This is an official post by Zynga's Electric Blue Ninja. Check it out and tell us if you are facing any of these problems in comments!
The following is a list of issues that our YoVille team is aware of and working on resolving. Please take the time to read over this list of KNOWN ISSUES before reporting an issue.
No Jobs Feature – Clicked through Feed or Received Energy Drink!
If you do not have the jobs and you can still click through Energy Feeds you will still be able receive energy that will be counted towards your Energy total when you receive jobs. These will be waiting in your inventory under "Special" once you get this feature this feature, however until you receive the feature they will not be viewable for you yet.
Also if you receive any Free Gift Energy Drinks and you do not have the Jobs Game then you will receive coins in game until you receive this feature.
Why Don't I have Jobs Yet?
Currently YoVille Jobs has been released to the majority of Facebook. However there is still a small percent that do not have this feature on Facebook yet. For those of you on Myspace we will be brining this feature to Myspace very soon!
Can't Click on Avatar or Animal during Jobs
Refresh YoVille and resume the Job you were doing. You will be brought back to the room and the avatars or animals will randomize and be in a different location when you return.
Editing Issues
Can't Go into Treehouse and Beach House
Players are reporting issues getting into these houses and receiving a white screen. Our team is looking into this issue.
Blacked Out Room
Room is appearing blacked out after editing a room. We have isolated the issue causing this and are working to fix as soon as possible.
Can't Edit Right Side of Outside of Home
We are looking into this issue with the exterior area of the Heart Home, Pumpkin House, etc. Thanks for your patience while we work to fix.
Items Stuck Beneath Arrow
We are currently looking into issues of items getting stuck under the arrow and not being able to retrieve after it is placed. Please be careful when placing items under the arrows while we investigate.
Free Gifts and Feed Issues
Accepting Free Gift Issues
We have recently removed the Zynga Message Center option for some players as we make some improvements to the experience of this feature and some fixes. Until further notice please continue to accept your Free Gifts through your Requests. We are still also looking into accepted gift not showing up in inventory.
Link for Yoville Feeds not Working
This link is taking you to your regular Live Feed. We have forwarded this to Facebook to be looked into. In the meantime please use this troubleshooting step by scrolling to where it says "Older Posts" and click or hover over this tab and Yoville Feeds will appear
Free Gifts
Accepting Gifts and item not showing up in Inventory. First please confirm how you are accepting your Free Gifts. Be aware of accepting gifts through Feeds as if they are for another player you still have the accept option but will not receive it. Accept gifts that are only meant for you and through your Gift Requests. Please verify that the items you are accepting are under 2 weeks old as the Free Gifts expire after 2 Weeks. If you are still having issues please contact support with the date and time and the item you have accepted.
Specific Item or Home Issues
Pool Party Raspberry Coffee Table
We are looking into the coloring of this item. Thanks for reporting.
Layering Issues
Items appear behind these areas when placed on them. Our team is currently looking into this issue!
Background of Homes not Animating
Weve received reports of places in homes that used to animate before, no longer animate.Due to performance issues in game we had to disable the animations. Our team is working to address this issue and getting these areas animated again!
Globes
If you have not received a globe, and you have provided us with your email address please try the following link to access the game by clicking HERE
Other
Haven't Received 2nd Group Buying Email
We've seen several reports of users who did not receive their 2nd email. Not to worry! We're setting it up to resend now. In an effort to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate in the Group Buy, we're extending the sale an additional 24 hours (until tomorrow night). Also please make sure to check your spam/junk folders.
Events not showing up on event list
Creating an event automatically sets it to Parties. If you want your event to be in a different section choose the section before creating the event. If you have already created the event – you can edit your event by clicking on it and assigning it to the correct section of events.
Chasing Dust Bunnies
Players are going to visit the Factory or Store and getting stuck at Chasing Dust Bunnies. As a work around please try muting or unmuting your sound in Yoville (Under the Chat Log).
Stuck at Level 50
Currently this is the highest level that the game goes. We are looking into the option of adding new levels in the future.
Not getting paid at Factory
Please contact support so we can investigate and track accounts. Provide a link to your profile and the date and time you are working. Also please try the troubleshooting step of refreshing the game. Always note your coin balance before and after working. http://zynga.custhelp.com/app/ask.
Can't purchase YoCash
If you are having issues purchasing Yocash please contact Support. We will need the following information pertaining to your account: link to your profile, any previous purchase receipts or transaction numbers. Also the error that you are receiving while trying to purchase. http://zynga.custhelp.com/app/ask
Great Site to earn Money Online
Monday, February 13, 2012
YoVille: (Spoiler) Prizes From The New Jobs Revealed
The new jobs feature in YoVille will earn you more coins, YoPoints and rare items. We've been getting many tips about the special items and we managed to make a list having most of these rares. The list is not complete yet. If you got an item that is not found below, please report to manager@yvlounge.com.
Find more info about the jobs feature here. YoVille Party Entertainer Job Prizes
YoVille Animal Rescue Job Prizes
YoVille Ghost Hunter Job Prizes
YoVille Crime Buster Job Prizes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Find more info about the jobs feature here. YoVille Party Entertainer Job Prizes
YoVille Animal Rescue Job Prizes
YoVille Ghost Hunter Job Prizes
YoVille Crime Buster Job Prizes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
FrontierVille Cheats & Tips: Spouse gone missing? Here's how to find 'em
Getting married in FrontierVille takes almost as much work as it does in real life (Games.com's complete 'Get Married' guide is coming soon). But, today, I finally managed to wrangle a husband (yee-haw!) to help me create my frontier town.
The first goal after acquiring a spouse is to do family chores together, so I sent my husband off to chop some trees (which he downed like a champ, might I add). I took my little pioneer lady to help neighbors with some chores, and then returned to the homestead to find that my spouse was missing in action.
frontierville spouse hidingC'mon, chopping all that wood and feeding all those chickens wasn't that hard, was it? After doing a little looking, If ound him where I left him last, hanging out in a dense part of the woods behind the cabin. Phew!
After doing a little research, it looks like losing your spouse is a common problem in FrontierVille (I remember a similar problem when dogs were introduced in FarmVille). If you have a case of missing spouse: here's how to fix it.
Go to the menu and open your Family Album (you can find it in the My Stuff menu). Click the 'Customize' button underneath your spouse, then click the 'Play' button. That will, in essence, select your spouse, and all you need to do next is click where you want him/her to move next, and s/he will appear.
Note: This trick works on any frontier children as well. See you on the back forty, fellow pioneers.
The first goal after acquiring a spouse is to do family chores together, so I sent my husband off to chop some trees (which he downed like a champ, might I add). I took my little pioneer lady to help neighbors with some chores, and then returned to the homestead to find that my spouse was missing in action.
frontierville spouse hidingC'mon, chopping all that wood and feeding all those chickens wasn't that hard, was it? After doing a little looking, If ound him where I left him last, hanging out in a dense part of the woods behind the cabin. Phew!
After doing a little research, it looks like losing your spouse is a common problem in FrontierVille (I remember a similar problem when dogs were introduced in FarmVille). If you have a case of missing spouse: here's how to fix it.
Go to the menu and open your Family Album (you can find it in the My Stuff menu). Click the 'Customize' button underneath your spouse, then click the 'Play' button. That will, in essence, select your spouse, and all you need to do next is click where you want him/her to move next, and s/he will appear.
Note: This trick works on any frontier children as well. See you on the back forty, fellow pioneers.
Facebook game unlocks content in Xbox 360 Crackdown 2 demo
At first glance, open-world Xbox 360 action title Crackdown 2 might not seem to have much in common with Facebook's casual color-matching/target shooting game Chuck's Ducks 2. But the new Facebook game is actually a promotional effort by Microsoft Game Studios that can be used to unlock content in the Xbox 360 game.
Chuck's Ducks 2 players that link their Xbox Live accounts to their Facebook profile can unlock a new difficulty level in the Crackdown 2 demo that hit Xbox Live earlier this week. Earning enough points in the Facebook games can also unlock a new duck-based weapon in the full version of Crackdown 2, due out in July.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has linked an Xbox Live with a Facebook game promotion. Back in March, they launched a Match Defense game in conjunction with Xbox Live Arcade release Toy Soldiers.
We're 99% sure Chuck's Ducks 1 doesn't actually exist.
Chuck's Ducks 2 players that link their Xbox Live accounts to their Facebook profile can unlock a new difficulty level in the Crackdown 2 demo that hit Xbox Live earlier this week. Earning enough points in the Facebook games can also unlock a new duck-based weapon in the full version of Crackdown 2, due out in July.
This isn't the first time Microsoft has linked an Xbox Live with a Facebook game promotion. Back in March, they launched a Match Defense game in conjunction with Xbox Live Arcade release Toy Soldiers.
We're 99% sure Chuck's Ducks 1 doesn't actually exist.
FarmVille killer? FrontierVille reaches 5 million daily active players
It's hard to say whether FrontierVille will ever overtake FarmVille, but yesterday, the new pioneer-themed Facebook game from Zynga reached 5 million daily active players, according to Zynga. Not bad, considering the game launched on June 9.
The most popular activities in the game are customizing a spouse and raising a virtual family as well as the ability to 'hire' neighbors to help out on your homestead.
The most popular activities in the game are customizing a spouse and raising a virtual family as well as the ability to 'hire' neighbors to help out on your homestead.
Friday, February 10, 2012
FarmVille unreleased animal: The Miniature Horse
Looks like a new pony might be trotting into FarmVille in the near future -- this one's called a Miniature Horse. Which leads me to wonder: Is it possible to have too many ponies on your farm? Answer: Neigh.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
On a scale of 1-10, how badly do you want this Miniature Horse?
[Via FarmVille Freak]
On a scale of 1-10, how badly do you want this Miniature Horse?
FarmVille Official Podcast (7/23): Crafting explained, plus what's coming soon
In this week's Official FarmVille podcast, Community Manager Lexi 'Lexilicious' Smith goes into great detail on the Crafting Buildings, which have started to roll out to farmers level 25 and above. It's a good primer on how to start crafting in the game, which might seem a little complicated at first glance.
She also talks briefly about items that are coming soon in the game -- which is pretty hum-drum overall -- a bunch of bug fixes and some new New England-themed items, a miniature horse. "The FarmVille team just released an enormous feature, and we want to give you a chance to absorb Crafting Buildings before throwing more big stuff at you," Smith explains. I *suppose* that's an acceptable excuse. The idea of adding a "coastal beach" (one of the coming soon items) to our farms does sound intriguing, though.
Click play on the video above to hear this week's FarmVille podcast.
Can't get the YouTube video to work? Read the entire transcript for the podcast after the jump.
"FarmVille Podcast – July 23rd:
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast! My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news about FarmVille from Zynga. This week's podcast will be slightly different from others we have had in the past. As I am sure some of you know, the new Crafting feature was released this week... and it's a big one. We will be spending most of this week's podcast walking through this new feature which will provide some helpful tips for users who already have access to it, and it will give people who don't have the Crafting feature a heads up as to what to expect when it reaches them. In addition to this, I will be giving you guys a very brief sneak peek as to what will be coming to FarmVille in the near future.
Now, I have seen a lot of questions from players lately asking why some users have the Crafting Buildings and others don't. Please be aware that this feature is being rolled out gradually to all of our users to ensure the stability of the app and to make sure it is working as intended. I know it can be frustrating to have to wait for a big release, but please know we would not choose to release the feature this way if we did not feel it was important to do so.
And on that note, let's get into a quick walk through of FarmVille's latest release.
If you are level 25 and above, you will be able to turn your bushels into crafted goods with the new Crafting Buildings.
Once you have access to this feature, upon logging into FarmVille, you will see a tutorial. This tutorial explains the basic functionality of this release. I want to highly suggest that all of our players take the time to participate in this tutorial so you can better understand how Crafting works.
Once you have read the information, it's to pick your profession. There are three types of Crafting Buildings available; The Winery, Bakery and Spa. Each building features its own unique set of recipes you can use to create crafted goods.
If you did not pick a profession when the Crafting Buildings preview was released, you will see a different pop-up than users who have. This pop-up shows you how many of your friends have selected each type of building. Clicking "What is this" will give you more detailed information on each of the buildings. Once you have decided on your profession, clicking "Yes, Place" will close the pop-up and let you place your new building on your Farm for free.
If you already selected a profession in the Crafting Buildings preview, you will receive a different pop-up. If you are happy with your initial selection, simply click "yes, place". If you would like to choose a different profession at this time, click "choose another". This will bring you to the menu mentioned above where you can select the building of your choice.
Your Buildings Recipe menu will automatically appear once you have placed your building.
In this menu, you will start with a good that is 1 minute from completion. You will also see one empty crafting spot.
Clicking on "Make a good" will bring you to your recipes menu. Here, you will be able to make your first crafted good. Depending on what profession you have selected, your default recipe will be different. Click "Make it" from the bottom of the menu to create your good. Remember, to make recipes, you need to collect bushels from your friends. These bushels are the key ingredients for your goods. If you would like more information on obtaining Bushels, please visit the Official FarmVille forums for a guide on the Farmers Market feature.
Once you have made your good, it needs time to cook. Click on "Make Goods" to return to the main menu. Once you have done this, you will see that the level 10 good you started with is now complete.
Clicking on "goods I am selling" from the crafting menu will show you the goods you currently have for sale. Selling goods improves existing recipes and unlocks new ones! Each time you sell a good to your Neighbors, you will receive 1 recipe experience point. One important thing to know is that selling your goods is the easiest and most efficient way to level your recipes.
Down the bottom of this menu is your "Sales Report". This report shows you what goods you have sold and how many were purchased. If Neighbors purchased from your store while you were away, a bouncing arrow will appear over your building.
All farmers earn 90% of the sale price of items sold. The Daily Sales Report will display the amount of total coins and experience earned in your absence.
Now, if you wish to make a thriving business, you will need to level your Building. The level of your Building determines the number of crafting spots you have available for use. Leveling your building will also unlock new recipes. You can level your Building with Farm Cash by clicking the "Cash Upgrade" option or you can level with coins by unlocking the option. To unlock the coin option, you have to level a certain amount of recipes.
Now, leveling a recipe is quite simple. Each time you make a recipe, it will count towards your level progress. Simply keep making goods of that type to level your recipe up. The higher level your recipe is, the better your crafted goods will be. There is no limit on how high you can level your recipes.
Currently, your Crafting Building can only be upgraded to 5 Stars. Once you have a 5 star Building, the buttons to level with coins/cash will disappear.
In addition to selling your crafted goods to your friends, they can also be traded for rewards. To access goods that you have in your inventory, click "Use" from the crafting menu and select "Goods".
This menu will display how many crafted goods are in your possession. Please note that you can only have 200 Crafted Goods in your inventory at a time.
If you click the "use" button underneath a good, you will trade it for fuel. The higher the level of the crafted good you use, the more fuel you will get. You can see your fuel gauge increase within the inventory menu. Please know that in the future, there will be additional rewards for trading crafted goods besides fuel, so make sure you work on leveling your recipes before they make an appearance!
Alright, now that you know how to use your own crafted goods, it's time to move on to purchasing goods and bushels from your friends. There are two different ways you can visit your Neighbors Buildings.
From the Crafting menu, click "Buy". You will then see the option to select "Shop for Goods" or "Shop for Bushels".
From this menu, you can select the type of good you would like to purchase. Clicking "select" underneath a good will bring up another menu that will automatically display the highest level goods for sale first.
Alternatively, when visiting a friends Farm, simply click on their crafting building to open the menus mentioned above.
Upon purchasing an item from your Neighbor's store, you will receive a pop-up allowing you to post a feed to their wall informing them of your actions. The first 3 Neighbors to click this feed within 24 hours will receive 1 good of the same type as the one you purchased.
Remember, Goods purchased from your Neighbors can also be traded for fuel, so make sure to visit their shops often.
And if for some reason you wish to delete your Crafting Building, all progress on the level of the Building and recipes will be saved. However, you will lose all goods that are being sold in your store. If you wish to purchase a new Crafting Building, it can be purchased from the "Buildings" section of the Market for 100,000 coins, provided you do not have any other Crafting Buildings on your farm at the time. If you wish to purchase the two additional Buildings, they can be bought for 80 Farm Cash apiece. This ability to purchase a different building for coins is very important, as you can change your profession later on if you do not like the building you currently have.
If you are looking for a more detailed guide on how this new release works, it can be found in the "game updates" section of the FarmVille Forums. And as with all of our big features, we want to hear your feedback. If you have any thoughts or opinions you would like to share with us about the new Crafting Buildings feature, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille forums or www.farmville.com.
Now this week's coming soon segment is going to be much smaller than normal Farmers. Over the past few months, we have been hearing tons of feedback from you guys expressing that we release a smaller amount of content and focus more on fixing bugs. Well, we've heard you. The FarmVille team just released an enormous feature, and we want to give you a chance to absorb Crafting Buildings before throwing more big stuff at you. Right now, let us clean up the experience for a bit and we will have more great content for you soon.
However, I am happy to let you know that over the coming weeks, we will continue to release more stuff from the New England theme to help you finish decorating those Farms, including great items like the Miniature Horse, New England Mansion, a coastal beach and more.
Alright folks, that's it from me this week. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank everyone for listening. I will back next week to bring you all of the latest news from around the Farm. Happy Farming everyone!"
She also talks briefly about items that are coming soon in the game -- which is pretty hum-drum overall -- a bunch of bug fixes and some new New England-themed items, a miniature horse. "The FarmVille team just released an enormous feature, and we want to give you a chance to absorb Crafting Buildings before throwing more big stuff at you," Smith explains. I *suppose* that's an acceptable excuse. The idea of adding a "coastal beach" (one of the coming soon items) to our farms does sound intriguing, though.
Click play on the video above to hear this week's FarmVille podcast.
Can't get the YouTube video to work? Read the entire transcript for the podcast after the jump.
"FarmVille Podcast – July 23rd:
Hey Farmers and welcome to this week's installment of the Official FarmVille Podcast! My name is Lexilicious and I am here to bring you all of the latest news about FarmVille from Zynga. This week's podcast will be slightly different from others we have had in the past. As I am sure some of you know, the new Crafting feature was released this week... and it's a big one. We will be spending most of this week's podcast walking through this new feature which will provide some helpful tips for users who already have access to it, and it will give people who don't have the Crafting feature a heads up as to what to expect when it reaches them. In addition to this, I will be giving you guys a very brief sneak peek as to what will be coming to FarmVille in the near future.
Now, I have seen a lot of questions from players lately asking why some users have the Crafting Buildings and others don't. Please be aware that this feature is being rolled out gradually to all of our users to ensure the stability of the app and to make sure it is working as intended. I know it can be frustrating to have to wait for a big release, but please know we would not choose to release the feature this way if we did not feel it was important to do so.
And on that note, let's get into a quick walk through of FarmVille's latest release.
If you are level 25 and above, you will be able to turn your bushels into crafted goods with the new Crafting Buildings.
Once you have access to this feature, upon logging into FarmVille, you will see a tutorial. This tutorial explains the basic functionality of this release. I want to highly suggest that all of our players take the time to participate in this tutorial so you can better understand how Crafting works.
Once you have read the information, it's to pick your profession. There are three types of Crafting Buildings available; The Winery, Bakery and Spa. Each building features its own unique set of recipes you can use to create crafted goods.
If you did not pick a profession when the Crafting Buildings preview was released, you will see a different pop-up than users who have. This pop-up shows you how many of your friends have selected each type of building. Clicking "What is this" will give you more detailed information on each of the buildings. Once you have decided on your profession, clicking "Yes, Place" will close the pop-up and let you place your new building on your Farm for free.
If you already selected a profession in the Crafting Buildings preview, you will receive a different pop-up. If you are happy with your initial selection, simply click "yes, place". If you would like to choose a different profession at this time, click "choose another". This will bring you to the menu mentioned above where you can select the building of your choice.
Your Buildings Recipe menu will automatically appear once you have placed your building.
In this menu, you will start with a good that is 1 minute from completion. You will also see one empty crafting spot.
Clicking on "Make a good" will bring you to your recipes menu. Here, you will be able to make your first crafted good. Depending on what profession you have selected, your default recipe will be different. Click "Make it" from the bottom of the menu to create your good. Remember, to make recipes, you need to collect bushels from your friends. These bushels are the key ingredients for your goods. If you would like more information on obtaining Bushels, please visit the Official FarmVille forums for a guide on the Farmers Market feature.
Once you have made your good, it needs time to cook. Click on "Make Goods" to return to the main menu. Once you have done this, you will see that the level 10 good you started with is now complete.
Clicking on "goods I am selling" from the crafting menu will show you the goods you currently have for sale. Selling goods improves existing recipes and unlocks new ones! Each time you sell a good to your Neighbors, you will receive 1 recipe experience point. One important thing to know is that selling your goods is the easiest and most efficient way to level your recipes.
Down the bottom of this menu is your "Sales Report". This report shows you what goods you have sold and how many were purchased. If Neighbors purchased from your store while you were away, a bouncing arrow will appear over your building.
All farmers earn 90% of the sale price of items sold. The Daily Sales Report will display the amount of total coins and experience earned in your absence.
Now, if you wish to make a thriving business, you will need to level your Building. The level of your Building determines the number of crafting spots you have available for use. Leveling your building will also unlock new recipes. You can level your Building with Farm Cash by clicking the "Cash Upgrade" option or you can level with coins by unlocking the option. To unlock the coin option, you have to level a certain amount of recipes.
Now, leveling a recipe is quite simple. Each time you make a recipe, it will count towards your level progress. Simply keep making goods of that type to level your recipe up. The higher level your recipe is, the better your crafted goods will be. There is no limit on how high you can level your recipes.
Currently, your Crafting Building can only be upgraded to 5 Stars. Once you have a 5 star Building, the buttons to level with coins/cash will disappear.
In addition to selling your crafted goods to your friends, they can also be traded for rewards. To access goods that you have in your inventory, click "Use" from the crafting menu and select "Goods".
This menu will display how many crafted goods are in your possession. Please note that you can only have 200 Crafted Goods in your inventory at a time.
If you click the "use" button underneath a good, you will trade it for fuel. The higher the level of the crafted good you use, the more fuel you will get. You can see your fuel gauge increase within the inventory menu. Please know that in the future, there will be additional rewards for trading crafted goods besides fuel, so make sure you work on leveling your recipes before they make an appearance!
Alright, now that you know how to use your own crafted goods, it's time to move on to purchasing goods and bushels from your friends. There are two different ways you can visit your Neighbors Buildings.
From the Crafting menu, click "Buy". You will then see the option to select "Shop for Goods" or "Shop for Bushels".
From this menu, you can select the type of good you would like to purchase. Clicking "select" underneath a good will bring up another menu that will automatically display the highest level goods for sale first.
Alternatively, when visiting a friends Farm, simply click on their crafting building to open the menus mentioned above.
Upon purchasing an item from your Neighbor's store, you will receive a pop-up allowing you to post a feed to their wall informing them of your actions. The first 3 Neighbors to click this feed within 24 hours will receive 1 good of the same type as the one you purchased.
Remember, Goods purchased from your Neighbors can also be traded for fuel, so make sure to visit their shops often.
And if for some reason you wish to delete your Crafting Building, all progress on the level of the Building and recipes will be saved. However, you will lose all goods that are being sold in your store. If you wish to purchase a new Crafting Building, it can be purchased from the "Buildings" section of the Market for 100,000 coins, provided you do not have any other Crafting Buildings on your farm at the time. If you wish to purchase the two additional Buildings, they can be bought for 80 Farm Cash apiece. This ability to purchase a different building for coins is very important, as you can change your profession later on if you do not like the building you currently have.
If you are looking for a more detailed guide on how this new release works, it can be found in the "game updates" section of the FarmVille Forums. And as with all of our big features, we want to hear your feedback. If you have any thoughts or opinions you would like to share with us about the new Crafting Buildings feature, please make sure to visit the Official FarmVille forums or www.farmville.com.
Now this week's coming soon segment is going to be much smaller than normal Farmers. Over the past few months, we have been hearing tons of feedback from you guys expressing that we release a smaller amount of content and focus more on fixing bugs. Well, we've heard you. The FarmVille team just released an enormous feature, and we want to give you a chance to absorb Crafting Buildings before throwing more big stuff at you. Right now, let us clean up the experience for a bit and we will have more great content for you soon.
However, I am happy to let you know that over the coming weeks, we will continue to release more stuff from the New England theme to help you finish decorating those Farms, including great items like the Miniature Horse, New England Mansion, a coastal beach and more.
Alright folks, that's it from me this week. Again, my name is Lexi and I would like to thank everyone for listening. I will back next week to bring you all of the latest news from around the Farm. Happy Farming everyone!"
New York Times ponders the question: Is Zynga the next Google?
The New York Times seems to have caught onto something that we've known for a long time -- Zynga is kind of a big deal. In the past month, The Grey Lady saw fit to review FrontierVille and write up the FarmVille advertising-based promotion with Cascadian Farms, which allows farmers to plant and harvest organic blueberries.
In today's issue of the Times, a new article poses the question: Is Zynga the next Google? Rather, will Zynga be to online games what Google is to search? If you consider the fact that Zynga is predicted to bring in $500 million this year from its 100 million users, the article says it looks like this Silicon Valley startup might reach Google-esque proportions.
"So far, he seems on track. The Zynga Game Network, as the company is officially called, is the hottest start-up to emerge from Silicon Valley since Twitter and, before that, Facebook. Unlike Twitter, which has meager revenue, Zynga is on a path to pocket as much as $500 million in revenue this year, according to the Inside Network, which tracks Facebook apps.
While Facebook needed four and a half years to reach 100 million users, Zynga crossed that mark after just two and a half years"
The article gives a good overview of Zynga -- a worthwhile read if you're not familiar with the company responsible for Farmville, FrontierVille and some of your other favorite games on Facebook.
If you are, the article is pretty much a mash-up of the popular news surrounding the company over the past two years: How they make money selling virtual goods, the 'ScamVille' scandal, how CEO Mark Pincus' bravado gets him into hot water and how the recent drop in FarmVille's monthly active users hasn't led to a big drop in revenue.
"Asked how big Zynga can become, Mr. Pincus has a difficult time hiding his ambition.
'I am drinking the Kool-Aid more than anyone,' he says."
Probably the only new tidbits in this article: Pincus admits that he considers FarmVille and other Zynga games to be goofy and Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says if he started his career over, he'd want to be just like Pincus. Hard to blame the Zynga CEO for a swelled head after getting such high praise from a Hollywood muckity muck. Hmm...maybe that squelched Mafia Wars movie rumor still has some life after all.
Read the entire New York Times article >
In today's issue of the Times, a new article poses the question: Is Zynga the next Google? Rather, will Zynga be to online games what Google is to search? If you consider the fact that Zynga is predicted to bring in $500 million this year from its 100 million users, the article says it looks like this Silicon Valley startup might reach Google-esque proportions.
"So far, he seems on track. The Zynga Game Network, as the company is officially called, is the hottest start-up to emerge from Silicon Valley since Twitter and, before that, Facebook. Unlike Twitter, which has meager revenue, Zynga is on a path to pocket as much as $500 million in revenue this year, according to the Inside Network, which tracks Facebook apps.
While Facebook needed four and a half years to reach 100 million users, Zynga crossed that mark after just two and a half years"
The article gives a good overview of Zynga -- a worthwhile read if you're not familiar with the company responsible for Farmville, FrontierVille and some of your other favorite games on Facebook.
If you are, the article is pretty much a mash-up of the popular news surrounding the company over the past two years: How they make money selling virtual goods, the 'ScamVille' scandal, how CEO Mark Pincus' bravado gets him into hot water and how the recent drop in FarmVille's monthly active users hasn't led to a big drop in revenue.
"Asked how big Zynga can become, Mr. Pincus has a difficult time hiding his ambition.
'I am drinking the Kool-Aid more than anyone,' he says."
Probably the only new tidbits in this article: Pincus admits that he considers FarmVille and other Zynga games to be goofy and Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says if he started his career over, he'd want to be just like Pincus. Hard to blame the Zynga CEO for a swelled head after getting such high praise from a Hollywood muckity muck. Hmm...maybe that squelched Mafia Wars movie rumor still has some life after all.
Read the entire New York Times article >
Treasure Isle Pirate Ship: Everthing you need to know
Yarrrr, Maties! There's pirates in those waters you're exploring, and now you'll have to build your own pirate ship, which you must use to be able to plunder hidden treasure from the just-released Pirates Barricade islands. To get started building your very own pirate ship, you'll see a pop up message when you log in to the game that says "A pirate ship! Put this in the sea or in your backpack."
To get started building right away, select Place It -- and then situate the ship in the water surrounding your personal island. Then, it's time to get to work -- you'll spend 40 Energy total (5 per activity) getting the frame prepped for final construction.
treasure isle pirate ship frame
Hammer Hull - 5 Energy 2x
Rig Rigging - 5 Energy 2x
Batten Hatches - 5 Energy 2x
Scrub Decks -- 5 Energy 2x
If you've been playing FrontierVille, the whole building process will be instantly familiar. After spending energy to prep a buildable item, well, that's just the beginning. To 'Finish' the pirate ship, you're going to have to collect construction materials from your friends (or buy them for 1 Island Cash each or 22 Island Cash for all of them) to get the job done. treasureisle=finish-pirate-ship
You'll need 25 construction materials in all, which breaks down to five (5) of the following:
Ship Nails
Planks
Nautical Rope
Sailcloth
Paint
You can send pirate ship construction materials to fellow treasure hunters by sending them as gifts. You have two of the five available in under the Free Gifts tab of the game, and those will rotate regularly so you will eventually be able to send all of the items to your friends.
Once your pirate ship is complete, you will be able to access the Pirates Barricade isles, located in the newly released Pirate Isle IV maps.
If you look in the store, you'll also notice that you can buy a second Pirate Ship frame for 10,000 coins, just in case you delete or sell yours (or just want a second ship) -- though it's not required to have two ships to access the Barricade Isles.
treausre isle pirate ship
Happy plunderin'!
Got any tips on how to build your pirate ship faster or just looking for new friends to help you build your ship?
To get started building right away, select Place It -- and then situate the ship in the water surrounding your personal island. Then, it's time to get to work -- you'll spend 40 Energy total (5 per activity) getting the frame prepped for final construction.
treasure isle pirate ship frame
Hammer Hull - 5 Energy 2x
Rig Rigging - 5 Energy 2x
Batten Hatches - 5 Energy 2x
Scrub Decks -- 5 Energy 2x
If you've been playing FrontierVille, the whole building process will be instantly familiar. After spending energy to prep a buildable item, well, that's just the beginning. To 'Finish' the pirate ship, you're going to have to collect construction materials from your friends (or buy them for 1 Island Cash each or 22 Island Cash for all of them) to get the job done. treasureisle=finish-pirate-ship
You'll need 25 construction materials in all, which breaks down to five (5) of the following:
Ship Nails
Planks
Nautical Rope
Sailcloth
Paint
You can send pirate ship construction materials to fellow treasure hunters by sending them as gifts. You have two of the five available in under the Free Gifts tab of the game, and those will rotate regularly so you will eventually be able to send all of the items to your friends.
Once your pirate ship is complete, you will be able to access the Pirates Barricade isles, located in the newly released Pirate Isle IV maps.
If you look in the store, you'll also notice that you can buy a second Pirate Ship frame for 10,000 coins, just in case you delete or sell yours (or just want a second ship) -- though it's not required to have two ships to access the Barricade Isles.
treausre isle pirate ship
Happy plunderin'!
Got any tips on how to build your pirate ship faster or just looking for new friends to help you build your ship?
More game developers sign up for Facebook Credit exclusivity
When Crowdstar became the first major developer to accept Facebook Credits as its exclusive in-game currency earlier this month, we predicted "we could start seeing more and more social game makers tying their fates to the pre-eminent social network and its new unified payment system." Lo and behold, the last three weeks have seen three more major developers making Facebook Credits the only way to pay to play.
This month, quiz-maker LOLApps, Zoo World developer RockYou and German developer Wooga have all signed on as exclusive partners in the Facebook Credits revolution. Now millions of players of these companies' games will have to sign up for Facebook's branded currency to buy in-game items, with 30% of the proceeds going to the social network. What's in it for the developers? Well, players that sign up to buy Credits in one game are already part of the system if and when they want to buy Credits in another -- no need to break out the credit card and sign up for a new account.
The frictionless synergy of this system, combined with giveaway promotions from Facebook itself, pretty much guarantee that Facebook Credits will continue to gain attention and support from more and more developers going forward. While big companies like Zynga may hold out for a while with non-exclusive support, it seems like Facebook Credits are well on their way to becoming the de facto payment standard for all of Facebook gaming.
How do you feel about this? Does it matter to you what kind of in-game currency you use to buy your social gaming items?
This month, quiz-maker LOLApps, Zoo World developer RockYou and German developer Wooga have all signed on as exclusive partners in the Facebook Credits revolution. Now millions of players of these companies' games will have to sign up for Facebook's branded currency to buy in-game items, with 30% of the proceeds going to the social network. What's in it for the developers? Well, players that sign up to buy Credits in one game are already part of the system if and when they want to buy Credits in another -- no need to break out the credit card and sign up for a new account.
The frictionless synergy of this system, combined with giveaway promotions from Facebook itself, pretty much guarantee that Facebook Credits will continue to gain attention and support from more and more developers going forward. While big companies like Zynga may hold out for a while with non-exclusive support, it seems like Facebook Credits are well on their way to becoming the de facto payment standard for all of Facebook gaming.
How do you feel about this? Does it matter to you what kind of in-game currency you use to buy your social gaming items?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
FarmVille Permanent Crops: Spinach & Carnival Squash Crops
farmville spinach
There are two new permanent crops, Spinach and Carnival Squash now available in the FarmVille Market!
Both of these seeds can be purchased at any time and will have Crop Mastery available.
Spinach seeds cost 35 Coins and are ready to harvest in 14 hours and yield 95 Coins and 2 XP.
Carnival Squash seeds cost 355 Coins and ready to harvest in 8 hours and yield 435 Coins and 1 XP.
Spinach
Star 1: 300
Star 2: 600
Star 3: 900
Carnival Squash
Star 1: 2,000
Star 2: 4,000
Star 3: 6,000
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you grow Spinach or Carnival Squash on your farm?
Bookmark this site!
There are two new permanent crops, Spinach and Carnival Squash now available in the FarmVille Market!
Both of these seeds can be purchased at any time and will have Crop Mastery available.
Spinach seeds cost 35 Coins and are ready to harvest in 14 hours and yield 95 Coins and 2 XP.
Carnival Squash seeds cost 355 Coins and ready to harvest in 8 hours and yield 435 Coins and 1 XP.
Spinach
Star 1: 300
Star 2: 600
Star 3: 900
Carnival Squash
Star 1: 2,000
Star 2: 4,000
Star 3: 6,000
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you grow Spinach or Carnival Squash on your farm?
Bookmark this site!
FarmVille LE Wild West Decorations: Cactus Garden, Corral Fence, Corral Gate, Horse Post, & Town Statue
farmville town statue
There are new Limited Edition Wild West decorations including a Cactus Garden, Corral Fence, Corral Gate, Horse Post, and Town Statue now available in FarmVille!
These LE decorations can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only.
FarmVille LE Wild West Decorations (Released August 26th 2010):
Cactus Garden – 7 FV$
Corral Fence – 5,000 Coins
Corral Gate – 10,000 Coins
Horse Post – 150,000 Coins
Town Statue -100,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these LE Wild West decorations for your farm?
There are new Limited Edition Wild West decorations including a Cactus Garden, Corral Fence, Corral Gate, Horse Post, and Town Statue now available in FarmVille!
These LE decorations can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only.
FarmVille LE Wild West Decorations (Released August 26th 2010):
Cactus Garden – 7 FV$
Corral Fence – 5,000 Coins
Corral Gate – 10,000 Coins
Horse Post – 150,000 Coins
Town Statue -100,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these LE Wild West decorations for your farm?
FarmVille LE Wild West Buildings: Trading Post, Wild West Barn, & Wild West Barn
There are new Limited Edition Wild West buildings including a Trading Post, Wild West Barn, and Wild West Shed now available in FarmVille.
These LE buildings can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only.
FarmVille LE Wild West Buildings (Released: August 26th 2010):
Trading Post – 34FV$
Wild West Barn – 30FV$
Wild WEst Shed – 100,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these LE Wild West buildings for your farm?
These LE buildings can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only.
FarmVille LE Wild West Buildings (Released: August 26th 2010):
Trading Post – 34FV$
Wild West Barn – 30FV$
Wild WEst Shed – 100,000 Coins
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these LE Wild West buildings for your farm?
FarmVille LE Wild West Animals: Palouse Horse & Palouse Foal
farmville foal
With the introduction of the Limited Edition Wild West theme there are several new animals including a Palouse Horse!
The Palouse Horse is another name for Appaloosa. Since there is already an existing Appaloosa Horse and Foal, the lighter colored variation of this horse is referred to as just the Palouse Horse or Palouse Foal.
The Palouse Horse can be purchased in the FarmVille Market for 26FV$ farm cash. The Palouse Horse is breedable and will yield a Palouse Foal that you may share with your FarmVille friends.
farmville palouse horse
FarmVille LE Wild West Animals (Released August 26th 2010):
Palouse Horse – 26 FV$
Armadillo – 14 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What do you think of the Palouse Horse, will you add it to your FarmVille Horse collection?
With the introduction of the Limited Edition Wild West theme there are several new animals including a Palouse Horse!
The Palouse Horse is another name for Appaloosa. Since there is already an existing Appaloosa Horse and Foal, the lighter colored variation of this horse is referred to as just the Palouse Horse or Palouse Foal.
The Palouse Horse can be purchased in the FarmVille Market for 26FV$ farm cash. The Palouse Horse is breedable and will yield a Palouse Foal that you may share with your FarmVille friends.
farmville palouse horse
FarmVille LE Wild West Animals (Released August 26th 2010):
Palouse Horse – 26 FV$
Armadillo – 14 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What do you think of the Palouse Horse, will you add it to your FarmVille Horse collection?
FarmVille LE Wild West Animal: Armadillo
FarmVille released a LE Wild West themed Armadillo tonight.
You can purchase the Armadillo with farm cash for 14 FV$ in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only. farmville armadillo
FarmVille LE Wild West Animals (Released August 26th 2010):
Palouse Horse – 26 FV$
Armadillo – 14 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you buy an Armadillo for your farm?
You can purchase the Armadillo with farm cash for 14 FV$ in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only. farmville armadillo
FarmVille LE Wild West Animals (Released August 26th 2010):
Palouse Horse – 26 FV$
Armadillo – 14 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you buy an Armadillo for your farm?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Pet Society's Lady Paw Paw Veggie Meat Dress: Flesh has never looked so good
Remember when Lady Gaga wore almost nothing but meat to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards? No (how could you not)? Well, Playfish remembers and to commemorate her insanity genius, they'll include this Lady Paw Paw Veggie Meat Dress into the game if the post gets 50,000 "Likes."
As of this writing, the post on the Pet Society Facebook page only has about 4,500 "Likes." So, get to sharing the ridiculous news if you want to see this hilarity make it into your game. And so the Lady Gaga Parody Wars begin.
As of this writing, the post on the Pet Society Facebook page only has about 4,500 "Likes." So, get to sharing the ridiculous news if you want to see this hilarity make it into your game. And so the Lady Gaga Parody Wars begin.
FarmVille Co-Op Farming Crafting Jobs ask everyone to join hands and harvest
Co-op Farming Cfrating Jobs now live
After releasing the update to some of its loyal farmers yesterday, Zynga has made Crafting Co-op Jobs available to all FarmVille players. These new multiplayer tasks are essentially large-scale versions of the jobs that come along with the three crafting buildings, wineries, bakeries and spas. So, if you own a winery, you will only be able to do winery related jobs, etc.
farmville coop farming crafting
These cooperative jobs will time players, rewarding medals, varying amounts of XP and coins and bushels of crops related to the recipe required to unlock the job. As per usual, players can buy more time to complete these cooperative tasks with Farm Cash and recruit friends at any time throughout the job. So, join hands, go forth and keep those crafting buildings overflowing with crops.
After releasing the update to some of its loyal farmers yesterday, Zynga has made Crafting Co-op Jobs available to all FarmVille players. These new multiplayer tasks are essentially large-scale versions of the jobs that come along with the three crafting buildings, wineries, bakeries and spas. So, if you own a winery, you will only be able to do winery related jobs, etc.
farmville coop farming crafting
These cooperative jobs will time players, rewarding medals, varying amounts of XP and coins and bushels of crops related to the recipe required to unlock the job. As per usual, players can buy more time to complete these cooperative tasks with Farm Cash and recruit friends at any time throughout the job. So, join hands, go forth and keep those crafting buildings overflowing with crops.
Video Game Roundup: Professor Layton, Halo Reach, Spider-Man
While we spend most of our time working the land in FarmVille and shooting up foes in Mafia Wars, we also have a soft spot for games that you can't play on Facebook -- good, old-fashioned video games. This week, get a sneak peek at three games that have everybody talking.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
MSRP $29.99 for Nintendo DS
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is the third game in the popular franchise that combines logic puzzles with an engaging sense of mystery. If you're familiar with popular casual games like Mystery Case Files, Professor Layton may be up your alley.
The stylish professor must use his wits to help solve a mystery that takes place 10 years in the future and has connections to an event that happens in the present, and also 10 years in the past. Confused yet? Don't worry because the story is easy to follow thanks to some comely cutscenes that play in between puzzles.
But a game like Professor Layton and the Unwound Future isn't about the story as much as it is about the puzzles. Nintendo has a few demo games that you can try now by going to professorlaytonds.com and clicking on gameplay and demos, and you'll see what kind of logic puzzles are included in the game. While many of them are challenging at first blush, a hint system makes sure you don't throw your DS out the window in frustration.
With over 160 puzzles and the opportunity to download more through Nintendo's WiFi connection, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is perfect for the smartypants in your household.
Games.com Score: Four (out of five top hats)
Halo: Reach
MSRP $59.99 for Xbox 360
It's the year 2552, and humans and aliens are battling out for a planet named Reach. You are placed in the marine boots of Noble 6, an enhanced soldier who works with other Nobles to bring the fight to the dreaded Covenant. (Sorry, kids, there's no Master Chief this go-round.)
Halo: Reach is largely similar to the rest of the hugely popular Halo series, but this first-person shooter keeps things fresh by adding new weapons and vehicles as you plow through the game. Lush scenery greets you at every turn of Reach, and some scenes bear an uncanny resemblance to Pandora in James Cameron's Avatar.
Halo vets know that the single-player game is just the appetizer to the main course -- multiplayer matchmaking. Time flies as you and up to 15 other players select from a variety of maps and game modes that will keep Halo: Reach the one game you'll be reaching for more than the others in your collection. And if you're worried about playing with people you don't know (or like), there are a variety of chat options for you and your friends to keep things entertaining.
Games.com Rating: Five (out of five aliens)
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
MSRP $59.99 for Xbox 360 (also available on multiple platforms)
Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes of all time, so, naturally, the Web Slinger deserves a great game. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is just that, and while it may be a little monotonous at times, you're playing as Spider-Man! And not only that, you're playing as Past Spider-Man. And Future Spider-Man! And Alternate Spider-Man!
Have I gone spider crazy? No (whew), it's just that Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions allows you to play as one of four Spider-Man characters from four different comic book series.
For example, there's Spider-Man Noir, a suave, stealthy hero from the 1930s, lurks in the shadows of older buildings and warehouses, all in black and white. Meanwhile, Spider-Man 2099 is the future Spider-Man from the year... surprise, 2099. The story is narrated by the familiar voice of Marvel founder Stan Lee, and it moves along at a nice clip with a mix of action and humor fans of the comics will appreciate.
The game mixes hand-to-hand combat with web-slinging leaps to give you the powers of Spider-Man. It's a lot of fun to swing from building to building, battling with enemies in a variety of locations. The game also mixes up the action, especially during the Spider-Man Noir levels. Instead of running fist-first into every situation, Noir makes you to lurk in the shadows so you can get the jump on your enemies. If you played Batman: Arkham Asylum, this whole sneaky scenario should feel pretty familiar, and these levels are a welcome change when things start to drag a little on the normal levels.
If you or someone you know is a Spider-Man fan, be sure to swing by your local retailer and pick up a copy.
Games.com Score: Four (our of five cobwebs)
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
MSRP $29.99 for Nintendo DS
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is the third game in the popular franchise that combines logic puzzles with an engaging sense of mystery. If you're familiar with popular casual games like Mystery Case Files, Professor Layton may be up your alley.
The stylish professor must use his wits to help solve a mystery that takes place 10 years in the future and has connections to an event that happens in the present, and also 10 years in the past. Confused yet? Don't worry because the story is easy to follow thanks to some comely cutscenes that play in between puzzles.
But a game like Professor Layton and the Unwound Future isn't about the story as much as it is about the puzzles. Nintendo has a few demo games that you can try now by going to professorlaytonds.com and clicking on gameplay and demos, and you'll see what kind of logic puzzles are included in the game. While many of them are challenging at first blush, a hint system makes sure you don't throw your DS out the window in frustration.
With over 160 puzzles and the opportunity to download more through Nintendo's WiFi connection, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is perfect for the smartypants in your household.
Games.com Score: Four (out of five top hats)
Halo: Reach
MSRP $59.99 for Xbox 360
It's the year 2552, and humans and aliens are battling out for a planet named Reach. You are placed in the marine boots of Noble 6, an enhanced soldier who works with other Nobles to bring the fight to the dreaded Covenant. (Sorry, kids, there's no Master Chief this go-round.)
Halo: Reach is largely similar to the rest of the hugely popular Halo series, but this first-person shooter keeps things fresh by adding new weapons and vehicles as you plow through the game. Lush scenery greets you at every turn of Reach, and some scenes bear an uncanny resemblance to Pandora in James Cameron's Avatar.
Halo vets know that the single-player game is just the appetizer to the main course -- multiplayer matchmaking. Time flies as you and up to 15 other players select from a variety of maps and game modes that will keep Halo: Reach the one game you'll be reaching for more than the others in your collection. And if you're worried about playing with people you don't know (or like), there are a variety of chat options for you and your friends to keep things entertaining.
Games.com Rating: Five (out of five aliens)
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
MSRP $59.99 for Xbox 360 (also available on multiple platforms)
Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes of all time, so, naturally, the Web Slinger deserves a great game. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is just that, and while it may be a little monotonous at times, you're playing as Spider-Man! And not only that, you're playing as Past Spider-Man. And Future Spider-Man! And Alternate Spider-Man!
Have I gone spider crazy? No (whew), it's just that Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions allows you to play as one of four Spider-Man characters from four different comic book series.
For example, there's Spider-Man Noir, a suave, stealthy hero from the 1930s, lurks in the shadows of older buildings and warehouses, all in black and white. Meanwhile, Spider-Man 2099 is the future Spider-Man from the year... surprise, 2099. The story is narrated by the familiar voice of Marvel founder Stan Lee, and it moves along at a nice clip with a mix of action and humor fans of the comics will appreciate.
The game mixes hand-to-hand combat with web-slinging leaps to give you the powers of Spider-Man. It's a lot of fun to swing from building to building, battling with enemies in a variety of locations. The game also mixes up the action, especially during the Spider-Man Noir levels. Instead of running fist-first into every situation, Noir makes you to lurk in the shadows so you can get the jump on your enemies. If you played Batman: Arkham Asylum, this whole sneaky scenario should feel pretty familiar, and these levels are a welcome change when things start to drag a little on the normal levels.
If you or someone you know is a Spider-Man fan, be sure to swing by your local retailer and pick up a copy.
Games.com Score: Four (our of five cobwebs)
Mafia Wars Prized Pigs: Get ready to pig out & secure your own Oinker vehicle
First there was the Pignata, then the Super Pignata and now a limited time event called Prized Pigs will be arriving in Mafia Wars next week. Not sure what all of the 'pig' references in the game are all about -- but this new batch of porkers will be bringing a sweet piece of loot along with it -- the Oinker Vehicle (100 A, 128 D).
mafia wars prized pigs oinker trucks
Not sure how this will work exactly, but the official update says that you will need to "Master all three Prized Pigs to become a true Porker and earn the Oinker vehicle." Guess you'll have to collect the pink, white and brown pig (see image up top) and level them up to be able to drive away with the big reward.
mafia wars prized pigs oinker trucks
Not sure how this will work exactly, but the official update says that you will need to "Master all three Prized Pigs to become a true Porker and earn the Oinker vehicle." Guess you'll have to collect the pink, white and brown pig (see image up top) and level them up to be able to drive away with the big reward.
Cafe World offers FrontierVille players 50 free Cafe Cash
Cafe World on Facebook is celebrating its one-year anniversary, and in addition to launching a challenging Anniversary Catering mission, and sweepstakes that will send you to NYC (also home to Games.com - The Blog!), the restaurant sim is also offering up to 50 free Cafe Cash to people who play FrontierVille.
cafe world cash
To cash in on this limited edition promotion, you will need to gain three levels in Cafe World (provided you are already at Level 10) and then you will be rewarded with Cafe Cash.
Keep in mind that the promotion says you can earn up to 50 Cafe Cash, so that clearly means that there's no guarantee that you will score big if you decide to take on this challenge. Then again, if you're already a Cafe World fanatic -- it can't hurt to give this a shot and see if you end up with a fat wad of virtual cash to spend on your restaurant.
cafe world cash
To cash in on this limited edition promotion, you will need to gain three levels in Cafe World (provided you are already at Level 10) and then you will be rewarded with Cafe Cash.
Keep in mind that the promotion says you can earn up to 50 Cafe Cash, so that clearly means that there's no guarantee that you will score big if you decide to take on this challenge. Then again, if you're already a Cafe World fanatic -- it can't hurt to give this a shot and see if you end up with a fat wad of virtual cash to spend on your restaurant.
Friday, February 3, 2012
It Girl releases Halloween superstore to dress up your avatar
It Girl Halloween
If you know anything about Halloween, you know that it's a big season for clothing stores. Everyone stocks the latest costumes and accessories to try to lure you in to their store. It Girl is no exception, and with the release of a new Halloween store and party, there is a ton to do to celebrate the holiday.
The first thing that you'll notice is the addition of the shop. It has 6 different costumes that you can discover, and restocks at 9pm just like all the other stores do. The items are insanely priced though, at over 2000 cash for almost every item. So far, I've only uncovered the 50's Pink Lady for 3439 cash, the Kitty Cat Costume for 2100, and the Ninja Costume for 2400 cash. This is far more than any other outfit I have found in the game, but perhaps I am just being stingy.
There is also a Halloween party that you can attend to earn cash and battle other avatars who are wearing Halloween costumes. You need a costume to go though, and since I couldn't afford one I don't have all of the details just yet. There are also costumes available for purchase with Facebook Credits, but they are pretty hefty in price. Here is the list of available costumes:
Marie Antoinette - 77 Facebook Credits
Sexy Devil - 69 Facebook Credits
Alice in Wonderland - 75 Facebook Credits
Hot Bunny - 71 Facebook Credits
Magic Fairy - 55 Facebook Credits
Cleopatra - 75 Facebook Credits
French Maid - 71 Facebook Credits
Spooky Witch - 62 Facebook Credits
If you know anything about Halloween, you know that it's a big season for clothing stores. Everyone stocks the latest costumes and accessories to try to lure you in to their store. It Girl is no exception, and with the release of a new Halloween store and party, there is a ton to do to celebrate the holiday.
The first thing that you'll notice is the addition of the shop. It has 6 different costumes that you can discover, and restocks at 9pm just like all the other stores do. The items are insanely priced though, at over 2000 cash for almost every item. So far, I've only uncovered the 50's Pink Lady for 3439 cash, the Kitty Cat Costume for 2100, and the Ninja Costume for 2400 cash. This is far more than any other outfit I have found in the game, but perhaps I am just being stingy.
There is also a Halloween party that you can attend to earn cash and battle other avatars who are wearing Halloween costumes. You need a costume to go though, and since I couldn't afford one I don't have all of the details just yet. There are also costumes available for purchase with Facebook Credits, but they are pretty hefty in price. Here is the list of available costumes:
Marie Antoinette - 77 Facebook Credits
Sexy Devil - 69 Facebook Credits
Alice in Wonderland - 75 Facebook Credits
Hot Bunny - 71 Facebook Credits
Magic Fairy - 55 Facebook Credits
Cleopatra - 75 Facebook Credits
French Maid - 71 Facebook Credits
Spooky Witch - 62 Facebook Credits
Fashion World Fragrance Machine: Everything you need to know
Fashion World by Metrogames (who was invested in by Playdom) is a fun game in which you can own your own fashion company that creates and sells clothing. Today, Fashion World players were greeted by a brand new feature - the ability to build a fragrance machine and manufacture perfumes! This is something new and exciting that we haven't see in any games yet, so we decided to get to the bottom of it and tell you how to build it.
First off, you should know that the Fragrance Machine is not just a decoration. Once you have built the machine, you can access a whole minigame of perfume creation. This minigame uses an energy mechanic similar to other Facebook games, and has many 'recipes' that you can make to unleash a world of scents upon your customers. To build the Fragrance Machine, there is a standard building game that you have seen in countless other games. Collect four each of Screws, Belts, Cogs, and Cables, and you will unlock the machine. You can also buy the entire machine for 12 Facebook Credits, or $1.20.
Once you have unlocked the Fragrance Machine, it is delivered right to your shop with a pretty bow on top. Click it to remove the bow, and you can then place the machine wherever you would like. Leave edit mode and click on the machine, and you'll see a list of perfumes that you can now make. Don't forget to take note of the new energy bar that you'll see on the top of your screen, which is needed in order to create perfumes.
There are four categories of perfumes, but only the first (Refreshing Body Mist) is unlocked at first. To access Eau De Toilette, Eau De Parfum, and Antique Parfum, you will have to master all of the first four perfumes. Each perfume costs a different amount of energy, ranging from 8-43, and you have 50 total energy to spend at time. Only one perfume can be made at a time, but at the moment we can't tell exactly how long it takes to make a perfume. This seems to be a Fashion World oversight, as we should definitely know how long it is going to take. Like other games, energy replenishes over time or you can ask for energy from your friends.
First off, you should know that the Fragrance Machine is not just a decoration. Once you have built the machine, you can access a whole minigame of perfume creation. This minigame uses an energy mechanic similar to other Facebook games, and has many 'recipes' that you can make to unleash a world of scents upon your customers. To build the Fragrance Machine, there is a standard building game that you have seen in countless other games. Collect four each of Screws, Belts, Cogs, and Cables, and you will unlock the machine. You can also buy the entire machine for 12 Facebook Credits, or $1.20.
Once you have unlocked the Fragrance Machine, it is delivered right to your shop with a pretty bow on top. Click it to remove the bow, and you can then place the machine wherever you would like. Leave edit mode and click on the machine, and you'll see a list of perfumes that you can now make. Don't forget to take note of the new energy bar that you'll see on the top of your screen, which is needed in order to create perfumes.
There are four categories of perfumes, but only the first (Refreshing Body Mist) is unlocked at first. To access Eau De Toilette, Eau De Parfum, and Antique Parfum, you will have to master all of the first four perfumes. Each perfume costs a different amount of energy, ranging from 8-43, and you have 50 total energy to spend at time. Only one perfume can be made at a time, but at the moment we can't tell exactly how long it takes to make a perfume. This seems to be a Fashion World oversight, as we should definitely know how long it is going to take. Like other games, energy replenishes over time or you can ask for energy from your friends.
FarmVille Official Podcast (10/23): Tree Orchard / Mastery Details
Zynga has released the newest edition of the FarmVille podcast which, as usual, offers us with a thorough recap of the most recent releases in FarmVille, and gives loyal listeners a chance to get a sneak peek at new features and items that will be coming to everyone's favorite farming game sometime in the future.
You can listen to the podcast in its entirety above, or you can meet us after the break for a complete rundown of announcements.
This week's podcast offered us the following information:
Chicken Coop Expansions: While not guaranteed to actually happen in the game, FarmVille's Grimwell (the host of this week's podcast) did offer us a glimmer of hope, saying that the FarmVIlle team is looking into ways that they might be able to increase the size of our chicken coops even farther (past the current maximum capacity of 60 chickens), since it has been a highly requested addition from fans.
Country Fair: Grimwell was full of clever hints this week, letting us know that users who are anticipating a return of the Country Fair event this fall will receive "good news" in the future. For those who weren't with the game last year, the Country Fair event took place in late November, and featured the release of quite a few carnival / fair themed decorations that could be purchased from the store or sent as free gifts.
Tree Orchard Clarification: While the news that Tree Orchards are coming to FarmVille isn't anything new, the specific details concerning their use and function has remained a bit cloudy. This week's podcast clears that up, letting us know that it will be a "building" you have to construct. After that, the look of each orchard will vary, depending on the types of trees you put in it (up to 20 trees per orchard, and you can own more than one). You'll be able to harvest your Orchards once a day for coins, and you'll have a chance of finding a Mystery Seed, which must be planted and watered on your farm before they will grow into fully grown, upgraded versions of the parent trees. These enhanced trees are part of the upcoming Tree Mastery system, which has three levels of mastery, and will reward mastery signs just like crops and crafting recipes.
Limited Edition Seeds: You'll soon be able to give your friends limited edition packs of 20 seeds as free gifts. Once accepted, the trees can be planted by your friends, and mastered just as you can master other trees. They'll also be available for Farm Cash. A Black Rose crop will be released as part of the Halloween celebration, that will be the first seed available to gift to friends.
You can listen to the podcast in its entirety above, or you can meet us after the break for a complete rundown of announcements.
This week's podcast offered us the following information:
Chicken Coop Expansions: While not guaranteed to actually happen in the game, FarmVille's Grimwell (the host of this week's podcast) did offer us a glimmer of hope, saying that the FarmVIlle team is looking into ways that they might be able to increase the size of our chicken coops even farther (past the current maximum capacity of 60 chickens), since it has been a highly requested addition from fans.
Country Fair: Grimwell was full of clever hints this week, letting us know that users who are anticipating a return of the Country Fair event this fall will receive "good news" in the future. For those who weren't with the game last year, the Country Fair event took place in late November, and featured the release of quite a few carnival / fair themed decorations that could be purchased from the store or sent as free gifts.
Tree Orchard Clarification: While the news that Tree Orchards are coming to FarmVille isn't anything new, the specific details concerning their use and function has remained a bit cloudy. This week's podcast clears that up, letting us know that it will be a "building" you have to construct. After that, the look of each orchard will vary, depending on the types of trees you put in it (up to 20 trees per orchard, and you can own more than one). You'll be able to harvest your Orchards once a day for coins, and you'll have a chance of finding a Mystery Seed, which must be planted and watered on your farm before they will grow into fully grown, upgraded versions of the parent trees. These enhanced trees are part of the upcoming Tree Mastery system, which has three levels of mastery, and will reward mastery signs just like crops and crafting recipes.
Limited Edition Seeds: You'll soon be able to give your friends limited edition packs of 20 seeds as free gifts. Once accepted, the trees can be planted by your friends, and mastered just as you can master other trees. They'll also be available for Farm Cash. A Black Rose crop will be released as part of the Halloween celebration, that will be the first seed available to gift to friends.
FarmVille's Fall Foliage covers your land in autumn leaves
Zynga has quietly released a new farm upgrade in FarmVille to celebrate the changing of the season. While all of us are familiar with the Halloween and Autumn themed decorations that have been released over the past few weeks, did you know that a new land type is also now available?
The new upgrade is called "Fall Foliage" and it is available to purchase from the Upgrade Farm tab of the marketplace for 1,000 coins. Once purchased, your land will turn to an orange/brown color, and yellow and orange leaves (they appear to be Maple leaves) will be scattered randomly on the ground.
As of right now, there doesn't appear to be a time limit for how long this upgrade will be available to purchase, so feel free to switch back and forth between your favorite land designs as you please.
The new upgrade is called "Fall Foliage" and it is available to purchase from the Upgrade Farm tab of the marketplace for 1,000 coins. Once purchased, your land will turn to an orange/brown color, and yellow and orange leaves (they appear to be Maple leaves) will be scattered randomly on the ground.
As of right now, there doesn't appear to be a time limit for how long this upgrade will be available to purchase, so feel free to switch back and forth between your favorite land designs as you please.
Cafe World Halloween Drinks: Serve 'em before they're gone
Zynga has released a limited edition quartet of new drinks are now available to serve to your guests via the Cafe World Drink Bar. If you've built the bar, you have just a few days to serve these drinks to your friends, with the ultimate goal being to master them before they go away.
The four drinks are the Witch's Brew, Pumpkin Punch, Spookie Juice, and Hauntini. Depending on the drink you serve, each individual serving could net you anywhere from 4 to 9.2 Buzz Points, so serving these terrifying concoctions would be a great way to quickly boost your cafe's popularity, bringing in even more customers and allowing you to earn your profits from cooking even faster than before!
As with the Coffee Bar, the Drink Bar allows you to master recipes, with three levels of mastery being available for each of these four drinks. Just make sure to ask your friends to send you energy boosts so you can afford the particularly high price of the Spookie Juice and Hauntini to have a chance at mastering them in time.
For those that have yet to complete the Drinks Bar, make sure to check out our quick-gifting links for the required ingredients to build it. Pass those on to friends, and your guests will be drinking these themed drinks in no time!
The four drinks are the Witch's Brew, Pumpkin Punch, Spookie Juice, and Hauntini. Depending on the drink you serve, each individual serving could net you anywhere from 4 to 9.2 Buzz Points, so serving these terrifying concoctions would be a great way to quickly boost your cafe's popularity, bringing in even more customers and allowing you to earn your profits from cooking even faster than before!
As with the Coffee Bar, the Drink Bar allows you to master recipes, with three levels of mastery being available for each of these four drinks. Just make sure to ask your friends to send you energy boosts so you can afford the particularly high price of the Spookie Juice and Hauntini to have a chance at mastering them in time.
For those that have yet to complete the Drinks Bar, make sure to check out our quick-gifting links for the required ingredients to build it. Pass those on to friends, and your guests will be drinking these themed drinks in no time!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Turkey Deep Fryer gifting links
Hello Cafe-folks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. The Facegamer has discovered gifting links for the new Cafe World Turkey Deep Fryer, and I intend to share them with you. The Turkey Deep Fryer lets you deep fry an entire turkey.
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting linksBuilding your Deep Fryer, will let you cook the new Cafe World Deep Fried Turkey recipe (pictured at right). This recipe gives out 400 servings, is ready in 8 hours, and earns you 1200 total coins and 127 Cafe Points. It's important to note that this recipe will be cooked on your actual deep fryer, and not on one of your stoves. This means you can only cook one at a time, and because they take 8 hours it will take forever to master this recipe.
Also, if you haven't tried this Thanksgiving day treat in real life, I highly recommend you indulge a bit and give it a try :)
To use my Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Turkey Deep Fryer gifting links, click on the part you would like to send, then select the friends you would like to send it to. Once you're done, share this page or link your friends to it, so they can return the favor. With the help of your friends and my Turkey Deep Fryer gifting links, you'll have 5 Large Vats, 10 Metal Skewers, 10 Oil Canisters, 15 Propane Tanks, and some delicious fried turkey in no time. Get started below:
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links
Click on an image to send the part to your friends.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Find more stories on our2010 Thanksgiving Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting linksBuilding your Deep Fryer, will let you cook the new Cafe World Deep Fried Turkey recipe (pictured at right). This recipe gives out 400 servings, is ready in 8 hours, and earns you 1200 total coins and 127 Cafe Points. It's important to note that this recipe will be cooked on your actual deep fryer, and not on one of your stoves. This means you can only cook one at a time, and because they take 8 hours it will take forever to master this recipe.
Also, if you haven't tried this Thanksgiving day treat in real life, I highly recommend you indulge a bit and give it a try :)
To use my Cafe World Cheats & Tips: Turkey Deep Fryer gifting links, click on the part you would like to send, then select the friends you would like to send it to. Once you're done, share this page or link your friends to it, so they can return the favor. With the help of your friends and my Turkey Deep Fryer gifting links, you'll have 5 Large Vats, 10 Metal Skewers, 10 Oil Canisters, 15 Propane Tanks, and some delicious fried turkey in no time. Get started below:
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links
cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links cafe world turkey deep fryer gifting links
Click on an image to send the part to your friends.
For more Facebook game cheats, check out The Facegamer.
Find more stories on our2010 Thanksgiving Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
Microsoft and CrowdStar attempt to revive MSN Games
Microsoft takes another stab at integrating social games on MSN, after a false start with FarmVille-maker Zynga several months ago. MSN Games has been redesigned with some more social elements and now includes games from Happy Pets-creator CrowdStar.
The new and improved MSN Games features a games feed, Facebook integration, leaderboards and friend lists. However, Microsoft is still hosting offers on Bing Games, a channel on its search engine, so things still a little fragmented at the moment. It's unknown whether the two will merge and which will be the dominant games portal for the network. Currently, Bing Games serves as a place to play games on the search page while linking to the new MSN Games.
MSN is just the first place that CrowdStar will be expanding, says Inside Social Games, which has turned to Sibblingz to help them migrate other platforms. It seems CrowdStar agrees with Playdom's CEO, who recently said that Facebook isn't the only party around. It still remains to be seen, however, MSN Games (or any other traditional gaming portal for that matter) will be able to compete with Facebook.
Take a look at the new MSN Games, which is in "Preview" right now.
Update: According to Microsoft, MSN Games and Bing Games are part of a larger initiative to unify its casual game content. Windows Live Messenger will also serve as a place to play these games and players will be able to play and socialize with users of all three platforms as well.
The new and improved MSN Games features a games feed, Facebook integration, leaderboards and friend lists. However, Microsoft is still hosting offers on Bing Games, a channel on its search engine, so things still a little fragmented at the moment. It's unknown whether the two will merge and which will be the dominant games portal for the network. Currently, Bing Games serves as a place to play games on the search page while linking to the new MSN Games.
MSN is just the first place that CrowdStar will be expanding, says Inside Social Games, which has turned to Sibblingz to help them migrate other platforms. It seems CrowdStar agrees with Playdom's CEO, who recently said that Facebook isn't the only party around. It still remains to be seen, however, MSN Games (or any other traditional gaming portal for that matter) will be able to compete with Facebook.
Take a look at the new MSN Games, which is in "Preview" right now.
Update: According to Microsoft, MSN Games and Bing Games are part of a larger initiative to unify its casual game content. Windows Live Messenger will also serve as a place to play these games and players will be able to play and socialize with users of all three platforms as well.
Lunchtime poll: Does art really matter in social games?
Well, does it? We all fully expect that the level of art and overall production value for games will slowly go up as more games are vying for people's attention on Facebook, and numerous social game developers have said admitted as much. So the general answer is 'yes.'
Concept Art House CEO James Zhang (his company has created art for Zynga and the rest of the social gaming biggies) breaks it down further in this Inside Social article where he talks about just how important art is to the success of a particular kind of game. It works out to something like this:
Puzzle Games (Bejeweled): Kind of Important
Resource Management Games (Diner Dash): More important than puzzle games
Text-Based Role-Playing Games (Mafia Wars): 'Extremely Important'
Decoration Management Games (FarmVille, Ravenwood Fair): 'Extremely' important to less important
I agree that you can get away with having less than fabulous art for a puzzle game -- though that makes it hard to compete with the likes of Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz -- but I have to question how important it is to have high-end production values and art for a game like Mafia Wars. In fact, when Zynga started to incorporate more Flash elements into the game, there was a major outcry on the forums to keep the game text based and avoid the super snazzy visuals.
I'd also argue that games like FarmVille (categorized by Zhang as 'Decoration Management Games'), production values will start to be more important than ever. First, keep in mind the audience in these games -- women -- who tend to be more concerned with decorative aesthetics than men (a generalization, of course), and that these games rely on people buying virtual items to stay afloat -- and the more attractive they are (just like a clothing or shoe store) the more likely they will be purchased.
Good-looking art in Facebook games: How important is it?
Very importantPretty importantDepends on the gameNot that importantNot important at all
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Concept Art House CEO James Zhang (his company has created art for Zynga and the rest of the social gaming biggies) breaks it down further in this Inside Social article where he talks about just how important art is to the success of a particular kind of game. It works out to something like this:
Puzzle Games (Bejeweled): Kind of Important
Resource Management Games (Diner Dash): More important than puzzle games
Text-Based Role-Playing Games (Mafia Wars): 'Extremely Important'
Decoration Management Games (FarmVille, Ravenwood Fair): 'Extremely' important to less important
I agree that you can get away with having less than fabulous art for a puzzle game -- though that makes it hard to compete with the likes of Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz -- but I have to question how important it is to have high-end production values and art for a game like Mafia Wars. In fact, when Zynga started to incorporate more Flash elements into the game, there was a major outcry on the forums to keep the game text based and avoid the super snazzy visuals.
I'd also argue that games like FarmVille (categorized by Zhang as 'Decoration Management Games'), production values will start to be more important than ever. First, keep in mind the audience in these games -- women -- who tend to be more concerned with decorative aesthetics than men (a generalization, of course), and that these games rely on people buying virtual items to stay afloat -- and the more attractive they are (just like a clothing or shoe store) the more likely they will be purchased.
Good-looking art in Facebook games: How important is it?
Very importantPretty importantDepends on the gameNot that importantNot important at all
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
FrontierVille Fifth Kid Goals: Everything you need to know
Babies!
Tired yet? If not, then let's have a fifth youngin' in FrontierVille, shall we? This Goal series is, again, more of the same--a lot more. Players will have to harvest thousands of resources for this one, but we want to help with a short guide on what needs to be done how you might want to go about it. With no further delay, here are the missions you'll need to accomplish:
Oh Baby?:
-Get 30 Baby Names (request from friends)
-Have 300 Cloth (visit friends regularly)
-Harvest 100 Cabbage
This is what I would call a primer. Zynga just wants to test your limits here, but that's not to say things don't get any worse. All we can say is to never stop harvesting Cabbage. In fact, if you're growing anything else right now and trying to finish these Goals, your running a fool's errand. This is a war of attrition, so just keep firing away.
Find the rest of your quest for successors after the break.
Monkey barsKids are People Too!:
-Have one Milk Jug (Collectible from Barn)
-Have one Goat's Milk (Harvest Goats)
-Buy three Dinners at the Market
This one is going to take some time considering the results of the Barn Daily Bonus collectibles are random, but while you're at it keep visiting those friends and tending those animals for as much Food as possible to buy those Dinners. Do not stop harvesting, tending and visiting.
Babies Have Needs!:
-Have 1,000 Wood
-Have one Ball of Yarn (Collectible from Cotton)
-Get 20 Baby Clothes (request from friends)
OK, so we lied a bit. You're going to need to harvest more than just Cabbage. Not to mention the Ball of Yarn is a random drop from collecting Cotton. Just remember not to turn in the Collection before completing this Goal. In the meantime, keep chopping down those trees and visiting friends.
The Blessed Event!:
-Accept help from 10 Neighbors
-Have Four Cribs in the Barn
-Buy Monkey Bars from the Market (pictured)
Hopefully visiting all those friends will spur them to return the favor even if merely because they're on the same quest. You should be a master carpenter by now from crafting so many Cribs--we're surprised that you can't make the Monkey Bars yourself. Finish this Goal and the fifth child is yours. Just remember to never stop tending, harvesting or visiting and these goals should be done in no time.
Tired yet? If not, then let's have a fifth youngin' in FrontierVille, shall we? This Goal series is, again, more of the same--a lot more. Players will have to harvest thousands of resources for this one, but we want to help with a short guide on what needs to be done how you might want to go about it. With no further delay, here are the missions you'll need to accomplish:
Oh Baby?:
-Get 30 Baby Names (request from friends)
-Have 300 Cloth (visit friends regularly)
-Harvest 100 Cabbage
This is what I would call a primer. Zynga just wants to test your limits here, but that's not to say things don't get any worse. All we can say is to never stop harvesting Cabbage. In fact, if you're growing anything else right now and trying to finish these Goals, your running a fool's errand. This is a war of attrition, so just keep firing away.
Find the rest of your quest for successors after the break.
Monkey barsKids are People Too!:
-Have one Milk Jug (Collectible from Barn)
-Have one Goat's Milk (Harvest Goats)
-Buy three Dinners at the Market
This one is going to take some time considering the results of the Barn Daily Bonus collectibles are random, but while you're at it keep visiting those friends and tending those animals for as much Food as possible to buy those Dinners. Do not stop harvesting, tending and visiting.
Babies Have Needs!:
-Have 1,000 Wood
-Have one Ball of Yarn (Collectible from Cotton)
-Get 20 Baby Clothes (request from friends)
OK, so we lied a bit. You're going to need to harvest more than just Cabbage. Not to mention the Ball of Yarn is a random drop from collecting Cotton. Just remember not to turn in the Collection before completing this Goal. In the meantime, keep chopping down those trees and visiting friends.
The Blessed Event!:
-Accept help from 10 Neighbors
-Have Four Cribs in the Barn
-Buy Monkey Bars from the Market (pictured)
Hopefully visiting all those friends will spur them to return the favor even if merely because they're on the same quest. You should be a master carpenter by now from crafting so many Cribs--we're surprised that you can't make the Monkey Bars yourself. Finish this Goal and the fifth child is yours. Just remember to never stop tending, harvesting or visiting and these goals should be done in no time.
Treasure Isle's Flash Mob Party is tomorrow: Be there... in the forums
Treasure Isle
We hope you're good with a camera. Well, or maybe just with a dash of computer savvy. Tomorrow, Treasure Isle community manager MerMolly is throwing a party in the forums tomorrow at 2 p.m. PST sharp for the most dedicated and Internet fun-loving Treasure Isle players. And she has at least one activity planned for you: treasure hunting, course.
What else would a self-respecting Treasure Isle player want to do at party like this, anyway? You'll be tasked with finding items within the game world at MerMolly's request and posting screen shots of the items in the forums as quickly as possible. And because we're nice guys, here's some tips on getting the quickest screen shots.
For Windows users, all you need to do is press the Print Screen button on your keyboard when you find the item. Then, open up Paint, press CTRL+V and save the file as something memorable and somewhere you're familiar with. Lastly, post a reply to the thread and use the image upload tool there to include your screen shot in a forum post within the thread. You Mac lovers have it even easier: just do one of these two things and then upload the file just like you would on a Windows machine:
-Command+Shift+3: Takes a screenshot of the screen, and saves it as a file on the desktop
-Command+Shift+4, then select an area: Takes a screenshot of an area and saves it as a file on the desktop
Now, have fun at the party tomorrow and good luck--not that you'll need it now that you know the ropes.
We hope you're good with a camera. Well, or maybe just with a dash of computer savvy. Tomorrow, Treasure Isle community manager MerMolly is throwing a party in the forums tomorrow at 2 p.m. PST sharp for the most dedicated and Internet fun-loving Treasure Isle players. And she has at least one activity planned for you: treasure hunting, course.
What else would a self-respecting Treasure Isle player want to do at party like this, anyway? You'll be tasked with finding items within the game world at MerMolly's request and posting screen shots of the items in the forums as quickly as possible. And because we're nice guys, here's some tips on getting the quickest screen shots.
For Windows users, all you need to do is press the Print Screen button on your keyboard when you find the item. Then, open up Paint, press CTRL+V and save the file as something memorable and somewhere you're familiar with. Lastly, post a reply to the thread and use the image upload tool there to include your screen shot in a forum post within the thread. You Mac lovers have it even easier: just do one of these two things and then upload the file just like you would on a Windows machine:
-Command+Shift+3: Takes a screenshot of the screen, and saves it as a file on the desktop
-Command+Shift+4, then select an area: Takes a screenshot of an area and saves it as a file on the desktop
Now, have fun at the party tomorrow and good luck--not that you'll need it now that you know the ropes.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Zynga's CityVille grabs 290 thousand players in 24 hours, best launch yet
CityVille Gameplay
And the results are in. You heard right--CityVille is officially Zynga's most successful release yet hooking 290 thousand players in its first 24 hours. Compare that to when FrontierVille launched to 116 thousand initial players and you have the company's fastest growing game to date. And if it keeps going at a rate even close to this, it'll only be a matter of time before CityVille shatters FrontierVille's current 6.5 million monthly players. And here's an interesting breakdown of what 290 thousand mayors-to-be means to the thousand of cities in CityVille:
2.7 million residences have been built
More than 500,000 bakeries have been built
5 million sections of road have been laid down
25 percent of players have set up franchises in friend's game boards
If only things were going so well in the real world. Though, we're surprised at how few players have built up Franchises considering they're vital to growth. And if you haven't formed a Franchise yet, get to it, will ya? We'll see in the coming months what this extremely impressive start will mean for CityVille.
Did you predict that CityVille would do this well? Do you think it will beat out FrontierVille or, dare I say, FarmVille?
And the results are in. You heard right--CityVille is officially Zynga's most successful release yet hooking 290 thousand players in its first 24 hours. Compare that to when FrontierVille launched to 116 thousand initial players and you have the company's fastest growing game to date. And if it keeps going at a rate even close to this, it'll only be a matter of time before CityVille shatters FrontierVille's current 6.5 million monthly players. And here's an interesting breakdown of what 290 thousand mayors-to-be means to the thousand of cities in CityVille:
2.7 million residences have been built
More than 500,000 bakeries have been built
5 million sections of road have been laid down
25 percent of players have set up franchises in friend's game boards
If only things were going so well in the real world. Though, we're surprised at how few players have built up Franchises considering they're vital to growth. And if you haven't formed a Franchise yet, get to it, will ya? We'll see in the coming months what this extremely impressive start will mean for CityVille.
Did you predict that CityVille would do this well? Do you think it will beat out FrontierVille or, dare I say, FarmVille?
Wishful Features: Helping friends in CityVille for personal gain
CityVille harvest corn
I've been really enjoying CityVille. I'm level 16 now, and it seems as if leveling up is faster in CityVille than a lot of other social games. I'm actually appreciating the fast pace, and it's keeping the game fresh for me. One thing that has been getting on my nerves, is how helping out within your neighbor's city does not give you quest benefits. Here's an example.
Right now, I have the "Harvest Bird Feed" quest, and I need to harvest 6 corn. I planted six corn yesterday, and because it takes a full 24 hours before it can be harvested, I logged in today to harvest it and complete the quest. Before I harvested it, I accepted my friend's help accidentally without checking to see what they would be helping with, and my friend harvested all my corn. I was very disappointed because 1 full day is a long time to wait to harvest a crop.
I presumed that all I needed to do was harvest 6 corn, since that is what the quest told me to do. I visited each of my neighbors and finally found one that had corn grown and ready to harvest, so I happily clicked on the two remaining corn that I needed to complete my quest. Lo and behold, they didn't count for the quest. Disappointedly, I went back and planted more corn and now I have to wait a day before they're ready to harvest.
I wish that quests in CityVille were more literal. If it wants me to just harvest a crop, why does it matter why I harvest it from? It is a social game after all, where my actions that I take with friends should matter. Needless to say, I'm a bit irritated at the moment but I'll be back tomorrow to finish this silly pigeon quest.
I've been really enjoying CityVille. I'm level 16 now, and it seems as if leveling up is faster in CityVille than a lot of other social games. I'm actually appreciating the fast pace, and it's keeping the game fresh for me. One thing that has been getting on my nerves, is how helping out within your neighbor's city does not give you quest benefits. Here's an example.
Right now, I have the "Harvest Bird Feed" quest, and I need to harvest 6 corn. I planted six corn yesterday, and because it takes a full 24 hours before it can be harvested, I logged in today to harvest it and complete the quest. Before I harvested it, I accepted my friend's help accidentally without checking to see what they would be helping with, and my friend harvested all my corn. I was very disappointed because 1 full day is a long time to wait to harvest a crop.
I presumed that all I needed to do was harvest 6 corn, since that is what the quest told me to do. I visited each of my neighbors and finally found one that had corn grown and ready to harvest, so I happily clicked on the two remaining corn that I needed to complete my quest. Lo and behold, they didn't count for the quest. Disappointedly, I went back and planted more corn and now I have to wait a day before they're ready to harvest.
I wish that quests in CityVille were more literal. If it wants me to just harvest a crop, why does it matter why I harvest it from? It is a social game after all, where my actions that I take with friends should matter. Needless to say, I'm a bit irritated at the moment but I'll be back tomorrow to finish this silly pigeon quest.
RockYou goes green by acquiring 3D eco-platform TirNua
TirNua and RockYou
Social game developer RockYou has had its fair share of ups and downs over the past year. With huge successes with their game Zoo World, to a major layoff in October that left behind a smaller team, it's been a rollercoaster for the Redwood City, California company. Last week they announced the acquisition of a small 10-person team that has been working on TirNua, a 3D Flash-based virtual world creation platform.
RockYou's hopes behind TirNua are to make sure they can supply for what they believe will be a growing demand for synchronous (or real-time) gameplay. Many people think that the success of asynchronous games on Facebook is only because no one is creating fun realtime games yet. So far, this hypothesis has yet to prove itself as games that are large multiplayer virtual spaces have yet to be successful. Ohai launched a full-scale MMORPG in City of Eternals, which failed to capture an audience that could support the game's continued development.
This acquisition seems like a gamble in a new direction for RockYou, which could very well play out to the company's benefit. It all depends on whether Facebook game players are interested in more sophisticated gameplay that you might see on a downloadable PC game or console game, or whether Facebook is the king of platforms for small casual asynchronous gameplay.
Social game developer RockYou has had its fair share of ups and downs over the past year. With huge successes with their game Zoo World, to a major layoff in October that left behind a smaller team, it's been a rollercoaster for the Redwood City, California company. Last week they announced the acquisition of a small 10-person team that has been working on TirNua, a 3D Flash-based virtual world creation platform.
RockYou's hopes behind TirNua are to make sure they can supply for what they believe will be a growing demand for synchronous (or real-time) gameplay. Many people think that the success of asynchronous games on Facebook is only because no one is creating fun realtime games yet. So far, this hypothesis has yet to prove itself as games that are large multiplayer virtual spaces have yet to be successful. Ohai launched a full-scale MMORPG in City of Eternals, which failed to capture an audience that could support the game's continued development.
This acquisition seems like a gamble in a new direction for RockYou, which could very well play out to the company's benefit. It all depends on whether Facebook game players are interested in more sophisticated gameplay that you might see on a downloadable PC game or console game, or whether Facebook is the king of platforms for small casual asynchronous gameplay.
Cafe World Cooking Academy Light Blue Cravat Missions: Everything you need to know
The Cafe World Cooking Academy continues to expand in Cafe World, turning into one of the biggest features we've seen released in the game, since perhaps the introduction of the Catering Business. Today, we find that the series of missions leading to your own individual graduation from the in-game Cooking Academy has expanded.
After completing the series of introductory missions, and then earning your Dark Blue Cravat, you'll be told by Chef Matty that you can now make your way through your "studies" as the Cooking Academy (that is, complete more missions), in order to earn a Light Blue Cravat, signifying your progress towards becoming a world famous chef.
Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this series of Light Blue Cravat missions.
The first part of the Light Blue Cravat mission set is called "Upgrading I" and it can be either incredibly easy, or incredibly time consuming, depending on your in-game level. The quest asks you to Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 12 times, Earn 5000 coins (through selling dishes - any dish will do, and in any combination of dishes), and Upgrade your Cafe to the Corner Cafe Expansion.
The Triple Berry Cheesecake is a 12 Hour dish, but you can finish this portion of the quest more quickly if you decide to use some time-saving Spices (if you happen to have any available in your Spice Rack, that is). It's the other two portions of this quest that might be tricky if you're just starting out with the game, as 5,000 coins may take a long time to earn if you only have a handful of serving stations (and even less stoves), or simply don't have the coins to purchase dishes that would earn a lot of coins in return without taking a lot of extra time. Finally, the Corner Cafe is the second expansion available to purchase in the store for 5,000 coins (you must have three neighbors to unlock access to it). Note: If you've already moved past the Corner Cafe in your own Cafe's expansion, this step will be checked for your automatically.
The rewards for completing this part of the quest are 100 coins and 25 Cafe Points.
The second part of the Light Blue Cravat mission set is called "Upgrading II" and it deals with the recently released Collections Cabinet. The tasks therein are to "Place the Collections Cabinet," "Complete the Collections Cabinet," and "Serve Clubhouse Sandwich 8 times." For those who have already placed and completed the Collections Cabinet, these two steps will be completed for you automatically, but for those who haven't, check out our complete guide to the Collections Cabinet here. As for the Clubhouse Sandwiches, they will take 18 hours to cook, unless you choose to Spice them and speed up the cooking time (or place them on a faster Lightning Stove).
The reward for completing this mission is 10 Cafe Cash. Yes, that's right - Cafe Cash - the game's premium currency, which should make most users fairly happen that they've gone through the trouble of completing all of the missions leading up to this point.
Unfortunately, after you reach this point, the Cooking Academy missions stop, without letting us earn our White Cravats. We're told that more features to the Cooking Academy are "coming soon," and that we should go back to completing other goals while we wait. For lower level players, this seems fine, as it's unlikely that they will have finished everything, but for higher level players, the amount of "hand-holding" taking place with these tutorial-like quests has made some veterans want to revolt. In fact, an entire discussion has started on the official Cafe World forums to that effect.
We'll be sure to let you know when more of the Cooking Academy missions open up for users to complete, and what effect this will all have on the Specialty section of the cookbook, which will apparently open up for users upon their graduation from the Academy.
That all being said, we want to know what you guys think about these missions. What level are you in Cafe World? Have you finished these missions, or are you still waiting on certain dishes to cook? Is the 10 Cafe Cash bonus at the end really worth all of the time it takes to finish these three sets of missions?
After completing the series of introductory missions, and then earning your Dark Blue Cravat, you'll be told by Chef Matty that you can now make your way through your "studies" as the Cooking Academy (that is, complete more missions), in order to earn a Light Blue Cravat, signifying your progress towards becoming a world famous chef.
Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this series of Light Blue Cravat missions.
The first part of the Light Blue Cravat mission set is called "Upgrading I" and it can be either incredibly easy, or incredibly time consuming, depending on your in-game level. The quest asks you to Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 12 times, Earn 5000 coins (through selling dishes - any dish will do, and in any combination of dishes), and Upgrade your Cafe to the Corner Cafe Expansion.
The Triple Berry Cheesecake is a 12 Hour dish, but you can finish this portion of the quest more quickly if you decide to use some time-saving Spices (if you happen to have any available in your Spice Rack, that is). It's the other two portions of this quest that might be tricky if you're just starting out with the game, as 5,000 coins may take a long time to earn if you only have a handful of serving stations (and even less stoves), or simply don't have the coins to purchase dishes that would earn a lot of coins in return without taking a lot of extra time. Finally, the Corner Cafe is the second expansion available to purchase in the store for 5,000 coins (you must have three neighbors to unlock access to it). Note: If you've already moved past the Corner Cafe in your own Cafe's expansion, this step will be checked for your automatically.
The rewards for completing this part of the quest are 100 coins and 25 Cafe Points.
The second part of the Light Blue Cravat mission set is called "Upgrading II" and it deals with the recently released Collections Cabinet. The tasks therein are to "Place the Collections Cabinet," "Complete the Collections Cabinet," and "Serve Clubhouse Sandwich 8 times." For those who have already placed and completed the Collections Cabinet, these two steps will be completed for you automatically, but for those who haven't, check out our complete guide to the Collections Cabinet here. As for the Clubhouse Sandwiches, they will take 18 hours to cook, unless you choose to Spice them and speed up the cooking time (or place them on a faster Lightning Stove).
The reward for completing this mission is 10 Cafe Cash. Yes, that's right - Cafe Cash - the game's premium currency, which should make most users fairly happen that they've gone through the trouble of completing all of the missions leading up to this point.
Unfortunately, after you reach this point, the Cooking Academy missions stop, without letting us earn our White Cravats. We're told that more features to the Cooking Academy are "coming soon," and that we should go back to completing other goals while we wait. For lower level players, this seems fine, as it's unlikely that they will have finished everything, but for higher level players, the amount of "hand-holding" taking place with these tutorial-like quests has made some veterans want to revolt. In fact, an entire discussion has started on the official Cafe World forums to that effect.
We'll be sure to let you know when more of the Cooking Academy missions open up for users to complete, and what effect this will all have on the Specialty section of the cookbook, which will apparently open up for users upon their graduation from the Academy.
That all being said, we want to know what you guys think about these missions. What level are you in Cafe World? Have you finished these missions, or are you still waiting on certain dishes to cook? Is the 10 Cafe Cash bonus at the end really worth all of the time it takes to finish these three sets of missions?
Cafe World Company Holiday Party Catering Job: Everything you need to know
While we (unfortunately) may not be able to decorate our Cafe World cafes for the holidays, as Zynga has yet to release new decorations fitting in such a theme, we can still celebrate a bit of the holiday spirit with a new Cafe World Catering Job called "Company Holiday Party."
This job will see you serving two dishes and collecting three different items in your quest to unlock the 3-star bonus, and receive a new, exclusive recipe in the process.
Meet us behind the break for a full look at this new order.
The Company Holiday Party has just two dishes that must be cooked, but they require fairly high quantities of both. You'll need to serve Clubhouse Sandwiches 178 times, and Spicy Devil Eggs 90 times (or spend 20 Cafe Cash, or 16 Cafe Cash to unlock these steps, respectively, if you so choose).
Both of these dishes take 18 hours to cook, which is a heck of a long time, considering the fact that you only have three days to finish this job with a three star rating. Speaking of, the three star rating will reward you with 12 Catering Points, 4,725 Cafe Points (the game's experience points), 113,400 coins, and the Snack Platter recipe, which is only available through completing the Catering Order.
You have 5 days to earn the two-star rating, which rewards 8 Catering Points, 3,375 Cafe Points and 81,000 coins, while finishing the job anytime after the full five day time limit will reward you with a single-star rating. This equates to 4 Catering Points, 2,025 Cafe Points, and 48,600 coins. Sure, earning three stars would be nice, but when you can earn over 2,000 experience points for simply finishing the mission, regardless of time, it makes this one definitely seem worthwhile.
The other part of this job asks you to collect 30 items with the help of friends. You'll need to collect 10 Santa Hats, 10 Secret Santa Gifts, and 10 Catering Utensil Sets. You can either purchase these for 2 Cafe Cash each (that is, 20 Cafe Cash total, if you wanted to purchase all 10 of one item), or you can click on the "Ask for More" button next to any of the items to be taken to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can ask individual friends for help in collecting the items you need.
As for the cooking portion of this job, you can have a total of 11 crew members, including yourself, working on this job. Since the job just launched, it's likely that you'll find a lot of friends who are actively working on completing it as well, so your best bet is to jump in with them sooner, rather than later, so you can take advantage of as much help as you possibly can (after all, it would be impossible to finish the job within three days just by yourself).
To add members to your Crew, simply click on the "Ask for Help!" button (seen at the bottom of the image above) to send out requests for users to join your crew, or head to the Catering Business menu window and click on the "Help Friends" button to see friends who have already started the job. From there, you can voluntarily join in, no questions asked, so long as there is still room in that friend's crew.
Since we're not sure when Zynga will actually release Holiday themed decor in Cafe World (we can only assume that they will, but even that isn't guaranteed), this looks like it might be as close as we get to celebrating the season in the game anytime soon. We'll be sure to let you know when and if that changes in the future.
This job will see you serving two dishes and collecting three different items in your quest to unlock the 3-star bonus, and receive a new, exclusive recipe in the process.
Meet us behind the break for a full look at this new order.
The Company Holiday Party has just two dishes that must be cooked, but they require fairly high quantities of both. You'll need to serve Clubhouse Sandwiches 178 times, and Spicy Devil Eggs 90 times (or spend 20 Cafe Cash, or 16 Cafe Cash to unlock these steps, respectively, if you so choose).
Both of these dishes take 18 hours to cook, which is a heck of a long time, considering the fact that you only have three days to finish this job with a three star rating. Speaking of, the three star rating will reward you with 12 Catering Points, 4,725 Cafe Points (the game's experience points), 113,400 coins, and the Snack Platter recipe, which is only available through completing the Catering Order.
You have 5 days to earn the two-star rating, which rewards 8 Catering Points, 3,375 Cafe Points and 81,000 coins, while finishing the job anytime after the full five day time limit will reward you with a single-star rating. This equates to 4 Catering Points, 2,025 Cafe Points, and 48,600 coins. Sure, earning three stars would be nice, but when you can earn over 2,000 experience points for simply finishing the mission, regardless of time, it makes this one definitely seem worthwhile.
The other part of this job asks you to collect 30 items with the help of friends. You'll need to collect 10 Santa Hats, 10 Secret Santa Gifts, and 10 Catering Utensil Sets. You can either purchase these for 2 Cafe Cash each (that is, 20 Cafe Cash total, if you wanted to purchase all 10 of one item), or you can click on the "Ask for More" button next to any of the items to be taken to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can ask individual friends for help in collecting the items you need.
As for the cooking portion of this job, you can have a total of 11 crew members, including yourself, working on this job. Since the job just launched, it's likely that you'll find a lot of friends who are actively working on completing it as well, so your best bet is to jump in with them sooner, rather than later, so you can take advantage of as much help as you possibly can (after all, it would be impossible to finish the job within three days just by yourself).
To add members to your Crew, simply click on the "Ask for Help!" button (seen at the bottom of the image above) to send out requests for users to join your crew, or head to the Catering Business menu window and click on the "Help Friends" button to see friends who have already started the job. From there, you can voluntarily join in, no questions asked, so long as there is still room in that friend's crew.
Since we're not sure when Zynga will actually release Holiday themed decor in Cafe World (we can only assume that they will, but even that isn't guaranteed), this looks like it might be as close as we get to celebrating the season in the game anytime soon. We'll be sure to let you know when and if that changes in the future.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mafia Wars Atlantic City pillages Android, Blackberry and webOS
While Mafia Wars Atlantic City landed on iPhone browsers some time ago, Zynga recently announced that the new and improved mobile version of the gang busting game has finally arrived on Android, Blackberry and webOS browsers. While iPhone, Blackberry and webOS players can simply type "m.mafiawars.com" (iPhone users can even save it as a web app), Android users have the option to use GetJar to access the new game as well.
By following this link: "http://www.getjar.com/Mafia-Wars" you can specify your Android phone model and download the game. Mafia Wars Atlantic City, which makes liberal use of your mobile browser, was developed using HTML5, TechCrunch reports. And considering Apple's iOS devices do not support Flash, this must be how it works on the iPhone as well. The tech blog also reports that the recently announced Zynga Poker for Android will be here later this week as Live Poker. To get a better idea of what this new mobile edition of Mafia Wars might be like on the other platforms, check out our detailed look at Mafia Wars Atlantic City on the iPhone.
By following this link: "http://www.getjar.com/Mafia-Wars" you can specify your Android phone model and download the game. Mafia Wars Atlantic City, which makes liberal use of your mobile browser, was developed using HTML5, TechCrunch reports. And considering Apple's iOS devices do not support Flash, this must be how it works on the iPhone as well. The tech blog also reports that the recently announced Zynga Poker for Android will be here later this week as Live Poker. To get a better idea of what this new mobile edition of Mafia Wars might be like on the other platforms, check out our detailed look at Mafia Wars Atlantic City on the iPhone.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Microsoft Office 2010 promotion
Just in time for some last-minute holiday shopping in FarmVille, Zynga has given users another activity to participate in, rewarding them with 2 free Farm Cash for doing so.
The activity is one that advertises Microsoft Office 2010, and you can take part in it by looking for the "Sponsored Link" window below the FarmVille gameplay area - just look for an image like that at the right of this post and you'll know you've found it. Here's the link for those that don't see the activity on their account, but note that we can not guarantee that it will work for you - you may need to wait for it to actually appear on your own game before you can claim the two free Farm Cash.
Once you click on the link, you'll be shown a trailer for the computer program in a new window, and will be asked how you will "Make it great." You'll be able to choose from a variety of responses, and your answer will be submitted even before the trailer ends (if you're quick enough). Once you see the "You've earned your Farm Cash" text appear in the top right corner of the screen, you'll be able to freely close this new window.
Head back to your FarmVille game and you'll see that your Farm Cash total will have gone up by 2 Farm Cash, for just a couple of minutes (at most) of your time. How great is that?
The activity is one that advertises Microsoft Office 2010, and you can take part in it by looking for the "Sponsored Link" window below the FarmVille gameplay area - just look for an image like that at the right of this post and you'll know you've found it. Here's the link for those that don't see the activity on their account, but note that we can not guarantee that it will work for you - you may need to wait for it to actually appear on your own game before you can claim the two free Farm Cash.
Once you click on the link, you'll be shown a trailer for the computer program in a new window, and will be asked how you will "Make it great." You'll be able to choose from a variety of responses, and your answer will be submitted even before the trailer ends (if you're quick enough). Once you see the "You've earned your Farm Cash" text appear in the top right corner of the screen, you'll be able to freely close this new window.
Head back to your FarmVille game and you'll see that your Farm Cash total will have gone up by 2 Farm Cash, for just a couple of minutes (at most) of your time. How great is that?
FarmVille: Zynga fixes Snowman event issues, considers compensation for the affected [UPDATE]
If you're one of the many FarmVille players that were having a difficult time completing their Snowman in the newly released Snowball Fight feature in FarmVille, you'll be happy to know that the FarmVille team at Zynga has been hard at work fixing the issues that were previously present, and all things should be back to normal by this point.
For those that weren't affected, users had been having trouble when asking users directly for items (buttons, scarves, and the like), in that they could ask their friends via wall posts, their friends could respond to said request, and yet no item was being sent. This issue has been fixed, along with a much-needed change in the selection of friends whose walls you can post on to begin with.
For many farmers (myself included), the list of three friends that I could ask for Snowballs was static and didn't change. This wasn't how the feature was supposed to work, as the users available to ask should be rotating once every 24 hours. Now, this part of the feature apparently works as it was intended, so feel free to start checking to see if you have any FarmVille players in that list of three that you can ask.
As a result of the inconvenience players have suffered as a result of these unforeseen glitches, Zynga is "evaluating" the possibility of offering some form of compensation to those players that were affected by the above Snowman issues, or any others that they have now fixed. There has been no statement as to what compensation users would receive exactly, if it actually comes to that, but it is promising to hear that the team is at least considering it.
[UPDATE: Users that were affected by the issue have now been given 20 free Farm Cash, as seen in the pop-up below. You'll see this pop-up the next time you load FarmVille, after this update has rolled out to your game]
For those that weren't affected, users had been having trouble when asking users directly for items (buttons, scarves, and the like), in that they could ask their friends via wall posts, their friends could respond to said request, and yet no item was being sent. This issue has been fixed, along with a much-needed change in the selection of friends whose walls you can post on to begin with.
For many farmers (myself included), the list of three friends that I could ask for Snowballs was static and didn't change. This wasn't how the feature was supposed to work, as the users available to ask should be rotating once every 24 hours. Now, this part of the feature apparently works as it was intended, so feel free to start checking to see if you have any FarmVille players in that list of three that you can ask.
As a result of the inconvenience players have suffered as a result of these unforeseen glitches, Zynga is "evaluating" the possibility of offering some form of compensation to those players that were affected by the above Snowman issues, or any others that they have now fixed. There has been no statement as to what compensation users would receive exactly, if it actually comes to that, but it is promising to hear that the team is at least considering it.
[UPDATE: Users that were affected by the issue have now been given 20 free Farm Cash, as seen in the pop-up below. You'll see this pop-up the next time you load FarmVille, after this update has rolled out to your game]
Mafia Wars: Earn a free gift daily through the New Year from official fan page
Zynga is looking to end the year of 2010 with a bang in Mafia Wars, as they have launched a new gifting event in Mafia Wars, that will see Zynga gifting fans of the game on Facebook with a single free gift, once per day, from now until the New Year.
Zynga didn't exactly announce the range of gift types that we'd be receiving, but they did already give us our gift for today - a single Health Point. Sure, this may not seem like a lot, but now, you won't have to spend one of your hard-earned Skill Points to raise your health another point, and can use that Skill Point elsewhere, thanks to this free boost. To be clear, this is a permanent addition to your maximum amount of Health Points in the game, not a simple 1-point refill, making it a bit more worthwhile to claim.
What will tomorrow's gift be? How about the gift after that? Will these be status updates, or in-game items like weapons or vehicles? All of that remains to be seen at this point, but what is clear is how easy it is to earn these new items.
Simply become a fan of the official Mafia Wars fan page on Facebook. From there, you'll see your daily free gift via fan page posts, and can click on links provided to head to the game and claim your free gift. Told you it was easy!
Zynga didn't exactly announce the range of gift types that we'd be receiving, but they did already give us our gift for today - a single Health Point. Sure, this may not seem like a lot, but now, you won't have to spend one of your hard-earned Skill Points to raise your health another point, and can use that Skill Point elsewhere, thanks to this free boost. To be clear, this is a permanent addition to your maximum amount of Health Points in the game, not a simple 1-point refill, making it a bit more worthwhile to claim.
What will tomorrow's gift be? How about the gift after that? Will these be status updates, or in-game items like weapons or vehicles? All of that remains to be seen at this point, but what is clear is how easy it is to earn these new items.
Simply become a fan of the official Mafia Wars fan page on Facebook. From there, you'll see your daily free gift via fan page posts, and can click on links provided to head to the game and claim your free gift. Told you it was easy!
Kingdom Saga on Facebook: FrontierVille meets a true city-builder in ancient times
With the load of similar titles being released after FrontierVille landed on the Facebook gaming scene earlier this year, it's no surprise that yet another "clone" title would be released. This time around, we see Koramgame hoping to latch onto the success found by titles like FrontierVille, and more recently Ravenwood Fair, by offering a new game called Kingdom Saga, that incorporates major gameplay elements from both of these games, but offers them in a setting that's 40,000 years in the past.
As the cave man or cave woman or your own design, you'll be able to build various structures in your kingdom, but only after you clear the land of debris (grasses, rocks and the like) first. From there, it's a bit of a city-building game, mixed in with basic quests, as items must be connected with roads in order to function.
For more information about Kingdom Saga, meet us behind the break.
Kingdom Saga resembles FrontierVille in the way that Bonus Pop-ups appear after collecting from buildings (which earn profits over time), and in the overall quest set-up that sees you purchasing certain items, completing the building of Wigwams and other buildings, and so on. Of course, an energy bar is also present here, so you'll need to wait for your energy to recharge once it empties to continue participating in most in-game actions.
For those that prefer Ravenwood Fair, there are elements of that game here as well, as you can only clear out debris that is closest to you. That is, you'll have to work your way outwards from the middle of your kingdom when you clear the land - you can't walk over one piece of grass to get to another.
As the game combines these elements with those from a city-building game, there is a bit of refreshing uniqueness here. When you build a home, for example, you'll be able to invite one of your real-world Facebook friends to live in that home. Oddly, they'll be given the standard avatar to represent them as they walk around the town, so boys in the real world could be presented as girls in the game, and vice versa. If you can get the friend to actually start playing the game, however, you can customize their appearance.
When not completing quests, the majority of your time early on will be spent clearing the land. This uses your energy, but also earns you experience points. As you level up using these points, you'll be able to unlock the ability to purchase more homes for your village, and therefore add more friends to your town. You'll also be able to add numerous decorative items to your town, including a slew of Christmas-themed items, if you choose to start playing the game before the holiday season ends.
Once you reach level 5, you'll be able to build Resource Buildings, allowing you to earn wood and stone which are gathered just like wood or food would be in something like FrontierVille. In addition to these structures, you can purchase actual businesses, like wineries and clothing markets that will earn "taxes," that need to be collected once full (think of collecting from an attraction in Tiki Resort or Happy Island, as examples, and you have the system here).
In terms of social elements, you can visit your neighbors' towns at will, and in doing so, will be given the opportunity to "Help Out" at a handful of businesses or shops, earning you additional coins and "Love," or reputation points (this is an exact replica of the system in FrontierVille). You can also choose from a number of free gift items to send to your friends if you'd like.
As with other "ancient" city-building games, Kingdom Saga will soon be given Wonders, presumably allowing you to build real historical items in your town.
All told, Kingdom Saga looks to be a solid offering in both the city-building genre, and in those games that can be respectfully called FarmVille clones. It seems to offer enough unique features to keep one interested over time, and with the mass amount of Facebook games anyone can choose to play, you can't really ask for anything more than that.
As the cave man or cave woman or your own design, you'll be able to build various structures in your kingdom, but only after you clear the land of debris (grasses, rocks and the like) first. From there, it's a bit of a city-building game, mixed in with basic quests, as items must be connected with roads in order to function.
For more information about Kingdom Saga, meet us behind the break.
Kingdom Saga resembles FrontierVille in the way that Bonus Pop-ups appear after collecting from buildings (which earn profits over time), and in the overall quest set-up that sees you purchasing certain items, completing the building of Wigwams and other buildings, and so on. Of course, an energy bar is also present here, so you'll need to wait for your energy to recharge once it empties to continue participating in most in-game actions.
For those that prefer Ravenwood Fair, there are elements of that game here as well, as you can only clear out debris that is closest to you. That is, you'll have to work your way outwards from the middle of your kingdom when you clear the land - you can't walk over one piece of grass to get to another.
As the game combines these elements with those from a city-building game, there is a bit of refreshing uniqueness here. When you build a home, for example, you'll be able to invite one of your real-world Facebook friends to live in that home. Oddly, they'll be given the standard avatar to represent them as they walk around the town, so boys in the real world could be presented as girls in the game, and vice versa. If you can get the friend to actually start playing the game, however, you can customize their appearance.
When not completing quests, the majority of your time early on will be spent clearing the land. This uses your energy, but also earns you experience points. As you level up using these points, you'll be able to unlock the ability to purchase more homes for your village, and therefore add more friends to your town. You'll also be able to add numerous decorative items to your town, including a slew of Christmas-themed items, if you choose to start playing the game before the holiday season ends.
Once you reach level 5, you'll be able to build Resource Buildings, allowing you to earn wood and stone which are gathered just like wood or food would be in something like FrontierVille. In addition to these structures, you can purchase actual businesses, like wineries and clothing markets that will earn "taxes," that need to be collected once full (think of collecting from an attraction in Tiki Resort or Happy Island, as examples, and you have the system here).
In terms of social elements, you can visit your neighbors' towns at will, and in doing so, will be given the opportunity to "Help Out" at a handful of businesses or shops, earning you additional coins and "Love," or reputation points (this is an exact replica of the system in FrontierVille). You can also choose from a number of free gift items to send to your friends if you'd like.
As with other "ancient" city-building games, Kingdom Saga will soon be given Wonders, presumably allowing you to build real historical items in your town.
All told, Kingdom Saga looks to be a solid offering in both the city-building genre, and in those games that can be respectfully called FarmVille clones. It seems to offer enough unique features to keep one interested over time, and with the mass amount of Facebook games anyone can choose to play, you can't really ask for anything more than that.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
6waves Lolapps takes to the skies in Ravenskye City on Facebook
Ravenwood Fair has officially made it to the deluxe apartment in the sky, so to speak. The game's new duo of creators, 6waves Lolapps, announced the launch of the next episode in the Raven series of Facebook games today as a standalone app, Ravenskye City. In that regard, the game is quite similar to Zynga's recent Pioneer Trail, except for the fact that Ravenwood Fair still exists.
Jokes aside, 6waves Lolapps is employing a similar strategy to its top competitor, releasing a full-blown sequel to its mega hit Facebook game. The company's previous release was an expansion upon Ravenwood Fair with Ravenstone Mine. Unsurprisingly, the prefix "Raven" has become a brand for 6waves Lolapps, 6waves Lolapps co-founder Kavin Stewart told VentureBeat. Another game is in the works for the series, Ravenshire Castle, according to VentureBeat.
While Ravenskye City looks quite a lot like previous games in the series, 6waves Lolapps is looking to improve the series in more ways than just content. We punched up the storytelling," Lolapps VP of content Constantine Hantzopoulos told VentureBeat. "That's one of the things we learned from Ravenwood Fair."
Ravenskye City gameplay
The game, which throws players into the familiar situation of having to restore a ramshackle property (only this time ... it's in the sky), makes liberal use of the recently-acquired Fliso Engine. It's thanks to this technology that the game is reportedly smoother and features complex weather effects like rain and tornadoes. The city is comprised of bird-like creatures, a departure from the moles of Ravenstone Mine and the bears and woodland creatures of Ravenwood Fair.
Ravenskye City is said to launch today, though our attempts to get into the game have been unsuccessful thus far. During your exploits in Ravenskye, you'll restore an abandoned city to its former glory, customizing it along the way with several decorations. Of course, you're governed by an Energy system. To get a better idea of the game, check out the trailer below.
[Update: A 6waves Lolapps representative tells us that the game is scheduled to launch today at 4 p.m. PST.]
Jokes aside, 6waves Lolapps is employing a similar strategy to its top competitor, releasing a full-blown sequel to its mega hit Facebook game. The company's previous release was an expansion upon Ravenwood Fair with Ravenstone Mine. Unsurprisingly, the prefix "Raven" has become a brand for 6waves Lolapps, 6waves Lolapps co-founder Kavin Stewart told VentureBeat. Another game is in the works for the series, Ravenshire Castle, according to VentureBeat.
While Ravenskye City looks quite a lot like previous games in the series, 6waves Lolapps is looking to improve the series in more ways than just content. We punched up the storytelling," Lolapps VP of content Constantine Hantzopoulos told VentureBeat. "That's one of the things we learned from Ravenwood Fair."
Ravenskye City gameplay
The game, which throws players into the familiar situation of having to restore a ramshackle property (only this time ... it's in the sky), makes liberal use of the recently-acquired Fliso Engine. It's thanks to this technology that the game is reportedly smoother and features complex weather effects like rain and tornadoes. The city is comprised of bird-like creatures, a departure from the moles of Ravenstone Mine and the bears and woodland creatures of Ravenwood Fair.
Ravenskye City is said to launch today, though our attempts to get into the game have been unsuccessful thus far. During your exploits in Ravenskye, you'll restore an abandoned city to its former glory, customizing it along the way with several decorations. Of course, you're governed by an Energy system. To get a better idea of the game, check out the trailer below.
[Update: A 6waves Lolapps representative tells us that the game is scheduled to launch today at 4 p.m. PST.]
Zynga readies, aims and fires its live Mafia Wars 2 round at Facebook
The second salvo of digital death and destruction has been fired on Facebook. Zynga has officially launched Mafia Wars 2 in a slow roll-out (we imagine) on the social network. The game, developed by much of the same team that worked on the original, is the first direct sequel to a Zynga game, and it takes the series in a vastly different direction.
Mafia Wars 2, while it looks strikingly similar to competitors like Crime City, is essentially an animated, visual representation of the chaos you've reigned upon the world since way back in 2008. You'll build a brand new crime empire on the outskirts of Las Vegas, defending it from random thugs hailing from either storyline enemies or your enemies' friends' gangs. The isometric perspective of this new version of Mafia Wars puts an even more intense focus on the violence of mob life.
Peppered throughout your travels across seven areas of the city that never sleeps--Casino Row, Granite Square, Neon Strip, Downtown, Bluebird Meadows, Boxer Island and Westside Wharf--are heavy doses of player vs player combat (PvP). In addition to invading neighboring turf, players can take the fight to three PvP arenas: Bone Yard, Badlands and Area 51. It's here where players will fight asynchronously, rob one another and spark rivalries.
Gallery: Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook
Zynga's next take on Mafia Wars will allow players to customize nearly ad infinitum with over 300 types of weapons and armor as well as over 600 pieces of decorative clothing. And Mafia Wars 2 will be Zynga's first game available in 16 languages (including English): French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Japanese and Thai.
As the original Mafia Wars steadily loses monthly and daily players, according to AppData, it looks like Zynga hopes to revive the franchise with a full-blown sequel. However, we've been assured that the developer plans to keep the 3-year-old game alive as long as the players keep coming back. Though, after a look at this brand spankin' new version, we wonder how long that will last.
Mafia Wars 2, while it looks strikingly similar to competitors like Crime City, is essentially an animated, visual representation of the chaos you've reigned upon the world since way back in 2008. You'll build a brand new crime empire on the outskirts of Las Vegas, defending it from random thugs hailing from either storyline enemies or your enemies' friends' gangs. The isometric perspective of this new version of Mafia Wars puts an even more intense focus on the violence of mob life.
Peppered throughout your travels across seven areas of the city that never sleeps--Casino Row, Granite Square, Neon Strip, Downtown, Bluebird Meadows, Boxer Island and Westside Wharf--are heavy doses of player vs player combat (PvP). In addition to invading neighboring turf, players can take the fight to three PvP arenas: Bone Yard, Badlands and Area 51. It's here where players will fight asynchronously, rob one another and spark rivalries.
Gallery: Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook
Zynga's next take on Mafia Wars will allow players to customize nearly ad infinitum with over 300 types of weapons and armor as well as over 600 pieces of decorative clothing. And Mafia Wars 2 will be Zynga's first game available in 16 languages (including English): French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Japanese and Thai.
As the original Mafia Wars steadily loses monthly and daily players, according to AppData, it looks like Zynga hopes to revive the franchise with a full-blown sequel. However, we've been assured that the developer plans to keep the 3-year-old game alive as long as the players keep coming back. Though, after a look at this brand spankin' new version, we wonder how long that will last.
Playdom leads gamers into double life in Secret Agent X on Facebook
By day, you're a suburban soccer mom who brings dinner to the table for her kids. By night, you're a secret agent working for an undercover organization that keeps the world safe. This is the general premise for Playdom's next game since Disney's GnomeTown, Secret Agent X. The game, set to launch this fall, pits you against the evil organization known as SCAM.
All Things Digital reports that the game is available in some international markets in a closed beta test. The Disney-owned developer released a teaser trailer that reveals next to nothing about its gameplay, but we can always image what it'll be like. Based on what Playdom has told ATD, the game will send players on adventures using high-tech gadgets only to have them return home to the normal duties of suburban life.
It's easy to envision "home" being the hub of the game in which you customize a house, while you explore large maps on missions as a secret agent. (Again, this is speculation.) Playdom tells ATD that, starting with Secret Agent X, the company will release a dozen games within the next year. Up to three of those games--coming in January, March and August 2012--will revolve around Disney brands, according to ATD.
Playdom has been under fire from analysts for dragging its feet into the social games race since Disney bought it for a whopping $563.2 million over a year ago. How does the developer plan to catch up to the likes of wooga, Playfish and possibly Zynga: Explore new concepts and leverage the bevy of Disney mega brands. "A year after the acquisition, we are successfully transitioning into an operating division within Disney," Playdom COO Brad Serwin told ATD. "We are 100 percent back to work."
All Things Digital reports that the game is available in some international markets in a closed beta test. The Disney-owned developer released a teaser trailer that reveals next to nothing about its gameplay, but we can always image what it'll be like. Based on what Playdom has told ATD, the game will send players on adventures using high-tech gadgets only to have them return home to the normal duties of suburban life.
It's easy to envision "home" being the hub of the game in which you customize a house, while you explore large maps on missions as a secret agent. (Again, this is speculation.) Playdom tells ATD that, starting with Secret Agent X, the company will release a dozen games within the next year. Up to three of those games--coming in January, March and August 2012--will revolve around Disney brands, according to ATD.
Playdom has been under fire from analysts for dragging its feet into the social games race since Disney bought it for a whopping $563.2 million over a year ago. How does the developer plan to catch up to the likes of wooga, Playfish and possibly Zynga: Explore new concepts and leverage the bevy of Disney mega brands. "A year after the acquisition, we are successfully transitioning into an operating division within Disney," Playdom COO Brad Serwin told ATD. "We are 100 percent back to work."
Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots lets the fur fly on iPhone, iPad this month
Well, the fruit will fly, too, no? The fruity fur? The furry fruit--ah, whatever--Halfbrick has teamed up with Dreamworks and THQ to release Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots, a brand new version of the hit mobile game for iPhone ($.99) and iPad ($1.99). The new game will release on Oct. 20, just eight days before Puss in Boots, the cat's self-titled big screen soirée, hits theaters.
Halfbrick has certainly been busy with Fruit Ninja, coming hot off the heels of Fruit Ninja Frenzy for Facebook. Sure, this is a branded game aimed at keeping the buzz for the upcoming film alive, but it sounds like the Halfbrick team has crafted a labor of love for the lithe feline. This new take on Fruit Ninja features two new modes--Desperado and Bandito--that look to seriously challenge veteran fruit ninjas.
Desperado is a new take on Classic Mode that packs new Magic Beans (an alternative to Bananas, we imagine) and new types of waves, while Bandito puts players through four tiers of unique, increasingly difficult slicing challenges. Judging from the game's trailer (seen below), we're looking at lots and lots ... and lots of bombs.
"The fun and adventure of the Puss in Boots world lends itself perfectly to the core gameplay of Fruit Ninja," Halfbrick CMO Phil Larsen said in a release. "We wanted to create something new and different for our fans while keeping the magic of Fruit Ninja intact, and we think Bandito Mode will keep even the most practiced players on their toes. It's totally rad!" Yup, that sounds like a guy from Halfbrick, alright.
Halfbrick has certainly been busy with Fruit Ninja, coming hot off the heels of Fruit Ninja Frenzy for Facebook. Sure, this is a branded game aimed at keeping the buzz for the upcoming film alive, but it sounds like the Halfbrick team has crafted a labor of love for the lithe feline. This new take on Fruit Ninja features two new modes--Desperado and Bandito--that look to seriously challenge veteran fruit ninjas.
Desperado is a new take on Classic Mode that packs new Magic Beans (an alternative to Bananas, we imagine) and new types of waves, while Bandito puts players through four tiers of unique, increasingly difficult slicing challenges. Judging from the game's trailer (seen below), we're looking at lots and lots ... and lots of bombs.
"The fun and adventure of the Puss in Boots world lends itself perfectly to the core gameplay of Fruit Ninja," Halfbrick CMO Phil Larsen said in a release. "We wanted to create something new and different for our fans while keeping the magic of Fruit Ninja intact, and we think Bandito Mode will keep even the most practiced players on their toes. It's totally rad!" Yup, that sounds like a guy from Halfbrick, alright.
Family Feud maker iWin hires Loot Drop's Laralyn McWilliams
Before the studio released even its first Facebook game, Cloudforest Expedition, social game exec Laralyn McWilliams has left Loot Drop and joined iWin as its VP of Creative, Inside Social Games reports. After mere months with seasoned designer John Romero's Loot Drop, McWilliams joins Dragons of Atlantis developer Nick Rush and mobile developer Randy Angle at iWin.
Best known for its social renditions of popular game shows like Family Feud and 1 vs 100, iWin looks to use these strategic hires to get its list of casual downloadable games onto social and mobile platforms. Before joining Loot Drop for a short time and now iWin, McWilliams worked with Sony Online Entertainment on Free Realms and a number of Facebook games that were unfortunately axed before release.
"I had a change of heart and wound up accepting at iWin," McWilliams explained to ISG. "There's a great gift with iWin's brands in that they've been tested [and] there's a wealth of content and learning. The greatest challenge is taking the brands an extending them into some of the new spaces - like [making] a Jewel Quest mobile game, for example. That's what appeals to me about this role. I'm always interested in new frontiers."
ISG reports that Rush and Angle will focus on social and mobile, respectively, and we imagine they will report to McWilliams in some capacity. McWilliams, while she couldn't confirm to the website whether iWin originals like Jewel Quest would come to Facebook, doubts that iWin will ignore them in its increased social and mobile efforts. You know, because we certainly don't have enough match-three games on Facebook already.
Best known for its social renditions of popular game shows like Family Feud and 1 vs 100, iWin looks to use these strategic hires to get its list of casual downloadable games onto social and mobile platforms. Before joining Loot Drop for a short time and now iWin, McWilliams worked with Sony Online Entertainment on Free Realms and a number of Facebook games that were unfortunately axed before release.
"I had a change of heart and wound up accepting at iWin," McWilliams explained to ISG. "There's a great gift with iWin's brands in that they've been tested [and] there's a wealth of content and learning. The greatest challenge is taking the brands an extending them into some of the new spaces - like [making] a Jewel Quest mobile game, for example. That's what appeals to me about this role. I'm always interested in new frontiers."
ISG reports that Rush and Angle will focus on social and mobile, respectively, and we imagine they will report to McWilliams in some capacity. McWilliams, while she couldn't confirm to the website whether iWin originals like Jewel Quest would come to Facebook, doubts that iWin will ignore them in its increased social and mobile efforts. You know, because we certainly don't have enough match-three games on Facebook already.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
FarmVille Valentine's Day Decorations: Valentine House, Cupid Gnome, Rose Bush & More
Tonight's FarmVille update saw the Valentine's Day theme being released in full force in the store, with not only a new building to purchase, but also quite a few new decorative items, most of which we'd given you a sneak preview of over the past week or so.
The new building is the Valentine House [pictured above], which can be purchased for 20 Farm Cash. As a limited edition building, it will be available to purchase for the next 13 days from the store. You'll receive 2,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it, and since this is the season of love, feel free to purchase and send one of these items to a loved-one in the game as a gift.
The rest of these items (save for one) have something in common - that being an overwhelming use of the color pink. If you're a girly girl, or a man that can take a bit of "lovey-dovey" emotion in your life, make sure to meet us behind the break for a complete look at the other newly available decorative Valentine's Day items.
As for the game's new decorative items, there are five to choose from. Four of these items are re-releases from last year, so unfortunately, if you stocked up on items last February like many veteran players, you may not find much to purchase this time around.
Either way, these items are still just as cute as ever, and come in the form of a Cupid Gnome, Love Arch, Rose Bush, and Swan Fountain. The Cupid Gnome and Swan Fountain are premium items, costing 18 and 20 Farm Cash, respectively. Meanwhile, the Love Arch costs 22,000 coins, and the Rose Bush costs 1,200 coins.
As it compares to last year, the Rose Bush actually decreased in price from last year, going from 1,500 coins to its current price of 1,200, while the Love Arch increased in price from last year's price of 2,200 coins. Another decrease is found in the Swan Fountain, which cost 24 Farm Cash last year. While 4 Farm Cash might not seem like a big change, with the current rate of exchange between real world currency and Farm Cash, that's actually a savings of over a dollar, so it's nothing to scoff at.
As for the completely new item, it comes in the form of the Heart Fence, which is available to purchase piece by piece for 10,000 coins each. You'll gain 100 experience points for each piece of the fence you purchase, and you can sell them for 500 coins each at the end of the season if you don't have a place to store them.
All of these items, whether new or old, will be available in the game's store for the next 13 days. Do the math on this, and these items will expire before Valentine's Day proper even arrives next month, so we will no doubt be seeing more Valentine's Day items released in the game in the future. We'll be sure to let you know what those items are when they are released.
How many of these items did you already own from last year? Did you sell items off and are now thankful that you have a second chance at them?
The new building is the Valentine House [pictured above], which can be purchased for 20 Farm Cash. As a limited edition building, it will be available to purchase for the next 13 days from the store. You'll receive 2,000 experience points as a bonus for purchasing it, and since this is the season of love, feel free to purchase and send one of these items to a loved-one in the game as a gift.
The rest of these items (save for one) have something in common - that being an overwhelming use of the color pink. If you're a girly girl, or a man that can take a bit of "lovey-dovey" emotion in your life, make sure to meet us behind the break for a complete look at the other newly available decorative Valentine's Day items.
As for the game's new decorative items, there are five to choose from. Four of these items are re-releases from last year, so unfortunately, if you stocked up on items last February like many veteran players, you may not find much to purchase this time around.
Either way, these items are still just as cute as ever, and come in the form of a Cupid Gnome, Love Arch, Rose Bush, and Swan Fountain. The Cupid Gnome and Swan Fountain are premium items, costing 18 and 20 Farm Cash, respectively. Meanwhile, the Love Arch costs 22,000 coins, and the Rose Bush costs 1,200 coins.
As it compares to last year, the Rose Bush actually decreased in price from last year, going from 1,500 coins to its current price of 1,200, while the Love Arch increased in price from last year's price of 2,200 coins. Another decrease is found in the Swan Fountain, which cost 24 Farm Cash last year. While 4 Farm Cash might not seem like a big change, with the current rate of exchange between real world currency and Farm Cash, that's actually a savings of over a dollar, so it's nothing to scoff at.
As for the completely new item, it comes in the form of the Heart Fence, which is available to purchase piece by piece for 10,000 coins each. You'll gain 100 experience points for each piece of the fence you purchase, and you can sell them for 500 coins each at the end of the season if you don't have a place to store them.
All of these items, whether new or old, will be available in the game's store for the next 13 days. Do the math on this, and these items will expire before Valentine's Day proper even arrives next month, so we will no doubt be seeing more Valentine's Day items released in the game in the future. We'll be sure to let you know what those items are when they are released.
How many of these items did you already own from last year? Did you sell items off and are now thankful that you have a second chance at them?
There can only be one 'Ville'; FarmVille maker Zynga sends cease and desist to Blingville
And Zynga came down to its people and said, "You shall worship no other 'Villes' beside me." Or something like that. Zynga has issued a cease and desist letter to W. Va.-based Blingville, a social game company with a game of the same name in the works. According to a letter sent by Blingville to W. Va. US District Court, Zynga asserts that Blingville is in violation of the Lanham Act with respect to the former in creating a game with the combination of the letters "ville" in its title.
Of course, Bingville denies the assertion. The document then goes on to read that Zynga's assertions give Blingville reason to believe that the social gaming titan will file a lawsuit against Blingville for trademark infringement. The company goes on to deny any accusations of trademark infringement and asks the court to order Zynga to pay Blingville's legal fees in dealing with the situation.
So, what's the big deal? Well, it's a big deal for Zynga considering a majority of its most popular games use the 'Ville' suffix, namely CityVille and FarmVille. The heart of the Lanham Act is really Sections 43a and 43b, which cover the possibility that the defendant, in this case Blingville, is either likely to cause confusion over the origins of the trademark in question (i.e. the "ville" suffix) or misrepresents the nature of the trademark in advertising.
Translated roughly from legalese, Zynga claims to believe that Blingville is using the "ville" suffix to somehow gain from it--likely because the most popular games on Facebook end in "Ville." Do they have a case? We shall see, but until then, try not to screw with Zynga's methods for success.
Of course, Bingville denies the assertion. The document then goes on to read that Zynga's assertions give Blingville reason to believe that the social gaming titan will file a lawsuit against Blingville for trademark infringement. The company goes on to deny any accusations of trademark infringement and asks the court to order Zynga to pay Blingville's legal fees in dealing with the situation.
So, what's the big deal? Well, it's a big deal for Zynga considering a majority of its most popular games use the 'Ville' suffix, namely CityVille and FarmVille. The heart of the Lanham Act is really Sections 43a and 43b, which cover the possibility that the defendant, in this case Blingville, is either likely to cause confusion over the origins of the trademark in question (i.e. the "ville" suffix) or misrepresents the nature of the trademark in advertising.
Translated roughly from legalese, Zynga claims to believe that Blingville is using the "ville" suffix to somehow gain from it--likely because the most popular games on Facebook end in "Ville." Do they have a case? We shall see, but until then, try not to screw with Zynga's methods for success.
FarmVille Holiday Tree now a Free Gift; harvest the holidays again
You heard right, folks. If you missed out on the elusive Holiday Tree in FarmVille when it was around during the Christmas season, Zynga is giving you another chance. The Holiday Tree was originally a gift available through FarmVille.com, which suffered several acceptance issues and not many players even saw one. So, now you can spread the cheer all over again.
The Holiday Tree takes three days to harvest for 33 coins. To master it, you'll need to harvest it 450 times total, which means owning just would take years to master. Literally. So, take this chance to make an Orchard of Holiday Trees and get that thing mastered. How could you pass this up--it's basically free money.
The Holiday Tree takes three days to harvest for 33 coins. To master it, you'll need to harvest it 450 times total, which means owning just would take years to master. Literally. So, take this chance to make an Orchard of Holiday Trees and get that thing mastered. How could you pass this up--it's basically free money.
Lunchtime Poll: Are you a lucky social gamer?
Mystery Game
Have you ever had that day in FarmVille when everything just went... right? How about any social game, for that mater? For instance, FarmVille player VickietheVampireSlayer just had an incredible day on the farm in which she won two of the most rare Mystery Game prizes (currently) in one shot each. Not to mention her wishes for new or re-released rose-themed crops came true among other extremely lucky occurrences.
Maybe you've struck gold with the Horseshoe Pit in FrontierVille or are simply lucky enough to have great friends in your social game of choice. Perhaps you're not lucky at all in Facebook games or feel that luck isn't even a factor. Regardless, we want to know.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Market]
Are you a lucky social gamer?
Are you kidding? Just look at my massive collection of Mystery Game items!100 Horseshoes thrown into the Horseshoe Pit and I currently have five. You tell me.Luck? I don't believe in fairy tales.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Have you ever had that day in FarmVille when everything just went... right? How about any social game, for that mater? For instance, FarmVille player VickietheVampireSlayer just had an incredible day on the farm in which she won two of the most rare Mystery Game prizes (currently) in one shot each. Not to mention her wishes for new or re-released rose-themed crops came true among other extremely lucky occurrences.
Maybe you've struck gold with the Horseshoe Pit in FrontierVille or are simply lucky enough to have great friends in your social game of choice. Perhaps you're not lucky at all in Facebook games or feel that luck isn't even a factor. Regardless, we want to know.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Market]
Are you a lucky social gamer?
Are you kidding? Just look at my massive collection of Mystery Game items!100 Horseshoes thrown into the Horseshoe Pit and I currently have five. You tell me.Luck? I don't believe in fairy tales.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Rumor Alert: Facebook Credits soon mandatory for game developers
Hey, Facebook's gotta' keep that hand strong, you know. TechCrunch reports that, from an anonymous source, Facebook is telling game developers that soon Facebook Credits will be mandatory for all games on the platform. The blog went on to say, "Our understanding is that it will be the exclusive currency as well."
As you know, Facebook has been pushing its currency for over a year now and has signed contracts with major developers including Zynga, Playfish and Playdom to use the currency exclusively for five years. However, this change would make Facebook Credits the currency for Facebook, meaning that all credit, debit or Pay Pal purchases might only be allowed to be made for Facebook Credits and then a game's respective currency like FarmVille's Farm Cash. But this is purely speculation.
More importantly, this would give Facebook a 30 percent cut of all purchases made in all social games on Facebook, similar to Apple's policy in its App Store. TechCrunch also reports that another anonymous source says Facebook scores $30 million a month from Zynga alone. Facebook Credits sure make life easier for us gamers to understand how much money we're spending thanks to its easy transfer rate ($.10 is equal to 1 Facebook Credit). But new and veteran developers alike will likely be less than pleased with this change. We've contacted Facebook for comment, so sit tight.
Update: Facebook has made an official statement in a blog post that reads, "Starting July 1st, we will require all social game developers on the Facebook canvas platform to process payments through Facebook Credits. All developers keep 70% of the revenue from virtual goods transactions using Facebook Credits." Check out the full post for more details.
How would a mandatory shift to Facebook Credits change the way you play social games or buy virtual goods? How do you think developers will react to the change if it turns out to be true?
As you know, Facebook has been pushing its currency for over a year now and has signed contracts with major developers including Zynga, Playfish and Playdom to use the currency exclusively for five years. However, this change would make Facebook Credits the currency for Facebook, meaning that all credit, debit or Pay Pal purchases might only be allowed to be made for Facebook Credits and then a game's respective currency like FarmVille's Farm Cash. But this is purely speculation.
More importantly, this would give Facebook a 30 percent cut of all purchases made in all social games on Facebook, similar to Apple's policy in its App Store. TechCrunch also reports that another anonymous source says Facebook scores $30 million a month from Zynga alone. Facebook Credits sure make life easier for us gamers to understand how much money we're spending thanks to its easy transfer rate ($.10 is equal to 1 Facebook Credit). But new and veteran developers alike will likely be less than pleased with this change. We've contacted Facebook for comment, so sit tight.
Update: Facebook has made an official statement in a blog post that reads, "Starting July 1st, we will require all social game developers on the Facebook canvas platform to process payments through Facebook Credits. All developers keep 70% of the revenue from virtual goods transactions using Facebook Credits." Check out the full post for more details.
How would a mandatory shift to Facebook Credits change the way you play social games or buy virtual goods? How do you think developers will react to the change if it turns out to be true?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Cafe World Pizza Oven: Everything you need to know
If you've still got some space left in your cafe for new appliances, Zynga has launched another new piece of "machinery/cookware" in Cafe World this week, in the form of a traditional brick Pizza Oven. Of course, you won't be able to simply buy one of these Pizza Ovens for coins - you'll need to build one in your cafe, with a little help (ok, a lot of help) from friends. Once you do this, you'll be able to interact with a new in-game character named Chef Piero, who will share with you his famous pizza recipes that you can cook for your customers in your own cafe.
The Pizza Oven requires you to collect four different building materials: 2 Pizza Peels, 3 Cooking Racks, 10 Pizza Platters, and 10 Pizza Hickory Logs. The quicker you can build this item, the quicker you can start cooking all sorts of new dishes for your cafe, so meet us behind the break for the details on how to get it done.
To collect any of these items, you'll need to click on the "Ask for More" button for the item you'd like, and then send individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, asking them to send you that item. Again, this is currently the case for all four of these ingredients, making the weird number requirements on the Pizza Peels and Cooking Racks just that - weird. Normally, this is the time when I tell you that the reason you have to collect so few of these items is because you have to have new, non-game-playing friends send them to you, but after sending requests out to current players, that simply doesn't seem to be the case (not that I'm complaining, mind you).
As usual, if you're having difficulty sending out requests to your neighbors, even those that you know you've not sent a request to today, keep in mind that most new activities are so popular with players that Zynga experiences technical issues on their end when sending out ingredient requests. Our suggestion would be to come back later and try again, or to just keep refreshing and hoping to get lucky.
Chef Piero will apparently be dropping by our cafes sometime in the future, so once you finish this Pizza Oven, you'll be able to serve him up a slice of pizza worthy of such a master chef. The Pizza Oven works similarly to the Deep Fryer, in that you'll only be able to cook pizza dishes in the Pizza Oven (obviously), and those pizza dishes (Pizza Margherita, Sausage Deep Dish Pizza, etc.) can only be cooked inside the Pizza Oven, and not on a regular stove.
To go along with the release of the Pizza Oven, there is also a new seven part quest set available to complete, which will allow you unlock more new recipes that are exclusive to the Pizza Oven. We'll make sure to bring that quest guide to you very, very soon. Check out our complete guide to this quest set right here.
What do you think of the Pizza Oven in Cafe World? Are you running out of room for "appliances" in your cafe, or do you welcome a new building project?
The Pizza Oven requires you to collect four different building materials: 2 Pizza Peels, 3 Cooking Racks, 10 Pizza Platters, and 10 Pizza Hickory Logs. The quicker you can build this item, the quicker you can start cooking all sorts of new dishes for your cafe, so meet us behind the break for the details on how to get it done.
To collect any of these items, you'll need to click on the "Ask for More" button for the item you'd like, and then send individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, asking them to send you that item. Again, this is currently the case for all four of these ingredients, making the weird number requirements on the Pizza Peels and Cooking Racks just that - weird. Normally, this is the time when I tell you that the reason you have to collect so few of these items is because you have to have new, non-game-playing friends send them to you, but after sending requests out to current players, that simply doesn't seem to be the case (not that I'm complaining, mind you).
As usual, if you're having difficulty sending out requests to your neighbors, even those that you know you've not sent a request to today, keep in mind that most new activities are so popular with players that Zynga experiences technical issues on their end when sending out ingredient requests. Our suggestion would be to come back later and try again, or to just keep refreshing and hoping to get lucky.
Chef Piero will apparently be dropping by our cafes sometime in the future, so once you finish this Pizza Oven, you'll be able to serve him up a slice of pizza worthy of such a master chef. The Pizza Oven works similarly to the Deep Fryer, in that you'll only be able to cook pizza dishes in the Pizza Oven (obviously), and those pizza dishes (Pizza Margherita, Sausage Deep Dish Pizza, etc.) can only be cooked inside the Pizza Oven, and not on a regular stove.
To go along with the release of the Pizza Oven, there is also a new seven part quest set available to complete, which will allow you unlock more new recipes that are exclusive to the Pizza Oven. We'll make sure to bring that quest guide to you very, very soon. Check out our complete guide to this quest set right here.
What do you think of the Pizza Oven in Cafe World? Are you running out of room for "appliances" in your cafe, or do you welcome a new building project?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)