At midnight, FarmVIlle for iPhone rolled out across the US, changing the lives of millions of farmers who can now tend their crops on the go. The game is free to download from the App Store, and can be played on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
So far, the game seems like a solid translation of the Facebook version, despite the fact that a handful of play features didn't make the jump to iPhone. The biggest new feature of the game is how you use tractors to plant, harvest and plow your virtual crops. Hold and press to automatically activate your tractor, harvester and seeder, and then swipe your finger (Zynga calls this "finger-painting") over the crops that need tending. FarmVille for iPhone also includes push notifications, and if you decide to activate them, a message will pop up when crops are ready to harvest. It might require a little extra battery life, but it'll hopefully help you avoid withering crops. There's also a special in-game market for Apple users, that include exclusive items such as a snow leopard, rainbow apple tree and a giftable white apple tree.
Gallery: FarmVille iPhone App
Zynga says it will roll out additional features for the iPhone 4 and iOS4 "in the near future," which includes better-looking graphics, "to showcase the retina display" as well as multi-tasking.
FarmVille for iPhone rolls out as people are activating their brand new iPhone 4 devices. The game has just reached it's one-year anniversary as well -- it's hard to believe this game has only been around for 12 months. In that time, FarmVille has:
Reached over 100 billion pageviews
FarmVille players have received 23 billion gifts
200 million gifts are sent in FarmVille every day
Players sent 1.7 billion Valentines in 10 days
34 million Horse Stables were installed in 15 days
1.2 billion Horse Stable parts were sent in 15 days
Maintained its position as the largest app on Facebook, with 72 million players
Of course, not everything has been rosy for the farming game, which has lost roughly 10 million players in the past few months and has been plagued with bugs and stability problems, which have set players on edge and put others on the defensive. The expansion of the game to iPhone as well as as a strategic partnership with Yahoo is clearly an attempt to expand its reach beyond Facebook, with hope of turning a few more casual gamers into obsessive farmers. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Earn Money online -Paid since 2008
Monday, February 13, 2012
Japanese PlayStation game tries out the 'freemium' model
Any social gamer worth their Farmville farm is familiar with the 'freemium' distribution model, even if they're not familiar with the term. Put simply, it's when a game developer decides to give a game away for free to attract players, then make money by selling optional premium items to some small percentage of those players (free + premium = "freemium"). Now, the popular social gconcept is making its way from the world of social gaming and into downloadable console RPGs.
Kotaku has the details on Bokamatsu Revolution, a completely free RPG coming to the Japanese PS3's PlayStation Network on June 26. The free download will have about ten hours worth of dungeon-crawling content, according to assistant producer Luke Rideout, but players will be able to extend that experience with new items (selling for about $1 to $2) and additional scenarios and quests (selling for about $3.25 to $4.50).
Personally, we hope this model can catch on for console games as well as it has for social games. We'd gladly take a free version of Street Fighter IV subsidized by costume and character downloads, or a free version of Super Mario Galaxy where you pay for only the stars you collect, or a free version of Modern Warfare where only the rich players can afford to buy the best guns that can instantly kill the opposition.
Kotaku has the details on Bokamatsu Revolution, a completely free RPG coming to the Japanese PS3's PlayStation Network on June 26. The free download will have about ten hours worth of dungeon-crawling content, according to assistant producer Luke Rideout, but players will be able to extend that experience with new items (selling for about $1 to $2) and additional scenarios and quests (selling for about $3.25 to $4.50).
Personally, we hope this model can catch on for console games as well as it has for social games. We'd gladly take a free version of Street Fighter IV subsidized by costume and character downloads, or a free version of Super Mario Galaxy where you pay for only the stars you collect, or a free version of Modern Warfare where only the rich players can afford to buy the best guns that can instantly kill the opposition.
New FarmVille Loading Screen: Japanese Garden Items Are Here!
FarmVille Japanese Garden items
FarmVille adds new loading screens from time to time as teasers for items or functions coming as well as show casing new items available in limited edition themes. A new loading screen last night features several items yet to be released in the most recent LE Japanese Garden theme on FarmVille.
Some FarmVille Freaks, shannon97405, DarkFarmer, Nugget, El_Zacatecas and Ctrtle74 gave these as their best guesses at what the unreleased items are!
Crane
Dragon Decoration
Japanese Deer– Sika Deer?
Japanese Maple - Acer Palmatum?
New Water Rock Decoration - Zen Garden 3
Which if these items are you most excited to have on your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille adds new loading screens from time to time as teasers for items or functions coming as well as show casing new items available in limited edition themes. A new loading screen last night features several items yet to be released in the most recent LE Japanese Garden theme on FarmVille.
Some FarmVille Freaks, shannon97405, DarkFarmer, Nugget, El_Zacatecas and Ctrtle74 gave these as their best guesses at what the unreleased items are!
Crane
Dragon Decoration
Japanese Deer– Sika Deer?
Japanese Maple - Acer Palmatum?
New Water Rock Decoration - Zen Garden 3
Which if these items are you most excited to have on your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille: Unreleased Buildable Japanese Barn
As promised by Lexilicious in the Official FarmVille Podcast a new LE Japanese Storage Barn will be coming soon as part of the Japanese Garden Limited Edition theme in FarmVille. This storage barn will be built with the help of your FarmVille Neighbors!
FarmVille Building Japanese Barn
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Oliver for finding the unreleased images of the frame of the Japanese Barn in the construction stages, the Barn completed, as well as, 2 more images of it expanded!
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Building Japanese Barn
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Oliver for finding the unreleased images of the frame of the Japanese Barn in the construction stages, the Barn completed, as well as, 2 more images of it expanded!
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Restaurant City serves soccer fans with new World Cup foosball decor
Restaurant City World Cup 2010 foosball decor
Restaurant City is bypassing their current Lounge Bar theme, and following up on their World Cup 2010 country flags release by bringing a bit of footy flavor to the foodie scene. Eleven new decor items, of which seven are Astroturf floor tiles, are ready to turn your restaurant into a giant foosball table. Each lined tile costs 75 Coins, while a regular green patch of pitch goes for just 40. The Red and Blue Foosball Statues are a hefty 2,700 Coins each, along with a Football Goal post going for 12,000 Coins -- and it's all only available 'til July 13th!
Restaurant City World Cup 2010 decor
Restaurant City Soccer GiftsTwo other limited time offers include the Football Stove and the Foosball Table, which promises to cook "faster than a Brazillian striker on a breakaway", or practically speaking, 15% faster. Foosball Table earns 5 Gourmet Points (the game's equivalent of XP) and 1,700 Coins every 4 hours, and never breaks from use. But these two items require Playfish Cash to purchase -- the stove is going for 20 PFC, while the game table costs 35 PFC. (To give you an idea of cost, $5 USD equals 25 PFC.)
Finally, no game would be complete without a soccer ball and a referee. Restaurant City is offering both as gifts-only items (with the referee portion being uniforms that can be worn by your waiters), so you can get 'em for free from friends.
Restaurant City is bypassing their current Lounge Bar theme, and following up on their World Cup 2010 country flags release by bringing a bit of footy flavor to the foodie scene. Eleven new decor items, of which seven are Astroturf floor tiles, are ready to turn your restaurant into a giant foosball table. Each lined tile costs 75 Coins, while a regular green patch of pitch goes for just 40. The Red and Blue Foosball Statues are a hefty 2,700 Coins each, along with a Football Goal post going for 12,000 Coins -- and it's all only available 'til July 13th!
Restaurant City World Cup 2010 decor
Restaurant City Soccer GiftsTwo other limited time offers include the Football Stove and the Foosball Table, which promises to cook "faster than a Brazillian striker on a breakaway", or practically speaking, 15% faster. Foosball Table earns 5 Gourmet Points (the game's equivalent of XP) and 1,700 Coins every 4 hours, and never breaks from use. But these two items require Playfish Cash to purchase -- the stove is going for 20 PFC, while the game table costs 35 PFC. (To give you an idea of cost, $5 USD equals 25 PFC.)
Finally, no game would be complete without a soccer ball and a referee. Restaurant City is offering both as gifts-only items (with the referee portion being uniforms that can be worn by your waiters), so you can get 'em for free from friends.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Happy Pets goes to Heaven and Hell for its new Limited Edition pets
Happy Pets Angelic and Demonic Pets
Happy Pets new Limited Edition "Shadow & Light Series" sports halos and horns, but unless you get a unicorn, these items are pet props that can be taken off and are not breedable traits.
Right now, the cheapest and hottest selling pets are the Sparkling Guardian Dog and the Hell Hound, which both go for 60 Facebook Credits (or exactly $6 USD). The Hell Hound is no Cujo, but it's clearly blood-splattered. And there's only three of the heavenly hounds left!
Happy Pets Sparkling Guardian Dog almost gone!
Both the Sparkling Angel Cat and Hellcat go for 70 FB Credits ($7 USD), while the Sparkling Guardian Unicorn and Raven Unicorn are both 80 FB Credits ($8 USD). Of them all, the Hellcat is the least popular, with still 401 left in the store.
Happy Pets new Limited Edition "Shadow & Light Series" sports halos and horns, but unless you get a unicorn, these items are pet props that can be taken off and are not breedable traits.
Right now, the cheapest and hottest selling pets are the Sparkling Guardian Dog and the Hell Hound, which both go for 60 Facebook Credits (or exactly $6 USD). The Hell Hound is no Cujo, but it's clearly blood-splattered. And there's only three of the heavenly hounds left!
Happy Pets Sparkling Guardian Dog almost gone!
Both the Sparkling Angel Cat and Hellcat go for 70 FB Credits ($7 USD), while the Sparkling Guardian Unicorn and Raven Unicorn are both 80 FB Credits ($8 USD). Of them all, the Hellcat is the least popular, with still 401 left in the store.
Happy Pets: Decorate your own Jurassic Park with new prehistoric props
Happy Pets Jurassic Volcano wallpaper
Access the store from your yard in Happy Pets and you'll find these four latest decorations for your Dino Den: Fly in Amber, Lawn Torch, Bubbling Tar Pit, and the new Jurassic Volcano wallpaper.
Happy Pets Fly in Amber, Lawn Torch, and Bubbling Tar Pit
We can totally see decking out our yards full of flickering Lawn Torches (yes, it's an animated item) and Bubbling Tar Pits, though no one knows for sure if the Pit is actually an animated item. But for 4 FB Credits (or $4 USD), it better well be!
Access the store from your yard in Happy Pets and you'll find these four latest decorations for your Dino Den: Fly in Amber, Lawn Torch, Bubbling Tar Pit, and the new Jurassic Volcano wallpaper.
Happy Pets Fly in Amber, Lawn Torch, and Bubbling Tar Pit
We can totally see decking out our yards full of flickering Lawn Torches (yes, it's an animated item) and Bubbling Tar Pits, though no one knows for sure if the Pit is actually an animated item. But for 4 FB Credits (or $4 USD), it better well be!
Happy Aquarium: Everything You Need to Pull Off an Underwater Wedding
Happy Aquarium Wedding Tank
Times like this, I wish Happy Aquarium brought back their weekly demo tank, because the game is now into the third week of its wedding bonanza and shows no signs of slowing down. Some of these new items are now permanent store additions, while others were Limited Edition goods. This post will tell you what all the new items are, how much they cost, and where you can find them at the store (if they're still around).
Happy Aquarium Wedding Cake, Gazebo, and Arch
On July 9th, in the store's "Specials" tab, under "Premium" there's now a:
Wedding Cake; 12 Pearls or 10 FB Credits
Wedding Gazebo; 12 Pearls or 10 FB Credits
and Wedding Arch; 10 Pearls or 8 FB Credits
Happy Aquarium Wedding Gift Idol, Groom Fish, and Bride Fish
After briefly boot-legging Toy Story, July 13th and 14th was the appearance of the Wedding Gift Idol (get one free premium item everyday forever for $15) and Limited Edition Bride ($2.10 USD) and Groom Fish ($1.70 USD).
Happy Aquarium Love Birds
On July 17th, the Love Birds were added to the "Tank Mates" section of the store for 29 Pearls or 24 FB Credits ($2.40). They're animated, so they fly around, but because they're two-dimensional, the "LOVE" banner they're carrying sometimes gets flipped over, like it was put in front of a mirror.
Happy Aquarium Stackable Wedding Gifts
The next day, July 18th, under the store's "Decor" section in "Stackable" are:
Spring Wedding Gift; 95 Coins
Summer Wedding Gift; 96 Coins
Autumn Wedding Gift; 97 Coins
Happy Aquarium Tank Mate Flower Girl
Followed by an animated, Limited Edition, Tank Mate Flower Girl on July 19th for 22 Pearls or 18 FB Credits.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Bouquet and Ice Sculpture
Also on the 19th, are two new wedding bouquet corals to be found under "Decor" and "Coral" in the store, and a sparkly ice swan sculpture in "Props":
Ice Sculpture (it's got animated sparkles!); 900 Coins
Bright Wedding Bouquet; 93 Coins
Wedding Bouquet; 94 Coins
Happy Aquarium Coral gifts
While on the game's gifts page are three new coral that resemble flowers, especially one that looks like a pink rose: Pink Spike Coral, Purple Spike Coral, and Spiral Coral.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Ring, Bed of Floral, and Special Day Wallpaper
For July 22nd, comes a new wedding themed tank floor and wallpaper in the "Ambiance" section, giving tanks an outdoor, windswept meadows feel. There's also an animated clamshell that reveals a ring to be found in the "Specials" tab, under "Premium":
Wedding Ring (opens and shuts to reveal a sparkly diamond ring); 36 Pearls or 30 FB Credits
Bed of Floral; 25 Pearls or 21 FB Credits
Special Day ("Romantic wallpaper"); 36 Pearls or 30 FB Credits
Happy Aquarium Purple Bird, Yellow Bird, and Red Bird
Next up, on July 24th, either filed at the store under "Decor" then "Props", or "Specials" then "Premium", you'll find a trio of animated songbirds that fly in circular patterns. Yellow Bird, Purple Bird, and Red Bird each cost 10 Pearls or 8 FB Credits.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
Finally, on the 25th, under "Decor" then "Props", you'll find six new human wedding attendees -- the bride and groom (perched separately on a piece of magenta coral), 2 bridesmaids, and 2 groomsmen all suited and snorkeled up:
Scuba Groomsman ("Groom's brother"); 60 Coins
Aquatic Bride ("Beautiful bride in a flowing dress"); 6 Pearls or 5 FB Credits
Scuba Bridesmaid ("Bride's cousin"); 50 Coins
Happy Scuba Bridesmaid ("Bride's bestfriend from college"); 51 Coins
Aquatic Groom ("Lookin' spiffy for his big day"); 6 Pearls or 5 FB Credits
Happy Scuba Groomsman ("Groom's bestfriend"); 51 Coins
Times like this, I wish Happy Aquarium brought back their weekly demo tank, because the game is now into the third week of its wedding bonanza and shows no signs of slowing down. Some of these new items are now permanent store additions, while others were Limited Edition goods. This post will tell you what all the new items are, how much they cost, and where you can find them at the store (if they're still around).
Happy Aquarium Wedding Cake, Gazebo, and Arch
On July 9th, in the store's "Specials" tab, under "Premium" there's now a:
Wedding Cake; 12 Pearls or 10 FB Credits
Wedding Gazebo; 12 Pearls or 10 FB Credits
and Wedding Arch; 10 Pearls or 8 FB Credits
Happy Aquarium Wedding Gift Idol, Groom Fish, and Bride Fish
After briefly boot-legging Toy Story, July 13th and 14th was the appearance of the Wedding Gift Idol (get one free premium item everyday forever for $15) and Limited Edition Bride ($2.10 USD) and Groom Fish ($1.70 USD).
Happy Aquarium Love Birds
On July 17th, the Love Birds were added to the "Tank Mates" section of the store for 29 Pearls or 24 FB Credits ($2.40). They're animated, so they fly around, but because they're two-dimensional, the "LOVE" banner they're carrying sometimes gets flipped over, like it was put in front of a mirror.
Happy Aquarium Stackable Wedding Gifts
The next day, July 18th, under the store's "Decor" section in "Stackable" are:
Spring Wedding Gift; 95 Coins
Summer Wedding Gift; 96 Coins
Autumn Wedding Gift; 97 Coins
Happy Aquarium Tank Mate Flower Girl
Followed by an animated, Limited Edition, Tank Mate Flower Girl on July 19th for 22 Pearls or 18 FB Credits.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Bouquet and Ice Sculpture
Also on the 19th, are two new wedding bouquet corals to be found under "Decor" and "Coral" in the store, and a sparkly ice swan sculpture in "Props":
Ice Sculpture (it's got animated sparkles!); 900 Coins
Bright Wedding Bouquet; 93 Coins
Wedding Bouquet; 94 Coins
Happy Aquarium Coral gifts
While on the game's gifts page are three new coral that resemble flowers, especially one that looks like a pink rose: Pink Spike Coral, Purple Spike Coral, and Spiral Coral.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Ring, Bed of Floral, and Special Day Wallpaper
For July 22nd, comes a new wedding themed tank floor and wallpaper in the "Ambiance" section, giving tanks an outdoor, windswept meadows feel. There's also an animated clamshell that reveals a ring to be found in the "Specials" tab, under "Premium":
Wedding Ring (opens and shuts to reveal a sparkly diamond ring); 36 Pearls or 30 FB Credits
Bed of Floral; 25 Pearls or 21 FB Credits
Special Day ("Romantic wallpaper"); 36 Pearls or 30 FB Credits
Happy Aquarium Purple Bird, Yellow Bird, and Red Bird
Next up, on July 24th, either filed at the store under "Decor" then "Props", or "Specials" then "Premium", you'll find a trio of animated songbirds that fly in circular patterns. Yellow Bird, Purple Bird, and Red Bird each cost 10 Pearls or 8 FB Credits.
Happy Aquarium Wedding Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
Finally, on the 25th, under "Decor" then "Props", you'll find six new human wedding attendees -- the bride and groom (perched separately on a piece of magenta coral), 2 bridesmaids, and 2 groomsmen all suited and snorkeled up:
Scuba Groomsman ("Groom's brother"); 60 Coins
Aquatic Bride ("Beautiful bride in a flowing dress"); 6 Pearls or 5 FB Credits
Scuba Bridesmaid ("Bride's cousin"); 50 Coins
Happy Scuba Bridesmaid ("Bride's bestfriend from college"); 51 Coins
Aquatic Groom ("Lookin' spiffy for his big day"); 6 Pearls or 5 FB Credits
Happy Scuba Groomsman ("Groom's bestfriend"); 51 Coins
BREAKING: Disney buys Playdom for $563.2M, plus potential bonuses
Welp, it looks like the rumors were true; social game maker Playdom has been bought by Disney. The news first came across our desk via a tweet from Playdom programmer David Carlton, and has since been confirmed by other Playdom employees and a Business Wire announcement.
Disney will reportedly pay $563.2 million for the company behind games like Wild Ones, Sorority Life and Social City, with an extra $200 million coming if the company meets performance goals. "We see strong growth potential in bringing together Playdom's talented team and capabilities with our great creative properties, people and world-renowned brands like Disney, ABC, ESPN and Marvel," Disney President and CEO Robert Iger said in the statement.
More on this huge acquisition as we get it.
Update: See the CNBC report below on Disney's purchase of Playdom.
Disney will reportedly pay $563.2 million for the company behind games like Wild Ones, Sorority Life and Social City, with an extra $200 million coming if the company meets performance goals. "We see strong growth potential in bringing together Playdom's talented team and capabilities with our great creative properties, people and world-renowned brands like Disney, ABC, ESPN and Marvel," Disney President and CEO Robert Iger said in the statement.
More on this huge acquisition as we get it.
Update: See the CNBC report below on Disney's purchase of Playdom.
Opinion: What does Disney buying Playdom mean?
I just read 15 tweets that told the world that Disney bought Playdom. Ok - I get it! But, what does it all mean? As an games industry veteran and social media maven, I'll take a stab at what's coming next:
1. The Facebook gaming phenomenon is about to get even hotter.
Big companies (Viacom, Sony, Activision) are going to look to make their presence felt or feel like they are being left behind. No one wants the music to stop and be left without a seat to the dance. Or worse, stretch and make a purchase like AOL did with Bebo. More money will be poured in and CEOs of companies will be asked by their boards "We pay you big bucks to know what's going on? Where is your FarmVille?"
2. Look for the next acquisition to be CrowdStar.
Not because it's the next largest games company but because they have the best quality games with the highest engagement. CrowdStar has the best relationship with Facebook of the remaining game developers. They have been the guinea pig for Facebook credits, have not been spending wildly on acquisitions and continue to just make good, solid Facebook games. (See Happy Aquarium and Happy Pets) While I haven't heard any rumors they are available, it stands to reason that they are going to get offered huge money and may not be able to resist the buy out.
3. Big branded Intellectual Properties (IP) will make their way on to Facebook.
Big brands on Facebook has been a trend predicted by Kristian Segerstråle of Playfish in March at GDC and John Pleasants of Playdom just last week at Casual Connect. Disney with it's stable of classic characters from Mickey Mouse to Hannah Montana or Jack Sparrow on through Wolverine will be able to unleash a parade of branded games if they so chose. Think about it, would you play a superhero game that is like Mobsters by Playdom but set in the Marvel Universe? I can already hear comic book nerds drooling in anticipation.
4. Facebook will have to acknowledge that it is a gaming platform at some level.
Facebook lucked into the gaming just like the iPhone. They had no idea gaming would be within the top two or three things people do on Facebook. Since the app platform opened up in 2007 Facebook has made concerted efforts to deal with the gaming explosion. Most of the changes negatively affected game developers. Finally it may be time for Facebook to learn to stop worrying and embrace the gaming bomb. Gaming is a an integral part of Facebook and the viral channels Facebook provides are integral to game developers, the relationship is going to have to be repaired for both to move forward. If Facebook turns its back on the game developers, the developers will find new avenues of distribution. (As many companies are betting on see Hi5 and Oberon) Without the games, one could argue, Facebook would not be half the size it is today and certainly would not have the revenue.
1. The Facebook gaming phenomenon is about to get even hotter.
Big companies (Viacom, Sony, Activision) are going to look to make their presence felt or feel like they are being left behind. No one wants the music to stop and be left without a seat to the dance. Or worse, stretch and make a purchase like AOL did with Bebo. More money will be poured in and CEOs of companies will be asked by their boards "We pay you big bucks to know what's going on? Where is your FarmVille?"
2. Look for the next acquisition to be CrowdStar.
Not because it's the next largest games company but because they have the best quality games with the highest engagement. CrowdStar has the best relationship with Facebook of the remaining game developers. They have been the guinea pig for Facebook credits, have not been spending wildly on acquisitions and continue to just make good, solid Facebook games. (See Happy Aquarium and Happy Pets) While I haven't heard any rumors they are available, it stands to reason that they are going to get offered huge money and may not be able to resist the buy out.
3. Big branded Intellectual Properties (IP) will make their way on to Facebook.
Big brands on Facebook has been a trend predicted by Kristian Segerstråle of Playfish in March at GDC and John Pleasants of Playdom just last week at Casual Connect. Disney with it's stable of classic characters from Mickey Mouse to Hannah Montana or Jack Sparrow on through Wolverine will be able to unleash a parade of branded games if they so chose. Think about it, would you play a superhero game that is like Mobsters by Playdom but set in the Marvel Universe? I can already hear comic book nerds drooling in anticipation.
4. Facebook will have to acknowledge that it is a gaming platform at some level.
Facebook lucked into the gaming just like the iPhone. They had no idea gaming would be within the top two or three things people do on Facebook. Since the app platform opened up in 2007 Facebook has made concerted efforts to deal with the gaming explosion. Most of the changes negatively affected game developers. Finally it may be time for Facebook to learn to stop worrying and embrace the gaming bomb. Gaming is a an integral part of Facebook and the viral channels Facebook provides are integral to game developers, the relationship is going to have to be repaired for both to move forward. If Facebook turns its back on the game developers, the developers will find new avenues of distribution. (As many companies are betting on see Hi5 and Oberon) Without the games, one could argue, Facebook would not be half the size it is today and certainly would not have the revenue.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Madden 11 Football finally arrives on Facebook as Madden NFL Superstars
The inevitable has happened, Madden 11 football has come to Facebook as Madden NFL Superstars. From the moment Electronic Arts, the owner and publisher of the Madden Football series, purchased Playfish, creators of hugely popular Facebook games Pet Society and My Empire, we wondered if Madden Footbal arrive on Facebook anytime soon. That day has come.
Gallery: Madden NFL Superstars
Gallery: Madden NFL Superstars
Happy Aquarium: Flight to Cloud 9 and two new Wizard of Oz tankmates
Rounding out the cast of last week's Happy Aquarium set, two new animated Wizard of Oz characters have arrived -- Toto ("Sticks his tongue out when you tap the glass") in scuba gear, and the blue Flying Monkey ("Smiles big when you tap the glass") of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Toto is being sold at a pricey 76 Pearls or 63 Facebook Credits ($6.30 USD), while the monkey is going for 47 Pearls or 39 FB Credits ($3.90 USD). Both are Limited Edition items.
Happy Aquarium Cloud 9 items
Toto is being sold at a pricey 76 Pearls or 63 Facebook Credits ($6.30 USD), while the monkey is going for 47 Pearls or 39 FB Credits ($3.90 USD). Both are Limited Edition items.
Happy Aquarium Cloud 9 items
Madden NFL Superstars Getting Started Guide [Video]
Madden NFL Superstars is hours old and the The Games.com Blog already has the first video footage! Check out the opening moments of the latest and greatest - Madden on Facebook!
--- > Click here to play Madden NFL Superstars
--- > Click here to play Madden NFL Superstars
FishVille takes tanks deep into the Phosphorus Forest
FishVille Phosphorus items
FishVille's newest theme came out just before the weekend. Right now, it's a small release comprised of six items, but they're richly detailed and give off a spectacular effect when used together. That magical nighttime glow is a beautiful sight.
The only thing that'd improve the view is if Zynga hired itself a spellchecker, because "Phosphorus" has been misspelled as "Phosphorous" throughout the game. Only two of the items in the store got it right.
FishVille Phosphorus Forest
Anyway, the six items are: Luminous Reeds (7 Sand Dollars), Plasma Orb (250,000 Coins), Treehouse (14 SD), Phosphorus Jungle Wallpaper (10 SD), Phosphorus Gravel (5 SD), and the Limited Edition Chimaera (18 SD) which will only be available for the next 6 days.
FishVille action shot of Phosphorus Forest items
Above is an action shot of three decor pieces and one fish used together -- Chimaera, Luminous Reed, and the two tank papers. It almost looks like someone's work of art, doesn't it?
FishVille's newest theme came out just before the weekend. Right now, it's a small release comprised of six items, but they're richly detailed and give off a spectacular effect when used together. That magical nighttime glow is a beautiful sight.
The only thing that'd improve the view is if Zynga hired itself a spellchecker, because "Phosphorus" has been misspelled as "Phosphorous" throughout the game. Only two of the items in the store got it right.
FishVille Phosphorus Forest
Anyway, the six items are: Luminous Reeds (7 Sand Dollars), Plasma Orb (250,000 Coins), Treehouse (14 SD), Phosphorus Jungle Wallpaper (10 SD), Phosphorus Gravel (5 SD), and the Limited Edition Chimaera (18 SD) which will only be available for the next 6 days.
FishVille action shot of Phosphorus Forest items
Above is an action shot of three decor pieces and one fish used together -- Chimaera, Luminous Reed, and the two tank papers. It almost looks like someone's work of art, doesn't it?
Yee-haw! FarmVille releases more Wild West limited edition items
FarmVille brings more of the Wild West to the farm with a slew of new limited edition items. The following are now available in the in-game Market:
Animal
Cottontail Rabbit
Buildings
Wild West Home
Wild West Hotel
Decorations
Ironwood Tree
Stagecoach
Wagon Wheel Bench
Red Tailed Hawk
farmville wild west hawk
What do you think of the new Wild West items? Which ones are you planning to buy?
Animal
Cottontail Rabbit
Buildings
Wild West Home
Wild West Hotel
Decorations
Ironwood Tree
Stagecoach
Wagon Wheel Bench
Red Tailed Hawk
farmville wild west hawk
What do you think of the new Wild West items? Which ones are you planning to buy?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
YoVille Game Cards from GameStop will let you put a game in your game
Zynga, with the help of GameStop, is going to let millions of YoVille players live out their wildest dream of putting a game in their game... so they can play while they play. Buying a YoVille Game Card at any GameStop right now might win you a free YoVille Game Console.
No, this isn't a game machine solely dedicated to playing YoVille. For cryin' out loud, my parents' 10-year-old Dell can run this game. Redeeming your YoCash code in the game will double as an item redemption code for the YoVille Game Console to put in your room in YoVille. It might not sound like much, but not many social games can say they've mastered the feat of making this confusing internet meme a reality.
No, this isn't a game machine solely dedicated to playing YoVille. For cryin' out loud, my parents' 10-year-old Dell can run this game. Redeeming your YoCash code in the game will double as an item redemption code for the YoVille Game Console to put in your room in YoVille. It might not sound like much, but not many social games can say they've mastered the feat of making this confusing internet meme a reality.
Social Game Fads: Harassing friends to send materials
Social Game Fads is a new series where we take a look at some of the unoriginal game mechanics that are being reused over and over again in our favorite Facebook games. Are you getting bored of the same ole' thing? We are too, and we're exposing some of the copycats who are to blame.
While Zynga aren't exactly known for being the most creative and morally righteous game developers in the world, they definitely do a few things right. This is evidenced by the number of other games who copy what they have done, and the number of times Zynga reuses their own inventions. One prime example of this is in the buildables that require parts from friends. Originally seen in FarmVille, these are objects that require materials that can either be bought with hard currency or received from friends.
In most games, an object is the finished result such as the Treasure Isle gem mines and relics. In other games, such as PetVille, the materials are used to build something that gives you access to a new area, such as the backyard. In some games, the buildable pieces create an object that acts as a major functionality upgrade, such as the Super Stoves in Cafe World or the Coffee Machines in Baking Life. These buildable objects completely flood the Facebook news feeds because everyone is trying to get friends to help them build their objects.
Almost every successful game in the top 20 Facebook games has an object or a feature that is gated by the collection of materials from friends. We hope this is a fad that dies quick, because we're tired of begging for materials from our friends.
While Zynga aren't exactly known for being the most creative and morally righteous game developers in the world, they definitely do a few things right. This is evidenced by the number of other games who copy what they have done, and the number of times Zynga reuses their own inventions. One prime example of this is in the buildables that require parts from friends. Originally seen in FarmVille, these are objects that require materials that can either be bought with hard currency or received from friends.
In most games, an object is the finished result such as the Treasure Isle gem mines and relics. In other games, such as PetVille, the materials are used to build something that gives you access to a new area, such as the backyard. In some games, the buildable pieces create an object that acts as a major functionality upgrade, such as the Super Stoves in Cafe World or the Coffee Machines in Baking Life. These buildable objects completely flood the Facebook news feeds because everyone is trying to get friends to help them build their objects.
Almost every successful game in the top 20 Facebook games has an object or a feature that is gated by the collection of materials from friends. We hope this is a fad that dies quick, because we're tired of begging for materials from our friends.
PopCap CEO: FarmVille for iPhone is an 'abysmal failure'
PopCap Games Dave Roberts
This morning, at the TechNW forum hosted by the Washington Technology Industry Association, PopCap Games CEO Dave Roberts lashed out at Zynga, calling Zynga's FarmVille port to the iPhone an "abysmal failure" and accusing Zynga of "using money to buy their customers every day." Roberts doesn't say anything new, as Zynga's business tactics haven't been a secret for a while now, but those are definitely fighting words.
PopCap Games, maker of the widely successful Bejeweled Blitz and the upcoming Zuma Blitz on Facebook, has been in the games biz for a decade now. Roberts attributes their longevity and continued success on their prioritizing content over marketing. Even though Zynga's userbase far exceeds PopCap's on Facebook, Roberts "noted how PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz was kicking the ass of Zynga's Mafia Wars in terms of daily unique visitors, and had done so without spending money on advertising." In the end, Roberts says, "great games are always going to be better than great marketing."
But the antagonism is certainly tinged with respect, since in a more private interview last week, Roberts credits Zynga with "blazing some great trails," for example, FarmVille alone has created millions of new, dedicated players.
This morning, at the TechNW forum hosted by the Washington Technology Industry Association, PopCap Games CEO Dave Roberts lashed out at Zynga, calling Zynga's FarmVille port to the iPhone an "abysmal failure" and accusing Zynga of "using money to buy their customers every day." Roberts doesn't say anything new, as Zynga's business tactics haven't been a secret for a while now, but those are definitely fighting words.
PopCap Games, maker of the widely successful Bejeweled Blitz and the upcoming Zuma Blitz on Facebook, has been in the games biz for a decade now. Roberts attributes their longevity and continued success on their prioritizing content over marketing. Even though Zynga's userbase far exceeds PopCap's on Facebook, Roberts "noted how PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz was kicking the ass of Zynga's Mafia Wars in terms of daily unique visitors, and had done so without spending money on advertising." In the end, Roberts says, "great games are always going to be better than great marketing."
But the antagonism is certainly tinged with respect, since in a more private interview last week, Roberts credits Zynga with "blazing some great trails," for example, FarmVille alone has created millions of new, dedicated players.
Accept all FarmVille gifts with a single click? Yes, you can
One of my biggest pet peeves about playing FarmVille and other Facebook games is accepting gifts from friends. It's a needlessly laborious process, so much so that I put it off during the weekdays and then set aside an hour on the weekends to accept all of my virtual booty. Then I gripe to myself as I click back and forth between the Facebook gifts page and the dozen or so games I play on a regular basis. It's during these moments that I sometimes wonder when playing games started to feel more like work.
farmville gamers united
Until yesterday. I spotted a red button on my Facebook game requests page -- right above my FarmVille gifts -- that said 'Accept All.' Is this something new from Facebook? I wondered. I clicked the button and noticed that one-by-one my gifts were being processed and accepted for FarmVille. Awesome! Then I did the same for Mafia Wars, then FrontierVille. And, always a skeptic, I double checked my games to make sure my gifts arrived -- and there they were. Sweet!
gamers unite one-click giftsAnd then I noticed that this new 'Accept All' button was not from Facebook, but a new offering from Gamers Unite!, a clever and semi-controversial application that help you find friends, lets you trade virtual items (when possible) and -- what's frowned upon the most -- automatically snags all game bonus items from your Facebook feed, no clicking required. Basically, using the Gamers Unite toolbar can get you banned from certain games, and I personally know a few players who will unfriend people who use this application.
So, if you're in the anti-Gamers Unite! camp -- you're probably not going to like what I have to say next. The new one-click gifting is ingenious, so much so that I'm counting down the hours until Zynga or Facebook either put a stop to it or simply buy the app to make it official.
Whether or not you use GU's one-click gifting is up to you, but either way, this new add-on just underscores how badly the social gaming gifting process needs a complete overhaul, making it as easy as possible for us farmers, mobsters and restaurateurs to get our quick game fix without any distractions.
farmville gamers united
Until yesterday. I spotted a red button on my Facebook game requests page -- right above my FarmVille gifts -- that said 'Accept All.' Is this something new from Facebook? I wondered. I clicked the button and noticed that one-by-one my gifts were being processed and accepted for FarmVille. Awesome! Then I did the same for Mafia Wars, then FrontierVille. And, always a skeptic, I double checked my games to make sure my gifts arrived -- and there they were. Sweet!
gamers unite one-click giftsAnd then I noticed that this new 'Accept All' button was not from Facebook, but a new offering from Gamers Unite!, a clever and semi-controversial application that help you find friends, lets you trade virtual items (when possible) and -- what's frowned upon the most -- automatically snags all game bonus items from your Facebook feed, no clicking required. Basically, using the Gamers Unite toolbar can get you banned from certain games, and I personally know a few players who will unfriend people who use this application.
So, if you're in the anti-Gamers Unite! camp -- you're probably not going to like what I have to say next. The new one-click gifting is ingenious, so much so that I'm counting down the hours until Zynga or Facebook either put a stop to it or simply buy the app to make it official.
Whether or not you use GU's one-click gifting is up to you, but either way, this new add-on just underscores how badly the social gaming gifting process needs a complete overhaul, making it as easy as possible for us farmers, mobsters and restaurateurs to get our quick game fix without any distractions.
ESPNU College Town: Bring your favorite sports university to greatness
Famous sports network ESPN has teamed up with Disney's Playdom to create a game that captures the the campus management and college sports experiences at the same time, ESPNU College Town. The game, released today, puts you in charge of a college campus, running everything from building and finance management to maintaining school spirit and athletics teams.
ESPNU College Town, which features over 60 different real-life universities, follows the mold of Playdom's previous hit Social City pretty closely, but differentiates itself in both the subject matter and some key features like Challenges. This unique feature allows you to put your athletics teams (football and basketball thus far) against other players' teams for reputation and the option to recruit team members from the available colleges, which cost either coins or Campus Cash, the game's paid currency.
Check out more of what ESPNU College Town is all about after the break.
ESPNU Challenge
Your victory within Challenges depends on who you choose from your team to act as your All Star, whose stats will be put up against your opponent's All Star. The winner of the game, which is decided for you through a slots-type mini game, receives bragging rights and a notch up on the leaderboards.
To keep your school in tip top shape, you'll need to recruit more students, which is done through building dorms, entertainment venues and academic buildings. Tapping these units whenever available will increase your school spirit, finances, and experience. Leveling up unlocks access to more advanced buildings and venue upgrades, which will in turn allow you to increase your standing in the leaderboards and acquire more All Star players.
ESPNU Campus view
ESPNU College Town is heavily inspired by those before it like Social City to the point where the sports portion of the game feels downplayed. But the game brings a competitive edge to the property management sub genre of social games that could keep fans of games like City of Wonder coming back for more.
Play ESPNU College Town on Facebook Now >
ESPNU College Town, which features over 60 different real-life universities, follows the mold of Playdom's previous hit Social City pretty closely, but differentiates itself in both the subject matter and some key features like Challenges. This unique feature allows you to put your athletics teams (football and basketball thus far) against other players' teams for reputation and the option to recruit team members from the available colleges, which cost either coins or Campus Cash, the game's paid currency.
Check out more of what ESPNU College Town is all about after the break.
ESPNU Challenge
Your victory within Challenges depends on who you choose from your team to act as your All Star, whose stats will be put up against your opponent's All Star. The winner of the game, which is decided for you through a slots-type mini game, receives bragging rights and a notch up on the leaderboards.
To keep your school in tip top shape, you'll need to recruit more students, which is done through building dorms, entertainment venues and academic buildings. Tapping these units whenever available will increase your school spirit, finances, and experience. Leveling up unlocks access to more advanced buildings and venue upgrades, which will in turn allow you to increase your standing in the leaderboards and acquire more All Star players.
ESPNU Campus view
ESPNU College Town is heavily inspired by those before it like Social City to the point where the sports portion of the game feels downplayed. But the game brings a competitive edge to the property management sub genre of social games that could keep fans of games like City of Wonder coming back for more.
Play ESPNU College Town on Facebook Now >
Friday, February 3, 2012
Pet Society's Spooky Garden and other Halloween goodies now available
At the end of September, Playfish announced the Halloween Competition 2010 in Pet Society, challenging fans of their pet-care game to create items for potential inclusion within the game during October. Well, Halloween is practically upon us, and the developer has added the winning items to the game, along with a whole slew of other spooktacularly themed goodies.
First and foremost, Playfish is excited to let players build their own Spooky Garden within the game, offering three different seeds, hand-picked by us, the players of the game during the competition. There is a seed for trees, flowers, and vegetables, with the Vegetable Seed costing just 500 coins, but having three different potential outcomes. According to Playfish, these are the spookiest seeds we can buy, and we'd have to agree.
Other items include Halloween themed flower pots (one skull and one pumpkin) that allow you to pull flowers straight from your garden and then display them within your home. For those with a romantic personality, you can purchase pretty purple, yet somewhat gothic items that can be sent to friends, with these gifts only opening on Halloween (because who wouldn't want a purple dragon fountain as a present?).
Spooky Collectibles are available in the furniture store, allowing you to earn a free room to display them in, if you purchase all four (a total cost of 59 Playfish Cash), while a Ghost Potion can be found in the Boutique that will scare your friends more than any other item in the theme (by turning your pet into a ghost!).
Other items include full Halloween costumes (Vampire, Pumpkin, Ghost, & Wizard, among others), a Grim Reaper limited edition statue, and tons of Halloween accessories, like jack-o-lanterns, wall art, and even a jar of eyeballs.
These items will only be available in the game until October 31, so shop fast!
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
First and foremost, Playfish is excited to let players build their own Spooky Garden within the game, offering three different seeds, hand-picked by us, the players of the game during the competition. There is a seed for trees, flowers, and vegetables, with the Vegetable Seed costing just 500 coins, but having three different potential outcomes. According to Playfish, these are the spookiest seeds we can buy, and we'd have to agree.
Other items include Halloween themed flower pots (one skull and one pumpkin) that allow you to pull flowers straight from your garden and then display them within your home. For those with a romantic personality, you can purchase pretty purple, yet somewhat gothic items that can be sent to friends, with these gifts only opening on Halloween (because who wouldn't want a purple dragon fountain as a present?).
Spooky Collectibles are available in the furniture store, allowing you to earn a free room to display them in, if you purchase all four (a total cost of 59 Playfish Cash), while a Ghost Potion can be found in the Boutique that will scare your friends more than any other item in the theme (by turning your pet into a ghost!).
Other items include full Halloween costumes (Vampire, Pumpkin, Ghost, & Wizard, among others), a Grim Reaper limited edition statue, and tons of Halloween accessories, like jack-o-lanterns, wall art, and even a jar of eyeballs.
These items will only be available in the game until October 31, so shop fast!
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
Happy Pets' Caramel Ferret: Won't you help your friends adopt one?
With the high price of many of Happy Pets' exotic animals (most seem to cost a few real-world dollars or more), we've found that one of the easiest ways to get your hands on a more unique species of pet is to look out for the lost pet notifications that can sometimes appear at random while playing the game.
CrowdStar has given away multiple animals from a variety of species in such a manner (rabbits, for one), with the newest available pet being the Caramel Ferret. Just make sure to keep a look out for posts alerting you to your finding, so that you can post the free ferret on your wall for your friends to claim.
Want a ferret for yourself? That's simple too - just make sure to keep checking your Facebook news feed for posts from your Happy Pets neighbors that have found a ferret themselves, and claim your new (did we mention free?) pet with a simple click.
CrowdStar has given away multiple animals from a variety of species in such a manner (rabbits, for one), with the newest available pet being the Caramel Ferret. Just make sure to keep a look out for posts alerting you to your finding, so that you can post the free ferret on your wall for your friends to claim.
Want a ferret for yourself? That's simple too - just make sure to keep checking your Facebook news feed for posts from your Happy Pets neighbors that have found a ferret themselves, and claim your new (did we mention free?) pet with a simple click.
New Halloween Happy Pets glow in the dark! Can you spot 'em?
If you're at all familiar with Happy Pets, you'll know the CrowdStar likes releasing special pets that are limited edition, meaning that they will only be available to a certain number of players, as there are only so many of each pet to go around.
A new set of pets has been released in just such a way, and CrowdStar is claiming that they go along with the game's Halloween celebration (maybe because they'd be great flashlights when trick-or-treating?). The pets are glow pets, and they come in the form of a Pink Iguana, a Yellow Triceratops, a Blue Bear, and a Green Dragon. These aren't just any pets though - these glow with a bright aura surrounding the pet in the same color as the pet themselves.
Each pet costs anywhere from 58 to 70 Facebook Credits, or around $6-7 (US) each. Are they worth it? I'm not sure, but what I do know is how handy it would be to have one of these glowing pets when the lights go out.
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
A new set of pets has been released in just such a way, and CrowdStar is claiming that they go along with the game's Halloween celebration (maybe because they'd be great flashlights when trick-or-treating?). The pets are glow pets, and they come in the form of a Pink Iguana, a Yellow Triceratops, a Blue Bear, and a Green Dragon. These aren't just any pets though - these glow with a bright aura surrounding the pet in the same color as the pet themselves.
Each pet costs anywhere from 58 to 70 Facebook Credits, or around $6-7 (US) each. Are they worth it? I'm not sure, but what I do know is how handy it would be to have one of these glowing pets when the lights go out.
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
FarmVille Halloween Limited Edition Item Showcase Part II [Video]
Earlier this month, Zynga released a video containing in-game footage of the recently released Halloween limited edition items. Tonight they released a second video, containing a sneak peek of items that will be releasing in the (hopefully very near) future.
As you can see from the video above, we see what appears to be a Mad Scientist's mansion, a skeleton train (it is unclear as to whether or not the train comes in separate pieces, but we're guessing it will, due to its sheer length), two new gnomes (Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein) and a black foal with a fiery mane.
Check out more of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
As you can see from the video above, we see what appears to be a Mad Scientist's mansion, a skeleton train (it is unclear as to whether or not the train comes in separate pieces, but we're guessing it will, due to its sheer length), two new gnomes (Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein) and a black foal with a fiery mane.
Check out more of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
Other Games Add Comment City of Wonder Halloween Items: Pumpkin Patch, Hall of Dracula, Mausoleum & More
Yesterday, we detailed City of Wonder's initial Halloween item release, containing items in a Transylvanian theme, along with new items that simply fit the spooky, terrifying theme that Halloween is all about. Adding to the theme is Playdom, who just minutes ago announced the release of even more Halloween themed items in the ancient city-building game.
There are five new items available to purchase. In the in-game store we find a Mausoleum (Cultural tab) and a Pumpkin Patch (Decorations tab). Both items are available for coins, giving everyone a fair shot at having them.
Meanwhile, two new limited edition items have been released, available to purchase from the Bulliten that appears upon initially loading the game. These are the Spooky Mansion and the Pumpkin Pair decorative item. They cost 30 and 33 Gold pieces respectively, and as of this writing there are around 16-20 thousand of each left available to purchase.
Finally, for those looking to complete their Transylvanian gift set, look out for the Hall of Dracula which is now available to send to friends from the game's free gifts menu. This item provides 90 Happiness and 9 Culture points to your town. As we've seen, these limited time gifts don't stay around for long, so ask your friends to send you one soon to have a chance at collecting them all!
[Image Credit: Playdom]
There are five new items available to purchase. In the in-game store we find a Mausoleum (Cultural tab) and a Pumpkin Patch (Decorations tab). Both items are available for coins, giving everyone a fair shot at having them.
Meanwhile, two new limited edition items have been released, available to purchase from the Bulliten that appears upon initially loading the game. These are the Spooky Mansion and the Pumpkin Pair decorative item. They cost 30 and 33 Gold pieces respectively, and as of this writing there are around 16-20 thousand of each left available to purchase.
Finally, for those looking to complete their Transylvanian gift set, look out for the Hall of Dracula which is now available to send to friends from the game's free gifts menu. This item provides 90 Happiness and 9 Culture points to your town. As we've seen, these limited time gifts don't stay around for long, so ask your friends to send you one soon to have a chance at collecting them all!
[Image Credit: Playdom]
Thursday, February 2, 2012
FarmVille: Agriculture Alchemy Theme Showcase teases the wizard in us
It's official: the next theme in FarmVille will be known as Agriculture Alchemy. Playing off of the imminent release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week, this new theme will feature sparkling spires, wily Wizard Ducks and cats flying on broomsticks
No other information has been released regarding this exciting new set of items other than the fact that these animated creatures and buildings will be joined by Dragons, Unicorns and even a Phoenix. Expect magical things to happen most likely by the end of this week in FarmVille. In the meantime, watch that adorable duck turn himself into a toad about 20 times. It made us feel better, at least.
No other information has been released regarding this exciting new set of items other than the fact that these animated creatures and buildings will be joined by Dragons, Unicorns and even a Phoenix. Expect magical things to happen most likely by the end of this week in FarmVille. In the meantime, watch that adorable duck turn himself into a toad about 20 times. It made us feel better, at least.
Happy Aquarium's Black Friday Sale joins the post-Thanksgiving insanity
by Joe Osborne, Posted Nov 16th 2010 5:25PM
Black Friday SaleWhile the lot of you will be camped out at the nearest Walmart this Nov. 26, those who decide to sleep in (or will be stuck at work) are free to enjoy the inaugural first day of Christmas gift shopping in Happy Aquarium. That's right, a social game is having a Black Friday sale. CrowdStar is opening the proverbial automatic doors at 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. that day to thankfully no rabid crowds.
Though, the first 100 players to log in at 10 a.m. sharp will be rewarded with a Black CrowdStar-Fish, so you might be able to hear the faint clatter of rampant typing and mouse clicking around the office. And here's why:
All Critters will be 40 percent off for the first three hours
Feeders and Cleaners will be 15 percent off all day
All Potions will be 40 percent off all day
Wallpapers, Gravel and Tankmates will all be 15-30 percent off all day
Raring to go yet? Well, you can join the 1,500 players who have already RSVPed over on the Sale's event page. But expect stiff competition come 10 a.m., because I'll have the URL ready to go in my address bar come 9:59 with my index finger anxiously waiting to unleash hell on that Enter key. Just you wait...
Black Friday SaleWhile the lot of you will be camped out at the nearest Walmart this Nov. 26, those who decide to sleep in (or will be stuck at work) are free to enjoy the inaugural first day of Christmas gift shopping in Happy Aquarium. That's right, a social game is having a Black Friday sale. CrowdStar is opening the proverbial automatic doors at 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. that day to thankfully no rabid crowds.
Though, the first 100 players to log in at 10 a.m. sharp will be rewarded with a Black CrowdStar-Fish, so you might be able to hear the faint clatter of rampant typing and mouse clicking around the office. And here's why:
All Critters will be 40 percent off for the first three hours
Feeders and Cleaners will be 15 percent off all day
All Potions will be 40 percent off all day
Wallpapers, Gravel and Tankmates will all be 15-30 percent off all day
Raring to go yet? Well, you can join the 1,500 players who have already RSVPed over on the Sale's event page. But expect stiff competition come 10 a.m., because I'll have the URL ready to go in my address bar come 9:59 with my index finger anxiously waiting to unleash hell on that Enter key. Just you wait...
Facebook Credits Gift Cards available in GameStop, Radio Shack and Safeway
Facebook Credits
Just in time for the holidays, Facebook Credits Gift Cards are now available in GameStop, Radio Shack and Safeway, according to Inside Facebook. Ever since Facebook introduced its seemingly omnipotent virtual currency to Target, the social gamer's go-to gift idea has been popping all over the retail world. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like enabling a potentially dangerous habit.
The cards are available in increments of $15, $25 and $50, which amount to 150, 250 and 500 Facebook Credits to use in our favorite games, respectively. These cards serve as the perfect gift for your younger or less fortunate family members who happen to be social gamers because they allow players without credit cards to buy virtual goods. And after Facebook's "deals" with companies like Zygna, CrowdStar and EA, there are plenty of places to spend the social gold. It looks like Facebook is going to have a very merry Christmas this year thanks to the impulse buy section.
Just in time for the holidays, Facebook Credits Gift Cards are now available in GameStop, Radio Shack and Safeway, according to Inside Facebook. Ever since Facebook introduced its seemingly omnipotent virtual currency to Target, the social gamer's go-to gift idea has been popping all over the retail world. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like enabling a potentially dangerous habit.
The cards are available in increments of $15, $25 and $50, which amount to 150, 250 and 500 Facebook Credits to use in our favorite games, respectively. These cards serve as the perfect gift for your younger or less fortunate family members who happen to be social gamers because they allow players without credit cards to buy virtual goods. And after Facebook's "deals" with companies like Zygna, CrowdStar and EA, there are plenty of places to spend the social gold. It looks like Facebook is going to have a very merry Christmas this year thanks to the impulse buy section.
Restaurant City celebrates 8 million fans with official free wallpapers
Restaurant City 8 million fans wallpaper blue
The official Restaruant City Facebook fanpage managed to hit the 8 million mark yesterday (its current count stands at 8,039,368), so Playfish whipped up 3 free wallpapers for fans to put on their computer screens.
As official wallpapers go, they're rather uninspired. You've basically got the same image, but with different colored backgrounds for each one. That's definitely not as cool as the zombie wallpapers PopCap gave their fans for Bejeweled Blitz on Halloween. But it's a nice gesture, most players seem to like it, and the blue one (pictured above) is turning out to be everyone's favorite.
Playfish: How to Save Wallpapers
These also come in two sizes. You can grab yours by clicking on the following links below to load the wallpaper in your browser, then right-click "Save Image As..." with your mouse while hovering over the image:
Small: 800×600
Blue Background
White Background
Yellow Background
Large: 1680×1050
Blue Background
White Background
Yellow Background
The official Restaruant City Facebook fanpage managed to hit the 8 million mark yesterday (its current count stands at 8,039,368), so Playfish whipped up 3 free wallpapers for fans to put on their computer screens.
As official wallpapers go, they're rather uninspired. You've basically got the same image, but with different colored backgrounds for each one. That's definitely not as cool as the zombie wallpapers PopCap gave their fans for Bejeweled Blitz on Halloween. But it's a nice gesture, most players seem to like it, and the blue one (pictured above) is turning out to be everyone's favorite.
Playfish: How to Save Wallpapers
These also come in two sizes. You can grab yours by clicking on the following links below to load the wallpaper in your browser, then right-click "Save Image As..." with your mouse while hovering over the image:
Small: 800×600
Blue Background
White Background
Yellow Background
Large: 1680×1050
Blue Background
White Background
Yellow Background
Have a Thankgiving dinner for your pet in PetVille
PetVille Thanksgiving
PetVille is one of the last Zynga games that has been still devoid of Thanksgiving decorations. That all has changed today with the debut of a new collection of turkey day items available in the store. There is all sorts of adorable high quality items available to get your festivity on in your pet's house.
A set of teepees is available if you want to show your Native American pride. There is a Diamond Teepee, a Horns Teepee, Craft Teepee, Buffalo Teepee, Chief Teepee, and Spirit Teepee. These teepees are all available for 9,900 coins. There is also the Fall Outdoor Background for 25 Pet Cash, and the Fall Outdoor Ground for 9,900 coins. You can buy a Plymouth Rock for 10 Pet Cash and a very cute Grasshopper on Corn for 49 Pet Cash.
For your Thanksgiving feast, there are many items to put on the table. A Bushel of Fruits is 7,000 coins, and there are also Cherry Tomatoes and a White Carrot, Table Grapes, Strawberries, Bumpy Gourd, Corns on Cobs, Gourd and Apple Basket, Salad of Sorts, Macaroni and Cheese, and Seasoned Peas. Of course, the Roasted Turkey is available for 19 Pet Cash. And to put the feast on, you can buy a Red Plaid Picnic Table for 13,000 coins and sit on a Plaid Picnic Chair for 8 Pet Cash.
A gorgeous Yellow Maple Tree or a Beech Tree will provide nice shade for your meal at 17 Pet Cash, and 7 Pet Cash will get you Yellow Beech Leaves to decorate the ground with. Finally, there is a Pilgrim costume and a Turkey costume to deck your pet out with.
PetVille is one of the last Zynga games that has been still devoid of Thanksgiving decorations. That all has changed today with the debut of a new collection of turkey day items available in the store. There is all sorts of adorable high quality items available to get your festivity on in your pet's house.
A set of teepees is available if you want to show your Native American pride. There is a Diamond Teepee, a Horns Teepee, Craft Teepee, Buffalo Teepee, Chief Teepee, and Spirit Teepee. These teepees are all available for 9,900 coins. There is also the Fall Outdoor Background for 25 Pet Cash, and the Fall Outdoor Ground for 9,900 coins. You can buy a Plymouth Rock for 10 Pet Cash and a very cute Grasshopper on Corn for 49 Pet Cash.
For your Thanksgiving feast, there are many items to put on the table. A Bushel of Fruits is 7,000 coins, and there are also Cherry Tomatoes and a White Carrot, Table Grapes, Strawberries, Bumpy Gourd, Corns on Cobs, Gourd and Apple Basket, Salad of Sorts, Macaroni and Cheese, and Seasoned Peas. Of course, the Roasted Turkey is available for 19 Pet Cash. And to put the feast on, you can buy a Red Plaid Picnic Table for 13,000 coins and sit on a Plaid Picnic Chair for 8 Pet Cash.
A gorgeous Yellow Maple Tree or a Beech Tree will provide nice shade for your meal at 17 Pet Cash, and 7 Pet Cash will get you Yellow Beech Leaves to decorate the ground with. Finally, there is a Pilgrim costume and a Turkey costume to deck your pet out with.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
FrontierVille Storage Shed Expansion: Everything you need to know
We are now three-for-three this week, in terms of new missions being added to FrontierVille on a daily basis, and today's three-part mission set will be of particular interest to those that have run out of room in their tiny in-game Storage Shed.
Want to expand that shed to hold more items? Now you can, via the Storage Shed expansion missions, with the first mission being called Storage Space I. It must be accepted before December 14, and finished within 3 days after activating the mission on your account.
What does it take to expand your Storage Shed? Meet us behind the break to find out.
The Storage Space I mission will allow you to expand your total storage shed capacity from the default of 20 items to 25 items, for an increase of 5 additional spaces. That may not be much, but every little bit helps, considering how many decorations are currently available in the game.
The three requirements for finishing this mission are as follows:
Chop Neighbor Trees 50 Times
Craft 20 Planks
Get Ten Logging Permits
We've seen missions requiring Planks in the past, but for those who need a refresher, you can craft a Plank inside your Covered Wagon. Each Plank can be crafted using 7 Wood and 250 coins. These Planks will disappear from your account after you finish the mission.
The neighbor portion of this mission will see you visiting friends to chop down their trees - five clicks at a time. Doing a little math on this shows us that each user will have to visit at least 10 friends to be able to finish this portion of the mission in one sitting, or you can choose to visit the same friend over multiple days (a risky prospect, considering that the mission must be completed in under 72 hours, or three days). For a tip on easily finishing this step, start with your lowest level neighbors first - it's likely that they stopped playing the game weeks or even months ago, and therefore their land will have more than enough trees for you to chop.
Finally, the ten Logging Permits are earned by clicking on the "Ask Friends" button, to post a news item to your wall asking your friends to help you out. This is a "Give one, get one" situation, meaning that if your friends help you, they will receive a Logging Permit for themselves well.
The rewards for this step of the mission set are 200 XP, 250 coins, and the bonus of five extra storage spaces in your shed. You'll be able to share 100 XP for friends on your wall, if you choose.
But that's not all, as Zynga has announced that there will be two more Storage Space expansion missions released consecutively. Here's the basic info about the remaining two missions, which have yet to be released in full into the game.
Storage Space II will reportedly be a timed mission, with a three day time limit, that will need to be accepted before December 21. The requirements for Storage Space II are:
Collect 6 Sawhorses
Collect 6 Nails
Collect 15 Cardboard Boxes
First and foremost, the Sawhorses can be created inside the Barn for 5 Planks and 2 Tools. As we said above, Planks can be created in the Wagon using coins and Wood, while tools are earned by being hired on a Neighbor's Homestead (that is, if that hiring neighbor chooses to post the tool reward to your wall for you to claim). You can also purchase Tools for Horseshoes, if you don't have that many in-game neighbors, or simply don't wish to wait for them to hire you.
Meanwhile, the Nails can be gifted between friends as a free gift, you can request Cardboard Boxes from your friends in a similar fashion. We'll be sure to update this space when we have all of the details concerning these two portions of the mission.
Again, once you finish this mission, you'll receive another five spaces of inventory in your Storage Shed.
Finally, the Storage Space III mission has another three tasks for you to complete, and this one looks to be the most difficult, due to the reported three day time limit that also goes along with this mission. The tasks required for your final Storage Shed expansion are:
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
Clobber 10 Snakes
Collect 10 Crowbars
To easily finish the Groundhog portion of this mission, your best bet is to plant Clover, which takes only five minutes to grow. That way you can easily lure out the Groundhogs in one sitting, if you are lucky enough for them to spawn in your game.
Lastly, we're assuming that the collection of Crowbars will be similar to the collection of other items in the game. Either you'll post a news item to your wall asking for the Crowbars, or you'll be able to send individual requests to friends to ask them for help. Again, we'll be sure to let you know when all of these details have been revealed.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this Storage Space expansion mission set in the comments. Has your Homestead simply run out of room, or did you already sell off most items because you didn't want them cluttering up your land?
Want to expand that shed to hold more items? Now you can, via the Storage Shed expansion missions, with the first mission being called Storage Space I. It must be accepted before December 14, and finished within 3 days after activating the mission on your account.
What does it take to expand your Storage Shed? Meet us behind the break to find out.
The Storage Space I mission will allow you to expand your total storage shed capacity from the default of 20 items to 25 items, for an increase of 5 additional spaces. That may not be much, but every little bit helps, considering how many decorations are currently available in the game.
The three requirements for finishing this mission are as follows:
Chop Neighbor Trees 50 Times
Craft 20 Planks
Get Ten Logging Permits
We've seen missions requiring Planks in the past, but for those who need a refresher, you can craft a Plank inside your Covered Wagon. Each Plank can be crafted using 7 Wood and 250 coins. These Planks will disappear from your account after you finish the mission.
The neighbor portion of this mission will see you visiting friends to chop down their trees - five clicks at a time. Doing a little math on this shows us that each user will have to visit at least 10 friends to be able to finish this portion of the mission in one sitting, or you can choose to visit the same friend over multiple days (a risky prospect, considering that the mission must be completed in under 72 hours, or three days). For a tip on easily finishing this step, start with your lowest level neighbors first - it's likely that they stopped playing the game weeks or even months ago, and therefore their land will have more than enough trees for you to chop.
Finally, the ten Logging Permits are earned by clicking on the "Ask Friends" button, to post a news item to your wall asking your friends to help you out. This is a "Give one, get one" situation, meaning that if your friends help you, they will receive a Logging Permit for themselves well.
The rewards for this step of the mission set are 200 XP, 250 coins, and the bonus of five extra storage spaces in your shed. You'll be able to share 100 XP for friends on your wall, if you choose.
But that's not all, as Zynga has announced that there will be two more Storage Space expansion missions released consecutively. Here's the basic info about the remaining two missions, which have yet to be released in full into the game.
Storage Space II will reportedly be a timed mission, with a three day time limit, that will need to be accepted before December 21. The requirements for Storage Space II are:
Collect 6 Sawhorses
Collect 6 Nails
Collect 15 Cardboard Boxes
First and foremost, the Sawhorses can be created inside the Barn for 5 Planks and 2 Tools. As we said above, Planks can be created in the Wagon using coins and Wood, while tools are earned by being hired on a Neighbor's Homestead (that is, if that hiring neighbor chooses to post the tool reward to your wall for you to claim). You can also purchase Tools for Horseshoes, if you don't have that many in-game neighbors, or simply don't wish to wait for them to hire you.
Meanwhile, the Nails can be gifted between friends as a free gift, you can request Cardboard Boxes from your friends in a similar fashion. We'll be sure to update this space when we have all of the details concerning these two portions of the mission.
Again, once you finish this mission, you'll receive another five spaces of inventory in your Storage Shed.
Finally, the Storage Space III mission has another three tasks for you to complete, and this one looks to be the most difficult, due to the reported three day time limit that also goes along with this mission. The tasks required for your final Storage Shed expansion are:
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
Clobber 10 Snakes
Collect 10 Crowbars
To easily finish the Groundhog portion of this mission, your best bet is to plant Clover, which takes only five minutes to grow. That way you can easily lure out the Groundhogs in one sitting, if you are lucky enough for them to spawn in your game.
Lastly, we're assuming that the collection of Crowbars will be similar to the collection of other items in the game. Either you'll post a news item to your wall asking for the Crowbars, or you'll be able to send individual requests to friends to ask them for help. Again, we'll be sure to let you know when all of these details have been revealed.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this Storage Space expansion mission set in the comments. Has your Homestead simply run out of room, or did you already sell off most items because you didn't want them cluttering up your land?
FrontierVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Wintry Crate, Snow Launcher, Menorah & more
If you thought Zynga was done releasing Winter Holiday themed items in FrontierVille, then think again, as tonight's FrontierVille update brought with it a series of new decorative items that will make anyone want to suit up for a fun time playing out in the snow... Ok, so maybe only I would want to do that, but the items are pretty cool nonetheless - I promise!
You can now pick up a wide variety of decorative items, like flowers, and even larger nature-inspired items. Meet us behind the break for a full look at all of the available items, including their prices.
As with all item releases in FrontierVille, it becomes complicated to talk about them due to the fact that many users (but certainly not all) have completed the "Rithmatic" class in School House, which offers a permanent discount on coin-items in the shop. That being the case, these prices are those discounted prices, so if you've yet to complete that School House lesson, keep in mind that you prices will be just slightly higher in your own store.
Here's the list of newly released items:
Wintry Crate - 30 Horseshoes
Snow Launcher - 35 Horseshoes
Packed Sleigh - 22 Horseshoes
Menorah - 3,515 coins
White Poinsettias - 8 Horseshoes
Red Poinsettias - 10 Horseshoes
The North Pole - 7,125 coins & 10 Wood
Parol - 8,075 coins & 20 Wood
Heart Shape Pond - 39 Horseshoes
Icy Fishing Pond - 37 Horseshoes
The Wintry Crate is kind of like a Mystery Crate, except the items that it could possible contain are also available as general purchase items in the store. If you purchase one, you'll have a chance to getting either a Snow Launcher, a Heart Shape Pond, or an Icy Fishing Pond. As you can see from the pricing list above, you would be getting a discount on whichever item you randomly ended up with, but if you wanted to get all three at a discounted price, you'll need to remember that you could very well end up with duplicates in the other crates that you purchase.
Regardless of the item you choose, each and every one of these will only be available for a limited time - the next 22 days, to be exact, or until the end of the month / year. If you're like me, and might have a wild urge to celebrate the holidays in FrontierVille during random months next year, keep that time limit in mind and stock up to make sure you have all of the holiday goodies necessary when your creative mood strikes.
As a special note, these items haven't been pushed out to all users as of this writing, so if you don't see them in your store, make sure to keep checking back to see if they have gone live for you. In the meantime, feel free to make a shopping list so you don't forget to buy that extra special item for yourself.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have these items gone live in your own store? What do you think of them? We know it's disappointing that so many of them cost Horseshoes, but are you willing to splurge to have these extra-festive items on your Homestead for the holidays?
You can now pick up a wide variety of decorative items, like flowers, and even larger nature-inspired items. Meet us behind the break for a full look at all of the available items, including their prices.
As with all item releases in FrontierVille, it becomes complicated to talk about them due to the fact that many users (but certainly not all) have completed the "Rithmatic" class in School House, which offers a permanent discount on coin-items in the shop. That being the case, these prices are those discounted prices, so if you've yet to complete that School House lesson, keep in mind that you prices will be just slightly higher in your own store.
Here's the list of newly released items:
Wintry Crate - 30 Horseshoes
Snow Launcher - 35 Horseshoes
Packed Sleigh - 22 Horseshoes
Menorah - 3,515 coins
White Poinsettias - 8 Horseshoes
Red Poinsettias - 10 Horseshoes
The North Pole - 7,125 coins & 10 Wood
Parol - 8,075 coins & 20 Wood
Heart Shape Pond - 39 Horseshoes
Icy Fishing Pond - 37 Horseshoes
The Wintry Crate is kind of like a Mystery Crate, except the items that it could possible contain are also available as general purchase items in the store. If you purchase one, you'll have a chance to getting either a Snow Launcher, a Heart Shape Pond, or an Icy Fishing Pond. As you can see from the pricing list above, you would be getting a discount on whichever item you randomly ended up with, but if you wanted to get all three at a discounted price, you'll need to remember that you could very well end up with duplicates in the other crates that you purchase.
Regardless of the item you choose, each and every one of these will only be available for a limited time - the next 22 days, to be exact, or until the end of the month / year. If you're like me, and might have a wild urge to celebrate the holidays in FrontierVille during random months next year, keep that time limit in mind and stock up to make sure you have all of the holiday goodies necessary when your creative mood strikes.
As a special note, these items haven't been pushed out to all users as of this writing, so if you don't see them in your store, make sure to keep checking back to see if they have gone live for you. In the meantime, feel free to make a shopping list so you don't forget to buy that extra special item for yourself.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have these items gone live in your own store? What do you think of them? We know it's disappointing that so many of them cost Horseshoes, but are you willing to splurge to have these extra-festive items on your Homestead for the holidays?
FarmVille: Ornament Trees return, but at a very high cost
If you're one of the many FarmVille players that started playing the game sometime this year, and didn't have a chance to celebrate the winter holidays in the game in 2009, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has continued the process of re-releasing some of the best items from last year's theme, so that you can have a chance to "catch up."
Two such items were released in tonight's FarmVille update - those being the Ornament Tree I and Ornament Tree II. As their names suggest, these trees are standard evergreen trees, that grow ornaments and bows, rather than any kind of food. Both of the trees can be harvested every two days, returning the tree to an "ornament-less" state, and you'll gain 150 coins for each harvest. The only real difference between these trees, at least functionally, is in the color of ornaments that grow on them. Ornament Tree I grows orange and red ornaments, presents, and bows, while Ornament Tree II grows blue and silver presents, ornaments, and bows.
However, upon this year's re-release of the trees, the price has been increased... how do I say this politely... drastically. Last year, each tree cost just 1,500 coins (visual proof is below). Now, the price is 20 Farm Cash for Ornament Tree I and 15 Farm Cash for Ornament Tree II. Not only are the trees no longer available for coins, but, adding insult to injury, the price is equal to that of many limited edition decorations.
One could argue that these trees are just like any other limited edition decoration, as they will only be available for 23 days, but the simple fact that the price has been increased so much in just a year's time is more than a bit insulting to those players that have been with the game this entire time - even more so to those newer players who were looking to catch up with those veterans.
Either way, whether you purchased these trees last year, or if you're just picking them up this year, they are available to master, with both trees reaching a One-Star level of mastery after 113 harvests. It's the decision in whether or not to actually splurge on these trees that will be the issue at hand.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Were you playing FarmVille last year? What do you think of this dramatic price increase from last year's holiday theme? If you're a new player, would you be willing to spend this much Farm Cash on a single tree?
Two such items were released in tonight's FarmVille update - those being the Ornament Tree I and Ornament Tree II. As their names suggest, these trees are standard evergreen trees, that grow ornaments and bows, rather than any kind of food. Both of the trees can be harvested every two days, returning the tree to an "ornament-less" state, and you'll gain 150 coins for each harvest. The only real difference between these trees, at least functionally, is in the color of ornaments that grow on them. Ornament Tree I grows orange and red ornaments, presents, and bows, while Ornament Tree II grows blue and silver presents, ornaments, and bows.
However, upon this year's re-release of the trees, the price has been increased... how do I say this politely... drastically. Last year, each tree cost just 1,500 coins (visual proof is below). Now, the price is 20 Farm Cash for Ornament Tree I and 15 Farm Cash for Ornament Tree II. Not only are the trees no longer available for coins, but, adding insult to injury, the price is equal to that of many limited edition decorations.
One could argue that these trees are just like any other limited edition decoration, as they will only be available for 23 days, but the simple fact that the price has been increased so much in just a year's time is more than a bit insulting to those players that have been with the game this entire time - even more so to those newer players who were looking to catch up with those veterans.
Either way, whether you purchased these trees last year, or if you're just picking them up this year, they are available to master, with both trees reaching a One-Star level of mastery after 113 harvests. It's the decision in whether or not to actually splurge on these trees that will be the issue at hand.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Were you playing FarmVille last year? What do you think of this dramatic price increase from last year's holiday theme? If you're a new player, would you be willing to spend this much Farm Cash on a single tree?
FarmVille: CityVille Sam asks "Won't you be my neighbor?"
In an attempt to get FarmVille players to try out their new city-building game CityVille, Zynga has released a two-part cross-promotion in FarmVille, adding a new "neighbor" to players' friends bars at the bottom of the gameplay area, in addition to adding a large billboard to one side of users' farms.
If you attempt to "visit" Sam by clicking on her picture in the neighbor bar, as though she were any other friend, you won't be taken to a new farm; instead, you're shown a large ad asking you if you'd like to check out CityVille. If you agree, CityVille simply loads in a new window. If you decline, the window will disappear and you can go back to farming as usual.
However, where Sam's presence in your friends list really doesn't affect gameplay, the billboard truly can, as it is so massive that is actually blocks the better part of three or four plots' worth of land from your view (for perspective, the picture at the top of this post is the billboard's size after zooming out three times). Since it's placed outside of your farm's limits, it doesn't technically stop you from using this portion of your land, but you won't be able to see what's behind it.
This can be rectified, however, as Zynga has added another function to clicking on Sam's picture - that being to click on a check box that will allow you to "Remove sign from farm." Make sure that you're certain about removing the sign, though, as it doesn't appear that there's any way to get it back once you do.
With most Zynga games now offering some sort of pop-up advertising CityVille, it doesn't surprise me that they've added such a large cross-promotion to FarmVille. We're just glad that you can remove it once you're done looking at it.
If you attempt to "visit" Sam by clicking on her picture in the neighbor bar, as though she were any other friend, you won't be taken to a new farm; instead, you're shown a large ad asking you if you'd like to check out CityVille. If you agree, CityVille simply loads in a new window. If you decline, the window will disappear and you can go back to farming as usual.
However, where Sam's presence in your friends list really doesn't affect gameplay, the billboard truly can, as it is so massive that is actually blocks the better part of three or four plots' worth of land from your view (for perspective, the picture at the top of this post is the billboard's size after zooming out three times). Since it's placed outside of your farm's limits, it doesn't technically stop you from using this portion of your land, but you won't be able to see what's behind it.
This can be rectified, however, as Zynga has added another function to clicking on Sam's picture - that being to click on a check box that will allow you to "Remove sign from farm." Make sure that you're certain about removing the sign, though, as it doesn't appear that there's any way to get it back once you do.
With most Zynga games now offering some sort of pop-up advertising CityVille, it doesn't surprise me that they've added such a large cross-promotion to FarmVille. We're just glad that you can remove it once you're done looking at it.
New FarmVille Animals: Mistletoe Donkey & Winter Goat
Looking to add a bit of a festive touch to your animal pens in FarmVille this holiday season? Then why not add one of the game's two newest themed animals to your herd?
The two new animals come in the form of a Mistletoe Donkey (what appears to be a regular donkey, outfitted with a red and white scarf and a sprig of mistletoe hanging from his head) and a Winter Goat (a regular brown goat with a green scarf and earmuffs). You might recognize this Winter Goat from the FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 video (what a mouthful!) that was released on Monday.
Both of these animals cost Farm Cash, with the Mistletoe being the more expensive of the two, at 18 Farm Cash. The Winter Goat, then, costs 14 Farm Cash. The Donkey can be harvested from everyday, while the Winter Goat is a two-day harvest animal. The Donkey's higher price tag is further explained by the fact that you'll earn 100 coins from harvesting it, while the Goat only offers 54 coins at each harvest.
Sure, neither of these animals are going to help you quickly earn a mountain of in-game riches, but we all know that you're not spending 18 (or even 14) Farm Cash on an animal because of its possibility for profitability.
Both of these animals will be available in the game for the next 16 days, and remember, you can easily send these items to friends as an in-game gift by just clicking on the "Send" button and choosing a friend, instead of clicking on "Buy" to add these animals to your own farm.
The two new animals come in the form of a Mistletoe Donkey (what appears to be a regular donkey, outfitted with a red and white scarf and a sprig of mistletoe hanging from his head) and a Winter Goat (a regular brown goat with a green scarf and earmuffs). You might recognize this Winter Goat from the FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 video (what a mouthful!) that was released on Monday.
Both of these animals cost Farm Cash, with the Mistletoe being the more expensive of the two, at 18 Farm Cash. The Winter Goat, then, costs 14 Farm Cash. The Donkey can be harvested from everyday, while the Winter Goat is a two-day harvest animal. The Donkey's higher price tag is further explained by the fact that you'll earn 100 coins from harvesting it, while the Goat only offers 54 coins at each harvest.
Sure, neither of these animals are going to help you quickly earn a mountain of in-game riches, but we all know that you're not spending 18 (or even 14) Farm Cash on an animal because of its possibility for profitability.
Both of these animals will be available in the game for the next 16 days, and remember, you can easily send these items to friends as an in-game gift by just clicking on the "Send" button and choosing a friend, instead of clicking on "Buy" to add these animals to your own farm.
Friday, January 13, 2012
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day Eight
On the Eighth Day O' Christmas
It's time to go huntin' this Christmas in the eighth day of FrontierVille's 12 Days of Christmas Goals series. Today, in "On the Eighth Day O' Christmas," it's all about clobbering some Groundhogs, but you'll need to coax them out of the ground. Thankfully, part of this Goal is to do just that. Apparently, these little buggers love Potatoes, so plant 28 of them and another 38 Tomatoes for good measure.
Your total cost for all 66 crops is going to be 3,740 coins and take over four hours to plant and harvest at least, but that's if you even have the room for so many crops. Between 66 crops harvested, you're sure to find at least 8 Groundhogs, but remember that the chance is random. If you're looking to get this Goal done quickly, you could always use a Boost from the Upgraded General Store, but that will set you back pretty far. Complete this Goal and a Boost Set for both Potatoes and Tomatoes is all yours. Gee, thanks for giving us something we could have used four hours ago. (Don't you hate when that happens?)
It's time to go huntin' this Christmas in the eighth day of FrontierVille's 12 Days of Christmas Goals series. Today, in "On the Eighth Day O' Christmas," it's all about clobbering some Groundhogs, but you'll need to coax them out of the ground. Thankfully, part of this Goal is to do just that. Apparently, these little buggers love Potatoes, so plant 28 of them and another 38 Tomatoes for good measure.
Your total cost for all 66 crops is going to be 3,740 coins and take over four hours to plant and harvest at least, but that's if you even have the room for so many crops. Between 66 crops harvested, you're sure to find at least 8 Groundhogs, but remember that the chance is random. If you're looking to get this Goal done quickly, you could always use a Boost from the Upgraded General Store, but that will set you back pretty far. Complete this Goal and a Boost Set for both Potatoes and Tomatoes is all yours. Gee, thanks for giving us something we could have used four hours ago. (Don't you hate when that happens?)
Mafia Wars Cafe World Doctored Invoices: Everything you need to know
Mafia Wars Doctored Invoices
If you haven't noticed already while grabbing Beaver Pelts in FrontierVille for free Mafia Wars items, Zynga is also holding a similar cross promotion with Cafe World. Just like before, all you need to do in Mafia Wars is access your Properties page while in New York and choose any production Property. That means your Armory, Chop Shop, Weapons Depot and even Private Zoo have limited edition items with permanent stat increases just waiting to be built.
Steel Apron
However, only an item from the kitchens of Cafe World can be used to create these powerful items, the Doctored Invoice. So, go ahead and click on "Get Part" to throw on the apron and get started on finding those Invoices.
Join us behind the break to find out how to get Doctored Invoices from Cafe World.
Triple Berry Cheesecake
After clicking on "Get Part" you'll be sent to Head Chef Amelia who is wearing a decidedly darker cap and apron. What you need to do to get that Doctored Invoice is actually quite simple. Bake and serve five Triple Berry Cheesecakes. Unfortunately, these take a whopping 12 hours to finish baking. We'd recommend setting an alarm and going off to enjoy your Christmas, because this is going to take a while. (Editor's Note: While Amelia will greet you with your task upon logging into the game via Mafia Wars, there is no way to track your progress along the way such as FrontierVille's Goal icons and checklist. Thanks for the tip, Esol!)
After serving the final Triple Berry Cheesecake, you should receive a pop-up window prompting you to claim your reward back in Mafia Wars. Once back in the game, return to either the Property you entered Cafe World from or one of your choice. Now that you have in the Doctored Invoice, those "Get Part" buttons should be replaced with "Build." Click on that and the item is yours. For all four items that require Doctored Invoices, just rinse and repeat these steps. In fact, you could bake all four Triple Berry Cheesecakes at once and redeem each Doctored Invoice within minutes of each other to a whole lot of time. Take a look at the rest of the powerful items below:
Meat Truck
Flambe Torch
Giant Octopus
You'll quickly notice that all four items have the same exact statistics, except for those permanent stat increases. While these are all fairly impressive defensive items to begin with, it's those permanent boosts that will send the stat-mongers and new players looking for a leg up flocking.
If you haven't noticed already while grabbing Beaver Pelts in FrontierVille for free Mafia Wars items, Zynga is also holding a similar cross promotion with Cafe World. Just like before, all you need to do in Mafia Wars is access your Properties page while in New York and choose any production Property. That means your Armory, Chop Shop, Weapons Depot and even Private Zoo have limited edition items with permanent stat increases just waiting to be built.
Steel Apron
However, only an item from the kitchens of Cafe World can be used to create these powerful items, the Doctored Invoice. So, go ahead and click on "Get Part" to throw on the apron and get started on finding those Invoices.
Join us behind the break to find out how to get Doctored Invoices from Cafe World.
Triple Berry Cheesecake
After clicking on "Get Part" you'll be sent to Head Chef Amelia who is wearing a decidedly darker cap and apron. What you need to do to get that Doctored Invoice is actually quite simple. Bake and serve five Triple Berry Cheesecakes. Unfortunately, these take a whopping 12 hours to finish baking. We'd recommend setting an alarm and going off to enjoy your Christmas, because this is going to take a while. (Editor's Note: While Amelia will greet you with your task upon logging into the game via Mafia Wars, there is no way to track your progress along the way such as FrontierVille's Goal icons and checklist. Thanks for the tip, Esol!)
After serving the final Triple Berry Cheesecake, you should receive a pop-up window prompting you to claim your reward back in Mafia Wars. Once back in the game, return to either the Property you entered Cafe World from or one of your choice. Now that you have in the Doctored Invoice, those "Get Part" buttons should be replaced with "Build." Click on that and the item is yours. For all four items that require Doctored Invoices, just rinse and repeat these steps. In fact, you could bake all four Triple Berry Cheesecakes at once and redeem each Doctored Invoice within minutes of each other to a whole lot of time. Take a look at the rest of the powerful items below:
Meat Truck
Flambe Torch
Giant Octopus
You'll quickly notice that all four items have the same exact statistics, except for those permanent stat increases. While these are all fairly impressive defensive items to begin with, it's those permanent boosts that will send the stat-mongers and new players looking for a leg up flocking.
CityVille: Start unwrapping your Holiday Presents now!
UPDATE: It seems as though things aren't as user friendly with this event as we first believed. At the time of this post's original writing, present counters weren't being reset when presents were being opened, but some users have reported losing Holiday Present progress more recently. If you've yet to complete your Holiday Tree - open presents at your own risk!
Happy holidays readers! I hope you've been collecting a lot of Holiday Presents in CityVille, because if you have, you'll now be greeted with a very special treat - the ability to actual open those presents and find out what's inside! Similar to the first Holiday celebration in FarmVille (last year), each and every individual gift that you've received from friends can be opened.
To open these presents, all you'll need to do is click on your Holiday Tree in your town, no matter how far along you are in building it. To be clear, you'll need to click on the Holiday Tree each time you'd like to unwrap an individual present. That present will disappear from your tally in your inventory, as it has been "opened," but your progress in the Holiday Tree quests will stay the same. No need to worry about losing progress as you open presents - the total amount of presents that you had before you started opening gifts is where you will stay (thankfully).
Each gift can come with a different prize, or you can wind up with duplicates. While we work on accumulating a complete list of the available presents, here are some of the items that we've received inside:
50 coins
Plastic Snowman
Plastic Penguin
Individual square of Chocolate Sidewalk (in our experience, this is the most common decoration awarded)
Panda Ice Sculpture
1 XP
25 Goods
Hanging Flower
+1 or +2 Energy Refill
Red Holiday Tree
Well
Moose
Lion Ice Sculpture
CityVille Plastic Snowman
As you open presents, items like the coins, experience points, goods and energy can be clicked on as normal bonus objects, and they will be automatically added to their respective totals. All decorative items will go into your inventory, where they can be used as decorative items around your town.
Depending on how many gifts you've received, you will likely end up with a ton of duplicates. However, for a free item, the chance of receiving free Goods makes opening each present individual worth the trouble, at least in my opinion.
Update: Of course, after you've opened all 10 presents, you get the following "special message" from Zynga...
CityVille Holiday Tree Special Message from Zynga
Happy holidays readers! I hope you've been collecting a lot of Holiday Presents in CityVille, because if you have, you'll now be greeted with a very special treat - the ability to actual open those presents and find out what's inside! Similar to the first Holiday celebration in FarmVille (last year), each and every individual gift that you've received from friends can be opened.
To open these presents, all you'll need to do is click on your Holiday Tree in your town, no matter how far along you are in building it. To be clear, you'll need to click on the Holiday Tree each time you'd like to unwrap an individual present. That present will disappear from your tally in your inventory, as it has been "opened," but your progress in the Holiday Tree quests will stay the same. No need to worry about losing progress as you open presents - the total amount of presents that you had before you started opening gifts is where you will stay (thankfully).
Each gift can come with a different prize, or you can wind up with duplicates. While we work on accumulating a complete list of the available presents, here are some of the items that we've received inside:
50 coins
Plastic Snowman
Plastic Penguin
Individual square of Chocolate Sidewalk (in our experience, this is the most common decoration awarded)
Panda Ice Sculpture
1 XP
25 Goods
Hanging Flower
+1 or +2 Energy Refill
Red Holiday Tree
Well
Moose
Lion Ice Sculpture
CityVille Plastic Snowman
As you open presents, items like the coins, experience points, goods and energy can be clicked on as normal bonus objects, and they will be automatically added to their respective totals. All decorative items will go into your inventory, where they can be used as decorative items around your town.
Depending on how many gifts you've received, you will likely end up with a ton of duplicates. However, for a free item, the chance of receiving free Goods makes opening each present individual worth the trouble, at least in my opinion.
Update: Of course, after you've opened all 10 presents, you get the following "special message" from Zynga...
CityVille Holiday Tree Special Message from Zynga
FrontierVille: Gingerbread House cross-promo links
Are you building your Gingerbread House in FrontierVille, but are having difficulty accessing Treasure Isle, Mafia Wars, and CityVille through the in-game links in the Gingerbread House menu? You're not alone, as even the team here has had issues activating the exclusive FrontierVille missions in these three games - those missions that must be completed, as you'll recall, to complete the construction of the Gingerbread House in FrontierVille proper.
For a few moments, the links within the game will work, but then they will mysteriously, and randomly stop functioning, turning into a broken link that will lead you to an equally broken page when clicked. These links will work for a few minutes, or even a matter of hours, before breaking again (we've only gotten them to work twice in as many days), so to solve the issue for everyone, Zynga has released a set of universal links that all players can click on in order to activate the FrontierVille missions in CityVille, Treasure Isle, and Mafia Wars.
Here are the links, for your clicking pleasure:
CityVille Cross Promotion
Treasure Isle Cross Promotion
Mafia Wars Cross Promotion
And there you have it! A surefire way to skip the annoying in-game glitches found with this event, until Zynga can permanently fix them. Considering as its the holidays, we doubt they'll be in any hurry to do so, so use these links for now just to be safe.
For a few moments, the links within the game will work, but then they will mysteriously, and randomly stop functioning, turning into a broken link that will lead you to an equally broken page when clicked. These links will work for a few minutes, or even a matter of hours, before breaking again (we've only gotten them to work twice in as many days), so to solve the issue for everyone, Zynga has released a set of universal links that all players can click on in order to activate the FrontierVille missions in CityVille, Treasure Isle, and Mafia Wars.
Here are the links, for your clicking pleasure:
CityVille Cross Promotion
Treasure Isle Cross Promotion
Mafia Wars Cross Promotion
And there you have it! A surefire way to skip the annoying in-game glitches found with this event, until Zynga can permanently fix them. Considering as its the holidays, we doubt they'll be in any hurry to do so, so use these links for now just to be safe.
Cafe World: Daily Holiday Tree presents now available
If you've taken the time to build your Holiday Tree in Cafe World, remember that starting today, you can receive your free daily gift from Zynga. That's right, the developer itself is giving away these prizes, as a than you to users for their dedication over the past year. These gifts will be available until the first week of January, and can come in all forms, shapes, or sizes. Today's free gift, for instance, is a single free Cafe Cash.
Sure, 1 Cafe Cash may not be that great of a prize, but it's free, so we really can't complain. All you have to do to earn your free gifts is to log into the game once per day and then click on your Holiday Tree to receive that day's prize. If you don't receive a prize on subsequent days, but know that you should, we'd suggest waiting until it has been a full 24 hours before trying to collect your next prize, just to be safe.
Sure, 1 Cafe Cash may not be that great of a prize, but it's free, so we really can't complain. All you have to do to earn your free gifts is to log into the game once per day and then click on your Holiday Tree to receive that day's prize. If you don't receive a prize on subsequent days, but know that you should, we'd suggest waiting until it has been a full 24 hours before trying to collect your next prize, just to be safe.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Disney My Store: Gree gets a Disney-branded game before Playdom?
Technically, yes: Japanese social gamers now have a game that features Disney's iconic characters before the Western world. According to Serkan Toto, Gree has announced Disney My Store, a mobile social game for feature phones that will allow players to create shops complete with Disney products like Mickey Mouse plush dolls and Lightning McQueen toy cars.
Earlier this year, Walt Disney Japan worked with DeNAto release Disney My Land on the Mobage mobile social game network, but now it's Gree's turn. Alright, so the game doesn't feature the characters in the flesh, so to speak, but it is a game centered around said characters. That's more than we can say for Disney in the U.S. and abroad when it comes to social games.
Disney My Store allows players to sell their Disney-themed goods to their friends, dress up avatars just like their favorite Disney characters and work in their friends' stores. Of course, players will get to send each other gifts and trade items to sell in their respective stores--of which 300 will be available at launch.
Serkan Toto reports that the game will also be used to advertise real-life Disney Store items, and that Walt Disney Japan will use the game to spread word of new Disney movies that hit theaters. In the U.S. and abroad, however, Disney Interactive has dragged its feet in bringing its insanely lucrative characters to social games. But since the company slapped its name on Playdom's recent Gnome Town to positive results, Disney Interactive announced that a number of Disney-branded games will hit Western social networks in the next year. Well, it's 'bout time.
Earlier this year, Walt Disney Japan worked with DeNAto release Disney My Land on the Mobage mobile social game network, but now it's Gree's turn. Alright, so the game doesn't feature the characters in the flesh, so to speak, but it is a game centered around said characters. That's more than we can say for Disney in the U.S. and abroad when it comes to social games.
Disney My Store allows players to sell their Disney-themed goods to their friends, dress up avatars just like their favorite Disney characters and work in their friends' stores. Of course, players will get to send each other gifts and trade items to sell in their respective stores--of which 300 will be available at launch.
Serkan Toto reports that the game will also be used to advertise real-life Disney Store items, and that Walt Disney Japan will use the game to spread word of new Disney movies that hit theaters. In the U.S. and abroad, however, Disney Interactive has dragged its feet in bringing its insanely lucrative characters to social games. But since the company slapped its name on Playdom's recent Gnome Town to positive results, Disney Interactive announced that a number of Disney-branded games will hit Western social networks in the next year. Well, it's 'bout time.
Internet safety expert accuses The Sims Social of promoting cybersex
I hope you packed some dry clothes, because we're about to lead you down one slippery slope. (Zing!) Charles Conway, self-proclaimed UK-based Internet safety expert and editor of Scam Detectives, alleges that EA and Playfish's enormously popular The Sims Social promotes cyber sex between children and adults (fat chance). And it's all thanks to The Sims Social's Woo-Hoo feature.
While playing the game, players can build asynchronous relationships with one another that can quickly grow into romantic relationships. Ultimately, those relationships will draw the players' avatars closer and can result in them having Woo-Hoo. And like any social activity in the game, players are rewarded Social Points for this that they can use to buy new items.
"Even if Facebook did verify the age of it's users (which it doesn't), at what age does it become acceptable for a child to engage in "virtual sex" for rewards," Conway asks. "Does it ever become acceptable? Isn't sex for rewards the very definition of prostitution? How is playing this game different to children having "cybersex" in a chatroom?"
The list of questions goes on. Sure, Woo-Hoo in The Sims Social is an allusion to having sex, but the "sexual" act displayed is arguably far from lewd--way less provocative than what children have access to on basic cable. More importantly, Woo-Hoo does not allow players to directly communicate within the game in real time like a chat room would.
"When 40% of kids admit that they have Facebook 'friends' that they don't know in 'real life,' there's a real risk of a predator using a game like this to build a relationship with a child that could lead to real world abuse," Conway writes. However, what is not pointed out is that all social relationships requested between The Sims Social players--including romantic ones--require the consent of the player from the start and at every stage of advancement.
If a player feels uncomfortable during any point of the "relationship," they can halt its progress. As for Playfish and EA restricting adult content (which suggestiveness is debatable), there are a number of Facebook games that arguably promote drug trafficking, serial murder and nearly genocidal manslaughter. Maybe it's time for Facebook to meet with the ESRB and PEGI.
While playing the game, players can build asynchronous relationships with one another that can quickly grow into romantic relationships. Ultimately, those relationships will draw the players' avatars closer and can result in them having Woo-Hoo. And like any social activity in the game, players are rewarded Social Points for this that they can use to buy new items.
"Even if Facebook did verify the age of it's users (which it doesn't), at what age does it become acceptable for a child to engage in "virtual sex" for rewards," Conway asks. "Does it ever become acceptable? Isn't sex for rewards the very definition of prostitution? How is playing this game different to children having "cybersex" in a chatroom?"
The list of questions goes on. Sure, Woo-Hoo in The Sims Social is an allusion to having sex, but the "sexual" act displayed is arguably far from lewd--way less provocative than what children have access to on basic cable. More importantly, Woo-Hoo does not allow players to directly communicate within the game in real time like a chat room would.
"When 40% of kids admit that they have Facebook 'friends' that they don't know in 'real life,' there's a real risk of a predator using a game like this to build a relationship with a child that could lead to real world abuse," Conway writes. However, what is not pointed out is that all social relationships requested between The Sims Social players--including romantic ones--require the consent of the player from the start and at every stage of advancement.
If a player feels uncomfortable during any point of the "relationship," they can halt its progress. As for Playfish and EA restricting adult content (which suggestiveness is debatable), there are a number of Facebook games that arguably promote drug trafficking, serial murder and nearly genocidal manslaughter. Maybe it's time for Facebook to meet with the ESRB and PEGI.
DoubleDown Casino's Photo Booth Friends: Play slots with faces friends
Now, you can literally play slots with your friends ... as in use their likeness to win big. DoubleDown Interactive has announced Photo Booth Friends, the newest slot game to hit its popular DoubleDown Casino Facebook game. Photo Booth Friends allows players to customize their slot reels with up to 11 of their friends' faces, but they can also be picked at random.
Of course, matching your friends' faces nets you lots of chips to play more with, which you can brag about or share through Facebook News Feed posts. According to DoubleDown Interactive, this is the 18th game the developer has introduced to the DoubleDown Casino app, all of which we just recently had an in-depth peek at. The Seattle, Wash.-based studio also hinted that more games will be released within the overarching app later this year.
"We've made a significant investment to develop a truly social slot game, one that takes full advantage of the many social features provided by Facebook," Double Down Interactive CEO Greg Enell said in a release. "We've done it with Photo Booth Slots by providing a unique slot game that's full of social and viral features, culminating in an experience that's all about winning with friends. I'm confident that our millions of players will embrace this slot, once again proving that we are the world's premiere developer and distributor of virtual casino games."
Photo Booth Friends Snapshot Bonus
Players can hit up the new mode of slots by entering DoubleDown Casino and going directly to the slot machines section of the game from the lobby. While DoubleDown Casino enjoys an impressive 1 million daily players and 3.4 million monthly players, according to AppData, its competition is about to heat up with both Zynga and PopCap preparing casino-style social games. But with nearly 30 percent of its player base playing daily, DoubleDown Casino has its feet firmly in the red and gold carpet.
Of course, matching your friends' faces nets you lots of chips to play more with, which you can brag about or share through Facebook News Feed posts. According to DoubleDown Interactive, this is the 18th game the developer has introduced to the DoubleDown Casino app, all of which we just recently had an in-depth peek at. The Seattle, Wash.-based studio also hinted that more games will be released within the overarching app later this year.
"We've made a significant investment to develop a truly social slot game, one that takes full advantage of the many social features provided by Facebook," Double Down Interactive CEO Greg Enell said in a release. "We've done it with Photo Booth Slots by providing a unique slot game that's full of social and viral features, culminating in an experience that's all about winning with friends. I'm confident that our millions of players will embrace this slot, once again proving that we are the world's premiere developer and distributor of virtual casino games."
Photo Booth Friends Snapshot Bonus
Players can hit up the new mode of slots by entering DoubleDown Casino and going directly to the slot machines section of the game from the lobby. While DoubleDown Casino enjoys an impressive 1 million daily players and 3.4 million monthly players, according to AppData, its competition is about to heat up with both Zynga and PopCap preparing casino-style social games. But with nearly 30 percent of its player base playing daily, DoubleDown Casino has its feet firmly in the red and gold carpet.
Toyota's Social Network Racer flaunts flashy concept car [Video]
Sure, branded games are huge on Facebook, but Toyota is just plain showing off. The global car manufacturer announced its first branded Facebook game, Social Network Racer. (Wow, original, huh?) The game, which launches Oct. 19 at 11 p.m. PST right here, is designed to promote the company's brand new product model car that will be officially unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show this December.
Social Network Racer is said to run from Oct. 19 right up until Dec. 31, or the very day the Tokyo Motor Show opens to the public. If you hadn't guessed already from the game's brilliant title, players will race the concept car around a predetermined track in full 3D, thanks to Flash Player 11. Come to think of it, Toyota may be one of the first to use the new Flash Player's 3D capabilities commercially.
The track is only predetermined to a point: The track's surroundings will incorporate information from your Facebook profile like photos and News Feed updates as if they were billboards and video advertisements. According to a release, players will get to create and host their own races with their friends, and compete in events hosted by Toyota.
A special event known as the Toyota Championship will pit racers against each other for the ultimate prize: a trip to Tokyo, Japan to see Toyota's mysterious concept car in the flesh--err, metal, rubber and chrome. Oh, and if you win, you'll also receive "a secret prize," a Toyota representative tells us.
Gearheads, it's OK to nerd squeal now. Based on the preview trailer below, the concept car looks to be a variation of the FT-86 II unveiled at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Also, we doubt that the driving displayed in this preview is indicative of what Toyota's concept car is capable of. Well, we sure hope not.
(Editor's Note: This post was edited for clarity regarding the prize in store for players and the car to be featured at this year's Tokyo Motor Show.)
Social Network Racer is said to run from Oct. 19 right up until Dec. 31, or the very day the Tokyo Motor Show opens to the public. If you hadn't guessed already from the game's brilliant title, players will race the concept car around a predetermined track in full 3D, thanks to Flash Player 11. Come to think of it, Toyota may be one of the first to use the new Flash Player's 3D capabilities commercially.
The track is only predetermined to a point: The track's surroundings will incorporate information from your Facebook profile like photos and News Feed updates as if they were billboards and video advertisements. According to a release, players will get to create and host their own races with their friends, and compete in events hosted by Toyota.
A special event known as the Toyota Championship will pit racers against each other for the ultimate prize: a trip to Tokyo, Japan to see Toyota's mysterious concept car in the flesh--err, metal, rubber and chrome. Oh, and if you win, you'll also receive "a secret prize," a Toyota representative tells us.
Gearheads, it's OK to nerd squeal now. Based on the preview trailer below, the concept car looks to be a variation of the FT-86 II unveiled at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Also, we doubt that the driving displayed in this preview is indicative of what Toyota's concept car is capable of. Well, we sure hope not.
(Editor's Note: This post was edited for clarity regarding the prize in store for players and the car to be featured at this year's Tokyo Motor Show.)
Atari's Heroes of Neverwinter gets ghoulish and ghastly for Halloween
For a game that's all about slaying the undead and green-skinned beasts in dank dungeons, Halloween comes pretty easy. Atari has updated its flagship Facebook RPG (role-playing game), 1 Comment, with a bevy of Halloween content in celebration of being the third-fastest growing social game on AppData last week.
Namely, the update brings three brand new encounters for players of multiple levels. But Atari threw in a list of new items and bonuses. Oh, and the developer did some redecorating around town to get the feeling right. Here's a look at all the new Halloween content in Heroes of Neverwinter:
Gobble up a free Underdark Cookie, added to each player's Chest of Wonders, which permanently increases one character's maximum hit points!
Find and acquire other potently powerful potables and treats, including Zombie Juice, Potions of Black Cat's Grace, Glyphs of Terror, and more!
Delve into new dungeons to claim rare and wondrous items, including wearable masks (who doesn't want to be a kobold or an ogre for Halloween?), a Skeletal Crossbow, and high level rings!
Thwart a sinister Thayan plot in a new three-part adventure series!
Level 1: Bones, Thugs and Sorcery can be found in Neverwinter
Level 5: Trick or Trap can be found in the Ruins of Illefarn
Level 10: Monster Mash can be found in the Neverwinter Woods
Enjoy the sights and sounds of a seasonally revamped town hub, along with a variety of other game updates and improvements!
Atari fixed a litany of bugs found in Heroes of Neverwinter since its launch and released some new features, including clearer visuals while in fullscreen and improvements to the game's interface. Heroes of Neverwinter currently hosts 320,000 monthly players, but is on the up and up with 10,000 players added today, according to AppData. And we bet at least a few hundred of them are dressing up as elves for Halloween. What? Look, this is D&D--it's just deductive reasoning at that point.
Namely, the update brings three brand new encounters for players of multiple levels. But Atari threw in a list of new items and bonuses. Oh, and the developer did some redecorating around town to get the feeling right. Here's a look at all the new Halloween content in Heroes of Neverwinter:
Gobble up a free Underdark Cookie, added to each player's Chest of Wonders, which permanently increases one character's maximum hit points!
Find and acquire other potently powerful potables and treats, including Zombie Juice, Potions of Black Cat's Grace, Glyphs of Terror, and more!
Delve into new dungeons to claim rare and wondrous items, including wearable masks (who doesn't want to be a kobold or an ogre for Halloween?), a Skeletal Crossbow, and high level rings!
Thwart a sinister Thayan plot in a new three-part adventure series!
Level 1: Bones, Thugs and Sorcery can be found in Neverwinter
Level 5: Trick or Trap can be found in the Ruins of Illefarn
Level 10: Monster Mash can be found in the Neverwinter Woods
Enjoy the sights and sounds of a seasonally revamped town hub, along with a variety of other game updates and improvements!
Atari fixed a litany of bugs found in Heroes of Neverwinter since its launch and released some new features, including clearer visuals while in fullscreen and improvements to the game's interface. Heroes of Neverwinter currently hosts 320,000 monthly players, but is on the up and up with 10,000 players added today, according to AppData. And we bet at least a few hundred of them are dressing up as elves for Halloween. What? Look, this is D&D--it's just deductive reasoning at that point.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Breaking: Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego for Facebook incoming
Whelp, there goes your social life. Darius Kazemi, lead analyst at Blue Fang Games, has informally announced the studio's two secret projects on his blog: The Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. Better yet, they're both for Facebook. Surely, anyone who went to grade school in the 90s remembers these two classic games from computer class, no? Now it's time to relive junior high twice over.
The Oregon Trail, set to launch Feb 2, looks far more animated than previous versions while keeping the spirit of the original alive--even the river-crossing mini game is back. The game will feature several more mini games including puzzles to solve and wildlife to hunt. However, it's unknown whether your fellow pioneers can still fall to dysentery. I can't believe I'm saying this, but a man can dream.
Find out more about Carmen Sandiego for Facebook after the break.
Judging from the trailer, it looks like players will have to solve mysteries in classic Carmen Sandiego fashion. In fact, the game, set to release Feb. 9, looks just like the original point-and-click adventure with a modern, cartoon twist. You will have to follow clues to locations all over the world and determine whodunnit through a series of mini games. Eventually, players will find Carmen, but "the global hunt" implies that they'll need friends to make it happen.
We'll have more details on both games when they release in February. Until then, break out the old game discs and give them a go (if they still work) after watching these trailers a few more times. Now, where's my Hot Dog Stand for Facebook?
Which of these two games is more exciting for you? How do you think they will play out on Facebook?
The Oregon Trail, set to launch Feb 2, looks far more animated than previous versions while keeping the spirit of the original alive--even the river-crossing mini game is back. The game will feature several more mini games including puzzles to solve and wildlife to hunt. However, it's unknown whether your fellow pioneers can still fall to dysentery. I can't believe I'm saying this, but a man can dream.
Find out more about Carmen Sandiego for Facebook after the break.
Judging from the trailer, it looks like players will have to solve mysteries in classic Carmen Sandiego fashion. In fact, the game, set to release Feb. 9, looks just like the original point-and-click adventure with a modern, cartoon twist. You will have to follow clues to locations all over the world and determine whodunnit through a series of mini games. Eventually, players will find Carmen, but "the global hunt" implies that they'll need friends to make it happen.
We'll have more details on both games when they release in February. Until then, break out the old game discs and give them a go (if they still work) after watching these trailers a few more times. Now, where's my Hot Dog Stand for Facebook?
Which of these two games is more exciting for you? How do you think they will play out on Facebook?
FarmVille co-creator says, 'play as many games as you can'
That is, if you want to become an accomplished game developer some day. Zynga VP of product development and FarmVille co-creator Mark Skaggs visited a McKinney, Texas middle school to give students the rundown of what it's like to be a game designer for a major company, McKinney Courier-Gazette reports. More importantly, he showed the kids what it takes. Skaggs told the bright pupils that if you want to learn how to make video games, you should "play as many games as you can."
Of course, the kids went wild after hearing that sage advice, but the guy has a point. It's probably tough to make an impressive video game if you don't know exactly how a player thinks. Skaggs also mentioned that good game design takes knowledge in several fields including math, science, engineering, technology and even English, according to McKinney Courier-Gazette.
According to McKinney Courier-Gazette, Skaggs claims that FarmVille wasn't even expected to be the smash hit that it was. Coming after the unsuccessful Treasure Isle (well, compared to its other games), FarmVille was reported to be originally geared toward the golden middle-aged mother demographic. It was only after college students started B lining for the farm that the game took off, McKinney Courier-Gazette reports.
After giving the runts a virtual tour of a few of the tools Zynga uses to create its games, Skaggs said, "Don't be afraid to fail at something or for it not to come out the way you expect. That's just the first step." Though, when you get to Zynga-like status, failure isn't necessarily an option.
Of course, the kids went wild after hearing that sage advice, but the guy has a point. It's probably tough to make an impressive video game if you don't know exactly how a player thinks. Skaggs also mentioned that good game design takes knowledge in several fields including math, science, engineering, technology and even English, according to McKinney Courier-Gazette.
According to McKinney Courier-Gazette, Skaggs claims that FarmVille wasn't even expected to be the smash hit that it was. Coming after the unsuccessful Treasure Isle (well, compared to its other games), FarmVille was reported to be originally geared toward the golden middle-aged mother demographic. It was only after college students started B lining for the farm that the game took off, McKinney Courier-Gazette reports.
After giving the runts a virtual tour of a few of the tools Zynga uses to create its games, Skaggs said, "Don't be afraid to fail at something or for it not to come out the way you expect. That's just the first step." Though, when you get to Zynga-like status, failure isn't necessarily an option.
Mafia Wars Italy Regions 6-8 now live; new Jobs, loot and properties
New Italy Regions
The time has come to conquer the motherland in Mafia Wars. The final regions of Italy--Calabria, Citta del Vaticano and The Eternal City--are now available to wreak havoc upon. With the three new regions comes brand new Jobs for both Stamina and Energy players as well as a few Social Jobs.
Messino's Pistol Sword of St. Godfrey Di Rossi's Assassin
Additionally the Nightclub, a new property, has been added to the game. But more importantly, these fresh locales have plenty of new loot to hide, especially the goodies held by each region's boss. Here's what you can look forward to for mastering each Region (and its boss battle):
Don Vittorio Messino: Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175 Attack, 118 Defense)
Commandant Ebersold: Sword of St. Godfrey (121 Attack, 192 Defense)
Don Rafael Di Rossi: Di Rossi's Assassin (210 Attack, 124 Defense)
[Source and Image Credit: Mafia Wars Wiki]
What will you attempt first in these new Mafia Wars regions? Where do you think we'll be off to next after Italy?
The time has come to conquer the motherland in Mafia Wars. The final regions of Italy--Calabria, Citta del Vaticano and The Eternal City--are now available to wreak havoc upon. With the three new regions comes brand new Jobs for both Stamina and Energy players as well as a few Social Jobs.
Messino's Pistol Sword of St. Godfrey Di Rossi's Assassin
Additionally the Nightclub, a new property, has been added to the game. But more importantly, these fresh locales have plenty of new loot to hide, especially the goodies held by each region's boss. Here's what you can look forward to for mastering each Region (and its boss battle):
Don Vittorio Messino: Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175 Attack, 118 Defense)
Commandant Ebersold: Sword of St. Godfrey (121 Attack, 192 Defense)
Don Rafael Di Rossi: Di Rossi's Assassin (210 Attack, 124 Defense)
[Source and Image Credit: Mafia Wars Wiki]
What will you attempt first in these new Mafia Wars regions? Where do you think we'll be off to next after Italy?
FrontierVille Groundhog Day Goals: Everything you need to know
Unfortunately, we doubt Bill Murray will be making an appearance in FrontierVille this Groundhog Day, so a shiny new set of Goals will have to do. Zynga has decided to celebrate arguably the dumbest holiday ever imagined. It's only fitting that a series of equally lighthearted (and unrealistic) Goals be thrown into the mix as well as yet another building. Don't worry, it's tiny.
You'll first hear word of the Groundhog invasion upon logging into the game. But only after going to the Market and purchasing a Groundhog Trap for 2,000 coins will the first Goal in the series, "Half Your Hay," reveal itself.
Join us behind the break for a detailed guide on how to get through these new Goals.
Half your Hay
The first Goal, you'll have to buy the Groundhog Trap. Since buying the trap actually unlocks this Goal, consider that requirement finished. Second, you must 20 of your own Cows, which take a while if you don't own at least that amount. (You can only feed a Cow every 10 hours.) Finally, harvest 20 Wheat and this Goal will be complete. It's too bad that Wheat takes a whole 24 to grow. Enjoy 300 XP and 100 Food for completing this Goal. And don't waste the Food, because you'll need it...
Finish your Groundhog Trap
Groundhog TrapNow, the second Goal in the series, titled "Protecting the Food Supply," ups the ante with a 500 Food requirement. You better start feeding those neighbors' animals. Next, you'll have to finish the Groundhog Trap. After a single whack, you must collect five of each of these items from your friends: Tin Sheets, Screws, Baits, Sticks, Groundhog Trap Ropes and Crate Boxes. Then, you'll also need to ask your friends for 10 Groundhog Decoys. And because you're only given so many requests daily, we'd recommend throwing these items on the Wish List. For finishing this Goal, you will be rewarded with 400 XP and 1,000 coins.
It's time to make use of this elaborate trap in the third Goal. First, trap five Groundhogs using the Groundhog Trap. Then, harvest 10 of your friends' crops and finally, collect a single Umbrella. You can find the Umbrella in the brand new Spring Collection. Complete this Goal and enjoy 500 XP and Frontier Fred. Whoever that is. (This series just launched today, so the details aren't 100 percent available yet.)
For the final Goal, you will be doing more of the same, really. Collect 15 more Groundhog Decoys from your friends, harvest 30 more Wheat (which will cost 10,950 coins) and trap 10 more Groundhogs using your new Trap. Finally finish this set Goals for 600 XP and Frontier Phil. And a lot of groundhog fritters.
You'll first hear word of the Groundhog invasion upon logging into the game. But only after going to the Market and purchasing a Groundhog Trap for 2,000 coins will the first Goal in the series, "Half Your Hay," reveal itself.
Join us behind the break for a detailed guide on how to get through these new Goals.
Half your Hay
The first Goal, you'll have to buy the Groundhog Trap. Since buying the trap actually unlocks this Goal, consider that requirement finished. Second, you must 20 of your own Cows, which take a while if you don't own at least that amount. (You can only feed a Cow every 10 hours.) Finally, harvest 20 Wheat and this Goal will be complete. It's too bad that Wheat takes a whole 24 to grow. Enjoy 300 XP and 100 Food for completing this Goal. And don't waste the Food, because you'll need it...
Finish your Groundhog Trap
Groundhog TrapNow, the second Goal in the series, titled "Protecting the Food Supply," ups the ante with a 500 Food requirement. You better start feeding those neighbors' animals. Next, you'll have to finish the Groundhog Trap. After a single whack, you must collect five of each of these items from your friends: Tin Sheets, Screws, Baits, Sticks, Groundhog Trap Ropes and Crate Boxes. Then, you'll also need to ask your friends for 10 Groundhog Decoys. And because you're only given so many requests daily, we'd recommend throwing these items on the Wish List. For finishing this Goal, you will be rewarded with 400 XP and 1,000 coins.
It's time to make use of this elaborate trap in the third Goal. First, trap five Groundhogs using the Groundhog Trap. Then, harvest 10 of your friends' crops and finally, collect a single Umbrella. You can find the Umbrella in the brand new Spring Collection. Complete this Goal and enjoy 500 XP and Frontier Fred. Whoever that is. (This series just launched today, so the details aren't 100 percent available yet.)
For the final Goal, you will be doing more of the same, really. Collect 15 more Groundhog Decoys from your friends, harvest 30 more Wheat (which will cost 10,950 coins) and trap 10 more Groundhogs using your new Trap. Finally finish this set Goals for 600 XP and Frontier Phil. And a lot of groundhog fritters.
FrontierVille Spring and Icy Collections now available
With today's launch of the Groundhog Day missions in FrontierVille, it's only fitting that we see two new collections being released in the game as well - those collections that deal with the two possible outcomes of Groundhog Day: an early Spring, or an extended Winter. The Spring option is now represented in the game via an aptly named Spring collection, but since there's already a Winter Collection in the game, the opposite outcome is listed as an "Icy Collection."
Both of these collections can now be completed by collecting five different items for each. For the Spring Collection you'll need the following items:
Spring Flowers
Flower Pot
Umbrella
Trowel
Watering Can
As for the Icy Collection, you'll need to find these five items:
Ice Saw
Ice Skates
Ice Pick
Ice Tongs
Curling Set
The items from both of these collections can be found by trapping Groundhogs (see our complete guide to the Groundhog Day missions for more). Once you complete the Spring Collection, you'll receive an Accelerate Tree Boost and 50 XP, while finishing the Icy Collection rewards you with a Frozen Chicken item.
All told, with such limited availability, it seems like these might be some pretty difficult collections to complete - good luck to all those that try!
Both of these collections can now be completed by collecting five different items for each. For the Spring Collection you'll need the following items:
Spring Flowers
Flower Pot
Umbrella
Trowel
Watering Can
As for the Icy Collection, you'll need to find these five items:
Ice Saw
Ice Skates
Ice Pick
Ice Tongs
Curling Set
The items from both of these collections can be found by trapping Groundhogs (see our complete guide to the Groundhog Day missions for more). Once you complete the Spring Collection, you'll receive an Accelerate Tree Boost and 50 XP, while finishing the Icy Collection rewards you with a Frozen Chicken item.
All told, with such limited availability, it seems like these might be some pretty difficult collections to complete - good luck to all those that try!
Friday, January 6, 2012
CityVille Edgar & Ruth Dine Quest: Everything you need to know
To go along with the release of the new Tofu Burger and City Supermarket businesses in CityVille, Zynga has released a new quest called "Edgar & Ruth Dine." You might remember Ruth for her love of pigeons and purple bandana, and she's back again to ask you for some help (you must be at least level 13 to receive this quest). This quest has three steps to complete, which will cost you a bit of money, time, energy, and even require some help from friends.
You'll need to build both a City Supermarket in your town, and a Tofu Burger Joint as two of the tasks, with the Tofu Burger tasks specifically being to collect from the business five times. As we told you before, the Tofu Burger must be stocked with 125 Goods, and costs 5,000 coins to build from the store. Meanwhile, the City Supermarket costs 5,750 coins, and requires 130 Goods to stock.
Both of these buildings will take a few energy each to build, along with some of your own money (of course), but if you'd rather save your coins, you can also take advantage of other users who happen to have the Tofu Burger restaurant or City Supermarket as franchises. If they place these buildings into you town on Building Lots, you could collect from the Tofu Burger join as same as you could one that you personally built, and your friend will get something out of in the process - it's like taking care of two things at once!
As for the final task, you'll need to ask friends for 7 Bird Seed, which makes sense, as Ruth wants her pigeons to have a lovely dinner as well, just as she and Edgar are going to. You'll be able to gather Bird Seed by posting a general news item to your wall, asking your friends to send you a single packet of seed. Luckily, from our experience, this mission doesn't seem to be bugged as many other are, as you'll actually receive all of the Bird Seed you're sent, rather than it floating off into the dark recesses of the internet, never to be seen or heard from again.
The reward for this mission is definitely worth the work of completing these three tasks, as you'll unlock the CityVille Department Store, which you can already see as "locked" under the Businesses section of the store. There, you'll see a preview of this tall building, which will require you to spend 8,000 coins to build. From there, it taked 135 Goods to stock, and you'll receive 588 coins in earnings each time those Goods are spent.
We expect this to be the first in a line of new quests in the game, and we'll make sure to let you know if and when more quests are indeed released, so keep checking back. It turns out we were right - there is a new quest available in this line, so make sure to check out our complete guide to the "Suitable for Edgar" quest here.
You'll need to build both a City Supermarket in your town, and a Tofu Burger Joint as two of the tasks, with the Tofu Burger tasks specifically being to collect from the business five times. As we told you before, the Tofu Burger must be stocked with 125 Goods, and costs 5,000 coins to build from the store. Meanwhile, the City Supermarket costs 5,750 coins, and requires 130 Goods to stock.
Both of these buildings will take a few energy each to build, along with some of your own money (of course), but if you'd rather save your coins, you can also take advantage of other users who happen to have the Tofu Burger restaurant or City Supermarket as franchises. If they place these buildings into you town on Building Lots, you could collect from the Tofu Burger join as same as you could one that you personally built, and your friend will get something out of in the process - it's like taking care of two things at once!
As for the final task, you'll need to ask friends for 7 Bird Seed, which makes sense, as Ruth wants her pigeons to have a lovely dinner as well, just as she and Edgar are going to. You'll be able to gather Bird Seed by posting a general news item to your wall, asking your friends to send you a single packet of seed. Luckily, from our experience, this mission doesn't seem to be bugged as many other are, as you'll actually receive all of the Bird Seed you're sent, rather than it floating off into the dark recesses of the internet, never to be seen or heard from again.
The reward for this mission is definitely worth the work of completing these three tasks, as you'll unlock the CityVille Department Store, which you can already see as "locked" under the Businesses section of the store. There, you'll see a preview of this tall building, which will require you to spend 8,000 coins to build. From there, it taked 135 Goods to stock, and you'll receive 588 coins in earnings each time those Goods are spent.
We expect this to be the first in a line of new quests in the game, and we'll make sure to let you know if and when more quests are indeed released, so keep checking back. It turns out we were right - there is a new quest available in this line, so make sure to check out our complete guide to the "Suitable for Edgar" quest here.
New CityVille Residences: Spring Bungalow, Bay Point Duplex, Parkside Villa & More
If you're like me, you might have grown (really) tired with the current, relatively small selection of residential buildings available to build in your town in CityVille. After all, with so many quests asking us to add new members of the population to our cities, it's not uncommon to find ten or more of the exact same house lined up in a single line, as that's the only way to quickly add citizens to your town without taking up all of your free land.
Luckily, we finally been given some new variety in terms of housing, however, as there are four new residential buildings now available to build from the store. While these four buildings are split 50/50 in terms of price range, all four come with some very nice stats, relative to their footprint (size of their base) in your town; that is, you can add a lot of citizens to your town without taking up much room.
The two cheaper options are the Spring Bungalow, at 9,000 coins, and the Bay Point Duplex, which costs 30,000 coins. These buildings will add 130 and 230 citizens, respectively, to your town. The Spring Bungalow produces 72 coins in rent every two hours, while the Bay Point Duplex gives off 102 coins every four hours.
Meanwhile, for those looking to splurge, or simply add more population using even less room, you can purchase the Midtown Apartments building for 1.1 million coins, or the Parkside Villa for 1.75 million coins (told you they were a splurge). You must be level 53 to unlock the Midtown Apartments, which add 310 citizens to your town, and offer 84 coins in rent every 2 hours. The Parkside Villa is even more exclusive, requiring you to be level 63 or above. You'll receive 350 new citizens for building it, and you'll be able to collect 12 coins every 5 minutes from the Villa. This makes it a great building to have on hand when you need to cash out many residential buildings for a quest, but whether you want to pay that many coins for such a convenience will ultimately be up to you.
Luckily, we finally been given some new variety in terms of housing, however, as there are four new residential buildings now available to build from the store. While these four buildings are split 50/50 in terms of price range, all four come with some very nice stats, relative to their footprint (size of their base) in your town; that is, you can add a lot of citizens to your town without taking up much room.
The two cheaper options are the Spring Bungalow, at 9,000 coins, and the Bay Point Duplex, which costs 30,000 coins. These buildings will add 130 and 230 citizens, respectively, to your town. The Spring Bungalow produces 72 coins in rent every two hours, while the Bay Point Duplex gives off 102 coins every four hours.
Meanwhile, for those looking to splurge, or simply add more population using even less room, you can purchase the Midtown Apartments building for 1.1 million coins, or the Parkside Villa for 1.75 million coins (told you they were a splurge). You must be level 53 to unlock the Midtown Apartments, which add 310 citizens to your town, and offer 84 coins in rent every 2 hours. The Parkside Villa is even more exclusive, requiring you to be level 63 or above. You'll receive 350 new citizens for building it, and you'll be able to collect 12 coins every 5 minutes from the Villa. This makes it a great building to have on hand when you need to cash out many residential buildings for a quest, but whether you want to pay that many coins for such a convenience will ultimately be up to you.
CityVille Suitable for Edgar Quest: Everything you need to know
As we told you earlier today, Zynga has launched a new quest set in CityVille surrounding Ruth and Edgar, along with Ruth's dear pigeons! While the first quest had us helping to prepare a meal for Ruth and Edgar, this second quest, called Suitable for Edgar, will have you helping Edgar find "parking for his expensive car."
You'll only be able to complete this quest after completing the "Edgar & Ruth Dine" quest, so make sure to take a look at our complete guide to finishing that quest if you need help. You'll need to be level 13 to access both of these quests in your game (they simply won't appear for you until that time). To complete this quest for Edgar, you'll need to ask your friends to send you 6 Coupons, by clicking on the "Ask your Friends" button and then posting a general news item on your feed asking for help.
The other two tasks in this quest involve new items that have recently been added to the game. The first is the Department Store, which is the prize for completing the Edgar & Ruth Dine quest. You'll still need to purchase this building from the store for 8,000 coins, but you won't be able to add one to your town until you unlock it at the end of said quest. Once you build the Department Store, you'll need to collect profits from it three times. It takes 135 Goods to stock the Department Store. The final task has you simply purchasing one new decoration from the store - a Parking Lot, that costs just 10 coins.
For completing this second of the new retail quests, you'll unlock the TV Terrace home, a building that costs 10,500 coins to build from the store, and will add 190 citizens to your town's population. It's a quick-earning building, offering you 11 coins every five minutes, which makes it great for those quests that ask you to collect from Residential buildings numerous times to move on.
We'll be sure to let you know if more retail quests are added in the future, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
You'll only be able to complete this quest after completing the "Edgar & Ruth Dine" quest, so make sure to take a look at our complete guide to finishing that quest if you need help. You'll need to be level 13 to access both of these quests in your game (they simply won't appear for you until that time). To complete this quest for Edgar, you'll need to ask your friends to send you 6 Coupons, by clicking on the "Ask your Friends" button and then posting a general news item on your feed asking for help.
The other two tasks in this quest involve new items that have recently been added to the game. The first is the Department Store, which is the prize for completing the Edgar & Ruth Dine quest. You'll still need to purchase this building from the store for 8,000 coins, but you won't be able to add one to your town until you unlock it at the end of said quest. Once you build the Department Store, you'll need to collect profits from it three times. It takes 135 Goods to stock the Department Store. The final task has you simply purchasing one new decoration from the store - a Parking Lot, that costs just 10 coins.
For completing this second of the new retail quests, you'll unlock the TV Terrace home, a building that costs 10,500 coins to build from the store, and will add 190 citizens to your town's population. It's a quick-earning building, offering you 11 coins every five minutes, which makes it great for those quests that ask you to collect from Residential buildings numerous times to move on.
We'll be sure to let you know if more retail quests are added in the future, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Cafe World Red Carpet Refreshment Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Just in time for the Oscars this weekend, Zynga has released a new catering order in Cafe World entitled "Red Carpet Refreshment." This order asks you to cater a "glitzy, glamorous awards show banquet," which will require you to cook three different dishes, along with collecting three different items that will help you serve those dishes at this imaginary gala.
A new popcorn recipe is up for grabs if you can complete this order within the five day three-star time limit, along with tons of bragging rights you can take long into the future. If you're ready to take a stab at award show catering, meet us behind the break for a full look at what this catering order entails (hint: I hope you like fish).
For the cooking portion of this order, you'll need to cook three dishes: Sushi Spread (a 20 hour dish) 125 times, Creme Fraiche Caviar (a 30 minute dish) 60 times, and Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 30 times. As you can easily see, the Sushi Spread will cost the most heartache for users trying to complete this order, as it takes almost a day to cook, and you'll need to cook a whole heck of a lot of it to complete the task.
Luckily, you can bring 16 of your friends in on this mission with you, for a complete 17 person (including yourself) catering crew. While you're waiting for your dishes you cook, you can also go about the process of collecting the 20 extra items you need. You'll have to collect 10 Champagne Glasses, 5 Hor D'oeuvre Plates and 5 Napkin Holders by clicking on the "Ask" button next to a particular item and then sending individual gift requests to the neighbors that you think would be most likely to help you.
If you can complete all six of these steps within five days, you'll earn the 3-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins, and the Truffled Popcorn recipe. If it takes you longer than five days, but you still finish the order within a week, you'll earn 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points, and 50,000 coins, but will miss out on the recipe. Finally, if you simply finish the order at all after the first week of accepting it, you'll earn the 1-star rating, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points, and 30,000 coins.
With this new catering order and the new movie-themed items in the game's store, Cafe World is definitely ready to celebrate film's biggest night this weekend. Are you?
A new popcorn recipe is up for grabs if you can complete this order within the five day three-star time limit, along with tons of bragging rights you can take long into the future. If you're ready to take a stab at award show catering, meet us behind the break for a full look at what this catering order entails (hint: I hope you like fish).
For the cooking portion of this order, you'll need to cook three dishes: Sushi Spread (a 20 hour dish) 125 times, Creme Fraiche Caviar (a 30 minute dish) 60 times, and Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 30 times. As you can easily see, the Sushi Spread will cost the most heartache for users trying to complete this order, as it takes almost a day to cook, and you'll need to cook a whole heck of a lot of it to complete the task.
Luckily, you can bring 16 of your friends in on this mission with you, for a complete 17 person (including yourself) catering crew. While you're waiting for your dishes you cook, you can also go about the process of collecting the 20 extra items you need. You'll have to collect 10 Champagne Glasses, 5 Hor D'oeuvre Plates and 5 Napkin Holders by clicking on the "Ask" button next to a particular item and then sending individual gift requests to the neighbors that you think would be most likely to help you.
If you can complete all six of these steps within five days, you'll earn the 3-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins, and the Truffled Popcorn recipe. If it takes you longer than five days, but you still finish the order within a week, you'll earn 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points, and 50,000 coins, but will miss out on the recipe. Finally, if you simply finish the order at all after the first week of accepting it, you'll earn the 1-star rating, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points, and 30,000 coins.
With this new catering order and the new movie-themed items in the game's store, Cafe World is definitely ready to celebrate film's biggest night this weekend. Are you?
FarmVille: Free Sheep from English Special Delivery
If you've been anxiously awaiting the Sheep Pen in FarmVille as much as I have, you'll be happy to know that the Sheep Pen looks to be a building that we'll be able to access in the English Countryside Expansion. Check your farm this evening and you'll see the English Delivery Sheep once again on-hand with a free prize, and some more info about this upcoming feature.
A new in-game character named Angus is apparently a master at breeding sheep - sheep of all sorts of different colors! As an introduction, you'll receive a free Sheep that you can use on your farm right away, along with sharing a free sheep with your friends on your news feed. Angus tells us that we'll be able to breed sheep in the future as well, and that we'll apparently be able to create our own color varieties, depending on which sheep we breed. In the picture above, we can see not only a plain pink sheep, but also blue and pink polka dotted sheep as well.
If you're like me, you'll likely be very excited by this news, especially if you like collecting one of everything in the game, as this seems like it might be a feature that we'll be able to spend a lot of time with, until we have bred every color sheep imaginable (or at least those combinations that the game allows).
Make sure you login to your farm soon to claim your new sheep!
A new in-game character named Angus is apparently a master at breeding sheep - sheep of all sorts of different colors! As an introduction, you'll receive a free Sheep that you can use on your farm right away, along with sharing a free sheep with your friends on your news feed. Angus tells us that we'll be able to breed sheep in the future as well, and that we'll apparently be able to create our own color varieties, depending on which sheep we breed. In the picture above, we can see not only a plain pink sheep, but also blue and pink polka dotted sheep as well.
If you're like me, you'll likely be very excited by this news, especially if you like collecting one of everything in the game, as this seems like it might be a feature that we'll be able to spend a lot of time with, until we have bred every color sheep imaginable (or at least those combinations that the game allows).
Make sure you login to your farm soon to claim your new sheep!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FarmVille LE English Countryside Avatar Clothing: English Dress, English T-Shirt
While you can spend tons of coins and Farm Cash decorating your FarmVille farm(s) with the new items released in this evening's limited edition English Countryside theme (which does contain items for your Home Farm), your avatar might be feeling a little left out of the international celebration (that is, if you assume that your avatar has emotions). In comes Zynga with two new items available to purchase in the Clothes section of the FarmVille Marketplace.
These two items are the English Dress and the English T-Shirt. The English Dress is a two-piece package, consisting of a flag-print dress and tall white boots like those associated with the 1960's or Go-Go Dancers. You can purchase this dress for 10 Farm Cash, and will receive 350 XP in the process of doing so. Meanwhile, the other new item is the English T-Shirt, which is much more wallet-friendly, as it is available for only 30,000 coins.
Of course, the English T-Shirt doesn't make much of an impact visually, since our avatars have such tiny frames, but if you've like to spend just coins, rather than Farm Cash, at least we do have an option in this theme. Both of these items will be available in the store for the next month.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
These two items are the English Dress and the English T-Shirt. The English Dress is a two-piece package, consisting of a flag-print dress and tall white boots like those associated with the 1960's or Go-Go Dancers. You can purchase this dress for 10 Farm Cash, and will receive 350 XP in the process of doing so. Meanwhile, the other new item is the English T-Shirt, which is much more wallet-friendly, as it is available for only 30,000 coins.
Of course, the English T-Shirt doesn't make much of an impact visually, since our avatars have such tiny frames, but if you've like to spend just coins, rather than Farm Cash, at least we do have an option in this theme. Both of these items will be available in the store for the next month.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Game of the Day: Broke
The Game of the Day is concerned about your dollars and cents. Broke: After the Great Depression our leaders hatched a secret plan. They pumped billions into infrastructure projects, and packed the bricks with gold bullion! Now that the country is on the verge of collapse once again, it's up to you to break the gold free! Break out the ball and paddle. It's time to circle the map and uncover billions. it's time to bail out the American people!
Click --> Play Broke
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.
Source
Click --> Play Broke
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.
Source
FarmVille English Countryside rollout continues
After a brief hiccup last night, the FarmVille English Countryside expansion continues to roll out to players. When the expansion is live on your farm, you'll get a pop-up image that shows a farmer pointing upward, exclaiming "Look! Up in the sky!"
farmville english countryside look up in the sky
After you agree to 'Check it out,' the Duke and his airship will crash land on your farm -- and you'll then do a series of missions before jetting to your brand new farm. Most of the Duke airship missions are pretty simple -- buy 3 crates, buy a cow -- and then the final one (a Bon Voyage party), requires you to get up to 35 friends to help you throw a Bon Voyage party. Or, if you don't want to wait for friends, you can pay 65 60 Farm Cash to travel to England right away. This is the part where most people seem to be getting stuck, so if there was any time to be a good neighbor (and hope for the same in return), this is it!
FarmVille English Countryside: Have access yet?
Yes!Not yet.Don't care.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
farmville english countryside look up in the sky
After you agree to 'Check it out,' the Duke and his airship will crash land on your farm -- and you'll then do a series of missions before jetting to your brand new farm. Most of the Duke airship missions are pretty simple -- buy 3 crates, buy a cow -- and then the final one (a Bon Voyage party), requires you to get up to 35 friends to help you throw a Bon Voyage party. Or, if you don't want to wait for friends, you can pay 65 60 Farm Cash to travel to England right away. This is the part where most people seem to be getting stuck, so if there was any time to be a good neighbor (and hope for the same in return), this is it!
FarmVille English Countryside: Have access yet?
Yes!Not yet.Don't care.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
FarmVille English Countryside: Repairing the Broken Super Combine
If you've made it past the Bon Voyage Party and Duke's Airship Goals in FarmVille, you're now likely staring at the green rolling hills surrounding your second farm in the English Countryside. Once there, of the things you'll notice is the brown Super Combine that has seen better days. This brings you one of your first challenges in the English Countryside - repairing this Super Combine to its former glorious (and need I say functional?) state.
Meet us behind the break for a guide to do just that.
While you may expect to have to gather 25 or more Vehicle Parts to build this Super Combine from scratch, luckily this is a case where "less is more," and you'll only need 5 vehicle parts in total to repair the Combine to be functional (don't worry, if you saved up more than that in preparation for the English Countryside, you'll need them later).
Once the Super Combine is complete, it will look very similar to your Home Farm Super Combine, if you stuck with the original red model. This Super Combine starts at Level 1, but can be upgraded fully to level 5 using different amounts of Vehicle Parts, if you choose to build a Garage on your English Farm (check out our guide). Here's the rundown, from level 1 to level 5:
Level 2: 2 Vehicle Parts
Level 3: 5 Vehicle Parts
Level 4: 10 Vehicle Parts
Level 5: 15 Vehicle Parts
As with the first Super Combine back on your Home Farm, each time you level up the vehicle, your Combine will then be able to plow, harvest, and seed (all in one click) a larger area of land, starting at a 2x2 square (so, four squares at a time), all the way up to a 4x4 square, or 16 squares total. If you don't happen to have the 32 Vehicle Parts on hand to upgrade fully to level 5, you can ask for Vehicle Parts by clicking on the Ask for Parts button inside your Garage. You'll be able to send out individual gift requests to your friends asking for parts.
Remember, these Vehicle Parts will go into your gift box, and can be used on either your Home Farm or your English Farm. The vehicles that you're upgrading however, are specific to that particular farm. That is, for right now, there's no way to move items from one farm to another. Once they're out of your gift box, they're specific to the farm you placed them on.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you repaired and fully upgraded your English Super Combine?
Meet us behind the break for a guide to do just that.
While you may expect to have to gather 25 or more Vehicle Parts to build this Super Combine from scratch, luckily this is a case where "less is more," and you'll only need 5 vehicle parts in total to repair the Combine to be functional (don't worry, if you saved up more than that in preparation for the English Countryside, you'll need them later).
Once the Super Combine is complete, it will look very similar to your Home Farm Super Combine, if you stuck with the original red model. This Super Combine starts at Level 1, but can be upgraded fully to level 5 using different amounts of Vehicle Parts, if you choose to build a Garage on your English Farm (check out our guide). Here's the rundown, from level 1 to level 5:
Level 2: 2 Vehicle Parts
Level 3: 5 Vehicle Parts
Level 4: 10 Vehicle Parts
Level 5: 15 Vehicle Parts
As with the first Super Combine back on your Home Farm, each time you level up the vehicle, your Combine will then be able to plow, harvest, and seed (all in one click) a larger area of land, starting at a 2x2 square (so, four squares at a time), all the way up to a 4x4 square, or 16 squares total. If you don't happen to have the 32 Vehicle Parts on hand to upgrade fully to level 5, you can ask for Vehicle Parts by clicking on the Ask for Parts button inside your Garage. You'll be able to send out individual gift requests to your friends asking for parts.
Remember, these Vehicle Parts will go into your gift box, and can be used on either your Home Farm or your English Farm. The vehicles that you're upgrading however, are specific to that particular farm. That is, for right now, there's no way to move items from one farm to another. Once they're out of your gift box, they're specific to the farm you placed them on.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you repaired and fully upgraded your English Super Combine?
FarmVille English Countryside: Building a Garage
So, you've already spotted the broken Super Combine on your FarmVille English Countryside, but even after you repair it (check out our guide), do you really want to leave this fantastic three-in-one farm vehicle only capable of farming a 2x2 square area of land?
If not, you'll need to build a Garage, and luckily for you, a themed Garage has been released in the new English Countryside market. However, just like the Super Combine itself, it comes in a state of complete disrepair, and you'll need to rebuild it. Unlike the Super Combine, which was placed on your new farm by default, this is a building that must be purchased, even in its sorry state. The Garage Frame costs 50,000 coins to purchase from the store.
Meet us behind the break for a look at how to rebuild this vehicle storage building.
Once you purchase the frame, you'll have a building on your farm like the one in the image at the top of this post. To make the garage whole again (that is, make it functional), you'll need to collect a series of building parts - 10 each of Nails, Wooden Boards, and Bricks. Technically, you'll only need to collect 29 parts, as a Brick has been given to you for free.
If you didn't save up these 29 building ingredients in preparation for the launch of the English Countryside, or you've already used all of your saved parts on another building, here's a reminder of where you can find more.
- Click on the "Ask for More" button under any ingredient and send out individual requests for ingredients
- Purchase them from the store for 1 Farm Cash each
- Open Special Delivery Boxes which should give you the parts you need
- Ask your friends to send you these items from the game's free gifts page
- Look out for wall posts from friends that have completed building either their own Garage or other structures as they offer free building materials.
Building a Garage is the only way you'll be able to upgrade your Super Combine, or any other vehicles you may purchase in the future. It comes with a starting capacity of 20 Vehicles, and as of this writing, can't be expanded to hold more. However, unless you simply like to collect excess vehicles because of the way they look, the Super Combine is all you will ever need in terms of pure function.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you built a Garage on your second farm in the English Countryside? What do you think of the look of it?
If not, you'll need to build a Garage, and luckily for you, a themed Garage has been released in the new English Countryside market. However, just like the Super Combine itself, it comes in a state of complete disrepair, and you'll need to rebuild it. Unlike the Super Combine, which was placed on your new farm by default, this is a building that must be purchased, even in its sorry state. The Garage Frame costs 50,000 coins to purchase from the store.
Meet us behind the break for a look at how to rebuild this vehicle storage building.
Once you purchase the frame, you'll have a building on your farm like the one in the image at the top of this post. To make the garage whole again (that is, make it functional), you'll need to collect a series of building parts - 10 each of Nails, Wooden Boards, and Bricks. Technically, you'll only need to collect 29 parts, as a Brick has been given to you for free.
If you didn't save up these 29 building ingredients in preparation for the launch of the English Countryside, or you've already used all of your saved parts on another building, here's a reminder of where you can find more.
- Click on the "Ask for More" button under any ingredient and send out individual requests for ingredients
- Purchase them from the store for 1 Farm Cash each
- Open Special Delivery Boxes which should give you the parts you need
- Ask your friends to send you these items from the game's free gifts page
- Look out for wall posts from friends that have completed building either their own Garage or other structures as they offer free building materials.
Building a Garage is the only way you'll be able to upgrade your Super Combine, or any other vehicles you may purchase in the future. It comes with a starting capacity of 20 Vehicles, and as of this writing, can't be expanded to hold more. However, unless you simply like to collect excess vehicles because of the way they look, the Super Combine is all you will ever need in terms of pure function.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you built a Garage on your second farm in the English Countryside? What do you think of the look of it?
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