This weekend, Zynga has launched the Water Well in FrontierVille. Along with an actual "building" (the Well) that you can place on your Homestead, and then use to collect crop and animal boosts, along with two new and rare critters (the Blue Frog and the Yellow Turtle), you'll also be able to complete a series of three goals associated with the Well. Remember, as these quests are incredibly new, they are subject to change at any time.
The first goal is called "May as well find a Spring!" and it asks you to complete three tasks:
Clear 20 Grass
Discover a Wellspring
Begin Building a Well
As we've told you before, the Wellspring can be found randomly while clearing debris. Simply whacking that wellspring (as though it were the base of a building frame) will allow you to "begin" the building of the actual well. Finishing this first quest rewards you with 100 XP, five Peanut Ready Boosts, and two Well Pulleys, which are used in the actual construction of the final Water Well. The second goal in this series asks you to harvest some crops, and help out on friends' Homesteads, along with collecting another item used in the construction of the Well (while you can ignore the Well altogether once you find the Wellspring, this proves that Zynga really wants you to go through with building it).
Harvest 10 Flax
Unwither Neighbors' Crops 15 Times
Collect 5 Dowsing Rods
For this mission, it looks like the Dowsing Rods will be collected via a general wall post asking your friends to give them to you, rather than individual gift requests. Finishing this mission gives you 150 XP and two Corn Ready Boosts.
Finally, for mission three, you'll need to complete the construction of your first Well, and move immediately into working on the second.
Complete the Well
Remove Two Stumps (on your own Homestead)
Find a second Wellspring
For a full look at completing the Well's construction, make sure to check out our guide. For finishing this final of the three missions, you'll receive 250 XP, five Unwither Crop Boosts, and a Bucket O' Duckies, a new decoration that's just overflowing with tiny rubber duckies (and is so cute!).
Remember, by completing your Well(s), you'll have a chance to collect crop and animal boosts, and maybe even a rare critter from the Well a full 10 times before it dries up and you'll need to move onto the next. These missions don't seem too terribly complicated either, so even if you only went into this looking to snag a couple of exclusive critters, you wouldn't really lose anything, other than time.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Water Well goal? Are they too difficult, or too easy?
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
FrontierVille: Clear debris to find shy Spring Ferret critter
Yet another new "injured" (or in this case "shy") critter has appeared in FrontierVille, with this newest animal being the Spring Ferret. You'll find a Spring Ferret's burrow by clearing debris on your Homestead, and once you do, you'll need to make the decision of either helping the animal of abandoning it.
Should you choose to help it (and why wouldn't you, at least to say you've helped one), you'll need to collect Juicy Berries to lure the ferret out of the underground burrow. From out experience, it takes seven Juicy Berries to lure a single ferret out and onto your Homestead, where you can keep her as a new pet, along with your Spring Bears, Spring Quails and the like. The ferret itself is a tiny brown animal, as you can see by the picture at right, so at least helping one doesn't seem like such a big burden, for the little amount of space she takes up; plus, she's just so darn cute!
Have you found a Spring Ferret on your land yet? What do you think of this newest addition to the game's "critter family?"
Should you choose to help it (and why wouldn't you, at least to say you've helped one), you'll need to collect Juicy Berries to lure the ferret out of the underground burrow. From out experience, it takes seven Juicy Berries to lure a single ferret out and onto your Homestead, where you can keep her as a new pet, along with your Spring Bears, Spring Quails and the like. The ferret itself is a tiny brown animal, as you can see by the picture at right, so at least helping one doesn't seem like such a big burden, for the little amount of space she takes up; plus, she's just so darn cute!
Have you found a Spring Ferret on your land yet? What do you think of this newest addition to the game's "critter family?"
FarmVille Enchanted Love Animals: Royal Horse & Royal Guard Duck
While tonight's FarmVille update did bring with it a wedding-themed item set, it wasn't called the Royal Wedding theme as many would have guessed, although the significance with the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton is unquestionable. Instead, the theme is called Enchanted Love, and so far, there are two new animals in the theme available for you to purchase.
The first animal is the Royal Guard Duck, which costs 16 Farm Cash and rewards you with 1600 experience points when you purchase one. The other animal is the Royal Horse, which costs more at 26 Farm Cash. As usual, placing the Royal Horse in a Horse Stable with a Stallion will give you a chance to spawn a Royal Foal which can be shared with friends. Don't have the Farm Cash to spend on a horse of your own? Remember to look for free foals posted by your friends on your news feed! I've got a whole collection of cute little foals that I've acquired in such a way, so it's definitely not impossible to still have those exclusive animals on your farm(s)!
The two Enchanted Love animals will be available in the game for the next two weeks, and we'll be sure to let you know if more animals join them before the theme ends.
Are you excited for the Royal Wedding? Will you purchase these items to celebrate the real-world romance being celebrated this week?
The first animal is the Royal Guard Duck, which costs 16 Farm Cash and rewards you with 1600 experience points when you purchase one. The other animal is the Royal Horse, which costs more at 26 Farm Cash. As usual, placing the Royal Horse in a Horse Stable with a Stallion will give you a chance to spawn a Royal Foal which can be shared with friends. Don't have the Farm Cash to spend on a horse of your own? Remember to look for free foals posted by your friends on your news feed! I've got a whole collection of cute little foals that I've acquired in such a way, so it's definitely not impossible to still have those exclusive animals on your farm(s)!
The two Enchanted Love animals will be available in the game for the next two weeks, and we'll be sure to let you know if more animals join them before the theme ends.
Are you excited for the Royal Wedding? Will you purchase these items to celebrate the real-world romance being celebrated this week?
FarmVille Enchanted Love Decorations: Royal Palace, Wedding Swing, Rose Petals & More
With the Royal Wedding week now in full swing in the real world (that being the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton), tonight's FarmVille update saw Zynga beginning the celebration in the game this evening as well with the release of the new Enchanted Love limited edition item theme. While this items may be English (and definitely symbolic) in nature, they aren't part of the English Countryside theme, and so you're free to place them on either of your farms.
There is one new building in tonight's release, in the form of the large Royal Palace. This grand building costs 45 Farm Cash, and comes with such a large footprint (that is, it takes up so much space) that you might need to reorganize some other items before placing it. Either way, you'll gain 4500 experience points for your purchase, and don't let anyone tell you that this building doesn't present the perfect backdrop for the actual wedding-themed items also released this evening.
You can find out more about those items by meeting us behind the break.
As for the other items released this evening, there are five decorative items to purchase, with one being a re-release from the Valentine's Day theme of this year. That item is the Rose Petals, which is a small ground-cover item of sorts, available for 2,000 coins for a single square of petals.
Otherwise, the four actually new items are split 50/50 between those costing coins and those going for Farm Cash. The Wedding Swing and the Wedding Carriage go for 7 Farm Cash and 18 Farm Cash, respectively, while a few coins can get you the Wedding Archway or the Wedding Cake, which cost just 50,000 or 100,000 coins each. Sure, that still might seem like a fairly large chunk of change, but we've routinely seen items (both buildings and decorations) being priced at 300,000 coins or more, so 100,000 being the cap here really is a treat.
No matter which item you choose to purchase, you'll need to do so within the next two weeks, after which point these items will disappear from the store, likely not to be seen again, unless another member of the royal family decides to get married.
Until then, let us know what you think of these items in the comments. Have you been looking forward to creating your own Royal Wedding in FarmVille, or will you simply imagine that these items are for you and your own sweetie?
There is one new building in tonight's release, in the form of the large Royal Palace. This grand building costs 45 Farm Cash, and comes with such a large footprint (that is, it takes up so much space) that you might need to reorganize some other items before placing it. Either way, you'll gain 4500 experience points for your purchase, and don't let anyone tell you that this building doesn't present the perfect backdrop for the actual wedding-themed items also released this evening.
You can find out more about those items by meeting us behind the break.
As for the other items released this evening, there are five decorative items to purchase, with one being a re-release from the Valentine's Day theme of this year. That item is the Rose Petals, which is a small ground-cover item of sorts, available for 2,000 coins for a single square of petals.
Otherwise, the four actually new items are split 50/50 between those costing coins and those going for Farm Cash. The Wedding Swing and the Wedding Carriage go for 7 Farm Cash and 18 Farm Cash, respectively, while a few coins can get you the Wedding Archway or the Wedding Cake, which cost just 50,000 or 100,000 coins each. Sure, that still might seem like a fairly large chunk of change, but we've routinely seen items (both buildings and decorations) being priced at 300,000 coins or more, so 100,000 being the cap here really is a treat.
No matter which item you choose to purchase, you'll need to do so within the next two weeks, after which point these items will disappear from the store, likely not to be seen again, unless another member of the royal family decides to get married.
Until then, let us know what you think of these items in the comments. Have you been looking forward to creating your own Royal Wedding in FarmVille, or will you simply imagine that these items are for you and your own sweetie?
FarmVille Mystery Game (04/24/2011): White animals make a comeback
The newest round of the FarmVille Mystery Game has just launched, and with it comes the fulfillment of our prediction - this week's theme is white animals. However, before you get incredibly excited, know that half of this week's game is full of re-releases of animals that we've seen given away previously. If you were hoping to score six all-new animals, you'll unfortunately have to wait for another week for that to happen.
The animals that are available, however, are the following:
Arctic Fox
White Kitten
White Shire Horse
White Squirrel
White Stork
White Wolf Cub
The White Squirrel was first released back in July, as part of the first Mystery Game ever, while the Arctic Fox was a prize in the Holiday Tree and the White Kitten was seen in a Mystery Game just last month. Again, the other three animals are new, so if you'd like to splurge and spend the 20 Farm Cash on a dart, hopefully you won't receive an animal that you already have on your farm. We'll wish you luck that you don't.
Either way, this Mystery Game theme will only be around for a week, at which point another theme will take over, so make sure to play now and play fast if you're at all interested.
The animals that are available, however, are the following:
Arctic Fox
White Kitten
White Shire Horse
White Squirrel
White Stork
White Wolf Cub
The White Squirrel was first released back in July, as part of the first Mystery Game ever, while the Arctic Fox was a prize in the Holiday Tree and the White Kitten was seen in a Mystery Game just last month. Again, the other three animals are new, so if you'd like to splurge and spend the 20 Farm Cash on a dart, hopefully you won't receive an animal that you already have on your farm. We'll wish you luck that you don't.
Either way, this Mystery Game theme will only be around for a week, at which point another theme will take over, so make sure to play now and play fast if you're at all interested.
GSN Digital gets smart with Jeopardy! for Facebook (sans Watson)
Alex Trebek is quite the busy man these days. First, he kept his contestants from lunging at Watson--that IBM supercomputer that defeated two Jeopardy! legends in February--in jealous rage of its immense computing ability and now, he's on Facebook. (Alright, that first part never happened, but they thought about it!) GSN Digital, the team responsible for Wheel of Fortune on the platform, has launched Jeopardy for Facebook. It's available for play now, and has been modified to cater to the short-burst gameplay most social gamers have time for during their lunch break.
Contestants play in three shortened rounds and can make wagers on Daily Doubles and the Final Jeopardy question--just like in the game that airs after dinner every night. However, the game offers several features tailored toward the Facebook audience like Jeopardy Boosts, which allow players to either double their score or pass on a clue. And if you don't know the answer to the Final Jeopardy question, you can ask a friend and make back half of your wager. Of course, micro-transactions are included to purchase Boosts or more Episodes, which are your allowed play sessions.
Gallery: JEOPARDY! beta
"Jeopardy! is considered a benchmark of ultimate knowledge. We're thrilled that GSN Digital has created an interactive game for Facebook that makes learning fun," Harry Friedman, executive producer of Jeopardy, said in a statement. You see that, folks? If that's the case, then this is the Facebook game of ultimate knowledge. Yeah, we knew that would pique your interest.
Contestants play in three shortened rounds and can make wagers on Daily Doubles and the Final Jeopardy question--just like in the game that airs after dinner every night. However, the game offers several features tailored toward the Facebook audience like Jeopardy Boosts, which allow players to either double their score or pass on a clue. And if you don't know the answer to the Final Jeopardy question, you can ask a friend and make back half of your wager. Of course, micro-transactions are included to purchase Boosts or more Episodes, which are your allowed play sessions.
Gallery: JEOPARDY! beta
"Jeopardy! is considered a benchmark of ultimate knowledge. We're thrilled that GSN Digital has created an interactive game for Facebook that makes learning fun," Harry Friedman, executive producer of Jeopardy, said in a statement. You see that, folks? If that's the case, then this is the Facebook game of ultimate knowledge. Yeah, we knew that would pique your interest.
Dragon Age Legends producer Ethan Levy: This game 'was a gamble' [Interview]
Deemed the first real game on Facebook when it was released, Dragon Age Legends launched in advance of its console counterpart, Dragon Age 2, in March. It's been over a month since EA2D threw you into the world of Thedas through Facebook, and now it's time to see whether the team feels that it lived up to its lofty expectations. To do just that, we had the chance recently to chat with Ethan Levy, producer of Dragon Age Legends, and get his reflections on the game. Of course, we also learned quite a lot about what's in store for the game, and how Levy and his team plan to keep your adventures going for a very, very long time.
Now that Dragon Age Legends (DAL) has been out in the wild for a month, how do you feel about it? What do you like most about the finished product? What, in your opinion, still needs work?
It was a gamble whether a hardcore gamer audience would show up for a Facebook game and enjoy it. And I think we did a very good job of staying true to the vision of Dragon Age and the world that Bioware has created, and players responded. One of the best moments is whenever people comment on the game on Facebook or review it, they refer to us as Bioware. On one hand, I've spent the past two and a half years at this point helping to build EA2D, and I wish we stood on our own right. But on the other hand, Bioware is one of the most acclaimed game developers in the world. So, if people look at what we've done and say, 'Hey Bioware. Great job, but you really need to improve this and this,' it's kind of a badge of honor that they hold it to the same level of quality.
As for what needs improvement, the team is working in a software-as-service model, and we update the game every week with new quests, new features and bug fixes. Just yesterday we released a major new feature called 'Guilds,' and we plan on operating this game for a long time. So, I have a really deep road map of different features and improvements that the team is excited about. We have a year-long narrative outline that we worked with Bioware on. We just started teasing that, now that we have Guilds, we're going to do a Guild versus Guild arena system. So, there are really hundreds of ways that we want to improve to the game.
Why did you decide to go with not only a decidedly more hardcore play style, but such graphic animation?
That was the gamble, I guess: That gamers would-and not to disparage my fellow EA employees at Playfish or any other company-show up for a real game. And not an activity where there's no real meaningful choices; games that just reward you for showing up. So, we wanted to do a game that any hardcore gamer or Bioware fan would show up for.
By tapping into a mature theme and audience like that, we would never hit the 25 million daily players of a FarmVille, for instance. But the players that we did cater to would stay around longer and would pay more on average for micro-transactions, because when you buy a really cool sword or armor it's more meaningful and long lasting in its effects.
Dragon Age Legends Concept
During the development process, what was most difficult and why did it give you so much trouble?
The most difficult obstacle for us was the technology base. DAL might look like a Flash game, but it's actually built a lot more like an MMO, and we built all that tech from scratch. So, the game that you see is just the tip of the iceberg of a really impressive piece of technology that our systems and platform team here has built. And that platform was built with long-term investment for EA2D. I think there are a lot of hard lessons learned along the way as we built our team and technology. Now that it's in place, we're able to create some pretty incredible things like the mobile extension of DAL, which we're really proud of.
So, you mentioned a year-long road map--
(Laughs.) At least! That's the features we can think of now.
And that's impressive. You seem to want this game to stand on its own, so how do you plan to differentiate DAL from companion game to just Facebook game?
Part of our theory is that this will serve as a bridge game, or a game that bridges gamers from the release of the console product to downloadable packages. People can be playing this for weeks and weeks or potentially years and years in between releases of the core game from Bioware. It'll differentiate itself over time.
Better yet, is there any desire to link the two games in more meaningful ways like crossing plot lines or introducing characters from one game to the other?
We have hopes to do some deeper integration points than we have so far. I was very privileged to work with Dragon Age's lead designer when I crafted the story for DAL. And the two games were in development at the same time, so something that was important to me was to avoid any dependency.
There are two things I really wouldn't want to happen while we were both in development. One would be that [Bioware] changed something at the last minute story wise and all of a sudden a piece of our game doesn't make sense. What a harder case would be is that I never want to get a call from the Dragon Age team saying, 'Why would you invent this city?' (Laughs.) No Dragon Age product is non-canon, so making DAL parallel to Dragon Age 2 was very intentional and we hope to intersect those paths more meaningfully in the future.
Gallery: Dragon Age Legends on Facebook
More importantly, where do you see the future of companion games going on Facebook? How do you see the links between console games and their Facebook counterparts growing?
I imagine we'll see two different flavors of games. It's very clear when there's a Facebook game launch that really is a marketing ploy and not really a deep and meaningful game in any sense. I could point out examples of, but that would be kind of rude. Facebook advergames-I think those will continue to exist. I hope DAL paves the way for more meaningful companion games that live on their own, because there are other games I'd love to get little bite-sized pieces of everyday. I'm hopeful that the idea of a quick advergame will be marginalized.
You and me both, honestly. Now, some developers, like Naughty Dog, are integrating Facebook and YouTube right into their games like Uncharted 3. Is this the next point of collision for the two genres?
If it's built in a way that enhances the experience for players, that will be phenomenal. But if it's just functionality to post to your Facebook wall from within the game, that really only applies to a certain type of gamer who has a lot of gamer friends, frankly. I know how difficult it would be to do that level of deep integration between a console product and Facebook or anywhere on the web. A team really has to step up and not just pay lip service.
Dragon Age Legends Cinematic
Now, EA2D has created original social games before like, most recently, AWOL. Does DAL mark a move away from that or will we see more original games from the studio?
I would say it's not EA2D's mission to create companion games. It's our mission to make social games for gamers. There's equal passion around here to do both. We're not a marketing arm; we're a game developer in our own right, and I hope both more original games and companion games are in store for us in the future.
Now, I can't help myself but ask, 'Will EA2D ever make a 3D game on Facebook?'
(Laughs.) I was actually part of the conversation when we chose to call ourselves EA2D, and I was the one who put the name forward. Calling ourselves EA2D is not about the dimensions of the art in the games we're making. It's really about the frame of mind. [EA2D is] trying to hearken back to a golden era of EA when there was some really classic games we made, when it wasn't possible to amaze people with visuals and gameplay came first.
What do you think of Dragon Age Legends and its development process on Facebook? Do you see a future for more games like this on the platform?
Now that Dragon Age Legends (DAL) has been out in the wild for a month, how do you feel about it? What do you like most about the finished product? What, in your opinion, still needs work?
It was a gamble whether a hardcore gamer audience would show up for a Facebook game and enjoy it. And I think we did a very good job of staying true to the vision of Dragon Age and the world that Bioware has created, and players responded. One of the best moments is whenever people comment on the game on Facebook or review it, they refer to us as Bioware. On one hand, I've spent the past two and a half years at this point helping to build EA2D, and I wish we stood on our own right. But on the other hand, Bioware is one of the most acclaimed game developers in the world. So, if people look at what we've done and say, 'Hey Bioware. Great job, but you really need to improve this and this,' it's kind of a badge of honor that they hold it to the same level of quality.
As for what needs improvement, the team is working in a software-as-service model, and we update the game every week with new quests, new features and bug fixes. Just yesterday we released a major new feature called 'Guilds,' and we plan on operating this game for a long time. So, I have a really deep road map of different features and improvements that the team is excited about. We have a year-long narrative outline that we worked with Bioware on. We just started teasing that, now that we have Guilds, we're going to do a Guild versus Guild arena system. So, there are really hundreds of ways that we want to improve to the game.
Why did you decide to go with not only a decidedly more hardcore play style, but such graphic animation?
That was the gamble, I guess: That gamers would-and not to disparage my fellow EA employees at Playfish or any other company-show up for a real game. And not an activity where there's no real meaningful choices; games that just reward you for showing up. So, we wanted to do a game that any hardcore gamer or Bioware fan would show up for.
By tapping into a mature theme and audience like that, we would never hit the 25 million daily players of a FarmVille, for instance. But the players that we did cater to would stay around longer and would pay more on average for micro-transactions, because when you buy a really cool sword or armor it's more meaningful and long lasting in its effects.
Dragon Age Legends Concept
During the development process, what was most difficult and why did it give you so much trouble?
The most difficult obstacle for us was the technology base. DAL might look like a Flash game, but it's actually built a lot more like an MMO, and we built all that tech from scratch. So, the game that you see is just the tip of the iceberg of a really impressive piece of technology that our systems and platform team here has built. And that platform was built with long-term investment for EA2D. I think there are a lot of hard lessons learned along the way as we built our team and technology. Now that it's in place, we're able to create some pretty incredible things like the mobile extension of DAL, which we're really proud of.
So, you mentioned a year-long road map--
(Laughs.) At least! That's the features we can think of now.
And that's impressive. You seem to want this game to stand on its own, so how do you plan to differentiate DAL from companion game to just Facebook game?
Part of our theory is that this will serve as a bridge game, or a game that bridges gamers from the release of the console product to downloadable packages. People can be playing this for weeks and weeks or potentially years and years in between releases of the core game from Bioware. It'll differentiate itself over time.
Better yet, is there any desire to link the two games in more meaningful ways like crossing plot lines or introducing characters from one game to the other?
We have hopes to do some deeper integration points than we have so far. I was very privileged to work with Dragon Age's lead designer when I crafted the story for DAL. And the two games were in development at the same time, so something that was important to me was to avoid any dependency.
There are two things I really wouldn't want to happen while we were both in development. One would be that [Bioware] changed something at the last minute story wise and all of a sudden a piece of our game doesn't make sense. What a harder case would be is that I never want to get a call from the Dragon Age team saying, 'Why would you invent this city?' (Laughs.) No Dragon Age product is non-canon, so making DAL parallel to Dragon Age 2 was very intentional and we hope to intersect those paths more meaningfully in the future.
Gallery: Dragon Age Legends on Facebook
More importantly, where do you see the future of companion games going on Facebook? How do you see the links between console games and their Facebook counterparts growing?
I imagine we'll see two different flavors of games. It's very clear when there's a Facebook game launch that really is a marketing ploy and not really a deep and meaningful game in any sense. I could point out examples of, but that would be kind of rude. Facebook advergames-I think those will continue to exist. I hope DAL paves the way for more meaningful companion games that live on their own, because there are other games I'd love to get little bite-sized pieces of everyday. I'm hopeful that the idea of a quick advergame will be marginalized.
You and me both, honestly. Now, some developers, like Naughty Dog, are integrating Facebook and YouTube right into their games like Uncharted 3. Is this the next point of collision for the two genres?
If it's built in a way that enhances the experience for players, that will be phenomenal. But if it's just functionality to post to your Facebook wall from within the game, that really only applies to a certain type of gamer who has a lot of gamer friends, frankly. I know how difficult it would be to do that level of deep integration between a console product and Facebook or anywhere on the web. A team really has to step up and not just pay lip service.
Dragon Age Legends Cinematic
Now, EA2D has created original social games before like, most recently, AWOL. Does DAL mark a move away from that or will we see more original games from the studio?
I would say it's not EA2D's mission to create companion games. It's our mission to make social games for gamers. There's equal passion around here to do both. We're not a marketing arm; we're a game developer in our own right, and I hope both more original games and companion games are in store for us in the future.
Now, I can't help myself but ask, 'Will EA2D ever make a 3D game on Facebook?'
(Laughs.) I was actually part of the conversation when we chose to call ourselves EA2D, and I was the one who put the name forward. Calling ourselves EA2D is not about the dimensions of the art in the games we're making. It's really about the frame of mind. [EA2D is] trying to hearken back to a golden era of EA when there was some really classic games we made, when it wasn't possible to amaze people with visuals and gameplay came first.
What do you think of Dragon Age Legends and its development process on Facebook? Do you see a future for more games like this on the platform?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Want more GagaVille items? Listen to 102.7 KIIS FM starting May 19
Even in the midst of the biggest FarmVille promotion ever, you still want more Lady Gaga? Fine, then take a listen to 102.7 KIIS FM starting this Thursday, May 19, and keep an ear out for special codes that will unlock even more GagaVille items. The Los Angeles, Calif.-based radio station has teamed with Zynga to bring you even more rewards as part of the promotion. And even if you don't live in LA, like most us don't, you can stream the show straight from the KIIS FM website.
Over the course of a few days starting May 19, you'll be able to earn the following GagaVille rewards from KIIS FM:
Gaga Gem
Electric Rose Bed
Chrome Daisy Arch
Monster Fuel
Gaga Garden Patch
Most of these items are simply decorations, though shiny ones, nonetheless. However, we're interested in what this Monster Fuel is all about. Is it Fuel specifically for a new kind of vehicle? Perhaps it's just an exorbitant amount of Fuel for free. Who knows, but it looks like we'll have to listen to KIIS FM to find out.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Are you a KIIS FM fan? Regardless, do you plan on listening to get these free GagaVille items?
Over the course of a few days starting May 19, you'll be able to earn the following GagaVille rewards from KIIS FM:
Gaga Gem
Electric Rose Bed
Chrome Daisy Arch
Monster Fuel
Gaga Garden Patch
Most of these items are simply decorations, though shiny ones, nonetheless. However, we're interested in what this Monster Fuel is all about. Is it Fuel specifically for a new kind of vehicle? Perhaps it's just an exorbitant amount of Fuel for free. Who knows, but it looks like we'll have to listen to KIIS FM to find out.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Are you a KIIS FM fan? Regardless, do you plan on listening to get these free GagaVille items?
CityVille business upgrades coming soon
CityVille's CityVille decoration payoutFacebook fan page is teasing an upcoming feature -- the ability to upgrade your businesses for bigger rewards. Text from the fan page:
"Get ready to upgrade businesses in your city! Stay tuned for opportunities to upgrade your bakery – receive better payouts and sport a new look!"
And here's some additional text we discovered in the wild, which seems to indicate that, along with these upgrades, you will be able to save some space in your city.
"Want better business payouts while saving space? Business Upgrades are Coming Soon!"
How exactly that will work -- we don't know, but I suppose we will find out sooner than later.
Are you ready for CityVille business upgrades?
"Get ready to upgrade businesses in your city! Stay tuned for opportunities to upgrade your bakery – receive better payouts and sport a new look!"
And here's some additional text we discovered in the wild, which seems to indicate that, along with these upgrades, you will be able to save some space in your city.
"Want better business payouts while saving space? Business Upgrades are Coming Soon!"
How exactly that will work -- we don't know, but I suppose we will find out sooner than later.
Are you ready for CityVille business upgrades?
FarmVille GagaVille: Games.com's Guide to Everything Gaga
Lady Gaga is known everywhere, and no where is this more evident than in Zynga's FarmVille. The sheer scope of this media cross-promotion is driving some players bonkers, but for the most part, FarmVillers are excited and gobbling up Gaga goods from the Market. Currently, the best-selling GagaVille specials are the Gem Tree, Purple Ponytail (a horse), Giant Gem Tree, and Crystal Sheep and there's even more to come...
FarmVille This Way to GagaVille
GagaVille is scheduled to run until May 26, so we're expecting more quests, free music, items, prizes, and possible promo spillage across other Zynga games. We'll be keeping a close eye on developing news for the next 10 days, so check this guide if you don't want to miss out!
Lady Gaga's road to GagaVille (posts from oldest to newest):
Are Celebrity Farmers
Invading FarmVille? Lady Gaga donates big bucks
to Zynga's Japan relief efforts
Zynga, Lady Gaga wear the Poker Face
in promotion deal talks Zynga, Lady Gaga bring GagaVille
to FarmVille: Clash of the 'Villes
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek:
Electric Rose Crop, Chrome Hay Bale FarmVille GagaVille Animal Sneak Peek: Gaga Horse, Hair Sheep, Crystal Sheep
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek:
Gem Tree, Crystal Fountain, Lady Gaga Costume and more Zynga Game Cards from
Best Buy get Gaga-fied
FarmVille GagaVille items
appear on iOS app early FarmVille: GagaVille Gem Trees now appearing from Mystery Seedlings
Lady Gaga prizes now
available via Zynga's RewardVille FarmVille: GagaVille has launched
- get ready to go gaga with new trees, animals and more!
FarmVille: GagaVille Crops and crafting jobs now available
GagaVille Day 1: "Welcome to GagaVille" Goal
FarmVille: GagaVille free gifts available
- go gaga for free! FarmVille: A GagaVille Crystal Sheep
herd is possible (with Farm Cash)
Lady Gaga transforms FarmVille into GagaVille ... literally [Video] FarmVille's not the first Facebook game to go gaga for Gaga
Wanna know what's next in FarmVille's GagaVille? 'Like' Good Morning America FarmVille fans Marry the Night in GagaVille,
but some want a divorce
Want more GagaVille items?
Listen to 102.7 KIIS FM starting May 19 GagaVille Full Screen and
Games.com Caption Contest
GagaVille Day 2: "Electric Chapel" Goal
GagaVille: Win 1,000 Farm Cash and a Purple Unicorn in Lady Gaga Decorating Contest
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek: Chrome Cow, Purple Disco Sheep, Giant Crystal Lake and more GagaVille Day 3: "Fashion of His Love" Goal
GagaVille: Fire Fountain, Electric Chapel, Masked Ram now available FarmVille GagaVille: First 102.7 KIIS FM prize now available
GagaVille Day 4: "Born This Way" Goal GagaVille: Chrome Cherry Tree, Purple Disco Sheep, Born This Way and more
GagaVille Sneak Peek: Jewel Trees and Pink Gem Trees GagaVille Sneak Peek: Gaga Hologram, Enchanted Tree II, Crystal Fence and more
GagaVille Day 5: "Born This Way" Goal
GagaVille Sneak Peek: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf, Irish Moiled Calf
GagaVille: Grab the Chrome Daisy Arch from 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Day 6: "It's Almost Time" Goal
FarmVille GagaVille: Grab a free can of Monster Fuel from 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Trees: Jewel Trees & Pink Gem Trees
GagaVille Animals: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf & Biker Goat GagaVille Decor: Crystal Castle, Glitter, Fame Gnome and more
GagaVille Avatar Costumes: Crystal Outfit & Hipster Outfit FarmVille Mystery Game (05/22/2011): Lady Gaga's Born This Way items
GagaVille Day 7: "Today's the Day" Goal
FarmVille: Lady Gaga yields the GagaVille harvest on VH1 Live [Update]
FarmVille GagaVille: Frolic in a Gaga Garden Patch with 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Day 8: "Shining Bright" Goal
FarmVille GagaVille: 102.7 KIIS FM items now available in the store FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek: Are Gem Fruit Trees even edible?
GagaVille Day 9: "Higher" Goal FarmVille GagaVille: Gem Fruit Trees sprout from Mystery Seedlings
FarmVille GagaVille Trees: Big Chrome Apple, Big Chrome Cherry and Gem Fruit Trees GagaVille Day 10: "Carry It On" Goal
GagaVille Animals: Bedazzled Horse, Fame Pig, Spots and Stars Rams GagaVille Day 10: "Carry It On" Goal
FarmVille Sneak Peek: GagaVille Chrome Pegasus, Irish Strawberry, Chinese Cherry Trees GagaVille Sneak Peek: Bedazzled Cottage is poppin'
FarmVille: Users given free GagaVille rewards for goal glitch FarmVille GagaVille Bedazzled Cottage: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Cat99's Gaga Paradise
FarmVille This Way to GagaVille
GagaVille is scheduled to run until May 26, so we're expecting more quests, free music, items, prizes, and possible promo spillage across other Zynga games. We'll be keeping a close eye on developing news for the next 10 days, so check this guide if you don't want to miss out!
Lady Gaga's road to GagaVille (posts from oldest to newest):
Are Celebrity Farmers
Invading FarmVille? Lady Gaga donates big bucks
to Zynga's Japan relief efforts
Zynga, Lady Gaga wear the Poker Face
in promotion deal talks Zynga, Lady Gaga bring GagaVille
to FarmVille: Clash of the 'Villes
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek:
Electric Rose Crop, Chrome Hay Bale FarmVille GagaVille Animal Sneak Peek: Gaga Horse, Hair Sheep, Crystal Sheep
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek:
Gem Tree, Crystal Fountain, Lady Gaga Costume and more Zynga Game Cards from
Best Buy get Gaga-fied
FarmVille GagaVille items
appear on iOS app early FarmVille: GagaVille Gem Trees now appearing from Mystery Seedlings
Lady Gaga prizes now
available via Zynga's RewardVille FarmVille: GagaVille has launched
- get ready to go gaga with new trees, animals and more!
FarmVille: GagaVille Crops and crafting jobs now available
GagaVille Day 1: "Welcome to GagaVille" Goal
FarmVille: GagaVille free gifts available
- go gaga for free! FarmVille: A GagaVille Crystal Sheep
herd is possible (with Farm Cash)
Lady Gaga transforms FarmVille into GagaVille ... literally [Video] FarmVille's not the first Facebook game to go gaga for Gaga
Wanna know what's next in FarmVille's GagaVille? 'Like' Good Morning America FarmVille fans Marry the Night in GagaVille,
but some want a divorce
Want more GagaVille items?
Listen to 102.7 KIIS FM starting May 19 GagaVille Full Screen and
Games.com Caption Contest
GagaVille Day 2: "Electric Chapel" Goal
GagaVille: Win 1,000 Farm Cash and a Purple Unicorn in Lady Gaga Decorating Contest
FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek: Chrome Cow, Purple Disco Sheep, Giant Crystal Lake and more GagaVille Day 3: "Fashion of His Love" Goal
GagaVille: Fire Fountain, Electric Chapel, Masked Ram now available FarmVille GagaVille: First 102.7 KIIS FM prize now available
GagaVille Day 4: "Born This Way" Goal GagaVille: Chrome Cherry Tree, Purple Disco Sheep, Born This Way and more
GagaVille Sneak Peek: Jewel Trees and Pink Gem Trees GagaVille Sneak Peek: Gaga Hologram, Enchanted Tree II, Crystal Fence and more
GagaVille Day 5: "Born This Way" Goal
GagaVille Sneak Peek: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf, Irish Moiled Calf
GagaVille: Grab the Chrome Daisy Arch from 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Day 6: "It's Almost Time" Goal
FarmVille GagaVille: Grab a free can of Monster Fuel from 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Trees: Jewel Trees & Pink Gem Trees
GagaVille Animals: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf & Biker Goat GagaVille Decor: Crystal Castle, Glitter, Fame Gnome and more
GagaVille Avatar Costumes: Crystal Outfit & Hipster Outfit FarmVille Mystery Game (05/22/2011): Lady Gaga's Born This Way items
GagaVille Day 7: "Today's the Day" Goal
FarmVille: Lady Gaga yields the GagaVille harvest on VH1 Live [Update]
FarmVille GagaVille: Frolic in a Gaga Garden Patch with 102.7 KIIS FM GagaVille Day 8: "Shining Bright" Goal
FarmVille GagaVille: 102.7 KIIS FM items now available in the store FarmVille GagaVille Sneak Peek: Are Gem Fruit Trees even edible?
GagaVille Day 9: "Higher" Goal FarmVille GagaVille: Gem Fruit Trees sprout from Mystery Seedlings
FarmVille GagaVille Trees: Big Chrome Apple, Big Chrome Cherry and Gem Fruit Trees GagaVille Day 10: "Carry It On" Goal
GagaVille Animals: Bedazzled Horse, Fame Pig, Spots and Stars Rams GagaVille Day 10: "Carry It On" Goal
FarmVille Sneak Peek: GagaVille Chrome Pegasus, Irish Strawberry, Chinese Cherry Trees GagaVille Sneak Peek: Bedazzled Cottage is poppin'
FarmVille: Users given free GagaVille rewards for goal glitch FarmVille GagaVille Bedazzled Cottage: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Cat99's Gaga Paradise
FarmVille: Tis the season for Love (Potions); giftable ones, that is
Lady Gaga's eternal message of love, acceptance and freedom is stating to sink in for Zynga, as the company has made Love Potions available as Free Gifts for a limited time in FarmVille. According to FarmVille Freak, the much-sought-after item can now be found in the Free Gifts page, but they won't be there for long.
Recently, Love Potions were reintroduced as a Crafting item in the Pub, though that feature was short lived, and now the vials of affection juice will soon be available in the brand new Craftshop. Until then, enjoy some free Love Potions. Though, if you're trying to create the herd of Crystal Sheep you've always dreamed of, no amount of Love Potions in the world will help. Sorry.
Have you seen these items appear in your Free Gifts page yet? What are Sheep or Pg pattern will you try to use these free Love Potions to finally get your hands on?
Recently, Love Potions were reintroduced as a Crafting item in the Pub, though that feature was short lived, and now the vials of affection juice will soon be available in the brand new Craftshop. Until then, enjoy some free Love Potions. Though, if you're trying to create the herd of Crystal Sheep you've always dreamed of, no amount of Love Potions in the world will help. Sorry.
Have you seen these items appear in your Free Gifts page yet? What are Sheep or Pg pattern will you try to use these free Love Potions to finally get your hands on?
Top five free-to-play browser MMOs
Free Realms
Just like Facebook games, there is another genre of free-to-play games that equally as expansive: browser MMOs. Browser MMOs, or massively multiplayer online games, are generally free like Facebook games, and even offer micro-transactions like their social compatriots. In fact, some browser MMOs have even made the leap to the social network, most recently A Mystical Land.
So, what's the difference, then? Well, these free-to-play games generally feature real time, or synchronous, play styles and, in most cases, 3D visuals. (Think World of WarCraft, but without the subscription fee.) To help you navigate the vast waters that are browser MMOs, here are our top five that are worth checking out.
Battlestar Galactica Online
Battlestar Galactica Online
Starbuck lovers, this game is most certainly for you. Sure, it's laser-focused on one particular franchise that you may or may not be a fan of, but good sci-fi MMOs are the most difficult to come by. Developed by ArtPlant and published by BigPoint, Battlestar Galactica Online (BGO) allows players to make the ultimate decision: Humans or Cylons. Then, you'll be given your very own ship with the freedom to soar around the endless void of space ... and annihilate the enemy, of course. (Side note: Most browser MMOs require a downloaded plug-in for your computer to handle their 3D visuals. In this case, that's the infamous Unity Player.) Regardless of whether you're a fan of the series, BGO offers one of most slick space combat experiences you'll find for free.
RuneScape
RuneScape
Even if you're not in the loop, you might have heard of this one. Oh, it's only the largest browser MMO out there. Jagex has kept this classic fantasy MMO running for 10 long years. In RuneScape players assume the role of, well, anything they want, really. While the game generally surrounds combat involving warriors, archers and wizards, you can also become a crafter or even just a trader who peddles what he finds while mining or logging. The choice is up to you, really, and that's the beauty of RuneScape. The other beauty? It's based on Java, a software most computers have inherently, so there's a chance you won't have download anything at all. Oh, and then there's the millions of adventurers to play with.
Free Realms
Free Realms
Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play MMO, Free Realms (Yes, it's finally back online), is even more open than RuneScape. Not to mention that it looks much better. The tradeoff is there is a required plug-in download and an installation, which could take awhile. Once you're in the game, you quite literally can do whatever you. Want to fight goblins? You got it. Wanna race some go-karts? All yours. Want to play a trading card game or some mini games? Yup, you can do that too. The possibilities are seemingly endless, and they all work to progress your character. When SOE titled this game "Free Realms," it wasn't kidding: You're free to do quite literally anything you want in this realm.
FusionFall
FusionFall
If you were a Cartoon Network fan as a kid (like myself) or your kids are fans today, FusionFall will make your jaw drop with the amount of references it makes to both classic and current Cartoon Network programs. This MMO is more of a platformer (think Super Mario) than anything, with each zone featuring several obstacles to overcome vertically. (Again, you'll need Unity Player for this one.) That said, the game requires a good amount of strategy and skill, which might come as a refreshment for those who are tired of clicking everything. Throughout the game, you'll befriend characters from nearly every Cartoon Network series. So, consider FusionFall an action-packed walk down memory lane.
Adventure Quest Worlds
Adventure Quest Worlds
This Flash-based MMO is strikingly similar to RuneScape, but works within a 2D plane, much like the wildly popular MapleStory. Adventure Quest Worlds by Artix does all of us a favor and remembers, "Hey, I'm a Flash game." In other words, the game has a knack for comedy, and isn't afraid to laugh at itself or the fantasy genre. It's a refreshing and smoothly animated take on fantasy games that generally believe they're the next Lord of the Rings. AQW knows it's not even close and has fun with it.
Have you tried any of these games yet? What do you look for in a free-to-play game? What free-to-play MMOs do you recommend?
Just like Facebook games, there is another genre of free-to-play games that equally as expansive: browser MMOs. Browser MMOs, or massively multiplayer online games, are generally free like Facebook games, and even offer micro-transactions like their social compatriots. In fact, some browser MMOs have even made the leap to the social network, most recently A Mystical Land.
So, what's the difference, then? Well, these free-to-play games generally feature real time, or synchronous, play styles and, in most cases, 3D visuals. (Think World of WarCraft, but without the subscription fee.) To help you navigate the vast waters that are browser MMOs, here are our top five that are worth checking out.
Battlestar Galactica Online
Battlestar Galactica Online
Starbuck lovers, this game is most certainly for you. Sure, it's laser-focused on one particular franchise that you may or may not be a fan of, but good sci-fi MMOs are the most difficult to come by. Developed by ArtPlant and published by BigPoint, Battlestar Galactica Online (BGO) allows players to make the ultimate decision: Humans or Cylons. Then, you'll be given your very own ship with the freedom to soar around the endless void of space ... and annihilate the enemy, of course. (Side note: Most browser MMOs require a downloaded plug-in for your computer to handle their 3D visuals. In this case, that's the infamous Unity Player.) Regardless of whether you're a fan of the series, BGO offers one of most slick space combat experiences you'll find for free.
RuneScape
RuneScape
Even if you're not in the loop, you might have heard of this one. Oh, it's only the largest browser MMO out there. Jagex has kept this classic fantasy MMO running for 10 long years. In RuneScape players assume the role of, well, anything they want, really. While the game generally surrounds combat involving warriors, archers and wizards, you can also become a crafter or even just a trader who peddles what he finds while mining or logging. The choice is up to you, really, and that's the beauty of RuneScape. The other beauty? It's based on Java, a software most computers have inherently, so there's a chance you won't have download anything at all. Oh, and then there's the millions of adventurers to play with.
Free Realms
Free Realms
Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play MMO, Free Realms (Yes, it's finally back online), is even more open than RuneScape. Not to mention that it looks much better. The tradeoff is there is a required plug-in download and an installation, which could take awhile. Once you're in the game, you quite literally can do whatever you. Want to fight goblins? You got it. Wanna race some go-karts? All yours. Want to play a trading card game or some mini games? Yup, you can do that too. The possibilities are seemingly endless, and they all work to progress your character. When SOE titled this game "Free Realms," it wasn't kidding: You're free to do quite literally anything you want in this realm.
FusionFall
FusionFall
If you were a Cartoon Network fan as a kid (like myself) or your kids are fans today, FusionFall will make your jaw drop with the amount of references it makes to both classic and current Cartoon Network programs. This MMO is more of a platformer (think Super Mario) than anything, with each zone featuring several obstacles to overcome vertically. (Again, you'll need Unity Player for this one.) That said, the game requires a good amount of strategy and skill, which might come as a refreshment for those who are tired of clicking everything. Throughout the game, you'll befriend characters from nearly every Cartoon Network series. So, consider FusionFall an action-packed walk down memory lane.
Adventure Quest Worlds
Adventure Quest Worlds
This Flash-based MMO is strikingly similar to RuneScape, but works within a 2D plane, much like the wildly popular MapleStory. Adventure Quest Worlds by Artix does all of us a favor and remembers, "Hey, I'm a Flash game." In other words, the game has a knack for comedy, and isn't afraid to laugh at itself or the fantasy genre. It's a refreshing and smoothly animated take on fantasy games that generally believe they're the next Lord of the Rings. AQW knows it's not even close and has fun with it.
Have you tried any of these games yet? What do you look for in a free-to-play game? What free-to-play MMOs do you recommend?
Arkadium's Social Science infographic shows off the company's stats on Facebook
While most Facebook or even simply casual gamers understand many of the major trends in the landscape - that most social gamers are female, that gamers are willing to spend real money on virtual items, etc. - Arkadium has taken a deeper look at their own suite of games, offering us a fun, yet still informative infographic detailing all things from Mahjongg Dimensions to their Facebook adaptation of the casual game Cooking Mama.
So what did we learn? We've seen a confirmation that the majority of Arkadium's players are female - at a figure of 71%, to be exact. I hate to break out a stereotype, but Cooking Mama's audience might account for the biggest female swing, as (even outside of the cooking gameplay), the game is simply filled with every stereotypically female color or pattern known to man - pink and purple of all shades, along with glitter and sparkles. It's something the girly-girls have to love.
But what if you're more into matching patterns on cubes? With Mahjongg Dimensions still pulling in over one million players every month, it looks like those that have stuck around are pretty loyal, as they've built up a high average score: 1,051,417 points per game. And these players aren't just playing by themselves, as over 22.7 million free gifts have been sent between players. Could it be the fact that you'll unlock new bonuses in each game that drives the high rate of gifts sent? That is, rather than a "useless" item, most of Mahjongg Dimension's gifts have a definite purpose. That's something to think about for new developers trying their hand at social games - that usefulness and function could very well drive virality over pretty colors.
But that's not all; in fact, the infographic is just getting started.
We've learned that Arkadium knows how to keep players interested over long periods of time, as both Solitaire Heaven and Writer's Blox keep players entertained for lengthy gameplay sessions. The average player spends 20 minutes in Solitaire Heaven each time they log in, while Writer's Blox users can spend an average of 16 minutes on a single puzzle in the game.
Finally, heading back to Cooking Mama, we've learned that a whopping 5,035,709 meals have been served, but we weren't given an exact time frame for how long it took to reach this number - just that it was within the "past few months." Either way, this is an impressive figure, made even more so when combined with the fact that players have visited their friends' kitchens over 12 million times.
What does all of this mean in the long run? Ultimately, Arkadium's player-base has proven to be a dedicated one, and the company is feeling mighty proud of what they've accomplished - and with good reason. Mahjongg Dimensions, the company's biggest game, may have a relatively small set of users, but the numbers are stable. Even big names like Zynga can't say that, as their games seem to be losing players at an alarming pace. With these numbers backing up Arkadium's success, it will be interesting to see where the go from here.
Are you a fan of Arkadium's games? Do any of these stats surprise you? What do you think Arkadium could do to better challenge the big names in the space for supremacy?
So what did we learn? We've seen a confirmation that the majority of Arkadium's players are female - at a figure of 71%, to be exact. I hate to break out a stereotype, but Cooking Mama's audience might account for the biggest female swing, as (even outside of the cooking gameplay), the game is simply filled with every stereotypically female color or pattern known to man - pink and purple of all shades, along with glitter and sparkles. It's something the girly-girls have to love.
But what if you're more into matching patterns on cubes? With Mahjongg Dimensions still pulling in over one million players every month, it looks like those that have stuck around are pretty loyal, as they've built up a high average score: 1,051,417 points per game. And these players aren't just playing by themselves, as over 22.7 million free gifts have been sent between players. Could it be the fact that you'll unlock new bonuses in each game that drives the high rate of gifts sent? That is, rather than a "useless" item, most of Mahjongg Dimension's gifts have a definite purpose. That's something to think about for new developers trying their hand at social games - that usefulness and function could very well drive virality over pretty colors.
But that's not all; in fact, the infographic is just getting started.
We've learned that Arkadium knows how to keep players interested over long periods of time, as both Solitaire Heaven and Writer's Blox keep players entertained for lengthy gameplay sessions. The average player spends 20 minutes in Solitaire Heaven each time they log in, while Writer's Blox users can spend an average of 16 minutes on a single puzzle in the game.
Finally, heading back to Cooking Mama, we've learned that a whopping 5,035,709 meals have been served, but we weren't given an exact time frame for how long it took to reach this number - just that it was within the "past few months." Either way, this is an impressive figure, made even more so when combined with the fact that players have visited their friends' kitchens over 12 million times.
What does all of this mean in the long run? Ultimately, Arkadium's player-base has proven to be a dedicated one, and the company is feeling mighty proud of what they've accomplished - and with good reason. Mahjongg Dimensions, the company's biggest game, may have a relatively small set of users, but the numbers are stable. Even big names like Zynga can't say that, as their games seem to be losing players at an alarming pace. With these numbers backing up Arkadium's success, it will be interesting to see where the go from here.
Are you a fan of Arkadium's games? Do any of these stats surprise you? What do you think Arkadium could do to better challenge the big names in the space for supremacy?
Earn 3 free FrontierVille Horseshoes in American Express promotion
I never thought we'd see the day, but it looks as though Zynga has decided to bring its system of free premium currency offers to FrontierVille. Similar to the set of sponsored links we frequently find under the gameplay area in FarmVille, that offer two free Farm Cash for participating in a short activity, we've now seen the launch of a free Horseshoe campaign underneath FrontierVille (just look for the banner above under the flash area).
This campaign brings us a survey about the American Express rewards program. Yes, this is a replica of the American Express promotion that gave away two free Farm Cash in FarmVIlle just a short time ago, but the great thing is that you aren't limited to choosing which game to receive the free currency in. Even if you completed the FarmVille activity, you're more than welcome to take the same survey here and earn three free Horseshoes.
It doesn't appear as though they've yet integrated the "automatic update" feature for FrontierVille, so you will have to actually refresh your game to see that your Horseshoes have arrived safely. Still, for free Horseshoes (in a game where premium currency is rather expensive), I'm not complaining about having to refresh the game. Bring on the Horseshoes!
Have you spotted this promotion under your Homestead in FrontierVille? Are you excited to see more of these cross-promotional activities in the future?
This campaign brings us a survey about the American Express rewards program. Yes, this is a replica of the American Express promotion that gave away two free Farm Cash in FarmVIlle just a short time ago, but the great thing is that you aren't limited to choosing which game to receive the free currency in. Even if you completed the FarmVille activity, you're more than welcome to take the same survey here and earn three free Horseshoes.
It doesn't appear as though they've yet integrated the "automatic update" feature for FrontierVille, so you will have to actually refresh your game to see that your Horseshoes have arrived safely. Still, for free Horseshoes (in a game where premium currency is rather expensive), I'm not complaining about having to refresh the game. Bring on the Horseshoes!
Have you spotted this promotion under your Homestead in FrontierVille? Are you excited to see more of these cross-promotional activities in the future?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Cafe World Super Summer Fest Prep Catering Order: Everything you need to know
As if the Super Summer Food Fest goals weren't complicated enough in Cafe World, remember that you'll also have the chance to finish a "Super Summer Fest Prep" Catering Order on top of all of those goals. This Catering Order is just as hefty as one released without an accompanying goal series, so you'll likely need to find a few friends to jump in with you to stand a chance at finishing with the three-star rating.
This Catering Order asks you to cook three dishes, with one (Chicken Salad Wrap) only being available to cook after you've completed the first Super Summer Food Fest goal (at least it's not the fourth or fifth goal - or even worse!). You'll need to cook Chicken Salad Wrap 300 times, Macaroni and Cheese 100 times and Funnel Cake 65 times.
Luckily, you'll be able to click on two "Ask" buttons, one each for the Chicken Salad Wrap and Macaroni and Cheese, to ask your friends for extra servings. In theory, if you had enough active neighbors and stoves cooking in your own cafe, you might be able to pull this order off on your own, but there's no harm in asking your friends to help you. You can bring in up to 15 of your buddies in on this order, so go for it!
In addition to cooking, you'll need to collect just 10 collectible goodies: five each of Piles of Peaches and Party Streamers. This is actually an incredibly small amount of items, considering the totals we've seen in the past, so at least this will leave you with more free requests to ask for those food servings.
If you can finish this catering order within five days of starting it, you'll receive the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Peach Pie a la Mode recipe. Remember, you must earn three stars to earn the recipe, and if you don't the first time around, you'll be forced to complete the order again to try to unlock it a second time. If you can't quite complete this order within your first five days, but still finish within a week, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, finishing the order at any point after the first week will reward you with one star, 4 Catering Points, 1400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins.
This definitely isn't the most complicated of Catering Orders we've seen released in Cafe World, but it won't be a complete pushover either. Still, with five days for the three-star rating, if you can pull in the help of a few friends, I'm confident you'll complete it in time.
This Catering Order asks you to cook three dishes, with one (Chicken Salad Wrap) only being available to cook after you've completed the first Super Summer Food Fest goal (at least it's not the fourth or fifth goal - or even worse!). You'll need to cook Chicken Salad Wrap 300 times, Macaroni and Cheese 100 times and Funnel Cake 65 times.
Luckily, you'll be able to click on two "Ask" buttons, one each for the Chicken Salad Wrap and Macaroni and Cheese, to ask your friends for extra servings. In theory, if you had enough active neighbors and stoves cooking in your own cafe, you might be able to pull this order off on your own, but there's no harm in asking your friends to help you. You can bring in up to 15 of your buddies in on this order, so go for it!
In addition to cooking, you'll need to collect just 10 collectible goodies: five each of Piles of Peaches and Party Streamers. This is actually an incredibly small amount of items, considering the totals we've seen in the past, so at least this will leave you with more free requests to ask for those food servings.
If you can finish this catering order within five days of starting it, you'll receive the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Peach Pie a la Mode recipe. Remember, you must earn three stars to earn the recipe, and if you don't the first time around, you'll be forced to complete the order again to try to unlock it a second time. If you can't quite complete this order within your first five days, but still finish within a week, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, finishing the order at any point after the first week will reward you with one star, 4 Catering Points, 1400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins.
This definitely isn't the most complicated of Catering Orders we've seen released in Cafe World, but it won't be a complete pushover either. Still, with five days for the three-star rating, if you can pull in the help of a few friends, I'm confident you'll complete it in time.
Cafe World Feed the Fashion Show Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Feeling overwhelmed with all of the activities to complete in Cafe World's 67 Comments? Well, I'm sorry to be the messenger here, but Zynga is adding yet another task to your plate; that is, if you're a completionist. There's a new catering order to complete in the game in addition to the Super Summer Fest Prep order, with this one asking you to cater the local Fashion Show.
This order is the standard cooking and item collecting setup, with you being required to Serve Stuffed Mushrooms (a 24-hour dish) 110 times, Escargot (a 10-hour dish) 70 times, and Shu Mai Dumplings (a six-hour dish) 100 times. These requirements aren't overwhelmingly high, but just remember to give yourself a head start by using any extra servings you may have stored in your inventory. Or, feel free to bust out a few spices to knock some of those Stuffed Mushrooms out before you really spend any time waiting for things to cook. One final thing to note is that you can also ask your friends for servings of Stuffed Mushrooms, to help speed up the process of reaching 110.
In addition to cooking, you'll need to collect 16 High Heel Shoes and 14 Hair Sprays. These are earned through individual gift requests to friends, so I hope you have tons of neighbors ready and willing to help you out before time runs out. Speaking of time, if you can finish these steps within the first three days of starting this order, you'll receive the three-star rating, 10 Catering Points, 3500 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins and the Red Velvet Cake recipe.
Should you come up short, but still finish the order within five days, you won't receive the exclusive new recipe, but you will earn 6 Catering Points, 2500 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you stick with it and push through to finish at any point after the first five days, you'll receive a single star rating, 3 Catering Points, 1500 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins.
Remember, you can bring up to 13 of your friends in on this mission with you. However, with the Super Summer Fest Prep goal also running right now, you might wait for friends to finish that before moving on to complete this one.
What do you think of having yet another Catering Order available to complete in the game? Are you focusing solely on the Super Summer Food Festival event before moving onto this, or will you tackle everything you can at once?
This order is the standard cooking and item collecting setup, with you being required to Serve Stuffed Mushrooms (a 24-hour dish) 110 times, Escargot (a 10-hour dish) 70 times, and Shu Mai Dumplings (a six-hour dish) 100 times. These requirements aren't overwhelmingly high, but just remember to give yourself a head start by using any extra servings you may have stored in your inventory. Or, feel free to bust out a few spices to knock some of those Stuffed Mushrooms out before you really spend any time waiting for things to cook. One final thing to note is that you can also ask your friends for servings of Stuffed Mushrooms, to help speed up the process of reaching 110.
In addition to cooking, you'll need to collect 16 High Heel Shoes and 14 Hair Sprays. These are earned through individual gift requests to friends, so I hope you have tons of neighbors ready and willing to help you out before time runs out. Speaking of time, if you can finish these steps within the first three days of starting this order, you'll receive the three-star rating, 10 Catering Points, 3500 Cafe Points, 75,000 coins and the Red Velvet Cake recipe.
Should you come up short, but still finish the order within five days, you won't receive the exclusive new recipe, but you will earn 6 Catering Points, 2500 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you stick with it and push through to finish at any point after the first five days, you'll receive a single star rating, 3 Catering Points, 1500 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins.
Remember, you can bring up to 13 of your friends in on this mission with you. However, with the Super Summer Fest Prep goal also running right now, you might wait for friends to finish that before moving on to complete this one.
What do you think of having yet another Catering Order available to complete in the game? Are you focusing solely on the Super Summer Food Festival event before moving onto this, or will you tackle everything you can at once?
CityVille: Earn double XP from friend visits this weekend only
This weekend has turned into something pretty special for those looking to level up in CityVille as Zynga has announced that a Double XP event will take place, allowing users to earn double the amount of experience points per neighbor visit in the game. Sure, an extra XP point or two here or there doesn't really seem like a lot, but what if you visited every friend on your friends list? That's a pretty substantial bonus, saving you an entire day of neighbor visits (since you're earning double the points), in addition to saving you time.
While there's no exact time table for when this event will be turned on and off, we can only assume that it will end sometime around 9PM PST on Sunday evening, as most other events tend to do. Could this event be caused by a lack of neighbor visits in the game as a way to boost social play? It's an interesting thought, but whatever the reason, we definitely won't complain about a chance to earn more XP for the same amount of work. Thanks Zynga
While there's no exact time table for when this event will be turned on and off, we can only assume that it will end sometime around 9PM PST on Sunday evening, as most other events tend to do. Could this event be caused by a lack of neighbor visits in the game as a way to boost social play? It's an interesting thought, but whatever the reason, we definitely won't complain about a chance to earn more XP for the same amount of work. Thanks Zynga
FarmVille: "Best of" Birthday Classics items now available (again)
Remember how Zynga advertised their Birthday Classics items in FarmVille as being available for "one day only?" Well, it turns out they lied.. sort of. As tonight's update marks the beginning of the end for the second birthday celebration in the game, Zynga apparently wants to send the event out with a bang, bringing back a "best of" selection of items from the themes we've seen re-released daily over the past few weeks.
If you missed playing FarmVille for a day, or didn't have a chance to pick up one of the brand new items in these various themes, here's your second (last?) chance. As usual, we have a complete rundown of what's available, so get that wallet ready! Note: We've listed the theme the item comes from in front of each item name.
Trees:
New England Black Locust Tree - 10 Farm Cash
New England Honey Locust Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Summer Balloon Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Summer Giant Balloon Tree - 10 Farm Cash
Wild West Ironwood Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Wild West Mimosa Silk Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Animals:
Agricultural Alchemy White Pegasus - 35 Farm Cash
German Faverolles Chicken - 20 Farm Cash
German Hanoverian Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Switzerland Swiss Warmblood (Horse) - 26 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Fairy Tale Toadstool House - 15 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Agricultural Alchemy Magic Pot - 12 Farm Cash
Fairy Tale Magic Carpet - 12 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, these items all cost Farm Cash, but you've also been given a full week to purchase them this time around. That means that you've got seven days to run out and pick up a Zynga Game Card (or just purchase Farm Cash directly from the game) if you want any of them on your farm. Also remember that if you're a tree collector, half of these trees can be earned for free from Mystery Seedlings, so at least you can save some Farm Cash there (and hey, saving Farm Cash is definitely a good thing).
If you missed playing FarmVille for a day, or didn't have a chance to pick up one of the brand new items in these various themes, here's your second (last?) chance. As usual, we have a complete rundown of what's available, so get that wallet ready! Note: We've listed the theme the item comes from in front of each item name.
Trees:
New England Black Locust Tree - 10 Farm Cash
New England Honey Locust Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Summer Balloon Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Summer Giant Balloon Tree - 10 Farm Cash
Wild West Ironwood Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Wild West Mimosa Silk Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Animals:
Agricultural Alchemy White Pegasus - 35 Farm Cash
German Faverolles Chicken - 20 Farm Cash
German Hanoverian Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Switzerland Swiss Warmblood (Horse) - 26 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Fairy Tale Toadstool House - 15 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Agricultural Alchemy Magic Pot - 12 Farm Cash
Fairy Tale Magic Carpet - 12 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, these items all cost Farm Cash, but you've also been given a full week to purchase them this time around. That means that you've got seven days to run out and pick up a Zynga Game Card (or just purchase Farm Cash directly from the game) if you want any of them on your farm. Also remember that if you're a tree collector, half of these trees can be earned for free from Mystery Seedlings, so at least you can save some Farm Cash there (and hey, saving Farm Cash is definitely a good thing).
FarmVille: Birthday Mystery Boxes are back for one week
Zynga just couldn't let FarmVille's second birthday celebration end without offering you guys one more chance at their many Birthday Mystery Boxes, and the prizes that await inside. Sure, this could be a "boy who cried wolf" situation, as we were assured that these boxes would only be available for a single day, but hey - a second chance at exclusive items isn't really a bad thing, is it?
All told, there are seven Birthday Mystery Boxes available in the market, with these boxes offering you a wide array of animals and decorations. As each has a different design, but shares the same name, we'll give you a refresher on what's in each box. Looking at the image at the top of this post, you have the following:
24 Farm Cash Brown and Red Mystery Box - Contains a set of six Miniature Ponies
12 Farm Cash Cone Mystery Box - Contains Gnomes
16 Farm Cash Water Mystery Box - Contains water-themed Decorations
20 Farm Cash Brown and Purple Mystery Box - Contains Horses
20 Farm Cash Brown and Yellow Mystery Box - Contains Sheep
20 Farm Cash Teal Mystery Box - Contains Ducks
25 Farm Cash Brown and Blue Mystery Box - Contains Unicorns
As you can see, you've got a lot of expensive options to choose from, with there being a little bit of everything available, depending on your taste. Are you a horse collector? A sheep breeder? A gnome expert? Whatever the case, you've got a full week to decide which (if any) of these boxes you'd like to purchase, so step to it!
All told, there are seven Birthday Mystery Boxes available in the market, with these boxes offering you a wide array of animals and decorations. As each has a different design, but shares the same name, we'll give you a refresher on what's in each box. Looking at the image at the top of this post, you have the following:
24 Farm Cash Brown and Red Mystery Box - Contains a set of six Miniature Ponies
12 Farm Cash Cone Mystery Box - Contains Gnomes
16 Farm Cash Water Mystery Box - Contains water-themed Decorations
20 Farm Cash Brown and Purple Mystery Box - Contains Horses
20 Farm Cash Brown and Yellow Mystery Box - Contains Sheep
20 Farm Cash Teal Mystery Box - Contains Ducks
25 Farm Cash Brown and Blue Mystery Box - Contains Unicorns
As you can see, you've got a lot of expensive options to choose from, with there being a little bit of everything available, depending on your taste. Are you a horse collector? A sheep breeder? A gnome expert? Whatever the case, you've got a full week to decide which (if any) of these boxes you'd like to purchase, so step to it!
FarmVille: 20% off Game Card sale for a limited time
As a way to send the second birthday celebration in FarmVille out with a bang, Zynga is throwing a 20% off Game Card sale on all Zynga Game Cards redeemed in the game this weekend. I've said it before, but the word "sale" here really is a poor choice. The way these Game Card promotions work sees you spending the same amount of money (say, if you were to walk into a retailer and spend $25 on a Game Card), but you'll just receive more Farm Cash than normal when you redeem it.
That nitpick about wording aside, this is a great opportunity to stock up on bonus Farm Cash and earn free Mystery Darts just for redeeming a card. This sale will only last until Sunday evening at 9PM PDT, so make sure to redeem your Game Cards now if you've been holding onto one for such an event.
Will you buy a Zynga Game Card to stock up on bonus Farm Cash in this promotion?
That nitpick about wording aside, this is a great opportunity to stock up on bonus Farm Cash and earn free Mystery Darts just for redeeming a card. This sale will only last until Sunday evening at 9PM PDT, so make sure to redeem your Game Cards now if you've been holding onto one for such an event.
Will you buy a Zynga Game Card to stock up on bonus Farm Cash in this promotion?
FarmVille Sheep Breeding Upgrade: Receive new patterns by leveling up
While we told you that Sheep Breeding in FarmVille would be given the Pig Breeding treatment, with levels and new patterns to unlock, we weren't exactly sure of the feature's release date. Turns out - it's now! The next time you log into your farm, you'll see a pop-up like the one above, letting you know that the upgrade has launched on your farm.
To ensure that you have at least one male Ram to breed sheep, you'll be given another Brutus the Ram for free, and will immediately go into placement mode to place the Ram where you'd like on your farm. From there, the actual breeding process works the same way as before, but your results when breeding will have changed. That is, you'll earn points for each Lamb successfully bred (right now it's three points), and will also earn points if you put a Lamb up for adoption and a friend claims it.
When you breed enough Sheep, you'll go up levels, earning free bonuses like Bottles and Love Potions along the way. Once you reach Level 5, you'll start unlocking new patterns. Level five is the Tiger Stripe Ram. You'll be able to track your progress towards each new pattern on the "Progress" tab of the Sheep Pen, and here's what you can expect to unlock over time:
Level 10 - Flower Ram
Level 15 - Racing Stripe Ram
Level 20 - Heart Ram
Level 25 - Checkered Ram
Level 30 - ZigZag (Lightning) Ram
Please note that the name of the Level 30 pattern is still up in the air, but it looks like Lightning or a "ZigZag" pattern to us. As with Pig Breeding, when you hit any of these milestone levels, you'll actually receive a free Ram with that pattern, to allow you to get right to breeding more Lambs that look the same. With the new 50/50 chance for pattern inheritance, at least you (hopefully) won't waste too many Bottles or Love Potions in trying to breed more flower Lambs, for instance. Even if you don't end up with the kind of Lamb you wait, remember that you've still earned breeding points, so it's never really a waste.
It's possible that more patterns will be added to this Sheep Breeding upgrade in the future, and if that's the case, we'll make sure to let you know.
To ensure that you have at least one male Ram to breed sheep, you'll be given another Brutus the Ram for free, and will immediately go into placement mode to place the Ram where you'd like on your farm. From there, the actual breeding process works the same way as before, but your results when breeding will have changed. That is, you'll earn points for each Lamb successfully bred (right now it's three points), and will also earn points if you put a Lamb up for adoption and a friend claims it.
When you breed enough Sheep, you'll go up levels, earning free bonuses like Bottles and Love Potions along the way. Once you reach Level 5, you'll start unlocking new patterns. Level five is the Tiger Stripe Ram. You'll be able to track your progress towards each new pattern on the "Progress" tab of the Sheep Pen, and here's what you can expect to unlock over time:
Level 10 - Flower Ram
Level 15 - Racing Stripe Ram
Level 20 - Heart Ram
Level 25 - Checkered Ram
Level 30 - ZigZag (Lightning) Ram
Please note that the name of the Level 30 pattern is still up in the air, but it looks like Lightning or a "ZigZag" pattern to us. As with Pig Breeding, when you hit any of these milestone levels, you'll actually receive a free Ram with that pattern, to allow you to get right to breeding more Lambs that look the same. With the new 50/50 chance for pattern inheritance, at least you (hopefully) won't waste too many Bottles or Love Potions in trying to breed more flower Lambs, for instance. Even if you don't end up with the kind of Lamb you wait, remember that you've still earned breeding points, so it's never really a waste.
It's possible that more patterns will be added to this Sheep Breeding upgrade in the future, and if that's the case, we'll make sure to let you know.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
FarmVille Raffle Booth: Everything you need to know
Tonight marked the release of the highly anticipated Raffle Booth in FarmVille, which will see players collecting raffle tickets with friends each week for chances to win some new (and exclusive) items, or just simple tools that can be used around your farm(s). For a clearer look at the feature, let's look at the steps you'll need to take to start entering into raffles.
First, you'll be given the Raffle Booth for free upon logging in. From there, you'll be able to immediately start collecting tickets. Of course, you'll need your friends' help in collecting raffle tickets, but there's a catch: you can only collect a maximum of six raffle tickets each and every day. If you help a friend with their request for a ticket, you'll earn one as well, and this does look to count as part of your six tickets allowed each day.
Once the feature gets up and going, the FarmVille Raffle Booth will be holding drawings once per week. Of course, the more tickets that you've collected with friends each week, the more individual entries you'll have to win that week's prizes. For instance, for this first week of the raffle, you'll have a chance at rare animals like a blue and green flower-patterned Ram and a flower-patterned miniature horse. If you do happen to win, you'll be happy to know that the friend that gave the ticket to you will also receive the same gift, and vice versa (should you give someone the winning ticket, you'll get the same prize as they do).
Ultimately, that's all this feature really boils do to: constant friend requests, as you all try to scramble together six tickets everyday, and an apparently ever-revolving set of prizes, similar to the way the Mystery Game currently works in the game.
If this feature becomes more complicated, we'll make sure to let you know, but for now, feel free to bask in the simplicity.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Raffle Ticket feature? Will you go to the trouble of asking at least six of your friends to help you gather tickets each and every day?
First, you'll be given the Raffle Booth for free upon logging in. From there, you'll be able to immediately start collecting tickets. Of course, you'll need your friends' help in collecting raffle tickets, but there's a catch: you can only collect a maximum of six raffle tickets each and every day. If you help a friend with their request for a ticket, you'll earn one as well, and this does look to count as part of your six tickets allowed each day.
Once the feature gets up and going, the FarmVille Raffle Booth will be holding drawings once per week. Of course, the more tickets that you've collected with friends each week, the more individual entries you'll have to win that week's prizes. For instance, for this first week of the raffle, you'll have a chance at rare animals like a blue and green flower-patterned Ram and a flower-patterned miniature horse. If you do happen to win, you'll be happy to know that the friend that gave the ticket to you will also receive the same gift, and vice versa (should you give someone the winning ticket, you'll get the same prize as they do).
Ultimately, that's all this feature really boils do to: constant friend requests, as you all try to scramble together six tickets everyday, and an apparently ever-revolving set of prizes, similar to the way the Mystery Game currently works in the game.
If this feature becomes more complicated, we'll make sure to let you know, but for now, feel free to bask in the simplicity.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Raffle Ticket feature? Will you go to the trouble of asking at least six of your friends to help you gather tickets each and every day?
FarmVille Raffle Booth Goals: Everything you need to know
As with most "contests" in the real world, the Raffle Booth in FarmVille boils down to more luck than actual skill. If you're looking for something to test your gameplay abilities, though, why not try out the accompanying Raffle Booth goals? There are just three goals available here, so let's get started working on them immediately, shall we?
Get in the Game
Place the Ticket Booth
Get 6 Raffle Drums
Receive six Raffle Tickets
For both the Raffle Drums and the Raffle Tickets, you'll need to ask your friends to help you out by sending them to you. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive a Carnival Gnome, 100 XP, 2,500 coins and three Raffle Tickets.
Time to Play
Receive 9 Raffle Tickets
Harvest 50 Fruit Crops
Harvest 100 Potatoes
Luckily, it doesn't look to matter which kinds of fruit crops you plant, so you should be able to plant anything without penalty, in theory. Once you've completed these three tasks, you'll earn 100 XP, 2,500 coins three Raffle Tickets and a Chicken.
Play to Win
Get 6 Raffle Posters
Harvest 100 Vegetable Crops
Receive 9 Raffle Tickets
While nine Raffle Tickets doesn't sound like a lot, remember that you're only allowed to earn six in a single day. This means that you could possibly wait the better part of two days as you try to earn just nine tickets. Also, it (again) doesn't look like there's a specific vegetable crop we need to plant, so go for whatever is easiest for you at the time. Finish off this goal and you'll earn 100 XP, 2,500 coins, three Raffle Tickets and a free Coin Tree!
If new goals are added to this series in the future, we'll make sure to let you know. For now though, enjoy running through these goals while they're available, as they won't be around after the next two weeks.
[Via FarmVilleFreak]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Raffle Booth goals? Do you think you'll be able to complete them in time, before they expire? What do you think of the Raffle Booth in general?
Get in the Game
Place the Ticket Booth
Get 6 Raffle Drums
Receive six Raffle Tickets
For both the Raffle Drums and the Raffle Tickets, you'll need to ask your friends to help you out by sending them to you. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive a Carnival Gnome, 100 XP, 2,500 coins and three Raffle Tickets.
Time to Play
Receive 9 Raffle Tickets
Harvest 50 Fruit Crops
Harvest 100 Potatoes
Luckily, it doesn't look to matter which kinds of fruit crops you plant, so you should be able to plant anything without penalty, in theory. Once you've completed these three tasks, you'll earn 100 XP, 2,500 coins three Raffle Tickets and a Chicken.
Play to Win
Get 6 Raffle Posters
Harvest 100 Vegetable Crops
Receive 9 Raffle Tickets
While nine Raffle Tickets doesn't sound like a lot, remember that you're only allowed to earn six in a single day. This means that you could possibly wait the better part of two days as you try to earn just nine tickets. Also, it (again) doesn't look like there's a specific vegetable crop we need to plant, so go for whatever is easiest for you at the time. Finish off this goal and you'll earn 100 XP, 2,500 coins, three Raffle Tickets and a free Coin Tree!
If new goals are added to this series in the future, we'll make sure to let you know. For now though, enjoy running through these goals while they're available, as they won't be around after the next two weeks.
[Via FarmVilleFreak]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Raffle Booth goals? Do you think you'll be able to complete them in time, before they expire? What do you think of the Raffle Booth in general?
PS Vita won't take the 'social gaming revolution' west until 2012
At least Japanese gamers' social lives will be revolutionized this year. The Associated Press reports that Sony executive Kazuo Hirai announced that the PlayStation Vita, the successor to the PSP, will not release in the U.S. and Europe until 2012.
However, Sony will release the system on its home turf this year. Keep in mind that Sony never mentioned a release date for neither the West nor Japan. Whether the PS Vita will make it into Japanese gamers' grubby hands by Christmas--the most ideal release period--is still up in the air.
Of course, Hirai was asked by reporters in Sony headquarters in Tokyo how the company will react to Nintendo's drastic price cut of its 3DS. "We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Hirai said. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."
Sony has slated the PS Vita as a device that will reign in a "social gaming revolution," according to a few promotional videos released by the company. This is thanks to touted features like cross-game voice chat, communication and gift-sharing with PS Vita players nearby through its Near feature, a Facebook News Feed-like feature that displays status updates from other players and more. Considering other platforms have been capable of a few of these features for years, we're waiting with bated breath to see just how revolutionary the PS Vita will be.
However, Sony will release the system on its home turf this year. Keep in mind that Sony never mentioned a release date for neither the West nor Japan. Whether the PS Vita will make it into Japanese gamers' grubby hands by Christmas--the most ideal release period--is still up in the air.
Of course, Hirai was asked by reporters in Sony headquarters in Tokyo how the company will react to Nintendo's drastic price cut of its 3DS. "We packed so much into the device and made it very affordable," Hirai said. "There is no need to lower the price just because somebody else that happens to be in the video game business decided that they were going to lower their price."
Sony has slated the PS Vita as a device that will reign in a "social gaming revolution," according to a few promotional videos released by the company. This is thanks to touted features like cross-game voice chat, communication and gift-sharing with PS Vita players nearby through its Near feature, a Facebook News Feed-like feature that displays status updates from other players and more. Considering other platforms have been capable of a few of these features for years, we're waiting with bated breath to see just how revolutionary the PS Vita will be.
CityVille One Happy Camper Timed Goal: Everything you need to know
I think Zynga is trying to tell us something here. A new Timed Goal has arrived in CityVille, titled "One Happy Camper," though its flavor text on the Goals sidebar reads, "Take a Hike." (I guess a few million of us haven't seen enough sun this summer, hm?)
These Timed Goals work much like Catering Orders in Cafe World: Once accepted, players will have two days to complete this Goal and achieve the Gold prize. Without further ado, here's everything you need to know:
One Happy Camper:
Get 14 Hiking Boots
Harvest 50 Carrots
Have 12 items from the Fast Food Collection
The 14 Hiking Boots, as you could probably already imagine, are found through asking your friends. Harvesting 50 Carrots will cost 2,300 Coins and take at least eight hours to complete. The most difficult part of this Goal will be acquiring 12 items from the Fast Food Collection, which can be done most quickly and cheaply by collecting from the Burger Joint. Since the building only costs 1,000 Coins, it might be in your best interest to buy a few to complete this Goal even faster.
CityVille One Happy Camper Goal menu
Your reward for completing this Goal within two days is the Forest Cave decoration. However, both Gold and Silver placing will unlock the Redwood Tree decoration in the Build menu, and Bronze placing will award players with 1,280 Coins.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started this new Timed Goal in CityVille yet? Would you like to see more or less of these Goals in the game
These Timed Goals work much like Catering Orders in Cafe World: Once accepted, players will have two days to complete this Goal and achieve the Gold prize. Without further ado, here's everything you need to know:
One Happy Camper:
Get 14 Hiking Boots
Harvest 50 Carrots
Have 12 items from the Fast Food Collection
The 14 Hiking Boots, as you could probably already imagine, are found through asking your friends. Harvesting 50 Carrots will cost 2,300 Coins and take at least eight hours to complete. The most difficult part of this Goal will be acquiring 12 items from the Fast Food Collection, which can be done most quickly and cheaply by collecting from the Burger Joint. Since the building only costs 1,000 Coins, it might be in your best interest to buy a few to complete this Goal even faster.
CityVille One Happy Camper Goal menu
Your reward for completing this Goal within two days is the Forest Cave decoration. However, both Gold and Silver placing will unlock the Redwood Tree decoration in the Build menu, and Bronze placing will award players with 1,280 Coins.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you started this new Timed Goal in CityVille yet? Would you like to see more or less of these Goals in the game
Play CityVille, Army Attack on your iPad with GameBox for Facebook
That is, of course, if you're willing to let go of three bucks. For $2.99, GameBox for Facebook--which, to dispel any confusion, is the name of the iPad app--will allow CityVille and Army Attack players to get their city building (and destroying) fix on the go.
What the app does is take Flash-based games (i.e. almost every Facebook game ever), which Apple devices cannot support, and makes them available for play on the iPad. However, there are several caveats to GameBox.
First of all, CityVille already exists on the iPad, though in a version far different from what's available on Facebook. Second, the app already has a competitor in iSwifter for iPad and Android, which offers a stable of games from not just Facebook, but several other Flash game portals like Kongregate (and the games we host on Games.com). Though, the app is a bit pricier at $4.99.
GameBox for iPad
Of course, GameBox developer Mobi2SNS plans to make more games available through the app in the future, according to Mobile Entertainment. Regardless of how many games either app makes available, there are two issues that face them. For one, getting players to pay to play games on their iPad that they've never paid to play before will be a challenge. More importantly, Facebook's rumored Project Spartan--an initiative to bring the platform along with several apps and games (including Zynga games) to mobile browsers through HTML5--could render both GameBox and iSwifter moot.
Click here to download GameBox for Facebook ... for iPad Now >
[Image Credit: Mobi2SNS, iTunes]
Would you ever pay real cash to play your favorite social games on your mobile device? How do you think Facebook's Project Spartan will affect these apps?
What the app does is take Flash-based games (i.e. almost every Facebook game ever), which Apple devices cannot support, and makes them available for play on the iPad. However, there are several caveats to GameBox.
First of all, CityVille already exists on the iPad, though in a version far different from what's available on Facebook. Second, the app already has a competitor in iSwifter for iPad and Android, which offers a stable of games from not just Facebook, but several other Flash game portals like Kongregate (and the games we host on Games.com). Though, the app is a bit pricier at $4.99.
GameBox for iPad
Of course, GameBox developer Mobi2SNS plans to make more games available through the app in the future, according to Mobile Entertainment. Regardless of how many games either app makes available, there are two issues that face them. For one, getting players to pay to play games on their iPad that they've never paid to play before will be a challenge. More importantly, Facebook's rumored Project Spartan--an initiative to bring the platform along with several apps and games (including Zynga games) to mobile browsers through HTML5--could render both GameBox and iSwifter moot.
Click here to download GameBox for Facebook ... for iPad Now >
[Image Credit: Mobi2SNS, iTunes]
Would you ever pay real cash to play your favorite social games on your mobile device? How do you think Facebook's Project Spartan will affect these apps?
Ragnarok Online creator's new Facebook game is your Eternal Destiny
Defend your innocent sumo from sumo bullies by chowing down on some grub. Equipped with a huge bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks, eat as much as you can to grow bigger and stronger. Then, overwhelm your enemies with your mighty girth. But be careful, the Hungry Sumo's enemies are crafty; they have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. Some can grow, others can poison you, and some are made of solid rock. Be prepared to feast like you've never feasted before, bon appetit!
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
hungry sumo game of the day hungry sumo game of the day
Pro Tips:
You aren't as fast as you think. When you see a collision incoming, move your cursor off the sumo a little sooner than you planned. You don't want to lose those big sumos.
Focus predominantly on carefully feeding just one sumo. One sumo to rule them all.
If you have several pink sumo wrestlers in a corner, use a couple of them to block off the rest of the level while you feed the sumo in the corner. This is an easy way to get a massive sumo relatively easily.
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
Do you have any other tips? What do you think of Hungry Sumo?
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
hungry sumo game of the day hungry sumo game of the day
Pro Tips:
You aren't as fast as you think. When you see a collision incoming, move your cursor off the sumo a little sooner than you planned. You don't want to lose those big sumos.
Focus predominantly on carefully feeding just one sumo. One sumo to rule them all.
If you have several pink sumo wrestlers in a corner, use a couple of them to block off the rest of the level while you feed the sumo in the corner. This is an easy way to get a massive sumo relatively easily.
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
Do you have any other tips? What do you think of Hungry Sumo?
Game of the Day: Hungry Sumo
Defend your innocent sumo from sumo bullies by chowing down on some grub. Equipped with a huge bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks, eat as much as you can to grow bigger and stronger. Then, overwhelm your enemies with your mighty girth. But be careful, the Hungry Sumo's enemies are crafty; they have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. Some can grow, others can poison you, and some are made of solid rock. Be prepared to feast like you've never feasted before, bon appetit!
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
hungry sumo game of the day hungry sumo game of the day
Pro Tips:
You aren't as fast as you think. When you see a collision incoming, move your cursor off the sumo a little sooner than you planned. You don't want to lose those big sumos.
Focus predominantly on carefully feeding just one sumo. One sumo to rule them all.
If you have several pink sumo wrestlers in a corner, use a couple of them to block off the rest of the level while you feed the sumo in the corner. This is an easy way to get a massive sumo relatively easily.
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
Do you have any other tips? What do you think of Hungry Sumo?
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
hungry sumo game of the day hungry sumo game of the day
Pro Tips:
You aren't as fast as you think. When you see a collision incoming, move your cursor off the sumo a little sooner than you planned. You don't want to lose those big sumos.
Focus predominantly on carefully feeding just one sumo. One sumo to rule them all.
If you have several pink sumo wrestlers in a corner, use a couple of them to block off the rest of the level while you feed the sumo in the corner. This is an easy way to get a massive sumo relatively easily.
Click here to play Hungry Sumo!
Do you have any other tips? What do you think of Hungry Sumo?
Buy seven FarmVille Vineyard items, get a Flowery Fountain for 'free'
Or rather: Spend gobs of Farm Cash to get this exclusive item. Zynga has put out a limited-time promotion in FarmVille that will reward players who buy seven items from the new Vineyard with a Flower Fountain decoration. Normally, this would be business as usual, but it's all in the execution.
Zynga has created a Vineyard Collection page that displays a number of decorations from the theme. It's accessed through the Market by clicking a button on the Flowery Fountain decoration that reads, "More Info." This opens up a new page titled simply "Vineyard Collection."
Once you buy all seven of these items with Farm Cash, the Flowery Fountain will be added to your purchase. Just to be clear, the minimum you'd pay for this Flowery Fountain is 131 Farm Cash, or a little over $20. (Alright, that and seven other items, but you get the point.)
Vineyard Collection
The promotion only lasts for another six days, so if you're into "free" item promotions, you better scrounge up that 20 or so clams quickly. However, we sense a trend brewing in FarmVille. Depending on how successful this promotion is, Zynga could soon release more promotions like this, offering arbitrary decorations only after spending so much Farm Cash. We're not sure which is worse (or better, depending on your stance on virtual goods): spending over $20 on seven items in order to get an eighth, or spending twice that for a bonus that will last forever.
Would you ever buy this amount of items with the promise of an additional item? What do you think of this new approach to selling items in-game?
Zynga has created a Vineyard Collection page that displays a number of decorations from the theme. It's accessed through the Market by clicking a button on the Flowery Fountain decoration that reads, "More Info." This opens up a new page titled simply "Vineyard Collection."
Once you buy all seven of these items with Farm Cash, the Flowery Fountain will be added to your purchase. Just to be clear, the minimum you'd pay for this Flowery Fountain is 131 Farm Cash, or a little over $20. (Alright, that and seven other items, but you get the point.)
Vineyard Collection
The promotion only lasts for another six days, so if you're into "free" item promotions, you better scrounge up that 20 or so clams quickly. However, we sense a trend brewing in FarmVille. Depending on how successful this promotion is, Zynga could soon release more promotions like this, offering arbitrary decorations only after spending so much Farm Cash. We're not sure which is worse (or better, depending on your stance on virtual goods): spending over $20 on seven items in order to get an eighth, or spending twice that for a bonus that will last forever.
Would you ever buy this amount of items with the promise of an additional item? What do you think of this new approach to selling items in-game?
AT&T Android gamers, welcome to Mobage, your new home
Well, at least until your contract dries up. AT&T and Ngmoco, the U.S. mobile game developer now owned by Japanese (or should we say global) mobile social game company DeNA, have signed a deal to bring Mobage to the mobile phone carrier's Android customers. Mobage, DeNA's Ngmoco-enhanced mobile social games platform for Android, went live around the world recently.
However, the platform will now be conveniently placed as an app on the Android Market for AT&T customers. (Our guess is that by "conveniently," AT&T means "more prominently.")
Not only will Mobage serve as a hub for Android users to find new games to play, the service will provide its social gaming community complete with a virtual currency to use within Mobage games, MobaCoins. Most games are free to play on the platform, but are of course supported through MobaCoin transactions.
However, according to TechCrunch, DeNA plans to bring Mobage to iOS gamers, too. Not only is this indicative of DeNA's desire to make headway underneath mobile gamers' thumbs in the English-speaking world, but it also shows AT&T's interest in capitalizing on that dang-fangled mobile gaming.
Just recently, the phone carrier signed a similar deal with Zynga to provide its games to Android users. It looks like not just the phone makers, but the phone service providers want a piece of the mobile gaming pie.
Are you excited to have Mobage provided to you on your Android phone through AT&T (or did you already have it)? Will you iOS gamers try Mobage when or if it finally launches for iPhone?
However, the platform will now be conveniently placed as an app on the Android Market for AT&T customers. (Our guess is that by "conveniently," AT&T means "more prominently.")
Not only will Mobage serve as a hub for Android users to find new games to play, the service will provide its social gaming community complete with a virtual currency to use within Mobage games, MobaCoins. Most games are free to play on the platform, but are of course supported through MobaCoin transactions.
However, according to TechCrunch, DeNA plans to bring Mobage to iOS gamers, too. Not only is this indicative of DeNA's desire to make headway underneath mobile gamers' thumbs in the English-speaking world, but it also shows AT&T's interest in capitalizing on that dang-fangled mobile gaming.
Just recently, the phone carrier signed a similar deal with Zynga to provide its games to Android users. It looks like not just the phone makers, but the phone service providers want a piece of the mobile gaming pie.
Are you excited to have Mobage provided to you on your Android phone through AT&T (or did you already have it)? Will you iOS gamers try Mobage when or if it finally launches for iPhone?
Facebook will get its groove back with better social games discovery
Getting bored of the same three Zynga Facebook games? Facebook Director of Games Partnerships Sean Ryan has some wonderful news. If you remember, Ryan recently outlined several plans and ideas for improving the gaming experience on Facebook. During an interview with Inside Social Games, Ryan revealed that before 2011 is through Facebook will display more games-related stories to players, and even filter out stories that players click on more frequently.
"Last year when we made the changes because of the spam issues, we really dialed back [virality]," Ryan told ISG. "Now that we feel confident about our automatic [filter] systems, we can start dialing back up virality with better targeting and better quality. So that if your game is sending stories through the news feed that users don't like - they don't click on it - then over time, the algorithm adjusts and users see fewer of those stories. We want quality to be about whether or not users like it."
In other words, Facebook will essentially learn which games you like, and those that you don't. Then, the platform will display those News Feed messages accordingly. However, this approach doesn't exactly gel with new users, as the platform needs time to react to how players interact with News Feeds. Ryan is considering an App Store-like approach that would basically tell players what to buy, but thinks that method goes against what Facebook is all about: social discovery, according to ISG.
Facebook Games Directory
Unfortunately, Ryan and his team hasn't pinpointed a solution to this problem yet, though ISG points out that new users can find new games through the existing Games page on Facebook. (Click on the "Games Request" tab on the left hand side, and scroll to the very bottom to see what games your friends are playing.) And looking into 2012, Ryan studies existing games platforms like Xbox Live--he teases voice chat, but says that Facebook's focus is on discovery. Hey, look on the bright side: You'll find new games to play with soon enough, and hopefully far more easily than ever before.
Are you excited to hear that games discovery is coming back to Facebook? How do you think the company should handle new players?
"Last year when we made the changes because of the spam issues, we really dialed back [virality]," Ryan told ISG. "Now that we feel confident about our automatic [filter] systems, we can start dialing back up virality with better targeting and better quality. So that if your game is sending stories through the news feed that users don't like - they don't click on it - then over time, the algorithm adjusts and users see fewer of those stories. We want quality to be about whether or not users like it."
In other words, Facebook will essentially learn which games you like, and those that you don't. Then, the platform will display those News Feed messages accordingly. However, this approach doesn't exactly gel with new users, as the platform needs time to react to how players interact with News Feeds. Ryan is considering an App Store-like approach that would basically tell players what to buy, but thinks that method goes against what Facebook is all about: social discovery, according to ISG.
Facebook Games Directory
Unfortunately, Ryan and his team hasn't pinpointed a solution to this problem yet, though ISG points out that new users can find new games through the existing Games page on Facebook. (Click on the "Games Request" tab on the left hand side, and scroll to the very bottom to see what games your friends are playing.) And looking into 2012, Ryan studies existing games platforms like Xbox Live--he teases voice chat, but says that Facebook's focus is on discovery. Hey, look on the bright side: You'll find new games to play with soon enough, and hopefully far more easily than ever before.
Are you excited to hear that games discovery is coming back to Facebook? How do you think the company should handle new players?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Former Playdom GM takes the reins of social game start-up 519 Games
Hey, at least it's not another traditional game exec jumping ship. Former Playdom GM Lloyd Melnick (pictured) left the Disney-owned social game maker earlier this summer for 519 Games, a social game start-up that plans to release its first game in 2012. Melnick announced the move on the down-low through his personal blog on his first day as CEO, Aug. 29.
The studio is a joint venture between EW Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. But more importantly, the GM-turned-chief has big ambitions for 519 Games. (Like, massive, turn-the-industry-on-its-head ambitions.) "We are currently building a fantastic team and will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012," Melnick wrote in a blog post. "More details will emerge over the next few weeks."
Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."
Melnick left Playdom and Disney just as doubts grew as to whether the latter could properly use the former to succeed in social games. Since then, Playdom has finally moved to take advantage of Disney's immense branding support, first slapping "Disney's" onto Gnome Town. A number of Playdom games featuring the company's properties will see the light in 2012. Playdom also announced Secret Agent X, a Facebook game shrouded in secrecy that lives up to its title--very sneaky, sis.
[Via Gamasutra]
Is it unwise or admirable for Melnick to challenge the top five before his first game hits? Can Disney and Playdom chomp on an even bigger chunk of the top five with Disney-branded games?
The studio is a joint venture between EW Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. But more importantly, the GM-turned-chief has big ambitions for 519 Games. (Like, massive, turn-the-industry-on-its-head ambitions.) "We are currently building a fantastic team and will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012," Melnick wrote in a blog post. "More details will emerge over the next few weeks."
Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."
Melnick left Playdom and Disney just as doubts grew as to whether the latter could properly use the former to succeed in social games. Since then, Playdom has finally moved to take advantage of Disney's immense branding support, first slapping "Disney's" onto Gnome Town. A number of Playdom games featuring the company's properties will see the light in 2012. Playdom also announced Secret Agent X, a Facebook game shrouded in secrecy that lives up to its title--very sneaky, sis.
[Via Gamasutra]
Is it unwise or admirable for Melnick to challenge the top five before his first game hits? Can Disney and Playdom chomp on an even bigger chunk of the top five with Disney-branded games?
The Killer Pumpkin assaults Pocket God on Facebook this Halloween
Do not under any circumstances mistake this for The Great Pumpkin. A killer pumpkin beast has attacked everybody's favorite pygmies in Pocket God on Facebook. Quebec-based Frima Studio has released a Halloween update to its social rendition of Pocket God, complete with new quests and powers, which means new ways (and reasons) to send pygmies to their doom.
While the game is down for maintenance as of this writing, a new Global Challenge awaits the game's 190,000 monthly players. The Great Jack-o'-Pygmy wants pumpkins everywhere this Halloween, and has granted players with the power to summon a giant pumpkin that transforms pygmies into pumpkins. And when those gourds grow to gigantic proportions, they can even be used to crush more pygmies.
A healthy seven solo quests have been introduced in honor of the costume and candy-filled day. Alright, we know all you care about is how you're going to squish more pygmies. Does this top a unicorn that farts radioactive rainbows? Not by a long shot, but hey, it's the Halloween season, and pumpkins just work. Besides, to best the unicorn, Frima would have to make a unicorn that farts double rainbows--that's still hip, right?
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here >
Have you played Pocket God on Facebook before? What do you like about the game's social edition, and what would you do to change it?
While the game is down for maintenance as of this writing, a new Global Challenge awaits the game's 190,000 monthly players. The Great Jack-o'-Pygmy wants pumpkins everywhere this Halloween, and has granted players with the power to summon a giant pumpkin that transforms pygmies into pumpkins. And when those gourds grow to gigantic proportions, they can even be used to crush more pygmies.
A healthy seven solo quests have been introduced in honor of the costume and candy-filled day. Alright, we know all you care about is how you're going to squish more pygmies. Does this top a unicorn that farts radioactive rainbows? Not by a long shot, but hey, it's the Halloween season, and pumpkins just work. Besides, to best the unicorn, Frima would have to make a unicorn that farts double rainbows--that's still hip, right?
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here >
Have you played Pocket God on Facebook before? What do you like about the game's social edition, and what would you do to change it?
Triple Town, 'Civilization of match-3 games', goes Kindle to Facebook
Triple Town is a new puzzler on Facebook that had its start on the Amazon Kindle last October, where it flourished in popularity. It was created by Spry Fox, a game studio founded by Daniel Cook, the co-creator of Realm of the Mad God, and David J. Edery, a former Worldwide Portfolio Manager for Xbox Live Arcade. After a spiffy makeover, Triple Town made its debut on Facebook and Google+ Games earlier this month, with plans to go mobile. According to AppData, it's now attracted 190,000 monthly players on Facebook.
Hailed by one reviewer as "the Civilization of match-three games," Triple Town is a unique title with familiar aesthetics. Spry Fox originally chose the Kindle as the game's platform, which was explained as "an interesting emerging opportunity" by Edery. But as the game grew popular, Spry Fox wanted to spread the love around. Citing a lack of Bejeweled Blitz-type games on Facebook, Spry Fox decided to push for Triple Town's launch on the social network, as well as make it available in both English and Spanish.
Triple Town merge objects
A basic principle to understanding how to play Triple Town is the following idea: "Grass turns into bushes, bushes into trees, trees into huts, and so on." When you start a round, you're presented with a grid in a woodland theme. There are no time limits and no energy limit. Though you do run out of moves eventually, the creator made sure that you get so many moves that any average player would be able to earn enough virtual currency to buy more moves through play alone.
Triple Crown Double Combos
Like most match-3 games--Bejeweled Blitz and Diamond Dash, for instance--you'll receive random pieces one at a time, but you get to control where they go on your grid. But unlike those traditional games, matching stuff doesn't make it disappear. Instead, matching stuff creates other stuff that's worth a lot more, thereby, netting you more points. The goal of the game is to get as high a score as possible by continuing to merge objects and not running out of space to put things.
Triple Town bears church
The game also throws in some monkey wrenches in the form of Bears and Ninja Bears to make things more challenging. These are pieces that will move around the grid even after you've put them down. Despite having evil, beady and glowing red eyes, the bears are pretty adorable. They'll totter about, roar, and make grumbly ursine noises as you play. On the flip side, other pieces will be there to help you, like the Blue Crystal and Imperial Bot.
Triple Town gameplay
You can see how all these elements can make the game simple, yet surprisingly complex. Every time you move objects on the grid and a match occurs, you've altered the playing field. I thought I'd jump in for a few minutes for one round, but the better of a player you are, the longer you can last, and this game can easily suck up an hour.
Triple Town is truly unlike any game I've ever seen before, for Facebook or otherwise. The closest comparison I can think of is Scott Brodie's Hero Generations, which also involves manipulating an evolving grid-based landscape with a fantasy setting. But Brodie's game is more like an old-fashioned, 8-bit role-playing adventure game. Triple Town also isn't a social game at all, since the only element is a weekly leaderboard, though Spry Fox has plans to expand the game in the future, hinting that it's only a small aspect of a larger Triple Town universe.
Click here to play Triple Town on Facebook now >
Have you ever played any other game that reminded you of Triple Town?
Hailed by one reviewer as "the Civilization of match-three games," Triple Town is a unique title with familiar aesthetics. Spry Fox originally chose the Kindle as the game's platform, which was explained as "an interesting emerging opportunity" by Edery. But as the game grew popular, Spry Fox wanted to spread the love around. Citing a lack of Bejeweled Blitz-type games on Facebook, Spry Fox decided to push for Triple Town's launch on the social network, as well as make it available in both English and Spanish.
Triple Town merge objects
A basic principle to understanding how to play Triple Town is the following idea: "Grass turns into bushes, bushes into trees, trees into huts, and so on." When you start a round, you're presented with a grid in a woodland theme. There are no time limits and no energy limit. Though you do run out of moves eventually, the creator made sure that you get so many moves that any average player would be able to earn enough virtual currency to buy more moves through play alone.
Triple Crown Double Combos
Like most match-3 games--Bejeweled Blitz and Diamond Dash, for instance--you'll receive random pieces one at a time, but you get to control where they go on your grid. But unlike those traditional games, matching stuff doesn't make it disappear. Instead, matching stuff creates other stuff that's worth a lot more, thereby, netting you more points. The goal of the game is to get as high a score as possible by continuing to merge objects and not running out of space to put things.
Triple Town bears church
The game also throws in some monkey wrenches in the form of Bears and Ninja Bears to make things more challenging. These are pieces that will move around the grid even after you've put them down. Despite having evil, beady and glowing red eyes, the bears are pretty adorable. They'll totter about, roar, and make grumbly ursine noises as you play. On the flip side, other pieces will be there to help you, like the Blue Crystal and Imperial Bot.
Triple Town gameplay
You can see how all these elements can make the game simple, yet surprisingly complex. Every time you move objects on the grid and a match occurs, you've altered the playing field. I thought I'd jump in for a few minutes for one round, but the better of a player you are, the longer you can last, and this game can easily suck up an hour.
Triple Town is truly unlike any game I've ever seen before, for Facebook or otherwise. The closest comparison I can think of is Scott Brodie's Hero Generations, which also involves manipulating an evolving grid-based landscape with a fantasy setting. But Brodie's game is more like an old-fashioned, 8-bit role-playing adventure game. Triple Town also isn't a social game at all, since the only element is a weekly leaderboard, though Spry Fox has plans to expand the game in the future, hinting that it's only a small aspect of a larger Triple Town universe.
Click here to play Triple Town on Facebook now >
Have you ever played any other game that reminded you of Triple Town?
'Zynga is making games for accidental gamers,' studio VP says
Look, nobody gets hooked on FarmVille by accident--there's always that friend. Zynga studio VP Bill Mooney (pictured) recently spoke to students at The University of California at Santa Cruz during its Research Review Day about the company's design philosophy. During his talk, titled "Social Games: An Overview and Exploration," Mooney said, "Zynga is making games for accidental gamers," according to IndustryGamers.
The studio head was implying that Zynga doesn't create video games for hardcore or traditional gamers. Sure, that's stating the obvious, but it's vitally important to remember when looking at Zynga's games. They're not exactly technological marvels, accessible to those who just don't get the complexity of controllers and traversing 3D space. But as players progress, they become well-versed in increasingly complex interfaces, thus becoming, well, gamers.
Regardless, social gamers still aren't the same as traditional game fans, and probably never will be. (At least until another friend introduces them to something new.) And because of these "accidental gamers" have a different understanding of what a game should be, Zynga says it caters to that understanding. "You're not shipping a product, you're running an amusement park," Mooney told the students.
And traditional game companies are trying to keep up with that philosophy, wary that even hardcore gamers might yearn for that experience. (Just look at Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty Elite.) "Don't be like work, don't ask too much, be social, help me connect," Mooney said. That, ironically enough, might be the burgeoning industry's greatest challenge, if you ask the right folks.
[Image Credit: Josh Lowensohn (CNET)]
What do you expect from your social games these days? Have you come to expect this level of "connectedness" from other games or services, too?
The studio head was implying that Zynga doesn't create video games for hardcore or traditional gamers. Sure, that's stating the obvious, but it's vitally important to remember when looking at Zynga's games. They're not exactly technological marvels, accessible to those who just don't get the complexity of controllers and traversing 3D space. But as players progress, they become well-versed in increasingly complex interfaces, thus becoming, well, gamers.
Regardless, social gamers still aren't the same as traditional game fans, and probably never will be. (At least until another friend introduces them to something new.) And because of these "accidental gamers" have a different understanding of what a game should be, Zynga says it caters to that understanding. "You're not shipping a product, you're running an amusement park," Mooney told the students.
And traditional game companies are trying to keep up with that philosophy, wary that even hardcore gamers might yearn for that experience. (Just look at Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty Elite.) "Don't be like work, don't ask too much, be social, help me connect," Mooney said. That, ironically enough, might be the burgeoning industry's greatest challenge, if you ask the right folks.
[Image Credit: Josh Lowensohn (CNET)]
What do you expect from your social games these days? Have you come to expect this level of "connectedness" from other games or services, too?
Zynga studio VP Lou Castle leaves for Las Vegas casino games maker
Hey, look on the bright side, Zynga: At least the guy didn't leave for a competitor. IndustryGamers reports that former Zynga studio VP Lou Castle (pictured) left for Shuffle Master, a Las Vegas-based creator of various casino game products like shufflers. According to IndustryGamers, Castle's move was purely for personal reasons, just months after joining the social game giant.
"The Zynga gig was clearly a 5 day a week, 24/7 requirement," Castle told IndustryGamers. "[I have] twins in senior year of high school and [Shuffle Master's] a local job. Life's too short, so I couldn't resist." Quite the noble move, eh? Well, Castle had already served on Shuffle Master's board of directors for six years before becoming the company's CSO, or chief strategy officer. Castle opted to resign from his position on the board as Chairman of the Audit Committee before taking on the job.
Castle is best known for his contributions in creating the famed strategy game series, Command & Conquer, as co-founder of Westwood Studios. The former Zynga executive most recently joins Treasure Isle GM Jeremy Verba in leaving the company. Verba also entered a completely different industry, becoming the CEO of famous (or infamous?) online dating website eHarmony.
These recent departures from Zynga aren't to other game companies, but away from the games industry entirely. Whether Zynga proves to be the video game swan song for industry veterans has yet to be seen. But the San Francisco-based social games maker presses on, with almost too many games announced recently.
Why do you think folks are leaving Zynga, but for companies in completely different industries? Is this the start of a trend of the social game maker?
"The Zynga gig was clearly a 5 day a week, 24/7 requirement," Castle told IndustryGamers. "[I have] twins in senior year of high school and [Shuffle Master's] a local job. Life's too short, so I couldn't resist." Quite the noble move, eh? Well, Castle had already served on Shuffle Master's board of directors for six years before becoming the company's CSO, or chief strategy officer. Castle opted to resign from his position on the board as Chairman of the Audit Committee before taking on the job.
Castle is best known for his contributions in creating the famed strategy game series, Command & Conquer, as co-founder of Westwood Studios. The former Zynga executive most recently joins Treasure Isle GM Jeremy Verba in leaving the company. Verba also entered a completely different industry, becoming the CEO of famous (or infamous?) online dating website eHarmony.
These recent departures from Zynga aren't to other game companies, but away from the games industry entirely. Whether Zynga proves to be the video game swan song for industry veterans has yet to be seen. But the San Francisco-based social games maker presses on, with almost too many games announced recently.
Why do you think folks are leaving Zynga, but for companies in completely different industries? Is this the start of a trend of the social game maker?
You might be able to invest in Zynga just in time for Turkey Day
The fabled Zynga initial public offering (IPO) of legend draws near, the prophets of Mt. Reuters foretell. Jokes aside, the San Francisco-based social games maker could go public--meaning you and I could buy Zynga stock--the week before Thanksgiving. At least that's what two anonymous sources told Reuters on Monday, but these plans, of course, could change.
You know, like they've changed several times before? Since its original announcement in July, the exact date of the FarmVille maker's IPO has been pushed back more times than the company would likely care for. According to most reports, the IPO is set to inject another $1 billion into the already filthy rich company. Recent valuations mentioned in filings with the Security and Exchange Commission set Zynga at around $11.5 billion, which is more than what competitor EA is said to be worth.
The company has delayed its IPO in fear of a shaky market, but recently held Zynga Unleashed, a press event that announced a number of new games and initiatives like Project Z. While this was certainly to show off what the company had in store for its fans (and to show off its spiffy new offices), we're sure Zynga was looking to impress investors and analysts. If successful, this move could set the big red dog on the track to becoming the most valuable game company around. And with 70 times voting power on his share of the company, you can be sure that CEO Mark Pincus (pictured) will be at the reins.
[Via Business Insider]
[Image Credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg]
Would you ever invest in Zynga if and when it went public? What other effects do you think this move might have on the games industry overall?
You know, like they've changed several times before? Since its original announcement in July, the exact date of the FarmVille maker's IPO has been pushed back more times than the company would likely care for. According to most reports, the IPO is set to inject another $1 billion into the already filthy rich company. Recent valuations mentioned in filings with the Security and Exchange Commission set Zynga at around $11.5 billion, which is more than what competitor EA is said to be worth.
The company has delayed its IPO in fear of a shaky market, but recently held Zynga Unleashed, a press event that announced a number of new games and initiatives like Project Z. While this was certainly to show off what the company had in store for its fans (and to show off its spiffy new offices), we're sure Zynga was looking to impress investors and analysts. If successful, this move could set the big red dog on the track to becoming the most valuable game company around. And with 70 times voting power on his share of the company, you can be sure that CEO Mark Pincus (pictured) will be at the reins.
[Via Business Insider]
[Image Credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg]
Would you ever invest in Zynga if and when it went public? What other effects do you think this move might have on the games industry overall?
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Sims Social celebrates fans with a week of free stuff
Free stuff? Yes, please, I'll take some of that! With almost 61 million players (and climbing), the folks at EA / Playfish have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Sims Social on Facebook. As a way to thank their ever-growing player base for their support (even when the game suffered from some nagging loading and gameplay issues), the developers have launched a week long celebration involving free stuff that will be given away, apparently on a daily basis.
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points?
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points?
Dress up a real turtle and win a trip to New York with Bravo's Turtle Time
Are you ready to help embarrass a turtle on cable TV and make life difficult for set designers on a weekly basis? If the answer is no, that's fine. I don't think most of us are ready for such a thing either. But for those of you who are, there's a new Facebook game that lets you do this called Turtle Time.
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
Pioneer Trail Bug Report: Lost progress bug is being squashed
If you've been playing Pioneer Trail (even when it was FrontierVille) for any considerable amount of time, I'd be surprised if you hadn't suffered from a rollback issue or two, or some other form of game/fun-breaking bug. If not, you're liable to run into one now, as a widespread issue has broken out in the game, causing users to lose considerable amounts of progress on goals. This is apparently such a large issue that the majority of the game's official forums has been branded with posts and banners about the issue, but Zynga is here to let you know that help is on the way.
Specifically, we're told this by customer service:
"We have received a high number of inquiries about players losing progress in the game and seeing old missions come back. We apologize for the problem and have our developers looking at the problem now.
There's no need to submit a help ticket for this matter, as we plan on correcting this problem on our end for all affected players. We request if you are having this problem to try again in a few hours (or even later today) to see if your progress has been returned. If this problem has occurred for you, please simply click the "vote to fix" button, this will alert us that you were affected."
Essentially, what this means is that you don't need to contact Zynga Customer Support to fix this issue, as supposedly everything will be placed back to normal on Zynga's end without any input from us. That is, the "game knows" where you were when the bug first hit, and will revert you back to the proper state when the bug has been fixed. As for the time table, things aren't progressing as quickly as we would have hoped. As of yesterday morning, the issue was still being worked on by developers, but a proper fix hadn't actually been pushed out.
While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, I'd suggest simply not playing the game (or doing anything significant, that you would be upset about having to repeat). Keep checking back with the game's official forums for updates as to the progress of the bug fix, and we'll make sure to let you know if anything significant happens between now and then.
Have you been hit by this "lost progress" bug? How far did it push you back?
Specifically, we're told this by customer service:
"We have received a high number of inquiries about players losing progress in the game and seeing old missions come back. We apologize for the problem and have our developers looking at the problem now.
There's no need to submit a help ticket for this matter, as we plan on correcting this problem on our end for all affected players. We request if you are having this problem to try again in a few hours (or even later today) to see if your progress has been returned. If this problem has occurred for you, please simply click the "vote to fix" button, this will alert us that you were affected."
Essentially, what this means is that you don't need to contact Zynga Customer Support to fix this issue, as supposedly everything will be placed back to normal on Zynga's end without any input from us. That is, the "game knows" where you were when the bug first hit, and will revert you back to the proper state when the bug has been fixed. As for the time table, things aren't progressing as quickly as we would have hoped. As of yesterday morning, the issue was still being worked on by developers, but a proper fix hadn't actually been pushed out.
While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, I'd suggest simply not playing the game (or doing anything significant, that you would be upset about having to repeat). Keep checking back with the game's official forums for updates as to the progress of the bug fix, and we'll make sure to let you know if anything significant happens between now and then.
Have you been hit by this "lost progress" bug? How far did it push you back?
Cafe World Farmers Insurance promotion comes with Professor Burke Statue
If anything, the folks at Zynga definitely know how to setup a good cross-promotion. After Capital One recently set up shop in a slew of Zynga's games (and practically took over FarmVille), we now see a new promotion launching in Cafe World with another company: Farmers Insurance (remember, we were told that Farmers would be making an appearance in the game back in June). If you watch a lot of TV, you might recognize this promotion's mascot of sorts - Professor Burke - from recent Farmers Insurance commercials.
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil
Cafe World Manny's Mobile Meal Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Last week, we gave you a look at the second portion of the Cafe World two-year anniversary event, which takes us to the Philippines to help Manny on a Journey. While that may have been an already complex series of goals (and even a building project), Manny's story becomes even more in-depth today, as the accompanying catering order has finally launched. This order asks you to cook up a storm for a Filipino feast, and comes with the usual free recipe for completing this order with a three star rating.
Unfortunately, this is another order that will likely be impossible for some chefs to complete, unless they've already completed Manny's goals enough times to unlock all of the new Filipino recipes launched in this particular event. To be specific, you'll need to serve Lechon 475 times, Sisig 45 times and Filipino Paella 140 times. I suppose you could get lucky and have some really, really helpful friends do the cooking in these tasks for you (while you showered them with thanks, of course), or you could even pay your way through the goals with Cafe Cash to unlock the dishes more quickly that way. Either way, you're looking at some lengthy gameplay before you can even be eligible for completing this catering order on your own.
While you're cooking (or waiting on your friends to cook), you can ask your friends for the two collectible items in this order: 12 Monster Skewers and 16 Banana Leaves. Both of these are earned by sending out individual requests to friends, so earning all 28 may take you a few days, depending on the number of neighbors you have available to ask for help.
If you can complete this entire order within the first three days, you'll earn the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Cassava Cake recipe. In addition, since this order is technically part of the two-year anniversary event, finishing with the three star rating also gives you a bonus of 10,000 Travel Passes. If three days proves to be too short, but you can finish within five days, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you finish at any point after the first five days have passed, you'll receive just a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins. Again, you must finish with the three star rating to unlock the new recipe and the extra Travel Passes, so feel free to "cancel" your order if you run out of time and start over for another try.
What do you think of this newest catering order? How many of these three required dishes have you already unlocked in your cafe?
Unfortunately, this is another order that will likely be impossible for some chefs to complete, unless they've already completed Manny's goals enough times to unlock all of the new Filipino recipes launched in this particular event. To be specific, you'll need to serve Lechon 475 times, Sisig 45 times and Filipino Paella 140 times. I suppose you could get lucky and have some really, really helpful friends do the cooking in these tasks for you (while you showered them with thanks, of course), or you could even pay your way through the goals with Cafe Cash to unlock the dishes more quickly that way. Either way, you're looking at some lengthy gameplay before you can even be eligible for completing this catering order on your own.
While you're cooking (or waiting on your friends to cook), you can ask your friends for the two collectible items in this order: 12 Monster Skewers and 16 Banana Leaves. Both of these are earned by sending out individual requests to friends, so earning all 28 may take you a few days, depending on the number of neighbors you have available to ask for help.
If you can complete this entire order within the first three days, you'll earn the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the Cassava Cake recipe. In addition, since this order is technically part of the two-year anniversary event, finishing with the three star rating also gives you a bonus of 10,000 Travel Passes. If three days proves to be too short, but you can finish within five days, you'll receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 2,300 Cafe Points and 50,000 coins. Finally, if you finish at any point after the first five days have passed, you'll receive just a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1,400 Cafe Points and 30,000 coins. Again, you must finish with the three star rating to unlock the new recipe and the extra Travel Passes, so feel free to "cancel" your order if you run out of time and start over for another try.
What do you think of this newest catering order? How many of these three required dishes have you already unlocked in your cafe?
CityVille: Finish your Bridge, Dam and more with discounted materials
If you've been putting off building one of the larger structures in CityVille (like the Bridge or Dam, as examples), because you didn't want to gather the required building materials from friends, or simply didn't want to pay the high prices to purchase those materials with City Cash, the team at Zynga is hoping that buy putting these items on sale (well, some of these items anyway), it might be enough to persuade you to open your wallet.
To be specific, a sale is now being held for up to 40% off building materials in the game. The materials are unfortunately limited to a specific set of buildings: the Bridge, Sailboat Hotel, Dam, Mall, Mall 2, Pirate Ship Attraction and Go Kart Attraction, and the rest of the game's many, many buildings are left unaffected. To make matters worse - between the two of us - the sale really isn't that good.
For example, let's say you wanted to finish your Pirate Ship Attraction. This one's building materials still cost 3 City Cash each. Perhaps if that were three City Cash in total for all of a particular ingredient I needed (say, two Ship's Prows or five Overhead Bars), that might be an acceptable price, but in our particular example, we're still looking at six City Cash for the Ship Prows and 15 City Cash for the Overhead Bars. Wouldn't it still be smarter (if not more time consuming) to ask friends for these items instead?
I suppose if you're looking for an easier way of completing these specific buildings, then you'll want to take advantage of this apparently limited time opportunity. Just don't feel any unneeded pressure to purchase building materials; the free way is still available, and doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Will you spend City Cash on any of these discounted building materials, or have you already completed the construction on all of these buildings?
To be specific, a sale is now being held for up to 40% off building materials in the game. The materials are unfortunately limited to a specific set of buildings: the Bridge, Sailboat Hotel, Dam, Mall, Mall 2, Pirate Ship Attraction and Go Kart Attraction, and the rest of the game's many, many buildings are left unaffected. To make matters worse - between the two of us - the sale really isn't that good.
For example, let's say you wanted to finish your Pirate Ship Attraction. This one's building materials still cost 3 City Cash each. Perhaps if that were three City Cash in total for all of a particular ingredient I needed (say, two Ship's Prows or five Overhead Bars), that might be an acceptable price, but in our particular example, we're still looking at six City Cash for the Ship Prows and 15 City Cash for the Overhead Bars. Wouldn't it still be smarter (if not more time consuming) to ask friends for these items instead?
I suppose if you're looking for an easier way of completing these specific buildings, then you'll want to take advantage of this apparently limited time opportunity. Just don't feel any unneeded pressure to purchase building materials; the free way is still available, and doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Will you spend City Cash on any of these discounted building materials, or have you already completed the construction on all of these buildings?
CityVille Governor's Run Family Goals: Everything you need to know
In your quest to become Governor in CityVille, you've had to help the farmers and the toy makers, but now it's time to look a little closer to home. Your third and final portion of Act I of this event will see you earning a family's vote in your campaign. Specifically, you're looking to impress the Stumpford family (remember them from the Family Vacation goals released back in August?). Why the Stumpfords wouldn't automatically be on your side after helping them before is anyone's guess, but here's how to earn their vote of confidence officially.
Family Matters
Ask friends for 10 Magazine Subscriptions
Collect from the Executive Driving Range 4 times
Collect from Community Pool 6 times
As you might have guessed, the Magazine Subscriptions are earned via a general news post you'll post to your wall asking all of your friends to help you at once. As for the Executive Driving Range, this is the game's newest attraction that you can find the guide to building right here. Finally, the Community Pool is a Community Building that can be purchased from the store for 150,000 coins. By finishing this first goal, you'll receive a prize of 85 coins.
School of Thought
Ask for 15 Tutors
Upgrade Middle School to Level 3
Harvest 70 Brussel Sprouts
The 15 Tutors, again, need to be earned via friends. As for the Middle School, you've been able to upgrade this particular Community Building since late August, but if you don't have it done already, you can check out our guide to doing just that. Finally, Brussel Sprouts are available to plant for 48 coins and are ready to harvest after eight hours. Finishing this second of three goals gives you 4,500 coins.
Exterior Decorator
Ask friends for 20 Street Sweepers
Remodel 6 Residences
Unwither 24 Neighbor Crops
If you have any friends that stopped playing the game and left some crops growing (which most of us probably do), you should have no problem finding 24 individual squares to unwither. Just click on them when visiting friends' towns and you'll finish that task fast. For the residence remodeling task, this can turn into an expensive one, depending on the houses you choose to upgrade and the particular upgrades themselves, but you can see how to start the process in our guide. Finishing this final goal will complete your work with the Stumpfords (although I'm sure they'll be back in another feature in the future), and you'll receive the Mega Nail Salon business as a reward. This is a massive building that requires 410 Goods but supplies 3,050 coins each time those Goods are used.
Again, after you finish helping the Stumpfords (so long as you've also finished with the farmers and toy makers), you'll have finished the first portion of the Governor's Run event, but there's still a lot more waiting down the line. As the event continues to expand, we'll make sure to give you all of the details you need, so keep checking back with us!
Family Matters
Ask friends for 10 Magazine Subscriptions
Collect from the Executive Driving Range 4 times
Collect from Community Pool 6 times
As you might have guessed, the Magazine Subscriptions are earned via a general news post you'll post to your wall asking all of your friends to help you at once. As for the Executive Driving Range, this is the game's newest attraction that you can find the guide to building right here. Finally, the Community Pool is a Community Building that can be purchased from the store for 150,000 coins. By finishing this first goal, you'll receive a prize of 85 coins.
School of Thought
Ask for 15 Tutors
Upgrade Middle School to Level 3
Harvest 70 Brussel Sprouts
The 15 Tutors, again, need to be earned via friends. As for the Middle School, you've been able to upgrade this particular Community Building since late August, but if you don't have it done already, you can check out our guide to doing just that. Finally, Brussel Sprouts are available to plant for 48 coins and are ready to harvest after eight hours. Finishing this second of three goals gives you 4,500 coins.
Exterior Decorator
Ask friends for 20 Street Sweepers
Remodel 6 Residences
Unwither 24 Neighbor Crops
If you have any friends that stopped playing the game and left some crops growing (which most of us probably do), you should have no problem finding 24 individual squares to unwither. Just click on them when visiting friends' towns and you'll finish that task fast. For the residence remodeling task, this can turn into an expensive one, depending on the houses you choose to upgrade and the particular upgrades themselves, but you can see how to start the process in our guide. Finishing this final goal will complete your work with the Stumpfords (although I'm sure they'll be back in another feature in the future), and you'll receive the Mega Nail Salon business as a reward. This is a massive building that requires 410 Goods but supplies 3,050 coins each time those Goods are used.
Again, after you finish helping the Stumpfords (so long as you've also finished with the farmers and toy makers), you'll have finished the first portion of the Governor's Run event, but there's still a lot more waiting down the line. As the event continues to expand, we'll make sure to give you all of the details you need, so keep checking back with us!
FarmVille: Sheep and Pig Mastery now available
If you've been stocking up on pigs and sheep in FarmVille with the knowledge (or even just hope) that the FarmVille team would launch pig and sheep mastery in the game, your wait is over. Now, if you're wondering how exactly this will work with the literally thousands of possibilities for different kinds of pigs and sheep to be bred in the game, let me calm your fears: this doesn't result in the addition of an equal number of mastery signs; rather, the system is pretty straightforward, once you get past the "rules."
Basically, there are two sets of both sheep and pigs that determine which kind of mastery sign you'll earn. In Sheep Breeding, for an example, if the animal is specifically labeled as a Ram or Ewe, it's considered a "Sheep Pen Ram" or "Sheep Pen Ewe," which makes sense. All Sheep Pen Rams and Sheep Pen Ewes are combined into those two categories and work cumulatively towards a pair of mastery signs. That is, if you have a a purple Ewe on one farm and a pink or yellow Ewe on another farm (or even those with patterns), when harvesting them, they'll all be treated equally, working towards the same mastery sign.
This entire process is replicated when it comes to pigs. If it's a Boar or Sow, it works towards cumulative breeding pig mastery signs. On the other hand, if the animal is a basic pig or basic sheep that can be purchased from the store and doesn't immediately relate to breeding (some examples being a Party Pig, Grape Sheep, Polka Dots Sheep and so on), these do have their own individual signs, giving you plenty of additional signs to work towards.
As you might have guessed, the amount of mastery points required for these cumulative breeding signs are fairly substantial. In the case of pigs, the Pig Pen Boar sign's first star comes at 467 harvests, while the Pig Pen Sow's first star is earned after 588 harvests. For sheep, the Ewe sign's first star is earned at 840 harvests, while the first Ram star is acquired at 560 harvests.
Keep in mind, while pig and sheep mastery is fairly exciting, we still haven't seen the launch of Calf and Foal mastery in the game. That too is "coming soon," and we'll make sure to let you know when it launches in full.
Will you breed more sheep and pigs just to earn these new mastery signs? Will you purchase additional sheep or pigs from the store?
Basically, there are two sets of both sheep and pigs that determine which kind of mastery sign you'll earn. In Sheep Breeding, for an example, if the animal is specifically labeled as a Ram or Ewe, it's considered a "Sheep Pen Ram" or "Sheep Pen Ewe," which makes sense. All Sheep Pen Rams and Sheep Pen Ewes are combined into those two categories and work cumulatively towards a pair of mastery signs. That is, if you have a a purple Ewe on one farm and a pink or yellow Ewe on another farm (or even those with patterns), when harvesting them, they'll all be treated equally, working towards the same mastery sign.
This entire process is replicated when it comes to pigs. If it's a Boar or Sow, it works towards cumulative breeding pig mastery signs. On the other hand, if the animal is a basic pig or basic sheep that can be purchased from the store and doesn't immediately relate to breeding (some examples being a Party Pig, Grape Sheep, Polka Dots Sheep and so on), these do have their own individual signs, giving you plenty of additional signs to work towards.
As you might have guessed, the amount of mastery points required for these cumulative breeding signs are fairly substantial. In the case of pigs, the Pig Pen Boar sign's first star comes at 467 harvests, while the Pig Pen Sow's first star is earned after 588 harvests. For sheep, the Ewe sign's first star is earned at 840 harvests, while the first Ram star is acquired at 560 harvests.
Keep in mind, while pig and sheep mastery is fairly exciting, we still haven't seen the launch of Calf and Foal mastery in the game. That too is "coming soon," and we'll make sure to let you know when it launches in full.
Will you breed more sheep and pigs just to earn these new mastery signs? Will you purchase additional sheep or pigs from the store?
A Bit Lucky goes all in on hardcore Facebook games with Lucky Space
We know you're all thinking it, so we'll just come out and say it: Sci-fi is huge in Facebook games right now. (Like, crazy big.) The next developer to take a crack at the theme is A Bit Lucky with Lucky Space. The San Mateo, Calif.-based developer's second social game launches today, and it's light years away from Lucky Train.
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
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"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new?
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
Exclusive 1Exclusive 2Exclusive 3Exclusive 4
"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new?
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