discover all the cards for VMK. Check it out!

Scam Alert

Trading!

When trading, make sure that you get a fair deal by double checking the trade window. You can see what you are giving and what you are getting. Always make sure what you are trading for is in the trade window. If you think a trade isn't fair, please don't trade. There are plenty of opportunities to find what you need.

Safety Corner

Please always remember to never give, or ask anyone in VMK for any personal information. Do not give out your location or ways to contact you outside of the game. It's just not safe.

In-Park Quests!

Going to Disneyland® Park or Magic Kingdom® Park? Play the in-Park Quests! Learn more here.

<strong>High School Musical Quest</strong>! Watch the movie, visit the Parks and answer all the questions to win cool stuff!

Get the <strong>Thrill Seekers Ques</strong>t for the Walt Disney World® Resort here!

The Tomorrowland Quest is still available: Download it here.