FarmVille Lemon Balm Market and Bushel
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these unreleased FarmVille Lemon Balm Market Stall & Lemon Balm Bushel.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Hai, 13 tháng 2, 2012
Happy Aquarium: Walrus Referee and Football Seal join the team
Zack the soccer-playing lion cub is now joined by Russ Referee and Diego the Football Fan in Happy Aquarium. Both Russ and Diego are animated critters that cost premium currency to buy. Russ taps his foot, blinks his eyes, and blows his whistle. While Diego is more like Zack, and carries a hot pink soccer ball on his head with which he performs tricks in the tank.
Russ is also a Limited Edition character, so if you've got 24 Pearls or 20 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $2 USD), you should grab him ASAP, cause he won't be sticking around the shop forever. You can find him under "Specials!" star tab, under the subcategory "Premium", while Diego is with Zack in the "Tank Mates" tab, and goes for 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
Given the game's recent premium currency increase for leveling up, these characters should now be easily affordable for high-level players.
Russ is also a Limited Edition character, so if you've got 24 Pearls or 20 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $2 USD), you should grab him ASAP, cause he won't be sticking around the shop forever. You can find him under "Specials!" star tab, under the subcategory "Premium", while Diego is with Zack in the "Tank Mates" tab, and goes for 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
Given the game's recent premium currency increase for leveling up, these characters should now be easily affordable for high-level players.
Tiki Resort: Hire a cabana boy to tend your island
Ringing the icon of a hotel styled desk bell on the left side of your Tiki Resort game will allow you to summon Dan the Automator. Dan is a new game feature that promises to collect money and charms from your attractions, pick up trash, and tend your pets. He comes with a chart that'll let you to see just how much work he's done by how many things he's collected on his shift.
Tiki Resort Dan the Automator Shifts
Dan has two shifts you can set him up on. A 15 min. shift requires 25 Coconut Drink Charms, while a 3-day shift goes for 39 Facebook Credits, or roughly, $4 USD.
Coconut Drink Charms increase the walking speed of your tourists, leading them to visit more attractions, which means they'd spend more. You can buy a set of 50 at the in-game store for 149 FB Credits, which is approximately $14.90 USD. So unless you've got an attraction that generates that charm, the 15 min. shift isn't Dan's best deal for you.
Tiki Resort Dan the Automator Shifts
Dan has two shifts you can set him up on. A 15 min. shift requires 25 Coconut Drink Charms, while a 3-day shift goes for 39 Facebook Credits, or roughly, $4 USD.
Coconut Drink Charms increase the walking speed of your tourists, leading them to visit more attractions, which means they'd spend more. You can buy a set of 50 at the in-game store for 149 FB Credits, which is approximately $14.90 USD. So unless you've got an attraction that generates that charm, the 15 min. shift isn't Dan's best deal for you.
Social City's Gala Raffle: Win past decor and Limited Edition buildings
Social City Gala Raffle
Players who click the "Build" menu can now participate in Social City's new Gala Raffle to win buildings and decorations that are no longer available in gifts or up for sale at the store. This new feature seemed to have quietly rolled out last week and the response among fans is pretty positive.
Social City's Gala Raffle in the Build icon menu
One excited player described the raffle as "kinda fun, but also kinda dangerous." How? Well, the raffle is divided into three categories. The first category offers Limited Edition attractions and discontinued giftables. The second offers Limited Edition residential buildings. Both of these require City Bucks, or Social City's form of premium cash, to make your spin. The first one requires 8 City Bucks, while the second needs 5. For $4.99 USD, you can get 55 City Bucks. So this is going to cost real world money, and what you get is luck of the draw.
But the third category uses virtual coins to work. Even at 50,000 Coins per spin, it's as good as free. Right now, that raffle's offerings include premium-level Japanese style buildings and the discontinued giftable Sakura Paths.
Players who click the "Build" menu can now participate in Social City's new Gala Raffle to win buildings and decorations that are no longer available in gifts or up for sale at the store. This new feature seemed to have quietly rolled out last week and the response among fans is pretty positive.
Social City's Gala Raffle in the Build icon menu
One excited player described the raffle as "kinda fun, but also kinda dangerous." How? Well, the raffle is divided into three categories. The first category offers Limited Edition attractions and discontinued giftables. The second offers Limited Edition residential buildings. Both of these require City Bucks, or Social City's form of premium cash, to make your spin. The first one requires 8 City Bucks, while the second needs 5. For $4.99 USD, you can get 55 City Bucks. So this is going to cost real world money, and what you get is luck of the draw.
But the third category uses virtual coins to work. Even at 50,000 Coins per spin, it's as good as free. Right now, that raffle's offerings include premium-level Japanese style buildings and the discontinued giftable Sakura Paths.
Happy Pets: Own an Apple Tree for Free Daily Coins and XP
Under the "Goods" tab in the Happy Pets store, there's now a "Harvest" category selling an Apple Tree for 3,750 Coins. Purchasing this tree will gain players 300 XP. The tree itself promises to deliver 125 Coins and 25 XP every 24 hours.
Apples Tree can be placed in the rooms and yards, but not in the attic. If you upgrade using coins, then your tree goes "under construction" for that time period. That means you'll miss those daily bonuses. A new leaf icon on the top of your screen will let you know how many trees you're allowed to palce in an area. This amount is determined by the number of pets you're allowed to have.
A great thing about this tree is that it can be upgraded. Upgrading the Apple Tree to Tier 2 requires 7 days and 7,500 Coins. But if you do, then the tree will earn you 250 Coins and 50 XP every 24 hours. There are 4 Tiers to the tree in all. Check out the handy chart below to see the costs and benefits.
Apple Tree Level
Upgrade Cost Instant Upgrade Cost
Daily Coins & XP Harvest Upgrade Time
Tier 2 7,500 Coins 36 Facebook Credits 250 Coins & 50 XP 7 Days
Tier 3 11,250 Coins 44 Facebook Credits 375 Coins & 75 XP 9 Days
Tier 4 15,000 Coins 50 Facebook Credits 500 Coins & 100 XP 11 Days
Apples Tree can be placed in the rooms and yards, but not in the attic. If you upgrade using coins, then your tree goes "under construction" for that time period. That means you'll miss those daily bonuses. A new leaf icon on the top of your screen will let you know how many trees you're allowed to palce in an area. This amount is determined by the number of pets you're allowed to have.
A great thing about this tree is that it can be upgraded. Upgrading the Apple Tree to Tier 2 requires 7 days and 7,500 Coins. But if you do, then the tree will earn you 250 Coins and 50 XP every 24 hours. There are 4 Tiers to the tree in all. Check out the handy chart below to see the costs and benefits.
Apple Tree Level
Upgrade Cost Instant Upgrade Cost
Daily Coins & XP Harvest Upgrade Time
Tier 2 7,500 Coins 36 Facebook Credits 250 Coins & 50 XP 7 Days
Tier 3 11,250 Coins 44 Facebook Credits 375 Coins & 75 XP 9 Days
Tier 4 15,000 Coins 50 Facebook Credits 500 Coins & 100 XP 11 Days
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille White Stallions, Neutered?
FarmVille Horse Stable Not Producing!
UPDATE: This is a glitch that will be resolved when FarmVille "enhances" with tonight's Updates. You will not have to do anything to restore the White Stallions functionality.
From FarmVille's Community Manager, Grimwell:
"I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me their UID so far, and ask that nobody else does!
The development team has found the bug that is causing this issue with your stallions, and intend to have a fix for it later today. You will not have to do anything to restore functionality to your stallions, the update later today will care for it. Thank you for your patience, and special thanks to everyone who shared their ID's so we could get a look!" (Source: Official FarmVille Forum)
Lots of FarmVille Freaks, such as FarmVille Freak Lisa, FarmVille Freak Julia, FarmVille Freak Pia, and FarmVille Freak Becky, among others are reporting that their White Stallions are no longer producing Foals!
As you know, the White Stallion was a special limited edition farm cash animal available only through a Mystery Box. Unlike other Wandering Stallions, the White Stallion is a permanent Horse Stable occupant and once purchased you are able to keep it forever. Owners of White Stallions have the advantage of being able to produce a Foal everyday. The ability to produce foals explains why the temporary "neutering" of White Stallions, has caused angry FarmVille Horse breeder enthusiasts and White Stallion owners.
We are waiting on an official response from Zynga and will keep you informed and updated as we learn more information about the questionable fertility of the White Stallion.
You can read some of our FarmVille Freak White Stallion owners' user-submitted emails below:
"Hi FarmGoddess, After the introduction to the Beehives, I went on my farm to do my nightly ritual of horse breeding. I have gone through 30 horses without any reproduction success (I would usually achieve one foal in every 3-5 horses). Not only has this changed, but also the message that comes after you harvest your stable has changed (I have taken a screen shot & attached it for you to see). For the past few days I have encountered issues while breeding (screen freezing, out of sync issues etc...). I noticed that I used to collect a couple thousand coins each time I harvest without a Foal produced, but now the amount has gone down to about 168 coins." – FarmVille Freak Lisa
"Hi, Since yesterday I can't make foals in my stable. I have a White Stallion but it's like he's not there, I always got the message: "You didn't find anything special in the stable, but you did earn 588 coins while tending to your horses. Tend to them again tomorrow for a chance to find something special." Some people say the the White Stallions have been neutered. Have you heard something about this? I worried coz I paid farm cash for my Stallion... I paid to have the chance to make as many foals as I can in one day, this is not fair..." -FarmVille Freak Julia
"It seems they made changes to the harvest of Horse Stables, and make it like the Dairy Barns.You get no thank you and money anymore and rumors say you will only be able to harvest once a day. Maybe something to look into. As they release the black stallion (Gelding) in next mystery boxes, wonder what happen to the people who already have one. Regards." -FarmVille Freak Pia"
"Can you find out what the problem is with our White Stallions not producing anymore...post something on your website plz....they are just like any other horse when you try to breed Foals...people on facebook wall are going crazy ;-) " – FarmVille Freak Becky
Are you experiencing problems with your White Stallion, such as non-producing Foals?
UPDATE: This is a glitch that will be resolved when FarmVille "enhances" with tonight's Updates. You will not have to do anything to restore the White Stallions functionality.
From FarmVille's Community Manager, Grimwell:
"I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me their UID so far, and ask that nobody else does!
The development team has found the bug that is causing this issue with your stallions, and intend to have a fix for it later today. You will not have to do anything to restore functionality to your stallions, the update later today will care for it. Thank you for your patience, and special thanks to everyone who shared their ID's so we could get a look!" (Source: Official FarmVille Forum)
Lots of FarmVille Freaks, such as FarmVille Freak Lisa, FarmVille Freak Julia, FarmVille Freak Pia, and FarmVille Freak Becky, among others are reporting that their White Stallions are no longer producing Foals!
As you know, the White Stallion was a special limited edition farm cash animal available only through a Mystery Box. Unlike other Wandering Stallions, the White Stallion is a permanent Horse Stable occupant and once purchased you are able to keep it forever. Owners of White Stallions have the advantage of being able to produce a Foal everyday. The ability to produce foals explains why the temporary "neutering" of White Stallions, has caused angry FarmVille Horse breeder enthusiasts and White Stallion owners.
We are waiting on an official response from Zynga and will keep you informed and updated as we learn more information about the questionable fertility of the White Stallion.
You can read some of our FarmVille Freak White Stallion owners' user-submitted emails below:
"Hi FarmGoddess, After the introduction to the Beehives, I went on my farm to do my nightly ritual of horse breeding. I have gone through 30 horses without any reproduction success (I would usually achieve one foal in every 3-5 horses). Not only has this changed, but also the message that comes after you harvest your stable has changed (I have taken a screen shot & attached it for you to see). For the past few days I have encountered issues while breeding (screen freezing, out of sync issues etc...). I noticed that I used to collect a couple thousand coins each time I harvest without a Foal produced, but now the amount has gone down to about 168 coins." – FarmVille Freak Lisa
"Hi, Since yesterday I can't make foals in my stable. I have a White Stallion but it's like he's not there, I always got the message: "You didn't find anything special in the stable, but you did earn 588 coins while tending to your horses. Tend to them again tomorrow for a chance to find something special." Some people say the the White Stallions have been neutered. Have you heard something about this? I worried coz I paid farm cash for my Stallion... I paid to have the chance to make as many foals as I can in one day, this is not fair..." -FarmVille Freak Julia
"It seems they made changes to the harvest of Horse Stables, and make it like the Dairy Barns.You get no thank you and money anymore and rumors say you will only be able to harvest once a day. Maybe something to look into. As they release the black stallion (Gelding) in next mystery boxes, wonder what happen to the people who already have one. Regards." -FarmVille Freak Pia"
"Can you find out what the problem is with our White Stallions not producing anymore...post something on your website plz....they are just like any other horse when you try to breed Foals...people on facebook wall are going crazy ;-) " – FarmVille Freak Becky
Are you experiencing problems with your White Stallion, such as non-producing Foals?
YoVille: Rally Your Friends and Protect the Gulf
YoVille Protect the Gulf
The Charity Pet will be coming soon to YoVille. YoVille has teamed up with Audubon to help raise money to fund the rescue efforts in the Gulf and protect the animals fallen victim to the catastrophic oil spill. Platinum Ninja has posted an Official Blog on YoVille.com. Read how you can help out after the jump. Hey Everyone,
Help YoVille and Audubon protect the wildlife in the Gulf's habitat!! Coming Soon! After this catastrophic oil spill, we want to team up and help raise money to fund the rescue efforts in the Gulf to protect these animals and the future of our planet. Let's check out how YoVille and the Audubon is helping Protect the Gulf and find out how you can help out too!!
YoVille and Audubon
To help aid this disaster YoVille will be giving players an opportunity to purchase Charity Pets. 50% of all proceeds from these special creatures will support the recovery effort and help Audubon Society protect this wildlife and habitat.
The Audubon Society's Mission: "Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity." To check out more information about the Audubon Society please read here: http://www.audubon.org/
How You Can Help Save the Gulf!
Whether it is purchasing a Charity Pet or Rallying your friends you can help spread the word about this terrible oil spill and get involved. Wouldn't it be awesome to help protect the Gulf's Wildlife and habitat while playing your favorite game at the same time Well you can so let's find out how you can help!
Charity Pet
YoVille Help Save the Gulf
Coming soon we'll be releasing 4 new Charity Pets to help support the efforts to repair the damage caused to their ecosystem. There will be one new pet per week, for a total of four weeks, which will be available to purchase. Expect to see a Pelican, Sea Turtle, Otter and more! Remember, YoVille will be forking over half of all of the proceeds from these pets that will go to help protect the Gulf.
To purchase a Charity Pet you will click on the Protect the Gulf Icon in the upper right hand corner. You will then receive a dialog and preview of the pet available that week to buy. If you want to help out click "Buy Pet" and purchase this pet!
Also, after you buy this pet you will be able to let your friends know that you protected the Gulf by posting a Feed that your friends can click in on to help too. Make sure to share how you are trying to make a difference with your friends and do your part!
Rally your Friends
YoVille Rally your friends
You can also help spread the word by Rallying your Friends. To Rally your Friends you will need to click the Protect the Gulf Icon and then click Rally your Friends. This will post a feed to your friends to let them know you are helping protect the Gulf.
We will be giving you an extra incentive to spread the word around this catastrophic disaster. If 10 of your Friends click in on your Help Save the Gulf Feed you will receive an Exclusive Balloon which you can carry all over YoVille. So make sure to Rally your Friends by posting these feeds and clicking in through your friend's feeds as well to help bring awareness to this Oil Spill and get an exclusive item.
YoVille Rally Your Friends Wall Post
Well that's about all folks! Stay tuned for this opportunity to help protect the gulf coming soon!! Most importantly tell your friends about this opportunity and share how easy it is to help out a habitat in need. This is your chance and ours to make a difference while playing YoVille! So let's all rally together and help out!
The Charity Pet will be coming soon to YoVille. YoVille has teamed up with Audubon to help raise money to fund the rescue efforts in the Gulf and protect the animals fallen victim to the catastrophic oil spill. Platinum Ninja has posted an Official Blog on YoVille.com. Read how you can help out after the jump. Hey Everyone,
Help YoVille and Audubon protect the wildlife in the Gulf's habitat!! Coming Soon! After this catastrophic oil spill, we want to team up and help raise money to fund the rescue efforts in the Gulf to protect these animals and the future of our planet. Let's check out how YoVille and the Audubon is helping Protect the Gulf and find out how you can help out too!!
YoVille and Audubon
To help aid this disaster YoVille will be giving players an opportunity to purchase Charity Pets. 50% of all proceeds from these special creatures will support the recovery effort and help Audubon Society protect this wildlife and habitat.
The Audubon Society's Mission: "Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity." To check out more information about the Audubon Society please read here: http://www.audubon.org/
How You Can Help Save the Gulf!
Whether it is purchasing a Charity Pet or Rallying your friends you can help spread the word about this terrible oil spill and get involved. Wouldn't it be awesome to help protect the Gulf's Wildlife and habitat while playing your favorite game at the same time Well you can so let's find out how you can help!
Charity Pet
YoVille Help Save the Gulf
Coming soon we'll be releasing 4 new Charity Pets to help support the efforts to repair the damage caused to their ecosystem. There will be one new pet per week, for a total of four weeks, which will be available to purchase. Expect to see a Pelican, Sea Turtle, Otter and more! Remember, YoVille will be forking over half of all of the proceeds from these pets that will go to help protect the Gulf.
To purchase a Charity Pet you will click on the Protect the Gulf Icon in the upper right hand corner. You will then receive a dialog and preview of the pet available that week to buy. If you want to help out click "Buy Pet" and purchase this pet!
Also, after you buy this pet you will be able to let your friends know that you protected the Gulf by posting a Feed that your friends can click in on to help too. Make sure to share how you are trying to make a difference with your friends and do your part!
Rally your Friends
YoVille Rally your friends
You can also help spread the word by Rallying your Friends. To Rally your Friends you will need to click the Protect the Gulf Icon and then click Rally your Friends. This will post a feed to your friends to let them know you are helping protect the Gulf.
We will be giving you an extra incentive to spread the word around this catastrophic disaster. If 10 of your Friends click in on your Help Save the Gulf Feed you will receive an Exclusive Balloon which you can carry all over YoVille. So make sure to Rally your Friends by posting these feeds and clicking in through your friend's feeds as well to help bring awareness to this Oil Spill and get an exclusive item.
YoVille Rally Your Friends Wall Post
Well that's about all folks! Stay tuned for this opportunity to help protect the gulf coming soon!! Most importantly tell your friends about this opportunity and share how easy it is to help out a habitat in need. This is your chance and ours to make a difference while playing YoVille! So let's all rally together and help out!
Bar Exam: Should boozy games be allowed on Facebook?
Bar Society is a bar simulation game that debuted on Facebook in late May and currently has 400,000+ monthly active users. Players get to decorate and run their own bar. It's got the vibe of Booyah's Nightclub City, and the familiar game mechanics of restaurant sims like Playfish's Restaurant City and Zynga's Cafe World. Earlier this month, however, Facebook ordered Bar Society to ban a segment of its players, leading to technical wrinkles that forced a temporary shutdown of the game. The problem? The players in question were under age 18.
According to Bar Society's Facebook page moderator,
Facebook sets an "alcohol" tag for each account which is designed to indicate whether the user is suitable for alcoholic consumption. However if your birthday is hidden this tag is sometimes inaccurate, which results in blocking. While this is outside of our control, we are working diligently with Facebook to resolve this issue. We thank you again for your patience.
There's been no word on how many people were banned, but Roiworld's April study on online social networks says Facebook is the most popular site among teens, beating out YouTube, MySpace, and Twitter. On top of that, a majority of those teens go on Facebook just to play games. For Bar Society's underage players, "sincere apologies" were given, but many, including some parents, responded by pointing out the hypocrisy of Facebook policy, where games like Zynga's Mafia Wars are still accessible to minors. This proves, at the least, an inconsistent enforcement by Facebook of its own rules, though much of these rules spring from the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was adopted in 2000.
Can these arbitrary rules be enforced? Not really. Anyone can set up a Facebook account and fabricate an age. It's more like Facebook is going through the motions to avoid any legal hassle.
For developers looking to avoid a Bar Society-style shutdown, there's a filter that can be used to block underage gamers. I gave this filter a test drive by setting up an account as a 13-year-old. Sure enough, Bar Society didn't allow me to play (and neither did the cannabis-growing, FarmVille knockoff, Pot Farm). Mafia Wars let me right in, though, and if you want to ignore all the bits about gunning down bouncers, bribing government officials, and collecting vodka and rum drinks, well, don't be surprised if you're called out as a hypocrite.
Bar Society Drinks List
I hope Restaurant City doesn't get into trouble for their recent Lounge Bar feature, but if anyone kvetches, it won't be the players. Also, bartenders and alcoholic looking beverages are displayed prominently in Nightclub City -- in fact, booze is the only thing you serve your virtual customers.
My suggestion? If the developers behind Bar Society want a wider audience, they should consider creating a Bubble Tea game -- a sim for those Taiwanese/Chinese cafes where they serve fancy, little cakes, non-alcoholic milk teas and syrupy drinks with tapioca or jellies in 'em. God, that stuff is good. And, it and can be served -- hassle-free -- to gamers of all ages.
According to Bar Society's Facebook page moderator,
Facebook sets an "alcohol" tag for each account which is designed to indicate whether the user is suitable for alcoholic consumption. However if your birthday is hidden this tag is sometimes inaccurate, which results in blocking. While this is outside of our control, we are working diligently with Facebook to resolve this issue. We thank you again for your patience.
There's been no word on how many people were banned, but Roiworld's April study on online social networks says Facebook is the most popular site among teens, beating out YouTube, MySpace, and Twitter. On top of that, a majority of those teens go on Facebook just to play games. For Bar Society's underage players, "sincere apologies" were given, but many, including some parents, responded by pointing out the hypocrisy of Facebook policy, where games like Zynga's Mafia Wars are still accessible to minors. This proves, at the least, an inconsistent enforcement by Facebook of its own rules, though much of these rules spring from the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was adopted in 2000.
Can these arbitrary rules be enforced? Not really. Anyone can set up a Facebook account and fabricate an age. It's more like Facebook is going through the motions to avoid any legal hassle.
For developers looking to avoid a Bar Society-style shutdown, there's a filter that can be used to block underage gamers. I gave this filter a test drive by setting up an account as a 13-year-old. Sure enough, Bar Society didn't allow me to play (and neither did the cannabis-growing, FarmVille knockoff, Pot Farm). Mafia Wars let me right in, though, and if you want to ignore all the bits about gunning down bouncers, bribing government officials, and collecting vodka and rum drinks, well, don't be surprised if you're called out as a hypocrite.
Bar Society Drinks List
I hope Restaurant City doesn't get into trouble for their recent Lounge Bar feature, but if anyone kvetches, it won't be the players. Also, bartenders and alcoholic looking beverages are displayed prominently in Nightclub City -- in fact, booze is the only thing you serve your virtual customers.
My suggestion? If the developers behind Bar Society want a wider audience, they should consider creating a Bubble Tea game -- a sim for those Taiwanese/Chinese cafes where they serve fancy, little cakes, non-alcoholic milk teas and syrupy drinks with tapioca or jellies in 'em. God, that stuff is good. And, it and can be served -- hassle-free -- to gamers of all ages.
FarmVille Fan Sheep updated and possibly released tonight
A few days ago the FarmVille Fan Sheep finally reached its goal of 2 million fans on Facebook. Even though the FarmVille Sheep lost the Battle of the Barnyard to the FarmVille Cow, Zynga is still celebrating with the release of a special FarmVille Sheep.
The Fan Sheep should be available in the FarmVille Market very soon- perhaps tonight! Get a sneak peek of the FarmVille Fan Sheep to the right.
Continue reading to see it move!
The Fan Sheep should be available in the FarmVille Market very soon- perhaps tonight! Get a sneak peek of the FarmVille Fan Sheep to the right.
Continue reading to see it move!
FarmVille: Is there life after level 100?
If you're a FarmVille power player, life at the top can be lonely (and rather boring). You've already bought all of the multi-milllion coin estates and completed every achievement. To appease overachieving farmers, Zynga recently rolled out a 5M coin mansion only available to level 70 and above, but it was more of a gesture than a real solution to the problem.
It looks like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, however. This pop-up notification (see above) from one uber farmer says that you can't earn cash after level 100, but says "there's sure to be rainbows after the rain." That leads us to believe the FV team is hard at work behind the scenes, creating new achievements and items for power players. With FarmVille losing millions by the week (the game which once boasted 80 million monthly players is now down to 62 million), keeping devoted sharecroppers in business should be first priority.
It looks like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, however. This pop-up notification (see above) from one uber farmer says that you can't earn cash after level 100, but says "there's sure to be rainbows after the rain." That leads us to believe the FV team is hard at work behind the scenes, creating new achievements and items for power players. With FarmVille losing millions by the week (the game which once boasted 80 million monthly players is now down to 62 million), keeping devoted sharecroppers in business should be first priority.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
Music Pets, Super Dance take a final bow, both "shutting down soon"
The same day Zynga announced its acquisition of Music Pets and Super Dance creator Conduit Labs, a notice appeared on both of the Facebook music games, saying that they "will be shutting down soon." There's a longer explanation of the close of these games, which essentially boils down to this one quote: "we've been unable to make Music Pets/Super Dance commercially viable."
Read the entire note below:
music pets closure
The biggest question is what happens to players who have invested real-life cash into these games? I like that there is a concession for players who bought items with Facebook Credits over the past month, but this doesn't address the larger problem that arises when social games get the axe -- how do you handle loyal customers (aka 'whales') who have spent hundreds of dollars in your game? I think companies should take a Las Vegas approach, where casinos comp hotel rooms and other rewards for high rollers. Maybe social game whales can be comped a pile of free virtual cash in a new game or get some kind of real-world reward.
super dance
There isn't an easy answer, but while you ponder the possibilities, let's say so-long to Super Dance and Music Pets and look forward to what the newly minted Zynga Boston is jamming on behind the scenes.
Read the entire note below:
music pets closure
The biggest question is what happens to players who have invested real-life cash into these games? I like that there is a concession for players who bought items with Facebook Credits over the past month, but this doesn't address the larger problem that arises when social games get the axe -- how do you handle loyal customers (aka 'whales') who have spent hundreds of dollars in your game? I think companies should take a Las Vegas approach, where casinos comp hotel rooms and other rewards for high rollers. Maybe social game whales can be comped a pile of free virtual cash in a new game or get some kind of real-world reward.
super dance
There isn't an easy answer, but while you ponder the possibilities, let's say so-long to Super Dance and Music Pets and look forward to what the newly minted Zynga Boston is jamming on behind the scenes.
CityVille: Will this be the next 'Ville' in the Zynga gaming dynasty?
Back in March, Zynga surveyed players, asking how much time they spent playing city-building games like Social City, and that, of course, led us to believe that Zynga was doing its due diligence before launching its own city-building game. And, it looks like something called CityVille might soon be the new kid on the block, if this image taken from the official Zynga forums means anything.
cityville
Essentially, you're seeing something called CityVille in the Zynga community forums, but, if you try to enter this area, you will be denied access. What does this mean? Well, we don't know for sure, but we have a hunch we'll be soon be adding CityVille to our social gaming diet.
Thanks, Nikolas for the tip!
Do you think Zynga's getting ready to launch a city-building game on Facebook? Will it be a FarmVille killer?
cityville
Essentially, you're seeing something called CityVille in the Zynga community forums, but, if you try to enter this area, you will be denied access. What does this mean? Well, we don't know for sure, but we have a hunch we'll be soon be adding CityVille to our social gaming diet.
Thanks, Nikolas for the tip!
Do you think Zynga's getting ready to launch a city-building game on Facebook? Will it be a FarmVille killer?
FarmVille new items: Summertime and the livin is easy
Tonight, a small FarmVille update included a set of new summertime themed items! In this set is one animal, two houses, and five decoration pieces. It's the hot August months, so it's the perfect time too cool down with some summery fun in FarmVille. Here is what you can expect to find in the FarmVille Market:
Flamingo - 16 Farm Cash
Bouncy Castle - 32 Farm Cash
Dinosaur Slide - 30 Farm Cash
Fireflies - 4 Farm Cash
Octopus Pool - 80,000 coins
Summer Campsite - 50,000 coins
Backyard Fort - 30 Farm Cash
Ice Cream Shop - 220,000
These items are only available for 9 days, and we suspect this won't be the entire summer theme release. Zynga loves to release their themes slowly to maximize the fun (and the spending, we presume).
Which summery FarmVille items are going to buy?
Flamingo - 16 Farm Cash
Bouncy Castle - 32 Farm Cash
Dinosaur Slide - 30 Farm Cash
Fireflies - 4 Farm Cash
Octopus Pool - 80,000 coins
Summer Campsite - 50,000 coins
Backyard Fort - 30 Farm Cash
Ice Cream Shop - 220,000
These items are only available for 9 days, and we suspect this won't be the entire summer theme release. Zynga loves to release their themes slowly to maximize the fun (and the spending, we presume).
Which summery FarmVille items are going to buy?
Treasure Isle soon to allow coin trading for cash
A surprising update came tonight on the Treasure Isle fan page, telling us that soon, players will be able to trade their coins in for Island Cash. This is a huge announcement, and one that players will likely be very excited about. Typically, you can only buy a game's "hard currency" through paying real money (or taking part in 'offers'). Sometimes, you can also buy additional "soft currency" (usually coins) with real life money as well. But as far as we know, there aren't any social games out there yet that allow you to buy hard currency with soft currency.
This provides a huge benefit for players who have a lot of neighbors and are diligent about helping them out. In addition, people who have a lot of Facebook friends and can claim wall bonuses will have a serious advantage here. This update will make gaining Island Cash much easier for people who have been hoarding all of their coins.
So far, we don't know any details. We're not sure of the pricing, or if there will be a limitation per day. We're excited to hear more, and we'll be sure to update you all when this new feature goes live.
Do you think this will trivialize getting Island Cash or do you still think it will be difficult to obtain?
This provides a huge benefit for players who have a lot of neighbors and are diligent about helping them out. In addition, people who have a lot of Facebook friends and can claim wall bonuses will have a serious advantage here. This update will make gaining Island Cash much easier for people who have been hoarding all of their coins.
So far, we don't know any details. We're not sure of the pricing, or if there will be a limitation per day. We're excited to hear more, and we'll be sure to update you all when this new feature goes live.
Do you think this will trivialize getting Island Cash or do you still think it will be difficult to obtain?
FrontierVille Animal Mystery Crate: Find out what's inside
A new Mystery Animal crate mysteriously appeared in FrontierVille, bringing with it a chance to add three new, exclusive animals to your homestead. If you're in the mood to try your luck, you can buy a Mystery Animal box in the market for 50 Horseshoes (roughly $7) and open it up to find an owl, porcupine and a pink rabbit inside. If you collect all three, you'll will be able to brag about it with your new Dead Bear statue.
The Mystery Animal crate will only be around for a limited time, so all of you collectors out there should move fast before the crate disappears from the Market. (Though, judging from FarmVille's limited edition items, it's more than likely that these mystery animals will return again at a later date).
Do you think the Mystery Animal Crate is worth the price? How many tries did it takes for you to find all three animals?
The Mystery Animal crate will only be around for a limited time, so all of you collectors out there should move fast before the crate disappears from the Market. (Though, judging from FarmVille's limited edition items, it's more than likely that these mystery animals will return again at a later date).
Do you think the Mystery Animal Crate is worth the price? How many tries did it takes for you to find all three animals?
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Coronation Street social game to bring fans of British soap to Facebook
A U.K. soap opera known as "Coronation Street" has been transformed into a social game titled "Corrie Nation," according to British televsion network ATV. The game, set to launch both on Facebook and ITV.com November 1, allows fans of the show to play in a parallel version of their favorite soap opera.
Players will collect up to 60 characters to start with as well as familiar buildings from the series. Like most social games, Corrie Nation will be free-to-play, but will feature paid transactions for virtual goods (sound familiar?). ITV, the British network that has broadcast Coronation Street for 50 years, and developer Enteraction will also introduce advertising and commercial sponsorship into the game to boost revenue, according to ATV.
Kieran Roberts, Creative Director Manchester Drama, said, "We're delighted this brilliantly imaginative new game will take the show onto new platforms whilst remaining truthful to 50 years of heritage and everything viewers love about Corrie."
It looks like American TV networks better learn a thing or two quick before they lose their share of the daytime TV tradition.
Players will collect up to 60 characters to start with as well as familiar buildings from the series. Like most social games, Corrie Nation will be free-to-play, but will feature paid transactions for virtual goods (sound familiar?). ITV, the British network that has broadcast Coronation Street for 50 years, and developer Enteraction will also introduce advertising and commercial sponsorship into the game to boost revenue, according to ATV.
Kieran Roberts, Creative Director Manchester Drama, said, "We're delighted this brilliantly imaginative new game will take the show onto new platforms whilst remaining truthful to 50 years of heritage and everything viewers love about Corrie."
It looks like American TV networks better learn a thing or two quick before they lose their share of the daytime TV tradition.
FrontierVille Missions menu makes it easier to keep track of to-dos
One of the reasons I consider FrontierVille my favorite game on Facebook is because there's always a stream of missions that give you things to do. Until now, however, it's been a little difficult to keep track of them all -- especially since you can have numerous missions going at one time. They would appear and disappear from the left-hand side of the screen at random, so I was always thinking things like "Where did that groundhog mission go? Did I complete it or not?"
Now that problem has been solved as Zynga flips the switch on a new Missions menu that helps you keep track of everything you need to do in-game. You can see what missions you have going by clicking on 'My Stuff' and the clicking on 'Missions.' That will pull up a page (see above) that lists all of your missions. Click on each mission to see what else you need to do to finish.
frontierville missions menu
You can alternately click on the mission icon on the left-hand side of the game (see image below) to pop the menu.
frontierville missions menu
If you're so inclined, you can prioritize missions by reordering them, which will be handy if you've got more Missions in the hopper than I do.
Now that problem has been solved as Zynga flips the switch on a new Missions menu that helps you keep track of everything you need to do in-game. You can see what missions you have going by clicking on 'My Stuff' and the clicking on 'Missions.' That will pull up a page (see above) that lists all of your missions. Click on each mission to see what else you need to do to finish.
frontierville missions menu
You can alternately click on the mission icon on the left-hand side of the game (see image below) to pop the menu.
frontierville missions menu
If you're so inclined, you can prioritize missions by reordering them, which will be handy if you've got more Missions in the hopper than I do.
Restaurant City: Paris items complete your Parisian bistro
New Paris Items
After adding the Coffee Bar to Restaurant City, Playfish decided to help finish out the Parisian theme with these new decorations. The first thing that comes to mind when I think "coffee bar" is expensive European espressos, so these new items couldn't be more fitting!
Continue reading for the full list plus a surprise.
Paris Items and free Chocolate
Here's a full list of the new items:
Chairs
Red Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Silver Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Tables
Black Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Silver Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Decorations
Post Impressionist Painting (12 Playfish Cash, adds one second waiting time)
Bistro Chalkboard (1800 coins)
Hanging Pans (2500 coins, unlocks with e-mail permission)Eiffel Tower
Bistro Clock (6500 coins)
Flowered Trellis (6500 coins)
Impressionist Print (12,000 coins)
Red Deco Vase (4 Playfish Cash)
Large Suave Lamp (5 Playfish Cash)
Bicycle (5 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Waiter (6 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Flowers (600 coins, free gift item)
Bistro Condiments (1000 coins, free gift item)
Magazine Rack (1100 coins, free gift item)
Blue Deco Vase (1600 coins)
Suave Table Lamp (1900 coins)
Bistro Column (several colors, 2800 coins)
Delicatessen Shelves (8500 coins)
Eiffel Tower (1,000,000 coins, +2 to max popularity, unlocks at 85)
Floors
Paris Pathway (60 coins, Cobblestone and Pavement)
Paris Pathway Corners (65 coins)
Wallpapers
Bistro Wallpaper (2700 coins, White and Ochre)
Parisian Wallpaper (3400 coins, Red and Cream)
Cafe Wallpaper (4100 coins)
There you have, just about everything you'll need to complete your Parisian Bistro. Thankfully most of the items are only asking for coins (we'd all be broke if a fraction of these cost Playfish Cash). Oh, did we mention that you'll get a free piece of chocolate for logging in today? Yeah, they're cool like that.
After adding the Coffee Bar to Restaurant City, Playfish decided to help finish out the Parisian theme with these new decorations. The first thing that comes to mind when I think "coffee bar" is expensive European espressos, so these new items couldn't be more fitting!
Continue reading for the full list plus a surprise.
Paris Items and free Chocolate
Here's a full list of the new items:
Chairs
Red Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Silver Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Tables
Black Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Silver Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Decorations
Post Impressionist Painting (12 Playfish Cash, adds one second waiting time)
Bistro Chalkboard (1800 coins)
Hanging Pans (2500 coins, unlocks with e-mail permission)Eiffel Tower
Bistro Clock (6500 coins)
Flowered Trellis (6500 coins)
Impressionist Print (12,000 coins)
Red Deco Vase (4 Playfish Cash)
Large Suave Lamp (5 Playfish Cash)
Bicycle (5 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Waiter (6 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Flowers (600 coins, free gift item)
Bistro Condiments (1000 coins, free gift item)
Magazine Rack (1100 coins, free gift item)
Blue Deco Vase (1600 coins)
Suave Table Lamp (1900 coins)
Bistro Column (several colors, 2800 coins)
Delicatessen Shelves (8500 coins)
Eiffel Tower (1,000,000 coins, +2 to max popularity, unlocks at 85)
Floors
Paris Pathway (60 coins, Cobblestone and Pavement)
Paris Pathway Corners (65 coins)
Wallpapers
Bistro Wallpaper (2700 coins, White and Ochre)
Parisian Wallpaper (3400 coins, Red and Cream)
Cafe Wallpaper (4100 coins)
There you have, just about everything you'll need to complete your Parisian Bistro. Thankfully most of the items are only asking for coins (we'd all be broke if a fraction of these cost Playfish Cash). Oh, did we mention that you'll get a free piece of chocolate for logging in today? Yeah, they're cool like that.
FrontierVille Meal Deal: Sign up to get free meals via email
FrontierVille is presenting an offer we can't refuse -- a free meal delivered to our email inbox daily. This 'meal deal' is a limited time offer and here's how it worked when I signed up.
I went into the game and was notified that I had a letter, which I found sitting in the middle of my property with a giant yellow arrow above it.
I clicked on the letter and received the following pop up, which explains how this deal works. Basically, you'll get a daily email from FrontierVille that will contain a free meal (meals replenish your energy in the game). You have to accept the meals that same day or they will expire.
Not sure how long this meal deal will be around, there's no indication that this will be a long-term or short-term promotion. I also checked my email right after I signed up, and I didn't get an email for today. We'll see how it long it takes for this free meal thing to kick in. After all, I'm a sucker for free food -- real or virtual.
I went into the game and was notified that I had a letter, which I found sitting in the middle of my property with a giant yellow arrow above it.
I clicked on the letter and received the following pop up, which explains how this deal works. Basically, you'll get a daily email from FrontierVille that will contain a free meal (meals replenish your energy in the game). You have to accept the meals that same day or they will expire.
Not sure how long this meal deal will be around, there's no indication that this will be a long-term or short-term promotion. I also checked my email right after I signed up, and I didn't get an email for today. We'll see how it long it takes for this free meal thing to kick in. After all, I'm a sucker for free food -- real or virtual.
Happy Aquarium: Lady Baba brings her poker face to your tank
In a nod to you-know-who, Happy Aquarium has welcomed Lady Baba to the store. For either 52 Facebook Credits ($5.20 USD) or 62 Pearls, you can have your very own pop icon of the sea, but there are only about 2,600 left as of this writing!
We're calling it now: this one will last for about 37 more seconds, so don't wait. Just don't call her name. Alejandro ruined that for the rest of us.
We're calling it now: this one will last for about 37 more seconds, so don't wait. Just don't call her name. Alejandro ruined that for the rest of us.
Thứ Sáu, 3 tháng 2, 2012
Treasure Isle's Ninja Vs. Pirates Map is now ready for epic battles
Well, Zynga's earlier claim to the "battle of the universe" is yet to be seen, but the prophesied Pirates Vs. Ninjas update to Treasure Isle is now live... and it's another map titled "Ninja Vs. Pirates." There better be some intense duels on at least one of this new map's eight islands or we will all be very sad ninjas--or do I mean pirates?
You'll find a novice ninja monkey either sitting on your home island or inside your backpack who will need to be trained in the ways of ninja combat before he can take you to the Ninja Vs. Pirates map. You'll have to ask five friends to help train your simian shinobi or unlock each of the five training steps for 5 Island Cash, or about $1. Oh, this is just like the Wounded Dragon and Wounded Tiger maps before it, but with less pathetic creatures and more swords. After that's through, the new islands are yours to explore, though it's still unknown who's going to come out on top in this battle. It seems we'll just have to do some exploring to find out.
You'll find a novice ninja monkey either sitting on your home island or inside your backpack who will need to be trained in the ways of ninja combat before he can take you to the Ninja Vs. Pirates map. You'll have to ask five friends to help train your simian shinobi or unlock each of the five training steps for 5 Island Cash, or about $1. Oh, this is just like the Wounded Dragon and Wounded Tiger maps before it, but with less pathetic creatures and more swords. After that's through, the new islands are yours to explore, though it's still unknown who's going to come out on top in this battle. It seems we'll just have to do some exploring to find out.
Zynga Giveaway: Win a free Zynga Moleskine Notebook
Happy Friday! Once again: we're kicking off the holiday season a little earlier this year by giving away a bunch of free stuff. We have all kinds of cool swag and we aim to give it all away to our readers. Everyone is eligible to get free prizes so continue reading to find out how you can enter to win.
In our previous giveaways, readers could enter to win a free FarmVille T-Shirt and a free Zynga Laptop Bag. Now, for our third Zynga giveaway, we have a custom Zynga Moleskin Notebook. This trendy notepad is perfect for those who need a space to keep their thoughts, addresses, doodles and more. I can't tell you how often I think of a cool idea but end up forgetting it because I neglected to write the idea down. Don't let that happen to you! Emblazoned with the Zynga logo, secured by an elastic strap, and full of blank pages just waiting to be filled; Zynga's Moleskine Notebook is ideal for note-taking and more.
Continue reading to learn how to enter.
To enter:
Step 1: Go to the Games.com Facebook fanpage (http://www.facebook.com/gamescom).
Step 2: 'Like' the fanpage so you can see Facebook game news, tips, and cheats.
Step 3: Enter the giveaway by heading to the fanpage and leave us a comment saying "I love Games.com!" BUT WAIT, there's a catch. While typing, you aren't allowed to use your hands and you aren't allowed to backspace. Tricky eh? Be creative! And when you're done, let us know how you managed!
(i nmlo9v fe gtam esxdz.c volm ~! That was my best attempt using my elbows. Hopefully you can do better haha)
After a few days, we'll randomly select a winner, message them on Facebook for their address, and send them their free prize. Sound easy enough?
Get started by heading to the Games.com fanpage to enter for a free Zynga Moleskine Notebook.
In our previous giveaways, readers could enter to win a free FarmVille T-Shirt and a free Zynga Laptop Bag. Now, for our third Zynga giveaway, we have a custom Zynga Moleskin Notebook. This trendy notepad is perfect for those who need a space to keep their thoughts, addresses, doodles and more. I can't tell you how often I think of a cool idea but end up forgetting it because I neglected to write the idea down. Don't let that happen to you! Emblazoned with the Zynga logo, secured by an elastic strap, and full of blank pages just waiting to be filled; Zynga's Moleskine Notebook is ideal for note-taking and more.
Continue reading to learn how to enter.
To enter:
Step 1: Go to the Games.com Facebook fanpage (http://www.facebook.com/gamescom).
Step 2: 'Like' the fanpage so you can see Facebook game news, tips, and cheats.
Step 3: Enter the giveaway by heading to the fanpage and leave us a comment saying "I love Games.com!" BUT WAIT, there's a catch. While typing, you aren't allowed to use your hands and you aren't allowed to backspace. Tricky eh? Be creative! And when you're done, let us know how you managed!
(i nmlo9v fe gtam esxdz.c volm ~! That was my best attempt using my elbows. Hopefully you can do better haha)
After a few days, we'll randomly select a winner, message them on Facebook for their address, and send them their free prize. Sound easy enough?
Get started by heading to the Games.com fanpage to enter for a free Zynga Moleskine Notebook.
ESPNU College Town brings Baseball, Softball and giftable All Star Refills
Getting bored of football (impossible) and basketball? Playdom has added both baseball and softball to ESPNU College Town among a litany of other features, fixes and items. Players can now build baseball and softball fields on their campus and, of course, recruit new baseball and softball All Star players.
On top of that, a slew of new items have been added to the store along with some fixes to the game that you'll find behind the cut.
Max All Star Plays
In addition to the new baseball field and new All Stars, a new giftable item was introduced called "Max All Star Plays." This free gift will refill all of your All Star's plays, allowing you to use the same All Star players over and over again. However, Playdom also added a list of items that aren't so cheap:
Samford Hall - Auburn
Science Building - Baylor
Healy Hall - Georgetown
Campus Recreation Center - Georgia Tech
Beardshear Hall- Iowa State
Memorial Union - Iowa State
Hale Library Kansas State
Marquette Hall - Marquette
Memorial Bell Tower - North Carolina State
Rebecca Crown ClockTower - Northwestern
Edmon Low Library - Oklahoma State
College Building - Providence
Each of these buildings inspired by true-to-life university buildings costs between 29 and 39 Campus Cash, or between $6 and $9, which is pretty steep for some XP and School Spirit. Playdom made a few mysterious fixes to the game to improve the overall experience as well:
Numerous fixes to address loading and synchronization issues.
Numerous fixes to the competitions section of the game.
Various fixes to improve user experience and minor textual issues.
Friends Only
While Playdom is unclear on what these fixes might have actually... fixed (I wasn't experiencing any problems in-game), hopefully they solved some issues for players. In yet another change to the Competitions section, players can now filter their potential Challenges to just their friends in the Competitions menu, which is a small but welcome addition. Honestly, we just can't wait to see what sport Playdom adds to the game next. Come on, crew team!
On top of that, a slew of new items have been added to the store along with some fixes to the game that you'll find behind the cut.
Max All Star Plays
In addition to the new baseball field and new All Stars, a new giftable item was introduced called "Max All Star Plays." This free gift will refill all of your All Star's plays, allowing you to use the same All Star players over and over again. However, Playdom also added a list of items that aren't so cheap:
Samford Hall - Auburn
Science Building - Baylor
Healy Hall - Georgetown
Campus Recreation Center - Georgia Tech
Beardshear Hall- Iowa State
Memorial Union - Iowa State
Hale Library Kansas State
Marquette Hall - Marquette
Memorial Bell Tower - North Carolina State
Rebecca Crown ClockTower - Northwestern
Edmon Low Library - Oklahoma State
College Building - Providence
Each of these buildings inspired by true-to-life university buildings costs between 29 and 39 Campus Cash, or between $6 and $9, which is pretty steep for some XP and School Spirit. Playdom made a few mysterious fixes to the game to improve the overall experience as well:
Numerous fixes to address loading and synchronization issues.
Numerous fixes to the competitions section of the game.
Various fixes to improve user experience and minor textual issues.
Friends Only
While Playdom is unclear on what these fixes might have actually... fixed (I wasn't experiencing any problems in-game), hopefully they solved some issues for players. In yet another change to the Competitions section, players can now filter their potential Challenges to just their friends in the Competitions menu, which is a small but welcome addition. Honestly, we just can't wait to see what sport Playdom adds to the game next. Come on, crew team!
Happy Island on iPhone and iPad is now free (finally)
Happy Island on iPhone
When CrowdStar first introduced the Happy Island app for iOS 4 devices in July, it cost $.99, which is weird for a social game that's free to play online. Finally the company has decided to make the app, developed by Sibblingz, free in the Apple App Store.
The Happy Island app, which allows you to access and interact with your Facebook islands much like FarmVille for iPhone, allows players to visit their friend's islands as well as collect profits from their attractions and customize their islands. The app was recently updated on Oct. 11 to improve stability and fix bugs, so hopefully the game is ready for the onslaught of downloads it's most likely to suffer very shortly.
When CrowdStar first introduced the Happy Island app for iOS 4 devices in July, it cost $.99, which is weird for a social game that's free to play online. Finally the company has decided to make the app, developed by Sibblingz, free in the Apple App Store.
The Happy Island app, which allows you to access and interact with your Facebook islands much like FarmVille for iPhone, allows players to visit their friend's islands as well as collect profits from their attractions and customize their islands. The app was recently updated on Oct. 11 to improve stability and fix bugs, so hopefully the game is ready for the onslaught of downloads it's most likely to suffer very shortly.
FarmVille Halloween Costumes arrive: Are they a trick or a treat?
FarmVille Halloween costumes have arrived, and for the next 16 days, you will be able to purchase a costume (for either coins or Farm Cash) and dress up your farmer in a variety of outfits -- my personal faves have to be Super FV Woman and the Ugly Duckling, as modeled by my virtual farmer in the image above.
There's good news and bad news about these costumes. A handful of them are available for coins, but the really cool ones will require you to spend some real-life cash to have the privilege of putting 'em on your farmer. However, I you just want to see if those pricier costumes are worth buying, you can try them on your farmer.
There are two ways to find these brand new costumes:
farmville halloween costumes
1. Click on your farmer, which will open the customization window. You should see a new 'Clothing' button on the top right. Mouse over it and you'll see a pop-down menu, which will have 'Costumes' as an option. Select costumes and you will be able to scroll through your selection.
farmville halloween costumes
2. There is also a new 'Clothes' option in the FarmVIlle Market. Click it to open up the menu of items, which can be purchased right there. If you want your farmer to try on the costumes, you will be bounced to the customization window once again.
There's good news and bad news about these costumes. A handful of them are available for coins, but the really cool ones will require you to spend some real-life cash to have the privilege of putting 'em on your farmer. However, I you just want to see if those pricier costumes are worth buying, you can try them on your farmer.
There are two ways to find these brand new costumes:
farmville halloween costumes
1. Click on your farmer, which will open the customization window. You should see a new 'Clothing' button on the top right. Mouse over it and you'll see a pop-down menu, which will have 'Costumes' as an option. Select costumes and you will be able to scroll through your selection.
farmville halloween costumes
2. There is also a new 'Clothes' option in the FarmVIlle Market. Click it to open up the menu of items, which can be purchased right there. If you want your farmer to try on the costumes, you will be bounced to the customization window once again.
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
FrontierVille Giant Rabbit Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Just as the 'Chicken Roundup' timed mission is coming to a close, FrontierVille releases another one called "Maybe it's for a Giant Rabbit." If you've been playing the game for a while, this will be a pretty simple mission to complete.
In two days, you'll need to collect the following:
500 Wood
21 Nails
10 Metal Bars
frontierville giant rabbit
Wood can be collected while chopping trees. Nails and metal bars can be requested from friends and purchased for Horseshoes. You can also get these materials by responding to friends' requests.
Once the job is done, you receive a Trojan Rabbit for your troubles. This is one big decoration, so make sure you have enough room to place it on your homestead.
In two days, you'll need to collect the following:
500 Wood
21 Nails
10 Metal Bars
frontierville giant rabbit
Wood can be collected while chopping trees. Nails and metal bars can be requested from friends and purchased for Horseshoes. You can also get these materials by responding to friends' requests.
Once the job is done, you receive a Trojan Rabbit for your troubles. This is one big decoration, so make sure you have enough room to place it on your homestead.
Game of the Day: The Lost World
The Game of the day is back and better than ever. Today's game is a The Lost World. The Lost World takes the familiar bubble popping game mechanic and infuses it with gorgeous background images and a little bit of techno trance. The game is dead simple - use you bubble aiming device to match three bubbles on the board and clear the board. Simply stuff that is endlessly fun.
Click here to play The Lost World -->
Click here to play The Lost World -->
Madden NFL Superstars Daily Bonuses coming soon, log in daily for coins and cards
But wait, there's more. That's right, Madden NFL Superstars might be the current football hotshot on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it isn't missing a few nuts and bolts. Playfish will soon be plugging one of the game's holes with Daily Bonuses. Something that's become somewhat of a staple in the social gaming world, players will be rewarded with increasingly better gifts for more consecutive log-ins.
Despite whether when compared to something as massive as Collections and Elite Cards that Daily Bonuses seem minuscule, the feature is not live yet. Though, we imagine that it will play out a lot like the Daily Take in Mafia Wars, which rewards players for consecutive log-ins with better rewards. However, collecting your reward early will reduce its strength or value, thereby giving players incentive not to collect immediately. With items like free matches and Ultimate Cards (both pictured) on the line, we can only imagine a system at least close to this. Stay tuned for when you'll be handsomely rewarded for your endless devotion to football of the pixelated variety.
Despite whether when compared to something as massive as Collections and Elite Cards that Daily Bonuses seem minuscule, the feature is not live yet. Though, we imagine that it will play out a lot like the Daily Take in Mafia Wars, which rewards players for consecutive log-ins with better rewards. However, collecting your reward early will reduce its strength or value, thereby giving players incentive not to collect immediately. With items like free matches and Ultimate Cards (both pictured) on the line, we can only imagine a system at least close to this. Stay tuned for when you'll be handsomely rewarded for your endless devotion to football of the pixelated variety.
Are FrontierVille Babies on the way?
Unless the next update to FrontierVille is an homage to Alien, then we'd have to say yes. Zynga cryptically posted a teaser image a very pregnant woman reading, "Big things are arriving," today on the FrontierVille fan page. Now, this is just an educated guess based off of millions of years of human evolution, but we're lead to believe that the woman pictured above is about to deliver a baby.
That being said, we have absolutely no idea what this will mean for FrontierVille, but who doesn't like some good old speculation? Our guess is that this feature will introduce a new protege, if you will. A young guy or gal we can show the ropes so that they can take care of the homestead while we're out at the movies or quite simply want to escape to our fancy new Kinects for a few days hours. Planted some crops that you might miss ripen because the new episode of The Walking Dead is on? Fuhget about it; the little one knows how to harvest a mean tomato. Rampant dreams of loyal servant children aside, stay tuned for when this feature goes live as we'll be all over it.
That being said, we have absolutely no idea what this will mean for FrontierVille, but who doesn't like some good old speculation? Our guess is that this feature will introduce a new protege, if you will. A young guy or gal we can show the ropes so that they can take care of the homestead while we're out at the movies or quite simply want to escape to our fancy new Kinects for a few days hours. Planted some crops that you might miss ripen because the new episode of The Walking Dead is on? Fuhget about it; the little one knows how to harvest a mean tomato. Rampant dreams of loyal servant children aside, stay tuned for when this feature goes live as we'll be all over it.
Cafe World: Choose the next diet Mountain Dew flavor for 2 free Cafe Cash
It seems the Morning Glory trailer in Cafe World was just the tip of the iceberg; that survey only netted players 1 free Cafe Cash, but this new one from Mountain Dew is offering 2 free Cafe Cash. All you have to do is vote for the next Diet Dew flavor. There's eight new choices, and your job is to choose two out of the eight for a blackboard showdown.
Cafe World free 2 Cafe Cash from Mountain Dew
Here are the choices (and flavors) listed on the left side of the board:
Flare (berry & citrus)
Ultra Violet (mixed berry)
Typhoon (tropical strawberry pineapple)
Voltage (raspberry-citrus blend and a shot of ginseng)
And to our right, we've got:
White Out (lemongrass & yuzu)
Crave (green apple)
Distortion (a "flowing green river of goodness", which sounds blargh if you ask me, but it's probably just a diet version of the regular flavor)
Supernova (strawberry-melon and a ginseng-powered punch)
After you've clicked and dragged your flavor choices into the two boxes above the "Submit Vote" button, click on the button to get your 2 free Cafe Cash. After that, you've the option to check out the Flavor Leaderboard on the Mountain Dew website. The leaderboard is a collection of votes from online surveys and a tasting tour the company's been doing.
Mountain Dew Flavor Leaderboard
Currently, the top three favorite Diet Dew flavors are Voltage, Supernova, and White Out. There's a little over a week left before voting comes to a close. If you love the Dew, check back in on the board in a week to see if your favorite flavor(s) made the cut.
Cafe World free 2 Cafe Cash from Mountain Dew
Here are the choices (and flavors) listed on the left side of the board:
Flare (berry & citrus)
Ultra Violet (mixed berry)
Typhoon (tropical strawberry pineapple)
Voltage (raspberry-citrus blend and a shot of ginseng)
And to our right, we've got:
White Out (lemongrass & yuzu)
Crave (green apple)
Distortion (a "flowing green river of goodness", which sounds blargh if you ask me, but it's probably just a diet version of the regular flavor)
Supernova (strawberry-melon and a ginseng-powered punch)
After you've clicked and dragged your flavor choices into the two boxes above the "Submit Vote" button, click on the button to get your 2 free Cafe Cash. After that, you've the option to check out the Flavor Leaderboard on the Mountain Dew website. The leaderboard is a collection of votes from online surveys and a tasting tour the company's been doing.
Mountain Dew Flavor Leaderboard
Currently, the top three favorite Diet Dew flavors are Voltage, Supernova, and White Out. There's a little over a week left before voting comes to a close. If you love the Dew, check back in on the board in a week to see if your favorite flavor(s) made the cut.
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Zynga officially launches CityVille on Facebook - come build the city of your dreams!
If you're still with us at this late hour, you'll probably be thrilled to learn that Zynga has finally launched CityVille on Facebook!
We've been keeping tabs on the game over the last few weeks, and are expecting Zynga's version of the city-building game to take off pretty quickly. If you'd like more information about what to expect from the game, check out our hands-on preview (including a video preview) or simply dive head first into the game by heading over to the game's page on Facebook.
We've been keeping tabs on the game over the last few weeks, and are expecting Zynga's version of the city-building game to take off pretty quickly. If you'd like more information about what to expect from the game, check out our hands-on preview (including a video preview) or simply dive head first into the game by heading over to the game's page on Facebook.
CityVille Cheats and Tips: Energy Guide
CityVille Building
CityVille, arguably the most anticipated social game of this season, was launched by Zynga just today. And, of course, we want you folks to have as fun a time as we are building our cities. That being said, managing your resources and tapping every possible source is going to maximize your time in CityVille and thus your overall enjoyment and personal happiness. (Yes, these games are that powerful.) Energy, the most important resource in nearly every Zynga game, is scarce, but it's not impossible to find.
Look after the break to find some tips that will increase your time in CityVille to potentially unsafe levels.
Energy MeterWaiting:
This is obviously the first logical option when you see that Energy timer being ticking. However, only one Energy point will refill every five minutes. So, if you just got into this and want to squeeze as much fun as possible out of it, we suggest you employ this method as a last, last resort.
Batteries:
The main source of Energy in CityVille, Batteries can be gifted for free as well as bought through the game's build menu (pictured below) for City Cash. Just click "Build" and then the lightning bolt icon to access the Energy shop where you can buy Batteries that give either 3, 7 or 12 Energy for 3, 6 and 9 City Cash, respectively. Though, there are some more fun ways to replenish Energy.
Battery Shop
Visiting FriendsVisiting Friends:
My personal favorite, visiting friends daily grants you a whopping 3 Energy for nothing among other rewards like XP, coins and Reputation points (this stat returns from FrontierVille). The more friends you help, the more oomph you'll have to do things back Home. Not to mention you'll look good around your friends, who might come around and help you out some in return.
Gifting:
As we mentioned before, Energy can be gifted to other players for free, which means your friends can do the same for you. Just click on the "Free Gifts" tab that rests on top of the game screen to the left of "Play." From there, you can select one type of gift to give out at a time--in this case that being either 1, 2 or 3 Energy Points (much less than Zynga's other games) with the latter two locked until you reach certain levels.
Collections:
Speaking of gifting, certain Collections (pictured below) in CityVille will yield lots of Energy if completed. This can be done through playing the game normally, collecting from properties like the Toy Shop and Coffee House, but there's a neat little feature called the Wishlist that might help. In your Collections menu (click on the icon to the right of the arrow), you'll see that every item in each Collection has a small button that looks like the RSS symbol. Click that to add it to your Wishlist and then click "Share" to broadcast exactly what you need, which should increase your chances of friends sending you those very items.
Collection
Going about your Business:
Just as it sounds, just doing normal tasks like collecting from properties, planting and/or harvesting crops and chopping down trees all have a chance of restoring spent Energy. Albeit small, work is progress and progress leads to...
Leveling Up:
Second only to visiting friends (personally), gaining levels restores huge amounts of Energy. Nothing beats the feeling of being on your last point of Energy as you build the City Hall, only to level up off of that last point of XP, launching you forward to finish the job.
Unfortunately, there aren't any cheats or get-energy-quick schemes in CityVille that we know of... yet. But with your help, we just might be able to figure out this game's little quirks that might help us maximize our Energy even further. So, if you find any interesting (and possibly unintentional) ways to nab some extra juice, why not let us know? It'll both help this guide and make you look even more awesome in front of your fellow mayors.
CityVille, arguably the most anticipated social game of this season, was launched by Zynga just today. And, of course, we want you folks to have as fun a time as we are building our cities. That being said, managing your resources and tapping every possible source is going to maximize your time in CityVille and thus your overall enjoyment and personal happiness. (Yes, these games are that powerful.) Energy, the most important resource in nearly every Zynga game, is scarce, but it's not impossible to find.
Look after the break to find some tips that will increase your time in CityVille to potentially unsafe levels.
Energy MeterWaiting:
This is obviously the first logical option when you see that Energy timer being ticking. However, only one Energy point will refill every five minutes. So, if you just got into this and want to squeeze as much fun as possible out of it, we suggest you employ this method as a last, last resort.
Batteries:
The main source of Energy in CityVille, Batteries can be gifted for free as well as bought through the game's build menu (pictured below) for City Cash. Just click "Build" and then the lightning bolt icon to access the Energy shop where you can buy Batteries that give either 3, 7 or 12 Energy for 3, 6 and 9 City Cash, respectively. Though, there are some more fun ways to replenish Energy.
Battery Shop
Visiting FriendsVisiting Friends:
My personal favorite, visiting friends daily grants you a whopping 3 Energy for nothing among other rewards like XP, coins and Reputation points (this stat returns from FrontierVille). The more friends you help, the more oomph you'll have to do things back Home. Not to mention you'll look good around your friends, who might come around and help you out some in return.
Gifting:
As we mentioned before, Energy can be gifted to other players for free, which means your friends can do the same for you. Just click on the "Free Gifts" tab that rests on top of the game screen to the left of "Play." From there, you can select one type of gift to give out at a time--in this case that being either 1, 2 or 3 Energy Points (much less than Zynga's other games) with the latter two locked until you reach certain levels.
Collections:
Speaking of gifting, certain Collections (pictured below) in CityVille will yield lots of Energy if completed. This can be done through playing the game normally, collecting from properties like the Toy Shop and Coffee House, but there's a neat little feature called the Wishlist that might help. In your Collections menu (click on the icon to the right of the arrow), you'll see that every item in each Collection has a small button that looks like the RSS symbol. Click that to add it to your Wishlist and then click "Share" to broadcast exactly what you need, which should increase your chances of friends sending you those very items.
Collection
Going about your Business:
Just as it sounds, just doing normal tasks like collecting from properties, planting and/or harvesting crops and chopping down trees all have a chance of restoring spent Energy. Albeit small, work is progress and progress leads to...
Leveling Up:
Second only to visiting friends (personally), gaining levels restores huge amounts of Energy. Nothing beats the feeling of being on your last point of Energy as you build the City Hall, only to level up off of that last point of XP, launching you forward to finish the job.
Unfortunately, there aren't any cheats or get-energy-quick schemes in CityVille that we know of... yet. But with your help, we just might be able to figure out this game's little quirks that might help us maximize our Energy even further. So, if you find any interesting (and possibly unintentional) ways to nab some extra juice, why not let us know? It'll both help this guide and make you look even more awesome in front of your fellow mayors.
FarmVille creator Zynga buys mobile developer, forms Zynga with Friends
Zynga returns to round two of the ongoing mobile title bout swinging. Zynga With Friends, the company's brand new, mobile-focused studio, is thanks to Zynga's most recent acquisition of Texas-based NewToy. Developer of iOS hits such as Words With Friends and We Rule, NewToy will now be Zynga's premiere mobile developer, unifying the company's mobile efforts into one single platform. NewToy's studio will become the location of Zynga With Friends Studio, which is convenient considering the company just opened Zynga Dallas recently.
words with friends is now part of zynga with friends"Our goal is to have is to have Zynga games available to anyone, anywhere on any device," says Zynga SVP of Mobile David Ko. "At Zynga, we're committed to provide the best-of-breed mobile game experiences."
Founded in 2008 by brothers Paul and David Bettner, NewToy has reached over 12 million mobile gamers through games like Words With Friends and Zynga hopes to bring that success to its presence in your phones. Paul, the company's CEO and co-founder will take the helm of Zynga With Friends as vice president and general manager and his brother David will become the studio's director.
"Throughout our acquisition talks we utilized a secret code name for the operation--that codename was 'jet pack,'" Zynga With Friends VP and general manager Paul Bettner says. "We chose jetpack because, to us, that's what this acquisition represented--the potential to strap jet packs to our backs and move even faster toward our shared goals."
However, it's unsure at this point what this means for the company's games that have already landed on mobile such as FarmVille's iPhone game and Mafia Wars: Atlantic City on mobile web browsers. Zynga declined to comment on how NewToy will handle making its new bosses' games--both old and new--available for all mobile devices at once.
words with friends is now part of zynga with friends"Our goal is to have is to have Zynga games available to anyone, anywhere on any device," says Zynga SVP of Mobile David Ko. "At Zynga, we're committed to provide the best-of-breed mobile game experiences."
Founded in 2008 by brothers Paul and David Bettner, NewToy has reached over 12 million mobile gamers through games like Words With Friends and Zynga hopes to bring that success to its presence in your phones. Paul, the company's CEO and co-founder will take the helm of Zynga With Friends as vice president and general manager and his brother David will become the studio's director.
"Throughout our acquisition talks we utilized a secret code name for the operation--that codename was 'jet pack,'" Zynga With Friends VP and general manager Paul Bettner says. "We chose jetpack because, to us, that's what this acquisition represented--the potential to strap jet packs to our backs and move even faster toward our shared goals."
However, it's unsure at this point what this means for the company's games that have already landed on mobile such as FarmVille's iPhone game and Mafia Wars: Atlantic City on mobile web browsers. Zynga declined to comment on how NewToy will handle making its new bosses' games--both old and new--available for all mobile devices at once.
Top 25 MySpace games of Dec. 2010: The land beyond Zynga's rule
Top 25 MySpace Games
Thanks to Inside Social, the results are in for this month's top MySpace games and the results would be shocking for anyone who doesn't normally game on the platform. Essentially, things over at MySpace could be known as the bizarro world of social gaming. In a land where MySpace is second fiddle to Facebook, so is Zynga to Playdom in a strangely mirroring way with its hit game Mafia Wars (13.4 million players) beat out by its direct competitor, Playdom's Mobsters (14.9 million players) by over one million players.
However, this list includes products that are more web apps than true social games like Tag Me from BitRhymes sitting in the number 5 spot with 8.4 million users. Though, web apps and games competing for the same audience is also common on Facebook with Phrases recently dethroning FarmVille as the top app in town. In fact, web apps are the majority on MySpace with 12 spots on this list including Bumper Stickers in the number 3 spot with 12.8 million users and Own Your Friends in fourth place with 10.3 million users.
Filling out the rest of this month's top MySpace games are a slew of pet care games such as SuperPoke Pets by Slide in ninth place with RockYou Pets tailing behind them in the 10 spot. Then rest of the list includes more obscure titles by Zynga and Playdom such as the former's Street Racing in the 13 spot and the latter's Bloodlines in 24th place. All in all, it shows that despite the power and insane growth of social games, social web apps can still give this relatively new genre of gaming a challenge.
Thanks to Inside Social, the results are in for this month's top MySpace games and the results would be shocking for anyone who doesn't normally game on the platform. Essentially, things over at MySpace could be known as the bizarro world of social gaming. In a land where MySpace is second fiddle to Facebook, so is Zynga to Playdom in a strangely mirroring way with its hit game Mafia Wars (13.4 million players) beat out by its direct competitor, Playdom's Mobsters (14.9 million players) by over one million players.
However, this list includes products that are more web apps than true social games like Tag Me from BitRhymes sitting in the number 5 spot with 8.4 million users. Though, web apps and games competing for the same audience is also common on Facebook with Phrases recently dethroning FarmVille as the top app in town. In fact, web apps are the majority on MySpace with 12 spots on this list including Bumper Stickers in the number 3 spot with 12.8 million users and Own Your Friends in fourth place with 10.3 million users.
Filling out the rest of this month's top MySpace games are a slew of pet care games such as SuperPoke Pets by Slide in ninth place with RockYou Pets tailing behind them in the 10 spot. Then rest of the list includes more obscure titles by Zynga and Playdom such as the former's Street Racing in the 13 spot and the latter's Bloodlines in 24th place. All in all, it shows that despite the power and insane growth of social games, social web apps can still give this relatively new genre of gaming a challenge.
Top 25 Facebook games of Dec. 2010: Digital Chocolate takes distant second place
Top 25 Facebook Games December
The results are in from Inside Social's list of the top 25 Facebook games for Dec. 2010 and they're somewhat surprising given AppData's recent developer rankings. Zynga grips tightly to the top seven spots on the list including staples like FarmVille in first with 53.7 million monthly players, FrontierVille taking the third spot with nearly 30 million players and Mafia Wars in fourth sporting 21 million players a month. But just after Treasure Isle in sixth place comes Millionaire City, the newest game by Digital Chocolate, with 12.7 million players--808 thousand more than last month.
Millionaire City, if it keeps going at this rate, could easily knock CrowdStar out of tailing Zynga and Takeoff Monkey--the folks behind Phrases. Especially considering its top game, Happy Aquarium, is lagging behind in the 11 spot with 9.8 million players. However, Millionaire City's success does come with Zynga losing millions of users in all of its games aside from FrontierVille, where it gained 86 thousand.
The same goes for other top developers like CrowdStar and Playfish who each lost hundreds of thousands of players over the past month in games like the aforementioned Happy Aquarium, which lost 1.2 million players, and Pet Society that lost 118 thousand players last month.
Rounding out the list are a few gems like Car Town, a new game from Cie Games that gained 1.1 million players last month to bump it into the number 15 spot. And in the most massive gain this month, Funzio and its crime game hit Crime City took 18th place thanks to welcoming 3.5 million more players into its felony-filled walls.
You'll notice on this list that FarmVille's new arch nemesis, Phrases, is nowhere to be found. This is because Inside Social believes that the sheer number of new Facebook games that have popped up in recent months warrants their removal. (A good move, I'd say.) But what's this? According to AppData's most recent app leaderboards, Zynga and FarmVille are back on top as the most popular app on Facebook with 53.7 million players. Though, CrowdStar still has a long way to go--about 20 million more players--if it wants to send Takeoff Monkey and Phrases farther down the ladder. We know you got it in you, guys, now make it happen.
The results are in from Inside Social's list of the top 25 Facebook games for Dec. 2010 and they're somewhat surprising given AppData's recent developer rankings. Zynga grips tightly to the top seven spots on the list including staples like FarmVille in first with 53.7 million monthly players, FrontierVille taking the third spot with nearly 30 million players and Mafia Wars in fourth sporting 21 million players a month. But just after Treasure Isle in sixth place comes Millionaire City, the newest game by Digital Chocolate, with 12.7 million players--808 thousand more than last month.
Millionaire City, if it keeps going at this rate, could easily knock CrowdStar out of tailing Zynga and Takeoff Monkey--the folks behind Phrases. Especially considering its top game, Happy Aquarium, is lagging behind in the 11 spot with 9.8 million players. However, Millionaire City's success does come with Zynga losing millions of users in all of its games aside from FrontierVille, where it gained 86 thousand.
The same goes for other top developers like CrowdStar and Playfish who each lost hundreds of thousands of players over the past month in games like the aforementioned Happy Aquarium, which lost 1.2 million players, and Pet Society that lost 118 thousand players last month.
Rounding out the list are a few gems like Car Town, a new game from Cie Games that gained 1.1 million players last month to bump it into the number 15 spot. And in the most massive gain this month, Funzio and its crime game hit Crime City took 18th place thanks to welcoming 3.5 million more players into its felony-filled walls.
You'll notice on this list that FarmVille's new arch nemesis, Phrases, is nowhere to be found. This is because Inside Social believes that the sheer number of new Facebook games that have popped up in recent months warrants their removal. (A good move, I'd say.) But what's this? According to AppData's most recent app leaderboards, Zynga and FarmVille are back on top as the most popular app on Facebook with 53.7 million players. Though, CrowdStar still has a long way to go--about 20 million more players--if it wants to send Takeoff Monkey and Phrases farther down the ladder. We know you got it in you, guys, now make it happen.
Treasure Isle: Superhero's Sub bonus quest unlocks the deep sea
Treasure Isle: You need a submarine chassis
You can tell from the World Map that the islands of Atlantis (along with the North Pole and the Egyptian Isles) are still off-limits to Treasure Isle players. But its promise is alive, and two indicators of that are the recent Nexus Relic (probably inspired by the Stargate Atlantis sci-fi series) and now, there's the Superhero's Sub, because a submarine's the best way to reach a sunken island city.
Treasure Isle Bonus Quest: Superhero's sub
To build the sub, you'll need five materials: Gold, Glass, Bolts, Diodes, and Metal. Afterwards, you'll need to recruit your crew, but they don't let you know what that entails until you complete the materials task. You can get the materials by posting a message to your Wall or buying each of them for 1 Island Cash. In total, constructing it should cost you 5 Island Cash, which is pretty cheap, all things considered. But the game indicates that this is for construction of the "Submarine Base", which means you might get another pop-up window asking for more supplies to build the actual sub itself. If that's true, this will suck. Either way, you've got roughly 12 days to find out, because after that, the quest will disappear.
You can tell from the World Map that the islands of Atlantis (along with the North Pole and the Egyptian Isles) are still off-limits to Treasure Isle players. But its promise is alive, and two indicators of that are the recent Nexus Relic (probably inspired by the Stargate Atlantis sci-fi series) and now, there's the Superhero's Sub, because a submarine's the best way to reach a sunken island city.
Treasure Isle Bonus Quest: Superhero's sub
To build the sub, you'll need five materials: Gold, Glass, Bolts, Diodes, and Metal. Afterwards, you'll need to recruit your crew, but they don't let you know what that entails until you complete the materials task. You can get the materials by posting a message to your Wall or buying each of them for 1 Island Cash. In total, constructing it should cost you 5 Island Cash, which is pretty cheap, all things considered. But the game indicates that this is for construction of the "Submarine Base", which means you might get another pop-up window asking for more supplies to build the actual sub itself. If that's true, this will suck. Either way, you've got roughly 12 days to find out, because after that, the quest will disappear.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Reuters to social, mobile gamers: 2011 will be better
Oh, the possibilities
Aside from the burgeoning and indisputably successful social and mobile games markets, video game sales suffered a year long slump in 2010. Industry professionals predict that game sales for this year will total four percent lower than 2009. But if a recent Reuters report is any indication, 2011 will be the year of the mobile and social, bringing revenue growth to the industry. And of course, that means more money to make even better social games, which Mark Skaggs, vice president of product development at Zynga, says will have "deeper gameplay, more polish, and be much more and better social experiences."
Carnegie Mellon professor and game developer Jesse Schell predicts that 2011 will ring in games that exist on all platforms from the PC to our phones and to our consoles and TVs, Reuters reports. The news service also predicts that 3D and motion gaming will grow in 2011 thanks to the oncoming Nintendo 3DS, the Xbox Kinect and 3D TVs that will be on display at this year's CES. (Well, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, at least.)
But as for social and mobile gaming, we've already seen signs of this predicted boom in 2010 with marvels like Angry Birds on iPhone and Android along with the recent CityVille explosion on Facebook. So, 2011 could very well mean even more growth for social and mobile, but don't expect leaps and bounds when it comes to cross-platform play. Well, unless companies like Zynga continue to make use of HTML5 and the mobile web--then we're onto something.
Aside from the burgeoning and indisputably successful social and mobile games markets, video game sales suffered a year long slump in 2010. Industry professionals predict that game sales for this year will total four percent lower than 2009. But if a recent Reuters report is any indication, 2011 will be the year of the mobile and social, bringing revenue growth to the industry. And of course, that means more money to make even better social games, which Mark Skaggs, vice president of product development at Zynga, says will have "deeper gameplay, more polish, and be much more and better social experiences."
Carnegie Mellon professor and game developer Jesse Schell predicts that 2011 will ring in games that exist on all platforms from the PC to our phones and to our consoles and TVs, Reuters reports. The news service also predicts that 3D and motion gaming will grow in 2011 thanks to the oncoming Nintendo 3DS, the Xbox Kinect and 3D TVs that will be on display at this year's CES. (Well, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, at least.)
But as for social and mobile gaming, we've already seen signs of this predicted boom in 2010 with marvels like Angry Birds on iPhone and Android along with the recent CityVille explosion on Facebook. So, 2011 could very well mean even more growth for social and mobile, but don't expect leaps and bounds when it comes to cross-platform play. Well, unless companies like Zynga continue to make use of HTML5 and the mobile web--then we're onto something.
CityVille social features fueled by selfish interests, game designer says
CityVille is fueled by selfishness
The incredibly rapid growth and potential success of CityVille has not only piqued the interest of the media, but folks in the field as well. Game designer Tadhg Kelly, in the second half of a two-part feature on Gamasutra, claims to have discovered the secret to the game's success. And it's not exactly pretty.
According to Kelly, the social features in CityVille are "all incentive driven." He goes on to say that at every turn, the game prompts players to make use of their friends with the incentive of Energy, coins, experience points and more. "In each case, the dynamics exist to tantalise a player with a tangible reward," Kelly asserts. "If you visit your friend, you get a prize. If you send them a free gift that costs you nothing, they might send you one back. If you set up a bakery in their town, you will both gain from that. If you harvest their crops for them, you will gain reputation points."
Because of this, the designer claims that social games aren't actually social. That type of interaction is useless to the developer, so instead these social interactions are built as amusements, Kelly claims. "Socialising in amusements is more akin to having spare Poker chips at the table that you give to someone else, and maybe they'll give you some back later," Kelly says. "It is reciprocal trade, assistance for incentive, not charity. While this does not preclude the possibility that some players will engage in acts of charity for personal reasons, the social dynamics are not created with that in mind. They are built to work with self-interest."
The poignant feature goes on to explore CityVille's financial model and how it works, but more importantly, it goes on to explain why social game developers have little hope of combating Zynga in the social games race. In his eyes, Zynga won a long time ago. Comparing Zynga to Google, he finishes with the claim that social game developers aren't going to beat Zynga at its own game, advising them to utilize different strategies for personal success.
"Hearing a social game company talk about how they are going to spend $300k on development, making their own cheap knock-off games, and then become The Next Zynga is like listening to small startups convincing themselves that they just need to make a better search engine to take down Google."
Do you agree with what Kelly has to say about CityVille? Do you think it's possible for social games to succeed on a level comparable to Zynga using a different strategy?
The incredibly rapid growth and potential success of CityVille has not only piqued the interest of the media, but folks in the field as well. Game designer Tadhg Kelly, in the second half of a two-part feature on Gamasutra, claims to have discovered the secret to the game's success. And it's not exactly pretty.
According to Kelly, the social features in CityVille are "all incentive driven." He goes on to say that at every turn, the game prompts players to make use of their friends with the incentive of Energy, coins, experience points and more. "In each case, the dynamics exist to tantalise a player with a tangible reward," Kelly asserts. "If you visit your friend, you get a prize. If you send them a free gift that costs you nothing, they might send you one back. If you set up a bakery in their town, you will both gain from that. If you harvest their crops for them, you will gain reputation points."
Because of this, the designer claims that social games aren't actually social. That type of interaction is useless to the developer, so instead these social interactions are built as amusements, Kelly claims. "Socialising in amusements is more akin to having spare Poker chips at the table that you give to someone else, and maybe they'll give you some back later," Kelly says. "It is reciprocal trade, assistance for incentive, not charity. While this does not preclude the possibility that some players will engage in acts of charity for personal reasons, the social dynamics are not created with that in mind. They are built to work with self-interest."
The poignant feature goes on to explore CityVille's financial model and how it works, but more importantly, it goes on to explain why social game developers have little hope of combating Zynga in the social games race. In his eyes, Zynga won a long time ago. Comparing Zynga to Google, he finishes with the claim that social game developers aren't going to beat Zynga at its own game, advising them to utilize different strategies for personal success.
"Hearing a social game company talk about how they are going to spend $300k on development, making their own cheap knock-off games, and then become The Next Zynga is like listening to small startups convincing themselves that they just need to make a better search engine to take down Google."
Do you agree with what Kelly has to say about CityVille? Do you think it's possible for social games to succeed on a level comparable to Zynga using a different strategy?
FarmVille: Fertilize All available as a Free Gift for a limited time
For some time now, we've been able to experience just how great the FarmVille Fertilize All can be on our farms. What better way to boost your experience total in the game, than to earn extra experience for each and every crop on your land? Such is the function of the Fertilize All, as it rewards an extra experience point for all fertilized crops.
While you can normally earn free Fertilize Alls when harvesting from your Beehive, or receiving them as bonuses posted by your friends on their walls, for a very limited time you'll be able to send these fantastic items to friends for free, from the game's Free Gifts page.
If this is like any other "Limited Time" situation that has occurred over the past few months, this item likely won't be available to send for long - possibly not even a full day or more. That being the case, if you'd like to stock up on these helpful items, make sure to ask your friends to send you as many as possible, while the item is still available on the free gifts page.
What other freebies would you like to see added to the game's Free Gifts page? Do you like to use Fertilize Alls each time you harvest?
While you can normally earn free Fertilize Alls when harvesting from your Beehive, or receiving them as bonuses posted by your friends on their walls, for a very limited time you'll be able to send these fantastic items to friends for free, from the game's Free Gifts page.
If this is like any other "Limited Time" situation that has occurred over the past few months, this item likely won't be available to send for long - possibly not even a full day or more. That being the case, if you'd like to stock up on these helpful items, make sure to ask your friends to send you as many as possible, while the item is still available on the free gifts page.
What other freebies would you like to see added to the game's Free Gifts page? Do you like to use Fertilize Alls each time you harvest?
Cafe World New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
The countdown to the new year has officially started in Cafe World, as Zynga has launched a completely new mission line entitled "New Years Party" that will have you, you guessed it, preparing a grand celebration for the coming of the new year for all of your cafe's guests.
This mission series consists of eight parts, will reward you with three new and exclusive recipes, and will challenge you through a Catering Order. We have everything you need to know about how to complete these various goals behind the break. The New Years Party missions are labeled as I-VIII, so we'll start, of course, with New Years Party I. This mission asks you to complete three steps:
Place the Champagne Tower
Earn 500 Coins
Prepare 5 Club House Sandwiches
The Champagne Tower must be retrieved from the "Special Items" menu - the blue gem that rests alongside the menus for adding stoves and counters for your Cafe. The item is free, and takes up a single square in your cafe. The table will be empty when you place it, and you're given a brief hint as to how to fill it with glasses, and eventually Champagne - that being to simply continue completing these New Years Party Goals.
As for the Club House Sandwiches, you don't actually have to let the meal cook - you just need to set it cooking on five stoves.
The rewards for completing this first mission are 500 Cafe Coins and 500 Cafe Points.
Completing Part I instantly unlocks Part II, which asks you to complete three more steps:
Get 2 RSVPs
Buy a New Year Buffet Table
Visit 2 Neighbors
RSVPs are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending an individual gift request to those friends that you think would most likely help you out. If this is like the Holiday Dinner Party event (we assume it is), your friends will only be able to help you one time by sending RSVPs - after all, how can a friend RSVP to the same party twice in the real world?
The New Year Buffet Table, meanwhile, can be purchased from the store for 50,000 coins. It is a single square item, and you can store it instantly after purchasing it, if you don't like the look of the item in your cafe.
The reward for this second mission is a single Cafe Cash.
Part III of the New Years Party Missions introduces a new recipe to the game, that is exclusive to this event. The recipe is the Mini Crab Cakes, and you'll need to unlock it by collecting various amounts of three ingredients:
Get 10 cans of Crab Meat
Get 5 cups of Parmesan Cheese
Get 2 cups of Olive Oil
All three of these tasks can be completed by clicking on the "Ask" button next to that ingredient, and then sending individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, or at least the ones that you think will actually help you.
As we said, the reward for this mission is the Mini Crab Cakes recipe, which is a 9 hour dish. It costs 2100 coins to cook, and serves 450 at a price of 10 coins per serving, for a return of 4500 coins. The dish can be mastered, but remember, if you don't unlock it through these missions before they expire, you won't have access to the dish until (if) Zynga decides to re-release it later on.
Part IV of the mission requires you to earn more guests for your New Years Party, along with buying more decorations:
Get 6 RSVPs
Buy 1 New Year Divider
Serve 10 Cups of Ginger Ale
Ginger Ale is available to serve from the Drink Bar for 22 Energy, which supplies you with 6 cups, while the New Year Divider is available to purchase in the game's store for 15,000 coins.
Part V of the mission series asks you to collect even more recipe ingredients, and as of this writing, we're assuming that this is the mission that allows you to unlock one of the two other recipes available through this event, the Beef Skewers.
Get 15 Skewers
Get 10 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds
Get 10 Bunches of Green Onions
The Beef Skewers recipe is available to cook for 2,880 coins, and you only need to be level 8 in order to cook it. We'll make sure to give you more cooking details about this dish as they become available.
For part VI of the mission set, you'll need to add even more friends to your party, by collecting another set of RSVPs, along with collecting more general items.
Get 10 RSVPs
Get 10 Bay Leaves
Get 5 Lemons
Moving on to Part VII, we believe this will be the mission that rewards the third and final New Years recipe, the Salmon Rillettes. As you might expect, this mission requires you to collect various ingredients in order to unlock this new recipe.
Get 10 Loaves of Stale Bread
Get 10 Cups of Milk
Get 10 Cups of All Purpose Flour
Again, you'll be able to ask your friends for these items. The Salmon Rillettes recipe is available to cook for 2,786 coins and is available to users that have reached at least level 2.
Last but not least, you'll finish the New Years Party missions by completing Part VIII, which sees you adding to the Champagne Tower / Table that you purchased way back in the first mission. You'll also need to "Cater" a New Year's Party, which is a new catering order in the game. Here are the two goals as they are listed in the game:
Cater the New Year's Bash
Get 20 Bottles of Champagne
And there you have it! A very in-depth and somewhat complicated mission set in Cafe World, made even more complicated by the addition of a Catering Order in the very last mission. We won't blame you if you feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of completing all of these tasks, as we're feeling a bit stressed ourselves, considering the time sensitive nature of these missions in the game. However, Zynga has been known to be rather generous in allowing users to have time to complete these goals, even after their respective holidays have passed, so don't give up hope!
Find the rest of our New Year's coverage right here.
What do you think of these New Years Party goals in Cafe World? Too difficult? Too simplistic?
This mission series consists of eight parts, will reward you with three new and exclusive recipes, and will challenge you through a Catering Order. We have everything you need to know about how to complete these various goals behind the break. The New Years Party missions are labeled as I-VIII, so we'll start, of course, with New Years Party I. This mission asks you to complete three steps:
Place the Champagne Tower
Earn 500 Coins
Prepare 5 Club House Sandwiches
The Champagne Tower must be retrieved from the "Special Items" menu - the blue gem that rests alongside the menus for adding stoves and counters for your Cafe. The item is free, and takes up a single square in your cafe. The table will be empty when you place it, and you're given a brief hint as to how to fill it with glasses, and eventually Champagne - that being to simply continue completing these New Years Party Goals.
As for the Club House Sandwiches, you don't actually have to let the meal cook - you just need to set it cooking on five stoves.
The rewards for completing this first mission are 500 Cafe Coins and 500 Cafe Points.
Completing Part I instantly unlocks Part II, which asks you to complete three more steps:
Get 2 RSVPs
Buy a New Year Buffet Table
Visit 2 Neighbors
RSVPs are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending an individual gift request to those friends that you think would most likely help you out. If this is like the Holiday Dinner Party event (we assume it is), your friends will only be able to help you one time by sending RSVPs - after all, how can a friend RSVP to the same party twice in the real world?
The New Year Buffet Table, meanwhile, can be purchased from the store for 50,000 coins. It is a single square item, and you can store it instantly after purchasing it, if you don't like the look of the item in your cafe.
The reward for this second mission is a single Cafe Cash.
Part III of the New Years Party Missions introduces a new recipe to the game, that is exclusive to this event. The recipe is the Mini Crab Cakes, and you'll need to unlock it by collecting various amounts of three ingredients:
Get 10 cans of Crab Meat
Get 5 cups of Parmesan Cheese
Get 2 cups of Olive Oil
All three of these tasks can be completed by clicking on the "Ask" button next to that ingredient, and then sending individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, or at least the ones that you think will actually help you.
As we said, the reward for this mission is the Mini Crab Cakes recipe, which is a 9 hour dish. It costs 2100 coins to cook, and serves 450 at a price of 10 coins per serving, for a return of 4500 coins. The dish can be mastered, but remember, if you don't unlock it through these missions before they expire, you won't have access to the dish until (if) Zynga decides to re-release it later on.
Part IV of the mission requires you to earn more guests for your New Years Party, along with buying more decorations:
Get 6 RSVPs
Buy 1 New Year Divider
Serve 10 Cups of Ginger Ale
Ginger Ale is available to serve from the Drink Bar for 22 Energy, which supplies you with 6 cups, while the New Year Divider is available to purchase in the game's store for 15,000 coins.
Part V of the mission series asks you to collect even more recipe ingredients, and as of this writing, we're assuming that this is the mission that allows you to unlock one of the two other recipes available through this event, the Beef Skewers.
Get 15 Skewers
Get 10 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds
Get 10 Bunches of Green Onions
The Beef Skewers recipe is available to cook for 2,880 coins, and you only need to be level 8 in order to cook it. We'll make sure to give you more cooking details about this dish as they become available.
For part VI of the mission set, you'll need to add even more friends to your party, by collecting another set of RSVPs, along with collecting more general items.
Get 10 RSVPs
Get 10 Bay Leaves
Get 5 Lemons
Moving on to Part VII, we believe this will be the mission that rewards the third and final New Years recipe, the Salmon Rillettes. As you might expect, this mission requires you to collect various ingredients in order to unlock this new recipe.
Get 10 Loaves of Stale Bread
Get 10 Cups of Milk
Get 10 Cups of All Purpose Flour
Again, you'll be able to ask your friends for these items. The Salmon Rillettes recipe is available to cook for 2,786 coins and is available to users that have reached at least level 2.
Last but not least, you'll finish the New Years Party missions by completing Part VIII, which sees you adding to the Champagne Tower / Table that you purchased way back in the first mission. You'll also need to "Cater" a New Year's Party, which is a new catering order in the game. Here are the two goals as they are listed in the game:
Cater the New Year's Bash
Get 20 Bottles of Champagne
And there you have it! A very in-depth and somewhat complicated mission set in Cafe World, made even more complicated by the addition of a Catering Order in the very last mission. We won't blame you if you feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of completing all of these tasks, as we're feeling a bit stressed ourselves, considering the time sensitive nature of these missions in the game. However, Zynga has been known to be rather generous in allowing users to have time to complete these goals, even after their respective holidays have passed, so don't give up hope!
Find the rest of our New Year's coverage right here.
What do you think of these New Years Party goals in Cafe World? Too difficult? Too simplistic?
CityVille Winter Decorations: Ice Sculptures, Ski Slopes, Christmas Tree Lot, Ice Rink & Much More!
A huge new release of Winter-themed decorative items have been released in CityVille this evening, giving you enough snow and ice-covered goodness to really send a chill down the spines of all of your imaginary little citizens.
There are plenty of items here for both City Cash and general coins, giving everyone a chance to pick up something for their towns, whether they want to splurge on a premium item or not. To give you a bit more incentive to purchase the premium items, most are animated, so keep that in mind. Here are the new items, along with their prices:
Crab Ice Sculpture - 30 City Cash
Reindeer Ice Sculpture - 15 City Cash
Giraffe Ice Sculpture - 500 Coins
Christmas Tree Lot - 2,000 Coins
Polar Bear - 30 City Cash
Snow Angel - 5,000 Coins
Sled Hill - 30 City Cash
Bunny Slope - 45 City Cash
Ski Run - 65 City Cash
Kids Building Snowman - 20,000 Coins
Frozen Pond - 35 City Cash
Ice Rink - 40 City Cash
As of right now, there aren't any time limits associated with any of these items; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will stick around after Winter itself has passed on. Either way, you should have plenty of time to stock up on these new items (we can only hope they are semi-permanent, as some of those City Cash items will take a while to earn).
We'll be sure to let you know when Zynga adds even more items to CityVille for your shopping pleasure, so keep checking back with us!
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
There are plenty of items here for both City Cash and general coins, giving everyone a chance to pick up something for their towns, whether they want to splurge on a premium item or not. To give you a bit more incentive to purchase the premium items, most are animated, so keep that in mind. Here are the new items, along with their prices:
Crab Ice Sculpture - 30 City Cash
Reindeer Ice Sculpture - 15 City Cash
Giraffe Ice Sculpture - 500 Coins
Christmas Tree Lot - 2,000 Coins
Polar Bear - 30 City Cash
Snow Angel - 5,000 Coins
Sled Hill - 30 City Cash
Bunny Slope - 45 City Cash
Ski Run - 65 City Cash
Kids Building Snowman - 20,000 Coins
Frozen Pond - 35 City Cash
Ice Rink - 40 City Cash
As of right now, there aren't any time limits associated with any of these items; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will stick around after Winter itself has passed on. Either way, you should have plenty of time to stock up on these new items (we can only hope they are semi-permanent, as some of those City Cash items will take a while to earn).
We'll be sure to let you know when Zynga adds even more items to CityVille for your shopping pleasure, so keep checking back with us!
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
EA won't poo-poo on PopCap, CEO Riccitiello promises
Phew--EA had us worried for a second. (But keep on your toes.) After announcing that it bought casual and social games icon PopCap for a cool $650 million and some change, gamers and the press alike worried how this would affect the Seattle-based independent developer. But according to EA CEO John Riccitiello, there's no need to worry--PopCap will be treated as a "if it's not broke" situation, according to Shacknews.
For anyone who is concerned that EA will suck the creative energy out of PopCap like one of its plant-eating zombies, don't worry, but some changes will be made. "Some of their most important designers and creators and producers are stuck to perpetually working on language localization, individual handset adaptations, individual carrier adaptations," Riccitiello said during an investors call. "It's a lot of work... It's very unproductive work for great designers." This looks to be one of wrongs EA looks to right with the acquisition.
Regardless of whether you believe Riccitiello, one thing is for sure: EA means serious business when it comes to mobile and social gaming. However, whether PopCap will be enough for the company to compete with the likes of Zynga is, of course, up in the air. And considering the companies' collective players on Facebook combined just surpasses a single Zynga game, Empires & Allies, the duo certainly has lots of work to do.
For anyone who is concerned that EA will suck the creative energy out of PopCap like one of its plant-eating zombies, don't worry, but some changes will be made. "Some of their most important designers and creators and producers are stuck to perpetually working on language localization, individual handset adaptations, individual carrier adaptations," Riccitiello said during an investors call. "It's a lot of work... It's very unproductive work for great designers." This looks to be one of wrongs EA looks to right with the acquisition.
Regardless of whether you believe Riccitiello, one thing is for sure: EA means serious business when it comes to mobile and social gaming. However, whether PopCap will be enough for the company to compete with the likes of Zynga is, of course, up in the air. And considering the companies' collective players on Facebook combined just surpasses a single Zynga game, Empires & Allies, the duo certainly has lots of work to do.
PopCap's Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies coming to Facebook?
This week, Electronic Arts snapped up Bejeweled creator PopCap for roughly $650 million, and during an investor meeting yesterday shared some interesting info that might send Facebook gaming fans into a tizzy.
What's the big news? It appears that PopCap will be bringing both Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle to Facebook, based on this "Success on Facebook" presentation that was shown during the meeting (see below).
popcap success on facebook
Play close attention to item #4 which says "Future outlook is strong with top IP from both EA and PopCap to come," followed by logos from Risk: Factions, The Sims Social (two EA games we know for sure are headed to Facebook), as well as logos for Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies.
In May, PopCap announced plans to release a socialized version of its zombie- and plant-themed tower defense game -- called Plants vs. Zombies Social Edition -- exclusively on China's social network Renren.com. This new socialized version of the game includes a two-minute Rampage mode, where you try to kill as many zombies as possible before the clock runs out. At the time of the announcement, the possibility of this game migrating to Facebook seemed slim, but in the brave new world of EA/PopCap, it looks like it just might happen.
What's the big news? It appears that PopCap will be bringing both Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle to Facebook, based on this "Success on Facebook" presentation that was shown during the meeting (see below).
popcap success on facebook
Play close attention to item #4 which says "Future outlook is strong with top IP from both EA and PopCap to come," followed by logos from Risk: Factions, The Sims Social (two EA games we know for sure are headed to Facebook), as well as logos for Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies.
In May, PopCap announced plans to release a socialized version of its zombie- and plant-themed tower defense game -- called Plants vs. Zombies Social Edition -- exclusively on China's social network Renren.com. This new socialized version of the game includes a two-minute Rampage mode, where you try to kill as many zombies as possible before the clock runs out. At the time of the announcement, the possibility of this game migrating to Facebook seemed slim, but in the brave new world of EA/PopCap, it looks like it just might happen.
Scene It? Daily prods your pop culture chops on Facebook, iPhone, Android
No longer will you be out of the loop when someone at a party quotes The Godfather 3. (Seriously, who even watched that one?) Screenlife, the creators of the hit Scene It? pop culture trivia board games, has launched a cross-platform social game for Facebook, iPhone and Android devices. It's called Scene It? Daily, and it allows players to start and finish trivia puzzle across devices.
"For example, begin playing a celebrity-themed quiz on your mobile device during the commute to work, and finish it up on Facebook once you get to the office," Screenlife explained in a statement. "Or try beating the TV quiz sitting at home on the couch."
The reason for the "Daily" moniker is that the game will be updated, well, daily with new questions across about movies, music, TV and celebrities. The game features a single log-in for each player across all devices, and a unified leader board to aspire to (or dominate).
And while in-game, players can take advantage of streak bonuses for answering multiple questions correctly in a row, and three different power-ups to gain competitive advantage. Now I guess I have no excuse for not knowing what Taylor Swift wore to the Grammys last night ... or something like that.
Scene It? Daily
"For example, begin playing a celebrity-themed quiz on your mobile device during the commute to work, and finish it up on Facebook once you get to the office," Screenlife explained in a statement. "Or try beating the TV quiz sitting at home on the couch."
The reason for the "Daily" moniker is that the game will be updated, well, daily with new questions across about movies, music, TV and celebrities. The game features a single log-in for each player across all devices, and a unified leader board to aspire to (or dominate).
And while in-game, players can take advantage of streak bonuses for answering multiple questions correctly in a row, and three different power-ups to gain competitive advantage. Now I guess I have no excuse for not knowing what Taylor Swift wore to the Grammys last night ... or something like that.
Scene It? Daily
Play Facebook games on your iPad with iSwifter ... for $2.99 a month
Wait, but aren't Facebook games supposed to be free? Why yes, yes they are. But thanks to iSwifter, an iPad app with a $2.99 monthly subscription, you can play Flash-based Facebook games right on your 10-inch tablet. (Seriously, what can't you do on that thing?)
VentureBeat reports that Youweb chairman Peter Relan, the financial incubator for iSwifter, revealed at the GamesBeat conference in San Francisco that 500 thousand Facebook gamers are paying for the app. And we're willing to bet (five bucks?) that those 500 thousand players are of the same 3 percent companies like Zynga rely on to buy their digital goods like Farm Cash and new Sheep patterns.
Considering 40 percent of all games played through iSwifter are Zynga games, according to VentureBeat, we'll take that five dollars now. The most popular games on iSwifter are CityVille and Empires & Allies--what a surprise.
iSwifter for iPad
The app converts what would be mouse clicks on standard PCs into touches in real time, meaning what you're playing within iSwifter is actually the game on Facebook. However, you must be constantly connected to a WiFi source in order to play Facebook games through the app. With all of these stipulations--and a subscription fee at that--it looks like some hardcore social gamers will stop at nothing to play their favorite games on the go.
VentureBeat reports that Youweb chairman Peter Relan, the financial incubator for iSwifter, revealed at the GamesBeat conference in San Francisco that 500 thousand Facebook gamers are paying for the app. And we're willing to bet (five bucks?) that those 500 thousand players are of the same 3 percent companies like Zynga rely on to buy their digital goods like Farm Cash and new Sheep patterns.
Considering 40 percent of all games played through iSwifter are Zynga games, according to VentureBeat, we'll take that five dollars now. The most popular games on iSwifter are CityVille and Empires & Allies--what a surprise.
iSwifter for iPad
The app converts what would be mouse clicks on standard PCs into touches in real time, meaning what you're playing within iSwifter is actually the game on Facebook. However, you must be constantly connected to a WiFi source in order to play Facebook games through the app. With all of these stipulations--and a subscription fee at that--it looks like some hardcore social gamers will stop at nothing to play their favorite games on the go.
Rumor: Zynga offered PopCap $1 billion in cold, hard cash
Smart move, guys. PopCap apparently turned down $1 billion in straight cash from Zynga before agreeing to EA's offer of $650 million in cash, Forbes reports. (Keep in mind that another $100 million in EA stock and a $550 million bonus based on performance over two years were also part of the deal, totaling a potential of $1.3 billion.)
Forbes cites an unnamed source, who claims that Zynga would have financed the deal in part thanks to Goldman Sachs, which is one of the underwriters leading the company's $1.5 billion IPO. And, according to Forbes, Zynga had just under $1 billion in cash as of March 31, implying that the company was willing to put up almost all of its clams for the Bejeweled creator.
If anything, it makes you wonder what Zynga would have done with PopCap. Take over the world ... for real? (Nah, it would probably just make more games ... world dominating games!)
Forbes cites an unnamed source, who claims that Zynga would have financed the deal in part thanks to Goldman Sachs, which is one of the underwriters leading the company's $1.5 billion IPO. And, according to Forbes, Zynga had just under $1 billion in cash as of March 31, implying that the company was willing to put up almost all of its clams for the Bejeweled creator.
If anything, it makes you wonder what Zynga would have done with PopCap. Take over the world ... for real? (Nah, it would probably just make more games ... world dominating games!)
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Mass Effect for Facebook looks even more likely, job posting suggests
And honestly, with how well Dragon Age Legends (DAL) did (and how impressive of a game it is) when its companion Dragon Age 2 launched this year, why wouldn't it be? Mass Effect is even bigger than Dragon Age--that's enough to convince me, but alas, we have another piece of hard evidence. Inside Social Games reports that Bioware is looking for "a well-rounded Artist to work on an exciting, new, social game for gamers," a job posting reads.
More specifically, the job is based in Bioware San Francisco. You know, the studio that was born of EA2D, the social game arm of Bioware's parent company? The studio that was also wholly responsible for Dragon Age Legends? (Hopefully, this is all coming together now.) While the text does well to avoid pointing out any Bioware franchise in particular, the timing is simply too close to the release of Mass Effect 3.
The console game releases on March 6, 2012, and most social game development cycles range between six and nine months. The job posting calls specifically for an experienced concept and UI artist, meaning this game could be past early planning stages already.
While DAL never cleared the 1 million monthly players most Facebook games strive for, again, Mass Effect has much more mainstream appeal than Dragon Age and could easily blow past 1 million monthly players. We have only one request, Bioware: Please, somehow, make it involve a Reaper?
More specifically, the job is based in Bioware San Francisco. You know, the studio that was born of EA2D, the social game arm of Bioware's parent company? The studio that was also wholly responsible for Dragon Age Legends? (Hopefully, this is all coming together now.) While the text does well to avoid pointing out any Bioware franchise in particular, the timing is simply too close to the release of Mass Effect 3.
The console game releases on March 6, 2012, and most social game development cycles range between six and nine months. The job posting calls specifically for an experienced concept and UI artist, meaning this game could be past early planning stages already.
While DAL never cleared the 1 million monthly players most Facebook games strive for, again, Mass Effect has much more mainstream appeal than Dragon Age and could easily blow past 1 million monthly players. We have only one request, Bioware: Please, somehow, make it involve a Reaper?
Monster Galaxy makes iPhones even more addictive at no charge
At this rate, we may as well just graft iPhones to our arms ... or make iWatches (©®™). Gaia Online has released Monster Galaxy, its hit Pokemon-style Facebook game with over 9 million monthly players, to iOS devices, Inside Social Games reports. However, the game is a standalone version of what you'll find on Facebook, meaning there is no connection to your Facebook friends in this version.
The game is much similar to its popular Facebook counterpart in that players become Moga Tamers--the Mogas being the 137 monsters you must capture on a linear journey. The game, officially titled "Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands," relies heavily on the astrological theme with many of its monsters and much of its art reflecting the Zodiac. Players navigate several islands, finding wild Moga to capture and plenty of other Moga Tamers to do battle with.
Speaking of which, combat in Monster Galaxy is a turn-based affair, much like its primary source of inspiration, but rewards players for good timing as well as matching up Zodiac types correctly. (Just like in Pokemon, certain Mogas are more powerful or weaker against other types.)
Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands
Unlike Pokemon and more like Facebook games, Monster Galaxy limits how much players can do in a given sitting, as each step the player takes between battles consumes Energy. Yes, the Facebook gaming staple has encroached upon iPhone games, and this is far from the first. Of course, you can buy more Energy and other items for the green stuff. Hey, the game is free, and looks to be the only Pokemon-like fix you'll ever get on your iPhone. Is that enough convincing for ya?
The game is much similar to its popular Facebook counterpart in that players become Moga Tamers--the Mogas being the 137 monsters you must capture on a linear journey. The game, officially titled "Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands," relies heavily on the astrological theme with many of its monsters and much of its art reflecting the Zodiac. Players navigate several islands, finding wild Moga to capture and plenty of other Moga Tamers to do battle with.
Speaking of which, combat in Monster Galaxy is a turn-based affair, much like its primary source of inspiration, but rewards players for good timing as well as matching up Zodiac types correctly. (Just like in Pokemon, certain Mogas are more powerful or weaker against other types.)
Monster Galaxy: The Zodiac Islands
Unlike Pokemon and more like Facebook games, Monster Galaxy limits how much players can do in a given sitting, as each step the player takes between battles consumes Energy. Yes, the Facebook gaming staple has encroached upon iPhone games, and this is far from the first. Of course, you can buy more Energy and other items for the green stuff. Hey, the game is free, and looks to be the only Pokemon-like fix you'll ever get on your iPhone. Is that enough convincing for ya?
Facebook games are 'not where our interests lie,' Fallout 3 maker says
So, no post-apoc mutant murder fests on Facebook then, huh? During an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Fallout 3 creator Bethesda's Pete Hines said, "That's not where our interests lie," referring to Facebook and mobile games. "That's not what we're known for and it's not the kind of stuff we've traditionally done."
Bethesda, which recently acquired Doom creator--and Loot Drop founder John Romero's original stomping ground--id Software, is currently working to release the fifth Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim (pictured). The game looks like it will certainly grab several Game of the Year nods when it releases to consoles Nov. 11. But even as future Game of the Year contenders like Mass Effect 3 could be getting the Facebook treatment, Bethesda simply doesn't see the connection.
"I guess I would put it this way: I want to make the kind of games that somebody who likes Rage would want to play, and who likes Skyrim would want to play, and there's a much clearer path from the guy who likes Rage is also probably going to like Skyrim also probably likes Prey 2 also probably likes Dishonored, or at least there's a much bigger chance of moving an audience from one to the next," Hines said to GamesIndustry.biz.
Basically, despite the fact that hardcore social gamers near 80 million, Hines doesn't see Bethesda effectively reaching its audience through Facebook. Well, it's either that or Hines doesn't buy that a large enough portion of its audience could be there.
While Hine said that he wouldn't want to "go off and do something that is completely different that we don't have a lot of expertise and knowledge of," he fails to mention how most of its competitors got into this at all: buying out folks that do know. Fine Bethesda, I didn't want Skyrim on Facebook anyway (still totally buying it)!
Bethesda, which recently acquired Doom creator--and Loot Drop founder John Romero's original stomping ground--id Software, is currently working to release the fifth Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim (pictured). The game looks like it will certainly grab several Game of the Year nods when it releases to consoles Nov. 11. But even as future Game of the Year contenders like Mass Effect 3 could be getting the Facebook treatment, Bethesda simply doesn't see the connection.
"I guess I would put it this way: I want to make the kind of games that somebody who likes Rage would want to play, and who likes Skyrim would want to play, and there's a much clearer path from the guy who likes Rage is also probably going to like Skyrim also probably likes Prey 2 also probably likes Dishonored, or at least there's a much bigger chance of moving an audience from one to the next," Hines said to GamesIndustry.biz.
Basically, despite the fact that hardcore social gamers near 80 million, Hines doesn't see Bethesda effectively reaching its audience through Facebook. Well, it's either that or Hines doesn't buy that a large enough portion of its audience could be there.
While Hine said that he wouldn't want to "go off and do something that is completely different that we don't have a lot of expertise and knowledge of," he fails to mention how most of its competitors got into this at all: buying out folks that do know. Fine Bethesda, I didn't want Skyrim on Facebook anyway (still totally buying it)!
Google+ Games hit the iPad, thanks to iSwifter update
If you're willing to pay to play a free Facebook game on your iPad, then enjoy the ability to pay to play free Google+ Games, too. VentureBeat reports that iSwifter, the nifty iPad app that allows users to play Flash-based Facebook games on the device, just opened itself up to the growing stable of games on Google+ in update 4.1.
Available for free in the App Store (though, the app itself charges a subscription fee), the update essentially allows players to access the Google+ games in a mock browser that streams the information from the Flash-based games. This is, of course, because iOS devices are notorious for their lack of Flash support.
"The iSwifter platform's "instant-on" streaming capability makes it pretty quick and easy to add new games," iSwifter founder Rajat Ali told VentureBeat. And we're gonna go off on a limb and say that Ali's words mean this is just the beginning for iSwifter.
Crime City in iSwifter for iPad
Well, until Project Spartan, the rumored not-so-secret effort to bring a full-featured, game and app-rich Facebook to mobile browsers, releases. But considering the app has garnered over 500,000 paying players since its release, we're sure iSwifter has some tricks up its sleeves to maintain relevant as the industry shifts.
Available for free in the App Store (though, the app itself charges a subscription fee), the update essentially allows players to access the Google+ games in a mock browser that streams the information from the Flash-based games. This is, of course, because iOS devices are notorious for their lack of Flash support.
"The iSwifter platform's "instant-on" streaming capability makes it pretty quick and easy to add new games," iSwifter founder Rajat Ali told VentureBeat. And we're gonna go off on a limb and say that Ali's words mean this is just the beginning for iSwifter.
Crime City in iSwifter for iPad
Well, until Project Spartan, the rumored not-so-secret effort to bring a full-featured, game and app-rich Facebook to mobile browsers, releases. But considering the app has garnered over 500,000 paying players since its release, we're sure iSwifter has some tricks up its sleeves to maintain relevant as the industry shifts.
OpenFeint looks more like Facebook with GameFeed update on iOS
There are some things that Facebook just does right, and it shows in every social network since. The 115 million player-strong mobile social gaming network, OpenFeint, got the hint, too. The company of the same name just released the GameFeed to its iOS SDK (software development kit), TechCrunch reports.
This will allow mobile game creators to include OpenFeint's GameFeed into their iOS games along with all the other social game-like features OpenFeint offers.The GameFeed will appear as a news ticker of sorts in the OpenFeint hub of games that support it, providing players with updates on their friends profiles and progress in other games like achievements.
While the GameFeed has been available to Android game creators since around June, this sure does sound a lot like the Games Ticker on Facebook. (At least it does on paper, anyway.) According to TechCrunch, OpenFeint claims that during beta tests with 24 people, GameFeed increased sessions-per-user by 25 percent, and that some developers are experiencing a 60 percent in sessions-per-user.
OpenFeint GameFeed
This seems to imply that the existence of the GameFeed increases players' tendency to return to their games multiple times. Surely, this technology will come in handy for Japanese mobile game publisher Gree's upcoming global mobile social games network, powered by OpenFeint.
This will allow mobile game creators to include OpenFeint's GameFeed into their iOS games along with all the other social game-like features OpenFeint offers.The GameFeed will appear as a news ticker of sorts in the OpenFeint hub of games that support it, providing players with updates on their friends profiles and progress in other games like achievements.
While the GameFeed has been available to Android game creators since around June, this sure does sound a lot like the Games Ticker on Facebook. (At least it does on paper, anyway.) According to TechCrunch, OpenFeint claims that during beta tests with 24 people, GameFeed increased sessions-per-user by 25 percent, and that some developers are experiencing a 60 percent in sessions-per-user.
OpenFeint GameFeed
This seems to imply that the existence of the GameFeed increases players' tendency to return to their games multiple times. Surely, this technology will come in handy for Japanese mobile game publisher Gree's upcoming global mobile social games network, powered by OpenFeint.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
GDC 2011: The social gaming sessions to watch
The annual Game Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco, California is rapidly coming up on February 28 through March 4. The country's largest gathering of professionals who make the games that entertain us has become the hot spot for social gaming conversations. This year, the Online and Social Gaming track contains some intriguing sessions that will appeal to those interested in social games. The session details have all been released, and we've pulled out a list of the most interesting sounding social gaming panels at GDC 2011.
City of Wonder: Postmortem by Troy Whitlock (Playdom) and Ben Liu (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about how City of Wonder used core game mechanics as the inspiration for compelling casual social gameplay. They will learn about the creative and development process for the features that helped make City of Wonder a success.
Social Mechanics for Social Games by Raph Koster (Playdom)
Learn about core human psychology driving social games, and walk away with a clear list of game mechanics that encourage social structures and human relationships, thereby driving retention.
Designing Games for the "43-Year-Old Woman" by Chris Trottier (Zynga)
If gamers are from Mars; moms are from elsewhere. Designing for them requires rejiggering the toolbox: magnifying some tools, adding others, and discarding a few. Chris (a failed hardcore gamer, closeted casual gamer, and 40-something mom) will share some observations that have helped her serve these (somewhat accidental) players.
Social Network Games in Retrospective - Are We Being Social? by Patricia Pizer (Consultant)
Ideas and principles for creating more engaging, more socially active games for social networks. Both practical and theoretical, attendees will have immediately implementable concepts for improving their games.
Cloning Social Games - Nothing New Here Or Is There? by Sean Kane (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Attendees will be provided with the tools to determine when cloning another social game is legitimate and when it is potential infringement. This information will be paramount for developers in planning strategies to protect their social games while identifying what aspects of other social games may be ripe for legitimate imitation.
It's In the Game: The Making of FIFA SUPERSTARS by Jeferson Valadares (Playfish)
Attendees will leave with an understanding of what makes FIFA SUPERSTARS unique and the reasons behind the choices in the creation and evolution of this game.
No Freaking Respect! Social Game Developers Rant Back by Scott Jon Siegel (Playdom), Chris Hecker (definition six, inc.), Eric Zimmerman (Independent), Trip Hawkins (Digital Chocolate), Brenda Brathwaite (Lolapps), Ian Bogost (The Georgia Institute of Technology), Brian Reynolds (Zynga), Jason Della Rocca (Perimeter Partners) and Steve Meretzky (Playdom)
Do you REALLY think you know what social game designers care about? Think again. Come to this session prepared to have your assumptions questioned and your sensibilities shaken. Do not attend if you are squeamish about seeing panelists tear the game industry limb from limb.
Behavioral Economics and Social Games by Peter Fishman (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about social psychology research on departures from hyper-rational behavior, and how social games incorporate these lessons from psychology.
There are many more social and online game related talks, but these are the ones that seem the most interesting to us. We'll be covering these sessions, so you can expect Games.com - The Blog! to be the place to get your social gaming news during GDC 2011.
City of Wonder: Postmortem by Troy Whitlock (Playdom) and Ben Liu (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about how City of Wonder used core game mechanics as the inspiration for compelling casual social gameplay. They will learn about the creative and development process for the features that helped make City of Wonder a success.
Social Mechanics for Social Games by Raph Koster (Playdom)
Learn about core human psychology driving social games, and walk away with a clear list of game mechanics that encourage social structures and human relationships, thereby driving retention.
Designing Games for the "43-Year-Old Woman" by Chris Trottier (Zynga)
If gamers are from Mars; moms are from elsewhere. Designing for them requires rejiggering the toolbox: magnifying some tools, adding others, and discarding a few. Chris (a failed hardcore gamer, closeted casual gamer, and 40-something mom) will share some observations that have helped her serve these (somewhat accidental) players.
Social Network Games in Retrospective - Are We Being Social? by Patricia Pizer (Consultant)
Ideas and principles for creating more engaging, more socially active games for social networks. Both practical and theoretical, attendees will have immediately implementable concepts for improving their games.
Cloning Social Games - Nothing New Here Or Is There? by Sean Kane (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Attendees will be provided with the tools to determine when cloning another social game is legitimate and when it is potential infringement. This information will be paramount for developers in planning strategies to protect their social games while identifying what aspects of other social games may be ripe for legitimate imitation.
It's In the Game: The Making of FIFA SUPERSTARS by Jeferson Valadares (Playfish)
Attendees will leave with an understanding of what makes FIFA SUPERSTARS unique and the reasons behind the choices in the creation and evolution of this game.
No Freaking Respect! Social Game Developers Rant Back by Scott Jon Siegel (Playdom), Chris Hecker (definition six, inc.), Eric Zimmerman (Independent), Trip Hawkins (Digital Chocolate), Brenda Brathwaite (Lolapps), Ian Bogost (The Georgia Institute of Technology), Brian Reynolds (Zynga), Jason Della Rocca (Perimeter Partners) and Steve Meretzky (Playdom)
Do you REALLY think you know what social game designers care about? Think again. Come to this session prepared to have your assumptions questioned and your sensibilities shaken. Do not attend if you are squeamish about seeing panelists tear the game industry limb from limb.
Behavioral Economics and Social Games by Peter Fishman (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about social psychology research on departures from hyper-rational behavior, and how social games incorporate these lessons from psychology.
There are many more social and online game related talks, but these are the ones that seem the most interesting to us. We'll be covering these sessions, so you can expect Games.com - The Blog! to be the place to get your social gaming news during GDC 2011.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Ice Cat, Ice Donkey and Ice Pig, oh my!
Ice Elephant Ice Goat Ice Horse
Now, we know that the Winter Wonderland theme in FarmVille has been pretty extreme with Ski Slopes and giant Rock Waterfalls, but to literally freeze the animals? That's just wrong, Zynga! Alright, so they're not really frozen animals--they are just sculptures. (But that would be pretty cool, eh?) FarmVille Freak has found another collection of unreleased Ice Sculptures in the game that we can only guess will find their way to the farm.
Ice Owl Ice Pig Ice Cat
The icy animal sculptures include an Ice Cat, Ice Donkey, Ice Elephant, Ice Goat, Ice Horse, Ice Owl and Ice Pig. Since the game already has introduced a few ice sculptures just recently, these are more than likely to make it into the game. But, again, no guarantees. Stay tuned for when it might get even chillier in FarmVille.
Now, we know that the Winter Wonderland theme in FarmVille has been pretty extreme with Ski Slopes and giant Rock Waterfalls, but to literally freeze the animals? That's just wrong, Zynga! Alright, so they're not really frozen animals--they are just sculptures. (But that would be pretty cool, eh?) FarmVille Freak has found another collection of unreleased Ice Sculptures in the game that we can only guess will find their way to the farm.
Ice Owl Ice Pig Ice Cat
The icy animal sculptures include an Ice Cat, Ice Donkey, Ice Elephant, Ice Goat, Ice Horse, Ice Owl and Ice Pig. Since the game already has introduced a few ice sculptures just recently, these are more than likely to make it into the game. But, again, no guarantees. Stay tuned for when it might get even chillier in FarmVille.
FarmVille offers daily rewards for entering game via Facebook bookmark
FarmVille-maker Zynga really wants to make sure you bookmark this game -- first through the semi-controversial 'Reunite Them' promo that recently started appearing at the top of the game and now, by offering daily rewards for anyone who enters the game using a Facebook bookmark (located on the left hand side of your Facebook page). The rewards are currently all existing items (some more desirable than others) and include the following:
Arborists
Farmhands
Clumsy reindeer
Brick
Bee
Penguin
Shovels
Fuel
Fertilize All
Llama
Arborists
Farmhands
Clumsy reindeer
Brick
Bee
Penguin
Shovels
Fuel
Fertilize All
Llama
FrontierVille: Help Zynga pick new animals to bring to the game
If you'd like to have an impact on what happens in FrontierVille in the future (at least where new animal additions are concerned), you now have that chance, as Zynga has launched a user poll over on the official FrontierVille forums, where you can choose from a list of animals (a wide variety of animals at that), with your pick being the animal that you'd most like to see added to the game.
The choices are Skunk, Raccoon, Antelope, Moose, Peacock, Camel, Unicorn, Pony, and Pegasus. Of course, some of these animals could have a much more realistic role in the game, while we have fantasy animals like Unicorns and even Pegasus to choose from, if you're into that sort of thing.
Surprisingly, most users apparently want to keep to the realism, rather than heading into a world of fantasy, as right now the two leaders are Skunk and Raccoon, with 353, and 381 votes, respectively, of the almost 1,000 people that have voted. If you'd like to vote for any of these animals, you'll need to head over to the official forum thread, login with either Facebook Connect or your own registered account and then vote. You can also discuss your choice with other FrontierVille players in the thread - who knows, Zynga might read your comment and make your suggestions come to life within the game!
The choices are Skunk, Raccoon, Antelope, Moose, Peacock, Camel, Unicorn, Pony, and Pegasus. Of course, some of these animals could have a much more realistic role in the game, while we have fantasy animals like Unicorns and even Pegasus to choose from, if you're into that sort of thing.
Surprisingly, most users apparently want to keep to the realism, rather than heading into a world of fantasy, as right now the two leaders are Skunk and Raccoon, with 353, and 381 votes, respectively, of the almost 1,000 people that have voted. If you'd like to vote for any of these animals, you'll need to head over to the official forum thread, login with either Facebook Connect or your own registered account and then vote. You can also discuss your choice with other FrontierVille players in the thread - who knows, Zynga might read your comment and make your suggestions come to life within the game!
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Greenhouse building project on the way?
In this FarmVIlle Sneak Peek, we've come across four images of a "buildable" Greenhouse that looks like it will be released in the game in the near future. If you're having a bit of deja vu at this point, bear with us, as we're experiencing it too. Not to be confused with the Botanical Garden released in the game way back in April of 2010 (or the iPhone exclusive Green House cube released this week), this is an entirely new building, decorated with plant life in mind.
The construction of the Greenhouse looks to take place over four parts, with all four stages being represented at the top of this post. Each stage, as you would expect, makes the Greenhouse grow in not only size, but also in complexity, as it transforms from a mere rectangular shape into a sort of cross, with all sorts of flowers, fruits and vegetables growing inside.
Details concerning the function of this Greenhouse are still non-existant, so unfortunately images are all we have to go on. Either way, the Botanical Garden served no purpose other than being decorative when it was released, so we're hoping that Zynga has learned its lesson with this similar item - after all, many farmers will simply choose not to build a structure (that is, not waste building ingredients) when they know all their work will simply go to an item that takes up space with no return.
We'll be sure to let you know when and if this Greenhouse officially debuts in the game, but keep in mind there is no guarantee that we'll see the item in the game.
What do you think of these Greenhouse images? If the Greenhouse is purely decorative, will you still work on building it, or will you save your farm land for something functional instead?
The construction of the Greenhouse looks to take place over four parts, with all four stages being represented at the top of this post. Each stage, as you would expect, makes the Greenhouse grow in not only size, but also in complexity, as it transforms from a mere rectangular shape into a sort of cross, with all sorts of flowers, fruits and vegetables growing inside.
Details concerning the function of this Greenhouse are still non-existant, so unfortunately images are all we have to go on. Either way, the Botanical Garden served no purpose other than being decorative when it was released, so we're hoping that Zynga has learned its lesson with this similar item - after all, many farmers will simply choose not to build a structure (that is, not waste building ingredients) when they know all their work will simply go to an item that takes up space with no return.
We'll be sure to let you know when and if this Greenhouse officially debuts in the game, but keep in mind there is no guarantee that we'll see the item in the game.
What do you think of these Greenhouse images? If the Greenhouse is purely decorative, will you still work on building it, or will you save your farm land for something functional instead?
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille: Say goodbye to most Valentine's Day items tonight
If you're the kind that has made an art form out of procrastinating, here's your last call for the vast majority of limited edition Valentine's Day decorations in FarmVille. For weeks now, we've brought you the news concerning a whole slew of themed items being released in the game's store, about half of which have been counting down to an expiration date of this evening.
As there are so many items available in this theme, it's nice to see Zynga keeping some of the more recently released items available for a few days more (less than a week in most cases), but if you've been even a bit interested in purchasing the following items, you have less than three hours to pull out your virtual pocketbook and start some last-minute shopping.
Cinnamon Heart / Giant Cinnamon Heart Tree
Heart Candy / Giant Heart Candy Tree
Pink Persian Cat
Elder Duck
Hooded Merganser
Heart Pig
Valentine Mini Pony
Heart Rabbit
Find the rest of the expiring items behind the break.
In addition to the above animals and trees, the following decorative items are also being removed from FarmVille's marketplace this evening:
Romantic Cottage
Romantic Gazebo
Love Shack
Love Gondola
Romantic Picnic
Valentine Gnome
Romantic Coach
Valentine Snowman
Valentine Teddy
Venus Gnome
On top of these items, decorations like the Rose Bush, and animals like the Valentine Cow are now down to their final day in the store as well. With so many items expiring, make sure to at least take one final glance at them in the market to decide if you'll regret not purchasing them this year. Sure, some of these items may be released come Valentine's Day 2012, but do you really want to risk that your favorite item won't make a comeback?
As there are so many items available in this theme, it's nice to see Zynga keeping some of the more recently released items available for a few days more (less than a week in most cases), but if you've been even a bit interested in purchasing the following items, you have less than three hours to pull out your virtual pocketbook and start some last-minute shopping.
Cinnamon Heart / Giant Cinnamon Heart Tree
Heart Candy / Giant Heart Candy Tree
Pink Persian Cat
Elder Duck
Hooded Merganser
Heart Pig
Valentine Mini Pony
Heart Rabbit
Find the rest of the expiring items behind the break.
In addition to the above animals and trees, the following decorative items are also being removed from FarmVille's marketplace this evening:
Romantic Cottage
Romantic Gazebo
Love Shack
Love Gondola
Romantic Picnic
Valentine Gnome
Romantic Coach
Valentine Snowman
Valentine Teddy
Venus Gnome
On top of these items, decorations like the Rose Bush, and animals like the Valentine Cow are now down to their final day in the store as well. With so many items expiring, make sure to at least take one final glance at them in the market to decide if you'll regret not purchasing them this year. Sure, some of these items may be released come Valentine's Day 2012, but do you really want to risk that your favorite item won't make a comeback?
FrontierVille Buildin' a Ski Trail Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
After quite the break from timed missions in FrontierVille, Zynga has finally launched a new one this evening entitled "Buildin' a Ski Trail." This mission will have you completing three relatively simple tasks within a five day time limit, all in the hopes of receiving the new Ski Rack item that we brought you a sneak peek of at the end of January.
You'll have until the end of the month - February 28 - to accept this mission on your land, so feel free to hold off on accepting it until you've completed the other things on your plate. As we said, you'll have five days to complete this mission to earn 500 XP, 500 coins, and the Ski Rack decorative item, so meet us behind the break for all of the details about how to complete this new timed mission.
The three steps required to complete this mission are:
Clear 30 debris from Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest 10 Cherry Trees on Your Homestead
Get 10 Trail Markers from your Friends
With these steps, you'll be able to clearly see which tasks need to be performed on your own land, and which can be completed only when visiting neighbors. For the clearing debris step, if you have six neighbors that have quit the game entirely, make sure to scroll to the far left of your friends list to visit those neighbors first. Likely, their land will be so overgrown with weeds and flowers that you'll have no problem knocking this requirement out, and fast at that.
As for the Trail Markers, you'll need to ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests. As this mission has rolled out to users, it's likely that some of your friends have already asked you for these Trail Markers - you'll just need to accept their requests to receive Trail Markers back for yourself.
As a reminder, the prizes for finishing this mission are 500 XP, 500 coins and the Ski Rack. It's actually one of the easiest timed missions we've ever seen in the game, so you should have an easy time of it if you follow our simple step for finding enough debris.
You'll have until the end of the month - February 28 - to accept this mission on your land, so feel free to hold off on accepting it until you've completed the other things on your plate. As we said, you'll have five days to complete this mission to earn 500 XP, 500 coins, and the Ski Rack decorative item, so meet us behind the break for all of the details about how to complete this new timed mission.
The three steps required to complete this mission are:
Clear 30 debris from Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest 10 Cherry Trees on Your Homestead
Get 10 Trail Markers from your Friends
With these steps, you'll be able to clearly see which tasks need to be performed on your own land, and which can be completed only when visiting neighbors. For the clearing debris step, if you have six neighbors that have quit the game entirely, make sure to scroll to the far left of your friends list to visit those neighbors first. Likely, their land will be so overgrown with weeds and flowers that you'll have no problem knocking this requirement out, and fast at that.
As for the Trail Markers, you'll need to ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests. As this mission has rolled out to users, it's likely that some of your friends have already asked you for these Trail Markers - you'll just need to accept their requests to receive Trail Markers back for yourself.
As a reminder, the prizes for finishing this mission are 500 XP, 500 coins and the Ski Rack. It's actually one of the easiest timed missions we've ever seen in the game, so you should have an easy time of it if you follow our simple step for finding enough debris.
Game of the Day: Airport Mania: First Flight
The game of the day is taking to the friendly skies. Airport Mania: First Flight is a cute and colorful romp though air traffic controllers lives. In this airport time management classic, you play the role of an air traffic controller who has to make sure all your planes and passangers get where they need to go. Fun, inventive and full of powerups, Airport Mania will have you saying "Wow, I love running airports!" (Cartoon one's at least!)
Click here to play Airport Mania: First Flight
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click here to play Airport Mania: First Flight
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Are social games really 'evil'?
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, game developer Jonathan Blow was asked whether he though social games are "evil." The Braid creator responded with an emphatic, "Yes. Absolutely." Currently working on his second major release, The Witness, the independent game designer has spoken choice words about the genre in the past. But this is the first time Blow has associated social games with such a Biblical term as evil. His argument is that by design social games invade your free time as a whole by stringing you along to the next object or feature that you want. But does this make social games evil?
Jonathan BlowBy design, social games tend to be exploitative. "If you want to play more, you've got to pay more," is the motto of just about every game on Facebook. And Blow (pictured right) points this trait out repeatedly in his time with PC Gamer, but with a lens that every social gamer will become hopelessly obsessed with games like CityVille or Bejeweled Blitz. So are they the Grinch of the gaming industry? Sure they are, but in saying that we're deeming one half of the equation completely innocent: the players.
Yes, there have been plenty of tragic cases of social game addiction over the past year, but compared to the 250 million Facebook gamers out there this is nothing. Are MMOs like World of WarCraft evil for supporting the addictive tendencies of gamers? How about the Call of Duty series? If this is the case, then every game that persists for longer than its shelf life through enticing downloadable content (DLC), expansion packs or a subscription fee is evil. At least just a smidgen.
Mass Effect 2 by Bioware received Game of the Year at the Interactive Achievement Awards this year, but technically speaking it wasn't complete upon release. DLC has extended its story ... for a price. You could easily argue that BioWare could have extended its development cycle to include this content at the same launch price of $60. Yet the developer decided to do the unthinkable and charge us extra to experience the rest of its story. And we all put up the $5 or $10 more time after time.
Exploitative? Absolutely. Evil? Well, you don't have to buy it, right?
Or do you? Games might not have in the 1980s, but today just about all types of games play to the varying levels of addictive tendencies in all of us. The engrossing storyline in BioShock can be just as addicting as the risk-reward, carrot-on-the-stick gameplay of FarmVille. But we're equally responsible for shutting the computer down and, say, loving our children. Blow might have directed his statement at social game designers, but players are equally as important in the design process and we have a certain level of control over what's created. Social games, like all video games, are only as evil as you allow them to be.
[Image Credit: Deccan Chronicle]
Do you think social games are inherently evil? How responsible are game designers for the exploitative nature of their games?
Jonathan BlowBy design, social games tend to be exploitative. "If you want to play more, you've got to pay more," is the motto of just about every game on Facebook. And Blow (pictured right) points this trait out repeatedly in his time with PC Gamer, but with a lens that every social gamer will become hopelessly obsessed with games like CityVille or Bejeweled Blitz. So are they the Grinch of the gaming industry? Sure they are, but in saying that we're deeming one half of the equation completely innocent: the players.
Yes, there have been plenty of tragic cases of social game addiction over the past year, but compared to the 250 million Facebook gamers out there this is nothing. Are MMOs like World of WarCraft evil for supporting the addictive tendencies of gamers? How about the Call of Duty series? If this is the case, then every game that persists for longer than its shelf life through enticing downloadable content (DLC), expansion packs or a subscription fee is evil. At least just a smidgen.
Mass Effect 2 by Bioware received Game of the Year at the Interactive Achievement Awards this year, but technically speaking it wasn't complete upon release. DLC has extended its story ... for a price. You could easily argue that BioWare could have extended its development cycle to include this content at the same launch price of $60. Yet the developer decided to do the unthinkable and charge us extra to experience the rest of its story. And we all put up the $5 or $10 more time after time.
Exploitative? Absolutely. Evil? Well, you don't have to buy it, right?
Or do you? Games might not have in the 1980s, but today just about all types of games play to the varying levels of addictive tendencies in all of us. The engrossing storyline in BioShock can be just as addicting as the risk-reward, carrot-on-the-stick gameplay of FarmVille. But we're equally responsible for shutting the computer down and, say, loving our children. Blow might have directed his statement at social game designers, but players are equally as important in the design process and we have a certain level of control over what's created. Social games, like all video games, are only as evil as you allow them to be.
[Image Credit: Deccan Chronicle]
Do you think social games are inherently evil? How responsible are game designers for the exploitative nature of their games?
FrontierVille Buildin' a Snow Fort Timed Goal: Everything you need to know
Another wintry timed Goal will soon arrive in FrontierVille. Titled "Buildin' a Snow Fort, players will have a limited time to complete three requirements. This Goal is currently unreleased, but we know that players will have seven days to complete the mission. We imagine the time in which it is available will be similar to the Buildin' a Ski Trail Goal that is live right now.
First, you will need to clear 25 debris from your own homestead. This is self-explanatory, no? Then, you will be required to sell 20 Adult Sheep. If you don't already have these Sheep, then it will take an absolute minimum of 20 hours to raise 20 Sheep into adulthood and cost 5,600 coins. Finally, you can ask your friends for 10 Snowballs while you're working on the other two requirements. And remember, giving them out also creates a Snowball for yourself. Completing this Goal in the time allotted will reward you with 500 XP, 500 coins and this snazzy snow fort.
First, you will need to clear 25 debris from your own homestead. This is self-explanatory, no? Then, you will be required to sell 20 Adult Sheep. If you don't already have these Sheep, then it will take an absolute minimum of 20 hours to raise 20 Sheep into adulthood and cost 5,600 coins. Finally, you can ask your friends for 10 Snowballs while you're working on the other two requirements. And remember, giving them out also creates a Snowball for yourself. Completing this Goal in the time allotted will reward you with 500 XP, 500 coins and this snazzy snow fort.
Thứ Năm, 5 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille English Countryside buildings leak to FarmVille iOS Market
FarmVille English Countryside Buildings
The deluge of FarmVille English Countryside information continues with more item details leaking through FarmVille for iPhone. Players can log into their FarmVille game right now on their iPhone and see nearly every building the English Countryside will have to offer at launch, but it's all on lockdown. Nonetheless, this gives us a better idea of how much these items will cost, and it varies greatly from just a thousand coins for the Orchard to the 60 thousand-coin English Farm. Whether these prices are indicative of their cost in the actual expansion in unknown, but at least these give us a good idea of what to expect. Check behind the break for the rest of the leaked buildings.
FarmVille English Countryside Buildings 2
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen these items in your FarmVille game for iOS? When do you think the expansion will release given all of this leaked information?
The deluge of FarmVille English Countryside information continues with more item details leaking through FarmVille for iPhone. Players can log into their FarmVille game right now on their iPhone and see nearly every building the English Countryside will have to offer at launch, but it's all on lockdown. Nonetheless, this gives us a better idea of how much these items will cost, and it varies greatly from just a thousand coins for the Orchard to the 60 thousand-coin English Farm. Whether these prices are indicative of their cost in the actual expansion in unknown, but at least these give us a good idea of what to expect. Check behind the break for the rest of the leaked buildings.
FarmVille English Countryside Buildings 2
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen these items in your FarmVille game for iOS? When do you think the expansion will release given all of this leaked information?
Buy Bejeweled for iOS this weekend, help the Japan earthquake relief effort
PopCap, the publisher responsible for such casual gaming classics as Bejeweled, Peggle, Bookworm, Plants vs. Zombies, is cutting prices on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad versions of its games this weekend and 100% of the proceeds will to the Red Cross for Japan earthquake relief.
The sale kicks off on Saturday, March 19 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and ends Sunday, March 20 at midnight PDT. During that time, all PopCap games for iPhone will drop to 99 cents (down from $2.99) and iPad games will be $1.99 (down from $6.99). Not a bad deal -- buy a great game on the cheap and do some good all at the same time.
The sale kicks off on Saturday, March 19 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and ends Sunday, March 20 at midnight PDT. During that time, all PopCap games for iPhone will drop to 99 cents (down from $2.99) and iPad games will be $1.99 (down from $6.99). Not a bad deal -- buy a great game on the cheap and do some good all at the same time.
FarmVille-maker Zynga buys Floodgate Entertainment for Boston studio
Let the flood, floodgate, dam and other liquid-related puns ensue. Zynga has made its 10th acquisition in just 10 months with Floodgate Entertainment, TechCrunch reports. The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, will bring the Floodgate team into Zynga Boston, which was created when Zynga bought Boston-based Conduit Labs. Floodgate founder Paul Neurath will join his new overlords as Creative Director for Zynga Boston.
Floodgate is already well-versed in the mobile games space with releases like a mobile adaptation of Civilization and Flowerz, a Windows Phone 7 game, under its belt. Not to mention the company developed some of the PC adaptations for the Madden and Nascar franchises. If you hadn't noticed, Zynga is buying more and more developers with mobile game experience. So, you can pretty much guess where the company's focus is for 2011. Since Zynga most recently bought New York-based Area/Code, its presence on the East Coast only gets stronger.
[Image Credit: Business Week]
How do you think this acquisition will effect Zynga's strategy for 2011? Will we see more mobile games from the company this year as a result of the company's recent purchases?
Floodgate is already well-versed in the mobile games space with releases like a mobile adaptation of Civilization and Flowerz, a Windows Phone 7 game, under its belt. Not to mention the company developed some of the PC adaptations for the Madden and Nascar franchises. If you hadn't noticed, Zynga is buying more and more developers with mobile game experience. So, you can pretty much guess where the company's focus is for 2011. Since Zynga most recently bought New York-based Area/Code, its presence on the East Coast only gets stronger.
[Image Credit: Business Week]
How do you think this acquisition will effect Zynga's strategy for 2011? Will we see more mobile games from the company this year as a result of the company's recent purchases?
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