FrontierVille Letter From Spouse: hard work
One of the coolest and most novel features in FrontierVille is that you can get married and have kids. This isn't something you start off with immediately though. The game sets 5 major "goals" that cover at least a dozen different achievements -- everything from planting crops, buying animals, building a store, to collecting items for assembling wedding clothes.
All this, you must do alone, but you'll have the occasional letter to keep you company as you build a home for two. When your spouse arrives, you'll get to choose his or her gender and appearance, and yes, this means s/he can even be the same sex! Once your spouse is settled down, s/he becomes a second player, whom you can click on to help achieve more goals together. (TIP: Contrary to an early report, the spouse won't have his or her own energy meter, but will share yours. In terms of benefits, there are certain goals which are spouse-only. Plus, toggling between your spouse and yourself helps you reach more of the homestead, which can create higher, unbroken work combos.)
We've outlined all those achievements for you in one go. Read on to see what tasks need to be performed, what items you'll need, and the kinds of rewards you can expect.
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FrontierVille Get Married IconGet Married Step 1: Make Progress
Earns 60 XP and 100 Coins for Friends
1) Plant 12 crops
2) Spend 2000 Coins
3) Buy Three Chickens at the Market
Hint: Harvest ready crops for food and coins, then use coins to plant new crops.
FrontierVille Get Married Step 1: Make Progress
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Get Married Step 2: Build Up
Earns 400 Coins, 50 XP, and Ribbons for Friends
1) Clear Eight Grass
2) Build a General Store (TIP: To build a General Store, you'll need 5 Neighbors or be willing to use up 14 Horseshoes!)
Hint: If you're not high enough level to build a Store, work the homestead to gain experience and go up in level.
FrontierVille Get Married Step 2: Build Up
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Get Married Step 3: Prosperity
Earns 80 XP, and Experience Points for Friends
1) Gather 150 Food
2) Spend 3000 Coins
3) Buy One Cow
Hint: Harvest rice crops for food and coins. Use the coins to plant more crops.
FrontierVille Get Married Step 3: Prosperity
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Get Married Step 4: Fancy Duds
Earns 50 XP and Cloth for Friends
1) Have Four Sets of Clothes (TIP: Visit your Neighbors for Cloth. Complete a Cabin. Click on your Cabin and select "Go Inside" to access your "Crafting Workbench", then "Create". You need 6 Cloth and 500 Coins per set of Clothes.)
2) Have Four Ribbons
Hint: Craft clothes inside your cabin. Ribbons come as gifts.
FrontierVille Get Married Step 4: Fancy Duds
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Get Married Step 5: Pop the Question
Earns 75 XP, a Spouse!, increase Max Energy, and Presents for Friends
1) Have Two Fancy Outfits
2) Get One Bouquet
Hint: Clear wildflowers to collect different colors. Turn in the collection for a bouquet! Craft fancy clothes inside the General Store.
frontierville get married step 5: pop the question
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Legit site to earn money from home
Monday, February 13, 2012
Party's over! FarmVille Tuscan Wedding ends on June 29
Look like the party's over for the big Tuscan wedding that you've been hosting on your farm. Zynga says that this FarmVille event will come to a close on June 29, so you better beg and plead with friends to send you eggs, goats milk, olives and truffles so you can trade them in for favors, which can, in turn, be redeemed for a Leaning Tower or a Bella Fountain. I'm personally going trade in my favors for a flock of Spaghetti Sheep -- they're so absolutely adorable.
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updates, win free stuff and more. Just 'Like' us below.
Now what? Become a Fan of Games.com to get game
updates, win free stuff and more. Just 'Like' us below.
FarmVille: Tonight's update promises to "make your farms run smoother"
We're not sure what tonight's FarmVille update will entail, except for one thing -- performance enhancements -- which the game needs desperately. The past few days, the game's been running more ragged than ever, so I hope this means that everything will run like buttah the rest of this week. Or at least more like buttah than it has been. Keep your fingers crossed.
Mafia Wars Global Cup event ends tomorrow
If you haven't finished the Mafia Wars Global Cup collection yet -- it's do or die time. While the World Cup continues, this limited edition event will only be around for another day. Yup, this time tomorrow night, your chance at scoring some balls will be gone forever. I'm taking about soccer balls, of course.
mafia wars global cup collection
Just in case you need a refresher, the point of the Global Cup event is to complete the Global Cup Collection, which is made up of seven soccer balls, each bearing the colors of a different country. You can locate the balls by performing the special Global Cup jobs (three in all, each take different amounts of time to complete), regular jobs, fighting and one as a free gift from friends.
mafia wars global cup jobs
See the image below to learn what you need to do to get each ball. Once you complete the collection, you will be rewarded with a weapon called 'Injury Time' with 38 Attack and 52 Defense. Those defense stats aren't so bad, so it would behoove you to -- as they say -- get on the ball.
mafia wars global cup collection
Now what? Become a Fan of Games.com to get game
updates, win free stuff and more. Just 'Like' us below.
mafia wars global cup collection
Just in case you need a refresher, the point of the Global Cup event is to complete the Global Cup Collection, which is made up of seven soccer balls, each bearing the colors of a different country. You can locate the balls by performing the special Global Cup jobs (three in all, each take different amounts of time to complete), regular jobs, fighting and one as a free gift from friends.
mafia wars global cup jobs
See the image below to learn what you need to do to get each ball. Once you complete the collection, you will be rewarded with a weapon called 'Injury Time' with 38 Attack and 52 Defense. Those defense stats aren't so bad, so it would behoove you to -- as they say -- get on the ball.
mafia wars global cup collection
Now what? Become a Fan of Games.com to get game
updates, win free stuff and more. Just 'Like' us below.
FarmVille Blue & Red Mystery Box: Find out what's inside *Spoilers*
FarmVille released a brand new blue & red limited edition Mystery Box in the Market this evening (June 22), which is available for 16 Farm Cash for the next 7 days. Want to get an idea of what's inside before you spend a wad of virtual cash? Of course you do! See the full list below:
SPOILER ALERT!
* Outdoor Kitchen 300 XP
* Farm Goose 150 XP
* Mini Amphitheater 300 XP
* White Spotted Owl 225 XP
* Outdoor Bar 300Xp
* Garden Pavilion ??
The Amphitheater seems really huge, so you'll most likely have to clear some room to put this massive building on your farm. Though, it's pretty funny how there's two ducks performing onstage. Seems like the White Spotted Owl is the big winner from this go-round (it totally reminds me of Hedwig from Harry Potter) and maybe the Garden Pavilion (it's cute and doesn't take up too much space).
farmville farm goose
farmville red & blue gift box
Image courtesy Ricoh Viking
If you additional pictures, please send them to editors@games.com, and we'll feature them here!
What do you think -- is this new mystery box worth the Farm Cash?
SPOILER ALERT!
* Outdoor Kitchen 300 XP
* Farm Goose 150 XP
* Mini Amphitheater 300 XP
* White Spotted Owl 225 XP
* Outdoor Bar 300Xp
* Garden Pavilion ??
The Amphitheater seems really huge, so you'll most likely have to clear some room to put this massive building on your farm. Though, it's pretty funny how there's two ducks performing onstage. Seems like the White Spotted Owl is the big winner from this go-round (it totally reminds me of Hedwig from Harry Potter) and maybe the Garden Pavilion (it's cute and doesn't take up too much space).
farmville farm goose
farmville red & blue gift box
Image courtesy Ricoh Viking
If you additional pictures, please send them to editors@games.com, and we'll feature them here!
What do you think -- is this new mystery box worth the Farm Cash?
Friday, February 10, 2012
Green Giant's Farmville cash promotion a success
When Zynga partnered up with real-world produce maker Green Giant to give away Farmville cash, no one was really sure if virtual items would really drive real-world product sales. Well, any doubts have been removed now that the program seems set to finish as a bona fide success.
Mashable reports that over 100,000 in Farm Cash was given away as part of the six week pilot program, which started in select Target stores but soon expanded to over 4,000 stores nationwide. It was virtual money well spent, according to Green Giant. "It's really helped us put Green Giant Fresh back in front of the consumers in the social media world," Green Giant Fresh Michalin Modena told The Packer. "It's been a great opportunity to modernize our communication channels to consumers."
The free Farmville cash codes will appear on 25 different Green Giant Fresh produce products through Aug. 1, though they can be redeemed until the middle of September. Wait, Aug. 1? That's only a few days away! Excuse me, I have to make a quick trip to the store...
Mashable reports that over 100,000 in Farm Cash was given away as part of the six week pilot program, which started in select Target stores but soon expanded to over 4,000 stores nationwide. It was virtual money well spent, according to Green Giant. "It's really helped us put Green Giant Fresh back in front of the consumers in the social media world," Green Giant Fresh Michalin Modena told The Packer. "It's been a great opportunity to modernize our communication channels to consumers."
The free Farmville cash codes will appear on 25 different Green Giant Fresh produce products through Aug. 1, though they can be redeemed until the middle of September. Wait, Aug. 1? That's only a few days away! Excuse me, I have to make a quick trip to the store...
Cisco security report mentions nebulous social gaming threat
The dirty little secret of the social gaming industry that a large portion of players use these games to goof off when they should be working. Now, a new security report is warning companies that lost productivity could be the least of the problems caused by the games -- that they could be a bona fide security risk to corporate IT infrastructure. All that's missing is the "how."
To be fair, page 11 of Cisco's 2010 Midyear Security Report mainly focuses on the huge time sink Facebook games represent for otherwise productive workers (see image). But the report also tries to sell the games as some sort of ill-defined security risk to company computers. "It's safe to assume that online criminals are developing ways to deliver malware via popular applications," the report states. "Heavy users love to search the web for cheats and tricks for better play, so they may fall victim to malware-laden links or spam messages offering such shortcuts."
While we've seen isolated cases of malware popping up in game ads and fake "strategy guide" scams, Cisco's case seems a bit overblown to us. Just because it's "safe to assume" hackers are targeting Facebook games doesn't mean that companies' critical servers are under imminent threat from Farmville-playing employees. In fact, if any such malware were to show up as part of the most popular Facebook games, it would likely be quickly discovered, reported and (hopefully) neutralized by the game-maker before it could spread too far.
To its credit, the Cisco report does say that simply banning all employee access to social networks is an overly severe solution to this problem. "Businesses must balance the need to provide access to collaboration tools with the need to manage enterprise security," the report states. Amen to that.
Source
To be fair, page 11 of Cisco's 2010 Midyear Security Report mainly focuses on the huge time sink Facebook games represent for otherwise productive workers (see image). But the report also tries to sell the games as some sort of ill-defined security risk to company computers. "It's safe to assume that online criminals are developing ways to deliver malware via popular applications," the report states. "Heavy users love to search the web for cheats and tricks for better play, so they may fall victim to malware-laden links or spam messages offering such shortcuts."
While we've seen isolated cases of malware popping up in game ads and fake "strategy guide" scams, Cisco's case seems a bit overblown to us. Just because it's "safe to assume" hackers are targeting Facebook games doesn't mean that companies' critical servers are under imminent threat from Farmville-playing employees. In fact, if any such malware were to show up as part of the most popular Facebook games, it would likely be quickly discovered, reported and (hopefully) neutralized by the game-maker before it could spread too far.
To its credit, the Cisco report does say that simply banning all employee access to social networks is an overly severe solution to this problem. "Businesses must balance the need to provide access to collaboration tools with the need to manage enterprise security," the report states. Amen to that.
Source
Quote of the Moment: The downside of "viral"
"1. They reproduce at a fantastic rate. True. Facebook games came from nothing, and now everyone and their mother plays FarmVille.
2. They can mutate. Games update regularly, weeding out unused/disliked features and adding in better components that will help them "survive". The Challenge Missions in Mafia Wars are a prime example. The most recent was South Africa, meant to capitalize on the World Cup – the objective of this mission was to fix the matches by bribing referees and so on. Now that the World Cup is over, the new players drawn to the game will likely stay due to the fun they had with the "mutation".
3. They are acellular, that is, they contain no cytoplasm or cellular organelles. So far as I know. 'Cause if they did, that would be disturbing.
4. They carry out no metabolism on their own and must replicate using the host cell's metabolic machinery. Indeed, Facebook games are helpless to reproduce without the living "host cells", i.e. human beings. This is where all of that annoying "Please be my neighbor on FarmVille!" notification spam comes from.
Oh, and they're tricky. Tricksy little viruses they are. They even act benign, rewarding the host when they pass the contagion on, or requiring transmission of the virus to continue in the game. This usually comes right when they've got their hooks in the player. 'You need more mafia members to play this level. Recruit. Recruuuuuit!' And the player dutifully sends out request spam to everyone on their friends list, and some poor schmuck picks it up, and the cycle begins anew. These things snowflake out – and once you start with one game, others will follow."
2. They can mutate. Games update regularly, weeding out unused/disliked features and adding in better components that will help them "survive". The Challenge Missions in Mafia Wars are a prime example. The most recent was South Africa, meant to capitalize on the World Cup – the objective of this mission was to fix the matches by bribing referees and so on. Now that the World Cup is over, the new players drawn to the game will likely stay due to the fun they had with the "mutation".
3. They are acellular, that is, they contain no cytoplasm or cellular organelles. So far as I know. 'Cause if they did, that would be disturbing.
4. They carry out no metabolism on their own and must replicate using the host cell's metabolic machinery. Indeed, Facebook games are helpless to reproduce without the living "host cells", i.e. human beings. This is where all of that annoying "Please be my neighbor on FarmVille!" notification spam comes from.
Oh, and they're tricky. Tricksy little viruses they are. They even act benign, rewarding the host when they pass the contagion on, or requiring transmission of the virus to continue in the game. This usually comes right when they've got their hooks in the player. 'You need more mafia members to play this level. Recruit. Recruuuuuit!' And the player dutifully sends out request spam to everyone on their friends list, and some poor schmuck picks it up, and the cycle begins anew. These things snowflake out – and once you start with one game, others will follow."
New FarmVille Puppy: St. Bernard
FarmVille St. Bernard
Continuing with Swiss theme, FarmVille has released a new puppy this evening- the St. Bernard. You can pick the St. Bernard's barrel color- brown, blue, or pink. The new puppy will cost 65 FV$ and come with 2 weeks worth of kibble.
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size. (source: wikipedia)
FarmVille St. Bernard Choose your puppy!
Will you be adding the St. Bernard to your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Continuing with Swiss theme, FarmVille has released a new puppy this evening- the St. Bernard. You can pick the St. Bernard's barrel color- brown, blue, or pink. The new puppy will cost 65 FV$ and come with 2 weeks worth of kibble.
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size. (source: wikipedia)
FarmVille St. Bernard Choose your puppy!
Will you be adding the St. Bernard to your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Overflowing Beehives Yield Fertilize All Option
FarmVille Overflowing Beehive
FarmVille Fertilize All in GiftboxMany farmers, such as FarmVille Freak William, are experiencing a new FarmVille notice that offers a special perk for Overflowing Beehives.
Farmers with Overflowing Beehives may receive the pop-up below that offers a "Fertilize All" reward. Using the Fertilize All reward will fertilize your entire FarmVille farm's crops.
The Fertilize All can be used immediately or stored in your Gift Box for later use.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Fertilize All in GiftboxMany farmers, such as FarmVille Freak William, are experiencing a new FarmVille notice that offers a special perk for Overflowing Beehives.
Farmers with Overflowing Beehives may receive the pop-up below that offers a "Fertilize All" reward. Using the Fertilize All reward will fertilize your entire FarmVille farm's crops.
The Fertilize All can be used immediately or stored in your Gift Box for later use.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
YoVille Camp Yo hiking items now in furniture store
YoVille Goes Hiking! Get yourself some sleeping bags, sittable kayaks, backpacks, tents as well as the beehive, ant hill, beautiful wild flowers and pine trees!
Over 50 new items are here to make your camp just perfect!
Check the pictures and prices after the link!
yoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
Over 50 new items are here to make your camp just perfect!
Check the pictures and prices after the link!
yoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking itemsyoville camp yo hiking items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
YoVille: More camping clothes and accessories in the clothing store
More camping clothing and accessories were added to the YoVille clothing store! This latest release includes counselor outfits, new hats, whistles, binoculars etc. And of course, no camping without mosquito bites.
Outfits in coins, hats and accessories in YoCash. Check the complete list after the link.
yoville camping clothingyoville camping clothingyoville camping clothingyoville camping clothing
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Outfits in coins, hats and accessories in YoCash. Check the complete list after the link.
yoville camping clothingyoville camping clothingyoville camping clothingyoville camping clothing
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille: Four new cars have arrived
Four New Cars make their way into Yoville!
An Orange Monster Truck for 35 Yocash, Yellow Italian Roadster for 49 Yocash, 57 Hot Red Car for 39 Yocash or Red Electric Car for 35 Yocash or with 10 Co-signers you can get if for 20,000 coins.
yoville new carsyoville new cars
Read an early guide to the new YoVille cars by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
An Orange Monster Truck for 35 Yocash, Yellow Italian Roadster for 49 Yocash, 57 Hot Red Car for 39 Yocash or Red Electric Car for 35 Yocash or with 10 Co-signers you can get if for 20,000 coins.
yoville new carsyoville new cars
Read an early guide to the new YoVille cars by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille: New items in the free Mystery Chests
New items have been added to the red, blue and green YoVille mystery chests! Known items so far are the Red, Brown, Tan and Black Cow Hides and a decorative Glazed Pot. Collect and share the keys on your facebook-feed, and send the chests to your friends through the free gift page.
Have you found other items as well? Let us know in the comments.
Check the pictures of these items after the link.
yoville free mystery chest items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Have you found other items as well? Let us know in the comments.
Check the pictures of these items after the link.
yoville free mystery chest items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Digital Chocolate lays out its Mafia Wars trademark case against Zynga
Games.com -- The Blog has obtained a complete copy of the lawsuit that Trip Hawkins' Digital Chocolate served against Zynga earlier this week over the company's use of the Mafia Wars trademark. In it, Digital Chocolate methodically lays out its argument that, "through duplicity and bad faith, [Zynga] effectively hijacked the MAFIA WARS mark" that Digital Chocolate had a prior right to.
According to the court documents (the first 18 pages of which can be found here), Digital Chocolate's use of the name Mafia Wars began in June of 2004, when the company got the game in its acquisition of Finnish company Sumea Interactive. Sumea's Mafia Wars eventually spawned sequels under Digital Chocolate, including Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2 in 2005 (here's an IGN preview from that game's release), Mafia Wars Yakuza Wars in 2005 and Mafia Wars New York in 2009 (astute observers may see similarities to Zynga's later Mafia Wars Bangkok and Mafia Wars New York in those titles). Though Digital Chocolate's Mafia Wars was never as big as Zynga's, the company claims that two million people worldwide downloaded games in the series (including "hundreds of thousands" in the U.S.)
Gallery: Digital Chocolate's Lawsuit Against Zynga Over Mafia Wars Name
While Zynga may have been unaware of Digital Chocolate's game when it launched its version of Mafia Wars in 2008, Digital Chocolate made sure to let them know about the conflict in a January 2009 letter, court documents state. In May of 2009, Digital Chocolate says they received a response to their letter in which Zynga, while claiming that their game didn't infringe on Digital Chocolate's, nonetheless "disclaims any trademark rights in the term 'Mafia Wars' in connection to the game."
But that state of affairs didn't last long, according to the court documents, as Zynga filed for a Mafia Wars trademark in the U.S. in July of 2009. The company later extended the trademark application to other countries and to use in a variety of branded products from memo pads to tank tops. These filings became especially ironic when Zynga filed a suit againt rival Playdom over the Mafia Wars name. At that time, Zynga stated their "belief no other person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use the mark in commerce, either in the identical form thereof or in such near resemblance thereto as to be likely..."
In the lawsuit, Digital Chocolate is seeking that Zynga "disgorge any and all revenues and profits that Defendant has derived from its wrongful actions;" as well as "treble damages, resonable attorney's fees and expenses; and costs," rights to the Mafiwawars.com domain name and "corrective advertising for double the amount spent" by Zynga.
While Digital Chocolate's case seems strong (assuming the facts are as they've been laid out here -- Zynga has offered only a prepared statement in response to the allegations), there are a few potential legal sticking points that might prevent them from winning untold millions from Zynga. For one, Digital Chocolate seems to have never formally registered a trademark for Mafia Wars in the United States, weakening their prior claim on the name. For another, Digital Chocolate would have to prove that Zynga's use of the Mafia Wars name produced "market confusion" over which game was which. This means they have to show that some consumers assumed Zynga's mega-hit Facebook game has some relationship with Digital Chocolate's largely unheard-of downloadable title.
According to the court documents (the first 18 pages of which can be found here), Digital Chocolate's use of the name Mafia Wars began in June of 2004, when the company got the game in its acquisition of Finnish company Sumea Interactive. Sumea's Mafia Wars eventually spawned sequels under Digital Chocolate, including Scarlotti's Mafia Wars 2 in 2005 (here's an IGN preview from that game's release), Mafia Wars Yakuza Wars in 2005 and Mafia Wars New York in 2009 (astute observers may see similarities to Zynga's later Mafia Wars Bangkok and Mafia Wars New York in those titles). Though Digital Chocolate's Mafia Wars was never as big as Zynga's, the company claims that two million people worldwide downloaded games in the series (including "hundreds of thousands" in the U.S.)
Gallery: Digital Chocolate's Lawsuit Against Zynga Over Mafia Wars Name
While Zynga may have been unaware of Digital Chocolate's game when it launched its version of Mafia Wars in 2008, Digital Chocolate made sure to let them know about the conflict in a January 2009 letter, court documents state. In May of 2009, Digital Chocolate says they received a response to their letter in which Zynga, while claiming that their game didn't infringe on Digital Chocolate's, nonetheless "disclaims any trademark rights in the term 'Mafia Wars' in connection to the game."
But that state of affairs didn't last long, according to the court documents, as Zynga filed for a Mafia Wars trademark in the U.S. in July of 2009. The company later extended the trademark application to other countries and to use in a variety of branded products from memo pads to tank tops. These filings became especially ironic when Zynga filed a suit againt rival Playdom over the Mafia Wars name. At that time, Zynga stated their "belief no other person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use the mark in commerce, either in the identical form thereof or in such near resemblance thereto as to be likely..."
In the lawsuit, Digital Chocolate is seeking that Zynga "disgorge any and all revenues and profits that Defendant has derived from its wrongful actions;" as well as "treble damages, resonable attorney's fees and expenses; and costs," rights to the Mafiwawars.com domain name and "corrective advertising for double the amount spent" by Zynga.
While Digital Chocolate's case seems strong (assuming the facts are as they've been laid out here -- Zynga has offered only a prepared statement in response to the allegations), there are a few potential legal sticking points that might prevent them from winning untold millions from Zynga. For one, Digital Chocolate seems to have never formally registered a trademark for Mafia Wars in the United States, weakening their prior claim on the name. For another, Digital Chocolate would have to prove that Zynga's use of the Mafia Wars name produced "market confusion" over which game was which. This means they have to show that some consumers assumed Zynga's mega-hit Facebook game has some relationship with Digital Chocolate's largely unheard-of downloadable title.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Cafe World 50% Lightening Stove slashes cooking time in half
As part of a series of Cafe World Anniversary celebrations, Zynga's restaurant simulation game on Facebook is offering up another limited edition bonus item. The 50% Lightening Stove promises to cut cooking time in half on all of your stoves.
To get started building your own, you'll need to find the stove in the store (under the stove tab, see circled item in image above) and drag it into your cafe. You've automatically been given a extra spot for this extra stove, so you don't have to worry if you have enough space.
Once the stove is placed in your cafe, click on, and you'll be given a list of building materials you'll need to secure to complete your stove. You'll need 60 items in all, and that breaks down to the following:
10 Golden Book
10 Golden Coil
10 Golden Switch
20 Golden Tubes
cafe world 50% lightening super stove
Like the other buildable items in Cafe World, you can ask friends to send these items to you, or you buy them using Cafe Cash.
Each item costs 2 Cafe Cash, except for the Golden Tube, which are 3 Cafe Cash each. If you just want to buy the entire thing, you can do so for 120 Cafe Cash, which is roughly the equivalent of $20.
To get started building your own, you'll need to find the stove in the store (under the stove tab, see circled item in image above) and drag it into your cafe. You've automatically been given a extra spot for this extra stove, so you don't have to worry if you have enough space.
Once the stove is placed in your cafe, click on, and you'll be given a list of building materials you'll need to secure to complete your stove. You'll need 60 items in all, and that breaks down to the following:
10 Golden Book
10 Golden Coil
10 Golden Switch
20 Golden Tubes
cafe world 50% lightening super stove
Like the other buildable items in Cafe World, you can ask friends to send these items to you, or you buy them using Cafe Cash.
Each item costs 2 Cafe Cash, except for the Golden Tube, which are 3 Cafe Cash each. If you just want to buy the entire thing, you can do so for 120 Cafe Cash, which is roughly the equivalent of $20.
Green Farm: The best looking farm game yet
Gameloft, one of the leading mobile game developers for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, are now venturing over into our world of Facebook games, and they're starting off strong. Green Farm is their brand new game on Facebook, and just when we thought we were sick and tired of farming games, they impress us with yet another one. Green Farm is by far the nicest looking, most slick, and most polished farming game we've seen yet - and it might even be one of the most polished games of all Facebook game genres. The game loads quickly and everything feels so responsive and fun, it's bound to be a top contender to soar up the ranks over the next couple of weeks.
As far as the game goes, it's mostly old hat. There isn't anything too out-of-the-ordinary about the play experience, except that everything feels more alive and more fun than FarmVille. The game takes a more green concept, with things such as organic seeds and solar panels that give you extra coins and items. When visiting a friend, Green Farm actually has chat that allows you to talk in real time and interact with friends - which is something that only a few games on Facebook are doing successfully. A robust lottery system makes Green Farm fun to log into every day to see what prizes you can earn.
All in all, Green Farm is a solid contender in a very saturated market. If any farming game has the chance to succeed other than FarmVille, this is the one. Are Facebook players tired of the same ol' farming game, or are people still clinging dearly to their farms in FarmVille?
As far as the game goes, it's mostly old hat. There isn't anything too out-of-the-ordinary about the play experience, except that everything feels more alive and more fun than FarmVille. The game takes a more green concept, with things such as organic seeds and solar panels that give you extra coins and items. When visiting a friend, Green Farm actually has chat that allows you to talk in real time and interact with friends - which is something that only a few games on Facebook are doing successfully. A robust lottery system makes Green Farm fun to log into every day to see what prizes you can earn.
All in all, Green Farm is a solid contender in a very saturated market. If any farming game has the chance to succeed other than FarmVille, this is the one. Are Facebook players tired of the same ol' farming game, or are people still clinging dearly to their farms in FarmVille?
FarmVille Sponsored Link: Netflix for 100 FV$
farmville netflix
As another FarmVille sponsored link, Netflix is offering 100 free farm cash for signing up for a trial offer.
It may take up to two hours after signing up for your free trial.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you take advantage of this Netflix sponsored link?
As another FarmVille sponsored link, Netflix is offering 100 free farm cash for signing up for a trial offer.
It may take up to two hours after signing up for your free trial.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you take advantage of this Netflix sponsored link?
FarmVille Orange Daisies, Market Stall, & Bushel coming soon
farmville orange daisies market stall farmville orange daisy bushel
Thank you to FarmVille player Ariel for finding these unreleased FarmVille Orange Daisies, Orange Daisies Market Stall, & Orange Daisies Bushel items.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thank you to FarmVille player Ariel for finding these unreleased FarmVille Orange Daisies, Orange Daisies Market Stall, & Orange Daisies Bushel items.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Germany Buildings: Mountain Tavern & Moss Cabin
farmville mountain tavern
The Limited Edition Germany theme continues with more updates tonight including the two buildings we featured earlier today as unreleased items.
The Mountain Tavern and Moss Cabin can be found in the FarmVille Market during the next 7 days only.
FarmVille LE Germany Theme Buildings (Released September 23, 2010):
Mountain Tavern – 34 FV$
Moss Cabin – 300,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase these buildings for your farm?
The Limited Edition Germany theme continues with more updates tonight including the two buildings we featured earlier today as unreleased items.
The Mountain Tavern and Moss Cabin can be found in the FarmVille Market during the next 7 days only.
FarmVille LE Germany Theme Buildings (Released September 23, 2010):
Mountain Tavern – 34 FV$
Moss Cabin – 300,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase these buildings for your farm?
Friday, February 3, 2012
City of Wonder Halloween Items: Have Dracula scare your villagers
While City of Wonder may not immediately jump out as a game that should be celebrating Halloween, the folks at Playdom have thrown caution (and perhaps realism) to the wind, releasing a whole Transylvanian set of items (comprised of spooky free gifts), along with some basic Halloween or otherwise terrifying new decorations and buildings to scare your villagers this holiday.
For a complete rundown of the available items, meet us after the break.
For starters, there are three limited edition buildings / decorations available to purchase from the in-game Bulletin that appears when you first launch the game. These items are a Headless Rider decoration, an Insane Asylum building and a Witch's Hut. The prices on these items range from 25-35 Gold, so I hope you have enough saved up to afford them.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to create your over version of Transylvania in your world, you can do so by constructing the Dracula's Castle marvel. You will need to have learned Religion and Masonry to begin construction on the project, and once the base is placed, you'll need 12 friends to help you build it. If you don't want to wait, you can also purchase the Castle for 40 Gold.
Other Dracula items are those that you can receive as gifts from friends. This event appears to be set up to allow one themed item to be present on the game's free gifts menu at a time, with the current offering being the Sanctuary of Dracula (apparently even evil beings need a place to relax). This building adds 10 culture and 100 Happiness Points to your town.
Finally, the in-game store also offers some Halloween items, like a Halloween Party, Candy Shop, and Graveyard. With items like these all costing varying amounts of coins, it guarantees that all users can get in on the fun, even if they don't want to shell out Gold or wait for friends to send them items.
For a complete rundown of the available items, meet us after the break.
For starters, there are three limited edition buildings / decorations available to purchase from the in-game Bulletin that appears when you first launch the game. These items are a Headless Rider decoration, an Insane Asylum building and a Witch's Hut. The prices on these items range from 25-35 Gold, so I hope you have enough saved up to afford them.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to create your over version of Transylvania in your world, you can do so by constructing the Dracula's Castle marvel. You will need to have learned Religion and Masonry to begin construction on the project, and once the base is placed, you'll need 12 friends to help you build it. If you don't want to wait, you can also purchase the Castle for 40 Gold.
Other Dracula items are those that you can receive as gifts from friends. This event appears to be set up to allow one themed item to be present on the game's free gifts menu at a time, with the current offering being the Sanctuary of Dracula (apparently even evil beings need a place to relax). This building adds 10 culture and 100 Happiness Points to your town.
Finally, the in-game store also offers some Halloween items, like a Halloween Party, Candy Shop, and Graveyard. With items like these all costing varying amounts of coins, it guarantees that all users can get in on the fun, even if they don't want to shell out Gold or wait for friends to send them items.
Happy Pets Pet Park feature now offers private chat
Earlier in the month, CrowdStar released the Pet Park feature in Happy Pets, giving the game a truly social aspect, allowing players to take a pet from their home into a communal space occupied by other real world players, where you can live chat with new friends.
This week, they updated the feature to allow for private chatting, via the inclusion of private Premium Rooms. These Premium Rooms can be created by clicking on the yellow plus sign symbol under the rooms tab of the chat menu in the bottom right corner of the Pet Park screen.
From there, you can spend 18 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $1.80 US) to create your own private chat room. You can choose either a Nighttime, Cherry Blossom or Arctic theme for the room, give it a name and then secure the room with a password, meaning that only those users that know the password will be able to access it. These chat rooms unfortunately come with a time limit of one hour, but you can always create a new room after the current room expires to keep the conversation going.
Not only will these private chat rooms keep users away from the more questionable participants in the Pet Park, but they also increase the chance of digging up items, including premium items that would otherwise cost Facebook Credits to purchase.
This week, they updated the feature to allow for private chatting, via the inclusion of private Premium Rooms. These Premium Rooms can be created by clicking on the yellow plus sign symbol under the rooms tab of the chat menu in the bottom right corner of the Pet Park screen.
From there, you can spend 18 Facebook Credits (the equivalent of $1.80 US) to create your own private chat room. You can choose either a Nighttime, Cherry Blossom or Arctic theme for the room, give it a name and then secure the room with a password, meaning that only those users that know the password will be able to access it. These chat rooms unfortunately come with a time limit of one hour, but you can always create a new room after the current room expires to keep the conversation going.
Not only will these private chat rooms keep users away from the more questionable participants in the Pet Park, but they also increase the chance of digging up items, including premium items that would otherwise cost Facebook Credits to purchase.
FrontierVille Horrors Part II: Headless Horseman glitches "fixed," but are they really?
Yesterday, we commented on the growing number of users that were finding FrontierVille practically impossible to play after the Headless Horseman missions stopped functioning, due either to game crashes, missing Horsemen or overall game slowdowns.
While Zynga had yet to comment on the situation then, they have made their voice heard now, via the official FrontierVille forums. According to a Bug Update thread posted yesterday evening, the following errors have been fixed:
The inability to click on the Horseman on your own Homestead
The disappearance of the Horseman from your neighbors' Homesteads
The error when collecting the Cannonball, which would cause the game to reset and the Cannonball to disappear
The inability to find ghost varmints
According to Zynga, the only remaining problem is the frequent occurrence of flash crashes for players (that being the kind of crash that shows a black screen or broken image with the game disappearing altogether).
However, with the fix of one or even four problems, we seem to have come across another, as users are reporting that now, when attempting to complete the final Headless Horseman mission, the game fails when clicking on Fanny Wildcat. Users click on her to hear what she has to say, are told that the game has lost its connection and must refresh. Upon refreshing and clicking on her a second time, the game "loses its connection" yet again, creating an unbreakable cycle (as you can't continue gameplay until you talk to Miss Wildcat).
Are you still experiencing any issues with the Halloween or Headless Horseman quests? If you are, Zynga asks that you post bug reports on this official thread to let them know which "fix" didn't work for you.
While Zynga had yet to comment on the situation then, they have made their voice heard now, via the official FrontierVille forums. According to a Bug Update thread posted yesterday evening, the following errors have been fixed:
The inability to click on the Horseman on your own Homestead
The disappearance of the Horseman from your neighbors' Homesteads
The error when collecting the Cannonball, which would cause the game to reset and the Cannonball to disappear
The inability to find ghost varmints
According to Zynga, the only remaining problem is the frequent occurrence of flash crashes for players (that being the kind of crash that shows a black screen or broken image with the game disappearing altogether).
However, with the fix of one or even four problems, we seem to have come across another, as users are reporting that now, when attempting to complete the final Headless Horseman mission, the game fails when clicking on Fanny Wildcat. Users click on her to hear what she has to say, are told that the game has lost its connection and must refresh. Upon refreshing and clicking on her a second time, the game "loses its connection" yet again, creating an unbreakable cycle (as you can't continue gameplay until you talk to Miss Wildcat).
Are you still experiencing any issues with the Halloween or Headless Horseman quests? If you are, Zynga asks that you post bug reports on this official thread to let them know which "fix" didn't work for you.
Playdom plans to shutter Super Farkle on Dec. 31
Anyone who logs in to Super Farkle will be greeted with a message telling them that the game will be closing down for good on December 31, 2010. This brings the total number of Playdom games to close down within three months to four, with Fanglies, Big City Life, and Treetopia 4 Comments. Super Farkle was not a huge hit for Playdom; at its peak it hit just over 1 million monthly actives but has fallen down to around 177,000 monthly players. The game was a cute rendition of the popular dice game Farkle, and used the same cute little critters as Fanglies.
Should we be concerned for Playdom? We don't think so; it appears that they're just culling out the games that aren't bringing in enough revenue to justify spending maintenance time on them. With huge hits like Social City and City of Wonder (not to mention being acquired by Disney) the company isn't going anywhere anytime soon. These game closures do say a lot for the state of social games though. If you don't have an enormous hit, perhaps creating games on Facebook isn't viable long term. We hate to see the on ramp for indie developers and startups who don't have the staff and cash to put a ton of production quality into their games, because big companies are closing down games that look and play very good.
If you want to give Super Farkle a try before it goes away forever, you can still do so.
Should we be concerned for Playdom? We don't think so; it appears that they're just culling out the games that aren't bringing in enough revenue to justify spending maintenance time on them. With huge hits like Social City and City of Wonder (not to mention being acquired by Disney) the company isn't going anywhere anytime soon. These game closures do say a lot for the state of social games though. If you don't have an enormous hit, perhaps creating games on Facebook isn't viable long term. We hate to see the on ramp for indie developers and startups who don't have the staff and cash to put a ton of production quality into their games, because big companies are closing down games that look and play very good.
If you want to give Super Farkle a try before it goes away forever, you can still do so.
Ravenwood Fair Cheats & Tips: Learn how to earn coins fast
Ravenwood Fair is a hot new game from LOLapps that combines the gameplay from FrontierVille with a new and exciting carnival theme. In this game, the goal is to create your own fair and attract guests, all while keeping your guests safe from the scary critters that live in the forest surrounding you. In order to buy new games and decorations for your fair, you need coins. Here is the essential guide that will teach you how to earn coins in Ravenwood Fair.
Build Games
Building games is not only one of the main objectives of Ravenwood Fair, it actually has a huge coin benefit to you as well. The more games you have, the more visitors will come to your fair. Visitors spend money playing your games, so you can collect coins from them while they are playing. Clearly, it is a good idea to have as many games as you can afford in your fair. Building games does require you to spend coins though, so it might not be the most cost effective way to earn them.
Chop Down Trees
Chopping down trees is an effective way to earn coins, because each time you chop a tree you earn a little bit of coins. The amount ranges from 1-20 per chop, so it can definitely add up to be a substantial amount of dough. You can only chop as long as you have energy though, so this option doesn't work for just anyone.
Complete Quests
Doing quests is one of the best ways to earn coins in the game. Quest objectives vary from killing Domovois to collecting materials and building games, so there is generally one quest available that you can do without having coins. When you complete a quest, you can earn thousands of coins, not to mention XP and energy as an added bonus.
Comfort Visitors
Every time one of your visitors is scared of something in the woods, you can click on them to comfort them. Comforting a visitor gives you 10 coins each time you do it. You can also visit your neighbors and comfort the visitors in their fair.
Collect from Feed
When your friends level up, use special powers, and complete quests, they are prompted to share coins with you on their wall. If you click on these feed posts, you can get coins just for doing that. Don't forget to check your Games dashboard to view all the feed posts from a particular game and scan quickly for coin bonuses. This is only about 10 coins per post, but it can definitely add up if you have a lot of friends who play Ravenwood Fair.
Visit Neighbors
Having neighbors is helpful because the first time you visit their fair each day you get a big coin, energy, and XP bonus. Having a lot of neighbors is definitely a good thing for your fair!
Build Games
Building games is not only one of the main objectives of Ravenwood Fair, it actually has a huge coin benefit to you as well. The more games you have, the more visitors will come to your fair. Visitors spend money playing your games, so you can collect coins from them while they are playing. Clearly, it is a good idea to have as many games as you can afford in your fair. Building games does require you to spend coins though, so it might not be the most cost effective way to earn them.
Chop Down Trees
Chopping down trees is an effective way to earn coins, because each time you chop a tree you earn a little bit of coins. The amount ranges from 1-20 per chop, so it can definitely add up to be a substantial amount of dough. You can only chop as long as you have energy though, so this option doesn't work for just anyone.
Complete Quests
Doing quests is one of the best ways to earn coins in the game. Quest objectives vary from killing Domovois to collecting materials and building games, so there is generally one quest available that you can do without having coins. When you complete a quest, you can earn thousands of coins, not to mention XP and energy as an added bonus.
Comfort Visitors
Every time one of your visitors is scared of something in the woods, you can click on them to comfort them. Comforting a visitor gives you 10 coins each time you do it. You can also visit your neighbors and comfort the visitors in their fair.
Collect from Feed
When your friends level up, use special powers, and complete quests, they are prompted to share coins with you on their wall. If you click on these feed posts, you can get coins just for doing that. Don't forget to check your Games dashboard to view all the feed posts from a particular game and scan quickly for coin bonuses. This is only about 10 coins per post, but it can definitely add up if you have a lot of friends who play Ravenwood Fair.
Visit Neighbors
Having neighbors is helpful because the first time you visit their fair each day you get a big coin, energy, and XP bonus. Having a lot of neighbors is definitely a good thing for your fair!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
ESPNU College Town runs Track and Field, fixes Challenges (again)
Track and Field EventThe original sports have made their way into ESPNU College Town in a recent update. Players can now build a Track and Field venue for their university, opening up several events in all divisions such as the eight-hour-long Track and Field for Junior Varsity (pictured). However, this venue doesn't come with any new All Stars, which might be due to the fact that these sports are more focused on individual bests than team competitive play. Not to mention that many athletes in sports like Soccer and Baseball also dabble in Track and Field while in college, leaving room for the same All Stars. These All Stars--and Track Challenges--could be added at a later date, but don't hold your breath.
Also in the update are some changes to Challenges for the better (and possibly worst). Challenge results now depend more on All Star statistics than ever before, though Fans and School Spirit still modify those stats, which could spell doom for the more frugal players. Experience points gained are now clearly explained in the results page while the amount of experience is now directly tied to the number of cards played in a given Challenge. This change was probably introduced to make playing multiple-card Challenges more worthwhile. Since Playdom changed the experience gained for beating down on lower players, now defeating players of a higher level than you results in more experience for the little guys. Lastly, the amount of plays your All Stars have left has been made clearer, if there was any confusion before.
All in all, this update brought many more changes to the game's mechanics than content, which for some might be better than yet another set of All Stars.
Also in the update are some changes to Challenges for the better (and possibly worst). Challenge results now depend more on All Star statistics than ever before, though Fans and School Spirit still modify those stats, which could spell doom for the more frugal players. Experience points gained are now clearly explained in the results page while the amount of experience is now directly tied to the number of cards played in a given Challenge. This change was probably introduced to make playing multiple-card Challenges more worthwhile. Since Playdom changed the experience gained for beating down on lower players, now defeating players of a higher level than you results in more experience for the little guys. Lastly, the amount of plays your All Stars have left has been made clearer, if there was any confusion before.
All in all, this update brought many more changes to the game's mechanics than content, which for some might be better than yet another set of All Stars.
ESPNU College Town Thanksgiving items bring the comforts of home
Everyone's favorite day to stuff their faces with turkey and watch hours of football is almost here and Playdom wouldn't let ESPNU College Town go hungry. In fact, it's the game that won't the people go hungry with its new Thanksgiving-theme items like the Food Drive. A decoration that costs only 6 Campus Cash, or about $2, the Food Drive will provide your campus with 300 Happiness and 150 XP while doing your university some good.
Other items include the Thanksgiving Feast, which provide 750 Happiness and 375 XP. The Harvest Festival and Fall Football decoration will grant the same rewards and add some much needed fall flavor to your campus grounds. However, each of these three items costs a hefty 15 Campus Cash, or about $4, so it's up to you if keeping the giving spirit alive is worth the dough. Either way, enjoy the festivities in ESPNU your own way. Even if that means playing a boatload of Football Challenges on the big day with some hot cider and turkey by your side. Actually, that sounds like a good idea right now.
Other items include the Thanksgiving Feast, which provide 750 Happiness and 375 XP. The Harvest Festival and Fall Football decoration will grant the same rewards and add some much needed fall flavor to your campus grounds. However, each of these three items costs a hefty 15 Campus Cash, or about $4, so it's up to you if keeping the giving spirit alive is worth the dough. Either way, enjoy the festivities in ESPNU your own way. Even if that means playing a boatload of Football Challenges on the big day with some hot cider and turkey by your side. Actually, that sounds like a good idea right now.
Great scott! Back to the Future comes to Facebook at 88 mph
Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time
Marty and Doc have come back from the... past, actually, to bring Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time to Facebook. Developed by Telltale Games, the company working on the PC and iPad versions of the Back To the Future adventure game, this version looks and plays a lot like one of our favorites. OK, so it's a complete knock off of Bejeweled Blitz in almost every way (including the title), but that doesn't stop it from being loads of fun.
Join us behind the break for a detailed look at this blast from the past. Or is it the future? Aw, heck, I don't even know anymore.
Back to the Future Gameplay
Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time, for all intents and purposes, is Bejeweled Blitz with Christopher Lloyd's voice work and that awfully catchy, orchestral theme song. Players have to match what appear to be colored gems in rows of three, but we're going to guess that they're pieces of plutonium to power the flux capacitor.
Even the power ups are the same. Match four in a row to create an explosive plutonium piece that will pop when connected with two more. Five pieces matched will result in a piece that will detonate every piece on the board of the same color it crosses paths with. Players of Bejeweled will feel right at home, and it's not as if this is the first time the game has been copied. What differentiates this from the game that inspired it is that it doesn't necessarily have to end when the one-minute timer reaches zero. The faster you match plutonium, the speedometer on the right side of the playing field will increase.
Change History
And we all know what happens when it reaches 88 mph. Players will have a large portion of their timer restored and will be launched into another time period, starting the cycle over again. Though, keeping speed will become increasingly more difficult. Much like in Bejeweled, you'll receive medals for reaching certain point milestones and can share your scores with your friends. There is also a feature called "Change History," which essentially posts a Facebook Feed message on your friends' walls promoting the game, some of which are hilarious.
While Telltale's first foray into Facebook is nearly a complete knock off of an already immensely popular franchise, reaching 88 mph is just too much fun. However, this is a promotional game, so don't expect too much support after the adventure game releases to iPad and PCs this December. For now, just enjoy stoking that flux capacitor with sweet, sweet plutonium.
Play Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time on Facebook Now >
Marty and Doc have come back from the... past, actually, to bring Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time to Facebook. Developed by Telltale Games, the company working on the PC and iPad versions of the Back To the Future adventure game, this version looks and plays a lot like one of our favorites. OK, so it's a complete knock off of Bejeweled Blitz in almost every way (including the title), but that doesn't stop it from being loads of fun.
Join us behind the break for a detailed look at this blast from the past. Or is it the future? Aw, heck, I don't even know anymore.
Back to the Future Gameplay
Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time, for all intents and purposes, is Bejeweled Blitz with Christopher Lloyd's voice work and that awfully catchy, orchestral theme song. Players have to match what appear to be colored gems in rows of three, but we're going to guess that they're pieces of plutonium to power the flux capacitor.
Even the power ups are the same. Match four in a row to create an explosive plutonium piece that will pop when connected with two more. Five pieces matched will result in a piece that will detonate every piece on the board of the same color it crosses paths with. Players of Bejeweled will feel right at home, and it's not as if this is the first time the game has been copied. What differentiates this from the game that inspired it is that it doesn't necessarily have to end when the one-minute timer reaches zero. The faster you match plutonium, the speedometer on the right side of the playing field will increase.
Change History
And we all know what happens when it reaches 88 mph. Players will have a large portion of their timer restored and will be launched into another time period, starting the cycle over again. Though, keeping speed will become increasingly more difficult. Much like in Bejeweled, you'll receive medals for reaching certain point milestones and can share your scores with your friends. There is also a feature called "Change History," which essentially posts a Facebook Feed message on your friends' walls promoting the game, some of which are hilarious.
While Telltale's first foray into Facebook is nearly a complete knock off of an already immensely popular franchise, reaching 88 mph is just too much fun. However, this is a promotional game, so don't expect too much support after the adventure game releases to iPad and PCs this December. For now, just enjoy stoking that flux capacitor with sweet, sweet plutonium.
Play Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time on Facebook Now >
Gruesome Game of the Day: Drop Dead 2
The game of the day is more a gruesome game of the day. In Drop Dead 2, you toss around a little bear trying your darndest to smash him to pieces. Sure, it seems a bit gruesome but its all about fun. You goal is to score the most points while inflicting the most damage possible on your cute little bear. I guess Drop Dead 2 is both cute and gruesome - in a Chucky kind of way.
Zynga's request to dismiss scam suit denied by federal judge
Zynga Lawsuit
It looks like Zynga won't get off the hook that easy. The omnipotent social gaming company requested a dismissal of a recent class action lawsuit claiming that Zynga intentionally allowed and profitted from alleged scams offering its players virtual currency, Gamasutra reports. The plaintiff, Rebecca Swift, filed the suit in Oakland, Calif. court under the accusation that Zynga, through online advertising firm Adknowledge, charged her account for $200 worth of products and services without her consent after she signed up for free YoCash in YoVille.
Swift claims that the company was not "a neutral website that merely allows third parties to post advertisements" and is a "direct participant in the fraudulent transactions," Gamasutra reports. Better yet, "the design, layout, and format of the special offers," according to the court document, is on Zynga's shoulders as they appear within the company's games and not just on the web page.
She went on to claim that Zynga intentionally designs its games to draw players in to the act of either buying virtual currency or resorting to these allegedly fraudulent offers by making their games more enjoyable through spending the cash, according to Gamasutra. Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Sandra Armstrong denied both Zynga's and Adknowledge's requests to dismiss the case under the impression that Swift had "sufficiently alleged the particular circumstances of defendants' fraudulent scheme."
This is far from the first time the company has been the target of a class action lawsuit. Due to Facebook's recent privacy breach caused by third party applications like Zynga's games, the company is also facing a suit for sharing private player data such as Facebook User IDs to third-party advertisers. In other words, Zynga is going to have its hands full when the Swift v. Zynga case resumes over a "telephonic case management conference" in February 2011.
It looks like Zynga won't get off the hook that easy. The omnipotent social gaming company requested a dismissal of a recent class action lawsuit claiming that Zynga intentionally allowed and profitted from alleged scams offering its players virtual currency, Gamasutra reports. The plaintiff, Rebecca Swift, filed the suit in Oakland, Calif. court under the accusation that Zynga, through online advertising firm Adknowledge, charged her account for $200 worth of products and services without her consent after she signed up for free YoCash in YoVille.
Swift claims that the company was not "a neutral website that merely allows third parties to post advertisements" and is a "direct participant in the fraudulent transactions," Gamasutra reports. Better yet, "the design, layout, and format of the special offers," according to the court document, is on Zynga's shoulders as they appear within the company's games and not just on the web page.
She went on to claim that Zynga intentionally designs its games to draw players in to the act of either buying virtual currency or resorting to these allegedly fraudulent offers by making their games more enjoyable through spending the cash, according to Gamasutra. Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Sandra Armstrong denied both Zynga's and Adknowledge's requests to dismiss the case under the impression that Swift had "sufficiently alleged the particular circumstances of defendants' fraudulent scheme."
This is far from the first time the company has been the target of a class action lawsuit. Due to Facebook's recent privacy breach caused by third party applications like Zynga's games, the company is also facing a suit for sharing private player data such as Facebook User IDs to third-party advertisers. In other words, Zynga is going to have its hands full when the Swift v. Zynga case resumes over a "telephonic case management conference" in February 2011.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 [video]
For those farmers looking for a visual sneak peek of new items that are confirmed to be coming to FarmVille in the near future, Zynga has released the "Holiday Limited Edition Theme Showcase 2" video. It's only 10 seconds long, but it shows some pretty neat goodies!
Some of these items have already been released in the game - like the Glacier Falls and the Snowy Forest, seen at the far left and right of the video (you can check out our full coverage of these items by clicking here). Other items, though, are all new, like what appears to be a beautiful snow-covered mansion. Could this be a fabulous mountain retreat? A Ski Resort? A home away from home for some of Hollywood's most famous? As of right now, we're not exactly sure, but the building is awesome to look at nonetheless.
Other items seen in the video include an animated Snow Globe with what appears to be a mother and baby Polar Bear inside, a goat with a scarf and ear-muffs to protect itself from the cold of the winter, and two items that are apparently making a return from last year - those being the Silver and Gold ornaments seen in the middle of everything. These two items were available as presents from last year's Holiday Tree event, so it will be interesting as to whether or not these will once again only be receivable from this year's tree, or if they will be released in the store as well (hopefully they are, and hopefully NOT for Farm Cash).
When the rest of these items are released in the game, no matter where they happen to show up, we'll be sure to let you know.
Some of these items have already been released in the game - like the Glacier Falls and the Snowy Forest, seen at the far left and right of the video (you can check out our full coverage of these items by clicking here). Other items, though, are all new, like what appears to be a beautiful snow-covered mansion. Could this be a fabulous mountain retreat? A Ski Resort? A home away from home for some of Hollywood's most famous? As of right now, we're not exactly sure, but the building is awesome to look at nonetheless.
Other items seen in the video include an animated Snow Globe with what appears to be a mother and baby Polar Bear inside, a goat with a scarf and ear-muffs to protect itself from the cold of the winter, and two items that are apparently making a return from last year - those being the Silver and Gold ornaments seen in the middle of everything. These two items were available as presents from last year's Holiday Tree event, so it will be interesting as to whether or not these will once again only be receivable from this year's tree, or if they will be released in the store as well (hopefully they are, and hopefully NOT for Farm Cash).
When the rest of these items are released in the game, no matter where they happen to show up, we'll be sure to let you know.
FrontierVille Playtime! Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
If you're not too bogged down in Winter missions in FrontierVille, you'll want to take a few seconds to complete the new Timed Mission that was released today in the game. This newest mission is called simply "Playtime!" and it will reward you with a handful of new goodies if you can complete it within two days of accepting it.
The Playtime! Mission will have you building playground equipment for your children, and must be accepted before December 31, but after reading this set of requirements, we doubt that you'll want to wait that long to jump in and (probably easily) finish the quests. Playtime! can be completed after finishing three parts:
Have or Craft 20 Planks
Get Ten Bags of Playground Sand
Collect Ten Scrap Metal Pieces
First and foremost, the Planks can be crafted inside of the wagon. Many high level players will likely already have these 20 Planks as extras on-hand, but if you don't, you can create a single Plank for 7 pieces of Wood and 250 coins.
As for the Playground Sand and Scrap Metal Pieces, you'll need to ask friends to earn these items. The Playground Sand is earned through individual gift requests via friends, as clicking on the "Ask Friends" button takes you to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can send an individual request to all of the friends that you think would help.
Finally, the Scrap Metal pieces are earned through a generic wall post, that can be claimed by a limited number of people before running out, and requiring that you have to ask again. These are the more difficult of the two items to earn, as there is a possibility that your friends could ignore the request entirely or simply overlook it. With two days to complete the entire mission, you'll want to keep a sharp eye on how many Scrap Metal pieces you have at any one time, and always request for more if the game allows you.
The rewards for finishing the Playtime! quest are a Monkey Bars decoration, 1 Dinner energy item, and 500 XP. Considering the ease with which most players will finish this mission, the 500 XP seems like more than enough to make the quest worthwhile. Furthermore, you can sell the Monkey Bars for 600 coins, if you don't want them, or already have a set, so that should help pay you back for a few of the Planks that you may or may not have had to create to finish the mission.
The Playtime! Mission will have you building playground equipment for your children, and must be accepted before December 31, but after reading this set of requirements, we doubt that you'll want to wait that long to jump in and (probably easily) finish the quests. Playtime! can be completed after finishing three parts:
Have or Craft 20 Planks
Get Ten Bags of Playground Sand
Collect Ten Scrap Metal Pieces
First and foremost, the Planks can be crafted inside of the wagon. Many high level players will likely already have these 20 Planks as extras on-hand, but if you don't, you can create a single Plank for 7 pieces of Wood and 250 coins.
As for the Playground Sand and Scrap Metal Pieces, you'll need to ask friends to earn these items. The Playground Sand is earned through individual gift requests via friends, as clicking on the "Ask Friends" button takes you to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can send an individual request to all of the friends that you think would help.
Finally, the Scrap Metal pieces are earned through a generic wall post, that can be claimed by a limited number of people before running out, and requiring that you have to ask again. These are the more difficult of the two items to earn, as there is a possibility that your friends could ignore the request entirely or simply overlook it. With two days to complete the entire mission, you'll want to keep a sharp eye on how many Scrap Metal pieces you have at any one time, and always request for more if the game allows you.
The rewards for finishing the Playtime! quest are a Monkey Bars decoration, 1 Dinner energy item, and 500 XP. Considering the ease with which most players will finish this mission, the 500 XP seems like more than enough to make the quest worthwhile. Furthermore, you can sell the Monkey Bars for 600 coins, if you don't want them, or already have a set, so that should help pay you back for a few of the Planks that you may or may not have had to create to finish the mission.
Treasure Isle Bermuda / Atlantis Quests, Underwater Maps: Everything you need to know
A large new game feature has swept onto the shores of Treasure Isle, as Zynga has unleashed not only a new set of quests surrounding Bermuda, ruins, and eventually the lost city of Atlantis, but they've also released an entirely new Map type, allowing users to don a wetsuit, grab an oxygen tank, and explore the depths of the ocean for treasures!
As a big fan of anything related to Atlantis, it's my pleasure to take you on a guide of what to expect from these new features, so meet me behind the break for everything you need to know about your new underwater adventures!
First and foremost, you'll need to put together the pieces of a lost diving suit before you can head underwater. In this is where we find a series of four new quests that are available to complete for prizes for a limited time.
The first quest is called "Get Oxygen Bottles," and it simply asks you to collect 3 oxygen bottles from your friends. You can do this by posting a news item to your wall from the Quests menu (as seen above), allowing your friends to click on a link to send you a bottle.
For the other three quests: "Find Suit," "Find Gloves," and "Find Diving Belt," you'll need to explore a new map called "Ruins," in the middle of the Bermuda Islands. You'll need to use the clues provided to find the items necessary to build the suit. For instance, the Diving Belt says that it is located "near a flower anemone between two pillars." Your best bet, then, would be to look for all of the Flower Anemones on the island and start digging in the squares surrounding them. This would be a great time to use any Fire Shovels that you might have been saving, as they will allow you to dig three tiles at once, but only for the cost of a single dig. In this way, you can eliminate whole sections of the island at once, making your search a bit easier.
You have a single day (that's just 24 hours) to complete these four steps in order to earn the Gold prize of 3,140 coins and 75 experience points.
Once that's out of the way, you'll be alerted that the helmet to your lost Diving Suit has been stolen by a group of Crabs. This unlocks another quest set, with three steps, and another 1 day completion time limit for the Gold Reward (2,800 coins and 60 experience points).
These quests ask you to "Get Rid of the Angry Crabs," and "Cover up the Crabs' Holes." Both of these steps take place on yet another map, called "Village." Why the map is called "Village" and not "Atlantis" is a bit beyond us, as you are greeted to the island by a sign saying "Welcome to 'Lil Atlantis," and the island is decorated as such, but I suppose we're willing to look past that design choice.
Once on the island, you'll see the Crab Holes and Angry Crabs standing stationary on the map. The Crab Holes take two clicks costing 5 Energy each to cover, while the Angry Crabs can be removed from the map by feeding them a Crab Cake (cannibalism?) which can be purchased for 400 coins, or received from your neighbors as a gift. With the time sensitive nature of these quests, we're guessing it would be easier to just pay the 400 coins - that's what we did.
Once the crabs have been removed from the island, you'll unlock the ability to go after the Diving Helmet yourself, which you are told sits "Behind the Crab King" on the "Krab Kingdom" map. You'll have to remove more Angry Crabs from the map (with Crab Cakes) in order to reach the King, with the King himself requiring 5 Crab Cakes to remove (again, you can either ask for them from friends, or pay 2,000 coins to purchase them in bulk). Simply click on the Helmet to spend 5 Energy collecting it, and voila! Your second series of quests is completed, and you've finally unlocked the ability to go underwater!
But that's not all! Yet another quest set (seriously Zynga?) opens up after this one, called "Get Diving Certified." These quests serve as a way to introduce you to the underwater world, but first, you'll need to collect 5 missing pages from the Diving Manual. This is an identical process to that of collecting the Oxygen Bottles above, in that you'll need to post a news item to your wall asking for the five pages.
Earning these five pages unlocks the Reef Map, which is an underwater map, along with the three other portions of the Get Diving Certified quest (in the image above). To finish the first step, for instance, you'll need to find the Mermaid in the center of the Reef and give 5 Crab Cakes to each of the two sharks that are surrounding her.
Underwater digging works as follows: You need air to breathe in your suit, and everyday, you'll be given 10 minutes (that's 10 real world minutes) of air automatically. You can dig, plant, or ask friends to get more air. That is, friends can send you oxygen bottles as a gift (bottles give out 4 minutes each, as of this writing), you can dig up Bubble Fruits as a bonus (like you would dig up any other fruit or item), and you can now grow Bubble Fruits in your Garden Plots for 465 coins per "seed." They can be harvested in 22 hours.
Digging underwater seems worthwhile, due not only to the fact that there are four new treasure collections to complete (Colorful Fish, Sea Life, Sea Plants, and Seahorses), but also due to the fact that Zynga has programmed these underwater maps to offer a better chance at finding gold and experience points while digging there. Functionally, these maps are identical to those above water, in that they have sand, trees (in this case "Coral") that can be cut down, and animals and other path blockers that must be unlocked before digging in those portions of the island.
And there you have it! What a lengthy way to open up a new in-game feature, but if you've made it this far, you've definitely earned the right to call the underwater world your second home. Now head out there and finish those new collections!
As a big fan of anything related to Atlantis, it's my pleasure to take you on a guide of what to expect from these new features, so meet me behind the break for everything you need to know about your new underwater adventures!
First and foremost, you'll need to put together the pieces of a lost diving suit before you can head underwater. In this is where we find a series of four new quests that are available to complete for prizes for a limited time.
The first quest is called "Get Oxygen Bottles," and it simply asks you to collect 3 oxygen bottles from your friends. You can do this by posting a news item to your wall from the Quests menu (as seen above), allowing your friends to click on a link to send you a bottle.
For the other three quests: "Find Suit," "Find Gloves," and "Find Diving Belt," you'll need to explore a new map called "Ruins," in the middle of the Bermuda Islands. You'll need to use the clues provided to find the items necessary to build the suit. For instance, the Diving Belt says that it is located "near a flower anemone between two pillars." Your best bet, then, would be to look for all of the Flower Anemones on the island and start digging in the squares surrounding them. This would be a great time to use any Fire Shovels that you might have been saving, as they will allow you to dig three tiles at once, but only for the cost of a single dig. In this way, you can eliminate whole sections of the island at once, making your search a bit easier.
You have a single day (that's just 24 hours) to complete these four steps in order to earn the Gold prize of 3,140 coins and 75 experience points.
Once that's out of the way, you'll be alerted that the helmet to your lost Diving Suit has been stolen by a group of Crabs. This unlocks another quest set, with three steps, and another 1 day completion time limit for the Gold Reward (2,800 coins and 60 experience points).
These quests ask you to "Get Rid of the Angry Crabs," and "Cover up the Crabs' Holes." Both of these steps take place on yet another map, called "Village." Why the map is called "Village" and not "Atlantis" is a bit beyond us, as you are greeted to the island by a sign saying "Welcome to 'Lil Atlantis," and the island is decorated as such, but I suppose we're willing to look past that design choice.
Once on the island, you'll see the Crab Holes and Angry Crabs standing stationary on the map. The Crab Holes take two clicks costing 5 Energy each to cover, while the Angry Crabs can be removed from the map by feeding them a Crab Cake (cannibalism?) which can be purchased for 400 coins, or received from your neighbors as a gift. With the time sensitive nature of these quests, we're guessing it would be easier to just pay the 400 coins - that's what we did.
Once the crabs have been removed from the island, you'll unlock the ability to go after the Diving Helmet yourself, which you are told sits "Behind the Crab King" on the "Krab Kingdom" map. You'll have to remove more Angry Crabs from the map (with Crab Cakes) in order to reach the King, with the King himself requiring 5 Crab Cakes to remove (again, you can either ask for them from friends, or pay 2,000 coins to purchase them in bulk). Simply click on the Helmet to spend 5 Energy collecting it, and voila! Your second series of quests is completed, and you've finally unlocked the ability to go underwater!
But that's not all! Yet another quest set (seriously Zynga?) opens up after this one, called "Get Diving Certified." These quests serve as a way to introduce you to the underwater world, but first, you'll need to collect 5 missing pages from the Diving Manual. This is an identical process to that of collecting the Oxygen Bottles above, in that you'll need to post a news item to your wall asking for the five pages.
Earning these five pages unlocks the Reef Map, which is an underwater map, along with the three other portions of the Get Diving Certified quest (in the image above). To finish the first step, for instance, you'll need to find the Mermaid in the center of the Reef and give 5 Crab Cakes to each of the two sharks that are surrounding her.
Underwater digging works as follows: You need air to breathe in your suit, and everyday, you'll be given 10 minutes (that's 10 real world minutes) of air automatically. You can dig, plant, or ask friends to get more air. That is, friends can send you oxygen bottles as a gift (bottles give out 4 minutes each, as of this writing), you can dig up Bubble Fruits as a bonus (like you would dig up any other fruit or item), and you can now grow Bubble Fruits in your Garden Plots for 465 coins per "seed." They can be harvested in 22 hours.
Digging underwater seems worthwhile, due not only to the fact that there are four new treasure collections to complete (Colorful Fish, Sea Life, Sea Plants, and Seahorses), but also due to the fact that Zynga has programmed these underwater maps to offer a better chance at finding gold and experience points while digging there. Functionally, these maps are identical to those above water, in that they have sand, trees (in this case "Coral") that can be cut down, and animals and other path blockers that must be unlocked before digging in those portions of the island.
And there you have it! What a lengthy way to open up a new in-game feature, but if you've made it this far, you've definitely earned the right to call the underwater world your second home. Now head out there and finish those new collections!
Official FarmVille Podcast (December 6, 2010) - Holiday Tree & Snowman events detailed
In this week's installment of the official FarmVille podcast, FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious gave us a new sneak peek of items and features that will be coming to FarmVille in the near future.
The biggest news coming from this edition of the FarmVille podcast is an official confirmation that the holiday collection event will take place through a Holiday Tree. However, for those expecting an identical feature to last year's event, there will be some changes that have taken place this year. Like last year, you will need to collect Holiday presents and then place them into your tree. As you add more gifts, the tree will grow and change in appearance.
However, unlike last year, these presents can be turned in for a series of new decorative (or perhaps even functional - that remains to be seen) items once you've collected enough presents to trade them in for these items. This makes the Holiday Tree event almost identical to the other collection events that have taken place this year. For those wondering how this differs from last year, each present in 2009 was its own individual gift. There were no items to trade in for - instead, we were forced to wait until December 24, when we could open each present we have been given individually, for a series of holiday themed decorations, animals, and the like.
Additionally, once the Holiday Tree has been released in the game, you will be able to collect free presents from the Winter Workshop, just as we collected free candy from the Haunted House in the Halloween collection event.
When you redeem your presents for collection items, you'll be able to pick which friends you'd specifically like to share and extra present with, rather than just sharing one for the first person who happens to click on it on your wall. Players who participate in this event will also receive a very special present from Zynga at some point, but little other details were announced.
Finally, a new "Snowman" feature will be coming to the game in the future. This feature will allow users to have snowball fights with their friends on their farms. With all of that snow flying around, you'll soon receive a large pile of snow which you can transform into a Snowman, that will eventually dance for you, if you can find the right item to make it do so. This sounds like a Frosty the Snowman reference - could we collect his Top Hat to make him dance? We'll see in the coming days and weeks.
If you'd like to hear the complete Podcast, which includes a recap of recent releases, you can listen to it in its entirety at the top of this post. Note: There is no music in this installment, which explains the silence at the beginning of the video. Don't distress - this is an accurate video.
The biggest news coming from this edition of the FarmVille podcast is an official confirmation that the holiday collection event will take place through a Holiday Tree. However, for those expecting an identical feature to last year's event, there will be some changes that have taken place this year. Like last year, you will need to collect Holiday presents and then place them into your tree. As you add more gifts, the tree will grow and change in appearance.
However, unlike last year, these presents can be turned in for a series of new decorative (or perhaps even functional - that remains to be seen) items once you've collected enough presents to trade them in for these items. This makes the Holiday Tree event almost identical to the other collection events that have taken place this year. For those wondering how this differs from last year, each present in 2009 was its own individual gift. There were no items to trade in for - instead, we were forced to wait until December 24, when we could open each present we have been given individually, for a series of holiday themed decorations, animals, and the like.
Additionally, once the Holiday Tree has been released in the game, you will be able to collect free presents from the Winter Workshop, just as we collected free candy from the Haunted House in the Halloween collection event.
When you redeem your presents for collection items, you'll be able to pick which friends you'd specifically like to share and extra present with, rather than just sharing one for the first person who happens to click on it on your wall. Players who participate in this event will also receive a very special present from Zynga at some point, but little other details were announced.
Finally, a new "Snowman" feature will be coming to the game in the future. This feature will allow users to have snowball fights with their friends on their farms. With all of that snow flying around, you'll soon receive a large pile of snow which you can transform into a Snowman, that will eventually dance for you, if you can find the right item to make it do so. This sounds like a Frosty the Snowman reference - could we collect his Top Hat to make him dance? We'll see in the coming days and weeks.
If you'd like to hear the complete Podcast, which includes a recap of recent releases, you can listen to it in its entirety at the top of this post. Note: There is no music in this installment, which explains the silence at the beginning of the video. Don't distress - this is an accurate video.
Sony Online releases James Patterson themed Facebook game
Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has been growing a much bigger presence on Facebook with the release of PoxNora, The Agency: Covert Ops, Wildlife Refuge, and now Catch a Killer. This brand new game has just released tonight, and is a murder mystery game inspired (and branded with) the popular James Patterson fiction novels. This new game is part multiplayer virtual world and part hidden object game, and has that familiar SOE polish that their other games have been boasting.
In Catch a Killer, you act the part of a detective and play minigames in order to solve crimes. After arriving at crime scenes, it's up to you to click on various objects within the scene in order to find evidence. After you find this evidence, you play simple minigames to forensically evaluate it and to unlock the next part of the crime. The virtual world elements come in when you customize your avatar, and then walk into the City and chat in a multiplayer space with other detectives. You also have your own home to decorate any way you wish, and you can bring other players in to chat with them. The addition of live chat sets Catch a Killer apart from many other games on Facebook. Catch a Killer also uses a familiar energy mechanic to monetize the game and control session length.
The game literally just launched, so we haven't been able to give it a full review just yet. However, we can tell you that it plays a lot more like a downloadable PC game or a casual game you might see on a hub like Miniclip or Kongregate than a Facebook game. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as many social game developers have been foreseeing that games on Facebook will begin to be more sophisticated and depart from the tried and true. We played for a good 30 minutes and never saw any prompt to share with our friends. Luckily, SOE most likely have a large marketing budget for the game because at the moment we're not sure how to tell our friends to play other than sending them some gifts.
Catch a Killer is sure to appeal to those who read the James Patterson books, which is a very big audience. Everyone loves a good minigame and murder mystery! Could this be SOE's first Facebook game hit? Time will tell, but this game has as good a chance as any.
In Catch a Killer, you act the part of a detective and play minigames in order to solve crimes. After arriving at crime scenes, it's up to you to click on various objects within the scene in order to find evidence. After you find this evidence, you play simple minigames to forensically evaluate it and to unlock the next part of the crime. The virtual world elements come in when you customize your avatar, and then walk into the City and chat in a multiplayer space with other detectives. You also have your own home to decorate any way you wish, and you can bring other players in to chat with them. The addition of live chat sets Catch a Killer apart from many other games on Facebook. Catch a Killer also uses a familiar energy mechanic to monetize the game and control session length.
The game literally just launched, so we haven't been able to give it a full review just yet. However, we can tell you that it plays a lot more like a downloadable PC game or a casual game you might see on a hub like Miniclip or Kongregate than a Facebook game. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as many social game developers have been foreseeing that games on Facebook will begin to be more sophisticated and depart from the tried and true. We played for a good 30 minutes and never saw any prompt to share with our friends. Luckily, SOE most likely have a large marketing budget for the game because at the moment we're not sure how to tell our friends to play other than sending them some gifts.
Catch a Killer is sure to appeal to those who read the James Patterson books, which is a very big audience. Everyone loves a good minigame and murder mystery! Could this be SOE's first Facebook game hit? Time will tell, but this game has as good a chance as any.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Ford Focus promotion
On the lookout for some free Farm Cash in FarmVille? Why not take part in Zynga's newest cross-promotion with Ford that offers 2 free Farm Cash just for doing so?
Interested? You'll be able to start this simple activity by looking for the "Sponsored Link" picture as seen at the right side of this post. This newest promotion is for the "Ford Focus Global Test Drive" contest that, of course, is being run by Ford (yes, the car company). This activity loads in a new window, and is comprised of you listening to a fairly lengthly trailer for Ford's Global Test Drive contest, which is also being held on Facebook. Note: Here is the link for the activity, but note that it might not work on your account.
This contest asks users to create a video submission for a chance to win a trip to Spain and a $10,000 donation to a charity of your choosing, but if you're just interested in the free Farm Cash, you can skip the video by clicking on the "Get Started Now" button and "faking" your way through creating a video. The video you "create" can be a second long, and can be downloaded and deleted in a matter of seconds. After the video has been "completed," you'll earn your free Farm Cash notification, and can close the activity window.
Head back to your game of FarmVille and you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by two. Sure, this may be an activity that's a bit more involved, but if you follow our simple steps, you'll be able to finish it as quickly as possible and get to spending your free Farm Cash. Of course, you can always take the time to create a real video for the contest as well - whatever works for you.
Interested? You'll be able to start this simple activity by looking for the "Sponsored Link" picture as seen at the right side of this post. This newest promotion is for the "Ford Focus Global Test Drive" contest that, of course, is being run by Ford (yes, the car company). This activity loads in a new window, and is comprised of you listening to a fairly lengthly trailer for Ford's Global Test Drive contest, which is also being held on Facebook. Note: Here is the link for the activity, but note that it might not work on your account.
This contest asks users to create a video submission for a chance to win a trip to Spain and a $10,000 donation to a charity of your choosing, but if you're just interested in the free Farm Cash, you can skip the video by clicking on the "Get Started Now" button and "faking" your way through creating a video. The video you "create" can be a second long, and can be downloaded and deleted in a matter of seconds. After the video has been "completed," you'll earn your free Farm Cash notification, and can close the activity window.
Head back to your game of FarmVille and you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by two. Sure, this may be an activity that's a bit more involved, but if you follow our simple steps, you'll be able to finish it as quickly as possible and get to spending your free Farm Cash. Of course, you can always take the time to create a real video for the contest as well - whatever works for you.
Earn 100 free FarmVille Farm Cash through ProFlowers promotion
Back again for another holiday is the ProFlowers promotion in FarmVille. If you weren't around for the Mother's Day or Thanksgiving flower promotions in Zynga's games like FarmVille or Cafe World, then here are all of the details surrounding this new offer.
This cross-promotion is one of the more profitable ones we've seen. For all users that click on the ProFlowers "Sponsored Link" window found at the bottom of the FarmVille gameplay area, they'll activate the ability to earn 100 free Farm Cash by making any purchase at ProFlowers.com. By clicking on the Sponsored Link, you'll load a new window, where you'll find all of the official rules (it must be a valid purchase, your farm cash can take upwards of 30 minutes to arrive on your account, and so on).
In addition, users that order through this offer will receive 50% on holiday flowers and gifts, so if you've been looking for something for that special someone in your life, or just someone who is incredibly difficult to shop for otherwise, this might be worth looking into. After all, why not receive something for yourself in the process of buying something fabulous for a loved one? No one will blame you, most certainly not me.
Shop fast, as we're assuming that this offer will disappear just as quickly as the holidays after this week.
This cross-promotion is one of the more profitable ones we've seen. For all users that click on the ProFlowers "Sponsored Link" window found at the bottom of the FarmVille gameplay area, they'll activate the ability to earn 100 free Farm Cash by making any purchase at ProFlowers.com. By clicking on the Sponsored Link, you'll load a new window, where you'll find all of the official rules (it must be a valid purchase, your farm cash can take upwards of 30 minutes to arrive on your account, and so on).
In addition, users that order through this offer will receive 50% on holiday flowers and gifts, so if you've been looking for something for that special someone in your life, or just someone who is incredibly difficult to shop for otherwise, this might be worth looking into. After all, why not receive something for yourself in the process of buying something fabulous for a loved one? No one will blame you, most certainly not me.
Shop fast, as we're assuming that this offer will disappear just as quickly as the holidays after this week.
CityVille Let it Snow Goals blanket your town in frosty flakes
While you were prepping the town's Holiday Tree, Zynga added another Goal to CityVille to turn your city into an even more wonderful winter wonderland. In "Let it Snow!" Sam asks players to ask their friends for 10 Snow Flakes and 10 Snowballs. Each requirement can also be met using 20 City Cash and doing either will allow you to buy one new Decoration item from the Build menu, Snow Cover.
For just 500 coins, Snow Cover will blanket your city's streets in snow. Interestingly enough, this change is irreversible, but the snow will automatically melt come March 20, 2011. As for the second part of this Goal series, players will have to collect 15 Winter Lights from their friends. Doing so will open up Snow Top in the Decorations tab of the Build menu. For another 500 coins, this will blanket your buildings and decorations in snow, which also will not disappear until March. Start asking away for those items now if you want your town to celebrate a white Christmas like some of us on the East Coast might enjoy.
For just 500 coins, Snow Cover will blanket your city's streets in snow. Interestingly enough, this change is irreversible, but the snow will automatically melt come March 20, 2011. As for the second part of this Goal series, players will have to collect 15 Winter Lights from their friends. Doing so will open up Snow Top in the Decorations tab of the Build menu. For another 500 coins, this will blanket your buildings and decorations in snow, which also will not disappear until March. Start asking away for those items now if you want your town to celebrate a white Christmas like some of us on the East Coast might enjoy.
Age of Champions on Facebook doesn't cry over spilled blood
Battle in Age of Champions
Fantasy social games are almost dime a dozen, but what are they missing? Why, half naked men spilling the blood of goblins and other beasts, of course. In Age of Champions on Facebook, players take the role of one of three races: a human, an elf or a minotaur as they vie for the throne of an emperor who recently kicked the can. As it turns out, so is everyone else. After choosing which of the three warring factions that you'll be siding with in this sprawling conflict, you'll be launched into battle with a band of goblins, your warriors sprinting across a green, war-torn field, bronze daggers flailing. After witnessing the green, gooey bloodshed as your avatar guts the goblin leader, you realize that this is not standard fantasy fare on Facebook.
Find out more about Age of Champions and our impressions after the break.
Defeating the Orge
If you hadn't noticed by now, this game isn't necessarily for the little ones. There will be blood in Age of Champions, lots of it. Developed by Sacramento, CA-based studio KlickNation, this game's primary focus is on two important things: story and gameplay. Absolutely filled to the brim with quest text designed to give purpose to otherwise mundane tasks, Age of Champions contains a plot that weaves throughout the game's primary mode of spending Energy--a social game staple--quests.
However, Energy is plentiful in Age of Champions' early levels as opposed to other social games. You'll frequently level up through questing, restoring your Energy each time. (However, the game does offer Blue Crystals, a paid currency, to replenish Energy and Stamina.) Quests are completed through the Travel menu, which opens up the game's story in a book-shaped menu, offering the plot in chapters that almost always contain at least one session on the battlefield and one boss monster to defeat. Rewards from quests are normally the standard gold coins, which are used to hire more soldiers and outfit your army with weapons and armor, and experience points. Leveling up also rewards players with points to enhance their primary character's Energy, Attack strength, Stamina (used to battle other players) and Health. While Energy and Stamina will allow you to play the game for longer sessions without having to pay up for more, Attack and Health are extremely important in combat.
Questing Book
Ah, yes, the meat and potatoes of Age of Champions. Combat scenarios are somewhat rare treats, but are most definitely not to be underestimated. These special quests are marked with an icon shaped like a shield adorned with two swords. Clicking on "Go to Battle" will open up the battlefield. While battles play out automatically based on the size of your army compared to the enemy's, it all happens in real time and takes equipment statistics into account as well. It's not until all of your units fall that your main avatar will rush into the fray, duking it out with the opposing commander. In the early stages of the game, your army will almost always be wiped out, but that doesn't mean you lose them forever. However, improving their equipment by buying quantities of armor and weapons that match your squad's numbers will increase their lasting power. There is the option to skip each battle sequence, but why would you want to do that?
While combat and questing are plenty entertaining, Age of Champions does include some fairly deep social elements. Throughout the game, players can attempt to craft items that are more powerful than what can be bought in the store, but some of the ingredients can only be found through Gifting. Thankfully, social interaction goes deeper than that with Raids, or massive enemies that require cooperation from friends to defeat. Furthermore, players can join Guilds, which are groups of friends within the game that can collaborate without the need of being Facebook friends. In other words, you won't find too many request-athons here, but more teamwork through the game's Raid bosses and Battle system.
Raid on the Ice Dragon
With an interesting albeit violent approach to combat, an engaging story for those who take the time to read it and social features similar to other, more current social games like Knights of the Crystals and Legacy of a Thousand Suns, Age of Champions delivers on nearly all fronts aside from a few annoying bugs such as losing access to the top of game screen at times. Just ignore the fact that your avatar will be without pants for quite a while and you should have a grand time.
Fantasy social games are almost dime a dozen, but what are they missing? Why, half naked men spilling the blood of goblins and other beasts, of course. In Age of Champions on Facebook, players take the role of one of three races: a human, an elf or a minotaur as they vie for the throne of an emperor who recently kicked the can. As it turns out, so is everyone else. After choosing which of the three warring factions that you'll be siding with in this sprawling conflict, you'll be launched into battle with a band of goblins, your warriors sprinting across a green, war-torn field, bronze daggers flailing. After witnessing the green, gooey bloodshed as your avatar guts the goblin leader, you realize that this is not standard fantasy fare on Facebook.
Find out more about Age of Champions and our impressions after the break.
Defeating the Orge
If you hadn't noticed by now, this game isn't necessarily for the little ones. There will be blood in Age of Champions, lots of it. Developed by Sacramento, CA-based studio KlickNation, this game's primary focus is on two important things: story and gameplay. Absolutely filled to the brim with quest text designed to give purpose to otherwise mundane tasks, Age of Champions contains a plot that weaves throughout the game's primary mode of spending Energy--a social game staple--quests.
However, Energy is plentiful in Age of Champions' early levels as opposed to other social games. You'll frequently level up through questing, restoring your Energy each time. (However, the game does offer Blue Crystals, a paid currency, to replenish Energy and Stamina.) Quests are completed through the Travel menu, which opens up the game's story in a book-shaped menu, offering the plot in chapters that almost always contain at least one session on the battlefield and one boss monster to defeat. Rewards from quests are normally the standard gold coins, which are used to hire more soldiers and outfit your army with weapons and armor, and experience points. Leveling up also rewards players with points to enhance their primary character's Energy, Attack strength, Stamina (used to battle other players) and Health. While Energy and Stamina will allow you to play the game for longer sessions without having to pay up for more, Attack and Health are extremely important in combat.
Questing Book
Ah, yes, the meat and potatoes of Age of Champions. Combat scenarios are somewhat rare treats, but are most definitely not to be underestimated. These special quests are marked with an icon shaped like a shield adorned with two swords. Clicking on "Go to Battle" will open up the battlefield. While battles play out automatically based on the size of your army compared to the enemy's, it all happens in real time and takes equipment statistics into account as well. It's not until all of your units fall that your main avatar will rush into the fray, duking it out with the opposing commander. In the early stages of the game, your army will almost always be wiped out, but that doesn't mean you lose them forever. However, improving their equipment by buying quantities of armor and weapons that match your squad's numbers will increase their lasting power. There is the option to skip each battle sequence, but why would you want to do that?
While combat and questing are plenty entertaining, Age of Champions does include some fairly deep social elements. Throughout the game, players can attempt to craft items that are more powerful than what can be bought in the store, but some of the ingredients can only be found through Gifting. Thankfully, social interaction goes deeper than that with Raids, or massive enemies that require cooperation from friends to defeat. Furthermore, players can join Guilds, which are groups of friends within the game that can collaborate without the need of being Facebook friends. In other words, you won't find too many request-athons here, but more teamwork through the game's Raid bosses and Battle system.
Raid on the Ice Dragon
With an interesting albeit violent approach to combat, an engaging story for those who take the time to read it and social features similar to other, more current social games like Knights of the Crystals and Legacy of a Thousand Suns, Age of Champions delivers on nearly all fronts aside from a few annoying bugs such as losing access to the top of game screen at times. Just ignore the fact that your avatar will be without pants for quite a while and you should have a grand time.
Zynga's CityVille could overthrow FarmVille tomorrow, reporter claims
CityVile won't stop growing
Remember when we mentioned that CityVille was dangerously close to beating FarmVille as the top Zynga Facebook game? Well, it could happen as early as tomorrow, according to a speculative report by Social Times. If true, this could drastically change the playing field, with FarmVille living in the shadow of a far more current social game with enhanced visuals and more streamlined progression.
Social Times cites AllFacebook's recent findings that CityVille is, as of this writing, sitting at 54.7 million monthly players while FarmVille waits for what seems to be inevitable at 56.6 million. With Zynga's other games below second place trailing behind by as much as 20 and 30 million fewer players (Zynga Poker, FrontierVille and Mafia Wars, respectively), CityVille could be number one for a long time. We'll see if Zynga, and the CityVille team especially, get their early Christmas gift tomorrow.
Remember when we mentioned that CityVille was dangerously close to beating FarmVille as the top Zynga Facebook game? Well, it could happen as early as tomorrow, according to a speculative report by Social Times. If true, this could drastically change the playing field, with FarmVille living in the shadow of a far more current social game with enhanced visuals and more streamlined progression.
Social Times cites AllFacebook's recent findings that CityVille is, as of this writing, sitting at 54.7 million monthly players while FarmVille waits for what seems to be inevitable at 56.6 million. With Zynga's other games below second place trailing behind by as much as 20 and 30 million fewer players (Zynga Poker, FrontierVille and Mafia Wars, respectively), CityVille could be number one for a long time. We'll see if Zynga, and the CityVille team especially, get their early Christmas gift tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Playdom co-founder: Facebook farming games aren't social games
Rick Thompson, co-founder of Disney-owned social game studio Playdom, is not happy with the lot of social games. During an interview with All Things Digital (ATD), Thompson was asked if he finds many Facebook games enjoyable. "I think they are fairly scarce," Thompson told ATD. While he did shout out to games like Kixeye's Backyard Monsters and Gardens of Time by his own former company, Thompson said that the established powers in social games are having a hard time raising the bar.
"I tend to think that those will not be very interesting in another two years, and they aren't social games," Thompson said to ATD, referring specifically to the myriad of Facebook games that insist on farming mechanics. "They are single-player games with the possibility of visiting your friend's aquarium – that's not social." (And you should already know just where Thompson is pointing.)
Despite this, Thompson says that the maturity of Facebook games is leaps and bounds beyond what it was just three years ago, mostly because of how much it costs developers to acquire new users ever since Facebook changed things up. But Thompson--now a social gaming veteran that has invested in companies like Funzio of Crime City fame to Idle Games--still sees companies that focus primarily on increasing players numbers as, well, doing it wrong.
Thompson isn't alone here, either. A number of analysts and designers alike are calling the industry out. Most recently, Eedar analyst Jesse Divnich claimed that we're on the verge of the next generation of social games. Designers like Braid creator Jonathan Blow, however, simply see the current lot of Facebook games as exploitative and not much more. (And we all know how Ian Bogost feels about the games.) Sadly, it likely won't be until arguably forward-thinking games like IdleWorship become as profitable as, say, FarmVille that Facebook games begin to agree with Thompson's sentiments on a wide scale.
"I tend to think that those will not be very interesting in another two years, and they aren't social games," Thompson said to ATD, referring specifically to the myriad of Facebook games that insist on farming mechanics. "They are single-player games with the possibility of visiting your friend's aquarium – that's not social." (And you should already know just where Thompson is pointing.)
Despite this, Thompson says that the maturity of Facebook games is leaps and bounds beyond what it was just three years ago, mostly because of how much it costs developers to acquire new users ever since Facebook changed things up. But Thompson--now a social gaming veteran that has invested in companies like Funzio of Crime City fame to Idle Games--still sees companies that focus primarily on increasing players numbers as, well, doing it wrong.
Thompson isn't alone here, either. A number of analysts and designers alike are calling the industry out. Most recently, Eedar analyst Jesse Divnich claimed that we're on the verge of the next generation of social games. Designers like Braid creator Jonathan Blow, however, simply see the current lot of Facebook games as exploitative and not much more. (And we all know how Ian Bogost feels about the games.) Sadly, it likely won't be until arguably forward-thinking games like IdleWorship become as profitable as, say, FarmVille that Facebook games begin to agree with Thompson's sentiments on a wide scale.
CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls gets Diner Dash-style Facebook game
More and more, TV networks are turning to games to promote new and existing shows. "Smack talk hipsters, serve coffee to loners and rack up tips!" is the hook of a new Facebook game launched by CBS last month to promote their new fall comedy TV series, 2 Broke Girls, about a pair of waitresses at a Brooklyn diner saving up for the chance to run their own cupcake shop someday.
2 Broke Girls diner game
Created by GameSalad (the generous hosts of the political Angry Birds homage, Angry Anna) and CBS Interactive, the 2 Broke Girls game is also available for iOS devices at the App Store as well as GameSalad's website. It's also not the first time a CBS show has made it as a Facebook game. Just last month, a fake collectible card game from CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, got turned into a real collectible card game for Facebook called "Mystic Worlds of Ka'a".
2 Broke Girls menu
2 Broke Girls is a Facebook game very similar in play to Playfirst's phenomenally popular Diner Dash. The latter had made a home for itself on Facebook until poor traffic forced Playfirst to announce its shutdown back in July. Seeing how 2 Broke Girls is definitely more barebones and less Facebook integrated than Diner Dash was, I doubt it'll take off as a game alone. But if the show is good enough, they could always deepen the game's development.
2 Broke Girls diner game
Created by GameSalad (the generous hosts of the political Angry Birds homage, Angry Anna) and CBS Interactive, the 2 Broke Girls game is also available for iOS devices at the App Store as well as GameSalad's website. It's also not the first time a CBS show has made it as a Facebook game. Just last month, a fake collectible card game from CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, got turned into a real collectible card game for Facebook called "Mystic Worlds of Ka'a".
2 Broke Girls menu
2 Broke Girls is a Facebook game very similar in play to Playfirst's phenomenally popular Diner Dash. The latter had made a home for itself on Facebook until poor traffic forced Playfirst to announce its shutdown back in July. Seeing how 2 Broke Girls is definitely more barebones and less Facebook integrated than Diner Dash was, I doubt it'll take off as a game alone. But if the show is good enough, they could always deepen the game's development.
Study: Social games will make $5.6 billion outside Facebook by 2014
Maybe there's a future for social games beyond Facebook, after all. That is, of course, if you ask the right people. A study by SuperData Research and commissioned by Viximo, a leading social games platform, estimates that social games that exist outside of Facebook's grubby paws will reel in a whopping $5.6 billion in revenue by 2014. Non-Facebook social games are expected to reach $3.2 billion in revenue this year alone.
While it's important to keep in mind just who commissioned this study, we should at least consider that social games do exist on other platforms around the globe. In fact, the study reports to have found that Asia is the largest market for social games, and that Facebook accounts for a third of all social network traffic around the world. The SuperData study made these estimations based on 774,158 unique transactions by 152,159 individuals in the six-month period ending on June 1, 2011.
From that, the study found that the largest western nations for social gaming aren't even in North America, but are Russia and Brazil with 35 million and 32.6 million players, respectively. "The social web beyond Facebook is often overlooked when it comes to games and applications," Viximo CEO Dale Strang said in a release. As it turns out, social networks beyond Facebook represent a non-trivial--in fact, significant--and fertile ground for games and apps."
With global competitors like Google+, the Mobage network and whatever in the world Gree is cooking up with OpenFeint, Strang certainly has a point. And let's not forget the number of developers and publisher across the globe that are quickly gaining notoriety like wooga, Nordeus and Spil Games. Facebook, it looks like you're surrounded.
While it's important to keep in mind just who commissioned this study, we should at least consider that social games do exist on other platforms around the globe. In fact, the study reports to have found that Asia is the largest market for social games, and that Facebook accounts for a third of all social network traffic around the world. The SuperData study made these estimations based on 774,158 unique transactions by 152,159 individuals in the six-month period ending on June 1, 2011.
From that, the study found that the largest western nations for social gaming aren't even in North America, but are Russia and Brazil with 35 million and 32.6 million players, respectively. "The social web beyond Facebook is often overlooked when it comes to games and applications," Viximo CEO Dale Strang said in a release. As it turns out, social networks beyond Facebook represent a non-trivial--in fact, significant--and fertile ground for games and apps."
With global competitors like Google+, the Mobage network and whatever in the world Gree is cooking up with OpenFeint, Strang certainly has a point. And let's not forget the number of developers and publisher across the globe that are quickly gaining notoriety like wooga, Nordeus and Spil Games. Facebook, it looks like you're surrounded.
FarmVille Express, Words with Friends et al, to hit Facebook Mobile
Now, why wasn't Gerard Butler hired to make this announcement? It seems as if the first phase of Facebook's Project Spartan is underway, as several HTML5--a relatively new coding language for the web--games and apps were announced on the Facebook Developer's Blog today. Zynga will launch FarmVille Express, Texas HoldEm Poker and Words with Friends to Facebook for mobile browsers tomorrow, but is joined by a number of games by big time developers.
Joining Zynga are Wooga with Magic Land: Island (a mobile extension of its most recent Facebook game), Moblyng with Social Poker Live and Word Racer Live and Storm8 with three releases: World War, iMobsters and Vampires Live. While the three Zynga games will be playable tomorrow, these six games are playable through Facebook on mobile browsers like Safari for iPhone or iPad right now.
We imagine Zynga will formally announce these three HTML5-powered games tomorrow at its Zynga Unleashed news event. Facebook just let one big cat out of the bag, revealing that EA too plans on releasing mobile browser games through the social network. (According to All Things Digital, that will start with an HTML5 version of The Sims Social.) All of these games support Facebook Credits, confirming earlier rumors, as well as all app-related Facebook Social Channels like Bookmarks, Requests and interactive News Feed posts.
Magic Land: Island
This means that users can answer both direct and News Feed requests for their favorite Facebook games through either the mobile web version of Facebook or the native Facebook app for iPhone and iPad (which launched today). Clicking on a Game Request or Bookmark through either form of Facebook will launch the relevant app should it exist and you have it installed.
This is a huge step forward for HTML5-based social games, especially considering Zynga's mobile head recently seemed not-so-bullish on the HTML5 movement in social games. And based on some brief time with Magic Land: Island, I can say that mobile browser-based gaming seems to have come a long way in the blink of an eye. Stay tuned tomorrow for more news from Zynga that will likely revolve around this huge if inadvertent announcement.
Joining Zynga are Wooga with Magic Land: Island (a mobile extension of its most recent Facebook game), Moblyng with Social Poker Live and Word Racer Live and Storm8 with three releases: World War, iMobsters and Vampires Live. While the three Zynga games will be playable tomorrow, these six games are playable through Facebook on mobile browsers like Safari for iPhone or iPad right now.
We imagine Zynga will formally announce these three HTML5-powered games tomorrow at its Zynga Unleashed news event. Facebook just let one big cat out of the bag, revealing that EA too plans on releasing mobile browser games through the social network. (According to All Things Digital, that will start with an HTML5 version of The Sims Social.) All of these games support Facebook Credits, confirming earlier rumors, as well as all app-related Facebook Social Channels like Bookmarks, Requests and interactive News Feed posts.
Magic Land: Island
This means that users can answer both direct and News Feed requests for their favorite Facebook games through either the mobile web version of Facebook or the native Facebook app for iPhone and iPad (which launched today). Clicking on a Game Request or Bookmark through either form of Facebook will launch the relevant app should it exist and you have it installed.
This is a huge step forward for HTML5-based social games, especially considering Zynga's mobile head recently seemed not-so-bullish on the HTML5 movement in social games. And based on some brief time with Magic Land: Island, I can say that mobile browser-based gaming seems to have come a long way in the blink of an eye. Stay tuned tomorrow for more news from Zynga that will likely revolve around this huge if inadvertent announcement.
Top 25 Facebook Games - October 2011: FarmVille falls even further
FarmVille I Quit
Things are just not looking up in the world of digital agriculture. This month, FarmVille gets knocked down yet another spot to fourth place with nearly 35.4 million monthly players, ousted by Zynga's brand new Adventure World. Admittedly, we were afraid of what would happen to the Zynga Boston debut given its terribly slow start, but it has amassed 35.7 million monthly players. (Keep in mind that FarmVille still has more daily players than Adventure World.)
The massive developer's two most popular Facebook games are now CityVille--still at number one with 74.6 million monthly players--and Adventure World in third place. That leaves The Sims Social, arguably the biggest upset in Facebook gaming since, well, Zynga first beat itself at its own game, trailing close behind at number two with 66.5 million monthly players. Many wonder whether EA's wildly successful Facebook game can completely beat Zynga, and at the moment it seems to have peaked, according to AppData.
Top 25 Facebook Games October
Aside from FarmVille seemingly nearing the end of its life on top despite even a new expansion, Lighthouse Cove, it looks like Zynga's most threatening competitors are solidifying their positions. As games like Gaia Online's Monster Galaxy drop over 10 places from the list completely and Cie Games's Car Town are knocked from the list one a few of the little guys remain. Ninja Saga hangs tight on the list, dropping one spot to 23rd place with 5.9 million players, while Social Point makes a major dent in the charts with Social Empires gaining over 2 million players to hit the 18 spot.
Other than Playtika's Slotomania at number 19 and King.com even bumping one spot up to 20th place with Bubble Saga, it's important to notice what's happening here. Aside from a few strong and likely savvy smaller developers, the Top 25 is slowly becoming dominated by the biggest names in social gaming. The giants of Facebook gaming are asserting their supremacy just as they did in the traditional games space, and it's likely only going to get harder for indie creators to find this level of success on Facebook. Hey, there's always Google+ Games, right?
Things are just not looking up in the world of digital agriculture. This month, FarmVille gets knocked down yet another spot to fourth place with nearly 35.4 million monthly players, ousted by Zynga's brand new Adventure World. Admittedly, we were afraid of what would happen to the Zynga Boston debut given its terribly slow start, but it has amassed 35.7 million monthly players. (Keep in mind that FarmVille still has more daily players than Adventure World.)
The massive developer's two most popular Facebook games are now CityVille--still at number one with 74.6 million monthly players--and Adventure World in third place. That leaves The Sims Social, arguably the biggest upset in Facebook gaming since, well, Zynga first beat itself at its own game, trailing close behind at number two with 66.5 million monthly players. Many wonder whether EA's wildly successful Facebook game can completely beat Zynga, and at the moment it seems to have peaked, according to AppData.
Top 25 Facebook Games October
Aside from FarmVille seemingly nearing the end of its life on top despite even a new expansion, Lighthouse Cove, it looks like Zynga's most threatening competitors are solidifying their positions. As games like Gaia Online's Monster Galaxy drop over 10 places from the list completely and Cie Games's Car Town are knocked from the list one a few of the little guys remain. Ninja Saga hangs tight on the list, dropping one spot to 23rd place with 5.9 million players, while Social Point makes a major dent in the charts with Social Empires gaining over 2 million players to hit the 18 spot.
Other than Playtika's Slotomania at number 19 and King.com even bumping one spot up to 20th place with Bubble Saga, it's important to notice what's happening here. Aside from a few strong and likely savvy smaller developers, the Top 25 is slowly becoming dominated by the biggest names in social gaming. The giants of Facebook gaming are asserting their supremacy just as they did in the traditional games space, and it's likely only going to get harder for indie creators to find this level of success on Facebook. Hey, there's always Google+ Games, right?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
First-ever Facebook game soundtrack released
Movie soundtracks have been popular, like, forever, and in the past decade or so -- video game soundtracks have also come into their own --- so much that they've spawned a traveling show called Video Games Live that features nothing but game music played by a live orchestra.
Now Facebook games seem to be getting into the soundtrack business, as Booyah's Nightclub City releases a soundtrack -- called 'Drop the Bass: Original Music from Nightclub City' which features songs gathered from online music community Indaba Music.com. Around 1,000 songs were submitted to be include on the soundtrack (and in the game), and the 10 on the album were the big winners. The album can be purchased for $10 on iTunes and on the Indaba Music web site.
If you're not familiar with Nightclub City on Facebook, this social game lets you try your hand at running your own virtual nightclub. You have to keep patrons happy by keeping the drinks flowing and the party going -- which includes spinning records that features songs from real-life indie artists. (All of the music is of the 'dance' variety, so if you're not down with tunes designed to make you groove, this might not be your thing). The game has about 3.6 million monthly players right now, according to AppData, and has been on a steady decline in the recent months -- will the soundtrack keep players coming back for more? Even if it doesn't, it's still can be seen as a sign that Facebook games are coming into their own. First a soundtrack and then ... Nightclub City: The Movie? OK, maybe not.
Now Facebook games seem to be getting into the soundtrack business, as Booyah's Nightclub City releases a soundtrack -- called 'Drop the Bass: Original Music from Nightclub City' which features songs gathered from online music community Indaba Music.com. Around 1,000 songs were submitted to be include on the soundtrack (and in the game), and the 10 on the album were the big winners. The album can be purchased for $10 on iTunes and on the Indaba Music web site.
If you're not familiar with Nightclub City on Facebook, this social game lets you try your hand at running your own virtual nightclub. You have to keep patrons happy by keeping the drinks flowing and the party going -- which includes spinning records that features songs from real-life indie artists. (All of the music is of the 'dance' variety, so if you're not down with tunes designed to make you groove, this might not be your thing). The game has about 3.6 million monthly players right now, according to AppData, and has been on a steady decline in the recent months -- will the soundtrack keep players coming back for more? Even if it doesn't, it's still can be seen as a sign that Facebook games are coming into their own. First a soundtrack and then ... Nightclub City: The Movie? OK, maybe not.
Facebook games are kind of like pinball machines, game designer says
Are social gamers more like pinball wizards? UK-based Simple Lifeforms CCO Tadhg Kelly makes exactly that in a recent editorial on Inside Social Games. Rather than his previous analogy of Facebook games to slot machines, Kelly believes that the game mechanics and reward systems behind most social games bear striking resemblance to pinball. The game designer goes into detail, explaining his understanding of the systems within both social games and pinball, but the major takeaway is his thoughts on their similarities.
"Playing a game on Facebook is like standing in an amusement arcade," Kelly writes. "Pinball is primarily available at arcades, and each pinball machine has to fight for its right to be seen and heard by being louder, more visual and more immediately fun than its competitors."
He goes on to size up the instant reward systems of both games as short bursts of enjoyment. More importantly, he touches on the fact that both require players to inevitably pay more quarters or virtual cash to play for long periods of time. Bingo. I think this guy might be onto something here. However, Kelly's chief concern is the importance of environment in game design.
Just as there is no room for an absorbing game like The Legend of Zelda at the arcades, the environment of social games restricts their ability to be deep. What social game makers have realized is that Facebook is so loaded with distraction that deep gameplay is almost impossible to achieve. So the game you are playing has to keep things light, fast and fun because the rest of the player's social graph is only a Notification Request away.
Admittedly, I've never thought of it that way. If Kelly is right, then perhaps there is no hope for the up and coming Facebook MMOs, but no one said anything about 3D.
"Playing a game on Facebook is like standing in an amusement arcade," Kelly writes. "Pinball is primarily available at arcades, and each pinball machine has to fight for its right to be seen and heard by being louder, more visual and more immediately fun than its competitors."
He goes on to size up the instant reward systems of both games as short bursts of enjoyment. More importantly, he touches on the fact that both require players to inevitably pay more quarters or virtual cash to play for long periods of time. Bingo. I think this guy might be onto something here. However, Kelly's chief concern is the importance of environment in game design.
Just as there is no room for an absorbing game like The Legend of Zelda at the arcades, the environment of social games restricts their ability to be deep. What social game makers have realized is that Facebook is so loaded with distraction that deep gameplay is almost impossible to achieve. So the game you are playing has to keep things light, fast and fun because the rest of the player's social graph is only a Notification Request away.
Admittedly, I've never thought of it that way. If Kelly is right, then perhaps there is no hope for the up and coming Facebook MMOs, but no one said anything about 3D.
Dragons of Atlantis for Facebook unleashes the Dragons' Attack
Dragons of Atlantis
Alright, so it's not a Kraken, but no one can deny the cool factor of dragons. Kabam, the Redwood City, Calif.-based social game developer behind Kingdoms of Camelot, has released a brand new feature to its most recent game, Dragons of Atlantis. Called "Dragon Attack," this new option allows players to specifically target which of their enemies gets the extra crispy treatment from our favorite fire-breathers.
Dragons of Atlantis embodies Kabam's recent strategic (no pun intended) focus on massively multiplayer strategy games on Facebook. Like its previous games, players in Dragons of Atlantis are given one week in real time to build their kingdoms and their armies for an all out war for control of Atlantis against their fellow players. The linchpin of your defense in the game has always been the dragons, but with the new Dragon Attack, you can take dragons to the enemy before they know what hit them.
"Dragons of Atlantis is a dynamic world where player choice affects how the fight for Atlantis will unfold," said Andrew Sheppard, Kabam CPO. "The game design reflects Kabam's commitment to developing massively multiplayer social games on social networks by combining deep, immersive gameplay with the social connectivity and interaction provided by social platforms."
For the uninitiated, Dragons of Atlantis is surely an impressive feat on Facebook with large-scale battles occurring in real time against other players. But be prepared for a literal week's worth of preparation before you can leap into the fray. If you're already a fan of Dragons of Atlantis, executive producer Nathan Germish hints at city outposts and a new class of dragon that are on the way.
Alright, so it's not a Kraken, but no one can deny the cool factor of dragons. Kabam, the Redwood City, Calif.-based social game developer behind Kingdoms of Camelot, has released a brand new feature to its most recent game, Dragons of Atlantis. Called "Dragon Attack," this new option allows players to specifically target which of their enemies gets the extra crispy treatment from our favorite fire-breathers.
Dragons of Atlantis embodies Kabam's recent strategic (no pun intended) focus on massively multiplayer strategy games on Facebook. Like its previous games, players in Dragons of Atlantis are given one week in real time to build their kingdoms and their armies for an all out war for control of Atlantis against their fellow players. The linchpin of your defense in the game has always been the dragons, but with the new Dragon Attack, you can take dragons to the enemy before they know what hit them.
"Dragons of Atlantis is a dynamic world where player choice affects how the fight for Atlantis will unfold," said Andrew Sheppard, Kabam CPO. "The game design reflects Kabam's commitment to developing massively multiplayer social games on social networks by combining deep, immersive gameplay with the social connectivity and interaction provided by social platforms."
For the uninitiated, Dragons of Atlantis is surely an impressive feat on Facebook with large-scale battles occurring in real time against other players. But be prepared for a literal week's worth of preparation before you can leap into the fray. If you're already a fan of Dragons of Atlantis, executive producer Nathan Germish hints at city outposts and a new class of dragon that are on the way.
Draw My Thing on Facebook: More awesome than Pictionary
draw my thing facebook
Open any game on Facebook and you're sure to see energy bars, neighbors, and free gifts. Whether set in a city, farm, restaurant, or the wild west, most games on Facebook simply fail to stray from the game formula Zynga made so popular. As a result, these similar Facebook games are all starting to feel a little stale. But there are a few games that depart from that model entirely. OMGPOP's Facebook game, Draw My Thing, is one of those incredibly fresh games.
Draw my thing facebookCan you guess what it is?
Draw My Thing
Draw My Thing basically brings Pictionary to Facebook, and it's never been so awesome. At the main menu screen, click Play Now and Draw My Thing will place you into a game. Players take turns drawing pictures, while the others attempt to guess what it is. When it becomes your turn, you will be assigned a word and have one minute to draw using a variety of brush sizes and colors. While you draw, the other players will be trying to figure out what your masterpiece might be, and blurting out their guesses in the chat.
draw my thing facebook
The scoring system is just as simple. The first person to guess correctly is awarded three points and everyone after that one point. The artist of the masterpiece is awarded two points if anyone manages to guess correctly. The winner is the person with the highest score at the end of the round.
draw my thing facebookSadly, no one was able to guess this one...
Fine art abound
In Draw My Thing you'll see words like 'Harry Potter' or 'Lightning', harder words like 'Driving', and tricky words like 'Circle'. Some words may be much harder to draw than others, but one thing holds true every turn: drawing with the computer mouse is not easy. Most of the pictures I've seen are hilariously bad (including my own), and bring to mind something a kindergartner might hang on their fridge. You don't need any drawing skills to play, just a little creativity and some quick thinking. In Draw My Thing, you'll spend hours and hours drawing, guessing, and laughing with your friends at some no-doubt remarkably goofy works of art.
Actually play with your friends
Draw My Thing is one of the few Facebook games that actually allows you play with friends in real time (rather than visit their farms, cities, etc). At the home screen, click Choose Friends to set up a game for you and up to six buddies. To invite your friends, click one of the Invite buttons. Then in Facebook Chat or an Instant Message, paste the automatically copied link. When your friends click the link, they'll appear in your game, ready to draw and let the good times roll.
Fun with no gimmicks
Like other Facebook games, Draw My Thing allows you to buy things with Facebook Credits. However, this game can be fully played without spending a dime. Should you decide to spend some Facebook Credits, there's plenty of neat extras to buy on that can help you step up your game.
draw my thing facebook
New drawing tools can be purchased that extend your drawing time or let you to draw perfect circles. You can buy Word Swaps that allow you to pick a different word at the start of your turn. You can even buy Hints to help you guess correctly. And unlike CityVille, Draw My Thing will never require you to spam your friends to progress in the game (but it will allow you to share your finest works).
draw my thing facebook
Draw your thing
So while you can spend Facebook Credits or play with strangers, that's not what Draw My Thing is all about. Draw My Thing is a social game meant to be enjoyed by you and your friends. And while it does have some issues such as a lack of leaderboards and stats, we can look past that. Most importantly, Draw My Thing reminds us that it is possible to have a blast playing with your friends on Facebook; and no, fertilizing your friends' crops is neither "fun" nor "playing with your friends".
Open any game on Facebook and you're sure to see energy bars, neighbors, and free gifts. Whether set in a city, farm, restaurant, or the wild west, most games on Facebook simply fail to stray from the game formula Zynga made so popular. As a result, these similar Facebook games are all starting to feel a little stale. But there are a few games that depart from that model entirely. OMGPOP's Facebook game, Draw My Thing, is one of those incredibly fresh games.
Draw my thing facebookCan you guess what it is?
Draw My Thing
Draw My Thing basically brings Pictionary to Facebook, and it's never been so awesome. At the main menu screen, click Play Now and Draw My Thing will place you into a game. Players take turns drawing pictures, while the others attempt to guess what it is. When it becomes your turn, you will be assigned a word and have one minute to draw using a variety of brush sizes and colors. While you draw, the other players will be trying to figure out what your masterpiece might be, and blurting out their guesses in the chat.
draw my thing facebook
The scoring system is just as simple. The first person to guess correctly is awarded three points and everyone after that one point. The artist of the masterpiece is awarded two points if anyone manages to guess correctly. The winner is the person with the highest score at the end of the round.
draw my thing facebookSadly, no one was able to guess this one...
Fine art abound
In Draw My Thing you'll see words like 'Harry Potter' or 'Lightning', harder words like 'Driving', and tricky words like 'Circle'. Some words may be much harder to draw than others, but one thing holds true every turn: drawing with the computer mouse is not easy. Most of the pictures I've seen are hilariously bad (including my own), and bring to mind something a kindergartner might hang on their fridge. You don't need any drawing skills to play, just a little creativity and some quick thinking. In Draw My Thing, you'll spend hours and hours drawing, guessing, and laughing with your friends at some no-doubt remarkably goofy works of art.
Actually play with your friends
Draw My Thing is one of the few Facebook games that actually allows you play with friends in real time (rather than visit their farms, cities, etc). At the home screen, click Choose Friends to set up a game for you and up to six buddies. To invite your friends, click one of the Invite buttons. Then in Facebook Chat or an Instant Message, paste the automatically copied link. When your friends click the link, they'll appear in your game, ready to draw and let the good times roll.
Fun with no gimmicks
Like other Facebook games, Draw My Thing allows you to buy things with Facebook Credits. However, this game can be fully played without spending a dime. Should you decide to spend some Facebook Credits, there's plenty of neat extras to buy on that can help you step up your game.
draw my thing facebook
New drawing tools can be purchased that extend your drawing time or let you to draw perfect circles. You can buy Word Swaps that allow you to pick a different word at the start of your turn. You can even buy Hints to help you guess correctly. And unlike CityVille, Draw My Thing will never require you to spam your friends to progress in the game (but it will allow you to share your finest works).
draw my thing facebook
Draw your thing
So while you can spend Facebook Credits or play with strangers, that's not what Draw My Thing is all about. Draw My Thing is a social game meant to be enjoyed by you and your friends. And while it does have some issues such as a lack of leaderboards and stats, we can look past that. Most importantly, Draw My Thing reminds us that it is possible to have a blast playing with your friends on Facebook; and no, fertilizing your friends' crops is neither "fun" nor "playing with your friends".
Friday, January 6, 2012
FarmVille Fairy Tale Decorations: Fairy Shoe House, Troll Bridge, Fairy Gnome & More
As part of tonight's FarmVille update, we didn't only see the release of an entirely new quest set pertaining to the Greenhouse building, but we also saw a new set of Fairy Tale decorations being added to the store. These items will, of course, only be available for a limited time, and come in the form of one new building item, along with four new decorations.
The new building is the Fairy Shoe House (think the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe nursery rhyme). It is available for 12 Farm Cash, which seems like a fairly decent price, considering the tall size and intricate design of the item (it is around three times as tall as your in-game avatar, and is accompanied by lovely flower beds and barrels). You'll gain 1200 experience points for purchasing the Fairy Shoe House, so keep this as an option if you're looking for a way to quickly boost your level in the game.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the rest of the decorative items released this evening. If the Fairy Shoe House doesn't do it for you, perhaps one of these four new decorations will. Two of them, luckily enough, are available for coins, while the other two are premium, Farm Cash, items. The two Farm Cash items are the Magic Waterfall and the Fairy Gnome. The Fairy Gnome is a stationary item, dressed as a fairy with a green leaf dress and large purple wings, and it is priced at 18 Farm Cash. Unfortunately, being a gnome collector in FarmVille continues to be an expensive hobby. The Magic Waterfall, meanwhile, also costs 18 Farm Cash, and is also not animated (an interesting choice - we assumed that running water would be a given, but that currently isn't the case). This seems to have been a short error in the game, as the fountain does now animate.
The other two items are the Mushroom Knoll, and the Troll Bridge. The Troll Bridge is the more expensive of the two items, and by a long shot too, costing 200,000 coins. The Mushroom Knoll, then, can be purchased for just a tenth of that price, at 20,000 coins. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for splurging on the Troll Bridge, while the Mushroom Knoll rewards you with just 200 points.
All of these items, whether building or purely decorative, will be available in the game for the next two weeks. With this theme becoming a fairly large one in the game, it leaves us to wonder - will more items be released in the Fairy Tale theme in the future, or have we finally reached this end of this imaginative new theme?
The new building is the Fairy Shoe House (think the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe nursery rhyme). It is available for 12 Farm Cash, which seems like a fairly decent price, considering the tall size and intricate design of the item (it is around three times as tall as your in-game avatar, and is accompanied by lovely flower beds and barrels). You'll gain 1200 experience points for purchasing the Fairy Shoe House, so keep this as an option if you're looking for a way to quickly boost your level in the game.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the rest of the decorative items released this evening. If the Fairy Shoe House doesn't do it for you, perhaps one of these four new decorations will. Two of them, luckily enough, are available for coins, while the other two are premium, Farm Cash, items. The two Farm Cash items are the Magic Waterfall and the Fairy Gnome. The Fairy Gnome is a stationary item, dressed as a fairy with a green leaf dress and large purple wings, and it is priced at 18 Farm Cash. Unfortunately, being a gnome collector in FarmVille continues to be an expensive hobby. The Magic Waterfall, meanwhile, also costs 18 Farm Cash, and is also not animated (an interesting choice - we assumed that running water would be a given, but that currently isn't the case). This seems to have been a short error in the game, as the fountain does now animate.
The other two items are the Mushroom Knoll, and the Troll Bridge. The Troll Bridge is the more expensive of the two items, and by a long shot too, costing 200,000 coins. The Mushroom Knoll, then, can be purchased for just a tenth of that price, at 20,000 coins. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for splurging on the Troll Bridge, while the Mushroom Knoll rewards you with just 200 points.
All of these items, whether building or purely decorative, will be available in the game for the next two weeks. With this theme becoming a fairly large one in the game, it leaves us to wonder - will more items be released in the Fairy Tale theme in the future, or have we finally reached this end of this imaginative new theme?
FarmVille Fairy Tale Animals: Princess Duck & Pegasus
After a long wait by many farmers, the mythical Pegasus creature is now available in FarmVille. So too has another animal been released this evening in the form of a Princess Duck, both of which are part of the current Fairy Tale limited edition theme of items.
As for the Pegasus, this item has been floating around for some time. It was thought that it would be released way back when the Agricultural Alchemy theme was launched back in late November / early December, but it has remained in hiding until now. Unfortunately, with all of the hype associated with the animal, it comes with a high price tag - 35 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll receive the winged horse which comes with the same stats as a regular horse - it can be harvested from once every three days. You'll receive 3500 experience points for purchasing it.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to have an animal on your farm that can match your in-game avatar, the Princess Duck might be the choice for you, as she is wearing what looks to be an identical outfit to that of the Princess outfit you can currently buy for your avatar. The Princess Duck is much cheaper than the Pegasus, at 16 Farm Cash. Still, that's a fairly high price, so make sure you like the looks of this animal before you invest in it. Once purchased, you'll be able to harvest the Princess Duck once every two days. You'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing it.
Both of these limited edition animals will be available in the game for the next two weeks.
Have you been patiently waiting for Pegasus to finally fly into FarmVille? What do you think of its price now that it's finally available?
As for the Pegasus, this item has been floating around for some time. It was thought that it would be released way back when the Agricultural Alchemy theme was launched back in late November / early December, but it has remained in hiding until now. Unfortunately, with all of the hype associated with the animal, it comes with a high price tag - 35 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll receive the winged horse which comes with the same stats as a regular horse - it can be harvested from once every three days. You'll receive 3500 experience points for purchasing it.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to have an animal on your farm that can match your in-game avatar, the Princess Duck might be the choice for you, as she is wearing what looks to be an identical outfit to that of the Princess outfit you can currently buy for your avatar. The Princess Duck is much cheaper than the Pegasus, at 16 Farm Cash. Still, that's a fairly high price, so make sure you like the looks of this animal before you invest in it. Once purchased, you'll be able to harvest the Princess Duck once every two days. You'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing it.
Both of these limited edition animals will be available in the game for the next two weeks.
Have you been patiently waiting for Pegasus to finally fly into FarmVille? What do you think of its price now that it's finally available?
FarmVille's AVG promotion gives out Biplane and Instant Grow
Tonight a brand new promotion appeared in our FarmVille farms with a popup telling us to purchase AVG PC Tuneup in exchange for an in-game reward within FarmVille. If you purchase the software for $9.99 (normally $29.99) you not only get a faster PC but you also get a free branded AVG biplane. This biplane looks different than the Biplane already in the game, and comes with three free applications of Instant Grow.
Biplanes typically cost 30,000 coins and help you instant grow all of your crops. Instant Grow costs Farm Cash though, so just owning a biplane isn't enough to really utilize its benefits. The new AVG biplane acts the same as the old one, except it has the AVG logo and colors on it.
You can find out more information on the promotion page here. The offer is good until March 2nd at 11:59pm EST.
Biplanes typically cost 30,000 coins and help you instant grow all of your crops. Instant Grow costs Farm Cash though, so just owning a biplane isn't enough to really utilize its benefits. The new AVG biplane acts the same as the old one, except it has the AVG logo and colors on it.
You can find out more information on the promotion page here. The offer is good until March 2nd at 11:59pm EST.
Totally sweet! More awesome FarmVille cakes
Not everyone is baking inclined -- I know I could never make anything recognizable out of frosting, chocolate and sprinkles. But these talented FarmVille players sure know how to show their farm spirit using sugar. FarmVille has announced the the 15 winners of the Valentine's Day dessert contest on the official forums, and there are some truly talented FarmVille bakers out there.
Gallery: FarmVille Valentine's Day Desserts
sam boxall
The entries were judged in three categories, cakes, cookies, and original desserts. There were so many amazing entries that I could probably drool over them all day. The winners received an awesome prize for their efforts: 1,000 Farm Cash and 1,000,000 coins. They deserve every bit of that prize.
To check out the full list of winners with all the pictures of their fantastic edible FarmVille creations, be sure to check out the thread. We just can't get away from Valentine's Day.
Gallery: FarmVille Valentine's Day Desserts
sam boxall
The entries were judged in three categories, cakes, cookies, and original desserts. There were so many amazing entries that I could probably drool over them all day. The winners received an awesome prize for their efforts: 1,000 Farm Cash and 1,000,000 coins. They deserve every bit of that prize.
To check out the full list of winners with all the pictures of their fantastic edible FarmVille creations, be sure to check out the thread. We just can't get away from Valentine's Day.
Game of the Day: Hidden Expedition: Titanic
The Game of the Day is hidden object game classic. Hidden Expedition: Titanic: On April 14, 1912, the great steamship RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and within hours, sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. As part of the Hidden Expedition Adventure League, it is your job to explore the wreckage of this once-majestic ship and collect antique artifacts for the Titanic Museum.
Click --> Play Hidden Expedition: Titanic
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Hidden Expedition: Titanic
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.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Woof! Zynga teases FrontierVille Dog House feature
Unfortunately, we doubt this dog will be much of a drinker. Zynga posted this message today on its FrontierVille Facebook page: "Woof! Looks like a new friend is moving in. Stay tuned." Well, I guess the cat--er, dog is out of the bag. (They've never been too great in the hint department.) It's unknown when this feature will be released nor do we know how a dog will fit into the grand scheme of things on the homestead.
But we do know that it will more than likely be awesome. How could it not? It fills the void every new set of parents feel: The need to care for a creature that doesn't talk back. Though, house training isn't exactly fun the second, third or fourth time around. Things are about to get hairy on the homestead, so stay tuned.
What do you think this new addition to your family will be like? Are you excited for yet another family member?
But we do know that it will more than likely be awesome. How could it not? It fills the void every new set of parents feel: The need to care for a creature that doesn't talk back. Though, house training isn't exactly fun the second, third or fourth time around. Things are about to get hairy on the homestead, so stay tuned.
What do you think this new addition to your family will be like? Are you excited for yet another family member?
Microsoft video: Social is the future of Windows, Xbox, mobile gaming
As if the folks in Redmond, Wash. had a choice. This leaked internal Microsoft video reveals the company's vision for the future of gaming on its Xbox, Windows and mobile platforms. Two words pretty much sum up the gist of it: social gaming. As we all know, this emergent genre has spun the entire industry on its head. That said, it's time that not only traditional game designers adapt, but hardware and interface designers as well. In Microsoft's perfect world, social games and sharing features will be built-in across its platforms--either in this generation or the next--Minority Report-style. Jokes aside, expect lots more Kinect and touch integration in the future, not to mention a huge push toward social gaming (and virtual goods) from Microsoft all around. Let's just hope Microsoft's aspirations don't wholly involve FarmVille--guy's gotta' have his Halo.
[Via Uber Gizmo]
[Source: ZDNet]
Is this the type of future you had envisioned for Xbox or console gaming in general? What do you think is missing or needs work in Microsoft's vision for the future?
[Via Uber Gizmo]
[Source: ZDNet]
Is this the type of future you had envisioned for Xbox or console gaming in general? What do you think is missing or needs work in Microsoft's vision for the future?
Quote of the Moment: '[Xbox Live's] too small a demographic' for Zynga
Brian Reynolds of Zynga
"[Xbox Live's] too small a demographic. Think about, of my friends, how many of them own an Xbox 360? Well, I'm a game developer and I even come from a triple-A space so we might even be in the double digits... Twenty or maybe even thirty percent of my friends might have an Xbox 360, but effectively 100 percent of them have Facebook and effectively 100 percent of them have a mobile phone. Of them, probably 90 percent have a smartphone."
Brian Reynolds, chief game designer at Zynga, said this to Industrygamers.com in a recent interview. He's referring to what might be the next move for the omnipotent social game developer. While all signs point to mobile, it's not silly to assume that Microsoft's Xbox Live could be next with its over 30 million players. As it turns out, 30 million just doesn't stack up to Facebook's over 500 million, that of which half is said to play social games. A game like CityVille on Xbox would grab probably over a few million players, but that's small potatoes compared to the 90 million that already play on Facebook. Reynolds continued, explaining that mobile is next, because while plenty of his friends have Xbox 360s, the average social gamer doesn't have as many friends with the console. On the other hand, Reynolds said that at least 90 percent of his friends likely have a smartphone. You do the math. (Sorry, Microsoft.)
[Image Credit: The Baltimore Sun]
What do you think of Zynga's dismissal of Xbox 360? Is the company making a mistake in leaving it out or is the company right on track?
"[Xbox Live's] too small a demographic. Think about, of my friends, how many of them own an Xbox 360? Well, I'm a game developer and I even come from a triple-A space so we might even be in the double digits... Twenty or maybe even thirty percent of my friends might have an Xbox 360, but effectively 100 percent of them have Facebook and effectively 100 percent of them have a mobile phone. Of them, probably 90 percent have a smartphone."
Brian Reynolds, chief game designer at Zynga, said this to Industrygamers.com in a recent interview. He's referring to what might be the next move for the omnipotent social game developer. While all signs point to mobile, it's not silly to assume that Microsoft's Xbox Live could be next with its over 30 million players. As it turns out, 30 million just doesn't stack up to Facebook's over 500 million, that of which half is said to play social games. A game like CityVille on Xbox would grab probably over a few million players, but that's small potatoes compared to the 90 million that already play on Facebook. Reynolds continued, explaining that mobile is next, because while plenty of his friends have Xbox 360s, the average social gamer doesn't have as many friends with the console. On the other hand, Reynolds said that at least 90 percent of his friends likely have a smartphone. You do the math. (Sorry, Microsoft.)
[Image Credit: The Baltimore Sun]
What do you think of Zynga's dismissal of Xbox 360? Is the company making a mistake in leaving it out or is the company right on track?
Earn 3 free FarmVille Farm Cash in The Killing promotion
It's been quite a while since we've seen a FarmVille Sponsored Link, but leave it to our friends at FarmVille Freak to dig up (Get it? Maybe that's too far...) the next one. This promotion for AMC's next series, The Killing, may not have made it to every farmer's game page yet (it's not on mine as of this writing), but it should show up any day now. Like all Sponsored Links, it will appear underneath your game screen and read, "Watch a preview for The Killing, AMC's spellbinding new crime drama."
Click on the link and the usual pop-up will appear, wrapped in the signature FarmVille wooden border. There's no game to this promotion, just watch the show's trailer and answer a simple multiple choice question. Then, you should see a message in the upper right side of the window that reads something to the effect of "You've earned your Farm Cash." When you see this, it's time to split and give it about 30 minutes to an hour before the Farm Cash posts to your account.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you seen or completed this FarmVille Sponsored Link yet? What might you be saving your Farm Cash for?
Click on the link and the usual pop-up will appear, wrapped in the signature FarmVille wooden border. There's no game to this promotion, just watch the show's trailer and answer a simple multiple choice question. Then, you should see a message in the upper right side of the window that reads something to the effect of "You've earned your Farm Cash." When you see this, it's time to split and give it about 30 minutes to an hour before the Farm Cash posts to your account.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you seen or completed this FarmVille Sponsored Link yet? What might you be saving your Farm Cash for?
FarmVille English Countryside prep: Hit level 20 fast using these nifty tips
In order to play the much-anticipated FarmVille English Countryside expansion (said to arrive sometime this week), you'll need to be at level 20 before you'll be able to gain access. While this won't be a problem for long-time players, newbies or a more sporadic farmer might need to do some quick leveling up in order to gain access to England as soon as its available. If you find yourself in this situation, Games.com - The Blog! offers these tips to ensure an expedited trip to your new farm across the pond.
farmvile strawberries
Plant Strawberries and/or Aloe Vera crops
Strawberries take four hours to mature and you will gain 1 XP every time they are harvested. Since you can plant and harvest strawberries up to six times in a 24-hour period (OK, you might lose a little sleep if you plant that often), you can rack up a bunch of XP points with these crops.
The same plant-and-harvest-more-often technique also works with Aloe Vera crops, which take six hours to mature.
farmville haybales level up guide
Buy Hay Bales
If you've ever wanted to create your own farm art using hay bales, this is the time to do it. Each hay bale you buy earns you 5 XP, so if you buy a bunch of them, you can gain XP like it's going out of style. Granted, this power leveling method can cost a lot of coin. If it's any consolation, you can sell the hay bales back for a fraction of the price you paid for them.
farmville collections trade in to level up fast
Trade in Collections
It took me a long time to really understand the value of Collections. I'd collect stuff and forget to trade it in. Then, I realized that, that was a mistake. Trade in the Country Kitsch, Feather or any of the other permanent in-game collections, and you'll score 250 XP (and 5,000 coins) a pop. Not bad, especially when feel the need, the need for speedy XP.
farmville ribbons level up fast
Focus on Easy Ribbon Achievements
FarmVille gives players ribbons as achievements and once you earn them, you'll also rewarded with a bundle of XP. Some of the easier ribbons to earn are Not Spoiled, Gifted!, which is earned by collecting gifts from friends (tho you'll need to hoard them until you earn the ribbons) and Local Celebrity, which simply requires you to have a certain number of friends.
Plow a field, plant a cheap crop that yields the most XP (like Soybeans), then delete. Do it over again.
This leveling up technique, often called the Soybean Method, is a little underhanded and sneaky and requires you to have lots of coins to burn. But, if you're desperate to gain XP quickly, it works.
farmville friends level up guide
Get more FarmVille friends ASAP
The more FarmVille friends you have, the more farms you'll be able to visit and the more XP you'll be able to earn.
Each farm you visit can give you up to 5 XP -- so the more friends you have, well, you can do the math.
farmville expansions- level up fast guide
Expand!
That's right -- if you've got the coins, make sure you expand your farm ASAP. These upgrades will give you more room for crops and every expansion you buy will also yield a certain number of experience points. On that note:
Store Buildings and Decorations, and use extra space for crops
Crops yield XP, decor and many buildings* don't. (*The Greenhouse is an exception -- see the last leveling tip below)
Build the Greenhouse, like, right now
If you've been putting off building the Greenhouse -- don't. It costs five coins to buy the frame and then needs a total of 12 building supplies (four of each: nails, boards, bricks) to get started creating hybrid crops. Why are hybrid crops so great? Two of them in particular -- the Strasberry (a cross between a strawberry and rasberry) and the Purple Tomatoes take a mere 2 hours to grow and yield double the XP of a regular crop.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Got any other killer tips on how to level up fast in FarmVille?
farmvile strawberries
Plant Strawberries and/or Aloe Vera crops
Strawberries take four hours to mature and you will gain 1 XP every time they are harvested. Since you can plant and harvest strawberries up to six times in a 24-hour period (OK, you might lose a little sleep if you plant that often), you can rack up a bunch of XP points with these crops.
The same plant-and-harvest-more-often technique also works with Aloe Vera crops, which take six hours to mature.
farmville haybales level up guide
Buy Hay Bales
If you've ever wanted to create your own farm art using hay bales, this is the time to do it. Each hay bale you buy earns you 5 XP, so if you buy a bunch of them, you can gain XP like it's going out of style. Granted, this power leveling method can cost a lot of coin. If it's any consolation, you can sell the hay bales back for a fraction of the price you paid for them.
farmville collections trade in to level up fast
Trade in Collections
It took me a long time to really understand the value of Collections. I'd collect stuff and forget to trade it in. Then, I realized that, that was a mistake. Trade in the Country Kitsch, Feather or any of the other permanent in-game collections, and you'll score 250 XP (and 5,000 coins) a pop. Not bad, especially when feel the need, the need for speedy XP.
farmville ribbons level up fast
Focus on Easy Ribbon Achievements
FarmVille gives players ribbons as achievements and once you earn them, you'll also rewarded with a bundle of XP. Some of the easier ribbons to earn are Not Spoiled, Gifted!, which is earned by collecting gifts from friends (tho you'll need to hoard them until you earn the ribbons) and Local Celebrity, which simply requires you to have a certain number of friends.
Plow a field, plant a cheap crop that yields the most XP (like Soybeans), then delete. Do it over again.
This leveling up technique, often called the Soybean Method, is a little underhanded and sneaky and requires you to have lots of coins to burn. But, if you're desperate to gain XP quickly, it works.
farmville friends level up guide
Get more FarmVille friends ASAP
The more FarmVille friends you have, the more farms you'll be able to visit and the more XP you'll be able to earn.
Each farm you visit can give you up to 5 XP -- so the more friends you have, well, you can do the math.
farmville expansions- level up fast guide
Expand!
That's right -- if you've got the coins, make sure you expand your farm ASAP. These upgrades will give you more room for crops and every expansion you buy will also yield a certain number of experience points. On that note:
Store Buildings and Decorations, and use extra space for crops
Crops yield XP, decor and many buildings* don't. (*The Greenhouse is an exception -- see the last leveling tip below)
Build the Greenhouse, like, right now
If you've been putting off building the Greenhouse -- don't. It costs five coins to buy the frame and then needs a total of 12 building supplies (four of each: nails, boards, bricks) to get started creating hybrid crops. Why are hybrid crops so great? Two of them in particular -- the Strasberry (a cross between a strawberry and rasberry) and the Purple Tomatoes take a mere 2 hours to grow and yield double the XP of a regular crop.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Got any other killer tips on how to level up fast in FarmVille?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
FarmVille English Countryside: Pause feature, be gone!
And so it was written: The Pause feature was banished from the lands of FarmVille after the English onslaught, never to wreak havoc on digital farms again. The virtual farmers rejoiced, but quickly realized how little time they had to manage two massive farms at once and cried out in favor of the Pause once more. Alright, so that second sentence was a prediction--sue me. Zynga has officially made the Pause between both farms optional. Of course, this is a slow roll out, so stay tuned if you've yet to receive the feature.
FarmVille travel options
When traveling between farms, you will be greeted with the warning that the farm you're currently leaving will freeze in time. However, a button reading "Change Options" has appeared within the window. Click on it to open the above window, which allows players to make it so both farms run simultaneously. There, you babies, you got your wish. Are you happy now? (I kid, please don't leave me.)
However, it begs the question. Will players really enjoy managing two properties at once on two separate timers? Or will they simply abandon English Countryside altogether now that the Sheep Pen is coming to home farms (surely the Pub is to follow)? It will be interesting to see how vacant English farms become in the coming months.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen this new option appear in your game yet? Now that the Pause has been relinquished, where will you spend most of your time farming?
FarmVille travel options
When traveling between farms, you will be greeted with the warning that the farm you're currently leaving will freeze in time. However, a button reading "Change Options" has appeared within the window. Click on it to open the above window, which allows players to make it so both farms run simultaneously. There, you babies, you got your wish. Are you happy now? (I kid, please don't leave me.)
However, it begs the question. Will players really enjoy managing two properties at once on two separate timers? Or will they simply abandon English Countryside altogether now that the Sheep Pen is coming to home farms (surely the Pub is to follow)? It will be interesting to see how vacant English farms become in the coming months.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you seen this new option appear in your game yet? Now that the Pause has been relinquished, where will you spend most of your time farming?
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