VMK Newsletter

Newsletter 25 September 2006

25 September 2006

Yavn Speaks

Welcome to another edition of Yavn Speaks! I've got lots of new and exciting stuff to tell you about, so let's get to it!

Chh Chh Changes...

Have you noticed those leaves are starting change? Leaves aren't the only things that are changing this season, soon you'll find Yavn Speaks on a new and improved VMK.com! This new site (that's right I said new site) will boast lots more VMK stuff as well as links to your favorite Disney parks and attractions -- but the changes don't end there. As you may have also noticed, we're rolling out new columns too, like Dear Yeti and Push's Trash Trivia. But that's not all, there's still much more cool stuff coming!

While some of these changes have been in the works for months, other site improvements are a direct response to your feedback and comments! We're lauching all these amazing upgrades and additions in the next few days and weeks, so keep watching the site -- you're going to be blown away!

I know, I know, you can't wait. Well, while we're waiting for the new changes to take place, why don't we dig a little deeper into some of the details on these new changes:

Revised Trading System & Larger Pin Inventory

Magic pins will now show how much power they have -- now you don't have to wonder if that 5 Star Inferno really has 5 Stars. Plus, soon you'll be able to wear 15 Pins!

In Trade Icon!

Are you tired of talking to people who don't answer you, only to find out it's because they were trading? What about people that try to speak to you while you're trading for rare? Well now you won't miss another conversation or be bothered by other players when you're trading because now all players in trade will have a Trade Icon above their heads!

Single Use Items

Wha? Yep, you read that right. We're introducing items that can only be USED ONCE and after they're used they disappear from your inventory. But wait that's not all, they'll also... expire! That is, if you haven't used them by a specific date.

What are Single Use Items and why would I want them? Well, when we originally designed VMK the plan was for magic to be ultra rare and come from park quests [I]only[/I]. As the game got closer to launch we felt that magic was just too cool to be a quest only prize, so we started using it as rewards and selling magic pins. The problem was that many of the pins suddenly became less cool. It was only when they were truly difficult to get that they became more desired.

Along with magic becoming more common something else happened... people stopped casting the spells. So to address this problem, we will be releasing a new type of magic spell... a spell that can only be used once and once it is used it disappears from your inventory. If you decide to hold onto the spell, be warned, if it's never cast it will expire and disappear from your inventory on its expiration date.

Now before everyone starts freaking out and sending nasty notes, this will only affect new spells, not current spells. We will still have traditional, long-lasting spells but now you will see magic spells given more as rewards for games and events.

New Hair!

That's right! There are two new hairstyles for girls and a new one for boys. Hmmm. Should I get a haircut? In the next few weeks I'll put it to a vote and you can tell me what I should do!

Pirates Treasure Room

Have you seen the beautiful new Pirates Treasure Room? It's not just there for good looks, there are 3 new chests inside that require keys to open. How do you get the keys you may be asking? Well, by playing either modes of the Pirates Of The Caribbean Game. Winning on Level 1 earns a Bronze Key, Level 2 earns a Silver Key and Level 3 earns you a Gold Key. After you've won a key take it to the Treasure Room and use it to open the matching chest. You might find the chest empty, but you might also find it filled with credits, a cool item or even magic! (Just between you and me mate, I've heard a rumor that Coral Magic may be found in the Gold Chest - but you'll have to plunder it yourself to see.) Make sure you win all 3 keys because each chest has a different treasure inside!

Halloween Hijinx

Halloween is just around the corner and I know many of you haven't decided what or who you will be. To help you make a decision about your costume I thought it it might be helpful to tell you when some of your favorite costume pieces will be coming back. Of course we'll have a few new "Mystery" items on sale too, but to find out what those are you'll have to check out the Emporium Specials. Here's a sneak peek at what's coming (and before you ask, Green Flips and Green Ears are NOT going on sale):

10/2 - 10/8

• Yellow Princess Outfit
• Brown Haunted Mansion Suit
• Black Haunted Mansion Suit
• Mystery Item!

10/9 - 10/15

• Blue Princess Outfit
• Native American Costume
• Mystery Item!

10/16 - 10/22

• Green Superhero Costume
• Pink Superhero Costume
• Yellow Explorer's Outfit
• Mystery Item!

10/23 - 10/31

• Pink Princess Outfit
• Red Cowboy Vest
• Black Cowboy Vest
• Mystery Item!

New Staff Uniforms Finally, it's out with the green and in with the red. The new staff uniforms are based on the classic Disneyland Tour Guide outfits, cool huh? So when does this all kick off? Keep watching the site, while in-game changes (like the revised Pin Trading and other things discussed here) will kick off in early October. By the way, asking staff when will everything will be live will not make it happen any sooner! I'm not sure how I can top this for next week... maybe some more Q&A?

See you in VMK, Yavn

New Staff Uniforms

Need staff help? No more green ears or outfits. Staff members are now dressed in new uniforms, based on the classic Disneyland Tour Guide outfits.

Welcome to the world of TRON

Without Tron there would be no Toy Story - John Lasseter, Pixar

September is Tron month at VMK, click here to learn more about this amazing film.

The Story: Tron is the world of Kevin Flynn, a computer programmer and arcade owner who is pulled into a virtual video game world he creates. Tron was one of the first computer-generated movies ever made and it set a standard for the brave new world of computer animation to follow.

Film Fact: To get the signature electronic 'look' the movie has, the live action that occurs inside the computer world was filmed in black and white, and then colorized in post production with photographic and rotoscopic techniques to give the characters that unique 'glow.'

Push's Trash Trivia

Hey dudes! I'm back and better than ever! I've been rolling around the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and VMK for a good while now and during that time I've not only learned my way around the parks, but I've learned some fun facts and tantalizing trivia too! The guys here at VMK would love me to share this info with you, so starting next week I'll post a weekly Disney trivia question here in the Newsletter.

If you know the answer to the trivia question send it in through the Contact Us section 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, I'll randomly draw three players as winners and get a cool new prize. Keep your eyes peeled for the first edition of "Trash Trivia" coming soon!

Future trivia topics might cover anything from Disney music to Disney movies, games or parks and resorts -- so brush up and get ready to test your Disney Factoid skills!

In honor of Tron month, let's get trivia rolling with some inside info on the movie...

Tron Trivia

Did you know (like most Disney films) there is a Hidden Mickey in Tron? It's true! As Tron, Flynn and Yori escape from Sark aboard the Solar Sail they fly over The Sea of Simulation. If you look closely at the landscape below the Solar Sail (and it's not too hard to spot) you'll see the silhouette of a smiling Mickey Mouse. See for yourself on the Tron (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition) DVD.

Tips, Tricks Hints and How To's

Check here every week for a new tip or hint on VMK Games and room building.

TIP: When playing the Haunted Mansion on a quest, in order to move on to the next task, you must capture the required amount of ghosts. Here's the trick: ALL of those ghosts need to be the ones haunting the mansion. If you capture one of your opponents after they have turned into a ghosts, they don't count towards the quest amount.

Dear Yeti

You've Got Questions, Yeti Has Answers

Dear Yeti,

My favorite ride at Disneyland is the King Arthur Carousel. How many horses are on the carousel? (I've tried counting them but they always go by too fast and I lose track.) And why does one of them have a gold tooth?

- BelieveInMagic

''Dear BelieveInMagic,

There are 72 horses on King Arthur's Carousel all of which were carved by hand in Germany in the late 1800's. Originally all the horses were different colors but because of the popularity of the white horse, all the horses were painted white in 1976.

The horse with a gold tooth is a very special steed. His name is Jingles. He's the lead horse and Lillian Disney's (Walt's wife), favorite horse.

Stay Cool,

Yeti''

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 two questions and post them here in the Newsletter.

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!

[B]What makes a Guest Room award-worthy? [/B]

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.

[B]Check out this week's Best Guest Rooms and Best Game Rooms.[/B]

[U]New feature[/U]! Click on the name of the room to view an image of the room!

[IMG]http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/BestRoomBadge.gif[/IMG]

[B][U]Best Guest Rooms[/U][/B] WOW! If you have time come and check out [B]Totallykittycat's [/B]version of a [U][URL="http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/room-2006_0918_Totallykittycat.jpg"]New Improved Sci-Fi Dine In[/URL][/U]. A VMK movie studio! Drive in for some of the latest movie releases.

Hello and welcome! Come in and enjoy [B]BluBoyWonder's[/B] [U][URL="http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/room-2006_0918_Bluboywonder.jpg"]Grand Tiki Tiki Festival[/URL][/U]. There are many things in here to enjoy, a pool, pirate ship, and an eating area.

[IMG]http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/BestGameRoomBadge.jpg[/IMG]

[B][U]Best Game Rooms[/U][/B]

[B]AdventureBradster[/B] wants you to help him stop the [U][URL="http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/room-2006_0918_AdventureBradster.jpg"]Tron Crash System[/URL] [/U]bugs from doing damage. Clean up the water so that it does not get to far into the system.

Now did [B]Bestlittlelauren[/B] just say [U][URL="http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/room-2006_0918_Bestlittlelauren.jpg"]Red Light Green Light[/URL][/U]? Well depending on what she says you need to race from the rugs you are on to the others across the room. Good Luck.

[IMG]http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/BestQuestPinBadge.jpg[/IMG]

[B][U]Best Player Quests[/U][/B]

[B]CL_RobertSDCA[/B] would very much like you to come and take part in his [U][URL="http://avmk.disney.go.com/media/vmk/en_US/global/room-2006_0918_CL_RobertSDCA.jpg"]Golden Quest[/URL][/U]. Search some of his favorite rooms for golden Mickey's as well as answer some trivia questions.

[B][U]Safety Corner[/U][/B]

Remember: NEVER give anyone in VMK your personal information or any information that will give out your location or ways to contact you outside of the game. Doing this goes against the VMK Values and just isn't safe.

[B][U] Scam Alert[/U][/B]

[B]Trading![/B]

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.

[B][U]In-Park Quests![/U][/B] Going to Disneyland® Park or Magic Kingdom® Park? Play the in-Park Quests! [URL="http://vmk.disney.go.com/vmk/en_US/community/index?name=QuestsLandingPage"]Learn more here.[/URL]

[B][URL="http://vmk.disney.go.com/vmk/en_US/community/index?name=HighSchoolMusicalQuestPage"]High School Musical Quest[/URL][/B]! Watch the movie, visit the Parks and answer all the questions to win cool stuff!

Get the [B][URL="http://vmk.disney.go.com/vmk/en_US/community/index?name=ThrillSeekersQuestPage"]Thrill Seekers Quest [/URL][/B]for the Walt Disney World® Resort here!

The [B][URL="http://vmk.disney.go.com/vmk/en_US/community/index?name=TomorrowlandQuestPage"]Tomorrowland Quest [/URL][/B]is still available: Download it here

[B][U]Contact Us Tips[/U][/B] When using Contact Us to ask a question or report an issue, please be aware of the following:

[LIST] [*]If you use AOL for e-mail, you won't receive our response; the AOL e-mail filters block our replies. Please provide an alternative e-mail in the [B]Contact Us[/B] 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. Please be sure to allow mail from [email][email protected][/email] (this e-mail address does not receive e-mail except via the [B]Contact Us[/B] form) [/LIST]