Zynga hinted at the release of a Private Zoo in Mafia Wars for a short while, but has finally come through with releasing this new property in the game. The Private Zoo can be thought of like the Armory and Weapons Depot, both of which are found under your New York set of properties, except that instead of producing Armor (defensive items) and Weapons (offensive items), respectively, you'll now be able to "acquire" animals from around the world that will help fight on your side.
You can find your new Private Zoo by heading into your Properties bar while visiting Mafia Wars New York. As you might expect, the Zoo has a level, and yours starts out at just level 1. You'll need to collect various items to level up your Private Zoo and subsequently unlock better animals, so meet us behind the break for all of the details on how to go about that.
For starters, your Private Zoo can eventually end up reaching level 10, depending on how much work you put into collecting the ingredients necessary to upgrade it. For instance, to upgrade your Private Zoo the first time (from level 1 to level 2), you'll need to collect three each of five different ingredients: Aquariums, Big Cages, Bird Cages, Feeding Troughs, and Terrariums.
These can be earned either as loot drops from completely jobs (a fairly rare outcome), or you can ask your friends to send you these ingredients by clicking on the "Ask for More" button associated with a particular item. This will allow you to publish a news item to your wall asking your mafia members to send you that item. Unfortunately, this isn't a situation where you can ask individual friends for items, as that would make this process far easier. As it stands, you'll only be able to ask for help once every 12 hours.
Either way, you can boost your current upgrade progress at any time by simply purchasing ingredients outright for 1 Reward Point each. For the sake of argument, the total upgrade for level 2 would cost 15 Reward Points, if you wanted to purchase it without waiting for any of your friends to help you whatsoever.
And so the story goes - you'll collect more and more ingredients to upgrade your Private Zoo more and more times, each time unlocking new species of animals that can be created in your zoo, just like you create weapons and armor. You'll need to have Animal Feed on hand to "create" the animals, which become progressively stronger with the rise in levels. Here's a full look at what's available to build, and when:
Level 1 - Fennec Fox - 25 Attack and 36 Defense points
Level 2 - Spur Tortoise - 26 Attack and 43 Defense
Level 3 - Philippine Eagle - 48 Attack and 31 Defense
Level 4 - Bobcat - 42 Attack 49 Defense
Level 5 - Secretary Raptor - 51 Attack and 40 Defense
Level 6 - Brown Recluse Spider - 53 Attack and 41 Defense
Level 7 - Tiger Shark - 50 Attack and 48 Defense; +3 Attack points
Level 8 - Black Mamba - 45 Attack and 52 Defense; +1 Skill Point
Level 9 - Gharial - 48 Attack and 57 Defense; +3 Defense points
Level 10 - Warthog - 62 Attack and 50 Defense; +20 Health
While you may laugh at the inclusion of a spider on that list, being from the Midwest myself (their primary location), I can tell you that they are no laughing matter, as bites from a single spider (no matter how rare) can lead to tissue death, scars or worse - now, aren't you glad that you can have these guys on your team, rather than the enemy's?
Back to the topic at hand, for animals at levels 7-10, you'll need to have more than just regular Animal Feed to create these animals, as you must also have Exotic Animal Feed on hand. Exotic Animal Feed can only be earned by receiving it from friends as a gift. It will not drop as a loot item from jobs or fights.
As with other buildings, your Private Zoo will general some generic Animal Feed every 18 hours, which can be collected and added to your stash, so if you ever do run out, but also don't have the energy available to do some jobs in the hopes of receiving Feed as a loot drop, you can always come back when the time is right and collect from the Zoo again.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in GE promotion
At this rate, Zynga might start releasing new free Farm Cash activities in FarmVille before we can even tell you about the last, as just earlier this evening, we brought you news concerning the new Step Up 3 cross-promotion that will allow users to earn 2 Free Farm Cash, and now, not even a day later (as a matter of fact, merely hours later), we see the launch of a new promotion with GE which offers another 2 free Farm Cash for users that take a few minutes to participate.
As usual, this promotion can be found by clicking on the "Sponsored Link" window that now sits at the bottom of the FarmVille game page. Once you click on the link, a new window will appear, where you'll be asked to upload a photo fitting into one of three themes: Light, Wind, and Water.
You'll see a large "Upload" button, which will take you a page where you can "donate" one of your photos. You can voluntarily do this, as donating a photo that GE deems appropriate for the theme will result in an charitable donation on your behalf. However, once you click on the Upload button, you'll see the famous "You've earned for Farm Cash" text in the top right corner of this new window.
Whether or not you choose to actually upload a photo, simply close this new window and your Farm Cash total in-game should automatically go up by two. If not, a quick refresh of the game should do the trick of adding the Farm Cash to your account.
If you like free Farm Cash - and who doesn't - keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when new opportunities arise.
As usual, this promotion can be found by clicking on the "Sponsored Link" window that now sits at the bottom of the FarmVille game page. Once you click on the link, a new window will appear, where you'll be asked to upload a photo fitting into one of three themes: Light, Wind, and Water.
You'll see a large "Upload" button, which will take you a page where you can "donate" one of your photos. You can voluntarily do this, as donating a photo that GE deems appropriate for the theme will result in an charitable donation on your behalf. However, once you click on the Upload button, you'll see the famous "You've earned for Farm Cash" text in the top right corner of this new window.
Whether or not you choose to actually upload a photo, simply close this new window and your Farm Cash total in-game should automatically go up by two. If not, a quick refresh of the game should do the trick of adding the Farm Cash to your account.
If you like free Farm Cash - and who doesn't - keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when new opportunities arise.
FarmVille Festive Cow will make its grand appearance ... soon
The official Zynga Inc Facebook fan page just reached 1 million fans, and as promised, the FarmVille Festive Cow will make an appearance on our farm in the not-too-distant future. There's no word yet on when this wreathed cow will appear and how it will appear -- the hint we've heard so far is that "this special present is under your Holiday tree in FarmVille." Stay tuned.
Game of the Day: WikiLeaks: The Game
Today's game of the day is a bit of a departure for us -- something with fewer cats and more of a political slant.
In WikiLeaks: The Game, you play Julian Assange, and his mission is to steal information from President Obama's laptop. How do you do that? Wait until President Obama falls asleep and then reach over his desk to plug in your USB key and start downloading information. If the President wakes up and catches you in the act, it's game over.
Can you steal all 300,000 secret files from the President without getting busted?
In WikiLeaks: The Game, you play Julian Assange, and his mission is to steal information from President Obama's laptop. How do you do that? Wait until President Obama falls asleep and then reach over his desk to plug in your USB key and start downloading information. If the President wakes up and catches you in the act, it's game over.
Can you steal all 300,000 secret files from the President without getting busted?
CityVille Cheats and Tips: How Decorations Earn You More Coins
CityVille decorations increase bonus to 231%
While efficient Goods management and mastering your Franchises in CityVille will certainly make you a far more successful mayor, one player has pointed out an extremely important aspect of the game that has the potential to send your profits sky high by implementing some hardcore decorating methods.
You can see in the image above, Josh Morlan (a.k.a. morlanjo) has done his math, using the Pool Hall as his example, he calculated that:
Normal Pool Hall output: 420 coins
Output with bonus: 1391 coins
1 energy = 1391 coins
Each Charlieville train I send out for more goods nets me 991 coins (that's
-400 coins for the 100 production)
Basically, collecting money from businesses will always cost 1 Energy (Note: Resupplying businesses with goods doesn't use up Energy!). So he decided to choose a business that will pay him the most money and raise its profits by surrounding it with decorations that offer the biggest boosts. For most folks, that big boost decoration would be the Arboretum, which offers +16% and costs 4,000 Coins. In the top image, you can see he's also using the Bronze Statue (+2%) and Flower Patch (+1%) to plug any leftover space. Why is there space leftover? Well, your business needs to connect to the Asphalt Roads in order to make money. Between his Bronze Statues, you can see the small strip of Sidewalk that lets the Pool Hall connect to the street.
After all these changes, each Energy Josh spends on the Pool Hall will now nab him 1,391 Coins instead of 420 Coins. The great thing about this setup is that you can reuse the Arboretum on the sides by putting down another business. You can also swap out the business for a higher paying one when it becomes available. (Hot Tip: The bonus boosts work for when you collect, so you can use this decoration plan on more than one business. You just gotta do it one at a time.) This seems to be the best Energy-saving and money-making plan for the long run.
Macoan's CityVille 4x4 decorations chart
Another user, Michael A. Coan (a.k.a. macoan) made some handy charts to help other players with laying down decorations. For businesses that take up a 4x4 space (such as Josh's Pool Hall), click here. For those that use up 3x3, click here.
Who would've thought that having less businesses and more decorations can get you more money?
While efficient Goods management and mastering your Franchises in CityVille will certainly make you a far more successful mayor, one player has pointed out an extremely important aspect of the game that has the potential to send your profits sky high by implementing some hardcore decorating methods.
You can see in the image above, Josh Morlan (a.k.a. morlanjo) has done his math, using the Pool Hall as his example, he calculated that:
Normal Pool Hall output: 420 coins
Output with bonus: 1391 coins
1 energy = 1391 coins
Each Charlieville train I send out for more goods nets me 991 coins (that's
-400 coins for the 100 production)
Basically, collecting money from businesses will always cost 1 Energy (Note: Resupplying businesses with goods doesn't use up Energy!). So he decided to choose a business that will pay him the most money and raise its profits by surrounding it with decorations that offer the biggest boosts. For most folks, that big boost decoration would be the Arboretum, which offers +16% and costs 4,000 Coins. In the top image, you can see he's also using the Bronze Statue (+2%) and Flower Patch (+1%) to plug any leftover space. Why is there space leftover? Well, your business needs to connect to the Asphalt Roads in order to make money. Between his Bronze Statues, you can see the small strip of Sidewalk that lets the Pool Hall connect to the street.
After all these changes, each Energy Josh spends on the Pool Hall will now nab him 1,391 Coins instead of 420 Coins. The great thing about this setup is that you can reuse the Arboretum on the sides by putting down another business. You can also swap out the business for a higher paying one when it becomes available. (Hot Tip: The bonus boosts work for when you collect, so you can use this decoration plan on more than one business. You just gotta do it one at a time.) This seems to be the best Energy-saving and money-making plan for the long run.
Macoan's CityVille 4x4 decorations chart
Another user, Michael A. Coan (a.k.a. macoan) made some handy charts to help other players with laying down decorations. For businesses that take up a 4x4 space (such as Josh's Pool Hall), click here. For those that use up 3x3, click here.
Who would've thought that having less businesses and more decorations can get you more money?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Zynga Mobile steals away Disney Interactive exec Adam Sussman
Just despicable: When Zynga isn't buying out companies, it's downright hiring buying out people. According to paidContent, Disney Games SVP Adam Sussman has left the company to join Zynga Mobile, which Disney confirmed to paidContent's Staci D. Kramer. Sussman joined Disney Interactive Media Group (DIMG) in January of this year, coming from EA's mobile division.
The former SVP was responsible for global publishing at Disney's games department, but paidContent believes Sussman will focus solely on mobile games while with Zynga Mobile, working under David Ko. In his move to Zynga Mobile, Sussman joins former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as the second Disney Games executive to leave this week alone.
Companies like Disney, EA and similar major gaming companies have suffered several losses of high-level executives--including EA COO John Schappert (which has since been confirmed)--to Zynga and other competitors this year. Even a delayed IPO (initial public offering) can't scare high-level games industry execs away from the big red dog.
The continuous string of bad news already had analysts questioning whether Disney and Playdom could hang with its competitors months ago, and the fact that the company is having trouble holding onto its key players doesn't help today. Despite its losses, games like Gardens of Times do consistently well for Disney Playdom.
So, perhaps there is still hope for the company that it can squeeze out another hit and continue to hang with the top five Facebook game developers. You know, another hit like ... a Facebook game actually revolving around Disney characters? (Um ... duh?)
The former SVP was responsible for global publishing at Disney's games department, but paidContent believes Sussman will focus solely on mobile games while with Zynga Mobile, working under David Ko. In his move to Zynga Mobile, Sussman joins former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as the second Disney Games executive to leave this week alone.
Companies like Disney, EA and similar major gaming companies have suffered several losses of high-level executives--including EA COO John Schappert (which has since been confirmed)--to Zynga and other competitors this year. Even a delayed IPO (initial public offering) can't scare high-level games industry execs away from the big red dog.
The continuous string of bad news already had analysts questioning whether Disney and Playdom could hang with its competitors months ago, and the fact that the company is having trouble holding onto its key players doesn't help today. Despite its losses, games like Gardens of Times do consistently well for Disney Playdom.
So, perhaps there is still hope for the company that it can squeeze out another hit and continue to hang with the top five Facebook game developers. You know, another hit like ... a Facebook game actually revolving around Disney characters? (Um ... duh?)
Contra creator Konami welcomes over 10 million social gamers
Does this mean we'll get to blast alien scum with giant guns on Facebook anytime soon? Probably not, but Konami sounds quite proud of itself, regardless. Siliconera reports that the creator of hit franchises like Contra and Castlevania welcomed its 10 millionth social gamer just this past August, thanks to its games on smartphones and Japanese social networks like Gree.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
FIFA Superstars on iPhone yanked from App Store due to 'server issues'
EA is sitting pretty on Facebook at the moment, but on smartphones ... not so much. Mobile Entertainment reports that that the publisher has been forced to remove its recently-released iPhone version of Facebook soccer (football) hit FIFA Superstars from the App Store due to "server issues."
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
Social game makers Gree, DeNA to take spotlight at Tokyo Game Show
Social games will go toe to toe with the hardcore scene at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Reuters reports. Gree, the 26 million player-strong mobile and social games creator hailing from Japan, will have one of the largest booths at Japan's equivalent of E3 this year, according to Reuters. In fact, both Gree and its competitor DeNA will conduct keynote addresses at the event, which runs Sept. 15 through 18.
Reuters reports that several game companies aside from DeNA and Gree, including famed creator of games like Contra and Castlevania (some of the most hardcore franchises around) Konami, are shifting resources toward social games. While the biggest Japanese games company, Nintendo, lags behind as it continues to focus on games created deliberately to take advantage of its hardware. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working out so well for the company as of late.
"Nintendo has done some pretty awful things - no software, poor pricing, poor PR, no sign of a sustainable turnaround, software support dropping like flies," JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters, referring to the failed 3DS launch (and resultant massive price drop).
On the other hand, competitor Konami recently welcomed over 10 million players to its social games. "You can make serious returns with social games in Japan if done well - and that is exactly what they have done," Kamide said to Reuters about Konami.
Both DeNA (which enjoys 3 million more monthly players than its rival) and Gree have major ambitions of becoming global competitors in the social games space to companies like Zynga and EA, which have blazed the trail for Facebook and mobile social game in the western world. Just this past year, both Gree and DeNA made huge purchases to make global headway in the space with mobile social game network OpenFeint and mobile games developer Ngmoco, respectively.
Just as some social game makers invaded this year's E3 event in the states, it looks like the ballooning sub genre will fill up the streets of Tokyo this week, too. Whether the two companies will fill the conference halls with hot air has yet to be seen. But considering Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley analyst Masato Araki expects Japan's social games industry to grow to about 400 billion yen ($5.1 billion) by 2013 from 106 billion yen in 2011, according to Reuters, you can bet everyone will be all ears.
Reuters reports that several game companies aside from DeNA and Gree, including famed creator of games like Contra and Castlevania (some of the most hardcore franchises around) Konami, are shifting resources toward social games. While the biggest Japanese games company, Nintendo, lags behind as it continues to focus on games created deliberately to take advantage of its hardware. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working out so well for the company as of late.
"Nintendo has done some pretty awful things - no software, poor pricing, poor PR, no sign of a sustainable turnaround, software support dropping like flies," JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters, referring to the failed 3DS launch (and resultant massive price drop).
On the other hand, competitor Konami recently welcomed over 10 million players to its social games. "You can make serious returns with social games in Japan if done well - and that is exactly what they have done," Kamide said to Reuters about Konami.
Both DeNA (which enjoys 3 million more monthly players than its rival) and Gree have major ambitions of becoming global competitors in the social games space to companies like Zynga and EA, which have blazed the trail for Facebook and mobile social game in the western world. Just this past year, both Gree and DeNA made huge purchases to make global headway in the space with mobile social game network OpenFeint and mobile games developer Ngmoco, respectively.
Just as some social game makers invaded this year's E3 event in the states, it looks like the ballooning sub genre will fill up the streets of Tokyo this week, too. Whether the two companies will fill the conference halls with hot air has yet to be seen. But considering Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley analyst Masato Araki expects Japan's social games industry to grow to about 400 billion yen ($5.1 billion) by 2013 from 106 billion yen in 2011, according to Reuters, you can bet everyone will be all ears.
Very Good Grief: Snoopy's Street Fair is Charlie Brown's iPhone debut
Nope, no dogfights between Snoopy and The Red Baron just yet. And based on the title of Beeline Interactive's (Capcom's mobile games arm) iPhone game surrounding The Peanuts, Snoopy's Street Fair, we doubt there will be any. But that's OK, because based on these brand new screens that were just released, it looks like the game might be a hoot regardless.
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
Monday, January 9, 2012
FrontierVille Playtime II, 12 Days of Christmas, 50 Horseshoe event expiring tomorrow!
Tomorrow is a big day in FrontierVille, at least if you're the kind that still has a lot of missions left to do on your plate. Why? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but tomorrow marks the expiration date of a lot of events or at least stipulations in the game.
First, tomorrow is the last day that you'll be able to accept the Playtime II Timed Mission that was released on January 4. If you've yet to start this mission, know that you only have two days to complete it once you start it, but you must start the mission before tomorrow ends if you'd like a chance at it at all, as it will expire on January 15. Check out our guide for how to complete this mission.
Next, tomorrow marks the final opportunity that you'll have to finish your 12 Days of Christmas missions. If you're like many of the FrontierVille players that are still waiting for a bear to appear as part of Day 1 of the mission series, you unfortunately only have until tomorrow to find a bear, or to pay the 20 Horseshoe cost to skip the step, and finally finish the mission. To go along with this, if you do decide to opt out of finishing the mission (read: if you'd like to save your Horseshoes), keep in mind that you'll be missing out on the Partridge in a Pear Tree item that is given away for finishing all 12 goals in the series. Personally, I'm still trying to decide whether or not the item is worth the high cost.
Finally, if you've been frantically trying to finish the New Years Resolution missions in order to receive your 50 free Horseshoes, you'll only have until the end of tomorrow to do so. For everyone else (or even if you fail to finish them by tomorrow), you'll still have until the end of the month (January 31) to complete the missions for the various Goal Crates and the prizes they contain. While these prizes are of course neat in their own right, nothing can describe how great receiving 50 free Horseshoes would be, so if you have a chance at finishing these goals, by all means take it.
First, tomorrow is the last day that you'll be able to accept the Playtime II Timed Mission that was released on January 4. If you've yet to start this mission, know that you only have two days to complete it once you start it, but you must start the mission before tomorrow ends if you'd like a chance at it at all, as it will expire on January 15. Check out our guide for how to complete this mission.
Next, tomorrow marks the final opportunity that you'll have to finish your 12 Days of Christmas missions. If you're like many of the FrontierVille players that are still waiting for a bear to appear as part of Day 1 of the mission series, you unfortunately only have until tomorrow to find a bear, or to pay the 20 Horseshoe cost to skip the step, and finally finish the mission. To go along with this, if you do decide to opt out of finishing the mission (read: if you'd like to save your Horseshoes), keep in mind that you'll be missing out on the Partridge in a Pear Tree item that is given away for finishing all 12 goals in the series. Personally, I'm still trying to decide whether or not the item is worth the high cost.
Finally, if you've been frantically trying to finish the New Years Resolution missions in order to receive your 50 free Horseshoes, you'll only have until the end of tomorrow to do so. For everyone else (or even if you fail to finish them by tomorrow), you'll still have until the end of the month (January 31) to complete the missions for the various Goal Crates and the prizes they contain. While these prizes are of course neat in their own right, nothing can describe how great receiving 50 free Horseshoes would be, so if you have a chance at finishing these goals, by all means take it.
CityVille: Zynga will release Art Gallery building after 1.5 million 'Likes'
Art Gallery
Zynga must be starving for some friends, because the company recently put out a message on the CityVille fan page that reads, "Help us reach 1,500,000 likes on the Zynga Inc. Page and CityVille will release a new Community Buildling!" After reaching 1.5 million fans on this page, Zynga will release the Art Gallery community building to CityVille.
To get a sneak peek like what we have here, just "Like" the fan page and you'll see the Art Gallery in all its pretentious glory. (Alright, we'll admit it does look pretty cool.) No other details are known about the building, but if it's anything like previous Community Buildings, expect to be asking your friends for help once again. Thankfully, the company is pretty close with over 1.1 million fans, so we should find out soon enough.
Zynga must be starving for some friends, because the company recently put out a message on the CityVille fan page that reads, "Help us reach 1,500,000 likes on the Zynga Inc. Page and CityVille will release a new Community Buildling!" After reaching 1.5 million fans on this page, Zynga will release the Art Gallery community building to CityVille.
To get a sneak peek like what we have here, just "Like" the fan page and you'll see the Art Gallery in all its pretentious glory. (Alright, we'll admit it does look pretty cool.) No other details are known about the building, but if it's anything like previous Community Buildings, expect to be asking your friends for help once again. Thankfully, the company is pretty close with over 1.1 million fans, so we should find out soon enough.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Valentine Mailbox, Chocolate et al warm up winter
Mailbox Chocolate
Love will soon be in the air again in FarmVille. Our friends at FarmVille Freak have found yet another hidden stash of unreleased items, all of which are Valentine themed. While it can't be confirmed whether these items will see the farm for real, would it really be Valentine's Day in FarmVille without items like Love Letters and a Mailbox to match?
Love Letters Stuffed Cow Rose Vase
Other items that FarmVille Freak found include Baby's Breath, a Rose Vase, a Stuffed Cow and Valentine Chocolate. Though you might think that Baby's Breath might be a new crop to harvest, it's early icon suggests otherwise with the flowers already presented in a bouquet. However, Zynga could always prove us wrong. Come to think of it, a lot of these items look to be gifts rather than decorations. Is a new Valentine's Day building or gifting event on the way? As soon as we find out, you'll be first to know.
Love will soon be in the air again in FarmVille. Our friends at FarmVille Freak have found yet another hidden stash of unreleased items, all of which are Valentine themed. While it can't be confirmed whether these items will see the farm for real, would it really be Valentine's Day in FarmVille without items like Love Letters and a Mailbox to match?
Love Letters Stuffed Cow Rose Vase
Other items that FarmVille Freak found include Baby's Breath, a Rose Vase, a Stuffed Cow and Valentine Chocolate. Though you might think that Baby's Breath might be a new crop to harvest, it's early icon suggests otherwise with the flowers already presented in a bouquet. However, Zynga could always prove us wrong. Come to think of it, a lot of these items look to be gifts rather than decorations. Is a new Valentine's Day building or gifting event on the way? As soon as we find out, you'll be first to know.
Zynga investor says, 'games are a metaphor for a social lingua franca'
But that's not all Zynga investor Bing Gordon (right) had to say in an interview with VentureBeat. The esteemed video games industry executive will soon accept a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, the video game association that puts together the DICE Summit every year. The Academy will present Gordon with the award, which VentureBeat compares to the film industry's Oscars, at this year's DICE on Feb. 10 for his work with several of gaming's most influential companies including EA, Ngmoco and most recently Zynga.
When reminded of CityVille's immense growth, Gordon replied, "Social games give you goals where you can help and reward your friends. I think that may make the next 25 years of games even bigger. Games are becoming like a social lingua franca. They aren't just an escape for some people."
In other words, Gordon believes that games serve as connections between people. Gordon went on to admit that while Facebook games have yet to achieve AAA status like games such as the Call of Duty series, this genre is similar to how PC games were handled back in the '80s. Just like the PC wasn't originally designed to support interactive games, Gordon said, "Facebook is not designed to be an interactive app host. There is still some awkwardness to it."
Later in the interview, Gordon makes an interesting, compelling observation of games' effect on technology. He describes how despite the fact that games were originally predicted in the late '80s to bring people into the Internet, it didn't happen. But now he believes that games have come full circle, giving users a reason to get on the Internet. When you first hear word of a new game, is one of the first thoughts to pop into your head, "That's cool, but what's the multiplayer like?" We thought so.
When reminded of CityVille's immense growth, Gordon replied, "Social games give you goals where you can help and reward your friends. I think that may make the next 25 years of games even bigger. Games are becoming like a social lingua franca. They aren't just an escape for some people."
In other words, Gordon believes that games serve as connections between people. Gordon went on to admit that while Facebook games have yet to achieve AAA status like games such as the Call of Duty series, this genre is similar to how PC games were handled back in the '80s. Just like the PC wasn't originally designed to support interactive games, Gordon said, "Facebook is not designed to be an interactive app host. There is still some awkwardness to it."
Later in the interview, Gordon makes an interesting, compelling observation of games' effect on technology. He describes how despite the fact that games were originally predicted in the late '80s to bring people into the Internet, it didn't happen. But now he believes that games have come full circle, giving users a reason to get on the Internet. When you first hear word of a new game, is one of the first thoughts to pop into your head, "That's cool, but what's the multiplayer like?" We thought so.
Will FarmVille have an Anti-Valentine's Day Theme? You decide
Valentine's Day in FarmVille
Valentine's Day is, for likely less than half the population, a wonderful event filled with smooches, hugs and delicious gourmet chocolates. For the rest of you, it's probably not so awesome, but the FarmVille community team wants to help you cope. While some of the festivities may already be decided, FarmVille community manager Lexilicious asks in a recent forum post what you want to see in this year's Valentine's Day event on the farm.
However, she also says, "We are also looking for your thoughts on new V-Day Themes (Anti-Valentine's Day anyone?)." Alone on the old V Day (not that V Day)? If enough of you call for it in the forums, it looks like Zynga's got your back. Head over to the forum page and submit your ideas for this year's Valentine's Day Theme (or otherwise).
Valentine's Day is, for likely less than half the population, a wonderful event filled with smooches, hugs and delicious gourmet chocolates. For the rest of you, it's probably not so awesome, but the FarmVille community team wants to help you cope. While some of the festivities may already be decided, FarmVille community manager Lexilicious asks in a recent forum post what you want to see in this year's Valentine's Day event on the farm.
However, she also says, "We are also looking for your thoughts on new V-Day Themes (Anti-Valentine's Day anyone?)." Alone on the old V Day (not that V Day)? If enough of you call for it in the forums, it looks like Zynga's got your back. Head over to the forum page and submit your ideas for this year's Valentine's Day Theme (or otherwise).
Saturday, January 7, 2012
FrontierVille Accidental Veterinarian Badge: Better get to nursin'
If only badges in the boy scouts were this easy. A new badge has appeared in FrontierVille to coincide with the new Injured Critter Goal and feature. All you need to do for the first tier of this badge is nurse two injured animals to full health. All you need to do is clear grass or feed Cows and Oxen for a White Buffalo to appear on your homestead. Then it's time to channel your inner Dr. Quinn.
From there, click the White Buffalo and follow the onscreen cues to either ask your friends for Critter Milk or leave it to the wolves ... literally. Completing the first tier of this badge will reward you with 50 XP and one White Hedgehog. While it's unsure what the next tiers of the badge involve, we will take a wild guess and say it has something to do with healing Critters.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Wiki]
Have you somehow acquired this badge yet? What can you say about the next few tiers in the badge's progression?
From there, click the White Buffalo and follow the onscreen cues to either ask your friends for Critter Milk or leave it to the wolves ... literally. Completing the first tier of this badge will reward you with 50 XP and one White Hedgehog. While it's unsure what the next tiers of the badge involve, we will take a wild guess and say it has something to do with healing Critters.
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Wiki]
Have you somehow acquired this badge yet? What can you say about the next few tiers in the badge's progression?
FarmVille Valentine's Countdown Day 7: Fuchsia Greenery
Valentine's Day lingers on in FarmVille with the seventh edition of the Valentine's Countdown. Today, players can gift one another this Fuchsia Greenery decoration. Just click on the floating heart icon beneath your status bar on the upper right of your game screen. From there, just click on the "Ask/Share" button to send a News Feed post to your farming friends. Soon enough, a generous fellow should gift you one of these lovely additions to your virtual garden. Not too bad for a free item, eh?
Have you collected all the Valentine's Countdown items so far? What do you hope the grand prize will be?
Have you collected all the Valentine's Countdown items so far? What do you hope the grand prize will be?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Enchanted Forest, Armored Horse hint at Fantasy theme
Armored Horse
First a tower filled with long, golden locks of hair with a Fairy Pig and now an enchanted, shiny Forest? If anything, we do know that the next FarmVille theme will be magical. FarmVille Freak has found two new unreleased items on the farm that further allude to a new theme filled with fairies, wizards and dragons. While all of these items may or may not be released to the live game, this all but confirms a fairytale or fantasy theme in the future. But more importantly, will this theme come before the English expansion, after it or, better yet, be a part of it?
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
When do you guess these items will be released, if at all? What purpose would they serve and in which version of FarmVille will they appear?
First a tower filled with long, golden locks of hair with a Fairy Pig and now an enchanted, shiny Forest? If anything, we do know that the next FarmVille theme will be magical. FarmVille Freak has found two new unreleased items on the farm that further allude to a new theme filled with fairies, wizards and dragons. While all of these items may or may not be released to the live game, this all but confirms a fairytale or fantasy theme in the future. But more importantly, will this theme come before the English expansion, after it or, better yet, be a part of it?
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
When do you guess these items will be released, if at all? What purpose would they serve and in which version of FarmVille will they appear?
FarmVille scam alert! Beware any 'Visit England' Facebook wall posts
If you see what looks like an official FarmVille English Coutryside post (see image above) appear in your Facebook feed, don't click on it. In the forums, people have been saying this has been appearing in their feeds, and when you click on it, you are taken to a page that wants you to fill out an offer before you get to England. Some people say that, when they click on the post, it sets off their anti-virus warning system as well.
So -- as tempting as it may be (yes, we all want a sneak peek at the new English Countryside expansion in FarmVille), don't click! It's a scam.
visit england scam farmville
farmville visit england scam
So -- as tempting as it may be (yes, we all want a sneak peek at the new English Countryside expansion in FarmVille), don't click! It's a scam.
visit england scam farmville
farmville visit england scam
Wheel of Fortune on Facebook lets players create their own puzzles
Who would want Vanna White's job anyway when you can be the mastermind behind the brain teasers? Thanks to an update by GSN, you can now create your own puzzles in the Wheel of Fortune game for Facebook. While the game calls them Greetings and offers several templates, the truly creative types will select the "Create Your Own" option and go to town.
A sent puzzle greeting
After selecting a creation option, players will have to type out the puzzle and preview how it will appear to their friends. You can then include a personal message (perhaps a hint? ... Nah.), but it's not necessary. When your friend receives the greeting, they'll have to solve the puzzle in traditional Wheel of Fortune style to find out what it says. Unfortunately, you can only create three greetings at a time. But where else will you be able to create your own Wheel of Fortune puzzles? I bet the line for the real deal is miles long, so this will have to do for now.
A sent puzzle greeting
After selecting a creation option, players will have to type out the puzzle and preview how it will appear to their friends. You can then include a personal message (perhaps a hint? ... Nah.), but it's not necessary. When your friend receives the greeting, they'll have to solve the puzzle in traditional Wheel of Fortune style to find out what it says. Unfortunately, you can only create three greetings at a time. But where else will you be able to create your own Wheel of Fortune puzzles? I bet the line for the real deal is miles long, so this will have to do for now.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FarmVille: "Like" English Countryside fan page to unlock White Aster Super Crop
In addition to adding prizes to the upcoming FarmVille English Countryside contest, Zynga has added another reason to like the expansion's official fan page on Facebook. If the fan page can receive 2.5 million "Likes," they will release a new crop to all players.
The new crop is the White Aster, which we've brought you a bit of a sneak peek of in the past. The White Aster isn't just any crop, though - it's a Super Crop, which Zynga says will give off more XP and coins than you might expect, or at least more XP and coins than a regular crop that you'd simply find in the store everyday.
The fan page currently sits at around 1.63 million Likes, so it might take a bit of time before we'll actually receive this crop in the game. Make sure to "Like" the fan page if you haven't done so already to help everyone receive this new crop!
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you liked the English Countryside fan page?
The new crop is the White Aster, which we've brought you a bit of a sneak peek of in the past. The White Aster isn't just any crop, though - it's a Super Crop, which Zynga says will give off more XP and coins than you might expect, or at least more XP and coins than a regular crop that you'd simply find in the store everyday.
The fan page currently sits at around 1.63 million Likes, so it might take a bit of time before we'll actually receive this crop in the game. Make sure to "Like" the fan page if you haven't done so already to help everyone receive this new crop!
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you liked the English Countryside fan page?
CityVille: Plant Sweet Potatoes to help Japanese Earthquake Fund
CityVille has joined the Japanese Earthquake Relief efforts, with Zynga launching a new crop in the game in the form of Sweet Potatoes. 100% of the proceeds received from the purchase price of Sweet Potatoes will go to help victims of the recent tragedy in Japan.
As with other premium crops in the game, these premium sweet potatoes cost 5 City Cash per square that you'd want to plant. This will allow you to donate as little or as much as you'd like, simply by planting more squares. The sweet potatoes are an instant growth crop, giving you 250 Goods per square planted, and they will never wither, no matter how long you might leave your game unattended.
If you don't have any Farm Cash to donate in FarmVille to unlock the Daikon Radishes, but you do have extra City Cash lying around, this is a great alternative to still help those in need. You can also look into purchasing a Kobe Cow in FrontierVille, if you'd rather donate with Horseshoes instead.
Will you purchase Sweet Potatoes in CityVille?
As with other premium crops in the game, these premium sweet potatoes cost 5 City Cash per square that you'd want to plant. This will allow you to donate as little or as much as you'd like, simply by planting more squares. The sweet potatoes are an instant growth crop, giving you 250 Goods per square planted, and they will never wither, no matter how long you might leave your game unattended.
If you don't have any Farm Cash to donate in FarmVille to unlock the Daikon Radishes, but you do have extra City Cash lying around, this is a great alternative to still help those in need. You can also look into purchasing a Kobe Cow in FrontierVille, if you'd rather donate with Horseshoes instead.
Will you purchase Sweet Potatoes in CityVille?
FrontierVille: Purchase Kobe Cow to help Japanese earthquake victims
Zynga has added to their partnership with Save the Children to help those victims of the Japanese earthquake by releasing a new charitable animal in FrontierVille. In addition to the Daikon Radishes in FarmVille, and the Sweet Potatoes in CityVille, you can now purchase a Kobe Cow in FrontierVille using Horseshoes. 100% of the purchase price of Kobe Cows will go to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Fun, to help those victims in need.
The Kobe Cow is available to purchase as the first item on the "Special" tab in the marketplace. You'll be able to purchase a single Kobe Cow for 45 Horseshoes. This cow needs to be fed once every 10 hours, and you'll receive 5 XP and 50 coins for doing so. It's presumable that you could buy multiple cows if you so choose, knowing that each will cost 45 Horseshoes in the process.
There's no expiration date currently listed on this offer, so if you need to head to the store to buy a Zynga Game Card, you'll likely have plenty of time to redeem it and still donate before the Kobe Cow leaves the store.
Will you purchase a Kobe Cow in FrontierVille?
The Kobe Cow is available to purchase as the first item on the "Special" tab in the marketplace. You'll be able to purchase a single Kobe Cow for 45 Horseshoes. This cow needs to be fed once every 10 hours, and you'll receive 5 XP and 50 coins for doing so. It's presumable that you could buy multiple cows if you so choose, knowing that each will cost 45 Horseshoes in the process.
There's no expiration date currently listed on this offer, so if you need to head to the store to buy a Zynga Game Card, you'll likely have plenty of time to redeem it and still donate before the Kobe Cow leaves the store.
Will you purchase a Kobe Cow in FrontierVille?
Cafe World Make Mardi Gras Merry Catering Order: Everything you need to know
To celebrate Mardi Gras, Zynga has launched a new Catering Order in Cafe World full of six tasks that you'll need to complete to "Make Mardi Gras Merry." These six tasks include three dishes that need to be cooked in bulk, and three collectable items that you'll need to receive from your friends.
This time around, the 3-star rating is only available for the first three days after accepting the job, so you'll need to make sure you have plenty of friends ready, willing, and able to help you before you jump in (or, simply have a lot of Cafe Cash on your account so you can unlock the steps that might give you trouble).
We have all of the details about this new catering order, so meet us behind the break to get started.
The three cooking tasks in this mission require you to serve Fish n Chips (a two hour dish) 400 times, serve Voodoo Chicken Salad (a 12 hour dish) 50 times, and serve Seafood Paella (a 14 hour dish) 50 times. All three of these tasks can be unlocked for anywhere from 30-35 Cafe Cash, which is quite the sum, meaning that I wouldn't undertake that decision lightly.
Remember, if you're having trouble cooking these dishes on your own, you can bring (and are encouraged to bring) up to 12 of your Cafe World friends in on the order with you, to share in the progress. You can add extra slots to your catering crew by collecting more items, as usual, but you likely won't need to if you already have 13 people (including yourself) all cooking at once.
While you wait for your dishes to cook, you can go about the task of asking your friends to send you the three collectibles in this catering order. You'll need to collect 7 Beads (bead necklaces), 4 Masks, and 3 Tambourines. Each of these items are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button next to an item and then sending individual requests to your friends to help you out.
If you can complete the order within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the 3-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3500 Cafe Points, 60,000 coins, and you'll unlock the exclusive dish for this order - the New Orleans Gumbo. New Orleans Gumbo can be cooked for 600 coins, and is ready to serve in just one hour. You'll have 45 servings to sell for 20 coins each, giving you a return of 900 coins in total.
If you can't finish within three days, but still finish within the first five days of starting, you'll receive the 2-star rating, 8 Catering Points, 2500 Cafe Points, and 45,000 coins. Finally, if you finish the mission at any time after the first five days, you'll receive a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1500 Cafe Points, and 25,000 coins.
This looks to be one of the more tedious catering missions released in Cafe World, as you'll need to continually come back to your game to serve the Fish n Chips, but at least completing that task in bulk should be easier than, say, 400 12-hour dishes, or worse. Good luck to all those going for the 3-star rating!
Will you complete this Mardi Gras catering order in your game, or do you think it's too difficult to complete in time?
This time around, the 3-star rating is only available for the first three days after accepting the job, so you'll need to make sure you have plenty of friends ready, willing, and able to help you before you jump in (or, simply have a lot of Cafe Cash on your account so you can unlock the steps that might give you trouble).
We have all of the details about this new catering order, so meet us behind the break to get started.
The three cooking tasks in this mission require you to serve Fish n Chips (a two hour dish) 400 times, serve Voodoo Chicken Salad (a 12 hour dish) 50 times, and serve Seafood Paella (a 14 hour dish) 50 times. All three of these tasks can be unlocked for anywhere from 30-35 Cafe Cash, which is quite the sum, meaning that I wouldn't undertake that decision lightly.
Remember, if you're having trouble cooking these dishes on your own, you can bring (and are encouraged to bring) up to 12 of your Cafe World friends in on the order with you, to share in the progress. You can add extra slots to your catering crew by collecting more items, as usual, but you likely won't need to if you already have 13 people (including yourself) all cooking at once.
While you wait for your dishes to cook, you can go about the task of asking your friends to send you the three collectibles in this catering order. You'll need to collect 7 Beads (bead necklaces), 4 Masks, and 3 Tambourines. Each of these items are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button next to an item and then sending individual requests to your friends to help you out.
If you can complete the order within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the 3-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3500 Cafe Points, 60,000 coins, and you'll unlock the exclusive dish for this order - the New Orleans Gumbo. New Orleans Gumbo can be cooked for 600 coins, and is ready to serve in just one hour. You'll have 45 servings to sell for 20 coins each, giving you a return of 900 coins in total.
If you can't finish within three days, but still finish within the first five days of starting, you'll receive the 2-star rating, 8 Catering Points, 2500 Cafe Points, and 45,000 coins. Finally, if you finish the mission at any time after the first five days, you'll receive a single star, 4 Catering Points, 1500 Cafe Points, and 25,000 coins.
This looks to be one of the more tedious catering missions released in Cafe World, as you'll need to continually come back to your game to serve the Fish n Chips, but at least completing that task in bulk should be easier than, say, 400 12-hour dishes, or worse. Good luck to all those going for the 3-star rating!
Will you complete this Mardi Gras catering order in your game, or do you think it's too difficult to complete in time?
Cafe World Toaster Oven: Everything you need to know
A new building project is now available to undertake in Cafe World, with this new appliance coming in the form of a Toaster Oven. The Toaster Oven can be compared to a Super Stove, or even the Deep Fryer, in that it offers one-click cooking (meaning that once you choose the recipe, it goes to cook immediately, without dealing with extra clicks for ingredient preparation), and it requires no cleaning.
Perhaps the nicest part about the Toast Oven, however, is the fact that it requires very few parts to build, in comparison to other objects in the game. The Toaster Oven takes only nine parts to build, and we have all of the details about this new appliance behind the break. Won't you meet us there?
The Toaster Oven's assembly is quite simple, as we said. It requires nine parts in total to build: a single Warming Tray, three Thermostats, two Toaster Knobs, and 3 Broiling Racks. You'll be able to earn these items by clicking on the "Ask for More" button next to each ingredient and then sending individual gift requests to your friends asking for that items.
In addition, you can also earn these items from Special Delivery boxes sent you as free gifts (depending on how many other building projects you currently have in your cafe), or through the daily Special Delivery email that you receive from Zynga, if you've shared your real email address with them.
Once you're done building the Toaster Oven, you'll be able to use it to cook some exclusive dishes; that is, some dishes will only be available to cook in the Toaster Oven, just as you can only cook some things in the Deep Fryer, but not your entire recipe book. Three of these recipes are Bruschetta (240 coins to cook), Toaster Pastries (1000 coins to cook) and an Eggplant Sandwich (700 coins to cook). After serving a dish, you won't have to clean the Toaster Oven before cooking another.
It's presumable that Zynga will add more dishes to the Toaster Oven's catalog in the future, just as they added a second set of recipes to the Deep Fryer in the past. In the meantime, why not take a look at the long list of Toaster Oven goals that have been released in association with this new appliance. You can find all of the details on how to complete these 6+ goals in our guide.
What do you think of these new recipes? Do you appreciate having a new cooking tool in your cafe, or would you rather keep all of the cooking on the stove top?
Perhaps the nicest part about the Toast Oven, however, is the fact that it requires very few parts to build, in comparison to other objects in the game. The Toaster Oven takes only nine parts to build, and we have all of the details about this new appliance behind the break. Won't you meet us there?
The Toaster Oven's assembly is quite simple, as we said. It requires nine parts in total to build: a single Warming Tray, three Thermostats, two Toaster Knobs, and 3 Broiling Racks. You'll be able to earn these items by clicking on the "Ask for More" button next to each ingredient and then sending individual gift requests to your friends asking for that items.
In addition, you can also earn these items from Special Delivery boxes sent you as free gifts (depending on how many other building projects you currently have in your cafe), or through the daily Special Delivery email that you receive from Zynga, if you've shared your real email address with them.
Once you're done building the Toaster Oven, you'll be able to use it to cook some exclusive dishes; that is, some dishes will only be available to cook in the Toaster Oven, just as you can only cook some things in the Deep Fryer, but not your entire recipe book. Three of these recipes are Bruschetta (240 coins to cook), Toaster Pastries (1000 coins to cook) and an Eggplant Sandwich (700 coins to cook). After serving a dish, you won't have to clean the Toaster Oven before cooking another.
It's presumable that Zynga will add more dishes to the Toaster Oven's catalog in the future, just as they added a second set of recipes to the Deep Fryer in the past. In the meantime, why not take a look at the long list of Toaster Oven goals that have been released in association with this new appliance. You can find all of the details on how to complete these 6+ goals in our guide.
What do you think of these new recipes? Do you appreciate having a new cooking tool in your cafe, or would you rather keep all of the cooking on the stove top?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Poll: The Sims Social is back online (for some), how about you?
While it is cliche, there's really no other way to put it: Sims fans, rejoice! It looks like EA and Playfish London have made good on their promise, as The Sims Social appears to be back online for us here in the Aol Games office. (Not to mention I've seen some of my friends in the game, too.)
EA was quick to bring the game down when it launched last week with numerous performance and access issues, and was equally as quick to point out that The Sims Social is in "open beta." Days later, the developer issued an email to all registered players--after silence on its Facebook fan page, mind you--apologizing for the inconvenience and reiterating the fact that it is in open beta testing.
More importantly, EA and Playfish said that part of the game's recovery process open beta test was to let players into The Sims Social gradually. And, here we are, directing our Sims to do nearly whatever we damn well please once again. And with much glee, might we add. (Seriously, despite a terribly unfavorable launch, this is one impressive Facebook game.)
However, if players are gradually being reintroduced to The Sims Social, the perhaps some have still unfortunately been left behind. And with that, we ask you, the ever-so-patient players:
Are you finally playing The Sims Social again?
Indeed! Boy, does it feel good to play god...No, and why'd you have to rub it in?!I haven't checked ... kinda forgot about it.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Click here to see if The Sims Social has come back online for you Now >
Have something to get off of your chest about The Sims Social outage?
EA was quick to bring the game down when it launched last week with numerous performance and access issues, and was equally as quick to point out that The Sims Social is in "open beta." Days later, the developer issued an email to all registered players--after silence on its Facebook fan page, mind you--apologizing for the inconvenience and reiterating the fact that it is in open beta testing.
More importantly, EA and Playfish said that part of the game's recovery process open beta test was to let players into The Sims Social gradually. And, here we are, directing our Sims to do nearly whatever we damn well please once again. And with much glee, might we add. (Seriously, despite a terribly unfavorable launch, this is one impressive Facebook game.)
However, if players are gradually being reintroduced to The Sims Social, the perhaps some have still unfortunately been left behind. And with that, we ask you, the ever-so-patient players:
Are you finally playing The Sims Social again?
Indeed! Boy, does it feel good to play god...No, and why'd you have to rub it in?!I haven't checked ... kinda forgot about it.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Click here to see if The Sims Social has come back online for you Now >
Have something to get off of your chest about The Sims Social outage?
The Sims Social runs on Dunkin' with in-game items and boosts
Look, The Sims are people, too (sort of), and deserve a cup 'o joe every once in awhile. EA has come out of the gate swinging with The Sims Social, backing it up already with an in-game promotion by Dunkin' Donuts. The American coffee and donuts chain officially announced that several of its menu items have been given the Simlish treatment in an ambitious six-month long campaign.
Once a month for the next six months, players can send their friends one coffee and one food item (pictured) for an extra boost. (Well, then these better be pretty massive boosts.)
Aside from the usual gifting, players will also unlock Dunkin' Donuts-themed consumables as they progress through the game. Finally, if players "Like" the Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page, they'll score two more items to decorate their Sims' homes with, one of which is a beach chair that their Sims can relax on and drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
However, a point driven by EA and Dunkin' Donuts is that this brand integration is relevant to The Sims Social and adds a level of realism. Regardless of how relevant it is, while it's much appreciated, this is still a marketing push. However, it speaks volumes to not only how quickly The Sims Social is growing--it's already reached over 7 million players despite its launch issues--but how confident EA is in the game.
If not built around a brand entirely, most Facebook games need to hit several millions of players before even considering bringing in brand integration. It seems as if The Sims brand is speaking for itself in The Sims Social's rapid growth, but what we're all waiting for is to see how far that will take the game and for how long can it keep the momentum. One game has to touch FarmVille numbers eventually, and perhaps we're looking right at it.
Are you digging the Dunkin' Donuts branding in The Sims Social? Do you think this game is EA's way into the ring with Zynga?
Once a month for the next six months, players can send their friends one coffee and one food item (pictured) for an extra boost. (Well, then these better be pretty massive boosts.)
Aside from the usual gifting, players will also unlock Dunkin' Donuts-themed consumables as they progress through the game. Finally, if players "Like" the Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page, they'll score two more items to decorate their Sims' homes with, one of which is a beach chair that their Sims can relax on and drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
However, a point driven by EA and Dunkin' Donuts is that this brand integration is relevant to The Sims Social and adds a level of realism. Regardless of how relevant it is, while it's much appreciated, this is still a marketing push. However, it speaks volumes to not only how quickly The Sims Social is growing--it's already reached over 7 million players despite its launch issues--but how confident EA is in the game.
If not built around a brand entirely, most Facebook games need to hit several millions of players before even considering bringing in brand integration. It seems as if The Sims brand is speaking for itself in The Sims Social's rapid growth, but what we're all waiting for is to see how far that will take the game and for how long can it keep the momentum. One game has to touch FarmVille numbers eventually, and perhaps we're looking right at it.
Are you digging the Dunkin' Donuts branding in The Sims Social? Do you think this game is EA's way into the ring with Zynga?
The Sims Social: Didn't get your free Fan Page gifts? Join the club
Just a short time after launching the Sims Social on Facebook, EA / Playfish are already catching some flack from many users about their fan page promotion, which offered free gifts to all users that Liked the fan page on Facebook. However, in this case, the many complaints seem rather accurate.
For the past few months, EA and Playfish have been practically begging users to Like the Sims Social fan page on Facebook in anticipation of the game's launch. In return, we were told that we'd receive free gifts when the amount of Likes reached certain amounts (a free grill for reaching 10,000 Likes, for instance). So, Like the page we did - to the tune of over 2 million players, as of this writing. However, when it came time to fulfill its end of the promise, it looks like the team of EA and Playfish have really dropped the ball.
With the many loading, gameplay and other general maintenance issues that the game has suffered since launch, and with the lack of warning that the developers gave to users, the free items came and went within a matter of days, leaving many completely in the dark, but plenty upset. And when I say matter of days, I mean less than a week (or, less than four days, if you stick strictly to the posts on the game's page). Speaking of, EA / Playfish made just two posts on the fan page's wall about the items being available. One, last Friday, announced that the items were available. Then, in the wee Monday morning hours, they announced that we had one final "last chance" at claiming these items.
In theory, all seven million of the game's monthly active players would have had to see one of these two posts on their News Feed (assuming it didn't get covered up by game posts or simply general status updates and posts by friends), and then click on the link to head to the "More to Like" section of the fan page to click on individual links to claim each and every item. They would then have to hope that they didn't run into maintenance or loading issues that would prevent the items from really being claimed. That's a lot of stuff that all needed to go right, all in a very short period of time. Needless to say, many users didn't make it and walked away almost empty-handed.
Currently, the only item that has a still active link (as of this writing) is an orange refrigerator, which unlocked at the 1.5 million player mark. Why this single item is still available is unknown, but it leaves us to believe that someone simply forgot to "turn it off." To let the developers know of their dissatisfaction, a group of users have taken to the official Playfish forums (along with those posting on the fan page itself), urging the developer to re-release the items for a short while longer, so that more players have a chance to claim them. What's more - many users are claiming that the links were already inactive when EA / Playfish posted their last chance warning, which really adds fuel to the fire.
Will this call to the developers really result in a re-release of the free items? Maybe it will, and maybe it won't, but we bring you all of this information so that you can join the cause (if you so choose). There's more power in numbers, so if you're unsatisfied with the amount of time (or lack thereof) that Playfish gave us to claim these items, make sure to let your voice be heard. Even if it doesn't work out, you'll at least be able to rest with the satisfaction of knowing that you tried.
Were you able to claim your free fan page items for liking the Sims Social fan page, or did the links expire before you even knew they were active? Will you join the cause on the official Playfish forums, requesting a re-release?
For the past few months, EA and Playfish have been practically begging users to Like the Sims Social fan page on Facebook in anticipation of the game's launch. In return, we were told that we'd receive free gifts when the amount of Likes reached certain amounts (a free grill for reaching 10,000 Likes, for instance). So, Like the page we did - to the tune of over 2 million players, as of this writing. However, when it came time to fulfill its end of the promise, it looks like the team of EA and Playfish have really dropped the ball.
With the many loading, gameplay and other general maintenance issues that the game has suffered since launch, and with the lack of warning that the developers gave to users, the free items came and went within a matter of days, leaving many completely in the dark, but plenty upset. And when I say matter of days, I mean less than a week (or, less than four days, if you stick strictly to the posts on the game's page). Speaking of, EA / Playfish made just two posts on the fan page's wall about the items being available. One, last Friday, announced that the items were available. Then, in the wee Monday morning hours, they announced that we had one final "last chance" at claiming these items.
In theory, all seven million of the game's monthly active players would have had to see one of these two posts on their News Feed (assuming it didn't get covered up by game posts or simply general status updates and posts by friends), and then click on the link to head to the "More to Like" section of the fan page to click on individual links to claim each and every item. They would then have to hope that they didn't run into maintenance or loading issues that would prevent the items from really being claimed. That's a lot of stuff that all needed to go right, all in a very short period of time. Needless to say, many users didn't make it and walked away almost empty-handed.
Currently, the only item that has a still active link (as of this writing) is an orange refrigerator, which unlocked at the 1.5 million player mark. Why this single item is still available is unknown, but it leaves us to believe that someone simply forgot to "turn it off." To let the developers know of their dissatisfaction, a group of users have taken to the official Playfish forums (along with those posting on the fan page itself), urging the developer to re-release the items for a short while longer, so that more players have a chance to claim them. What's more - many users are claiming that the links were already inactive when EA / Playfish posted their last chance warning, which really adds fuel to the fire.
Will this call to the developers really result in a re-release of the free items? Maybe it will, and maybe it won't, but we bring you all of this information so that you can join the cause (if you so choose). There's more power in numbers, so if you're unsatisfied with the amount of time (or lack thereof) that Playfish gave us to claim these items, make sure to let your voice be heard. Even if it doesn't work out, you'll at least be able to rest with the satisfaction of knowing that you tried.
Were you able to claim your free fan page items for liking the Sims Social fan page, or did the links expire before you even knew they were active? Will you join the cause on the official Playfish forums, requesting a re-release?
EA to The Sims Social players: Sorry for the bugs, here's 150 SimCash
It looks like that, for many a player, The Sims Social hasn't been without its problems even after it has soared to over 7.5 million daily players. But EA and Playfish are keeping their cool, in fact, so cool that they're making it rain on disgruntled Sims fans.
Several players on the Playfish forums report receiving an email saying those who suffered a week-long glitch in which the game would not load past 65 percent will receive 150 SimCash, the game's paid currency, as compensation for the extensive outage.
Unfortunately, only players affected by the lengthy error will receive the email and the resultant 150 SimCash. When you receive the SimCash in-game, a message will appear in your messages page that reads "You have bought 150 SimCash." Confirmed by Playfish community manager Bevypoo, this will not bill you in anyway, regardless of the strange wording.
EA and Playfish sure know the way to players' hearts: more free stuff. Hopefully this will be enough to restore players' faith in the game even after its initial issues, because is there a better way to handle a situation like this than with freebies? We think not, which almost has us wishing we'd suffered the loading issues personally--almost. Check out the full email for yourself:
The Sims Social SImCash email
[Image Credits: Caperture]
Did you suffer loading issues last week, or are you one of the strangely unlucky? How well do you think EA and Playfish handled this situation?
Several players on the Playfish forums report receiving an email saying those who suffered a week-long glitch in which the game would not load past 65 percent will receive 150 SimCash, the game's paid currency, as compensation for the extensive outage.
Unfortunately, only players affected by the lengthy error will receive the email and the resultant 150 SimCash. When you receive the SimCash in-game, a message will appear in your messages page that reads "You have bought 150 SimCash." Confirmed by Playfish community manager Bevypoo, this will not bill you in anyway, regardless of the strange wording.
EA and Playfish sure know the way to players' hearts: more free stuff. Hopefully this will be enough to restore players' faith in the game even after its initial issues, because is there a better way to handle a situation like this than with freebies? We think not, which almost has us wishing we'd suffered the loading issues personally--almost. Check out the full email for yourself:
The Sims Social SImCash email
[Image Credits: Caperture]
Did you suffer loading issues last week, or are you one of the strangely unlucky? How well do you think EA and Playfish handled this situation?
The Sims Social beats FarmVille, attracts second most daily players
Boy, people sure do love to play god. According to Appdata, The Sims Social has surpassed Zynga's iconic FarmVille with the second most daily players of any Facebook game. Since its launch just a month ago today, EA and Playfish's ambitious social rendition of The Sims has amassed over 9.3 million daily players--that's over 1 million more than FarmVille's 8.1 million.
The Sims Social still has a way to go to the number one spot, which is, of course, held by Zynga's most popular game CityVille at just under 14 million daily players. Regardless, it's unprecedented for a game to grow this quickly in daily players, at least for a game that wasn't built by Zynga. Not to mention this is despite the hiccups the game faced along the way including days worth of downtime.
So, that's the power of The Sims, huh? Well, not so fast. While The Sims Social has certainly showed its might when it comes to gripping players (and keeping them there ... so far), the game is still in fourth place in terms of monthly players at just over 34.3 million. This number could grow in time naturally as daily players spread the word and through advertising, but it's nevertheless telling of the limits a Facebook game faces when it doesn't have a massive existing player base, like Zynga's games.
In other words, EA and Playfish have quite a lot of work ahead of them, if they want The Sims Social to be on top in all regards. But judging from the game's performance thus far despite its early setbacks--and in the face of the most popular Facebook games to date--perhaps Simlish could become the dominant language in Facebook gaming.
Have you been one of the over 9 million locked into The Sims Social? What do you think of the game so far?
The Sims Social still has a way to go to the number one spot, which is, of course, held by Zynga's most popular game CityVille at just under 14 million daily players. Regardless, it's unprecedented for a game to grow this quickly in daily players, at least for a game that wasn't built by Zynga. Not to mention this is despite the hiccups the game faced along the way including days worth of downtime.
So, that's the power of The Sims, huh? Well, not so fast. While The Sims Social has certainly showed its might when it comes to gripping players (and keeping them there ... so far), the game is still in fourth place in terms of monthly players at just over 34.3 million. This number could grow in time naturally as daily players spread the word and through advertising, but it's nevertheless telling of the limits a Facebook game faces when it doesn't have a massive existing player base, like Zynga's games.
In other words, EA and Playfish have quite a lot of work ahead of them, if they want The Sims Social to be on top in all regards. But judging from the game's performance thus far despite its early setbacks--and in the face of the most popular Facebook games to date--perhaps Simlish could become the dominant language in Facebook gaming.
Have you been one of the over 9 million locked into The Sims Social? What do you think of the game so far?
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