Toontown Online

Disney's Toontown Online (commonly known as simply Toontown) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by The Walt Disney Company and billed as the first such game intended for kids and families. Designed for children as young as seven, the depth of the game's content has drawn in many older players as well. Toontown's 3D virtual world takes its theme from the colorful style and humor of classic animated cartoons, packaged into an online game experience that its authors claim is social and kid-safe. The game was rated "E" (Everyone) by the ESRB for "Cartoon Violence" and "Comic Mischief".

First introduced in the United States in 2003, Disney has since produced versions of Toontown for the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Japan, Southeast Asia and Brazil. Disney does not release figures on the number of subscribers, but VR Studio head Mike Goslin stated in mid-2005 that "we have nearly 10,000 people playing simultaneously during our busiest times." In May 2007, independent internet research firm Comscore estimated Toontown Online had nearly 1.2 million users.

The Toontown game software is available as a free download. Players can choose either the free-to-play version with limited access to game features or the unlimited access version which requires payment via subscription fee or the use of game cards. Subscriptions for the unlimited access version renew automatically.

History
Both Toontown Online and its game engine (called Panda3D) were developed by Disney's Virtual Reality Studio, a team of technologists and artists at Walt Disney Imagineering that is now managed by the Walt Disney Internet Group. The VR Studio had previously created virtual reality attractions for the DisneyQuest "indoor interactive theme park" at Walt Disney World. Beta testing for Toontown occurred between 2001 and 2003, and Toontown was officially launched on June 2, 2003. A retail box version of the game (containing a software CD-ROM and a two-month subscription) was released in Autumn 2005, but has since been discontinued.

A German-language version of the game closed down on June 29, 2006. It had been available to customers of Germany's T-Online broadband service since November 2004. A message was posted by T-Online on the game website explained that customer levels had not met their expectations. Versions of Toontown Online have also been developed for foreign countries.

Gameplay
In the game, you can play as any of the following animals: a dog, cat, duck, mouse, pig, rabbit, monkey, bear, horse. The latter three species can only be created by those with a member (paid) account. Players choose the species and customize the look of their toons when they first start the game. When creating your toon you can change their height, color, head, and body. The game tutorial explains that Cogs transform the bright and cheerful Toontown into a dark and dreadful corporate world. They also turn the Disney Worlds into the dark dreadful worlds.

To battle the Cogs, Toons use "gags" — silly pranks that are reflective of the slapstick humor found in classic cartoons: cream pies, seltzer bottles, banana peels, dropping anvils, squirting flowers, and so on. Perhaps just as appropriately, both the Cogs' names and their weapons are taken from business slang: Micromanager, Spin Doctor and the like. Defeating Cogs also earns experience points for the player in various gag "tracks," eventually leading to new and more powerful gags.

The game plays like other RPGs using a simplified interface. (The game designers have claimed that Toontown is "easy to learn but difficult to master".) Nearly all activities in the game utilize the mouse, the control key, and the arrow keys on the keyboard, and Gamepad. At the beginning of the game, a "Toontorial" teaches the new player how to move, how to battle Cogs, how to communicate, use gags, and how to complete the first set of required tasks. Battles with Cogs are turn-based: the Toons attack, the Cogs counter-attack, and so on until one side is victorious. When it's the Toons' turn, the player simply clicks on the gag they wish to use, followed by the target, assuming the gag requires one. A successful Cog attack will reduce the Laff Points of the toon or a gag hit will reduce the life points of the Cog, leading back and forth until one or the other has none left.

Teamwork is encouraged in Toontown since low-level Toons frequently need the help of others to complete difficult challenges or perform certain tricks. For example, "Toon-ups" (healing gags) cannot be used by a player on their own character, so to be healed during battle one needs another player to use a Toon-up. Some gags also work better when used in combination with certain other gags; for example, a "trap door" gag is useless until another Toon "lures" the Cog towards it. A "drop" gag (such as a falling anvil or piano) is much more likely to hit if the Cog is first "stunned" by another gag. Conversely, some gags are much less effective when combined with certain other gags; a drop gag will always miss a Cog that has been lured away from his original spot.

As many as four players can team up together for typical Cog battles. The game also has four Cog boss battles in which up to eight Toons can participate. In simple battles, any Toon can walk in on the battle and participate, provided there aren't already four Toons doing so. For building and boss battles, the boss battles held inside Cog HQs (permanent Cog Buildings), the participating Toons must all enter at the same time, after which the building is sealed until the battle ends. Players can also purchase "doodles", virtual pets the player can name and train to do various tricks. Trick phrases are purchased from the Cattlelog to be taught to the doodle. Doodles help restore a Toon's Laff points.

Toontasks
Advancement in the game requires completing "Toontasks", tasks or "missions" assigned by the non-player characters scattered about Toontown. Every Toontask has an award for completion, such as additional "laff points" (equivalent to the player's "health"), jellybeans (the in-game currency), and a variety of other benefits. Tasks range from simple delivery missions to defeating a Cog mini-boss battle. The easiest tasks are in "Toontown Central" where all Toons start out, while some of the more challenging tasks are at "Donald's Dreamland" and "The Brrrgh". Some tasks are required for a Toon to advance in the game, while other tasks are optional, giving the player extra jellybeans or tickets for new clothes. Completing a task also heals any damage the player has taken.

Some tasks are designed to encourage teamwork between strong Toons and weaker Toons. For example, a strong Toon may receive a task to help low-level Toons defeat Cogs or Cog buildings. To further promote teamwork and helping others to complete tasks, the game allows each Toon to teleport (using a portable hole) to the exact location of a friend, even if that friend is in another district (server). This portable hole can become extremely useful, especially if you get lost.

Playgrounds
Playgrounds are the areas of Toontown that are permanently safe from Cogs. In the playgrounds, Toons can receive new Toontasks, turn in completed tasks, buy new items, play trolley games, or go fishing. Each playground features one of Disney's classic animated characters (Mickey, Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy or Chip 'n Dale) as a NPC.

Toons also use the Playgrounds to heal after they have become injured in battle. Toons do not die but they do become sad; a sad Toon teleports to the nearest playground automatically to heal and restock. Playgrounds heal Toons slowly, but scattered around them are various "treasures" that speed up the process.

There is a playground in each "neighborhood" of Toontown: Toontown Central, Donald's Dock, Daisy Gardens, Minnie's Melodyland, The Brrrgh, Donald's Dreamland, Goofy Speedway, and Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres. Each playground and neighborhood share a unique theme. The themes are given with a character, and a theme to match the name of the neighborhood (for example, Minnie's Melodyland has a musical theme). Each playground (except for Goofy Speedway & Acorn Acres) connects to two or more neighborhood streets that contain Cogs and Cog buildings. The difficulty increases with each neighborhood passed. The "difficulty" of Cogs is determined by their level. The higher the level, the more health they have and the stronger their attacks.

A new outdoor-themed playground, hosted by Chip 'n Dale, was added on September 12, 2007. The playground's name, Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres, was decided by a poll. Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres is connected to Chip 'n Dale's Mini Golf which has three miniature golf courses where Toons can play golf with friends to earn trophies and laff points. This area also serves as an entrance to the "Bossbot" Cog headquarters.

Cogs
According to the story of Toontown, the Cogs are business-loving robots bent on forever changing Toontown into a business empire. Cogs come in four types: Bossbots (wear brown suits, symbol is a tie), Lawbots (wear blue-grey suits, symbol is a gavel), Cashbots (wear green suits, symbol is a dollar sign), and Sellbots (wear maroon suits, symbol is a bar graph). Cogs come in varying strengths, ranging from the "Level 1" Cogs (which have six hit points), to strong "Level 12" Cogs (which have 200 hit points). Bossbot HQ also accommodates "v2.0" Cogs, which are regular Cogs that spawn a "Skelecog" once destroyed. According to a video that appeared when loading the game early on, Scrooge McDuck was visiting an employee of his when he accidentally turned on a giant robot, that created an endless row of cogs being produced on a conveyor belt.

Cog buildings
Cog buildings are a feature in Toontown where one or more toons work together to defeat a series of Cogs. Cog buildings are created when Cogs enter Toon buildings, located on streets, and take them over. When a building is being taken over by a cog, any toon in the building will be kicked out and will have to defeat the building to go back in. The type of Cog that takes over the building (Bossbot, Lawbot, Cashbot, or Sellbot) determines the outer look and the types of Cogs that are in the building. The standard Cog office building then replaces it, and elevator doors at the entrance open up. Above the elevator are several lights, which denote the number of floors or stories the building has, up to a maximum of five and minnium of one. When a light appears on one of the circles, it means that some toons have already entered the building, also if the light is only shining on one of the circles that tells you what floor or story it is in. Up to four Toons may enter, and it is suggested not to go alone, during which they go through the floors and defeat Cogs. Once at the top floor, the Toon(s) face a "boss" of the building, which is generally the highest level Cog in the building. After the boss is defeated, along with any other Cogs on that floor, the building is then replaced by the old Toon building. "Portraits" of the Toons who saved the building are displayed inside. A Toon can also earn either a bronze,, gold, or spinning star above their head by defeating a set number of Cog buildings in the same district. You need to defeat 10 buildings to get a bronze medal, 15 for a spinning bronze medal, 20 for a silver medal, 25 for a spinning silver medal, and 100 for a gold medal. Toons who have saved a building that is again taken over by the cogs will get a message that states that the cogs have taken over a rescued building. The cogs are robots who are trying to turn Toontown into a business factory.

Cog HQs
You need a subscription (purchased from the Toontown website that relates to your country) to venture in to Cog HQ's extra features, such as the Factory and VP in Sellbot HQ (SBHQ), etc. As players reach the mid- to higher-level content in the game, they will be assigned Toontasks related to the four 'Cog Headquarters' in the game. The HQs are large areas that are permanently controlled by Cogs and headed by a giant-sized Cog boss. As many as eight Toons can battle together to defeat a Cog HQ boss. Some have special areas, places like a Factory, DA, Mints, etc. These locations allow toon players to get the requirements they need to defeat Cog Bosses, such as Merits. When in Cog HQs, Toons can start Boarding Groups, where the leader can invite Toons to get into the elevator with them. Other members can also invite members. Once four or eight (depending on whether elevator leads to HQ subareas or boss battles) Toons are on the Boarding Group, the leader can click a GO button or enter the elevator. All Toons in the Boarding Group will board at the same time and may not leave unless the leader leaves. This new feature makes eliminates a problem termed 'shuffling'.

Sellbot HQ was released on December 19, 2003. It is controlled by the Senior Vice President (VP). Players must collect Sellbot suit parts by defeating factory foremen (Skelecogs) of the Sellbot Factory, then earn enough merits for a promotion in order to fight the VP. Merits can be earned by defeating Sellbots anywhere in Toontown, but more are earned by a successful run through the factory. The VP battle, in which up to eight toons participate, consists of three rounds: Cogs (similar to those found in buildings), Skelecogs (cogs that weren't fully manufactured), and the Pie Round with the VP. The battle for the VP is divided into three rounds. For the first round, the toons split into two teams of up to four each, and they battle regular Cogs where all eight toons cumulatively defeat. When these are defeated, there is an intermission. The second round is conducted the same way, except that the toons now face Skelecogs. In the third and final round, the toons work together to knock the VP off of the skyscraper he is standing on. After the VP is defeated, a toon shopkeeper is freed. The reward for defeating the VP is an "SOS card", a one-time-use special ability that can be summoned during a future Cog battle. There is also a Sellbot factory for lower level toons where you can earn Cog disguise parts. At first a few parts would be gone after the VP fight even if your toon won the battle or not. Sellbot HQ is unique in that no Toontasks must be completed to obtain a cog suit.

Cashbot HQ (abbreviated CBHQ) was released on February 17, 2005. It is controlled by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The CFO battle has the prerequisites of a complete Cashbot "Cog suit" plus a set number of Cashbot "Cogbucks". Toons may go into the three Cog mints (the coin mint, the dollar mint, and the bullion mint) or fight Cashbots outside of Cashbot HQ to get more Cogbucks. Cog suit pieces are earned by completing specific tasks in Donald's Dreamland. The CFO battle consists of a round of Cogs. Then, the Toons battle the CFO in the main vault where they reduce the CFO's health, similar to a regular cog, by throwing safes and goons at him. The reward for completing this battle is a "Toons of the World Unite" phrase, a one-time-use special ability. These phrases allow the player saying them ans those around them within earshot to earn special bonuses, even during a battle.

Lawbot HQ (abbreviated LBHQ) was released on April 25, 2006. It is controlled by a boss called the Chief Justice (CJ). Before fighting the CJ, Toons complete a set of tasks given in The Brrrgh to earn a Lawbot Cog suit. After that the player will earn a set number of Lawbot "Jury Notices" for each Lawbot defeated. The battle consists of a Cog round, followed by a cannon round to seat Toons on a jury, followed by a round to throw "evidence" books into a scale of justice while avoiding books being thrown by Cogs. The reward for defeating the CJ is an ability to summon a specific Cog, Cog building, or Cog invasion. But you can't stock up on invasions for the same cog.

Bossbot HQ (abbreviated BBHQ) was released on March 6, 2008. It is controlled by a boss called the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The player must collect a Bossbot Cog suit and "Stock Options" to fight the CEO. The player collects suit parts by doing a series of tasks from Donald's Dock. After the suit is acquired, Toons receive Stock Options by destroying any Bossbot Cog. The battle consists of two Cog fighting rounds, one within the food preparation room and one inside the CEO's banquet diner room. After the first round of Cogs is defeated, the Toons must act as waiters in white Cog suits for the Cogs as a means of avoiding being caught. The Toons serve the "Corporate Raiders" or "Big Cheeses" oil cans three times, after which the Cogs explode. After the Toons are discovered by the CEO and removed of their disguises, they must fight the second round of Cogs which are the cogs who did not explode during the meal. Should the Toons have successfully destroyed every Cog in the previous round, it will only consist of one high level cog. Afterward, they must water blast the CEO to cause damage. Defeating the CEO rewards the players with "Pink Slips", which will "fire" Cogs and destroy them in one shot by using a cannon that comes out of the ground.

Non-combat activities
Toontown offers several non-combat activities for players. The activities allow players to earn jellybeans, additional laff points, and other bonuses to use in the main game.

Trolley Games Trolley games are short, arcade-like minigames that someone can play solo or with up to three other Toons. They are called trolley games because someone must hop on a trolley car in the playground to begin playing them. Toons earn jellybeans (the in-game currency of Toontown) based on how well they score in the games. Multiplayer games earn jellybeans for every player equally based on the highest score. Some games can played by two or more players only, such as the Tag game. On Trolley Track Thursdays, players can use points to vote which game to go to from how many jellybeans they got from the last game. Trolley Tracks also have free jellybeans to give out. August 2008 was named "The Month of the Trolley Games" for a marathon of four new trolley games released weekly.

Doodles
Doodles are cute little furry pets that you can buy at the pet shop. You can buy new tricks for them in Clarabelle's Catalog. You can train them at your estate to give you laff points. You can also SOS your doodle during a battle if you need some toon up.

Fishing
There are fishing ponds in every playground, on every street of Toontown, and at every player's estate. Toons can catch fish via a simple game, then sell them for jellybeans to a NPC Pet Shop clerk. Seventy different species of fish currently exist in the game, and players earn a laff point and a trophy for each 10 new species that they catch. Several species are ultra-rare and/or can be found only in particular ponds. Every Wednesday is "Bingo Wednesday". Toons on each pond share a bingo and try to complete it by catching different fish species before a timer runs out and win up to 10,000 jellybeans.

Gardening
Toons can grow and maintain a garden of flowers, statues, and "gag trees" at their estates. The gags picked from gag trees have higher-than-normal damage capability. Different species of flowers can be grown by planting different combinations of jellybeans. There are forty types of flowers, and a player earns a laff point and a trophy for each ten species grown. Bloomed flowers can be sold for jellybeans. To sell flowers go to the wheelborrow located at your estate..

Kart Racing
Toons can race against each other in Goofy Speedway, an area that consists of six different race tracks (along with their reversed versions) plus a shop that sells cars and car accessories. You can get cars like the Roadster and the Toon Utility Vehicle. Similar to Nintendo's Mario Kart games, racers can collect and use items (pies, anvils, speed-boost, banana peel) on each other during the race. Thirty racing trophies can also be earned, and for each ten the Toon will earn another laff point. Every Monday, the Grand Prix is held, in which Toons can win many more tickets than usual as well as special trophies. There is also a double-sided scoreboard featured showing the recent best time scores with certain toons and their names.

Miniature Golf
Located at Chip 'n Dale's Mini Golf, Toons can play miniature golf to earn trophies which can be redeemed for laff points (one for every ten trophies up to a total of three). There are three courses with their specific colors: "Walk in the Par" (green), "Hole Some Fun" (yellow), and "The Hole Kit and Kaboodle" (red), each progressively more difficult than the last. Toons are able to access MiniGolf from Chip 'n Dale's Acorn Acres, which is located in the playground of Donald's Dock.

Toon Parties
In 2009 Toontown introduced Toon Parties, a non-combatant gathering with friends. These half-hour parties can be public (anyone can come) or private (only invited Toons). Special effects for the party include a jukebox, Party Catch, a dance floor, trampolines, cannons, fireworks, decorations, and tug-o-war. To host a party or go to a party, there are Party Gates in every Playground except Goofy Speedway and Chip 'n Dale's.

Victory Parties
After the cogs stopped their two-week invasions on July 22, 2010, Toontown introduced Victory Parties, where you can play a new game called "Cog-O-War", see some cog balloons, and visit various Cog-Bashing props. An 3 hour server update on the evening of the 22nd introduced the Victory Parties. Victory Parties can either be hosted by normal player Toons, or specially picked characters named "Toon Troop _____". Their name will be capitalized until their proper name, ("TOON TROOP Tad" for example) like Tad shows, which will be decapitalized. TOON TROOP parties are hosted/ funded by the Toon Council, and are on a schedule. Every 30 minutes from 7am - 5pm Toontown Time, at least Two TOON TROOP's will host a party. These fill up quick, though!

ToonFest
Disney Online organizes an annual real-life gathering for Toontown fans called ToonFest, not to be confused with an unrelated cartoon festival called Toonfest (officially "Walt Disney's Hometown Toonfest") held annually in Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri. Disney Online's ToonFest includes themed activities and games, trivia and costume contests, previews of upcoming features, 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.

Online safety features
Since this is an online world where kids and adults interact, Disney implemented several unique features in Toontown to keep children safe from inappropriate conversations or behavior. First and foremost, there is open chat implanted in the game, called SpeedChat Plus, restricted to only pre-approved words from a dictionary. Everyone who has Speedchat Plus activated is able to see what was typed. If a player types a word that is not in the dictionary, it is italicized (and shows up in red in the chat window) and the player must select a replacement. If it is entered anyway, it shows as an animal noise to non-true friends, and will or will not show to true friends depending if it is vulgar or not. Parents have the ability to restrict the True Friends or Speedchat Plus capability of their children's toons via a set of parental controls. The players who don't enable SpeedChat Plus communicate with each other entirely via "SpeedChat" — a pre-defined, safe list of phrases that are accessed via a series of drop-down menus. The menus are designed to cover most communication needs (plus several silly phrases), but players can add additional SpeedChat phrases to their menu by purchasing them from the Cattlelog.

There are also House Rules applying to type chat. Any infraction or violation could result in a possible termination or suspension of services, or simply a warning. This can be also caused with the proper use of the report button. Toontown also has an ignore button and any false reports might result in an account hold or service interruption.

To communicate beyond the restrictions of SpeedChat, there is "True Friends" chat. If two or more players already know each other outside the game world (e.g. real-life friends, relatives, or online friends from another game or website), they can become True Friends with each other after completing a one-time process involving a six-digit secret code always starting with TT. True Friends can communicate with each other in Toontown via a free-form chat window. These messages are automatically filtered to remove vulgar language and other words that Disney has deemed inappropriate, as well as place names such as states. Furthermore, these chat messages are viewable only by players who are True Friends with the message sender; other nearby players see these messages as gibberish animal sounds (barking, meowing, etc.). A "Friends List" is provided in the game which allows a player to track the status of his True and non-True friends, up to a maximum of fifty.

Naming a Toon is also controlled to prevent names that contain inappropriate language or real-life personal details (such as age and hometown). Most players use the built-in Toon name generator, which allows them to construct a name by clicking on one or more pre-approved "toony" words ("Super Pinky", "Princess Rainbow Twinkletoon", "Sir Funnymonkey", "Super Skids Fizzlefink", "Crazy Z.Z. Electroslam", "Fat Fireball", "Silly Scooter", etc.). If a player chooses to submit a custom name, they must wait for someone at Disney to approve it. Custom names that are rejected will sometimes be approved if they are tried again. Names are not unique; multiple Toons can have the same name.

In keeping with the friendly, cooperative spirit of Toontown, the game designers intentionally left out some of the less-friendly features that are sometimes found in other MMORPGs. For example, Toontown contains no PVP battles, hence one player cannot "kill" another. Players are also unable to sell or trade items with other players; however, players can purchase gifts for other players through the Cattlelog. As with any multiplayer game, certain actions can be considered annoying or otherwise unwanted. Toontown also has a certain section of words for toons acting inappropriately, such as "You stink!", "Stop that!" and "Don't be mean!".

Speed Chat Plus (SC+) is a new feature that replaces the traditional Speed Chat. With generic Speed Chat, a player could only use a limited number of phrases. With Speed Chat Plus, the player can use all words in the Toontown-approved "dictionary". This allows players to form logical sentences, while prohibiting words that aren't approved by Toontown. Such words include those which are derogatory (i.e. profanity), most numbers (to keep in line with Toontown's policy of protecting children from predators by making it difficult to exchange personal information), and various other words that Toontown feels are either negative or allow the exchanging of personal information. Words that are prohibited are displayed in red or italics (depending on whether the toon has any True Friends) while typing, to remind the player that that word can not be used. However, players sometimes avoid these restraints by substituting words for prohibited words. For example, the number one can be said as "won", the number two could be said as "too", and so on. Players can still have "True Friends" and use any words or numbers in conversations with each other (however, these conversations are also often monitored by Disney employees).

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
 * 2005 Webby Awards "Webby Worthy Selection"