Back in March, we told you about Bejeweled Blitz's biggest prize drawing ever -- a chance for players to win a Mazda 3 iSport just for playing the popular Facebook gem-matching game. We even suggested that the contest meant your gem-matching skills might come in handy for more than just carpal tunnel syndrome and dried out eyes.
Well, for millions of you we were wrong, but for lucky winner Joanne Guieb of Whitestown, Indiana, we were totally right! The Indianapolis Star caught up with Guieb, who before winning the Mazda said she "never won anything like this in my life." Initially, Guieb was just happy that her team of 25 to 35 friends scored high enough to qualify for the top prize, and that she had no expectation she'd actually win the car. "Like everyone else, I was thinking, 'Who wins games like this?' Me, I guess."
Guieb also said she hasn't played any Bejeweled since winning her prize, but it's not because she's too busy driving around town -- it's because her computer is broken. And besides, once you've won a car for your gaming, winning in-game "coins" just doesn't hold the same appeal, we'd wager.
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Celebrates World Cup with New Soccer Theme!
farmville world cup
FarmVille is celebrating the 2010 World Cup with all new Soccer themed items and animals!
The 2010 South African World Cup officially starts today, June 11th with the first game.
farmville kick ewe farmville referee cow farmville soccer field
All soccer lovers will be happy to know that you can now have your very own Soccer Field on your farm! There is also two new animals- the Referee Cow (yellow) and Kick Ewe (sheep). Check out the Kick Ewe's soccer ball pattern fir!
Soccer Field – 32 FV$
Referree Cow – 14 FV$
Kick Ewe (Shee) – 14 FV$
farmville referee cow
Will you purchase any of the Soccer themed items?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille is celebrating the 2010 World Cup with all new Soccer themed items and animals!
The 2010 South African World Cup officially starts today, June 11th with the first game.
farmville kick ewe farmville referee cow farmville soccer field
All soccer lovers will be happy to know that you can now have your very own Soccer Field on your farm! There is also two new animals- the Referee Cow (yellow) and Kick Ewe (sheep). Check out the Kick Ewe's soccer ball pattern fir!
Soccer Field – 32 FV$
Referree Cow – 14 FV$
Kick Ewe (Shee) – 14 FV$
farmville referee cow
Will you purchase any of the Soccer themed items?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
New FarmVille Co-op: Tea Party
farmville tea party
"Grow Green Tea and Sugar Cane for a Tea Party" is the description of the new FarmVille Tea Party Co-op Mission, added tonight June 10th, 2010. This is the 12th Co-op mission which you can complete with the help of 9 neighbors.
farmville new co op farming
Note: To start this new Co-op, you must be level 31.
To complete this new Co-op mission you must:
Harvest 1000 Green Tea and 250 Sugar Cane in:farmville tea party reward
Gold Medal 455 coins 535 Xp- 18 hours and 59 minutes
Silver Medal 400 coins 465 Xp – One day and 4 hours
Bronze Medal 335 coins 390 Xp – 2 days
The Gold Reward is the Tea Party decoration.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
"Grow Green Tea and Sugar Cane for a Tea Party" is the description of the new FarmVille Tea Party Co-op Mission, added tonight June 10th, 2010. This is the 12th Co-op mission which you can complete with the help of 9 neighbors.
farmville new co op farming
Note: To start this new Co-op, you must be level 31.
To complete this new Co-op mission you must:
Harvest 1000 Green Tea and 250 Sugar Cane in:farmville tea party reward
Gold Medal 455 coins 535 Xp- 18 hours and 59 minutes
Silver Medal 400 coins 465 Xp – One day and 4 hours
Bronze Medal 335 coins 390 Xp – 2 days
The Gold Reward is the Tea Party decoration.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Scam: Industrial Plantation 66×66 Land Expansion Scam
farmville land expansion plantation scam
There is a new FarmVille scam on FaceBook. This scam promises to offer a "free" 66 x 66 Farm Expansion titled the "Industrial Plantation".
Before you click on any links or join any such groups, please use your common sense and think about how they would actually give you a land expansion for free. Not only is the offer NOT associated with FarmVille or Zynga, we all know that Land Expansions (of any size, even unreleased) are not giftable or sendable, so the logistics of this scam would never work.
farmville scam
If you would like to check the resource of misleading FaceBook newsfeed notices like these especially those that offer free items, simply right click on the image and "View Source" or "View Page Info". Real FarmVille newsfeed postings or shares can be identified by the referring URL that should start like this:
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/
Example: http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/index.php?ref=rewardPage
From FarmVille Freak Mark:
"One of my neighbors posted a link which I was very doubtful of from the beginning, but went to just on the off chance it wasn't a lie. It was unfortunately a lie. Hardly surprising. It's from Gamesecrets and promises you can get the 66×66 Industrial Plantation by clicking their link.
After allowing the application access to your information you get a congratulations screen that says click here for your 66×66 farm! Sounds too good to be true? It is. You get a survey! Well I got a message saying there were no surveys for my country. I'm sure if there were any way to get a 66×66 farm, Zynga would have told us about it already. Just thought I'd pass this on so others don't waste their time!" -FarmVille Freak Mark
Thanks for sharing this info with us FarmVille Freak Mark. Remember, that if a new farm expansion were available you would hear it here first, on FarmVille Freak!
What recent FarmVille related scams have you seen?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
There is a new FarmVille scam on FaceBook. This scam promises to offer a "free" 66 x 66 Farm Expansion titled the "Industrial Plantation".
Before you click on any links or join any such groups, please use your common sense and think about how they would actually give you a land expansion for free. Not only is the offer NOT associated with FarmVille or Zynga, we all know that Land Expansions (of any size, even unreleased) are not giftable or sendable, so the logistics of this scam would never work.
farmville scam
If you would like to check the resource of misleading FaceBook newsfeed notices like these especially those that offer free items, simply right click on the image and "View Source" or "View Page Info". Real FarmVille newsfeed postings or shares can be identified by the referring URL that should start like this:
http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/
Example: http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/index.php?ref=rewardPage
From FarmVille Freak Mark:
"One of my neighbors posted a link which I was very doubtful of from the beginning, but went to just on the off chance it wasn't a lie. It was unfortunately a lie. Hardly surprising. It's from Gamesecrets and promises you can get the 66×66 Industrial Plantation by clicking their link.
After allowing the application access to your information you get a congratulations screen that says click here for your 66×66 farm! Sounds too good to be true? It is. You get a survey! Well I got a message saying there were no surveys for my country. I'm sure if there were any way to get a 66×66 farm, Zynga would have told us about it already. Just thought I'd pass this on so others don't waste their time!" -FarmVille Freak Mark
Thanks for sharing this info with us FarmVille Freak Mark. Remember, that if a new farm expansion were available you would hear it here first, on FarmVille Freak!
What recent FarmVille related scams have you seen?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Unreleased Crafting Spa 5 Stages
FarmVille Freak already brought you the unreleased 5 stages of the Winery and Bakery Crafting Cottages. This new unreleased Crafting Spa also has 5 stages, suggesting there will be building process of some type or levels usage.
farmville spa farmville spa farmville spa
farmville spa farmville spa
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
farmville spa farmville spa farmville spa
farmville spa farmville spa
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars Whack the Rat Jimmy Vegas event: Everything you need to know
As the classic saying goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." In this case, it would be referring to the new limited edition Mafia Wars Las Vegas jobs that kicked off Saturday, July 10.
mafia wars whack the rat jimmy vegas jobs
Just like previous special events, Whack the Rat Jimmy Vegas includes three new jobs:
Hack into Hotel Records
Time required: 5 Minutes
Energy required: 16
Bonus: 8XP, 20% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
Bribe a Guard for Roof Access
Time required: 8 Hours
Energy required: 25
Bonus: 50% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
Position a Sniper
Time required: 24 hours
Energy Required: 33
Bonus: 16 XP, 100% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
mafia wars slots collection
A new collection and achievement are directly tied in with this special job. The Slots Collection is comprised of seven items:
Liberty Bell (from a Jimmy Vegas job)
Plum (Jobs)
Triple Bar (Fights won)
Orange (Free gift)
Lucky 7 (Jimmy Vegas job)
Lime (Jobs)
Cherry (Fights won)
mafia wars slots collection
Once the Slots Collection is completed, you'll be rewarded with a One-Armed Bandit, with 28 A, 50 D. The stats on that guy isn't that impressive, so this job is really aimed at you completists out there who want to make sure every Collection is collected and every Achievement is achieved.
what happens in vegas mafia wars achievement
Speaking of achievements, the Whack the Rat job also comes along with a new achievement: "What Stays in Vegas,' which can be earned by vaulting the Slots Collection and mastering the Whack the Rat job.
This event ends on Friday, July 16 at 11:59 PM PST, so you have all week to work on sending Jimmy Vegas (whoever he is) to sleep with the fishes.
mafia wars whack the rat jimmy vegas jobs
Just like previous special events, Whack the Rat Jimmy Vegas includes three new jobs:
Hack into Hotel Records
Time required: 5 Minutes
Energy required: 16
Bonus: 8XP, 20% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
Bribe a Guard for Roof Access
Time required: 8 Hours
Energy required: 25
Bonus: 50% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
Position a Sniper
Time required: 24 hours
Energy Required: 33
Bonus: 16 XP, 100% chance of rare Whack the Rat collectible or event item
mafia wars slots collection
A new collection and achievement are directly tied in with this special job. The Slots Collection is comprised of seven items:
Liberty Bell (from a Jimmy Vegas job)
Plum (Jobs)
Triple Bar (Fights won)
Orange (Free gift)
Lucky 7 (Jimmy Vegas job)
Lime (Jobs)
Cherry (Fights won)
mafia wars slots collection
Once the Slots Collection is completed, you'll be rewarded with a One-Armed Bandit, with 28 A, 50 D. The stats on that guy isn't that impressive, so this job is really aimed at you completists out there who want to make sure every Collection is collected and every Achievement is achieved.
what happens in vegas mafia wars achievement
Speaking of achievements, the Whack the Rat job also comes along with a new achievement: "What Stays in Vegas,' which can be earned by vaulting the Slots Collection and mastering the Whack the Rat job.
This event ends on Friday, July 16 at 11:59 PM PST, so you have all week to work on sending Jimmy Vegas (whoever he is) to sleep with the fishes.
Mafia Wars Vegas VIP access: Casino chip racks + lots of luck = early access
Mafia Wars is turning on the promotion for the upcoming Las Vegas expansion, with a special Vegas event, called Whack the Rat Jimmy Vegas, this weekend, plus offering a lucky few VIP access to Sin City once the beta launches.
mafia wars las vegas VIP access
It'll take a little luck and a lot of Casino poker racks (available as a free gift sent from fellow mafiosos) to gain access to Mafia Wars Vegas early. To see if Lady Luck is on your side, you'll need to collect 50+ racks to get a 20% chance of winning early access and then visit the Las Vegas High Roller Access page (via the drop down Travel menu at the top of the page).
If you don't win, you'll get a popup that says 'Bad Luck' and have to wait 22 hours to try again. Ouch.
mafia wars bad luck
If you win aceess, you'll receive a notification that says "You're In," but won't be able to get into Mafia Wars Vegas right away. This just guarantees you'll be one of the first people to check it out once the beta actually launches, which doesn't have an exact release date, though I suspect it will be soon with all of this build-up.
mafia wars las vegas VIP access you're in
Image courtesy of gengiskahn
So, this is all sort of a tease, but if you're dying to be one of the first to get their hands on Mafia Wars Las Vegas, start sending lots of Chip Racks to friends and encourage them to send them back.
Did you get early access to Mafia Wars Vegas? Were you PO'd that you can't actually access the game yet?
mafia wars las vegas VIP access
It'll take a little luck and a lot of Casino poker racks (available as a free gift sent from fellow mafiosos) to gain access to Mafia Wars Vegas early. To see if Lady Luck is on your side, you'll need to collect 50+ racks to get a 20% chance of winning early access and then visit the Las Vegas High Roller Access page (via the drop down Travel menu at the top of the page).
If you don't win, you'll get a popup that says 'Bad Luck' and have to wait 22 hours to try again. Ouch.
mafia wars bad luck
If you win aceess, you'll receive a notification that says "You're In," but won't be able to get into Mafia Wars Vegas right away. This just guarantees you'll be one of the first people to check it out once the beta actually launches, which doesn't have an exact release date, though I suspect it will be soon with all of this build-up.
mafia wars las vegas VIP access you're in
Image courtesy of gengiskahn
So, this is all sort of a tease, but if you're dying to be one of the first to get their hands on Mafia Wars Las Vegas, start sending lots of Chip Racks to friends and encourage them to send them back.
Did you get early access to Mafia Wars Vegas? Were you PO'd that you can't actually access the game yet?
Google invests $100 million in Zynga, with plans to launch Google Games [Rumor]
Talk about Google's desire to get into the games business has been floating around for some time, and now a big, juicy rumor says the company is starting to invest big bucks in those plans -- dropping between $100-$200 million at Zynga's doorstep. TechCrunch, which initially published this rumor, says the purported deal has not been finalized yet, though part of it includes using FarmVille and other Zynga games as the foundation for Google Games.
Not only will Zynga's games give Google Games a solid base of social games to build on, but it will also give Google the beginning of a true social graph as users log into Google to play the games. And I wouldn't be surprised to see PayPal being replaced with Google Checkout as the primary payment option. Zynga is supposedly PayPal's biggest single customer, and Google is always looking for ways to make Google Checkout relevant.
While Google might be spending boucoup bucks to form a partnership with Zynga, it's not immediately clear how this will affect 60 million+ devoted FarmVillers. The farming game is already on Facebook, FarmVille.com and Yahoo -- what could Google possibly bring to the table that would make people migrate to Google Games? Outside of turning more people into click-farming junkies and offering access to the game via iGoogle and Gmail, it's hard to imagine what Google's killer app will be. Then again, thinking about tending virtual crops on an Android phone makes things (a little) more interesting.
Not only will Zynga's games give Google Games a solid base of social games to build on, but it will also give Google the beginning of a true social graph as users log into Google to play the games. And I wouldn't be surprised to see PayPal being replaced with Google Checkout as the primary payment option. Zynga is supposedly PayPal's biggest single customer, and Google is always looking for ways to make Google Checkout relevant.
While Google might be spending boucoup bucks to form a partnership with Zynga, it's not immediately clear how this will affect 60 million+ devoted FarmVillers. The farming game is already on Facebook, FarmVille.com and Yahoo -- what could Google possibly bring to the table that would make people migrate to Google Games? Outside of turning more people into click-farming junkies and offering access to the game via iGoogle and Gmail, it's hard to imagine what Google's killer app will be. Then again, thinking about tending virtual crops on an Android phone makes things (a little) more interesting.
YoVille: New Free Collectible at the Widget Factory
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Pet Society: Congratulations, Spain
Pet Society Spain World Cup 2010
Paul the Octopus was right again. Congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup! It was a long, intense match, with only one goal scored by Andres Iniesta at the 116th minute. As for the Dutch, we love your tulips, bicycles and live-and-let-live culture, but it's adiós, amigos.
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Bookmark this site!
Paul the Octopus was right again. Congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup! It was a long, intense match, with only one goal scored by Andres Iniesta at the 116th minute. As for the Dutch, we love your tulips, bicycles and live-and-let-live culture, but it's adiós, amigos.
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Bookmark this site!
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
Increase your Treasure Isle backpack space with balloons
Treasure Isle Hot Air Ballons
A new update rolled out in Treasure Isle over the weekend, which included the new Gem Mine, and also a slew of new hot air balloon decorations. These aren't your typically scenery-style decorations though; these balloons will grant you +10 to your backpack space! Does it get much better than that? My backpack is near full simply with all the collectibles I find doing Monkey Palace and the volcano. These balloons are a neat way to make your island look great, plus give you some added functionality of extra space. The drawback? They're 40 Island Cash each, so it will not be cheap to get your hands on one of these balloons. Here is the full list of new balloons:
Rainbow Balloon
Starry Balloon
Anvil Balloon
Steampunk Balloon
Strawberry Balloon
Checker Balloon
Kittens Balloon
Pink & Blue Balloon
The balloons are only available for a limited time - they will be leaving the store in 4 days. At this point, we're unsure if there is a limit on how many of these will affect your bag space. For example, if you buy 10 balloons will you get 100 more storage slots? If you're brave enough to spend lots of money on these and buy more than one, let us know how many additional bag spaces you unlock!
A new update rolled out in Treasure Isle over the weekend, which included the new Gem Mine, and also a slew of new hot air balloon decorations. These aren't your typically scenery-style decorations though; these balloons will grant you +10 to your backpack space! Does it get much better than that? My backpack is near full simply with all the collectibles I find doing Monkey Palace and the volcano. These balloons are a neat way to make your island look great, plus give you some added functionality of extra space. The drawback? They're 40 Island Cash each, so it will not be cheap to get your hands on one of these balloons. Here is the full list of new balloons:
Rainbow Balloon
Starry Balloon
Anvil Balloon
Steampunk Balloon
Strawberry Balloon
Checker Balloon
Kittens Balloon
Pink & Blue Balloon
The balloons are only available for a limited time - they will be leaving the store in 4 days. At this point, we're unsure if there is a limit on how many of these will affect your bag space. For example, if you buy 10 balloons will you get 100 more storage slots? If you're brave enough to spend lots of money on these and buy more than one, let us know how many additional bag spaces you unlock!
YoVille Cars guide: Everything you need to know
YoVille Cars
Cars are coming soon in YoVille! This is just a sneak preview guide, but we'll update it with the official prices and more information once this feature is live.
YoVille updated on its blog last week telling all the players that cars would be coming soon, but until now we haven't had any of the details to share with you. Now, a detailed blog post on the YoVille Official Blog has given us most of the information we needed to know. Here's everything you could ever want to know about the new YoVille cars!
At release, there will be several cars to choose from. These cars will most likely require YoCash, but the prices are unknown as of this post. One car, the Green Hybrid, will be available for a discount price as long as you recruit your friends to be 'cosigners'. We're not sure exactly how this work, but we're sure you'll have to post to your wall asking friends to help by clicking on the feed. All of the other cars must be bought outright, but all cars will be giftable or tradeable after they have been purchased.
YoVille Cars
Once you have bought a car, it will show up under "My Stuff". To drive your YoVille car, click "Edit Room" and then drag your car into your room wherever you would like it to be parked. Click on the car once it is placed, and you will now be driving in the car! You can take this car anywhere - outside of your room, even! To park the YoVille car, right click on your avatar and then select "Send to My Stuff". Your car will then be placed in your storage until you're ready to take it out and drive it around again.
Cars will only be driveable by the person who purchases them, so your friends will not be able to visit your home and drive your cars. That's a pretty smart decision, because I don't want to come back to my room and see my car missing! Only one person will be able to ride in a car at any time.
That's all we know at the moment, but this guide will be updated once cars are live and purchaseable in YoVille. Hope you've passed your Driver's Ed!
Cars are coming soon in YoVille! This is just a sneak preview guide, but we'll update it with the official prices and more information once this feature is live.
YoVille updated on its blog last week telling all the players that cars would be coming soon, but until now we haven't had any of the details to share with you. Now, a detailed blog post on the YoVille Official Blog has given us most of the information we needed to know. Here's everything you could ever want to know about the new YoVille cars!
At release, there will be several cars to choose from. These cars will most likely require YoCash, but the prices are unknown as of this post. One car, the Green Hybrid, will be available for a discount price as long as you recruit your friends to be 'cosigners'. We're not sure exactly how this work, but we're sure you'll have to post to your wall asking friends to help by clicking on the feed. All of the other cars must be bought outright, but all cars will be giftable or tradeable after they have been purchased.
YoVille Cars
Once you have bought a car, it will show up under "My Stuff". To drive your YoVille car, click "Edit Room" and then drag your car into your room wherever you would like it to be parked. Click on the car once it is placed, and you will now be driving in the car! You can take this car anywhere - outside of your room, even! To park the YoVille car, right click on your avatar and then select "Send to My Stuff". Your car will then be placed in your storage until you're ready to take it out and drive it around again.
Cars will only be driveable by the person who purchases them, so your friends will not be able to visit your home and drive your cars. That's a pretty smart decision, because I don't want to come back to my room and see my car missing! Only one person will be able to ride in a car at any time.
That's all we know at the moment, but this guide will be updated once cars are live and purchaseable in YoVille. Hope you've passed your Driver's Ed!
FarmVille Netflix Sponsored Link: 150 Free Farm Cash
FarmVille 150 Farm Cash Netflix
FarmVille Netflix Sponsored Link
Netflix is offering a FarmVille special that gives you 150 FV$ free farm cash for signing up with a free Netflix trial. Only new, first time Netflix customers can take advantage of this offer. According to Netflix, you will receive your free farm cash instantly, but it may take a few hours.The sponsored link can be found underneath the FarmVille game screen.
Please note, this offer may not be available to all farmers.
Will you try Netflix for free Farm Cash?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Netflix Sponsored Link
Netflix is offering a FarmVille special that gives you 150 FV$ free farm cash for signing up with a free Netflix trial. Only new, first time Netflix customers can take advantage of this offer. According to Netflix, you will receive your free farm cash instantly, but it may take a few hours.The sponsored link can be found underneath the FarmVille game screen.
Please note, this offer may not be available to all farmers.
Will you try Netflix for free Farm Cash?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Official Podcast - August 13th, 2010
FarmVille Podcast – August 13th Summary:
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast. My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news and information from around the Farm. This week, we will be discussing our latest releases, I will be answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community and you guys will all be getting a sneak peek of what is coming to FarmVille in the near future.
So this week our 7 days of summer sale made an appearance, featuring some of the most requested classic themes from the past. Each day this week, a past favorite Limited Edition theme was in the market for 24 hours. This gave many of our players the opportunity to obtain items they may have previously missed out on or not had the chance to purchase. So far, the California, Yukon, French chateau, Southwest, Tuscan and Island themes have made an appearance, with the Japanese Garden and UFO theme still to come this weekend. If you are a fan of the Japanese Garden Theme or the classic UFO theme, make sure to be ready for this weekend's sales so you don't miss your on your chance to purchase favorites from this collection while they last.
On Wednesday, we had a very special surprise for all of our players. Upon logging in, all players received 1 free Dart for the Mystery Game! This dart can be used immediately, or saved for a future Mystery Game you may be looking forward to. If you have not yet had a chance to claim your free dart, simply open the Market and play the Mystery Game and you will be able to automatically throw one free dart.
We also released two new permanent crops and the new "Bakery Delivery" Co-op missing this week. For anyone who may be interested, the Zuchini crop is a 16 hour crop, grants two experience points, costs 120 Coins to plant and Yields 220 Coins when harvested. This crop is one of our new Heirloom crops, which means you must have previously mastered Pattypan Squash to unlock it in the market. Our Rhubarb crop is also a 16 hour crop, grants 1 experience point, costs 65 coins to plant and yields 150 coins when harvested. For our sign collectors out there, both of these crops can be mastered. For information on the mastery requirements, please visit the "game updates" section of the Official FarmVille Forums.
Q&A:
Now, the FarmVille Team receives thousands of questions from players a week and the best ones from our community get answered here. Our first question today comes from harrydresden, and they have a question that has been a big topic of discussion for our players. "I would like to know when you are going to get rid of some of the pop ups in the game. It's taking too long to plow and plant and harvest my crops."
Well, the FarmVille team took into consideration all of the feedback from our community about the number of pop-ups that are currently present in the game. Yesterday, we released the "Daily Good Deeds" feature that is a new and improved way for you to interact with your neighbors. One of the best parts of this feature is that it should really cut back on some of the pop-ups players have been receiving for the past few weeks prompting them to help their friends with various tasks. These requests have been streamlined with this release, and you can now assist your friends by Clicking the Checklist Icon on the left of your screen, which will allow you to help your Neighbors finish buildings, complete collections and more. For players who are feeling Neighborly, make sure to come back daily for new ways to help your friends on their farms.
Our next question comes to us from kaytkayt. "We have too many 16 hour crops now. Can we expect new crops in the future that aren't 16 hours long?"
We have heard feedback from our community since the release of Zuchini and Rhubarb that 16 hour crops are inconvenient for some players. Because of that, I'm happy to let you know that in the future, we will be releasing some 14 hour, 24 hour and 6 hour crops to better accommodate our players.
Our last question comes to us from RainyDayz. "If Mystery Boxes are gone, how will I be able to get my They of Mystery Ribbon?"
Our ribbon collectors out there will be happy to know that late this week we actually released an update that has fixed this issue. Darts thrown in the Mystery Game will now count towards the "They of Mystery" ribbon, which will now allow all of our players to complete this ribbon if they wish to do so.
If you have a question you would like answered by the FarmVille team on our weekly podcast, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille Forums for more information on how to participate.
News on upcoming features:
Alright! So in this week's coming soon segment we will actually be discussing a feature that I announced a few months ago. As most of our listeners are aware, late in May I announced a new feature called Underground storage. Since then, many of you have been wondering where this elusive release has been. Well, the FarmVille Team decided to go back to the drawing board with this one and we will actually be releasing a revised version of this release with some significant changes. In the near future, the storage cellar will make an appearance in FarmVille bringing with it some well deserved leg room for our players. The storage cellar will take up a very small amount of room and will allow you to store a total of 500 items on your farm. To increase storage in your cellar, you will need to get your friends to send you gifts to unlock more room. This version of the feature should prove to be much easier for our players as there is no crop growing or digging required to take advantage of the extra space. Alternatively, if you don't feel like waiting for your friends to send you gifts, you can simply pay Farm Cash to get your storage immediately.
In addition to storage cellars, we will also be releasing more summer and beach themed items in the coming weeks along with new playground items!
And on that note, it's time for me to get out of here Farmers. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank all of our listeners for tuning in this week. We will be back next Friday with all of the latest news and information about FarmVille from Zynga. Happy Farming everybody!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast. My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news and information from around the Farm. This week, we will be discussing our latest releases, I will be answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community and you guys will all be getting a sneak peek of what is coming to FarmVille in the near future.
So this week our 7 days of summer sale made an appearance, featuring some of the most requested classic themes from the past. Each day this week, a past favorite Limited Edition theme was in the market for 24 hours. This gave many of our players the opportunity to obtain items they may have previously missed out on or not had the chance to purchase. So far, the California, Yukon, French chateau, Southwest, Tuscan and Island themes have made an appearance, with the Japanese Garden and UFO theme still to come this weekend. If you are a fan of the Japanese Garden Theme or the classic UFO theme, make sure to be ready for this weekend's sales so you don't miss your on your chance to purchase favorites from this collection while they last.
On Wednesday, we had a very special surprise for all of our players. Upon logging in, all players received 1 free Dart for the Mystery Game! This dart can be used immediately, or saved for a future Mystery Game you may be looking forward to. If you have not yet had a chance to claim your free dart, simply open the Market and play the Mystery Game and you will be able to automatically throw one free dart.
We also released two new permanent crops and the new "Bakery Delivery" Co-op missing this week. For anyone who may be interested, the Zuchini crop is a 16 hour crop, grants two experience points, costs 120 Coins to plant and Yields 220 Coins when harvested. This crop is one of our new Heirloom crops, which means you must have previously mastered Pattypan Squash to unlock it in the market. Our Rhubarb crop is also a 16 hour crop, grants 1 experience point, costs 65 coins to plant and yields 150 coins when harvested. For our sign collectors out there, both of these crops can be mastered. For information on the mastery requirements, please visit the "game updates" section of the Official FarmVille Forums.
Q&A:
Now, the FarmVille Team receives thousands of questions from players a week and the best ones from our community get answered here. Our first question today comes from harrydresden, and they have a question that has been a big topic of discussion for our players. "I would like to know when you are going to get rid of some of the pop ups in the game. It's taking too long to plow and plant and harvest my crops."
Well, the FarmVille team took into consideration all of the feedback from our community about the number of pop-ups that are currently present in the game. Yesterday, we released the "Daily Good Deeds" feature that is a new and improved way for you to interact with your neighbors. One of the best parts of this feature is that it should really cut back on some of the pop-ups players have been receiving for the past few weeks prompting them to help their friends with various tasks. These requests have been streamlined with this release, and you can now assist your friends by Clicking the Checklist Icon on the left of your screen, which will allow you to help your Neighbors finish buildings, complete collections and more. For players who are feeling Neighborly, make sure to come back daily for new ways to help your friends on their farms.
Our next question comes to us from kaytkayt. "We have too many 16 hour crops now. Can we expect new crops in the future that aren't 16 hours long?"
We have heard feedback from our community since the release of Zuchini and Rhubarb that 16 hour crops are inconvenient for some players. Because of that, I'm happy to let you know that in the future, we will be releasing some 14 hour, 24 hour and 6 hour crops to better accommodate our players.
Our last question comes to us from RainyDayz. "If Mystery Boxes are gone, how will I be able to get my They of Mystery Ribbon?"
Our ribbon collectors out there will be happy to know that late this week we actually released an update that has fixed this issue. Darts thrown in the Mystery Game will now count towards the "They of Mystery" ribbon, which will now allow all of our players to complete this ribbon if they wish to do so.
If you have a question you would like answered by the FarmVille team on our weekly podcast, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille Forums for more information on how to participate.
News on upcoming features:
Alright! So in this week's coming soon segment we will actually be discussing a feature that I announced a few months ago. As most of our listeners are aware, late in May I announced a new feature called Underground storage. Since then, many of you have been wondering where this elusive release has been. Well, the FarmVille Team decided to go back to the drawing board with this one and we will actually be releasing a revised version of this release with some significant changes. In the near future, the storage cellar will make an appearance in FarmVille bringing with it some well deserved leg room for our players. The storage cellar will take up a very small amount of room and will allow you to store a total of 500 items on your farm. To increase storage in your cellar, you will need to get your friends to send you gifts to unlock more room. This version of the feature should prove to be much easier for our players as there is no crop growing or digging required to take advantage of the extra space. Alternatively, if you don't feel like waiting for your friends to send you gifts, you can simply pay Farm Cash to get your storage immediately.
In addition to storage cellars, we will also be releasing more summer and beach themed items in the coming weeks along with new playground items!
And on that note, it's time for me to get out of here Farmers. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank all of our listeners for tuning in this week. We will be back next Friday with all of the latest news and information about FarmVille from Zynga. Happy Farming everybody!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille: Signs of a wet and wacky summer still ahead in new unreleased items
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa, Rainexel & Shiori for finding these unreleased FarmVille Drive in Diner, Volleyball, Water Tower Coffee Pot, Gameshop, Campsite II, Lemon Stand, Octopus, & Beach Shower!
FarmVille Unreleased Drive in Diner, Volleyball, Water Tower Coffee Pot, Gameshop, Campsite II, Lemon Stand, Octopus, & Beach Shower
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Unreleased Drive in Diner, Volleyball, Water Tower Coffee Pot, Gameshop, Campsite II, Lemon Stand, Octopus, & Beach Shower
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille Smart Pets: Everything you need to know
Smart pets have arrived in YoVille! You can raise them from babies to full grown adults. Siamese kitten and Pomeranian puppy for 20 YoCash, lion cub for 27 YoCash and unicorn filly for 35 YoCash.
These new pets let you train them, dress them and have them follow you wherever you go!
Read more to find out how they work.
yoville smart pets
How Do I Train my Pet?
To teach your pet how to speak, play, or sit you will have to receive biscuits from friends or purchase biscuits. Once you have received 20 biscuits and mastered all of the training settings you will have the ability to Grow your Pet.
How Do I get Biscuits?
You can get biscuits from your friends for free! You also have the option to purchase biscuits.
How Do I Grow my Pet Up?
After your pet has mastered all of their tricks and are fully trained you will be able to grow it into an Adult Pet! When you have an adult pet you will be able to dress it up with all kinds of animal clothes and accessories! You will also be given the option to have it follow you in game wherever you go. In order to have your pet follow you you'll need to get a pet license.
How Do I get them to Follow me anywhere in game?
A pet license can be purchased by clicking on your pet and selecting "buy license". You have the option to purchase a temporary license or a permanent license.
How Do I Dress my Pet?
Once you have a grown up pet click on your it and then select the "Change Clothing" option. This will then bring up a drag and drop store for you to try different clothing pieces on your pet. When you choose that perfect outfit click save and voila!
What does this mean for previous pets?
If you own one of the older pets you will still be able to do all the fun things with them like play, sit, down and follow in room. You can also bring your current pet around YoVille with you. Simply purchase a pet license for it and you'll be set!
Unfortunately, you will not have the ability to dress the older pets. This option is only for the newer version of pets like the Pomeranian, Unicorn, Lion and Siamese Cat.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
These new pets let you train them, dress them and have them follow you wherever you go!
Read more to find out how they work.
yoville smart pets
How Do I Train my Pet?
To teach your pet how to speak, play, or sit you will have to receive biscuits from friends or purchase biscuits. Once you have received 20 biscuits and mastered all of the training settings you will have the ability to Grow your Pet.
How Do I get Biscuits?
You can get biscuits from your friends for free! You also have the option to purchase biscuits.
How Do I Grow my Pet Up?
After your pet has mastered all of their tricks and are fully trained you will be able to grow it into an Adult Pet! When you have an adult pet you will be able to dress it up with all kinds of animal clothes and accessories! You will also be given the option to have it follow you in game wherever you go. In order to have your pet follow you you'll need to get a pet license.
How Do I get them to Follow me anywhere in game?
A pet license can be purchased by clicking on your pet and selecting "buy license". You have the option to purchase a temporary license or a permanent license.
How Do I Dress my Pet?
Once you have a grown up pet click on your it and then select the "Change Clothing" option. This will then bring up a drag and drop store for you to try different clothing pieces on your pet. When you choose that perfect outfit click save and voila!
What does this mean for previous pets?
If you own one of the older pets you will still be able to do all the fun things with them like play, sit, down and follow in room. You can also bring your current pet around YoVille with you. Simply purchase a pet license for it and you'll be set!
Unfortunately, you will not have the ability to dress the older pets. This option is only for the newer version of pets like the Pomeranian, Unicorn, Lion and Siamese Cat.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Mafia Wars: Las Vegas Districts 7 and 8 are open for business!
Las Vegas Districts 7 and 8, Area 51 and the Hoover Dam respectively, are finally open in Mafia Wars. Both districts contain several jobs with multiple path options and impressive mastery items: the Experimental Exoskeleton from Area 51 and Hallorans Helicopter from Hoover Dam. Did we mention this update includes brand new achievements too? Everyone needs their cheevos!
Both districts, like all of Las Vegas, offer three different paths for progression: Energy, Stamina or Social (slightly more limited). You'll have to follow at least one path and master each job completely to access the district's boss. Also, there are a lot of itme locks on the later jobs, so we recommend you master one job before going to the next to make sure you get enough of the items. So, get cracking if you want to get your hands on these new mastery items and achievements now.
Both districts, like all of Las Vegas, offer three different paths for progression: Energy, Stamina or Social (slightly more limited). You'll have to follow at least one path and master each job completely to access the district's boss. Also, there are a lot of itme locks on the later jobs, so we recommend you master one job before going to the next to make sure you get enough of the items. So, get cracking if you want to get your hands on these new mastery items and achievements now.
YoVille: Complete your set with the Romantic Chairs
Many of you were asking about the chairs that were not included in the YoVille kitchen installment that was released yesterday. These chairs are finally here and available in 4 different colors. Get the white and red chairs for 5 YoCash each or get the purple and brown chairs for 4 YoCash each. Matching dining tables and China cabinets were also added. Check them all after the link.
Also, check the previously released YoVille Romantic items here:
New Romantic Bathroom Items
New Romantic Bedroom Items
New Romantic Living Room Items
New Romantic House
New Romantic Clothing
yoville romantic chairsyoville romantic chairs
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Also, check the previously released YoVille Romantic items here:
New Romantic Bathroom Items
New Romantic Bedroom Items
New Romantic Living Room Items
New Romantic House
New Romantic Clothing
yoville romantic chairsyoville romantic chairs
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
FarmVille Super Combine Tractors can do it all
farmville all purpose swiss army super combine hot rod tractor
Originally mistaken for Swiss Army Tractors, these all purpose mean machines are in fact the FarmVIlle Super Combine and the Super Combine Hot Rod.
Basically, the idea behind the FarmVille Super Combines is that they combine all the vehicles into one, that way you don't have to switch vehicles to accomplish different tasks. So although incorrect, the temporary name, Swiss Army Tractors, was quite appropriate for these all purpose farm hands.
I'll be sure to let everyone know when we get more information on pricing and release date. But until then, continue reading to see the all purpose Super Combine Swiss Army Tractor, and the hot rod version, in motion.
[Via FarmVille Latest]
Will you buy these new tractors?
Originally mistaken for Swiss Army Tractors, these all purpose mean machines are in fact the FarmVIlle Super Combine and the Super Combine Hot Rod.
Basically, the idea behind the FarmVille Super Combines is that they combine all the vehicles into one, that way you don't have to switch vehicles to accomplish different tasks. So although incorrect, the temporary name, Swiss Army Tractors, was quite appropriate for these all purpose farm hands.
I'll be sure to let everyone know when we get more information on pricing and release date. But until then, continue reading to see the all purpose Super Combine Swiss Army Tractor, and the hot rod version, in motion.
[Via FarmVille Latest]
Will you buy these new tractors?
Mafia Wars Las Vegas Districts 7 and 8 Achievements: Everything you need to know
Mafia Wars Las Vegas
With the new Las Vegas Districts released in Mafia Wars came a slew of new jobs, items and mastery items. But most importantly for some are the new achievements. I mean, what stands as a better testament to your skill than an achievement for doing something 500 times?
Continue reading for a list of the brand new achievements and how you can accomplish them one by one.
Mafia Wars Las Vegas Achievements 1
While the new release notes from Zynga claim that there are 10 new achievements, we can only seem to find eight for the moment. For now, here's a list of the new achievements currently in-game:
Shake Em Down: Earn 1,000 Victory Coins
Holes in the Desert: Ice 5 players in Las Vegas
Arachnophobia: Own 50 Desert Spiders
Long Arm of the LAW: Own 100 LAW Weapons
In It to Win It: Win 10 tournament fighting World Championship Bouts
Long Odds: Win a tournament fight bet of at least $1,000 with odds 10:1 or greater
Gambling Man: Win a $100,000 tournament fighting bet
Trouble Maker: Complete 500 Fight jobs
Mafia Wars Las Vegas Achievements 2
Some of these achievements seem a bit too easy like "Hole in the Desert," but I can see people losing a ton of money trying to complete "Gambling Man." Come to think of it, if you're feeling really adventurous, you could complete both "Gambling Man" and "Long Odds" in one shot. But again, but you'd have to be pretty brave to put that much cash on the line (or have deep pockets).
With the new Las Vegas Districts released in Mafia Wars came a slew of new jobs, items and mastery items. But most importantly for some are the new achievements. I mean, what stands as a better testament to your skill than an achievement for doing something 500 times?
Continue reading for a list of the brand new achievements and how you can accomplish them one by one.
Mafia Wars Las Vegas Achievements 1
While the new release notes from Zynga claim that there are 10 new achievements, we can only seem to find eight for the moment. For now, here's a list of the new achievements currently in-game:
Shake Em Down: Earn 1,000 Victory Coins
Holes in the Desert: Ice 5 players in Las Vegas
Arachnophobia: Own 50 Desert Spiders
Long Arm of the LAW: Own 100 LAW Weapons
In It to Win It: Win 10 tournament fighting World Championship Bouts
Long Odds: Win a tournament fight bet of at least $1,000 with odds 10:1 or greater
Gambling Man: Win a $100,000 tournament fighting bet
Trouble Maker: Complete 500 Fight jobs
Mafia Wars Las Vegas Achievements 2
Some of these achievements seem a bit too easy like "Hole in the Desert," but I can see people losing a ton of money trying to complete "Gambling Man." Come to think of it, if you're feeling really adventurous, you could complete both "Gambling Man" and "Long Odds" in one shot. But again, but you'd have to be pretty brave to put that much cash on the line (or have deep pockets).
Thứ Sáu, 3 tháng 2, 2012
Happy Pets' Feeling Lucky game gives a chance at super rare stuff
Clint Eastwood would be proud of CrowdStar's newest feature to grace Happy Pets, the Feeling Lucky game. This new feature is somewhat similar to FarmVille's Mystery Game and Social City's Disney item games, but with better prizes and higher stakes.
The first prize box opened costs 20 Facebook Credits ($2) while any box afterward costs 10 Facebook Credits, or a dollar for you smartypants out there, and have a chance of scoring you rare items. However, every box opened increases your chances of receiving the first item, the Green Morpho Butterfly, again, forcing you to start at square one.The Feeling Lucky game wouldn't sound so enticing if not for showing you the pets and items you could win within each box (including the grand prize, a Love Idol and a Giant Red Chameleon). Not to mention the potential savings on these rare items you could take advantage of if you're that lucky.
Keep in mind that is all in good fun and that if you truly want something like the Love Idol, it's probably best just to save up for it rather than possibly spend more than its steep $39.80 price tag. So, are you feeling lucky... punk--Bah, I can't finish it out of respect for the guy.
The first prize box opened costs 20 Facebook Credits ($2) while any box afterward costs 10 Facebook Credits, or a dollar for you smartypants out there, and have a chance of scoring you rare items. However, every box opened increases your chances of receiving the first item, the Green Morpho Butterfly, again, forcing you to start at square one.The Feeling Lucky game wouldn't sound so enticing if not for showing you the pets and items you could win within each box (including the grand prize, a Love Idol and a Giant Red Chameleon). Not to mention the potential savings on these rare items you could take advantage of if you're that lucky.
Keep in mind that is all in good fun and that if you truly want something like the Love Idol, it's probably best just to save up for it rather than possibly spend more than its steep $39.80 price tag. So, are you feeling lucky... punk--Bah, I can't finish it out of respect for the guy.
Mafia Wars' War Wagon: Buy one and help Huntington's Disease patients
Starting this Friday at midnight through Oct. 21, for every War Wagon bought in the Mafia Wars Marketplace for 35 Reward Points, or around $8, Zynga will donate 100 percent of the proceeds (no frontsies-backsies this time) to the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA). The War Wagon, which boasts 77 Attack and 33 Defense, will only be around for this event, so consider it a collector's item with a purpose. I guess you don't see many of those these days, huh?
More specifically, the proceeds will go to HDSA's Coalition for a Cure, a global collective of scientists working on breakthroughs and advanced treatment for this currently incurable neurological disorder. Huntingdon's Disease affects one in every 10,000 with loss of muscle coordination and dementia. Six months ago, Zynga collaborated with the HDSA on a similar project, raising over $100,000 for the program through 50 percent of proceeds from the Exploding Teddy Bear.
Now that Zynga will be providing 100 percent of the proceeds, the HDSA should at the very least get $200,000 for their extremely important research, but it doesn't have to stop there. Get ready to go to war yet again, but this time with feeling.
More specifically, the proceeds will go to HDSA's Coalition for a Cure, a global collective of scientists working on breakthroughs and advanced treatment for this currently incurable neurological disorder. Huntingdon's Disease affects one in every 10,000 with loss of muscle coordination and dementia. Six months ago, Zynga collaborated with the HDSA on a similar project, raising over $100,000 for the program through 50 percent of proceeds from the Exploding Teddy Bear.
Now that Zynga will be providing 100 percent of the proceeds, the HDSA should at the very least get $200,000 for their extremely important research, but it doesn't have to stop there. Get ready to go to war yet again, but this time with feeling.
PetVille Halloween Theme decorations take your pets Trick-or-Treating
PetVille Shocker and Necro-Dancer
Zynga's zest for Halloween seems to know no bounds as its games keep pumping out the cutest spookiest stuff around and it's time for PetVille's second pass. We first saw the new, mix-and-match Halloween costumes for our pets to get dolled up in, but now it's time to give them somewhere to parade around in on the big night.
This update, found in the Lawn and Garden store, comes with a slew of new decorations and characters to collect, the best of which obviously being "Shocker" and the Necro-Dancer. In an homage to the greatest Halloween song ever written, Shocker, for 105 Pet Cash (about $8), will prance around your yard in an expectantly familiar red leather outfit (I guess it's not too soon after all) as his face transforms between human and zombie. The Necro-Dancer, for just 48 Pet Cash or around $4, will essentially follow suit. I guess everyone could use a back-up dancer.
Check behind the break for the rest of this limited-time collection.
PetVille Halloween Collection
Hanging Ghoul, Spooky Tree, The Raven, Spider Web, Jack-o-Lantern Lantern (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Neighbor's House, Webby, Rooftop Witch, Spider's Web, Unicorn Trick-or-Treater (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Hanging Skeleton, Rooftop Demon Fox, Pumpkin Lights, Ghost Town Sign,
Upright Coffin (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Rooftop Spectre, Skull Door Knocker, Porch Jack-o-Lantern, Pumpkin Trick-or-Treater,
Beware of Igor Sign (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Jacky Jack-o-Lantern, Hanging Ghost, Ghostly Road Signs (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Little Ninja and Patty's Hearse (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Cardboard Robot, Jack-o-Lantern Scarecrow, Jared Jack-o-Lantern,
Spooky Streetlight, Jeffrey Jack-o-Lantern (left to right)
Zynga's zest for Halloween seems to know no bounds as its games keep pumping out the cutest spookiest stuff around and it's time for PetVille's second pass. We first saw the new, mix-and-match Halloween costumes for our pets to get dolled up in, but now it's time to give them somewhere to parade around in on the big night.
This update, found in the Lawn and Garden store, comes with a slew of new decorations and characters to collect, the best of which obviously being "Shocker" and the Necro-Dancer. In an homage to the greatest Halloween song ever written, Shocker, for 105 Pet Cash (about $8), will prance around your yard in an expectantly familiar red leather outfit (I guess it's not too soon after all) as his face transforms between human and zombie. The Necro-Dancer, for just 48 Pet Cash or around $4, will essentially follow suit. I guess everyone could use a back-up dancer.
Check behind the break for the rest of this limited-time collection.
PetVille Halloween Collection
Hanging Ghoul, Spooky Tree, The Raven, Spider Web, Jack-o-Lantern Lantern (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Neighbor's House, Webby, Rooftop Witch, Spider's Web, Unicorn Trick-or-Treater (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Hanging Skeleton, Rooftop Demon Fox, Pumpkin Lights, Ghost Town Sign,
Upright Coffin (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Rooftop Spectre, Skull Door Knocker, Porch Jack-o-Lantern, Pumpkin Trick-or-Treater,
Beware of Igor Sign (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Jacky Jack-o-Lantern, Hanging Ghost, Ghostly Road Signs (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Little Ninja and Patty's Hearse (left to right)
PetVille Halloween Collection
Cardboard Robot, Jack-o-Lantern Scarecrow, Jared Jack-o-Lantern,
Spooky Streetlight, Jeffrey Jack-o-Lantern (left to right)
FishVille Halloween Items: Turn your tank into a zombie-filled cemetery
FishVille Halloween Items
If the thriller nights in PetVille weren't enough for you, Zynga has introduced four new Halloween-themed items to FishVille for your frightful enjoyment. We imagine this is only the first wave of decor to come in time for Halloween, but no guarantees. Unfortunately, all of these items cost Sand Dollars, so that will prove to be a barrier to entry for these cool decorations.
Zombie: 12 Sand Dollars (about $2.50), grants 3,600 XP
Wide Tombstone: 4 Sand Dollars (about $.80), grants 1,200 XP
Halloween Wallpaper: 10 Sand Dollars ($2)
Halloween Gravel: 5 Sand Dollars ($1)
Now that's not so bad, is it? For a zombie that erupts from the depths of your tank gravel to feed on your living fish, $2.50 isn't asking for much. Alright, it doesn't do all that, but a man can dream, can't he?
Will you be turning your tank into the next Night of the Living Dead set? What other zombified items would you like to see in-game?
If the thriller nights in PetVille weren't enough for you, Zynga has introduced four new Halloween-themed items to FishVille for your frightful enjoyment. We imagine this is only the first wave of decor to come in time for Halloween, but no guarantees. Unfortunately, all of these items cost Sand Dollars, so that will prove to be a barrier to entry for these cool decorations.
Zombie: 12 Sand Dollars (about $2.50), grants 3,600 XP
Wide Tombstone: 4 Sand Dollars (about $.80), grants 1,200 XP
Halloween Wallpaper: 10 Sand Dollars ($2)
Halloween Gravel: 5 Sand Dollars ($1)
Now that's not so bad, is it? For a zombie that erupts from the depths of your tank gravel to feed on your living fish, $2.50 isn't asking for much. Alright, it doesn't do all that, but a man can dream, can't he?
Will you be turning your tank into the next Night of the Living Dead set? What other zombified items would you like to see in-game?
FarmVille Halloween Baskets: Everything You Need to Know
At long last -- Halloween Baskets have started to arrive in FarmVille, so that means angry farmers can put down their pitchforks and let the virtual trick or treating commence. (Except those of you having problems with your Halloween Basket -- feel free to form a new angry mob). Before you get started, there are a few things you should know.
First thing's first -- place your basket on your farm. You'll either be prompted that the basket is available by a pop-up window and be able to automatically set it down in your spot of choice, or it will appear in your gift box.
halloween candy gift box
You need to collect candy, you know, much like you did as a little kid. That means hoarding as much sweet loot as possible, which can be done three ways:
1. Collect it as a Free Gift from Friends
2. Collect it by visiting (and harvesting) your Haunted House and your neighbors' Haunted Houses
3. Purchase it with Farm Cash (5 Candy for 5 Farm Cash)
farmville halloween candy Free gifts page -- games.com
Also, be sure to liberally apply the old maxim, "Give and ye shall receive." In this case, that means gifting candy to friends via the Free Gifts section of the game, and you shall hopefully receive lots in return.
farmville halloween basket - games.com
After you collect all of that sweet loot, you will be able trade it in for these six Halloween prizes:
Pumpkin Topiary (15 Candy)
Scared Ewe (30 Candy)
Candied Gnome (50 Candy)
Skele-scarecrow (70 Candy)
Bat Tree (120 Candy)
Pumpkin House (220 Candy)
halloween prizes farmville halloween basket -- games.com
Image courtesy of Duckling Pim
Once you redeem an item, you'll have the option to share one with a friend via a Facebook Wall post.
farmville halloween basket redeem item
Also, as you fill your Halloween Basket, it will start to fill up and change appearance. There are five stages total for your pumpkin, as seen below.
halloween basket five stages -- games.com
Here's how many candies you need to take your pumpking from empty to overflowing:
Eerily Empty: TBD
Ghoulishly Growing: TBD
Spookily Swelling: TBD
Terrifyingly Thriving: TBD
Frighteningly Full: TBD
First thing's first -- place your basket on your farm. You'll either be prompted that the basket is available by a pop-up window and be able to automatically set it down in your spot of choice, or it will appear in your gift box.
halloween candy gift box
You need to collect candy, you know, much like you did as a little kid. That means hoarding as much sweet loot as possible, which can be done three ways:
1. Collect it as a Free Gift from Friends
2. Collect it by visiting (and harvesting) your Haunted House and your neighbors' Haunted Houses
3. Purchase it with Farm Cash (5 Candy for 5 Farm Cash)
farmville halloween candy Free gifts page -- games.com
Also, be sure to liberally apply the old maxim, "Give and ye shall receive." In this case, that means gifting candy to friends via the Free Gifts section of the game, and you shall hopefully receive lots in return.
farmville halloween basket - games.com
After you collect all of that sweet loot, you will be able trade it in for these six Halloween prizes:
Pumpkin Topiary (15 Candy)
Scared Ewe (30 Candy)
Candied Gnome (50 Candy)
Skele-scarecrow (70 Candy)
Bat Tree (120 Candy)
Pumpkin House (220 Candy)
halloween prizes farmville halloween basket -- games.com
Image courtesy of Duckling Pim
Once you redeem an item, you'll have the option to share one with a friend via a Facebook Wall post.
farmville halloween basket redeem item
Also, as you fill your Halloween Basket, it will start to fill up and change appearance. There are five stages total for your pumpkin, as seen below.
halloween basket five stages -- games.com
Here's how many candies you need to take your pumpking from empty to overflowing:
Eerily Empty: TBD
Ghoulishly Growing: TBD
Spookily Swelling: TBD
Terrifyingly Thriving: TBD
Frighteningly Full: TBD
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
Zynga updates Zynga Messaging Center in Cafe World (again)
It seems as though Zynga simply can't decide on the perfect format for their Zynga Messaging Center, as Cafe World's has been updated yet again, this time allowing for even more of a streamlined gift acceptance process than seen since the launch of the ZMC to begin with, a few months ago.
Now, if (for instance) you receive four of the daily servings gift from your friends, you'll be able to accept all four of those gifts in a single click, rather than having to click on each gift request separately. The entire menu has also been updated visually, allowing you to see each game you have installed on your profile across the bar at the bottom of the menu, along with a numerical representation of how many gifts you have yet to accept for each game. Unfortunately, clicking these images just loads that particular game, rather than loading a gifts acceptance page for that game as well.
It seems as though Catering Mission help requests, basic assembly requests (and the like) still need to be accepted individually, presumably due to the fact that each of those requests are affecting another person's account, rather than you own, and things could get lost when accepting in bulk, all in one click.
At any rate, this makes the accepting of Cafe World gift requests even quicker than it was before, and we can't wait to see if and when Zynga will finally implement this feature (in a final, stable, working version) in other games, specifically those like FarmVille or FrontierVille, which are incredibly heavy on gift requests. "Accept all Nails in one click?" One can only hope.
Now, if (for instance) you receive four of the daily servings gift from your friends, you'll be able to accept all four of those gifts in a single click, rather than having to click on each gift request separately. The entire menu has also been updated visually, allowing you to see each game you have installed on your profile across the bar at the bottom of the menu, along with a numerical representation of how many gifts you have yet to accept for each game. Unfortunately, clicking these images just loads that particular game, rather than loading a gifts acceptance page for that game as well.
It seems as though Catering Mission help requests, basic assembly requests (and the like) still need to be accepted individually, presumably due to the fact that each of those requests are affecting another person's account, rather than you own, and things could get lost when accepting in bulk, all in one click.
At any rate, this makes the accepting of Cafe World gift requests even quicker than it was before, and we can't wait to see if and when Zynga will finally implement this feature (in a final, stable, working version) in other games, specifically those like FarmVille or FrontierVille, which are incredibly heavy on gift requests. "Accept all Nails in one click?" One can only hope.
Cafe World Queen Deep Freeze: Everything you need to know
If you didn't already have enough projects to work on in Cafe World, you can now add one more to the list, in the form of Queen Deep Freeze. Queen Deep Freeze is an item that will add an extra 24 hours to your spoil timer, meaning that you food will stay fresh for an extra 24 hours after it finishes cooking, before it will finally spoil.
Meet us behind the break for full details about this new item. As you might have guessed, you can construct the Queen Deep Freeze statue either by collecting parts from friends, or by purchasing the completing statue from the store for Cafe Cash - 90 Cafe Cash to be exact.
If you choose to go the free, albeit time-consuming route, you'll need to collect 45 parts in all - 10 Ice Tiaras, 10 Snow Gowns, 15 Jars of Lights, and 10 Ice Shoes. Collecting these items is a bit different from past building projects, in that you'll post a news item to your wall (and subsequently your friends' news feeds), asking your friends for a particular ingredient, and you'll have to wait for friends to click on this page to send you an ingredient. This is unlike the past format, where you could send friends individual gift requests, which greatly speeds up the process.
At any rate, this new format is still better than other wall posts, in that it allows your friend to send you that ingredient regardless of their own free gifts page, as none of these items appear there. Your friend will simply be able to click on your wall post and will send you that part automatically. What's more is that they will receive a part in return, even if the part happens to be for a Lightning Stove or some other project that they are currently building - the point being that you won't walk away empty-handed, and the reward is definitely better than just a few coins.
If at any time you wish to stop waiting for your friends to help you, you can purchase individual parts for the item at a cost of 2 Cafe Cash each for the Tiaras, Gowns, and Shoes, and 3 Cafe Cash each for the Jars of Lights.
Once the Queen is completed, you'll receive your first week of added spoilage protection free of charge, and so long as the statue stays Gold in color, your food will receive the extra bonus. It's unclear yet how much additional coverage will cost after the first week, as we're still in the process of building the statue ourselves, but we wouldn't be surprised if it cost Cafe Cash to refresh.
[Top Image Credit: Zynga]
Meet us behind the break for full details about this new item. As you might have guessed, you can construct the Queen Deep Freeze statue either by collecting parts from friends, or by purchasing the completing statue from the store for Cafe Cash - 90 Cafe Cash to be exact.
If you choose to go the free, albeit time-consuming route, you'll need to collect 45 parts in all - 10 Ice Tiaras, 10 Snow Gowns, 15 Jars of Lights, and 10 Ice Shoes. Collecting these items is a bit different from past building projects, in that you'll post a news item to your wall (and subsequently your friends' news feeds), asking your friends for a particular ingredient, and you'll have to wait for friends to click on this page to send you an ingredient. This is unlike the past format, where you could send friends individual gift requests, which greatly speeds up the process.
At any rate, this new format is still better than other wall posts, in that it allows your friend to send you that ingredient regardless of their own free gifts page, as none of these items appear there. Your friend will simply be able to click on your wall post and will send you that part automatically. What's more is that they will receive a part in return, even if the part happens to be for a Lightning Stove or some other project that they are currently building - the point being that you won't walk away empty-handed, and the reward is definitely better than just a few coins.
If at any time you wish to stop waiting for your friends to help you, you can purchase individual parts for the item at a cost of 2 Cafe Cash each for the Tiaras, Gowns, and Shoes, and 3 Cafe Cash each for the Jars of Lights.
Once the Queen is completed, you'll receive your first week of added spoilage protection free of charge, and so long as the statue stays Gold in color, your food will receive the extra bonus. It's unclear yet how much additional coverage will cost after the first week, as we're still in the process of building the statue ourselves, but we wouldn't be surprised if it cost Cafe Cash to refresh.
[Top Image Credit: Zynga]
Facebook game roundup: Games.com Blog's Week in Review
When it comes to Facebook game news, features and tips, Games.com - The Blog! has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new Facebook game, or you're just curious about your regulars, you'll find it at GDC-TB. Check out our biggest features of the week:
dragon age legends on facebook Dragon Age Legends: BioWare's epic role-player goes social
In order to tide you Dragon lovers over until the sequel arrives in March, BioWare plans to release a Facebook game a few months beforehand. Play it to unlock items in Dragon Age II and, once again, take on Darkspawn and other creatures you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Or even a brightly lit alley.
Mafia Wars Atlantic City swings onto iPhone
Mafia Wars Atlantic City arrives on the iPhone, something totally separate from the regular iPhone version of the game. The game runs pretty smoothly, and we hope this serves as a sign that Zynga's getting closer to launching a fully-realized Mafia Wars companion app for iOS.
Simply Hospital: The cure for the common Facebook game
If you ever played any hospital tycoon game on PC, then this is the Facebook version of that same game. For social gamers who've been inundated with farming and pet simulation games, Simply Hospital makes for a welcome change of pace. Bonus for boys: The nurses have some real eye-popping assets.
FarmVille mind melds with Megamind movie in 24-hour promo
If you blinked, you might have missed it. FarmVille had a special Megamind movie promo for 24 hours this week. This is the second big in-game advertisement from FarmVille (the first was McDonalds). Virtual farmers could visit Megamind's farm for special virtual rewards. If you missed out, better luck next time.
Digital Chocolate feeds into your god complex with new Facebook game
Trip Hawkins, the guy who's responsible for founding the video game overlords known as Electronic Arts, has a new company -- Digital Chocolate -- and they're churning out Facebook games like a robot baker at a muffin factory. Island God lets you play the almighty to a band of island dwellers.
john romero ravenwood John Romero's new game falls victim to LOLApps Facebook drama
Yup, the guy that created Doom and Quake has made an absolutely adorable Facebook game -- and no, there aren't any guns in it. Not yet, anyway. However, Facebook's just ripped the game a new one, along with the rest of LOLApps' games, for a serious privacy breach.
FarmVille Orchards: Everything you need to know
Just when we were crying real tears about putting our virtual Halloween decor into deep storage, FarmVille gives us another shiny new thing to obsess over -- an orchard. See what it takes to get your orchard started and just how many hours you'll have to play to make your fruit trees the envy of farmers everywhere.
Serenity Now: Bejeweled 3's new Zen mode treads on New Age-y territory
The PopCap game that's turned matching three gems of the same color into an international pastime is getting another sequel. There will be plenty of the Bejeweled you know and love, plus the new experimental Zen mode (among others) complete with breath modulator, relaxing music and positive affirmations. Oh yeah, they went there.
dragon age legends on facebook Dragon Age Legends: BioWare's epic role-player goes social
In order to tide you Dragon lovers over until the sequel arrives in March, BioWare plans to release a Facebook game a few months beforehand. Play it to unlock items in Dragon Age II and, once again, take on Darkspawn and other creatures you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Or even a brightly lit alley.
Mafia Wars Atlantic City swings onto iPhone
Mafia Wars Atlantic City arrives on the iPhone, something totally separate from the regular iPhone version of the game. The game runs pretty smoothly, and we hope this serves as a sign that Zynga's getting closer to launching a fully-realized Mafia Wars companion app for iOS.
Simply Hospital: The cure for the common Facebook game
If you ever played any hospital tycoon game on PC, then this is the Facebook version of that same game. For social gamers who've been inundated with farming and pet simulation games, Simply Hospital makes for a welcome change of pace. Bonus for boys: The nurses have some real eye-popping assets.
FarmVille mind melds with Megamind movie in 24-hour promo
If you blinked, you might have missed it. FarmVille had a special Megamind movie promo for 24 hours this week. This is the second big in-game advertisement from FarmVille (the first was McDonalds). Virtual farmers could visit Megamind's farm for special virtual rewards. If you missed out, better luck next time.
Digital Chocolate feeds into your god complex with new Facebook game
Trip Hawkins, the guy who's responsible for founding the video game overlords known as Electronic Arts, has a new company -- Digital Chocolate -- and they're churning out Facebook games like a robot baker at a muffin factory. Island God lets you play the almighty to a band of island dwellers.
john romero ravenwood John Romero's new game falls victim to LOLApps Facebook drama
Yup, the guy that created Doom and Quake has made an absolutely adorable Facebook game -- and no, there aren't any guns in it. Not yet, anyway. However, Facebook's just ripped the game a new one, along with the rest of LOLApps' games, for a serious privacy breach.
FarmVille Orchards: Everything you need to know
Just when we were crying real tears about putting our virtual Halloween decor into deep storage, FarmVille gives us another shiny new thing to obsess over -- an orchard. See what it takes to get your orchard started and just how many hours you'll have to play to make your fruit trees the envy of farmers everywhere.
Serenity Now: Bejeweled 3's new Zen mode treads on New Age-y territory
The PopCap game that's turned matching three gems of the same color into an international pastime is getting another sequel. There will be plenty of the Bejeweled you know and love, plus the new experimental Zen mode (among others) complete with breath modulator, relaxing music and positive affirmations. Oh yeah, they went there.
Official FarmVille Podcast (11/05): Turkey Roost, Thanksgiving Basket details
The newest edition of the FarmVille podcast has just gone live, and it sees the return of FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious as our host.
This week, we learned that the Turkey Roost will be coming to the game in the near future. The Turkey Roost is a limited edition constructable building that will allow you to house your turkeys, much like the Horse Stable or Dairy Farm. We'll be able to expand our Turkey Roosts two times, to the maximum capacity of 40 turkeys. We're guessing this means that the Turkey Roost will start out with room for 20 turkeys, and will then gain 10 spots for each expansion, but that has not been confirmed as of this writing.
When you harvest from your Roost, you'll have a chance of receiving a Baby Turkey, that can be shared with friends, or receiving an item that can be used in the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday Basket collection feature.
One last coming attraction is the constructable Fun House decoration, which will go great with the Country Fair items currently being released in the store. The Fun House will be able to be purchased for Farm Cash from the store, or you can build it using parts received from friends. There aren't any other details concerning what exactly this Fun House will do, but we'll be sure to let you know what the item does when we have more information.
For those that want to listen to the entire podcast (which includes a recap of recent releases), you can find it at the top of this post.
This week, we learned that the Turkey Roost will be coming to the game in the near future. The Turkey Roost is a limited edition constructable building that will allow you to house your turkeys, much like the Horse Stable or Dairy Farm. We'll be able to expand our Turkey Roosts two times, to the maximum capacity of 40 turkeys. We're guessing this means that the Turkey Roost will start out with room for 20 turkeys, and will then gain 10 spots for each expansion, but that has not been confirmed as of this writing.
When you harvest from your Roost, you'll have a chance of receiving a Baby Turkey, that can be shared with friends, or receiving an item that can be used in the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday Basket collection feature.
One last coming attraction is the constructable Fun House decoration, which will go great with the Country Fair items currently being released in the store. The Fun House will be able to be purchased for Farm Cash from the store, or you can build it using parts received from friends. There aren't any other details concerning what exactly this Fun House will do, but we'll be sure to let you know what the item does when we have more information.
For those that want to listen to the entire podcast (which includes a recap of recent releases), you can find it at the top of this post.
Happy Pets Monkeys - Get ready to go bananas for these tree-swingers
CrowdStar has added a series of new Monkeys to Happy Pets, which includes both limited edition varieties, and some that seem to be permanent additions to the game's store.
All in all, there are seven monkeys to choose from, including the previously released Monkey Butler (of which there are still 800+ left). The other six pets are brand new, and offer four permanent options and two limited edition pets.
The two limited edition pets are the Tiny Marmoset, a cute green little fella that costs 76 Facebook Credits ($7.60 US), and the Giant Kong monkey, which costs more, at 84 Facebook Credits.
Meanwhile, the other four monkeys are a solid color, with options being the Purple, Blue, Red, and White Monkeys. While not limited in terms of their quantity in the store, they are still premium items, setting you back 54 Facebook Credits each, or $5.40 US.
As for the limited pets, if you want to pick up either, you'll need to do so fairly quickly, as there are 1400 of the Marmoset and 1700 of the Giant Kongs to go around. Don't be fooled by the lengthy stay of the Monkey Butler in the store - it has a much higher price tag, meaning that this two pets should go much quicker in terms of supply.
All in all, there are seven monkeys to choose from, including the previously released Monkey Butler (of which there are still 800+ left). The other six pets are brand new, and offer four permanent options and two limited edition pets.
The two limited edition pets are the Tiny Marmoset, a cute green little fella that costs 76 Facebook Credits ($7.60 US), and the Giant Kong monkey, which costs more, at 84 Facebook Credits.
Meanwhile, the other four monkeys are a solid color, with options being the Purple, Blue, Red, and White Monkeys. While not limited in terms of their quantity in the store, they are still premium items, setting you back 54 Facebook Credits each, or $5.40 US.
As for the limited pets, if you want to pick up either, you'll need to do so fairly quickly, as there are 1400 of the Marmoset and 1700 of the Giant Kongs to go around. Don't be fooled by the lengthy stay of the Monkey Butler in the store - it has a much higher price tag, meaning that this two pets should go much quicker in terms of supply.
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Candy Cane Cow, Calf, Black Mini Stallion and Foal
FarmVille Candy Cane Cow, Candy Cane Calf, Black Mini Stallion, Black Mini Foal
It's time for another edition of FarmVille Sneak Peek, where we give you the scoop on the latest unreleased items that are hopefully headed to a game near you. This edition brings you the new Candy Cane Cow and Candy Cane Calf, and also the Black Mini Stallion and Black Mini Foal.
As usual, we have no idea if these will actually make it into FarmVille or not - however if they show up here it's a pretty good indication that you'll be seeing these available for purchase sometime in the near future. The Candy Cane Cow is just in time for the holiday and matches the other Candy Cane items we've been seeing.
It's time for another edition of FarmVille Sneak Peek, where we give you the scoop on the latest unreleased items that are hopefully headed to a game near you. This edition brings you the new Candy Cane Cow and Candy Cane Calf, and also the Black Mini Stallion and Black Mini Foal.
As usual, we have no idea if these will actually make it into FarmVille or not - however if they show up here it's a pretty good indication that you'll be seeing these available for purchase sometime in the near future. The Candy Cane Cow is just in time for the holiday and matches the other Candy Cane items we've been seeing.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Unreleased Snow Lady
Want to know what you can find this holiday season in FarmVille, and too impatient to wait and see. Don't worry, we've got you covered with our details on the latest unreleased items in your favorite farming game. Tonight we've received a tip about a FarmVille Snow Lady that will most likely hit the market soon.
This Snow Lady does an adorable little dance, so she will be more than just a simple decoration for your farm. We're sure she has a mate somewhere, and perhaps there will be more dancing snow people available? We'll have to wait and see what holiday items are released in FarmVille this season.
Don't forget, there is no guarantee that the Snow Lady will show up in FarmVille, but we're pretty sure you can count on it given that the art has been made already.
This Snow Lady does an adorable little dance, so she will be more than just a simple decoration for your farm. We're sure she has a mate somewhere, and perhaps there will be more dancing snow people available? We'll have to wait and see what holiday items are released in FarmVille this season.
Don't forget, there is no guarantee that the Snow Lady will show up in FarmVille, but we're pretty sure you can count on it given that the art has been made already.
It Girl travels to France with new Paris location unlocked
It Girl Paris
In a long overdue location unlock, Crowdstar's It Girl has finally released the first set of Paris stores. These new French stores allow you to buy new looks, go to new parties, unlock new collections, and explore new areas and deck out your avatar like a Parisian girl. The only main issue with this is that you have to be level 45 because you can gain access to the new area. Because of this, we don't have too much details to provide you - but if you are lucky enough to be high enough in level to access Paris, you can share details in the comments!
Along with the new location, there are three new couture limited edition items that are available to players of all levels. The new items are the Tres Chic Parisian Dress for 51 Facebook Credits, the Frenchie Zig Zag Booties for 55 Facebook Credits, and the Parisian Beret Hair for 39 Facebook Credits. This is the first time we have seen a hair item in the limited edition couture store.
All in all, it looks like It Girl's trip to Paris is elegant, and if you're high in level you should enjoy this new unlocked location.
In a long overdue location unlock, Crowdstar's It Girl has finally released the first set of Paris stores. These new French stores allow you to buy new looks, go to new parties, unlock new collections, and explore new areas and deck out your avatar like a Parisian girl. The only main issue with this is that you have to be level 45 because you can gain access to the new area. Because of this, we don't have too much details to provide you - but if you are lucky enough to be high enough in level to access Paris, you can share details in the comments!
Along with the new location, there are three new couture limited edition items that are available to players of all levels. The new items are the Tres Chic Parisian Dress for 51 Facebook Credits, the Frenchie Zig Zag Booties for 55 Facebook Credits, and the Parisian Beret Hair for 39 Facebook Credits. This is the first time we have seen a hair item in the limited edition couture store.
All in all, it looks like It Girl's trip to Paris is elegant, and if you're high in level you should enjoy this new unlocked location.
Paradise Life: New game feels a bit too familiar to be a paradise
Ice Break Games seem to be creating better and better games with each effort. Their first title, Ranch Life, never really took off. Their second game, Cafe Life, currently has almost 2.7 million monthly players. Now they're trying again with Paradise Life, a game that feels just a little too familiar to Zynga's FrontierVille to be declared an innovative success for social games.
Paradise Life is literally FrontierVIlle on an island setting. You have your own island, and on it you have to clear the growth, harvest plants, build structures, fish from ponds, and even defeat villains in the exact same way as FrontierVille. You have your energy meter which controls all actions within the game, your food meter which allows you to buy meals from the store (which convert into energy), favor points (such as reputation in FrontierVille) that are awarded for helping on your friend's islands, a questing system the follows the template FrontierVille has created, family members and the ability to unlock them, collections, wishlists, you name it. In fact, some of the interfaces are so similar that it's a blatant copy of Zynga's hit wild west game.
Paradise Life
Zynga have received such a bad reputation in the past for cloning other games by smaller developers and making them into huge successes. It's actually kind of ironic to see the same thing happening right back at Zynga to FrontierVille, which was Zynga's first original design. However, it remains to be seen if Paradise Life will prove to be a success for Ice Break Games, as it doesn't appear to do anything to better Zynga's design. Zynga's success has come from taking the ideas that other people come up with and making them more polished and better suited to a social game audience. Paradise Life is clearly an identical clone with a fresh island setting.
Don't get us wrong, the game is cute and well done. It's polished more than Cafe LIfe, and feels really great to play. The avatars are very cute, the colors are bright and inviting, and it's so much of an exact copy of FrontierVille that we're sure it will see some residual success because of that. However where games like Ravenwood Fair have iterated on a successful design like FrontierVille and made a new unique fresh-feeling game, we can't help but feel like Paradise LIfe brings very little of worth to our selection of games to play.
Paradise Life is literally FrontierVIlle on an island setting. You have your own island, and on it you have to clear the growth, harvest plants, build structures, fish from ponds, and even defeat villains in the exact same way as FrontierVille. You have your energy meter which controls all actions within the game, your food meter which allows you to buy meals from the store (which convert into energy), favor points (such as reputation in FrontierVille) that are awarded for helping on your friend's islands, a questing system the follows the template FrontierVille has created, family members and the ability to unlock them, collections, wishlists, you name it. In fact, some of the interfaces are so similar that it's a blatant copy of Zynga's hit wild west game.
Paradise Life
Zynga have received such a bad reputation in the past for cloning other games by smaller developers and making them into huge successes. It's actually kind of ironic to see the same thing happening right back at Zynga to FrontierVille, which was Zynga's first original design. However, it remains to be seen if Paradise Life will prove to be a success for Ice Break Games, as it doesn't appear to do anything to better Zynga's design. Zynga's success has come from taking the ideas that other people come up with and making them more polished and better suited to a social game audience. Paradise Life is clearly an identical clone with a fresh island setting.
Don't get us wrong, the game is cute and well done. It's polished more than Cafe LIfe, and feels really great to play. The avatars are very cute, the colors are bright and inviting, and it's so much of an exact copy of FrontierVille that we're sure it will see some residual success because of that. However where games like Ravenwood Fair have iterated on a successful design like FrontierVille and made a new unique fresh-feeling game, we can't help but feel like Paradise LIfe brings very little of worth to our selection of games to play.
Zynga and American Express team up for virtual Membership Rewards
AMEX Lightning Stove Ridable Roadster
American Express wants to be in your virtual wallet and it's joined forces with the king of social gaming to make it happen. FarmVille creator Zynga announced today that it has made an industry first in teaming up with American Express to provide virtual goods through the credit card provider's Membership Rewards Program. Card members can now use their Membership Reward Points toward buying goods in Zynga's Facebook games as well as toward physical and virtual Zynga Game Cards.
"Our partnership with American Express marks the first time that virtual goods are available for purchase with rewards points and reinforces our commitment to offer consumers meaningful experiences that enhance their game play,”" says Vishal Makhijani, Zynga's SVP of Business Operations.
Take a look at some of the items you can buy with points after the break.
Purple Cow Robot Boy Outdoor Fountain
The games included in the deal are FarmVille, FrontierVille, PetVille, YoVille, Treasure Isle and Café World with items available for FarmVille, Cafe World and YoVille immediately. All you need to do type "Zynga" into the keyword search box on the Membership Rewards website to find all of the exclusive items available through points, some of which include:
FarmVille:
-Manx Cat (435 points)
-Purple Cow (540 points)
Cafe World:
-Outdoor Fountain (1,080 points)
-AMEX Lightning Stove (1,945 points)
YoVille:
-Ridable Import Roadster (755 points)
-Animated Robot Boy and Girl (325 points each)
While there isn't exactly a wide selection right now, 20 more items are on the way Dec. 6 including FrontierVille (including those golden items, so no Gold Rush just yet) and Treasure Isle items, according to Zynga and American Express. Finally, a way to justify buying virtual goods without actually spending money has arrived. Just don't go overboard, OK?
American Express wants to be in your virtual wallet and it's joined forces with the king of social gaming to make it happen. FarmVille creator Zynga announced today that it has made an industry first in teaming up with American Express to provide virtual goods through the credit card provider's Membership Rewards Program. Card members can now use their Membership Reward Points toward buying goods in Zynga's Facebook games as well as toward physical and virtual Zynga Game Cards.
"Our partnership with American Express marks the first time that virtual goods are available for purchase with rewards points and reinforces our commitment to offer consumers meaningful experiences that enhance their game play,”" says Vishal Makhijani, Zynga's SVP of Business Operations.
Take a look at some of the items you can buy with points after the break.
Purple Cow Robot Boy Outdoor Fountain
The games included in the deal are FarmVille, FrontierVille, PetVille, YoVille, Treasure Isle and Café World with items available for FarmVille, Cafe World and YoVille immediately. All you need to do type "Zynga" into the keyword search box on the Membership Rewards website to find all of the exclusive items available through points, some of which include:
FarmVille:
-Manx Cat (435 points)
-Purple Cow (540 points)
Cafe World:
-Outdoor Fountain (1,080 points)
-AMEX Lightning Stove (1,945 points)
YoVille:
-Ridable Import Roadster (755 points)
-Animated Robot Boy and Girl (325 points each)
While there isn't exactly a wide selection right now, 20 more items are on the way Dec. 6 including FrontierVille (including those golden items, so no Gold Rush just yet) and Treasure Isle items, according to Zynga and American Express. Finally, a way to justify buying virtual goods without actually spending money has arrived. Just don't go overboard, OK?
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Missions: Everything you need to know for Day 7
Merry Christmas (to all those that celebrate) - if you've got a few moments this holiday, remember that a new daily mission has been released in FrontierVille as part of the 12 Days of Christmas mission event.
For the VII mission, you'll need to complete three tasks - visit 7 neighbors, eat 7 Fruitcakes, and collect 10 Dried Fruit. For visiting neighbors, you won't have to actually do anything once you get there - just visit. Fruitcakes can be received as free gifts from friends, and Dried Fruit can be collected from friends. These jars will be consumed once you finish the mission.
You can unlock any of these tasks with Horseshoes if you'd like to skip them - perhaps if you don't want to wait for your friends to help you collect Dried Fruit, since they will probably be busy with their own family celebrations today, as an example.
As a reward for completing the mission, you'll earn 700 experience points and 7 Sheep. You'll be able to share a single Fruitcake with your friends as a wall post as well. This fruitcake will help them finish their own mission, so be sure share one with them.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
For the VII mission, you'll need to complete three tasks - visit 7 neighbors, eat 7 Fruitcakes, and collect 10 Dried Fruit. For visiting neighbors, you won't have to actually do anything once you get there - just visit. Fruitcakes can be received as free gifts from friends, and Dried Fruit can be collected from friends. These jars will be consumed once you finish the mission.
You can unlock any of these tasks with Horseshoes if you'd like to skip them - perhaps if you don't want to wait for your friends to help you collect Dried Fruit, since they will probably be busy with their own family celebrations today, as an example.
As a reward for completing the mission, you'll earn 700 experience points and 7 Sheep. You'll be able to share a single Fruitcake with your friends as a wall post as well. This fruitcake will help them finish their own mission, so be sure share one with them.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
FarmVille: Holiday Cow appears - remember to open your Christmas presents!
Merry Christmas farmers! While you're busy opening presents in the real world with friends and family, remember that Zynga has given all players a free gift inside your Holiday Tree in FarmVille! As we predicted earlier this month, the prize is the Holiday Cow, and you'll find it by clicking on the Holiday Tree, clicking on "Look Inside" and then opening the present you've been given by Zynga.
Additionally, any gifts that you've been given by friends (by those friends that redeemed some of their collected gifts, and then shared extras on their wall) are now also available to be opened. Remember to check inside your tree to see if you received any free Winter Whimsy gift boxes, Ice Homes, and the like - you wouldn't want to miss out on receiving these free items, now would you?
Any item that you receive, including the Holiday Cow, will go straight into your inventory, so make sure you have less than the 500 item limit in your inventory to be able to open them.
Happy Holidays!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Additionally, any gifts that you've been given by friends (by those friends that redeemed some of their collected gifts, and then shared extras on their wall) are now also available to be opened. Remember to check inside your tree to see if you received any free Winter Whimsy gift boxes, Ice Homes, and the like - you wouldn't want to miss out on receiving these free items, now would you?
Any item that you receive, including the Holiday Cow, will go straight into your inventory, so make sure you have less than the 500 item limit in your inventory to be able to open them.
Happy Holidays!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
FarmVille: Free 20% extra Farm Cash with Game Card redemption
Did you receive a FarmVille Game Card for Christmas this year? Luckily, and generously, Zynga has made that Game Card worth even more, if you make sure to redeem it before the end of December 26. From now until the end of tomorrow, you'll receive a free 20% extra Farm Cash for any Game Card renewed.
For example, if you redeem a $20 FarmVille Game Card, you'll receive an extra 20% cash value - $4.00 in this particular example. With the current rate of exchange on purchasing Farm Cash outright, this will turn into around 20 extra Farm Cash that you'll be able to use on all sorts of premium goodies in the game, whether it be a decoration, instant grow on crops or trees, animals, or even some of the Holiday trees that have been released over the past month.
While stores might be closed today, if you don't yet have a Game Card, but want to get in on this bonus Farm Cash, head out to your local shopping centers tomorrow to find a Card in order to not miss out.
For example, if you redeem a $20 FarmVille Game Card, you'll receive an extra 20% cash value - $4.00 in this particular example. With the current rate of exchange on purchasing Farm Cash outright, this will turn into around 20 extra Farm Cash that you'll be able to use on all sorts of premium goodies in the game, whether it be a decoration, instant grow on crops or trees, animals, or even some of the Holiday trees that have been released over the past month.
While stores might be closed today, if you don't yet have a Game Card, but want to get in on this bonus Farm Cash, head out to your local shopping centers tomorrow to find a Card in order to not miss out.
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Missions: Everything you need to know for day 6
If you've been able to regain enough energy from the festivities of yesterday, make sure to head into FrontierVille for a few moments to tackle today's newest mission in the ongoing 12 Days of Christmas event.
On the Sixth Day O' Christmas asks players to complete three tasks:
Tend two neighbor horses
Have one Mule Feedbag
Craft Six Presents
These first two tasks are fairly simple - simply find two friends that have a single horse, or a single friend that has more than one horse and then tend to those horses. It doesn't matter if you end up feeding or grooming the horses, as these both count as "tend" actions. As a reminder, Neighbor Jack has a Horse, if you can't find any on your friends' homesteads.
The Mule Feedbag is a part of the Mule Collection, and if you don't have one, you can always place the item on your wishlist and hope a friend has an extra to spare. Finally, crafting Presents can be done inside the general store - each Present requires 2 Ribbon and 5 pieces of Cloth to create (for a total of 12 Ribbon and 30 Cloth needed to finish this portion of the quest, if you don't already have any Presents on-hand).
The rewards for completing this mission are a free Mule and 600 Coins. You'll be able to share a Fruitcake with friends once you've completed it.
Make sure to check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at Day 5's mission!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
On the Sixth Day O' Christmas asks players to complete three tasks:
Tend two neighbor horses
Have one Mule Feedbag
Craft Six Presents
These first two tasks are fairly simple - simply find two friends that have a single horse, or a single friend that has more than one horse and then tend to those horses. It doesn't matter if you end up feeding or grooming the horses, as these both count as "tend" actions. As a reminder, Neighbor Jack has a Horse, if you can't find any on your friends' homesteads.
The Mule Feedbag is a part of the Mule Collection, and if you don't have one, you can always place the item on your wishlist and hope a friend has an extra to spare. Finally, crafting Presents can be done inside the general store - each Present requires 2 Ribbon and 5 pieces of Cloth to create (for a total of 12 Ribbon and 30 Cloth needed to finish this portion of the quest, if you don't already have any Presents on-hand).
The rewards for completing this mission are a free Mule and 600 Coins. You'll be able to share a Fruitcake with friends once you've completed it.
Make sure to check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at Day 5's mission!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
FarmVille New Years Clothing: Tiaras, Top Hats, Party Dresses, and more!
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the official launch of the New Years celebration in the game. Since most Winter Holiday items have already expired from the store, or are quickly on their way out of the proverbial door, it only makes sense that Zynga would make the most of the remaining year by releasing items allowing us to celebrate its end. Such items are now available in the Clothing section of the FarmVille marketplace, as seven new clothing items have been added to the game.
These items are those that you might remember seeing here in a FarmVille Sneak Peek, as we showed them to you back on the 18th of December (notice that some of those unreleased items are not in this release - are more items coming in the future?). For girl players / avatars, there is a Black Tiara, Silver Tiara, Gold Party Dress, Purple Party Dress, and a Silver Party Dress, all of which cost Farm Cash. Both of the Tiaras are available for 5 Farm Cash each, while the Party Dresses cost 10 Farm Cash each.
Meanwhile, boy players / avatars can be outfitted in either a Black Top Hat or a Silver Top Hat. Remember, boy avatars can unlock a full Tuxedo from within the Party Barn that was released in full last week. These top hats are both premium items, and would add an equally luxurious touch to your avatar's ensemble this New Years season. Both Top Hats can be purchased for 5 Farm Cash each.
All of these items will be available for a short while into the New Year - for the next 13 days, to be exact. Be sure to head into the game sometime before then if you want to make sure your in-game avatar can ring in the new year in style!
Check out the rest of our New Year's coverage right here.
These items are those that you might remember seeing here in a FarmVille Sneak Peek, as we showed them to you back on the 18th of December (notice that some of those unreleased items are not in this release - are more items coming in the future?). For girl players / avatars, there is a Black Tiara, Silver Tiara, Gold Party Dress, Purple Party Dress, and a Silver Party Dress, all of which cost Farm Cash. Both of the Tiaras are available for 5 Farm Cash each, while the Party Dresses cost 10 Farm Cash each.
Meanwhile, boy players / avatars can be outfitted in either a Black Top Hat or a Silver Top Hat. Remember, boy avatars can unlock a full Tuxedo from within the Party Barn that was released in full last week. These top hats are both premium items, and would add an equally luxurious touch to your avatar's ensemble this New Years season. Both Top Hats can be purchased for 5 Farm Cash each.
All of these items will be available for a short while into the New Year - for the next 13 days, to be exact. Be sure to head into the game sometime before then if you want to make sure your in-game avatar can ring in the new year in style!
Check out the rest of our New Year's coverage right here.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille Hometown is here, your miniature mobile metropolis awaits
Well, it's about time. After going live on the Canadian App Store weeks ago, CityVille Hometown is finally here in the US and globally for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition for iOS proves being adorable ain't cheap
Hey people, $5 is a lot of dough when it comes to the App Store. Especially when Nexon Mobile's MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition for iOS devices features micro-transactions, too. At any rate, the next edition of the Korean MMO (massively multiplayer online game) developer's flagship franchises come hot off the heels of its Facebook game, MapleStory Adventures.
MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition puts players into the cute little shoes of either the Soul Master, a melee fighter with shiny armor, or the Flame Wizard, a wizard with ... flames. Your job is to guide these two warriors through level after lovely level of bashing baddies, learning new flashy abilities and finding rare loot. Judging from images of the game, it looks like fans of the original MapleStory will feel right at home.
The game also features several mini games as well as (briefly) social features like the Mailbox and Ad Board systems, which allows you to exchange messages with in-game friends, post notes to other players in real time.
Speaking of real time, Nexon also plans to add real-time multiplayer to the mini games in MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition, complete with Facebook and Twitter integration. (And did we mention that we could eat those cheeky little warriors up?)
MapleStory iOS
The game is available now in the Apple App Store for the premium price of $5, which might be a bit of a barrier to entry considering it also includes micro-transactions for Candies, the game's primary currency. At any rate, if you're a fan of the MapleStory franchise--which is only getting bigger every day--you kind of owe to yourself, no?
MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition puts players into the cute little shoes of either the Soul Master, a melee fighter with shiny armor, or the Flame Wizard, a wizard with ... flames. Your job is to guide these two warriors through level after lovely level of bashing baddies, learning new flashy abilities and finding rare loot. Judging from images of the game, it looks like fans of the original MapleStory will feel right at home.
The game also features several mini games as well as (briefly) social features like the Mailbox and Ad Board systems, which allows you to exchange messages with in-game friends, post notes to other players in real time.
Speaking of real time, Nexon also plans to add real-time multiplayer to the mini games in MapleStory Cygnus Knights Edition, complete with Facebook and Twitter integration. (And did we mention that we could eat those cheeky little warriors up?)
MapleStory iOS
The game is available now in the Apple App Store for the premium price of $5, which might be a bit of a barrier to entry considering it also includes micro-transactions for Candies, the game's primary currency. At any rate, if you're a fan of the MapleStory franchise--which is only getting bigger every day--you kind of owe to yourself, no?
Games.com July Fourth Sale! Get 30% off all downloadable games!
While waiting for your hot dogs and hamburgers to cook or your hometown's parade to roll, why not fire up the Games.com and buy yourself a game?
Get the best deal on games this Fourth of July weekend. Use the coupon code JULY4 to get 30% off all games*! With hundreds of games to choose from -- now is the time to buy and save. Hurry! This special promotion ends Tuesday 7/5.
Choose from popular games like:
Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies Text Twist 2 - Download Game
Text Twist 2 Escape the Emerald Star - Download Game 30% off
Escape The Emerald Star
Buy a new great game today! Click ---> All Games.com Download Games
(*Premium and video games download excluded)
If you need help with using the JULY4 coupon code, check out our simple, five-step walkthrough below:
Get the best deal on games this Fourth of July weekend. Use the coupon code JULY4 to get 30% off all games*! With hundreds of games to choose from -- now is the time to buy and save. Hurry! This special promotion ends Tuesday 7/5.
Choose from popular games like:
Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies Text Twist 2 - Download Game
Text Twist 2 Escape the Emerald Star - Download Game 30% off
Escape The Emerald Star
Buy a new great game today! Click ---> All Games.com Download Games
(*Premium and video games download excluded)
If you need help with using the JULY4 coupon code, check out our simple, five-step walkthrough below:
Google Plus will have social games, too, source code reveals
It looks like developers like Kabam and LOLapps might have been right in getting hyped about Google Plus. According to Engadget, Google is planning to integrate its now-nebulous Games platform into Google Plus. And it's all in the source code, baby.
When a tipster dug deep within the nascent service's--it just entered an exclusive beta test--source code, he found these words littered everywhere: "have sent you Game invites and more from Google+ Games..."
And then the code trails off into some alien language we can't bother trying to understand. But alas, Games and Google Plus will be one some day. Of course we already knew, thanks to a blatant job posting, that Google is serious about its games effort.
So, we still know just as much as we did before: Google Games is happening ... and that's about it so far. (Well, we also know that the games will be social, but that was a gimme, no?)
When a tipster dug deep within the nascent service's--it just entered an exclusive beta test--source code, he found these words littered everywhere: "have sent you Game invites and more from Google+ Games..."
And then the code trails off into some alien language we can't bother trying to understand. But alas, Games and Google Plus will be one some day. Of course we already knew, thanks to a blatant job posting, that Google is serious about its games effort.
So, we still know just as much as we did before: Google Games is happening ... and that's about it so far. (Well, we also know that the games will be social, but that was a gimme, no?)
Facebook predicted to make $1 billion from social games in 2011; that's a lot of Farm Cash
We all know that social gaming on Facebook is a multi-million dollar industry, but it could actually turn into a billion dollar industry this year, if predictions made by former DoubleClick CEO Kevin Ryan pan out, namely that Facebook will earn $1 billion in revenue from social gaming in 2011. According to ZDNet, Ryan made the prediction this week, saying that while most of that $1 billion figure will come from ad sales (those ads displayed on the sidebar of Facebook pages when users load social games like FarmVille or CityVille), a large portion could also come from the purchase of Facebook Credits.
As of right now, Facebook is a private company, and as such isn't required to report its financial information. However, with the company reportedly going public as early as Q1 of 2012, it will be interesting to learn which of these figures were overinflated, or were spot on. Either way, the very thought of $1 billion in revenue is an astronomical figure - more than enough to last FarmVille 30 million players quite a while with Farm Cash purchase, as an example. We'll be sure to stick with this story and update you when and if Facebook decides to publicly comment on the figure.
As of right now, Facebook is a private company, and as such isn't required to report its financial information. However, with the company reportedly going public as early as Q1 of 2012, it will be interesting to learn which of these figures were overinflated, or were spot on. Either way, the very thought of $1 billion in revenue is an astronomical figure - more than enough to last FarmVille 30 million players quite a while with Farm Cash purchase, as an example. We'll be sure to stick with this story and update you when and if Facebook decides to publicly comment on the figure.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Parking Wars 2 brings Philly's ... charms to light in Facebook gaming
We have a fine city here, Philadelphia. But, a lot of that beauty has to grow on a person, and that can take years. So, to warn folks of our city's charms before they decide to visit the City of Brotherly Love, Majesco presents Parking Wars 2 for Facebook. The creator of franchises like Cooking Mama (also on Facebook!) and the Zumba Fitness games is looking to cash in on Facebook.
Based loosely on the hit A&E show of the same name--you know, the one that shows just how awesome it is to drive in my hometown? (To dispel any misleading, It's horrific.) The game launched this week, Inside Social Games reports, and has since reached over 34,000 monthly players and just over 1,500 daily players.
The game tasks players with parking cars on their friend's streets and keeping track of when to move each car and where to move them to in order to maximize points. At this year's E3, we left Parking Wars 2 feeling like it was too reliant on other friends, perhaps. And while it sounds (and sort of is) a bit boring, a slick presentation, sharp '50s style and matching tunes keep it interesting.
Parking Wars 2 in action
When players leave a car in a spot for too long or park illegally, their friends can ticket them there for parking illegally. Players level up by correctly parking and removing cars in a timely fashion. Then, they can purchase new cars that are worth more points when parked correctly. You can then buy items to boost the value of your cars, as well as for extra bonuses to ticketing vehicles. If you're a fan of watching people bicker about parking on TV, then perhaps this is your game, but I like to escape from reality, thanks.
Based loosely on the hit A&E show of the same name--you know, the one that shows just how awesome it is to drive in my hometown? (To dispel any misleading, It's horrific.) The game launched this week, Inside Social Games reports, and has since reached over 34,000 monthly players and just over 1,500 daily players.
The game tasks players with parking cars on their friend's streets and keeping track of when to move each car and where to move them to in order to maximize points. At this year's E3, we left Parking Wars 2 feeling like it was too reliant on other friends, perhaps. And while it sounds (and sort of is) a bit boring, a slick presentation, sharp '50s style and matching tunes keep it interesting.
Parking Wars 2 in action
When players leave a car in a spot for too long or park illegally, their friends can ticket them there for parking illegally. Players level up by correctly parking and removing cars in a timely fashion. Then, they can purchase new cars that are worth more points when parked correctly. You can then buy items to boost the value of your cars, as well as for extra bonuses to ticketing vehicles. If you're a fan of watching people bicker about parking on TV, then perhaps this is your game, but I like to escape from reality, thanks.
EA transplant to Zynga confirmed: Jeff Karp joins as marketing head
The cat has been officially removed from the bag ... by Zynga. The FarmVille creator confirmed to us that Jeff Karp (pictured), former executive VP of EA's casual games label, EA Play, has been hired as Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at Zynga. Of course, Karp will oversee all marketing operations at the $11.5 billion company (at least), as well as international sales.
Before joining Zynga, Karp enjoyed 11 years at EA in various executive positions including chief revenue officer of the EA Games label. It was there he oversaw international marketing for properties like Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Mass Effect and more, according to Zynga's statement.
This EA-Zynga transplant joins a number of high-level traitors former EA executives. Most recently it's rumored that Mark Turmell, senior creative director at EA Sports and creator of NBA Jam, has joined Zynga. Just this June, former GM of EA-owned Easy Studios Ben Cousins joined Ngmoco to head its Sweden studio. And there are plenty more to mention.
It's unfortunate that just as the company goes full speed ahead into social and casual games with one of the biggest buys in recent gaming history that some of its most important positions have gone temporarily vacant. But it looks like The Sims Social could already be the shot in the arm EA needed--it's already attracted over 7 million players.
Before joining Zynga, Karp enjoyed 11 years at EA in various executive positions including chief revenue officer of the EA Games label. It was there he oversaw international marketing for properties like Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Mass Effect and more, according to Zynga's statement.
This EA-Zynga transplant joins a number of high-level traitors former EA executives. Most recently it's rumored that Mark Turmell, senior creative director at EA Sports and creator of NBA Jam, has joined Zynga. Just this June, former GM of EA-owned Easy Studios Ben Cousins joined Ngmoco to head its Sweden studio. And there are plenty more to mention.
It's unfortunate that just as the company goes full speed ahead into social and casual games with one of the biggest buys in recent gaming history that some of its most important positions have gone temporarily vacant. But it looks like The Sims Social could already be the shot in the arm EA needed--it's already attracted over 7 million players.
Think Facebook games stink lately? Then make one in Pixaquarium
Come on, you know after witnessing the umpteenth bug in FarmVille you said to yourself, "Hell, even I could do this better!" Well, now's your chance to make good on your foolish statements made in anger, with Pixaquarium Game Maker by Stuntbird Games. More of a creation platform than a game, Pixaquarium gives players the tools to make their own games within the game, albeit far simpler ones that are governed by a template.
You have control over nearly every aspect of the games you create from background artwork to your character's image and the shape of your enemies. But what's most interesting about this is that players can share their game creations with friends, according to a release. Sure sounds like it beats sharing gifts.
"My oldest daughter was bringing me drawings to put into that game," Stuntbird Games President Dean Ruggles said of his inspiration for the game in a statement. "I realized that a game that was as much about creativity as play could be fun. I thought of it as active entertainment, which is new in the game world, in that Pixaquarium is all about being artistic and inventing a new world to play in."
Pixaquarium in action
While I wouldn't agree about this type of gameplay being new, it's one of the first Facebook games I've seen clearly geared toward the little ones. Especially those who might have dreams of making their own games. The game is revolved around players uploading photos or other images to play with in the game. So imagine scenarios like a player making a game that includes their best friend to share with them.
It sounds like a great opportunity to increase the meaning of sharing content in Facebook games, but I would imagine kids will need their parents' help with the editor. (As for playing the games, that's as simple as avoiding the bad guys and collecting stars.) As simplified as it is, it might be a bit too much for the single-digit crowd. Regardless, nothing beats making a mini game of yourself slaying aliens and goblins in less than a few minutes, but prepare to pay if you want to save your work.
You have control over nearly every aspect of the games you create from background artwork to your character's image and the shape of your enemies. But what's most interesting about this is that players can share their game creations with friends, according to a release. Sure sounds like it beats sharing gifts.
"My oldest daughter was bringing me drawings to put into that game," Stuntbird Games President Dean Ruggles said of his inspiration for the game in a statement. "I realized that a game that was as much about creativity as play could be fun. I thought of it as active entertainment, which is new in the game world, in that Pixaquarium is all about being artistic and inventing a new world to play in."
Pixaquarium in action
While I wouldn't agree about this type of gameplay being new, it's one of the first Facebook games I've seen clearly geared toward the little ones. Especially those who might have dreams of making their own games. The game is revolved around players uploading photos or other images to play with in the game. So imagine scenarios like a player making a game that includes their best friend to share with them.
It sounds like a great opportunity to increase the meaning of sharing content in Facebook games, but I would imagine kids will need their parents' help with the editor. (As for playing the games, that's as simple as avoiding the bad guys and collecting stars.) As simplified as it is, it might be a bit too much for the single-digit crowd. Regardless, nothing beats making a mini game of yourself slaying aliens and goblins in less than a few minutes, but prepare to pay if you want to save your work.
Pac-Man maker creates joint social mobile games studio with DeNA
But Pac-Man is already on iPhon--no, social mobile games. Namco Bandai, the company responsible for the most recognizable character in gaming, will take a crack at social mobile games with a new studio co-created by DeNA. GamesIndustry.biz reports the massive Japanese social mobile games company (does Mobage ring a bell?) has contributed 25 percent of the 100 million yen studio project, named BDNA Inc.
While this is certainly a huge step for Namco Bandai, the company already has extensive mobile game experience since bringing a number of its properties like Pac-Man and Galaga to smartphones. In fact, the two companies have even worked together before, according to GamesIndustry.biz, on Gundam Royale. The game released on the Japanese Mobage mobile game network to 3 million players last year.
Namco Bandai Games executive VP Shin Unozawa will lead BDNA's operations, while it's board of directors will be led by Isao Moriyasu, and Keigo Watanabe of DeNA, alongside Hirotaka Reizei and Hideyuki Okabayashi of Namco. The Pac-Man maker has had limited success on Facebook, with just under 1.5 million monthly players across its games, most of which are social renditions of its arcade classics.
All the while, DeNA has been tearing it up since Mobage, now powered by recent buy Ngmoco, launched in English for U.S. and western European audiences through Android. The service will now be the go-to place for games on AT&T Android phones, not to mention the squad of legendary designers DeNA has on board like Mega Man's creator Keiji Inafune. Perhaps BDNA Inc, which opens Oct. 1, is just the boost Pac-Man needs to dominate in a world overrun by new arcade-style games.
While this is certainly a huge step for Namco Bandai, the company already has extensive mobile game experience since bringing a number of its properties like Pac-Man and Galaga to smartphones. In fact, the two companies have even worked together before, according to GamesIndustry.biz, on Gundam Royale. The game released on the Japanese Mobage mobile game network to 3 million players last year.
Namco Bandai Games executive VP Shin Unozawa will lead BDNA's operations, while it's board of directors will be led by Isao Moriyasu, and Keigo Watanabe of DeNA, alongside Hirotaka Reizei and Hideyuki Okabayashi of Namco. The Pac-Man maker has had limited success on Facebook, with just under 1.5 million monthly players across its games, most of which are social renditions of its arcade classics.
All the while, DeNA has been tearing it up since Mobage, now powered by recent buy Ngmoco, launched in English for U.S. and western European audiences through Android. The service will now be the go-to place for games on AT&T Android phones, not to mention the squad of legendary designers DeNA has on board like Mega Man's creator Keiji Inafune. Perhaps BDNA Inc, which opens Oct. 1, is just the boost Pac-Man needs to dominate in a world overrun by new arcade-style games.
Facebook How-To: Add the best apps to your Favorites list
Depending on how active a Facebook gamer you happen to be, the left-hand side of your Home Page might be a bit cluttered, with icons for apps both large and small that you've accessed recently. If you're the kind that frequently tries new games, but may only play them once or twice before giving up on them, it can be a bit inconvenient when your favorite apps fall off of your visible list of apps, forcing you to load your app page and then find the app among every app you have installed on your account just to play them again.
Did you know that you can actually avoid this altogether, by adding apps to your Favorites? For most users, the Favorites section has just a few standard items in it: News Feed, Messages, Events and Friends. If you use this section to store your favorite games, like Bookmarks, you'll be able to avoid the stipulation that shows apps based on how frequently or how recently you played them, creating a (for now) permanent go-to list of your favorite games. Here's a guide on doing just that.
1. Head to the Facebook Home Page by clicking on "facebook" in the top left-hand corner of any page on the site. From there, locate the first game that you'd like to add to your Favorites list, as seen below. In our example, we'll move my FarmVille app link to my Favorites list.
2. Hover your mouse to the right of the vertical black line that separates these Favorites and Apps lists from your News Feed proper. You'll see a small button appear. Click on this button to see three options: Add to Favorites, Edit Settings and Remove App.
3. Click on Add to Favorites to see the app's link immediately jump into the Favorites list, and out of the Apps list. Continue to add apps until you have added all of the games you'd like to have instant, constant access to each time you login to Facebook.
As an aside, you do not want to click on the "Remove App" choice seen in Step 2, as this will uninstall the app entirely from your account, rather than just removing the link from this page.
Again, while the Favorites list might seem a bit useless, remember that the Apps list on the Home Page has been changed. You can no longer collapse and expand your list of most-used apps: You now have to load another page showing you a list of every app you have installed, whether you've used them recently or not.
Unfortunately, with any new change on Facebook, there's a chance (a fairly high one, at that) that these features could change again, or be removed entirely. We'll stay on top of things and will let you know if things become more complicated.
Did you know that you can actually avoid this altogether, by adding apps to your Favorites? For most users, the Favorites section has just a few standard items in it: News Feed, Messages, Events and Friends. If you use this section to store your favorite games, like Bookmarks, you'll be able to avoid the stipulation that shows apps based on how frequently or how recently you played them, creating a (for now) permanent go-to list of your favorite games. Here's a guide on doing just that.
1. Head to the Facebook Home Page by clicking on "facebook" in the top left-hand corner of any page on the site. From there, locate the first game that you'd like to add to your Favorites list, as seen below. In our example, we'll move my FarmVille app link to my Favorites list.
2. Hover your mouse to the right of the vertical black line that separates these Favorites and Apps lists from your News Feed proper. You'll see a small button appear. Click on this button to see three options: Add to Favorites, Edit Settings and Remove App.
3. Click on Add to Favorites to see the app's link immediately jump into the Favorites list, and out of the Apps list. Continue to add apps until you have added all of the games you'd like to have instant, constant access to each time you login to Facebook.
As an aside, you do not want to click on the "Remove App" choice seen in Step 2, as this will uninstall the app entirely from your account, rather than just removing the link from this page.
Again, while the Favorites list might seem a bit useless, remember that the Apps list on the Home Page has been changed. You can no longer collapse and expand your list of most-used apps: You now have to load another page showing you a list of every app you have installed, whether you've used them recently or not.
Unfortunately, with any new change on Facebook, there's a chance (a fairly high one, at that) that these features could change again, or be removed entirely. We'll stay on top of things and will let you know if things become more complicated.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Cafe World Cheats and Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links
Hello Cafe-folks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
Today's gifting links cheats, found by The Facegamer, are for the Cafe World Mr. Snowball Event. To complete the snowman, Mr. Snowball, you'll need five Silk Hats, Carrots, Snow Buttons, and Large Snow Balls. Fortunately, with these Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links and some help from your friends, you'll have a completed Mr Snowball in no time.
The first batch of links is your standard Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links. Click on the picture you want to send, then select the friends you want to send it to. When you're done send this page to your friends so they can return the favor and send you some Mr. Snowball parts.
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cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
Click on an image to send the part as a gift to your friends.
The second batch of Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links is a little different. Simply click one of the images below to automatically accept the part as a gift. You'll need these for the second part of the Mr. Snowball Cafe World event. Get started with the Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links below:
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cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
Click on an image to accept the part.
For cheats and more, check out The Facegamer.
Today's gifting links cheats, found by The Facegamer, are for the Cafe World Mr. Snowball Event. To complete the snowman, Mr. Snowball, you'll need five Silk Hats, Carrots, Snow Buttons, and Large Snow Balls. Fortunately, with these Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links and some help from your friends, you'll have a completed Mr Snowball in no time.
The first batch of links is your standard Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links. Click on the picture you want to send, then select the friends you want to send it to. When you're done send this page to your friends so they can return the favor and send you some Mr. Snowball parts.
cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
Click on an image to send the part as a gift to your friends.
The second batch of Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links is a little different. Simply click one of the images below to automatically accept the part as a gift. You'll need these for the second part of the Mr. Snowball Cafe World event. Get started with the Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Mr. Snowball gifting links below:
cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links cafe world cheats mr snowball links
Click on an image to accept the part.
For cheats and more, check out The Facegamer.
Faeries vs Darklings: A ridiculously good-looking Bejeweled clone
Faeries vs Darklings
It's as if Atari said to themselves when planning their newest social game, "When you can't beat 'em, you might as well join them." Faeries vs Darklings (FvD) by Atari is, for all intents and purposes, Bejeweled Blitz with a new skin, some new characters and a slight variation on gameplay. Players in FvD are tasked with either protecting the forest lands as a Faerie or destroying them as a Darkling. This is done through a match-three game, of course--you know, the genre that PopCap had well-covered for years?
While FvD is certainly a wonderful game that serves the genre of match-three well, I simply cannot get past the fact that new Bejeweled rips are still being created by major studios. Puzzle Quest admittedly is a Bejeweled clone, but its story and role-playing game elements do enough to justify its existence. The most obvious differences between FvD and games like Bejeweled Blitz and Puzzle Quest are that FvD sessions don't run on a one minute timer and enemies don't have hit points. And that's about it.
Find more of our impressions after the break.
FvD Spells
But, please, do not get me wrong. Faeries vs Darklings is a ton of fun packed into a game with brilliant graphics, animation and presentation. The game's tutorial does its job well in teaching players to ropes. While the center of the screen features the game board with red, green, blue, yellow, purple and orange gems to match in rows of at least three, the top of the screen is actually your primary objective. Depending on which faction you decided to play, either a Faerie or a Darkling will be encroaching upon your version of the forest. If it reaches your end completely, the level is over.
And this is where matching comes in. Over time, Faeries or Darklings (again, depending on your faction) will appear in an area to the left of your game board with specific numbers and colors of jewels next to them. You'll need to match these jewels in both the number and color called for in order to summon that helper so that it fend off the enemy above. In a way, you do have a timer, but instead it's between helpers rather than an overall timer. Successfully defend your end of the forest long enough and you'll be declared the winner.
Lost the game
Between matches, players will be able to spend coins earned through victories on Spells. These bonuses--sound familiar?--will give you unique abilities while defending your forests like destroying rows of jewels or suspending the enemy in motion for a few seconds. They're interesting ways to mix up gameplay while giving you an advantage, but the whole idea just reeks of Bejeweled.
And while one would imagine that the variety between bonuses and the ongoing battle above would all coalesce together for enjoyably complex gameplay, it actually becomes too confusing. Perhaps I'm just no good at puzzle games, but the enemies appear to move to too quickly toward my end of the forest. All the while, I'm at a loss to find that last set of three yellow jewels to set loose another helper. And if this is happening on the easy levels, I'd hate to even attempt those at medium difficulty. (Keep in mind, this is coming from the same guy who has yet to break 300,000 points in Bejeweled Blitz.)
Faerie Defense
Atari has made several strides to prevent comparisons to the king of match-three games, but Faeries vs Darklings tends to crumble under its own weight. There is simply too much going on at once to keep track of. Simply put, this game is damn difficult. But don't let the whining of a puzzle game "newb" stop you from giving it a try. Faeries vs Darklings is one of the more visually appealing social games we've seen. It's too bad that it is a crack at a well-established genre with too many clones to count.
It's as if Atari said to themselves when planning their newest social game, "When you can't beat 'em, you might as well join them." Faeries vs Darklings (FvD) by Atari is, for all intents and purposes, Bejeweled Blitz with a new skin, some new characters and a slight variation on gameplay. Players in FvD are tasked with either protecting the forest lands as a Faerie or destroying them as a Darkling. This is done through a match-three game, of course--you know, the genre that PopCap had well-covered for years?
While FvD is certainly a wonderful game that serves the genre of match-three well, I simply cannot get past the fact that new Bejeweled rips are still being created by major studios. Puzzle Quest admittedly is a Bejeweled clone, but its story and role-playing game elements do enough to justify its existence. The most obvious differences between FvD and games like Bejeweled Blitz and Puzzle Quest are that FvD sessions don't run on a one minute timer and enemies don't have hit points. And that's about it.
Find more of our impressions after the break.
FvD Spells
But, please, do not get me wrong. Faeries vs Darklings is a ton of fun packed into a game with brilliant graphics, animation and presentation. The game's tutorial does its job well in teaching players to ropes. While the center of the screen features the game board with red, green, blue, yellow, purple and orange gems to match in rows of at least three, the top of the screen is actually your primary objective. Depending on which faction you decided to play, either a Faerie or a Darkling will be encroaching upon your version of the forest. If it reaches your end completely, the level is over.
And this is where matching comes in. Over time, Faeries or Darklings (again, depending on your faction) will appear in an area to the left of your game board with specific numbers and colors of jewels next to them. You'll need to match these jewels in both the number and color called for in order to summon that helper so that it fend off the enemy above. In a way, you do have a timer, but instead it's between helpers rather than an overall timer. Successfully defend your end of the forest long enough and you'll be declared the winner.
Lost the game
Between matches, players will be able to spend coins earned through victories on Spells. These bonuses--sound familiar?--will give you unique abilities while defending your forests like destroying rows of jewels or suspending the enemy in motion for a few seconds. They're interesting ways to mix up gameplay while giving you an advantage, but the whole idea just reeks of Bejeweled.
And while one would imagine that the variety between bonuses and the ongoing battle above would all coalesce together for enjoyably complex gameplay, it actually becomes too confusing. Perhaps I'm just no good at puzzle games, but the enemies appear to move to too quickly toward my end of the forest. All the while, I'm at a loss to find that last set of three yellow jewels to set loose another helper. And if this is happening on the easy levels, I'd hate to even attempt those at medium difficulty. (Keep in mind, this is coming from the same guy who has yet to break 300,000 points in Bejeweled Blitz.)
Faerie Defense
Atari has made several strides to prevent comparisons to the king of match-three games, but Faeries vs Darklings tends to crumble under its own weight. There is simply too much going on at once to keep track of. Simply put, this game is damn difficult. But don't let the whining of a puzzle game "newb" stop you from giving it a try. Faeries vs Darklings is one of the more visually appealing social games we've seen. It's too bad that it is a crack at a well-established genre with too many clones to count.
CityVille Level Up Giveaway: 'Like' CityVille, win a 32GB Apple iPad
While CityVille has close to 100 million players, but unfortunately not even close to the same amount "Like" the game on Facebook. So, starting now Zynga is going to do everything in its power to give that number a nice boost. And it needs your help. Just head over to your CityVille game and "Like" the game using the button above the game screen. You can also visit the CityVile fan page and "Like" the game there.
At several milestones along the way to the coveted 10 million fan mark, Zynga will be giving away a variety of prizes in what it's officially calling the CityVille Level Up Giveaway. Check them out:
7 million Fans (25 people will win 50 City Cash)
8 million Fans (25 people will win 100 City Cash)
9 million Fans (25 people will win 500 City Cash)
10 million Fans (5 people will win 1,000 City Cash and an iPad 32GB with Wi-Fi)
If the game reaches 10 million Fans, then five players will receive 1,000 City Cash and one of the most advanced iPad models out there. Now, that's a lot of prizes, but there's a small problem. If the iPads aren't being given away until the end of the contest, who is going to want to vote early on? (You didn't hear that from us.) While the contest doesn't end until the 10 million fan goal is met, be sure to "Like" the page to guarantee your spot in at least one of the drawings. If you've already "Liked" the game, then sit tight and continue playing as you've already been entered. Isn't it great liking things before they're cool?
At several milestones along the way to the coveted 10 million fan mark, Zynga will be giving away a variety of prizes in what it's officially calling the CityVille Level Up Giveaway. Check them out:
7 million Fans (25 people will win 50 City Cash)
8 million Fans (25 people will win 100 City Cash)
9 million Fans (25 people will win 500 City Cash)
10 million Fans (5 people will win 1,000 City Cash and an iPad 32GB with Wi-Fi)
If the game reaches 10 million Fans, then five players will receive 1,000 City Cash and one of the most advanced iPad models out there. Now, that's a lot of prizes, but there's a small problem. If the iPads aren't being given away until the end of the contest, who is going to want to vote early on? (You didn't hear that from us.) While the contest doesn't end until the 10 million fan goal is met, be sure to "Like" the page to guarantee your spot in at least one of the drawings. If you've already "Liked" the game, then sit tight and continue playing as you've already been entered. Isn't it great liking things before they're cool?
CityVille: Glass Condos, Atrium Lofts, and Court House now available
If you've already built all of the available items in CityVille, but you'd like to add new citizens to your town, or you need a new community building so that you can add more citizens to begin with, you'll be happy to hear that three new buildings have been released into the game today. Two are homes, while one is a Community Building, which will raise your total population limit in the game.
The two homes are the Glass Condos and the Atrium Lofts. You'll need to be at least level 55 to use either, with the Atrium Lofts not being unlocked until the current maximum of level 60. This should ensure that even higher level players aren't feeling abandoned when it comes to new content, just because they've hit the max.
The Glass Condos cost 600,000 coins, and add 160 citizens to your population, while the Atrium Lofts cost even more, at 750,000 coins, and add 170 population to your town. Of course, both will earn a small amount of bonus coins for your town as well, with the Condos producing 165 coins every eight hours, and the Lofts creating 220 coins every day.
As for the new Community Building, it is the Court House, and you must be level 55 to add it to your town. It costs just 100,000 coins to do so (not a lot in the world of CityVIlle), and it will increase your maximum population cap by 1700 citizens. To be clear, this doesn't raise the actual population of your town by 1700 - it simply gives you the ability to purchase homes for 1700 more citizens, before needing to build another Community Building.
The two homes are the Glass Condos and the Atrium Lofts. You'll need to be at least level 55 to use either, with the Atrium Lofts not being unlocked until the current maximum of level 60. This should ensure that even higher level players aren't feeling abandoned when it comes to new content, just because they've hit the max.
The Glass Condos cost 600,000 coins, and add 160 citizens to your population, while the Atrium Lofts cost even more, at 750,000 coins, and add 170 population to your town. Of course, both will earn a small amount of bonus coins for your town as well, with the Condos producing 165 coins every eight hours, and the Lofts creating 220 coins every day.
As for the new Community Building, it is the Court House, and you must be level 55 to add it to your town. It costs just 100,000 coins to do so (not a lot in the world of CityVIlle), and it will increase your maximum population cap by 1700 citizens. To be clear, this doesn't raise the actual population of your town by 1700 - it simply gives you the ability to purchase homes for 1700 more citizens, before needing to build another Community Building.
Wishful Features: Tools as a free gift in FrontierVille
How many times have you had this situation? You get a new mission in FrontierVille - you have tons of food, animals to sell, trees to chop down - the works. You think you're set for whatever Zynga can throw your way, and suddenly, you realize that the quest calls for having a certain number of Tools, that you likely don't have.
What do you do in this situation? The default response is to do nothing, since we are currently unable to flat out give a Tool to another user in the game, and therefore your friends can't simply send you some Tools when you need them from their own inventory. As many of you already know, you can only earn Tools by being hired by one of your friends to work on their homestead. After they hire you, it's an entirely voluntary (read: easy to skip) extra step that your friends must go through to post a free Tool to your wall.
What if your friends think you don't want the Tool? What if they simply don't like spamming friends' walls? What if the post has been sitting, hidden on your profile for so long that you forget to click on it and it expires? As you can see, there are a lot of "What if" situations that can arise when talking about something that really should be quite simple.
Instead of personally begging your FrontierVille neighbors to hire you on their land, and then to share the Tool with you on your wall, Zynga should update the FrontierVille free gifts page to include this highly valuable item. There's no sense in a player being stuck on a mission due to something that is entirely out of their control (that is, they can't control who their friends hire at any one point in time), and then losing out on the appropriate rewards because they simply couldn't finish the mission in time.
Perhaps with time, Zynga will come to understand this fact as well, and we'll be sure to let you know if and when they do.
What do you do in this situation? The default response is to do nothing, since we are currently unable to flat out give a Tool to another user in the game, and therefore your friends can't simply send you some Tools when you need them from their own inventory. As many of you already know, you can only earn Tools by being hired by one of your friends to work on their homestead. After they hire you, it's an entirely voluntary (read: easy to skip) extra step that your friends must go through to post a free Tool to your wall.
What if your friends think you don't want the Tool? What if they simply don't like spamming friends' walls? What if the post has been sitting, hidden on your profile for so long that you forget to click on it and it expires? As you can see, there are a lot of "What if" situations that can arise when talking about something that really should be quite simple.
Instead of personally begging your FrontierVille neighbors to hire you on their land, and then to share the Tool with you on your wall, Zynga should update the FrontierVille free gifts page to include this highly valuable item. There's no sense in a player being stuck on a mission due to something that is entirely out of their control (that is, they can't control who their friends hire at any one point in time), and then losing out on the appropriate rewards because they simply couldn't finish the mission in time.
Perhaps with time, Zynga will come to understand this fact as well, and we'll be sure to let you know if and when they do.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille: Beans energy item released as free gift
If you've grown tired of eating the same old meals in FrontierVille, then why not head over to the game's free gifts page and take a look at the new energy item that has been released just today? The new meal is a pot of Beans, which can be sent to your friends in the same way as any other free gift. When your friend uses the item from their inventory, they will gain 7 points of energy. While the Breakfast food item used to offer 7 points of energy as well, it has now been changed to offer 10 points, so the Beans take its place in the line.
As of this writing, the Beans can't be purchased from the store, so the only way you can get ahold of these are by receiving them as a free gift. There's no telling whether or not these Beans will only be available for a limited time, so ask your friends to help you stock up now if you'd like to have some on-hand for the long haul.
What do you think of this new energy item? Would you rather Zynga release items worth more energy points?
As of this writing, the Beans can't be purchased from the store, so the only way you can get ahold of these are by receiving them as a free gift. There's no telling whether or not these Beans will only be available for a limited time, so ask your friends to help you stock up now if you'd like to have some on-hand for the long haul.
What do you think of this new energy item? Would you rather Zynga release items worth more energy points?
FrontierVille Kissing Tree: Everything you need to know
It looks like the love triangle / saga between Hank, Fanny Wildcat, and Bess in FrontierVille will finally be coming to an end this Valentine's Day, and you'll be there every step of the way, literally shaping the way things unfold. There are not one, not two, but a whopping four new missions sets available in FrontierVille - but there's a catch. You'll need to choose which pairing of these three characters that you'd like to see actually play out. That is, you'll be able to choose whether or not Hank ends up with Bess or Fanny, or if both ladies decide to ditch Hank altogether and just spend time with each other.
All of these mission sets revolve around a new building project called the Kissing Tree. The Kissing Tree is slowly rolling out to users even as we bring you this guide, so keep checking your game to make sure it hasn't launched in your store. It can be purchased for 500 coins and 10 Wood. You'll need to help the tree grow with "whacks" that really equate to you watering the tree so it reaches full size. You'll need to do this five times.
Once you help the tree grow to its full size, you'll need to collect a group of items to finish "building it" just like every other construction project in the game. Meet us behind the break to see how that's done.
Clicking on the Kissing Tree will open up the "finishing menu," where you'll see that you'll need to collect 52 items in total - 10 each of Whittlin' Knives, Bear Hugs, Ropes, Swing Planks, and Screw Eyes, and just two Boxes of Chocolates. Why only two boxes? Because in order to receive those boxes, you'll need to send requests to users that are not playing FrontierVille. Since that will likely turn this entire event sour for most users, you can also feel free to skip that portion of the tree's construction by spending Horseshoes.
Otherwise, the Whittlin' Knives and Bear Hugs are earned through general wall posts asking all friends to help, while Ropes, Swing Blanks, and Screw Eyes are collected via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be most likely to help you.
Once the tree is built, you'll be able to use the tree to select Hank's partner in the game. This will be an individual choice for you alone to make - it will set into motion the particular mission set that you'll need to complete (after the trio of introductory Kissing Tree missions) for the rest of this event. As of this writing, you will be able to start a new romance for a couple in the game, or simply go forever with the same couple choice, but we're not sure if Zynga will remove that option in the future.
Whichever choice you make, you'll have five missions to complete for any particular pairing (Hank and Bess, Hank and Fanny, or Fanny and Bess). Experience points, coins, Food and more are at stake regardless of which couple you pick, so this really is a case where you should probably simply choose the couple that you'd most like to see wind up together in the long run and move on from there.
We'll be sure to bring you all the news about this new feature as we have it, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this new Kissing Tree "building." Which couple will you choose to develop a romance in your own game?
All of these mission sets revolve around a new building project called the Kissing Tree. The Kissing Tree is slowly rolling out to users even as we bring you this guide, so keep checking your game to make sure it hasn't launched in your store. It can be purchased for 500 coins and 10 Wood. You'll need to help the tree grow with "whacks" that really equate to you watering the tree so it reaches full size. You'll need to do this five times.
Once you help the tree grow to its full size, you'll need to collect a group of items to finish "building it" just like every other construction project in the game. Meet us behind the break to see how that's done.
Clicking on the Kissing Tree will open up the "finishing menu," where you'll see that you'll need to collect 52 items in total - 10 each of Whittlin' Knives, Bear Hugs, Ropes, Swing Planks, and Screw Eyes, and just two Boxes of Chocolates. Why only two boxes? Because in order to receive those boxes, you'll need to send requests to users that are not playing FrontierVille. Since that will likely turn this entire event sour for most users, you can also feel free to skip that portion of the tree's construction by spending Horseshoes.
Otherwise, the Whittlin' Knives and Bear Hugs are earned through general wall posts asking all friends to help, while Ropes, Swing Blanks, and Screw Eyes are collected via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be most likely to help you.
Once the tree is built, you'll be able to use the tree to select Hank's partner in the game. This will be an individual choice for you alone to make - it will set into motion the particular mission set that you'll need to complete (after the trio of introductory Kissing Tree missions) for the rest of this event. As of this writing, you will be able to start a new romance for a couple in the game, or simply go forever with the same couple choice, but we're not sure if Zynga will remove that option in the future.
Whichever choice you make, you'll have five missions to complete for any particular pairing (Hank and Bess, Hank and Fanny, or Fanny and Bess). Experience points, coins, Food and more are at stake regardless of which couple you pick, so this really is a case where you should probably simply choose the couple that you'd most like to see wind up together in the long run and move on from there.
We'll be sure to bring you all the news about this new feature as we have it, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this new Kissing Tree "building." Which couple will you choose to develop a romance in your own game?
FrontierVille Kissing Tree Goals: Everything you need to know
As we told you earlier, the Kissing Tree is a new construction project in FrontierVille that will see you building a kissing tree, and then choosing how to play out the current love triangle between Hank, Bess, and Fanny Wildcat on your homestead. Before you can get to the romance between your chosen couple, however, you'll need to complete a series of three goals - titled simply the Kissing Tree Goals - in order to get to that point in the first place.
The first goal, "Let the Good Vibes Grow," has you building your Kissing Tree and helping a few neighbors out with their crops (this is a time when Victory Gardens will come in mighty handy).
Place the Kissing Tree
Clear Two Thorns
Unwither Ten Neighbor Crops
For all of the details about the new Kissing Tree (which is available to purchase from the store), check out our complete guide. For crops, you'll simply need to head to your neighbors' homestead and unwither any 10 crops you find, regardless of type. Doing this will reward you with 100 XP. You'll be able to share a free Unwither Crops Boost with your friends.
Part II of III, called "A Swing and a Kiss" asks you to complete three more tasks, one of which may very well already be completed for you at the start of the mission, depending on how often you turn in your completed collections.
Feed 20 Sheep
Have or Get One Pillow
Collect 10 Breath Mints from Friends
The Pillow is part of the Inn Collection, and if you already have one on your account, you won't have to earn another one - this step is already completed for you. Breath Mints, meanwhile, can be earned by posting a general request on your news feed. Finishing this second of three Kissing Tree goals will reward you with 50 XP and one Red Rose collectible from the Red Rose crop collection. You'll be able to share 25 Cloth with your neighbors.
Finally, Part III of these new missions will actually see you picking your chosen couple for their romance on your Homestead.
Harvest 30 Red Roses
Move 20 Cows
Select a Couple to Begin a Romance
You'll be able to use your fully built Kissing Tree to select the couple that you would like to have a romance in your game. Again, your choices are Hank and Bess, Hank and Fanny, and Bess and Fanny, and your choice will unlock a different five-part mission series, depending on your choice. Meanwhile all you have to do is move a single Cow 20 times in order to complete that step. Finally, Red Roses can be harvested after 1 day and 12 hours. Finishing this final step will reward you with 50 Reputation Hearts (50 points towards your next Reputation level - not 50 Reputation levels) and one White Rose collectible from the White Rose crop collection. You'll be able to share 10 Reputation Hearts with your friends.
And there you have it - the introductory steps necessary to unlock your chosen couple's romance quest line in your game.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Which couple will you choose for a romance in your game?
The first goal, "Let the Good Vibes Grow," has you building your Kissing Tree and helping a few neighbors out with their crops (this is a time when Victory Gardens will come in mighty handy).
Place the Kissing Tree
Clear Two Thorns
Unwither Ten Neighbor Crops
For all of the details about the new Kissing Tree (which is available to purchase from the store), check out our complete guide. For crops, you'll simply need to head to your neighbors' homestead and unwither any 10 crops you find, regardless of type. Doing this will reward you with 100 XP. You'll be able to share a free Unwither Crops Boost with your friends.
Part II of III, called "A Swing and a Kiss" asks you to complete three more tasks, one of which may very well already be completed for you at the start of the mission, depending on how often you turn in your completed collections.
Feed 20 Sheep
Have or Get One Pillow
Collect 10 Breath Mints from Friends
The Pillow is part of the Inn Collection, and if you already have one on your account, you won't have to earn another one - this step is already completed for you. Breath Mints, meanwhile, can be earned by posting a general request on your news feed. Finishing this second of three Kissing Tree goals will reward you with 50 XP and one Red Rose collectible from the Red Rose crop collection. You'll be able to share 25 Cloth with your neighbors.
Finally, Part III of these new missions will actually see you picking your chosen couple for their romance on your Homestead.
Harvest 30 Red Roses
Move 20 Cows
Select a Couple to Begin a Romance
You'll be able to use your fully built Kissing Tree to select the couple that you would like to have a romance in your game. Again, your choices are Hank and Bess, Hank and Fanny, and Bess and Fanny, and your choice will unlock a different five-part mission series, depending on your choice. Meanwhile all you have to do is move a single Cow 20 times in order to complete that step. Finally, Red Roses can be harvested after 1 day and 12 hours. Finishing this final step will reward you with 50 Reputation Hearts (50 points towards your next Reputation level - not 50 Reputation levels) and one White Rose collectible from the White Rose crop collection. You'll be able to share 10 Reputation Hearts with your friends.
And there you have it - the introductory steps necessary to unlock your chosen couple's romance quest line in your game.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Which couple will you choose for a romance in your game?
FarmVille Valentines Collection Day 3: XOXO Sign
The third FarmVille Valentine's Day collectible item in the series is now available to send and receive from your friends! The XOXO sign is a cute red and white sign that sits on your farm and matches yesterday's "I Love You" sign quite well. To get the XOXO sign, you simply need to click the green "Ask/Share" button to post a wall post to your newsfeed asking your friends to click and send you the gift.
You can also search your newsfeed for friends who are looking for help receiving one - because every time you click you will get an XOXO sign of your own. If you missed out on the previous two rewards, you can buy them for 2 Farm Cash each.
Are you enjoying the collection so far? What else do you hope to see?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
You can also search your newsfeed for friends who are looking for help receiving one - because every time you click you will get an XOXO sign of your own. If you missed out on the previous two rewards, you can buy them for 2 Farm Cash each.
Are you enjoying the collection so far? What else do you hope to see?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
FarmVille English Countryside Special Delivery: Souvenir Hat
FarmVille is moving full steam ahead with the teasers for the new English Countryside feature. Though we still don't know what it is (we have our guesses) we knew that we would be getting some souvenirs to get us excited. Tonight the first one is here - a Souvenir Hat with the UK flag on it.
farmville england flag hat promo
To get your flag hat, log in to your farm and check out where the English Countryside sign was placed previously (to the right of your farm, just outside your property line). You will see a special delivery that looks like a plane and a crate that are placed there that can be clicked on to access your prize. Once you click on it, the above postcard will show and you'll be able to share an English Hat on your wall with your friends. The hat will automatically be accessible when you click on your farmer avatar - just check the "Accessories" section.
farmville england flag hat on farmer
We're hoping this is the start of a long series of fun teasers that will make way for an exciting new FarmVille feature.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille English Countryside coverage right here.
Do you have your English Hat? Are you excited for the English Countryside feature?
farmville england flag hat promo
To get your flag hat, log in to your farm and check out where the English Countryside sign was placed previously (to the right of your farm, just outside your property line). You will see a special delivery that looks like a plane and a crate that are placed there that can be clicked on to access your prize. Once you click on it, the above postcard will show and you'll be able to share an English Hat on your wall with your friends. The hat will automatically be accessible when you click on your farmer avatar - just check the "Accessories" section.
farmville england flag hat on farmer
We're hoping this is the start of a long series of fun teasers that will make way for an exciting new FarmVille feature.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille English Countryside coverage right here.
Do you have your English Hat? Are you excited for the English Countryside feature?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Game of the Day: Atlantis Quest
The Game of the Day wants to see if we can find the old lost city.Atlantis Quest is a match-3 masterpiece on Games.com. Embark on a journey around ancient Greece, Babylon, Carthage, Egypt and Rome in the search for one of the greatest mysteries of all time: the lost city of Atlantis. In this classic style-matching game with a dazzling new twist you will need to discover pieces of ancient artifacts that will help you find a way to your destination.
Click --> play Atlantis Quest
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 --> play Atlantis Quest
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.
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: Meet Olivia the Pub Keeper
Another FarmVille English Countryside character has been revealed, and it looks like she can party with the best of them. Olivia, the Pub Keeper, has shown herself to the masses and is ready for you to help her make her pub the best in England. Zynga revealed Olivia to the FarmVille world with this: "I'm Olivia the Pub Keeper. I have all kinds of new recipes to craft, only available in the English Countryside! Just need a smart farmer to help me make this pub into the hottest spot in England!" It appears that the Pub will be a new crafting building in EC in which players create beers and wines. The amount of information and the speed at which it's being released has reached a fever pitch, so we can't be far from a release now.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
What do you think of this brand new character and potential crafting building? How do you feel about Zynga's heavy focus on characters in this expansion?
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
What do you think of this brand new character and potential crafting building? How do you feel about Zynga's heavy focus on characters in this expansion?
IGN social games channel possibly in development, News Corp says
The videogame news site, IGN, could be News Corp's target for its social gaming efforts rather than the obvious choice, MySpace, Reuters reports. (We're sure IGN is just thrilled about this news.) Rupert Murdoch's media empire has its hands in nearly every form of media from social networking to film studios and now social gaming. News Corp digital group CEO Jonathan Miller revealed the news to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and added that Making Fun, the company's very own social games publisher, could also be involved in its social gaming efforts.
When asked about whether News Corp had an interest in Zynga, Miller replied, "It's a little expensive, that particular company, at the present. We're trying to build it up organically." In other words, Zynga's nearly $10 billion price tag is too much for even News Corp. Instead, Murdoch and the gang seem to be looking to take Mark Pincus and his crew head on. "We're putting a toe and then a foot in the water and we'll see how that goes," Miller added.
Come to think of it, News Corp is in a unique position for a social games channel what with its nearly limitless advertising opportunities to generate a following. In fact, Miller added that the company could use its existing television and film properties to attract players, according to Reuters. If anyone is going to topple Zynga, it's going to be someone with financial backing like News Corp. However, as is with all endeavors, it's all in the execution.
Are you excited to hear about another potential Zynga competitor? How do you think News Corp could stack up against the competition?
When asked about whether News Corp had an interest in Zynga, Miller replied, "It's a little expensive, that particular company, at the present. We're trying to build it up organically." In other words, Zynga's nearly $10 billion price tag is too much for even News Corp. Instead, Murdoch and the gang seem to be looking to take Mark Pincus and his crew head on. "We're putting a toe and then a foot in the water and we'll see how that goes," Miller added.
Come to think of it, News Corp is in a unique position for a social games channel what with its nearly limitless advertising opportunities to generate a following. In fact, Miller added that the company could use its existing television and film properties to attract players, according to Reuters. If anyone is going to topple Zynga, it's going to be someone with financial backing like News Corp. However, as is with all endeavors, it's all in the execution.
Are you excited to hear about another potential Zynga competitor? How do you think News Corp could stack up against the competition?
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