• 

  This Monday, May 25, 2009, SOE will be closed in observance of Memorial Day.

  Memorial Day is a national U.S. holiday, designated as a day to remember those who have died in military service for our country. Some also take time to honor all of their friends and loved ones who have passed on. The National Moment of Remembrance takes place at 3 PM local time on Memorial Day.

  The day has also unofficially become recognized as the beginning of summer, which is often celebrated with picnics, cook outs, and summer sports and acitivities. We hope everyone has a safe and pleasant Memorial Day holiday!

• 

  We're getting closer and closer to Fan Faire... Are you ready? You don't need to start throwing things in your suitcase yet, but it's a good idea to start planning. We've got some advice and tips on stuff to do ahead of time and things you might want to bring with you. (Take it from us. We've done this a few times!)

  Please Identify Yourself

  Of course you'll need ID for traveling, but it's a good idea to keep it on you at all times at Fan Faire, tucked safely away. You'll need it for checking in to your hotel, procuring adult beverages and gambling if you so choose, as well as for picking up your Fan Faire registration packet. Some of our larger events also require ID and your conference badge for entry, especially our 21+ events.

  Another good idea, if you're planning to do any networking or you're meeting up with in-game friends, is to bring business cards. If you're meeting guildmates for dinner or before a panel, you'll probably need to exchange cell phone numbers, and business cards are a handy way to be prepared. (If you don't have business cards, you can always make some yourself and print at home!)

  What Did They Say?

  Of course we're all going to Fan Faire to have fun, but we're also exchanging a lot of information. Maybe you run a fansite or a gaming blog. Or maybe you're just there to represent your guild and get the latest scoop. Either way, there's a good chance you will be the designated "Information Bearer" for your guild and friends. Attendees are welcome to bring cameras, camcorders and audio recorders to the panels and events. Or if you prefer the good old fashioned way, notepads and pencils are also welcome. (Just be sure to avoid taking your recording devices into the casinos, as that's a sure fire way to draw security aggro!)

  Fun and Games!

  If you plan to enter the EQ or EQII tournaments, make sure you keep an eye on the EQ Players and EQII Players websites for more information and instructions on prepping for those events, if needed. Details will be coming as we draw closer to the event.

  The Community Team is hooked on the Free Realms Trading Card Game! We're bringing some booster packs with us, so bring your decks and any cards you want to trade, and maybe you'll go home with some new stuff!

  We'll also be having late-night gaming sessions. Although you won't really need to bring anything for these, do remember to have your Station ID and password handy if you want to log in to play on our computers.

  For the truly adventurous types, we will once again be hosting Live Quests for EverQuest, EverQuest II, Vanguard and Star Wars Galaxies! We provide the adventure and gear -- just bring yourself and any teammates you'd like to play with. (Teams are usually limited to 10 people.)

  Travel

  If you'll be traveling by air, be sure to familiarize yourself with the latest TSA regulations. As of May 15th, they're really cracking down on ticketed names exactly matching your identification, in order to reduce security delays. Also, if you plan on bringing any foods, liquid/gel personal items (shampoos, toothpaste, and even medications) you'll want to know the rules for carry-ons and checked bags.

  Speaking of checked bags, your airline might charge an additional fee to check baggage so it's a good idea to look into that ahead of time (you might even be able to pre-pay). And don't forget things like wearing shoes that are easy to remove in the security line, keeping your ID handy to show while you're checking in and going through security, and making sure all your gadgets are charged up so you don't get stuck looking for something to do at the gate.

  More Tips

  Over at Zam, Calthine has prepared a very helpful list of some things to remember when you prepare for Fan Faire. She has some great tips, and probably some you wouldn't have even thought of, so be sure to give it a quick read before you pack. (Thanks, Calthine!) Our EQII community shared even more advice...like where the closest drugstore is!

  If you have any additional tips you'd like to share, hop on over to the Fan Faire forum and leave your advice in the Fan Faire Tips thread.

  We'll see you in Vegas, baby!

• 

  Greetings Everyone!

  We have a few emails that will be sent out soon that you don't want to miss! So make sure you're signed up to receive SOE Emails.

  What's included when you sign up?

  • You'll receive the quarterly newsletter for whichever games you select as well as any marketing and promotional materials for those titles, such as account winbacks and special offers.
    

  To make sure you receive the next one, do the following:

  • Click on My Account on the top bar of any Station page
  • Click on Change Email Setting
  • Select those you wish to receive
  • Click on apply. (If you aren't sure you are getting the emails, click on Make Changes even if you don't change anything, just to refresh the setting.)
  • Or you can just visit this link.

  

   

  How come I never seem to get any of the emails?

  There are a couple of reasons you may not be receiving the emails from SOE:

  • Update your Email Address: An incorrect email address is a common reason for not receiving the emails from the Station. To update your email address, click on My Account, go to email preferences and then click change next to the email address currently assigned to your account.
  • Email is being blocked: If your email system has a block, junk, bulk, or spam mail folder, you'll want to make sure that it allows email from soe.com [info@soe.com] and The Station@sony.com [station-mailer@sony-online.com] . You will need to check the options, properties, or preferences of your mail system to determine how to set this up, or click here for tips on how to add these addresses to your Address Book.
  • Options not saved: There's a chance that your options were not set correctly when the system changed over to this system. To fix this, click on the [Clear All] link and click on Make Changes. Then select your options again and click on Make Changes again. That should refresh the list.

• Beginning at 3 AM PDT on Thursday, April 16, 2009, SOE Account and Commerce flow, Station Store and the Station Marketplace will be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 5 hours.

  During this time, no new game sessions will be able to be started. Players already in-game should be able to stay in the zone they are in, but changing zones will cause you to lose your session. We expect the session maintenance to take approximately 2 hours.

  This might also cause some forum accounts to temporarily lose permissions, due to the inability to verify account status while the maintenance is taking place. This is only temporary and normal permissions will return automatically once the maintenance is complete.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• Round 1 Voting is now LIVE in The Escapist's March Mayhem: Developer's Showdown, where the top 64 game developers go head-to-head to see who is the best. The elimination style tournament has started and won't end until one developer remains, and it's YOU who will determine the outcome of each match-up by voting for your favorite developer! If you need a little more info to get you started, they have a video on their site.

  You can help vote SOE to the top! In the first round of the West Division SOE is facing Ironclad. Show the world who your favorite developer is and help us take down those guys at Ironclad. (We're sure they're very nice, but this is a competition after all!) Just register for free, then place your vote to make sure your team makes it all the way to the end!

• 

  If you have never been to an SOE Fan Faire this is the year to make the trek to Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas! SOE is planning a big birthday bash for the EverQuest 10th anniversary, and players of all SOE games are invited to join the party! Fan Faire is a great place for SOE gamers to mix and mingle with each other, and meet some of the faces behind their favorite SOE games. Here's just a taste of some of the great activities we're planning:

  • Special announcements and sneak peaks of upcoming SOE titles at the Third Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley
  • Autograph signings with members of the original EQ development team and other key contributors
  • Lots of in-game tournaments; and live, game-themed competitions and quests
  • Developer forums and roundtables
  • Cool giveaways and other fun items!
  • Player of the Year - details coming soon

  And, that's just the beginning! Visit the Fan Faire website for more details at www.soefanfaire.com. Tickets are expected to go on sale in April.

• 

  On Monday we'll be observing Presidents' Day, a federal holiday in the United States. Originally Presidents' Day was a holiday honoring George Washington's birthday and was observed on his birthday, February 22nd. In more recent years the holiday was expanded to honor both Washington and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is February 12th, and was moved to the third Monday of February.

  Some of us might remember celebrating the two presidents' birthdays separately back in our schooldays, and many of our players are not from the US. Stop by the Stargate Online TCG forums and tell us about your Presidents Day memories or similar holidays you observe!

  Please note that due to the holiday, SOE's Customer Service staffing will be limited on Monday, February 16th. We appreciate your patience and understanding for any delays you may experience.

  Enjoy our Presidential Hamster!

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  Small Wallpaper!

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• 

  We've combed through every piece of feedback and have worked hard to implement much of it to improve your overall experience and satisfaction. The daily usage levels indicate that more and more of you are adopting Station Launcher as your everyday launchpad for your game updates, to launch your games, and to connect with friends and guild mates online.

  A new release update of Station Launcher was launched today, Monday, February 9th. It features improvements based heavily on feedback from the Station Launcher forum - especially for the functionality around the Friends network.

  Here is a rundown of what you can expect in this update:

  • "Inactive" Characters – A large number of players have reported that the Friends network contains characters that have long been abandoned. While we're working with the game teams to purge these from our databases, we've also enabled the client to mark a character as "Inactive". An inactive character will not be logged into the Friends network nor will it be displayed on the Friends panel. This can be controlled on the "Preferences" dialog, under the "Friends Privacy" category.
     
  • Context Menus on Friends panel – You can now apply actions to characters and their friends on the Friends panel by using the right mouse-click, or "context" menu. For Characters, one can change the state and visibility of that character. There are also shortcuts to add or ignore a friend of that character. For friends, once can initiate a chat session, edit the label, ignore or remove the friend. You can apply most actions to multiple selected characters or friends as well. Remember, when you remove a friend within Station Launcher, you also remove them from your in-game friends list.
     
  • Join Friend in Game – When you find one of your friends is online in a particular game, you can select "Join [friend] in [game]". This action will launch that game with the appropriate character/server selected.
     
  • Server Name for Character – When your characters are displayed in the Friends panel (on the "By Character" tab), the server name will be displayed as well. This will help differentiate customers who have characters with the same name on multiple servers of a particular game.
     
  • Server Name in "Add Friend…" – The server name has also been added to the "Add Friend" dialog.
     
  • Improved Scanning Performance – Before a game is launched, the Station Launcher will scan the game directory to make sure that all assets are up to date. The performance of this process has been improved.
     
  • "Exit" Menu Item – There is a new menu item under the "Account" menu on by the Games and Friends panel. This will allow one to completely shut down the Station Launcher application. Previously, this was only available as on the context menu of the icon in the Windows system tray (lower right corner).
     
  • Automatic Re-Login – There is an item on the "Preferences" dialog (under the "Log-In / Log-out" category) that will allow one to "Automatically log me in". This is normally used for when the application is started. If the network is disconnected (and this setting is enabled), the application will try to re-login when connectivity is restored.
     
  • "Disconnect" on Friends Panel – Instead of "Log Out", the Friends panel now has a button called "Disconnect". This will disconnect the account from the Friends network without causing a complete "log out" for the application. This is the same as marking all characters as "disconnected" (in the menu at the bottom of the panel).
     
  • Update Notes instead of "News" – When you launch the Station Launcher with the "game" command line argument (e.g. "--game EQ"), the Update Notes pop-out for that game will automatically open. Previously, the "News" pop-out would open.
     
  • Direct to Try/Buy/Activate - When you launch the Station Launcher with a "game" command line argument (e.g. "--game EQ") to a game which you do not have a subscription, you will be automatically taken to the "Try/Buy/Activate" screen.
     
  • Return to Game Select - Previously, the application would always display the "MMO" tab when going to the Game Select screen, even if one was returning from a Game Update screen from the "Strategy" tab. This bug has been fixed - you will return to the correct tab.
     
  • Support Links - The Game Support links from the Help menu have been updated so that they point to the correct address.
     
  • Pirates of the Burning Sea - The Update Notes and support URLs have been updated for the Pirates of the Burning Sea. Arrrrrgh!
     
  • Feedback - The "Feedback" menu item in the Help menu points to our perpetual "How are we doing?" survey, instead of directly into the Station Launcher forum.
    

  Thank you for all of your feedback and support!

  Offer your feedback on the Station Forums.

• 

  Support SOE's G.I.R.L. Scholarship!

  SOE official G.I.R.L. T-shirts are available for purchase through SOE's Station Store, perfect for the girl gamer on your holiday list! Three different styles of the shirts will be offered, including two styles for women and one for men, all priced at $19.99 (plus applicable taxes). SOE will donate 100% of T-shirt sales to the G.I.R.L. Scholarship.

  First awarded in 2008, the G.I.R.L. scholarship was created by SOE and encourages female students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play. In 2009, the program will be managed by Scholarship America®, a leading nonprofit educational support program. SOE will offer students in undergraduate programs related to video games a chance to compete for the scholarship by submitting original artwork and essays to a panel of judges.

  SOE's G.I.R.L. (Gamers in Real Life) initiative is raising awareness of the rapidly growing female gaming audience by encouraging the gaming industry to positively promote women throughout all facets of games, game production and game management.

  Purchase a G.I.R.L. T-shirt!

  
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  

  All of us here at SOE would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Have a great holiday, be safe and eat hearty.
  
  At SOE we are Thankful for...
  
  Two successful expansion launches
  
  Hoth!
  
  Free Realms Beta Sign ups
  
  Our Families who put up with our long hours and gaming habits
  
  Our friends both in our worlds and the real world
  YOU!!!

• This Thursday and Friday, November 27th and 28th, Technical and Account/Billing staffing will be limited to email support. Please visit the support site to submit your inquiries. Phone and Live Chat Support will resume on Monday, December 1st from 10am to 7pm.

• Please be advised that SOE phone support and in-game support will be unavailable from 10am – 2:00pm (PST) this Friday, November 21st. Phone support will resume at 2:00pm and be available for the remainder of the day until 7pm. In-game support will resume at 2:00pm and be available for the remainder of their normal business hours. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.

• 

  November 11th Veterans/Remembrance Day is celebrated by many throughout the world. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, which ended the fighting in World War I back in 1918 however it doesn't just honor that occasion, it is a holiday to celebrate the cause of world peace. What this day is really about is honoring our troops and their loved ones, both retired and current, for all they have done for this country and our world.

  From all of us here at Sony Online Entertainment to all of our present and former troops, their families, and supporters of freedom and peace, we give you our thanks. We salute you!

   

  We would like you to meet some of the Veteran's that work here at SOE!!

  Tracy "Owlchick" Seamster Game Designer The Agency

  Alan "Brenlo" Crosby Sr. Director, Global Community Relations

  
  

• 
  
  

  Tell us what you think about the Station Launcher! What do you like? What needs improvement? How can we make it something everyone will appreciate? You can give us valuable feedback about your Station Launcher experience by clicking on the "Station Launcher Feedback" button at the bottom of the launcher screen (or click on the image here) and taking the short survey. With your help we can make Station Launcher even better and deliver a fantastic experience for everyone.

  
  
  

  Make sure you tell your friends about Station Launcher and get them to try it out too! They can find the beta download at http://launcher.station.sony.com/.

• Beta Release Update is Live!

  During the past month, the Station LauncherTM development team has been going at it nonstop in working to bring you a Station Launcher product that improves and simplifies your online gaming experience - by managing all your games, updates, and downloads from one convenient place.  We're reading your feedback on the Station message boards to better understand what you've liked and what you haven't liked about the Station Launcher beta experience.  Because we're in a beta phase, your feedback provides guidance that enables us to fix problems you've identified, improve them, and ultimately helps us build the best experience possible for you. 
  This morning we released a Station Launcher beta update that addresses several key issues that you've written about in the Station forums.  The past month of work by our team here has been focused primarily on addressing and fixing some of those major challenges encountered since the first Station Launcher beta release.
  Here is a rundown of what you can expect in this update: 

  • Preferences are now saved - There's a fix for a "Lost Settings" bug that was commonly reported and caused many players to lose their saved preferences.
  • Improved Network Resiliency - The update enables Station Launcher to be more resilient to network fluctuations and reduces the need for players to retry file downloads.
  • Improved Auto Launch behavior - When clicking on a shortcut to a game, the customer will immediately be presented with the Game Update screen for that game.  The "News" pane will also be opened automatically.  Previously, players were taken to the Game Select screen and forced to wait for 5 seconds, before being allowed to proceed.
  • Game Update screen now includes "Show All Games" - There's a button on the Game Update screen that's now labeled "Show All Games," instead of "Back to Games".
  • Ability for Vanguard players to enter a game with selected character - There's now an "Enter As..." support for Vanguard players; a menu on the Game Update screen allows a customer to enter the game with their character already selected.  This is also supported within EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies.
  • Automatic Directory Location selection - When you switch to a different server version, Station Launcher will create a directory based on the name of the new server.  Previously, you had to manually choose a directory location.
  • Multi-Instance Support - Players will be able use the application to play more than one instance of a game.  This does require additional setup steps and is recommended to be used only by advanced users.
  • We want to know more about your Station Launcher experience - We want to make it the best experience possible for you.  We want to know how its functionality is working for you, and understand what you think can make Station Launcher even better.  When you click on the "Station Launcher Feedback" button, you'll be taken to an online survey to share your experiences.  Be brutally honest with us.

  Here are the Known Issues within Station Launcher.  We're continuing our work to resolve these: 

  • Interrupted Downloads - Game updates are interrupted when you leave the Game Update screen.
  • Multi-Instance Support - Additional support for this ability has not yet been added to the application, including the user interface and command-line syntax.
  • Minimize from Task Bar - The application does not toggle to and from the minimize state on the Windows task bar as is common in other Windows applications.
  • "Enter As" while using UK English - The "Enter As" feature - the ability to enter a game with a selected character -  is not working when the language is set to English (UK).
  • Update Scanning - The scanning for files has become slower and sometimes gets "stuck", especially when quickly switching between different server versions.
  • Chat Copy - One can paste into a chat session within Friends, but cannot copy selected text.

  The team here wants everyone using Station Launcher beta to "keep it coming" - keep sending us your feedback and thoughts about the latest release.  Post your suggestions and comments on the board, and also leave detailed feedback through the new survey link that's available to you in Station Launcher.  Let us know if the new fixes are working for you.  If you're enjoying Station Launcher, tell your guild mates who haven't yet tried it, to try it out and let us know what they think.  All of your input enables us to improve, refine, and deliver the best Station Launcher experience for everyone.
  Offer your feedback on the Station Forums.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: Daniel

  Forum Handle: SirDusk75

  Game Handle: SirDusk

  Where do you live? Columbus, OH (What about them Buckeyes! haha)

  How long have you played Stargate? I started in late August of 2007, I went to Gen Con got a book in the swag bag and in it was an advertisement for the Online Version of the game. Promptly went out spending money like crazy on the physical (2 to 3 sets of each SG-1, System Lords and 1 set of Rise of the Ori) and the digital version of the game (almost 2 of every card but almost 3 for all sets). I did this because I have yet to find someone in my area that plays physical.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber, Pirates CSG or the Star Wars Galaxies TCG? No, I do not. Don't have the time.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? I started playing TCG's in high school; I started when Magic the Gathering was just starting "Revised edition" in early 90's. Then played some Jihad or Vampire as it's called now. The biggest TCG is a cross between a typical TCG and a RPG, it's called Dragonstorm, it's more RPG than TCG but all the rules are on cards instead of books.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? A neighborhood friend got me playing D&D back in the early 80's when I was 8 years old. Ever since then I was hooked, any reason I could come up with playing I was there. Because of this I am more inclined to table top RPG's. There is nothing like busting out with the imagination and some dice!

  What type of work do you do? I am a dispatcher for American Automobile Assoc. (AAA (triple A) for short.)

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate? I am a movie buff; I enjoy all types of movies. If I had to pick my favorite it would be between "A Knights Tale" or "Aliens". My favorite T.V. Show would have to be Stargate SG-1! (I own all 10 seasons on DVD and all 4 seasons of SG-A). I am an avid Fantasy Football and Baseball manager (15+ years.)

  What is your favorite deck type? I enjoy the ones I come up with on my own. But now just about every team member combo that has been played someone else can lay claim too. Right now I am trying to come up with a viable 'Swarm deck' based on the DR. Jackson that lets you play Support cheaper and the SGC Vala Team member that gives +1 skills while she is assigned to the mission, both from the Rise of the Ori sets.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why? For hero I'd have to go with any cheap support character, without support you can't win any mission. For Villain I'd have to go with any support killer cards, again without it they can't win a mission.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why? I can't pick any one card, because the show was a part of my weekly activities for so long, ever since I found it on Showtime back in season 2 or 3. Now the Online TCG lets it become an everyday thing.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? I'd have to say, yes to all of the above. I enjoy the Art because of the many episodes out there, I can't stand to lose. I have tossed some fits in private when I forgot about a card that cost me a mission or a match or if I took a bad beat when someone luckily was able to get 4 missions with 3 team members and 2 supports. Who wants to be a copy cat, I was working on a no skip deck that was working 65% of the time before RotO came out then went to no times working because of the Apophis mother ship.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG? Every game is like watching one of the many favorite episodes of the SG-1 TV show. It's always fun to say to yourself, "I remember that episode, that one too!" Don't get me wrong; the people we have here are awesome too.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? Lots of matches, that usually end with me doing the same thing; either forgetting what a card does or passing too soon that costs me a mission as it did against Toku at Gen Con this year. That one mission might have helped me empty out my hand faster, because I was playing against an Ori villain win, which most villain win requires you to grid lock your hand with expensive costing cards so you can't get deeper into your deck.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? Nope sorry to say, just not that tech savvy!

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I am a huge SG-1 fan between the Online and Physical TCG, owning all the seasons on DVD for SG-1 and SG-A, the board game (which sucks by the way) and I even have Michael Shanks autograph which I got when they had a convention here in Columbus OH a few years back. Only got to go for the one day when Shanks and Judge was there. It was a blast! Well worth the dime. Also if you can't tell by some of the things written above I'm in my mid 30's (gosh I'm old!)

  Feel free to leave SirDusk a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• 
  

  Greetings Everyone!

  We have a few emails that will be sent out soon that you don't want to miss! Make sure you are signed up to receive SOE Emails. What's included when you sign up?

  • You'll receive the quarterly newsletter for whichever games you select as well as any marketing and promotional materials for those titles, such as account winbacks and special offers.

  To make sure you receive the next one, do the following:

  • Click on My Account on the top bar of any Station page • Click on Change Email Setting • Select those you wish to receive. • Click on apply. (If you aren't sure you are getting the emails, click on Make Changes even if you don't change anything, just to refresh the setting.) • Or you can just visit this link.

  
  

  How come I never seem to get any of the emails? There are a couple of reasons you may not be receiving the emails from SOE:

  • Update your Email Address: An incorrect Email Address is a common reason for not receiving the emails from the station. To update your email address, click on My Account, go to email preferences and then click change next to the email address currently assigned to your account.

  • Email is being blocked: If your e-mail system has a block, junk, bulk, or spam mail folder, you'll want to make sure that it allows e-mail from The Station@sony.com [station-mailer@sony-online.com]. You will need to check the options, properties, or preferences of your mail system to determine how to set this up.

  • Options not saved: There's a chance that your options were not set correctly when the system changed over to this system. To fix this, click on the [Clear-All] link and click on Make Changes. Then select your options again and click on Make Changes again. That should refresh the list.

• Beginning at 9 AM PDT on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, SOE Account and Commerce flow, and the Station Store will all be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 4 hours.

  We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

• 
  
  

  It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed since we heard those first unbelievable reports that two planes had crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and yet another in a Pennsylvania field.

  The anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember and to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on the United States and the world. Let's all take a moment today to remember all those who were affected by these events and to reflect on what was learned that day about patriotism and tolerance.

• This week we feature a player from Stargate Online TCG.

  Real Life First Name: Chris

  Forum Handle: Toku

  Game Handle: Toku

  Where do you live? Tucson, AZ

  How long have you played Stargate? Since the end of Beta.

  Do you play Legends of Norrath, Star Chamber or Pirates CSG? I have played Norrath and Pirates. Pirates is a bit too graphics-intensive for my machine, and Norrath never really clicked for me.

  Do you play any physical TCGs? I play Magic: the Gathering.

  What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I've been playing games more or less all my life. I enjoy them as an intellectual exercise more than anything, so games that test me on that level, I'm more likely to keep playing.

  What type of work do you do? I'm a small business owner/operator and part-time student.

  What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than Stargate? Sports, mostly. Boxing, tennis and golf are the 3 big ones, but I also enjoy a game of basketball with my buddies.

  What is your favorite deck type? Whichever deck Iorek tells me is the best.

  What is your favorite card (playability-wise), and why? Probably Alliance of the System Lords, because its such an innocuous card that does awesome things.

  What is your favorite card (art-wise), and why? Probably the foil version of Tanith (Lurker). The foiling is done really, really well.

  What type of TCG player are you? For example, are you an Art Lover, a Competitor, an Innovator? Hard to say I'm an innovator, because all my decks I either steal from Iorek or build from the same framework over and over again. So I'll say I'm a competitor.

  What do you like best about Stargate Online TCG? The number of moving parts. It's very reminiscent of early Legend of the 5 Rings in the sense that there's a lot to keep track of, both on the board and in deck design.

  Could you describe, in brief, a memorable game you had, or opponent you faced, and why it stands out in your mind? 1-2-3-4-5-7. I've told the story about a billion times by now, but in a couple of the early WCQs, I completely forgot how to count to 7...TWICE. The time I remember best was in September in the 5th round against Thorval. I was playing a very early version of the New Guy deck I played to 1st place this past April, and the game basically came down to this. I needed to generate 7 total difficulty to get Thorval to fail the mission (and subsequently allow me to win the game), and had 2 sequences of plays that accomplished that feat. I counted them both up, and they both counted to 7, so I thought to myself "doesn't really matter which sequence I pick, since they both get to 7." The problem is that one sequence added up 1-2-3-4-5-6-7, and the other added up 1-2-3-4-5-7. You can guess which one I picked.

  Do you run or work for an OSG or TCG Fan Site? I co-host the Origin Podcast at cardgamingonline.net, along with CaptainStrack, from Pirates. I've also put a few articles up on both kitsdb.com and stargatetcg.org, although nothing remotely recent (I think November was the last article I wrote).

  What is one thing no one would ever suspect about you? I was, in my youth, a nationally-ranked junior tennis player.

  Feel free to leave Toku a friendly note in the Stargate Online TCG forums!

• Labor Day marks the end of summer for those of us the in United States. SOE would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

  
  
  

  Phone Technical Support will be closed on Monday, September 1st and will resume normal hours on Tuesday September 2nd. Email and Chat Support will be available on Monday September 1st from 10 AM PST until 7 PM PST. We will be offering limited in-game support during normal business hours.

• If you can’t make it to Las Vegas for Fan Faire this week, but would like to be connected to the news as it happens, we have a number of options for you! You can watch SOE President John Smedley’s Community Address live on Friday night, or if you would rather tune in while playing the game we can make that happen too!

  Players of EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Star Wars Galaxies can listen live to SOE President John Smedley’s Fan Faire Community Address live this week by using Station Voice from within the game clients.

  Read more to learn how to do this for each of the three games.

  Star Wars Galaxies

  Players of Star Wars Galaxies can listen in on the Community Address by entering /voice join swg.broadcast.fanfaire on the command line from any live server. Players online after the broadcast channel is live will also be able to join the address channel by clicking on the “Fanfaire” channel on the voice bar.

  Broadcasts will also occur in SWG before the address begins to remind everyone that they can tune in.

  Please note that you must have the voice bar active and enabled in these games in order to join the channel and listen in, and that the channel will be a streaming broadcast of the Community Address, and not a two way conversation with Fan Faire attendees.

  EverQuest

  Players of EverQuest can listen in on the Community Address while playing on the EQ Test server Friday night. Shortly before the address is scheduled to begin, a new button will appear on the voice bar to allow you to join the address. The address will also show up on the channel list while it is happening, so you can find it in either way.

  Please note that players currently connected to the EQ Test sever may need to relog to see the button on the voice bar. Also note that Station Voice is only available on the EQ Test server at this point, and can not be accessed from live servers.

  In-game broadcasts will be made prior to the Community Address to help you remember that you can listen in while you play!

  EverQuest II

  Players of EverQuest II can listen in on the Community Address by entering “/voice join test.fanfaire” (without the quotes) on the command line from any live server. Because Station Voice is live on all EQII servers, you do not need to be playing on the EQII Test Server to listen in on the address.

  Just as with EQ, in-game broadcasts will be made before the Community Address begins, to help everyone remember that they can listen in. There will be a clickable link in the broadcast that you can use to automatically join the channel.

• 

   

  You've heard about the Flickr account set up for Fan Faire but did you know we have created other exciting ways to share and enjoy the Fan Faire experience?

  A Twitter account has been set up so you and your friends can get updates while the event is taking place!! Head on over to Twitter, click the green check mark with the word "Following" next to it and you will now get the updates. You can even enter your cell phone number and get the updates as a text message. The SOE Staff will be updating the Twitter throughout Fan Faire so tune in for updates! To stay up to date Twitter also offers an RSS Feed! You will need a Twitter account to access the feed.

  You can watch video clips taken at Fan Faire on You Tube! We would also love for you to tag and videos you take at Fan Faire and upload to You Tube with "fanfaire2008".

  All attending Fan Faire 2008 are welcome to share their photos with the community through the newly created Flickr group. The group is listed as "SOE Fan Faire 2008". The group was specifically created for this upcoming Fan Faire so all attending are able to enjoy each other's pictures. Do you already have an account with Flickr? Make sure you tag all of your photos, blogs, and other submissions related to Fan Faire with "fanfaire2008". We hope this will serve as a way to share your Fan Faire memories with everyone!

• Come see the team at Jillian's during Gen Con!

  With more than 26,000 attendees last year for Gen Con in Indianapolis Indiana, this year's event is expected to be even bigger and better! This will be an event to remember so be sure to get out there and enjoy!

  While you are in the area, Sony Online Entertainment would like to extend an invitation to our Gen Con Meet & Greet. Join us August 14th, 2008 for a night to remember.

  Hosted by the SOE Community Team, you will have the opportunity to meet members of the Community Relations team as well as the developers of our Online Strategy Games. So be prepared to discuss your favorite SOE Card game with them!

  Quick Details:
  When: August 14th, 2008 7-10PM
  Where: Jillian's
  141 S. Meridian St.
  Indianapolis, IN 46225

   

  Meet us at Jillian's from 7 pm until 10pm for a good time socializing with SOE employees, friends & other players. Free food will be served including pizza, mini-burgers, multiple dips & chips, fries, and chicken. Free drinks including Hosted Deluxe Well, Beer, House Wine & Non-Alcoholics will be offered throughout the night.

  Come join us for a night of socializing, food, drinks, games & fun!

  
  
  

  21 and older only (photo issued government ID required)

• SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT TO DELIVER SECOND ANNUAL
  "COMMUNITY ADDRESS" AT FAN FAIRE IN LAS VEGAS
  Pre-Registration for Live Webcast Now Open

  WHAT

  See what's new at SOE! To kickoff the 2008 SOE Fan Faire, SOE President John Smedley will provide opening remarks to more than 1000 video game fans at the Hilton Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The second annual "Community Address" combines a live presentation with a streaming video broadcast online. Smed will give both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide the kind of inside look at SOE products usually reserved for industry insider events.

  SOE's Fan Faire is a unique social event in which players of SOE 's most popular titles congregate to meet their online, game-playing peers. Fan Faire guests will have the chance to demo new titles throughout Fan Faire weekend, August 15th-17th, including the highly anticipated Free Realms™ . This year's event boasts a plethora of game-themed live events including tournaments, contests, live quests, a variety of panel discussions and tons of great gaming-related contests.

  WHEN

  Friday, August 15 th at 6:00pm PST.

  WHERE

  To listen to the webcast, please go to:

  http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=50659

  WHO

  SOE is hosting its annual Fan Faire event in Las Vegas for fans of its massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming lineup including the hit titles EverQuest ® , EverQuest ® II, EverQuest ® Online Adventures, PlanetSide ®, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes ® . This year's Fan Faire will also feature upcoming titles such as Free Realms™, The Agency™ and more.

  For more information on the SOE Fan Faire visit: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/.

• 

  This year's Fan Faire will be held in the famed Hilton in Las Vegas from August 14th-17th. Today, August 8th,is the last day to pre-register, so don't delay! Pre-registration can be completed the official Fan Faire website: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/index.vm

  Hilton Hotels Corporation owns 2,645 hotels in more than 80 countries. The Las Vegas Hilton is the largest Hilton in the entire world and contains 3,174 rooms within the building. It was recently renovated this year and has 100,000 square fe