FarmVille Lemon Balm Market and Bushel
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these unreleased FarmVille Lemon Balm Market Stall & Lemon Balm Bushel.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Aquarium: Walrus Referee and Football Seal join the team
Zack the soccer-playing lion cub is now joined by Russ Referee and Diego the Football Fan in Happy Aquarium. Both Russ and Diego are animated critters that cost premium currency to buy. Russ taps his foot, blinks his eyes, and blows his whistle. While Diego is more like Zack, and carries a hot pink soccer ball on his head with which he performs tricks in the tank.
Russ is also a Limited Edition character, so if you've got 24 Pearls or 20 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $2 USD), you should grab him ASAP, cause he won't be sticking around the shop forever. You can find him under "Specials!" star tab, under the subcategory "Premium", while Diego is with Zack in the "Tank Mates" tab, and goes for 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
Given the game's recent premium currency increase for leveling up, these characters should now be easily affordable for high-level players.
Russ is also a Limited Edition character, so if you've got 24 Pearls or 20 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $2 USD), you should grab him ASAP, cause he won't be sticking around the shop forever. You can find him under "Specials!" star tab, under the subcategory "Premium", while Diego is with Zack in the "Tank Mates" tab, and goes for 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
Given the game's recent premium currency increase for leveling up, these characters should now be easily affordable for high-level players.
Tiki Resort: Hire a cabana boy to tend your island
Ringing the icon of a hotel styled desk bell on the left side of your Tiki Resort game will allow you to summon Dan the Automator. Dan is a new game feature that promises to collect money and charms from your attractions, pick up trash, and tend your pets. He comes with a chart that'll let you to see just how much work he's done by how many things he's collected on his shift.
Tiki Resort Dan the Automator Shifts
Dan has two shifts you can set him up on. A 15 min. shift requires 25 Coconut Drink Charms, while a 3-day shift goes for 39 Facebook Credits, or roughly, $4 USD.
Coconut Drink Charms increase the walking speed of your tourists, leading them to visit more attractions, which means they'd spend more. You can buy a set of 50 at the in-game store for 149 FB Credits, which is approximately $14.90 USD. So unless you've got an attraction that generates that charm, the 15 min. shift isn't Dan's best deal for you.
Tiki Resort Dan the Automator Shifts
Dan has two shifts you can set him up on. A 15 min. shift requires 25 Coconut Drink Charms, while a 3-day shift goes for 39 Facebook Credits, or roughly, $4 USD.
Coconut Drink Charms increase the walking speed of your tourists, leading them to visit more attractions, which means they'd spend more. You can buy a set of 50 at the in-game store for 149 FB Credits, which is approximately $14.90 USD. So unless you've got an attraction that generates that charm, the 15 min. shift isn't Dan's best deal for you.
Social City's Gala Raffle: Win past decor and Limited Edition buildings
Players who click the "Build" menu can now participate in Social City's new Gala Raffle to win buildings and decorations that are no longer available in gifts or up for sale at the store. This new feature seemed to have quietly rolled out last week and the response among fans is pretty positive.
Social City's Gala Raffle in the Build icon menu
One excited player described the raffle as "kinda fun, but also kinda dangerous." How? Well, the raffle is divided into three categories. The first category offers Limited Edition attractions and discontinued giftables. The second offers Limited Edition residential buildings. Both of these require City Bucks, or Social City's form of premium cash, to make your spin. The first one requires 8 City Bucks, while the second needs 5. For $4.99 USD, you can get 55 City Bucks. So this is going to cost real world money, and what you get is luck of the draw.
But the third category uses virtual coins to work. Even at 50,000 Coins per spin, it's as good as free. Right now, that raffle's offerings include premium-level Japanese style buildings and the discontinued giftable Sakura Paths.
Social City's Gala Raffle in the Build icon menu
One excited player described the raffle as "kinda fun, but also kinda dangerous." How? Well, the raffle is divided into three categories. The first category offers Limited Edition attractions and discontinued giftables. The second offers Limited Edition residential buildings. Both of these require City Bucks, or Social City's form of premium cash, to make your spin. The first one requires 8 City Bucks, while the second needs 5. For $4.99 USD, you can get 55 City Bucks. So this is going to cost real world money, and what you get is luck of the draw.
But the third category uses virtual coins to work. Even at 50,000 Coins per spin, it's as good as free. Right now, that raffle's offerings include premium-level Japanese style buildings and the discontinued giftable Sakura Paths.
Happy Pets: Own an Apple Tree for Free Daily Coins and XP
Under the "Goods" tab in the Happy Pets store, there's now a "Harvest" category selling an Apple Tree for 3,750 Coins. Purchasing this tree will gain players 300 XP. The tree itself promises to deliver 125 Coins and 25 XP every 24 hours.
Apples Tree can be placed in the rooms and yards, but not in the attic. If you upgrade using coins, then your tree goes "under construction" for that time period. That means you'll miss those daily bonuses. A new leaf icon on the top of your screen will let you know how many trees you're allowed to palce in an area. This amount is determined by the number of pets you're allowed to have.
A great thing about this tree is that it can be upgraded. Upgrading the Apple Tree to Tier 2 requires 7 days and 7,500 Coins. But if you do, then the tree will earn you 250 Coins and 50 XP every 24 hours. There are 4 Tiers to the tree in all. Check out the handy chart below to see the costs and benefits.
Apple Tree Level
Upgrade Cost Instant Upgrade Cost
Daily Coins & XP Harvest Upgrade Time
Tier 2 7,500 Coins 36 Facebook Credits 250 Coins & 50 XP 7 Days
Tier 3 11,250 Coins 44 Facebook Credits 375 Coins & 75 XP 9 Days
Tier 4 15,000 Coins 50 Facebook Credits 500 Coins & 100 XP 11 Days
Apples Tree can be placed in the rooms and yards, but not in the attic. If you upgrade using coins, then your tree goes "under construction" for that time period. That means you'll miss those daily bonuses. A new leaf icon on the top of your screen will let you know how many trees you're allowed to palce in an area. This amount is determined by the number of pets you're allowed to have.
A great thing about this tree is that it can be upgraded. Upgrading the Apple Tree to Tier 2 requires 7 days and 7,500 Coins. But if you do, then the tree will earn you 250 Coins and 50 XP every 24 hours. There are 4 Tiers to the tree in all. Check out the handy chart below to see the costs and benefits.
Apple Tree Level
Upgrade Cost Instant Upgrade Cost
Daily Coins & XP Harvest Upgrade Time
Tier 2 7,500 Coins 36 Facebook Credits 250 Coins & 50 XP 7 Days
Tier 3 11,250 Coins 44 Facebook Credits 375 Coins & 75 XP 9 Days
Tier 4 15,000 Coins 50 Facebook Credits 500 Coins & 100 XP 11 Days
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Wild Ones samurai armor gives players an edge
wild ones samurai armor wild ones samurai helmet
Wild Ones members have exclusive access to the strength of the Bushido with new samurai accessories. When a pet dons all three pieces of gear: flag, armor and helmet, they receive fifteen percent less damage than usual. That is a pretty sizable damage reduction and could easily turn the tides of a high stakes battle.
wild one samurai
For example, if ordinarily an attack would have done 1,000 damage, the samurai armor set would reduce it down to 850 damage. That's pretty legitimate if you ask me.
Unfortunately though, it is only available to members as I said before, which is pretty lame. They could at least let non-members try on the Bushido goodies like you can try on other accessories in the shop. The only other way to get the armor pieces is by finding them in crates by chance. We wish you luck.
Also keep in mind that unless you are wearing all three pieces of samurai gear, the accessories are merely decorative. For the damage reduction to be in effect, you need all three.
Click here to play Wild Ones>
Wild Ones members have exclusive access to the strength of the Bushido with new samurai accessories. When a pet dons all three pieces of gear: flag, armor and helmet, they receive fifteen percent less damage than usual. That is a pretty sizable damage reduction and could easily turn the tides of a high stakes battle.
wild one samurai
For example, if ordinarily an attack would have done 1,000 damage, the samurai armor set would reduce it down to 850 damage. That's pretty legitimate if you ask me.
Unfortunately though, it is only available to members as I said before, which is pretty lame. They could at least let non-members try on the Bushido goodies like you can try on other accessories in the shop. The only other way to get the armor pieces is by finding them in crates by chance. We wish you luck.
Also keep in mind that unless you are wearing all three pieces of samurai gear, the accessories are merely decorative. For the damage reduction to be in effect, you need all three.
Click here to play Wild Ones>
Trident White Puzzle Smash: Not bad, for a Facebook advergame
Ever since the Facebook gaming revolution started, companies have been salivating over the prospect of creating a social game that will engage users for five minutes or more, all while bombarding them with all-too-obvious product placement. The old Burger King games for Xbox 360 showed us how this can be a not-so-terrible experience, but the slew of Facebook advergames have been anywhere from dull to downright abysmal.
Now Trident is giving the Facebook advergame thing a go -- and I have to admit -- it's not terrible. The game, called Trident White Puzzle Smash, is a Tetris clone, where you match like-colored blocks which fall from the top of the screen and then destroy them by using White-out smashers and Color Cleaners. (Just like Trident White gets rids of color on your teeth -- get it?). The game is controlled using the arrow keys and the space bar, and as time moves on, the blocks start falling faster, until they stack up to the top of the screen, and it's game over.
Trident's Puzzle Smash includes some light social gaming elements, and I emphasize the word light. You get bonus points for adding friends to your game roster, and there's a living leaderboard at the bottom of the page. You can also post your score on your Facebook Wall for bragging rights (or in my case, to open myself up to mockery).
trident white facebook wall post
Funtank President and Co-Founder Scott Tannen says his company has worked closely with Trident White "on a number of branding initiatives" and that the game "is a true stand-alone social application that we think is really an example of 'Advergaming 2.0.'"
If Advergaming 2.0 means games that are not broken and mildly fun to play, I'd say Tannen and crew are onto something. Trident's Puzzle Smash is far from revolutionary, but once you start playing, you're likely to keep going ... until you realize you've been sucked in by an interactive ad for gum. Now pass me a piece of Trident White.
Play Trident White Puzzle Smash on Facebook >
Now Trident is giving the Facebook advergame thing a go -- and I have to admit -- it's not terrible. The game, called Trident White Puzzle Smash, is a Tetris clone, where you match like-colored blocks which fall from the top of the screen and then destroy them by using White-out smashers and Color Cleaners. (Just like Trident White gets rids of color on your teeth -- get it?). The game is controlled using the arrow keys and the space bar, and as time moves on, the blocks start falling faster, until they stack up to the top of the screen, and it's game over.
Trident's Puzzle Smash includes some light social gaming elements, and I emphasize the word light. You get bonus points for adding friends to your game roster, and there's a living leaderboard at the bottom of the page. You can also post your score on your Facebook Wall for bragging rights (or in my case, to open myself up to mockery).
trident white facebook wall post
Funtank President and Co-Founder Scott Tannen says his company has worked closely with Trident White "on a number of branding initiatives" and that the game "is a true stand-alone social application that we think is really an example of 'Advergaming 2.0.'"
If Advergaming 2.0 means games that are not broken and mildly fun to play, I'd say Tannen and crew are onto something. Trident's Puzzle Smash is far from revolutionary, but once you start playing, you're likely to keep going ... until you realize you've been sucked in by an interactive ad for gum. Now pass me a piece of Trident White.
Play Trident White Puzzle Smash on Facebook >
Treasure Isle new island expansions are Large and Grand
Treasure Isle released two new island expansions for those players who just seem to be continually running out of space. With all the animals, decorations, buildings and items amassed on the travels of a fearless treasure hunter, sometimes there just isn't enough room. We're seen some pretty ridiculous Treasure Isle collections and we can say there are definitely people who have been desperate to secure a bigger island.
Continue reading to find out about pricing.
treasure isle expansions
Bigger is better. Who can argue with that? Trucks, food, and now Treasure Isle islands all embrace the American way.
There are two island expansions. The first, large island, is available for 65,000 coins or 30 Island Cash. Even more gargantuan is the grand island for 80,000 coins or 35 Island Cash. Remember, you can't buy the giant island until you own the large one. So head over to Treasure Isle and expand!
Click here to play Treasure Isle>
Continue reading to find out about pricing.
treasure isle expansions
Bigger is better. Who can argue with that? Trucks, food, and now Treasure Isle islands all embrace the American way.
There are two island expansions. The first, large island, is available for 65,000 coins or 30 Island Cash. Even more gargantuan is the grand island for 80,000 coins or 35 Island Cash. Remember, you can't buy the giant island until you own the large one. So head over to Treasure Isle and expand!
Click here to play Treasure Isle>
FrontierVille blooms with new colorful flowers
Life in the Wild West is starting to look more civilized every day. Among the thorns, weeds and wildflowers, virtual pioneers can now outfit their property with colorful flowers -- both in pots and the free-growing variety.
frontierville flower pot,
I personally prefer the free-standing flowers over the uber-coloful ones in the pot, but either way, it's nice to get new decor for our newly tamed piece of land.
frontierville flowers
If you have images of any of the new flowers on your property, send them to me at libe@games.com and I'll feature them here.
What do you think of these new flowers?
frontierville flower pot,
I personally prefer the free-standing flowers over the uber-coloful ones in the pot, but either way, it's nice to get new decor for our newly tamed piece of land.
frontierville flowers
If you have images of any of the new flowers on your property, send them to me at libe@games.com and I'll feature them here.
What do you think of these new flowers?
FrontierVille's new garden accoutrements: Stone Border, Thin Cobblestone, Bird House
Along with a series of decorative flowers, the game's Market has also been populated with a Thin Cobblestone and Stone Border and a blue and orange Bird House. No time like the present to turn your frontierville home into a landscaped piece of art.
What do you think of the new garden items?
What do you think of the new garden items?
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Mafia Wars big bang: Less than 100K visits before armored truck goes boom
Update (11 p.m.): Mafia Wars will be blowing up an armored truck on Thursday, August 19th at 6:00 pm PST.
Update: The 10 million mark has been reached (!), but still no announcement as to when the truck will be blown up. Stay tuned.
We'll soon see if the Mafia Wars marketing team makes good on the promise -- that after 10 million players logged into play Mafia Wars Las Vegas -- they would drive an armored truck into the Nevada desert, pack it full of dynamite and blow it up.
Right now, the player count is less than 100K away from 10 million -- and it took a little over two weeks to hit this target. That means we can expect the big kaboom to happen relatively soon, and, you'll be able watch it all go down on mafiawars.com.
Update: The 10 million mark has been reached (!), but still no announcement as to when the truck will be blown up. Stay tuned.
We'll soon see if the Mafia Wars marketing team makes good on the promise -- that after 10 million players logged into play Mafia Wars Las Vegas -- they would drive an armored truck into the Nevada desert, pack it full of dynamite and blow it up.
Right now, the player count is less than 100K away from 10 million -- and it took a little over two weeks to hit this target. That means we can expect the big kaboom to happen relatively soon, and, you'll be able watch it all go down on mafiawars.com.
Happy Pets new Random Cat and the Price of Being Unique
Happy Pets Random Cat notice
Happy Pets Random Cat is unpleasedWow, 150 Facebook Credits for a Random Cat is akin to $15 USD! Can anyone be that determined to own the most unique kitty on Happy Pets? And just to make it clear, the Random Cat isn't as random as you forking over the $15 for whatever appears. You get to click the randomizer as many times as you want until you settle on a kitty that doesn't look like a glop of colorful goo and cobbled together by a mad scientist.
Right now, the jury is out on how good this option is. Because for 150 FB Credits, you can just get a cat with features you do like, and perform your own mix-and-match for free, which is what the game is set up for anyway.
I think Crowdstar would've made more people happy and still made some money if they put the Crowdstar Cat up for sale, instead of re-releasing for free it to promote their Gamebar. (Not that I'm complaining about that! Cause I'm glad I got a second chance at it.) it might even be better if they gave this option for horses or dinosaurs. They're so new, there's currently a dearth of designs for those animals.
Happy Pets Random Cat is unpleasedWow, 150 Facebook Credits for a Random Cat is akin to $15 USD! Can anyone be that determined to own the most unique kitty on Happy Pets? And just to make it clear, the Random Cat isn't as random as you forking over the $15 for whatever appears. You get to click the randomizer as many times as you want until you settle on a kitty that doesn't look like a glop of colorful goo and cobbled together by a mad scientist.
Right now, the jury is out on how good this option is. Because for 150 FB Credits, you can just get a cat with features you do like, and perform your own mix-and-match for free, which is what the game is set up for anyway.
I think Crowdstar would've made more people happy and still made some money if they put the Crowdstar Cat up for sale, instead of re-releasing for free it to promote their Gamebar. (Not that I'm complaining about that! Cause I'm glad I got a second chance at it.) it might even be better if they gave this option for horses or dinosaurs. They're so new, there's currently a dearth of designs for those animals.
FishVille Flash Sale offers discounts for today only
FishVille has launched a sale today that offers 20% of Sand Dollars, discounts on premium items in the FishVille store, and also a points system that allows you to unlock exclusive fish by purchasing Sand Dollar items. This sale only lasts for another 4 hours as of this writing, so you'll have to hop aboard quick if you want a chance to partake in the sale.
Here is how the sale works. When you log in to FishVille, there is a button for the Flash Sale on the left side of your screen. If you click this button, you will see a button to gain a 20% discount on Sand Dollars. There is also a Reward Earning Meter that shows your progress towards unlocking the special fish. These fish have been available exclusively in the past, so they are rare but not brand new to the game.
In the Store, the prices have been slashed on plants, decorations, and creatures that cost Sand Dollars. Almost all of these items have received discounts ranging from 10% - 20%. Even the new Bayou themed items are included in the sale!
Log in to FishVille to take part in the Flash sale for the next four hours only.
Here is how the sale works. When you log in to FishVille, there is a button for the Flash Sale on the left side of your screen. If you click this button, you will see a button to gain a 20% discount on Sand Dollars. There is also a Reward Earning Meter that shows your progress towards unlocking the special fish. These fish have been available exclusively in the past, so they are rare but not brand new to the game.
In the Store, the prices have been slashed on plants, decorations, and creatures that cost Sand Dollars. Almost all of these items have received discounts ranging from 10% - 20%. Even the new Bayou themed items are included in the sale!
Log in to FishVille to take part in the Flash sale for the next four hours only.
InstantJam taps into Rock Band and Guitar Hero lovers on Facebook
Yesterday, our sister site Joystiq reported that InstantAction has just debuted a "Rock Band-style music game" called InstantJam onto Facebook.
We last heard of InstantAction in March, where the company hoped to revolutionize online gaming by giving games the versatility and portability of YouTube videos. InstantAction's embed technology would allow people to play games without the need for logging into games portals or sites like Facebook, in a way similar to how viewers can place and load YouTube videos anywhere on the web.
At the time, the company's passenger for this flagship project was The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition, which set sail on the Facebook seas for $9.99 USD back in April. But now, it seems that InstantAction is sold on developing its own online music game.
But the company isn't exactly blazing a new trail here -- similar games such as Foo Brew's JamLegend and Acclaim's RockFREE were reported closed last week. What InstantJam promises are special features, such as using songs from your computer and synching up with iTunes and Amazon to let you purchase music. You can also hook up a guitar controller to play the game instead of using a keyboard.
Facebook users can click here to check out the game, but be warned, the title is currently in closed beta, so there's a waiting list to get in. For those without Facebook, you can get a visual tour on InstantJam's official website.
We last heard of InstantAction in March, where the company hoped to revolutionize online gaming by giving games the versatility and portability of YouTube videos. InstantAction's embed technology would allow people to play games without the need for logging into games portals or sites like Facebook, in a way similar to how viewers can place and load YouTube videos anywhere on the web.
At the time, the company's passenger for this flagship project was The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition, which set sail on the Facebook seas for $9.99 USD back in April. But now, it seems that InstantAction is sold on developing its own online music game.
But the company isn't exactly blazing a new trail here -- similar games such as Foo Brew's JamLegend and Acclaim's RockFREE were reported closed last week. What InstantJam promises are special features, such as using songs from your computer and synching up with iTunes and Amazon to let you purchase music. You can also hook up a guitar controller to play the game instead of using a keyboard.
Facebook users can click here to check out the game, but be warned, the title is currently in closed beta, so there's a waiting list to get in. For those without Facebook, you can get a visual tour on InstantJam's official website.
Treasure Isle heats up with new Volcano Isles maps
Treasure Isle Volcano Isles map
It has been awhile since Treasure Isle released plain old regular maps, so players should be excited to see that a new set of seven volcano-themed maps have been launched today. These new maps are named the following:
Burning Phoenix - 15 Island Cash
Imp Fort
Old Gem Mine - 10 Island Cash
Phoenix Roost
Jeweled Palace
Fairy Castle - 5 Island Cash
Wrong Turn!
Players will be disappointed to see that three of the new maps require Island Cash to unlock, but that is the nature of these types of games. A post on the Treasure Isle Official Forums has explained that the new maps contain Phoenix Gates that need to be unlocked. These gates can be unlocked by digging up Phoenix Feathers in the Fire God Mountain, or buy purchasing them for 5 Island Cash each. It's interesting that gems don't seem like they will be important in these new maps, especially with the new Gem Mine that has been released.
What do you think of the new Volcano Isle maps?
It has been awhile since Treasure Isle released plain old regular maps, so players should be excited to see that a new set of seven volcano-themed maps have been launched today. These new maps are named the following:
Burning Phoenix - 15 Island Cash
Imp Fort
Old Gem Mine - 10 Island Cash
Phoenix Roost
Jeweled Palace
Fairy Castle - 5 Island Cash
Wrong Turn!
Players will be disappointed to see that three of the new maps require Island Cash to unlock, but that is the nature of these types of games. A post on the Treasure Isle Official Forums has explained that the new maps contain Phoenix Gates that need to be unlocked. These gates can be unlocked by digging up Phoenix Feathers in the Fire God Mountain, or buy purchasing them for 5 Island Cash each. It's interesting that gems don't seem like they will be important in these new maps, especially with the new Gem Mine that has been released.
What do you think of the new Volcano Isle maps?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Coronation Street social game to bring fans of British soap to Facebook
A U.K. soap opera known as "Coronation Street" has been transformed into a social game titled "Corrie Nation," according to British televsion network ATV. The game, set to launch both on Facebook and ITV.com November 1, allows fans of the show to play in a parallel version of their favorite soap opera.
Players will collect up to 60 characters to start with as well as familiar buildings from the series. Like most social games, Corrie Nation will be free-to-play, but will feature paid transactions for virtual goods (sound familiar?). ITV, the British network that has broadcast Coronation Street for 50 years, and developer Enteraction will also introduce advertising and commercial sponsorship into the game to boost revenue, according to ATV.
Kieran Roberts, Creative Director Manchester Drama, said, "We're delighted this brilliantly imaginative new game will take the show onto new platforms whilst remaining truthful to 50 years of heritage and everything viewers love about Corrie."
Players will collect up to 60 characters to start with as well as familiar buildings from the series. Like most social games, Corrie Nation will be free-to-play, but will feature paid transactions for virtual goods (sound familiar?). ITV, the British network that has broadcast Coronation Street for 50 years, and developer Enteraction will also introduce advertising and commercial sponsorship into the game to boost revenue, according to ATV.
Kieran Roberts, Creative Director Manchester Drama, said, "We're delighted this brilliantly imaginative new game will take the show onto new platforms whilst remaining truthful to 50 years of heritage and everything viewers love about Corrie."
FrontierVille Missions menu makes it easier to keep track of to-dos
One of the reasons I consider FrontierVille my favorite game on Facebook is because there's always a stream of missions that give you things to do. Until now, however, it's been a little difficult to keep track of them all -- especially since you can have numerous missions going at one time. They would appear and disappear from the left-hand side of the screen at random, so I was always thinking things like "Where did that groundhog mission go? Did I complete it or not?"
Now that problem has been solved as Zynga flips the switch on a new Missions menu that helps you keep track of everything you need to do in-game. You can see what missions you have going by clicking on 'My Stuff' and the clicking on 'Missions.' That will pull up a page (see above) that lists all of your missions. Click on each mission to see what else you need to do to finish.
frontierville missions menu
You can alternately click on the mission icon on the left-hand side of the game (see image below) to pop the menu.
frontierville missions menu
If you're so inclined, you can prioritize missions by reordering them, which will be handy if you've got more Missions in the hopper than I do.
Now that problem has been solved as Zynga flips the switch on a new Missions menu that helps you keep track of everything you need to do in-game. You can see what missions you have going by clicking on 'My Stuff' and the clicking on 'Missions.' That will pull up a page (see above) that lists all of your missions. Click on each mission to see what else you need to do to finish.
frontierville missions menu
You can alternately click on the mission icon on the left-hand side of the game (see image below) to pop the menu.
frontierville missions menu
If you're so inclined, you can prioritize missions by reordering them, which will be handy if you've got more Missions in the hopper than I do.
Restaurant City: Paris items complete your Parisian bistro
New Paris Items
After adding the Coffee Bar to Restaurant City, Playfish decided to help finish out the Parisian theme with these new decorations. The first thing that comes to mind when I think "coffee bar" is expensive European espressos, so these new items couldn't be more fitting!
Continue reading for the full list plus a surprise.
Paris Items and free Chocolate
Here's a full list of the new items:
Chairs
Red Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Silver Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Tables
Black Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Silver Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Decorations
Post Impressionist Painting (12 Playfish Cash, adds one second waiting time)
Bistro Chalkboard (1800 coins)
Hanging Pans (2500 coins, unlocks with e-mail permission)Eiffel Tower
Bistro Clock (6500 coins)
Flowered Trellis (6500 coins)
Impressionist Print (12,000 coins)
Red Deco Vase (4 Playfish Cash)
Large Suave Lamp (5 Playfish Cash)
Bicycle (5 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Waiter (6 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Flowers (600 coins, free gift item)
Bistro Condiments (1000 coins, free gift item)
Magazine Rack (1100 coins, free gift item)
Blue Deco Vase (1600 coins)
Suave Table Lamp (1900 coins)
Bistro Column (several colors, 2800 coins)
Delicatessen Shelves (8500 coins)
Eiffel Tower (1,000,000 coins, +2 to max popularity, unlocks at 85)
Floors
Paris Pathway (60 coins, Cobblestone and Pavement)
Paris Pathway Corners (65 coins)
Wallpapers
Bistro Wallpaper (2700 coins, White and Ochre)
Parisian Wallpaper (3400 coins, Red and Cream)
Cafe Wallpaper (4100 coins)
There you have, just about everything you'll need to complete your Parisian Bistro. Thankfully most of the items are only asking for coins (we'd all be broke if a fraction of these cost Playfish Cash). Oh, did we mention that you'll get a free piece of chocolate for logging in today? Yeah, they're cool like that.
After adding the Coffee Bar to Restaurant City, Playfish decided to help finish out the Parisian theme with these new decorations. The first thing that comes to mind when I think "coffee bar" is expensive European espressos, so these new items couldn't be more fitting!
Continue reading for the full list plus a surprise.
Paris Items and free Chocolate
Here's a full list of the new items:
Chairs
Red Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Silver Bistro Chair (1500 coins)
Tables
Black Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Silver Bistro Table (2000 coins)
Decorations
Post Impressionist Painting (12 Playfish Cash, adds one second waiting time)
Bistro Chalkboard (1800 coins)
Hanging Pans (2500 coins, unlocks with e-mail permission)Eiffel Tower
Bistro Clock (6500 coins)
Flowered Trellis (6500 coins)
Impressionist Print (12,000 coins)
Red Deco Vase (4 Playfish Cash)
Large Suave Lamp (5 Playfish Cash)
Bicycle (5 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Waiter (6 Playfish Cash)
Bistro Flowers (600 coins, free gift item)
Bistro Condiments (1000 coins, free gift item)
Magazine Rack (1100 coins, free gift item)
Blue Deco Vase (1600 coins)
Suave Table Lamp (1900 coins)
Bistro Column (several colors, 2800 coins)
Delicatessen Shelves (8500 coins)
Eiffel Tower (1,000,000 coins, +2 to max popularity, unlocks at 85)
Floors
Paris Pathway (60 coins, Cobblestone and Pavement)
Paris Pathway Corners (65 coins)
Wallpapers
Bistro Wallpaper (2700 coins, White and Ochre)
Parisian Wallpaper (3400 coins, Red and Cream)
Cafe Wallpaper (4100 coins)
There you have, just about everything you'll need to complete your Parisian Bistro. Thankfully most of the items are only asking for coins (we'd all be broke if a fraction of these cost Playfish Cash). Oh, did we mention that you'll get a free piece of chocolate for logging in today? Yeah, they're cool like that.
FrontierVille Meal Deal: Sign up to get free meals via email
FrontierVille is presenting an offer we can't refuse -- a free meal delivered to our email inbox daily. This 'meal deal' is a limited time offer and here's how it worked when I signed up.
I went into the game and was notified that I had a letter, which I found sitting in the middle of my property with a giant yellow arrow above it.
I clicked on the letter and received the following pop up, which explains how this deal works. Basically, you'll get a daily email from FrontierVille that will contain a free meal (meals replenish your energy in the game). You have to accept the meals that same day or they will expire.
Not sure how long this meal deal will be around, there's no indication that this will be a long-term or short-term promotion. I also checked my email right after I signed up, and I didn't get an email for today. We'll see how it long it takes for this free meal thing to kick in. After all, I'm a sucker for free food -- real or virtual.
I went into the game and was notified that I had a letter, which I found sitting in the middle of my property with a giant yellow arrow above it.
I clicked on the letter and received the following pop up, which explains how this deal works. Basically, you'll get a daily email from FrontierVille that will contain a free meal (meals replenish your energy in the game). You have to accept the meals that same day or they will expire.
Not sure how long this meal deal will be around, there's no indication that this will be a long-term or short-term promotion. I also checked my email right after I signed up, and I didn't get an email for today. We'll see how it long it takes for this free meal thing to kick in. After all, I'm a sucker for free food -- real or virtual.
Happy Aquarium: Lady Baba brings her poker face to your tank
In a nod to you-know-who, Happy Aquarium has welcomed Lady Baba to the store. For either 52 Facebook Credits ($5.20 USD) or 62 Pearls, you can have your very own pop icon of the sea, but there are only about 2,600 left as of this writing!
We're calling it now: this one will last for about 37 more seconds, so don't wait. Just don't call her name. Alejandro ruined that for the rest of us.
We're calling it now: this one will last for about 37 more seconds, so don't wait. Just don't call her name. Alejandro ruined that for the rest of us.
Friday, February 3, 2012
FrontierVille Horse and Mule changes coming Oct. 18
Got some bad news for FrontierVille folks -- horses and mules will no longer drop as much energy when you feed them, starting on October 18. There's no real explanation as to why the energy drops will decrease other than the fact that these farm animals are "tired." Wha?!!
We'll try to get down to the bottom of this strange announcement, but in the meantime, if this news doesn't have you galloping with joy, you will be able to sell your horses and mules for 1 Horseshoe each for a limited time.
Update (10/15): From FrontierVille Community Manager MaiLau says the following:
"Harvest times are not being changed. When you harvest these animals in the future, they will not always give energy as a reward.
We understand that this will not be a popular change which is why we are offering the temporary Horseshoe sell-back price instead of just making the change without altering the sell-back price. We are also not removing all of the extra energy that may have been accumulated through the harvesting of horses over time."
There's still no real explanation as to why horses and mules will drop less energy nor why both of these animals have mysteriously disappeared from the in-game Market. I can only guess that they have other plans for these two animals (like a new serious of missions?) or are attempting to balance the game in some form or fashion.
That, understandably, has not quieted angry frontier-folk, namely those who paid 4 Horseshoes for Horses and Mules and don't like the fact that they're getting 1 Horseshoe for selling 'em back.
We'll try to get down to the bottom of this strange announcement, but in the meantime, if this news doesn't have you galloping with joy, you will be able to sell your horses and mules for 1 Horseshoe each for a limited time.
Update (10/15): From FrontierVille Community Manager MaiLau says the following:
"Harvest times are not being changed. When you harvest these animals in the future, they will not always give energy as a reward.
We understand that this will not be a popular change which is why we are offering the temporary Horseshoe sell-back price instead of just making the change without altering the sell-back price. We are also not removing all of the extra energy that may have been accumulated through the harvesting of horses over time."
There's still no real explanation as to why horses and mules will drop less energy nor why both of these animals have mysteriously disappeared from the in-game Market. I can only guess that they have other plans for these two animals (like a new serious of missions?) or are attempting to balance the game in some form or fashion.
That, understandably, has not quieted angry frontier-folk, namely those who paid 4 Horseshoes for Horses and Mules and don't like the fact that they're getting 1 Horseshoe for selling 'em back.
Mafia Wars Masked Robbery Event: Make the 'Executive Decision' to win
In addition to the HDSA event going on this weekend as well as the Silence Don Romo limited-time job, Zynga wants you to live the dream of donning a president's face and smacking the banking system silly with this weekend's Masked Robbery event in Mafia Wars. Much similar to the surprisingly adorable Prized Pigs event, for five days starting this weekend you'll be able to gift and request each mask for your collection: Dubya, Bubba and Rock.
Check behind the cut for a breakdown of what each mask will get you at each level of Mastery as well as how to nab that nasty Grand Prize weapon.
Bubba Mask
Bronze (3 masks): Electric Ear Armor (33 ATT, 61 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): Electric Ear Armor (37 ATT, 69 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): Electric Ear Armor (39 ATT, 74 DEF)
Dubya Mask
Bronze (3 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (62 ATT 30 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (68 ATT, 33 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (75 ATT, 41 DEF)
Rock Mask
Bronze (3 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (63 ATT, 31 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (70 ATT, 34 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (76 ATT, 42 DEF)
Just like before, collecting more of each mask will upgrade the item attached to it all the way to Gold Mastery. Collecting all 30 masks will reward you with the Executive Decision, a massive (and kind of frightening) machine gun with 130 ATT and 102 DEF. The first three days of the Masked Robbery event will introduce a new mask with the last two days meant to give you time to catch up. We're just going to go out on a limb and say that we're all going to be extremely busy this weekend.
Check behind the cut for a breakdown of what each mask will get you at each level of Mastery as well as how to nab that nasty Grand Prize weapon.
Bubba Mask
Bronze (3 masks): Electric Ear Armor (33 ATT, 61 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): Electric Ear Armor (37 ATT, 69 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): Electric Ear Armor (39 ATT, 74 DEF)
Dubya Mask
Bronze (3 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (62 ATT 30 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (68 ATT, 33 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): KAO Rockstar Vehicle (75 ATT, 41 DEF)
Rock Mask
Bronze (3 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (63 ATT, 31 DEF)
Silver (5 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (70 ATT, 34 DEF)
Gold (10 masks): Black-Backed Jackal (76 ATT, 42 DEF)
Just like before, collecting more of each mask will upgrade the item attached to it all the way to Gold Mastery. Collecting all 30 masks will reward you with the Executive Decision, a massive (and kind of frightening) machine gun with 130 ATT and 102 DEF. The first three days of the Masked Robbery event will introduce a new mask with the last two days meant to give you time to catch up. We're just going to go out on a limb and say that we're all going to be extremely busy this weekend.
Hotel City gets ready for its first Halloween with new location and decor
It's hard to believe that Playfish's Hotel City is less than a year old (it launched in March), so this will be its first time trick-or-treating players with new Halloween goods.
Let's see what the game has lined up... for starters, the Locations feature has been updated with "Creepy Valley", a chilling, full moon background that will also allow you to purchase the Dracula room (costs 60,000 coins, grants 195 coins per hour) when unlocked. Unlocking the background requires you to collect the following: 3 Broadway Theater Tickets (found in lobbies), 4 Silver skulls (found on gifts page), and 4 Vampire grills (also on gifts page).
The Haunted Carriage (costs 75,000 coins, grants 240 coins per hour) looks like an outdoors decor piece, but it's actually sold at the in-game store under "Commercial rooms". For actual outdoors decor, there's four new pieces in "Ground decorations" -- Vagabond ghost (3 Playfish Cash), Witch tree (4 PFC), Happy Jack 'O' lantern (5 PFC), and Talking door (10,000 coins).
Let's see what the game has lined up... for starters, the Locations feature has been updated with "Creepy Valley", a chilling, full moon background that will also allow you to purchase the Dracula room (costs 60,000 coins, grants 195 coins per hour) when unlocked. Unlocking the background requires you to collect the following: 3 Broadway Theater Tickets (found in lobbies), 4 Silver skulls (found on gifts page), and 4 Vampire grills (also on gifts page).
The Haunted Carriage (costs 75,000 coins, grants 240 coins per hour) looks like an outdoors decor piece, but it's actually sold at the in-game store under "Commercial rooms". For actual outdoors decor, there's four new pieces in "Ground decorations" -- Vagabond ghost (3 Playfish Cash), Witch tree (4 PFC), Happy Jack 'O' lantern (5 PFC), and Talking door (10,000 coins).
Capcom's iPhone Facebook games finally named and priced (hint: they're free)
Capcom, creator of industry hits like Street Fighter and Resident Evil, has finally named two of the three Facebook-connected iPhone games the company alluded to last month. The third game is said to be a "licensed title based off a children's entertainment property" slated to release this November. Oh, and how could we forget that all three games will be free in the Apple App Store. First up is Lil' Pirates (pictured), a game that looks somewhat similar to Playfish's Pirates Ahoy set to release by the end of October. In Lil' Pirates, developed by IGUO Entertainment, players will assume the role of captain of a pirate ship, sail the seas in search for buried treasure and later battle other vessels in fiery naval combat. Players will have access to premium ship upgrades as well through paid transactions.
The second game that Capcom decided to name is Zombie Cafe. Expected to release in November, Zombie Cafe follows a mega corporation as they enslave the undead to serve in their restaurant empire. (Think a much, much more evil Cafe World.) You fortunately are one of those evil restaurant managers, directing zombies to serve customers and manage product. If you feel threatened by another cafe's success, you can always destroy them using your cadaverous wait staff and nab their secret recipes.
It's still unknown how deep the games' Facebook connectivity will be, but at the very least we expect Facebook Connect from Capcom. We'll have more details once Lil' Pirates launches this month and Zombie Cafe in November.
The second game that Capcom decided to name is Zombie Cafe. Expected to release in November, Zombie Cafe follows a mega corporation as they enslave the undead to serve in their restaurant empire. (Think a much, much more evil Cafe World.) You fortunately are one of those evil restaurant managers, directing zombies to serve customers and manage product. If you feel threatened by another cafe's success, you can always destroy them using your cadaverous wait staff and nab their secret recipes.
It's still unknown how deep the games' Facebook connectivity will be, but at the very least we expect Facebook Connect from Capcom. We'll have more details once Lil' Pirates launches this month and Zombie Cafe in November.
Zoo World: Buildable Haunted House unlocks Halloween festivities
Zoo World is not going to be left behind with all of the Halloween fun going on in the Facebook gaming world. RockYou! are always on top of new themes for their massively popular zookeeper game. If you log in to the game, you'll see a popup that will tell you about the new buildable Haunted House and will take you to the store to purchase it. First, you need to buy the base at a cost of $1,000 Zoo Dollars. Once you buy the base, place it anywhere on your zoo (that is, if you can find a spot in which it will fit - it's pretty large!) and click on it to start asking friends to send you materials.
The process for building your Haunted House should be fairly straightforward if you play many Facebook games. You need to collect 5 each of Cracked Shingles, Broken Windows, and Cobwebs. To get these items, your friends will have to send them to you as gifts. Once you have finished one Haunted House, you can start another if you'd like! If you're having troubles finishing it, you can either buy the entire Haunted House for 20 Wildlife Points, or each material individually for 1-2 Wildlife Points each.
Unlike other games, once you build your Haunted House the fun is not over. A finished Haunted House is what you need to unlock all of the other Halloween surprises. By collecting other items such as Thread, Patches, Candy Corn, Scissors, Wigs and Paint you can win exclusive Halloween animals wearing unique costumes. If you visit a ZooMate's zoo, you will get 1 free Candy Cane per day to give you a headstart on collecting these treats.
For more information on the Zoo World Halloween activities, read the official Zoo World blog!
The process for building your Haunted House should be fairly straightforward if you play many Facebook games. You need to collect 5 each of Cracked Shingles, Broken Windows, and Cobwebs. To get these items, your friends will have to send them to you as gifts. Once you have finished one Haunted House, you can start another if you'd like! If you're having troubles finishing it, you can either buy the entire Haunted House for 20 Wildlife Points, or each material individually for 1-2 Wildlife Points each.
Unlike other games, once you build your Haunted House the fun is not over. A finished Haunted House is what you need to unlock all of the other Halloween surprises. By collecting other items such as Thread, Patches, Candy Corn, Scissors, Wigs and Paint you can win exclusive Halloween animals wearing unique costumes. If you visit a ZooMate's zoo, you will get 1 free Candy Cane per day to give you a headstart on collecting these treats.
For more information on the Zoo World Halloween activities, read the official Zoo World blog!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
FrontierVille Giant Rabbit Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Just as the 'Chicken Roundup' timed mission is coming to a close, FrontierVille releases another one called "Maybe it's for a Giant Rabbit." If you've been playing the game for a while, this will be a pretty simple mission to complete.
In two days, you'll need to collect the following:
500 Wood
21 Nails
10 Metal Bars
frontierville giant rabbit
Wood can be collected while chopping trees. Nails and metal bars can be requested from friends and purchased for Horseshoes. You can also get these materials by responding to friends' requests.
Once the job is done, you receive a Trojan Rabbit for your troubles. This is one big decoration, so make sure you have enough room to place it on your homestead.
In two days, you'll need to collect the following:
500 Wood
21 Nails
10 Metal Bars
frontierville giant rabbit
Wood can be collected while chopping trees. Nails and metal bars can be requested from friends and purchased for Horseshoes. You can also get these materials by responding to friends' requests.
Once the job is done, you receive a Trojan Rabbit for your troubles. This is one big decoration, so make sure you have enough room to place it on your homestead.
Game of the Day: The Lost World
The Game of the day is back and better than ever. Today's game is a The Lost World. The Lost World takes the familiar bubble popping game mechanic and infuses it with gorgeous background images and a little bit of techno trance. The game is dead simple - use you bubble aiming device to match three bubbles on the board and clear the board. Simply stuff that is endlessly fun.
Click here to play The Lost World -->
Click here to play The Lost World -->
Madden NFL Superstars Daily Bonuses coming soon, log in daily for coins and cards
Daily Bonus
But wait, there's more. That's right, Madden NFL Superstars might be the current football hotshot on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it isn't missing a few nuts and bolts. Playfish will soon be plugging one of the game's holes with Daily Bonuses. Something that's become somewhat of a staple in the social gaming world, players will be rewarded with increasingly better gifts for more consecutive log-ins.
Despite whether when compared to something as massive as Collections and Elite Cards that Daily Bonuses seem minuscule, the feature is not live yet. Though, we imagine that it will play out a lot like the Daily Take in Mafia Wars, which rewards players for consecutive log-ins with better rewards. However, collecting your reward early will reduce its strength or value, thereby giving players incentive not to collect immediately. With items like free matches and Ultimate Cards (both pictured) on the line, we can only imagine a system at least close to this. Stay tuned for when you'll be handsomely rewarded for your endless devotion to football of the pixelated variety.
But wait, there's more. That's right, Madden NFL Superstars might be the current football hotshot on Facebook, but that doesn't mean it isn't missing a few nuts and bolts. Playfish will soon be plugging one of the game's holes with Daily Bonuses. Something that's become somewhat of a staple in the social gaming world, players will be rewarded with increasingly better gifts for more consecutive log-ins.
Despite whether when compared to something as massive as Collections and Elite Cards that Daily Bonuses seem minuscule, the feature is not live yet. Though, we imagine that it will play out a lot like the Daily Take in Mafia Wars, which rewards players for consecutive log-ins with better rewards. However, collecting your reward early will reduce its strength or value, thereby giving players incentive not to collect immediately. With items like free matches and Ultimate Cards (both pictured) on the line, we can only imagine a system at least close to this. Stay tuned for when you'll be handsomely rewarded for your endless devotion to football of the pixelated variety.
Are FrontierVille Babies on the way?
FrontierVille Teaser
Unless the next update to FrontierVille is an homage to Alien, then we'd have to say yes. Zynga cryptically posted a teaser image a very pregnant woman reading, "Big things are arriving," today on the FrontierVille fan page. Now, this is just an educated guess based off of millions of years of human evolution, but we're lead to believe that the woman pictured above is about to deliver a baby.
That being said, we have absolutely no idea what this will mean for FrontierVille, but who doesn't like some good old speculation? Our guess is that this feature will introduce a new protege, if you will. A young guy or gal we can show the ropes so that they can take care of the homestead while we're out at the movies or quite simply want to escape to our fancy new Kinects for a few days hours. Planted some crops that you might miss ripen because the new episode of The Walking Dead is on? Fuhget about it; the little one knows how to harvest a mean tomato. Rampant dreams of loyal servant children aside, stay tuned for when this feature goes live as we'll be all over it.
Unless the next update to FrontierVille is an homage to Alien, then we'd have to say yes. Zynga cryptically posted a teaser image a very pregnant woman reading, "Big things are arriving," today on the FrontierVille fan page. Now, this is just an educated guess based off of millions of years of human evolution, but we're lead to believe that the woman pictured above is about to deliver a baby.
That being said, we have absolutely no idea what this will mean for FrontierVille, but who doesn't like some good old speculation? Our guess is that this feature will introduce a new protege, if you will. A young guy or gal we can show the ropes so that they can take care of the homestead while we're out at the movies or quite simply want to escape to our fancy new Kinects for a few days hours. Planted some crops that you might miss ripen because the new episode of The Walking Dead is on? Fuhget about it; the little one knows how to harvest a mean tomato. Rampant dreams of loyal servant children aside, stay tuned for when this feature goes live as we'll be all over it.
Cafe World: Choose the next diet Mountain Dew flavor for 2 free Cafe Cash
It seems the Morning Glory trailer in Cafe World was just the tip of the iceberg; that survey only netted players 1 free Cafe Cash, but this new one from Mountain Dew is offering 2 free Cafe Cash. All you have to do is vote for the next Diet Dew flavor. There's eight new choices, and your job is to choose two out of the eight for a blackboard showdown.
Cafe World free 2 Cafe Cash from Mountain Dew
Here are the choices (and flavors) listed on the left side of the board:
Flare (berry & citrus)
Ultra Violet (mixed berry)
Typhoon (tropical strawberry pineapple)
Voltage (raspberry-citrus blend and a shot of ginseng)
And to our right, we've got:
White Out (lemongrass & yuzu)
Crave (green apple)
Distortion (a "flowing green river of goodness", which sounds blargh if you ask me, but it's probably just a diet version of the regular flavor)
Supernova (strawberry-melon and a ginseng-powered punch)
After you've clicked and dragged your flavor choices into the two boxes above the "Submit Vote" button, click on the button to get your 2 free Cafe Cash. After that, you've the option to check out the Flavor Leaderboard on the Mountain Dew website. The leaderboard is a collection of votes from online surveys and a tasting tour the company's been doing.
Mountain Dew Flavor Leaderboard
Currently, the top three favorite Diet Dew flavors are Voltage, Supernova, and White Out. There's a little over a week left before voting comes to a close. If you love the Dew, check back in on the board in a week to see if your favorite flavor(s) made the cut.
Cafe World free 2 Cafe Cash from Mountain Dew
Here are the choices (and flavors) listed on the left side of the board:
Flare (berry & citrus)
Ultra Violet (mixed berry)
Typhoon (tropical strawberry pineapple)
Voltage (raspberry-citrus blend and a shot of ginseng)
And to our right, we've got:
White Out (lemongrass & yuzu)
Crave (green apple)
Distortion (a "flowing green river of goodness", which sounds blargh if you ask me, but it's probably just a diet version of the regular flavor)
Supernova (strawberry-melon and a ginseng-powered punch)
After you've clicked and dragged your flavor choices into the two boxes above the "Submit Vote" button, click on the button to get your 2 free Cafe Cash. After that, you've the option to check out the Flavor Leaderboard on the Mountain Dew website. The leaderboard is a collection of votes from online surveys and a tasting tour the company's been doing.
Mountain Dew Flavor Leaderboard
Currently, the top three favorite Diet Dew flavors are Voltage, Supernova, and White Out. There's a little over a week left before voting comes to a close. If you love the Dew, check back in on the board in a week to see if your favorite flavor(s) made the cut.
Digital Chocolate offers sneak peek at newest Facebook game - but what is it?
Digital Chocolate has been on an absolute roll recently, releasing three new games on Facebook just last week (two of which, Hollywood City and Vegas City, are Millionaire City clones - the third, Island God, is not). And while they haven't launched another game just yet, they are apparently going to quite soon, as this morning, we received an image from the developer detailing their newest game.
We weren't given a name, a genre, or any details other than this picture. All we know is that the game will be coming "very soon."
That being the case, help us speculate in as to what this game could be about - a WoW-style RPG? A text-based game in the same vein as Mafia Wars?
[UPDATE]: We've been given a tip as to what the title of this newest game might be, as there is an as-of-this-writing empty sub-forum on the Digital Chocolate forums that pertains to a game called "Ninjas Rising." Now, we have no official word as to whether or not this will be the actual name of the game, but in the interest of full disclosure, there it is.
We weren't given a name, a genre, or any details other than this picture. All we know is that the game will be coming "very soon."
That being the case, help us speculate in as to what this game could be about - a WoW-style RPG? A text-based game in the same vein as Mafia Wars?
[UPDATE]: We've been given a tip as to what the title of this newest game might be, as there is an as-of-this-writing empty sub-forum on the Digital Chocolate forums that pertains to a game called "Ninjas Rising." Now, we have no official word as to whether or not this will be the actual name of the game, but in the interest of full disclosure, there it is.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FrontierVille 'PlayTime' Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Playtime!
Yet another Timed Mission will soon arrive promptly (we hope) in FrontierVille. Titled "PlayTime," this Goal requires quite a lot of begging. And, again, it should be here for a long while. Though, you'll only have two days to complete it once accepted, which makes for an intense challenge. Here's what you need to do:
Have 20 Planks
Get 10 Bags of Playground Sand
Get 10 Scrap Metal Pieces
While that sounds easy enough, it's a challenge to complete in 48 hours--especially when more than half of it relies on the attentiveness of your friends. Both the Playground Sand and Scrap Metal Pieces are gifts from friends like in other Goals. Though, make sure you have enough Wood to cover crafting 20 Planks before accepting the Mission. (For you math whizzes, that's 140 pieces of Wood.) However, you should be rewarded one for gifting to friends via their News Feeds, which could help compensate for the lack of friends that even notice the News Feed.
Completing this mission within the time limit will reward you with one Dinner, 500 XP and Monkey Bars. Those should come in handy for the six kids you should have by now. Oh, the things we do for them in Facebook games.
Yet another Timed Mission will soon arrive promptly (we hope) in FrontierVille. Titled "PlayTime," this Goal requires quite a lot of begging. And, again, it should be here for a long while. Though, you'll only have two days to complete it once accepted, which makes for an intense challenge. Here's what you need to do:
Have 20 Planks
Get 10 Bags of Playground Sand
Get 10 Scrap Metal Pieces
While that sounds easy enough, it's a challenge to complete in 48 hours--especially when more than half of it relies on the attentiveness of your friends. Both the Playground Sand and Scrap Metal Pieces are gifts from friends like in other Goals. Though, make sure you have enough Wood to cover crafting 20 Planks before accepting the Mission. (For you math whizzes, that's 140 pieces of Wood.) However, you should be rewarded one for gifting to friends via their News Feeds, which could help compensate for the lack of friends that even notice the News Feed.
Completing this mission within the time limit will reward you with one Dinner, 500 XP and Monkey Bars. Those should come in handy for the six kids you should have by now. Oh, the things we do for them in Facebook games.
Cafe World Cafe Prize Machine: Assembly required to win sweet items
Use our Prize Machine gifting links to quickly finish your project.
With the new Builder Viewer on the way in Cafe World, it makes sense for Zynga to launch the feature with, well, another new feature. Soon enough (it's not yet released), you'll be building your very own Cafe Prize Machine. Remember the old days of going to the local pizza shop and spending your weekly allowance haplessly attempting to master the grab machines? Alright, maybe that was just me, but that's what you'll be able to do soon with this new item. Here's what you'll need to put it all together:
10 Crazy Cranks
10 Magical Gears
10 Prize Capsules
10 Cool Prizes
All four of these requirements must be completed by either asking for them from your friends or buying them outright 2 Cafe Cash per one of each requirement. Unless you're up for spending 80 Cafe Cash, we recommend just asking around. Once it's complete, you'll be able to play with it daily much like FrontierVille's Horseshoe Pit. Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a total money sink like those rigged grab machines from my childhood, though I never learned.
With the new Builder Viewer on the way in Cafe World, it makes sense for Zynga to launch the feature with, well, another new feature. Soon enough (it's not yet released), you'll be building your very own Cafe Prize Machine. Remember the old days of going to the local pizza shop and spending your weekly allowance haplessly attempting to master the grab machines? Alright, maybe that was just me, but that's what you'll be able to do soon with this new item. Here's what you'll need to put it all together:
10 Crazy Cranks
10 Magical Gears
10 Prize Capsules
10 Cool Prizes
All four of these requirements must be completed by either asking for them from your friends or buying them outright 2 Cafe Cash per one of each requirement. Unless you're up for spending 80 Cafe Cash, we recommend just asking around. Once it's complete, you'll be able to play with it daily much like FrontierVille's Horseshoe Pit. Let's just hope it doesn't turn into a total money sink like those rigged grab machines from my childhood, though I never learned.
Flickr creator to 'Glitch' Facebook with new social game in 2011
Stewart Butterfield actually started in the games business with Ludicorp before Flickr became his claim to fame earlier this decade. Now, Butterfield returns to gaming at probably the most opportune time on one of the most opportune platforms. Butterfield's first social game with his studio, Tiny Speck Inc., is titled "Glitch" and is set to launch on Facebook in 2011. Obviously a major departure from what made him famous and very rich, we hope, the game takes place within the imagination of 11 giants. It's already weird, we know.
According to the game's first trailer, players will become figments of these giants' imaginations, working to make their ideas bigger and better. The game seems like it will play a lot like Maple Story with side scrolling controls and similar interaction. Other things that we could deduce from the trailer? How about learning new skills, studies, making fruit juice and blue, humanoid goat creatures?
For some reason, angry crows called The Rook have attacked the 11 giants' minds to steal their imaginations. It's apparently up to you, blue goat man, to thwart their plans with juice. That last part is a complete guess, but who wouldn't like to see that happen?
I don't know about you, but that's more than enough for me to at least give it shot. Take a look at the trailer above and you'll see how Butterfield is making extremely entertaining use of his philosophy degree. According to News.com, Glitch will be made available on PC and mobile devices as well as Facebook in order to maximize its presence. Expect Glitch to release in March or April of 2011.
According to the game's first trailer, players will become figments of these giants' imaginations, working to make their ideas bigger and better. The game seems like it will play a lot like Maple Story with side scrolling controls and similar interaction. Other things that we could deduce from the trailer? How about learning new skills, studies, making fruit juice and blue, humanoid goat creatures?
For some reason, angry crows called The Rook have attacked the 11 giants' minds to steal their imaginations. It's apparently up to you, blue goat man, to thwart their plans with juice. That last part is a complete guess, but who wouldn't like to see that happen?
I don't know about you, but that's more than enough for me to at least give it shot. Take a look at the trailer above and you'll see how Butterfield is making extremely entertaining use of his philosophy degree. According to News.com, Glitch will be made available on PC and mobile devices as well as Facebook in order to maximize its presence. Expect Glitch to release in March or April of 2011.
New Thanksgiving FarmVille Animals: Black Turkey, Paint Horse
Thanksgiving may have come and gone in the real world, but Zynga just can't seem to let the theme go in FarmVille, as they have released a new duo of Thanksgiving-themed animals into the game's store.
The two animals are the Black Turkey and the Paint Horse. While the Black Turkey obviously screams "Thanksgiving," the Paint Horse is more reserved, and is simply a lovely brown and white painted horse. It will cost your 26 Farm Cash to purchase, while the Black Turkey costs less, at 18 Farm Cash.
Both of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, which is actually a fairly generous time limit, considering the fact that the holiday they represent is now officially over. That being said, if you want to stock up on animals that you can pull out for Thanksgiving 2011 in FarmVille, this isn't a bad way to go.
The two animals are the Black Turkey and the Paint Horse. While the Black Turkey obviously screams "Thanksgiving," the Paint Horse is more reserved, and is simply a lovely brown and white painted horse. It will cost your 26 Farm Cash to purchase, while the Black Turkey costs less, at 18 Farm Cash.
Both of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, which is actually a fairly generous time limit, considering the fact that the holiday they represent is now officially over. That being said, if you want to stock up on animals that you can pull out for Thanksgiving 2011 in FarmVille, this isn't a bad way to go.
New FarmVille Thanksgiving Buildings: Harvest Store & Fall Nursery
If you were beginning to think that the Thanksgiving theme in FarmVille was finished, and would simply be allowed to expire from the store with no further additions (we won't blame you if you were, as we were too), you may be happy to learn that additional Thanksgiving items have been released in the store. As we try to imagine that Thanksgiving hasn't already passed, let's take a look at two new buildings that are now available in the game.
The first is the Harvest Store, which we brought you a sneak peek of more than a week ago. It costs 300,000 coins, and will reward you with 3,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the other item is the Fall Nursery, or greenhouse, which is a premium item. It costs 15 Farm Cash - a cheap price considering the normal prices of buildings in FarmVille.
These two buildings will be available for the next two weeks, so you'll have plenty of time to stock up for decorating next Thanksgiving!
The first is the Harvest Store, which we brought you a sneak peek of more than a week ago. It costs 300,000 coins, and will reward you with 3,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the other item is the Fall Nursery, or greenhouse, which is a premium item. It costs 15 Farm Cash - a cheap price considering the normal prices of buildings in FarmVille.
These two buildings will be available for the next two weeks, so you'll have plenty of time to stock up for decorating next Thanksgiving!
Friday, January 13, 2012
FarmVille: Mint Candy Tree now available, but there's a catch
As we reported a few days ago, the Mint Candy Tree was then an unreleased tree that we expected would be released in FarmVille in the near future. It turns out that the future is now, as technically speaking, the tree is now available to purchase in the game's store. It's listed as a regular, permanent addition to the store, so your best bet at easily finding it is to sort the tree area of the store by "Name (A-Z)."
Once you've found the tree, you'll see that you can purchase this level 2 tree for 30 Farm Cash. However, the image associated with the tree is entirely wrong, as you can see from the picture to the right (the tree in that picture appears to be a Granny Smith Apple Tree). The actual Mint Candy Tree looks like the image below:
To save yourself some Farm Cash (and some headache), it is believed that this new tree will actually be available as Mystery Seedlings produced when placing a Sugar Plum Tree in one of your orchards, but that tree has yet to be released in the game, so we can't confirm this rumor as of this time.
All of that being said, it's up to you whether or not you'd like to risk purchasing one of these trees early, before Zynga has a chance to fix the many issues associated with it. Was the tree released early by mistake? Is there just a glitch in the system that no one seems to have noticed yet? It's presumable that Zynga will allow those users that purchase the tree to keep it once they've fixed it, but in the off chance that they have to remove those purchased trees from the game, we'd suggest waiting until they have sorted everything out before spending the premium currency.
Once you've found the tree, you'll see that you can purchase this level 2 tree for 30 Farm Cash. However, the image associated with the tree is entirely wrong, as you can see from the picture to the right (the tree in that picture appears to be a Granny Smith Apple Tree). The actual Mint Candy Tree looks like the image below:
To save yourself some Farm Cash (and some headache), it is believed that this new tree will actually be available as Mystery Seedlings produced when placing a Sugar Plum Tree in one of your orchards, but that tree has yet to be released in the game, so we can't confirm this rumor as of this time.
All of that being said, it's up to you whether or not you'd like to risk purchasing one of these trees early, before Zynga has a chance to fix the many issues associated with it. Was the tree released early by mistake? Is there just a glitch in the system that no one seems to have noticed yet? It's presumable that Zynga will allow those users that purchase the tree to keep it once they've fixed it, but in the off chance that they have to remove those purchased trees from the game, we'd suggest waiting until they have sorted everything out before spending the premium currency.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Holiday Elf Pig, Elf Costume, and Ski Bunny Costume
In an effort to keep you as up to date as possible about all things happening in the world of FarmVille, we've come across a set of three new unreleased images for Winter Holiday items that we believe will be released in the game in the near future.
These three items are the Elf Pig, and two costumes for your avatar: the Elf Costume and the Ski Bunny Costume. As of right now, the details are slim concerning all three items, as we are unsure when they will be released, along with their prices, or even if they will be made available as free gifts, or just as items available to purchase in the store.
We can speculate, however, that should the Elf Costume and Ski Bunny Costume be made available in the store (this makes sense, as there would be one costume for boys, and one costume for girls to purchase), that they will be available for 10 Farm Cash each, as that is the current price of the Santa and Reindeer costumes that have already been released in the game as part of this year's Winter Holiday theme.
For the Elf Pig, this looks like an item that would also be made available for Farm Cash, as it is incredibly rare for Zynga to release a limited edition animal for coins.
Remember, there is no guarantee that we'll actually see any of these items in the game, so keep that in mind.
These three items are the Elf Pig, and two costumes for your avatar: the Elf Costume and the Ski Bunny Costume. As of right now, the details are slim concerning all three items, as we are unsure when they will be released, along with their prices, or even if they will be made available as free gifts, or just as items available to purchase in the store.
We can speculate, however, that should the Elf Costume and Ski Bunny Costume be made available in the store (this makes sense, as there would be one costume for boys, and one costume for girls to purchase), that they will be available for 10 Farm Cash each, as that is the current price of the Santa and Reindeer costumes that have already been released in the game as part of this year's Winter Holiday theme.
For the Elf Pig, this looks like an item that would also be made available for Farm Cash, as it is incredibly rare for Zynga to release a limited edition animal for coins.
Remember, there is no guarantee that we'll actually see any of these items in the game, so keep that in mind.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Brown Lamb, Brown Sheep, & Golden Lion Monkey
Welcome to another edition of the FarmVille Sneak Peek, where we give you lucky farmers a chance to get a sneak peek of items that we believe will be coming to FarmVille in the near future. This edition is animal-themed, with three new animals available to take a look at, all of which come in the form of unreleased images.
The three animals are the Brown Lamb, the Brown Sheep, and the Golden Lion Monkey (from left to right in the picture above). As none of these three items scream "Winter Holiday" to us, it's unlikely that they will be released as part of the Winter Holiday theme of items, so that leaves us to wonder whether or not we'll have to wait until after the new year to see these items (when the Winter Holiday celebration has ended), or whether they may be included in an upcoming Mystery Game or the like (if this is the case, our earlier chance to see them will be in tomorrow's updated Mystery Game). These items could even end up as Free Gifts - nothing is certain at this point other than the fact that we want these animals to place on our farm!
If these items are released a general purchase items in the store, it makes sense that they would be released for Farm Cash, as Zynga rarely releases a limited edition animal for coins. If they are Free Gifts, however, it would give the FarmVille free gifts page a much needed makeover from the current items that have been available for weeks, or even months.
What ever the case may be, remember that there is no guarantee that these animals will finally be released in the game, so keep that in mind. All we can do is speculate, but you're welcome to join in on the fun!
The three animals are the Brown Lamb, the Brown Sheep, and the Golden Lion Monkey (from left to right in the picture above). As none of these three items scream "Winter Holiday" to us, it's unlikely that they will be released as part of the Winter Holiday theme of items, so that leaves us to wonder whether or not we'll have to wait until after the new year to see these items (when the Winter Holiday celebration has ended), or whether they may be included in an upcoming Mystery Game or the like (if this is the case, our earlier chance to see them will be in tomorrow's updated Mystery Game). These items could even end up as Free Gifts - nothing is certain at this point other than the fact that we want these animals to place on our farm!
If these items are released a general purchase items in the store, it makes sense that they would be released for Farm Cash, as Zynga rarely releases a limited edition animal for coins. If they are Free Gifts, however, it would give the FarmVille free gifts page a much needed makeover from the current items that have been available for weeks, or even months.
What ever the case may be, remember that there is no guarantee that these animals will finally be released in the game, so keep that in mind. All we can do is speculate, but you're welcome to join in on the fun!
Facebook How-To: Discovering new games on Facebook
With the Facebook gaming world being filled with literally thousands upon thousands of different apps that any one player could potentially try, it can be incredibly difficult to find new games to play. Wanting to find out what the newest released games are? Good luck searching for titles in the Facebook Search bar, as you're likely to find apps that A) may not even exist or B) existed at one point but have been shut down, their fan pages still lingering in space.
That being said, there actually is a way to look at all of the new applications and games that have been added to Facebook, but this app listing's location can be a bit hard to find. In fact, unless you are particularly searching for it, it's unlikely that you'd just stumble into finding it.
That being the case, in the interest of helping you guys find all of the new games that you might want to play on Facebook, we've put together a Facebook How-To, detailing the exact steps you'll need to go through to look at the games directory, and how to do so by looking at the newest games before all else. This is all done within Facebook proper - you just have to know where to look.
Meet us behind the break for a full guide on how to find new apps. To start, you'll need to head to a page that might not sound intuitive when it comes to finding new games to play, as you'll be going to a page that houses requests for those you've already installed and currently enjoy. You'll need to click on the "Game Requests" page on the left side of the screen - the same place that you go to accept all of your game gift requests.
Next, you'll need to scroll down to the very bottom of this page - past all of your gift requests, past the game-centric view of news feed items, past the list of your friends' installed games - the very bottom. There, almost hidden, you'll see a link called "Games Directory." Click on this, as seen below:
This will take you to the "All Applications > Games" page, where you'll see a list of game recommendations (which can be helpful in their own right), and a list of the most popular Facebook games on the site, in terms of monthly active users. While you are more than welcome to browse through any and all apps from this page, including those that are recommended to you, in the interest of finding the very newest apps on the site, you'll need to click on the "See All" button that is placed in the "Popular" games section of the menu. Note: You can click on "Recently Added" as well, but this shows you just a very limited list of the recently added games on Facebook, so it's not recommendable.
Only after you click on "See All," which brings up a 20 page list of the most popular apps, should you click on the "Recently Added" link. This then resorts the newest applications, and shows you a whopping 20 pages of the newest applications added to Facebook. These games come from all sorts of genres, and may not even be in your native language (for instance, as seen below, their is an App called "Citta d'Europa" listed at the top of the Recently Added page, but we doubt most English speakers would be interested in it).
In this way, you'll be able to search out the newest games on the service, or, if you choose to stick with the "popular" sorting, you can browse through the entire application directory (including non-games - using the links at the far left of the page as seen in the screenshot below) to find applications and games you may not have even known existed, but which your friends might already be playing.
Clicking on a game's name will take you to the game's page on Facebook, where you can install the game as usual, or see if any of your friends are actively playing it.
We wish that Facebook made this app directory easier to find, but for those willing to do a little bit of clicking, you too can access this incredibly convenient feature on the site. With apps being added all of the time (on a daily basis), using these few, simple steps will ensure that you stay on top of all of the latest happenings on Facebook - along with checking in with Games.com - The Blog, of course.
That being said, there actually is a way to look at all of the new applications and games that have been added to Facebook, but this app listing's location can be a bit hard to find. In fact, unless you are particularly searching for it, it's unlikely that you'd just stumble into finding it.
That being the case, in the interest of helping you guys find all of the new games that you might want to play on Facebook, we've put together a Facebook How-To, detailing the exact steps you'll need to go through to look at the games directory, and how to do so by looking at the newest games before all else. This is all done within Facebook proper - you just have to know where to look.
Meet us behind the break for a full guide on how to find new apps. To start, you'll need to head to a page that might not sound intuitive when it comes to finding new games to play, as you'll be going to a page that houses requests for those you've already installed and currently enjoy. You'll need to click on the "Game Requests" page on the left side of the screen - the same place that you go to accept all of your game gift requests.
Next, you'll need to scroll down to the very bottom of this page - past all of your gift requests, past the game-centric view of news feed items, past the list of your friends' installed games - the very bottom. There, almost hidden, you'll see a link called "Games Directory." Click on this, as seen below:
This will take you to the "All Applications > Games" page, where you'll see a list of game recommendations (which can be helpful in their own right), and a list of the most popular Facebook games on the site, in terms of monthly active users. While you are more than welcome to browse through any and all apps from this page, including those that are recommended to you, in the interest of finding the very newest apps on the site, you'll need to click on the "See All" button that is placed in the "Popular" games section of the menu. Note: You can click on "Recently Added" as well, but this shows you just a very limited list of the recently added games on Facebook, so it's not recommendable.
Only after you click on "See All," which brings up a 20 page list of the most popular apps, should you click on the "Recently Added" link. This then resorts the newest applications, and shows you a whopping 20 pages of the newest applications added to Facebook. These games come from all sorts of genres, and may not even be in your native language (for instance, as seen below, their is an App called "Citta d'Europa" listed at the top of the Recently Added page, but we doubt most English speakers would be interested in it).
In this way, you'll be able to search out the newest games on the service, or, if you choose to stick with the "popular" sorting, you can browse through the entire application directory (including non-games - using the links at the far left of the page as seen in the screenshot below) to find applications and games you may not have even known existed, but which your friends might already be playing.
Clicking on a game's name will take you to the game's page on Facebook, where you can install the game as usual, or see if any of your friends are actively playing it.
We wish that Facebook made this app directory easier to find, but for those willing to do a little bit of clicking, you too can access this incredibly convenient feature on the site. With apps being added all of the time (on a daily basis), using these few, simple steps will ensure that you stay on top of all of the latest happenings on Facebook - along with checking in with Games.com - The Blog, of course.
Wishful Features: Adding pop-ups to the newsletter in Cafe World
As a level 63 Cafe World player, I find myself sitting in the middle of all users - I'm not a newbie, but I'm certainly not a level 150+ player. However, my cafe is at its largest (currently available) expansion size, and I have plenty of stoves and serving stations active at any one point in time. My buzz rating is at its maximum, and I have plenty of decorations to boot. Needless to say, when I try to load Cafe World, it takes quite a while.
By the time my cafe does load, I'm normally more than ready to start cooking, but can't. Why? Because I am instantly bombarded with more than my fair share of in-game pop-ups, detailing my progress on my current quests, my active Catering Mission, how many coins I've earned since I've been away, whether or not I've received gifts, whether there is a new in-game promotion (the current being one with Maxwell House), whether there is a sale on in-game items... you get the idea.
Once gameplay actually does start, the pop-ups just don't stop, as I'm told that I could be mastering dishes faster in one pop-up, and told about earning big tips in another, after almost every dish that I've cooked and/or served. All of this complaining aside, it's not that I don't like receiving all of this information, keeping me up-to-date with what's going in my own game, and in the Cafe World universe as a whole, it's just that I wish there was some streamlined, or at least condensed way in which to view it all.
Why not add these pop-ups to the in-game newsletter that has already been released in the game? As it stands, the newsletter is available to view by clicking on the small newspaper icon in the left-side game menu, but it is entirely useless, as of this writing, containing information about "new" items that were added to the game weeks ago. This newsletter doesn't appear as an in-game pop-up, interestingly enough, as you have to click on it manually to view it, so why even have it there at all?
Why not add some of this information - how many coins you've earned since you last visited, how much time you have left in your catering mission, and so on and so forth - to this newsletter, to actually give it some purpose? I'm pretty sure users would accept and even appreciate the newsletter appearing when they logged in, so long as it didn't mean 10 other windows would appear after it.
While Cafe World could do with more additions than this to streamline the experience, a simple reduction in the number of pop-ups one receives when loading the game would do wonders to help player morale, as numerous threads are created in the "Cafe World Suggestions & Ideas" sub-forum on the official Cafe World forums on a weekly or even daily basis, begging for a fix to the number of pop-ups.
By the time my cafe does load, I'm normally more than ready to start cooking, but can't. Why? Because I am instantly bombarded with more than my fair share of in-game pop-ups, detailing my progress on my current quests, my active Catering Mission, how many coins I've earned since I've been away, whether or not I've received gifts, whether there is a new in-game promotion (the current being one with Maxwell House), whether there is a sale on in-game items... you get the idea.
Once gameplay actually does start, the pop-ups just don't stop, as I'm told that I could be mastering dishes faster in one pop-up, and told about earning big tips in another, after almost every dish that I've cooked and/or served. All of this complaining aside, it's not that I don't like receiving all of this information, keeping me up-to-date with what's going in my own game, and in the Cafe World universe as a whole, it's just that I wish there was some streamlined, or at least condensed way in which to view it all.
Why not add these pop-ups to the in-game newsletter that has already been released in the game? As it stands, the newsletter is available to view by clicking on the small newspaper icon in the left-side game menu, but it is entirely useless, as of this writing, containing information about "new" items that were added to the game weeks ago. This newsletter doesn't appear as an in-game pop-up, interestingly enough, as you have to click on it manually to view it, so why even have it there at all?
Why not add some of this information - how many coins you've earned since you last visited, how much time you have left in your catering mission, and so on and so forth - to this newsletter, to actually give it some purpose? I'm pretty sure users would accept and even appreciate the newsletter appearing when they logged in, so long as it didn't mean 10 other windows would appear after it.
While Cafe World could do with more additions than this to streamline the experience, a simple reduction in the number of pop-ups one receives when loading the game would do wonders to help player morale, as numerous threads are created in the "Cafe World Suggestions & Ideas" sub-forum on the official Cafe World forums on a weekly or even daily basis, begging for a fix to the number of pop-ups.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
More Like 'Team FarmVille 2': Portal creator sets Steam Trading loose
If you hadn't noticed, Portal creator Valve's Steam service and store is slowly becoming more and more like ... FarmVille. I know, it sounds strange, but true. The maker of some of the most hardcore, intense shooter games of all time like Half Life and Team Fortress has released the final version of Steam Trading. This new feature was released in a beta test last month, but now is ready for everyone. Better yet, the feature is available for two more games, at that: Portal 2 and Sega's Spiral Knights.
This feature allows Steam users to trade and gift items to their friends regardless of whether they're logged into their game of choice. Now, players can trade items or (new, never-played) games with friends for whatever they feel is an equal exchange. For instance, a Team Fortress 2 player can trade the hat she found while playing with a friend who has a nifty shield that she wants for her Spiral Knight.
However, players must be friends over Steam (or be in a Group Chat) to trade or give items to one another. Hmm, that sounds vaguely familiar, no? From offering free-to-play multiplayer games earlier this year like Spiral Knights to now allowing players to give each other items through a friends list, Steam has slowly become more and more like Facebook as a games platform. While its far from Facebook and its games, and likely always will be, the influence is undeniable. All we're waiting for is the day it takes Energy to fire bullets in Team Fortress 2. (Fat chance ... we hope.)
This feature allows Steam users to trade and gift items to their friends regardless of whether they're logged into their game of choice. Now, players can trade items or (new, never-played) games with friends for whatever they feel is an equal exchange. For instance, a Team Fortress 2 player can trade the hat she found while playing with a friend who has a nifty shield that she wants for her Spiral Knight.
However, players must be friends over Steam (or be in a Group Chat) to trade or give items to one another. Hmm, that sounds vaguely familiar, no? From offering free-to-play multiplayer games earlier this year like Spiral Knights to now allowing players to give each other items through a friends list, Steam has slowly become more and more like Facebook as a games platform. While its far from Facebook and its games, and likely always will be, the influence is undeniable. All we're waiting for is the day it takes Energy to fire bullets in Team Fortress 2. (Fat chance ... we hope.)
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!
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!
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.
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.
Zynga hits Warstorm, three other games with the firey axe Sept. 30
A fiery axe laced with sadness and destruction, at that. Mafia Wars Maniac reports that Zynga, the creator of some of the most popular games on Facebook, will close Warstorm for good come Sept. 30 along with Scramble, Pathwords and Word Twist. In fact, Warstorm isn't even accepting new players anymore during its final breaths on Facebook. The news broke in a post by Warstorm forum moderator Cerulean Master, asking players to ring out Warstorm with a bang by sharing their memories.
Luckily, Cerulean also provided a FAQ to help us understand just what's up. The existing 11,126 (yikes!) daily Warstorm players can access the game right until it closes forever on Sept. 30, while new players simply won't be allowed. And for players who paid good money to enjoy their fantasy card battles, Zynga will transfer any virtual currency purchases made within the last 90 days to a game of their choice, and the company will add another 10 percent to that number.
Warstorm refugees will also be offered bonus packages for joining Zynga's better more popular games like CityVille, FarmVille and Empires & Allies. While this information pertains specifically to Warstorm, we imagine that players of Scramble, Word Twist and Pathwords will be offered the same treatment. (Zynga's forums are under maintenance as of this writing.)
Honestly, and no offense to you super fans out there, we can see why Zynga would close games that are dwarfed by its hits. (Not to mention that Words With Friends has become the defacto word game on Facebook.) This will be the second closure in just over a month. Near the end of August, Zynga closed the digital doors to Fashion Wars and two other games that were performing poorly. And not just poorly for a Zynga game--any Facebook game.
If anything, these closures will allow Zynga to focus more resources on making sure its flagship games continue to succeed and to make more money machines popular games. It's a shame to see these games go (I thought Warstorm was quite impressive, personally), but at least the company is providing players with options to stick around. Perhaps as Zynga trims the fat, we'll see even better games come from the international studio, like Adventure World.
Luckily, Cerulean also provided a FAQ to help us understand just what's up. The existing 11,126 (yikes!) daily Warstorm players can access the game right until it closes forever on Sept. 30, while new players simply won't be allowed. And for players who paid good money to enjoy their fantasy card battles, Zynga will transfer any virtual currency purchases made within the last 90 days to a game of their choice, and the company will add another 10 percent to that number.
Warstorm refugees will also be offered bonus packages for joining Zynga's better more popular games like CityVille, FarmVille and Empires & Allies. While this information pertains specifically to Warstorm, we imagine that players of Scramble, Word Twist and Pathwords will be offered the same treatment. (Zynga's forums are under maintenance as of this writing.)
Honestly, and no offense to you super fans out there, we can see why Zynga would close games that are dwarfed by its hits. (Not to mention that Words With Friends has become the defacto word game on Facebook.) This will be the second closure in just over a month. Near the end of August, Zynga closed the digital doors to Fashion Wars and two other games that were performing poorly. And not just poorly for a Zynga game--any Facebook game.
If anything, these closures will allow Zynga to focus more resources on making sure its flagship games continue to succeed and to make more money machines popular games. It's a shame to see these games go (I thought Warstorm was quite impressive, personally), but at least the company is providing players with options to stick around. Perhaps as Zynga trims the fat, we'll see even better games come from the international studio, like Adventure World.
Noah's Ark hits Port Facebook, social games go crazy for Christians
When Sean Ryan said that Christians were an untapped audience for Facebook games, developers listened. And thus, we have the third biblical Facebook game to hit in the past two months: Noah's Ark.
VentureBeat reports that Making Fun--News Corp's social gaming arm--and Detonator Games have officially released the game to Facebook. However, the FarmVille-meets-Genesis social game looks have hit the platform earlier in August, according to its fan page.
Noah's Ark is the second game launched by Making Fun since it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp last year, and looks to cater to a woefully untapped audience that happens to be one of Facebook's largest. The game tasks players with creating--you guessed it--a farm of sorts to attract new animals to Noah's build site. Then, players must build their own Ark to prepare for the imminent worldwide flood.
Of course, players are governed by Energy and can buy boosts and other items with Facebook Credits. Noah's Ark will also test your knowledge of the story through trivia questions provided by Zondervan, a Christian publisher and News Corp subsidiary. (Finally, that Catholic education comes in handy!) And regardless of whether the game takes off--it sits now at over 260,000 monthly players and is growing steadily--Making Fun is committed to releasing games regularly.
Noah's Ark gameplay
"It's part of our plan to bring new and different games to the market that no one else is doing," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "Our aim is to put out really high-quality titles in partnership with a variety of developers." Welch also said that the publisher will continue to release games through outside developers like Detonator Games, and that includes iPhone games, one of which will be a sports game.
Noah's Ark plays much like the FarmVilles and FrontierVilles of yore, but with a far smoother presentation and an interesting end goal: The Ark. As players gather new animals and materials, they will contribute to building the Ark throughout 10 stages. And there is an unbelievable amount of animals to collect across seven wildlife habitats. As players reach out beyond the limits of their small farmland, which is all visible on screen--but grayed out--they will learn how to attract new animals.
The game is a bit too biblically-charged for my tastes, and it doesn't do quite enough to differentiate itself from the "FarmVille meets the Bible" comparisons. Regardless, kudos to Making Fun and Detonator Games for exploring a relatively new subject matter in Facebook games. And considering 42 percent of Facebook users are Christian, the audience is certainly there.
VentureBeat reports that Making Fun--News Corp's social gaming arm--and Detonator Games have officially released the game to Facebook. However, the FarmVille-meets-Genesis social game looks have hit the platform earlier in August, according to its fan page.
Noah's Ark is the second game launched by Making Fun since it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp last year, and looks to cater to a woefully untapped audience that happens to be one of Facebook's largest. The game tasks players with creating--you guessed it--a farm of sorts to attract new animals to Noah's build site. Then, players must build their own Ark to prepare for the imminent worldwide flood.
Of course, players are governed by Energy and can buy boosts and other items with Facebook Credits. Noah's Ark will also test your knowledge of the story through trivia questions provided by Zondervan, a Christian publisher and News Corp subsidiary. (Finally, that Catholic education comes in handy!) And regardless of whether the game takes off--it sits now at over 260,000 monthly players and is growing steadily--Making Fun is committed to releasing games regularly.
Noah's Ark gameplay
"It's part of our plan to bring new and different games to the market that no one else is doing," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "Our aim is to put out really high-quality titles in partnership with a variety of developers." Welch also said that the publisher will continue to release games through outside developers like Detonator Games, and that includes iPhone games, one of which will be a sports game.
Noah's Ark plays much like the FarmVilles and FrontierVilles of yore, but with a far smoother presentation and an interesting end goal: The Ark. As players gather new animals and materials, they will contribute to building the Ark throughout 10 stages. And there is an unbelievable amount of animals to collect across seven wildlife habitats. As players reach out beyond the limits of their small farmland, which is all visible on screen--but grayed out--they will learn how to attract new animals.
The game is a bit too biblically-charged for my tastes, and it doesn't do quite enough to differentiate itself from the "FarmVille meets the Bible" comparisons. Regardless, kudos to Making Fun and Detonator Games for exploring a relatively new subject matter in Facebook games. And considering 42 percent of Facebook users are Christian, the audience is certainly there.
Habbo Hotel maker names ex-Playdom exec CEO in social games push
You might have heard of the mega popular social network slash social game Habbo Hotel (pictured), but Finnish developer Sulake wants to turn "might" into "absolutely." The company just announced that it has hired former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as CEO, Reuters reports. Sulake made the hire in an ambitious attempt to help the company break into the world of social gaming, and who would know the space better than a guy who was there from the beginning?
LaFontaine, who was largely responsible for publishing Playdom's--now owned by entertainment behemoth Disney--games will replace Timo Soininen as CEO of Sulake. "We have been turning that direction for two years and are now accelerating it with this new CEO," Sulake chairman Mika Salmi told Reuters.
Habbo Hotel, for the uninformed, is a social network-meets-social game in which about 10 million monthly visitors interact in a world designed to hearken back to the good old days of 8-bit gaming. Players create their own rooms in collective hotels normally restricted to countries of origin or native language, and play mini games, decorate and share gifts with other hotel denizens. Of course, like any social game, players can buy premium items using real money.
Judging from the fact that prospective players can already connect to Habbo Hotel through Facebook Connect, and that Sulake has made their interest in traditional social games clear, Sulake making games for Facebook is certainly a possibility. Alright, with the crazy money everyone seems to be raking in on Facebook, this is most likely exactly where the company is headed. And LaFontaine will lead the charge--watch out, Zynga and EA, Habbo is looking hinder your hottest games.
LaFontaine, who was largely responsible for publishing Playdom's--now owned by entertainment behemoth Disney--games will replace Timo Soininen as CEO of Sulake. "We have been turning that direction for two years and are now accelerating it with this new CEO," Sulake chairman Mika Salmi told Reuters.
Habbo Hotel, for the uninformed, is a social network-meets-social game in which about 10 million monthly visitors interact in a world designed to hearken back to the good old days of 8-bit gaming. Players create their own rooms in collective hotels normally restricted to countries of origin or native language, and play mini games, decorate and share gifts with other hotel denizens. Of course, like any social game, players can buy premium items using real money.
Judging from the fact that prospective players can already connect to Habbo Hotel through Facebook Connect, and that Sulake has made their interest in traditional social games clear, Sulake making games for Facebook is certainly a possibility. Alright, with the crazy money everyone seems to be raking in on Facebook, this is most likely exactly where the company is headed. And LaFontaine will lead the charge--watch out, Zynga and EA, Habbo is looking hinder your hottest games.
Monday, January 9, 2012
GDC 2011: The social gaming sessions to watch
The annual Game Developers Conference 2011 in San Francisco, California is rapidly coming up on February 28 through March 4. The country's largest gathering of professionals who make the games that entertain us has become the hot spot for social gaming conversations. This year, the Online and Social Gaming track contains some intriguing sessions that will appeal to those interested in social games. The session details have all been released, and we've pulled out a list of the most interesting sounding social gaming panels at GDC 2011.
City of Wonder: Postmortem by Troy Whitlock (Playdom) and Ben Liu (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about how City of Wonder used core game mechanics as the inspiration for compelling casual social gameplay. They will learn about the creative and development process for the features that helped make City of Wonder a success.
Social Mechanics for Social Games by Raph Koster (Playdom)
Learn about core human psychology driving social games, and walk away with a clear list of game mechanics that encourage social structures and human relationships, thereby driving retention.
Designing Games for the "43-Year-Old Woman" by Chris Trottier (Zynga)
If gamers are from Mars; moms are from elsewhere. Designing for them requires rejiggering the toolbox: magnifying some tools, adding others, and discarding a few. Chris (a failed hardcore gamer, closeted casual gamer, and 40-something mom) will share some observations that have helped her serve these (somewhat accidental) players.
Social Network Games in Retrospective - Are We Being Social? by Patricia Pizer (Consultant)
Ideas and principles for creating more engaging, more socially active games for social networks. Both practical and theoretical, attendees will have immediately implementable concepts for improving their games.
Cloning Social Games - Nothing New Here Or Is There? by Sean Kane (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Attendees will be provided with the tools to determine when cloning another social game is legitimate and when it is potential infringement. This information will be paramount for developers in planning strategies to protect their social games while identifying what aspects of other social games may be ripe for legitimate imitation.
It's In the Game: The Making of FIFA SUPERSTARS by Jeferson Valadares (Playfish)
Attendees will leave with an understanding of what makes FIFA SUPERSTARS unique and the reasons behind the choices in the creation and evolution of this game.
No Freaking Respect! Social Game Developers Rant Back by Scott Jon Siegel (Playdom), Chris Hecker (definition six, inc.), Eric Zimmerman (Independent), Trip Hawkins (Digital Chocolate), Brenda Brathwaite (Lolapps), Ian Bogost (The Georgia Institute of Technology), Brian Reynolds (Zynga), Jason Della Rocca (Perimeter Partners) and Steve Meretzky (Playdom)
Do you REALLY think you know what social game designers care about? Think again. Come to this session prepared to have your assumptions questioned and your sensibilities shaken. Do not attend if you are squeamish about seeing panelists tear the game industry limb from limb.
Behavioral Economics and Social Games by Peter Fishman (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about social psychology research on departures from hyper-rational behavior, and how social games incorporate these lessons from psychology.
There are many more social and online game related talks, but these are the ones that seem the most interesting to us. We'll be covering these sessions, so you can expect Games.com - The Blog! to be the place to get your social gaming news during GDC 2011.
City of Wonder: Postmortem by Troy Whitlock (Playdom) and Ben Liu (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about how City of Wonder used core game mechanics as the inspiration for compelling casual social gameplay. They will learn about the creative and development process for the features that helped make City of Wonder a success.
Social Mechanics for Social Games by Raph Koster (Playdom)
Learn about core human psychology driving social games, and walk away with a clear list of game mechanics that encourage social structures and human relationships, thereby driving retention.
Designing Games for the "43-Year-Old Woman" by Chris Trottier (Zynga)
If gamers are from Mars; moms are from elsewhere. Designing for them requires rejiggering the toolbox: magnifying some tools, adding others, and discarding a few. Chris (a failed hardcore gamer, closeted casual gamer, and 40-something mom) will share some observations that have helped her serve these (somewhat accidental) players.
Social Network Games in Retrospective - Are We Being Social? by Patricia Pizer (Consultant)
Ideas and principles for creating more engaging, more socially active games for social networks. Both practical and theoretical, attendees will have immediately implementable concepts for improving their games.
Cloning Social Games - Nothing New Here Or Is There? by Sean Kane (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Attendees will be provided with the tools to determine when cloning another social game is legitimate and when it is potential infringement. This information will be paramount for developers in planning strategies to protect their social games while identifying what aspects of other social games may be ripe for legitimate imitation.
It's In the Game: The Making of FIFA SUPERSTARS by Jeferson Valadares (Playfish)
Attendees will leave with an understanding of what makes FIFA SUPERSTARS unique and the reasons behind the choices in the creation and evolution of this game.
No Freaking Respect! Social Game Developers Rant Back by Scott Jon Siegel (Playdom), Chris Hecker (definition six, inc.), Eric Zimmerman (Independent), Trip Hawkins (Digital Chocolate), Brenda Brathwaite (Lolapps), Ian Bogost (The Georgia Institute of Technology), Brian Reynolds (Zynga), Jason Della Rocca (Perimeter Partners) and Steve Meretzky (Playdom)
Do you REALLY think you know what social game designers care about? Think again. Come to this session prepared to have your assumptions questioned and your sensibilities shaken. Do not attend if you are squeamish about seeing panelists tear the game industry limb from limb.
Behavioral Economics and Social Games by Peter Fishman (Playdom)
Attendees will learn about social psychology research on departures from hyper-rational behavior, and how social games incorporate these lessons from psychology.
There are many more social and online game related talks, but these are the ones that seem the most interesting to us. We'll be covering these sessions, so you can expect Games.com - The Blog! to be the place to get your social gaming news during GDC 2011.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Ice Cat, Ice Donkey and Ice Pig, oh my!
Ice Elephant Ice Goat Ice Horse
Now, we know that the Winter Wonderland theme in FarmVille has been pretty extreme with Ski Slopes and giant Rock Waterfalls, but to literally freeze the animals? That's just wrong, Zynga! Alright, so they're not really frozen animals--they are just sculptures. (But that would be pretty cool, eh?) FarmVille Freak has found another collection of unreleased Ice Sculptures in the game that we can only guess will find their way to the farm.
Ice Owl Ice Pig Ice Cat
The icy animal sculptures include an Ice Cat, Ice Donkey, Ice Elephant, Ice Goat, Ice Horse, Ice Owl and Ice Pig. Since the game already has introduced a few ice sculptures just recently, these are more than likely to make it into the game. But, again, no guarantees. Stay tuned for when it might get even chillier in FarmVille.
Now, we know that the Winter Wonderland theme in FarmVille has been pretty extreme with Ski Slopes and giant Rock Waterfalls, but to literally freeze the animals? That's just wrong, Zynga! Alright, so they're not really frozen animals--they are just sculptures. (But that would be pretty cool, eh?) FarmVille Freak has found another collection of unreleased Ice Sculptures in the game that we can only guess will find their way to the farm.
Ice Owl Ice Pig Ice Cat
The icy animal sculptures include an Ice Cat, Ice Donkey, Ice Elephant, Ice Goat, Ice Horse, Ice Owl and Ice Pig. Since the game already has introduced a few ice sculptures just recently, these are more than likely to make it into the game. But, again, no guarantees. Stay tuned for when it might get even chillier in FarmVille.
FrontierVille: Help Zynga pick new animals to bring to the game
If you'd like to have an impact on what happens in FrontierVille in the future (at least where new animal additions are concerned), you now have that chance, as Zynga has launched a user poll over on the official FrontierVille forums, where you can choose from a list of animals (a wide variety of animals at that), with your pick being the animal that you'd most like to see added to the game.
The choices are Skunk, Raccoon, Antelope, Moose, Peacock, Camel, Unicorn, Pony, and Pegasus. Of course, some of these animals could have a much more realistic role in the game, while we have fantasy animals like Unicorns and even Pegasus to choose from, if you're into that sort of thing.
Surprisingly, most users apparently want to keep to the realism, rather than heading into a world of fantasy, as right now the two leaders are Skunk and Raccoon, with 353, and 381 votes, respectively, of the almost 1,000 people that have voted. If you'd like to vote for any of these animals, you'll need to head over to the official forum thread, login with either Facebook Connect or your own registered account and then vote. You can also discuss your choice with other FrontierVille players in the thread - who knows, Zynga might read your comment and make your suggestions come to life within the game!
The choices are Skunk, Raccoon, Antelope, Moose, Peacock, Camel, Unicorn, Pony, and Pegasus. Of course, some of these animals could have a much more realistic role in the game, while we have fantasy animals like Unicorns and even Pegasus to choose from, if you're into that sort of thing.
Surprisingly, most users apparently want to keep to the realism, rather than heading into a world of fantasy, as right now the two leaders are Skunk and Raccoon, with 353, and 381 votes, respectively, of the almost 1,000 people that have voted. If you'd like to vote for any of these animals, you'll need to head over to the official forum thread, login with either Facebook Connect or your own registered account and then vote. You can also discuss your choice with other FrontierVille players in the thread - who knows, Zynga might read your comment and make your suggestions come to life within the game!
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Greenhouse building project on the way?
In this FarmVIlle Sneak Peek, we've come across four images of a "buildable" Greenhouse that looks like it will be released in the game in the near future. If you're having a bit of deja vu at this point, bear with us, as we're experiencing it too. Not to be confused with the Botanical Garden released in the game way back in April of 2010 (or the iPhone exclusive Green House cube released this week), this is an entirely new building, decorated with plant life in mind.
The construction of the Greenhouse looks to take place over four parts, with all four stages being represented at the top of this post. Each stage, as you would expect, makes the Greenhouse grow in not only size, but also in complexity, as it transforms from a mere rectangular shape into a sort of cross, with all sorts of flowers, fruits and vegetables growing inside.
Details concerning the function of this Greenhouse are still non-existant, so unfortunately images are all we have to go on. Either way, the Botanical Garden served no purpose other than being decorative when it was released, so we're hoping that Zynga has learned its lesson with this similar item - after all, many farmers will simply choose not to build a structure (that is, not waste building ingredients) when they know all their work will simply go to an item that takes up space with no return.
We'll be sure to let you know when and if this Greenhouse officially debuts in the game, but keep in mind there is no guarantee that we'll see the item in the game.
The construction of the Greenhouse looks to take place over four parts, with all four stages being represented at the top of this post. Each stage, as you would expect, makes the Greenhouse grow in not only size, but also in complexity, as it transforms from a mere rectangular shape into a sort of cross, with all sorts of flowers, fruits and vegetables growing inside.
Details concerning the function of this Greenhouse are still non-existant, so unfortunately images are all we have to go on. Either way, the Botanical Garden served no purpose other than being decorative when it was released, so we're hoping that Zynga has learned its lesson with this similar item - after all, many farmers will simply choose not to build a structure (that is, not waste building ingredients) when they know all their work will simply go to an item that takes up space with no return.
We'll be sure to let you know when and if this Greenhouse officially debuts in the game, but keep in mind there is no guarantee that we'll see the item in the game.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Alaska Home, Visitor Center, Bear Fishing, Bald Eagle & More
Today has been fantastic for those looking for unreleased items in FarmVille. This latest edition of the FarmVille Sneak Peek not only offers us a look at some Alaskan (or perhaps general Winter-themed) buildings, but also some new animals, decorations, and even a clue as to what the next Mystery Game will contain.
As for the new buildings, we see and "Alaska Home," and a "Log Cabin Visitor Center." The names for both of these items seem a bit shaky, and there are no guarantees that that's what they'll actually be called, or if they'll even ultimately be released officially in the game.
There are a few decorative items to speak of as well, like the Bear Fishing item (a bear standing next to a stream, apparently trying to catch a salmon swimming upstream), a Snowy Bridge, a Snowy Tree, and a Totem Pole 2 (not to be confused with the first Totem Pole which was released just a few days ago).
Two unreleased animals are the Bald Eagle and the Eagle Owl, but we're not sure as to whether or not these will be true animals (that is, capable of being harvested for a profit), or whether they'll be "decorative" animals. Regardless, having a Bald Eagle on your farm would simply be awesome, so I'll take the item either way.
Finally, this week's Mystery Game will apparently contain the Siberian Tiger Cub that we brought you a sneak peek of earlier today, as it is the animal pictured in the Mystery Game icon that will apparently be released this week.
As usual, there aren't any other details concerning these items, like their prices (please, Zynga, make some of them for coins) or when they'll officially be released, so keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when any of these items launch in the game.
As for the new buildings, we see and "Alaska Home," and a "Log Cabin Visitor Center." The names for both of these items seem a bit shaky, and there are no guarantees that that's what they'll actually be called, or if they'll even ultimately be released officially in the game.
There are a few decorative items to speak of as well, like the Bear Fishing item (a bear standing next to a stream, apparently trying to catch a salmon swimming upstream), a Snowy Bridge, a Snowy Tree, and a Totem Pole 2 (not to be confused with the first Totem Pole which was released just a few days ago).
Two unreleased animals are the Bald Eagle and the Eagle Owl, but we're not sure as to whether or not these will be true animals (that is, capable of being harvested for a profit), or whether they'll be "decorative" animals. Regardless, having a Bald Eagle on your farm would simply be awesome, so I'll take the item either way.
Finally, this week's Mystery Game will apparently contain the Siberian Tiger Cub that we brought you a sneak peek of earlier today, as it is the animal pictured in the Mystery Game icon that will apparently be released this week.
As usual, there aren't any other details concerning these items, like their prices (please, Zynga, make some of them for coins) or when they'll officially be released, so keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when any of these items launch in the game.
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Theme Showcase 2 [Video]
If you've enjoyed Zynga's past releases of YouTube videos showcasing items that have yet to be released in FarmVille, you're in luck, as the developer has revealed another showcase video this evening. Appropriately, the video is called "Winter Wonderland Theme Showcase 2" (phew, what a mouthful!), and it shows off a handful of new items that are guaranteed to be coming to the game. The kicker is in when they will actually become available (soon, of course, but the exact date is anyone's guess).
In this video, we can see several items that we gave you a sneak peek of earlier today, like the Bear Fishing item, and the new Totem Pole that will be released in the game. Other items look to really play off of the Winter-theme, with glacier-esque mountain, and even a deep icy ravine. There is also a lovely purple and pink flower planter to take a look at, and if you have yet to complete your Duck Pond (which released in the game yesterday evening), you can see one in action, to get a feel for what your finished Duck Pond will look like on your own farm.
We'll be sure to let you know when these items are released in full to the game, so keep checking back with us.
In this video, we can see several items that we gave you a sneak peek of earlier today, like the Bear Fishing item, and the new Totem Pole that will be released in the game. Other items look to really play off of the Winter-theme, with glacier-esque mountain, and even a deep icy ravine. There is also a lovely purple and pink flower planter to take a look at, and if you have yet to complete your Duck Pond (which released in the game yesterday evening), you can see one in action, to get a feel for what your finished Duck Pond will look like on your own farm.
We'll be sure to let you know when these items are released in full to the game, so keep checking back with us.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
FarmVille: Say goodbye to most Valentine's Day items tonight
If you're the kind that has made an art form out of procrastinating, here's your last call for the vast majority of limited edition Valentine's Day decorations in FarmVille. For weeks now, we've brought you the news concerning a whole slew of themed items being released in the game's store, about half of which have been counting down to an expiration date of this evening.
As there are so many items available in this theme, it's nice to see Zynga keeping some of the more recently released items available for a few days more (less than a week in most cases), but if you've been even a bit interested in purchasing the following items, you have less than three hours to pull out your virtual pocketbook and start some last-minute shopping.
Cinnamon Heart / Giant Cinnamon Heart Tree
Heart Candy / Giant Heart Candy Tree
Pink Persian Cat
Elder Duck
Hooded Merganser
Heart Pig
Valentine Mini Pony
Heart Rabbit
Find the rest of the expiring items behind the break.
In addition to the above animals and trees, the following decorative items are also being removed from FarmVille's marketplace this evening:
Romantic Cottage
Romantic Gazebo
Love Shack
Love Gondola
Romantic Picnic
Valentine Gnome
Romantic Coach
Valentine Snowman
Valentine Teddy
Venus Gnome
On top of these items, decorations like the Rose Bush, and animals like the Valentine Cow are now down to their final day in the store as well. With so many items expiring, make sure to at least take one final glance at them in the market to decide if you'll regret not purchasing them this year. Sure, some of these items may be released come Valentine's Day 2012, but do you really want to risk that your favorite item won't make a comeback?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Have you already stocked up on plenty of Valentine's Day items in FarmVille?
As there are so many items available in this theme, it's nice to see Zynga keeping some of the more recently released items available for a few days more (less than a week in most cases), but if you've been even a bit interested in purchasing the following items, you have less than three hours to pull out your virtual pocketbook and start some last-minute shopping.
Cinnamon Heart / Giant Cinnamon Heart Tree
Heart Candy / Giant Heart Candy Tree
Pink Persian Cat
Elder Duck
Hooded Merganser
Heart Pig
Valentine Mini Pony
Heart Rabbit
Find the rest of the expiring items behind the break.
In addition to the above animals and trees, the following decorative items are also being removed from FarmVille's marketplace this evening:
Romantic Cottage
Romantic Gazebo
Love Shack
Love Gondola
Romantic Picnic
Valentine Gnome
Romantic Coach
Valentine Snowman
Valentine Teddy
Venus Gnome
On top of these items, decorations like the Rose Bush, and animals like the Valentine Cow are now down to their final day in the store as well. With so many items expiring, make sure to at least take one final glance at them in the market to decide if you'll regret not purchasing them this year. Sure, some of these items may be released come Valentine's Day 2012, but do you really want to risk that your favorite item won't make a comeback?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Have you already stocked up on plenty of Valentine's Day items in FarmVille?
FrontierVille Buildin' a Ski Trail Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
After quite the break from timed missions in FrontierVille, Zynga has finally launched a new one this evening entitled "Buildin' a Ski Trail." This mission will have you completing three relatively simple tasks within a five day time limit, all in the hopes of receiving the new Ski Rack item that we brought you a sneak peek of at the end of January.
You'll have until the end of the month - February 28 - to accept this mission on your land, so feel free to hold off on accepting it until you've completed the other things on your plate. As we said, you'll have five days to complete this mission to earn 500 XP, 500 coins, and the Ski Rack decorative item, so meet us behind the break for all of the details about how to complete this new timed mission.
The three steps required to complete this mission are:
Clear 30 debris from Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest 10 Cherry Trees on Your Homestead
Get 10 Trail Markers from your Friends
With these steps, you'll be able to clearly see which tasks need to be performed on your own land, and which can be completed only when visiting neighbors. For the clearing debris step, if you have six neighbors that have quit the game entirely, make sure to scroll to the far left of your friends list to visit those neighbors first. Likely, their land will be so overgrown with weeds and flowers that you'll have no problem knocking this requirement out, and fast at that.
As for the Trail Markers, you'll need to ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests. As this mission has rolled out to users, it's likely that some of your friends have already asked you for these Trail Markers - you'll just need to accept their requests to receive Trail Markers back for yourself.
As a reminder, the prizes for finishing this mission are 500 XP, 500 coins and the Ski Rack. It's actually one of the easiest timed missions we've ever seen in the game, so you should have an easy time of it if you follow our simple step for finding enough debris.
You'll have until the end of the month - February 28 - to accept this mission on your land, so feel free to hold off on accepting it until you've completed the other things on your plate. As we said, you'll have five days to complete this mission to earn 500 XP, 500 coins, and the Ski Rack decorative item, so meet us behind the break for all of the details about how to complete this new timed mission.
The three steps required to complete this mission are:
Clear 30 debris from Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest 10 Cherry Trees on Your Homestead
Get 10 Trail Markers from your Friends
With these steps, you'll be able to clearly see which tasks need to be performed on your own land, and which can be completed only when visiting neighbors. For the clearing debris step, if you have six neighbors that have quit the game entirely, make sure to scroll to the far left of your friends list to visit those neighbors first. Likely, their land will be so overgrown with weeds and flowers that you'll have no problem knocking this requirement out, and fast at that.
As for the Trail Markers, you'll need to ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests. As this mission has rolled out to users, it's likely that some of your friends have already asked you for these Trail Markers - you'll just need to accept their requests to receive Trail Markers back for yourself.
As a reminder, the prizes for finishing this mission are 500 XP, 500 coins and the Ski Rack. It's actually one of the easiest timed missions we've ever seen in the game, so you should have an easy time of it if you follow our simple step for finding enough debris.
Game of the Day: Airport Mania: First Flight
The game of the day is taking to the friendly skies. Airport Mania: First Flight is a cute and colorful romp though air traffic controllers lives. In this airport time management classic, you play the role of an air traffic controller who has to make sure all your planes and passangers get where they need to go. Fun, inventive and full of powerups, Airport Mania will have you saying "Wow, I love running airports!" (Cartoon one's at least!)
Click here to play Airport Mania: First Flight
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click here to play Airport Mania: First Flight
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Are social games really 'evil'?
Social Game Addiction
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, game developer Jonathan Blow was asked whether he though social games are "evil." The Braid creator responded with an emphatic, "Yes. Absolutely." Currently working on his second major release, The Witness, the independent game designer has spoken choice words about the genre in the past. But this is the first time Blow has associated social games with such a Biblical term as evil. His argument is that by design social games invade your free time as a whole by stringing you along to the next object or feature that you want. But does this make social games evil?
Jonathan BlowBy design, social games tend to be exploitative. "If you want to play more, you've got to pay more," is the motto of just about every game on Facebook. And Blow (pictured right) points this trait out repeatedly in his time with PC Gamer, but with a lens that every social gamer will become hopelessly obsessed with games like CityVille or Bejeweled Blitz. So are they the Grinch of the gaming industry? Sure they are, but in saying that we're deeming one half of the equation completely innocent: the players.
Yes, there have been plenty of tragic cases of social game addiction over the past year, but compared to the 250 million Facebook gamers out there this is nothing. Are MMOs like World of WarCraft evil for supporting the addictive tendencies of gamers? How about the Call of Duty series? If this is the case, then every game that persists for longer than its shelf life through enticing downloadable content (DLC), expansion packs or a subscription fee is evil. At least just a smidgen.
Mass Effect 2 by Bioware received Game of the Year at the Interactive Achievement Awards this year, but technically speaking it wasn't complete upon release. DLC has extended its story ... for a price. You could easily argue that BioWare could have extended its development cycle to include this content at the same launch price of $60. Yet the developer decided to do the unthinkable and charge us extra to experience the rest of its story. And we all put up the $5 or $10 more time after time.
Exploitative? Absolutely. Evil? Well, you don't have to buy it, right?
Or do you? Games might not have in the 1980s, but today just about all types of games play to the varying levels of addictive tendencies in all of us. The engrossing storyline in BioShock can be just as addicting as the risk-reward, carrot-on-the-stick gameplay of FarmVille. But we're equally responsible for shutting the computer down and, say, loving our children. Blow might have directed his statement at social game designers, but players are equally as important in the design process and we have a certain level of control over what's created. Social games, like all video games, are only as evil as you allow them to be.
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, game developer Jonathan Blow was asked whether he though social games are "evil." The Braid creator responded with an emphatic, "Yes. Absolutely." Currently working on his second major release, The Witness, the independent game designer has spoken choice words about the genre in the past. But this is the first time Blow has associated social games with such a Biblical term as evil. His argument is that by design social games invade your free time as a whole by stringing you along to the next object or feature that you want. But does this make social games evil?
Jonathan BlowBy design, social games tend to be exploitative. "If you want to play more, you've got to pay more," is the motto of just about every game on Facebook. And Blow (pictured right) points this trait out repeatedly in his time with PC Gamer, but with a lens that every social gamer will become hopelessly obsessed with games like CityVille or Bejeweled Blitz. So are they the Grinch of the gaming industry? Sure they are, but in saying that we're deeming one half of the equation completely innocent: the players.
Yes, there have been plenty of tragic cases of social game addiction over the past year, but compared to the 250 million Facebook gamers out there this is nothing. Are MMOs like World of WarCraft evil for supporting the addictive tendencies of gamers? How about the Call of Duty series? If this is the case, then every game that persists for longer than its shelf life through enticing downloadable content (DLC), expansion packs or a subscription fee is evil. At least just a smidgen.
Mass Effect 2 by Bioware received Game of the Year at the Interactive Achievement Awards this year, but technically speaking it wasn't complete upon release. DLC has extended its story ... for a price. You could easily argue that BioWare could have extended its development cycle to include this content at the same launch price of $60. Yet the developer decided to do the unthinkable and charge us extra to experience the rest of its story. And we all put up the $5 or $10 more time after time.
Exploitative? Absolutely. Evil? Well, you don't have to buy it, right?
Or do you? Games might not have in the 1980s, but today just about all types of games play to the varying levels of addictive tendencies in all of us. The engrossing storyline in BioShock can be just as addicting as the risk-reward, carrot-on-the-stick gameplay of FarmVille. But we're equally responsible for shutting the computer down and, say, loving our children. Blow might have directed his statement at social game designers, but players are equally as important in the design process and we have a certain level of control over what's created. Social games, like all video games, are only as evil as you allow them to be.
FrontierVille Buildin' a Snow Fort Timed Goal: Everything you need to know
Another wintry timed Goal will soon arrive in FrontierVille. Titled "Buildin' a Snow Fort, players will have a limited time to complete three requirements. This Goal is currently unreleased, but we know that players will have seven days to complete the mission. We imagine the time in which it is available will be similar to the Buildin' a Ski Trail Goal that is live right now.
First, you will need to clear 25 debris from your own homestead. This is self-explanatory, no? Then, you will be required to sell 20 Adult Sheep. If you don't already have these Sheep, then it will take an absolute minimum of 20 hours to raise 20 Sheep into adulthood and cost 5,600 coins. Finally, you can ask your friends for 10 Snowballs while you're working on the other two requirements. And remember, giving them out also creates a Snowball for yourself. Completing this Goal in the time allotted will reward you with 500 XP, 500 coins and this snazzy snow fort.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Have you found this Goal in your available list yet? How would you approach this Goal differently?
First, you will need to clear 25 debris from your own homestead. This is self-explanatory, no? Then, you will be required to sell 20 Adult Sheep. If you don't already have these Sheep, then it will take an absolute minimum of 20 hours to raise 20 Sheep into adulthood and cost 5,600 coins. Finally, you can ask your friends for 10 Snowballs while you're working on the other two requirements. And remember, giving them out also creates a Snowball for yourself. Completing this Goal in the time allotted will reward you with 500 XP, 500 coins and this snazzy snow fort.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Have you found this Goal in your available list yet? How would you approach this Goal differently?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
CityVille St. Patrick's Collection offers energy as a reward
With Energy now looking to be a very scarce commodity in CityVille, you'll be happy to know that with the release of the three St. Patrick's Day themed businesses in the game this week comes a new collection that rewards you with a +3 energy boost when completed.
The St. Patrick's Collection contains five new items to watch out for, which can be earned when collecting from the Fiddle Shop, the St. Patty's Pub, and the Shamrock Sing-A-Long businesses.
4 Leaf Clover
Fiddle
Leprechaun Hat
Pot of Gold
Rainbow
The reward, as we said above, is not only 3 energy, but also 50 Goods. While that may not seem like a lot, keep in mind that the St Patty's Pub only requires 40 Goods to set into motion, so this prize will keep at least one business up and running just a little while longer.
With the changes to the game's energy system, now might also be a good time to check out the other collections that reward energy, as you just might need them in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the St. Patrick's Collection? Will you build the Irish themed buildings to complete it, or is your town too full of other businesses?
The St. Patrick's Collection contains five new items to watch out for, which can be earned when collecting from the Fiddle Shop, the St. Patty's Pub, and the Shamrock Sing-A-Long businesses.
4 Leaf Clover
Fiddle
Leprechaun Hat
Pot of Gold
Rainbow
The reward, as we said above, is not only 3 energy, but also 50 Goods. While that may not seem like a lot, keep in mind that the St Patty's Pub only requires 40 Goods to set into motion, so this prize will keep at least one business up and running just a little while longer.
With the changes to the game's energy system, now might also be a good time to check out the other collections that reward energy, as you just might need them in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the St. Patrick's Collection? Will you build the Irish themed buildings to complete it, or is your town too full of other businesses?
CityVille: Blossoming Clovers & Clover Topiary available as free gifts
If you didn't get enough St. Patrick's Day goodies in CityVille with the release of new businesses, decorations, and crops this week, why not ask your friends to send you two more themed items for free? That's right, two new decorative items have been added to the game's free gifts page, allowing you to stock up on these items in bulk absolutely free.
The first item is the Blossoming Clovers, which is a patch of ground-cover much like the other flowers in the game; that is, it lies flush with the ground and doesn't come in a pot or planter. It's also free of any surrounding sidewalk. It adds a 1% bonus to surrounding items, as you'd likely expect. The other item is the Clover Topiary, which is larger, and therefore comes with a bigger payout bonus - 4% to be exact.
Neither of these items have a time limit associated with them, but since the Valentine's Day roses are no longer available to send from the free gifts page, we can only assume that these items will leave after their particular holiday as well. Make sure to send (and ask for) these items sooner, rather than later, to make sure you can get them in time. And remember, if you receive too many of these items, you can always store them in your Warehouse and bring them back out next year (or am I the only one that packrats like that?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these two new free gifts? Have you started stocking up on Blossoming Clovers to create a St. Patrick's Day themed area in your town?
The first item is the Blossoming Clovers, which is a patch of ground-cover much like the other flowers in the game; that is, it lies flush with the ground and doesn't come in a pot or planter. It's also free of any surrounding sidewalk. It adds a 1% bonus to surrounding items, as you'd likely expect. The other item is the Clover Topiary, which is larger, and therefore comes with a bigger payout bonus - 4% to be exact.
Neither of these items have a time limit associated with them, but since the Valentine's Day roses are no longer available to send from the free gifts page, we can only assume that these items will leave after their particular holiday as well. Make sure to send (and ask for) these items sooner, rather than later, to make sure you can get them in time. And remember, if you receive too many of these items, you can always store them in your Warehouse and bring them back out next year (or am I the only one that packrats like that?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these two new free gifts? Have you started stocking up on Blossoming Clovers to create a St. Patrick's Day themed area in your town?
FarmVille Spring Countdown: Everything you need to know
The Spring Countdown has begun in FarmVille, and in the same vein as the Valentine's Day Countdown, this countdown will offer 12 days of prizes. One of these 12 prizes will be available on each day, for the next 12 days, and you'll be able to post a news item to your feed asking your friends to send you that day's prize.
As an example, the first day's item is the Pastel Hay Bale, which we brought you a sneak peek of at the very beginning of March (although that was under a different supposed name). You'll be able to click on the "Ask/Share" button to post a general news item to your feed. For each person that clicks on this post, they'll receive a free prize in return, which will count in their own game, if they choose not to ask for the item themselves.
If you miss a day's item, because you either didn't ask for the item, didn't play the game on that day, or didn't have any friends help you, you can either purchase the missed prize with Farm Cash, or you can ask very specific players to send them to you (this list seems random, and will likely include less than five of your friends, some of which might not even play FarmVille).
Complete all 12 of the prizes, either on the day that they are first available, or otherwise, and you'll receive a special 13th prize, which is a secret prize as of this writing. It comes in a Mystery Crate, so it looks like we'll be receiving a Spring-themed decoration, rather than an animal, for all of this hard work. Perhaps another new decorative item, or could this one have a function as well? We'll make sure to let you know what this prize is once we know more.
As usual, make sure to check back with us everyday as we bring you coverage surrounding each day's prize so that you don't miss out.
What do you think of a new countdown in FarmVille? Did you receive all 12 of the items for the Valentine's Day countdown, and are going to try to earn these as well, or do you skip these kinds of events?
As an example, the first day's item is the Pastel Hay Bale, which we brought you a sneak peek of at the very beginning of March (although that was under a different supposed name). You'll be able to click on the "Ask/Share" button to post a general news item to your feed. For each person that clicks on this post, they'll receive a free prize in return, which will count in their own game, if they choose not to ask for the item themselves.
If you miss a day's item, because you either didn't ask for the item, didn't play the game on that day, or didn't have any friends help you, you can either purchase the missed prize with Farm Cash, or you can ask very specific players to send them to you (this list seems random, and will likely include less than five of your friends, some of which might not even play FarmVille).
Complete all 12 of the prizes, either on the day that they are first available, or otherwise, and you'll receive a special 13th prize, which is a secret prize as of this writing. It comes in a Mystery Crate, so it looks like we'll be receiving a Spring-themed decoration, rather than an animal, for all of this hard work. Perhaps another new decorative item, or could this one have a function as well? We'll make sure to let you know what this prize is once we know more.
As usual, make sure to check back with us everyday as we bring you coverage surrounding each day's prize so that you don't miss out.
What do you think of a new countdown in FarmVille? Did you receive all 12 of the items for the Valentine's Day countdown, and are going to try to earn these as well, or do you skip these kinds of events?
Game of the Day: SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
The Game of the Day is looking in the attic for a game to play. SKIP-BO Castaway Caper is here. After your ship washes up on the shore of a seemingly deserted island, it quickly becomes clear that the island is not only inhabited, but that it is also home to a powerful volcano. Your presence has awoken and angered the volcano and put the entire island in jeopardy. Fortunately, the islanders are masters at the great game of SKIP-BO™ and are willing to teach you their favorite game. Only you can play SKIP-BO™ with the friendly inhabitants of the island, calm the active volcano, and restore the quiet peace of this tropical paradise.
Click >> play SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click >> play SKIP-BO Castaway Caper
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Yoostar Playground on Facebook: Viral videos in your control
Just about anyone who watched The Oscars this year would agree the funniest part of the evening was as Anne Hathaway and James Franco frolicked through scenes of Oscar-nominated flicks. With Yoostar 2 for Xbox Kinect and PlayStation Eye by Blitz Games and Yoostar Entertainment Group, players can insert themselves into scenes from classic movies like 300 and The Godfather and ad lib like the pros. But it's only through Yoostar Playground on Facebook that your 30-second clips have the potential to go viral.
Yoostar Playground video gallery
Your ProgressYoostar Playground, developed internally by its publisher, allows players of the console games to upload their ad libbed video clips to the web application and share them with the existing player base. Then, the audience can browse the litany of videos by several different parameters like "Most Popular" or "Top Awarded," and watch away. However, you can then rate those videos through a star system and grant them awards like "Best Script Flip" and of course "Best Actor."
As these videos get rated, they can gain notoriety throughout the community on the full-screen app's home page in the "Featured Videos" section. Players can also share these videos through Facebook and Twitter for friends outside of Yoostar Playground, giving them the potential to go viral. As users view, rate and award videos, their level will increase (pictured right), which increases their renown and their stash of Yoobucks. This in-game currency isn't available for use yet nor can it be bought, but it allows players to gain levels more quickly and boost their notoriety on Yoostar.
Many of the videos on Yoostar Playground are available for public use, meaning other users can take their friends' videos and create a series of scenes through the Video Mashup tool. Say you want to make a "Best of" compilation of the greatest King Leonidas impressions on Yoostar--this is exactly what Video Mashup is for. Users can then take those Mashups and share them for their fellow players to rate and award.
While we've yet to play Yoostar 2 for consoles (or the PC or Mac), the Yoostar Playground companion app is definitely a blast. Players can use the app right now to view and share videos, but we'd imagine creating your own and sharing them through the console games would be far more entertaining.
Click here to check out Yoostar Playground on Facebook Now>
Have you played Yoostar on either Facebook or the consoles? What do you think of the viral potential behind Yoostar videos through Yoostar Playground?
Yoostar Playground video gallery
Your ProgressYoostar Playground, developed internally by its publisher, allows players of the console games to upload their ad libbed video clips to the web application and share them with the existing player base. Then, the audience can browse the litany of videos by several different parameters like "Most Popular" or "Top Awarded," and watch away. However, you can then rate those videos through a star system and grant them awards like "Best Script Flip" and of course "Best Actor."
As these videos get rated, they can gain notoriety throughout the community on the full-screen app's home page in the "Featured Videos" section. Players can also share these videos through Facebook and Twitter for friends outside of Yoostar Playground, giving them the potential to go viral. As users view, rate and award videos, their level will increase (pictured right), which increases their renown and their stash of Yoobucks. This in-game currency isn't available for use yet nor can it be bought, but it allows players to gain levels more quickly and boost their notoriety on Yoostar.
Many of the videos on Yoostar Playground are available for public use, meaning other users can take their friends' videos and create a series of scenes through the Video Mashup tool. Say you want to make a "Best of" compilation of the greatest King Leonidas impressions on Yoostar--this is exactly what Video Mashup is for. Users can then take those Mashups and share them for their fellow players to rate and award.
While we've yet to play Yoostar 2 for consoles (or the PC or Mac), the Yoostar Playground companion app is definitely a blast. Players can use the app right now to view and share videos, but we'd imagine creating your own and sharing them through the console games would be far more entertaining.
Click here to check out Yoostar Playground on Facebook Now>
Have you played Yoostar on either Facebook or the consoles? What do you think of the viral potential behind Yoostar videos through Yoostar Playground?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
FarmVille yucks it up with April Fools animals and decorations
A bunch of new items have arrived in FarmVille today along with a fancy loading screen gag. This lot of April Fools Day items aren't so much jokes as they are just ... weird. Anyway, they're available in the Market for you to enjoy the second greatest holiday of the year, April Fools. (Christmas trumps all, sorry folks.) Most of the items expectantly go for Farm Cash, but a few cost coins for the more economic crowd. The coolest in this lot? Um, the Robot Dino Ninja, as if you needed to ask.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVIlle Blog]
Have you picked up any of these items yet? If so, which would you grab first?
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVIlle Blog]
Have you picked up any of these items yet? If so, which would you grab first?
Zynga, well, drops Drop7 Free on iOS, ad-free $2.99 version available
Since Zynga acquired NewToy in late 2010, the developer behind Words with Friends, it has been serious about mobile gaming. This is the company's next major release, and its not FrontierVille Mobile--it's Drop7. Both a color and number-matching puzzler, Drop7 lives in a strange world where Tetris and Bejeweled are just best friends. The game features three difficulty levels, public leader boards and automatically saves your state when closed through the Home button. The free version, of course, contains ads, though the company offers an ad-free version for $2.99. Does this mean a future in original, (possibly non-social) mobile games from Zynga? If that depends on this critically-acclaimed title, then yes, most likely.
[Image Credit: iTunes; Zynga]
Have you played Drop7 on your iOS device yet? What do you think about Zynga's mobile efforts thus far?
[Image Credit: iTunes; Zynga]
Have you played Drop7 on your iOS device yet? What do you think about Zynga's mobile efforts thus far?
Zynga lures retired FarmVille farmers with 20 free Farm Cash, English Hen
FarmVille retired player offer
First, Zynga is asking us those awkward questions as if it was your insecure girlfriend. ("Would you recommend me?") Now, the company is trying to buy you back after you left her high and dry. Players who have returned to FarmVille after extended hiatuses are now greeted with a message offering them 20 free Farm Cash and an English Hen. No, she hasn't found someone else, and you're her one and only. Well you and another few million players. Did Zynga ever think that's why you left her, huh? Not enough time for you when she was catering to 80 million more players. What's that, you say? You're giving up 20 Free Farm Cash? Alright, we'll come back ... for now.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you been greeted with this offer or heard of someone who has? What do you think of Zynga almost rewarding disloyal players?
First, Zynga is asking us those awkward questions as if it was your insecure girlfriend. ("Would you recommend me?") Now, the company is trying to buy you back after you left her high and dry. Players who have returned to FarmVille after extended hiatuses are now greeted with a message offering them 20 free Farm Cash and an English Hen. No, she hasn't found someone else, and you're her one and only. Well you and another few million players. Did Zynga ever think that's why you left her, huh? Not enough time for you when she was catering to 80 million more players. What's that, you say? You're giving up 20 Free Farm Cash? Alright, we'll come back ... for now.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you been greeted with this offer or heard of someone who has? What do you think of Zynga almost rewarding disloyal players?
April Fools! CityVille Energy Bandits Goal: Everything you need to know
Even CityVille is taking part in the tomfoolery of April 1 with a new mini-goal of sorts, "Energy Bandits." In addition to your everyday Bandits, Energy thieves have appeared in CityVille, and it's your job to capture them personally. Upon logging into the game and collecting from a few properties, Sam will appear exclaiming, "The energy bandits have been seen in your town!" Clicking OK will present you a treat.
Save Energy!
Catch as many Bandits as you can in 30 seconds
As soon as you press that "OK" button, Sam will ready you to click on as many Energy Bandits as possible. When you accept, you'll have 30 seconds to catch as many Bandits as possible. The Bandits will then literally appear in the street and you must click as many as possible to get that much Energy in return as a reward.
ENergy Bandits on the loose
When you complete the shortest Goal in the game ever, a message appears reading, "April Fools!" A happy April Fools it has been, as you'll find that Energy posted to your total for being a quick clicker. Let's hope Zynga gets into more skill-based Goals and, better yet, games down the line.
Have you seen this Goal in your city yet? How many Bandit did you capture at once?
Save Energy!
Catch as many Bandits as you can in 30 seconds
As soon as you press that "OK" button, Sam will ready you to click on as many Energy Bandits as possible. When you accept, you'll have 30 seconds to catch as many Bandits as possible. The Bandits will then literally appear in the street and you must click as many as possible to get that much Energy in return as a reward.
ENergy Bandits on the loose
When you complete the shortest Goal in the game ever, a message appears reading, "April Fools!" A happy April Fools it has been, as you'll find that Energy posted to your total for being a quick clicker. Let's hope Zynga gets into more skill-based Goals and, better yet, games down the line.
Have you seen this Goal in your city yet? How many Bandit did you capture at once?
FrontierVille: See building progress and ask for items before loading the game
While FrontierVille may be adored by many, there is one widespread complaint amongst even the most diehard fans - that the game takes quite a bit of time to load, which is especially true the higher the level that you reach. Zynga is attempting to help ease the burden on some players, who may only login to check on their building project status, as they have added a new progress window that now appears seemingly every time you play the game.
Instead of forcing the game to load in its entirety, you're shown a list of three building materials that you currently need, and are given the option of asking friends for that particular item via its own button. You never have to enter the game, as you're told how many you still need for your current task, so you know just how many friends to send requests to. Of course, this isn't mandatory, as you can always click the "Maybe Later. Play FrontierVille!" button to access the game as normal, but it is a nice new option all the same.
Have you seen this new item progress screen show up when you try to load FrontierVille?
Instead of forcing the game to load in its entirety, you're shown a list of three building materials that you currently need, and are given the option of asking friends for that particular item via its own button. You never have to enter the game, as you're told how many you still need for your current task, so you know just how many friends to send requests to. Of course, this isn't mandatory, as you can always click the "Maybe Later. Play FrontierVille!" button to access the game as normal, but it is a nice new option all the same.
Have you seen this new item progress screen show up when you try to load FrontierVille?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: European Pear & Cherry Plum Trees
It looks as though two new trees will be coming to FarmVille as early as this weekend, as we've come across unreleased images of both trees in their harvest-ready state, along with mastery signs proving that Zynga is in fact working on them for future release.
The trees are the European Pear Tree and the Cherry Plum Tree. It should be noted that as these trees are so different from each other visually, we doubt that one will be the Mystery Seedling of the other, so could there be two other trees waiting to be discovered out there? Perhaps a giant version of both?
While it's presumable that at least the European Pear Tree will be in the current English Countryside limited edition theme, anything is possible at this point, so make sure to keep checking back with us, as we let you know whether you'll be able to place these trees on your Home Farm, your English Countryside farm, or both.
In the meantime, let us know how much you'd be willing to pay for these trees in the comments. 5 Farm Cash? 10 Farm Cash? Or, would you rather they be available for coins?
The trees are the European Pear Tree and the Cherry Plum Tree. It should be noted that as these trees are so different from each other visually, we doubt that one will be the Mystery Seedling of the other, so could there be two other trees waiting to be discovered out there? Perhaps a giant version of both?
While it's presumable that at least the European Pear Tree will be in the current English Countryside limited edition theme, anything is possible at this point, so make sure to keep checking back with us, as we let you know whether you'll be able to place these trees on your Home Farm, your English Countryside farm, or both.
In the meantime, let us know how much you'd be willing to pay for these trees in the comments. 5 Farm Cash? 10 Farm Cash? Or, would you rather they be available for coins?
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