What is a froob?
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Froobs are people who use the free account offer that allows people to play
Anarchy Online Classic (and now, Notum Wars) without having to pay for a
monthly fee. This is partially subsidized by in-game ads (which can be turned
off if you are a subscriber).
While the free accounts are technically level-restricted and have restricted
content, you can still level to 200 and participate in all of the content
in the basic game (without Expansions), unlike in the free trials offered for
other MMORPGs. This free offer lasts until January 2009 at this time, but may
be extended at a later date by Funcom. Basically, you can keep playing your
froob account as long as you'd like, as often as you like, until January 2009,
and possibly even longer if Funcom extends the deal. It is very likely that
the deal will be extended, as the froob program has been around for over 4
years (extended one year at a time) and many existing subscribers have froob
accounts as well. Every year, people proclaim the coming of the impending
"Froobpocalypse" when the froob program will end, and every year the program
is extended. It is very likely to last as long as Anarchy Online is around.
In Fall of 2007, Funcom extended the froob accounts to include the Notum Wars
booster pack, which allows fr00bs to participate actively in tower battles.
It is important to note that Anarchy Online's froob offer is different from
many other free-to-play MMORPGs. Rather than being a game built from the ground
up to be free (and thus, delineating pay and free content pretty heavily), it
is a fully featured and robust game that has been made into a subscription-free
experience. People were playing Anarchy Online for a monthly fee prior to the
froob program, and thus you can expect a complete gaming experience.
What you CAN do as a froob
--------------------------
* Gain a maximum level of 200. This may take weeks, even months, to achieve,
so you'll be playing for a long time.
* Explore almost the entirety of Rubi-Ka.
* Start off at the ICC Shuttleport Island, AKA Newbie Island. There are
several items that you can ONLY get there.
* Froobs, as of this writing, can participate in Battlestations, which came
with the Lost Eden expansion.
* Froobs can also buy Paid Points and use them to receive Booster Pack items
such as the Phasefront Hoverboards and Jetbikes. Buying Paid Points does not
remove your "Froob" status, and you can continue to play for free.
These are part of the Notum Wars "booster":
* Create zone control towers. Note that turrets can still shoot at you, if you
decide to attack one.
* Access the zone control buttons on the area map.
* Hear and use the player voices. (as part of the large client)
* Access several new vehicle options (Yalm paint, custom Yalms)
What you CAN'T do as a froob
----------------------------
These options require Shadowlands:
* The Keeper and Shade classes are only available to Shadowlands subscribers.
* Perks are an option that can only be used by Shadowlands subscribers. You
will still see "You have gained a New Perk", but you can't do anything about
it. If you later subscribe to Shadowlands, you get all of your Perk Points
to spend.
* Gain Shadowknowledge and earn levels 201 to 220.
* Access the areas of Shadowlands (obviously).
These options require Alien Invasion:
* Gain alien XP and Alien Experience levels.
* The Global Market search terminals are for AI subscribers only, even
though froobs can open the search window.
* Create or enter player-created cities/buildings, although you will see the
buildings and you can use the Whom-pahs to teleport to the various dance
clubs/bars.
* Board alien ships after successfully repelling an Alien Raid. Note that
you can still participate in the ground portion of an Alien Raid.
* Wear social clothing with the Alien Invasion expansion tag.
* Use Alien Invasion yalms.
These options require Lost Eden:
* Run LE Missions, although you can team with subscribers so that they can run
LE missions of their own.
* Use Victory Points, through LE missions and Battlestations. Note that Froobs
can participate in Battlestations, and if you subscribe at a later date, the
Victory Points that you earn will carry over.
* Access and learn Research. Research is an alternate form of "leveling" that
gives a passive bonus to your abilities and skills. Research also occurs in
a global scale, as each faction has a number of global research goals.
* Access Vehicles. The Battlemechs/Turrets are for LE subscribers only.
* Purchase from the Lost Eden terminals in the tower shop.
Also:
* Froobs do not gain Veteran Points, which are specifically reserved for SLers.
* There are many powerful items that can ONLY be used by those who purchase
the expansions. Also, there are a few items that can only be created through
tradeskills if you have the expansions. As a froob, be very careful when
trading to ensure that you can actually use the item you are about to buy.
The same goes for item crafting... before spending cash for the materials, be
sure that you can actually craft the item in question.
* The expansions give several major boosts to skills, above and beyond standard
leveling and IP distribution. This includes Perks, Research, and City bonus.
It is not uncommon for a player with all of the expansions to have a Level 50
character that hits as hard as a Level 80 character in combat, for example.
* As a froob, your rate of growth and overall power will be much lower than
someone who has purchased the expansions. XP gain is a lot faster for those
who purchase the expansions. This is not because of an inherent bonus on the
part of owning expansions, but simply because the monsters in Shadowlands
give far more experience than an equivalent area in Rubi-Ka. Also, SL offers
unique content at the higher levels (Level 150 or higher), giving higher XP.
Subject: froobs vs expansion 
Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:52 pm
even though u cant use them 
:D
