Social games will go toe to toe with the hardcore scene at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Reuters reports. Gree, the 26 million player-strong mobile and social games creator hailing from Japan, will have one of the largest booths at Japan's equivalent of E3 this year, according to Reuters. In fact, both Gree and its competitor DeNA will conduct keynote addresses at the event, which runs Sept. 15 through 18.
Reuters reports that several game companies aside from DeNA and Gree, including famed creator of games like Contra and Castlevania (some of the most hardcore franchises around) Konami, are shifting resources toward social games. While the biggest Japanese games company, Nintendo, lags behind as it continues to focus on games created deliberately to take advantage of its hardware. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working out so well for the company as of late.
"Nintendo has done some pretty awful things - no software, poor pricing, poor PR, no sign of a sustainable turnaround, software support dropping like flies," JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters, referring to the failed 3DS launch (and resultant massive price drop).
On the other hand, competitor Konami recently welcomed over 10 million players to its social games. "You can make serious returns with social games in Japan if done well - and that is exactly what they have done," Kamide said to Reuters about Konami.
Both DeNA (which enjoys 3 million more monthly players than its rival) and Gree have major ambitions of becoming global competitors in the social games space to companies like Zynga and EA, which have blazed the trail for Facebook and mobile social game in the western world. Just this past year, both Gree and DeNA made huge purchases to make global headway in the space with mobile social game network OpenFeint and mobile games developer Ngmoco, respectively.
Just as some social game makers invaded this year's E3 event in the states, it looks like the ballooning sub genre will fill up the streets of Tokyo this week, too. Whether the two companies will fill the conference halls with hot air has yet to be seen. But considering Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley analyst Masato Araki expects Japan's social games industry to grow to about 400 billion yen ($5.1 billion) by 2013 from 106 billion yen in 2011, according to Reuters, you can bet everyone will be all ears.
Do you think Gree and DeNA will have some new, interesting things to say about social games at this year's TGS? How do you think traditional Japanese gaming companies will respond? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Very Good Grief: Snoopy's Street Fair is Charlie Brown's iPhone debut
Nope, no dogfights between Snoopy and The Red Baron just yet. And based on the title of Beeline Interactive's (Capcom's mobile games arm) iPhone game surrounding The Peanuts, Snoopy's Street Fair, we doubt there will be any. But that's OK, because based on these brand new screens that were just released, it looks like the game might be a hoot regardless.
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
Are you psyched for Snoopy and the gang's iPhone game debut? Are you interested in how the game is looking to play out so far--a property management game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
Are you psyched for Snoopy and the gang's iPhone game debut? Are you interested in how the game is looking to play out so far--a property management game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Why are we so hooked on Angry Birds? It's science [Infographic]
We already know that Rovio and its Angry Birds are poised to do battle with Zynga for global gaming domination. The iPhone-game-turned-everywhere-game has become millions' preferred time-waster on the run. But there's one thing we just can't seem to put our finger on: Why? An infographic put together by Ask Your Target Marketing attempts to answer this question with two forms of science (though, the latter of which is debatable in some circles): psychology and sociology.
But before we get into that, some basics. According to 1,000 surveyed Angry Birds players, men are 35 percent more likely to buy Angry Birds than women, and 18 to 24-year-olds are 33 percent more likely to buy the game than those 25 or older. Here's an interesting finding: gamers collectively play Angry Birds an average of 200 million minutes per day--that amounts to 16 collective years of flinging agitated avian creatures every hour of every day.
While just 15 percent of players feel addicted to the game often when playing and an even smaller 13 percent say they feel addicted always, a whopping 54 percent say they feel addicted occasionally. OK, so we get it: We're hooked by their angry talons. Now, how in the world did this happen? Simply put, it makes us feel good.
Out of 1,000 people who played Angry Birds 25 or more times, 32 percent of them felt "somewhat relaxed" after an Angry Birds session, while 23 percent said to have felt "very relaxed" after launching the birds into the amorphous green pigs. But generally speaking, 58 percent of Angry Birds players reported their mood to be improved after playing the game, while 37 percent said their mood was unchanged.
This is thanks to an amazing strange little thing called dopamine, which our brains put out on overdrive in anticipation of reward, according to the infographic. This massive release of dopamine makes us want to know just what will happen after letting that next bird careen into some wooden planks.
For 12 percent of players, the addiction has been so bad that they were forced to delete the game from their phones, while another 12 percent have merely considered that drastic measure as an option. The other 76 percent just keep playing, apparently. Good idea, you not-so-jovial bird junkies. Find the full infographic below, and click it to make it larger.
[Via Scribbal]
[Image Credit: ThinkGeek]
Are you hooked on Angry Birds? Do you think this infographic does a good enough job of explaining why you're addicted to the game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Angry Birds infographic
But before we get into that, some basics. According to 1,000 surveyed Angry Birds players, men are 35 percent more likely to buy Angry Birds than women, and 18 to 24-year-olds are 33 percent more likely to buy the game than those 25 or older. Here's an interesting finding: gamers collectively play Angry Birds an average of 200 million minutes per day--that amounts to 16 collective years of flinging agitated avian creatures every hour of every day.
While just 15 percent of players feel addicted to the game often when playing and an even smaller 13 percent say they feel addicted always, a whopping 54 percent say they feel addicted occasionally. OK, so we get it: We're hooked by their angry talons. Now, how in the world did this happen? Simply put, it makes us feel good.
Out of 1,000 people who played Angry Birds 25 or more times, 32 percent of them felt "somewhat relaxed" after an Angry Birds session, while 23 percent said to have felt "very relaxed" after launching the birds into the amorphous green pigs. But generally speaking, 58 percent of Angry Birds players reported their mood to be improved after playing the game, while 37 percent said their mood was unchanged.
This is thanks to an amazing strange little thing called dopamine, which our brains put out on overdrive in anticipation of reward, according to the infographic. This massive release of dopamine makes us want to know just what will happen after letting that next bird careen into some wooden planks.
For 12 percent of players, the addiction has been so bad that they were forced to delete the game from their phones, while another 12 percent have merely considered that drastic measure as an option. The other 76 percent just keep playing, apparently. Good idea, you not-so-jovial bird junkies. Find the full infographic below, and click it to make it larger.
[Via Scribbal]
[Image Credit: ThinkGeek]
Are you hooked on Angry Birds? Do you think this infographic does a good enough job of explaining why you're addicted to the game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Angry Birds infographic
BringIt puts games in your Facebook games, so you can ... gamble?
If you're the type who enjoys wasting their money gambling, have we got some news for you. In select Facebook games by CrowdStar, East Side Games, Sometrics and Mall World, you can wager your hard-earned, paid game currency with your friends in custom mini games by BringIt. A real-time transactional platform for social games, BringIt announced that its head-to-head competitions for virtual currency are now available in games from these developers.
According to BringIt, 8 million players have participated in these mini games within their favorite social games, and the asynchronous, head-to-head competitions will increase their number of daily players to 2.1 million. Players can wager any amount of virtual currency they choose, and post challenges to multiple friends at once. These challenges are sent to players who then can respond with their own wagers and post their scores in said games--the winner takes all.
For instance, Happy Aquarium fans can now challenge each other in a game of match-three, Aqua Blast, which is strikingly similar to Bejeweled. Using speed and various power ups, players must score as many points as possible in 60 seconds after wagering so many Pearls (the game's paid currency). Then, players can post that score to whomever's News Feed that they challenged.
If a friend responds with a wager of Pearls and a score that beats the challenger's score, they win whatever the challenger wagered. If the friend happens to score less than what the challenger did, then whoever posted the challenge wins whatever amount of Pearls that the loser wagered.
Payments are said to be posted automatically, but as of Sept. 11, there have been issues with the speed of payment, though BringIt is cataloging all payments to ensure that all winnings are met with payments. (At least this applies to Happy Aquarium.) Other BringIt partners like East Side Games, have different BringIt-powered mini games such as Gold Rush in Pot Farm.
Developers like East Side Games hope to make lots of dough from this form of in-game gambling. BringIt claims that the novelty of wagering paid currency could turn more freeloading social gamers into ones that pay up to play. And we guess it's all kosher, because the money at stake isn't "real" money. Though, if you paid for it with real cash originally, it kind of is, no?
Would you ever gamble wager your hard-earned Pearls or other paid currency in these mini games by BringIt? What are your thoughts on online wagering, generally speaking? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
According to BringIt, 8 million players have participated in these mini games within their favorite social games, and the asynchronous, head-to-head competitions will increase their number of daily players to 2.1 million. Players can wager any amount of virtual currency they choose, and post challenges to multiple friends at once. These challenges are sent to players who then can respond with their own wagers and post their scores in said games--the winner takes all.
For instance, Happy Aquarium fans can now challenge each other in a game of match-three, Aqua Blast, which is strikingly similar to Bejeweled. Using speed and various power ups, players must score as many points as possible in 60 seconds after wagering so many Pearls (the game's paid currency). Then, players can post that score to whomever's News Feed that they challenged.
If a friend responds with a wager of Pearls and a score that beats the challenger's score, they win whatever the challenger wagered. If the friend happens to score less than what the challenger did, then whoever posted the challenge wins whatever amount of Pearls that the loser wagered.
Payments are said to be posted automatically, but as of Sept. 11, there have been issues with the speed of payment, though BringIt is cataloging all payments to ensure that all winnings are met with payments. (At least this applies to Happy Aquarium.) Other BringIt partners like East Side Games, have different BringIt-powered mini games such as Gold Rush in Pot Farm.
Developers like East Side Games hope to make lots of dough from this form of in-game gambling. BringIt claims that the novelty of wagering paid currency could turn more freeloading social gamers into ones that pay up to play. And we guess it's all kosher, because the money at stake isn't "real" money. Though, if you paid for it with real cash originally, it kind of is, no?
Would you ever gamble wager your hard-earned Pearls or other paid currency in these mini games by BringIt? What are your thoughts on online wagering, generally speaking? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
NBA Legend creator Lionside bought out by Ngmoco [Updated]
Update: An ngmoco spokesperson confirmed the news to ISG: "We can confirm that ngmoco has acquired the Lionside team. The terms of the agreement are undisclosed. We are very excited to have Lionside join the ngmoco and DeNA family. They are working on new products for the Mobage social gaming platform, bringing their passion and experience to our continuously expanding first party development capabilities."
Neither side seems to want anyone to know about it just yet, but signs are pointing toward a buyout in the works between ngmoco and Lionside. Inside Social Games reports that, according to numerous Lionside employee Linkedin pages, a shuttered website, an inactive Twitter account and Facebook games that simply aren't operational, ngmoco may have acquired the San Francisco-based company.
A tipster pointed ISG toward the Linkedin pages of Lionside VP of Business Operations Michael McBride and European Account Manager Kane Curran, both of which read that Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco. Not to mention that Lionside CEO Brandon Barber's Google+ profile reads, "Lionside & ngmoco marketing and product guy."
To add to the mountain of evidence that Lionside has potentially been acquired by ngmoco, the company's official website has been taken down. And neither NBA Legend nor Lionside Football are available to play, the former of which is "being enhanced," according to a page that has replaced the actual game on Facebook.
Unfortunately, both games have been performing poorly, garnering a mere total of just over 367,000 monthly players, according to AppData. So, this begs the question: If Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco, just what would the studio be up to in its new capacity? Ngmoco, since it was purchased by Japanese social gaming giant DeNA earlier this year, has been working diligently on a global version of the publisher's Mobage mobile social games network, which was just released for Android.
So, our best guess is that Lionside would be working on mobile social games to be played on the Mobage network, though it doesn't seem that Lionside has ever worked in mobile games as a company (official information from the company is unavailable at the moment). We've contacted Lionside for comment.
Are you convinced that ngmoco has purchased Lionside? What do you think or hope the studio will do for ngmoco and DeNA as a result? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Neither side seems to want anyone to know about it just yet, but signs are pointing toward a buyout in the works between ngmoco and Lionside. Inside Social Games reports that, according to numerous Lionside employee Linkedin pages, a shuttered website, an inactive Twitter account and Facebook games that simply aren't operational, ngmoco may have acquired the San Francisco-based company.
A tipster pointed ISG toward the Linkedin pages of Lionside VP of Business Operations Michael McBride and European Account Manager Kane Curran, both of which read that Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco. Not to mention that Lionside CEO Brandon Barber's Google+ profile reads, "Lionside & ngmoco marketing and product guy."
To add to the mountain of evidence that Lionside has potentially been acquired by ngmoco, the company's official website has been taken down. And neither NBA Legend nor Lionside Football are available to play, the former of which is "being enhanced," according to a page that has replaced the actual game on Facebook.
Unfortunately, both games have been performing poorly, garnering a mere total of just over 367,000 monthly players, according to AppData. So, this begs the question: If Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco, just what would the studio be up to in its new capacity? Ngmoco, since it was purchased by Japanese social gaming giant DeNA earlier this year, has been working diligently on a global version of the publisher's Mobage mobile social games network, which was just released for Android.
So, our best guess is that Lionside would be working on mobile social games to be played on the Mobage network, though it doesn't seem that Lionside has ever worked in mobile games as a company (official information from the company is unavailable at the moment). We've contacted Lionside for comment.
Are you convinced that ngmoco has purchased Lionside? What do you think or hope the studio will do for ngmoco and DeNA as a result? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
CityVille: 3x XP on Neighbor Visits this weekend only
If you're looking for a way to quickly reach the next level in CityVille (ok, so maybe it won't speed you up that much), you'll want to play as much as you can this weekend. Why? Zynga is holding a triple XP event for this weekend only, that will see you earning 3x the amount of XP when visiting and helping neighbors. Sure, it would be great if this event swept across the entire game, allowing you to have triple XP on businesses and homes as well, but I suppose we can't really complain when we're receiving something for nothing here.
If you play your cards right, and visit all of your friends both days this weekend, you can of course earn double the amount of bonuses, but it's understandable if you don't think the bonus XP received is really worth it. Hopefully, if this event goes over well enough, we'll receive even more bonuses in the future. Perhaps a bonus amount of XP for each home collected from? Each business? That sounds like a great way to pull in players, if you ask me, but we won't hold our breath. In the meantime, I hope you earn more bonus XP through this event than me, as I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it...
What do you think? Will you take the time to visit all of your friends for 3x XP this weekend? Sound off in the comments.
If you play your cards right, and visit all of your friends both days this weekend, you can of course earn double the amount of bonuses, but it's understandable if you don't think the bonus XP received is really worth it. Hopefully, if this event goes over well enough, we'll receive even more bonuses in the future. Perhaps a bonus amount of XP for each home collected from? Each business? That sounds like a great way to pull in players, if you ask me, but we won't hold our breath. In the meantime, I hope you earn more bonus XP through this event than me, as I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it...
What do you think? Will you take the time to visit all of your friends for 3x XP this weekend? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World FAQs: Zynga answers our first questions
Just as was the case for the launch of the Pioneer Trail on Facebook, Zynga has taken the time to answer some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding its newest game: Adventure World. While we've already brought you a detailed look at the overall game, along with its first few expeditions, you might still be left with questions. Luckily, we're able to show you Zynga's answers to these questions, as they were posted on the game's official forums, so read on to learn a bit more about the game.
If I don't pick-up coins/xp/etc, will they still be added? Yes, everything that drops is added automatically, you don't have to pick it up; but it's very easy to do so by just hovering over the dropped "doobers".
How do I gain experience (XP)? XP can be gained by performing various actions in the game. When an action grants you XP, you will see it drop in the form of a star "doober". Completing quests will also grant you XP bonuses. You can check your XP progress by hovering over your XP bar; you might also note what can be unlocked by reaching the next level.
How can I buy new decorations for my Base Camp? Click on the "Build" button, then navigate to "Décor"; make sure you also meet all the requirements to buy it (such as coins and level).
How do I move, rotate or delete/remove an object? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Décor", then select the desired tool.
How can I place more dig sites? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Sites", then select the desired Dig Site.
Where can I find my inventory? You can access your inventory by clicking on the "Inventory" button, which is located to the right of your neighbor ladder.
How can I go on expeditions? Once you have unlocked new locations, you can travel there by clicking on the "Map" button then selecting a destination. Make sure you have plenty of supplies.
How can I hire friends for Expeditions? You can hire friends for your expedition crew by first clicking on an "Add Bonus" button, located on the bar near the bottom of your screen, and then by clicking on an "Ask for Help" button on the screen that comes up.
Why do I lose extra energy when fighting creatures? When fighting you may lose one extra energy point every time you attack or get hit with an attack from the creature. There is a chance you can dodge the attack, or stun them when you attack, and avoid getting hit.
How can I get more resources? You will be able to produce one (1) of the three (3) resources, the other two (2) you can collect either by visiting friends with that specific resource and harvesting it, or by requesting them from your friends. You could also gain resources from completing expeditions.
How quickly do supplies spoil? Supplies will spoil at 4 times their harvest time. So if you send out a boat that will be ready in 8 hours it will spoil 32 hours after you have supplied it (or 24 hours after it came back).
How can I get more energy? Your energy will refill according to the timer on your energy bar, every time the timer counts down to 0 you will receive 1 energy point up to your max energy. You can also receive more energy by visiting your neighbors, as a random bonus drop for various actions, and you can purchase more energy with Adventure Cash by clicking on your energy bar. In addition, energy can be gifted from the free gifts page. When you reach the next level your energy bar will be fully refilled and your maximum energy is increased by 1 (up to the current maximum energy limit).
While on Expeditions, icons for my completed quests are not being removed, is this normal? Yes it is. You will always be able to see quest icons during expeditions, even after you have completed them. Quest icons in your base camp, however, will be removed as you complete the associated quests.
How does Expedition Mastery work? You can gain expedition mastery levels by replaying expeditions you have already completed. Rewards for every expedition increase with the mastery level.
What do I get from completing a collection? Each collection has a different reward; these rewards are shown on the collections page and are often needed to complete quests.
How do you obtain collection items? Collection items have a chance to drop as you perform various tasks in the game.
How many game levels are there? Currently, 40 is the maximum level achievable, but more levels are added periodically.
What is the maximum amount of neighbors you can have? The maximum number of neighbors you can have is 150.
If you don't want to read the entire series of questions, keep these particular facts in mind: you can currently have 150 Adventure World neighbors, and can level yourself up to Level 40 before reaching the current level cap. It's very likely that the Level cap will be increased within the next couple of months (depending on how quickly power users make their way to the top), so don't be discouraged if that seems like that game is limited in its content.
Additionally, it's great to see such a long spoil time on supplies: four times their harvest time. If you want to only play the game once or twice a day, you can still send out for the smaller supply bundles, and can be sure that they'll still be fresh when you come back to the game later that day.
All in all, Adventure World is a fairly complex experience that will likely take some getting used to, but hopefully, with these answers, you'll have an easier time of acclimating. We'll make sure to continue our coverage about the game to get you up to speed even quicker, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? What level have you already reached? Sound off in the comments.
If I don't pick-up coins/xp/etc, will they still be added? Yes, everything that drops is added automatically, you don't have to pick it up; but it's very easy to do so by just hovering over the dropped "doobers".
How do I gain experience (XP)? XP can be gained by performing various actions in the game. When an action grants you XP, you will see it drop in the form of a star "doober". Completing quests will also grant you XP bonuses. You can check your XP progress by hovering over your XP bar; you might also note what can be unlocked by reaching the next level.
How can I buy new decorations for my Base Camp? Click on the "Build" button, then navigate to "Décor"; make sure you also meet all the requirements to buy it (such as coins and level).
How do I move, rotate or delete/remove an object? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Décor", then select the desired tool.
How can I place more dig sites? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Sites", then select the desired Dig Site.
Where can I find my inventory? You can access your inventory by clicking on the "Inventory" button, which is located to the right of your neighbor ladder.
How can I go on expeditions? Once you have unlocked new locations, you can travel there by clicking on the "Map" button then selecting a destination. Make sure you have plenty of supplies.
How can I hire friends for Expeditions? You can hire friends for your expedition crew by first clicking on an "Add Bonus" button, located on the bar near the bottom of your screen, and then by clicking on an "Ask for Help" button on the screen that comes up.
Why do I lose extra energy when fighting creatures? When fighting you may lose one extra energy point every time you attack or get hit with an attack from the creature. There is a chance you can dodge the attack, or stun them when you attack, and avoid getting hit.
How can I get more resources? You will be able to produce one (1) of the three (3) resources, the other two (2) you can collect either by visiting friends with that specific resource and harvesting it, or by requesting them from your friends. You could also gain resources from completing expeditions.
How quickly do supplies spoil? Supplies will spoil at 4 times their harvest time. So if you send out a boat that will be ready in 8 hours it will spoil 32 hours after you have supplied it (or 24 hours after it came back).
How can I get more energy? Your energy will refill according to the timer on your energy bar, every time the timer counts down to 0 you will receive 1 energy point up to your max energy. You can also receive more energy by visiting your neighbors, as a random bonus drop for various actions, and you can purchase more energy with Adventure Cash by clicking on your energy bar. In addition, energy can be gifted from the free gifts page. When you reach the next level your energy bar will be fully refilled and your maximum energy is increased by 1 (up to the current maximum energy limit).
While on Expeditions, icons for my completed quests are not being removed, is this normal? Yes it is. You will always be able to see quest icons during expeditions, even after you have completed them. Quest icons in your base camp, however, will be removed as you complete the associated quests.
How does Expedition Mastery work? You can gain expedition mastery levels by replaying expeditions you have already completed. Rewards for every expedition increase with the mastery level.
What do I get from completing a collection? Each collection has a different reward; these rewards are shown on the collections page and are often needed to complete quests.
How do you obtain collection items? Collection items have a chance to drop as you perform various tasks in the game.
How many game levels are there? Currently, 40 is the maximum level achievable, but more levels are added periodically.
What is the maximum amount of neighbors you can have? The maximum number of neighbors you can have is 150.
If you don't want to read the entire series of questions, keep these particular facts in mind: you can currently have 150 Adventure World neighbors, and can level yourself up to Level 40 before reaching the current level cap. It's very likely that the Level cap will be increased within the next couple of months (depending on how quickly power users make their way to the top), so don't be discouraged if that seems like that game is limited in its content.
Additionally, it's great to see such a long spoil time on supplies: four times their harvest time. If you want to only play the game once or twice a day, you can still send out for the smaller supply bundles, and can be sure that they'll still be fresh when you come back to the game later that day.
All in all, Adventure World is a fairly complex experience that will likely take some getting used to, but hopefully, with these answers, you'll have an easier time of acclimating. We'll make sure to continue our coverage about the game to get you up to speed even quicker, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? What level have you already reached? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cheats & Tips: Expedition Mastery Guide
While we've already brought you a detailed look at the first few Expeditions in Adventure World, did you know that you can actually repeat these Expeditions and eventually master them? That's right, each time you repeat an Expedition, you'll earn points towards mastering the Expedition itself, and with each star of mastery you earn (for that particular Expedition), your potential rewards will increase.
As of right now, it looks like each individual Expedition has a total of five mastery stars available to earn, but you won't necessarily go up a full star level each time you play through it. That is, you may have to finish a single Expedition more than five times to completely master it. In the process, however, you'll earn plenty of rewards like Food, Fuel and Coins. Luckily, you can see a complete rundown of what your additional rewards will be before really getting too deep into repeating them. Just start an Expedition as you normally would (say, on your very first time running through it), and click on the "Rewards" button at the bottom of the screen, as seen below.
This will bring up the following menu, showing you the possible maximum rewards for each star level of that Expedition. As you can see from our below example - Jungle Run - the rewards become significantly higher the more and more times you play through the entire Expedition, but remember, doing so is mostly voluntary. That is, you may need to backtrack to past Expeditions to level up and unlock new ones, but at least you can pick and choose which ones to repeat and which ones to avoid based on your preferences.
All in all, the process of mastering Expeditions really isn't that complicated - just know that by playing the game more often, you'll increase the rate at which you master them, and the rate at which you earn bigger and better rewards. And make sure to keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Zynga's newest - and largest - Facebook game yet.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you work to master each and every Expedition in Adventure World, or are some of these Expeditions too difficult to complete more than once? Sound off in the comments.
As of right now, it looks like each individual Expedition has a total of five mastery stars available to earn, but you won't necessarily go up a full star level each time you play through it. That is, you may have to finish a single Expedition more than five times to completely master it. In the process, however, you'll earn plenty of rewards like Food, Fuel and Coins. Luckily, you can see a complete rundown of what your additional rewards will be before really getting too deep into repeating them. Just start an Expedition as you normally would (say, on your very first time running through it), and click on the "Rewards" button at the bottom of the screen, as seen below.
This will bring up the following menu, showing you the possible maximum rewards for each star level of that Expedition. As you can see from our below example - Jungle Run - the rewards become significantly higher the more and more times you play through the entire Expedition, but remember, doing so is mostly voluntary. That is, you may need to backtrack to past Expeditions to level up and unlock new ones, but at least you can pick and choose which ones to repeat and which ones to avoid based on your preferences.
All in all, the process of mastering Expeditions really isn't that complicated - just know that by playing the game more often, you'll increase the rate at which you master them, and the rate at which you earn bigger and better rewards. And make sure to keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Zynga's newest - and largest - Facebook game yet.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you work to master each and every Expedition in Adventure World, or are some of these Expeditions too difficult to complete more than once? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cheats & Tips: Base Camp Expansion Guide
Not entirely unlike the Pioneer Trail, or even FarmVille, Zynga's newest Facebook game - Adventure World - allows you to decorate a Base Camp that serves as this game's "Homestead" or "Home Farm." And just like in those other popular games, you'll be able to expand your Base Camp to hold more goodies, whether functional, or just those used for decoration.
While Adventure World starts you off with a fairly large section of land, covered in shrubs, trees and other debris, it's inevitable that we'll eventually run out of room. Even if we didn't, just look at those cool items waiting off in the shadows! There are new treasure sites (like the one pictured above), but there's even an Adventure Society Plane just waiting to be unlocked. To purchase these expansions, you can either click on something in this shadow-covered land, which automatically brings up the Expansion menu, or you can access it the "old fashioned way," by clicking on the Hammer / Bricks icon in the game's tool menu and then clicking on the Expansion tab (at the far right).
Either way, once you open this menu, you'll see that there are currently six expansions available to purchase, but they are locked based on your in-game level, or the amount of coins you currently have to spend. The first expansion costs 3,000 coins, and once you click on it to purchase it, you'll be allowed to move a large expansion area over to one of the shadowy spaces in your Base Camp. Click on the ground to purchase the selected expansion plot and voila! The shadows disappear and you can now interact with whatever item you've unlocked.
If you wish to use this land for decoration, you can do that as well, by first clicking on all of that new debris to spend energy clearing it away. As of right now, there's no "Zoning Permit" or "Land Grant" that's needed to unlock these expansions; you'll just need good old coins. It's not entirely impossible that such a roadblock might be added in the future, however, so your best bet might be to focus on expanding sooner, rather than later.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Base Camp expansion system in Adventure World? Do you like purchasing just single sections of land, or would you prefer each side of the Base Camp to simply extend further with each expansion? Sound off in the comments.
While Adventure World starts you off with a fairly large section of land, covered in shrubs, trees and other debris, it's inevitable that we'll eventually run out of room. Even if we didn't, just look at those cool items waiting off in the shadows! There are new treasure sites (like the one pictured above), but there's even an Adventure Society Plane just waiting to be unlocked. To purchase these expansions, you can either click on something in this shadow-covered land, which automatically brings up the Expansion menu, or you can access it the "old fashioned way," by clicking on the Hammer / Bricks icon in the game's tool menu and then clicking on the Expansion tab (at the far right).
Either way, once you open this menu, you'll see that there are currently six expansions available to purchase, but they are locked based on your in-game level, or the amount of coins you currently have to spend. The first expansion costs 3,000 coins, and once you click on it to purchase it, you'll be allowed to move a large expansion area over to one of the shadowy spaces in your Base Camp. Click on the ground to purchase the selected expansion plot and voila! The shadows disappear and you can now interact with whatever item you've unlocked.
If you wish to use this land for decoration, you can do that as well, by first clicking on all of that new debris to spend energy clearing it away. As of right now, there's no "Zoning Permit" or "Land Grant" that's needed to unlock these expansions; you'll just need good old coins. It's not entirely impossible that such a roadblock might be added in the future, however, so your best bet might be to focus on expanding sooner, rather than later.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Base Camp expansion system in Adventure World? Do you like purchasing just single sections of land, or would you prefer each side of the Base Camp to simply extend further with each expansion? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cheats & Tips: Avatar Appearance Guide
If you're like me, your first instinct with Zynga's newest Facebook game Adventure World was probably to immediately start making your way through Expeditions. After all, it's not everyday that you have a chance to gain access to the lost city of El Dorado, even if it is virtually. Here's something you might have missed though - did you know you can change your avatar's appearance? With so many characters walking around in the same tan outfits, this is a great way to spend a few coins to really set yourself apart from your peers (even more helpful when joining Expeditions, as your friends can tell you apart).
To change your avatar's appearance or clothing, click on the Crate in the bottom right corner of the screen, and from there click on the brown hat. This brings up a menu like the one below, where you'll see your avatar moving through a series of animations, and can choose from a variety of facial features (eyebrows, noses, and even facial hair or glasses), along with clothing options for both tops and bottoms.
Simply browse through these sections, clicking on items as you choose to try them on. Again, it's important to note that you avatar is constantly moving in the preview area, as this will show you what he or she will actually look like while moving, while wearing these new items. You'll need to then click on the large green button that appears underneath your avatar to actually purchase the individual items you try on, so don't forget to do that before closing the window or changing tabs.
If you do happen to close the window (or change tabs) before purchasing any of your changes, they'll unfortunately be lost, requiring you to enter the menu and try on (and actually purchase) these items from scratch. In this, there's unfortunately not any way (currently) to try on full outfits to see how new tops look with new pants, unless you purchase one outright. When you purchase a new item, it will instantly be equipped, so you'd have to purchase one or the other on a whim and hope it doesn't actually look good with the other item you had thought of.
All in all, it's likely that more clothing items will be released in the future to give us even more customization options, but for now, take a look at the selection available and see if you can create an avatar that more represents your own personal style.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you edited your avatar's appearance in Adventure World, or are you saving your coins for other items, such as Base Camp Expansions, instead? Sound off in the comments.
To change your avatar's appearance or clothing, click on the Crate in the bottom right corner of the screen, and from there click on the brown hat. This brings up a menu like the one below, where you'll see your avatar moving through a series of animations, and can choose from a variety of facial features (eyebrows, noses, and even facial hair or glasses), along with clothing options for both tops and bottoms.
Simply browse through these sections, clicking on items as you choose to try them on. Again, it's important to note that you avatar is constantly moving in the preview area, as this will show you what he or she will actually look like while moving, while wearing these new items. You'll need to then click on the large green button that appears underneath your avatar to actually purchase the individual items you try on, so don't forget to do that before closing the window or changing tabs.
If you do happen to close the window (or change tabs) before purchasing any of your changes, they'll unfortunately be lost, requiring you to enter the menu and try on (and actually purchase) these items from scratch. In this, there's unfortunately not any way (currently) to try on full outfits to see how new tops look with new pants, unless you purchase one outright. When you purchase a new item, it will instantly be equipped, so you'd have to purchase one or the other on a whim and hope it doesn't actually look good with the other item you had thought of.
All in all, it's likely that more clothing items will be released in the future to give us even more customization options, but for now, take a look at the selection available and see if you can create an avatar that more represents your own personal style.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you edited your avatar's appearance in Adventure World, or are you saving your coins for other items, such as Base Camp Expansions, instead? Sound off in the comments.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ubisoft CEO: Smurfs & Co. gained 4.2 million players with no marketing
And now, The Smurfs & Co. is sitting pretty with over 9 million monthly players since its launch just over a month ago. During an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed, "Smurfs went from zero to 4.2 million without marketing in two weeks."
While these might not be The Sims Social numbers, it speaks volumes to the power social games with strong brands behind them have on Facebook. This is especially considering Ubisoft conducted zero advertising (the main method of growth for Facebook games these days) for The Smurfs & Co. in that time period. That's the power of The Smurfs for ya, I guess.
Guillemont continued," So it's amazing how fast, when the content is adapted, those products can grow. So it really shows that people are very interested by new content in games. So we will continue to develop and make sure the quality of the game experience is adapted to what people are looking for."
In other words, the best way to for a Facebook game to grow is the keep it current, according to Guillemont. (So, that's why Zynga updates its games incessantly!) The Ubisoft boss went on to reveal to GamesIndustry.biz just why it's in on the rapidly growing free-to-play and social games movement: "In the long term there's no reason why the casual would not overcome the hardcore business because there are more people that are interested in buying casual."
So, if you ask Guillemont, casual (and free-to-play) are the way to go, which already accounted for 40 percent of the company's revenue in 2010. And Ubisoft is certainly not alone--EA has already spent over $1 billion on Facebook and mobile games, which is looking to already be paying off. Other traditional companies are slowly dipping their feet, while a legion of originally hardcore game designers have Facebook Credits twinkling in their eyes.
Does this mean no more Assassin's Creed or Ghost Recon for the hardcore crowd? Of course not, but I'm willing to bet that it does mean far more blue creatures in white hats in a not-so-little place called Facebook.
Do you agree that casual games could overtake hardcore games in the future? What do you think of The Smurfs & Co. so far, what brands do you hope Ubisoft brings to Facebook next? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
While these might not be The Sims Social numbers, it speaks volumes to the power social games with strong brands behind them have on Facebook. This is especially considering Ubisoft conducted zero advertising (the main method of growth for Facebook games these days) for The Smurfs & Co. in that time period. That's the power of The Smurfs for ya, I guess.
Guillemont continued," So it's amazing how fast, when the content is adapted, those products can grow. So it really shows that people are very interested by new content in games. So we will continue to develop and make sure the quality of the game experience is adapted to what people are looking for."
In other words, the best way to for a Facebook game to grow is the keep it current, according to Guillemont. (So, that's why Zynga updates its games incessantly!) The Ubisoft boss went on to reveal to GamesIndustry.biz just why it's in on the rapidly growing free-to-play and social games movement: "In the long term there's no reason why the casual would not overcome the hardcore business because there are more people that are interested in buying casual."
So, if you ask Guillemont, casual (and free-to-play) are the way to go, which already accounted for 40 percent of the company's revenue in 2010. And Ubisoft is certainly not alone--EA has already spent over $1 billion on Facebook and mobile games, which is looking to already be paying off. Other traditional companies are slowly dipping their feet, while a legion of originally hardcore game designers have Facebook Credits twinkling in their eyes.
Does this mean no more Assassin's Creed or Ghost Recon for the hardcore crowd? Of course not, but I'm willing to bet that it does mean far more blue creatures in white hats in a not-so-little place called Facebook.
Do you agree that casual games could overtake hardcore games in the future? What do you think of The Smurfs & Co. so far, what brands do you hope Ubisoft brings to Facebook next? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Game Developers Choice Online Awards Audience Award: Vote for your fave Facebook game
We know, you're miffed that your favorite Facebook game didn't make the cut in the second annual Game Developers Choice Online Awards nominations. Luckily for you, the Audience Award category has finally opened up for voting from the public starting today, Sept. 8, through Sept. 22. All you need to do is head on over to the Audience Award voting page, type in what game--any online game--you think should win, and provide an email address to confirm your vote.
The second annual GDC Online, an Austin, Texas-based online game-centric offshoot of the annual GDC event that takes place annually in San Francisco, is little more than a month away, running Oct. 10-13. The GDC Online Awards will be held on the evening of Oct. 12 in the Austin Convention Center. Now that you know all of the logistics regarding the GDC Online Awards, let's talk a bit about that Audience Award.
Frankly, it can be a little daunting, that blank white box, just waiting for your answer. If you need some help framing your answer deciding on a sound candidate, take a look at the nominees that were already decided upon. If that doesn't help, take a look at this month's Top 25 Facebook Games to see what's hot.
Or, you know, just vote for what game you enjoy best--just make sure it's a Facebook game, kay? League of Legends won the Audience Award last year, and while it's a blast, we can't have that this year ... or we'll miss out on the Facebook royalty checks again. (Before the flaming starts: Jokes, people, just jokes.)
Do you plan on casting a vote for the GDC Online Awards Audience Award? Which game do you think should win the honor? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
The second annual GDC Online, an Austin, Texas-based online game-centric offshoot of the annual GDC event that takes place annually in San Francisco, is little more than a month away, running Oct. 10-13. The GDC Online Awards will be held on the evening of Oct. 12 in the Austin Convention Center. Now that you know all of the logistics regarding the GDC Online Awards, let's talk a bit about that Audience Award.
Frankly, it can be a little daunting, that blank white box, just waiting for your answer. If you need some help framing your answer deciding on a sound candidate, take a look at the nominees that were already decided upon. If that doesn't help, take a look at this month's Top 25 Facebook Games to see what's hot.
Or, you know, just vote for what game you enjoy best--just make sure it's a Facebook game, kay? League of Legends won the Audience Award last year, and while it's a blast, we can't have that this year ... or we'll miss out on the Facebook royalty checks again. (Before the flaming starts: Jokes, people, just jokes.)
Do you plan on casting a vote for the GDC Online Awards Audience Award? Which game do you think should win the honor? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
It's time to explore Adventure World, Zynga's largest Facebook game yet
Seriously, do you have a few hours to kill? Then good, because you might need it (and some Facebook Credits, in that case). Zynga has set Adventure World loose on Facebook--all 30 maps, 200 quests, over 1,000 art assets and 20,000 objects included. In this game that just so happens to be 40 times larger than previous Zynga games like FarmVille, players assume the role of an adventurer in search of the golden city of El Dorado.
You'll trek across jungles, mountains, caverns, volcanoes and finally venture into El Dorado itself, overcoming a myriad of wild beasts, lethal traps and various puzzles using your wits in search of the ultimate treasure. Developed by Zynga Boston (formerly known as Conduit Labs), Adventure World makes use of pseudo-3D, cel-shaded visuals to achieve an art style reminiscent of comic books from the '40s revolving around the golden age of exploration.
"When we joined the Zynga family a year ago, our goal was to not only create a game unlike any other in the social gaming space today, but to create a completely new genre," Zynga Boston GM Nabeel Hyatt said in a release. "We call this genre social adventure, one where players can explore, discover and team up with friends on an adventure of a lifetime."
Gallery: Adventure World on Facebook
Player navigate the world using unique tools like whips, grappling hooks and more that level individually as your character progresses. Speaking of which, there are over 10,000 different avatar variations at launch through its customization system. Based on an early look at the game, Adventure World looks to be Zynga's most ambitious project yet, with game mechanics that teach players rather than tell them how to navigate the game world.
But players will have the help of their friends to navigate Adventure World, too. Players can enlist up to 12 friends along the way to help them overcome obstacles like puzzles and traps more easily. And as players use the same friends more often, the stronger those friends become, fostering tight-knit groups of asynchronous adventurers.
Adventure World is already available in eight languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and Norwegian. Zynga also points out that this is the first game to feature a pygmy princess, so if that doesn't get you to click the link below, we don't know what will.
Click here to play Adventure World on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you tried Adventure World on Facebook yet? What do you think so far of this massive Zynga game? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
You'll trek across jungles, mountains, caverns, volcanoes and finally venture into El Dorado itself, overcoming a myriad of wild beasts, lethal traps and various puzzles using your wits in search of the ultimate treasure. Developed by Zynga Boston (formerly known as Conduit Labs), Adventure World makes use of pseudo-3D, cel-shaded visuals to achieve an art style reminiscent of comic books from the '40s revolving around the golden age of exploration.
"When we joined the Zynga family a year ago, our goal was to not only create a game unlike any other in the social gaming space today, but to create a completely new genre," Zynga Boston GM Nabeel Hyatt said in a release. "We call this genre social adventure, one where players can explore, discover and team up with friends on an adventure of a lifetime."
Gallery: Adventure World on Facebook
Player navigate the world using unique tools like whips, grappling hooks and more that level individually as your character progresses. Speaking of which, there are over 10,000 different avatar variations at launch through its customization system. Based on an early look at the game, Adventure World looks to be Zynga's most ambitious project yet, with game mechanics that teach players rather than tell them how to navigate the game world.
But players will have the help of their friends to navigate Adventure World, too. Players can enlist up to 12 friends along the way to help them overcome obstacles like puzzles and traps more easily. And as players use the same friends more often, the stronger those friends become, fostering tight-knit groups of asynchronous adventurers.
Adventure World is already available in eight languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and Norwegian. Zynga also points out that this is the first game to feature a pygmy princess, so if that doesn't get you to click the link below, we don't know what will.
Click here to play Adventure World on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you tried Adventure World on Facebook yet? What do you think so far of this massive Zynga game? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Adventure World Prologue Quests: Everything you need to know
With the launch of Adventure World on Facebook, we see the launch of Zynga's biggest Facebook game yet, split into chapters, as you work to gain entry to the lost city of El Dorado. You'll have a base camp that serves as your supply point and an overall way to earn coins and other materials, but the majority of your time will be spend on expeditions through the game's main storyline. Right out of the gate, you're taken through the game's tutorial and Prologue section of quests.
With any new game, it can be a bit difficult getting used to the new gameplay, so we've compiled a guide to these Prologue Quests to help you acclimate as quickly as possible.
Save Malcom! Part 1
Collect the First Key Fragment
Collect the Second Key Fragment
Collect the Third Key Fragment
Your fellow adventurer Malcolm has fallen into a cave after wandering off on his own (silly boy). In order to gain access to the cave to rescue him, you'll need to collect three key pieces that are scattered around the mostly linear outdoor map. You can either navigate the map on your own, hacking shrubs to clear a path (and collecting statues for coins), or you can click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window seen above to have the camera automatically pan to where you need to go. These Key Fragments are surrounded by traps, so you'll need to pull switches (as seen below) to deactivate the trap before you're caught within them!
Save Malcolm! Part 2
Collect Your Journal
Open Cave Door
Enter the Cave
The Journal will be found right in the middle of the path, on the way into the Cave Door - you can't miss it. As for opening the door, just click on the round circular rock, standing vertically in the distance, and it will be opened for you automatically. Click on it again to go inside. Note: Once you go inside the cave, it doesn't look like you'll be able to get back out, so make sure you've collected any treasures you want before you go in.
Save Malcolm! Part 3
Get the Whip
Collect Malcolm's Canteen
Save Malcolm
Poor Malcolm - he's trapped in spider webs! You'll be given a whip in order to battle those Spiders that are guarding him, so just continue along the path until you reach Malcolm's Canteen at the right side of the screen. Unlike the shrubs and spider webs, the Spiders themselves (and other animals like Snakes) can fight back, so you'll want to make sure to take them out as soon as you can. If they attack you first, you'll lose energy points. Once you defeat the Spider(s), click on Malcolm to free him from the web.
Escape the Lost Cave!
Recover the Master Key
Use the Master Key to open the door
Use the Door to escape
Now that you've rescued Malcolm from the spiders, you'll need to escape from the cave. Conveniently enough, you'll be able to pick up the master key to opening up El Dorado while you're here. Continue along the path and you'll fight a couple of additional spiders before you can pull the Master Key from the stone. One final spider blocks the exit, but Malcolm takes care of it, allowing you both to leave and head back to Base Camp.
At this point, you will have finished the Prologue of Adventure World, and will be launched into Chapter 1. While the Master Key is a great discovery, you won't actually be able to enter El Dorado until you've replaced four lost idols to the outside of El Dorado, where they surround the Master Key's hole. You've got one heck of a journey ahead of you, adventurers! Good luck!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Did you complete this Prologue Chapter and save Malcolm, or are you still working your way through the Lose Cave? Sound off in the comments.
With any new game, it can be a bit difficult getting used to the new gameplay, so we've compiled a guide to these Prologue Quests to help you acclimate as quickly as possible.
Save Malcom! Part 1
Collect the First Key Fragment
Collect the Second Key Fragment
Collect the Third Key Fragment
Your fellow adventurer Malcolm has fallen into a cave after wandering off on his own (silly boy). In order to gain access to the cave to rescue him, you'll need to collect three key pieces that are scattered around the mostly linear outdoor map. You can either navigate the map on your own, hacking shrubs to clear a path (and collecting statues for coins), or you can click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window seen above to have the camera automatically pan to where you need to go. These Key Fragments are surrounded by traps, so you'll need to pull switches (as seen below) to deactivate the trap before you're caught within them!
Save Malcolm! Part 2
Collect Your Journal
Open Cave Door
Enter the Cave
The Journal will be found right in the middle of the path, on the way into the Cave Door - you can't miss it. As for opening the door, just click on the round circular rock, standing vertically in the distance, and it will be opened for you automatically. Click on it again to go inside. Note: Once you go inside the cave, it doesn't look like you'll be able to get back out, so make sure you've collected any treasures you want before you go in.
Save Malcolm! Part 3
Get the Whip
Collect Malcolm's Canteen
Save Malcolm
Poor Malcolm - he's trapped in spider webs! You'll be given a whip in order to battle those Spiders that are guarding him, so just continue along the path until you reach Malcolm's Canteen at the right side of the screen. Unlike the shrubs and spider webs, the Spiders themselves (and other animals like Snakes) can fight back, so you'll want to make sure to take them out as soon as you can. If they attack you first, you'll lose energy points. Once you defeat the Spider(s), click on Malcolm to free him from the web.
Escape the Lost Cave!
Recover the Master Key
Use the Master Key to open the door
Use the Door to escape
Now that you've rescued Malcolm from the spiders, you'll need to escape from the cave. Conveniently enough, you'll be able to pick up the master key to opening up El Dorado while you're here. Continue along the path and you'll fight a couple of additional spiders before you can pull the Master Key from the stone. One final spider blocks the exit, but Malcolm takes care of it, allowing you both to leave and head back to Base Camp.
At this point, you will have finished the Prologue of Adventure World, and will be launched into Chapter 1. While the Master Key is a great discovery, you won't actually be able to enter El Dorado until you've replaced four lost idols to the outside of El Dorado, where they surround the Master Key's hole. You've got one heck of a journey ahead of you, adventurers! Good luck!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Did you complete this Prologue Chapter and save Malcolm, or are you still working your way through the Lose Cave? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Treasure Trail Expedition: Everything you need to know
So, you've gone through the jungle and have saved your friend Malcolm from the Lost Cave, but you've really only scratched the surface for what Adventure World has to offer. With Zynga's newest Facebook game, we see gameplay that is split into two: you'll have a Base Camp that allows you to earn supplies, build buildings and collect coins (not entirely unlike the Homestead in Pioneer Trail), and can then set out on adventures, or expeditions, that help to further along the main storyline, or just serve as side-quests of sorts.
The first of these expeditions is called Treasure Trail, and it sees you being put in search of an Azure Skull. You'll need to have 600 Supplies to start this expedition (after all, if you're going to be gone from Base Camp for an extended period of time, you'll need the basics like food and water), and will have enough Supplies to last you three days. To be specific, this three day time period is how long you have to finish the entire expedition, but if you follow our guide (and work straight through), you can easily finish it in one sitting. The Treasure Trail has three quests within itself; here's how to complete all three.
Find the Azure Skull!
Recover the Rare Azure Skull
As you might have guessed, this Skull is located at the very end of this particular map, and while the path is mostly linear, there are traps and enemies in the way (Snakes) that hope to stop you from succeeding. As usual, if you ever see a tiki-head with a lever, you'll want to make sure and clear your path to it before doing anything else (particularly walking over those matching tiles on the ground). If you do happen to get stuck, you'll have to waste valuable energy in escaping, so it is in your best interest to go a bit slower to avoid the traps.
Once you get to the end of the map, you'll see the setup above, where you'll need to click on the highlighted button to start a Simon Says game. Click on the three totems in the order you're told and the Azure Skull will lower allowing you to collect it.
Gather the Ruby Vases
Get at least 3 Ruby Vases
These Ruby Vases stand out pretty well against the green of the jungle, and while you can normally save your energy and skip collecting them, in this case they are required. Your first Ruby Vase is located just inside the map's beginning, so knock that shrub out of the way to get to it. The next Ruby Vase is guarded by a Snake and a trap, so make sure to deactivate the trap and eliminate the Snake before focusing your attention on the Vase itself. There are two more vases located even further ahead (one up a hillside, and the other next to the bridge, as seen below), so grab one or both of them to finish this particular quest with ease.
Gather the Jade Vases
Get at least 5 Jade Vases
These Jade Vases are harder to spot (since they're green like most of the map), but the quest works the same as the Red Vase quest above. Just make your way through the shrubs, snakes and traps to gather at least five Jade Vases. Watch out - one Jade Vase is particularly well hidden, to the left of a trap at the top of the map, as seen below.
Once you've finished these three quests, you'll receive your score and expedition/quest mastery points. That's right - you can complete these expeditions again multiple times in order to earn more coins, experience points and so on. That's not the way to eventually progress through the story, but if you need a few more XP before you can level up (and unlock new Expeditions to complete), it's something to keep in mind.
Congratulations on finishing your first real Expedition, adventurers! Keep checking back with us as we break down all of the Expeditions as they become available. Happy exploring!
Have you finished the Treasure Trail expedition? What do you think of the gameplay in Adventure World so far? Sound off in the comments.
The first of these expeditions is called Treasure Trail, and it sees you being put in search of an Azure Skull. You'll need to have 600 Supplies to start this expedition (after all, if you're going to be gone from Base Camp for an extended period of time, you'll need the basics like food and water), and will have enough Supplies to last you three days. To be specific, this three day time period is how long you have to finish the entire expedition, but if you follow our guide (and work straight through), you can easily finish it in one sitting. The Treasure Trail has three quests within itself; here's how to complete all three.
Find the Azure Skull!
Recover the Rare Azure Skull
As you might have guessed, this Skull is located at the very end of this particular map, and while the path is mostly linear, there are traps and enemies in the way (Snakes) that hope to stop you from succeeding. As usual, if you ever see a tiki-head with a lever, you'll want to make sure and clear your path to it before doing anything else (particularly walking over those matching tiles on the ground). If you do happen to get stuck, you'll have to waste valuable energy in escaping, so it is in your best interest to go a bit slower to avoid the traps.
Once you get to the end of the map, you'll see the setup above, where you'll need to click on the highlighted button to start a Simon Says game. Click on the three totems in the order you're told and the Azure Skull will lower allowing you to collect it.
Gather the Ruby Vases
Get at least 3 Ruby Vases
These Ruby Vases stand out pretty well against the green of the jungle, and while you can normally save your energy and skip collecting them, in this case they are required. Your first Ruby Vase is located just inside the map's beginning, so knock that shrub out of the way to get to it. The next Ruby Vase is guarded by a Snake and a trap, so make sure to deactivate the trap and eliminate the Snake before focusing your attention on the Vase itself. There are two more vases located even further ahead (one up a hillside, and the other next to the bridge, as seen below), so grab one or both of them to finish this particular quest with ease.
Gather the Jade Vases
Get at least 5 Jade Vases
These Jade Vases are harder to spot (since they're green like most of the map), but the quest works the same as the Red Vase quest above. Just make your way through the shrubs, snakes and traps to gather at least five Jade Vases. Watch out - one Jade Vase is particularly well hidden, to the left of a trap at the top of the map, as seen below.
Once you've finished these three quests, you'll receive your score and expedition/quest mastery points. That's right - you can complete these expeditions again multiple times in order to earn more coins, experience points and so on. That's not the way to eventually progress through the story, but if you need a few more XP before you can level up (and unlock new Expeditions to complete), it's something to keep in mind.
Congratulations on finishing your first real Expedition, adventurers! Keep checking back with us as we break down all of the Expeditions as they become available. Happy exploring!
Have you finished the Treasure Trail expedition? What do you think of the gameplay in Adventure World so far? Sound off in the comments.
Monday, September 26, 2011
CityVille Crew Pack saves you time on staffing your buildings
Along with the new Zoning Permit Expansion Packs launched in CityVille over the weekend comes a new Crew Pack that serves a similar function. This Crew Pack costs 25 City Cash and will give you a 20 Crew Member bonus that stays on your account until all 20 crew members have been used.
So, how does this work exactly? It's simple: When you go to build any kind of structure that requires you to staff your building by asking your friends to help, these 20 bonus crew members will be put to work instead, saving you the time it takes to ask your friends to help you (and wait for them to respond), along with saving your friends from some annoyance if they're tired of being sent to many requests.
Is this Crew Pack worth 25 City Cash? I suppose if you have a very limited supply of in-game neighbors, it would be the saving grace for actually being able to finish some community buildings and the like, but I personally don't think I'll be investing in this particular shortcut. Why? Just look at all of these farm-themed goodies that are still begging to be purchased!
Whatever your opinion on these Crew Packs, they won't be available to purchase forever, but are only available for a "limited time." Unfortunately, Zynga hasn't announced when the actual expiration date is, so your best bet would be to stock up now if you're interested in using these bonus crew members, even at a later date.
Will you purchase any Crew Packs for future use in your buildings? Let us know in the comments.
So, how does this work exactly? It's simple: When you go to build any kind of structure that requires you to staff your building by asking your friends to help, these 20 bonus crew members will be put to work instead, saving you the time it takes to ask your friends to help you (and wait for them to respond), along with saving your friends from some annoyance if they're tired of being sent to many requests.
Is this Crew Pack worth 25 City Cash? I suppose if you have a very limited supply of in-game neighbors, it would be the saving grace for actually being able to finish some community buildings and the like, but I personally don't think I'll be investing in this particular shortcut. Why? Just look at all of these farm-themed goodies that are still begging to be purchased!
Whatever your opinion on these Crew Packs, they won't be available to purchase forever, but are only available for a "limited time." Unfortunately, Zynga hasn't announced when the actual expiration date is, so your best bet would be to stock up now if you're interested in using these bonus crew members, even at a later date.
Will you purchase any Crew Packs for future use in your buildings? Let us know in the comments.
BrainJewel on Facebook tests your brain in math and memory tasks
While many Facebook gamers have left school behind a long time ago, Chinese game developer TribePlay is hoping to reinvigorate our brains, testing how much we've remembered about math, along with testing our observational skills and memory in a new game called BrainJewel.
In BrainJewel, you're met with an Egyptian treasure map containing a series of levels or tests that include variations on basic memory games, and those that include basic math tasks from addition to division. Each mini-game can be mastered to a three star level, based on your score and as you earn more stars, you'll unlock more tests. As of this writing, it looks like there are only 11 spots, or mini-games, to visit on the map, but you'll likely need to play each game multiple times before earning a score worthy of three stars, which will keep you going long after you've first started the game.
As you play the game, you'll receive Jewels which can be used to purchase power-ups. These power-ups may give you more time to play each mini-game, will increase your score multiplier until you make a mistake and will even protect that multiplier from being reset should you choose the wrong answer in any particular game. As for the games themselves, they range from incredibly simplistic (click on checkerboard squares that contain items, after the items have faded away) to truly challenging (balloons containing - sometimes complex - math equations float into the distance, and you need to determine the right answer from a large selection of arrows).
Gallery: BrainJewel on Facebook
In terms of basic gameplay, there's no energy bar here, so it looks like you can continue playing indefinitely. You can even invite a single friend to challenge on any particular game, if you want to show off your mental prowess. You'll also "level up," such as it is, earning a new in-game title (bragging rights, rather than truly new content) once you reach certain cumulative scores.
All told, BrainJewel has a fairly simplistic setup, and will likely do well to absorb a few minutes of your time, but it needs, at the very least, the promise of new mini-games and maps to truly be a force in the Facebook gaming world.
Play BrainJewel on Facebook -->
Do you like brain-bending puzzle games like this, or do you prefer a more casual gameplay experience like the many simulation games also available on Facebook? Sound off in the comments.
In BrainJewel, you're met with an Egyptian treasure map containing a series of levels or tests that include variations on basic memory games, and those that include basic math tasks from addition to division. Each mini-game can be mastered to a three star level, based on your score and as you earn more stars, you'll unlock more tests. As of this writing, it looks like there are only 11 spots, or mini-games, to visit on the map, but you'll likely need to play each game multiple times before earning a score worthy of three stars, which will keep you going long after you've first started the game.
As you play the game, you'll receive Jewels which can be used to purchase power-ups. These power-ups may give you more time to play each mini-game, will increase your score multiplier until you make a mistake and will even protect that multiplier from being reset should you choose the wrong answer in any particular game. As for the games themselves, they range from incredibly simplistic (click on checkerboard squares that contain items, after the items have faded away) to truly challenging (balloons containing - sometimes complex - math equations float into the distance, and you need to determine the right answer from a large selection of arrows).
Gallery: BrainJewel on Facebook
In terms of basic gameplay, there's no energy bar here, so it looks like you can continue playing indefinitely. You can even invite a single friend to challenge on any particular game, if you want to show off your mental prowess. You'll also "level up," such as it is, earning a new in-game title (bragging rights, rather than truly new content) once you reach certain cumulative scores.
All told, BrainJewel has a fairly simplistic setup, and will likely do well to absorb a few minutes of your time, but it needs, at the very least, the promise of new mini-games and maps to truly be a force in the Facebook gaming world.
Play BrainJewel on Facebook -->
Do you like brain-bending puzzle games like this, or do you prefer a more casual gameplay experience like the many simulation games also available on Facebook? Sound off in the comments.
Diner Dash serves up good eats on iOS for free
Were you sad to see Diner Dash close its doors on Facebook? If you have an Apple mobile device, you can now fill in a bit of the hole left behind with the game's closure, as the original Diner Dash is now absolutely free to download via iTunes. Technically, the free version is only for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but you can download it on your iPad as well (the graphics will be much poorer in that case).
Before this sale, Diner Dash could be purchased for $2.99, which makes this a pretty good deal. Add to this the fact that the game is frequently updated with new content (new themed restaurants and levels, for one) and the deal becomes even better!
Sure, downloading an iPhone game won't bring back the joy of playing as Flo on Facebook, but we certainly won't turn down a free game. The only thing to keep in mind here, folks, is that this free price will only be around for a limited time. How limited? Unfortunately, PlayFirst doesn't say, but that just gives you all the more incentive to download it now, even if you don't plan on playing it until later!
Do you already own Diner Dash on iOS, or will you download it now for the first time since it's free? Does this freebie giveaway help heal the wound of losing Diner Dash on Facebook? Let us know in the comments!
Before this sale, Diner Dash could be purchased for $2.99, which makes this a pretty good deal. Add to this the fact that the game is frequently updated with new content (new themed restaurants and levels, for one) and the deal becomes even better!
Sure, downloading an iPhone game won't bring back the joy of playing as Flo on Facebook, but we certainly won't turn down a free game. The only thing to keep in mind here, folks, is that this free price will only be around for a limited time. How limited? Unfortunately, PlayFirst doesn't say, but that just gives you all the more incentive to download it now, even if you don't plan on playing it until later!
Do you already own Diner Dash on iOS, or will you download it now for the first time since it's free? Does this freebie giveaway help heal the wound of losing Diner Dash on Facebook? Let us know in the comments!
Pioneer Trail survey reveals possible storylines involving... pirates?
Yes, you read that correctly - pirates. They may be coming to the Pioneer Trail in the future, if a recent fan survey (released by the big Z itself on the Pioneer Trail fan page) comes true. We've been given quite a few options to toss around in this new survey, but unfortunately, we're not told if these are story ideas that would pertain to Pioneer Trail itself (either the Homestead or actual Pioneer Trail portion of the game), or if this is just a general survey about future game ideas that Zynga is exploring. As it stands, no other fan page, as of this writing, has linked to the survey, which does give some weight to the former idea above.
As for this pirate story itself, we're told that we could "set sail for Booty Island," and play pirates with a full crew. We'll plunder ships and neighbors' islands, and can match up friends with others (this portion is lacking in fine details) for either love or "pirate mischief." If that isn't a wild enough storyline, then how about heading into space? In this storyline, we'd find ourselves crash-landing on an "uncharted planet," where we're forced to build a farm using alien plants or creatures (that is, instead of Cows or other traditional farm animals).
When it comes to this space storyline, I'm reminded of Astro Ranch on iPhone, which is a space-themed farming game allowing you to grow crops and livestock with the help of aliens. As we all know Zynga likes to cop---err, draw inspiration from other titles, could this be a definite game in Zynga's development cycle?
As with all things, we're left to speculate about which of these storylines/game ideas (or lack thereof) will actually come to light, but if you see something in the survey that you're more excited about than others, make sure to give it your vote. Who knows? Your vote could be the deciding factor between playing pirates and launching off into outer space, whether we do so with our Pioneer Trail characters, or in a whole new game.
What do you think of these new storyline ideas? Which ones did you vote for? Let us know in the comments.
As for this pirate story itself, we're told that we could "set sail for Booty Island," and play pirates with a full crew. We'll plunder ships and neighbors' islands, and can match up friends with others (this portion is lacking in fine details) for either love or "pirate mischief." If that isn't a wild enough storyline, then how about heading into space? In this storyline, we'd find ourselves crash-landing on an "uncharted planet," where we're forced to build a farm using alien plants or creatures (that is, instead of Cows or other traditional farm animals).
When it comes to this space storyline, I'm reminded of Astro Ranch on iPhone, which is a space-themed farming game allowing you to grow crops and livestock with the help of aliens. As we all know Zynga likes to cop---err, draw inspiration from other titles, could this be a definite game in Zynga's development cycle?
As with all things, we're left to speculate about which of these storylines/game ideas (or lack thereof) will actually come to light, but if you see something in the survey that you're more excited about than others, make sure to give it your vote. Who knows? Your vote could be the deciding factor between playing pirates and launching off into outer space, whether we do so with our Pioneer Trail characters, or in a whole new game.
What do you think of these new storyline ideas? Which ones did you vote for? Let us know in the comments.
Cafe World Pee Wee Chefs Goals: Everything you need to know
Here's a new Cafe World storyline for you: Your cafe has sponsored a Little League team, and it's now your responsibility to feed all of your little players before (and apparently after) the big game. This is, of course, done through a new goal series, an eight-part goal series, to be exact, called the Pee Wee Chefs.
Unfortunately, this is another one of those goal sets that will require you to cook dishes that may be different from those listed in our guide, and there's no way for us to personally guarantee which dish each chef will end up having to cook (sorry). The Cafe World team has stated before that when it comes to goals like these, the overall cooking time for each player will be the same, but you may have to cook varying cooking-time dishes to get there in the end. Either way, here's a complete rundown of the sorts of dishes you can expect to cook.
The Pee Wee Chefs 1
* Serve 10 Buttermilk Pancakes
* Serve 10 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 5 Baseballs
Right off the bat (no pun intended), we're given the basic Cafe World goal requirements of cooking dishes and asking your friends to send you items. You'll receive a free Team Photo wall decoration for completing this first goal.
The Pee Wee Chefs 2
* Serve Pizza Margherita 30 Times
* Serve Pepperoni Pizza 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Catcher's Masks
For completing this goal, you'll receive the first of three new recipes for this goal series: the Banana Split.
The Pee Wee Chefs 3
* Serve Deep Fried Ice Cream 5 Times
* Serve 45 Caramel Apples
* Ask for 8 Aluminum Bats
Remember, as you're tasked with cooking all of these dishes (regardless of the appliance you're forced to use), make sure you check your Gift Box for any left-over servings that could speed up your progress considerably, or to use any spices that you might have lying around to really give things a boost.
The Pee Wee Chefs 4
* Serve 40 Cocktail Weenies
* Serve 30 In Flight Meals
* Ask for 12 Baseballs
For this task, we're not sure if the Baseballs will be cumulative (that is, making you only ask for seven more, since you already gathered five at the beginning of this series), or if you'll have to start from scratch. Keep that second possibility in mind either way.
The Pee Wee Chefs 5
* Serve 40 Fruit and Jelly Molds
* Serve 30 Kabayaki
* Ask for 6 Catcher's Masks
While these past two goals may not have been very creative (alright, the entire goal series is fairly lacking in that area), you will earn another new recipe for making it to this point: Blue Cotton Candy.
The Pee Wee Chefs 6
* Serve 20 Chickens and Forty Cloves
* Serve 30 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 5 Aluminum Bats
The Pee Wee Chefs 7
* Serve Pulled Pork 4 Times
* Serve Tangy BBQ Chicken 8 Times
* Ask for 12 Logo Hats
As usual, just keep asking your friends for these Logo Hats (and the Aluminum Bats above), and you'll eventually slog your way through these goals to the end.
The Pee Wee Chefs 8
* Serve 8 Meat Craver's Pizzas
* Serve 40 Funnel Cakes
* Ask for 12 Team Jerseys
Your reward for completing this entire goal series is a final new recipe: The Giant Chili Dog.
As of this writing, there doesn't seem to be a time limit for completing these goals, so feel free to finish whatever you're working on, and then move onto these when you have the time.
What do you think of the Pee Wee Chefs goals in Cafe World? Sound off in the comments.
Unfortunately, this is another one of those goal sets that will require you to cook dishes that may be different from those listed in our guide, and there's no way for us to personally guarantee which dish each chef will end up having to cook (sorry). The Cafe World team has stated before that when it comes to goals like these, the overall cooking time for each player will be the same, but you may have to cook varying cooking-time dishes to get there in the end. Either way, here's a complete rundown of the sorts of dishes you can expect to cook.
The Pee Wee Chefs 1
* Serve 10 Buttermilk Pancakes
* Serve 10 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 5 Baseballs
Right off the bat (no pun intended), we're given the basic Cafe World goal requirements of cooking dishes and asking your friends to send you items. You'll receive a free Team Photo wall decoration for completing this first goal.
The Pee Wee Chefs 2
* Serve Pizza Margherita 30 Times
* Serve Pepperoni Pizza 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Catcher's Masks
For completing this goal, you'll receive the first of three new recipes for this goal series: the Banana Split.
The Pee Wee Chefs 3
* Serve Deep Fried Ice Cream 5 Times
* Serve 45 Caramel Apples
* Ask for 8 Aluminum Bats
Remember, as you're tasked with cooking all of these dishes (regardless of the appliance you're forced to use), make sure you check your Gift Box for any left-over servings that could speed up your progress considerably, or to use any spices that you might have lying around to really give things a boost.
The Pee Wee Chefs 4
* Serve 40 Cocktail Weenies
* Serve 30 In Flight Meals
* Ask for 12 Baseballs
For this task, we're not sure if the Baseballs will be cumulative (that is, making you only ask for seven more, since you already gathered five at the beginning of this series), or if you'll have to start from scratch. Keep that second possibility in mind either way.
The Pee Wee Chefs 5
* Serve 40 Fruit and Jelly Molds
* Serve 30 Kabayaki
* Ask for 6 Catcher's Masks
While these past two goals may not have been very creative (alright, the entire goal series is fairly lacking in that area), you will earn another new recipe for making it to this point: Blue Cotton Candy.
The Pee Wee Chefs 6
* Serve 20 Chickens and Forty Cloves
* Serve 30 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 5 Aluminum Bats
The Pee Wee Chefs 7
* Serve Pulled Pork 4 Times
* Serve Tangy BBQ Chicken 8 Times
* Ask for 12 Logo Hats
As usual, just keep asking your friends for these Logo Hats (and the Aluminum Bats above), and you'll eventually slog your way through these goals to the end.
The Pee Wee Chefs 8
* Serve 8 Meat Craver's Pizzas
* Serve 40 Funnel Cakes
* Ask for 12 Team Jerseys
Your reward for completing this entire goal series is a final new recipe: The Giant Chili Dog.
As of this writing, there doesn't seem to be a time limit for completing these goals, so feel free to finish whatever you're working on, and then move onto these when you have the time.
What do you think of the Pee Wee Chefs goals in Cafe World? Sound off in the comments.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
War Commander on Facebook: We go hands-on with the closed beta [Video]
Back in July, we told you about Kixeye's newest project: War Commander on Facebook. While the game was supposed to launch in full in August, things have apparently fallen behind and the game has just launched into closed beta. Don't fret though friends, as we've gained access to give you a run-down of what to expect from this "hardcore" RTS (real-time strategy) social game.
The game starts with you reclaiming your base, which was taken over by an insurgence group. You're immediately met with adult content in the way of language and violence, as you storm your former base to reclaim it while sending plenty of troops to their graves. This isn't a case where bloodshed is a concern, though, as human soldiers are incredibly tiny, and simply vanish when killed, rather than staying on screen. UPDATE: This has now been changed; soldiers do remain on screen, as their bodies lay in a pool of blood. They are still incredibly small, however, so the realism in this "gore" isn't overwhelming.
Once you've reclaimed your base, you'll begin the process of adding defensive units, and upgrading your resource production buildings to ensure that you can fight off future attacks. In this, War Commander takes on elements of a city-builder (to give it a comparison), as you'll build new resource buildings in your base or will upgrade your current structures to produce more oil or metal. Your starting capacity for these resources is rather low, so you'll use small amounts of resources to build storage buildings, increasing your cap, or can spend these resources to upgrade their production per hour/day.
There's much more to be said about the home base of course, including the fact that you'll have a Power Plant that will determine how effective most of your other buildings are in their work. For instance, if you are using more power than you're generating, your defensive turrets will lose some of their defensive capabilities (that is, instead of operating at 100%, they may only operate at half power, leaving your base weakened). This will ultimately cause you to frequently upgrade your Power Plant to produce more power, as completing the game's many initial missions will likely see you placed in this position before you even reach Level 5.
Speaking of upgrades, almost everything has them, from the storage buildings to the troops themselves. You'll use resources to unlock new types of troops, and then research upgrades for these troops so that they'll do considerably more damage, for example.
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Of course, building and micro-managing your base is one thing, but you'll also frequently be asked to put your new troops and resources to work by attacking enemy bases. This is a two-sided process, allowing you to attack computer-controlled bases or those of your friends (or even strangers). Bases have levels, which give you an idea as to their expected strength, and you can scout out each base before actually attacking to see if you have what it takes.
Unfortunately, the process of attacking is, for the most part, passive, as you'll visit a base, click on the land to place your chosen troops on the battlefield and will then watch them go about their business, while you simply control your own view of the field. You can actively click on troops and tell them where to go or who to attack, but they're smart enough to do the job without any interference from you. While watching buildings (and troops alike) blow up is pretty cool, the real reason for attacking enemies will be to loot their buildings. After you've killed all enemy troops, you can destroy their entire bases, giving you the metal and oil spoils once you've finished them off.
Adding to the social elements of the game is an in-game chat feature, which will let you chat with both friends and strangers alike. You also have the ability to simply visit your friends' bases to see how far they've progressed (and take notes for how you can improve your own base to match).
When all of the dust settles, does War Commander, with its admittedly intuitive gameplay, have what it takes to draw in a hardcore gaming crowd, even when the true RTS elements in battle can be handled automatically by the computer? Take a look at our hands-on time with the game in our video below for more on what to expect from the game, and then you tell us what you think.
So, what do you think of War Commander? Are you excited to get your hands on this violent, yet accessible RTS on Facebook, or do you like your micro-management served in larger, deeper packages through full download games? Sound off in the comments.
The game starts with you reclaiming your base, which was taken over by an insurgence group. You're immediately met with adult content in the way of language and violence, as you storm your former base to reclaim it while sending plenty of troops to their graves. This isn't a case where bloodshed is a concern, though, as human soldiers are incredibly tiny, and simply vanish when killed, rather than staying on screen. UPDATE: This has now been changed; soldiers do remain on screen, as their bodies lay in a pool of blood. They are still incredibly small, however, so the realism in this "gore" isn't overwhelming.
Once you've reclaimed your base, you'll begin the process of adding defensive units, and upgrading your resource production buildings to ensure that you can fight off future attacks. In this, War Commander takes on elements of a city-builder (to give it a comparison), as you'll build new resource buildings in your base or will upgrade your current structures to produce more oil or metal. Your starting capacity for these resources is rather low, so you'll use small amounts of resources to build storage buildings, increasing your cap, or can spend these resources to upgrade their production per hour/day.
There's much more to be said about the home base of course, including the fact that you'll have a Power Plant that will determine how effective most of your other buildings are in their work. For instance, if you are using more power than you're generating, your defensive turrets will lose some of their defensive capabilities (that is, instead of operating at 100%, they may only operate at half power, leaving your base weakened). This will ultimately cause you to frequently upgrade your Power Plant to produce more power, as completing the game's many initial missions will likely see you placed in this position before you even reach Level 5.
Speaking of upgrades, almost everything has them, from the storage buildings to the troops themselves. You'll use resources to unlock new types of troops, and then research upgrades for these troops so that they'll do considerably more damage, for example.
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Of course, building and micro-managing your base is one thing, but you'll also frequently be asked to put your new troops and resources to work by attacking enemy bases. This is a two-sided process, allowing you to attack computer-controlled bases or those of your friends (or even strangers). Bases have levels, which give you an idea as to their expected strength, and you can scout out each base before actually attacking to see if you have what it takes.
Unfortunately, the process of attacking is, for the most part, passive, as you'll visit a base, click on the land to place your chosen troops on the battlefield and will then watch them go about their business, while you simply control your own view of the field. You can actively click on troops and tell them where to go or who to attack, but they're smart enough to do the job without any interference from you. While watching buildings (and troops alike) blow up is pretty cool, the real reason for attacking enemies will be to loot their buildings. After you've killed all enemy troops, you can destroy their entire bases, giving you the metal and oil spoils once you've finished them off.
Adding to the social elements of the game is an in-game chat feature, which will let you chat with both friends and strangers alike. You also have the ability to simply visit your friends' bases to see how far they've progressed (and take notes for how you can improve your own base to match).
When all of the dust settles, does War Commander, with its admittedly intuitive gameplay, have what it takes to draw in a hardcore gaming crowd, even when the true RTS elements in battle can be handled automatically by the computer? Take a look at our hands-on time with the game in our video below for more on what to expect from the game, and then you tell us what you think.
So, what do you think of War Commander? Are you excited to get your hands on this violent, yet accessible RTS on Facebook, or do you like your micro-management served in larger, deeper packages through full download games? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Back to School Goals: Everything you need to know
What better way to celebrate the launch of another school year in the real world than to... play CityVille on Facebook? Ok, so maybe I'm grasping at straws with that one, but Zynga has done it too! Just look at these new goals! There are four new goals to complete in all, in a Back to School series that will see you ultimately rewarded with a Football Field, among other prizes. Without further ado (as we all know there's homework to be done), here's a guide to finishing these four goals off.
Too Cool For School / Brain Food
* Ask for 5 Pocket Protectors
* Visit 10 Neighbors
* Harvest 20 Wheat
The Pocket Protectors are earned through a general news post, rather than individual requests to friends. While you're waiting for those to arrive, you can plant your wheat, which takes a whopping 2.1 days to grow. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive just 35 XP.
Show & Tell
* Ask for 8 Text Books
* Collect from 20 Businesses
* Collect from Burger Joint 4 Times
For this goal, it looks as though you can collect from the same Burger Joint four times in a row, or collect from four individual Burger Joints, so keep that in mind if you happen to have more than one in your town. For finishing this second goal, you'll receive 960 coins.
Study Hall of Fame
* Upgrade a Library
* Collect from any Library 2 Times
* Have a Crossing Guard in your City
Back at the end of July, Zynga released the ability to upgrade your Library, and you can find our complete guide to doing so right here. For finishing this goal, you'll earn 480 Goods.
Playing Hooky
* Have 2 Pairs of High Heels from the Designer Collection
* Collect from Flower Kiosk 10 Times
* Collect from Diner 8 Times
The High Heels are available from the Shoe Store, Handbag Store, Sunglasses Store or Watch Shop, so just keep supplying and collecting from those businesses and you should get lucky (if you're impatient, you can also ask your friends to send you some extras from their own collections). For finishing this final goal, you'll receive the Football Field, which is a 6x4 decorative item that gives you a 30% bonus to surrounding businesses and residences. It is currently only available through this goal series, so make sure to keep track of them if you are interested in adding one to your town.
What do you think of these new CityVille Back to School goals? Is it too late for back-to-school fun, or will you do anything for exclusive new decorations? Sound off in the comments.
Too Cool For School / Brain Food
* Ask for 5 Pocket Protectors
* Visit 10 Neighbors
* Harvest 20 Wheat
The Pocket Protectors are earned through a general news post, rather than individual requests to friends. While you're waiting for those to arrive, you can plant your wheat, which takes a whopping 2.1 days to grow. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive just 35 XP.
Show & Tell
* Ask for 8 Text Books
* Collect from 20 Businesses
* Collect from Burger Joint 4 Times
For this goal, it looks as though you can collect from the same Burger Joint four times in a row, or collect from four individual Burger Joints, so keep that in mind if you happen to have more than one in your town. For finishing this second goal, you'll receive 960 coins.
Study Hall of Fame
* Upgrade a Library
* Collect from any Library 2 Times
* Have a Crossing Guard in your City
Back at the end of July, Zynga released the ability to upgrade your Library, and you can find our complete guide to doing so right here. For finishing this goal, you'll earn 480 Goods.
Playing Hooky
* Have 2 Pairs of High Heels from the Designer Collection
* Collect from Flower Kiosk 10 Times
* Collect from Diner 8 Times
The High Heels are available from the Shoe Store, Handbag Store, Sunglasses Store or Watch Shop, so just keep supplying and collecting from those businesses and you should get lucky (if you're impatient, you can also ask your friends to send you some extras from their own collections). For finishing this final goal, you'll receive the Football Field, which is a 6x4 decorative item that gives you a 30% bonus to surrounding businesses and residences. It is currently only available through this goal series, so make sure to keep track of them if you are interested in adding one to your town.
What do you think of these new CityVille Back to School goals? Is it too late for back-to-school fun, or will you do anything for exclusive new decorations? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove loading screen gives us more to speculate about
Now that we know the official name of the third farm in FarmVille--that being Lighthouse Cove--new details are releasing all of the time. First, we were given just a sample image of what looks to be a dolphin-filled cove, and now we have a full loading screen that shows off a bit more, including the third farm's logo.
For one, we're given an overall theme for this new farm: Fall. That's fitting, as the farm will likely officially launch sometime this fall, and it looks like we'll see a set of appropriately colored trees released to go along with that (along with what looks to be some Autumn Ginkgo trees, which is also fitting). We also see some crop squares in this loading screen, though they are muted in the bottom-left corner of the screen. As an educated guess, I'd say those are American Cranberries, which is one of the crops we expect to launch in this new farm.
As for the rest of the screen, we see a dock, boat and mermaid, with the boat likely being our ride in and out of Lighthouse Cove. As for the mermaid, perhaps she'll be a part of a goal series, or will perhaps let us communicate with the dolphin and whale that appear in the water. Of course, we're completely speculating on that front, but it's a fun idea to keep in mind either way. Along with all of this, we see some new animals, and what looks to be a new garage (perhaps a boat garage?), making this an incredibly in-depth farm, if all of these items are interactive, and not just for show.
Regardless of how much of our speculation ends up being true, we'll make sure to keep you up to date with all of the details concerning Lighthouse Cove, including when you can expect it to release. Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of this new loading screen? Are there any particular details you're looking forward to more than others? Are you saving up your Farm Cash to take a fast trip to the Lighthouse Cove, or will you wait before jumping into a third farm? Sound off in the comments.
For one, we're given an overall theme for this new farm: Fall. That's fitting, as the farm will likely officially launch sometime this fall, and it looks like we'll see a set of appropriately colored trees released to go along with that (along with what looks to be some Autumn Ginkgo trees, which is also fitting). We also see some crop squares in this loading screen, though they are muted in the bottom-left corner of the screen. As an educated guess, I'd say those are American Cranberries, which is one of the crops we expect to launch in this new farm.
As for the rest of the screen, we see a dock, boat and mermaid, with the boat likely being our ride in and out of Lighthouse Cove. As for the mermaid, perhaps she'll be a part of a goal series, or will perhaps let us communicate with the dolphin and whale that appear in the water. Of course, we're completely speculating on that front, but it's a fun idea to keep in mind either way. Along with all of this, we see some new animals, and what looks to be a new garage (perhaps a boat garage?), making this an incredibly in-depth farm, if all of these items are interactive, and not just for show.
Regardless of how much of our speculation ends up being true, we'll make sure to keep you up to date with all of the details concerning Lighthouse Cove, including when you can expect it to release. Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of this new loading screen? Are there any particular details you're looking forward to more than others? Are you saving up your Farm Cash to take a fast trip to the Lighthouse Cove, or will you wait before jumping into a third farm? Sound off in the comments.
SuperPoke! Pets creator 'working out the details' on post-closure access
To say even that SuperPoke! Pets fans are "pissed" is an understatement. (Seriously, just look at the comments on our first post regarding the sad news.) SuperPoke Pets and SPP Ranch players' rage at Slide's shuttering at the hand of Google has made headlines of nearly every major news outlet, and finally some details regarding Slide's response have come to light.
Namely, CNN reports that Slide and Google representatives have responded to complaints concerning players' hard-earned cash pumped into the now-defunct game. "One thing you can't do [with virtual goods] is bring them home and keep them forever," Slide's communications team wrote on the SuperPoke! Pets forums in response to complaints.
While Slide did say that it's "working out the details" on how to make some of the games' content and items available outside of the game, it also compared digital pets purchased with real cash to Halloween costumes, according to CNN. "You purchase it to dress up and enjoy the experience, but likely don't wear that costume day in and day out, or for every Halloween thereafter," the team wrote. (Um, was I the only kid who had to wear the same costume for a few Halloweens?)
Net Jacobsson, a former Facebook executive and adviser to companies like CrowdStar, told CNN that refunding players with their hard-earned, spent digital cash is far from simple. "The accounting issues can be massively complicated," Jacobsson told CNN. "They've already counted it as revenue. They've taxed it. Refunding $20 would cost more than $20, not to mention the man-hours involved in dealing with it."
CNN recalls that, when games like Pirates Ahoy! and Gangster City shut down, creator Playfish allowed players to take their earned currency into a new Playfish game and offered free incentives for the games' fans to enjoy new Playfish games. However, players wouldn't exactly have any other Slide games to go to. So, why not herd the disgruntled players into one of those shiny new Google+ Games with either some free in-game cash or other incentives? Or, here's just a thought: Bring the games into Google+ Games already.
How do you think Slide and Google should handle the unfortunate situation? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Namely, CNN reports that Slide and Google representatives have responded to complaints concerning players' hard-earned cash pumped into the now-defunct game. "One thing you can't do [with virtual goods] is bring them home and keep them forever," Slide's communications team wrote on the SuperPoke! Pets forums in response to complaints.
While Slide did say that it's "working out the details" on how to make some of the games' content and items available outside of the game, it also compared digital pets purchased with real cash to Halloween costumes, according to CNN. "You purchase it to dress up and enjoy the experience, but likely don't wear that costume day in and day out, or for every Halloween thereafter," the team wrote. (Um, was I the only kid who had to wear the same costume for a few Halloweens?)
Net Jacobsson, a former Facebook executive and adviser to companies like CrowdStar, told CNN that refunding players with their hard-earned, spent digital cash is far from simple. "The accounting issues can be massively complicated," Jacobsson told CNN. "They've already counted it as revenue. They've taxed it. Refunding $20 would cost more than $20, not to mention the man-hours involved in dealing with it."
CNN recalls that, when games like Pirates Ahoy! and Gangster City shut down, creator Playfish allowed players to take their earned currency into a new Playfish game and offered free incentives for the games' fans to enjoy new Playfish games. However, players wouldn't exactly have any other Slide games to go to. So, why not herd the disgruntled players into one of those shiny new Google+ Games with either some free in-game cash or other incentives? Or, here's just a thought: Bring the games into Google+ Games already.
How do you think Slide and Google should handle the unfortunate situation? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Top 25 Facebook Games - September 2011: Rise of The Sims Social
Will Zynga finally be dethroned? August saw one of the biggest upsets in Facebook gaming history, as EA and Playfish released The Sims Social. Short after its shoddy release in the middle of the month, the game has skyrocketed to third place this month with over 7.5 million daily players and fifth place on the monthly player charts with over 24 million players. While CityVille, Empires & Allies, Zynga Poker and FarmVille are on top of the charts yet again, all four games have suffered declines.
If this doesn't stir the pot a bit in the Facebook gaming world, nothing will. But The Sims Social isn't the only new game to upset the charts and displace a few hit games. Zynga's The Pioneer Trail expansion hit the monthly chart just under The Sims Social in sixth place at a healthy 19.7 million players. Words with Friends, the Facebook version of the popular mobile game, released in August to over 11.5 million monthly players, while Ubisoft set The Smurfs and Co. loose to over 8.6 million rabid fans and hit 16th place.
The casualties for this month include August's last five spot holders: Treasure Isle, Zombie Lane, Happy Aquarium, Mall World and Crime City. These games weren't just displaced because of the influx of new games hitting top spots, but all five were already on a decline. This allowed new additions like the Bubble and Ninja Sagas in the 21 and 22 spots at 6.6 million and 6.2 million monthly players, respectively.
Top 25 Facebook Games September
But look more closely at this month's chart, and you'll notice that each and every one of these brand new games to upset the charts is backed by a massive, recognizable brand. Perhaps this is what it takes to disrupt the status quo in Facebook games. And with ambitious branded games like Dexter Slice of Life on the way, our guess is that you'll be seeing a lot more from where The Sims Social and The Smurfs and Co. came from.
[Source and Image Credit: Inside Social Games]
What do you think of the charts this month? Do you think these branded games will continue to upset the Facebook games world? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
If this doesn't stir the pot a bit in the Facebook gaming world, nothing will. But The Sims Social isn't the only new game to upset the charts and displace a few hit games. Zynga's The Pioneer Trail expansion hit the monthly chart just under The Sims Social in sixth place at a healthy 19.7 million players. Words with Friends, the Facebook version of the popular mobile game, released in August to over 11.5 million monthly players, while Ubisoft set The Smurfs and Co. loose to over 8.6 million rabid fans and hit 16th place.
The casualties for this month include August's last five spot holders: Treasure Isle, Zombie Lane, Happy Aquarium, Mall World and Crime City. These games weren't just displaced because of the influx of new games hitting top spots, but all five were already on a decline. This allowed new additions like the Bubble and Ninja Sagas in the 21 and 22 spots at 6.6 million and 6.2 million monthly players, respectively.
Top 25 Facebook Games September
But look more closely at this month's chart, and you'll notice that each and every one of these brand new games to upset the charts is backed by a massive, recognizable brand. Perhaps this is what it takes to disrupt the status quo in Facebook games. And with ambitious branded games like Dexter Slice of Life on the way, our guess is that you'll be seeing a lot more from where The Sims Social and The Smurfs and Co. came from.
[Source and Image Credit: Inside Social Games]
What do you think of the charts this month? Do you think these branded games will continue to upset the Facebook games world? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
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