facebook credits
On almost any Facebook game wall, you will see posts from people complaining that the latest and greatest desired item requires real money to purchase. Many players cannot fathom why a Facebook game should ever require them to pay money for digital pixels, and find themselves irate when game developers do not offer a way to obtain all items without requiring real dollars to be spent. For some players, buying items simply isn't an option because they're too young to purchase without parent's permission, they are out of the country, or they simply do not have the extra change laying around to spend on a virtual game. In this column, we'll take a look at the reasons why Facebook game developers have to charge for items in their games despite player's constant objections.
Development Costs
Creating a game costs a huge chunk of money. We're not talking thousands here - for some of the top games that you're playing such as FarmVille or Pet Society, millions of dollars have been spent even before the game launched. Games require staff such as client programmers, server programmers, game designers, producers, project managers, business developers, and executives. That doesn't even include the standard business personnel that most companies require such as a Human Resources department, lawyer consultation, office managers, and more. Social games are easier to develop than console games and standard MMORPG titles, but they still require months of time and generally dozens of employees. That's a lot of salaries, office rent, and expenses that have to be made up.
Startup Costs
Social gaming is a division of gaming that is still in its infancy. Every day, it seems that there are new developers jumping into the pool of contenders trying to make the next blowup hit. Many of these companies are startups, that are funded by venture capitalists or angel investors. This means that these companies often are given millions of dollars to create social games that are profitable for their investors. Without profit, there is not success, and venture capitalists will no longer be interested in providing seed funding to social game developers. In other words, these games have to sell items to turn their company into a success.
Live Operation Costs
Arguably even more expensive than the initial development costs for a social game, is the expense of keeping it running long term. In order to have a live game that continually provides updates, fixes bugs, releases new and exciting content, and remains a successful product for the company - there are many financial resources that have to be dedicated to it. A live game requires hosting - even though the game is on Facebook it isn't actually hosted there. The developer has to pay all operating costs to keep the client and server running smoothly and supporting the thousands (sometimes millions) of players who log in every day. This is very expensive, and without money coming in your favorite game would not even be able to remain live and running.
There are also a number of other costs that are associated with running a live game. Someone needs to be in charge of the game, designing features and choosing what themed items to release. A full Quality Assurance team is required to make sure the game is running smoothly by testing every new release that goes into the game. Customer Support staff is an essential part of making sure the players are getting help for billing and support questions. Community Managers are often used to moderate forums, relate key customer concerns to the developers and executives, and handle the wall posts and engagement with the players. There are tons of artists required to make all of the new items that are for sale. This is just the beginning!
All of these staff members require pay, as making social games is not a hobby for them - it's a full time career. Your favorite social game not only has to be able to simply pay the bills to pay for technical costs, staff salaries, and office space, but they also have to make a profit in order to continue surviving as a viable company.
While it may be frustrating to you to see that you cannot afford to pay for items in the game, remember that most games that require a development staff this large are not free. Console games require an initial purchase fee of anywhere from $40 - $70, and traditional MMO games often have a box price of $50 plus require a monthly subscription fee. Social games are expensive to operate, and it is even more challenging when everyone is allowed to play the games for free for as long as they want without spending a dime. In most Facebook games, somewhere around 1-3% of players ever actually pay - but they make up for all of the other players.
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Tuscan Decorations: Tuscan Trellis, Tomato Cart & Castello Fence
farmville tomato cart farmville tuscan trellis
Tonight, June 4th, several Tuscan themed decorations were added to the FarmVIlle Market. These new items will be available for the next 14 days. Keep in mind the first round of Tuscan decorations (Umbrellas, Lawn Chairs, Bee Catcher and more) will be exiting the FarmVille Market in 7 days.
The new items include:
Tuscan Trellis – 18$FV
Tomato Cart – 12,000 coins
Castello Fence – 5,000 coins
What Tuscan decorations have you purchased?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Tonight, June 4th, several Tuscan themed decorations were added to the FarmVIlle Market. These new items will be available for the next 14 days. Keep in mind the first round of Tuscan decorations (Umbrellas, Lawn Chairs, Bee Catcher and more) will be exiting the FarmVille Market in 7 days.
The new items include:
Tuscan Trellis – 18$FV
Tomato Cart – 12,000 coins
Castello Fence – 5,000 coins
What Tuscan decorations have you purchased?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Mansion for Level 70 Players only!
farmville level 70 mansion
The Zynga gods must be listening to us!
Recently on FarmVille Freak we have been pleading for more benefits for our Level 70 farmers and tonight's updates introduced a brand new FarmVille building, the Mansion, accessible to Level 70 players only! farmville mansion
The Mansion can be purchased for a whopping 5 million coins making it the most expensive coin item in the market. However, most Level 70 farmers have excess coins to spend and nothing to buy so it shouldn't be much of an issue for them to purchase.
Are you impressed with the Level 70 Mansion?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
The Zynga gods must be listening to us!
Recently on FarmVille Freak we have been pleading for more benefits for our Level 70 farmers and tonight's updates introduced a brand new FarmVille building, the Mansion, accessible to Level 70 players only! farmville mansion
The Mansion can be purchased for a whopping 5 million coins making it the most expensive coin item in the market. However, most Level 70 farmers have excess coins to spend and nothing to buy so it shouldn't be much of an issue for them to purchase.
Are you impressed with the Level 70 Mansion?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille: New Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-op Job
farmville peanut butter and jelly
It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Tonight the new FarmVille Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-op job debuted. This job requires you to grow Peanut and Strawberry crops with the help of your neighbors to complete the job.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-Op Job Requirements:
Gold Reward: Grow 800 Peanuts and 1200 Strawberries to be grown in 1 day and 7 hours for a Gold Reward
Silver Reward: 2 days
Bronze Reward: 3 days 6 hours
farmville co op farming peanut butter and jelly
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-op Job description:
"Piloting is hard work, I spend all day up in the air, and with no time for a proper lunch I just eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I'm out of PB&J! Can you help?"
farmville biplane
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-Op Job Gold Reward:
The Biplane, offered as a new vehicle tonight for 30,000 coins in Market, is the Gold Reward for this job. So, if you are saving your coins, you have another option.
Additional bonuses offered for Gold are 620 coins and 745Xp.
Will you purchase the Biplane or go for Gold instead?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Tonight the new FarmVille Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-op job debuted. This job requires you to grow Peanut and Strawberry crops with the help of your neighbors to complete the job.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-Op Job Requirements:
Gold Reward: Grow 800 Peanuts and 1200 Strawberries to be grown in 1 day and 7 hours for a Gold Reward
Silver Reward: 2 days
Bronze Reward: 3 days 6 hours
farmville co op farming peanut butter and jelly
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-op Job description:
"Piloting is hard work, I spend all day up in the air, and with no time for a proper lunch I just eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I'm out of PB&J! Can you help?"
farmville biplane
Peanut Butter and Jelly Co-Op Job Gold Reward:
The Biplane, offered as a new vehicle tonight for 30,000 coins in Market, is the Gold Reward for this job. So, if you are saving your coins, you have another option.
Additional bonuses offered for Gold are 620 coins and 745Xp.
Will you purchase the Biplane or go for Gold instead?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Tuscan Building: Observation Dome
farmville observation dome
Another building was added to the Tuscan theme. The Observation Dome can be purchased for 42$FV and will be available for the next 14 days. There are now 14 Tuscan buildings, all but the Wedding Tent can be purchased for $FV. farmville tuscan observation dome
farmville observation dome
What Tuscan themed building is your favorite?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Another building was added to the Tuscan theme. The Observation Dome can be purchased for 42$FV and will be available for the next 14 days. There are now 14 Tuscan buildings, all but the Wedding Tent can be purchased for $FV. farmville tuscan observation dome
farmville observation dome
What Tuscan themed building is your favorite?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille releases new July 4th items
The YoVille 2010, 4th of July items have arrived in the furniture store. There are actually quite a few coin items in this collection.
This 4th of July collection is adorned with red, white and blue stars and stripes. The collection includes a Patio Chair, sectional sofas; both side and front view, a pool mattress (you cannot sit or lay on it, but when you place it, it appears as if it is floating), umbrella, lounge chair, Adirondack chair, a spread out towel-you cannot sit or lay on it, a stack of folded towels, a drink cooling barrel, balloon cluster decoration, a balloon arch, 4th of July 3 tiered cake, a set of 3 candles and a throw pillow. The collection also includes more fireworks, spinners and sparklers.
I just bought up all the coins items myself. Whether it's one of the new summer homes or a coin home you are creatively converting into your 2010 summer home, this collection will be a good addition. Enjoy the new items and get busy creating your summertime getaway for the 4th of July, YoVille style. YoVille July 4th items 01
YoVille July 4th items 02
YoVille July 4th items 03
YoVille July 4th items 04
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
This 4th of July collection is adorned with red, white and blue stars and stripes. The collection includes a Patio Chair, sectional sofas; both side and front view, a pool mattress (you cannot sit or lay on it, but when you place it, it appears as if it is floating), umbrella, lounge chair, Adirondack chair, a spread out towel-you cannot sit or lay on it, a stack of folded towels, a drink cooling barrel, balloon cluster decoration, a balloon arch, 4th of July 3 tiered cake, a set of 3 candles and a throw pillow. The collection also includes more fireworks, spinners and sparklers.
I just bought up all the coins items myself. Whether it's one of the new summer homes or a coin home you are creatively converting into your 2010 summer home, this collection will be a good addition. Enjoy the new items and get busy creating your summertime getaway for the 4th of July, YoVille style. YoVille July 4th items 01
YoVille July 4th items 02
YoVille July 4th items 03
YoVille July 4th items 04
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Cafe World: No Clean Fairy keeps stoves clean without clicking
Cafe World No Clean Fairy
Cafe World Special Items menuStoves in Cafe World always need to be clicked to be cleaned. Not even Super Stoves are immune to this drudgery. But now, in comes the No Clean Fairy, promising to leave stoves clean after use, while allowing you to pocket the Cafe Points earned from the cleaning.
The Fairy costs 95 Cafe Cash, and if you don't have a single Cafe dollar on you, you can buy a set of 120 Cafe Cash for $16 USD in the game. Granted, that's not cheap, and if you plan to be a long-term, real money spender in the game, the 780 Cafe Cash for $50 USD is the best deal.
You can find the No Clean Fairy hiding in the newest section of the Cafe World in-game store by clicking on "Functional Items", then "Special Items" (it's got an icon of a big blue jewel).
Cafe World Special Items menuStoves in Cafe World always need to be clicked to be cleaned. Not even Super Stoves are immune to this drudgery. But now, in comes the No Clean Fairy, promising to leave stoves clean after use, while allowing you to pocket the Cafe Points earned from the cleaning.
The Fairy costs 95 Cafe Cash, and if you don't have a single Cafe dollar on you, you can buy a set of 120 Cafe Cash for $16 USD in the game. Granted, that's not cheap, and if you plan to be a long-term, real money spender in the game, the 780 Cafe Cash for $50 USD is the best deal.
You can find the No Clean Fairy hiding in the newest section of the Cafe World in-game store by clicking on "Functional Items", then "Special Items" (it's got an icon of a big blue jewel).
PetVille: Win bonus items and a wish in the new Genie Gems minigame
PetVille Genie Gems Game Over
PetVille Genie LampCollect twelve gems in Genie Gems, the new mini-game in PetVille, and the Genie will grant you one wish, though there's no telling what that'll involve. In the meanwhile, playing the game will earn you free coins, Clean Bombs, and Flowers for your ikebana!
Each play costs your pet 10 Energy and a Genie Lamp, but PetVille starts you off with 4 free Lamps. To get more Lamps, you can buy one for 2 Pet Cash each, or request them from friends via a Facebook Wall post. Friends who respond to your request will get a free Lamp too! Lamp requests are limited, however, as after the 4th or 5th request, your friend will stop getting free Lamps and start getting 100 Coins instead. Afterwards, it's no more Lamps 'til the next day.
It's been more than half a year since Zynga added its first mini-game to PetVille -- Bubble Pop. Personally, I was hoping that this gems game was more of a Bejeweled Blitz deal, like the one in Sorority Life or Treasure Madness, but Genie Gems is pretty fun and plays like a quick-and-dirty 9x9 version of Minesweeper.
In order to win, you need to run out of baskets without clicking on the Snake. Do that, and you'll also earn an "Extra Play", or free round.
PetVille Gem Collector Challenge
A new PetVille challenge has also showed up along with this minigame, called the "Gem Collector" and it'll available for the next 6 days. The most interesting thing though, is that the challenge claims you can also grab "gems through gifts and treasure chests."
PetVille Genie LampCollect twelve gems in Genie Gems, the new mini-game in PetVille, and the Genie will grant you one wish, though there's no telling what that'll involve. In the meanwhile, playing the game will earn you free coins, Clean Bombs, and Flowers for your ikebana!
Each play costs your pet 10 Energy and a Genie Lamp, but PetVille starts you off with 4 free Lamps. To get more Lamps, you can buy one for 2 Pet Cash each, or request them from friends via a Facebook Wall post. Friends who respond to your request will get a free Lamp too! Lamp requests are limited, however, as after the 4th or 5th request, your friend will stop getting free Lamps and start getting 100 Coins instead. Afterwards, it's no more Lamps 'til the next day.
It's been more than half a year since Zynga added its first mini-game to PetVille -- Bubble Pop. Personally, I was hoping that this gems game was more of a Bejeweled Blitz deal, like the one in Sorority Life or Treasure Madness, but Genie Gems is pretty fun and plays like a quick-and-dirty 9x9 version of Minesweeper.
In order to win, you need to run out of baskets without clicking on the Snake. Do that, and you'll also earn an "Extra Play", or free round.
PetVille Gem Collector Challenge
A new PetVille challenge has also showed up along with this minigame, called the "Gem Collector" and it'll available for the next 6 days. The most interesting thing though, is that the challenge claims you can also grab "gems through gifts and treasure chests."
Happy Pets pretends Independence Day is Memorial Day
Happy Pets 4th of July Bundle Sale
Instead of creating new July 4th items for Independence Day, Happy Pets is rereleasing some old Limited Edition items, namely, Captain Kitty, a star-spangled Uncle Sam Hat, and a USA Flag with a stand attached.
Happy Pets 4th of July SALE! iconAll three items were previously released for Memorial Day, so this is ridiculously lazy on the part of the game creators. Then again, maybe they're counting on everyone being too busy vacationing during the ID4 weekend to care. On the upside, the three items are being sold in a bundle for 60 Facebook Credits ($6 USD), instead of 98 FB Credits ($9.80 USD), so you'll be saving in you grab 'em this time around. The Kitty itself was originally 88 FB Credits ($8.80 USD).
This offer also isn't available inside the in-game store. To find it, you'll need to click on the little "4th of July Sale" icon on the left side of the game screen.
Instead of creating new July 4th items for Independence Day, Happy Pets is rereleasing some old Limited Edition items, namely, Captain Kitty, a star-spangled Uncle Sam Hat, and a USA Flag with a stand attached.
Happy Pets 4th of July SALE! iconAll three items were previously released for Memorial Day, so this is ridiculously lazy on the part of the game creators. Then again, maybe they're counting on everyone being too busy vacationing during the ID4 weekend to care. On the upside, the three items are being sold in a bundle for 60 Facebook Credits ($6 USD), instead of 98 FB Credits ($9.80 USD), so you'll be saving in you grab 'em this time around. The Kitty itself was originally 88 FB Credits ($8.80 USD).
This offer also isn't available inside the in-game store. To find it, you'll need to click on the little "4th of July Sale" icon on the left side of the game screen.
Cafe World lets you 'Save the Gulf' and decorate at the same time
Cafe World Save the Gulf
Cafe World is pledging 50% of all proceeds from its "Save the Gulf!" Mystery Crates or 3 Special Charity items to the Audobon Society to fight the Gulf Oil Spill. Each Mystery Crate costs 16 Cafe Cash, or basically, a little over $1 USD. But Cafe World sells Cafe Cash in batches, such as 25 for $3.50 USD or 780 for $50 USD.
Cafe World Save the Gulf Charity Items
The 3 Special Charity items are pre-released items from prior theme sets -- Lobster Tank (25 Cafe Cash), Modern Fish Tank (22 Cafe Cash), and Primal Fish in Tank, which costs the same as a Mystery Crate.
Cafe World is pledging 50% of all proceeds from its "Save the Gulf!" Mystery Crates or 3 Special Charity items to the Audobon Society to fight the Gulf Oil Spill. Each Mystery Crate costs 16 Cafe Cash, or basically, a little over $1 USD. But Cafe World sells Cafe Cash in batches, such as 25 for $3.50 USD or 780 for $50 USD.
Cafe World Save the Gulf Charity Items
The 3 Special Charity items are pre-released items from prior theme sets -- Lobster Tank (25 Cafe Cash), Modern Fish Tank (22 Cafe Cash), and Primal Fish in Tank, which costs the same as a Mystery Crate.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Garage: Gearhead Ribbon
FarmVille has introduced a new achievement, the Gearhead Ribbon, today.
The Gearhead Ribbon works with the new Garage feature. Note, that not everyone has access to the Garage at this point.
The Gearhead Ribbon will reward you for upgrading your FarmVille Vehicles. You will be able to upgrade your FarmVille vehicles using the new Garage function.
FarmVille Gearhead Ribbon Achievement:
Task: Upgrade your FarmVille vehicles to earn the Ribbon.
Requirements for Gearhead Ribbon:
Yellow Ribbon: Upgrade 2 Vehicles, earn the Yellow Ribbon.
White Ribbon: Upgrade 6 Vehicles, earn the White Ribbon
Red Ribbon:
Blue Ribbon:
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Updated (7/8) -- To get the Gearhead Yellow ribbon, you'll need to upgrade two vehicles. Once you do that, you'll be able to share a bonus with friends on your Facebook wall.
farmville gearhead ribbon
Looks like you'll need to upgrade six vehicles to get the Gearhead White Ribbon -- made the appropriate changes to the requirements above.
Check out the FarmVille Garage: Everything you need to know Guide
Do you have all of the ribbons yet? How many vehicles do you have to upgrade to get the red and blue ribbon?
The Gearhead Ribbon works with the new Garage feature. Note, that not everyone has access to the Garage at this point.
The Gearhead Ribbon will reward you for upgrading your FarmVille Vehicles. You will be able to upgrade your FarmVille vehicles using the new Garage function.
FarmVille Gearhead Ribbon Achievement:
Task: Upgrade your FarmVille vehicles to earn the Ribbon.
Requirements for Gearhead Ribbon:
Yellow Ribbon: Upgrade 2 Vehicles, earn the Yellow Ribbon.
White Ribbon: Upgrade 6 Vehicles, earn the White Ribbon
Red Ribbon:
Blue Ribbon:
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Updated (7/8) -- To get the Gearhead Yellow ribbon, you'll need to upgrade two vehicles. Once you do that, you'll be able to share a bonus with friends on your Facebook wall.
farmville gearhead ribbon
Looks like you'll need to upgrade six vehicles to get the Gearhead White Ribbon -- made the appropriate changes to the requirements above.
Check out the FarmVille Garage: Everything you need to know Guide
Do you have all of the ribbons yet? How many vehicles do you have to upgrade to get the red and blue ribbon?
FarmVille official podcast (8/6): Garages, bushels and the White Owl's triumphant return
The next installment of the FarmVille official podcast (FOP, for short) has arrived, and this week's show is mostly focused on explaining the new Garage feature that will be slowly rolling out to farmers over the next few days -- or maybe weeks -- if previous slow roll-outs were any indication of timing. FarmVille Community Manager Lexi 'Lexilicious' Smith gives a good overview of how the garages work, though I wish she would discuss how the leveling up works if you already own a Hotrod tractor. Even so, it's still worth a listen.
Every week, the FOP highlights a few user-submitted questions, and this week's targets missing Wandering Stallions and the seeming lack of Bushels dropping in the game. Here are the answers to these questions, respectively:
1. The stallions were missing due to a bug that has since been fixed -- so those should be returning shortly.
2. As for finding fewer bushels, Lexilicious says the following: "The drop rates for bushels have not been altered since the release of Crafting Cottages. I think since bushels are in such high demand right now it may seem like you are getting less, but nothing has been changed with this feature. And since bushels are not guaranteed, it is also possible that you have just hit an unlucky spell lately. Just as a reminder, if you master your crops, you will receive additional bushels from those crop types. You can also purchase a total of 300 Bushels from your neighbors every 24 hours, so if you find that you can't produce any of your own, try visiting your Neighbors Crafting Buildings for more."
As for the best part of the FOP -- the Coming Soon segment -- the game will start recycling some popular limited edition items starting Monday, August 9. Every day, new items will be making a return trip to the game. Here's a quickie schedule:
Monday: Yukon and California limited edition items
Tuesday: French Chateau limited edition items
Wednesday: Adobe themed items
Thursday: Tuscan themed items
Friday: Island themed items
Saturday: Japanese Garden items
Sunday: UFO themed items
And for the animal lovers out there -- FarmVille will launch a new Best of Mystery Animal Game in the near future, which will include rare animals, such as the popular White Owl.
Below is the full transcript of the podcast, taken from Lexilicious' official forum post:
"FarmVille Podcast - August 6th:
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast. My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news and information from around the Farm. This week, we will be discussing our latest releases, I will be answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community and you guys will all be getting a sneak peek of what is coming to FarmVille in the near future.
As I am sure some of you know, the new Garage feature was released today. We will be spending most of this week's podcast walking through this new feature which will provide some helpful tips for users who may still be trying to figure out the basics of our latest update.
Garages are used to store Tractors, Harvesters and Seeders. You can also use the Garage to upgrade your Vehicles so you can farm faster than ever before! If you are level 22 and above, you can purchase a Garage Frame from the Market for 50,000 Coins.
Building the Garage is very similar to building a Japanese Barn. To construct your Garage, you will need to collect 10 Boards, 10 Bricks and 10 Nails.
Once you have placed your Garage Frame, click on "look inside" from the Garage's menu. Doing so will open a page that displays what you need to complete your Garage. Like any other constructible building, you can collect materials via the free gifts page, the "ask for more" button and with Farm Cash.
From the Free Gifts Page, your Neighbors will be able to send you one of the three types of building components to help you finish your Garage. When neighbors send you a building component, it works exactly like any other free gift. After you accept the gift it will appear in your gift box. After clicking the "use" button under the gift it will automatically be added to your Frame.
When viewing the interior of your unfinished Garage Frame, each component that you have not yet received 10 of has an 'Ask For More' button. When clicked, this will allow you to send Gift Requests to your friends for your chosen component.
If at any time during your construction process you decide that you'd rather simply purchase the individual items required for the Garage, you can do so by clicking the "buy" button underneath a component in the Garage's menu. Alternatively, if you do not wish to buy the parts for the Garage individually, you can click the "Complete Now" button.
Once your Garage is complete, it can be used to hold up to 20 vehicles on your Farm. Completing your Garage also unlocks the ability to upgrade your Vehicles.
Upgrading your Vehicles will increase the amount of plots they affect. The higher level your Vehicle is, the more plots it will interact with when farming. Currently, the highest you can level your Vehicles to level 4.
Upgrading your vehicles requires Vehicle Parts. Vehicle parts can be obtained from friends via the "ask for more button" and with Farm Cash, like I explained earlier. Once you have parts, you can open your Garages menu to select which vehicle you would like to apply them to. All Vehicles that are stored in your Garage can still be used as normal. At this time, you may only have one Garage on your Farm and Biplanes cannot be stored in them, due to technical limitations.
This week was also an exciting week for LE releases. More New England items made their way to the Market, along the adorable new Mini Horse. The new Mini Mystery Game has also been a huge hit with the community, featuring mini versions of all of your favorite animals, including the new Mini Stallion. If you have not yet had a chance to play this week's Mystery Game, make sure to head to the market to get some of these great animals before they disappear in a few days.
And as with all of our big features, we want to hear your feedback about this week's updates! If you have any thoughts or opinions you would like to share with the FarmVille team regarding the new Garage feature or Limited Edition items, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille Forums or www.farmville.com.
On that note, let's go ahead and get into answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community!
Our first question comes from 18835. "Where is the wandering stallion? If it is no longer available will you be providing a stallion for purchase?"
Late last week, we actually had a bug that was affecting the frequency of how many times the Wandering Stallion would appear. Earlier this week, we put in a fix for this bug and you should now be seeing Wandering Stallions as per normal.
Our next question comes to us from Cheshire Kitten. "Since the release of the crafting buildings, it seems like I have been getting fewer bushels when I harvest. Have the drop rates for bushels been lowered?"
The drop rates for bushels have not been altered since the release of Crafting Cottages. I think since bushels are in such high demand right now it may seem like you are getting less, but nothing has been changed with this feature. And since bushels are not guaranteed, it is also possible that you have just hit an unlucky spell lately. Just as a reminder, if you master your crops, you will receive additional bushels from those crop types. You can also purchase a total of 300 Bushels from your neighbors every 24 hours, so if you find that you can't produce any of your own, try visiting your Neighbors Crafting Buildings for more.
And last but certainly not least, its time for you guys to get a sneak peek of things coming to FarmVille in the near future.
Starting early next week, FarmVille will be bringing back some of your favorite items for a very special sale. Each day next week, look in the Market for the return of some of your most requested Limited Edition themes. But you will have to be fast farmers... each theme will only be around for 24 hours. The Yukon and California Theme will be returning on Monday, the French Chateau Theme will be returning on Tuesday, the Adobe theme will be making an appearance on Wednesday, the Tuscany theme will be back on Thursday, the island theme will be back on Friday, Saturday will be the Japanese Garden them and Sunday will herald the return of the long lost UFO theme!
We will also be releasing a new Best of Mystery Animal Game in the near future, which will include rare animals like the hugely requested old White Owl!
And on that note, it's time for me to get out of here Farmers. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank all of our listeners for tuning in this week. We will be back next Friday with all of the latest news and information about FarmVille from Zynga. Happy Farming everybody"
Every week, the FOP highlights a few user-submitted questions, and this week's targets missing Wandering Stallions and the seeming lack of Bushels dropping in the game. Here are the answers to these questions, respectively:
1. The stallions were missing due to a bug that has since been fixed -- so those should be returning shortly.
2. As for finding fewer bushels, Lexilicious says the following: "The drop rates for bushels have not been altered since the release of Crafting Cottages. I think since bushels are in such high demand right now it may seem like you are getting less, but nothing has been changed with this feature. And since bushels are not guaranteed, it is also possible that you have just hit an unlucky spell lately. Just as a reminder, if you master your crops, you will receive additional bushels from those crop types. You can also purchase a total of 300 Bushels from your neighbors every 24 hours, so if you find that you can't produce any of your own, try visiting your Neighbors Crafting Buildings for more."
As for the best part of the FOP -- the Coming Soon segment -- the game will start recycling some popular limited edition items starting Monday, August 9. Every day, new items will be making a return trip to the game. Here's a quickie schedule:
Monday: Yukon and California limited edition items
Tuesday: French Chateau limited edition items
Wednesday: Adobe themed items
Thursday: Tuscan themed items
Friday: Island themed items
Saturday: Japanese Garden items
Sunday: UFO themed items
And for the animal lovers out there -- FarmVille will launch a new Best of Mystery Animal Game in the near future, which will include rare animals, such as the popular White Owl.
Below is the full transcript of the podcast, taken from Lexilicious' official forum post:
"FarmVille Podcast - August 6th:
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast. My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news and information from around the Farm. This week, we will be discussing our latest releases, I will be answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community and you guys will all be getting a sneak peek of what is coming to FarmVille in the near future.
As I am sure some of you know, the new Garage feature was released today. We will be spending most of this week's podcast walking through this new feature which will provide some helpful tips for users who may still be trying to figure out the basics of our latest update.
Garages are used to store Tractors, Harvesters and Seeders. You can also use the Garage to upgrade your Vehicles so you can farm faster than ever before! If you are level 22 and above, you can purchase a Garage Frame from the Market for 50,000 Coins.
Building the Garage is very similar to building a Japanese Barn. To construct your Garage, you will need to collect 10 Boards, 10 Bricks and 10 Nails.
Once you have placed your Garage Frame, click on "look inside" from the Garage's menu. Doing so will open a page that displays what you need to complete your Garage. Like any other constructible building, you can collect materials via the free gifts page, the "ask for more" button and with Farm Cash.
From the Free Gifts Page, your Neighbors will be able to send you one of the three types of building components to help you finish your Garage. When neighbors send you a building component, it works exactly like any other free gift. After you accept the gift it will appear in your gift box. After clicking the "use" button under the gift it will automatically be added to your Frame.
When viewing the interior of your unfinished Garage Frame, each component that you have not yet received 10 of has an 'Ask For More' button. When clicked, this will allow you to send Gift Requests to your friends for your chosen component.
If at any time during your construction process you decide that you'd rather simply purchase the individual items required for the Garage, you can do so by clicking the "buy" button underneath a component in the Garage's menu. Alternatively, if you do not wish to buy the parts for the Garage individually, you can click the "Complete Now" button.
Once your Garage is complete, it can be used to hold up to 20 vehicles on your Farm. Completing your Garage also unlocks the ability to upgrade your Vehicles.
Upgrading your Vehicles will increase the amount of plots they affect. The higher level your Vehicle is, the more plots it will interact with when farming. Currently, the highest you can level your Vehicles to level 4.
Upgrading your vehicles requires Vehicle Parts. Vehicle parts can be obtained from friends via the "ask for more button" and with Farm Cash, like I explained earlier. Once you have parts, you can open your Garages menu to select which vehicle you would like to apply them to. All Vehicles that are stored in your Garage can still be used as normal. At this time, you may only have one Garage on your Farm and Biplanes cannot be stored in them, due to technical limitations.
This week was also an exciting week for LE releases. More New England items made their way to the Market, along the adorable new Mini Horse. The new Mini Mystery Game has also been a huge hit with the community, featuring mini versions of all of your favorite animals, including the new Mini Stallion. If you have not yet had a chance to play this week's Mystery Game, make sure to head to the market to get some of these great animals before they disappear in a few days.
And as with all of our big features, we want to hear your feedback about this week's updates! If you have any thoughts or opinions you would like to share with the FarmVille team regarding the new Garage feature or Limited Edition items, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille Forums or www.farmville.com.
On that note, let's go ahead and get into answering some questions from members of the FarmVille Community!
Our first question comes from 18835. "Where is the wandering stallion? If it is no longer available will you be providing a stallion for purchase?"
Late last week, we actually had a bug that was affecting the frequency of how many times the Wandering Stallion would appear. Earlier this week, we put in a fix for this bug and you should now be seeing Wandering Stallions as per normal.
Our next question comes to us from Cheshire Kitten. "Since the release of the crafting buildings, it seems like I have been getting fewer bushels when I harvest. Have the drop rates for bushels been lowered?"
The drop rates for bushels have not been altered since the release of Crafting Cottages. I think since bushels are in such high demand right now it may seem like you are getting less, but nothing has been changed with this feature. And since bushels are not guaranteed, it is also possible that you have just hit an unlucky spell lately. Just as a reminder, if you master your crops, you will receive additional bushels from those crop types. You can also purchase a total of 300 Bushels from your neighbors every 24 hours, so if you find that you can't produce any of your own, try visiting your Neighbors Crafting Buildings for more.
And last but certainly not least, its time for you guys to get a sneak peek of things coming to FarmVille in the near future.
Starting early next week, FarmVille will be bringing back some of your favorite items for a very special sale. Each day next week, look in the Market for the return of some of your most requested Limited Edition themes. But you will have to be fast farmers... each theme will only be around for 24 hours. The Yukon and California Theme will be returning on Monday, the French Chateau Theme will be returning on Tuesday, the Adobe theme will be making an appearance on Wednesday, the Tuscany theme will be back on Thursday, the island theme will be back on Friday, Saturday will be the Japanese Garden them and Sunday will herald the return of the long lost UFO theme!
We will also be releasing a new Best of Mystery Animal Game in the near future, which will include rare animals like the hugely requested old White Owl!
And on that note, it's time for me to get out of here Farmers. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank all of our listeners for tuning in this week. We will be back next Friday with all of the latest news and information about FarmVille from Zynga. Happy Farming everybody"
FarmVille unreleased Beaver and Weasel spotted in the wild
Beavers and weasels have been creeping onto farms, even though these animals have not been officially released in FarmVille. Not sure if these will be part of the new Mystery Animals game discussed in this week's FarmVille official podcast (FOP, for short), or if they'll just show up as part of a some undisclosed theme (tiny mammals? adorable rodents?) in the future.
FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Garage gifting quick links
Howdy, Facefolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
Mr. Cheats has spent the better part of today finishing his new FarmVille garage, which lets him store and upgrade his tractors. Upgraded tractors is Mr. Cheats favorite thing -- it helps him plant and plow with fewer clicks. Pretty neat, right?
Anyway, to help you get your garage up and running sooner than later, Mr. Cheats has dug up these quick links for the garage. Simply click on the materials that you want to send and start delving out building supplies like you're some kind of garage whisperer.
Send supplies:
farmville garage send bricks
You can also request items from friends, and Mr. Cheats can show you how. Click in the links below, and then select friends to send the request to, and then wait for your supplies to magically appear in your game. It's that easy.
Request items from friends:
farmville garage send bricks
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Need items? Or just looking for new FarmVille neighbors?
Mr. Cheats has spent the better part of today finishing his new FarmVille garage, which lets him store and upgrade his tractors. Upgraded tractors is Mr. Cheats favorite thing -- it helps him plant and plow with fewer clicks. Pretty neat, right?
Anyway, to help you get your garage up and running sooner than later, Mr. Cheats has dug up these quick links for the garage. Simply click on the materials that you want to send and start delving out building supplies like you're some kind of garage whisperer.
Send supplies:
farmville garage send bricks
You can also request items from friends, and Mr. Cheats can show you how. Click in the links below, and then select friends to send the request to, and then wait for your supplies to magically appear in your game. It's that easy.
Request items from friends:
farmville garage send bricks
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Need items? Or just looking for new FarmVille neighbors?
Ride the waves in YoVille with the Surfing Photo Booth
YoVille Surfing Photo Booth
In one of the more strange releases we have seen in awhile, Zynga has launched a new Surfing Photo Booth in YoVille that lets players put their avatars in a surfing scene and take a snapshot. The new photo booth is available in the Furniture Store for 12 YoCash, and once placed in your home it can be used by any visitors who happen to stop by. If you don't have the spare YoCash, you can always visit one of your neighbors and use theirs.
To use a Surfing Photo Booth, click on the booth in either your home or a friend's home. Once you click it, you'll see your avatar on a surfing background and can pose yourself and take a screenshot. After you take a screenshot, you can share it on your wall. You also earn a little bit of coins for putting a surfing photo on your wall.
While it's clear that this feature is strictly to drive players to post on their wall to bring potential new players to YoVille, it's still a neat feature. Seeing your YoVille avatar in a surfing scene is quite cute and comical. Unfortunately, 12 YoCash isn't cheap - but perhaps a friend of yours will have a photo booth you can borrow!
In one of the more strange releases we have seen in awhile, Zynga has launched a new Surfing Photo Booth in YoVille that lets players put their avatars in a surfing scene and take a snapshot. The new photo booth is available in the Furniture Store for 12 YoCash, and once placed in your home it can be used by any visitors who happen to stop by. If you don't have the spare YoCash, you can always visit one of your neighbors and use theirs.
To use a Surfing Photo Booth, click on the booth in either your home or a friend's home. Once you click it, you'll see your avatar on a surfing background and can pose yourself and take a screenshot. After you take a screenshot, you can share it on your wall. You also earn a little bit of coins for putting a surfing photo on your wall.
While it's clear that this feature is strictly to drive players to post on their wall to bring potential new players to YoVille, it's still a neat feature. Seeing your YoVille avatar in a surfing scene is quite cute and comical. Unfortunately, 12 YoCash isn't cheap - but perhaps a friend of yours will have a photo booth you can borrow!
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
PetVille Cheats and Tips: Yard Materials Quick Links
petville yard materials links
Hello Facefolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links found by the folks over at The Facegamer, are for PetVille yard supplies. Obtaining ten of each item will earn you a lush, green lawn for your pets to play on. All you need is a little help from your friends and the links below. Use the PetVille yard materials gifting links to send out the various yard supplies by clicking on the corresponding images and selecting the friend you wish to send the supplies to. To complete your PetVille yard, you will need ten of the following:
petville yard materials links petville yard materials links petville yard materials links
petville yard materials links petville yard materials links
Click on the materials above to send them out to your friends.
For cheats & more, check out The Facegamer.
Have any tips on how to complete your PetVille yard?
Hello Facefolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links found by the folks over at The Facegamer, are for PetVille yard supplies. Obtaining ten of each item will earn you a lush, green lawn for your pets to play on. All you need is a little help from your friends and the links below. Use the PetVille yard materials gifting links to send out the various yard supplies by clicking on the corresponding images and selecting the friend you wish to send the supplies to. To complete your PetVille yard, you will need ten of the following:
petville yard materials links petville yard materials links petville yard materials links
petville yard materials links petville yard materials links
Click on the materials above to send them out to your friends.
For cheats & more, check out The Facegamer.
Have any tips on how to complete your PetVille yard?
Xbox co-creator Kevin Bachus joins endangered social network Bebo, but why?
Kevin Bachus, the co-creator of the original Xbox, has joined Criterion Capital Partners' (CCP) recent acquisition from AOL, Bebo. The suffering social network was bought from Aol for a measly $10 million in June. Considering AOL bought the company back in 2008 for a hefty $850 million, Bebo isn't looking so hot right now after a $840 million loss.
In an effort to increase Bebo's gaming potential, CCP has brought in Bachus as Bebo's Chief Product Officer, something he has similar experience with while on Microsoft's DirectX team before spearheading the Xbox project. If his experience with one of the most successful gaming consoles and brands of all time is any indication, he'll definitely be working on something related to games with Bebo.
According to Bachus, this is a "dream opportunity" to experiment with a large user base, which Bebo claims is in the range of 117 million with half of that number logging in within the past year. You'd think the guy behind the machine that's eaten up millions upon millions of hours of gamers' time would be elsewhere, but he thinks the website has a lot going for it. Bachus will have the help of recent CEO Adam Levine (also managing director of CCP) to breathe new life into the fledgling website.
The two could soon go blue in the face with what Bebo needs in order to become the next social network power player, which Bachus believes there is room for in the market, according to a recent interview. Failing networks like MySpace have been attacking their woes with the same strategy of more multimedia and gaming with little results, so it'll be interesting to see how Bebo handles the same approach.
So, what could this mean for social games on the platform? Could Bebo, with the help of CPO Bachus and Levine, become a potential competitor for Facebook as the premiere social network for gaming? Is CCP in over its head?
In an effort to increase Bebo's gaming potential, CCP has brought in Bachus as Bebo's Chief Product Officer, something he has similar experience with while on Microsoft's DirectX team before spearheading the Xbox project. If his experience with one of the most successful gaming consoles and brands of all time is any indication, he'll definitely be working on something related to games with Bebo.
According to Bachus, this is a "dream opportunity" to experiment with a large user base, which Bebo claims is in the range of 117 million with half of that number logging in within the past year. You'd think the guy behind the machine that's eaten up millions upon millions of hours of gamers' time would be elsewhere, but he thinks the website has a lot going for it. Bachus will have the help of recent CEO Adam Levine (also managing director of CCP) to breathe new life into the fledgling website.
The two could soon go blue in the face with what Bebo needs in order to become the next social network power player, which Bachus believes there is room for in the market, according to a recent interview. Failing networks like MySpace have been attacking their woes with the same strategy of more multimedia and gaming with little results, so it'll be interesting to see how Bebo handles the same approach.
So, what could this mean for social games on the platform? Could Bebo, with the help of CPO Bachus and Levine, become a potential competitor for Facebook as the premiere social network for gaming? Is CCP in over its head?
FrontierVille Cheats and Tips: School Supplies Quick Links
frontierville cheats school supplies gifting links
Hello Frontierfolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links are for all your FrontierVille School Supply needs. Once you've built a school you are going to need a ton of each school supply for the various lessons. Enrolling in and completing lessons is a great way to earn bonuses out on the frontier. To collect the school supplies all you need is a little help from your friends and the gifting links below. Use the FrontierVille school supplies gifting links by clicking on an image below and selecting which friends to send the gift to. To enroll in lessons at your FrontierVille school, you will need the following:
frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links
frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links
Click on the images to send out school supplies to your friends.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have any tips on how to best use the FrontierVille school?
Hello Frontierfolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links are for all your FrontierVille School Supply needs. Once you've built a school you are going to need a ton of each school supply for the various lessons. Enrolling in and completing lessons is a great way to earn bonuses out on the frontier. To collect the school supplies all you need is a little help from your friends and the gifting links below. Use the FrontierVille school supplies gifting links by clicking on an image below and selecting which friends to send the gift to. To enroll in lessons at your FrontierVille school, you will need the following:
frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links
frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links frontierville school supply gifting links
Click on the images to send out school supplies to your friends.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have any tips on how to best use the FrontierVille school?
Cafe World Cheats and Tips: Lightning Stove Quick Links
cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links
Hello Facefolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links, courtesy of The Facegamer, are for that hot Cafe World Lightning Stove that all the kids have been talking about.
"The Lightning Super Stove makes all of your cooking 10% faster, plus it removes the need to do any ingredient sub-steps, therefore making cooking a quicker and more enjoyable experience."
To build the Cafe World Lightning Stove, all you need is a little help from your friends and the gifting links below. Use the Cafe World Lightning Stove gifting links to send out the various parts necessary to build the stove, by clicking the corresponding images below and selecting the friends you wish to send parts to. To complete the Lightning Stove you will need 8 Science Books, 6 Tesla Coils, 7 Flux Switches, and 9 Vacuum Tubes:
cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links
cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links
For cheats & more, check out The Facegamer.
Have any tips on how to complete the Cafe World Lightning Stove? Or just looking for some help?
Hello Facefolks, it's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links, courtesy of The Facegamer, are for that hot Cafe World Lightning Stove that all the kids have been talking about.
"The Lightning Super Stove makes all of your cooking 10% faster, plus it removes the need to do any ingredient sub-steps, therefore making cooking a quicker and more enjoyable experience."
To build the Cafe World Lightning Stove, all you need is a little help from your friends and the gifting links below. Use the Cafe World Lightning Stove gifting links to send out the various parts necessary to build the stove, by clicking the corresponding images below and selecting the friends you wish to send parts to. To complete the Lightning Stove you will need 8 Science Books, 6 Tesla Coils, 7 Flux Switches, and 9 Vacuum Tubes:
cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links
cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links cafe world cheats lightning stove gifting links
For cheats & more, check out The Facegamer.
Have any tips on how to complete the Cafe World Lightning Stove? Or just looking for some help?
Applifier opens up to all social app developers, free traffic for all!
The lovechApplifier Logoild of Nabeel Hyatt of Conduit Labs and Everplay's Jussi Laakkonen, Applifier has finally opened itself up for any social app developer to sign up for the service. Just four months after the game bar's release, it has grown to being visible to 55 million social game players through several mid-size developers like ZipZapPlay and Digital Chocolate, according to Applifier.com.
Signing up for the service allows developers to place their games on the bar while installing the ad bar itself on their own games. For example, if Digital Chocolate decides to install the bar on top of MMA Pro Fighter (one of their more popular games), MMA Pro Fighter will appear on other developers' games who have also installed Applifier cross promotion bar and vise versa. Thus, free exposure--and hopefully traffic--for all!
Applifier serves as means for smaller developers to generate users comparable to the big league players Zynga and Electronic Arts, who have 230 million and 54 million monthly users respectively. The booming service has gained 20 million more eyeballs in the past month alone, according to Applifier CEO Laakkonen, but he remains humble.
"When we started four months ago, if someone told me we'd cross 50 million, I would have laughed," Laakkonen said. "At 10 million, I thought we'd made it, that there was nothing more to be done."
With growth like this, clearly Applifier has a while to go before it plateaus. Could the service garner enough user attention to compete with Zynga's massive amount of users? Only time will tell (they have a long way to go).
Signing up for the service allows developers to place their games on the bar while installing the ad bar itself on their own games. For example, if Digital Chocolate decides to install the bar on top of MMA Pro Fighter (one of their more popular games), MMA Pro Fighter will appear on other developers' games who have also installed Applifier cross promotion bar and vise versa. Thus, free exposure--and hopefully traffic--for all!
Applifier serves as means for smaller developers to generate users comparable to the big league players Zynga and Electronic Arts, who have 230 million and 54 million monthly users respectively. The booming service has gained 20 million more eyeballs in the past month alone, according to Applifier CEO Laakkonen, but he remains humble.
"When we started four months ago, if someone told me we'd cross 50 million, I would have laughed," Laakkonen said. "At 10 million, I thought we'd made it, that there was nothing more to be done."
With growth like this, clearly Applifier has a while to go before it plateaus. Could the service garner enough user attention to compete with Zynga's massive amount of users? Only time will tell (they have a long way to go).
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
Quote of the Moment: Facebook game wall spam is not actually spam
"Wall post spam is not spam to people who are playing the game. If you see people post this on your wall -- what you are seeing as pointless spam is the exact kind of thoughtfulness that makes then go to hallmark and buy a birthday card. It is not spam, it is not meaningless. It's really about building social connections."
In a GDC Online talk titled "AAA to Social Games, Making the Leap" Playdom VP of Creative Design Raph Koster explains how important all of those FarmVille posts giving away free tractor parts or lonely, lost animals are to people who play social games, also calling them "emotional notes."
In a GDC Online talk titled "AAA to Social Games, Making the Leap" Playdom VP of Creative Design Raph Koster explains how important all of those FarmVille posts giving away free tractor parts or lonely, lost animals are to people who play social games, also calling them "emotional notes."
Facebook Groups and new privacy dashboard will change how you game
Mark Zuckerberg
At a press conference held at Facebook headquarters--in a cafeteria, oddly enough--in Palo Alto, Calif., company CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a few of his team managers presented some groundbreaking changes to the platform: redesigned Facebook Groups and application privacy settings. While no mention was made at the event of how these changes would affect us gamers, the big Z just made it a lot easier for us to both collaborate and keep safe while we play.
See the changes and what they might mean to you after the break.
Groups Beat Clans
Facebook GroupsMost likely the biggest change to the platform since Places for smartphones, Facebook Groups allows users to create groups for any occasion (it's all in the name) that are private by default. What's more interesting is that these groups look a lot like your standard Facebook wall with most of the normal features included like photos, news feeds and most importantly, chat. For the first time, people can chat with multiple users at once, but only when in a Group.
When it comes to games, Groups is going to make collaboration that much easier. No more chatting within different programs or creating silly pages for your new FarmVille Crafting Co-Ops or Cafe World Catering Orders. This can all happen within a group tailored specifically to that game or even that task. Want to make sure your catering crew is cooking the right stuff for the 1 Year Anniversary Party? Just make a Group in a separate Facebook browser tab and chat live with your friends about who's baking what. Finishing timed missions in Mafia Wars like the new Social Missions will be a cinch now that you can collaborate live within a Facebook Group. And to think that players used forums before.
Stop Sending Me E-mails!
Ever signed up for e-mail updates from a Facebook game to get that sweet bonus only to find to your inbox filled to the brim within days from notifications of how many friends want to chop your trees down? You can now change how each of your applications, including games, accesses your account with the revamped "Applications and Websites" page in your account privacy settings. Say you want to know the last time a game accessed your information and decide that you don't it to post to your wall at all. This is where you can find that detailed information and shut out the game from doing so.
Facebook Applications
Now that Facebook gamers can tweak how games access their information, perhaps more players will be open to sharing their progress than before. I can't imagine how many gamers hit the "Skip" button constantly while they play to avoid sharing their information.
All things considered, these changes could shrink social gaming communities down to small groups of friends and family from the legions of social gaming communities who in most cases know nothing about one another. What will make or break this change for me is whether developers give players the option to publish their accomplishments and requests to Groups rather than News Feeds. Whether that cheapens or strengthens the primary function of social games is up for debate, but if I'm going to create a group with my close friends for a specific game, I want to be in the know. Regardless of what side you take, taking on the more daunting, hardcore tasks with your friends just got a helluva lot easier.
At a press conference held at Facebook headquarters--in a cafeteria, oddly enough--in Palo Alto, Calif., company CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a few of his team managers presented some groundbreaking changes to the platform: redesigned Facebook Groups and application privacy settings. While no mention was made at the event of how these changes would affect us gamers, the big Z just made it a lot easier for us to both collaborate and keep safe while we play.
See the changes and what they might mean to you after the break.
Groups Beat Clans
Facebook GroupsMost likely the biggest change to the platform since Places for smartphones, Facebook Groups allows users to create groups for any occasion (it's all in the name) that are private by default. What's more interesting is that these groups look a lot like your standard Facebook wall with most of the normal features included like photos, news feeds and most importantly, chat. For the first time, people can chat with multiple users at once, but only when in a Group.
When it comes to games, Groups is going to make collaboration that much easier. No more chatting within different programs or creating silly pages for your new FarmVille Crafting Co-Ops or Cafe World Catering Orders. This can all happen within a group tailored specifically to that game or even that task. Want to make sure your catering crew is cooking the right stuff for the 1 Year Anniversary Party? Just make a Group in a separate Facebook browser tab and chat live with your friends about who's baking what. Finishing timed missions in Mafia Wars like the new Social Missions will be a cinch now that you can collaborate live within a Facebook Group. And to think that players used forums before.
Stop Sending Me E-mails!
Ever signed up for e-mail updates from a Facebook game to get that sweet bonus only to find to your inbox filled to the brim within days from notifications of how many friends want to chop your trees down? You can now change how each of your applications, including games, accesses your account with the revamped "Applications and Websites" page in your account privacy settings. Say you want to know the last time a game accessed your information and decide that you don't it to post to your wall at all. This is where you can find that detailed information and shut out the game from doing so.
Facebook Applications
Now that Facebook gamers can tweak how games access their information, perhaps more players will be open to sharing their progress than before. I can't imagine how many gamers hit the "Skip" button constantly while they play to avoid sharing their information.
All things considered, these changes could shrink social gaming communities down to small groups of friends and family from the legions of social gaming communities who in most cases know nothing about one another. What will make or break this change for me is whether developers give players the option to publish their accomplishments and requests to Groups rather than News Feeds. Whether that cheapens or strengthens the primary function of social games is up for debate, but if I'm going to create a group with my close friends for a specific game, I want to be in the know. Regardless of what side you take, taking on the more daunting, hardcore tasks with your friends just got a helluva lot easier.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge: The Belmonts storm Facebook
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge
Living up to the series' wicked name, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Facebook game. Designed to accompany the most recent console game to carry on the 24-year-old series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, this is Konami's first time bringing the brand to Facebook. Upon loading the game you'll instantly notice from the intense orchestral music and lively animations that the studio is not messing around on the platform.
Find out more about Castlevania's first appearance on Facebook after the break.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Challenge area
After choosing sides between the Lords of Shadow and the Brotherhood of the Light and from either Gabriel Belmont or Zobek as your avatar, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge takes place entirely in the Arena, a circular platform where you'll do battle with your friends. Recruiting your friends, or Followers, will increase your standing with the rest of the game's vampire slayers and make their avatars appear in your Arena to duke it out with.
Double-click your avatar and then click anywhere on the field to move into fighting range of your enemies. To fight your friends' avatars in real time, just click and drag on the lightning spires in your arena to shock your enemies until you reach Level 5. It's then that you'll unlock your first combat ability, Combat Cross, an area attack that will strike anyone around you. Any damage done to your enemies in the Arena--as well as recruiting more followers--will net you experience points to level up. To keep the competition alive, you can also "Taunt" your friends by posting on their Facebook pages when you deal out particularly nasty combos to your friends in the Arena.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Challenge level up
The more levels you gain, the more combat abilities inspired by the console games you'll learn. More importantly, you'll also unlock preview content with each level like trailers, screen shots and concept art of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
If you haven't guessed already, the main hook of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is to fuel excitement for the console game through this gated preview content. We have to admit, we would rather have been able unlock content in the console game like behind the scenes development journals or bonus items for Gabriel to use in his adventures on the console. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is one of most animated and full-sounding Facebook games I've played in a long time, but better unlockable content would make this game that much more enjoyable.
Play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge on Facebook Now >
Living up to the series' wicked name, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is definitely not your run-of-the-mill Facebook game. Designed to accompany the most recent console game to carry on the 24-year-old series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, this is Konami's first time bringing the brand to Facebook. Upon loading the game you'll instantly notice from the intense orchestral music and lively animations that the studio is not messing around on the platform.
Find out more about Castlevania's first appearance on Facebook after the break.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Challenge area
After choosing sides between the Lords of Shadow and the Brotherhood of the Light and from either Gabriel Belmont or Zobek as your avatar, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge takes place entirely in the Arena, a circular platform where you'll do battle with your friends. Recruiting your friends, or Followers, will increase your standing with the rest of the game's vampire slayers and make their avatars appear in your Arena to duke it out with.
Double-click your avatar and then click anywhere on the field to move into fighting range of your enemies. To fight your friends' avatars in real time, just click and drag on the lightning spires in your arena to shock your enemies until you reach Level 5. It's then that you'll unlock your first combat ability, Combat Cross, an area attack that will strike anyone around you. Any damage done to your enemies in the Arena--as well as recruiting more followers--will net you experience points to level up. To keep the competition alive, you can also "Taunt" your friends by posting on their Facebook pages when you deal out particularly nasty combos to your friends in the Arena.
Castlevania Lords of Shadow Challenge level up
The more levels you gain, the more combat abilities inspired by the console games you'll learn. More importantly, you'll also unlock preview content with each level like trailers, screen shots and concept art of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
If you haven't guessed already, the main hook of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is to fuel excitement for the console game through this gated preview content. We have to admit, we would rather have been able unlock content in the console game like behind the scenes development journals or bonus items for Gabriel to use in his adventures on the console. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge is one of most animated and full-sounding Facebook games I've played in a long time, but better unlockable content would make this game that much more enjoyable.
Play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Challenge on Facebook Now >
FarmVille McDonalds promotion is a glorified ad #notlovinit
The FarmVille McDonalds promotion has launched and, well, it's nothing we expected. Instead of turning out to be something like the Zynga 7-Eleven promotion from earlier this year, it's a glorified ad created to look like a FarmVille farm.
farmville mcdonalds farm
Here's how it works: If you look in your neighbor bar, you will see a McDonalds farm -- click on it to visit. Once you arrive on the farm, you will be instructed to use Insta-Grow on the McDonald's crops. If you're wondering how the heck to get Insta-Grow -- don't bother. A crop duster shows up and automatically fertilizes the seeded field and, then, suddenly the Golden Arches appear in crop form. You don't have to lift a finger.
farmville mcdonalds is here
As payment for your time, you receive a free McDonald's I'm Lovin' It hot air balloon and a McCafe coffee cup (a consumable which makes your farmer works 2x the speed) which are supposed to appear in your gift box. That wasn't the case for me, however -- so I'm waiting to see if this is a glitch and if so, when it will be fixed. Update (6 a.m.): Woke up and found the McCafe and Hot Air Balloon waiting for me in my gift box.
farmville mcdonalds promotion
The FarmVille-McDonalds promotion is creative from an advertising standpoint, though I think many farmers expected something a little more grandiose considering how much this 'event' was teased over the past few weeks.
farmville mcdonalds farm
Here's how it works: If you look in your neighbor bar, you will see a McDonalds farm -- click on it to visit. Once you arrive on the farm, you will be instructed to use Insta-Grow on the McDonald's crops. If you're wondering how the heck to get Insta-Grow -- don't bother. A crop duster shows up and automatically fertilizes the seeded field and, then, suddenly the Golden Arches appear in crop form. You don't have to lift a finger.
farmville mcdonalds is here
As payment for your time, you receive a free McDonald's I'm Lovin' It hot air balloon and a McCafe coffee cup (a consumable which makes your farmer works 2x the speed) which are supposed to appear in your gift box. That wasn't the case for me, however -- so I'm waiting to see if this is a glitch and if so, when it will be fixed. Update (6 a.m.): Woke up and found the McCafe and Hot Air Balloon waiting for me in my gift box.
farmville mcdonalds promotion
The FarmVille-McDonalds promotion is creative from an advertising standpoint, though I think many farmers expected something a little more grandiose considering how much this 'event' was teased over the past few weeks.
FarmVille increases Bushels to 200!
farmville bushels 200 farmville bushel farmville bushel increase
FarmVille has given farmers a secret gift tonight by increasing the capacity of stored Bushels to 200!
You can now store up to 200 Bushels in your Crafting Building. The previous limit was 100.
Note: Reports are coming in that the new upgrade is not sticking, so there may be some technical issues going on as. Also, not all farmers are experiencing this capacity upgrade yet.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille has given farmers a secret gift tonight by increasing the capacity of stored Bushels to 200!
You can now store up to 200 Bushels in your Crafting Building. The previous limit was 100.
Note: Reports are coming in that the new upgrade is not sticking, so there may be some technical issues going on as. Also, not all farmers are experiencing this capacity upgrade yet.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars honors Carlito's Way with a sharp dagger and snazzy jacket
Carlito's Way
Carlito's Jacket"Never forget" seems to be Zynga's new motto in Mafia Wars with the new Carlito's Way promotion. To pimp the DVD and Blu-Ray that released earlier this year, the studio released one of two limited edition items today. The first, aptly named Carlito's Way, is a gleaming dagger with 76 Attack and 44 Defense that can be yours for 35 Reward Points or about $8 (yikes!).
The second item, Carlito's Jacket (pictured right), doesn't seem to have made it into the game yet--we'll take an educated guess in saying that it'll be an Armor item with high Defense. While it's definitely admirable that Zynga would pay homage to one of the great mobster flicks, we're somewhat disappointed that more wasn't done with the opportunity. Even a single job to master for each item would have been more entertaining. Not to mention this is far from the first time Zynga has squandered an opportunity like this. I'm looking at you, Cafe World. Stay tuned to Mafia Wars for when Carlito's Jacket becomes available for purchase. (Also an educated guess, but we're not too terrible at this.) Now, where's my Tommy Two Times Armor item?
Carlito's Jacket"Never forget" seems to be Zynga's new motto in Mafia Wars with the new Carlito's Way promotion. To pimp the DVD and Blu-Ray that released earlier this year, the studio released one of two limited edition items today. The first, aptly named Carlito's Way, is a gleaming dagger with 76 Attack and 44 Defense that can be yours for 35 Reward Points or about $8 (yikes!).
The second item, Carlito's Jacket (pictured right), doesn't seem to have made it into the game yet--we'll take an educated guess in saying that it'll be an Armor item with high Defense. While it's definitely admirable that Zynga would pay homage to one of the great mobster flicks, we're somewhat disappointed that more wasn't done with the opportunity. Even a single job to master for each item would have been more entertaining. Not to mention this is far from the first time Zynga has squandered an opportunity like this. I'm looking at you, Cafe World. Stay tuned to Mafia Wars for when Carlito's Jacket becomes available for purchase. (Also an educated guess, but we're not too terrible at this.) Now, where's my Tommy Two Times Armor item?
FIFA Superstars hires Lawyers to negotiate 33 percent EA Shop discount
Club Lawyer
While it's great that your players are in a better state of mind thanks to the Sports Psychologist, their wallets are certainly not. Playfish wants to help with that by offering your team one of two Lawyers who will negotiate a 33 percent discount off all non-promotional Playfish Cash items for just 24 hours in FIFA Superstars. That sounds brilliant on paper, but lawyers gotta' make a livin' too--to the tune of 30 Playfish Cash (about $5.50).
There's something about paying money to save money that just doesn't gel with us. While it is realistic, this is a video game after all--not everything has to be true to life. If you're a big time spender in FIFA Superstars, the Lawyer will do wonders for your wallet--but steer clear if you're uncertain whether you'll take full advantage. For the high rollers out there, you better whip out the credit cards now as the Lawyers will only be around until Nov. 7.
While it's great that your players are in a better state of mind thanks to the Sports Psychologist, their wallets are certainly not. Playfish wants to help with that by offering your team one of two Lawyers who will negotiate a 33 percent discount off all non-promotional Playfish Cash items for just 24 hours in FIFA Superstars. That sounds brilliant on paper, but lawyers gotta' make a livin' too--to the tune of 30 Playfish Cash (about $5.50).
There's something about paying money to save money that just doesn't gel with us. While it is realistic, this is a video game after all--not everything has to be true to life. If you're a big time spender in FIFA Superstars, the Lawyer will do wonders for your wallet--but steer clear if you're uncertain whether you'll take full advantage. For the high rollers out there, you better whip out the credit cards now as the Lawyers will only be around until Nov. 7.
FishVille's Tricks for Treats Halloween event is a bit late to the party
Tricks for Treats
Halloween has come and gone, but Zynga isn't quite done yet in some of its games, especially considering the studio just added a new Tricks for Treats feature to FishVille. For a limited time, happy aquarium owners can send each other Halloween treats for free. Unfortunately, players can only ask for gifts, which will certainly make the process of collecting all six items much slower. Anyhow, players can then redeem these treats for six devilish decorations from the deep.
My personal favorite is Nessy simply because it strikes a chord with my childhood. (I know I'm not the only one who had a Nessy shower head as a kid.) Why do they always make the coolest items the most expensive--it's as if they know or something. While this is a welcome feature, we can't help but feel Zynga is late to the party with this event. Our minds are already set on delicious turkey and we can't possibly be the only ones. We're sure this event won't last too long, because, you know, it's kind of already over.
Find the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
Halloween has come and gone, but Zynga isn't quite done yet in some of its games, especially considering the studio just added a new Tricks for Treats feature to FishVille. For a limited time, happy aquarium owners can send each other Halloween treats for free. Unfortunately, players can only ask for gifts, which will certainly make the process of collecting all six items much slower. Anyhow, players can then redeem these treats for six devilish decorations from the deep.
My personal favorite is Nessy simply because it strikes a chord with my childhood. (I know I'm not the only one who had a Nessy shower head as a kid.) Why do they always make the coolest items the most expensive--it's as if they know or something. While this is a welcome feature, we can't help but feel Zynga is late to the party with this event. Our minds are already set on delicious turkey and we can't possibly be the only ones. We're sure this event won't last too long, because, you know, it's kind of already over.
Find the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
Cute Game of the Day: Youda Sushi Chef
For folks who peruse around the web for great free games, Youda Sushi Chef won't be new. Youda Sushi Chef's been out for a while and the Games.com team played the heck out of it last year. (John B. was a Sushi samurai of awesomeness) For Cute game of the day we went back and tracked it down because we just knew that making sushi would be a hit with the games.com blog gang.
In Youda Sushi Chef, you are tasked with opening your own sushi bar and cranking out sushi for hungry patrons. Anyone familiar with Diner Dash or Burger Shop will recognize the time management game style that Sushi Chef employs. The game starts easy and just gets harder and harder until you are either a sushi master or a bleeding mess of ginzu knife cuts.
Click here to play Youda Sushi Chef -->!
In Youda Sushi Chef, you are tasked with opening your own sushi bar and cranking out sushi for hungry patrons. Anyone familiar with Diner Dash or Burger Shop will recognize the time management game style that Sushi Chef employs. The game starts easy and just gets harder and harder until you are either a sushi master or a bleeding mess of ginzu knife cuts.
Click here to play Youda Sushi Chef -->!
Licensed Facebook games about to explode, Schell Games CEO says
Confirming a long-time running trend, CEO of game developer Schell Games--the folks behind The Mummy Online--Jesse Schell (pictured) told GamesIndustry.biz he believes that branding and licensed content will be the next big thing in social games. And if the past few games we've previewed are any indication, he just might be right. Schell has been in the game for a long time, previously working with Disney on their browser-MMO Toon Town before he opened his own studio to develop online games in 2002.
Apparently, social games will follow in console gaming's footsteps, according to Schell. "That's how it always goes with videogames, " Schell said. "They always start out with no licensed IP, then some people start to float with it - and then usually licensed IP becomes about 50 percent of any game platform, in terms of where the money comes from. I think there's a lot of room for that with social games."
Like we said, this is kind of old news (but 50 percent?). Branding through Facebook games has been a growing trend for quite a while now, but the question is whether studios like Schell Games will do the source materials in question justice. There's a huge opportunity here to make some truly interesting social games backed by long-standing brands and licenses. Thankfully, Schell raises a good point that developers new to Facebook should understand.
"I often tell people that if they've not sure what platform they should be on, then their idea might not be strong enough - because a lot of things that really succeed have a lot to do with the platform," Schell said. In other words, don't bring your award-winning license to Facebook unless you know what the platform is capable of.
Let's just hope that developers don't take Schell's advice too close to heart. Everyone knows we certainly don't need to see Mega Man working as a farmhand. Thankfully, some of the big league studios know better. For better or worse, even more signs are pointing recognizable brands to Facebook.
Apparently, social games will follow in console gaming's footsteps, according to Schell. "That's how it always goes with videogames, " Schell said. "They always start out with no licensed IP, then some people start to float with it - and then usually licensed IP becomes about 50 percent of any game platform, in terms of where the money comes from. I think there's a lot of room for that with social games."
Like we said, this is kind of old news (but 50 percent?). Branding through Facebook games has been a growing trend for quite a while now, but the question is whether studios like Schell Games will do the source materials in question justice. There's a huge opportunity here to make some truly interesting social games backed by long-standing brands and licenses. Thankfully, Schell raises a good point that developers new to Facebook should understand.
"I often tell people that if they've not sure what platform they should be on, then their idea might not be strong enough - because a lot of things that really succeed have a lot to do with the platform," Schell said. In other words, don't bring your award-winning license to Facebook unless you know what the platform is capable of.
Let's just hope that developers don't take Schell's advice too close to heart. Everyone knows we certainly don't need to see Mega Man working as a farmhand. Thankfully, some of the big league studios know better. For better or worse, even more signs are pointing recognizable brands to Facebook.
Lunchtime Poll: FarmVille Halloween decor - save it or sell it?
I have admit -- I'm always a little sad during the first few days of November. That's when I usually have to take the winter coat out of mothballs and put away the Halloween decorations. That means two things -- winter weather is officially here, and my favorite holiday of the year has already come and gone.
That sadness was magnified this year when I logged into FarmVille and my other Facebook games, each one decorated in a spooky theme, and I realized I had to figure out what to do with my virtual Halloween decorations as well. Do I store my Halloween items? Sell them? Or let them hang around a little longer?
I decided I'm going to try and store as much of this stuff as possible so I can reuse it again next year -- just like I do in real life. FarmVille rolled out a huge storage cellar a few months ago, which will hold my Haunted House, Spooky Trees and other goodies, and most of the other Facebook games I play have plentiful storage as well.
The stuff I don't have room to store? Guess it's going to get sold back for a fraction of the price. Who knew virtual decoration disassembling could be just as tedious it is in real life?
What do you plan to do with your slew of Halloween-themed items in FarmVille and other Facebook games? Vote in the Games.com Blog Lunchtime Poll below:
That sadness was magnified this year when I logged into FarmVille and my other Facebook games, each one decorated in a spooky theme, and I realized I had to figure out what to do with my virtual Halloween decorations as well. Do I store my Halloween items? Sell them? Or let them hang around a little longer?
I decided I'm going to try and store as much of this stuff as possible so I can reuse it again next year -- just like I do in real life. FarmVille rolled out a huge storage cellar a few months ago, which will hold my Haunted House, Spooky Trees and other goodies, and most of the other Facebook games I play have plentiful storage as well.
The stuff I don't have room to store? Guess it's going to get sold back for a fraction of the price. Who knew virtual decoration disassembling could be just as tedious it is in real life?
What do you plan to do with your slew of Halloween-themed items in FarmVille and other Facebook games? Vote in the Games.com Blog Lunchtime Poll below:
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Fashion World: New Thanksgiving gifts hit the scene
Metrogames always likes to release their new items in both their Fashion World and Mall Dreams games at the same time. Tonight, a set of new gifts has hit both games. We'll cover Fashion World first.
The new Fashion World gifts are nothing too spectacular; they're items that we've seen in pretty much every Facebook game that's celebrating this holiday. There are six gifts available in the game at any given time, and today the gifts were updated with six new Thanksgiving items.
The new gifts are as follows: Pilgrim Hat, Thanksgiving Dinner (shown at the right), Irish Hat, Turkey, Turkey Dinner, and Thanksgiving Basket. To access the gifts, simply log in to the game and click the busy icon on the left side that pops out with many available gifts when you hover over it.
That's it for the Thanksgiving gifts in Fashion World!
The new Fashion World gifts are nothing too spectacular; they're items that we've seen in pretty much every Facebook game that's celebrating this holiday. There are six gifts available in the game at any given time, and today the gifts were updated with six new Thanksgiving items.
The new gifts are as follows: Pilgrim Hat, Thanksgiving Dinner (shown at the right), Irish Hat, Turkey, Turkey Dinner, and Thanksgiving Basket. To access the gifts, simply log in to the game and click the busy icon on the left side that pops out with many available gifts when you hover over it.
That's it for the Thanksgiving gifts in Fashion World!
New FarmVille Thanksgiving Animals: Silkie Chicken & Autumn Cow
In a late update this evening, Zynga has added two new Thanksgiving animals to FarmVille. The animals come in the form of Silkie Chicken, and the Autumn Cow, which we brought you a sneak peek of last week.
To start, the Silkie Chicken, which is definitely one of the cutest animals we've seen released in the game, goes for 20 Farm Cash. It can be harvested every day for 64 coins, and we're assuming it can be placed inside your Chicken Coop to add a bit of feathery fluff to the building.
Next, the Autumn Cow goes for 22 Farm Cash. It also can be harvested everyday, and can be placed inside your Dairy Barn, where it can produce an Autumn Calf (with a matching brown leaf pattern on its body), so long as the Autumn Cow is placed inside a Dairy Barn that also contains a Bull.
Both of these items will be around for the next 13 days, so be sure to pick up the items you're interested in fast, before the Thanksgiving theme of items says goodbye to the store for another year.
To start, the Silkie Chicken, which is definitely one of the cutest animals we've seen released in the game, goes for 20 Farm Cash. It can be harvested every day for 64 coins, and we're assuming it can be placed inside your Chicken Coop to add a bit of feathery fluff to the building.
Next, the Autumn Cow goes for 22 Farm Cash. It also can be harvested everyday, and can be placed inside your Dairy Barn, where it can produce an Autumn Calf (with a matching brown leaf pattern on its body), so long as the Autumn Cow is placed inside a Dairy Barn that also contains a Bull.
Both of these items will be around for the next 13 days, so be sure to pick up the items you're interested in fast, before the Thanksgiving theme of items says goodbye to the store for another year.
It Girl releases two new limited time couture
It Girl releases new couture items all the time, at a pace which might even be multiple times per week. We try our best to keep you updated with the latest news so that you know what's available to buy for your avatar in the premium shop in Crowdstar's hit fashion and shopping game.
The first new item is a beautiful purple skirt that goes to just about knee-length. This Fuschia Mermaid Tutu Skirt is perfect for Fall fashion, and costs 51 Facebook Credits. It is appropriate for Nightlife and Black Tie events, and has a style rating of 37. The second new couture limited time item is the Deep Blue Studded Bag. This purse is for Nightlife, Black Tie, and Music parties, and costs 41 credits. For that hefty price, you'll get a new fancy purse that matches just about all of your outfits and gives you a style rating of 18. We approve!
These new items will be available in the premium catalog for a limited time, but we have no idea how long that will be. You'll want to log in and play soon to check these items out, before they are gone for good
Play It Girl on Facebook >
The first new item is a beautiful purple skirt that goes to just about knee-length. This Fuschia Mermaid Tutu Skirt is perfect for Fall fashion, and costs 51 Facebook Credits. It is appropriate for Nightlife and Black Tie events, and has a style rating of 37. The second new couture limited time item is the Deep Blue Studded Bag. This purse is for Nightlife, Black Tie, and Music parties, and costs 41 credits. For that hefty price, you'll get a new fancy purse that matches just about all of your outfits and gives you a style rating of 18. We approve!
These new items will be available in the premium catalog for a limited time, but we have no idea how long that will be. You'll want to log in and play soon to check these items out, before they are gone for good
Play It Girl on Facebook >
FarmVille Thanksgiving Items: Squash Home, Pilgrim Carriage, Turkey Balloon, & More
Tonight's FarmVille update brought yet another round of Thanksgiving items into the store. This time, we see the release of one new building, and a few new decorative items, some of which we brought you news of in a FarmVille Sneak Peek posted last week. Even if this is the first time you're seeing these new items, let's get right into our look at what's now available.
The first item is a building in the form of a Squash Home. It costs 200,000 coins to purchase, and will reward you with 2,000 experience points as a reward for making such a large purchase.
Along with this new building comes new decorative items in the form of a Pilgrim Carriage, a Pumpkin Planter, a Pilgrim Girl gnome, and a Turkey Balloon. The items are split evenly between those available for Farm Cash and for regular coins, with the Pilgrim Carriage and the Pilgrim Girl gnome costing 15 and 12 Farm Cash, respectively. The Turkey Balloon, then costs 50,000 coins, while the Pumpkin Planter costs just 8,000 coins.
All of these items come with a 13 day time limit. As this was quite a small update to the overall Thanksgiving theme, it makes us wonder if this could be the last set of Thanksgiving items we see released in the game. Could that be the case? Only time will tell at this point, but we'll be sure to let you know if/when more items are released.
The first item is a building in the form of a Squash Home. It costs 200,000 coins to purchase, and will reward you with 2,000 experience points as a reward for making such a large purchase.
Along with this new building comes new decorative items in the form of a Pilgrim Carriage, a Pumpkin Planter, a Pilgrim Girl gnome, and a Turkey Balloon. The items are split evenly between those available for Farm Cash and for regular coins, with the Pilgrim Carriage and the Pilgrim Girl gnome costing 15 and 12 Farm Cash, respectively. The Turkey Balloon, then costs 50,000 coins, while the Pumpkin Planter costs just 8,000 coins.
All of these items come with a 13 day time limit. As this was quite a small update to the overall Thanksgiving theme, it makes us wonder if this could be the last set of Thanksgiving items we see released in the game. Could that be the case? Only time will tell at this point, but we'll be sure to let you know if/when more items are released.
Mall World launches Thanksgiving Harvest store
With not much time to spare before the turkey-filled holiday, Mall World has just released an entire store devoted to Thanksgiving and the Autumn season. Not only does the Harvest store have costumes and accessories, there is also a wealth of Thanksgiving specific decorations to dress up your store to make it nice and festive. Here is a quick glimpse into what you can find in the Harvest store in Mall World.
For decorations, you'll be happy with the Autumn Leaves Wreath or the Wild Berry Wreath for 2 Credits each. A Braided Rug for 1,000 dollars sits on the ground warming your toes, or the Pilgrim Pup or Turkey Dog make for nice costumes for your dog companions. There is an Animatronic Wild Turkey for 1 Credit, an Autumn Window for 4 Credit, a Cornucopia for $1,000, an Acorn Chandelier for 2 Credits, and a Cast Iron Stove for 3 Mall Credit.
For outfits, there are too many clothing and accessories to list, but we'll highlight a few that we're especially fond of. For headgear, there is a Tiger Lily Headband, a Pilgrim Bonnet, and a Native Headdress. For outfits, the Indian Summer Dress is too cute for words, as is the Totem Mini Skirt. We love the Leather Framed Tote, Buckle Clutch, and the Native Fringe Purse.
You can visit this store by visiting the mall at the bottom of your game. We're sure it's a limited time shop, so stop in and shop until you drop before it's gone!
For decorations, you'll be happy with the Autumn Leaves Wreath or the Wild Berry Wreath for 2 Credits each. A Braided Rug for 1,000 dollars sits on the ground warming your toes, or the Pilgrim Pup or Turkey Dog make for nice costumes for your dog companions. There is an Animatronic Wild Turkey for 1 Credit, an Autumn Window for 4 Credit, a Cornucopia for $1,000, an Acorn Chandelier for 2 Credits, and a Cast Iron Stove for 3 Mall Credit.
For outfits, there are too many clothing and accessories to list, but we'll highlight a few that we're especially fond of. For headgear, there is a Tiger Lily Headband, a Pilgrim Bonnet, and a Native Headdress. For outfits, the Indian Summer Dress is too cute for words, as is the Totem Mini Skirt. We love the Leather Framed Tote, Buckle Clutch, and the Native Fringe Purse.
You can visit this store by visiting the mall at the bottom of your game. We're sure it's a limited time shop, so stop in and shop until you drop before it's gone!
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Unreleased Playtime II Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Zynga is apparently looking to continue the fun had in the recent FrontierVille timed mission called "Playtime," as they seem to be working on a follow-up to that quest entitled "Playtime II." Playtime II will also be a timed mission, just like its predecessor, and you should have 2 days after you accept the mission to complete it before it expires. Rumor has it that you'll be able to buy extra time for Horseshoes.
This mission will require you to complete three tasks:
Craft 20 Planks
Collect 10 Metal Bars
Collect 10 Wood Rasps
The Planks can be crafted inside the wagon for 7 pieces of wood and 250 coins each, while we're assuming that you'll be able to ask your friends to send you the Metal Bars and Wood Rasps, via either traditional wall posts asking for items, or individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be most willing to help you.
The rewards for finishing this mission are 250 experience points, 1000 coins and a See Saw decorative item (a teeter-totter, if you'd prefer, commonly seen on children's playgrounds - one my personal favorites as a kid).
We'll make sure to let you know when the mission releases in full, but until then, remember that this information is subject to change at any time, up until the point that Zynga releases it into the game. Feel free to plan ahead (crafting Planks), but do so with caution.
This mission will require you to complete three tasks:
Craft 20 Planks
Collect 10 Metal Bars
Collect 10 Wood Rasps
The Planks can be crafted inside the wagon for 7 pieces of wood and 250 coins each, while we're assuming that you'll be able to ask your friends to send you the Metal Bars and Wood Rasps, via either traditional wall posts asking for items, or individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be most willing to help you.
The rewards for finishing this mission are 250 experience points, 1000 coins and a See Saw decorative item (a teeter-totter, if you'd prefer, commonly seen on children's playgrounds - one my personal favorites as a kid).
We'll make sure to let you know when the mission releases in full, but until then, remember that this information is subject to change at any time, up until the point that Zynga releases it into the game. Feel free to plan ahead (crafting Planks), but do so with caution.
FarmVille: Reindeer now available through Feed Trough
For those of you that like collecting Animal Feed for your Animal Feed Trough in FarmVille, you'll appreciate the fact that Zynga has now added a new animal to the list of those available animals that will randomly walk into your small barn. The animal is the Reindeer, which has been released a free gift earlier this year, but was first seen as a full animal release in FarmVille during last year's Winter Holiday celebration.
As the Reindeer is currently unavailable to purchase in the store, and you weren't playing the game last year, you'll want to make sure to take advantage of this opportunity. You'll need to collect 20 bundles of Animal Feed to activate your Trough to draw an animal in, and you can earn feed by having your friends send it to you through gift requests, or by earning it through clicking on friends' wall posts.
Since this is a Holiday related animal, it is possible that the Reindeer will only be available to find in the Trough for a limited time. Yes, the Turkey from Thanksgiving is still available, but do you really want to take the chance of losing out on a Reindeer just because you waited too long to collect Animal Feed? No, I wouldn't either.
Make sure to fill that Animal Trough and good luck finding a Reindeer on your own farm!
As the Reindeer is currently unavailable to purchase in the store, and you weren't playing the game last year, you'll want to make sure to take advantage of this opportunity. You'll need to collect 20 bundles of Animal Feed to activate your Trough to draw an animal in, and you can earn feed by having your friends send it to you through gift requests, or by earning it through clicking on friends' wall posts.
Since this is a Holiday related animal, it is possible that the Reindeer will only be available to find in the Trough for a limited time. Yes, the Turkey from Thanksgiving is still available, but do you really want to take the chance of losing out on a Reindeer just because you waited too long to collect Animal Feed? No, I wouldn't either.
Make sure to fill that Animal Trough and good luck finding a Reindeer on your own farm!
FarmVille Snowman / Snowball Fight: Everything you need to know
Recently, we showed you some leaked images from FarmVille's as-of-then unreleased Snowman and Snowball Fight activities that would be coming to FarmVille this holiday season. Well, the time is now for these features to go live, as the Snowman and Snowball Fight features have now begun rolling out to users across the game.
You'll know that this feature has launched in your game when you visit your farm and see the large pop-up like the one above. This lets you know the basics of the feature - you'll be able to visit your friends' farms and start a snowball fight with them. When your friend retaliates (throws a snowball back), those snowballs will start to form enough of a mound for you to build your own Magical Snowman.
For all of the details concerning this new event, meet us behind the break. To start, simply click on the "Okay" button on the pop-up at the top of this post, and then wait for your game to switch into Placement mode. This allows you to place a very small pile of snow on your Farm. Think of this pile of snow as the beginnings of a wonderful Snowman, or as the base for any one of the previously released "Buildables" in the game. From there, you'll be able to share the news that you're building a Snowman with friends.
Your Snowman will need to be constructed using various building materials. In the first step of the construction (there seem to be four stages of completion in all), you'll need to collect 10 Piles of Snow, and a single Snowman Scarf. You can collect these items by clicking on the "Ask for more" button associated with that particular item.
From there, you'll see a window like the one below, where you can post on individual users walls (the available list of users is randomly generated by the game) with a request to send you either Snow or a Scarf. Unfortunately, this will limit your progress, as you can't choose the individual friends that you'd like to ask, and out of the three people I personally could choose from, only one actually plays the game. It's presumable that many users will end up with the same sort of situation in their own games.
Luckily, there is another aspect to this feature, which comes from the actual Snowball Fight portion of this event. Once you have the Snowman on your farm, you can visit your neighbors' farms to see a new window appear asking you if you'd like to throw a snowball at that friend. This is done by simply clicking on the "Share" button, watching the animation of the flying snowball, and then posting a news item to that friend's wall alerting them that you've hit them with a Snowball.
Your friends can then retaliate, creating a true snowball fight - nay, war, sending snowballs back and forth amongst friends for the duration of the event.
As you collect snowballs, your Snowman will grow through four stages of completion: He will start as a Pile or Snow, and then move into Smiling Snowman, Dapper Snowman, and eventually Dancing Snowman stages. Once completed, it's assumed that the Snowman will actually dance, just like Frosty the Snowman from the classic children's story.
So what are you waiting for? Don't you want a Dancing Snowman on your farm? Start throwing Snowballs at your friends and build your very own Snowman while you can!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Find the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Snowman and Snowball Fight events in FarmVille? Will you build your Snowman, or do you already have enough Winter goodies on your farm?
You'll know that this feature has launched in your game when you visit your farm and see the large pop-up like the one above. This lets you know the basics of the feature - you'll be able to visit your friends' farms and start a snowball fight with them. When your friend retaliates (throws a snowball back), those snowballs will start to form enough of a mound for you to build your own Magical Snowman.
For all of the details concerning this new event, meet us behind the break. To start, simply click on the "Okay" button on the pop-up at the top of this post, and then wait for your game to switch into Placement mode. This allows you to place a very small pile of snow on your Farm. Think of this pile of snow as the beginnings of a wonderful Snowman, or as the base for any one of the previously released "Buildables" in the game. From there, you'll be able to share the news that you're building a Snowman with friends.
Your Snowman will need to be constructed using various building materials. In the first step of the construction (there seem to be four stages of completion in all), you'll need to collect 10 Piles of Snow, and a single Snowman Scarf. You can collect these items by clicking on the "Ask for more" button associated with that particular item.
From there, you'll see a window like the one below, where you can post on individual users walls (the available list of users is randomly generated by the game) with a request to send you either Snow or a Scarf. Unfortunately, this will limit your progress, as you can't choose the individual friends that you'd like to ask, and out of the three people I personally could choose from, only one actually plays the game. It's presumable that many users will end up with the same sort of situation in their own games.
Luckily, there is another aspect to this feature, which comes from the actual Snowball Fight portion of this event. Once you have the Snowman on your farm, you can visit your neighbors' farms to see a new window appear asking you if you'd like to throw a snowball at that friend. This is done by simply clicking on the "Share" button, watching the animation of the flying snowball, and then posting a news item to that friend's wall alerting them that you've hit them with a Snowball.
Your friends can then retaliate, creating a true snowball fight - nay, war, sending snowballs back and forth amongst friends for the duration of the event.
As you collect snowballs, your Snowman will grow through four stages of completion: He will start as a Pile or Snow, and then move into Smiling Snowman, Dapper Snowman, and eventually Dancing Snowman stages. Once completed, it's assumed that the Snowman will actually dance, just like Frosty the Snowman from the classic children's story.
So what are you waiting for? Don't you want a Dancing Snowman on your farm? Start throwing Snowballs at your friends and build your very own Snowman while you can!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Find the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Snowman and Snowball Fight events in FarmVille? Will you build your Snowman, or do you already have enough Winter goodies on your farm?
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Coca-Cola promotion
Keeping the tradition of free Farm Cash in FarmVille going, Zynga has launched a new cross-promotional activity with Coca-Cola, that can be found underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. This isn't the first time we've seen Zynga partner with Coca-Cola, as a Cafe World promotion was launched back in October.
At any rate, this newest FarmVille promotion will see users earning 2 free Farm Cash for completing a short activity. To begin, simply click on the Sponsored Link window, as seen at the right of this post (here is the link of the activity, if it never loads on your own game - if it doesn't work for you, then you'll need to wait for the activity to appear on your own account).
A new window will load, where you'll see a short trailer for this activity - you'll see six locked bottles of Coca-Cola, and when you click on them, you'll see game tips about FarmVille (basic tips concerning game elements like upgrading vehicles or visiting neighbors), and you'll then be allowed to submit your progress and are offered a free coupon that you can send to your friends via the official Coca-Cola Facebook fan page.
You must click on the button within the promotion to launch the fan page in order to finally earn your 2 free Farm Cash, which will then be added to your account in the game (if it doesn't show up automatically, a simple game refresh should force it to appear.
At any rate, this newest FarmVille promotion will see users earning 2 free Farm Cash for completing a short activity. To begin, simply click on the Sponsored Link window, as seen at the right of this post (here is the link of the activity, if it never loads on your own game - if it doesn't work for you, then you'll need to wait for the activity to appear on your own account).
A new window will load, where you'll see a short trailer for this activity - you'll see six locked bottles of Coca-Cola, and when you click on them, you'll see game tips about FarmVille (basic tips concerning game elements like upgrading vehicles or visiting neighbors), and you'll then be allowed to submit your progress and are offered a free coupon that you can send to your friends via the official Coca-Cola Facebook fan page.
You must click on the button within the promotion to launch the fan page in order to finally earn your 2 free Farm Cash, which will then be added to your account in the game (if it doesn't show up automatically, a simple game refresh should force it to appear.
Official FarmVille Podcast (12/17/10): Pig Pen Expansions, Winter Countdown details
In this week's official FarmVille podcast, FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious gave users a sneak peek at some of the upcoming features that will be launching in FarmVille in the coming days and weeks. Here's a recap of this week's details.
First, Zynga will soon be launching a Greeting Card contest. Similar to the Baking Contest, this Greeting Card contest will ask aspiring artists to create a FarmVille themed card (either in the real world, or through Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, or another photo editing program). The prizes for this contest will be 1,000 Farm Cash, 1 million coins and any limited edition FarmVille item of your choice. We'll be sure to give you all of the details of this contest as soon as it launches (presumably on the forums).
Another upcoming feature will be the introduction of Pig Pen expansions. These expansions will allow you to upgrade the capacity of your Pig Pen from 20 to 40 pigs. As a result, you'll be able to hold more slop, and send more pigs truffle hunting at once.
The New Year's Party feature that we gave you a sneak peek of last week has also been officially confirmed. This will be a social event, with the more friends you get to attend resulting in better rewards. Some of these rewards include new crops, new clothes for your avatar, and a new pony.
Sometime after December 25, a Winter Countdown will begin. Each day you login, you'll be able to ask for and give an item from FarmVille's old Winter Holiday theme to/from friends. If you unlock all 12 of these items (that is, login each and every day and participate for that 12 day time period), you'll receive a special, apparently exclusive animal as a prize.
Finally, Lexi confirmed that the FarmVille team is hoping to add the coin purchasing option for the 28x28 land expansion to the game sometime after the new year. There was no announcement as to how much it would cost, but she did confirm that the team was working on it.
For those that love listening to the FarmVille Podcast in full, you can check it out at the top of this post. The next FarmVille podcast is scheduled for release on January 7, and we'll make sure to bring you all of the details therein after it is released.
First, Zynga will soon be launching a Greeting Card contest. Similar to the Baking Contest, this Greeting Card contest will ask aspiring artists to create a FarmVille themed card (either in the real world, or through Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, or another photo editing program). The prizes for this contest will be 1,000 Farm Cash, 1 million coins and any limited edition FarmVille item of your choice. We'll be sure to give you all of the details of this contest as soon as it launches (presumably on the forums).
Another upcoming feature will be the introduction of Pig Pen expansions. These expansions will allow you to upgrade the capacity of your Pig Pen from 20 to 40 pigs. As a result, you'll be able to hold more slop, and send more pigs truffle hunting at once.
The New Year's Party feature that we gave you a sneak peek of last week has also been officially confirmed. This will be a social event, with the more friends you get to attend resulting in better rewards. Some of these rewards include new crops, new clothes for your avatar, and a new pony.
Sometime after December 25, a Winter Countdown will begin. Each day you login, you'll be able to ask for and give an item from FarmVille's old Winter Holiday theme to/from friends. If you unlock all 12 of these items (that is, login each and every day and participate for that 12 day time period), you'll receive a special, apparently exclusive animal as a prize.
Finally, Lexi confirmed that the FarmVille team is hoping to add the coin purchasing option for the 28x28 land expansion to the game sometime after the new year. There was no announcement as to how much it would cost, but she did confirm that the team was working on it.
For those that love listening to the FarmVille Podcast in full, you can check it out at the top of this post. The next FarmVille podcast is scheduled for release on January 7, and we'll make sure to bring you all of the details therein after it is released.
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
Mafia Wars gets buzzed by The Green Hornet
No, Seth Rogen will not be making an appearance in Mafia Wars--only famous rappers can pull that off--but cool stuff from his new movie, The Green Hornet, will be. Starting today until the theatrical release of The Green Hornet on Jan. 14, we digital mobsters can collect eight different loot items surrounding the feature film adaptation of the famous 1930s radio drama. Doing jobs and fighting other players in any location of the game have a chance of dropping these seven items: Kato's Mask, Black Beauty Missiles, Gas Gun, Double Barrel Gun, Chudnovsky's Gas Mask, Hood Gun and The Green Hornet crest.
Finding all seven will unlock The Black Beauty. Both The Green Hornet's iconic, deadly vehicle and this event's Mastery item with 90 Attack and 45 Defense, the Black Beauty is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Also available in the Market for 25 Reward Points is Kato's Motorcycle, a vehicle item that doesn't contribute to unlocking The Black Beauty with 64 Attack and 88 Defense.
This promotional event follows the still-running Hustlin' Wit Dre event and a recent promotion involving the TNT crime drama Southland. "The entertainment industry has been 'gamified' as these types of unique integrations are connecting millions of players with new and exclusive content," reads an official statement from Zynga. "In return, Zynga's millions of players are creating additional buzz as they interact with films, televisions shows and artists within their favorite games." In other words, there's probably more where this came from for 2011.
Finding all seven will unlock The Black Beauty. Both The Green Hornet's iconic, deadly vehicle and this event's Mastery item with 90 Attack and 45 Defense, the Black Beauty is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Also available in the Market for 25 Reward Points is Kato's Motorcycle, a vehicle item that doesn't contribute to unlocking The Black Beauty with 64 Attack and 88 Defense.
This promotional event follows the still-running Hustlin' Wit Dre event and a recent promotion involving the TNT crime drama Southland. "The entertainment industry has been 'gamified' as these types of unique integrations are connecting millions of players with new and exclusive content," reads an official statement from Zynga. "In return, Zynga's millions of players are creating additional buzz as they interact with films, televisions shows and artists within their favorite games." In other words, there's probably more where this came from for 2011.
RewardVille: Zynga plans a mysterious rewards program
zynga rewardville
Hot on the heels of CityVille, Zynga may already be planning another release: RewardVille. Today, Fusible confirmed rumors that Zynga has big plans for this mysterious reward program.
The speculation about RewardVille solidified into fact when it was discovered that Zynga had actually filed a trademark for RewardVille back in mid December. Not only that, but they paid $4,500 for the website: rewardville.com. Would you pay that much for a website you didn't plan on using? I think we can definitely expect to hear a lot more about RewardVille in the future.
As of right now, we can only speculate as to what RewardVille might be. A new Zynga Lotto? Maybe a new game? Some believe it may be a continuation of the American Express free items deal we saw in late November. Or perhaps it will just be a way to see all the current rewards across all Zynga's games in one place.
Either way, based on the name RewardVille it sounds like us Facebook gamers can expect some goodies from our friends at Zynga. Stay tuned for more info.
Hot on the heels of CityVille, Zynga may already be planning another release: RewardVille. Today, Fusible confirmed rumors that Zynga has big plans for this mysterious reward program.
The speculation about RewardVille solidified into fact when it was discovered that Zynga had actually filed a trademark for RewardVille back in mid December. Not only that, but they paid $4,500 for the website: rewardville.com. Would you pay that much for a website you didn't plan on using? I think we can definitely expect to hear a lot more about RewardVille in the future.
As of right now, we can only speculate as to what RewardVille might be. A new Zynga Lotto? Maybe a new game? Some believe it may be a continuation of the American Express free items deal we saw in late November. Or perhaps it will just be a way to see all the current rewards across all Zynga's games in one place.
Either way, based on the name RewardVille it sounds like us Facebook gamers can expect some goodies from our friends at Zynga. Stay tuned for more info.
Mafia Wars and The Green Hornet Event: Everything you need to know
Black Beauty
The Green Hornet has been buzzing around in Mafia Wars for just a few hours, but it's time we get to bottom of just how to nab Black Beauty for our own garages. Unlike other promotional events, the drops in this are completely random, meaning that doing any job or fighting any player will have a chance at causing one of the seven items that count toward unlocking Black Beauty to drop.
However, there are certain items that only drop from fighting and others that drop solely from doing jobs. So, find our full list of all seven items and exactly where and how you can find them behind the break.
Hornet Crest
Drops from the first job completed after accepting the event
Kato's Mask
Drops from doing Jobs
Black Beauty's Missiles
Drops from winning Fights
Chudnovsky's Gas Mask
Drops from winning Fights (also available as a Free Gift)
Double Barreled Gun
Drops from doing Jobs
Hood Gun
Drops from winning Fights
Gas Gun
Drops from doing Jobs (also available as a Free Gift)
Technically, you only need to collect five items to unlock the Mastery Item with two of them available as Free Gifts, making this event even simpler. Essentially, this reduces the item hunt to just four items considering the Hornet Crest is a freebie. Find all four items to unlock the Black Beauty, a slick-looking car complete with missile launchers, chain gun, 90 Attack and 45 Defense.
The Green Hornet has been buzzing around in Mafia Wars for just a few hours, but it's time we get to bottom of just how to nab Black Beauty for our own garages. Unlike other promotional events, the drops in this are completely random, meaning that doing any job or fighting any player will have a chance at causing one of the seven items that count toward unlocking Black Beauty to drop.
However, there are certain items that only drop from fighting and others that drop solely from doing jobs. So, find our full list of all seven items and exactly where and how you can find them behind the break.
Hornet Crest
Drops from the first job completed after accepting the event
Kato's Mask
Drops from doing Jobs
Black Beauty's Missiles
Drops from winning Fights
Chudnovsky's Gas Mask
Drops from winning Fights (also available as a Free Gift)
Double Barreled Gun
Drops from doing Jobs
Hood Gun
Drops from winning Fights
Gas Gun
Drops from doing Jobs (also available as a Free Gift)
Technically, you only need to collect five items to unlock the Mastery Item with two of them available as Free Gifts, making this event even simpler. Essentially, this reduces the item hunt to just four items considering the Hornet Crest is a freebie. Find all four items to unlock the Black Beauty, a slick-looking car complete with missile launchers, chain gun, 90 Attack and 45 Defense.
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Theme Showcase: The farm goes skiing
In the most recent edition of the FarmVille Showcase by Zynga, the Winter Wonderland Theme is put on display for us. And surprisingly, we can gather quite a lot from 13 seconds of video. In fact, just about all of these items have already been released in the game like the Caribou, Totem Pole, Ski Shop, and Winter Fire Pit. Also released last night was the new animated Ski Jump. Watch in awe as this brave little man performs a back flip from atop the hill only to do it all over again. And again.
Also included in the video are the Fiorland Penguin, which has already been released in the game, what looks to be a black bear cub, a Koala and a giant Panda Bear. For good measure, Zynga threw in a B0V1NE-09 and a Gold Gnome--no farm is complete without them, really. Stay tuned for when the rest of these items go live in-game.
Also included in the video are the Fiorland Penguin, which has already been released in the game, what looks to be a black bear cub, a Koala and a giant Panda Bear. For good measure, Zynga threw in a B0V1NE-09 and a Gold Gnome--no farm is complete without them, really. Stay tuned for when the rest of these items go live in-game.
Games.com's 2011 social gaming predictions: Mobile, 3D, MMOs and more
For social gaming, 2010 was a roller coaster ride with stories of ups and downs almost weekly. In the end, it turned out to be a year that witnessed some truly wonderful games, so everyone was a winner, really. But now it's time to look forward to a year that will surely be rife with change. And like any self-respecting journalists and bloggers would, we gaze into the future with wild theories, educated guesses and speculation. We give you Games.com's Predictions for 2011.
facebook game predictions 2011
Social = Mobile
If you thought the slew of social games-gone-mobile like FarmVille for iPhone and Mafia Wars across iOS, Android Blackberry and webOS was a step forward in 2010, just wait for what's to come. While major developers like Zynga, Playfish and Playdom have all started to expand to mobile devices using their existing games like My Empire and Social City, 2011 will see many more original mobile social games--just look at games like Raise the Village. (Bonus prediction: Zynga's recent cross platform strategy using mobile browsers might take off elsewhere.)
Find the rest of our predictions for 2011 after the break.
facebook game predictions 2011
Faster, Prettier Games
It's inevitable, really. With games like Godswar Online and the upcoming EA Sports PGA Tour for Facebook, both of which in full 3D, it's almost certain that there will be more where that came from. The two technologies that will be most responsible for this are HTML5 and the Unity Engine. The former being the next step in how websites are created, HTML5 can do things that Flash can without the need for Flash at all. (Just take a look at what's possible with HTML5.) The Unity Engine, however, is much like Flash in that its software through which developers can create browser games. But in detailed, appealing 3D that can run smoothly in websites without extra downloads (i.e. Facebook). Not to mention that developers are getting much better with Flash (take CityVille, for instance).
facebook game predictions 2011
CityVille Can't Stay on Top Forever
As much as some of us here at The Games.com Blog love CityVille, there's no way it's going to last forever as the top Facebook game. Sure, FarmVille was on top for months, but it too fell from its ivory tower made of Zynga Game Cards. Admittedly, the game isn't doing anything that's seriously groundbreaking, which means a game that does city building better could have a chance at dethroning CityVille. But good luck competing with both the Zynga name and its pool of over 100 million potential players. It's sad to say that, if anything, it will probably be another Zynga game that topples CityVille.
facebook game predictions 2011
Ads, ads, and more ads-Oh, my!
Some social games have more players monthly than most countries have people living in them. As big wigs in the advertising world would say, "That's a lot of eyeballs." With huge companies like McDonalds and Coca-Cola along with big-time rappers such as Dr. Dre getting into the game early, it's only natural that the rest of corporate America is itching to dig its pickax into the social gaming gold mine. That said, advertising in social games could become as second nature as, say, viral marketing has become in the world of YouTube (we've all seen the Old Spice Man).
facebook game predictions 2011
Is Zynga Creating its Own Network?
If eight major purchases in the last eight months and its most recent weren't hint enough, then we'll say it now. More than likely, this is what Zynga is ultimately up to. Zynga CEO Mark Pincus even came forthright in saying that his vision for the future of gaming is a "dog-activated world." Now that we've squashed all doubt, one question remains: What does it mean? Well, it could mean a lot of things, but most importantly is that it could spell independence from Facebook for Zynga.
facebook game predictions 2011
Hey Guys, Check Out Our "Game"
You've seen them already. Out there, just waiting to trick you, thinking what you just clicked on will be a remotely entertaining or enjoyable experience. Advergames. Instead of partnering with major developers, some companies pushing products are saying to themselves, "You know what, screw working with an experienced game developer. I'll make my own game. How hard can it be?" And what we get is a quasi-game, a series of Flash animations and a few clickable buttons designed for one purpose: to show us how cool Product X is and that we should totally buy it immediately.
facebook game predictions 2011
There's an MMO in my Facebook
There are now at least two full blown massively mutliplayer online games (MMO) currently on Facebook, Godswar Online and Milmo. While browser-based MMOs have existed for over a year if not longer, this will be the year when the lines between Facebook game and MMO blur. The two genres are too similar not to. Both are free to play, involve transactions for individual virtual goods or boosts and can now run right within Facebook. However, the Facebook game genre-bending likely won't stop there. With a full 3D golf game (see above) coming to Facebook, who is to say other types of games can't?
facebook game predictions 2011
The Big Will Undoubtedly Get Bigger
Call us pessimistic, but it's just how things work, people. Companies like Zynga are attracting over half of the social gaming market's audience. Numbers like that are tough to crack even for other juggernauts like PopCap who have all but ruled the casual gaming space with Bejeweled, Peggle and Zuma. Even Disney--you know, the guys who thought up Mickey Mouse?--are having trouble competing with them through Playdom. Zynga is likely going to be on top for a long, long time. The question of the day will remain, "Who is number two?" with companies like EA's Playfish, CrowdStar, PopCap and Playdom battling fiercely for second best.
facebook game predictions 2011
Facebook Will Be Our Friend Again
As much as it looked like it was working against us in 2010, Facebook could turn a new leaf this year. In fact, it already has. Just in the second half of 2010, Facebook created an entire games engineering team dedicated to making Facebook better for us social gamers. Not to mention that even more recently the 600-million strong social network hired a social games partnerships director to keep developers like Zynga happy (pictured right). It's too bad that its already looking to grow beyond Facebook. Maybe the two can cut another deal?
facebook game predictions 2011
Social = Mobile
If you thought the slew of social games-gone-mobile like FarmVille for iPhone and Mafia Wars across iOS, Android Blackberry and webOS was a step forward in 2010, just wait for what's to come. While major developers like Zynga, Playfish and Playdom have all started to expand to mobile devices using their existing games like My Empire and Social City, 2011 will see many more original mobile social games--just look at games like Raise the Village. (Bonus prediction: Zynga's recent cross platform strategy using mobile browsers might take off elsewhere.)
Find the rest of our predictions for 2011 after the break.
facebook game predictions 2011
Faster, Prettier Games
It's inevitable, really. With games like Godswar Online and the upcoming EA Sports PGA Tour for Facebook, both of which in full 3D, it's almost certain that there will be more where that came from. The two technologies that will be most responsible for this are HTML5 and the Unity Engine. The former being the next step in how websites are created, HTML5 can do things that Flash can without the need for Flash at all. (Just take a look at what's possible with HTML5.) The Unity Engine, however, is much like Flash in that its software through which developers can create browser games. But in detailed, appealing 3D that can run smoothly in websites without extra downloads (i.e. Facebook). Not to mention that developers are getting much better with Flash (take CityVille, for instance).
facebook game predictions 2011
CityVille Can't Stay on Top Forever
As much as some of us here at The Games.com Blog love CityVille, there's no way it's going to last forever as the top Facebook game. Sure, FarmVille was on top for months, but it too fell from its ivory tower made of Zynga Game Cards. Admittedly, the game isn't doing anything that's seriously groundbreaking, which means a game that does city building better could have a chance at dethroning CityVille. But good luck competing with both the Zynga name and its pool of over 100 million potential players. It's sad to say that, if anything, it will probably be another Zynga game that topples CityVille.
facebook game predictions 2011
Ads, ads, and more ads-Oh, my!
Some social games have more players monthly than most countries have people living in them. As big wigs in the advertising world would say, "That's a lot of eyeballs." With huge companies like McDonalds and Coca-Cola along with big-time rappers such as Dr. Dre getting into the game early, it's only natural that the rest of corporate America is itching to dig its pickax into the social gaming gold mine. That said, advertising in social games could become as second nature as, say, viral marketing has become in the world of YouTube (we've all seen the Old Spice Man).
facebook game predictions 2011
Is Zynga Creating its Own Network?
If eight major purchases in the last eight months and its most recent weren't hint enough, then we'll say it now. More than likely, this is what Zynga is ultimately up to. Zynga CEO Mark Pincus even came forthright in saying that his vision for the future of gaming is a "dog-activated world." Now that we've squashed all doubt, one question remains: What does it mean? Well, it could mean a lot of things, but most importantly is that it could spell independence from Facebook for Zynga.
facebook game predictions 2011
Hey Guys, Check Out Our "Game"
You've seen them already. Out there, just waiting to trick you, thinking what you just clicked on will be a remotely entertaining or enjoyable experience. Advergames. Instead of partnering with major developers, some companies pushing products are saying to themselves, "You know what, screw working with an experienced game developer. I'll make my own game. How hard can it be?" And what we get is a quasi-game, a series of Flash animations and a few clickable buttons designed for one purpose: to show us how cool Product X is and that we should totally buy it immediately.
facebook game predictions 2011
There's an MMO in my Facebook
There are now at least two full blown massively mutliplayer online games (MMO) currently on Facebook, Godswar Online and Milmo. While browser-based MMOs have existed for over a year if not longer, this will be the year when the lines between Facebook game and MMO blur. The two genres are too similar not to. Both are free to play, involve transactions for individual virtual goods or boosts and can now run right within Facebook. However, the Facebook game genre-bending likely won't stop there. With a full 3D golf game (see above) coming to Facebook, who is to say other types of games can't?
facebook game predictions 2011
The Big Will Undoubtedly Get Bigger
Call us pessimistic, but it's just how things work, people. Companies like Zynga are attracting over half of the social gaming market's audience. Numbers like that are tough to crack even for other juggernauts like PopCap who have all but ruled the casual gaming space with Bejeweled, Peggle and Zuma. Even Disney--you know, the guys who thought up Mickey Mouse?--are having trouble competing with them through Playdom. Zynga is likely going to be on top for a long, long time. The question of the day will remain, "Who is number two?" with companies like EA's Playfish, CrowdStar, PopCap and Playdom battling fiercely for second best.
facebook game predictions 2011
Facebook Will Be Our Friend Again
As much as it looked like it was working against us in 2010, Facebook could turn a new leaf this year. In fact, it already has. Just in the second half of 2010, Facebook created an entire games engineering team dedicated to making Facebook better for us social gamers. Not to mention that even more recently the 600-million strong social network hired a social games partnerships director to keep developers like Zynga happy (pictured right). It's too bad that its already looking to grow beyond Facebook. Maybe the two can cut another deal?
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Zynga Game Cards arrive in the Middle East
Zynga Game Cards
Now, the only people Zynga hasn't hit with its plastic cards are the pygmies of Australia. (Never say never, I guess.) The creator of FarmVille has entered 16 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa through Gate2Play, an "end-to-end payment and value-added services platform based in Amman, Jordan," Gate2Play said in a statement. In other words, it handles payment of a number of clients' games through plastic cards and digital PIN numbers for paying players.
The cards will come available in $2, $5 and $10 increments, giving players more choices in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen. Yep, I think that's about all of 'em. However, no mentions were made of localization, which strikes us as odd.
It hasn't been until recent that Middle Eastern social games have hit the radar, but they've been growing rapidly. Not to mention they're already doing amazing things like oh, I don't know, attempting to end the influence of extremism in the region? While this could lead to localization of Zynga games a' la the recent Zynga City (or Chinese CityVille), it more importantly points to the possibility of the Middle East becoming an important player in social games in general. Hey, if we're not going to get diversity in social game genres anytime soon, I'll gladly take cultural diversity.
Now, the only people Zynga hasn't hit with its plastic cards are the pygmies of Australia. (Never say never, I guess.) The creator of FarmVille has entered 16 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa through Gate2Play, an "end-to-end payment and value-added services platform based in Amman, Jordan," Gate2Play said in a statement. In other words, it handles payment of a number of clients' games through plastic cards and digital PIN numbers for paying players.
The cards will come available in $2, $5 and $10 increments, giving players more choices in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen. Yep, I think that's about all of 'em. However, no mentions were made of localization, which strikes us as odd.
It hasn't been until recent that Middle Eastern social games have hit the radar, but they've been growing rapidly. Not to mention they're already doing amazing things like oh, I don't know, attempting to end the influence of extremism in the region? While this could lead to localization of Zynga games a' la the recent Zynga City (or Chinese CityVille), it more importantly points to the possibility of the Middle East becoming an important player in social games in general. Hey, if we're not going to get diversity in social game genres anytime soon, I'll gladly take cultural diversity.
FarmVille for iPhone finds a cadaverous competitor in Zombie Farm
Since the myriad fixes made to FarmVille for iPhone, it has become my preferred method of online farming. But not one of those fixes had zombies in them. Likely made with the Walking Dead heads (myself included) in mind, The Playforge has updated its 15 million-download strong Zombie Farm for iOS with a list of social features including the ability to import friends from Facebook, Pocket Gamer reports.
Players can then visit those friends' farms and send them gifts. You know, like FarmVille ... but with zombies. The update for Android and iOS versions of the game also introduces new mini games like Zombie Tag, which rewards the player with XP for catching all of a friend's invading Brain Munchers. Another mini game, the Wheel of Brains, is like the daily bonus in games like CityVille, but with premium currency rewards.
Oh, and did we mention that the game is free? I think we'll just stop there. (Need we say more? Because we can: players can not only visit their friends' farms, but invade them with zombies in hopes for bigger rewards. Zombie Farm is available on Android through DeNA and Ngmoco's Mobage network, and on iOS through--what else?--the App Store.
Zombie Farm in action
Players can then visit those friends' farms and send them gifts. You know, like FarmVille ... but with zombies. The update for Android and iOS versions of the game also introduces new mini games like Zombie Tag, which rewards the player with XP for catching all of a friend's invading Brain Munchers. Another mini game, the Wheel of Brains, is like the daily bonus in games like CityVille, but with premium currency rewards.
Oh, and did we mention that the game is free? I think we'll just stop there. (Need we say more? Because we can: players can not only visit their friends' farms, but invade them with zombies in hopes for bigger rewards. Zombie Farm is available on Android through DeNA and Ngmoco's Mobage network, and on iOS through--what else?--the App Store.
Zombie Farm in action
Pot Farm creators open Downtown East Side Games, announce Zombinis
The Canadian creators of the fire grass Facebook farmer Pot Farm have opened a new studio, East Side Games, Inside Social Games reports. (But wait, didn't these guys also work for Downtown East Side Games? Why, yes they did.) Josh Nilson and Galan Akin, formerly studio manager and creative director of DES Games, scored $1.5 million in funding with Super Rewards founder Robert Bailey.
Bailey will assume the role of CEO of the new East Side Games, while Nilson and Akin resume work under their former titles at Downtown East Side Games. Now, East Side Games also has acquired rights to Pot Farm, which enjoys 900 thousand monthly players, according to Bailey. So, why the name change at all? Who knows, but our guess is that it has something to do with that funding.
The new found trio plans to release Zombinis, "a collectible battle game featuring cuddly and somewhat explosive zombies with detachable body parts and addicting gameplay," according to ISG, before the end of this year on Facebook. It already sounds like a far cry from Pot Farm, but still potentially aiming for a mature audience. East Side Games is already considering other platforms like the open web and the Google+ Games service, and had choice words for platforms like Facebook:
"[That] way we own the user, we control the experience and we pay the lowest tax rate," Bailey told ISG. "Zuck and Jobs want a 30% cut, Google is talking about a much more fair 5%, but regardless, the safest place for us is to not be at the whim of one platform, high taxes, and draconian content restrictions." I'm guessing he's not very good friends with Sean Ryan, huh? Check out all of what East Side Games had to say of the news here.
Bailey will assume the role of CEO of the new East Side Games, while Nilson and Akin resume work under their former titles at Downtown East Side Games. Now, East Side Games also has acquired rights to Pot Farm, which enjoys 900 thousand monthly players, according to Bailey. So, why the name change at all? Who knows, but our guess is that it has something to do with that funding.
The new found trio plans to release Zombinis, "a collectible battle game featuring cuddly and somewhat explosive zombies with detachable body parts and addicting gameplay," according to ISG, before the end of this year on Facebook. It already sounds like a far cry from Pot Farm, but still potentially aiming for a mature audience. East Side Games is already considering other platforms like the open web and the Google+ Games service, and had choice words for platforms like Facebook:
"[That] way we own the user, we control the experience and we pay the lowest tax rate," Bailey told ISG. "Zuck and Jobs want a 30% cut, Google is talking about a much more fair 5%, but regardless, the safest place for us is to not be at the whim of one platform, high taxes, and draconian content restrictions." I'm guessing he's not very good friends with Sean Ryan, huh? Check out all of what East Side Games had to say of the news here.
Facebookers spend fraction of time on games and apps; a giant niche?
Facebook users spend just 10 percent of their time playing with games or apps, according to a recent ComScore study. But aren't Facebook games expected to make the company $1 billion this year alone? Either something is missing from this equation, or Facebook gamers are the biggest niche in the history of niches.
However, this study takes all 750 million plus Facebook users into account, meaning the daily players for each game represent a much smaller demographic even within the 250 million gamers on the platform. (Though, the collective daily players still make up tens of millions of Facebook users.)
Are Facebook games something most players simply dabble in? When looking at this statistic, it sure seems that way. Social gamers could be even more casual than previously thought, barely considering themselves "gamers."
But no matter, companies like FarmVille maker Zynga and EA (who recently bought PopCap for potentially $1.3 billion) will continue to set records in the financial world, thanks to "whales." As long as these big spenders, which make up for just 1 to 3 percent of the Facebook gaming population, stick around so will Facebook gaming. If you look at some Facebook game studios like casinos without the immense upkeep costs, it's easy to see why Facebook games will be around for a long, long time.
However, this study takes all 750 million plus Facebook users into account, meaning the daily players for each game represent a much smaller demographic even within the 250 million gamers on the platform. (Though, the collective daily players still make up tens of millions of Facebook users.)
Are Facebook games something most players simply dabble in? When looking at this statistic, it sure seems that way. Social gamers could be even more casual than previously thought, barely considering themselves "gamers."
But no matter, companies like FarmVille maker Zynga and EA (who recently bought PopCap for potentially $1.3 billion) will continue to set records in the financial world, thanks to "whales." As long as these big spenders, which make up for just 1 to 3 percent of the Facebook gaming population, stick around so will Facebook gaming. If you look at some Facebook game studios like casinos without the immense upkeep costs, it's easy to see why Facebook games will be around for a long, long time.
Nintendo president takes blame (and 50 percent pay cut) for 3DS woes
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is taking a slap on the wrist for poor sales of its 3DS ... a slap with a yardstick wrapped in barbed wire and set on fire. Kotaku Japan reports that Iwata addressed shareholders in a meeting with the news that he's taking responsibility for the 3DS, which will result in a whopping 50 percent cut in his pay.
"For cuts in fixed salaries, I'm taking a fifty percent cut, other representative directors are taking a 30 percent cut, and other execs are taking a 20 percent cut," Iwata said. Nintendo announced yesterday that its 3D successor to the crazy successful DS line of consoles, the 3DS, would have its price chopped down to $169.99 from its $249.99 launch price. That's an $80 drop, and the system just released this March.
During a Q&A, Nintendo admitted that it must provide something that mobile phones--like the iPhone--cannot offer. While that's telling of Nintendo's increased focus on its online offerings with the 3DS and its upcoming Wii U console, that's still a tall order. The 3DS, which still uses the Friend Code format, does not have a social gaming ecosystem comparable to even the iPhone's mildly-appealing Game Center. Nintendo is clearly making strides toward the digital age of gaming, but it might need a few pole vaults to catch up.
"For cuts in fixed salaries, I'm taking a fifty percent cut, other representative directors are taking a 30 percent cut, and other execs are taking a 20 percent cut," Iwata said. Nintendo announced yesterday that its 3D successor to the crazy successful DS line of consoles, the 3DS, would have its price chopped down to $169.99 from its $249.99 launch price. That's an $80 drop, and the system just released this March.
During a Q&A, Nintendo admitted that it must provide something that mobile phones--like the iPhone--cannot offer. While that's telling of Nintendo's increased focus on its online offerings with the 3DS and its upcoming Wii U console, that's still a tall order. The 3DS, which still uses the Friend Code format, does not have a social gaming ecosystem comparable to even the iPhone's mildly-appealing Game Center. Nintendo is clearly making strides toward the digital age of gaming, but it might need a few pole vaults to catch up.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Cafe World: The Saga of the New Years Goals continues, but this time with free iPads!
Heya Chefs! We've been taking an in-depth look at how Zynga will be ringing in the New Year in Cafe World throughout this week, and at simply how much work needs to be done in an assumed short amount of time. Many users (myself included) are questioning whether or not it will even be worth it to complete the eight New Years Party Goals, even if we miss out on four exclusive recipes in the process, just because of how many things we need to collect, mostly with friends' help.
Zynga is looking to get players back into the gaming spirit, however, as they have offered some amazing real world incentive for users to finish the eight missions. They are now holding a contest, where each person that finishes all eight goals will automatically be entered to win one of 5 iPads, 5 iPod Touches, and 5 Flip Cameras! How's that for incentive!?
These are some fantastic prizes, worth hundreds of dollars in the real world, and they definitely work to create a shining light at the end of the very long tunnel that is these New Years Goals. However, if you can do so before January 10, you'll be entered for your chance to win!
Check out the rest of our New Years coverage right here.
As this growing saga of the New Years Goals continues, we want to know your thoughts - will you complete this mission set now that there are real world prizes available to win, or do you still think the missions are too difficult to complete?
Zynga is looking to get players back into the gaming spirit, however, as they have offered some amazing real world incentive for users to finish the eight missions. They are now holding a contest, where each person that finishes all eight goals will automatically be entered to win one of 5 iPads, 5 iPod Touches, and 5 Flip Cameras! How's that for incentive!?
These are some fantastic prizes, worth hundreds of dollars in the real world, and they definitely work to create a shining light at the end of the very long tunnel that is these New Years Goals. However, if you can do so before January 10, you'll be entered for your chance to win!
Check out the rest of our New Years coverage right here.
As this growing saga of the New Years Goals continues, we want to know your thoughts - will you complete this mission set now that there are real world prizes available to win, or do you still think the missions are too difficult to complete?
Live in a tropical paradise year-round with Beachtown on Facebook
Want to ring in the new year on Facebook by trying out a new game? Hueys Planet hopes that you will give their offering Beachtown a try. The game gives "everyone... their own beach," and you'll be able to customize that beach with a wide assortment of outdoor and water activities (those that you would normally find on a trip to the beach) in a gameplay setup that isn't entirely unlike the Sims.
Your friends will play an integral part in your advancement through Beachtown, as you'll be able to control their actions, and earn experience points and Beach Coins (the game's currency) for not only your actions, but the actions of your friends as well. Luckily, your friends don't actually have to play the game to take part, although it couldn't hurt the experience, if you can actually play with real friends.
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at Beachtown on Facebook.
Bringing in elements of the Sims franchise, each person on your beach is technically computer controlled, but you'll be able to control their actions at any time by simply clicking on them and then dragging them to the area of the beach or water of your choice. Each person has a set of desires, based on activities that they would like to take part in, and while you'll receive points for all actions, if you can match up a character with the activity they would personally like to complete, then you'll earn bonus points.
All sorts of "attractions" or activities can be added to your beach, ranging from spots that allow for Longboarding, Surfing or Snorkling in the water, to areas on the sand like Yoga and Exercise stations, or even Hula spots. Each activity will be completed after a different amount of time, so there will likely always be a spot open for your friends if you stick around long enough into a gameplay session. You can even upgrade these activities as you go along to make them more rewarding.
You'll have a series of light quests to complete on the left side of the screen, and bonus items will appear as you, or your assigned friends complete each task. You'll need to manually collect the prizes for completing tasks, which adds the ability to leave the game and then come back at a later time when the activity has been completed, but the rewards are still available.
Adding to the customization in the game is the ability to decorate your beach with a variety of themed items, including palm trees, beach umbrellas, and beach towels, along with some more unique items, like rock stacks, sundials, tikis, and so on. There are items available to purchase for both Beach Coins and Clams, the game's premium currency.
Another game element comes in the form of your Beach's popularity. As you add activities for your friends to take part in, the popularity goes up, allowing you to have even more friends appear on your Beach at the same time. Obviously, then, the more activities you have to take part in and the more friends you have to do them - the more coins you'll earn as a result and the faster you'll level up. Leveling up unlocks new activities, and thus the cycle continues.
Other gameplay elements include collections that can be completed (shells, starfish, stones, and the like) by clicking on Treasure Chests that appear at random quite frequently as you play. These chests can contain either coins or these collectibles. Trading in collections earns you coins, and you can add items to a Needs List to ask your friends for help in sending them to you.
Speaking of friends, the game's social elements include the ability to send free gifts to your friends, and the ability to visit your friends' beaches. Interestingly, there is no in-game NPC friend, so you'll have to invite some of your own friends to play the game in order to get anything out of these features.
As it stands, Beachtown has attracted almost 25,000 users who have decided to build a beach of their own. Want to join them?
Your friends will play an integral part in your advancement through Beachtown, as you'll be able to control their actions, and earn experience points and Beach Coins (the game's currency) for not only your actions, but the actions of your friends as well. Luckily, your friends don't actually have to play the game to take part, although it couldn't hurt the experience, if you can actually play with real friends.
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at Beachtown on Facebook.
Bringing in elements of the Sims franchise, each person on your beach is technically computer controlled, but you'll be able to control their actions at any time by simply clicking on them and then dragging them to the area of the beach or water of your choice. Each person has a set of desires, based on activities that they would like to take part in, and while you'll receive points for all actions, if you can match up a character with the activity they would personally like to complete, then you'll earn bonus points.
All sorts of "attractions" or activities can be added to your beach, ranging from spots that allow for Longboarding, Surfing or Snorkling in the water, to areas on the sand like Yoga and Exercise stations, or even Hula spots. Each activity will be completed after a different amount of time, so there will likely always be a spot open for your friends if you stick around long enough into a gameplay session. You can even upgrade these activities as you go along to make them more rewarding.
You'll have a series of light quests to complete on the left side of the screen, and bonus items will appear as you, or your assigned friends complete each task. You'll need to manually collect the prizes for completing tasks, which adds the ability to leave the game and then come back at a later time when the activity has been completed, but the rewards are still available.
Adding to the customization in the game is the ability to decorate your beach with a variety of themed items, including palm trees, beach umbrellas, and beach towels, along with some more unique items, like rock stacks, sundials, tikis, and so on. There are items available to purchase for both Beach Coins and Clams, the game's premium currency.
Another game element comes in the form of your Beach's popularity. As you add activities for your friends to take part in, the popularity goes up, allowing you to have even more friends appear on your Beach at the same time. Obviously, then, the more activities you have to take part in and the more friends you have to do them - the more coins you'll earn as a result and the faster you'll level up. Leveling up unlocks new activities, and thus the cycle continues.
Other gameplay elements include collections that can be completed (shells, starfish, stones, and the like) by clicking on Treasure Chests that appear at random quite frequently as you play. These chests can contain either coins or these collectibles. Trading in collections earns you coins, and you can add items to a Needs List to ask your friends for help in sending them to you.
Speaking of friends, the game's social elements include the ability to send free gifts to your friends, and the ability to visit your friends' beaches. Interestingly, there is no in-game NPC friend, so you'll have to invite some of your own friends to play the game in order to get anything out of these features.
As it stands, Beachtown has attracted almost 25,000 users who have decided to build a beach of their own. Want to join them?
Playfish's New Years Event Round-Up: Catch up with Restaurant City, Hotel City, Pet Society & More!
If you're an active player of one of Playfish's many Facebook games, you'll be happy to hear that the developer has some very exciting activities lined up for players in honor of the new year. These New Year themed items / events are taking place in six of their games: Pet Society, Restaurant City, Fifa Superstars, Madden NFL Superstars, Country Story, and Hotel City.
You'll be able to purchase new, exclusive items, earn free coins, participate in contests, and more - all with the help of our handy guide. Want to see what's going in the game of your choice? Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know to bring in the New Year with a bang!
Pet Society:
Playfish's pet-caretaking game is now offering a slew of New Year's themed items. Technically, this week's theme is called the "New York" theme, but there are plenty of New Years banners, and other decorations to purchase that will make sure your pet welcomes the new year with style, just as we all will in the real world.
Some of the items include 2011 Fireworks that glow in the dark, a Happy New Year banner for 600 coins, an animated New Years ball for 2,000 coins, balloons, party hats, an even a "Happy New Year 2011" neon sign, that also glows in the dark. Some of these items will only be available for one week, so purchase them soon so that you don't miss out!
Restaurant City:
Maggie (the game's mascot) is now giving away free coins, every single day you play the game. Starting on January 1 (psst, you might be able to claim some today, if you're lucky - we did), you'll be able to login and receive a free coin bundle for the first time you login that day. This isn't something to sneeze at either, as these coin bags will contain 25,000 coins each! Maggie will be giving away 200,000 coins in total, for the span of eight days, so make sure to keep logging back into the game to make the most of this free coin extravaganza!
As an added note, it's believed that you must be a fan of Restaurant City on Facebook for these coins to automatically appear in your game. Make sure to head to the game's fan page, click on the "Like" button and then check your game's left-hand menu to see when the coin bag arrives in your game. Plus, fans of the game receive free items, most on a daily basis, so being a fan really does serve a noticeable purpose.
Fifa Superstars:
Fifa Superstars is now offering daily deals to players who would like to add an extra edge to their game that will help long into the future. These deals will run until January 6. For today's deal, you can pick up a new Coach for just 1 Coin, the game's basic currency. This is an item that normally costs 12 Playfish Cash! Talk about a bargain! Deals can be anything from Match Credits and Silver Transfers to those dealing with Personal Trainers, and (as we've seen) coaches, so be sure to login once per day to see what the new deal is in the game.
Madden NFL Superstars:
Players of Madden NFL Superstars are now being given a chance to enter the Ultimate Experience contest, just for playing the game during this holiday season. All players that login to the game once per day will earn an entry to win a complete NFL "Ultimate Experience," including a Home Theater System, Xbox 360 game system with Kinect, Madden NFL 11 game, and more! Luckily, the game will allow all users to have the same amount of entries, based on whether or not you log into the game. That being the case, everyone has the same chance of winning, so why not login to the game and make sure you have a chance of winning too?
Country Story:
Country Story's event is a unique one, in that the majority of the event hasn't even started yet. Instead, we've been given a hint that a new animal will be arriving in the game on January 4th, and that it could possibly be the "cutest animal ever," according to the game's fan page. Playfish has created an entire Event (as in, an actual Facebook Event) that users can say that they're "Attending," and as more users RSVP that they will attend the event, the prizes will become greater.
First and foremost, they are giving away an exclusive Playfish Cash Monkey. After that, the prizes are secrets, but are apparently "mind blowing" and "amazing," and you simply won't want to miss out. The developer's goal is to have 100,000 users RSVP that they are attending, but it seems as though they may not actually have to reach that number in order to give away the prizes, as they have released a full schedule of the upcoming event on the event's page. On Jan. 3, a special surprise will be given away, and the free Playfish Cash Monkey will come on January 5. Other days see users being given a free gift on the game's fan page, so keep checking back to see what it is.
Hotel City:
Last but certainly not least, Hotel City will be offering a similar giveaway to that of Restaurant City. Upon your first login to the game from January 3-7, you'll receive 10,000 free coins, just for logging into the game! If you miss a day of logging in, you'll miss those free coins, so make sure to take at least a few seconds to claim your coins everyday in order to make the most of this rare event.
And there you have it! A complete run-down to all you need to know concerning Playfish's New Years celebrations. Happy New Year!
You'll be able to purchase new, exclusive items, earn free coins, participate in contests, and more - all with the help of our handy guide. Want to see what's going in the game of your choice? Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know to bring in the New Year with a bang!
Pet Society:
Playfish's pet-caretaking game is now offering a slew of New Year's themed items. Technically, this week's theme is called the "New York" theme, but there are plenty of New Years banners, and other decorations to purchase that will make sure your pet welcomes the new year with style, just as we all will in the real world.
Some of the items include 2011 Fireworks that glow in the dark, a Happy New Year banner for 600 coins, an animated New Years ball for 2,000 coins, balloons, party hats, an even a "Happy New Year 2011" neon sign, that also glows in the dark. Some of these items will only be available for one week, so purchase them soon so that you don't miss out!
Restaurant City:
Maggie (the game's mascot) is now giving away free coins, every single day you play the game. Starting on January 1 (psst, you might be able to claim some today, if you're lucky - we did), you'll be able to login and receive a free coin bundle for the first time you login that day. This isn't something to sneeze at either, as these coin bags will contain 25,000 coins each! Maggie will be giving away 200,000 coins in total, for the span of eight days, so make sure to keep logging back into the game to make the most of this free coin extravaganza!
As an added note, it's believed that you must be a fan of Restaurant City on Facebook for these coins to automatically appear in your game. Make sure to head to the game's fan page, click on the "Like" button and then check your game's left-hand menu to see when the coin bag arrives in your game. Plus, fans of the game receive free items, most on a daily basis, so being a fan really does serve a noticeable purpose.
Fifa Superstars:
Fifa Superstars is now offering daily deals to players who would like to add an extra edge to their game that will help long into the future. These deals will run until January 6. For today's deal, you can pick up a new Coach for just 1 Coin, the game's basic currency. This is an item that normally costs 12 Playfish Cash! Talk about a bargain! Deals can be anything from Match Credits and Silver Transfers to those dealing with Personal Trainers, and (as we've seen) coaches, so be sure to login once per day to see what the new deal is in the game.
Madden NFL Superstars:
Players of Madden NFL Superstars are now being given a chance to enter the Ultimate Experience contest, just for playing the game during this holiday season. All players that login to the game once per day will earn an entry to win a complete NFL "Ultimate Experience," including a Home Theater System, Xbox 360 game system with Kinect, Madden NFL 11 game, and more! Luckily, the game will allow all users to have the same amount of entries, based on whether or not you log into the game. That being the case, everyone has the same chance of winning, so why not login to the game and make sure you have a chance of winning too?
Country Story:
Country Story's event is a unique one, in that the majority of the event hasn't even started yet. Instead, we've been given a hint that a new animal will be arriving in the game on January 4th, and that it could possibly be the "cutest animal ever," according to the game's fan page. Playfish has created an entire Event (as in, an actual Facebook Event) that users can say that they're "Attending," and as more users RSVP that they will attend the event, the prizes will become greater.
First and foremost, they are giving away an exclusive Playfish Cash Monkey. After that, the prizes are secrets, but are apparently "mind blowing" and "amazing," and you simply won't want to miss out. The developer's goal is to have 100,000 users RSVP that they are attending, but it seems as though they may not actually have to reach that number in order to give away the prizes, as they have released a full schedule of the upcoming event on the event's page. On Jan. 3, a special surprise will be given away, and the free Playfish Cash Monkey will come on January 5. Other days see users being given a free gift on the game's fan page, so keep checking back to see what it is.
Hotel City:
Last but certainly not least, Hotel City will be offering a similar giveaway to that of Restaurant City. Upon your first login to the game from January 3-7, you'll receive 10,000 free coins, just for logging into the game! If you miss a day of logging in, you'll miss those free coins, so make sure to take at least a few seconds to claim your coins everyday in order to make the most of this rare event.
And there you have it! A complete run-down to all you need to know concerning Playfish's New Years celebrations. Happy New Year!
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Pretty Little Liars promotion
In a new FarmVille Farm Cash promotion, Zynga is now offering two free Farm Cash to users that wish to participate. The promotion is with the ABC Family television show Pretty Little Liars, and the promotion itself can be found by clicking on the Sponsored Link window as seen at the right of this post.
The promotion will launch in a new window, where you'll be shown a survey asking "Would you keep a dark secret to protect your friend?" This of course fits with the subject matter of the television show, but you can luckily answer in any way that you'd like in order to receive credit.
You'll know that you've received your Farm Cash when the "You've earned your Farm Cash" line appears in the top right corner of this new window. You can then close that window and reload FarmVille to ensure that your two free Farm Cash have been added to your account (if you don't see them pop in automatically).
If you don't see this promotion on your account, you may have other promotions that are cycling through first that must be completed before this newest one will show up. Also, this promotion is only available for those playing the game in the US, so international players are unfortunately not eligible.
The promotion will launch in a new window, where you'll be shown a survey asking "Would you keep a dark secret to protect your friend?" This of course fits with the subject matter of the television show, but you can luckily answer in any way that you'd like in order to receive credit.
You'll know that you've received your Farm Cash when the "You've earned your Farm Cash" line appears in the top right corner of this new window. You can then close that window and reload FarmVille to ensure that your two free Farm Cash have been added to your account (if you don't see them pop in automatically).
If you don't see this promotion on your account, you may have other promotions that are cycling through first that must be completed before this newest one will show up. Also, this promotion is only available for those playing the game in the US, so international players are unfortunately not eligible.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Microsoft Technology promotion
Another free Farm Cash promotion has been spotted, making its rounds to the American users of FarmVille on Facebook, with this newest promotion coming from Microsoft. We've seen other Microsoft promotions before (for Microsoft Office and Bing), but rest assured, this is a new promotion, dealing with a year-end survey.
You'll be able to participate in this 2 free Farm Cash promotion by clicking on the Sponsored Link window seen at the right side of this post - it will appear for you in your own game underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. If you don't spot it the next time you load the game, we're assuming it is on a slow rollout, or you could have other promotions that are "in the way" that must be completed before this newest one will appear.
The activity itself will load in a new window, where you'll be able to fill out a survey, telling Microsoft what your favorite technology was of 2010 - the choices are of course Microsoft related (Windows 7, Kinect for Xbox 360, and Windows Phones), but you can make any choice and still have your vote count. You'll know you've received your Farm Cash when a phrase such as "You've earned your Farm Cash" appears in the top right corner of this new window. You can then close the activity window and refresh FarmVille to ensure that your 2 free Farm Cash is added to your account.
You'll be able to participate in this 2 free Farm Cash promotion by clicking on the Sponsored Link window seen at the right side of this post - it will appear for you in your own game underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. If you don't spot it the next time you load the game, we're assuming it is on a slow rollout, or you could have other promotions that are "in the way" that must be completed before this newest one will appear.
The activity itself will load in a new window, where you'll be able to fill out a survey, telling Microsoft what your favorite technology was of 2010 - the choices are of course Microsoft related (Windows 7, Kinect for Xbox 360, and Windows Phones), but you can make any choice and still have your vote count. You'll know you've received your Farm Cash when a phrase such as "You've earned your Farm Cash" appears in the top right corner of this new window. You can then close the activity window and refresh FarmVille to ensure that your 2 free Farm Cash is added to your account.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Official FarmVille Podcast (02/04/11): 28 x 28 Land Expansion coming next week
In this week's official FarmVille Podcast, Zynga gave all listeners a brief sneak peek of some new features and changes that will be coming to FarmVille in the near future. While most of this podcast was concerned with giving an overview of the new Greenhouse feature, we did get a couple of previews, one which seems to finally put the next land expansion issue to bed once and for all.
That's right, Zynga has yet again brought up the topic of the 28 x 28 land expansion, but this time, they've actually given us an exact time frame for its release - it will be coming to the game, available for coins, next week. Apparently, this expansion was formerly going to be part of another feature in the game, but Zynga has scrapped that feature (at least for now), so they've decided to simply release the land expansion to satisfy users that have been waiting for it since last year when it was released for Farm Cash.
Along with this, Zynga once again confirmed that watering cans will soon be available to earn from Orchards. They've also given us a ratio - two watering cans will be received per Orchard harvested, and you'll also receive an extra watering can, that is only available to share on your wall (up to ten neighbors can claim this free can).
Lastly, Zynga will soon be introducing a new set of crops to the game, which offer more experience points and more coins than normal crops. No other details were shared about these crops, such as when they will be released, but they appear to be unrelated to any other feature.
While this isn't as feature-heavy a podcast as we're used to, it is nice to see Zynga finally announcing a static release window for the next expansion. When it, and these other hinted features launch in the game, we'll be sure to let you know.
That's right, Zynga has yet again brought up the topic of the 28 x 28 land expansion, but this time, they've actually given us an exact time frame for its release - it will be coming to the game, available for coins, next week. Apparently, this expansion was formerly going to be part of another feature in the game, but Zynga has scrapped that feature (at least for now), so they've decided to simply release the land expansion to satisfy users that have been waiting for it since last year when it was released for Farm Cash.
Along with this, Zynga once again confirmed that watering cans will soon be available to earn from Orchards. They've also given us a ratio - two watering cans will be received per Orchard harvested, and you'll also receive an extra watering can, that is only available to share on your wall (up to ten neighbors can claim this free can).
Lastly, Zynga will soon be introducing a new set of crops to the game, which offer more experience points and more coins than normal crops. No other details were shared about these crops, such as when they will be released, but they appear to be unrelated to any other feature.
While this isn't as feature-heavy a podcast as we're used to, it is nice to see Zynga finally announcing a static release window for the next expansion. When it, and these other hinted features launch in the game, we'll be sure to let you know.
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