Many of you FarmVille players likely start your days off with a bowl of Kellogg's cereal, and Zynga is looking to offer you a few free Farm Cash for being fans of not only FarmVille but Kellogg's itself with a new promotion circulating players' farms. As usual, you can find this promotion underneath the FarmVIlle gameplay area, but be fast! These promotions likely come and go quicker than you can blink! Ok, so maybe you can blink a few times before they disappear, but you get the idea.
This promotion is called "Share Your Breakfast," and it has you simply entering in the two letter abbreviation for your state and then choosing from a list of normal breakfast items that you may have had for breakfast this morning (or the particular morning that you're completing this promotion). It's that simple - just submit that information and voila! Your 2 free Farm Cash will automatically update to your in-game total, but if it doesn't, a quick refresh of the game should force them to appear.
Via this promotion, Kellogg's is looking to share breakfasts with children who may otherwise not have any, so not only will you receive something for completing it (free Farm Cash), but children in need will as well - it's a win-win!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Playfish's Tom Sarris defends decision to shut down Pirates Ahoy!, Gangster City and Poker Rivals
At the beginning of April, we brought you the sad news that Playfish has decided to close Pirates Ahoy!, Gangster City and Poker Rivals, there of their under-performing Facebook games, this June. Now, Playfish's Tom Sarris has spoken out about the decision with News10.
In an interview, Sarris defended the company's difficult decision to close (or "sunset") the three games by stating that: "We [Playfish] constantly evaluate all of our games during the duration of their life and three games in particular, their player numbers have dropped in such a way that it no longer made sense for us to support them. And, as such, we reallocate resourced to games that are currently, you know, doing very well and also for games that we are developing for future release."
All isn't lost for fans of those three games, however. If you do happen to have virtual currency saved up in those games, remember that Playfish has launched an opportunity to transfer that money into another of the company's games, and will eventually allow you to do so into EA's Monopoly Millionaires with a "player's pack," although specifics about what is included in that pack weren't made clear.
Sarris went on to state that all of Playfish's other games are "thriving," and that there are many other games that the company is looking to release over the next few months to fill in any gap left behind with the closure of these three games. We'll make sure to let you know what those new games turn out to be, but for now, you can check out the full interview with Sarris at the top of this post.
Were/Are you a big fan of any of the three closing games? Will you take the opportunity to transfer your money into another game, or do no other Playfish games hold the same allure for you?
In an interview, Sarris defended the company's difficult decision to close (or "sunset") the three games by stating that: "We [Playfish] constantly evaluate all of our games during the duration of their life and three games in particular, their player numbers have dropped in such a way that it no longer made sense for us to support them. And, as such, we reallocate resourced to games that are currently, you know, doing very well and also for games that we are developing for future release."
All isn't lost for fans of those three games, however. If you do happen to have virtual currency saved up in those games, remember that Playfish has launched an opportunity to transfer that money into another of the company's games, and will eventually allow you to do so into EA's Monopoly Millionaires with a "player's pack," although specifics about what is included in that pack weren't made clear.
Sarris went on to state that all of Playfish's other games are "thriving," and that there are many other games that the company is looking to release over the next few months to fill in any gap left behind with the closure of these three games. We'll make sure to let you know what those new games turn out to be, but for now, you can check out the full interview with Sarris at the top of this post.
Were/Are you a big fan of any of the three closing games? Will you take the opportunity to transfer your money into another game, or do no other Playfish games hold the same allure for you?
Hi5 gaining momentum among top online/social gaming sites; should Facebook be concerned?
While many would doubt Facebook's longevity in the entire social media sphere (including social games), it looks like all of that smack hi5 has been talking might actually be paying off. As reported by Gamezebo, ComScore Media Metrix recently released a list of the top 10 worldwide online gaming sites, and hi5 currently sits at number six, sitting amongst companies like EA Online and WildTangent Media.
"We're currently launching two to three social games per week, and we have over 400 games in the pipeline," said Alex St. John, President and CTO of hi5, in a company press release. Some recently released games include exclusives (Sega Play Football) as well as games that have already become popular on Facebook like Digital Chocolate's Millionaire City and DJArts Games' Bush Whacker.
While I personally doubt Facebook has anything to worry about in the long term, perhaps hi5 is onto something after all.
Are you a member on hi5, or do you spend all of your time playing games on Facebook? Do you think hi5 is a real threat to the social gaming throne?
"We're currently launching two to three social games per week, and we have over 400 games in the pipeline," said Alex St. John, President and CTO of hi5, in a company press release. Some recently released games include exclusives (Sega Play Football) as well as games that have already become popular on Facebook like Digital Chocolate's Millionaire City and DJArts Games' Bush Whacker.
While I personally doubt Facebook has anything to worry about in the long term, perhaps hi5 is onto something after all.
Are you a member on hi5, or do you spend all of your time playing games on Facebook? Do you think hi5 is a real threat to the social gaming throne?
Official CityVille Podcast (04/22/2011): Zoo and Mall coming to town soon
In this week's official CityVille podcast, Community Manager Clerk Casey gave us two sneak peeks at coming attractions in the game. The first deals with the zoo that we've known was coming for a few weeks now, since the first CityVille podcast. Now, though, we know that this building will apparently be much more than a simple community building or business, as we'll actually have to work to fill the zoo with animals.
Animals will apparently be separated by rarity, and we'll have to physically "track down animals" to give them a home in our zoos. It's unknown right now how you'll actually track down these animals - whether they'll be in your own city, in your friends' town, and so on, but it's a very interesting idea and I'm personally looking forward to see what it entails.
The other bit of news comes with the announcement that a local mall will be released in the game. From our very limited information, we know that you'll be able to choose the stores that we want to place inside. If this is what it sounds like (or what it should be, given the current state of the game), the mall may turn out to be an absolute life-saver (or at least land-saver), if we're allowed to place our businesses inside and then collect and supply them in bulk. I know I personally wouldn't care if I had to click on the Mall 15 times to supply all of the businesses within, if I knew that I would have all of that land free from where those businesses original stood.
While that's complete speculation on our part, it is something exciting to dream about, and we'll make sure to update you should that ever come to pass. In the meantime, check out the full podcast at the top of this post, which includes an interview with one of the game's animators.
Would you like to place your businesses inside a mall in your town, or do you like looking at each individual one because of the art?
Animals will apparently be separated by rarity, and we'll have to physically "track down animals" to give them a home in our zoos. It's unknown right now how you'll actually track down these animals - whether they'll be in your own city, in your friends' town, and so on, but it's a very interesting idea and I'm personally looking forward to see what it entails.
The other bit of news comes with the announcement that a local mall will be released in the game. From our very limited information, we know that you'll be able to choose the stores that we want to place inside. If this is what it sounds like (or what it should be, given the current state of the game), the mall may turn out to be an absolute life-saver (or at least land-saver), if we're allowed to place our businesses inside and then collect and supply them in bulk. I know I personally wouldn't care if I had to click on the Mall 15 times to supply all of the businesses within, if I knew that I would have all of that land free from where those businesses original stood.
While that's complete speculation on our part, it is something exciting to dream about, and we'll make sure to update you should that ever come to pass. In the meantime, check out the full podcast at the top of this post, which includes an interview with one of the game's animators.
Would you like to place your businesses inside a mall in your town, or do you like looking at each individual one because of the art?
FrontierVille: Strike water and build your own Water Well for boosts and critters
Why howdy pardners! There's water in them thar hills of FrontierVille! Yee-haw! Ahem, excuse the minor impersonation of Jack, but there is indeed water to be found on your Homestead, and you'll find it at random while clearing debris. To be specific, while clearing debris you have the chance to "strike water," in the form of a small Wellspring. Again, this happens at random, and at this point, there's nothing you can do to increase your chances.
Once you find a Wellspring, you'll unlock the ability to build an actual, structural Well on top of it. This is done by whacking the Wellspring three times, with each time costing nine wood. Once that's done, you'll have to collect seven different building ingredients, just as you would with any other proper building in the game. The seven ingredients are the Shovel, Rope and Bucket, Spigot, Hand Crank, Pulley, and Dowsing Rod. You'll need seven each of the Shovel, Rope and Bucket, and Spigots, and you'll earn each through individual requests from friends. Meanwhile, you can ask for the five each that you need of Hank Cranks, Pulleys, and Dowsing Rods via simple wall posts asking all of your friends at once.
After you've completed the structure of the Well, you'll be able to collect from it ten times before it goes dry. Doing so will allow you to receive all sorts of crop boosts, and even some animal boosts, along with two new (rare) critters: a Blue Frog and a Yellow Turtle, as seen below.
It's presumable that after your first Well "dries up," you'll be able to complete the process all over again, finding a Wellspring and then building another well, but we wouldn't be surprised if the requirements changed (ie: became more difficult) in the process, just as expanding the storage shed becomes ever more challenging each time you complete it. What we do know for sure is that yes, you can find a second Wellspring, and will even need to do so to finish the accompanying Water Well quests. It's just how difficult the second construction will be that's up in the air.
Sure, this Well is almost exactly like the Beehive, but with the chance at rare critters, I think it's worth a build, at least once - don't you?
Once you find a Wellspring, you'll unlock the ability to build an actual, structural Well on top of it. This is done by whacking the Wellspring three times, with each time costing nine wood. Once that's done, you'll have to collect seven different building ingredients, just as you would with any other proper building in the game. The seven ingredients are the Shovel, Rope and Bucket, Spigot, Hand Crank, Pulley, and Dowsing Rod. You'll need seven each of the Shovel, Rope and Bucket, and Spigots, and you'll earn each through individual requests from friends. Meanwhile, you can ask for the five each that you need of Hank Cranks, Pulleys, and Dowsing Rods via simple wall posts asking all of your friends at once.
After you've completed the structure of the Well, you'll be able to collect from it ten times before it goes dry. Doing so will allow you to receive all sorts of crop boosts, and even some animal boosts, along with two new (rare) critters: a Blue Frog and a Yellow Turtle, as seen below.
It's presumable that after your first Well "dries up," you'll be able to complete the process all over again, finding a Wellspring and then building another well, but we wouldn't be surprised if the requirements changed (ie: became more difficult) in the process, just as expanding the storage shed becomes ever more challenging each time you complete it. What we do know for sure is that yes, you can find a second Wellspring, and will even need to do so to finish the accompanying Water Well quests. It's just how difficult the second construction will be that's up in the air.
Sure, this Well is almost exactly like the Beehive, but with the chance at rare critters, I think it's worth a build, at least once - don't you?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Game of the Day: Super Bobolz
The Game of the Day is for you if you love pool, snooker or a good, old-fashioned game of marbles. Super Bobolz is a highly addictive ball puzzle game -- try the arcade version for a neverending flow of balls and submit your score for bragging rights. Or see how far you can go in Levels mode. Just remember to knock three balls of the same color together. That's it. Enjoy!
Click to Play Super Bobolz >
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click to Play Super Bobolz >
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Lady Gaga transforms FarmVille into GagaVille ... literally [Video]
We all know Zynga launched its Lady Gaga (or GagaVille) promotion in FarmVille today, but us FarmVille players aren't the only ones who have been touched by her crystal obsession message of love, acceptance and freedom. The town of FarmVille, and one family farm in particular, have learned the ways of the Gaga. (And who knew crystals would be such a cash crop?) Zynga says Lady Gaga is shaking things up in FarmVille, but we say she's shown this family the light. The blinding light of crystal-studded saddles and bedazzled tractors, that is.
How are you enjoying the GagaVille promotion? How badly do you want that pink-haired horse?
How are you enjoying the GagaVille promotion? How badly do you want that pink-haired horse?
FarmVille's not the first Facebook game to go gaga for Gaga
When you log into FarmVille today, you'll be greeted with an explosion of Lady Gaga, well, everything. This new promotional tie in, designed to publicize Gaga's new 'Born this Way' album, includes a new series of quests, new crops, new animals (how bad do you want that unicorn?) and, starting today, exclusive access to the popstril's 'Marry the Night' song.
I have to point out though, that while this is the only Gaga-sanctioned debut in a social game, Playfish's Pet Society was actually the first to pay homage to the quirky singer, releasing a limited edition series of clothing and wigs (and, later, released a pic of a pet modeling Gaga's meat dress that she wore to the MTV Music Awards). A few players went so gaga over these accessories, that they created some, er, interesting videos of their decked out pets singing along to 'Telephone' and 'Bad Romance.' Peep them below.
So -- there you have it. Lady Gaga's appearance in another big social game. What does it all mean? Well, love her or not, Lady Gaga's star power is so potent that it has the ability to permeate every aspect of pop culture. Zynga has certainly scored a coup with what will most likely be its most successful marketing partnership yet.
I have to point out though, that while this is the only Gaga-sanctioned debut in a social game, Playfish's Pet Society was actually the first to pay homage to the quirky singer, releasing a limited edition series of clothing and wigs (and, later, released a pic of a pet modeling Gaga's meat dress that she wore to the MTV Music Awards). A few players went so gaga over these accessories, that they created some, er, interesting videos of their decked out pets singing along to 'Telephone' and 'Bad Romance.' Peep them below.
So -- there you have it. Lady Gaga's appearance in another big social game. What does it all mean? Well, love her or not, Lady Gaga's star power is so potent that it has the ability to permeate every aspect of pop culture. Zynga has certainly scored a coup with what will most likely be its most successful marketing partnership yet.
Wanna know what's next in FarmVille's GagaVille? 'Like' Good Morning America
You know this whole Lady Gaga-FarmVille mash-up is huge when ABC's Good Morning America is on the scene. The morning news show paid a bit of homage to Zynga's GagaVille promotion, but it's a bit more involved than that. If you 'Like' the Good Morning America Facebook page (found right here) you'll be given a clue to help you unlock yet another song from the wild fashionista's upcoming album, "Born This Way."
'Liking' the page will unlock a second GMA video, walking through today's Goals that led to the release of "Marry the Night" through GagaVille. But keep watching, and tomorrow's Goal is revealed:
Visit GagaVille (again)
Buy 1 Crystal Flowerbed
Plant 4 Crystal Daisies
After completing those tasks tomorrow, you'll win another VIP Ticket entry (which will help unlock the whole album early), the Electric Chapel decoration found in GagaVille, 2,500 coins and the next Lady Gaga track from her new album. Unfortunately that information wasn't revealed, but just listen to "Marry the Night" on loop until then, and you'll be just fine.
Have you seen GMA's coverage of the GagaVille promotion? What do you think George Stephanopoulos and crew will reveal next?
'Liking' the page will unlock a second GMA video, walking through today's Goals that led to the release of "Marry the Night" through GagaVille. But keep watching, and tomorrow's Goal is revealed:
Visit GagaVille (again)
Buy 1 Crystal Flowerbed
Plant 4 Crystal Daisies
After completing those tasks tomorrow, you'll win another VIP Ticket entry (which will help unlock the whole album early), the Electric Chapel decoration found in GagaVille, 2,500 coins and the next Lady Gaga track from her new album. Unfortunately that information wasn't revealed, but just listen to "Marry the Night" on loop until then, and you'll be just fine.
Have you seen GMA's coverage of the GagaVille promotion? What do you think George Stephanopoulos and crew will reveal next?
GagaVille caption contest: When you see Gaga's space-y farm, what comes to mind?
Lady Gaga's GagaVille by Zynga has the social game world aflutter -- the Games.com crew included. This farm is over the top! (Hint: Click the image for the full blown pic.)
When you see GagaVille? What immediately comes to mind?
When you see GagaVille? What immediately comes to mind?
FarmVille fans Marry the Night in GagaVille, but some want a divorce
The GagaVille promotion has essentially been infused into nearly every aspect of FarmVille: Gaga Goals, Gaga crops, Gaga decorations, Gaga vehicles--no facet of the game has been left untouched by the omnipotent Gaga. (... And one more Gaga for good measure.) For some, Lady Gaga didn't just relight their spark for the game, but has "brought a wildfire of awesomeness" to Zynga's farm simulator, according to FarmVille forum contributor RobToro. Before and since GagaVille was launched in the game, players have been typing away in a 70-page long (and growing) thread, giving their impressions.
Some players, like contributor metsgirl84, aren't too thrilled about Lady Gaga's stay in FarmVille. "Not [really] interested... I noticed that they unrolled gaga items for the other games too," metsgirl84 writes. "I'd much rather have some of the bugs fixed so I can enjoy the games again instead of a purple unicorn." Fair enough, and a valid point, but the game would be quite a bore if all Zynga did was fix things, no?
FarmVile Lady Gaga
Other players simply don't like the promotion because they feel as if it's been put upon them, like Tajidog1, who thinks this GagaVille promotion has been "shoved down our throats." The contributor continues to say that, because of this, he's ready to give up the game entirely.
Another contributor, SharonM4, is downright experiencing issues with her FarmVille game because of the promotion: "I wish the promo would go away," SharonM4 writes. "When I travel to my home farm, Lady Gaga's farm is overlayed and I can't even get to my stables and horses! Tried different browsers and different computers to no avail. Everything new anymore is glitched in so many different ways for so many different people, its absurd."
FarmVille goes gaga for Gaga
While there are a good portion of players out there who aren't exactly excited about Lady Gaga's pit stop on the farm before her album drops, we noticed that already Gaga has created a few monsters. "I've listened to 'Marry the Night' three times in a row now," BeeBuh admits. "I actually really like it. I've never been real big on her... I think this may change my opinion of her music."
Another potential convert, BreakWater, even draws comparisons between Lady Gaga and Pat Benatar (we're as confused as you are), so we'll take that as a Monster in the making. As the promotion continues, we predict even more Monsters will be created with an equal amount of haters in the mix. It seems as if Gaga's polarizing aura have permeated even FarmVille.
What are your thoughts on the GagaVille promotion? Has the new mini game turned you into a Monster (or even more of one), or does your disdain for irreverent artist grow still?
Some players, like contributor metsgirl84, aren't too thrilled about Lady Gaga's stay in FarmVille. "Not [really] interested... I noticed that they unrolled gaga items for the other games too," metsgirl84 writes. "I'd much rather have some of the bugs fixed so I can enjoy the games again instead of a purple unicorn." Fair enough, and a valid point, but the game would be quite a bore if all Zynga did was fix things, no?
FarmVile Lady Gaga
Other players simply don't like the promotion because they feel as if it's been put upon them, like Tajidog1, who thinks this GagaVille promotion has been "shoved down our throats." The contributor continues to say that, because of this, he's ready to give up the game entirely.
Another contributor, SharonM4, is downright experiencing issues with her FarmVille game because of the promotion: "I wish the promo would go away," SharonM4 writes. "When I travel to my home farm, Lady Gaga's farm is overlayed and I can't even get to my stables and horses! Tried different browsers and different computers to no avail. Everything new anymore is glitched in so many different ways for so many different people, its absurd."
FarmVille goes gaga for Gaga
While there are a good portion of players out there who aren't exactly excited about Lady Gaga's pit stop on the farm before her album drops, we noticed that already Gaga has created a few monsters. "I've listened to 'Marry the Night' three times in a row now," BeeBuh admits. "I actually really like it. I've never been real big on her... I think this may change my opinion of her music."
Another potential convert, BreakWater, even draws comparisons between Lady Gaga and Pat Benatar (we're as confused as you are), so we'll take that as a Monster in the making. As the promotion continues, we predict even more Monsters will be created with an equal amount of haters in the mix. It seems as if Gaga's polarizing aura have permeated even FarmVille.
What are your thoughts on the GagaVille promotion? Has the new mini game turned you into a Monster (or even more of one), or does your disdain for irreverent artist grow still?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
FarmVille: Take a trip to Japan with these one day only Birthday Classics
Tonight's FarmVille update brought with it a set of Japanese Garden limited edition items that will only be available for one day. It should be noted that as of this writing, the game's Specials page still displays the ability to purchase UFO items, but they have expired, bringing in these Japanese Garden items in their place.
Again, these items will only be available to purchase for a single day, so let's not waste any time. Here's what's available:
Animals:
Sika Deer - 14 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Japanese Home - 42 Farm Cash
Edo Style Home - 36 Farm Cash
Manga Store - 27 Farm Cash
Paper Wall Home - 27 Farm Cash
Sushi Shop - 42 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Cherrywood Gate - 10,000 coins
Cherrywood Wall - 6,900 coins
Garden Pond - 50,000 coins
High Bridge Pond - 42 Farm Cash
Japanese Fence - 5,000 coins
Japanese Trellis - 25,000 coins
Koi Fish Pond II - 36 Farm Cash
Lamp Sculpture - 36,000 coins
Large Lamp - 40,000 coins
Lilac Tree (decoration only) - 8,000 coins
Lush Knoll - 4 Farm Cash
Momiji Tree (decoration only) - 4 Farm Cash
Moss Rock - 2 Farm Cash
Onigiri Statue - 20,000 coins
Sakura Flowers - 45,000 coins
Sand & Stone - 18,000 coins
Small Lamp - 12,000 coins
Tiny Dragon - 45,000 coins
Yellow Dome - 4,500 coins
Zen Garden II - 18 Farm Cash
Perhaps with this theme more than any others do we see the fact that the more grand, impressive items cost Farm Cash and the lesser gardening or fencing items go for coins. Sure, there are plenty of coin decorations available here, but none are extremely large or flashy, which is disappointing to say the least. I know I can't be the only one that would throw down some major coins for some of these buildings, can I? Even if you love these items, it won't make them stay around any longer, so make sure to shop fast if there are any that you'd like for your farm(s).
Again, these items will only be available to purchase for a single day, so let's not waste any time. Here's what's available:
Animals:
Sika Deer - 14 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Japanese Home - 42 Farm Cash
Edo Style Home - 36 Farm Cash
Manga Store - 27 Farm Cash
Paper Wall Home - 27 Farm Cash
Sushi Shop - 42 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Cherrywood Gate - 10,000 coins
Cherrywood Wall - 6,900 coins
Garden Pond - 50,000 coins
High Bridge Pond - 42 Farm Cash
Japanese Fence - 5,000 coins
Japanese Trellis - 25,000 coins
Koi Fish Pond II - 36 Farm Cash
Lamp Sculpture - 36,000 coins
Large Lamp - 40,000 coins
Lilac Tree (decoration only) - 8,000 coins
Lush Knoll - 4 Farm Cash
Momiji Tree (decoration only) - 4 Farm Cash
Moss Rock - 2 Farm Cash
Onigiri Statue - 20,000 coins
Sakura Flowers - 45,000 coins
Sand & Stone - 18,000 coins
Small Lamp - 12,000 coins
Tiny Dragon - 45,000 coins
Yellow Dome - 4,500 coins
Zen Garden II - 18 Farm Cash
Perhaps with this theme more than any others do we see the fact that the more grand, impressive items cost Farm Cash and the lesser gardening or fencing items go for coins. Sure, there are plenty of coin decorations available here, but none are extremely large or flashy, which is disappointing to say the least. I know I can't be the only one that would throw down some major coins for some of these buildings, can I? Even if you love these items, it won't make them stay around any longer, so make sure to shop fast if there are any that you'd like for your farm(s).
PC shooter Team Fortress 2 is now free, Valve's new favorite word
If you've never played Team Fortress 2--or any PC shooter, for that matter--there won't be a better time than right now. Valve, developer of critically-acclaimed franchises like Half-Life and operator of the Steam network, has made its team-based first-person shooter (FPS) free. And that's forever.
Team Fortress 2, released over Steam in 2007, tasks players to work as a team across several game modes like Capture the Flag and King of the Hill. You can choose between a bunch of different player classes such as the Sniper, the Scout, the Heavy and more.
The game will be supported by micro-transactions--just like your favorite social games. (And just like it has long before it went free-to-play.) There will be no subscriptions nor will there be advertisements. And in an interview with Develop, Valve's Robin Walker said, "Now that we're shipping it, it feels like a fairly straightforward next step along the 'Games as Services' path we've been walking down for a while now." In other words, we can likely expect way more where this came from.
TF2 logo
The developer slash digital games store owner has been on a free frenzy lately. Just last week, five free-to-play games were made available on the Steam platform including Spiral Knights, a social game-like dungeon crawler for four. (It looks like another developer is feeling the heat from the social/mobile games markets.) This could be the mysterious project Valve recently alluded to, or more freebies are just around the bend. A man can dream, no?
Team Fortress 2, released over Steam in 2007, tasks players to work as a team across several game modes like Capture the Flag and King of the Hill. You can choose between a bunch of different player classes such as the Sniper, the Scout, the Heavy and more.
The game will be supported by micro-transactions--just like your favorite social games. (And just like it has long before it went free-to-play.) There will be no subscriptions nor will there be advertisements. And in an interview with Develop, Valve's Robin Walker said, "Now that we're shipping it, it feels like a fairly straightforward next step along the 'Games as Services' path we've been walking down for a while now." In other words, we can likely expect way more where this came from.
TF2 logo
The developer slash digital games store owner has been on a free frenzy lately. Just last week, five free-to-play games were made available on the Steam platform including Spiral Knights, a social game-like dungeon crawler for four. (It looks like another developer is feeling the heat from the social/mobile games markets.) This could be the mysterious project Valve recently alluded to, or more freebies are just around the bend. A man can dream, no?
FarmVille: Giant July Confetti Trees burst from Mystery Seedlings
It looks like we're celebrating our independence a bit early this year in FarmVille. Zynga has just released Giant July Confetti Trees to the through Mystery Seedlings (what else?), FarmVille Feed reports. The new Trees look like larger versions of the Star Flowers we peeked at yesterday.
What's weird about these Trees is that the release appears to be unintentional. When planted and grown, the Tree's actual graphic does not show, but a gray placeholder. FarmVille Feed guess that these brand new Trees will be made available through the Market in an official release this Monday.
And, based on previous estimates of past Trees, these could easily post to the Market for between 7 and 12 Farm Cash. Until then, keep growing those Mystery Seedlings, and we're sure those ugly gray placeholders will be replaced with color-waving confetti leaves soon enough.
Giant July Confetti Tree share
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Check out the rest of our July 4th coverage right here.
Have you seen these new Trees appear in Mystery Seedlings yet? What else do you hope Zynga brings to the game for this patriotic celebration?
What's weird about these Trees is that the release appears to be unintentional. When planted and grown, the Tree's actual graphic does not show, but a gray placeholder. FarmVille Feed guess that these brand new Trees will be made available through the Market in an official release this Monday.
And, based on previous estimates of past Trees, these could easily post to the Market for between 7 and 12 Farm Cash. Until then, keep growing those Mystery Seedlings, and we're sure those ugly gray placeholders will be replaced with color-waving confetti leaves soon enough.
Giant July Confetti Tree share
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Check out the rest of our July 4th coverage right here.
Have you seen these new Trees appear in Mystery Seedlings yet? What else do you hope Zynga brings to the game for this patriotic celebration?
Lunchtime Poll: FarmVille One Click Sharing: Love it or hate it?
Freedom from those annoying Facebook pop-ups asking you to share every damned thing you do--who wouldn't want that? According to the FarmVille forums, quite a lot of folks, actually. Zynga is in the process of rolling out One Click Sharing to FarmVille, a feature that has been in FrontierVille for over a month now.
However, players must enable extended permissions to unlock the feature, but there are more cons than that, it seems. Namely, players appear to be upset for one reason.
It seems that players can no longer tailor shared information to specific friends or groups. Players in the forums are more than polarized over the issue, so let's take the debate to you, the loyal readers:
One Click Sharing: Love it or hate it?
I love it! No more Facebook pop-ups!Hate it! I like to choose who I share with.I'm not quite sure how the feature works.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
[Image Credit: Ryanr]
Have any unique to add to the debate?
However, players must enable extended permissions to unlock the feature, but there are more cons than that, it seems. Namely, players appear to be upset for one reason.
It seems that players can no longer tailor shared information to specific friends or groups. Players in the forums are more than polarized over the issue, so let's take the debate to you, the loyal readers:
One Click Sharing: Love it or hate it?
I love it! No more Facebook pop-ups!Hate it! I like to choose who I share with.I'm not quite sure how the feature works.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
[Image Credit: Ryanr]
Have any unique to add to the debate?
Empires & Allies Research Labs: Everything you need to know
Watching those drones soar over the Middle East these days will tell you one thing: an army is nothing without technology. We're going to guess that is why Zynga has introduced the Research Labs to Empires & Allies. (Or it just thought a new feature would be cool and interesting--take your pick.)
This brand new feature allows players to upgrade their existing units into forces to be reckoned with. You can probably already image that this will especially come in handy when dealing with low-level units like the Cadet Soldiers.
Research Lab Requirements:
400 Population
5,000 Coins
500 Wood
25 Iron
Research Lab Menu
The Research Lab is introduced with a Goal that's relatively simple to follow, so we won't bore you with the details. And if your Empire doesn't produce Iron, you'll have to seek out a friend whose Empire does, and pay up. Once built, click on the Research Lab to open a menu that displays every unit you've unlocked. Each unit has to be upgraded separately, and the materials required to access those upgrade are only found through friends, so prepare to bug your buddies ... a lot.
While it does call for plenty of requests (perhaps too many), these upgrades will affect every unit in that class that you own and every unit of that class you build from then on. After acquiring the materials, the available upgrades are presented in a progression tree. You will have two choices to start, but to unlock the strongest upgrades you must pursue every path.
Research Lab Cadets
Each upgrade costs a bit of resources like Coins, Oil and, perhaps later on, Wood and Ore as well. These upgrades take time, too, as if you were harvesting a resource or creating a new unit. There are five upgrades in all for each unit, and they only affect units that are idle (and then on) when completed. With upgrades, it'll be even more of a challenge to keep up with the competition, so get to that research on the double.
This brand new feature allows players to upgrade their existing units into forces to be reckoned with. You can probably already image that this will especially come in handy when dealing with low-level units like the Cadet Soldiers.
Research Lab Requirements:
400 Population
5,000 Coins
500 Wood
25 Iron
Research Lab Menu
The Research Lab is introduced with a Goal that's relatively simple to follow, so we won't bore you with the details. And if your Empire doesn't produce Iron, you'll have to seek out a friend whose Empire does, and pay up. Once built, click on the Research Lab to open a menu that displays every unit you've unlocked. Each unit has to be upgraded separately, and the materials required to access those upgrade are only found through friends, so prepare to bug your buddies ... a lot.
While it does call for plenty of requests (perhaps too many), these upgrades will affect every unit in that class that you own and every unit of that class you build from then on. After acquiring the materials, the available upgrades are presented in a progression tree. You will have two choices to start, but to unlock the strongest upgrades you must pursue every path.
Research Lab Cadets
Each upgrade costs a bit of resources like Coins, Oil and, perhaps later on, Wood and Ore as well. These upgrades take time, too, as if you were harvesting a resource or creating a new unit. There are five upgrades in all for each unit, and they only affect units that are idle (and then on) when completed. With upgrades, it'll be even more of a challenge to keep up with the competition, so get to that research on the double.
Building the CityVille Ticket Booth: Everything you need to know
CityVille Ticket Booth
Funnel cake ... mmm--Oh, sorry. That's the first thing I think of when I hear the word "carnival." Luckily for you--but not my funnel cake problem--Zynga will soon launch the Summer Carnival in CityVille. But first, it's up to you to build the Ticket Booth to support this (hopefully) massive event. The Ticket Booth isn't too different from Community Building upgrades or functional buildings like the Police Station in that you'll need to help of friends to complete it. However, Zynga is keeping its use a secret for whatever reason.
Ticket Booth!
Before we dive in, there is one thing you should know: You must be Level 15 or higher to access the Ticket Booth. To start the Ticket Booth, you will receive a new Goal titled simply "Ticket Booth!" This will allow you to place the Level 1 Ticket Booth in your City right from the Goal menu.
Building the foundation of the structure will, of course, cost Energy. Then, you must collect three Carnival Tickets from it, which is done like any other business or residence in the game. Players can collect from the Ticket Booth every 18 hours, which at Level 1 provides 250 Coins and one Carnival Ticket.
Finish your Ticket Booth
Ticket Booth Level 1:
Pretzel x3
Popcorn x3
Cotton Candy x3
Calloon Animal x3
Snowcone x3
All of these materials must either be requested from friends or purchased using City Cash. Once you begin collecting from the Level 1 Ticket Booth, you can instantly begin upgrading it to Level 2 just by clicking on it when it's not due for collection.
Ticket Booth Level 2:
Pretzel x7
Popcorn x7
Cotton Candy x7
Calloon Animal x7
Snowcone x7
The Level 2 Ticket Booth will provide players with 250 Coins and two Carnival Tickets every 18 hours. Again, click on the upgraded Ticket Booth to boost it a second time to Level 3.
Upgrade Carnival Ticket Booth
Ticket Booth Level 3:
Pretzel x10
Popcorn x10
Cotton Candy x10
Calloon Animal x10
Snowcone x10
This Level 3 Ticket Booth still offers the same amount of Coins, but provides three Carnival Tickets every 18 hours. At the moment, you're only to hold 300 Carnival Tickets, which are displayed every time you mouse over the Ticket Booth. Unfortunately, we still don't know their purpose, but at least you'll be more than ready for when we find out. (I hope there's funnel cake.)
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started on your own Ticket Booth in CityVille yet? What do you think the Summer Carnival will bring to the game?
Funnel cake ... mmm--Oh, sorry. That's the first thing I think of when I hear the word "carnival." Luckily for you--but not my funnel cake problem--Zynga will soon launch the Summer Carnival in CityVille. But first, it's up to you to build the Ticket Booth to support this (hopefully) massive event. The Ticket Booth isn't too different from Community Building upgrades or functional buildings like the Police Station in that you'll need to help of friends to complete it. However, Zynga is keeping its use a secret for whatever reason.
Ticket Booth!
Before we dive in, there is one thing you should know: You must be Level 15 or higher to access the Ticket Booth. To start the Ticket Booth, you will receive a new Goal titled simply "Ticket Booth!" This will allow you to place the Level 1 Ticket Booth in your City right from the Goal menu.
Building the foundation of the structure will, of course, cost Energy. Then, you must collect three Carnival Tickets from it, which is done like any other business or residence in the game. Players can collect from the Ticket Booth every 18 hours, which at Level 1 provides 250 Coins and one Carnival Ticket.
Finish your Ticket Booth
Ticket Booth Level 1:
Pretzel x3
Popcorn x3
Cotton Candy x3
Calloon Animal x3
Snowcone x3
All of these materials must either be requested from friends or purchased using City Cash. Once you begin collecting from the Level 1 Ticket Booth, you can instantly begin upgrading it to Level 2 just by clicking on it when it's not due for collection.
Ticket Booth Level 2:
Pretzel x7
Popcorn x7
Cotton Candy x7
Calloon Animal x7
Snowcone x7
The Level 2 Ticket Booth will provide players with 250 Coins and two Carnival Tickets every 18 hours. Again, click on the upgraded Ticket Booth to boost it a second time to Level 3.
Upgrade Carnival Ticket Booth
Ticket Booth Level 3:
Pretzel x10
Popcorn x10
Cotton Candy x10
Calloon Animal x10
Snowcone x10
This Level 3 Ticket Booth still offers the same amount of Coins, but provides three Carnival Tickets every 18 hours. At the moment, you're only to hold 300 Carnival Tickets, which are displayed every time you mouse over the Ticket Booth. Unfortunately, we still don't know their purpose, but at least you'll be more than ready for when we find out. (I hope there's funnel cake.)
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started on your own Ticket Booth in CityVille yet? What do you think the Summer Carnival will bring to the game?
Game of the Day: Ocean Express
Game of the Day says if you love Tetris, you will love Ocean Express. Can you pack puzzle pieces perfectly onboard the 'Ocean Express'? Find out as you travel coastal waters while shipping colorful cargo. Strategically upgrade your fleet and unlock new coastal cities as you earn more cash. New puzzles are downloaded automatically and you can even create your own puzzles to share with others or play by yourself!
Click --> Play Ocean Express
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Ocean Express
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
FarmVille Cheats and Tips: How to disable One Click Sharing
One Click Sharing has finally made it to FarmVille--now, here's how to get rid of it. A good amount of players (if not the majority) are visibly dissatisfied--scratch that. They're downright furious. Have you read the forums today? It's not pretty. While every player has his or her reasons, a majority of disgruntled responses are essentially saying one thing: "We want to choose who we share our items and rewards with!" So, thanks in part to one of our readers known as "dark," here's how to get rid of that pesky One Click Sharing feature that released today.
1. Head to your Privacy Settings
Find your way to the Facebook home page
Click "Account" in the upper right corner
Click "Privacy Settings"
2. Find your Apps and Websites
Scroll to the bottom of the Privacy Settings page
In the bottom left, find "Apps and Websites"
Click "Edit your Settings"
3. Find and Edit FarmVille's Settings
Next to "Apps you use," click the "Edit Settings" button
In this list, find the FarmVille Corn Icon
Click "Edit Settings" next to the small "X"
4. Remove Extended Permissions
Once the drop down menu appears, find the "Newspaper" icon
Next to "Post to Wall," click "Remove
Profit
However, beware: If you ever want to restore the function of One Click Sharing, there does not seem to be an option to do so through the Facebook Privacy Settings. Nor does FarmVille immediately offer the chance to restore One Click Sharing once you choose to remove Extended Permissions. Enjoy running back to annoying Facebook pop-ups, I guess.
1. Head to your Privacy Settings
Find your way to the Facebook home page
Click "Account" in the upper right corner
Click "Privacy Settings"
2. Find your Apps and Websites
Scroll to the bottom of the Privacy Settings page
In the bottom left, find "Apps and Websites"
Click "Edit your Settings"
3. Find and Edit FarmVille's Settings
Next to "Apps you use," click the "Edit Settings" button
In this list, find the FarmVille Corn Icon
Click "Edit Settings" next to the small "X"
4. Remove Extended Permissions
Once the drop down menu appears, find the "Newspaper" icon
Next to "Post to Wall," click "Remove
Profit
However, beware: If you ever want to restore the function of One Click Sharing, there does not seem to be an option to do so through the Facebook Privacy Settings. Nor does FarmVille immediately offer the chance to restore One Click Sharing once you choose to remove Extended Permissions. Enjoy running back to annoying Facebook pop-ups, I guess.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Summer Bar Crops trigger the sweet tooth
Summer Bar Crop Bushel Summer Bar Crop Market Stall
There comes a time when vegetables just don't cut it. FarmVille is past that time--way past it. And that couldn't be more clear with the next unreleased crop found in the game, the Summer Bar Crop. Of course, this crop is complete with Bushels and a Market Stall, but we've yet to see a Mastery sign for this tasty treat that inexplicably grows from the earth.
Summer Bar Crop planted Summer Bar Crop budding Summer Bar Crop growing Summer Bar Crop grown
The Summer Bar reminds us frantic races to the ice cream truck or trips to the corner store on a balmy July night. But enough with the rosy nostalgia: This looks just like the Dreyer's Fruit Bar Crops with a few leaves thrown in. Granted, this is far from the first time Zynga has "re-skinned" an old item in respect of a new one. (And nor is it the only studio that does.) It's unknown whether this crop is limited edition, standard, or whether it will require a license to grow. Regardless, Zynga sure has its way of triggering our sweet tooth.
[Via FarmVille Feed]
[Image Credit: FV Masters]
Are you excited to see another sliver of summer that will soon arrive in FarmVille? What other summer-themed items are you expecting Zynga to release?
There comes a time when vegetables just don't cut it. FarmVille is past that time--way past it. And that couldn't be more clear with the next unreleased crop found in the game, the Summer Bar Crop. Of course, this crop is complete with Bushels and a Market Stall, but we've yet to see a Mastery sign for this tasty treat that inexplicably grows from the earth.
Summer Bar Crop planted Summer Bar Crop budding Summer Bar Crop growing Summer Bar Crop grown
The Summer Bar reminds us frantic races to the ice cream truck or trips to the corner store on a balmy July night. But enough with the rosy nostalgia: This looks just like the Dreyer's Fruit Bar Crops with a few leaves thrown in. Granted, this is far from the first time Zynga has "re-skinned" an old item in respect of a new one. (And nor is it the only studio that does.) It's unknown whether this crop is limited edition, standard, or whether it will require a license to grow. Regardless, Zynga sure has its way of triggering our sweet tooth.
[Via FarmVille Feed]
[Image Credit: FV Masters]
Are you excited to see another sliver of summer that will soon arrive in FarmVille? What other summer-themed items are you expecting Zynga to release?
FarmVille: Dreyer's / Edy's Fruit Bar crops come back for one last shot at mastery
If you found yourself caught up in the second birthday celebration in FarmVille, and forgot to plant your Dreyer's or Edy's Fruit Bar crops before they expired, you're in luck, as Zynga has re-released the crop to give all farmers a second chance at earning that exclusive master sign.
As of right now, you've only got two additional days to plat as many of these fruit bars as you can. Of course, your original progress with mastering the crop has been retained, so you can take over right where you left off. Hopefully, if you can manage to plant these fruit bars four full times in the at least 48 hours that they're still in the store, you'll earn enough mastery points to finish them off. Just do it fast - it's unlike Zynga to give us a second chance at limited edition crops (unless you wait an entire year for the holiday related ones to come back around), so I wouldn't expect them to offer a third...
As of right now, you've only got two additional days to plat as many of these fruit bars as you can. Of course, your original progress with mastering the crop has been retained, so you can take over right where you left off. Hopefully, if you can manage to plant these fruit bars four full times in the at least 48 hours that they're still in the store, you'll earn enough mastery points to finish them off. Just do it fast - it's unlike Zynga to give us a second chance at limited edition crops (unless you wait an entire year for the holiday related ones to come back around), so I wouldn't expect them to offer a third...
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Facebook and Zynga's relationship: Just how shady is it?
Last month we talked about some of the details of an exclusive relationship between Zynga and Facebook that was revealed in their S-1 IPO filings. Some of these things were more obvious and less ominous, such as the requirement for Zynga to keep certain games on Facebook exclusively and not port them to other social networks or platforms. However, there was one little line in there that left behind a lot of uncertainty for social game developers:
The parties further acknowledge that Zynga is making a significant commitment to the Facebook Platform (i.e., using Facebook as the exclusive Social Platform on the Zynga Properties and granting FB certain title exclusivities to Zynga games on the Facebook Platform). In exchange for such commitment, the parties have committed to set certain growth targets for monthly unique users of Covered Zynga Games.
No one is exactly sure what this means, but one thing is for certain -- Zynga's Empires & Allies monthly active users graph looks particularly suspicious. In the line graph shown above, you can see the Empires and Allies peaked in traffic on July 9. From there, you can see that the game started to dramatically decline in numbers, which you will see in almost every Facebook game ever released. Social games on Facebook have an exciting climb up to their peak and then fall in numbers, spiking only with the release of new features.
However, you can see that starting on July 18, the monthly active user numbers have remained almost exactly flat. No growth, only a tiny decline that is the difference of thousands, not millions. Never before has the graph of a game looked like this. I'll go ahead and say it -- this is that Zynga/Facebook relationship at work. Facebook are doing something to help Empires & Allies remain at 45 million MAU.
It wouldn't be possible for Zynga to buy ads to keep their numbers exactly this flat. With the delayed reporting on Facebook ads, you can't buy daily ads with the intention of getting an exact number of users per day. You can't even really come all that close - especially when you're dealing with traffic numbers in the 45 million range. Especially when the daily active usage of the game looks like this:
In addition, Empires & Allies isn't retaining players well. The game is hovering between 15-17% of their monthly users coming back each day. With this kind of churn and this much fluctuation in terms of their daily playerbase, it's obvious that Facebook is pumping traffic in some fashion to the game to keep the numbers flat. They could be tweaking the ad algorithm, or doing a number of things to help Zynga maintain this number in Empires & Allies. Perhaps they are doing this until Zynga's IPO; no one can really be sure.
Other social game studios have every reason to be angry about this deal. Facebook is essentially helping the titan maintain its prowess over all the other studios, giving smaller developers little chance to make up ground. Sure, a lot of Zynga's success is compounded on their previous success -- no one is denying that Zynga are the leaders in the space. However, Facebook's special treatment feels malicious to me. It's hard enough to compete with the Zyngas and EAs of the space without having to deal with Facebook siding with a developer.
The parties further acknowledge that Zynga is making a significant commitment to the Facebook Platform (i.e., using Facebook as the exclusive Social Platform on the Zynga Properties and granting FB certain title exclusivities to Zynga games on the Facebook Platform). In exchange for such commitment, the parties have committed to set certain growth targets for monthly unique users of Covered Zynga Games.
No one is exactly sure what this means, but one thing is for certain -- Zynga's Empires & Allies monthly active users graph looks particularly suspicious. In the line graph shown above, you can see the Empires and Allies peaked in traffic on July 9. From there, you can see that the game started to dramatically decline in numbers, which you will see in almost every Facebook game ever released. Social games on Facebook have an exciting climb up to their peak and then fall in numbers, spiking only with the release of new features.
However, you can see that starting on July 18, the monthly active user numbers have remained almost exactly flat. No growth, only a tiny decline that is the difference of thousands, not millions. Never before has the graph of a game looked like this. I'll go ahead and say it -- this is that Zynga/Facebook relationship at work. Facebook are doing something to help Empires & Allies remain at 45 million MAU.
It wouldn't be possible for Zynga to buy ads to keep their numbers exactly this flat. With the delayed reporting on Facebook ads, you can't buy daily ads with the intention of getting an exact number of users per day. You can't even really come all that close - especially when you're dealing with traffic numbers in the 45 million range. Especially when the daily active usage of the game looks like this:
In addition, Empires & Allies isn't retaining players well. The game is hovering between 15-17% of their monthly users coming back each day. With this kind of churn and this much fluctuation in terms of their daily playerbase, it's obvious that Facebook is pumping traffic in some fashion to the game to keep the numbers flat. They could be tweaking the ad algorithm, or doing a number of things to help Zynga maintain this number in Empires & Allies. Perhaps they are doing this until Zynga's IPO; no one can really be sure.
Other social game studios have every reason to be angry about this deal. Facebook is essentially helping the titan maintain its prowess over all the other studios, giving smaller developers little chance to make up ground. Sure, a lot of Zynga's success is compounded on their previous success -- no one is denying that Zynga are the leaders in the space. However, Facebook's special treatment feels malicious to me. It's hard enough to compete with the Zyngas and EAs of the space without having to deal with Facebook siding with a developer.
Prepare your Crime City mafia for an iPhone invasion
San Francisco-based social games developer Funzio has announced that their hit Facebook game Crime City will be heading over to the iPhone this month. Crime City isn't your typical Facebook game with cutesy avatars, bright colors, and cuddly animals. This gritty mobster game is based in New York, and you murder, steal, and heist your way up to becoming the biggest mob boss around. Crime City features 200 solo based missions for those who prefer to adventure on their own through a linear path, and also features an interesting multiplayer component that allows you to battle and work with your friends in huge guilds and syndicates. Funzio has released the following trailer:
Crime City topped out on Facebook at over 1 million daily players and currently is enjoyed by over 5.2 million players each month. You'll be able to install Crime City on your iPhone later this month.
Crime City topped out on Facebook at over 1 million daily players and currently is enjoyed by over 5.2 million players each month. You'll be able to install Crime City on your iPhone later this month.
There are nearly 80M Facebook strategy gamers; now that's hardcore
Surprisingly enough, a lot of Facebook gamers wouldn't consider toiling away in digital soil for hours "fun." As traditional Facebook games like CityVille and FarmVille dominate the charts monthly, another sect of social games has garnered a considerable share of gamers' time: strategy games. According to SocialTimesPro, there are 80 million Facebook gamers that enjoy the cerebral, explosion-packed and "hardcore" action of games like Empires & Allies, Army Attack and Backyard Monsters.
The report cites the top 13 strategy games on Facebook by monthly players, which totals out to about 79 million. A number of stragglers that bring in hundreds of thousands more round out that number to 80 million. Of course, Empires & Allies by Zynga tops the list with 52 million monthly players (that's a bit dated, compared to current numbers on AppData). Though, that game's "hardcore" cred is somewhat arguable.
Zynga's clearly successful answer to this growing genre on Facebook is followed by many games that purists would call the real deal. Games like Army Attack by Digital Chocolate with 5.3 million monthly players and Kixeye's Backyard Monsters with 3.9 million players. And while Kabam sits at fourth place with Dragons of Atlantis at 3.8 million, it runs the rest of the list with three more games.
The fact that strategy games are growing is no surprise. But the fact that these games--generally reserved for fans of traditional strategy series like Starcraft and Command and Conquer--make up almost a third of all Facebook gamers is shocking. The thing is that most of these games don't have the reach Zynga throws around, yet still reel in millions of Facebook gamers. Are 18 to 35-year-old men getting their Facebook fix with these games? Or, is the new breed of social gamers (ahem, moms) getting keen on game types previously reserved for wrist brace-wielding PC gamers?
While the data presented by SocialTimesPro can't provide those answers, I'd personally go with the latter. Facebook is probably the last place fans of games like Starcraft would go to in search of a new strategy fix. So, maybe Richard Garriott is right: The line between "casual" Facebook gamers and "hardcore" PC and console gamers blurs further every day.
The report cites the top 13 strategy games on Facebook by monthly players, which totals out to about 79 million. A number of stragglers that bring in hundreds of thousands more round out that number to 80 million. Of course, Empires & Allies by Zynga tops the list with 52 million monthly players (that's a bit dated, compared to current numbers on AppData). Though, that game's "hardcore" cred is somewhat arguable.
Zynga's clearly successful answer to this growing genre on Facebook is followed by many games that purists would call the real deal. Games like Army Attack by Digital Chocolate with 5.3 million monthly players and Kixeye's Backyard Monsters with 3.9 million players. And while Kabam sits at fourth place with Dragons of Atlantis at 3.8 million, it runs the rest of the list with three more games.
The fact that strategy games are growing is no surprise. But the fact that these games--generally reserved for fans of traditional strategy series like Starcraft and Command and Conquer--make up almost a third of all Facebook gamers is shocking. The thing is that most of these games don't have the reach Zynga throws around, yet still reel in millions of Facebook gamers. Are 18 to 35-year-old men getting their Facebook fix with these games? Or, is the new breed of social gamers (ahem, moms) getting keen on game types previously reserved for wrist brace-wielding PC gamers?
While the data presented by SocialTimesPro can't provide those answers, I'd personally go with the latter. Facebook is probably the last place fans of games like Starcraft would go to in search of a new strategy fix. So, maybe Richard Garriott is right: The line between "casual" Facebook gamers and "hardcore" PC and console gamers blurs further every day.
$500 weapon releases in Gun Bros: who will buy it?
Gun Bros is a shoot-em-up game by Glu Mobile that brings multiplayer real time combat to iOS complete with voice chat. It features full 3D, the ability to play on Android, iPhone, or Facebook, and as many big guns as you could possibly ever want in your life. And now, your arsenal can be improved even more -- that is, if you have $500 to spend.
'The Kraken' is the latest superweapon released in Gun Bros, and it doesn't come cheap. Priced at 3499 War Bucks, this weapon will cost you just under $500 if you purchase the largest $99 packages of War Bucks. Granted, you could also take surveys and do other third-party offers to earn these War Bucks, but that would take a ridiculously long time that could be better spent actually playing the game. This weapon actually had its price increased from 1400 War Bucks, perhaps because of how powerful it is.
'The Kraken' shoots out bullets in many different directions and kills quicker than any other weapon. It also doesn't overheat - it will shoot out a massive laser that kills everything in its path when it is supposed to overheat. It basically is an "instant win" weapon, as you can just sit there and shoot while The Kraken does all the work. It's a pretty impressive gun and a whopping price.
You would presume then that no one would buy this weapon, right? Wrong. Someone has actually bought the weapon and filmed a quick review of it. There are people in this world (called 'whales') who will spend an astronomical amount in virtual goods. If you're a hardcore player of Gun Bros, you now have a new ultimate goal -- getting your hands on the almighty Kraken for $500 of cold hard cash.
[via TouchArcade]
'The Kraken' is the latest superweapon released in Gun Bros, and it doesn't come cheap. Priced at 3499 War Bucks, this weapon will cost you just under $500 if you purchase the largest $99 packages of War Bucks. Granted, you could also take surveys and do other third-party offers to earn these War Bucks, but that would take a ridiculously long time that could be better spent actually playing the game. This weapon actually had its price increased from 1400 War Bucks, perhaps because of how powerful it is.
'The Kraken' shoots out bullets in many different directions and kills quicker than any other weapon. It also doesn't overheat - it will shoot out a massive laser that kills everything in its path when it is supposed to overheat. It basically is an "instant win" weapon, as you can just sit there and shoot while The Kraken does all the work. It's a pretty impressive gun and a whopping price.
You would presume then that no one would buy this weapon, right? Wrong. Someone has actually bought the weapon and filmed a quick review of it. There are people in this world (called 'whales') who will spend an astronomical amount in virtual goods. If you're a hardcore player of Gun Bros, you now have a new ultimate goal -- getting your hands on the almighty Kraken for $500 of cold hard cash.
[via TouchArcade]
FrontierVille A Horse Tamer's Calling Timed Goal: Everything you need to know
And still, we're baffled as to why Zynga continues to distract pioneers from their goal of One Billion Golden Hammers. The developer has released yet another Time Goal to FrontierVille, titled "A Horse Tamer's Calling."
Once accepted, and it must be accepted by Aug. 31, players will have seven days to meet the tasks required of them. And based on what's in store for you should you complete the Goal in time, you might want to hustle.
FrontierVille A Horse Tamer's Calling
A Horse Tamer's Calling
Harvest 20 Apple Trees
Collect 20 Training Ropes
Collect 20 Training Saddles
Since you only have a week to complete this Goal, and the Pioneer Trail is just around the corner, you may want to just buy 20 Apple Trees and get it over with. Apple Trees cost 800 Coins a piece, so only recommend this strategy for, um, rich players. Otherwise, Apple Trees harvest every 30 minutes once full. The 20 Training Ropes and Saddles are asked for through the Goal's "Ask Friends," and this is the requirement that's going to be time consuming. Finish this Goal for a Pristine Horse, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Horse Tamer's Calling rewards
Have you started this new Timed Goal yet? What do you think of Zynga releasing new content this close to the expansion's release?
Once accepted, and it must be accepted by Aug. 31, players will have seven days to meet the tasks required of them. And based on what's in store for you should you complete the Goal in time, you might want to hustle.
FrontierVille A Horse Tamer's Calling
A Horse Tamer's Calling
Harvest 20 Apple Trees
Collect 20 Training Ropes
Collect 20 Training Saddles
Since you only have a week to complete this Goal, and the Pioneer Trail is just around the corner, you may want to just buy 20 Apple Trees and get it over with. Apple Trees cost 800 Coins a piece, so only recommend this strategy for, um, rich players. Otherwise, Apple Trees harvest every 30 minutes once full. The 20 Training Ropes and Saddles are asked for through the Goal's "Ask Friends," and this is the requirement that's going to be time consuming. Finish this Goal for a Pristine Horse, 500 XP and 500 Coins.
Horse Tamer's Calling rewards
Have you started this new Timed Goal yet? What do you think of Zynga releasing new content this close to the expansion's release?
Climb to the top in Empires & Allies Leaderboards
The competition just got that much more fierce in Empires & Allies. Zynga has finally released Leaderboards to the game. (You know that trophy icon that's been in the game since launch? It works now!) Clicking on the new Leaderboards feature opens up a window with lots of numbers, pictures and three tabs: Campaign Progress, Ore Investment and Damage Dash.
Campaign Progress is a standard leaderboard that simply compares your own progress in the game's storyline battles with that of your friends. Ore Investment and Damage Dash, however, are have an expiration date, and will reward players with prizes for placing each time the leaderboard closes.
Ore Investment tracks how much Ore players spend within a certain time--spend the most to climb to the top and win. As for Damage Dash, players will compete to deal the most damage across both invasions and campaign battles within the time period.
Damage Dash
Players will receive what Zynga calls "milestone prizes" for reaching certain, well, milestones in their progress each week. For example, say you deal 100,000 damage in combat during the eight-day period. That's worth a Rafale Fighter this week--an item that costs Empire Points normally, and is no longer available.
But Trophies are for the true winners, as the top three contestants in both the Ore Investment and Damage Dash leaderboards will receive Trophies for bragging rights. Zynga says this is the first of many different Leaderboards, so go on and get yourself acquainted ... with getting owned.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you a fan of this new feature in the game? What other types of Leaderboards do you hope Zynga adds to the game?
Campaign Progress is a standard leaderboard that simply compares your own progress in the game's storyline battles with that of your friends. Ore Investment and Damage Dash, however, are have an expiration date, and will reward players with prizes for placing each time the leaderboard closes.
Ore Investment tracks how much Ore players spend within a certain time--spend the most to climb to the top and win. As for Damage Dash, players will compete to deal the most damage across both invasions and campaign battles within the time period.
Damage Dash
Players will receive what Zynga calls "milestone prizes" for reaching certain, well, milestones in their progress each week. For example, say you deal 100,000 damage in combat during the eight-day period. That's worth a Rafale Fighter this week--an item that costs Empire Points normally, and is no longer available.
But Trophies are for the true winners, as the top three contestants in both the Ore Investment and Damage Dash leaderboards will receive Trophies for bragging rights. Zynga says this is the first of many different Leaderboards, so go on and get yourself acquainted ... with getting owned.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Are you a fan of this new feature in the game? What other types of Leaderboards do you hope Zynga adds to the game?
Zynga drags Google into legal battle with Vostu, but aren't they bros? [Updated]
Ever since Google "secretly" invested in Zynga last year, we thought so too. But apparently not, as TechCrunch reports that the creator of FarmVille has filed suit against the search giant for its involvement with Brazilian social games developer Vostu. Zynga claims that Vostu has copied four of its games. (Keep in mind, Vostu has since filed a countersuit against Zynga for the very same thing.) Google has been dragged into this scrap because Orkut, a social network popular in Brazil that hosts the very games Zynga is targeting, is a Google property.
And, according to TechCrunch, Zynga filed another lawsuit against Vostu in a Brazilian court. Better yet (for Zynga, at least), a Brazilian judge has sided with Zynga and granted it a preliminary injunction against Vostu. The injunction, or court order, demands that Vostu and Orkut must remove four games--MegaCity, Pet Mania, Cafe Mania and Vostu Poker--within 48 unless the two want to pay a fine of about $13,000 USD every day until they are removed.
"Professor Bruno Feijó, from PontifÃcia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and Chief of Vision Lab, analyzed the games and concluded that: 'the four games from Vostu characterize a clear case of copying Zynga's games in both visual interface and gameplay,'" Zynga said in a statement. This was affirmed by Professor João Bernardes Junior from the University of São Paulo. At this point, we doubt Google and Zynga will hit the clubs together anytime soon ... or whatever bros do. Google declined comment.
Update: Vostu has decided to appeal the ruling made in Brazilian court. Here's Vostu's statement in full:
Vostu will vigorously appeal this ruling, which we firmly believe has no merit.
This is a desperate and misguided legal tactic by Zynga, a foreign company with no real Brazilian roots -- a company that has failed to secure a foothold in the local marketplace and failed to win consumers who have clearly shown they prefer the superior games created by Vostu's Brazilian team.
We are confident the Court of Appeals will reverse the injunction, when presented with Vostu's position and its full story.
In less than two years, Vostu has become the clear leader in social gaming in Brazil and has grown to 35 million registered users who enjoy our high quality games, which are specifically developed for the Brazilian audience. We employ more than 50 highly-skilled employees in Brazil and over 500 employees in the region, each of whom contributes to the Brazilian economy.
Vostu has been deeply entrenched with the Brazilian economy by heavily investing in local marketing, helping brands such as Guarana advertise, doing creative deals with Brazil's most popular star, Ivete Sangalo, and conducting in-depth market research analyses with Brazilian consumers.
We remain confident that Vostu will continue to maintain its dominance in the industry by offering the best gaming entertainment to Brazil and to employ the best and brightest Brazilians in the gaming industry. We are proud to be the first and most prominent gaming company in Brazil and being able to entertain our users with highly localized and relevant entertainment.
[Image Credit: Vostu]
What do you think will come of this legal battle? How do you think this will affect Google and Zynga's relationship?
And, according to TechCrunch, Zynga filed another lawsuit against Vostu in a Brazilian court. Better yet (for Zynga, at least), a Brazilian judge has sided with Zynga and granted it a preliminary injunction against Vostu. The injunction, or court order, demands that Vostu and Orkut must remove four games--MegaCity, Pet Mania, Cafe Mania and Vostu Poker--within 48 unless the two want to pay a fine of about $13,000 USD every day until they are removed.
"Professor Bruno Feijó, from PontifÃcia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and Chief of Vision Lab, analyzed the games and concluded that: 'the four games from Vostu characterize a clear case of copying Zynga's games in both visual interface and gameplay,'" Zynga said in a statement. This was affirmed by Professor João Bernardes Junior from the University of São Paulo. At this point, we doubt Google and Zynga will hit the clubs together anytime soon ... or whatever bros do. Google declined comment.
Update: Vostu has decided to appeal the ruling made in Brazilian court. Here's Vostu's statement in full:
Vostu will vigorously appeal this ruling, which we firmly believe has no merit.
This is a desperate and misguided legal tactic by Zynga, a foreign company with no real Brazilian roots -- a company that has failed to secure a foothold in the local marketplace and failed to win consumers who have clearly shown they prefer the superior games created by Vostu's Brazilian team.
We are confident the Court of Appeals will reverse the injunction, when presented with Vostu's position and its full story.
In less than two years, Vostu has become the clear leader in social gaming in Brazil and has grown to 35 million registered users who enjoy our high quality games, which are specifically developed for the Brazilian audience. We employ more than 50 highly-skilled employees in Brazil and over 500 employees in the region, each of whom contributes to the Brazilian economy.
Vostu has been deeply entrenched with the Brazilian economy by heavily investing in local marketing, helping brands such as Guarana advertise, doing creative deals with Brazil's most popular star, Ivete Sangalo, and conducting in-depth market research analyses with Brazilian consumers.
We remain confident that Vostu will continue to maintain its dominance in the industry by offering the best gaming entertainment to Brazil and to employ the best and brightest Brazilians in the gaming industry. We are proud to be the first and most prominent gaming company in Brazil and being able to entertain our users with highly localized and relevant entertainment.
[Image Credit: Vostu]
What do you think will come of this legal battle? How do you think this will affect Google and Zynga's relationship?
Cafe World Grandma's Cook-Off Catering Order: Everything you need to know
While we've been covering Grandma's Lost Recipes for a while now in Cafe World, time has quickly been ticking away, and it's now time to help Grandma win her bridge cook-off in a new Catering Order. The order, coincidentally enough, is called "Grandma's Cook-Off," and it requires you to serve a whopping four dishes, along with collect two sets of collectible items, all to win another lost recipe at the end (that is, if you're fast enough).
The cooking tasks ask you to serve Collard Greens and Bacon 500 times, Grandma's Famous Meatloaf 30 times, Corn Flake Chicken 120 times, and Choco-Scotch Clusters 60 times. While some of these particular totals may not sound like a lot, when combined, you're looking at serving 710 dishes! Even if you had tons of spices, and tons of bonus servings just waiting to be served out of your Gift Box, that's still no easy feat, especially if you're on your own. You'll be able to bring 18 of your friends in on the catering order with you, thankfully enough, so with enough effort from some good friends, you may be able to finish these cooking tasks on time.
In addition to all of the cooking, you'll need to collect eight each of Sampler Forks and Sampler Dishes, which actually seems like an incredibly simple task, considering all of the cooking you'll need to do as well. Either way, if you're able to finish this goal within the first five days of starting it, you'll receive the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the exclusive Fruit and Jelly Mold. If you can't finish within five days, you'll have a chance at either the two or one star rating (the one start rating not having a time limit), but won't be able to walk away with the new recipe.
There's no word yet on whether or not this catering order is temporary, or if we'll have it available to finish permanently, so keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to put it off.
The cooking tasks ask you to serve Collard Greens and Bacon 500 times, Grandma's Famous Meatloaf 30 times, Corn Flake Chicken 120 times, and Choco-Scotch Clusters 60 times. While some of these particular totals may not sound like a lot, when combined, you're looking at serving 710 dishes! Even if you had tons of spices, and tons of bonus servings just waiting to be served out of your Gift Box, that's still no easy feat, especially if you're on your own. You'll be able to bring 18 of your friends in on the catering order with you, thankfully enough, so with enough effort from some good friends, you may be able to finish these cooking tasks on time.
In addition to all of the cooking, you'll need to collect eight each of Sampler Forks and Sampler Dishes, which actually seems like an incredibly simple task, considering all of the cooking you'll need to do as well. Either way, if you're able to finish this goal within the first five days of starting it, you'll receive the three-star rating, 12 Catering Points, 3,200 Cafe Points, 70,000 coins and the exclusive Fruit and Jelly Mold. If you can't finish within five days, you'll have a chance at either the two or one star rating (the one start rating not having a time limit), but won't be able to walk away with the new recipe.
There's no word yet on whether or not this catering order is temporary, or if we'll have it available to finish permanently, so keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to put it off.
CityVille Bookstore Upgrades: Everything you need to know
It's that time again - time for us to undertake another building upgrade process in CityVille, this time with the Bookstore. This business starts with stats of 430 coins of profits for every 100 Goods, and can be upgraded to Level 2 fairly quickly, after just 40 supplies. Once your Bookstore has reached Level 2 it will require 120 Goods to operate and will reward you with 570 coins each time you run out.
To be clear, you'll need to supply, collect from and resupply the Bookstore 40 individual times before making it to Level 2, but the process can be completed yet again to take your Bookstore from Level 2 to 3. You'll need to complete the re-supplying cycle all over again until you reach Level 3, which takes your Bookstore to the final stats of requiring 130 Goods and offering up 650 coins each time you collect your profits.
If you look at the stats as a whole, this particular set of upgrades looks to be fairly worthwhile. By spending just 30 Goods more each time you supply the Bookstore, you'll gain 220 more coins. If you allow the Bookstore to be the only operating business in your town, you'll be able to collect plenty of profits pretty quickly, which is definitely a good thing.
Hopefully, Zynga will make a point of releasing some more worthwhile upgrades in the future for another set of businesses and community buildings. We'll make sure to let you know what those upgrades are if (when) they should launch, so keep checking back!
What do you think of these Bookstore upgrades? Do you think the increased stats are worth going through the process of upgrading, or are you still too busy working on upgrading other buildings to immediately start working on these?
To be clear, you'll need to supply, collect from and resupply the Bookstore 40 individual times before making it to Level 2, but the process can be completed yet again to take your Bookstore from Level 2 to 3. You'll need to complete the re-supplying cycle all over again until you reach Level 3, which takes your Bookstore to the final stats of requiring 130 Goods and offering up 650 coins each time you collect your profits.
If you look at the stats as a whole, this particular set of upgrades looks to be fairly worthwhile. By spending just 30 Goods more each time you supply the Bookstore, you'll gain 220 more coins. If you allow the Bookstore to be the only operating business in your town, you'll be able to collect plenty of profits pretty quickly, which is definitely a good thing.
Hopefully, Zynga will make a point of releasing some more worthwhile upgrades in the future for another set of businesses and community buildings. We'll make sure to let you know what those upgrades are if (when) they should launch, so keep checking back!
What do you think of these Bookstore upgrades? Do you think the increased stats are worth going through the process of upgrading, or are you still too busy working on upgrading other buildings to immediately start working on these?
FarmVille Vineyard Items: Maritime Pine Tree, Country Cottage, Grape Bench and more
With tonight's FarmVille update came a new set of items in the game's current Vineyard limited edition theme. There are new animals, buildings, trees and decorations available to purchase, so let's jump right into the new selection of items.
Trees:
Maritime Pine Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Umbrella Pine Tree - 15 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, it seems as though the 5/15 Farm Cash prices are sticking, as this isn't the first time we've seen this price pair released on trees recently. Not to worry though farmers! The Umbrella Pine Tree can be earned for free, either by randomly receiving one as a Mystery Seedling from an Orchard, or by simply collecting one as a seedling (or full grown) from a friend's wall post. So let them price it higher, I say! I've no need to purchase it anyway!
Animals:
Chamtois Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Charolais Cow - 20 Farm Cash
Both of these animals come with the ability to breed, giving off Chamtois Foals and Charolais Calves, respectively, that can be shared with friends.
Buildings:
French Vineyard - 30 Farm Cash
Country Cottage - 20 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Garden Carriage - 15 Farm Cash
Wisteria Trellis - 2 Farm Cash
Grape Bench - 10,000 coins
Sweet Pea Bed - 3,000 coins
While all of these items will expire from the game's store in two week's time, you have even more incentive to purchase them, other than an ever-decreasing time limit. If you purchase seven from this particular Vineyard collection of items, you'll receive an exclusive prize in the form of a lovely pink flower fountain. This fountain isn't available through any other method than purchasing at least seven of the individual items above. Should you purchase multiple units of each item, you can earn more exclusive fountains, but I can't really see why you'd want to waste so much Farm Cash.
Either way, make sure to at least take a gander at items like the Sweet Pea Bed and Grape Bench; they are both fairly cheap, and would add great accents to your farm's garden areas, whether they're specifically themed towards the vineyard theme or not.
What do you think of tonight's Vineyard item release? Will you purchase seven different items just to receive the exclusive fountain?
Trees:
Maritime Pine Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Umbrella Pine Tree - 15 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, it seems as though the 5/15 Farm Cash prices are sticking, as this isn't the first time we've seen this price pair released on trees recently. Not to worry though farmers! The Umbrella Pine Tree can be earned for free, either by randomly receiving one as a Mystery Seedling from an Orchard, or by simply collecting one as a seedling (or full grown) from a friend's wall post. So let them price it higher, I say! I've no need to purchase it anyway!
Animals:
Chamtois Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Charolais Cow - 20 Farm Cash
Both of these animals come with the ability to breed, giving off Chamtois Foals and Charolais Calves, respectively, that can be shared with friends.
Buildings:
French Vineyard - 30 Farm Cash
Country Cottage - 20 Farm Cash
Decorations:
Garden Carriage - 15 Farm Cash
Wisteria Trellis - 2 Farm Cash
Grape Bench - 10,000 coins
Sweet Pea Bed - 3,000 coins
While all of these items will expire from the game's store in two week's time, you have even more incentive to purchase them, other than an ever-decreasing time limit. If you purchase seven from this particular Vineyard collection of items, you'll receive an exclusive prize in the form of a lovely pink flower fountain. This fountain isn't available through any other method than purchasing at least seven of the individual items above. Should you purchase multiple units of each item, you can earn more exclusive fountains, but I can't really see why you'd want to waste so much Farm Cash.
Either way, make sure to at least take a gander at items like the Sweet Pea Bed and Grape Bench; they are both fairly cheap, and would add great accents to your farm's garden areas, whether they're specifically themed towards the vineyard theme or not.
What do you think of tonight's Vineyard item release? Will you purchase seven different items just to receive the exclusive fountain?
Friday, December 16, 2011
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Goals: Everything you need to know
Zynga has just released a new Pioneer Trail goal -- the Greenhouse -- that's best described by a player as "a TARDIS for crops" in more ways than one. For those who don't get the Doctor Who reference, I'd also say it's like the previously released FrontierVille Orchard.
Looking at the screenshot on the right, I can vaguely see how the Greenhouse resembles a time-traveling police box. But that's not where the resemblance ends, because once completed, your new Greenhouse will allow you to plant more crops. Even though it looks like a 3x3 building on the outside, it's actually a 6x6 building on the inside.
So what's the catch? Well, you won't be able to do this goal unless you're Level 13 or above. Also, like most goals, you'll need to collect a lot of stuff in order to build it. For the following items, you'll need to make Facebook Wall posts to get 10 of each: Mulch, Plant Food, and Ladybugs. The next set of required items are ones you've got to ask your friends for by sending them requests, and you'll need 15 of each: Insulating Glass, Sturdy Frame, and Irrigation System.
Pioneer Trail Finish Your Greenhouse
The upside though, is that once you finish your Greenhouse, and complete the four quests that go along with it, you'll unlock three new crops: Carrots, Grapes, and Watermelons. Watermelons are prized because they've got a harvest period of five days. Your crops will also be safe from Groundhogs during that time, and your neighbors can come by to tend those crops.
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse crops
Time to Flex That Green Thumb!
Place the Greenhouse
Harvest 50 Clover
Clear 15 Debris on Neighbors' Homesteads
Reward: 250XP, 250 Coins, Hanging Plant
Record-Breaking Crops!
Collect the Daily Bonus from the Greenhouse
Have or collect 50 Poultry Puddin'
Collect ten bottles of Buttermilk
Reward: 500XP, 500 Coins, Carrots Unlocked!
It's Carrotastic!
Harvest 40 Carrots in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
Harvest 15 Crops on Neighbors' Homestead or in their Greenhouse
Collect 15 Fish Heads
Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Grapes Unlocked
A Grape Escape!
Harvest 40 Grapes in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
Tend 30 Adult Cows
Collect 10 rays of Country Sunshine
Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Watermelon Unlocked
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Collection
Finally, completion of the Greenhouse unlocks a new Collection that delivers a Big Wither Protection Boost, which prevents all your crops from dying. The Collection items are Butterflies, Mister, Garden Bunny, Gardening Glove, and Gardening Tape.
But there are players who believe the Greenhouse is poorly planned, and they have a point. Three of the four Greenhouse Goals ask you to plant 40 crops within the Greenhouse or on your Homestead. But the Greenhouse only has room for 36, therefore, leaving four that must be planted outside to fulfill the quest. There are also complaints that the first item you're forced to plant is the Clover, which is one of the earliest crops for a beginner. It would have been better if the game allowed players to get started with planting and harvesting the new unlockable crops right away instead.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Would you rather have a land expansion than a building that lets you plant more crops?
Looking at the screenshot on the right, I can vaguely see how the Greenhouse resembles a time-traveling police box. But that's not where the resemblance ends, because once completed, your new Greenhouse will allow you to plant more crops. Even though it looks like a 3x3 building on the outside, it's actually a 6x6 building on the inside.
So what's the catch? Well, you won't be able to do this goal unless you're Level 13 or above. Also, like most goals, you'll need to collect a lot of stuff in order to build it. For the following items, you'll need to make Facebook Wall posts to get 10 of each: Mulch, Plant Food, and Ladybugs. The next set of required items are ones you've got to ask your friends for by sending them requests, and you'll need 15 of each: Insulating Glass, Sturdy Frame, and Irrigation System.
Pioneer Trail Finish Your Greenhouse
The upside though, is that once you finish your Greenhouse, and complete the four quests that go along with it, you'll unlock three new crops: Carrots, Grapes, and Watermelons. Watermelons are prized because they've got a harvest period of five days. Your crops will also be safe from Groundhogs during that time, and your neighbors can come by to tend those crops.
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse crops
Time to Flex That Green Thumb!
Place the Greenhouse
Harvest 50 Clover
Clear 15 Debris on Neighbors' Homesteads
Reward: 250XP, 250 Coins, Hanging Plant
Record-Breaking Crops!
Collect the Daily Bonus from the Greenhouse
Have or collect 50 Poultry Puddin'
Collect ten bottles of Buttermilk
Reward: 500XP, 500 Coins, Carrots Unlocked!
It's Carrotastic!
Harvest 40 Carrots in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
Harvest 15 Crops on Neighbors' Homestead or in their Greenhouse
Collect 15 Fish Heads
Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Grapes Unlocked
A Grape Escape!
Harvest 40 Grapes in your Greenhouse or on your Homestead
Tend 30 Adult Cows
Collect 10 rays of Country Sunshine
Reward: 1000XP, 1000 Coins, Watermelon Unlocked
Pioneer Trail Greenhouse Collection
Finally, completion of the Greenhouse unlocks a new Collection that delivers a Big Wither Protection Boost, which prevents all your crops from dying. The Collection items are Butterflies, Mister, Garden Bunny, Gardening Glove, and Gardening Tape.
But there are players who believe the Greenhouse is poorly planned, and they have a point. Three of the four Greenhouse Goals ask you to plant 40 crops within the Greenhouse or on your Homestead. But the Greenhouse only has room for 36, therefore, leaving four that must be planted outside to fulfill the quest. There are also complaints that the first item you're forced to plant is the Clover, which is one of the earliest crops for a beginner. It would have been better if the game allowed players to get started with planting and harvesting the new unlockable crops right away instead.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Would you rather have a land expansion than a building that lets you plant more crops?
CityVille: Earn a free Tunnel decoration for playing Adventure World
While Adventure World has finally started seeing a push in its user base (to a current total of around 26 million players), that doesn't mean Zynga wants the growth to slow down. To help users discover its newest game, the developer has launched a cross-promotion between Adventure World and its largest game: CityVille. This promotion, like the FarmVille promotion that came before it, will give users some incentive to play AW by rewarding them with a prize back in CityVille at the end.
To be specific, a free Tunnel decoration (pictured at right) is up for grabs for all CityVille players that take the time to reach at least Level 7 in Adventure World. This is unfortunately two levels more than that required for the FarmVille cross-promotion, so you will need to keep chugging along until you level up two more times. To help you do that, we have guides on the game's starting Expeditions, along with the game's main story quests, so make sure to check out our guides to those events to help yourself level up as quickly as possible.
While you shouldn't have to, you should also remember to click on the "Play Now" button in the pop-up that appears in CityVille to activate this cross-promotion in your game. It's possible that Zynga will automatically track the players that have met both requirements (that is, those that play CityVille and are at least Level 7 in Adventure World), but clicking on this link should eliminate all doubt. Oh yeah, you'll need to do all of the above fairly quickly - your time limit for receiving your free Tunnel Decoration is October 6. On that date, all qualifying users will receive their prize, so don't worry if you don't receive it beforehand. Just make sure you meet the deadline if you want this free Tunnel in your town.
Will you play Adventure World to at least Level 7 to qualify for a free CityVille Tunnel?
To be specific, a free Tunnel decoration (pictured at right) is up for grabs for all CityVille players that take the time to reach at least Level 7 in Adventure World. This is unfortunately two levels more than that required for the FarmVille cross-promotion, so you will need to keep chugging along until you level up two more times. To help you do that, we have guides on the game's starting Expeditions, along with the game's main story quests, so make sure to check out our guides to those events to help yourself level up as quickly as possible.
While you shouldn't have to, you should also remember to click on the "Play Now" button in the pop-up that appears in CityVille to activate this cross-promotion in your game. It's possible that Zynga will automatically track the players that have met both requirements (that is, those that play CityVille and are at least Level 7 in Adventure World), but clicking on this link should eliminate all doubt. Oh yeah, you'll need to do all of the above fairly quickly - your time limit for receiving your free Tunnel Decoration is October 6. On that date, all qualifying users will receive their prize, so don't worry if you don't receive it beforehand. Just make sure you meet the deadline if you want this free Tunnel in your town.
Will you play Adventure World to at least Level 7 to qualify for a free CityVille Tunnel?
Adventure World Cave of Montezuma Expedition: Everything you need to know
If you've already made your way through Adventure World's "starter" Expeditions, you might be surprised when scrolling through the list today to find a new entry has been added. While we know that Expeditions are already available all of the way to Level 40, this entirely new Expedition sits in between Jungle Run and Mountain Pass, making it now the fourth Expedition on the list. If you're thorough and wish to complete all Expeditions at least once, we've got a guide to help you do just that.
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
Recover the Blue Feather
Recover the Green Feather
Recover the Red Feather
Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
Defeat 5 Spiders
Clear 5 Spider Webs
Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
Solve the First Puzzle
Solve the Second Puzzle
Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?"
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
Recover the Blue Feather
Recover the Green Feather
Recover the Red Feather
Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
Defeat 5 Spiders
Clear 5 Spider Webs
Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
Solve the First Puzzle
Solve the Second Puzzle
Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?"
CityVille Metropolis items take the fun to the big city
If all of the small-scale businesses and homes in CityVille just aren't doing it for you, and you want some larger skyscrapers to sit beside your (probably) large franchises, you're in luck with the release of new Metropolis items in the game today. These items will be available for 15 days, and you'll be able to purchase either a Mystery Crate to try your luck at receiving a random item, or purchase some of these items outright. Fair warning: these items cost City Cash, so I hope you're ready to bust out your wallet.
Infinite Towers II (Home)
Costs: 110 City Cash
Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
Costs: 55 City Cash
Population: 1350 - 2650 population
Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
Costs: 65 City Cash
Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
Costs: 70 City Cash
Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?"
Infinite Towers II (Home)
Costs: 110 City Cash
Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
Costs: 55 City Cash
Population: 1350 - 2650 population
Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
Costs: 65 City Cash
Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
Costs: 70 City Cash
Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?"
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Collapse! Blast, UNO Boost burst onto GameHouse games portal
Between its new mobile platform and now this, Facebook looms like the spaceship from Independence Day over the Internet. Casual and social game creator GameHouse announced that both of its Facebook games, Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost, are now available on GameHouse.com. The games are playable on GameHouse's home turf through Facebook Connect.
This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.
According to GameHouse, this is currently in the test phase, allowing players to buy virtual goods using Facebook Credits within Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost on the GameHouse website slash games portal. The process of buying virtual items using Facebook Credits outside of Facebook is seamless. "We truly believe that every game will be social someday, whether it's played on Facebook, Google+, or at GameHouse.com," the company wrote in a blog post.
GameHouse social games
This news follows GameHouse's recent reveal of Bayou Blast, the developer's next game in the Blast series of social games. The game looks to be an arguably fresh take on the match-three genre that PopCap popularized with Bejeweled. As for Facebook Credits appearing outside of Facebook, this could have massive implications not only for social games, but the commerce on the web across the board.
Click here to play Collapse! Blast and here to play UNO Boost on GameHouse.com Now >
Will Facebook Credits' availability through other online game platforms will change anything about online games? Is this indicative of all online games ultimately attaching to social networks?
This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.
According to GameHouse, this is currently in the test phase, allowing players to buy virtual goods using Facebook Credits within Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost on the GameHouse website slash games portal. The process of buying virtual items using Facebook Credits outside of Facebook is seamless. "We truly believe that every game will be social someday, whether it's played on Facebook, Google+, or at GameHouse.com," the company wrote in a blog post.
GameHouse social games
This news follows GameHouse's recent reveal of Bayou Blast, the developer's next game in the Blast series of social games. The game looks to be an arguably fresh take on the match-three genre that PopCap popularized with Bejeweled. As for Facebook Credits appearing outside of Facebook, this could have massive implications not only for social games, but the commerce on the web across the board.
Click here to play Collapse! Blast and here to play UNO Boost on GameHouse.com Now >
Will Facebook Credits' availability through other online game platforms will change anything about online games? Is this indicative of all online games ultimately attaching to social networks?
Monday, December 12, 2011
Zynga partners with Pizza Hut across CityVille, FarmVille and more
Zynga isn't a stranger to charitable donations, so it comes as no surprise that the major developer has launched another charity project across four of its Facebook games this weekend. This promotion comes by way of a partnership with Pizza Hut, in an effort to "share a slice of hope" with the World Hunger Relief campaign.
Specifically, this promotion is available through the company's RewardVille rewards program, and offers a single prize in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. For each donation of $5 US or more, you'll receive your choice of one of the four items. Here's a rundown of what's available:
FarmVille: Food Wagon
CityVille: Nutrition Center
Empires & Allies: Farm
Pioneer Trail: Merino Sheep
To be especially clear, you must contribute at least $5 to the cause to be eligible for a prize, and you'll only receive a single prize (of your choosing) for each donation. If you play all four of these games and want all four prizes, you'll need to make five separate donations (for a minimum of $20 in total).
This promotion is set to run from September 25 (now) and October 31, giving you plenty of time to make a few donations if you choose. Here's the link to the donation site if you'd like to help out.
Will you donate to the Pizza Hut and Zynga World Hunger Relief event? Which of the four items are you going after, or will you donate enough to earn multiple items?
Specifically, this promotion is available through the company's RewardVille rewards program, and offers a single prize in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. For each donation of $5 US or more, you'll receive your choice of one of the four items. Here's a rundown of what's available:
FarmVille: Food Wagon
CityVille: Nutrition Center
Empires & Allies: Farm
Pioneer Trail: Merino Sheep
To be especially clear, you must contribute at least $5 to the cause to be eligible for a prize, and you'll only receive a single prize (of your choosing) for each donation. If you play all four of these games and want all four prizes, you'll need to make five separate donations (for a minimum of $20 in total).
This promotion is set to run from September 25 (now) and October 31, giving you plenty of time to make a few donations if you choose. Here's the link to the donation site if you'd like to help out.
Will you donate to the Pizza Hut and Zynga World Hunger Relief event? Which of the four items are you going after, or will you donate enough to earn multiple items?
FarmVille Mystery Game (09/25/11): Dairy animals take the spotlight
Last week, the FarmVille Mystery Game contained Livestock animals to go along with the Livestock Pen animal habitat that had recently been released. Well, you might be able to guess what this week's game would contain then, in response. With the launch of the Cow Pasture last week, this week's Mystery Game is full of cows and bulls that will help you earn all sorts of calves.
This week's Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash per dart, but remember that you may end up with duplicates in the process of going for them all. There are six basic prizes available in this week's game, along with the expected bonus prize that we'll get to later. For now, here are the six animals you can win by popping balloons:
Ayrshire Cow
Black Angus Bull
Brown Swiss Cow
Canadienne Cow
Guernsey Cow
Norwegian Red Cow
If you can manage to win all six of these (through either luck or pure determination - and tons of Farm Cash), you'll receive a Randall Bull as a free gift. Although, when it really comes down to it, you will have spent so many Farm Cash on these first six animals, I'm not sure if "free" is the appropriate word here.
Either way, you'll have just a single week to earn these six (potentially seven dairy animals) before they go into retirement with no guarantee that they'll be re-released. Good luck if you're going for all seven!
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Will you take a stab at this week's Mystery Game in FarmVille? Which of the six animals would you most hope to win? Which ones did you receive?
This week's Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash per dart, but remember that you may end up with duplicates in the process of going for them all. There are six basic prizes available in this week's game, along with the expected bonus prize that we'll get to later. For now, here are the six animals you can win by popping balloons:
Ayrshire Cow
Black Angus Bull
Brown Swiss Cow
Canadienne Cow
Guernsey Cow
Norwegian Red Cow
If you can manage to win all six of these (through either luck or pure determination - and tons of Farm Cash), you'll receive a Randall Bull as a free gift. Although, when it really comes down to it, you will have spent so many Farm Cash on these first six animals, I'm not sure if "free" is the appropriate word here.
Either way, you'll have just a single week to earn these six (potentially seven dairy animals) before they go into retirement with no guarantee that they'll be re-released. Good luck if you're going for all seven!
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Will you take a stab at this week's Mystery Game in FarmVille? Which of the six animals would you most hope to win? Which ones did you receive?
FarmVille Raffle Booth (09/25/11): Win a Lily Pond or Summer House
The FarmVille Raffle Booth has been updated once again this evening, with three prizes being those you'd expect, and two that are far better, if not entirely original. Remember, if you don't see these items in your Raffle Booth right away, it's likely due to the fact that you haven't traded in last week's Raffle Tickets, so you'll need to do that (and see if you won any of last week's prizes) before you can see these new prizes and start gathering tickets all over again. Here's the set of prizes for this week's raffle, along with your odds of winning them.
10 Special Delivery Boxes - 1:5
3 Farmhands - 1:20
5 Love Potions - 1:50
Summer House - 1:200
Lily Pond - 1:500
Remember, these odds simply mean that you'll have a 1 in 500 chance of winning the Lily Pond, as a particular example. Of course, that means you'll have a far better chance of winning the first two prizes, or even the third prize (the Love Potions) before you'll walk away with the top two prizes for this week. Still, Raffle Tickets are free, so long as your friends send them to you (they can also be purchased with Farm Cash), so there's no harm in trying and hoping to win them all!
Which of this week's prizes are you most hoping to win with your Raffle Tickets? Did you walk away with the top prize last week?
10 Special Delivery Boxes - 1:5
3 Farmhands - 1:20
5 Love Potions - 1:50
Summer House - 1:200
Lily Pond - 1:500
Remember, these odds simply mean that you'll have a 1 in 500 chance of winning the Lily Pond, as a particular example. Of course, that means you'll have a far better chance of winning the first two prizes, or even the third prize (the Love Potions) before you'll walk away with the top two prizes for this week. Still, Raffle Tickets are free, so long as your friends send them to you (they can also be purchased with Farm Cash), so there's no harm in trying and hoping to win them all!
Which of this week's prizes are you most hoping to win with your Raffle Tickets? Did you walk away with the top prize last week?
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Items: American Aspen Tree, Draft Horse, Anchor Statue and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see a continuation of the Lighthouse Cove limited edition item theme in the game's store. As a reminder, these items may be in the new Lighthouse Cove theme (corresponding with the game's newest farm), but they can be purchased and used on other farms. As of right now, however, there's no way to get items from the Lighthouse Cove and onto other farms, so you'll have to purchase more than one of each item for each farm until the FarmVille team fixes that issue. That all being said, here's a complete look at the newly available items!
Trees
American Aspen Tree - 8 Farm Cash
European Aspen Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, these items don't come with sale prices like those released in the last Lighthouse Cove release, so you'll be stuck paying the full (high) price for these trees. Of course, you only ever should purchase the Level 1 tree in these pairings, with this one being the American Aspen Tree. You'll be able to earn the European Aspen Tree for free (eventually) by growing Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Draft Horse - 26 Farm Cash
American Buff - 8 Farm Cash
The American Buff is a kind of Goose, so you'll (in theory) be able to breed it inside your Aviary animal habitats. Either way, just purchasing a single American Buff gives you access to the animal's animal mastery sign, so you'll earn it eventually (if that's what you're interested in). As for the Draft Horse, this one rewards you with 2,600 experience points for purchasing it.
Buildings
Clock Tower - 20 Farm Cash
This Clock Tower is unfortunately the only new building released this week, but that just makes it all the more special. It's an incredibly tall building, so you'll likely want to place it on the outskirts of your farm (towards the top of the screen) so that it doesn't block your view of anything resting "behind" it.
Decorations
Pumpkin Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Anchor Statue - 40,000 coins
Sunflower Pot - 8,000 coins
Autumn Fall - 30 Farm Cash
Trawler Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Hayride Wagon - 80,000 coins
As fall is now officially upon us, it's not surprising to see a return of items like the Autumn Fall and Hayride Wagon to the game. Just make sure to check your storage before purchasing these re-released items to make sure you're not needlessly purchasing duplicates.
While there's no word when this "theme" of items will officially end, I am starting to wonder when exactly we'll see the game switch from Lighthouse Cove to Halloween in overall theme. Regardless of when it happens, you can be sure we'll be there every step of the way to help you prepare for the beginning of FarmVille's lengthy in-game holiday season.
Trees
American Aspen Tree - 8 Farm Cash
European Aspen Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, these items don't come with sale prices like those released in the last Lighthouse Cove release, so you'll be stuck paying the full (high) price for these trees. Of course, you only ever should purchase the Level 1 tree in these pairings, with this one being the American Aspen Tree. You'll be able to earn the European Aspen Tree for free (eventually) by growing Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Draft Horse - 26 Farm Cash
American Buff - 8 Farm Cash
The American Buff is a kind of Goose, so you'll (in theory) be able to breed it inside your Aviary animal habitats. Either way, just purchasing a single American Buff gives you access to the animal's animal mastery sign, so you'll earn it eventually (if that's what you're interested in). As for the Draft Horse, this one rewards you with 2,600 experience points for purchasing it.
Buildings
Clock Tower - 20 Farm Cash
This Clock Tower is unfortunately the only new building released this week, but that just makes it all the more special. It's an incredibly tall building, so you'll likely want to place it on the outskirts of your farm (towards the top of the screen) so that it doesn't block your view of anything resting "behind" it.
Decorations
Pumpkin Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Anchor Statue - 40,000 coins
Sunflower Pot - 8,000 coins
Autumn Fall - 30 Farm Cash
Trawler Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Hayride Wagon - 80,000 coins
As fall is now officially upon us, it's not surprising to see a return of items like the Autumn Fall and Hayride Wagon to the game. Just make sure to check your storage before purchasing these re-released items to make sure you're not needlessly purchasing duplicates.
While there's no word when this "theme" of items will officially end, I am starting to wonder when exactly we'll see the game switch from Lighthouse Cove to Halloween in overall theme. Regardless of when it happens, you can be sure we'll be there every step of the way to help you prepare for the beginning of FarmVille's lengthy in-game holiday season.
FarmVille farmers might endorse presidential candidates in-game
Soon, you might be able to show your red (or blue) colors on your digital lawn. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that social media consulting firm Campaign Solutions is working to bring political campaigns into Facebook games, namely Zynga's FarmVille. Michael Hendrix, a consultant for the firm working on Rep. Michele Bachmann's, R-Minn., presidential ad campaign, is at the helm.
"We'll throw out four or five different messages targeting different demographics," Hendrix told the San Francisco Chronicle. "You're trying to figure out which message will drive a higher response." After working with advertising tools created by Facebook to directly target Bachmann's (a Tea Party supporter) demographic, his next message is said to hit FarmVille later this year.
The consultant has "written software" that will allow players to campaign for their candidate of choice by visiting their friends' farms spreading the message. FarmVille players will also be able to place yard signs on their farms, showing support for their favorite candidate. "The majority of social gamers are stay-at-home moms over 38," said Hendrix to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The consultant hopes to use FarmVille "to target soccer moms again." According to the report, Hendrix is looking squarely at Republican supporters in his campaign. However, nothing is said of whether Campaign Solutions's efforts will include support for Democratic candidates.
We'd imagine that, if this campaign were to actually happen in FarmVille, it would have to appeal to both sides of the political spectrum. Otherwise, players might get the impression that Zynga itself is expressing its support one way or the other. Zynga has yet to mention any collaboration with this firm, so we've contacted the company for comment.
[Image Credit: Kevin Bondelli]
Would you campaign for your favorite presidential candidate in FarmVille? How do you feel about Zynga potentially allowing players to express their political opinions in-game?
"We'll throw out four or five different messages targeting different demographics," Hendrix told the San Francisco Chronicle. "You're trying to figure out which message will drive a higher response." After working with advertising tools created by Facebook to directly target Bachmann's (a Tea Party supporter) demographic, his next message is said to hit FarmVille later this year.
The consultant has "written software" that will allow players to campaign for their candidate of choice by visiting their friends' farms spreading the message. FarmVille players will also be able to place yard signs on their farms, showing support for their favorite candidate. "The majority of social gamers are stay-at-home moms over 38," said Hendrix to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The consultant hopes to use FarmVille "to target soccer moms again." According to the report, Hendrix is looking squarely at Republican supporters in his campaign. However, nothing is said of whether Campaign Solutions's efforts will include support for Democratic candidates.
We'd imagine that, if this campaign were to actually happen in FarmVille, it would have to appeal to both sides of the political spectrum. Otherwise, players might get the impression that Zynga itself is expressing its support one way or the other. Zynga has yet to mention any collaboration with this firm, so we've contacted the company for comment.
[Image Credit: Kevin Bondelli]
Would you campaign for your favorite presidential candidate in FarmVille? How do you feel about Zynga potentially allowing players to express their political opinions in-game?
Zynga looks to give CityVille a boost, launches on Google+ Games
CityVille might have just scored a much-needed shot in the arm, as Zynga's most popular Facebook game has launched on Google+. Zynga announced the move today, and the game is already playable on the platform. Unfortunately, folks who decide to take the plunge into CityVille on Google+ Games will have to start all over again.
But considering its top game has been in decline in both monthly and daily players for some time, it's clear that Zynga is looking for new users with this move. Before today, CityVille was exclusive to Facebook for Western audiences, though the developer will soon expand the game to Asian audiences on the Tencent social network.
It was previously understood that Zynga had an agreement with Facebook that prevented the company from launching its games on directly-competing platforms. It looks like there is some fine print in that exclusivity deal that allows Zynga to do just that. This is especially evident considering Zynga has already released Zynga Poker to Google+ Games. With the largest Facebook game now on Google+ Games, Facebook's competitor just received reinforcements in its battle for social gaming dominance. (Now, Google+ has a whopping 18 social games!)
However, this move also speaks to Zynga's growing understanding that it needs to expand to grow its thriving business. With games like EA's The Sims Social gaining fast on the red dog's top spot with now over 60 million monthly players, competition is growing for the developer on Facebook.
Zynga is also hopeful that diversification will help the company grow and increase revenues ahead of its planned $1 billion IPO (initial public offering), the prospects of which have become shaky lately. Hopefully for Google, the presence of a huge name like CityVille will instill confidence in developers to bring new game ideas to Google+.
[Via VentureBeat]
Do you plan to try out CityVille on Google+ Games? Do you think CityVille has seen its best days, or will this expansion help the game find its second wind?
But considering its top game has been in decline in both monthly and daily players for some time, it's clear that Zynga is looking for new users with this move. Before today, CityVille was exclusive to Facebook for Western audiences, though the developer will soon expand the game to Asian audiences on the Tencent social network.
It was previously understood that Zynga had an agreement with Facebook that prevented the company from launching its games on directly-competing platforms. It looks like there is some fine print in that exclusivity deal that allows Zynga to do just that. This is especially evident considering Zynga has already released Zynga Poker to Google+ Games. With the largest Facebook game now on Google+ Games, Facebook's competitor just received reinforcements in its battle for social gaming dominance. (Now, Google+ has a whopping 18 social games!)
However, this move also speaks to Zynga's growing understanding that it needs to expand to grow its thriving business. With games like EA's The Sims Social gaining fast on the red dog's top spot with now over 60 million monthly players, competition is growing for the developer on Facebook.
Zynga is also hopeful that diversification will help the company grow and increase revenues ahead of its planned $1 billion IPO (initial public offering), the prospects of which have become shaky lately. Hopefully for Google, the presence of a huge name like CityVille will instill confidence in developers to bring new game ideas to Google+.
[Via VentureBeat]
Do you plan to try out CityVille on Google+ Games? Do you think CityVille has seen its best days, or will this expansion help the game find its second wind?
CityVille Baseball and Soccer Stadiums: Everything you need to know
Just in time for the upcoming MLB playoff season, Zynga has released Baseball Stadiums to CityVille to honor America's favorite pastime. Oh, and the developer added Soccer Stadiums, too. (Though, Zynga might have been better off naming them "Football" Stadiums, if it was going for the international nod.)
At any rate, these two new community buildings will give a huge boost to your allowed population and earn you some major coin. When you reach Level 11, the new stadiums will become available to you. So, here's everything you need to know about the Baseball ... and Soccer Stadium Goals:
Alive and Kicking
Place the Soccer Stadium
Compete the Soccer Stadium
Both Goals for these new buildings are painfully simple. Once you reach Level 11 (or log into the game at a level above that), a Goal icon will appear. Click on it to open a window that will allow you to place the foundation for the Soccer Stadium. Once that's done, whack the building eight times, costing you an equal amount of Energy. Click on the unfinished Soccer Stadium to reveal what's needed to complete the building.
Finish your Soccer Stadium
Unfortunately, that amounts to asking your friends for a lot of items. You must ask your friends for nine of each of the above items. That amounts to a total of 45 items you will have to collect. Luckily, it seems as if you can add those items to your Wish List once you acquire one of each. Your reward for completing the Soccer Stadium is a massive 20,000 Coins. The Soccer Stadium will boost your allowed Population by 5,000.
Root for the Home Team
Place the Baseball Stadium
Complete the Baseball Stadium
Again, these are some pretty simple Goals, but the challenge comes in actually completing the buildings. Just like before, a Goal icon will appear if you're above Level 11. Click on the icon to open a Goal window that will allow you to place the foundation for your Baseball Stadium. After placing the foundation and clicking it eight times at the cost of 8 Energy, click it once more to reveal what you'll need to complete the Baseball Stadium.
Staff your Baseball Stadium
This time, things are slightly different from the Soccer Stadium. Rather than requesting items, you will need to ask friends to staff your new community building. You will have to get a whopping 12 friends to fill positions in your Baseball Stadium. Sure, that's far less than the Soccer Stadium requires in items, but these positions need to be filled by 12 individual friends. Once that's through, you will be rewarded with another heaping 20,000 Coins for your effort. The Baseball Stadium boosts your allowed Population by 3,000.
At any rate, these two new community buildings will give a huge boost to your allowed population and earn you some major coin. When you reach Level 11, the new stadiums will become available to you. So, here's everything you need to know about the Baseball ... and Soccer Stadium Goals:
Alive and Kicking
Place the Soccer Stadium
Compete the Soccer Stadium
Both Goals for these new buildings are painfully simple. Once you reach Level 11 (or log into the game at a level above that), a Goal icon will appear. Click on it to open a window that will allow you to place the foundation for the Soccer Stadium. Once that's done, whack the building eight times, costing you an equal amount of Energy. Click on the unfinished Soccer Stadium to reveal what's needed to complete the building.
Finish your Soccer Stadium
Unfortunately, that amounts to asking your friends for a lot of items. You must ask your friends for nine of each of the above items. That amounts to a total of 45 items you will have to collect. Luckily, it seems as if you can add those items to your Wish List once you acquire one of each. Your reward for completing the Soccer Stadium is a massive 20,000 Coins. The Soccer Stadium will boost your allowed Population by 5,000.
Root for the Home Team
Place the Baseball Stadium
Complete the Baseball Stadium
Again, these are some pretty simple Goals, but the challenge comes in actually completing the buildings. Just like before, a Goal icon will appear if you're above Level 11. Click on the icon to open a Goal window that will allow you to place the foundation for your Baseball Stadium. After placing the foundation and clicking it eight times at the cost of 8 Energy, click it once more to reveal what you'll need to complete the Baseball Stadium.
Staff your Baseball Stadium
This time, things are slightly different from the Soccer Stadium. Rather than requesting items, you will need to ask friends to staff your new community building. You will have to get a whopping 12 friends to fill positions in your Baseball Stadium. Sure, that's far less than the Soccer Stadium requires in items, but these positions need to be filled by 12 individual friends. Once that's through, you will be rewarded with another heaping 20,000 Coins for your effort. The Baseball Stadium boosts your allowed Population by 3,000.
Is EA's PopCap working on casino-style Facebook games? [Rumor]
Is PopCap looking to go toe to toe with Zynga and DoubleDown Interactive's casino Facebook games? According to GeekWire, a bunch of rather specific domain purchases by the recently-acquired company certainly suggest that's the case. Well, that and a recent trademark application ... and a Facebook page created with that very same trademark. Alright, PopCap has been terrible at keeping this whole thing a secret.
Lucky Gem CasinoThe game in question might be titled "Lucky Gem Casino," as Fusible points out that the Bejeweled creator recently changed a Facebook page it owns to reflect the new title. The Info tab on the page reads, "Thanks for visiting! PopCap Casino is the future home of some amazing, casino-style social games from PopCap, the worldwide leader in casual gaming."
With wording like that, it sounds as if Lucky Gem Casino will be a suite of casino games from the developer, much like DoubleDown Casino. And if you take a peak at the page's Wall, a message can be found there, presumably from the company, that reads, "Keep an eye out to experience casino-style gaming from PopCap Games!" A week later, a poll was posted asking fans about their favorite type of casino games--unsurprisingly, the "Slot Machines" category won by a landslide.
GeekWire points out that this might be because PopCap is now owned by EA, which likely has a vested interested in directly competing with Facebook game champ Zynga at every turn. However, it's also important to keep in mind that a majority of PopCap's games (not including Plants vs Zombies) are visibly influenced by a casino approach to gameplay albeit with a far heavier focus on skill rather than luck.
[Via Financial Times]
[Image Credit: Destructoid]
What do you think PopCap might be up to with this trademark, Facebook page and domain registries? Would you play a stable of casino games from the creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz
Lucky Gem CasinoThe game in question might be titled "Lucky Gem Casino," as Fusible points out that the Bejeweled creator recently changed a Facebook page it owns to reflect the new title. The Info tab on the page reads, "Thanks for visiting! PopCap Casino is the future home of some amazing, casino-style social games from PopCap, the worldwide leader in casual gaming."
With wording like that, it sounds as if Lucky Gem Casino will be a suite of casino games from the developer, much like DoubleDown Casino. And if you take a peak at the page's Wall, a message can be found there, presumably from the company, that reads, "Keep an eye out to experience casino-style gaming from PopCap Games!" A week later, a poll was posted asking fans about their favorite type of casino games--unsurprisingly, the "Slot Machines" category won by a landslide.
GeekWire points out that this might be because PopCap is now owned by EA, which likely has a vested interested in directly competing with Facebook game champ Zynga at every turn. However, it's also important to keep in mind that a majority of PopCap's games (not including Plants vs Zombies) are visibly influenced by a casino approach to gameplay albeit with a far heavier focus on skill rather than luck.
[Via Financial Times]
[Image Credit: Destructoid]
What do you think PopCap might be up to with this trademark, Facebook page and domain registries? Would you play a stable of casino games from the creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Hop on a train to Onisuka057's fall oasis
Even though we're in the end of September, the leaves are still green in New York City. But Onisuka057's FarmVille farm is clearly headed for autumn with the yellows and reds of what appears to be the Autumn Ginkgo Tree, Maple Tree, Red Maple Tree, Sugar Maple Tree, and Rowan Tree. On top of that, there's also a Maple orchard below, though that seems to have been thrown in at the last minute. Maybe he can build up the bottom of his farm once Halloween comes around. But he has already dipped into the recently released Lighthouse Cove decor with several Tree Arches, Autumn Creeks, and Outdoor Picnics. So yeah, there's a lot of premium Farm Cash goods going on in this one.
Beyond the colors, the next most striking aspect of Onisuka057's farm are the train tracks bordering it, which are actually two-dimensional, but some massive fence-stacking and blue hay bales have fooled your eyes into seeing an elevated "bridge" hanging over "water." That's the sort of low-cost ingenuity farm designers love to see. But while building a bridge out of fences was a bit of improvisation on the creator's part, limited edition railroad decor did come out in FarmVille last fall as part of the Wild West package, so those are real tracks you're looking at there.
Onisuka057 FarmVille farm closeup
Finally, hidden in the top corner is a plume of smoke that's actually another limited edition special--an Old Faithful geyser eruption from the Yellowstone collection.
Have the trees changed colors in your town yet? Does the use of lots of Farm Cash items in a farm bug you? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Beyond the colors, the next most striking aspect of Onisuka057's farm are the train tracks bordering it, which are actually two-dimensional, but some massive fence-stacking and blue hay bales have fooled your eyes into seeing an elevated "bridge" hanging over "water." That's the sort of low-cost ingenuity farm designers love to see. But while building a bridge out of fences was a bit of improvisation on the creator's part, limited edition railroad decor did come out in FarmVille last fall as part of the Wild West package, so those are real tracks you're looking at there.
Onisuka057 FarmVille farm closeup
Finally, hidden in the top corner is a plume of smoke that's actually another limited edition special--an Old Faithful geyser eruption from the Yellowstone collection.
Have the trees changed colors in your town yet? Does the use of lots of Farm Cash items in a farm bug you? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Microsoft Research releases Facebook game for 'research'
Sure you are, guys--we're onto you. The Research division at Microsoft has released its first Facebook games, Project Waterloo, in order to find out how people interact and negotiate with one another across social networks. The game is a turn-based combat simulator in which players allocate 100 generic troops across five locations. In a way, Project Waterloo works a lot like Zynga's Words With Friends.
Of course, we're referring to the one-on-one, turn-based gameplay, not the words. Players challenge friends with allocations of 100 troops either using a slider or directly entering a number in each location on the battlefield. Said friends can then respond with their own strategic positioning using 100 troops, and if they don't currently play the game, they will be invited prior to responding.
So, it might help to think of Project Waterloo as a cross between games like Words With Friends and the classic board game Battleship. Players can also start games with random players, regardless of whether they're Facebook friends. Project Waterloo, according to a post on the Microsoft Research website, is the start of the "Facebook Game Theory Lab." This will serve as a platform through which Microsoft Research explores concepts of strategic human interaction within "resource allocation and negotiation games." The team of four researchers wrote:
The goal of the project is to test the behaviour of real people in game theoretic interactions, and especially those that take place in social networks. Some example questions are: how do people negotiate with one another? How does such negotiation take place in social networks? How can we aggregate opinions of individuals to arrive at high quality decisions? In what ways do people reciprocate other people's actions?
Project Waterloo in action
While it doesn't appear that Project Waterloo will be a source of revenue for Microsoft Research's parent company, the team does use words like "viral marketing" to explain how it will reach new players. Ultimately, we don't see a game like this taking off commercially, but it is another step in that direction, as Microsoft has already expressed interest in entering the space. Just recently, the company began to offer support to developers through its Windows Azure service. Perhaps Project Waterloo and the Facebook Game Theory Lab represent Microsoft further testing the waters.
Of course, we're referring to the one-on-one, turn-based gameplay, not the words. Players challenge friends with allocations of 100 troops either using a slider or directly entering a number in each location on the battlefield. Said friends can then respond with their own strategic positioning using 100 troops, and if they don't currently play the game, they will be invited prior to responding.
So, it might help to think of Project Waterloo as a cross between games like Words With Friends and the classic board game Battleship. Players can also start games with random players, regardless of whether they're Facebook friends. Project Waterloo, according to a post on the Microsoft Research website, is the start of the "Facebook Game Theory Lab." This will serve as a platform through which Microsoft Research explores concepts of strategic human interaction within "resource allocation and negotiation games." The team of four researchers wrote:
The goal of the project is to test the behaviour of real people in game theoretic interactions, and especially those that take place in social networks. Some example questions are: how do people negotiate with one another? How does such negotiation take place in social networks? How can we aggregate opinions of individuals to arrive at high quality decisions? In what ways do people reciprocate other people's actions?
Project Waterloo in action
While it doesn't appear that Project Waterloo will be a source of revenue for Microsoft Research's parent company, the team does use words like "viral marketing" to explain how it will reach new players. Ultimately, we don't see a game like this taking off commercially, but it is another step in that direction, as Microsoft has already expressed interest in entering the space. Just recently, the company began to offer support to developers through its Windows Azure service. Perhaps Project Waterloo and the Facebook Game Theory Lab represent Microsoft further testing the waters.
RockYou seeking skilled recruits ... to play Galactic Allies [Video]
Look, RockYou knows that you're not an architect by trade, and you're certainly no cook. So, why not stop pretending to do things real people do and pretend to be something completely fictional, like a galactic fleet commander? With developer 3 Blokes, the Facebook game publisher recently released Galactic Allies to Facebook, the studio's second strategy game.
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now?
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
FarmVille can teach engineering skills, too, Missouri professor says
We've heard of Zynga's iconic game teaching valuable lessons in addiction, design and even copyright law, but engineering? That's what Missouri University of Science and Technology professor Ivan G. Guardiola thinks FarmVille is capable of. Guardiola's 28 students enrolled in the Introduction to Operations Research course must play the game for one week. Pretty sweet deal, huh?
"The unique attributes of this game make it ideal for presenting the students with a problem that evolves, aims to define the student's decision-making rationale and allows the student to address conflicting and competing objectives in an environment of continuous change," Guardiola said in a release.
This week-long portion of the course, titled the "FarmVille Challenge," used to eat up a month of the students' semester. Within this week, eager undergraduates compete to see who can come away with the most coins and experience points. Students make plans at the outset based on mathematical models, but those plans can quickly change with shifting game conditions.
"It is up to the player to determine how much land to plow, which seeds to plant, how many seeds to plant, and when to harvest the plants," Guardiola said. "Decisions are completely up to the player. In engineering, we use data to make decisions, but that approach has limitations because situations are constantly changing. So you have to assess your situation continuously and adjust accordingly."
According to Guardiola, a majority of his students agreed that playing FarmVille has improved their critical thinking ability. (Really? Because I thought players log in to turn their minds off for a bit.) However, more than one-third of students considered FarmVille to be too time-consuming. Then again, who ever said college wasn't altogether time-consuming?
Do you think FarmVille could make for an effective teaching tool? Would you enjoy a class that used FarmVille or another Facebook game as part of its curriculum?
"The unique attributes of this game make it ideal for presenting the students with a problem that evolves, aims to define the student's decision-making rationale and allows the student to address conflicting and competing objectives in an environment of continuous change," Guardiola said in a release.
This week-long portion of the course, titled the "FarmVille Challenge," used to eat up a month of the students' semester. Within this week, eager undergraduates compete to see who can come away with the most coins and experience points. Students make plans at the outset based on mathematical models, but those plans can quickly change with shifting game conditions.
"It is up to the player to determine how much land to plow, which seeds to plant, how many seeds to plant, and when to harvest the plants," Guardiola said. "Decisions are completely up to the player. In engineering, we use data to make decisions, but that approach has limitations because situations are constantly changing. So you have to assess your situation continuously and adjust accordingly."
According to Guardiola, a majority of his students agreed that playing FarmVille has improved their critical thinking ability. (Really? Because I thought players log in to turn their minds off for a bit.) However, more than one-third of students considered FarmVille to be too time-consuming. Then again, who ever said college wasn't altogether time-consuming?
Do you think FarmVille could make for an effective teaching tool? Would you enjoy a class that used FarmVille or another Facebook game as part of its curriculum?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Brazydin's farm is a Castle in the Sky
How does he do it? Brayzdin's FarmVille farms are always some of the most incredible ones I've seen. Brayzdin himself has been known as a player who loves creating fantastical settings on his farm. You can tell he treats his farm designs more serious than most, not just because of how awesome they are, but because he obviously does some post-production work on his screen captures. Usually, this means taking out the game's graphical interface (such as the level bar and the neighbor menu) and framing his creation in a classy, black border like those of film reels.
Other than those changes, Brayzdin uses real FarmVille items like everyone else. Even if he somehow had all those items copied into Photoshop and digitally cobbled together, his farms would still be visually impressive because they conform to the design rules of the game's universe. Of all the items used in this farm, I'd say the one that totally makes this piece work is the broken drawbridge that's falling off the floating castle. It completely adds to the illusion, even if I'm finding it impossible to identify.
Brayzdin claimed no inspiration for his farm-eating dragon last time, but this farm does make me wonder if he's at least heard of the 1986 anime film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, which had in turn, gotten its inspiration from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
Can anyone identify that falling drawbridge in the picture? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Other than those changes, Brayzdin uses real FarmVille items like everyone else. Even if he somehow had all those items copied into Photoshop and digitally cobbled together, his farms would still be visually impressive because they conform to the design rules of the game's universe. Of all the items used in this farm, I'd say the one that totally makes this piece work is the broken drawbridge that's falling off the floating castle. It completely adds to the illusion, even if I'm finding it impossible to identify.
Brayzdin claimed no inspiration for his farm-eating dragon last time, but this farm does make me wonder if he's at least heard of the 1986 anime film, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, which had in turn, gotten its inspiration from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
Can anyone identify that falling drawbridge in the picture? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Unreal-powered mobile games could go social with Facebook Connect
Soon, it won't just be our tiny, cutesy farms that get all the attention on Facebook. (It'll be our tiny, axe-wielding warriors.) Epic Games has released the next version of its Unreal Development Kit for iOS, and it includes new iOS Facebook Connect features along with various visual enhancements. In other words, beautiful 3D mobile games with looks of Infinity Blade could very well go social in the future.
More specifically, the new Unreal Engine for iOS will support Facebook wall posts, the ability to download friends lists and requests for additional Facebook permissions from a user. Yup, those sound like the classic trappings of a Facebook game, all right. This news marks just another move by Epic Games toward the mobile, social and casual games space.
Just recently, the developer/publisher/engine licensor brought a less visually intense version of the Unreal Engine 3 to Flash. In theory, this could result in Facebook games--most of which are created in Flash--taking on shiny new 3D graphics. Come to think of it, this news marks a shift for the industry in general. When a technology that has become nearly ubiquitous in the traditional games scene recognizes mobile, social and casual, so to will the creators. Are you ready for Facebook frag fests?
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Would you play a full 3D game on Facebook? Do you think there's room for more visually impressive experiences on mobile and social platforms?
More specifically, the new Unreal Engine for iOS will support Facebook wall posts, the ability to download friends lists and requests for additional Facebook permissions from a user. Yup, those sound like the classic trappings of a Facebook game, all right. This news marks just another move by Epic Games toward the mobile, social and casual games space.
Just recently, the developer/publisher/engine licensor brought a less visually intense version of the Unreal Engine 3 to Flash. In theory, this could result in Facebook games--most of which are created in Flash--taking on shiny new 3D graphics. Come to think of it, this news marks a shift for the industry in general. When a technology that has become nearly ubiquitous in the traditional games scene recognizes mobile, social and casual, so to will the creators. Are you ready for Facebook frag fests?
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Would you play a full 3D game on Facebook? Do you think there's room for more visually impressive experiences on mobile and social platforms?
Mystery Manor to puzzle iPad gamers, Resort World chills on Google+
Instead of excitedly prodding your laptop screen accidentally during that intense session of Mystery Manor, you'll soon be rewarded for that. (But you'll still have a smudgy screen.) Russian developer Game Insight has announced that Mystery Manor is coming to iPad later this month, Inside Social Games reports. Better yet, Resort World is available on Google+ Games, too.
While we'd expect the former to hit Google+ Games, considering the lack of hidden-object games on the platform, but Game Insight VP of Business Development Darya Trushkina told ISG that both Google+ and Android could be in the game's future. Resort World was chosen first for its Google+ Games expansion as a test of sorts. The developer will decide whether it will continue releasing games to Facebook's growing competitor within the next few weeks.
"From what I know, Google choose the games that will be the most complimentary to their platform," Trushkina told ISG. "We just pitched them with Resort World because there is no game like it there yet. It's actually perfect because we can test the social network and see how it actually performs."
Resort World marks the 21st game to launch on Google+ Games, which Trushkina hopes will grow in time. However, Trushkina's words are more revealing about Google's policy on how games arrive on its games platform. The company has been rather picky in which games its allows through Google+. Game Insight also revealed that a new game, Lords of Atlantis, may soon hit Facebook and other social networks.
Are you excited for Mystery Manor to hit the iPad? What do you think of Google+ Games so far?
While we'd expect the former to hit Google+ Games, considering the lack of hidden-object games on the platform, but Game Insight VP of Business Development Darya Trushkina told ISG that both Google+ and Android could be in the game's future. Resort World was chosen first for its Google+ Games expansion as a test of sorts. The developer will decide whether it will continue releasing games to Facebook's growing competitor within the next few weeks.
"From what I know, Google choose the games that will be the most complimentary to their platform," Trushkina told ISG. "We just pitched them with Resort World because there is no game like it there yet. It's actually perfect because we can test the social network and see how it actually performs."
Resort World marks the 21st game to launch on Google+ Games, which Trushkina hopes will grow in time. However, Trushkina's words are more revealing about Google's policy on how games arrive on its games platform. The company has been rather picky in which games its allows through Google+. Game Insight also revealed that a new game, Lords of Atlantis, may soon hit Facebook and other social networks.
Are you excited for Mystery Manor to hit the iPad? What do you think of Google+ Games so far?
The Sims Social: Links to 1K Simoleons and other fan freebies
Playfish and EA knows, and we know that those free fan gifts just keeps us coming back for more, so they've answered the call. The biggest free fan gift so far emerged today -- 1,000 Simoleons for the taking. They also gave out 200 Social Points, 200 Simoleons, and 3 Energy last week, which are still available.
Anyway, these gifts were released one at a time, spaced over several consecutive days, so to make it easier for you guys, we've rounded up the links in one post.
Here's what you need to do:
Step 1: Log into Facebook.
Step 2: You still have to 'Like' the official fan page in order for these to work.
Step 3: Click on the items you want below. (Note: Each link will open a new window.)
Oct. 26th - 200 Social Points
Oct. 30th - 200 Simoleon
Oct. 31st - 3 Energy
Nov. 1st - 1,000 Simoleons
Do you want Playfish and EA to give out free in-game items or coins and points instead?
Anyway, these gifts were released one at a time, spaced over several consecutive days, so to make it easier for you guys, we've rounded up the links in one post.
Here's what you need to do:
Step 1: Log into Facebook.
Step 2: You still have to 'Like' the official fan page in order for these to work.
Step 3: Click on the items you want below. (Note: Each link will open a new window.)
Oct. 26th - 200 Social Points
Oct. 30th - 200 Simoleon
Oct. 31st - 3 Energy
Nov. 1st - 1,000 Simoleons
Do you want Playfish and EA to give out free in-game items or coins and points instead?
Pioneer Trail Bake Sale Goals: Everything you need to know
Look what you did, Zynga. Now all we can think about are mom's chocolate chip cookies. A new series of Goals has arrived in Pioneer Trail, and they're all about baking scrumptious sweets. The Bake Sale is going on to raise money for a new playground to be added to the local Schoolhouse. Players will have to build a brand new crafting item, the Brick Oven, in order to complete these Goals. But don't worry, there's plenty of Energy in store for you, if you manage to bake these incredible desserts:
Tomfoolery
Place or Have A Brick Oven
Collect 1 School House Bonus
Collect 10 Frontier's Finest Candy Bars
You will gain access to the Brick Oven as soon as the Goals appear in your game. Click "Place Brick Oven" to lay its foundation. The Frontier's Finest Candy Bars are found by asking your friends. Your rewards for completing this simple introduction are 250 Coins, one Cocoa Tree and 250 XP.
Finish Brick Oven
Parent Bake Off
Collect 1 Brick Oven Daily Bonus
Harvest 30 Cocoa Trees
Craft 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies In The Brick Oven
At this point, the game assumes you have already built the Brick Oven. So, click on the foundation a few times to whack it at the cost of Energy and Wood, we imagine. Then, click it again to see what's needed to finish. You will need all of the above items, which amounts to 75 item requests from friends total. As you work to finish this task, plant a few more Cocoa Trees, which cost 1,140 coins in the Market.
Brick OvenThe two Chocolate Chip Cookies will take 14 Double Broilers and 12 pieces of Chocolate, which you must ask your friends for directly. These consumable items grant players 10 Energy when eaten. Whenever you finish these baked goods, collect the Daily Bonus from the Brick Oven. Your reward will be one Playground Slide, 500 XP and three Cream Cows.
Do Not Stop Til You Bake Enough
Tend 20 Adult Cream Cows On Your Homestead Or Neighbors'
Collect 10 Playground Instructions
Craft 3 Chocolate Molten Cakes In The Brick Oven
Those three Cream Cows will come in handy, but if you'd like to speed things up, they cost a whopping 5 Horseshoes in the Market. The 10 Playground Instructions more than likely come as items requested from friends. The three Chocolate Molten Cakes will require 24 Garnish, 21 Cocoa Powder and 30 Heavy Cream total, all of which come from your friends.
Hey, at least each cake is worth a whopping 25 Energy when used. Enjoy one Playground Swings, 750 XP and a Sugarcane crop for your troubles. And don't forget to attempt to bake the Crazy Cake, a consumable worth 100 Energy and +1 to your total Energy.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started the Bake Sale Goals in Pioneer Trail yet? What do you think about these new items and Goals, especially those Cows that cost Horseshoes?
Tomfoolery
Place or Have A Brick Oven
Collect 1 School House Bonus
Collect 10 Frontier's Finest Candy Bars
You will gain access to the Brick Oven as soon as the Goals appear in your game. Click "Place Brick Oven" to lay its foundation. The Frontier's Finest Candy Bars are found by asking your friends. Your rewards for completing this simple introduction are 250 Coins, one Cocoa Tree and 250 XP.
Finish Brick Oven
Parent Bake Off
Collect 1 Brick Oven Daily Bonus
Harvest 30 Cocoa Trees
Craft 2 Chocolate Chip Cookies In The Brick Oven
At this point, the game assumes you have already built the Brick Oven. So, click on the foundation a few times to whack it at the cost of Energy and Wood, we imagine. Then, click it again to see what's needed to finish. You will need all of the above items, which amounts to 75 item requests from friends total. As you work to finish this task, plant a few more Cocoa Trees, which cost 1,140 coins in the Market.
Brick OvenThe two Chocolate Chip Cookies will take 14 Double Broilers and 12 pieces of Chocolate, which you must ask your friends for directly. These consumable items grant players 10 Energy when eaten. Whenever you finish these baked goods, collect the Daily Bonus from the Brick Oven. Your reward will be one Playground Slide, 500 XP and three Cream Cows.
Do Not Stop Til You Bake Enough
Tend 20 Adult Cream Cows On Your Homestead Or Neighbors'
Collect 10 Playground Instructions
Craft 3 Chocolate Molten Cakes In The Brick Oven
Those three Cream Cows will come in handy, but if you'd like to speed things up, they cost a whopping 5 Horseshoes in the Market. The 10 Playground Instructions more than likely come as items requested from friends. The three Chocolate Molten Cakes will require 24 Garnish, 21 Cocoa Powder and 30 Heavy Cream total, all of which come from your friends.
Hey, at least each cake is worth a whopping 25 Energy when used. Enjoy one Playground Swings, 750 XP and a Sugarcane crop for your troubles. And don't forget to attempt to bake the Crazy Cake, a consumable worth 100 Energy and +1 to your total Energy.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started the Bake Sale Goals in Pioneer Trail yet? What do you think about these new items and Goals, especially those Cows that cost Horseshoes?
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