Load up Treasure Isle and look to the bottom of your game today and you'll find a survey promising you 2 free Island Cash. All you have to do is pick one of three choices to this simple question: "Which Windows Phone 7 feature are you most excited to have in your pocket?" After that, you'll be led to a window asking you to join the phone's Facebook page, but you DON'T have to. Answering that question is the only action required.
Before you go running off for your chance at free premium cash, here's a heads-up! Players who have already completed Windows Phone 7 survey on June 4th via Cafe World might be disqualified from getting the cash because they've already done this survey. But hey, it can't hurt to try.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Treasure Isle: New Limited Edition World Cup decor pits Crabs against Seagulls
Treasure Isle Limited Edition World Cup
With goals, flags, a trophy, players, and animated soccer balls, Treasure Isle's new Limited Edition World Cup decor has all you need to set up an island soccer tourney of Crabs versus Seagulls. Two new additions to the previously released flags set are the South Africa and Soccer Flag, both going for 12 Island Cash each. Another item also costing 12 Island Cash is the golden Soccer Trophy. The coolest items are going to be the soccer balls, which come as "Bouncing Ball" for 13 Island Cash, and "Rolling Ball" for 10 Island Cash.
Treasure Isle soccer animals
While all the items in this soccer playset cost premium cash, the players are being sold for coins. This is good cause you're going to need several of them for each team. Both the Crab Footballer and Seagull cost 11,000 Coins each. The Crab dons a blue shirt, while the Seagull wears a red uniform sporting the number 7. Finally, the Monkey Referee rounds out this collection, as the most expensive item of the bunch, for 16 Island Cash.
Premium or not, all of them are only going to be around for the next 5 days, so grab 'em while you can.
With goals, flags, a trophy, players, and animated soccer balls, Treasure Isle's new Limited Edition World Cup decor has all you need to set up an island soccer tourney of Crabs versus Seagulls. Two new additions to the previously released flags set are the South Africa and Soccer Flag, both going for 12 Island Cash each. Another item also costing 12 Island Cash is the golden Soccer Trophy. The coolest items are going to be the soccer balls, which come as "Bouncing Ball" for 13 Island Cash, and "Rolling Ball" for 10 Island Cash.
Treasure Isle soccer animals
While all the items in this soccer playset cost premium cash, the players are being sold for coins. This is good cause you're going to need several of them for each team. Both the Crab Footballer and Seagull cost 11,000 Coins each. The Crab dons a blue shirt, while the Seagull wears a red uniform sporting the number 7. Finally, the Monkey Referee rounds out this collection, as the most expensive item of the bunch, for 16 Island Cash.
Premium or not, all of them are only going to be around for the next 5 days, so grab 'em while you can.
FarmVille Unreleased June 15th Mystery Box
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding this unreleased FarmVille Mystery Box that may be appearing today.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille releases huge update: New levels, gifts, mystery box, and crops
FarmVille have been teasing us all day, getting us excited for what they promised would be a very large update. We spend the evening refreshing the FarmVille fan page, and finally the release happened around 10:00pm Pacific Time. The main highlight of this release is 20 new levels; you can now reach level 90 in FarmVille. Along with the new levels are new item and crop unlocks, including more Island themed items. A slew of new gifts have shown up on the gift page, a change to the wheat crop, and a new mystery box. Read on for the full details on this enormous update.
The first thing that veteran farmers can look forward to are the 20 additional levels. If you have been level 70 for quite some time, you have actually been accumulating XP and when you log in - you will actually get the levels that you've earned retroactively. Some players are reporting up to 20 Farm Cash for leveling as well. If the Marketplace isn't allowing you to buy objects that you are clearly high enough level to purchase, try buying any low level cheap item to reset the counter and allow you to buy higher level items.
Mystery Box
The new Mystery Box that was released tonight is a bit of a disappointment, as it's filled with items we have already seen before in previous boxes. It's a good opportunity to get ahold of these premium items if you missed them the last time they came around. The Mystery Box is 16 Farm Cash as usual, and provides one of the following rewards:
Clydesdale
Old Faithful
French Quarter Building
Shamrock Inn
Vacation Home
Moose
New Gifts
Six new gifts were added to the FarmVille gift page. We're excited for something new, because the gifts had been growing stale in the game. The new gifts are: Mango Tree, Azaleas, Ginkgo Tree, Floral Container, Mangrove Tree, and Dutch Rabbit.
New Island Decorations
Surprisingly, the island themed items in FarmVille just keep on coming. Six new tiki decorations were released in the FarmVille market tonight. Most of them require Farm Cash, but there are two surfboards that can be attained without spending precious real life money. The list of items is as follows:
Hula Pig - 14 Farm Cash
Surf Shack - 18 Farm Cash
Mini Beach - 16 Farm Cash
Surfboard - 10,000 coins
Surfboard II - 10,000 coins
Trailer & Skis - 7 Farm Cash
New Birthday Decorations
Two new birthday decorations are now in the Shop, including a Birthday Cake for 9 Farm Cash, and a set of Animal Balloons for 7 Farm Cash.
New Miscellaneous Decorations and Animals
Along with a level increase to 90, new high level decorations have been released to give players something new to purchase. This includes a Wind Turbine for a hefty 1.5 million coins, a Silo Home for 1 million coins, and three new animals. The new animals are a Saddleback Pig, Arapawa Goat, and a Belted Cow.
New Crops
Here is the list of new crops that were added in tonight's major update:
Lemon Balm - Level 50+
Bamboo - Level 60+, was previously a limited edition crop
Posole Corn - Level 54+, requires Coin Mastery
Oats -Level 53+
Saffron - Level 64+, previously a limited edition crop
In addition, Wheat has been changed to a 12 hour crop. Wither on Wheat has been turned off until June 21 to allow everyone to get used to the new changes.
The first thing that veteran farmers can look forward to are the 20 additional levels. If you have been level 70 for quite some time, you have actually been accumulating XP and when you log in - you will actually get the levels that you've earned retroactively. Some players are reporting up to 20 Farm Cash for leveling as well. If the Marketplace isn't allowing you to buy objects that you are clearly high enough level to purchase, try buying any low level cheap item to reset the counter and allow you to buy higher level items.
Mystery Box
The new Mystery Box that was released tonight is a bit of a disappointment, as it's filled with items we have already seen before in previous boxes. It's a good opportunity to get ahold of these premium items if you missed them the last time they came around. The Mystery Box is 16 Farm Cash as usual, and provides one of the following rewards:
Clydesdale
Old Faithful
French Quarter Building
Shamrock Inn
Vacation Home
Moose
New Gifts
Six new gifts were added to the FarmVille gift page. We're excited for something new, because the gifts had been growing stale in the game. The new gifts are: Mango Tree, Azaleas, Ginkgo Tree, Floral Container, Mangrove Tree, and Dutch Rabbit.
New Island Decorations
Surprisingly, the island themed items in FarmVille just keep on coming. Six new tiki decorations were released in the FarmVille market tonight. Most of them require Farm Cash, but there are two surfboards that can be attained without spending precious real life money. The list of items is as follows:
Hula Pig - 14 Farm Cash
Surf Shack - 18 Farm Cash
Mini Beach - 16 Farm Cash
Surfboard - 10,000 coins
Surfboard II - 10,000 coins
Trailer & Skis - 7 Farm Cash
New Birthday Decorations
Two new birthday decorations are now in the Shop, including a Birthday Cake for 9 Farm Cash, and a set of Animal Balloons for 7 Farm Cash.
New Miscellaneous Decorations and Animals
Along with a level increase to 90, new high level decorations have been released to give players something new to purchase. This includes a Wind Turbine for a hefty 1.5 million coins, a Silo Home for 1 million coins, and three new animals. The new animals are a Saddleback Pig, Arapawa Goat, and a Belted Cow.
New Crops
Here is the list of new crops that were added in tonight's major update:
Lemon Balm - Level 50+
Bamboo - Level 60+, was previously a limited edition crop
Posole Corn - Level 54+, requires Coin Mastery
Oats -Level 53+
Saffron - Level 64+, previously a limited edition crop
In addition, Wheat has been changed to a 12 hour crop. Wither on Wheat has been turned off until June 21 to allow everyone to get used to the new changes.
Orange Spotted Octopus floats into FishVille
FIshVille has released another limited time octopus today, and it's an adorable orange Spotted Octopus. This tentacled creature is not related to any particular theme, but is only available for 6.5 days. He's not cheap either; the Spotted Octopus will cost you 14 Sand Dollars if you want one of your own.
To buy this octopus, log into FishVille and check the "Limited Time" section of the FishVille Store. The octopus is joined by a Limited Edition fish - the Rainbow Basslet, which will be available for 4 1/2 more days before leaving the store forever.
Will you be buying the Spotted Octopus?
To buy this octopus, log into FishVille and check the "Limited Time" section of the FishVille Store. The octopus is joined by a Limited Edition fish - the Rainbow Basslet, which will be available for 4 1/2 more days before leaving the store forever.
Will you be buying the Spotted Octopus?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
FarmVille Unreleased Marmot
farmville marmot
Thank you to FarmVille Freak J-Chaves for finding this unreleased FarmVille Marmot!
Also, if you love Marmots or like funny animal videos like me, you have to watch this. This video is on the level of the slow loris being tickled. Check it out. Presenting, Fat Marmot Eats a Graham Cracker:
Continue reading to see the Marmot's animation.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak J-Chaves for finding this unreleased FarmVille Marmot!
Also, if you love Marmots or like funny animal videos like me, you have to watch this. This video is on the level of the slow loris being tickled. Check it out. Presenting, Fat Marmot Eats a Graham Cracker:
Continue reading to see the Marmot's animation.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Mystery Gift Updated: Cow Print Stool, Rose Pinwheel, Pinwheels, Old Bike, No Raccoon Sign, Elegant Topiary, & Brown Squirrel
FarmVIlle FREE Mystery Gifts have been updated with new prizes!
Some of the old ones are mixed in with news ones, so expect to see old gifts as well.
farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update
farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update
farmville mystery gift updateThe new Mystery Gifts are:
Rose Pinwheel
Pinwheels
Old Bike
No Raccoon Sign
Elegant Topiary
Cow Print Stool
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Some of the old ones are mixed in with news ones, so expect to see old gifts as well.
farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update
farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update farmville mystery gift update
farmville mystery gift updateThe new Mystery Gifts are:
Rose Pinwheel
Pinwheels
Old Bike
No Raccoon Sign
Elegant Topiary
Cow Print Stool
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FrontierVille's Missing Ribbons: Zynga oversight or Robbery on the Oregon Trail?
FrontierVille Ribbons in the Store
Zynga's FrontierVille was hit by a recent kerfuffle where a much needed item from the game -- Ribbons -- not only disappeared from the Free Gifts page, but it reappeared as a paid item at the in-game store! You can now find it under the "Special" section of the store, where the game is charging 4 Horseshoes, or 50 cents USD, for each one. That's akin to wagon train robbery considering how many Goals require the darn things.
Thread after thread after thread of concerned players brought up the issue in the official FrontierVille forums, where eventually, a Zynga moderator came in to explain that the ribbons were "taken off the list in error and will be back today (thursday in the US)."
Zynga FrontierVille forums Ribbons moved in error
Social Game Central published an editorial today, accusing Zynga of mistreating its players and that, while Zynga's got every right to monetize its games, this move of theirs has "crossed the line." For example, the author points out that the "Birthday Time!" Goal requires 4 Ribbons total to complete, so it might as well be renamed mission "Spend $2!"; while 91 Ribbons are needed for the School House Lessons (unlocked after the "Finding the Perfect Apple" Goal), which would cost nearly $45 USD if assembled with only bought Ribbons.
In Zynga's defense, premium copies of free items are always handy when you just don't have enough neighbors or friends playing, and you want an item quickly. But making something available for free and then taking it away, only to charge folks for it, is definitely not playing nice.
Update: According to one of our readers, as of 6:03 p.m. EST, Zynga has successfully returned the Ribbons to the Free Gifts page.
Zynga's FrontierVille was hit by a recent kerfuffle where a much needed item from the game -- Ribbons -- not only disappeared from the Free Gifts page, but it reappeared as a paid item at the in-game store! You can now find it under the "Special" section of the store, where the game is charging 4 Horseshoes, or 50 cents USD, for each one. That's akin to wagon train robbery considering how many Goals require the darn things.
Thread after thread after thread of concerned players brought up the issue in the official FrontierVille forums, where eventually, a Zynga moderator came in to explain that the ribbons were "taken off the list in error and will be back today (thursday in the US)."
Zynga FrontierVille forums Ribbons moved in error
Social Game Central published an editorial today, accusing Zynga of mistreating its players and that, while Zynga's got every right to monetize its games, this move of theirs has "crossed the line." For example, the author points out that the "Birthday Time!" Goal requires 4 Ribbons total to complete, so it might as well be renamed mission "Spend $2!"; while 91 Ribbons are needed for the School House Lessons (unlocked after the "Finding the Perfect Apple" Goal), which would cost nearly $45 USD if assembled with only bought Ribbons.
In Zynga's defense, premium copies of free items are always handy when you just don't have enough neighbors or friends playing, and you want an item quickly. But making something available for free and then taking it away, only to charge folks for it, is definitely not playing nice.
Update: According to one of our readers, as of 6:03 p.m. EST, Zynga has successfully returned the Ribbons to the Free Gifts page.
FarmVille Queen Bee: How to find a royal for your new hive
Everyone's buzzing about the new FarmVille beehive, mostly wondering how the #$!* to find a Queen Bee. So consider yourself warned: Finding this insect will most likely be a royal pain in the backside.
There are several ways to find the Queen Bee. The easiest way to find her is by keeping an eye on your Facebook Wall. Once one of your neighbors find a Queen Bee, they will also be able to share one with friends via Wall Post. Since this bee is in high demand, you'll really need to stay glued to your Wall, and click right away if you see someone giving away a Queen for free.
The second easiest way to find a Queen Bee is by purchasing one in the in-game Market. You can find the Queen Bee under the Animals category, and she costs 10 Farm Cash (roughly $2). Buy it, stick her in the hive and then start collecting Honeybees.
farmville queen bee
The most difficult way to find the Queen Bee is by harvesting flower crops on your farm or fertilizing flower crops on neighbors' farms. Some farmers have complained that it takes a LOT of harvesting and fertilizing (I found the same to be true) to actually find one of these rare bees. My suggestion: Start planting lots of flowers and ask your neighbors to do the same.
queen bee
Once you locate a Queen Bee, you'll be able to find it in the gift box and then add it to the Beehive. You'll have the option to share an extra Queen Bee with your friends, and if you're feeling generous, share the wealth.
There are several ways to find the Queen Bee. The easiest way to find her is by keeping an eye on your Facebook Wall. Once one of your neighbors find a Queen Bee, they will also be able to share one with friends via Wall Post. Since this bee is in high demand, you'll really need to stay glued to your Wall, and click right away if you see someone giving away a Queen for free.
The second easiest way to find a Queen Bee is by purchasing one in the in-game Market. You can find the Queen Bee under the Animals category, and she costs 10 Farm Cash (roughly $2). Buy it, stick her in the hive and then start collecting Honeybees.
farmville queen bee
The most difficult way to find the Queen Bee is by harvesting flower crops on your farm or fertilizing flower crops on neighbors' farms. Some farmers have complained that it takes a LOT of harvesting and fertilizing (I found the same to be true) to actually find one of these rare bees. My suggestion: Start planting lots of flowers and ask your neighbors to do the same.
queen bee
Once you locate a Queen Bee, you'll be able to find it in the gift box and then add it to the Beehive. You'll have the option to share an extra Queen Bee with your friends, and if you're feeling generous, share the wealth.
FarmVille Cascadian Promotion Update: Organic Blueberries in the Market
FarmVille Cascadian Farm Organic Blueberries Market Stall
FarmVille Organic Blueberries Cascadian FarmFarmVille is collaborating with Cascadian Farm and releasing for the first time a sponsored in-game branded crop. You heard it here first on FarmVille Freak and can check out that initial post by clicking here.
Cascadian Farm Public Relations department shared with FarmVille Freak the following images of the actual Cascadian Farm Organic Blueberries as they will appear in the FarmVille Market and there is also a screen shot of Farmer Joe Cascadian's farm.
Organic Blueberries seeds will cost 20 coins to purchase, will be ready to harvest in 4 hours and will also yield 2 XP.
As notated by the picture, Crop Mastery will be available for the Organic Blueberries crop.
Will you grow Organic Blueberries on your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Organic Blueberries Cascadian FarmFarmVille is collaborating with Cascadian Farm and releasing for the first time a sponsored in-game branded crop. You heard it here first on FarmVille Freak and can check out that initial post by clicking here.
Cascadian Farm Public Relations department shared with FarmVille Freak the following images of the actual Cascadian Farm Organic Blueberries as they will appear in the FarmVille Market and there is also a screen shot of Farmer Joe Cascadian's farm.
Organic Blueberries seeds will cost 20 coins to purchase, will be ready to harvest in 4 hours and will also yield 2 XP.
As notated by the picture, Crop Mastery will be available for the Organic Blueberries crop.
Will you grow Organic Blueberries on your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Get Playfish Cash and a deal at Gap with Groupon
Through their third party offer partner, TrialPay, all EA/Playfish games are currently offering a fantastic Groupon deal that will not only earn you $25 off any Gap apparel, but will also give 35 Playfish Cash. According to TechCrunch, this national deal has been spreading like wildfire, expecting to sell over 700,000 Groupons by the end of the day. If you log in to your favorite Playfish game such as Hotel City or FIFA Superstars, you can make the purchase and get a bonus of 35 Playfish Cash. This isn't a bad deal at all, especially since Groupon is known for being a legitimate place to take part in daily deals and get major discounts on services and retail stores.
This is an example of how marketing on the web has a real place within the social games space. Playfish get a cut of the purchase, TrialPay gets a cut of the purchase, Groupon gets a cut, and Gap gets a cut - meanwhile you, the consumer, get discounted Gap goods and a bonus of Playfish Cash to spend in Playfish games on Facebook. Everyone wins!
Playfish Cash is valid in all Playfish games, and this deal is only available today.
This is an example of how marketing on the web has a real place within the social games space. Playfish get a cut of the purchase, TrialPay gets a cut of the purchase, Groupon gets a cut, and Gap gets a cut - meanwhile you, the consumer, get discounted Gap goods and a bonus of Playfish Cash to spend in Playfish games on Facebook. Everyone wins!
Playfish Cash is valid in all Playfish games, and this deal is only available today.
What should be the next FarmVille Dog?
FarmVille Freak Daremek Dobermans
Since the release of the FarmVille Dog, several breeds have been added, but farmers are still asking for more. Everyone wants their favorite breed to be represented in FarmVille.
Currently you can choose from:
Border Collie
Terrier
Golden Retriever
Heeler
St. Bernard
According to a recent unreleased item that surfaced, we know that Pitbulls could be coming soon. FarmVille Freak Daremek is hopeful that Dobermans will one day be released and took it upon himself to edit his own rendering of Dobermans in FarmVille just to see what they could look like on the farm! Note, the Doberman as seen in the picture is not an unreleased item. They are for creative purposes only.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Since the release of the FarmVille Dog, several breeds have been added, but farmers are still asking for more. Everyone wants their favorite breed to be represented in FarmVille.
Currently you can choose from:
Border Collie
Terrier
Golden Retriever
Heeler
St. Bernard
According to a recent unreleased item that surfaced, we know that Pitbulls could be coming soon. FarmVille Freak Daremek is hopeful that Dobermans will one day be released and took it upon himself to edit his own rendering of Dobermans in FarmVille just to see what they could look like on the farm! Note, the Doberman as seen in the picture is not an unreleased item. They are for creative purposes only.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille: First look at the new Crafting Mastery Signs
FarmVille Crafting Mastery Information
Thank you to FarmVille Freak BobSmith007 at FVNation for sending us these unreleased FarmVille Crafting Mastery Signs! We have all 45 of them plus the stars associated with them, but we decided just to post a few!
FarmVille Crafting Mastery Signs
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak BobSmith007 at FVNation for sending us these unreleased FarmVille Crafting Mastery Signs! We have all 45 of them plus the stars associated with them, but we decided just to post a few!
FarmVille Crafting Mastery Signs
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Happy Aquarium: Heart-Shaped Blowfish Parents spawn in multiple colors
Breeding Happy Aquarium's latest premium Heart-Shaped Blowfish can lead to five gorgeous animated and colored offspring, as seen above. But there's a catch, both parents -- Pink and Blue -- can only be mated using Pearls (the game hasn't said how much) which is the game's premium currency.
Happy Aquarium Pink and Blue Heart-Shaped Blowfish
Moreover, the parents themselves are premium fish that each require 69 Pearls or 58 Facebook Credits ($5.80 USD) to buy. It's also important to note that unlike Happy Pets, you're not mixing-and-matching colors. Instead, you're breeding to collect the set of five colors that are available.
Are the blowfish worth it? Well, the addition of multiple colors is certainly a great idea. FYI, the Pink Heart-Shaped Blowfish was originally released as a Limited Edition item, so it's nice to see it make a comeback as a breedable. But it all comes down to what you're willing to pay. I know one thing though, a lot of players think that if you've gotta pay Pearls for the parents and pay Pearls to mate for babies, it's only fair that players get to sell off the parents and babies for Pearls!
Happy Aquarium Pink and Blue Heart-Shaped Blowfish
Moreover, the parents themselves are premium fish that each require 69 Pearls or 58 Facebook Credits ($5.80 USD) to buy. It's also important to note that unlike Happy Pets, you're not mixing-and-matching colors. Instead, you're breeding to collect the set of five colors that are available.
Are the blowfish worth it? Well, the addition of multiple colors is certainly a great idea. FYI, the Pink Heart-Shaped Blowfish was originally released as a Limited Edition item, so it's nice to see it make a comeback as a breedable. But it all comes down to what you're willing to pay. I know one thing though, a lot of players think that if you've gotta pay Pearls for the parents and pay Pearls to mate for babies, it's only fair that players get to sell off the parents and babies for Pearls!
Happy Aquarium spotlights the friendliest sharks you'll ever meet
Happy Aquarium Wobbegong Shark, Whale Shark, Nurse Shark, and Zebra Shark
Four new Limited Edition fish landed in Happy Aquarium this week, and they're not only all sharks, but they're the nicest sharks you'll ever meet. They aren't made-up, like the Rare Rainbow Shark was, though you gotta admit, the Rainbow Shark is pretty awesome. And this isn't based on dumb PR copy to sell the creatures.
The fact of the matter is that the Wobbegong Shark, Whale Shark, Nurse Shark, and the Zebra Shark are some of the most harmless shark species on Earth. In Australia, they make fish and chips out of the Wobbegong! The Whale Shark isn't a whale, but it certainly acts and eats like one. The Nurse Shark swims slow as a slug and prefers chowing on shellfish and stingrays. And the Zebra Shark only grow to a maximum of 8 feet; they're also used to being doted on by underwater tourists. All this proves that Crowdstar did their research when they chose these sharks for the game.
That said, the Wobbegong and Zebra Shark are both 79 Pearls or 66 Facebook Credits ($6.60 USD). Whale Shark costs 60 Pearls or 50 FB Credits ($5 FB Credits), while the Nurse Shark goes for 68 Pearls or 57 FB Credits ($5.70 USD).
Four new Limited Edition fish landed in Happy Aquarium this week, and they're not only all sharks, but they're the nicest sharks you'll ever meet. They aren't made-up, like the Rare Rainbow Shark was, though you gotta admit, the Rainbow Shark is pretty awesome. And this isn't based on dumb PR copy to sell the creatures.
The fact of the matter is that the Wobbegong Shark, Whale Shark, Nurse Shark, and the Zebra Shark are some of the most harmless shark species on Earth. In Australia, they make fish and chips out of the Wobbegong! The Whale Shark isn't a whale, but it certainly acts and eats like one. The Nurse Shark swims slow as a slug and prefers chowing on shellfish and stingrays. And the Zebra Shark only grow to a maximum of 8 feet; they're also used to being doted on by underwater tourists. All this proves that Crowdstar did their research when they chose these sharks for the game.
That said, the Wobbegong and Zebra Shark are both 79 Pearls or 66 Facebook Credits ($6.60 USD). Whale Shark costs 60 Pearls or 50 FB Credits ($5 FB Credits), while the Nurse Shark goes for 68 Pearls or 57 FB Credits ($5.70 USD).
Monday, February 6, 2012
FarmVille Dachshund Puppies come in three cute colors
farmville black dachshund farmville cream dachshund
In the near future, FarmVille will be adding an adorable trio of Dachshund puppies to FarmVille's selection of dogs. Dachshunds, wiener dogs, hot dog dogs, sausage dogs, it's all the same lovable companion despite what name you call them by, and soon you can have your very own in FarmVille. I know I'm not alone when I say these elongated pups are one of my favorite breeds, so it's great to see them making an appearance.
Though we have no information on pricing or release date, we know they come in three colors: red, black, and cream (pictured above).
Continue reading to see the FarmVille Dachshund puppies in action.
In the near future, FarmVille will be adding an adorable trio of Dachshund puppies to FarmVille's selection of dogs. Dachshunds, wiener dogs, hot dog dogs, sausage dogs, it's all the same lovable companion despite what name you call them by, and soon you can have your very own in FarmVille. I know I'm not alone when I say these elongated pups are one of my favorite breeds, so it's great to see them making an appearance.
Though we have no information on pricing or release date, we know they come in three colors: red, black, and cream (pictured above).
Continue reading to see the FarmVille Dachshund puppies in action.
Cafe World: Captain Super Stove to the rescue!
For those who are sick and tired of clicking the same stove seven times before a dish gets to cooking in Cafe World: enter Captain Super Stove! This golden god of great food, once built or bought for Cafe Cash, will reduce all of your preparation to one click for a whole week.
Much like the Grand Master Chef and No-Clean Fairy before him, Captain Super Stove requires quite a lot of cash or time to assemble, but for a week's worth of one-click cooking it's well worth the time. Join us behind the cut for a full list of what you'll need and how to get it.
Captain Super Stove List
The Captain Super Stove can only be built two ways. Either you can ask your friends for each part, which in turn will grant them one unit of the item that they gift, or you can outright buy the items for Cafe Cash (for you high rollers out there). Here's what you'll need to build this diamond encrusted dude:
12 Afterburner Grills (2 Cafe Cash each)
12 Poly-Steel Plating (2 Cafe Cash each)
12 Carbon Chips (2 Cafe Cash each)
14 Turbo Tech Knobs (3 Cafe Cash each)
All in all, this savior of the stove is going to take quite a while for you to complete. Unless, of course, you have 114 Cafe Cash (a bit less than $20 USD) lying around. Get to asking your friends for help if you want effortless cooking as soon as possible!
Much like the Grand Master Chef and No-Clean Fairy before him, Captain Super Stove requires quite a lot of cash or time to assemble, but for a week's worth of one-click cooking it's well worth the time. Join us behind the cut for a full list of what you'll need and how to get it.
Captain Super Stove List
The Captain Super Stove can only be built two ways. Either you can ask your friends for each part, which in turn will grant them one unit of the item that they gift, or you can outright buy the items for Cafe Cash (for you high rollers out there). Here's what you'll need to build this diamond encrusted dude:
12 Afterburner Grills (2 Cafe Cash each)
12 Poly-Steel Plating (2 Cafe Cash each)
12 Carbon Chips (2 Cafe Cash each)
14 Turbo Tech Knobs (3 Cafe Cash each)
All in all, this savior of the stove is going to take quite a while for you to complete. Unless, of course, you have 114 Cafe Cash (a bit less than $20 USD) lying around. Get to asking your friends for help if you want effortless cooking as soon as possible!
FarmVille Gelbvieh Cow sports a handsome head of hair
farmville gelbvieh calf
FarmVille's most fashionable cow is coming soon to pasture. The Gelbvieh cow and Gelbvieh calf sport luscious auburn locks and a style other farm animals would kill to have. While the Gelbvieh calf's hair style looks more like a young ruffian's, the Gelbvieh cow seems to have cleaned up his mop into a clean flat top. What a cool cow.
You can expect the FarmVille Gelbvieh cow and calf to be released soon.
Continue reading to see the FarmVille Gelbvieh cow and calf movin' and groovin'.
FarmVille's most fashionable cow is coming soon to pasture. The Gelbvieh cow and Gelbvieh calf sport luscious auburn locks and a style other farm animals would kill to have. While the Gelbvieh calf's hair style looks more like a young ruffian's, the Gelbvieh cow seems to have cleaned up his mop into a clean flat top. What a cool cow.
You can expect the FarmVille Gelbvieh cow and calf to be released soon.
Continue reading to see the FarmVille Gelbvieh cow and calf movin' and groovin'.
PetVille Enchanted Kingdom: The Dragon Family joins their father in cheery captivity
Joining last week's beautifully-shackled Captive Carnelian Dragon in PetVille is his entire family! Yes, virtual pet voyeurs, The Dragon Family furniture pieces can be reunited with their father for some extra PetCash but for just a few days.
The family set, part of the new Enchanted Castle theme, comes with two infant whelps, a blue boy and a pink girl, that both clearly take traits from their parents if you look closely enough. While the children soar through your room, the green mother dragon will watch as she protects another dragon egg. While we doubt that egg will at any point once bought, anything is possible (and that would be pretty cool).
Here's the breakdown on these three new furniture pieces:
Baby Boy: 75 PetCash (around $7, 3 days left)
Green Mother: 100 PetCash (around $10, 2 days left)
Pink Girl: 80 PetCash (around $8, 4 days left)
For about $25, you can complete your dragon family. Thankfully, these dragons aren't bound by shackles like the man of the house, so maybe they can help make a break for it, but that would be quite the waste of hundreds of PetCash.
The family set, part of the new Enchanted Castle theme, comes with two infant whelps, a blue boy and a pink girl, that both clearly take traits from their parents if you look closely enough. While the children soar through your room, the green mother dragon will watch as she protects another dragon egg. While we doubt that egg will at any point once bought, anything is possible (and that would be pretty cool).
Here's the breakdown on these three new furniture pieces:
Baby Boy: 75 PetCash (around $7, 3 days left)
Green Mother: 100 PetCash (around $10, 2 days left)
Pink Girl: 80 PetCash (around $8, 4 days left)
For about $25, you can complete your dragon family. Thankfully, these dragons aren't bound by shackles like the man of the house, so maybe they can help make a break for it, but that would be quite the waste of hundreds of PetCash.
THQ partners with Joyent, WWE Facebook game on the horizon?
THQ, the developer behind critically acclaimed franchises like Red Faction and the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) series of games, is inching closer to social game creation with today's partnership with cloud-computing company Joyent.
The same group behind LinkedIn's could servers as well as social game developer Kabam!, Joyent will take a burden off of THQ's development teams to focus more on creating games than maintaining servers, according to Forbes. However, the developer doesn't seem interested in creating Facebook games based off of original ideas.
"So a Facebook game could easily be just a marketing tool as well," THQ vice president of online publishing and operations Mike Hogan said to GamesIndustry.biz. "Quite likely it's going to be some combination of revenue producing venture and something's that going to try to build brand awareness and bring people into... the core game."
So, if THQ is looking to Facebook as more of a potential brand extension--which we know it has before--for its traditional games than a full-blown platform, what can we expect to see from THQ on the social network? Wrestling season is just around the corner with WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011 set to release October 26, 2010. This could mean a Facebook game promoting one of their most profitable brands is coming sooner than later.
With Red Faction: Armageddon--THQ's other currently popular brand--pushed back to 2011, it's only logical that if we're to see a THQ -made Facebook game this year that it will almost definitely be a WWE game.
Hogan stressed to Forbes that, "We've got some great brands with us, and when you take a look at expanding that to the social platform, it's possible that some of these could be big hits."
This practice isn't too different from EA Sports' approach to their FIFA Superstars and Madden NFL Superstars Facebook games, one of which that's directly linked with the demo of their upcoming game. It's not out of the realm of possibility for another developer to try the same strategy. In fact, with a brand like WWE, it would be absolutely bonkers for THQ to pass this up.
The same group behind LinkedIn's could servers as well as social game developer Kabam!, Joyent will take a burden off of THQ's development teams to focus more on creating games than maintaining servers, according to Forbes. However, the developer doesn't seem interested in creating Facebook games based off of original ideas.
"So a Facebook game could easily be just a marketing tool as well," THQ vice president of online publishing and operations Mike Hogan said to GamesIndustry.biz. "Quite likely it's going to be some combination of revenue producing venture and something's that going to try to build brand awareness and bring people into... the core game."
So, if THQ is looking to Facebook as more of a potential brand extension--which we know it has before--for its traditional games than a full-blown platform, what can we expect to see from THQ on the social network? Wrestling season is just around the corner with WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011 set to release October 26, 2010. This could mean a Facebook game promoting one of their most profitable brands is coming sooner than later.
With Red Faction: Armageddon--THQ's other currently popular brand--pushed back to 2011, it's only logical that if we're to see a THQ -made Facebook game this year that it will almost definitely be a WWE game.
Hogan stressed to Forbes that, "We've got some great brands with us, and when you take a look at expanding that to the social platform, it's possible that some of these could be big hits."
This practice isn't too different from EA Sports' approach to their FIFA Superstars and Madden NFL Superstars Facebook games, one of which that's directly linked with the demo of their upcoming game. It's not out of the realm of possibility for another developer to try the same strategy. In fact, with a brand like WWE, it would be absolutely bonkers for THQ to pass this up.
Friday, February 3, 2012
FarmVille Halloween prank puts trees in a tangle
Earlier we showed off a sneak peak at the mischievous Halloween prank coming to FarmVille closer to Halloween night. It seems that the prank will cover various FarmVIlle items in a layer of cobwebs, just like you could cover barns with toilet paper on April Fool's Day.
This time however, its seems barns aren't the only FarmVille item at risk. As pictured above, trees are in danger of being cobwebbed on Halloween night. We all know how terrible walking through a cobweb can be, I'll feel bad covering my neighbor's items with the sticky stuff. Oh well, it is Halloween.
Thank you to Linkaholic for finding these unreleased FarmVille Cherry, Maple, Guave, & Passion Fruit Cobwebed Tree
This time however, its seems barns aren't the only FarmVille item at risk. As pictured above, trees are in danger of being cobwebbed on Halloween night. We all know how terrible walking through a cobweb can be, I'll feel bad covering my neighbor's items with the sticky stuff. Oh well, it is Halloween.
Thank you to Linkaholic for finding these unreleased FarmVille Cherry, Maple, Guave, & Passion Fruit Cobwebed Tree
Facebook gaming and privacy: What a long, strange trip it's been
Hopefully all of you are already aware of the unfortunate information the Wall Street Journal discovered on just what Facebook apps are doing with your "general" information. But if you're still under a rock -- which these days equates to not waking up with a smartphone next you -- it was revealed by the WSJ that top ranking Facebook apps and games like Zynga's FarmVille, Zynga Poker and FrontierVille have been providing web advertising companies and data banks your personal contact information to use for targeted ads.
Facebook posted a prompt (and slightly defensive) response, but the social network's track record won't exactly help them out on this one. Let's take a good, long look at how Facebook's changes over the years have slowly eroded your privacy before and while playing games on the social network.
Facebook Applications
Since Facebook's launch, the company has slowly but surely opened up the network to the globe, but it's come at a serious price: your privacy. So, let's take a look at Facebook's privacy policies starting from the beginning:
2005--"No personal information that you submit to Thefacebook will be available to any user of the Web Site who does not belong to at least one of the groups specified by you in your privacy settings." In other words, when the Facebook originally launched as "Thefacebook," (surely, you've all seen The Social Network) creator and now Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to not publish any private information to those who weren't immediate members of your group, changeable in the Privacy Settings. This is also the same time as when Facebook expanded to high school networks and international schools. Boy, this would have been nice for gaming, wouldn't it?
2006--"Our default privacy settings limit the information displayed in your profile to your school, your specified local area, and other reasonable community limitations that we tell you about." This is about when Facebook added the "Share" button to a bunch of websites, opened the site up for any old fellow and decided that they knew better than we did about our personal information. Think about, this is before social gaming even blew up.
2007--"Your name, school name, and profile picture thumbnail will be available in search results across the Facebook network unless you alter your privacy settings." Put simply, this was about when Facebook users could discover one another outside of their own networks and intentionally make friends. Funny thing, this is the same time that the Facebook developer platform launched, which is what Facebook games are created on. Consider this, would social games be able to grow as quickly as they did without players being able to discover one another so freely? A double-edged sword, if you ask me.
2008--Facebook releases more privacy controls, by allowing users to limit what they publish to their friends' feeds. However, this is also the same time that Facebook Connect opens up, allowing users to log in to other web sites using their Facebook login information. Sure it's super easy (I'm horribly guilty of it, too), but this is where things started to get visibly open and considerably more dangerous. Unfortunately, Facebook gaming on mobile devices isn't really possible without this technology. Welcome to the fun grey area of privacy vs. socially enhanced entertainment.
2009--"The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to "everyone." You can review and change the default settings in your privacy settings." It was this fateful year that our profiles became publicly available to anyone who wished to find us via Google and the like unless we changed that in the Privacy Settings. This is also the same year where the infamous "Like" button slowly replaced the "Share" button. Honestly, this only cracked open the floodgates further for social gaming, allowing players to "Like" their favorite game, which would spread that buzz like wildfire. On the other hand, choosing to "Like" something is making a public statement about who are, which could easily be tracked by ad data firms in conjunction with the information that you were providing FarmVille with.
2010--The Open Graph Policy arrives to both fanfare and fervor, allowing what we "Like" to be broadcast and used openly by the web sites that provide the option. But more importantly is Facebook's most recent policy change," When you connect with an application or web site, it will have access to General Information about you. The term General Information includes your and your friends' names, profile pictures, gender, user IDs, connections, and any content shared using the Everyone privacy setting. ... The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to "everyone." This means that in reality, the creators of these apps and games have been using your general information (I don't necessarily consider profile pictures and my friends' names "general" information) for who knows how long. Recently, Facebook added further control to what information specific applications could access with the added option of removing yourself from email lists. However, since players who provide this information--some of which players might consider sensitive--are open to more benefits, these increased controls might not be so appealing. Unfortunately, it seems as if there is no going back now.
Facebook Information Request
All things considered, many of social gaming's achievements and rapid growth would not have been possible without the network taking such liberties with our personal information. Of course, that doesn't excuse Facebook's actions, but everyone should understand what it means when they 'Allow' applications to access their personal information.
Using the Internet, even for gaming, for any period of time will reveal information about yourself to the world no matter how you slice it. While it doesn't make things like Facebook passing our personal information to data mining companies OK, these are issues that online gamers need to pay attention to if we want to enjoy social entertainment in the future. So, if it makes you feel any better, do what you can: Set everything to "Private" and game on.
Facebook posted a prompt (and slightly defensive) response, but the social network's track record won't exactly help them out on this one. Let's take a good, long look at how Facebook's changes over the years have slowly eroded your privacy before and while playing games on the social network.
Facebook Applications
Since Facebook's launch, the company has slowly but surely opened up the network to the globe, but it's come at a serious price: your privacy. So, let's take a look at Facebook's privacy policies starting from the beginning:
2005--"No personal information that you submit to Thefacebook will be available to any user of the Web Site who does not belong to at least one of the groups specified by you in your privacy settings." In other words, when the Facebook originally launched as "Thefacebook," (surely, you've all seen The Social Network) creator and now Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to not publish any private information to those who weren't immediate members of your group, changeable in the Privacy Settings. This is also the same time as when Facebook expanded to high school networks and international schools. Boy, this would have been nice for gaming, wouldn't it?
2006--"Our default privacy settings limit the information displayed in your profile to your school, your specified local area, and other reasonable community limitations that we tell you about." This is about when Facebook added the "Share" button to a bunch of websites, opened the site up for any old fellow and decided that they knew better than we did about our personal information. Think about, this is before social gaming even blew up.
2007--"Your name, school name, and profile picture thumbnail will be available in search results across the Facebook network unless you alter your privacy settings." Put simply, this was about when Facebook users could discover one another outside of their own networks and intentionally make friends. Funny thing, this is the same time that the Facebook developer platform launched, which is what Facebook games are created on. Consider this, would social games be able to grow as quickly as they did without players being able to discover one another so freely? A double-edged sword, if you ask me.
2008--Facebook releases more privacy controls, by allowing users to limit what they publish to their friends' feeds. However, this is also the same time that Facebook Connect opens up, allowing users to log in to other web sites using their Facebook login information. Sure it's super easy (I'm horribly guilty of it, too), but this is where things started to get visibly open and considerably more dangerous. Unfortunately, Facebook gaming on mobile devices isn't really possible without this technology. Welcome to the fun grey area of privacy vs. socially enhanced entertainment.
2009--"The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to "everyone." You can review and change the default settings in your privacy settings." It was this fateful year that our profiles became publicly available to anyone who wished to find us via Google and the like unless we changed that in the Privacy Settings. This is also the same year where the infamous "Like" button slowly replaced the "Share" button. Honestly, this only cracked open the floodgates further for social gaming, allowing players to "Like" their favorite game, which would spread that buzz like wildfire. On the other hand, choosing to "Like" something is making a public statement about who are, which could easily be tracked by ad data firms in conjunction with the information that you were providing FarmVille with.
2010--The Open Graph Policy arrives to both fanfare and fervor, allowing what we "Like" to be broadcast and used openly by the web sites that provide the option. But more importantly is Facebook's most recent policy change," When you connect with an application or web site, it will have access to General Information about you. The term General Information includes your and your friends' names, profile pictures, gender, user IDs, connections, and any content shared using the Everyone privacy setting. ... The default privacy setting for certain types of information you post on Facebook is set to "everyone." This means that in reality, the creators of these apps and games have been using your general information (I don't necessarily consider profile pictures and my friends' names "general" information) for who knows how long. Recently, Facebook added further control to what information specific applications could access with the added option of removing yourself from email lists. However, since players who provide this information--some of which players might consider sensitive--are open to more benefits, these increased controls might not be so appealing. Unfortunately, it seems as if there is no going back now.
Facebook Information Request
All things considered, many of social gaming's achievements and rapid growth would not have been possible without the network taking such liberties with our personal information. Of course, that doesn't excuse Facebook's actions, but everyone should understand what it means when they 'Allow' applications to access their personal information.
Using the Internet, even for gaming, for any period of time will reveal information about yourself to the world no matter how you slice it. While it doesn't make things like Facebook passing our personal information to data mining companies OK, these are issues that online gamers need to pay attention to if we want to enjoy social entertainment in the future. So, if it makes you feel any better, do what you can: Set everything to "Private" and game on.
Zynga and World Food Programme fight against hunger in FrontierVille, YoVille and more
In Zynga's relentless campaign of philanthropy, the company are now donating a portion of the proceeds from special items in FrontierVille, Zynga Poker, YoVille and Treasure Isle to the UN World Food Programme's (WFP) WeFeedBack Program. For the next eight days, players can buy these limited edition items for varying amounts of paid currency, most or all of which will go to WFP.
Check behind the cut for more details on how this limited time charity event is being handled across these four Zynga games.
Mystery Animals Against Hunger
Until Oct. 21, players can buy Red Mystery Animal Crates in FrontierVille for 25 Horseshoes, or about $3, and receive one of seven Red Mystery Animals: a Quail, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Alpaca, Ferret, Squirrel and Deer. For every adorable, scarlet critter purchased, Zynga will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to WFP.
Zynga Poker WFP
As for Zynga Poker, it seems that only "a portion of every [chip and Gold] purchase supports the World Food Programme," according to the game's purchase page. More specifically, Zynga Poker players can purchase a special $2 package of poker chips, with Zynga contributing 100% to WFP. Not to mention players who purchase any other package of chips in the game, will be contributing $1 to WFP.
Red Cup Cruiser
YoVille WFPIn Treasure Isle, players have the option to purchase a Red Cup Cruiser for 35 Island Cash, or about $6, 100 percent of which will go straight to WFP. Plus, the Cruiser will boost your max Energy by 3; not too bad a deal for a donation. Lastly, buying a limited edition WFP Teddy Bear in YoVille will cause Zynga to donate 100 percent of the proceeds to WFP. So, now that you have four ways to donate to hungry kids around the globe, what reason is there not to give?
Check behind the cut for more details on how this limited time charity event is being handled across these four Zynga games.
Mystery Animals Against Hunger
Until Oct. 21, players can buy Red Mystery Animal Crates in FrontierVille for 25 Horseshoes, or about $3, and receive one of seven Red Mystery Animals: a Quail, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Alpaca, Ferret, Squirrel and Deer. For every adorable, scarlet critter purchased, Zynga will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to WFP.
Zynga Poker WFP
As for Zynga Poker, it seems that only "a portion of every [chip and Gold] purchase supports the World Food Programme," according to the game's purchase page. More specifically, Zynga Poker players can purchase a special $2 package of poker chips, with Zynga contributing 100% to WFP. Not to mention players who purchase any other package of chips in the game, will be contributing $1 to WFP.
Red Cup Cruiser
YoVille WFPIn Treasure Isle, players have the option to purchase a Red Cup Cruiser for 35 Island Cash, or about $6, 100 percent of which will go straight to WFP. Plus, the Cruiser will boost your max Energy by 3; not too bad a deal for a donation. Lastly, buying a limited edition WFP Teddy Bear in YoVille will cause Zynga to donate 100 percent of the proceeds to WFP. So, now that you have four ways to donate to hungry kids around the globe, what reason is there not to give?
PetVille's Design-A-Pumpkin Contest results are in, get the winning designs for free
Boudoir
Remember way back when we first mentioned news of PetVille's Design-A-Pumpkin Contest that Zynga was running? Well, the results are finally in and the winning designs have been put up for free gifting in-game. The winners include the Boudoir Pumpkin (pictured above), the LocaLinda Pumpkin and the Wainy Pumpkin. The grand prize winners have also received 100 Pet Cash each, which basically amounts to less than $10 according to current sales prices, but at least your creativity will be within your favorite social game forever.
Check after the break for a look at the other two winners.
LocaLinda Pumpkin
"LocaLinda" by LocaLinda
Wainy
"Wainy"
In my completely unprofessional artistic opinion, these in-game renditions are pretty darned accurate. All three pumpkins are available for free through gifting, so bring the whole collection into your home to capture your fellow pet owners' creativity. Hey, maybe some of it will rub off on you and you'll be the winner of the next contest. But we wouldn't rely solely on that; so get to drawing, will ya?
Remember way back when we first mentioned news of PetVille's Design-A-Pumpkin Contest that Zynga was running? Well, the results are finally in and the winning designs have been put up for free gifting in-game. The winners include the Boudoir Pumpkin (pictured above), the LocaLinda Pumpkin and the Wainy Pumpkin. The grand prize winners have also received 100 Pet Cash each, which basically amounts to less than $10 according to current sales prices, but at least your creativity will be within your favorite social game forever.
Check after the break for a look at the other two winners.
LocaLinda Pumpkin
"LocaLinda" by LocaLinda
Wainy
"Wainy"
In my completely unprofessional artistic opinion, these in-game renditions are pretty darned accurate. All three pumpkins are available for free through gifting, so bring the whole collection into your home to capture your fellow pet owners' creativity. Hey, maybe some of it will rub off on you and you'll be the winner of the next contest. But we wouldn't rely solely on that; so get to drawing, will ya?
Rumor: Intel ogling Open Feint, looking to invest in social gaming
According to speculation by Business Insider, Intel's mysterious investment in mobile gaming announced today will be in Aurora Feint's Open Feint platform. Home to popular mobile games like Pocket God and Mega Jump, the platform allows for social media integration for free in games on mobile devices that otherwise wouldn't have access.
It's unsure as to why Intel, one of the world's largest computer processor manufacturers, would even bother investing in a gaming company, but they have been making strange acquisitions recently like McAfee Internet Security. Our best guess is that Intel wants to create games specifically tuned to the devices which the company plans will hold their processors and other products, but maybe that's wishful thinking. Business Insider claims that if the buy does go down, it won't be too mind-blowing considering 20 percent of the company is owned by Japanese social game guru DeNa. We just pray that this isn't an effort to create brand loyalty through mobile social gaming, because honestly, how many CPUs does the average person buy annually? (It's been four years over here.)
It's unsure as to why Intel, one of the world's largest computer processor manufacturers, would even bother investing in a gaming company, but they have been making strange acquisitions recently like McAfee Internet Security. Our best guess is that Intel wants to create games specifically tuned to the devices which the company plans will hold their processors and other products, but maybe that's wishful thinking. Business Insider claims that if the buy does go down, it won't be too mind-blowing considering 20 percent of the company is owned by Japanese social game guru DeNa. We just pray that this isn't an effort to create brand loyalty through mobile social gaming, because honestly, how many CPUs does the average person buy annually? (It's been four years over here.)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Cafe World's Wonder World Theme throws you deep into the rabbit hole
Wonder World
We've become mad as a Hatter over the new Cafe World theme, Wonder World. If you hadn't guessed that these items are inspired by Lewis Carol's controversial, children's fantasy epic after glancing at the image above, then you need to either get some of your childhood back or watch some Disney Channel. The update comes with a litany of new decorations and characters like the Hatter Tea Party, the 2-in-1 Flower and the Red Queen. Any of this sounding familiar yet?
Some of the more clever additions include the Punctual Rabbit who obviously keeps better time than The White Rabbit, the Swanky Caterpillar (yeah... swanky) and the Smiling Feline otherwise known as the exceedingly creepy Cheshire Cat. In addition to this motley crew there is a slew of new furniture in Wonder World such as Tea Cup Chairs, Heart Candelabras and even a Dodo Clock.
As with most themes in Cafe World, a majority of the items will cost some serious Cafe Cash--but these quick surveys should help. Not to mention that these items go hand-in-hand with the brand new Magical Tea Party Catering Order. Though, we're kind of bummed at the lack of a Jabberwocky in this item set. And no Vorpal Sword? Make it happen, Zynga.
We've become mad as a Hatter over the new Cafe World theme, Wonder World. If you hadn't guessed that these items are inspired by Lewis Carol's controversial, children's fantasy epic after glancing at the image above, then you need to either get some of your childhood back or watch some Disney Channel. The update comes with a litany of new decorations and characters like the Hatter Tea Party, the 2-in-1 Flower and the Red Queen. Any of this sounding familiar yet?
Some of the more clever additions include the Punctual Rabbit who obviously keeps better time than The White Rabbit, the Swanky Caterpillar (yeah... swanky) and the Smiling Feline otherwise known as the exceedingly creepy Cheshire Cat. In addition to this motley crew there is a slew of new furniture in Wonder World such as Tea Cup Chairs, Heart Candelabras and even a Dodo Clock.
As with most themes in Cafe World, a majority of the items will cost some serious Cafe Cash--but these quick surveys should help. Not to mention that these items go hand-in-hand with the brand new Magical Tea Party Catering Order. Though, we're kind of bummed at the lack of a Jabberwocky in this item set. And no Vorpal Sword? Make it happen, Zynga.
FronterVille ghost varmints (finally) return to the great beyond
I'm happy to report that FrontierVille's ghost varmints have left the building. I repeat, ghost varmints have left the building!
Let me rewind a bit for anyone who might be confused. For Halloween, FrontierVille introduced new ghost varmints that would appear after you whacked a bear, fox, snake and groundhog. Then you would have to spend additional energy 'scaring' the ghost off your homestead. There frontierville ghost bearwas a Hex Collection and Halloween mission tied to these animal spectres, and you needed to scare away a few of these ghosts to complete these tasks.
But after Halloween, these ghosts turned from a fun, festive holiday event into a serious energy sink. Any time a varmint would appear, I would spend energy whacking it, a then a few additional energy getting rid of the ghost. Repeat this several times every day (for days), and, well, my energy was disappearing faster than free donuts in a police station.
Anyway, I'm happy to report that the ghosts are finally gone, though I wouldn't be surprised if they rear their mostly see-through heads around this time next year.
FrontierVille ghosts: Are you glad they're gone?
Yes! So glad.No, I wanted them to stayEh. Whatever.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Let me rewind a bit for anyone who might be confused. For Halloween, FrontierVille introduced new ghost varmints that would appear after you whacked a bear, fox, snake and groundhog. Then you would have to spend additional energy 'scaring' the ghost off your homestead. There frontierville ghost bearwas a Hex Collection and Halloween mission tied to these animal spectres, and you needed to scare away a few of these ghosts to complete these tasks.
But after Halloween, these ghosts turned from a fun, festive holiday event into a serious energy sink. Any time a varmint would appear, I would spend energy whacking it, a then a few additional energy getting rid of the ghost. Repeat this several times every day (for days), and, well, my energy was disappearing faster than free donuts in a police station.
Anyway, I'm happy to report that the ghosts are finally gone, though I wouldn't be surprised if they rear their mostly see-through heads around this time next year.
FrontierVille ghosts: Are you glad they're gone?
Yes! So glad.No, I wanted them to stayEh. Whatever.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Zuma Blitz on Facebook promises a fresh game board every week
PopCap's Zuma Blitz, which is currently in limited beta on Facebook, looks like it will be have more regular updates than its sibling Bejeweled Blitz. OK, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, but I was very impressed to log into the game today and find a brand new game board waiting for me.
PopCap says that the game boards will rotate every Tuesday, the same day that the weekly tournaments end and when your high scores are wiped from the leaderboard. I've just started playing Zuma Blitz, and aside from the fact that you can only play until your energy runs out (sucky for players, but brilliant from a business standpoint) and that it's hard to spin the frog using a laptop's touch pad, I think I have found my new Facebook gaming obsession.
PopCap says that the game boards will rotate every Tuesday, the same day that the weekly tournaments end and when your high scores are wiped from the leaderboard. I've just started playing Zuma Blitz, and aside from the fact that you can only play until your energy runs out (sucky for players, but brilliant from a business standpoint) and that it's hard to spin the frog using a laptop's touch pad, I think I have found my new Facebook gaming obsession.
Treasure Isle: Get pulled in by the call of the Siren Island
Running out of things to build in Treasure Isle? To be honest, neither are we, but Zynga has decided to offer us another Relic to build anyhow. The Sirens Island Base will be given to you for free the next time you login to the game.
Once constructed, it turns into a tiny island, so you'll have to place the base of the relic into the water. You'll need to complete four different steps to construct the island for the Sirens, with each step requiring increasing amounts of five different ingredients: Marble, Resin, Oil, Pillars, and Paint.
Luckily, the first step only requires 1 of each of the five items, so most users should have no problem collecting the items needed. After that, the required amount increases for each step, so you can ask your friends to send you the ingredients that you need via wall posts.
Additionally, you can simply purchase each item outright for 1 Island Cash each. To be clear, that's 1 Island Cash for one individual item. If you need three Resins, you'll need to spend 3 Island Cash, as one example.
After building the Relic, you'll receive a permanent boost of three points to your maximum energy. While that may not sound like a lot, combine that bonus with those from other Relics, and you'll have the energy to keep on digging long after you might have before.
Once constructed, it turns into a tiny island, so you'll have to place the base of the relic into the water. You'll need to complete four different steps to construct the island for the Sirens, with each step requiring increasing amounts of five different ingredients: Marble, Resin, Oil, Pillars, and Paint.
Luckily, the first step only requires 1 of each of the five items, so most users should have no problem collecting the items needed. After that, the required amount increases for each step, so you can ask your friends to send you the ingredients that you need via wall posts.
Additionally, you can simply purchase each item outright for 1 Island Cash each. To be clear, that's 1 Island Cash for one individual item. If you need three Resins, you'll need to spend 3 Island Cash, as one example.
After building the Relic, you'll receive a permanent boost of three points to your maximum energy. While that may not sound like a lot, combine that bonus with those from other Relics, and you'll have the energy to keep on digging long after you might have before.
Ravenwood Fair to have viral capabilities reinstated tomorrow
Are you going through Ravenwood Fair withdrawal? Though LOLapps's latest game has been up and available for play, players haven't been able to post to their wall, invite friends, or ask for materials. This means that all of the quests were virtually impossible to complete (that is, without spending money) and buildings and games weren't able to be built all the way. Luckily, Ravenwood has just updated their fan wall to announce that the game will be fully reinstated tomorrow evening. Rejoice!
While the time isn't specific, it will be in Pacific Time so it will be late tomorrow for those of you in Eastern Time. Once the viral channels are reinstated by Facebook, you will be able to send gifts, ask for materials, invite neighbors, and complete your buildings. While we're still not sure if this outage was related to LOLapps being punished for violating privacy, we do know that the rest of LOLapps applications are still going to be restricted for 6 months.
While the time isn't specific, it will be in Pacific Time so it will be late tomorrow for those of you in Eastern Time. Once the viral channels are reinstated by Facebook, you will be able to send gifts, ask for materials, invite neighbors, and complete your buildings. While we're still not sure if this outage was related to LOLapps being punished for violating privacy, we do know that the rest of LOLapps applications are still going to be restricted for 6 months.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FrontierVille 'Holiday Decoratin' and 'Holiday Celebratin' Missions: Everything you need to know
Holiday Decoratin'
Everyone knows that decorations are more important on Christmas, Hanukkah and the other winter holidays than any other special day of the year. Just look at Clark Griswold--now there is a guy that gets it. It only makes sense that our friends in FrontierVille would feel the same way. Except without all the fake drum rolls and disappointment. Here are the two missions you can find in the Special section of the Market:
1. Holiday Decoratin':
-Craft 15 Presents
-Collect Two Pink Flowers
-Collect 10 Holly Wreaths
For this mission, you'll need to visit your friends often and harvest lots of Cotton to amass enough Ribbon and Cloth to craft 15 Presents. The two Pink Flowers come from the Wildflower Collection, which can be completed by clearing Wildflowers much like grass and rocks--just remember not to turn in the Collection before completing the mission. All the while, keep berating those friends for some wreaths, but try to return the favor because there's always one wreath in it for you.
Holiday Celebratin'2. Holiday Celebratin':
-Collect Three Cow's Milk
-Collect Three Goose Eggs
-Craft 20 Fireworks
Time to unleash the eggnog, but where's the rum? You'll have to tend to quite a lot of Cows and Geese to get three of each of those items. And remember: do not turn in the Collections before completing this mission or you will be that much further behind and a very sad pioneer. Crafting the Fireworks takes Saltpeter, which only drops from the Manure Collection. Thankfully, each Saltpeter used in Cabin makes for five Fireworks, but this is still going to be a long mission. Completing this Goal will reward you with a Big Present that will contain one of four rare decorations.
These missions are part of the three Gift Mission packs, so they can be repeated indefinitely until they predictably go away after Christmas is through. So, decorate and celebrate to your heart's content, just remember to keep on visiting for that Cloth and Energy.
Everyone knows that decorations are more important on Christmas, Hanukkah and the other winter holidays than any other special day of the year. Just look at Clark Griswold--now there is a guy that gets it. It only makes sense that our friends in FrontierVille would feel the same way. Except without all the fake drum rolls and disappointment. Here are the two missions you can find in the Special section of the Market:
1. Holiday Decoratin':
-Craft 15 Presents
-Collect Two Pink Flowers
-Collect 10 Holly Wreaths
For this mission, you'll need to visit your friends often and harvest lots of Cotton to amass enough Ribbon and Cloth to craft 15 Presents. The two Pink Flowers come from the Wildflower Collection, which can be completed by clearing Wildflowers much like grass and rocks--just remember not to turn in the Collection before completing the mission. All the while, keep berating those friends for some wreaths, but try to return the favor because there's always one wreath in it for you.
Holiday Celebratin'2. Holiday Celebratin':
-Collect Three Cow's Milk
-Collect Three Goose Eggs
-Craft 20 Fireworks
Time to unleash the eggnog, but where's the rum? You'll have to tend to quite a lot of Cows and Geese to get three of each of those items. And remember: do not turn in the Collections before completing this mission or you will be that much further behind and a very sad pioneer. Crafting the Fireworks takes Saltpeter, which only drops from the Manure Collection. Thankfully, each Saltpeter used in Cabin makes for five Fireworks, but this is still going to be a long mission. Completing this Goal will reward you with a Big Present that will contain one of four rare decorations.
These missions are part of the three Gift Mission packs, so they can be repeated indefinitely until they predictably go away after Christmas is through. So, decorate and celebrate to your heart's content, just remember to keep on visiting for that Cloth and Energy.
FarmVille Unwither Ring: The one ring to infuriate them all returns
Unwither Ring
Zales? Forget them. Kay Jewelers? Kid stuff. Tiffany's? You could find that stuff in a quarter machine. What's really wowing the girls this season is the Unwither Ring. Zynga's infamous, expertly cut and set ring in FarmVille has returned for the holidays. Not only will this ring absolutely take your loved one's breath away, but their crops will never dry out and die again. OK, so all that stuff is made up, but it will keep your crops from withering for eternity. The Unwither Ring has been the target of much debate in the FarmVille world this year with claims that it either costs too much, trivializes the game or shouldn't exist altogether. For another look at "game-breaking" items in social games, check out this post.
For a whopping 250 Farm Cash, you can gift this item to a friend and even customize it with two band options--gold and platinum--and five gem choices: Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Black Pearl and None for the plain folk. Lastly, you can engrave it with a cute, 140 character message. Now, I would strongly recommend not getting your girlfriend, wife or what have you this if she is not seriously into FarmVille or you could very well be alone this Christmas. But if that's your (and her) thing, then definitely take the nearly $40 plunge. Just make sure you get her something tangible, too. You know she deserves it for dealing with your sorry behind day in and day out.
Zales? Forget them. Kay Jewelers? Kid stuff. Tiffany's? You could find that stuff in a quarter machine. What's really wowing the girls this season is the Unwither Ring. Zynga's infamous, expertly cut and set ring in FarmVille has returned for the holidays. Not only will this ring absolutely take your loved one's breath away, but their crops will never dry out and die again. OK, so all that stuff is made up, but it will keep your crops from withering for eternity. The Unwither Ring has been the target of much debate in the FarmVille world this year with claims that it either costs too much, trivializes the game or shouldn't exist altogether. For another look at "game-breaking" items in social games, check out this post.
For a whopping 250 Farm Cash, you can gift this item to a friend and even customize it with two band options--gold and platinum--and five gem choices: Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, Black Pearl and None for the plain folk. Lastly, you can engrave it with a cute, 140 character message. Now, I would strongly recommend not getting your girlfriend, wife or what have you this if she is not seriously into FarmVille or you could very well be alone this Christmas. But if that's your (and her) thing, then definitely take the nearly $40 plunge. Just make sure you get her something tangible, too. You know she deserves it for dealing with your sorry behind day in and day out.
Holiday Guide: FarmVille, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars & more
Happy Holidays! Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone, but I say the best has been saved for last. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas, the joyous Holiday season has finally arrived. It's going to be a winter full of cold, snow, and ice; so we officially give you permission to stay inside, drink warm beverages, spend time with your family, and of course, play tons of Facebook games over the Holidays!
This Holiday season we expect to see big things from all the best Facebook games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FrontierVille, Restaurant City, Cafe World, Pet Society, Happy Aquarium, YoVille, and many many more. New Facebook game items, bonuses, features, and more are on their way for the Holidays!
So what are you waiting for? Continue reading to see all the Holiday Facebook game updates
Note: The newest posts are at the bottom of each game list. Posts in BOLD are the biggest Holiday updates.
Jump to: FrontierVille | FarmVille | Mafia Wars | CityVille | Pet Society | Cafe World
frontierville christmas
FrontierVille Holidays
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter is Coming Missions are, well... coming
FrontierVille Winter Mystery Animal Crates will arrive soon
FrontierVille 'Heating Your Homestead' Christmas Goal: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter is Coming Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter / Christmas Avatar Costumes
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Sack O' Gifts, Luminaires, Nutcrackers, Lighted Fence & More
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Yellow Snow, Train Set, Tangled Lights, Snow Jack & More
FrontierVille Gift Missions arrive with quests, loot and good cheer
FrontierVille 'Holiday Decoratin' and 'Holiday Celebratin' Missions: Everything you need to know
The FrontierVille Christmas Items shopping spree begins today
FrontierVille Holiday Mystery Animals adorably appear on the scene
FrontierVille's Snowy Land: Cover your homestead in frosty flakes
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter Holiday Pink Tree, Happy Holidays Sign, & Sad 'Lil Tree
FrontierVille 'Winter's a Comin' Goal glitch is fixed... sort of
FrontierVille Buildable Snowman: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Wintry Crate, Snow Launcher, Menorah & more
FrontierVille Pioneer Toy Factory: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Homestead Story Contest: Share your wintry tale for lots of Horseshoes
FrontierVille Holiday Free Gifts: Large Wreath, Fence with Garland, Fruitcake now available
FrontierVille: 12 Days of Christmas missions are here... or are they?
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 12
FrontierVille Toy Factory Contest: Win an iPad for Christmas
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 11
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 10
FrontierVille Gingerbread House Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 9
FrontierVille Gingerbread Man Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 8
FrontierVille: Gingerbread House cross-promo links
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 7
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for day 6
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 5
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 4
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 3
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 2
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 1
FrontierVille's Giant Pink Tree goes missing, Zynga is on the case
farmville christmas
FarmVille Holidays
FarmVille kicks off Winter Holiday theme with new decorations
FarmVille: Deck your avatar out in Winter Holiday clothing
FarmVille Snow Collection now available for a limited time
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in ABC Family Christmas promotion
FarmVille Grey Goose now available to purchase in the market
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Lighted Train, Candy Gate, Arch & Fence
New FarmVille Winter Animal: Gypsy Horse
FarmVille Winter Holiday Buildings: Holiday PO & Winter Station
FarmVille Winter Holiday decorations: Snowy Tracks, Holiday Train Set & More
New FarmVille Crop: Winter Holiday Poinsettia
FarmVille New Winter Holiday Items: Dancing Snow Lady, Winter Cafe, Candy Cane Cow & Much More
FarmVille New Co-Op Farming Job: Candy Canes for the Kids
FarmVille Gingerbread House: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Workshop: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Quest: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Snow & Lights now available in the market
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase [video]
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Tower, Gingerbread Arch, Glacier Falls & More
New FarmVille Animals: Candy Cane Pony & Candy Cane Foal
FarmVille Mystery Game (12/05/10): Lemmings, Stallions, & Rams, oh my!
Official FarmVille Podcast (December 6, 2010) - Holiday Tree & Snowman events detailed
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 [video]
FarmVille thong: The holiday gift that keeps on giving
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Manor, Ornaments, Lighted Fence & More
FarmVille: Ornament Trees return, but at a very high cost
New FarmVille Animals: Mistletoe Donkey & Winter Goat
FarmVille Holiday cakes!
Like Zynga? Prove it and receive a free Holiday Cow in FarmVille
New FarmVille Mystery Game, Winter Present, decorations coming soon
FarmVille Holiday Tree: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Tree: Sneezy Sheep, Kodiak, more coming next week
FarmVille Festive Tree Missions: Everything you need to know
FarmVille's Winter Whimsy Gift Box: What's inside?
FarmVille: Mint Candy Tree now available, but there's a catch
FarmVille Tree Update: Sugar Plum Tree now available, Mint Candy Tree fixed
FarmVille Mini Candycane Pony & Mini Candycane Foal now available
FarmVille Holiday Avatar Costumes: Elf, Miss Santa, Penguin, Teddy Bears, & Ski Bunny
FarmVille Winter Holiday items: Sweet Shop, Pond, Stockings Arch, Winter Teddy & more
FarmVille Festive Cow will make its grand appearance ... soon
FarmVille: Here's your last chance at White Pumpkin & Candy Cane crop mastery
FarmVille: Snow Stallions can now be placed in Stables
FarmVille Scam Watch: Zynga's not giving free Farm Cash for Christmas
FarmVille: Reindeer now available through Feed Trough
FarmVille for iPhone Exclusive Holiday Cat and Elf Leopard appear
FarmVille Snowman / Snowball Fight: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 3 [Video]
FarmVille: Mistletoe Tree and Ornament Tree now available
FarmVille Yakut Pony and Santa Cat now available for Farm Cash
FarmVille Mountain Cabin, FV Ornament, Redwood, Turtle Doves, and more now available
FarmVille: Enter the Winter Holiday Decorating Contest for 500 free Farm Cash
FarmVille Greeting Card Contest: Win 1,000 Farm Cash and riches galore!
FarmVille: Zynga fixes Snowman event issues, considers compensation for the affected
FarmVille Clumsy Reindeer available as Free Gift for limited time
FarmVille: Free Gifts page updated with six new Holiday items, including trees
FarmVille Winter Holiday items: Candy Cane Chicken, Winter Castle, Reindeer Balloon & More
FarmVille Holiday Avatar Costumes: Polar Bear & Snowman
FarmVille: Holiday Cow appears - remember to open your Christmas presents!
FarmVille Winter Countdown: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Countdown items revealed - here's what to expect over the next 11 days
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Animals: Baby Penguin, Brown Gypsy Horse, Brown Gypsy Foal
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Building: Bundle up and head into the new Igloo
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Decorations: Ice Skating Ring, Penguin Fishing, Iced Duck & More!
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Winter Creek & Dog Sled
mafia wars christmas
Mafia Wars Holidays
Mafia Wars Secret Santa mission ushers in the Holidays for a limited time
Mafia Wars: Earn a free gift daily through the New Year from official fan page
Mafia Wars 'No Crime Like the Present': Everything you need to know
CityVille Holidays
CityVille: New Buildings and Decorations usher in the Holiday season
CityVille: Two new goals offer a free Holiday Tree
CityVille Holiday Decorations still without payout increases
CityVille Let it Snow Goals blanket your town in frosty flakes
CityVille: Inventory Limit raised to 500 - keep collecting those presents!
CityVille: Start unwrapping your Holiday Presents now!
CityVille Winter Decorations: Ice Sculptures, Ski Slopes, Christmas Tree Lot, Ice Rink & Much More!
CityVille: Limited Edition Penguin now available as a Free Gift
restaurant city christmas
Restaurant City Holidays
Restaurant City: Master the 'Turducken' dish for a free 'Santa Marzipan'
Restaurant City Candy Factory Week feeds the sweet tooth
Restaurant City Challenges: Everything you need to know
cafe world christmas
Cafe World Holidays
Cafe World Company Holiday Party Catering Job: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Holiday Dinner Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Holiday Tree: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Treats for Kids Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World: Daily Holiday Tree presents now available
happy aquarium christmas
Happy Aquarium Holidays
Happy Aquarium goes subzero with new Arctic theme
treasure isle christmas
Treasure Isle Holidays
Treasure Isle's Design a Holiday Item Contest chills the creative juices
Treasure Isle Holiday Theme begins with Gingerbread House Relic & Holiday Tree
pet society christmas
Pet Society Holidays
Pet Society Holiday Competition: Dress up the Mayor for Playfish Cash
Pet Society WWF Christmas Carolers bring holiday tunes and a good cause
Pet Society Advent Calendars: Be showered with brand new gifts daily
Pet Society Deck the Halls Theme adds a modern flair to the holidays
social city christmas
Social City Holidays
Social City: Create a home for Santa in the new North Pole District
Social City: Spin to win Christmas items in new raffle
Social City North Pole expansion comes with homey winter buildings
petville christmas
PetVille Holidays
PetVille: Decorate for the Holiday season with new Season's Greetings collection
city of wonder christmas
City of Wonder Holidays
Celebrate Winter in City of Wonder with new Christmas items
winterbells christmas
Click here to Play Winterbells >
snow lemmings christmas
Click here to Play Snow Lemmings >
For all our New Year's coverage click here.
What other games would you like to see in our Holiday Guide? Which game has the best Holiday update? Let us know!
This Holiday season we expect to see big things from all the best Facebook games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FrontierVille, Restaurant City, Cafe World, Pet Society, Happy Aquarium, YoVille, and many many more. New Facebook game items, bonuses, features, and more are on their way for the Holidays!
So what are you waiting for? Continue reading to see all the Holiday Facebook game updates
Note: The newest posts are at the bottom of each game list. Posts in BOLD are the biggest Holiday updates.
Jump to: FrontierVille | FarmVille | Mafia Wars | CityVille | Pet Society | Cafe World
frontierville christmas
FrontierVille Holidays
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter is Coming Missions are, well... coming
FrontierVille Winter Mystery Animal Crates will arrive soon
FrontierVille 'Heating Your Homestead' Christmas Goal: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter is Coming Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter / Christmas Avatar Costumes
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Sack O' Gifts, Luminaires, Nutcrackers, Lighted Fence & More
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Yellow Snow, Train Set, Tangled Lights, Snow Jack & More
FrontierVille Gift Missions arrive with quests, loot and good cheer
FrontierVille 'Holiday Decoratin' and 'Holiday Celebratin' Missions: Everything you need to know
The FrontierVille Christmas Items shopping spree begins today
FrontierVille Holiday Mystery Animals adorably appear on the scene
FrontierVille's Snowy Land: Cover your homestead in frosty flakes
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Winter Holiday Pink Tree, Happy Holidays Sign, & Sad 'Lil Tree
FrontierVille 'Winter's a Comin' Goal glitch is fixed... sort of
FrontierVille Buildable Snowman: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Wintry Crate, Snow Launcher, Menorah & more
FrontierVille Pioneer Toy Factory: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Homestead Story Contest: Share your wintry tale for lots of Horseshoes
FrontierVille Holiday Free Gifts: Large Wreath, Fence with Garland, Fruitcake now available
FrontierVille: 12 Days of Christmas missions are here... or are they?
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 12
FrontierVille Toy Factory Contest: Win an iPad for Christmas
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 11
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 10
FrontierVille Gingerbread House Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 9
FrontierVille Gingerbread Man Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 8
FrontierVille: Gingerbread House cross-promo links
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 7
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for day 6
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 5
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 4
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 3
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 2
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day 1
FrontierVille's Giant Pink Tree goes missing, Zynga is on the case
farmville christmas
FarmVille Holidays
FarmVille kicks off Winter Holiday theme with new decorations
FarmVille: Deck your avatar out in Winter Holiday clothing
FarmVille Snow Collection now available for a limited time
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in ABC Family Christmas promotion
FarmVille Grey Goose now available to purchase in the market
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Lighted Train, Candy Gate, Arch & Fence
New FarmVille Winter Animal: Gypsy Horse
FarmVille Winter Holiday Buildings: Holiday PO & Winter Station
FarmVille Winter Holiday decorations: Snowy Tracks, Holiday Train Set & More
New FarmVille Crop: Winter Holiday Poinsettia
FarmVille New Winter Holiday Items: Dancing Snow Lady, Winter Cafe, Candy Cane Cow & Much More
FarmVille New Co-Op Farming Job: Candy Canes for the Kids
FarmVille Gingerbread House: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Workshop: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Quest: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Snow & Lights now available in the market
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase [video]
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Tower, Gingerbread Arch, Glacier Falls & More
New FarmVille Animals: Candy Cane Pony & Candy Cane Foal
FarmVille Mystery Game (12/05/10): Lemmings, Stallions, & Rams, oh my!
Official FarmVille Podcast (December 6, 2010) - Holiday Tree & Snowman events detailed
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 [video]
FarmVille thong: The holiday gift that keeps on giving
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Manor, Ornaments, Lighted Fence & More
FarmVille: Ornament Trees return, but at a very high cost
New FarmVille Animals: Mistletoe Donkey & Winter Goat
FarmVille Holiday cakes!
Like Zynga? Prove it and receive a free Holiday Cow in FarmVille
New FarmVille Mystery Game, Winter Present, decorations coming soon
FarmVille Holiday Tree: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Tree: Sneezy Sheep, Kodiak, more coming next week
FarmVille Festive Tree Missions: Everything you need to know
FarmVille's Winter Whimsy Gift Box: What's inside?
FarmVille: Mint Candy Tree now available, but there's a catch
FarmVille Tree Update: Sugar Plum Tree now available, Mint Candy Tree fixed
FarmVille Mini Candycane Pony & Mini Candycane Foal now available
FarmVille Holiday Avatar Costumes: Elf, Miss Santa, Penguin, Teddy Bears, & Ski Bunny
FarmVille Winter Holiday items: Sweet Shop, Pond, Stockings Arch, Winter Teddy & more
FarmVille Festive Cow will make its grand appearance ... soon
FarmVille: Here's your last chance at White Pumpkin & Candy Cane crop mastery
FarmVille: Snow Stallions can now be placed in Stables
FarmVille Scam Watch: Zynga's not giving free Farm Cash for Christmas
FarmVille: Reindeer now available through Feed Trough
FarmVille for iPhone Exclusive Holiday Cat and Elf Leopard appear
FarmVille Snowman / Snowball Fight: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 3 [Video]
FarmVille: Mistletoe Tree and Ornament Tree now available
FarmVille Yakut Pony and Santa Cat now available for Farm Cash
FarmVille Mountain Cabin, FV Ornament, Redwood, Turtle Doves, and more now available
FarmVille: Enter the Winter Holiday Decorating Contest for 500 free Farm Cash
FarmVille Greeting Card Contest: Win 1,000 Farm Cash and riches galore!
FarmVille: Zynga fixes Snowman event issues, considers compensation for the affected
FarmVille Clumsy Reindeer available as Free Gift for limited time
FarmVille: Free Gifts page updated with six new Holiday items, including trees
FarmVille Winter Holiday items: Candy Cane Chicken, Winter Castle, Reindeer Balloon & More
FarmVille Holiday Avatar Costumes: Polar Bear & Snowman
FarmVille: Holiday Cow appears - remember to open your Christmas presents!
FarmVille Winter Countdown: Everything you need to know
FarmVille Winter Countdown items revealed - here's what to expect over the next 11 days
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Animals: Baby Penguin, Brown Gypsy Horse, Brown Gypsy Foal
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Building: Bundle up and head into the new Igloo
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Decorations: Ice Skating Ring, Penguin Fishing, Iced Duck & More!
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Winter Creek & Dog Sled
mafia wars christmas
Mafia Wars Holidays
Mafia Wars Secret Santa mission ushers in the Holidays for a limited time
Mafia Wars: Earn a free gift daily through the New Year from official fan page
Mafia Wars 'No Crime Like the Present': Everything you need to know
CityVille Holidays
CityVille: New Buildings and Decorations usher in the Holiday season
CityVille: Two new goals offer a free Holiday Tree
CityVille Holiday Decorations still without payout increases
CityVille Let it Snow Goals blanket your town in frosty flakes
CityVille: Inventory Limit raised to 500 - keep collecting those presents!
CityVille: Start unwrapping your Holiday Presents now!
CityVille Winter Decorations: Ice Sculptures, Ski Slopes, Christmas Tree Lot, Ice Rink & Much More!
CityVille: Limited Edition Penguin now available as a Free Gift
restaurant city christmas
Restaurant City Holidays
Restaurant City: Master the 'Turducken' dish for a free 'Santa Marzipan'
Restaurant City Candy Factory Week feeds the sweet tooth
Restaurant City Challenges: Everything you need to know
cafe world christmas
Cafe World Holidays
Cafe World Company Holiday Party Catering Job: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Holiday Dinner Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Holiday Tree: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Treats for Kids Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World: Daily Holiday Tree presents now available
happy aquarium christmas
Happy Aquarium Holidays
Happy Aquarium goes subzero with new Arctic theme
treasure isle christmas
Treasure Isle Holidays
Treasure Isle's Design a Holiday Item Contest chills the creative juices
Treasure Isle Holiday Theme begins with Gingerbread House Relic & Holiday Tree
pet society christmas
Pet Society Holidays
Pet Society Holiday Competition: Dress up the Mayor for Playfish Cash
Pet Society WWF Christmas Carolers bring holiday tunes and a good cause
Pet Society Advent Calendars: Be showered with brand new gifts daily
Pet Society Deck the Halls Theme adds a modern flair to the holidays
social city christmas
Social City Holidays
Social City: Create a home for Santa in the new North Pole District
Social City: Spin to win Christmas items in new raffle
Social City North Pole expansion comes with homey winter buildings
petville christmas
PetVille Holidays
PetVille: Decorate for the Holiday season with new Season's Greetings collection
city of wonder christmas
City of Wonder Holidays
Celebrate Winter in City of Wonder with new Christmas items
winterbells christmas
Click here to Play Winterbells >
snow lemmings christmas
Click here to Play Snow Lemmings >
For all our New Year's coverage click here.
What other games would you like to see in our Holiday Guide? Which game has the best Holiday update? Let us know!
Pet Society WWF Christmas Carolers bring holiday tunes and a good cause
Just like that, the carolers are already out at night, singing the joys of the holiday season that's upon us. (Can you tell that I love Christmas?) In Pet Society, replace those carolers with terribly cute, endangered species and you got yourself an adorable gift set with a cause. The Word Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Playfish have joined forces once to bring us the cutest digital animals with a chance to donate to help save endangered animals everywhere. Here is the foursome you can find in the Boutique:
Penguin on Piano: 12 Playfish Cash
Baby Polar Bear on Vocals: 11 Playfish Cash
Baby Penguin on Backup Vocals: 11 Playfish Cash
Polar Bear on Cello: 12 Playfish Cash
With their adorable faces, strangely opposable thumbs and musical talents combined, this quartet will bring real Christmas tunes to your home. In other words, you need to buy all four for their music to play. Most importantly, however is that for each purchase of these animals or the 40 Playfish Cash box set, Playfish will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the WWF. Keep in mind that 10 percent isn't necessarily a lot from either about $8 for the set or $2.50 individually, but there is strength in numbers. Especially in four absolutely charming critters who are already more talented than most of us.
Penguin on Piano: 12 Playfish Cash
Baby Polar Bear on Vocals: 11 Playfish Cash
Baby Penguin on Backup Vocals: 11 Playfish Cash
Polar Bear on Cello: 12 Playfish Cash
With their adorable faces, strangely opposable thumbs and musical talents combined, this quartet will bring real Christmas tunes to your home. In other words, you need to buy all four for their music to play. Most importantly, however is that for each purchase of these animals or the 40 Playfish Cash box set, Playfish will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the WWF. Keep in mind that 10 percent isn't necessarily a lot from either about $8 for the set or $2.50 individually, but there is strength in numbers. Especially in four absolutely charming critters who are already more talented than most of us.
Friday, January 13, 2012
FrontierVille Pioneer Toy Factory: Everything you need to know
Log into FrontierVille today, and you'll be greated with the presence of a holiday-themed factory on the outskirts of your pioneer town. Looks like a bunch of elves moved onto your property and built a toy factory -- and now are getting ready to put you to work collecting toys. This can be done by asking friends (by posting a message on their Facebook Wall), helping neighbors on their homesteads and collecting daily bonuses. Toys can also be sent as free gifts.
pioneer toy factory collect toys
Once you have enough toys, you'll be able to redeem them for the six holiday-themed rewards:
frontierville toy factory colectibles
Candy Cane Lamp
Drummer Boy
Rudolph
Sledding Hill
Giant Pink Tree
Winter Mare
Oh yeah, and if you want to score these six items without doing all of that work, you can buy the number of presents you need using Horseshoes. Three Toy Bundles (x5, x10, x20) can be purchased for 15, 29 and 55 Horseshoes respectively.
toy bundle
pioneer toy factory collect toys
Once you have enough toys, you'll be able to redeem them for the six holiday-themed rewards:
frontierville toy factory colectibles
Candy Cane Lamp
Drummer Boy
Rudolph
Sledding Hill
Giant Pink Tree
Winter Mare
Oh yeah, and if you want to score these six items without doing all of that work, you can buy the number of presents you need using Horseshoes. Three Toy Bundles (x5, x10, x20) can be purchased for 15, 29 and 55 Horseshoes respectively.
toy bundle
Cafe World Holiday Dinner Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Attention all Cafe World caterers! A new job is now available to undertake via your Catering Van (the Catering Business menu), and it comes in the form of the "Holiday Dinner" order. Not to be confused with the Company Holiday Party job released last week, this is an entirely new catering order that sees you catering a Holiday Dinner, apparently just for friends, instead of for an entire company.
This job seems to be setup like most of the others, with a total of three stars available to earn, depending on how quickly you can complete the order, with the 3--star prize being a large decoration that you'd likely see up at Santa's Workshop. Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this new catering mission.
Once you start the Holiday Dinner catering job, you'll see that you have three full days to complete the job in order to do so with a three star rating. This job asks you to cook three holiday-themed dishes, which actually makes this catering job one of the hardest ever released, as these holiday recipes start out as locked out for users, until they can complete enough of the Holiday Dinner goals (remember, goals are an entirely different feature than Catering) in order to unlock access to cooking them. For example, the Baked Ham recipe that we'll talk about a little later can only be cooked after finishing part 5 of the Holiday Dinner Goals.
Whether or not you've unlocked these recipes does not affect your ability to accept the Catering order, so if you think you have enough friends on your account that have already unlocked those recipes and will be cooking them for their own stake with this job, go right ahead. Still, it seems unreasonable that Zynga would give such a short time limit of three days when this is the case. Luckily, this order as a convenient "Cancel Order" button located on its menu, so if you'd rather not even attempt the job until you have personally unlocked all three dishes, go right ahead - we won't blame you, as we're doing the same.
Moving onto the task at hand, however, once you are ready to tackle this mission, you'll need to serve Waldorf Salad 127 times, Baked Ham 138 times, and Angel Slices 63 times. You can unlock these tasks for Cafe Cash, at a price of 20, 18, and 16 Cafe Cash, respectively. In addition, you'll need to collect 15 Candy Canes and 10 Gingerbread Men to finish off this job's tasks.
For finishing the job in order three days, you'll earn 6 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 141,750 Coins, and the Toy Workshop Bench decoration - a large animated item that has an elf diligently working away at a table in Santa's Workshop.
For the 2-star prize, you are given a total of five days to complete the order. This results in a prize of 4 Catering Points, 4,500 Cafe Points and 101,250 coins.
Finally, the 1-star prize will be received for simply finishing the mission, even if you go past the five day time limit. For going through with completing the order, you'll receive 2 Catering Points, 2,700 Cafe Points, and 60,750 coins - not a bad haul, considering.
For this job, you can have up to 11 people, including yourself, working on the job at once. You can either click on the "Ask for Help!" button to send individual requests to friends to ask them for help, or you can go into the Catering Business menu to see if any of your friends have already undertaken this job themselves, and if they have, you can instantly join their catering crew, if there are any positions left.
Since this job is such a difficult one (unless you and 10 of your friends just happen to have already unlocked the three Holiday dishes), this might be the time when you should take advantage of the ability to add more than the standard 11 total crew members to your order. This is done by clicking on the "Unlock Slot" button, at which point you are asked to gather the proper gear to allow another chef into the kitchen. You'll need to gather 1 Hat, 1 Jacket, 1 Pants, and 2 Pairs of Shoes in order to unlock a new crew slot, which can be done by asking your friends to send you the items via individual requests. You can skip this step entirely by simply paying 5 Cafe Cash to unlock the new slot instantly, if you so choose.
Remember, no matter what happens with your catering order (that is, no matter which star rating you end up getting), you'll be able to retry it if you so choose to get a higher score, and perhaps even unlock the Toy Workshop Bench decoration, if you didn't unlock it the first time around.
There's no telling whether or not this job will expire after the holiday season is over, so make sure to take a stab at this job while you're guaranteed to have a good shot at it. Besides, if you start the job now, you'll have the best chance of finding other players on your friends' list that are also trying the catering job, giving you an even better chance at success, so keep that in mind.
This job seems to be setup like most of the others, with a total of three stars available to earn, depending on how quickly you can complete the order, with the 3--star prize being a large decoration that you'd likely see up at Santa's Workshop. Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this new catering mission.
Once you start the Holiday Dinner catering job, you'll see that you have three full days to complete the job in order to do so with a three star rating. This job asks you to cook three holiday-themed dishes, which actually makes this catering job one of the hardest ever released, as these holiday recipes start out as locked out for users, until they can complete enough of the Holiday Dinner goals (remember, goals are an entirely different feature than Catering) in order to unlock access to cooking them. For example, the Baked Ham recipe that we'll talk about a little later can only be cooked after finishing part 5 of the Holiday Dinner Goals.
Whether or not you've unlocked these recipes does not affect your ability to accept the Catering order, so if you think you have enough friends on your account that have already unlocked those recipes and will be cooking them for their own stake with this job, go right ahead. Still, it seems unreasonable that Zynga would give such a short time limit of three days when this is the case. Luckily, this order as a convenient "Cancel Order" button located on its menu, so if you'd rather not even attempt the job until you have personally unlocked all three dishes, go right ahead - we won't blame you, as we're doing the same.
Moving onto the task at hand, however, once you are ready to tackle this mission, you'll need to serve Waldorf Salad 127 times, Baked Ham 138 times, and Angel Slices 63 times. You can unlock these tasks for Cafe Cash, at a price of 20, 18, and 16 Cafe Cash, respectively. In addition, you'll need to collect 15 Candy Canes and 10 Gingerbread Men to finish off this job's tasks.
For finishing the job in order three days, you'll earn 6 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 141,750 Coins, and the Toy Workshop Bench decoration - a large animated item that has an elf diligently working away at a table in Santa's Workshop.
For the 2-star prize, you are given a total of five days to complete the order. This results in a prize of 4 Catering Points, 4,500 Cafe Points and 101,250 coins.
Finally, the 1-star prize will be received for simply finishing the mission, even if you go past the five day time limit. For going through with completing the order, you'll receive 2 Catering Points, 2,700 Cafe Points, and 60,750 coins - not a bad haul, considering.
For this job, you can have up to 11 people, including yourself, working on the job at once. You can either click on the "Ask for Help!" button to send individual requests to friends to ask them for help, or you can go into the Catering Business menu to see if any of your friends have already undertaken this job themselves, and if they have, you can instantly join their catering crew, if there are any positions left.
Since this job is such a difficult one (unless you and 10 of your friends just happen to have already unlocked the three Holiday dishes), this might be the time when you should take advantage of the ability to add more than the standard 11 total crew members to your order. This is done by clicking on the "Unlock Slot" button, at which point you are asked to gather the proper gear to allow another chef into the kitchen. You'll need to gather 1 Hat, 1 Jacket, 1 Pants, and 2 Pairs of Shoes in order to unlock a new crew slot, which can be done by asking your friends to send you the items via individual requests. You can skip this step entirely by simply paying 5 Cafe Cash to unlock the new slot instantly, if you so choose.
Remember, no matter what happens with your catering order (that is, no matter which star rating you end up getting), you'll be able to retry it if you so choose to get a higher score, and perhaps even unlock the Toy Workshop Bench decoration, if you didn't unlock it the first time around.
There's no telling whether or not this job will expire after the holiday season is over, so make sure to take a stab at this job while you're guaranteed to have a good shot at it. Besides, if you start the job now, you'll have the best chance of finding other players on your friends' list that are also trying the catering job, giving you an even better chance at success, so keep that in mind.
CityVille: Help choose which building(s) will be released next!
As CityVille has already been launched into the #5 spot on the overall Facebook app leaderboards, it's not surprising that Zynga is looking to expand the amount of content in the game. What's more, they've decided to give us, the real players of the game, a chance to help shape and influence the content that will be added in the coming days and weeks. This comes, first and foremost, in the form of a new poll on the official CityVille forums, where users can look at a variety of possible new buildings that may or may not be added to the game, and vote for their favorites.
As of right now, there are just five buildings to choose from, and you'll need to login to the forums in order to vote (a simply login with Facebook Connect will allow you to vote with the least amount of hassle). The choices are:
Power Plant
Gas Station
Prison
Parking Lot
Casino
As of this writing, the post has only been open for a matter of hours, and the Casino is winning with almost 46% of the vote. Second is the gas station with 24%, and the other options decrease from there. For the sake of the argument, the Parking Lot is in last place currently, with just 7% of the vote.
Interestingly, Zynga has made clear whether these items would be classified as businesses or community buildings. While it's presumable that items like the Casino and Gas Station would be released as businesses alongside the current options like the Toy Store or Diner, the Prison could very well be a community building, allowing you to add more population to your town (after all, the Police Station is a community building, so why stop there?).
We don't know when the winning item will be added to the game, but keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know which item wins, and when we'll see it in the game (personally, we're hoping for the Casino, so we're glad we're not alone in that vote).
As of right now, there are just five buildings to choose from, and you'll need to login to the forums in order to vote (a simply login with Facebook Connect will allow you to vote with the least amount of hassle). The choices are:
Power Plant
Gas Station
Prison
Parking Lot
Casino
As of this writing, the post has only been open for a matter of hours, and the Casino is winning with almost 46% of the vote. Second is the gas station with 24%, and the other options decrease from there. For the sake of the argument, the Parking Lot is in last place currently, with just 7% of the vote.
Interestingly, Zynga has made clear whether these items would be classified as businesses or community buildings. While it's presumable that items like the Casino and Gas Station would be released as businesses alongside the current options like the Toy Store or Diner, the Prison could very well be a community building, allowing you to add more population to your town (after all, the Police Station is a community building, so why stop there?).
We don't know when the winning item will be added to the game, but keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know which item wins, and when we'll see it in the game (personally, we're hoping for the Casino, so we're glad we're not alone in that vote).
CityVille: HQ Payouts doubled, game balance tweaked, bugs fixed
Almost a week has gone by since Zynga released their first major game upgrade for CityVille, providing for a Bonus Meter that's easier to fill, resulting in more profits for users, and a streamlined storage bar, that now contains both ship and overall Goods in one total (among other changes and improvements), but they haven't stopped there.
The developer has now announced an even larger list of changes that have taken place in the game this week (including one once again affecting the Bonus Meter), with some of these actually working to hurt the very rapid progress users have been experiencing since the game's launch.
As usual, we have the full list of improvements and changes behind the break, so meet us there, won't you?
First and foremost - the good news. The first bit of good news it the fact that HQ payout bonuses have now been doubled. That's right, from now on, when collecting from your Franchise HQs (not those franchises that your friends have added to your town - the actual Franchise skyscraper(s) you have in your town), you'll earn double the coins as before. With coins being perhaps the most valuable commodity in the game (aside from maybe energy), anyway to earn bonus coins is definitely appreciated.
Next, a bit of bad news. When supplying your franchises, you'll no longer receive bonus energy. While energy hasn't really been an issue for most users, who can play the game in five or ten minute sessions and never run out, this might become a bit harder to do, as this bonus energy is no more. Zynga says the reasoning behind this alteration was to "improve game balance," so we'll have to see how that works out for them.
As for Quests, earning items for your quests will now be easier thanks to the altered time limit for posting item requests. At launch, the request window was "once every 24 hours." Now though, players can now post item requests for items (like Chocolates, Endorsements, and the like, depending on the Quest) once every four hours.
Two other improvements come in the form of tweaked train values, which sees the amount of coins required for each amount of good when sending off your trains being altered slightly, and in the form of a changed Bronze Statue Payout Bonus. The Bronze Statue is a decorative item available to purchase from the store. Now, though, the payout bonus that you receive from the Bronze Statue has been reduced, again, as Zynga says, to help improve game balance.
While this is already a lot of changes to take in, there are even more general bug fixes to speak of, ranging from improving the texts in wall posts, to lessening the amount of Out of Sync errors that a player could potentially run into while performing certain (at the time) bugged activities. Here's the list of bug fixes, straight from Zynga:
Collections Feed Posts - Collections feed posts now correctly states "Get 50 coins".
Bonus Meter - Fixed/adjusted bonus meter payouts, and issues related to bonus meter progression.
OOS errors when supplying franchises - Fixed the issue that was causing OOS errors when supplying franchises.
Friends listed on the requests page - Requests of the same type can only be sent to the same friend once per day; fixed the issue where friends were still appearing on the list, which was causing some of the gifts/requests related issues.
Franchise HQ displayed payout bonus - Fixed the issue where franchise HQ payout bonuses were being displayed incorrectly.
Quest: Build City Funds - Resolved the issue with requesting "Capital Endorsements".
XP Discrepancy - Fixed a discrepancy between XP being added and XP shown, which was causing OOS errors after leveling
Coin Discrepancy - Fixed a discrepancy between coins being added when collecting from businesses to the coins shown, which was causing the appearance of losing coins after refreshing the game and OOS errors when spending coins which were not being counted.
As we said at the beginning of this post, we can now see that the Bonus Meter has been altered yet again (seems they haven't been able to strike a nice balance as of yet). However, instead of changing the overall amount of coins that are awarded (like with the first change of the meter), we now see its progression being altered. That is, after the first week, teh meter would stick at the "Masterful," and would slowly fill, if it ever actually filled at all. This resulted in one large sum of bonus coins being awarded (in my game the bonus was always somewhere around 4,000+ coins.
Now, though, the Masterful bar fills just as quickly as the others, and once it is completely full, the bonus levels cycle back around to the first stage of "Bonus," and continues from there. In this way, you may receive four 1,000 coin bonuses instead of one large 4,000 coin bonus, which is actually fine with us. Hopefully this is how the meter will stay too, as we really like all of those bonus coins that we've been getting.
The developer has now announced an even larger list of changes that have taken place in the game this week (including one once again affecting the Bonus Meter), with some of these actually working to hurt the very rapid progress users have been experiencing since the game's launch.
As usual, we have the full list of improvements and changes behind the break, so meet us there, won't you?
First and foremost - the good news. The first bit of good news it the fact that HQ payout bonuses have now been doubled. That's right, from now on, when collecting from your Franchise HQs (not those franchises that your friends have added to your town - the actual Franchise skyscraper(s) you have in your town), you'll earn double the coins as before. With coins being perhaps the most valuable commodity in the game (aside from maybe energy), anyway to earn bonus coins is definitely appreciated.
Next, a bit of bad news. When supplying your franchises, you'll no longer receive bonus energy. While energy hasn't really been an issue for most users, who can play the game in five or ten minute sessions and never run out, this might become a bit harder to do, as this bonus energy is no more. Zynga says the reasoning behind this alteration was to "improve game balance," so we'll have to see how that works out for them.
As for Quests, earning items for your quests will now be easier thanks to the altered time limit for posting item requests. At launch, the request window was "once every 24 hours." Now though, players can now post item requests for items (like Chocolates, Endorsements, and the like, depending on the Quest) once every four hours.
Two other improvements come in the form of tweaked train values, which sees the amount of coins required for each amount of good when sending off your trains being altered slightly, and in the form of a changed Bronze Statue Payout Bonus. The Bronze Statue is a decorative item available to purchase from the store. Now, though, the payout bonus that you receive from the Bronze Statue has been reduced, again, as Zynga says, to help improve game balance.
While this is already a lot of changes to take in, there are even more general bug fixes to speak of, ranging from improving the texts in wall posts, to lessening the amount of Out of Sync errors that a player could potentially run into while performing certain (at the time) bugged activities. Here's the list of bug fixes, straight from Zynga:
Collections Feed Posts - Collections feed posts now correctly states "Get 50 coins".
Bonus Meter - Fixed/adjusted bonus meter payouts, and issues related to bonus meter progression.
OOS errors when supplying franchises - Fixed the issue that was causing OOS errors when supplying franchises.
Friends listed on the requests page - Requests of the same type can only be sent to the same friend once per day; fixed the issue where friends were still appearing on the list, which was causing some of the gifts/requests related issues.
Franchise HQ displayed payout bonus - Fixed the issue where franchise HQ payout bonuses were being displayed incorrectly.
Quest: Build City Funds - Resolved the issue with requesting "Capital Endorsements".
XP Discrepancy - Fixed a discrepancy between XP being added and XP shown, which was causing OOS errors after leveling
Coin Discrepancy - Fixed a discrepancy between coins being added when collecting from businesses to the coins shown, which was causing the appearance of losing coins after refreshing the game and OOS errors when spending coins which were not being counted.
As we said at the beginning of this post, we can now see that the Bonus Meter has been altered yet again (seems they haven't been able to strike a nice balance as of yet). However, instead of changing the overall amount of coins that are awarded (like with the first change of the meter), we now see its progression being altered. That is, after the first week, teh meter would stick at the "Masterful," and would slowly fill, if it ever actually filled at all. This resulted in one large sum of bonus coins being awarded (in my game the bonus was always somewhere around 4,000+ coins.
Now, though, the Masterful bar fills just as quickly as the others, and once it is completely full, the bonus levels cycle back around to the first stage of "Bonus," and continues from there. In this way, you may receive four 1,000 coin bonuses instead of one large 4,000 coin bonus, which is actually fine with us. Hopefully this is how the meter will stay too, as we really like all of those bonus coins that we've been getting.
CityVille Cheats and Tips: Guess What? You Don't Need Roads!
There's two schools of thought when it comes to the best way to play CityVille -- that is, whether looking pretty and saving land is more important than cramming things to the hilt and saving Energy. Right now, the prevailing wisdom of players is to value Energy-saving over land space. Today, we already showcased an awesome way to save Energy by using decorations. But if you find yourself running out of space more than Energy, here's some pointers:
CityVille Franchise HQ bonus
1. Franchise HQs don't need Roads to work. They take up 5x5 of space, which is a lot, but you need them to manage your franchises. Most people put these buildings off to the side, but they offer a +2% boost range of 11x11 to businesses. (You can see from the sample image that one HQ can bonus boost up to five businesses.) So put 'em where you can use their bonus boosting power!
CityVille Community Buildings
2. Community buildings (e.g. Post Office, Police, City Hall, etc.) and Storage buildings (e.g. Silo, Red Barn, Sticks, etc.) don't need roads either. Community buildings give out money and owning them allows you to have a bigger population. And Storage buildings let you have more goods. But other than that, these are pretty useless. Profit bonuses from decorations don't work on them. So if you have to put a building in the corner, do it to these two kinds!
CityVille Roads versus Sidewalks
3. Contrary to the headline of this post, roads are important. We all know certain buildings can't earn coins unless they're somehow touching the roads. So what do I mean when I say you don't need them? Well, the game starts you off with some Asphalt Roads already in place. This means most of us are tempted to keep using them, so we buy more for 10 Coins each. But a better substitute is actually the City Sidewalk, which costs 20 Coins. If you care about space, one Asphalt Road takes up 3x3 land, but one City Sidewalk takes up just 1x1 land. Instead of connecting your buildings by using the Asphalt Road, use the City Sidewalk!
(Note: A piece of City Sidewalk must be touching a piece of Asphalt Road to work. See the above image where I put down one piece of road in the middle of nowhere, connected the Sidewalks to it, and the businesses are functional? And that one Coffee Shop has some Sidewalk sticking out of it, but the game says it's "Not connected to road.")
CityVille Franchise HQ bonus
1. Franchise HQs don't need Roads to work. They take up 5x5 of space, which is a lot, but you need them to manage your franchises. Most people put these buildings off to the side, but they offer a +2% boost range of 11x11 to businesses. (You can see from the sample image that one HQ can bonus boost up to five businesses.) So put 'em where you can use their bonus boosting power!
CityVille Community Buildings
2. Community buildings (e.g. Post Office, Police, City Hall, etc.) and Storage buildings (e.g. Silo, Red Barn, Sticks, etc.) don't need roads either. Community buildings give out money and owning them allows you to have a bigger population. And Storage buildings let you have more goods. But other than that, these are pretty useless. Profit bonuses from decorations don't work on them. So if you have to put a building in the corner, do it to these two kinds!
CityVille Roads versus Sidewalks
3. Contrary to the headline of this post, roads are important. We all know certain buildings can't earn coins unless they're somehow touching the roads. So what do I mean when I say you don't need them? Well, the game starts you off with some Asphalt Roads already in place. This means most of us are tempted to keep using them, so we buy more for 10 Coins each. But a better substitute is actually the City Sidewalk, which costs 20 Coins. If you care about space, one Asphalt Road takes up 3x3 land, but one City Sidewalk takes up just 1x1 land. Instead of connecting your buildings by using the Asphalt Road, use the City Sidewalk!
(Note: A piece of City Sidewalk must be touching a piece of Asphalt Road to work. See the above image where I put down one piece of road in the middle of nowhere, connected the Sidewalks to it, and the businesses are functional? And that one Coffee Shop has some Sidewalk sticking out of it, but the game says it's "Not connected to road.")
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Why are we so hooked on Angry Birds? It's science [Infographic]
We already know that Rovio and its Angry Birds are poised to do battle with Zynga for global gaming domination. The iPhone-game-turned-everywhere-game has become millions' preferred time-waster on the run. But there's one thing we just can't seem to put our finger on: Why? An infographic put together by Ask Your Target Marketing attempts to answer this question with two forms of science (though, the latter of which is debatable in some circles): psychology and sociology.
But before we get into that, some basics. According to 1,000 surveyed Angry Birds players, men are 35 percent more likely to buy Angry Birds than women, and 18 to 24-year-olds are 33 percent more likely to buy the game than those 25 or older. Here's an interesting finding: gamers collectively play Angry Birds an average of 200 million minutes per day--that amounts to 16 collective years of flinging agitated avian creatures every hour of every day.
While just 15 percent of players feel addicted to the game often when playing and an even smaller 13 percent say they feel addicted always, a whopping 54 percent say they feel addicted occasionally. OK, so we get it: We're hooked by their angry talons. Now, how in the world did this happen? Simply put, it makes us feel good.
Out of 1,000 people who played Angry Birds 25 or more times, 32 percent of them felt "somewhat relaxed" after an Angry Birds session, while 23 percent said to have felt "very relaxed" after launching the birds into the amorphous green pigs. But generally speaking, 58 percent of Angry Birds players reported their mood to be improved after playing the game, while 37 percent said their mood was unchanged.
This is thanks to an amazing strange little thing called dopamine, which our brains put out on overdrive in anticipation of reward, according to the infographic. This massive release of dopamine makes us want to know just what will happen after letting that next bird careen into some wooden planks.
For 12 percent of players, the addiction has been so bad that they were forced to delete the game from their phones, while another 12 percent have merely considered that drastic measure as an option. The other 76 percent just keep playing, apparently. Good idea, you not-so-jovial bird junkies. Find the full infographic below, and click it to make it larger.
But before we get into that, some basics. According to 1,000 surveyed Angry Birds players, men are 35 percent more likely to buy Angry Birds than women, and 18 to 24-year-olds are 33 percent more likely to buy the game than those 25 or older. Here's an interesting finding: gamers collectively play Angry Birds an average of 200 million minutes per day--that amounts to 16 collective years of flinging agitated avian creatures every hour of every day.
While just 15 percent of players feel addicted to the game often when playing and an even smaller 13 percent say they feel addicted always, a whopping 54 percent say they feel addicted occasionally. OK, so we get it: We're hooked by their angry talons. Now, how in the world did this happen? Simply put, it makes us feel good.
Out of 1,000 people who played Angry Birds 25 or more times, 32 percent of them felt "somewhat relaxed" after an Angry Birds session, while 23 percent said to have felt "very relaxed" after launching the birds into the amorphous green pigs. But generally speaking, 58 percent of Angry Birds players reported their mood to be improved after playing the game, while 37 percent said their mood was unchanged.
This is thanks to an amazing strange little thing called dopamine, which our brains put out on overdrive in anticipation of reward, according to the infographic. This massive release of dopamine makes us want to know just what will happen after letting that next bird careen into some wooden planks.
For 12 percent of players, the addiction has been so bad that they were forced to delete the game from their phones, while another 12 percent have merely considered that drastic measure as an option. The other 76 percent just keep playing, apparently. Good idea, you not-so-jovial bird junkies. Find the full infographic below, and click it to make it larger.
BringIt puts games in your Facebook games, so you can ... gamble?
If you're the type who enjoys wasting their money gambling, have we got some news for you. In select Facebook games by CrowdStar, East Side Games, Sometrics and Mall World, you can wager your hard-earned, paid game currency with your friends in custom mini games by BringIt. A real-time transactional platform for social games, BringIt announced that its head-to-head competitions for virtual currency are now available in games from these developers.
According to BringIt, 8 million players have participated in these mini games within their favorite social games, and the asynchronous, head-to-head competitions will increase their number of daily players to 2.1 million. Players can wager any amount of virtual currency they choose, and post challenges to multiple friends at once. These challenges are sent to players who then can respond with their own wagers and post their scores in said games--the winner takes all.
For instance, Happy Aquarium fans can now challenge each other in a game of match-three, Aqua Blast, which is strikingly similar to Bejeweled. Using speed and various power ups, players must score as many points as possible in 60 seconds after wagering so many Pearls (the game's paid currency). Then, players can post that score to whomever's News Feed that they challenged.
If a friend responds with a wager of Pearls and a score that beats the challenger's score, they win whatever the challenger wagered. If the friend happens to score less than what the challenger did, then whoever posted the challenge wins whatever amount of Pearls that the loser wagered.
Payments are said to be posted automatically, but as of Sept. 11, there have been issues with the speed of payment, though BringIt is cataloging all payments to ensure that all winnings are met with payments. (At least this applies to Happy Aquarium.) Other BringIt partners like East Side Games, have different BringIt-powered mini games such as Gold Rush in Pot Farm.
Developers like East Side Games hope to make lots of dough from this form of in-game gambling. BringIt claims that the novelty of wagering paid currency could turn more freeloading social gamers into ones that pay up to play. And we guess it's all kosher, because the money at stake isn't "real" money. Though, if you paid for it with real cash originally, it kind of is, no?
According to BringIt, 8 million players have participated in these mini games within their favorite social games, and the asynchronous, head-to-head competitions will increase their number of daily players to 2.1 million. Players can wager any amount of virtual currency they choose, and post challenges to multiple friends at once. These challenges are sent to players who then can respond with their own wagers and post their scores in said games--the winner takes all.
For instance, Happy Aquarium fans can now challenge each other in a game of match-three, Aqua Blast, which is strikingly similar to Bejeweled. Using speed and various power ups, players must score as many points as possible in 60 seconds after wagering so many Pearls (the game's paid currency). Then, players can post that score to whomever's News Feed that they challenged.
If a friend responds with a wager of Pearls and a score that beats the challenger's score, they win whatever the challenger wagered. If the friend happens to score less than what the challenger did, then whoever posted the challenge wins whatever amount of Pearls that the loser wagered.
Payments are said to be posted automatically, but as of Sept. 11, there have been issues with the speed of payment, though BringIt is cataloging all payments to ensure that all winnings are met with payments. (At least this applies to Happy Aquarium.) Other BringIt partners like East Side Games, have different BringIt-powered mini games such as Gold Rush in Pot Farm.
Developers like East Side Games hope to make lots of dough from this form of in-game gambling. BringIt claims that the novelty of wagering paid currency could turn more freeloading social gamers into ones that pay up to play. And we guess it's all kosher, because the money at stake isn't "real" money. Though, if you paid for it with real cash originally, it kind of is, no?
NBA Legend creator Lionside bought out by Ngmoco [Updated]
Update: An ngmoco spokesperson confirmed the news to ISG: "We can confirm that ngmoco has acquired the Lionside team. The terms of the agreement are undisclosed. We are very excited to have Lionside join the ngmoco and DeNA family. They are working on new products for the Mobage social gaming platform, bringing their passion and experience to our continuously expanding first party development capabilities."
Neither side seems to want anyone to know about it just yet, but signs are pointing toward a buyout in the works between ngmoco and Lionside. Inside Social Games reports that, according to numerous Lionside employee Linkedin pages, a shuttered website, an inactive Twitter account and Facebook games that simply aren't operational, ngmoco may have acquired the San Francisco-based company.
A tipster pointed ISG toward the Linkedin pages of Lionside VP of Business Operations Michael McBride and European Account Manager Kane Curran, both of which read that Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco. Not to mention that Lionside CEO Brandon Barber's Google+ profile reads, "Lionside & ngmoco marketing and product guy."
To add to the mountain of evidence that Lionside has potentially been acquired by ngmoco, the company's official website has been taken down. And neither NBA Legend nor Lionside Football are available to play, the former of which is "being enhanced," according to a page that has replaced the actual game on Facebook.
Unfortunately, both games have been performing poorly, garnering a mere total of just over 367,000 monthly players, according to AppData. So, this begs the question: If Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco, just what would the studio be up to in its new capacity? Ngmoco, since it was purchased by Japanese social gaming giant DeNA earlier this year, has been working diligently on a global version of the publisher's Mobage mobile social games network, which was just released for Android.
So, our best guess is that Lionside would be working on mobile social games to be played on the Mobage network, though it doesn't seem that Lionside has ever worked in mobile games as a company (official information from the company is unavailable at the moment). We've contacted Lionside for comment.
Neither side seems to want anyone to know about it just yet, but signs are pointing toward a buyout in the works between ngmoco and Lionside. Inside Social Games reports that, according to numerous Lionside employee Linkedin pages, a shuttered website, an inactive Twitter account and Facebook games that simply aren't operational, ngmoco may have acquired the San Francisco-based company.
A tipster pointed ISG toward the Linkedin pages of Lionside VP of Business Operations Michael McBride and European Account Manager Kane Curran, both of which read that Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco. Not to mention that Lionside CEO Brandon Barber's Google+ profile reads, "Lionside & ngmoco marketing and product guy."
To add to the mountain of evidence that Lionside has potentially been acquired by ngmoco, the company's official website has been taken down. And neither NBA Legend nor Lionside Football are available to play, the former of which is "being enhanced," according to a page that has replaced the actual game on Facebook.
Unfortunately, both games have been performing poorly, garnering a mere total of just over 367,000 monthly players, according to AppData. So, this begs the question: If Lionside has been acquired by ngmoco, just what would the studio be up to in its new capacity? Ngmoco, since it was purchased by Japanese social gaming giant DeNA earlier this year, has been working diligently on a global version of the publisher's Mobage mobile social games network, which was just released for Android.
So, our best guess is that Lionside would be working on mobile social games to be played on the Mobage network, though it doesn't seem that Lionside has ever worked in mobile games as a company (official information from the company is unavailable at the moment). We've contacted Lionside for comment.
Playfish says goodbye to Hotel City, My Empire and four more games
Playfish games shut down
The Sims Social might have dethroned the mighty FarmVille, but its success may have cut into Playfish's other Facebook games and sent them to a speedier doom, too. On August 30th, the word went out in the official Playfish forums that Hotel City, My Empire, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies will be getting axed Sept. 30.
We used to cover Hotel City back in the day (the game first launched on March 26, 2010) and can remember when it was a big deal. The game was well made and had once held an all-time high of 13 million monthly players and 3 million daily players. Right now, it's at 1.4 million monthly players and about 100,000 dailies, ranking it the 9th most-played Playfish and EA game on Facebook. But it's clear that won't be enough to save it.
Hotel City's popularity is followed closely by Bowling Buddies, Word Challenge, then Geo Challenge. Finally, far beneath them all on the social games ladder are Who Has The Biggest Brain? and My Empire. Though, at least one player suspects it may not be all about numbers, because Country Story currently ranks 10th behind Hotel City. But there's been no announcement to shut it down (yet).
The Sims Social might have dethroned the mighty FarmVille, but its success may have cut into Playfish's other Facebook games and sent them to a speedier doom, too. On August 30th, the word went out in the official Playfish forums that Hotel City, My Empire, Who Has The Biggest Brain?, Geo Challenge, Word Challenge and Bowling Buddies will be getting axed Sept. 30.
We used to cover Hotel City back in the day (the game first launched on March 26, 2010) and can remember when it was a big deal. The game was well made and had once held an all-time high of 13 million monthly players and 3 million daily players. Right now, it's at 1.4 million monthly players and about 100,000 dailies, ranking it the 9th most-played Playfish and EA game on Facebook. But it's clear that won't be enough to save it.
Hotel City's popularity is followed closely by Bowling Buddies, Word Challenge, then Geo Challenge. Finally, far beneath them all on the social games ladder are Who Has The Biggest Brain? and My Empire. Though, at least one player suspects it may not be all about numbers, because Country Story currently ranks 10th behind Hotel City. But there's been no announcement to shut it down (yet).
Idle Games shows first game Idle Worship's true social colors [Video]
Since co-founding social game hit maker Playdom, Rick Thompson has grown tired of the friend bar beneath Faecbook games. No, scratch that: He's grown tired of the way traditional Facebook games operate ... period. His contempt for this arguably tired form of Facebook game has helped spawn Idle Games and its first ever Facebook game, Idle Worship.
We first heard word of the potentially revolutionary social game way back in April, and Idle Games has launched the game into a closed beta test before presenting it to the audience of TechCrunch Disrupt, an event in San Francisco celebrating tech startups ran by TechCrunch. The overall gameplay of Idle Worship hasn't changed since we first heard about it, but now we have fancy video that reveals more of what the game is all about.
Through Idle Games's Idle Engine, Idle Worship does away with the friend found in almost all social games. Instead, your island of Mudlings (the people you oversee with either benevolence or tyranny) will be surrounded by not only your friends' islands, but players' islands based on how their Facebook profiles match up with your own.
Going even further, the game will slowly curate which of your friendships are stronger by bringing more active friends closer to your island, which is always at the center, and pushing your inactive friends away from your island. And, according to Idle Games CEO Jeffrey Hyman, your interactions with your friends will send ripples throughout the entire game in real time.
Through innovations like these, Hyman aims for Idle Games to become "the Pixar of casual games," according to TechCrunch. To better understand what we mean, check out Hyman's presentation below, and sign up for the ongoing closed beta test of the game right here.
We first heard word of the potentially revolutionary social game way back in April, and Idle Games has launched the game into a closed beta test before presenting it to the audience of TechCrunch Disrupt, an event in San Francisco celebrating tech startups ran by TechCrunch. The overall gameplay of Idle Worship hasn't changed since we first heard about it, but now we have fancy video that reveals more of what the game is all about.
Through Idle Games's Idle Engine, Idle Worship does away with the friend found in almost all social games. Instead, your island of Mudlings (the people you oversee with either benevolence or tyranny) will be surrounded by not only your friends' islands, but players' islands based on how their Facebook profiles match up with your own.
Going even further, the game will slowly curate which of your friendships are stronger by bringing more active friends closer to your island, which is always at the center, and pushing your inactive friends away from your island. And, according to Idle Games CEO Jeffrey Hyman, your interactions with your friends will send ripples throughout the entire game in real time.
Through innovations like these, Hyman aims for Idle Games to become "the Pixar of casual games," according to TechCrunch. To better understand what we mean, check out Hyman's presentation below, and sign up for the ongoing closed beta test of the game right here.
Monday, January 9, 2012
FarmVille down for 'maintenance' today: What's really going on?
You probably know by now that FarmVille will be down for maintenance today at 4 p.m. EST for about an hour. So while we're making plans to fill that 60 minutes (maybe longer based on past experience) by playing other Facebook games (or maybe doing something more active, like, going for a walk), we can't help but wonder what exactly is going to happen to the game while it's down?
Our best guess is that the game's getting some much-needed bug fixes and tinkering, though we've still got our fingers crossed that it will also include the 28x28 expansion for coins that we were promised way back when.
What do you think is going down with FarmVille today? Answer our lunchtime poll below!
What kind of FarmVille maintenance is going on today?
Roll-out of a cool new featureJust a few bug fixesProbably just a big, ole server rebootI don't care -- just give me my FarmVille back ASAP!
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Our best guess is that the game's getting some much-needed bug fixes and tinkering, though we've still got our fingers crossed that it will also include the 28x28 expansion for coins that we were promised way back when.
What do you think is going down with FarmVille today? Answer our lunchtime poll below!
What kind of FarmVille maintenance is going on today?
Roll-out of a cool new featureJust a few bug fixesProbably just a big, ole server rebootI don't care -- just give me my FarmVille back ASAP!
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
FarmVille meets Cafe World in Gourmet Ranch on Facebook
Gourmet Ranch in action
If you're a frequent reader, you already know that FarmVille and Cafe World are two of the most popular games on Facebook. But when you think about it, the two are more connected thematically than you might first think. Developer Playdemic seems to have noticed it before any of us and decided to make a game surrounding just that premise. You see, where would your dishes in Cafe World be without the efforts of your farmer in FarmVille? While it suffers from stretching itself too thin, Gourmet Ranch for Facebook explores that very idea in one of sharpest simulator social games I've played in a long time.
Find the rest of our impressions of Gourmet Ranch behind the cut.
Farming and Serving
At first sight, Gourmet Ranch can appear daunting with its several modes of play, but it turns out to create somewhat of an organic play experience. A detailed tutorial will guide you through what could soon become your daily routine: Harvest and plant various crops in the farm among livestock and fruit trees for ingredients with which to cook meals for your country restaurant. While keeping track of it can be a challenge, the actual process is simple.
First of all, your list of recipes will always inform you of what ingredients you need and there is even a tab to display only the recipes you can cook immediately. Cooking recipes is far simpler than in Cafe World, requiring a single click and wait rather than several clicks that don't affect the quality of the dish in any way. Planting crops is the same way, however players will need to fence off designated squares for livestock. If space is a concern, players will be able to expand both their cafe and their farmland as they progress.
Of course, nearly every action such as buying new items, tress and livestock costs coins, but if dishes are constantly on the table that shouldn't be a problem. However, ingredients cost a special currency known as Keys. Gained as you level up or purchased through several payment methods supported by Social Gold like credit card and PayPal, some keys and a sum of coins will unlock one recipe. That also goes to show that Mastery doesn't exist in Gourmet Ranch.
The Market
Though where Playdemic omitted staples like Mastery and Goals, the developer introduced one unique feature to the genre. Every player is given a Larder, or a building used to store ingredients and not-so-livestock. From here, players can easily see what they have available to cook, but are also given the option to trade it. This Trade function is conducted through each players' Trade Store. Here, you can put up extra ingredients for sale to their friends. As soon you put new items into the trade store you can inform your friends through a News Feed message. When your friends post items for sale, you can visit their ranch and make a purchase. Think of it as a miniature farmers market between friends.
Admittedly, there is one thing about Gourmet Ranch that could become a headache later on--make that a lot of things, so to speak. With several crops, livestock, trees and dishes all ticking on separate timers simultaneously, keeping track of what's going to be ready for harvesting or serving next could become a nightmare. Players could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to objects to maintain. Despite that, Gourmet Ranch is a refreshing take on two slightly different genres by bringing them together into one smoothly animated and gorgeous Facebook game. And considering a game this polished is Playdemic's first social game, RockYou had good reason to pick them up when it did.
If you're a frequent reader, you already know that FarmVille and Cafe World are two of the most popular games on Facebook. But when you think about it, the two are more connected thematically than you might first think. Developer Playdemic seems to have noticed it before any of us and decided to make a game surrounding just that premise. You see, where would your dishes in Cafe World be without the efforts of your farmer in FarmVille? While it suffers from stretching itself too thin, Gourmet Ranch for Facebook explores that very idea in one of sharpest simulator social games I've played in a long time.
Find the rest of our impressions of Gourmet Ranch behind the cut.
Farming and Serving
At first sight, Gourmet Ranch can appear daunting with its several modes of play, but it turns out to create somewhat of an organic play experience. A detailed tutorial will guide you through what could soon become your daily routine: Harvest and plant various crops in the farm among livestock and fruit trees for ingredients with which to cook meals for your country restaurant. While keeping track of it can be a challenge, the actual process is simple.
First of all, your list of recipes will always inform you of what ingredients you need and there is even a tab to display only the recipes you can cook immediately. Cooking recipes is far simpler than in Cafe World, requiring a single click and wait rather than several clicks that don't affect the quality of the dish in any way. Planting crops is the same way, however players will need to fence off designated squares for livestock. If space is a concern, players will be able to expand both their cafe and their farmland as they progress.
Of course, nearly every action such as buying new items, tress and livestock costs coins, but if dishes are constantly on the table that shouldn't be a problem. However, ingredients cost a special currency known as Keys. Gained as you level up or purchased through several payment methods supported by Social Gold like credit card and PayPal, some keys and a sum of coins will unlock one recipe. That also goes to show that Mastery doesn't exist in Gourmet Ranch.
The Market
Though where Playdemic omitted staples like Mastery and Goals, the developer introduced one unique feature to the genre. Every player is given a Larder, or a building used to store ingredients and not-so-livestock. From here, players can easily see what they have available to cook, but are also given the option to trade it. This Trade function is conducted through each players' Trade Store. Here, you can put up extra ingredients for sale to their friends. As soon you put new items into the trade store you can inform your friends through a News Feed message. When your friends post items for sale, you can visit their ranch and make a purchase. Think of it as a miniature farmers market between friends.
Admittedly, there is one thing about Gourmet Ranch that could become a headache later on--make that a lot of things, so to speak. With several crops, livestock, trees and dishes all ticking on separate timers simultaneously, keeping track of what's going to be ready for harvesting or serving next could become a nightmare. Players could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to objects to maintain. Despite that, Gourmet Ranch is a refreshing take on two slightly different genres by bringing them together into one smoothly animated and gorgeous Facebook game. And considering a game this polished is Playdemic's first social game, RockYou had good reason to pick them up when it did.
Get Facebook game News Feed posts without visiting Facebook
Ever get sick of refreshing your News Feed for free items in your favorite Facebook games, but can't quite see yourself using one of those third party applications? An Adobe engineer named Charles Bihis has created an Adobe Air-based desktop application that syncs with your Facebook account to update you of anything on Facebook that would generate a News Feed post. It's called simply Facebook Desktop and it's available for free. While it doesn't seem like gaming was his motivation for the project from what he told WebPro News, there's no reason why it couldn't be used for just that.
Using Facebook Desktop could notify you of those one-time use News Feed posts from your friends in games like FarmVille and FrontierVille as they happen in real time. Forget popping over to the tab you have open for Facebook and pressing the F5 key over and over again. However, if you're going to actually make use of that free Chicken that your friendly neighborhood farmer is offering, you'll have to log into Facebook and then the relevant game to do so, obviously. But hey, at least you can be in the know that much faster.
Using Facebook Desktop could notify you of those one-time use News Feed posts from your friends in games like FarmVille and FrontierVille as they happen in real time. Forget popping over to the tab you have open for Facebook and pressing the F5 key over and over again. However, if you're going to actually make use of that free Chicken that your friendly neighborhood farmer is offering, you'll have to log into Facebook and then the relevant game to do so, obviously. But hey, at least you can be in the know that much faster.
FarmVille: Iced Donkey available as free gift for a limited time
As we told you earlier this week, Zynga has created a variety of iced animal sculptures for eventual release in FarmVille. One of those items, the Iced Cat, was already released in the latest FarmVille update, and today, we see the launch of another one of these frozen critters, in the form of the Iced Donkey, which is now available to send to your friends from the free gifts page, but only for a limited time.
The Iced Donkey is an aqua-colored frozen Donkey, standing atop a small mound of snow. Of course, if you have your land covered in snow, the base of this decorative item will blend right in, adding to the "realism." You'll be able to receive these Iced Donkeys as gifts only as long as it is available to send from the free's gifts page (if this is anything like the other "Limited Time" gifts, it won't last long), so make sure to ask your friends to send you one now, rather than later, to ensure that you don't miss out on the item entirely.
The Iced Donkey is an aqua-colored frozen Donkey, standing atop a small mound of snow. Of course, if you have your land covered in snow, the base of this decorative item will blend right in, adding to the "realism." You'll be able to receive these Iced Donkeys as gifts only as long as it is available to send from the free's gifts page (if this is anything like the other "Limited Time" gifts, it won't last long), so make sure to ask your friends to send you one now, rather than later, to ensure that you don't miss out on the item entirely.
FrontierVille Trading Post Goals: Everything you need to know
Well lookie here, partners! A new letter has appeared on your FrontierVille homestead, from Frontier Jack's cousin Jacques. He's interested in building a Trading Post in your town, to share the wonderful goods and furs that he as accumulated over his wide, worldly travels, and he hopes you'll help him do it.
You'll help Jacques (and yourself in the process) by building a Trading Post through a four part mission series that is now available in the game. Apparently, after finishing these quests, you'll be able to trade in items to the Trading Post (fitting its name) for extra rewards for your Homestead. As usual, we have the details about these new missions for you right here, so meet us behind the break to get started.
The first part of this mission series is called "Brewin' Up Some Rubaboo Stew," with Rubaboo Stew being somewhat of a specialty dish of Jacques, requiring peas and bacon. That takes care of two of the portions of this quest, and the initial construction of the Trading Post rounds out the quest:
Harvest 15 Peas
Collect Three Bacon (Pig Collection)
Purchase the Trading Post from the Market
Peas are available to grow from the market's Crop section, and they take two days to mature. Either that, or you can take advantage of an ability in the game that allows your friends' actions on your Homestead to count for your own quests. That is, plant 15 (or even just 5) Peas on your Homestead, have three friends come to visit and tend nothing but your Peas, and then accept those actions back in your own game. Voila - step completed, perhaps in as little as a matter of minutes, if you have FrontierVille neighbors currently online at the time of starting this mission.
As for the Trading Post, if you have the store discount school mission activated on your account, you'll be able to purchase the building from the store for 760 coins and 11 wood. Simply purchasing the base (not even whacking it to further build up the frame) will unlock that step of the quest.
The reward for completing part one is 300 XP and 1 Dinner energy item.
The second part of this mission series is called "Breakin' Ground," and it too contains three steps to complete, but this one might be a bit more time consuming.
Have 10,000 coins
Collect 10 Trade Permits
Harvest 25 Flax
While the coins will likely be on-hand already for most players, you'll need to rely on your friends to collect the Trade Permits by posting a general wall post to your wall asking for the item. In the meantime, Flax can be grown in 8 hours.
The reward for finishing Breakin' Ground is 400 XP and 10 Cloth.
Moving onto the third part of the quest, this step called "Securing Tradin' Routes" will see you actually working on building your Trading Post, but luckily, the other steps are incredibly simple.
Visit 12 Neighbors
Chop 5 Neighbor Trees
Finish Building the Trading Post
If you've yet to click on the Trading Post after purchasing the base, you'll need to build up the rest of the frame by whacking the base a whopping 18 times - each time requiring a single energy and 3 Wood.
For the "finishing touches," you guessed it, you'll have to collect various ingredients with the help of friends. The Trading Post contains many new items, so unfortunately, you won't be able to rely solely on your excess inventory to finish this one quickly. You'll need to collect 20 Hand Drills, along with 10 each of the following new items: Tiles, Awls, Beams, Blankets, and Sarsaparilla.
The Tiles, Awls, and Beams are earned through general wall posts, that any of your friends can respond to, while Blankets and bottles of Sarsaparilla are earned through individual requests that you'll send to friends that you think will be likely to help you. The Hand Drills are also earned through this method, but if you're lucky you'll already have the 20 needed in your inventory.
Either way, once you finish this quest, you'll receive 500 XP and 1,000 coins, while also unlocking the final quest in this four part series.
Part IV is called "Time to Open Shop," and it requires you to take advantage of the new abilities given to you by the Trading Post, along with collecting more items.
Collect 10 Beaver Pelts
Collect 1 Clerk's Hat (part of the new Trading Post Collection)
Trade in 5 items at the Trading Post
You'll need to collect the Beaver Pelts, once again, by asking your friends for help. Hopefully you have a lot of patient neighbors, as there has been a lot of asking (begging?) going on up until this point. Either way, once you finish this final step of the Trading Post quest set, you'll receive a great reward - 750 XP and 1 additional point to your maximum energy.
And there you have it! Finish these four quests, and you'll not only be introduced to a new in-game character in the form of Jacques, but you'll also have a new, functional building to call your own!
You'll help Jacques (and yourself in the process) by building a Trading Post through a four part mission series that is now available in the game. Apparently, after finishing these quests, you'll be able to trade in items to the Trading Post (fitting its name) for extra rewards for your Homestead. As usual, we have the details about these new missions for you right here, so meet us behind the break to get started.
The first part of this mission series is called "Brewin' Up Some Rubaboo Stew," with Rubaboo Stew being somewhat of a specialty dish of Jacques, requiring peas and bacon. That takes care of two of the portions of this quest, and the initial construction of the Trading Post rounds out the quest:
Harvest 15 Peas
Collect Three Bacon (Pig Collection)
Purchase the Trading Post from the Market
Peas are available to grow from the market's Crop section, and they take two days to mature. Either that, or you can take advantage of an ability in the game that allows your friends' actions on your Homestead to count for your own quests. That is, plant 15 (or even just 5) Peas on your Homestead, have three friends come to visit and tend nothing but your Peas, and then accept those actions back in your own game. Voila - step completed, perhaps in as little as a matter of minutes, if you have FrontierVille neighbors currently online at the time of starting this mission.
As for the Trading Post, if you have the store discount school mission activated on your account, you'll be able to purchase the building from the store for 760 coins and 11 wood. Simply purchasing the base (not even whacking it to further build up the frame) will unlock that step of the quest.
The reward for completing part one is 300 XP and 1 Dinner energy item.
The second part of this mission series is called "Breakin' Ground," and it too contains three steps to complete, but this one might be a bit more time consuming.
Have 10,000 coins
Collect 10 Trade Permits
Harvest 25 Flax
While the coins will likely be on-hand already for most players, you'll need to rely on your friends to collect the Trade Permits by posting a general wall post to your wall asking for the item. In the meantime, Flax can be grown in 8 hours.
The reward for finishing Breakin' Ground is 400 XP and 10 Cloth.
Moving onto the third part of the quest, this step called "Securing Tradin' Routes" will see you actually working on building your Trading Post, but luckily, the other steps are incredibly simple.
Visit 12 Neighbors
Chop 5 Neighbor Trees
Finish Building the Trading Post
If you've yet to click on the Trading Post after purchasing the base, you'll need to build up the rest of the frame by whacking the base a whopping 18 times - each time requiring a single energy and 3 Wood.
For the "finishing touches," you guessed it, you'll have to collect various ingredients with the help of friends. The Trading Post contains many new items, so unfortunately, you won't be able to rely solely on your excess inventory to finish this one quickly. You'll need to collect 20 Hand Drills, along with 10 each of the following new items: Tiles, Awls, Beams, Blankets, and Sarsaparilla.
The Tiles, Awls, and Beams are earned through general wall posts, that any of your friends can respond to, while Blankets and bottles of Sarsaparilla are earned through individual requests that you'll send to friends that you think will be likely to help you. The Hand Drills are also earned through this method, but if you're lucky you'll already have the 20 needed in your inventory.
Either way, once you finish this quest, you'll receive 500 XP and 1,000 coins, while also unlocking the final quest in this four part series.
Part IV is called "Time to Open Shop," and it requires you to take advantage of the new abilities given to you by the Trading Post, along with collecting more items.
Collect 10 Beaver Pelts
Collect 1 Clerk's Hat (part of the new Trading Post Collection)
Trade in 5 items at the Trading Post
You'll need to collect the Beaver Pelts, once again, by asking your friends for help. Hopefully you have a lot of patient neighbors, as there has been a lot of asking (begging?) going on up until this point. Either way, once you finish this final step of the Trading Post quest set, you'll receive a great reward - 750 XP and 1 additional point to your maximum energy.
And there you have it! Finish these four quests, and you'll not only be introduced to a new in-game character in the form of Jacques, but you'll also have a new, functional building to call your own!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Social games aren't social enough, but do we really want more?
Many followers of the social games industry likely feel inundated with the claims that social games are not social enough or they're downright evil. While I can't help but agree, I also can't help but play devil's advocate. Social connections are used by today's Facebook games as mere means to an end. Today's social gamers are only as successful as the amount of dedicated friends they have, regardless of whether those "friends" are genuine. Truth be told, those friends are replaceable. But what if they weren't?
What if your friends in, say, FrontierVille were more meaningful than just a source of Item X for Goal #458? Imagine a FrontierVille that featured real consequences that could only be resolved through the help of your most dedicated of friends. Say your avatar is bitten by a snake while clearing debris from his homestead. A pop-up appears reading, "Ask yer friends to join together an' create an antidote or yer as good as gone!"
Social game crazedYou have two hours to rally your closest Facebook friends to collaborate in a real-time puzzle mini game to concoct an antidote for the poison. If they can't create and deliver the medicine in that time, you will die. Don't worry, they'll be rewarded with XP and coins for their efforts. Does this sound like fun? How about on the other end? Another scenario: Your friend has the parts to upgrade his General Store, but needs you and three other friends to join him in real time on his homestead to build it. If you can't respond in six hours, his planks of wood will warp, his nails will rust from time passed and he'll have to start from scratch. Your friend just wasted 15 thousand coins because you were busy at work, and he's not happy.
Sure, these two scenarios are wildly extreme. But how else would a developer like Zynga make its games more social while maintaining the urgency that hooks you? We all want social games to make better use of the social connections that Facebook fosters. Yet as Facebook users, it can be enough just to keep in touch with whomever writes on our walls. For friendships in social games to become more meaningful while maintaining profitability--which is no doubt a chief concern for developers--then the urgency to keep playing has to be intensified. And what better way than to put your friends' enjoyment of the game at stake?
Would social game developers ever attempt such an exploitative tactic? That, of course, has yet to be seen. But it's the only foreseeable method of creating deeper social connections while raking in the dollars. (Ever notice how dissenters never explain what these "deeper social connections" would be when crying out for them?) Responsibility for your friends' enjoyment of a game and likewise is a deeper social connection, one that would definitely force a selective hand when choosing allies. But wouldn't this type of responsibility kill the fun of it? If this is what "deeper social connections" would lead to, then count me out.
What if your friends in, say, FrontierVille were more meaningful than just a source of Item X for Goal #458? Imagine a FrontierVille that featured real consequences that could only be resolved through the help of your most dedicated of friends. Say your avatar is bitten by a snake while clearing debris from his homestead. A pop-up appears reading, "Ask yer friends to join together an' create an antidote or yer as good as gone!"
Social game crazedYou have two hours to rally your closest Facebook friends to collaborate in a real-time puzzle mini game to concoct an antidote for the poison. If they can't create and deliver the medicine in that time, you will die. Don't worry, they'll be rewarded with XP and coins for their efforts. Does this sound like fun? How about on the other end? Another scenario: Your friend has the parts to upgrade his General Store, but needs you and three other friends to join him in real time on his homestead to build it. If you can't respond in six hours, his planks of wood will warp, his nails will rust from time passed and he'll have to start from scratch. Your friend just wasted 15 thousand coins because you were busy at work, and he's not happy.
Sure, these two scenarios are wildly extreme. But how else would a developer like Zynga make its games more social while maintaining the urgency that hooks you? We all want social games to make better use of the social connections that Facebook fosters. Yet as Facebook users, it can be enough just to keep in touch with whomever writes on our walls. For friendships in social games to become more meaningful while maintaining profitability--which is no doubt a chief concern for developers--then the urgency to keep playing has to be intensified. And what better way than to put your friends' enjoyment of the game at stake?
Would social game developers ever attempt such an exploitative tactic? That, of course, has yet to be seen. But it's the only foreseeable method of creating deeper social connections while raking in the dollars. (Ever notice how dissenters never explain what these "deeper social connections" would be when crying out for them?) Responsibility for your friends' enjoyment of a game and likewise is a deeper social connection, one that would definitely force a selective hand when choosing allies. But wouldn't this type of responsibility kill the fun of it? If this is what "deeper social connections" would lead to, then count me out.
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