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!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
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.
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