Restaurant City's new 24-hour schedule is a definite game-changer and involved tweaking everything from the arcade machines to the resting beds. To celebrate, there's a new uniform in the store to dress up your waiters in -- the RC Polo Shirt, costing 2,300 Coins. You can find it by clicking on one of your waiters for Employee Info, then Uniform, then Shirt.
Restaurant City Limited Edition RC Polo Shirt
But there's even a better way to get one. Players who start a shift will be awarded a RC Polo Shirt at the end of the shift for free!
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
Happy Aquarium: Lilo & Stitch-inspired Tank Mates swim into store
The not-so subtle nods to Disney continue in Happy Aquarium with these three latest items in the new Tank Mates section of the in-game store -- Surfer Turtle, Scuba Alien Bear, and Mila, Hula Swimmer. Mila is obviously Lilo, and while the Scuba Alien Bear looks like a pink koala bear, the fact that it's called an "alien" makes it an obvious homage to Stitch, which resembled a blue koala bear.
The game has packaged these three as the "Friends from Hawaii." Unlike the earlier Disney-esque offerings, these are not limited edition items, but they still cost premium money. Scuba Alien Bear is the cheapest at 24 Pearls and 20 Facebook Credits (or $2 USD), followed by Mila at 36 Pearls and 30 FB Credits ($3 USD), and finally, the Turtle is 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
These three also sport a tiny bit of animation. Beneath the Turtle's surfboard is a bit of foam spritzing. The Bear's eyes, hair tuft, and ears move a little. And Mila's eyes will blink occasionally.
The game has packaged these three as the "Friends from Hawaii." Unlike the earlier Disney-esque offerings, these are not limited edition items, but they still cost premium money. Scuba Alien Bear is the cheapest at 24 Pearls and 20 Facebook Credits (or $2 USD), followed by Mila at 36 Pearls and 30 FB Credits ($3 USD), and finally, the Turtle is 48 Pearls or 40 FB Credits ($4 USD).
These three also sport a tiny bit of animation. Beneath the Turtle's surfboard is a bit of foam spritzing. The Bear's eyes, hair tuft, and ears move a little. And Mila's eyes will blink occasionally.
Hotel City plans for international and cosmopolitan decor -- starting with flags
Hotel City Nightlife
New locations and backgrounds are coming soon to Hotel City. Just check out this gorgeous night city skyline (image above) at the Bellboy Playfish's Hotel. Last week, the game gave players the ability to decorate the outside of their hotels with five new items. This week, a set of international flags and four new items have joined that roster -- Cherry tree, Large rose bush, Tree on pavement, and White picket fence.
Hotel City international flags
Hotel City can't spell Philippines!Sixteen countries are represented in this first ever flags release, and they are: USA, UK, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines (the game has it misspelled as "Philipenes"), China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand. All the flags cost 10 Playfish Cash each. PFC are sold in sets, where the more you buy, the more you'll save. At the smallest set, you can get 25 PFC for $5 USD.
New locations and backgrounds are coming soon to Hotel City. Just check out this gorgeous night city skyline (image above) at the Bellboy Playfish's Hotel. Last week, the game gave players the ability to decorate the outside of their hotels with five new items. This week, a set of international flags and four new items have joined that roster -- Cherry tree, Large rose bush, Tree on pavement, and White picket fence.
Hotel City international flags
Hotel City can't spell Philippines!Sixteen countries are represented in this first ever flags release, and they are: USA, UK, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines (the game has it misspelled as "Philipenes"), China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand. All the flags cost 10 Playfish Cash each. PFC are sold in sets, where the more you buy, the more you'll save. At the smallest set, you can get 25 PFC for $5 USD.
The best thing about Zynga's newest acquisition -- Ponzi Inc.
Today Zynga announced the acquisition of the Austin-based Challenge Games. Normally, news about one company gobbling up another isn't terribly exciting for the average consumer, but this purchase means that Zynga might soon be adding some interesting new games to its roster.
Specifically, the tongue-in-cheek Facebook game, Ponzi Inc. The tycoon game, which was released while Robert Madoff was still making headlines, puts you at the head of your own Ponzi scheme. You upgrade your office, perform jobs and get fellow players involved in your pyramid scheme so you can skim off their earnings. Ponzi, Inc. is easily one of the most underrated games on Facebook, so when a Zynga rep told me that the FarmVille publisher plans to give this original game some much-needed promotion, a celebratory fist-pump was in order.
ponzi inc
warstorm on facebookChallenge Games also owns Facebook football game Gridiron Live. If you recall, Zynga launched a pigskin game called Football Wars then sidelined it later. That, plus the fact that there's mounting competition in the social sports game space from EA/Playfish and now ESPN/Playdom, getting a sports game up and running seems like a good move for the house that built FarmVille. There's also Warstorm a fantasy-themed card game, which will appeal to the Magic the Gathering set. Zynga just shut down its fantasy game Dragon Wars on MySpace, so this new acquisition might help fill the void left behind.
All three of these games will also be a great way for Zynga to reach out to a different kind of social gamer. If you look at the majority of Zynga games -- FarmVille, Cafe World, PetVille -- they all appeal to the casual gamer, a majority of which are female. A football game and a fantasy-themed card game just might be the ticket to getting a more diversified audience, which will be important as we see all big social games, even FarmVille, continue to lose players month over month.
But, back to Ponzi, the real reason to celebrate this corporate union. If you haven't played this Facebook game yet, I recommend you do so post-haste. It's the one pyramid scheme you won't mind getting mixed up with.
Play Ponzi Inc on Facebook >
See the official acquisition press release below:
Zynga Acquires Challenge Games
San Francisco – June 3, 2010 – Zynga today announced the acquisition of Austin-based social game company Challenge Games. Effective immediately, the Challenge Games office will become Zynga Austin, a game studio focused on product development. Today's announcement expands Zynga's studio operations adding to locations already in San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Bangalore, and Beijing. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
"Austin is an ideal location to extend our studio operations with its rich talent in the games business," said Mike Verdu, senior vice president of Games at Zynga. "We look forward to building out our Zynga Austin studio with the best and brightest in the industry as we continue to bring social games to more users worldwide."
Challenge Games' Co-Founder CEO, Andrew Busey, will become Zynga's general manager and vice president of the Austin studio. The Challenge Games team of 35 employees will be immediately integrated into Zynga's workforce.
Challenge Games, backed by Sequoia Capital and Globespan Capital Partners, launched in 2007 to focus on immersive Web game development built on a virtual goods business model. Two of the company's most popular games, Warstorm, a collectible card game set in a fantasy universe, and Ponzi, a tycoon game, will be further developed by the Zynga team.
Today's acquisition along with Zynga's recently announced partnerships with Facebook and Yahoo! continues to extend the company's footprint worldwide, creating more opportunities for Zynga to connect the world through games. Recently, the company announced a promotion with 7-Eleven where stores across the United States and Canada are offering special promotional game gifts with Slurpees® and other items.
About Zynga
Zynga has over 230 million monthly active users playing its games. These games include FarmVille, Treasure Isle, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Café World, FishVille and PetVille. Zynga games are available on Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players have raised over $3 million for world social causes. Zynga is headquartered in Potrero Hill in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.Zynga.com or www.Zynga.org.
Specifically, the tongue-in-cheek Facebook game, Ponzi Inc. The tycoon game, which was released while Robert Madoff was still making headlines, puts you at the head of your own Ponzi scheme. You upgrade your office, perform jobs and get fellow players involved in your pyramid scheme so you can skim off their earnings. Ponzi, Inc. is easily one of the most underrated games on Facebook, so when a Zynga rep told me that the FarmVille publisher plans to give this original game some much-needed promotion, a celebratory fist-pump was in order.
ponzi inc
warstorm on facebookChallenge Games also owns Facebook football game Gridiron Live. If you recall, Zynga launched a pigskin game called Football Wars then sidelined it later. That, plus the fact that there's mounting competition in the social sports game space from EA/Playfish and now ESPN/Playdom, getting a sports game up and running seems like a good move for the house that built FarmVille. There's also Warstorm a fantasy-themed card game, which will appeal to the Magic the Gathering set. Zynga just shut down its fantasy game Dragon Wars on MySpace, so this new acquisition might help fill the void left behind.
All three of these games will also be a great way for Zynga to reach out to a different kind of social gamer. If you look at the majority of Zynga games -- FarmVille, Cafe World, PetVille -- they all appeal to the casual gamer, a majority of which are female. A football game and a fantasy-themed card game just might be the ticket to getting a more diversified audience, which will be important as we see all big social games, even FarmVille, continue to lose players month over month.
But, back to Ponzi, the real reason to celebrate this corporate union. If you haven't played this Facebook game yet, I recommend you do so post-haste. It's the one pyramid scheme you won't mind getting mixed up with.
Play Ponzi Inc on Facebook >
See the official acquisition press release below:
Zynga Acquires Challenge Games
San Francisco – June 3, 2010 – Zynga today announced the acquisition of Austin-based social game company Challenge Games. Effective immediately, the Challenge Games office will become Zynga Austin, a game studio focused on product development. Today's announcement expands Zynga's studio operations adding to locations already in San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Bangalore, and Beijing. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
"Austin is an ideal location to extend our studio operations with its rich talent in the games business," said Mike Verdu, senior vice president of Games at Zynga. "We look forward to building out our Zynga Austin studio with the best and brightest in the industry as we continue to bring social games to more users worldwide."
Challenge Games' Co-Founder CEO, Andrew Busey, will become Zynga's general manager and vice president of the Austin studio. The Challenge Games team of 35 employees will be immediately integrated into Zynga's workforce.
Challenge Games, backed by Sequoia Capital and Globespan Capital Partners, launched in 2007 to focus on immersive Web game development built on a virtual goods business model. Two of the company's most popular games, Warstorm, a collectible card game set in a fantasy universe, and Ponzi, a tycoon game, will be further developed by the Zynga team.
Today's acquisition along with Zynga's recently announced partnerships with Facebook and Yahoo! continues to extend the company's footprint worldwide, creating more opportunities for Zynga to connect the world through games. Recently, the company announced a promotion with 7-Eleven where stores across the United States and Canada are offering special promotional game gifts with Slurpees® and other items.
About Zynga
Zynga has over 230 million monthly active users playing its games. These games include FarmVille, Treasure Isle, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Café World, FishVille and PetVille. Zynga games are available on Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players have raised over $3 million for world social causes. Zynga is headquartered in Potrero Hill in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.Zynga.com or www.Zynga.org.
Cafe World's new Egyptian set gives restaurants the ancient royal treatment
Cafe World: Fit for a Pharaoh
While the patrons in your Cafe World game can't walk like an Egyptian, they can walk into an Egyptian themed restaurant designed by you. Out of the 31 new pieces of decor, which is a pretty small release, exactly 22 items are premium goods requiring Cafe Cash. One US dollar essentially equals 5 Cafe Cash.
The most expensive of these, the Pharovision TV (located in Windows, not Decor), costs 18 Cafe Cash. Runners-up include an animated Peacock that fans its tail and a mummy that pops out of the Tuts Sarcophagus. Two new items of clothing for your workers are both 1,500 Coins each -- Turquoise Nile Top and Elegant Nile Top.
This release was long in coming, considering that Restaurant City came out with its own set back in January. Check out the rest of this post for a full visual preview.
Cafe World Egypt theme
While the patrons in your Cafe World game can't walk like an Egyptian, they can walk into an Egyptian themed restaurant designed by you. Out of the 31 new pieces of decor, which is a pretty small release, exactly 22 items are premium goods requiring Cafe Cash. One US dollar essentially equals 5 Cafe Cash.
The most expensive of these, the Pharovision TV (located in Windows, not Decor), costs 18 Cafe Cash. Runners-up include an animated Peacock that fans its tail and a mummy that pops out of the Tuts Sarcophagus. Two new items of clothing for your workers are both 1,500 Coins each -- Turquoise Nile Top and Elegant Nile Top.
This release was long in coming, considering that Restaurant City came out with its own set back in January. Check out the rest of this post for a full visual preview.
Cafe World Egypt theme
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars: Build cars extra fast in the new Gone in 60 Hours Event
Mafia Wars' Gone in 60 Hours limited time event has started, and for the next few days, you'll be able to build cars twice as faast and collect double the car parts when completing jobs and fighting. You'll also be able to bild the Future Shock 1985, a nod to the time-traveling DeLorean from 'Back to the Future.' What mafia car collection could be complete without that? Not mine.
This event also comes with extra construction parts that will help level up your Chop Shop faster, including 10 of each: cement blocks, power tools, car lift, acetylene torch and shipping containers. Not a bad deal if you've been wanting to level up your Chop Shop, but haven't been able to yet.
This event also comes with extra construction parts that will help level up your Chop Shop faster, including 10 of each: cement blocks, power tools, car lift, acetylene torch and shipping containers. Not a bad deal if you've been wanting to level up your Chop Shop, but haven't been able to yet.
New FarmVille Puppy: Shiba Inu
farmville shiba inu
FarmVille Shiba Inu NoticeTonight June 30th the new Shiba Inu Puppy was added to the FarmVille Market. We had previously let you know this puppy may be coming as we posted the unreleased images of it just a few days ago.
farmville shiba inuThis new puppy is available for 65$FV and comes in Brown, Black and White. And will help you 'fetch things' when fully grown.
"inu is the Japanese word for dog...the word shiba means "brushwood" in Japanese, and refers to a type of tree or shrub whose leaves turn red in the fall.This "inu is the Japanese word for dog...the word shiba means "brushwood" in Japanese, and refers to a type of tree or shrub whose leaves turn red in the fall.This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common color of the Shiba Inu is a red color similar to that of the shrubs. However, in an old Nagano dialect, the word shiba also had the meaning of "small", thus this might be a reference to the dog's small size.Therefore, the Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog." (Source: Wikipedia)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Shiba Inu NoticeTonight June 30th the new Shiba Inu Puppy was added to the FarmVille Market. We had previously let you know this puppy may be coming as we posted the unreleased images of it just a few days ago.
farmville shiba inuThis new puppy is available for 65$FV and comes in Brown, Black and White. And will help you 'fetch things' when fully grown.
"inu is the Japanese word for dog...the word shiba means "brushwood" in Japanese, and refers to a type of tree or shrub whose leaves turn red in the fall.This "inu is the Japanese word for dog...the word shiba means "brushwood" in Japanese, and refers to a type of tree or shrub whose leaves turn red in the fall.This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common color of the Shiba Inu is a red color similar to that of the shrubs. However, in an old Nagano dialect, the word shiba also had the meaning of "small", thus this might be a reference to the dog's small size.Therefore, the Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog." (Source: Wikipedia)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Treasure Isle releases new Pirate Cove maps
Treasure Isle have been teasing us for some time by not only showing the Pirate Cove as a locked area for the last few weeks, but also posting on their wall about how the pirates are coming soon. Tonight, the mystery is revealed, and the first set of Pirate Cove maps have been unveiled. There are 7 maps in total for right now, and the list of maps is as follows:
Sharky's Village
Brigand's Cove - 11 Island Cash
Monkey's Gold - 7 Island Cash
The Great Battle - Requires Level 75
Shiverin' Shores
Invasion!
Pirate Pub
Players are likely to be upset, because the last time Treasure Isle required Island Cash to unlock maps, it caused quite the uproar. Generally, games only charge for items that allow cosmetic upgrades or small tweaks to improve the game experience. Actually gating game progression by requiring players to pay? That is unlikely to win Treasure Isle some fans. Either way, we're sure people will be shelling out cash to experience these maps.
Sharky's Village
Brigand's Cove - 11 Island Cash
Monkey's Gold - 7 Island Cash
The Great Battle - Requires Level 75
Shiverin' Shores
Invasion!
Pirate Pub
Players are likely to be upset, because the last time Treasure Isle required Island Cash to unlock maps, it caused quite the uproar. Generally, games only charge for items that allow cosmetic upgrades or small tweaks to improve the game experience. Actually gating game progression by requiring players to pay? That is unlikely to win Treasure Isle some fans. Either way, we're sure people will be shelling out cash to experience these maps.
Social network, online gaming records being used in divorce proceedings
Media scolds have been talking about the risks of video games for decades now. They warn that games will make you obese or violent or attention-deficient or lead to a host of other problems. While evidence for all those supposed ills varies, it seems there's now a new risk associated with online gaming: losing your kids.
USA Today reports that 81% of members of The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers say they've used information from social networks in a divorce proceeding in the last five years. What kind of evidence? Examples from the article include everything from online extramarital flirting to posted pictures of drug use to, surprisingly, time spent playing games.
"Father seeks custody of the kids, claiming (among other things) that his ex-wife never attends the events of their young ones," recalls one unnamed lawyer quoted in the piece. "Subpoenaed evidence from the gaming site World of Warcraft tracks her there with her boyfriend at the precise time she was supposed to be out with the children. Mom loves Facebook's Farmville, too, at all the wrong times."
So remember, while time spent playing online games is all well and good, it doesn't compare with spending quality time with your kids. Especially if the courts could be watching...
USA Today reports that 81% of members of The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers say they've used information from social networks in a divorce proceeding in the last five years. What kind of evidence? Examples from the article include everything from online extramarital flirting to posted pictures of drug use to, surprisingly, time spent playing games.
"Father seeks custody of the kids, claiming (among other things) that his ex-wife never attends the events of their young ones," recalls one unnamed lawyer quoted in the piece. "Subpoenaed evidence from the gaming site World of Warcraft tracks her there with her boyfriend at the precise time she was supposed to be out with the children. Mom loves Facebook's Farmville, too, at all the wrong times."
So remember, while time spent playing online games is all well and good, it doesn't compare with spending quality time with your kids. Especially if the courts could be watching...
Crowdstar signs five-year Facebook Credits exclusivity deal
While social game developers as a whole might be ambivalent about Facebook's recent push for its new Credits virtual currency, at least one game company has pledged to get behind the effort in a big way. Crowdstar, makers of Happy Aquarium, Happy Island, Zoo Paradise, and other popular Facebook games, has announced a five-year deal pledging to accept Facebook Credits as the exclusive payment in its games.
This isn't exactly big news for Crowdstar -- the company has accepted payment in Facebook Credits, and only Facebook Credits, ever since it integrated the new currency into Happy Island when the game launched back in December. Since then the company has set up numerous free credit offers to get people interested in the payment system, and even accepted the Credits for a charity donation drives.
The focus apparently worked, as the company says average revenues per user have increased 50 percent since they started accepting Facebook Credits. Crowdstar attributes the change to "the increased level of comfort and trust that customers have when buying currency from Facebook."
With Farmville developer Zynga also signing on to support Facebook Credits recently (albeit not yet exclusively), we could start seeing more and more social game makers tying their fates to the pre-eminent social network and its new unified payment system. It will be interesting to see what effect this has on both the game makers and on Facebook itself in the near future.
This isn't exactly big news for Crowdstar -- the company has accepted payment in Facebook Credits, and only Facebook Credits, ever since it integrated the new currency into Happy Island when the game launched back in December. Since then the company has set up numerous free credit offers to get people interested in the payment system, and even accepted the Credits for a charity donation drives.
The focus apparently worked, as the company says average revenues per user have increased 50 percent since they started accepting Facebook Credits. Crowdstar attributes the change to "the increased level of comfort and trust that customers have when buying currency from Facebook."
With Farmville developer Zynga also signing on to support Facebook Credits recently (albeit not yet exclusively), we could start seeing more and more social game makers tying their fates to the pre-eminent social network and its new unified payment system. It will be interesting to see what effect this has on both the game makers and on Facebook itself in the near future.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille's first handheld interactive item arrives: Moroccan Flying Carpet!
Once you purchase the item in the picture to the left, a new category will be active in your edit appearance menu. The Moroccan Flying carpet is the first interactive handheld items. You will be able to ride this new item that is now available in the Clothing Store.
This item is yours for 15 YoCash. Check all the pictures after the jump and tell us what you think in comments.
yoville flying carpet
yoville flying carpet yoville flying carpet
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
This item is yours for 15 YoCash. Check all the pictures after the jump and tell us what you think in comments.
yoville flying carpet
yoville flying carpet yoville flying carpet
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Enjoy the new Makeup in YoVille
Many of you have been asking for new YoVille makeup. Well, you can now enjoy 5 colors of eye makeup for 7 YoCash each. Our Spiralda modeled the new item for you.
Check her pictures out and tell us what you think in comments!
yoville makeupyoville makeup
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
Check her pictures out and tell us what you think in comments!
yoville makeupyoville makeup
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
Treasure Isle new Apes of the Ages maps put monkey wrenches to work
Earlier this week, Zynga teased at new Apes of the Ages Treasure Isle maps. Today, the cheeky monkeys proved good on their word and released a slew of new simian locales for explorers to scavenge for hidden treasure.
You won't want to miss these maps. Not only are they absolutely loaded with treasure AND monkeys, but they're quite fun too. The island designers/comedians at Zynga did a great job creating islands honoring some of history's most respectable apes. Check out what famous chimps are making cameos in Treasure Isle's new Apes of the Ages islands after the break.
Continue reading to see the new maps and learn what it will take to claim their treasures.
treasure isle apes of the ages
Access the new islands by opening up the world map and clicking Apes of the Ages. Then select an island:
Ape-ollo 19
Donkey Chong
Emerald Island
2011 Ape Odyssey
Isle of the Apes
Queen Konga - 13 Island Cash
Penned Up Pirates - 16 Island Cash
treasure isle apes of the ages
We love the references to various apes in history. Donkey Chong referencing the famous video game brawler, Donkey Kong. 2011 Ape Odyssey parodying classic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ape-ollo 19, Apollo 13. Queen Konga, King Kong. You get the point, the crafty Zynga was clever with their names.
treasure isle apes of the agesPerhaps most exciting to Treasure Isle fans is the monkey wrench. All you wizards of the mysterious Monkey Palace have been wondering what to do with those rare monkey wrenches you've been digging up. With the discovery of the Apes of the Ages islands, those monkey wrenches can finally be put to use. Each island has at least one Monkey Contraption, an impasse causing device that requires at least one monkey wrench to open. To see how many are required place your cursor over the Monkey Contraption and a balloon will appear like the one seen at right.
treasure isle apes of the ages
All kinds of treasures are buried beneath the island, and it's up to you to find them all. Despite two islands costing Island Cash, five gorgeous monkey islands are free to play. Apes of the Ages awaits! Head to Treasure Isle to commence the search and put those monkey wrenches to use. As Johnny Bravo would say: "Do the monkey with me!"
Click here to play Treasure Isle>
You won't want to miss these maps. Not only are they absolutely loaded with treasure AND monkeys, but they're quite fun too. The island designers/comedians at Zynga did a great job creating islands honoring some of history's most respectable apes. Check out what famous chimps are making cameos in Treasure Isle's new Apes of the Ages islands after the break.
Continue reading to see the new maps and learn what it will take to claim their treasures.
treasure isle apes of the ages
Access the new islands by opening up the world map and clicking Apes of the Ages. Then select an island:
Ape-ollo 19
Donkey Chong
Emerald Island
2011 Ape Odyssey
Isle of the Apes
Queen Konga - 13 Island Cash
Penned Up Pirates - 16 Island Cash
treasure isle apes of the ages
We love the references to various apes in history. Donkey Chong referencing the famous video game brawler, Donkey Kong. 2011 Ape Odyssey parodying classic movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ape-ollo 19, Apollo 13. Queen Konga, King Kong. You get the point, the crafty Zynga was clever with their names.
treasure isle apes of the agesPerhaps most exciting to Treasure Isle fans is the monkey wrench. All you wizards of the mysterious Monkey Palace have been wondering what to do with those rare monkey wrenches you've been digging up. With the discovery of the Apes of the Ages islands, those monkey wrenches can finally be put to use. Each island has at least one Monkey Contraption, an impasse causing device that requires at least one monkey wrench to open. To see how many are required place your cursor over the Monkey Contraption and a balloon will appear like the one seen at right.
treasure isle apes of the ages
All kinds of treasures are buried beneath the island, and it's up to you to find them all. Despite two islands costing Island Cash, five gorgeous monkey islands are free to play. Apes of the Ages awaits! Head to Treasure Isle to commence the search and put those monkey wrenches to use. As Johnny Bravo would say: "Do the monkey with me!"
Click here to play Treasure Isle>
SI Fantasy Football app debuts on Facebook
In May, Sports Illustrated and Kabam (formerly known as Watercooler) announced that they were bringing one of the most popular real-life social games to Facebook -- fantasy football. Now, right before the 2010 football season kicks off, SI Fantasy Football arrives on Facebook.
Much like the other fantasy football apps/sites out there, SI Fantasy Football lets you join or create a league, set up a draft, keep track of your players' scores in real-time and rap with other armchair quarterbacks in a chat area and on message boards. The big differentiator with this app is that it lives on Facebook, which means you can invite Facebook friends to join your league with a few clicks of the mouse (you also have the option to invite friends via email). Then there's the real strength of this app -- the ability to post trash talk directly to your Facebook wall.
SI fantasy football
Since this is a Sports Illustrated branded app, it naturally incorporates news and tips from SI's editorial staff, along with fantasy football analysis from Rotowire.com. You can also download the Fantasy Football Draft Kit from SI.com/FantasyFootball, which includes top 100 player profiles, key position rankings and mock drafts.
When SI Fantasy Football was initially announced, there was brief mention of a FanZone feature that "will reward players for amassing large fan bases to cheer for their fantasy teams." It doesn't look like this feature made it into the launch version of the app, and there's no indication whether FanZone was sidelined or will be incorporated at a later date.
At the time of this post -- the 'invite friends' function seemed to have some trouble loading, so hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out before football fans rush to check out SI Fantasy Football. Stability will be the key for an fantasy football app like this to compete with Yahoo, ESPN and the other more robust fantasy football applications that have been the go-to for more than a decade.
Check out SI Fantasy Football on Facebook now >
Much like the other fantasy football apps/sites out there, SI Fantasy Football lets you join or create a league, set up a draft, keep track of your players' scores in real-time and rap with other armchair quarterbacks in a chat area and on message boards. The big differentiator with this app is that it lives on Facebook, which means you can invite Facebook friends to join your league with a few clicks of the mouse (you also have the option to invite friends via email). Then there's the real strength of this app -- the ability to post trash talk directly to your Facebook wall.
SI fantasy football
Since this is a Sports Illustrated branded app, it naturally incorporates news and tips from SI's editorial staff, along with fantasy football analysis from Rotowire.com. You can also download the Fantasy Football Draft Kit from SI.com/FantasyFootball, which includes top 100 player profiles, key position rankings and mock drafts.
When SI Fantasy Football was initially announced, there was brief mention of a FanZone feature that "will reward players for amassing large fan bases to cheer for their fantasy teams." It doesn't look like this feature made it into the launch version of the app, and there's no indication whether FanZone was sidelined or will be incorporated at a later date.
At the time of this post -- the 'invite friends' function seemed to have some trouble loading, so hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out before football fans rush to check out SI Fantasy Football. Stability will be the key for an fantasy football app like this to compete with Yahoo, ESPN and the other more robust fantasy football applications that have been the go-to for more than a decade.
Check out SI Fantasy Football on Facebook now >
New PetVille Midnight Crypt Mystery Crate -- find out what's inside [spoilers]
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
PetVille has released a new Mystery Crate featuring five special items from the Midnight Crypt theme. As pictured above, the odds are against those looking to obtain some rare items. You have a sixty percent chance of getting a common item and a thirty percent chance of getting an uncommon one. The PetVille Mystery Crate only contains rare items ten percent of the time.
No one likes being disappointed and Mystery Crates usually deliver just that. To try and prevent some of that, we have all the items you might find inside PetVille's new Mystery Crate.
Continue reading to see what goodies are inside.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Mummy Lazy-Walker
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Seal of Shadows - Sparkles.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Midnight Sky View - Get a view of the peaceful night sky. Clouds drift by and once in a while lightning pierces the tranquility.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Batty Wings - Wings complete with realistic flapping action.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Secret Lair-case - Pull candle to reveal a secret passage.
If you like the look of some of these head over to PetVille to get a new Mystery Crate. The item costs 20 PetVille Cash. For those who are buying more than one, remember, there is always a chance you will get duplicate items.
Click here to play PetVille>
Images captured by SliceOfHorse
Bookmark this site!
PetVille has released a new Mystery Crate featuring five special items from the Midnight Crypt theme. As pictured above, the odds are against those looking to obtain some rare items. You have a sixty percent chance of getting a common item and a thirty percent chance of getting an uncommon one. The PetVille Mystery Crate only contains rare items ten percent of the time.
No one likes being disappointed and Mystery Crates usually deliver just that. To try and prevent some of that, we have all the items you might find inside PetVille's new Mystery Crate.
Continue reading to see what goodies are inside.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Mummy Lazy-Walker
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Seal of Shadows - Sparkles.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Midnight Sky View - Get a view of the peaceful night sky. Clouds drift by and once in a while lightning pierces the tranquility.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Batty Wings - Wings complete with realistic flapping action.
petville midnight crypt mystery crate what is inside
Secret Lair-case - Pull candle to reveal a secret passage.
If you like the look of some of these head over to PetVille to get a new Mystery Crate. The item costs 20 PetVille Cash. For those who are buying more than one, remember, there is always a chance you will get duplicate items.
Click here to play PetVille>
Images captured by SliceOfHorse
Bookmark this site!
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Wild Ones Stat Points: Everything you need to know
wild ones stat points
Do not spend your Stat Points until you've read this guide! You may end up regretting it. Instead, first check out what this new feature is all about so you can give your pet the power-up it needs.
Today, Wild Ones revealed a new feature available to all players: Stat Points. Essentially, this is a way of boosting your pet's speed, strength, and health without using common Wild Ones hacks and cheats, so there's no risk of getting banned. Woohoo!
Stat Points come in three varieties Strength (upgrades Strength), Dexterity (upgrades Speed), and Vitality (upgrades Health). However, they can be complicated to use and difficult to see their effect on the game. Fortunately, we've got everything there is to know when dealing with Wild Ones Stat Points.
Continue reading to learn more.
wild ones stat points
Just by signing into Wild Ones and clicking the My Pets button, you'll see you already have been gifted 20 free Stat Points to attribute to any pet you want. Unfortunately, pets don't share stat points so you'll have to upgrade them individually. Another thing to note is that Stat Points have no effect on Skill Matches as that would essentially defeat the point of the battle.
Make sure not to blow away your Stat Points, they're hard to come by. To gain more you either have to add neighbors or purchase them. I recommend heading to the Wild Ones forums or the Wild Ones fanpages and trying to round up as many neighbors as possible for maximum Stat Pointage.
Should you choose to go the easy and expensive route to amassing Stat Points, the prices are as follows:
20 Stat Points - 48 Facebook Credits
45 Stat Points - 99 Facebook Credits
100 Stat Points - 198 Facebook Credits
The way Stat Points work is simple multiplication. Say you add 50 Stat Points to your strength. Doing so will multiply the ordinary amount of damage you do by 1.50, doing an extra 50 percent.
So if a perfectly fired shot ordinarily does 400 damage, with 50 Stat Points added to your strength a perfect shot would deal 600 damage. If you had 100 Stat Points of strength, your shot would deal 800 damage, doubling the power of your weapons! Considering some of the weapons are extremely powerful already, Stat Points can quickly turn the tides in a battle and with enough dish out or repel massive displays of might.
Health and Speed seem to work the same way. Fifty Stat Points to health or speed will multiply your existing health count or speed by 1.5, bolstering it a great deal. One hundred stat points will double your health or speed, basically creating an unstoppable Wild Ones monster (without using Wild Ones hacks).
My advice? Choose your favorite pet and put all your stats into him. It's not really worth upgrading each attribute of each of your pets just slightly. Putting all your Stat Points into one or two attributes of just one pet will get far more dramatic results.
Stat Points are definitely a controversial Wild Ones feature. People willing to spend the big money basically can upgrade their pets to ridiculous levels.This leaves us mere free game lovers, when confronted, with little choice but to accept a gruesome Wild Ones death. Yet there are other ways to get Stat Points, so with some hard work and careful strategy, us non-payers can hang with the big dogs.
What do you think of the new Wild Ones Stat Points?
Do not spend your Stat Points until you've read this guide! You may end up regretting it. Instead, first check out what this new feature is all about so you can give your pet the power-up it needs.
Today, Wild Ones revealed a new feature available to all players: Stat Points. Essentially, this is a way of boosting your pet's speed, strength, and health without using common Wild Ones hacks and cheats, so there's no risk of getting banned. Woohoo!
Stat Points come in three varieties Strength (upgrades Strength), Dexterity (upgrades Speed), and Vitality (upgrades Health). However, they can be complicated to use and difficult to see their effect on the game. Fortunately, we've got everything there is to know when dealing with Wild Ones Stat Points.
Continue reading to learn more.
wild ones stat points
Just by signing into Wild Ones and clicking the My Pets button, you'll see you already have been gifted 20 free Stat Points to attribute to any pet you want. Unfortunately, pets don't share stat points so you'll have to upgrade them individually. Another thing to note is that Stat Points have no effect on Skill Matches as that would essentially defeat the point of the battle.
Make sure not to blow away your Stat Points, they're hard to come by. To gain more you either have to add neighbors or purchase them. I recommend heading to the Wild Ones forums or the Wild Ones fanpages and trying to round up as many neighbors as possible for maximum Stat Pointage.
Should you choose to go the easy and expensive route to amassing Stat Points, the prices are as follows:
20 Stat Points - 48 Facebook Credits
45 Stat Points - 99 Facebook Credits
100 Stat Points - 198 Facebook Credits
The way Stat Points work is simple multiplication. Say you add 50 Stat Points to your strength. Doing so will multiply the ordinary amount of damage you do by 1.50, doing an extra 50 percent.
So if a perfectly fired shot ordinarily does 400 damage, with 50 Stat Points added to your strength a perfect shot would deal 600 damage. If you had 100 Stat Points of strength, your shot would deal 800 damage, doubling the power of your weapons! Considering some of the weapons are extremely powerful already, Stat Points can quickly turn the tides in a battle and with enough dish out or repel massive displays of might.
Health and Speed seem to work the same way. Fifty Stat Points to health or speed will multiply your existing health count or speed by 1.5, bolstering it a great deal. One hundred stat points will double your health or speed, basically creating an unstoppable Wild Ones monster (without using Wild Ones hacks).
My advice? Choose your favorite pet and put all your stats into him. It's not really worth upgrading each attribute of each of your pets just slightly. Putting all your Stat Points into one or two attributes of just one pet will get far more dramatic results.
Stat Points are definitely a controversial Wild Ones feature. People willing to spend the big money basically can upgrade their pets to ridiculous levels.This leaves us mere free game lovers, when confronted, with little choice but to accept a gruesome Wild Ones death. Yet there are other ways to get Stat Points, so with some hard work and careful strategy, us non-payers can hang with the big dogs.
What do you think of the new Wild Ones Stat Points?
FarmVille Gemstone Collection expires today: Get 'em while there's still time
While we've spent most of the day talking about the new Toy Collection, the other limited edition collection -- Gemstones -- will be going away today.
farmville gemstone collection
If you haven't collected all of the diamonds, emeralds and other gems needed to trade in your collection for the Gemstone Trophy, we highly recommend that you start making the move to do so now.
farmville gemstone trophy
farmville gemstone collection
If you haven't collected all of the diamonds, emeralds and other gems needed to trade in your collection for the Gemstone Trophy, we highly recommend that you start making the move to do so now.
farmville gemstone trophy
City Of Wonder welcomes the Pharaoh with new Egyptian items
City of Wonder, one the hottest new Facebook games by Playdom, has introduced its second new item set, the Egyptian collection. Enjoy new military units like the Egyptian chariot and the Sphinx, a cultural icon. This set also brings a new marvel item, the Luxor Temple. Continue reading for a detailed list of the new items and how much they cost (hint: a lot). Every item in the new Egyptian collection costs gold, which is a bummer. If you're cheap like us, it looks like you'll be waitingCity of Wonder Luxor Temple some time to get a hold of these buildings:
Egyptian House: 150 XP and 100 Population every hour (15 Gold)
Egyptian Hotel: 200 XP and 380 Population every four hours (20 Gold)
Egyptian Market: 400 XP and 560 Silver every 11 hours (40 Gold)
Sphinx: 250 XP and 1180 Happiness, 118 Culture (25 Gold)
Luxor Temple: 500 XP and 2680 Happiness, 536 Culture (Requires Masonry and Religion to Unlock)
Considering 40 Gold for the Egyptian Market translates to around $10, these items are pretty darn expensive. While they do provide stat boosts and and incremental rewards, are they worth the hefty price tags?
Egyptian House: 150 XP and 100 Population every hour (15 Gold)
Egyptian Hotel: 200 XP and 380 Population every four hours (20 Gold)
Egyptian Market: 400 XP and 560 Silver every 11 hours (40 Gold)
Sphinx: 250 XP and 1180 Happiness, 118 Culture (25 Gold)
Luxor Temple: 500 XP and 2680 Happiness, 536 Culture (Requires Masonry and Religion to Unlock)
Considering 40 Gold for the Egyptian Market translates to around $10, these items are pretty darn expensive. While they do provide stat boosts and and incremental rewards, are they worth the hefty price tags?
FarmVille Back to School Duck
farmville back to school duck
FarmVille is celebrating Back to School time, with a new exclusive Game Card prize.
Now, whenever you purchase and redeem a FarmVille Game Card between:
September 7, 2010 , 12 AM (EDT) – September 14, 2010, 11:59 PM (EDT)
you are rewarded with an exclusive Back to School Duck. The Back to School Duck cannot be purchased in the FarmVille Market.
FarmVille Game Cards are available to purchase at:
Target
Wal-Mart
Game Stop
7-Eleven
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase a FarmVille Game Card just to get the Back to School Duck?
FarmVille is celebrating Back to School time, with a new exclusive Game Card prize.
Now, whenever you purchase and redeem a FarmVille Game Card between:
September 7, 2010 , 12 AM (EDT) – September 14, 2010, 11:59 PM (EDT)
you are rewarded with an exclusive Back to School Duck. The Back to School Duck cannot be purchased in the FarmVille Market.
FarmVille Game Cards are available to purchase at:
Target
Wal-Mart
Game Stop
7-Eleven
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase a FarmVille Game Card just to get the Back to School Duck?
FarmVille Gladiolus & Square Melon Crops
farmville square melon
There are two new FarmVille crops, Gladiolus and Square Melons, now available for seeding and mastering!
Both of these new permanent crops will require you to master additional crops before you can unlock them in the FarmVille Market.
Gladiolus seeds can be purchased by Level 28 and above farmers. and it will require you to have mastered Daffodil.
Square Melon seeds can be purchased by Level 52 and above farmers and will require you to have mastered both Watermelon and Yellow Mellon crops.
Gladiolus Mastery:
Mastery Level 1: 1600
Mastery Level 2: 3200
Mastery Level 3: 4800
Total: 9600
Square Melon Mastery:
Mastery Level 1: 700
Mastery Level 2: 1400
Mastery Level 3: 2100
Total: 4200
[Via FarmVille Latest]
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
There are two new FarmVille crops, Gladiolus and Square Melons, now available for seeding and mastering!
Both of these new permanent crops will require you to master additional crops before you can unlock them in the FarmVille Market.
Gladiolus seeds can be purchased by Level 28 and above farmers. and it will require you to have mastered Daffodil.
Square Melon seeds can be purchased by Level 52 and above farmers and will require you to have mastered both Watermelon and Yellow Mellon crops.
Gladiolus Mastery:
Mastery Level 1: 1600
Mastery Level 2: 3200
Mastery Level 3: 4800
Total: 9600
Square Melon Mastery:
Mastery Level 1: 700
Mastery Level 2: 1400
Mastery Level 3: 2100
Total: 4200
[Via FarmVille Latest]
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille 50 Percent Off Farm Cash & Coins Offer
Looks like there is a 50% farm cash and coins sale going on in FarmVille!
Note, that not every farmer has access to the sale at the moment.
During this time, farm cash and coins can be purchases for half off. This is a great opportunity to stock up on farm cash at a discounted price with the upcoming Holidays sure to have lots of farm cash only limited edition releases. And if you don't buy farm cash then just ignore.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
If made available to you, will you participate in this farm cash sale?
Note, that not every farmer has access to the sale at the moment.
During this time, farm cash and coins can be purchases for half off. This is a great opportunity to stock up on farm cash at a discounted price with the upcoming Holidays sure to have lots of farm cash only limited edition releases. And if you don't buy farm cash then just ignore.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
If made available to you, will you participate in this farm cash sale?
FarmVille Exclusive: Unreleased Halloween Costumes!
farmville halloween costume farmville halloween costume farmville halloween costume
FarmVille exclusive! What do you want to be for Halloween . . . in FarmVille?
Check out these fun new unreleased costumes that will be available for your farmer avatar! There is no official word on what the costumes will cost or exactly when they will hit the FarmVille Market for purchase.
farmville vampress farmville ugly duck outfit farmvile super fv woman farmville vampire
farmville sheep otufit farmville female pirate farmville princess farmville femail sailor costume
farmville sailor man farmville skeleton costume farmville male detective farmville nurse
farmville super fv man farmville pirate farmville ninja farmville knight
farmville pink cow outfit farmville jungle farmville tiger costume farmville clown costume
farmville jungle woman farmville jester farmville cow farmville dorothy outfit
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to game. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
As always, thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding all of these unreleased FarmVille Halloween Costumes!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What is your favorite costume? What costume do you hope they will add?
FarmVille exclusive! What do you want to be for Halloween . . . in FarmVille?
Check out these fun new unreleased costumes that will be available for your farmer avatar! There is no official word on what the costumes will cost or exactly when they will hit the FarmVille Market for purchase.
farmville vampress farmville ugly duck outfit farmvile super fv woman farmville vampire
farmville sheep otufit farmville female pirate farmville princess farmville femail sailor costume
farmville sailor man farmville skeleton costume farmville male detective farmville nurse
farmville super fv man farmville pirate farmville ninja farmville knight
farmville pink cow outfit farmville jungle farmville tiger costume farmville clown costume
farmville jungle woman farmville jester farmville cow farmville dorothy outfit
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to game. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
As always, thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding all of these unreleased FarmVille Halloween Costumes!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What is your favorite costume? What costume do you hope they will add?
FarmVille: New Mystery Game Prizes with Best of Past Animals
There is an all new Mystery Game packed with "Best of the Mystery Animals" prizes.
You can purchase a chance at the Mystery Game for 16 FV$ farm cash per dart. This Mystery Game will be available in the FarmVille Market during the next 7 days only.
:::Spoiler Alert:::
The following are confirmed prizes that the new Mystery Game contains:
farmville mystery game prizes
White Kangaroo
Coyote Pup
White Lion Cub
Mini Stallion
Roseate Spoonbill
Javelina Pig
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
You can purchase a chance at the Mystery Game for 16 FV$ farm cash per dart. This Mystery Game will be available in the FarmVille Market during the next 7 days only.
:::Spoiler Alert:::
The following are confirmed prizes that the new Mystery Game contains:
farmville mystery game prizes
White Kangaroo
Coyote Pup
White Lion Cub
Mini Stallion
Roseate Spoonbill
Javelina Pig
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Rumor alert: FarmVille, Zynga games coming to Google TV
The latest rumor swirling around Google's new project Google TV is that Zynga games, like FarmVille, will be playable through the service.
If you're not familiar with it, Google TV is a software platform that will be built into a variety of TVs, set-top boxes and other devices that will let you beam online content to your big-screen TV.
Even though a Zynga rep says this is just a "rumor," this information seems to makes sense, since Google TV will include the Chrome web browser and support Flash.
We won't have to wait long to find out, however. Google is officially launching the platform on October 17.
If you're not familiar with it, Google TV is a software platform that will be built into a variety of TVs, set-top boxes and other devices that will let you beam online content to your big-screen TV.
Even though a Zynga rep says this is just a "rumor," this information seems to makes sense, since Google TV will include the Chrome web browser and support Flash.
We won't have to wait long to find out, however. Google is officially launching the platform on October 17.
FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Haunted House gifting links
farmville haunted house gifting links
Howdy, Farmfolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
Mr. Cheats has spent the better part of today building his new FarmVille Haunted House using these FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Haunted House gifting links. The Haunted House is the perfect decoration for the autumn month of October. Nothing like a big project leading up to Halloween.
Anyway, to help you get your Haunted House up and running sooner than later, Mr. Cheats has dug up these FarmVille Cheats & Tips: gifting links for the Haunted House. To use these Haunted House gifting links, simply click on the materials that you want to send and start delving out building supplies like you're some kind of garage whisperer. Or if you'd rather receive the supplies, use our "Receive supplies" option to post a request on your wall that your friends can use to send you Haunted House supplies.
Check out FarmVille Haunted House: Everything you need to know for all the Haunted House details.
You're going to need a ton of bricks, nails, and boards, so let's get going:
Receive Supplies:
farmville haunted house gifting links farmville haunted house gifting links farmville haunted house gifting links
Send Supplies:
farmville haunted house gifting links
Howdy, Farmfolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know.
Mr. Cheats has spent the better part of today building his new FarmVille Haunted House using these FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Haunted House gifting links. The Haunted House is the perfect decoration for the autumn month of October. Nothing like a big project leading up to Halloween.
Anyway, to help you get your Haunted House up and running sooner than later, Mr. Cheats has dug up these FarmVille Cheats & Tips: gifting links for the Haunted House. To use these Haunted House gifting links, simply click on the materials that you want to send and start delving out building supplies like you're some kind of garage whisperer. Or if you'd rather receive the supplies, use our "Receive supplies" option to post a request on your wall that your friends can use to send you Haunted House supplies.
Check out FarmVille Haunted House: Everything you need to know for all the Haunted House details.
You're going to need a ton of bricks, nails, and boards, so let's get going:
Receive Supplies:
farmville haunted house gifting links farmville haunted house gifting links farmville haunted house gifting links
Send Supplies:
farmville haunted house gifting links
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
City of Wonder land expansion brings total available space to 31x31
One of the biggest concerns players tend to have with city-building games (whether on Facebook or elsewhere) is that you simply run out of room for all of the things you'd like to buy and/or build. With two popular city building games under their belt (Social City being the other), Playdom has learned this first-hand, and has added another land expansion to City of Wonder.
The land expansion brings the maximum amount of space to 31x31, meaning that if your land became a bit overrun with the recent Halloween theme of items, you can rest easy knowing that you can expand your land to hold even more awesome, perhaps ancient, goodies.
The 31x31 land expansion is available to purchase from the Boundaries tab of the store, but remember - you can't skip directly to that expansion without working your way through the other levels first (they won't even appear in your store for you to choose from). Keep playing though, and we're sure you'll have enough coins to earn this expansion in no time!
The land expansion brings the maximum amount of space to 31x31, meaning that if your land became a bit overrun with the recent Halloween theme of items, you can rest easy knowing that you can expand your land to hold even more awesome, perhaps ancient, goodies.
The 31x31 land expansion is available to purchase from the Boundaries tab of the store, but remember - you can't skip directly to that expansion without working your way through the other levels first (they won't even appear in your store for you to choose from). Keep playing though, and we're sure you'll have enough coins to earn this expansion in no time!
Cafe World Clean Fairy disappearing November 7
Here's a friendly heads-up chefs! The No Clean Fairy in Cafe World will be expiring on November 7. Before you panic though, let me explain. This expiration date means that after that date, you'll no longer be able to buy the stand for the statue from the market, or even receive a free base that can be constructed with parts.
You'll be able to keep the Fairy in your cafe, along with keeping her effect of never having to clean a stove again, but that's only if you've already finished building the Fairy to completion by collecting the ingredients necessary to do so. For a refresher, you'll need to collect 10 Pinches of Fairy Dust, 10 Vials of Dewdrops, 10 Wildflower Essences, and 20 bottles of Mountain-Fresh Air.
Remember, these items are received only from friends that initiate the gift-sending process, making it a lot harder to finish, as you can't initiate the gift request to ask for an item - your friends will have to be nice enough to start it for you.
For those of you who haven't finished the Fairy, the clock is definitely ticking. Be sure to ask your Cafe World neighbors for help fast, before time runs out and you miss out on this great item forever!
You'll be able to keep the Fairy in your cafe, along with keeping her effect of never having to clean a stove again, but that's only if you've already finished building the Fairy to completion by collecting the ingredients necessary to do so. For a refresher, you'll need to collect 10 Pinches of Fairy Dust, 10 Vials of Dewdrops, 10 Wildflower Essences, and 20 bottles of Mountain-Fresh Air.
Remember, these items are received only from friends that initiate the gift-sending process, making it a lot harder to finish, as you can't initiate the gift request to ask for an item - your friends will have to be nice enough to start it for you.
For those of you who haven't finished the Fairy, the clock is definitely ticking. Be sure to ask your Cafe World neighbors for help fast, before time runs out and you miss out on this great item forever!
Cafe World Coffee Machine upgraded with limited time brews
The Cafe World Coffee Machine has proven to be a great way to earn a quick and practically instant boost in your cafe's popularity, by adding multiple Buzz Rating points per cup of coffee served. Now, the feature has been updated to offer even more opportunities to earn said bonuses, by allowing you to transform your Coffee Machine into a Tassimo Single Cup Home Brewer.
This is part of a new cross-promotion between Zynga and the real world Tassimo, which will see you being able to serve limited time brews within your own Cafe. There are four limited edition brews to serve, ranging from a Signature Blend to a good old-fashioned cup of Hot Chocolate.
The drinks cost anywhere from 12 to 43 energy points to brew, and you'll brew between 5-9 servings of each type when you spend the energy. All four drinks can be mastered, but they'll only be available until November 30, so be sure to start serving up these limited edition drinks to your customers while they are still available!
Also, feel free to take advantage of the in-game offer of $25 off a real-world Tassimo single cup home brewing system, via the link provided in-game. It's still a pricey machine, to be sure, but if you're in the market, this could be just the savings you've been looking for!
This is part of a new cross-promotion between Zynga and the real world Tassimo, which will see you being able to serve limited time brews within your own Cafe. There are four limited edition brews to serve, ranging from a Signature Blend to a good old-fashioned cup of Hot Chocolate.
The drinks cost anywhere from 12 to 43 energy points to brew, and you'll brew between 5-9 servings of each type when you spend the energy. All four drinks can be mastered, but they'll only be available until November 30, so be sure to start serving up these limited edition drinks to your customers while they are still available!
Also, feel free to take advantage of the in-game offer of $25 off a real-world Tassimo single cup home brewing system, via the link provided in-game. It's still a pricey machine, to be sure, but if you're in the market, this could be just the savings you've been looking for!
Kabam closing up shop on Tattoo City on December 1
Tattoo City closed
Today, Tattoo City announced to its players that it will be closing down for good on December 1, 2010. The game was developed by Wonderhill, which were recently acquired by Kabam (formerly Watercooler Inc.) this month. We did a mini-review of the game in September, and found it to be a decent game with some chances for encouraging user creativity.
This shutdown is most likely in direct response to Kabam announcing a new focus on developing strategy games similar to their game Kingdoms of Camelot. Recently, Watercooler had released their first strategy game in Dragons of Atlantis, and both companies had enough similarities that it made sense for them to work together. Tattoo City, being a more whimsical shop-owning game, did not fit the company's new direction towards hardcore games for new social game audiences.
Tattoo City peaked at an all-time high of 2.8 million MAU, and currently has 1.8 million. This is a respectable number that many games strive to achieve, but the game only has a daily active playerbase of around 40,000 which puts their DAU/MAU around 3. Good games are generally around 30. Clearly Tattoo City wasn't retaining players, which means it is unlikely that the game was bringing in enough revenue to justify having it around.
Want to check out Tattoo City before it closes? Play it on Facebook before it closes on December 1st.
Today, Tattoo City announced to its players that it will be closing down for good on December 1, 2010. The game was developed by Wonderhill, which were recently acquired by Kabam (formerly Watercooler Inc.) this month. We did a mini-review of the game in September, and found it to be a decent game with some chances for encouraging user creativity.
This shutdown is most likely in direct response to Kabam announcing a new focus on developing strategy games similar to their game Kingdoms of Camelot. Recently, Watercooler had released their first strategy game in Dragons of Atlantis, and both companies had enough similarities that it made sense for them to work together. Tattoo City, being a more whimsical shop-owning game, did not fit the company's new direction towards hardcore games for new social game audiences.
Tattoo City peaked at an all-time high of 2.8 million MAU, and currently has 1.8 million. This is a respectable number that many games strive to achieve, but the game only has a daily active playerbase of around 40,000 which puts their DAU/MAU around 3. Good games are generally around 30. Clearly Tattoo City wasn't retaining players, which means it is unlikely that the game was bringing in enough revenue to justify having it around.
Want to check out Tattoo City before it closes? Play it on Facebook before it closes on December 1st.
LOLapps begs fans to help save Critter Island
As reported earlier, Facebook has given LOLapps more than just a slap on the wrist, and have closed down access to viral channels for all of their applications except Ravenwood Fair. This is a significant blow, because it means that the game is not allowed to have neighbor invites, gifts, requests, and wall posts. If you've played any Facebook game, you know that these games literally revolve around these features. It's how they grow, it's how you interact with your friends in a social experience, it's how the game ends up making money. Instead of just sitting back and taking it, LOLapps are now encouraging their fans to help save Critter Island by "liking" a fan page called Restore Critter Island. This page tells visitors the following:
Critter Island's gift & neighbor requests and wall posts are currently unavailable. We're working with Facebook to restore them, and we could use your support. Please suggest this page to all of your Critter Island friends (and others).
After you've got everyone on board, head over and check out our new game, Ravenwood Fair - http://apps.facebook.com/ravenwoodfair - and keep your fingers crossed for the expedient return of Critter Island (well, maybe not crossed, that might make it hard to play, but you know what we mean).
Critter Island was just launched in August, and was the first full game that LOLapps released. LOLapps are clearly fighting back against Facebook, and are hoping that showing huge support for the game will cause Facebook to restore access to viral channels. Essentially, Critter Island is all but doomed if Facebook doesn't change their minds on this game. Do LOLapps believe they're not in the wrong? Or are they simply doing battle to help save their business?
Critter Island's gift & neighbor requests and wall posts are currently unavailable. We're working with Facebook to restore them, and we could use your support. Please suggest this page to all of your Critter Island friends (and others).
After you've got everyone on board, head over and check out our new game, Ravenwood Fair - http://apps.facebook.com/ravenwoodfair - and keep your fingers crossed for the expedient return of Critter Island (well, maybe not crossed, that might make it hard to play, but you know what we mean).
Critter Island was just launched in August, and was the first full game that LOLapps released. LOLapps are clearly fighting back against Facebook, and are hoping that showing huge support for the game will cause Facebook to restore access to viral channels. Essentially, Critter Island is all but doomed if Facebook doesn't change their minds on this game. Do LOLapps believe they're not in the wrong? Or are they simply doing battle to help save their business?
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Godfinger developer Ngmoco to create mobile gaming social network
Mobage Mobile
So, that's what they've been up to. San Francisco-based mobile games developer Ngmoco revealed today its first major project since being bought out by Japanese social gaming company DeNA for $403 million: Mobage, CNN reports. Pronounced "Moe-ba-gay,"Mobage will be the smartphone extension of DeNA's already successful Mobage Town mobile network in Japan, which is home to 20 million plus users.
We imagine Mobage will take advantage of the more powerful smartphones and according to Ngmoco CEO Neil Young (just a coincidence, folks), Mobage may allow for anonymity through user names. "Sometimes you don't want your friends and family knowing that you're playing these games every day," Young said to CNN.
And if you thought social gaming was huge in the U.S., take a trip to the Far East and see how it's fairing over there. DeNA claims that it might clear $1 billion in revenue this year alone, which would launch the company much farther than any American social games company in 2010. "It's hard for people in the West to get their heads around how big it is in Japan," Young said. "What's happening in Japan is really a blueprint for what's going to happen here."
Since Zynga recently hired a new mobile maestro, it's safe to assume that at least one U.S. company knows exactly what they're up against. I don't know about you, but I smell a Facebook wall fight of epic proportions in 2011.
So, that's what they've been up to. San Francisco-based mobile games developer Ngmoco revealed today its first major project since being bought out by Japanese social gaming company DeNA for $403 million: Mobage, CNN reports. Pronounced "Moe-ba-gay,"Mobage will be the smartphone extension of DeNA's already successful Mobage Town mobile network in Japan, which is home to 20 million plus users.
We imagine Mobage will take advantage of the more powerful smartphones and according to Ngmoco CEO Neil Young (just a coincidence, folks), Mobage may allow for anonymity through user names. "Sometimes you don't want your friends and family knowing that you're playing these games every day," Young said to CNN.
And if you thought social gaming was huge in the U.S., take a trip to the Far East and see how it's fairing over there. DeNA claims that it might clear $1 billion in revenue this year alone, which would launch the company much farther than any American social games company in 2010. "It's hard for people in the West to get their heads around how big it is in Japan," Young said. "What's happening in Japan is really a blueprint for what's going to happen here."
Since Zynga recently hired a new mobile maestro, it's safe to assume that at least one U.S. company knows exactly what they're up against. I don't know about you, but I smell a Facebook wall fight of epic proportions in 2011.
Zynga, Playdom settle trade-secret theft legal battle, nobody fights fair
Playdom
Zynga settled a lawsuit and--surprise--they weren't the victims of it. Venture Beat reports that FarmVille creator Zynga and Playdom brought their year-long legal battle to an end today over some trade secrets that were allegedly stolen by former Zynga employees and used by Playdom to develop new games. According to Zynga, when four former employees went to join the enemy (well, one of the enemies), they took some of the company's secrets to success with them.
Zynga general counsel Reggie Davis said to Venture Beat, "The settlement reflects the very serious nature of the conduct involved, as reflected by the preliminary injunction, restraining orders, and contempt order issued by the Santa Clara Superior Court. We have great respect for Disney and are thankful that following its acquisition of Playdom, Disney resolved the matter to our satisfaction."
Raymond Holmes, David Rohrl, Martha Sapeta, and Scott Siegel, the former Zynga employees, allegedly took several secrets of their former boss's including "The Zynga Playbook," which contained the company's "secret sauce" for nearly dominating the social games arena for the past three years.
Playdom admitted that Zynga files, including an entire game idea, had been transferred to Playdom computers and used to compete with the company, Venture Beat reports. But it gets worse, Zynga alleges that Playdom actually hacked Zynga servers, stole data on 1.6 million Zynga Poker players and used that information to solicit its then-new Poker Palace game.
This legal struggle plainly displays the fact that in this nascent industry, companies are willing to do anything to make as much dough as possible. Though, Zynga doesn't fight as clean as this situation makes them appear to. Recently, it was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle that the company's founder and CEO "doesn't f**king want innovation" and that one of their many methods of success stems from copying common social gaming tropes and perfecting them. The question is, how long can this type of behavior sustain before it negatively affects the entire industry?
Zynga settled a lawsuit and--surprise--they weren't the victims of it. Venture Beat reports that FarmVille creator Zynga and Playdom brought their year-long legal battle to an end today over some trade secrets that were allegedly stolen by former Zynga employees and used by Playdom to develop new games. According to Zynga, when four former employees went to join the enemy (well, one of the enemies), they took some of the company's secrets to success with them.
Zynga general counsel Reggie Davis said to Venture Beat, "The settlement reflects the very serious nature of the conduct involved, as reflected by the preliminary injunction, restraining orders, and contempt order issued by the Santa Clara Superior Court. We have great respect for Disney and are thankful that following its acquisition of Playdom, Disney resolved the matter to our satisfaction."
Raymond Holmes, David Rohrl, Martha Sapeta, and Scott Siegel, the former Zynga employees, allegedly took several secrets of their former boss's including "The Zynga Playbook," which contained the company's "secret sauce" for nearly dominating the social games arena for the past three years.
Playdom admitted that Zynga files, including an entire game idea, had been transferred to Playdom computers and used to compete with the company, Venture Beat reports. But it gets worse, Zynga alleges that Playdom actually hacked Zynga servers, stole data on 1.6 million Zynga Poker players and used that information to solicit its then-new Poker Palace game.
This legal struggle plainly displays the fact that in this nascent industry, companies are willing to do anything to make as much dough as possible. Though, Zynga doesn't fight as clean as this situation makes them appear to. Recently, it was reported by the San Francisco Chronicle that the company's founder and CEO "doesn't f**king want innovation" and that one of their many methods of success stems from copying common social gaming tropes and perfecting them. The question is, how long can this type of behavior sustain before it negatively affects the entire industry?
Restaurant City: Master the 'Turducken' dish for a free 'Santa Marzipan'
If most of the words in the headline don't make sense, have no fear! Apparently, a 'turducken' is a dish where a chicken is stuffed inside a duck, which is then stuffed inside a turkey! And a 'marzipan' is a treat made of sugar and almond meal, which are often molded into fun, edible objects. Now Playfish has decided that it's going to honor Christopher Columbus by setting loose the 'Santa Marzipan' in honor of Columbus' real ship, the Santa Maria. And players can get the Santa Marzipan for free by cranking their Turducken to Level 10.
Check out the official word on the item: Christopher Cucumber's famous ship that traversed the seas can now be yours. Just look at her! Magnificent! Watch customers go inside and the animations begin! Effect: Earns 1600 Coins every 4 hours.
The Turducken requires 4 ingredients: Chicken, Turkey, Duck, and Salt. We haven't seen the need for Duck since July's Duck Confit dish, when it was first introduced. No one's used Turkey in a long while either. But Chicken and Salt have been around since the PFC Bowling Alley.
Now that stuff was easily explained away, but the idea of Restaurant City celebrating Columbus Day during the Thanksgiving week is downright odd, because Columbus Day in America was held on October 12th. The only thread that ties the two holidays together is that Canada's Thanksgiving Day was also held on October 12th. But guys, it's nearly the end of November now!
Check out the official word on the item: Christopher Cucumber's famous ship that traversed the seas can now be yours. Just look at her! Magnificent! Watch customers go inside and the animations begin! Effect: Earns 1600 Coins every 4 hours.
The Turducken requires 4 ingredients: Chicken, Turkey, Duck, and Salt. We haven't seen the need for Duck since July's Duck Confit dish, when it was first introduced. No one's used Turkey in a long while either. But Chicken and Salt have been around since the PFC Bowling Alley.
Now that stuff was easily explained away, but the idea of Restaurant City celebrating Columbus Day during the Thanksgiving week is downright odd, because Columbus Day in America was held on October 12th. The only thread that ties the two holidays together is that Canada's Thanksgiving Day was also held on October 12th. But guys, it's nearly the end of November now!
Game of the Day: Sushi Cat
The game of the day is here and it's fat and cute. Sushi Cat is a fun, silly, pachinko-esque fat cat flinging romp. Sushi Cat is lonely. Lonely and very hungry. Help Sushi Cat out by guiding him to as much sushi as possible. Watch him grow fat as he eats more and more sushi along his way. Fill up his belly to win.
Click here to play Sushi Cat -->
Click here to play Sushi Cat -->
PetVille: New collect 'em all turkeys for Thanksgiving
It's just about Turkey TIme, and PetVille is showing support for the American national holiday by offering a few more last minute Thanksgiving decorations. The biggest new addition is the seemingly endless set of turkeys - each with their own unique personalities and looks to them. There are also a few more exciting new items, so we'll take a peek at what is new.
The Happy Thanksgiving Sign costs 25 Pet Cash, and is a light-up sign with a speeding turkey on it. For the furry critter aficionados in all of us, the Raccoon in Tree costs 25 Pet Cash and is a cute decoration with a fall atmosphere to it. There is a Tree Swing for 14 Pet Cash, Plump Pumpkin Patch for 7,999 coins, Tree with Pond for 17 Pet Cash, Mr. Cob for 13 Pet Cash, and an Owl in Tree for 24 Pet Cash.
The turkeys are a riot, because there is a turkey for just about every mood. The Turkeys in Tree costs 39 Pet Cash, and comes with three turkeys sitting up in a tree. The other turkeys are:
Claire the Mad Turkey - 27 Pet Cash
Haley the Bathing Turkey - 34 Pet Cash
Wild Turkey Luke - 25 Pet Cash
Jay the Lounging Turkey - 44 Pet Cash
Gloria the Sunbathing Turkey - 39 Pet Cash
Mitchel the Relaxed Turkey - 46 Pet Cash
Manny the Dramatic Turkey - 28 Pet Cash
Phil the Pigskin Turkey - 25 Pet Cash
Mitchell the Worried Turkey - 28 Pet Cash
That just about does it for the PetVille fall and Thanksgiving decorations. Check out the Outdoor/Patio store to get your hands on these limited time items before they're gone.
The Happy Thanksgiving Sign costs 25 Pet Cash, and is a light-up sign with a speeding turkey on it. For the furry critter aficionados in all of us, the Raccoon in Tree costs 25 Pet Cash and is a cute decoration with a fall atmosphere to it. There is a Tree Swing for 14 Pet Cash, Plump Pumpkin Patch for 7,999 coins, Tree with Pond for 17 Pet Cash, Mr. Cob for 13 Pet Cash, and an Owl in Tree for 24 Pet Cash.
The turkeys are a riot, because there is a turkey for just about every mood. The Turkeys in Tree costs 39 Pet Cash, and comes with three turkeys sitting up in a tree. The other turkeys are:
Claire the Mad Turkey - 27 Pet Cash
Haley the Bathing Turkey - 34 Pet Cash
Wild Turkey Luke - 25 Pet Cash
Jay the Lounging Turkey - 44 Pet Cash
Gloria the Sunbathing Turkey - 39 Pet Cash
Mitchel the Relaxed Turkey - 46 Pet Cash
Manny the Dramatic Turkey - 28 Pet Cash
Phil the Pigskin Turkey - 25 Pet Cash
Mitchell the Worried Turkey - 28 Pet Cash
That just about does it for the PetVille fall and Thanksgiving decorations. Check out the Outdoor/Patio store to get your hands on these limited time items before they're gone.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Sega making cutesy Yakuza mobile social game in Japan
Yakuza Mobile in actionIf Bangkok in Mafia Wars didn't satisfy your undying love of Far Eastern gangster stories, perhaps a trip to Japan is in order. Sonic the Hedgehog creator Sega is working on a mobile adaptation of their beloved Yakuza franchise. A social game that will only appear on Japan's GREE mobile social network, Yakuza Mobile takes on a visibly more... chibi look, but that's almost expected given the average screen real estate Sega is working with. (So, is this what Sega was referring to a few months ago?)
According to Silicon Era, the fictional Japanese town of "Kamurocho has been overtaken by a powerful foe, and you need to help free it." The game will require cooperation between players to help stop this enemy using the GREE social network. Yakuza Mobile is slated for a winter release in Japan, but no mentions of a U.S. port have been made... yet.
According to Silicon Era, the fictional Japanese town of "Kamurocho has been overtaken by a powerful foe, and you need to help free it." The game will require cooperation between players to help stop this enemy using the GREE social network. Yakuza Mobile is slated for a winter release in Japan, but no mentions of a U.S. port have been made... yet.
FarmVille Scam Watch: Zynga's not giving free Farm Cash for Christmas
Literal Farm Cash
You have been warned. According to All Facebook, thousands of status updates are popping up all over Facebook reading a little something like this:
Yiepppppeeeee... Zynga team gave me 300 Farm Cash worth 50$ absolutely free....yes FREE for Christmas celebration..I am sooooo damn happy today..! Take yours also it is limited off for FEW HOURS ONLY...go to their app... ^.^ -> [LINK ERASED]
If you're somehow getting these messages in your News Feed, do not click on them. They are clearly scams, shallow attempts at getting your precious information whether it be your e-mail address, phone number or even credit card number. Just remember that the only ways you can receive Farm Cash are as follows:
Buying it directly from Zynga using the Farm Cash tab in the game
Having it gifted to you from a friend
Buying a Zynga Game Card--physical or virtual
Participating in an official Zynga FarmVille Contest
Taking advantage of free Farm Cash offers sponsored by Zynga
And whenever you see one of these dastardly scam artists at work, report it immediately to Facebook so they can take care of the problem. And if one of those shady posts come from a friend, be sure to notify them that their account is at risk or has already been hacked. Have a safe Holiday Season, farmers.
You have been warned. According to All Facebook, thousands of status updates are popping up all over Facebook reading a little something like this:
Yiepppppeeeee... Zynga team gave me 300 Farm Cash worth 50$ absolutely free....yes FREE for Christmas celebration..I am sooooo damn happy today..! Take yours also it is limited off for FEW HOURS ONLY...go to their app... ^.^ -> [LINK ERASED]
If you're somehow getting these messages in your News Feed, do not click on them. They are clearly scams, shallow attempts at getting your precious information whether it be your e-mail address, phone number or even credit card number. Just remember that the only ways you can receive Farm Cash are as follows:
Buying it directly from Zynga using the Farm Cash tab in the game
Having it gifted to you from a friend
Buying a Zynga Game Card--physical or virtual
Participating in an official Zynga FarmVille Contest
Taking advantage of free Farm Cash offers sponsored by Zynga
And whenever you see one of these dastardly scam artists at work, report it immediately to Facebook so they can take care of the problem. And if one of those shady posts come from a friend, be sure to notify them that their account is at risk or has already been hacked. Have a safe Holiday Season, farmers.
Zynga, Mafia Wars get 'Kush' with Dr. Dre in in-game promotion
`Mafia Wars and Dr. Dre
C'mon, you all knew it was only a matter of time before Zynga tapped yet another wildly successful hip-hop star to pimp their gangster game, Mafia Wars. This time around, Dr. Dre has invaded Mafia Wars with "Hustlin' with Dre," a promotion to spread the word of his new hit single, "Kush." While it seems to be slowly rolling out to us virtual mobsters, players will be able to stream the video for his new jam featuring Zynga's old friend Snoop Dogg and auto tune aficionado Akon right from within the game.
Of course, it doesn't stop there. There are several Dre-inspired items to be purchased like new weapons, a vintage car and headphones, according to Tech Crunch. Collecting all the items will enter you in a contest to win an autographed of Dre's incoming album "Detox" and a set of his new Beats headphones. You can even buy the new single via a handy iTunes link on Dr. Dre's Mafia Wars page. If Snoop Dogg's recent visit to Mafia Wars is any indication--well, aside from nearly blowing it--this will probably make Zynga an approximate bajillion dollars. So, in the words of Zynga: Get to work, homie.
C'mon, you all knew it was only a matter of time before Zynga tapped yet another wildly successful hip-hop star to pimp their gangster game, Mafia Wars. This time around, Dr. Dre has invaded Mafia Wars with "Hustlin' with Dre," a promotion to spread the word of his new hit single, "Kush." While it seems to be slowly rolling out to us virtual mobsters, players will be able to stream the video for his new jam featuring Zynga's old friend Snoop Dogg and auto tune aficionado Akon right from within the game.
Of course, it doesn't stop there. There are several Dre-inspired items to be purchased like new weapons, a vintage car and headphones, according to Tech Crunch. Collecting all the items will enter you in a contest to win an autographed of Dre's incoming album "Detox" and a set of his new Beats headphones. You can even buy the new single via a handy iTunes link on Dr. Dre's Mafia Wars page. If Snoop Dogg's recent visit to Mafia Wars is any indication--well, aside from nearly blowing it--this will probably make Zynga an approximate bajillion dollars. So, in the words of Zynga: Get to work, homie.
FrontierVille Quilting Bee Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Quilting Bee Timed Mission
If amassing enough Toys to overload the Salvation Army wasn't enough for you in FrontierVille, how does a new Timed Mission sound? In "Quilting Bee," players will have four days to get all the necessary materials to make the perfect quilt. And you can probably already guess what that means:
Harvest 25 Cotton
Have 25 Cloth
Get 10 Sewing Needles (request from friends)
Harvesting the Cotton, a crop that costs 600 coins and is ready for harvest in three days, will be somewhat of a set-it-and-forget-it ordeal. That is, unless you forget to harvest it in time. If you're low on Cloth, visit as many friends as possible in the next four days to make sure you have enough to complete the mission. All the while keep pinging your friends for Sewing Needles, though they might be a tad too busy gathering those Toys.
Thankfully, you have until Jan. 11 2011 to accept this Timed Mission, so put it off if you feel a bit overwhelmed already. Completing this mission will reward you the fruit of your labor, a Display Quilt, in addition to 250 XP and a Lunch. And if you notice the small roman numeral next to this mission's icon, this could be just the beginning of your quilting adventures.
If amassing enough Toys to overload the Salvation Army wasn't enough for you in FrontierVille, how does a new Timed Mission sound? In "Quilting Bee," players will have four days to get all the necessary materials to make the perfect quilt. And you can probably already guess what that means:
Harvest 25 Cotton
Have 25 Cloth
Get 10 Sewing Needles (request from friends)
Harvesting the Cotton, a crop that costs 600 coins and is ready for harvest in three days, will be somewhat of a set-it-and-forget-it ordeal. That is, unless you forget to harvest it in time. If you're low on Cloth, visit as many friends as possible in the next four days to make sure you have enough to complete the mission. All the while keep pinging your friends for Sewing Needles, though they might be a tad too busy gathering those Toys.
Thankfully, you have until Jan. 11 2011 to accept this Timed Mission, so put it off if you feel a bit overwhelmed already. Completing this mission will reward you the fruit of your labor, a Display Quilt, in addition to 250 XP and a Lunch. And if you notice the small roman numeral next to this mission's icon, this could be just the beginning of your quilting adventures.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Santa Cat, Yakut Horse, Silver Rabbit et al
Yakut Horse Silver Rabbit Yakut Foal Santa Cat
Just in case you were ever fearful of Zynga being done with the Holidays in FarmVille, stop it. Now. FarmVille Freak has found a slew of unreleased items in the game for us to ogle. This time around, we have the Candy Cane Chicken, a beautifully colored hen with striped tail feathers, and a cute, twitchy Silver Rabbit that looks almost as if its wearing camouflage. Rounding out the list are the Yakut Horse and Foal, the unofficial Fabio of the horse world, and a fittingly festive Santa Cat with red cap and bow. While it's unsure when exactly these items will be released, I imagine they will be released sometime before Christmas considering two of these animals are holiday-themed.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
What do you think of the soon-to-be-released animals? Which one will you be going for first when they finally make way into the game?
Just in case you were ever fearful of Zynga being done with the Holidays in FarmVille, stop it. Now. FarmVille Freak has found a slew of unreleased items in the game for us to ogle. This time around, we have the Candy Cane Chicken, a beautifully colored hen with striped tail feathers, and a cute, twitchy Silver Rabbit that looks almost as if its wearing camouflage. Rounding out the list are the Yakut Horse and Foal, the unofficial Fabio of the horse world, and a fittingly festive Santa Cat with red cap and bow. While it's unsure when exactly these items will be released, I imagine they will be released sometime before Christmas considering two of these animals are holiday-themed.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
What do you think of the soon-to-be-released animals? Which one will you be going for first when they finally make way into the game?
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: CityVille promotion coming to your farm soon?
FarmVille-Cityville item
FarmVille will soon get another taste of the city in one of Zynga's infamous cross promotions. While we covered this still unreleased item a few weeks ago, our friends at FarmVille Freak have found more images confirming that this CityVille promotional item will more than likely hit FarmVille soon. In addition to an image of the item itself, the blog found promotional artwork that will likely be placed in the game as pop ups.
However, we still haven't an idea in the slightest as to when or how this item will be implemented. But if you look closely at the item, it looks as if the Cow and Chicken are plotting a building design. With that said, we can imagine that players will be sent into CityVille on a quest that involves either what FarmVille players know best, farming, or creating a building of some sort. However, this is purely speculation. We'll have to wait and see what Zynga has cooking for another journey into the city.
FarmVille will soon get another taste of the city in one of Zynga's infamous cross promotions. While we covered this still unreleased item a few weeks ago, our friends at FarmVille Freak have found more images confirming that this CityVille promotional item will more than likely hit FarmVille soon. In addition to an image of the item itself, the blog found promotional artwork that will likely be placed in the game as pop ups.
However, we still haven't an idea in the slightest as to when or how this item will be implemented. But if you look closely at the item, it looks as if the Cow and Chicken are plotting a building design. With that said, we can imagine that players will be sent into CityVille on a quest that involves either what FarmVille players know best, farming, or creating a building of some sort. However, this is purely speculation. We'll have to wait and see what Zynga has cooking for another journey into the city.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Ski Shop, Alaskan Totem Pole, Resort Firepit
Alaskan Totem Pole Resort Firepit
Soon, players could be taking the farm to the North, if FarmVille Freak's most recent findings are any indication. The FarmVille fan blog recently found two unreleased decorations and one building that may or may not make their way into the game. But if they do, it appears that FarmVille is headed to Alaska for its next theme update. All three items have a decidedly northern look, but it's the word "Alaskan" in the title for the Alaskan Totem Pole item that's a dead giveaway.
Also included in what FarmVille Freak dug up is a Ski Shop and Resort Fire Pit. We can only hope that the Ski Shop becomes a functional building, if only a place to find new decorations much like the recent Holiday Tree. We'll see what comes of these items soon enough, but for now let's revel in the possibilities.
Soon, players could be taking the farm to the North, if FarmVille Freak's most recent findings are any indication. The FarmVille fan blog recently found two unreleased decorations and one building that may or may not make their way into the game. But if they do, it appears that FarmVille is headed to Alaska for its next theme update. All three items have a decidedly northern look, but it's the word "Alaskan" in the title for the Alaskan Totem Pole item that's a dead giveaway.
Also included in what FarmVille Freak dug up is a Ski Shop and Resort Fire Pit. We can only hope that the Ski Shop becomes a functional building, if only a place to find new decorations much like the recent Holiday Tree. We'll see what comes of these items soon enough, but for now let's revel in the possibilities.
Wishful Features: FarmVille Horse breeders should keep their foals
Our newest Wishful Feature is one that was brought to our attention via some adamant users on the FarmVille forums. Via a thread entitled "Allow horse breeders to keep the foals?", we learned that there is a very strong contingent of players that would like to receive the Foals that are bred by their horses in the Horse Stable, rather than just being forced to either share them with friends, or lose them entirely.
After reading the post, I thought - "You know, that's right! We should be allowed to keep our foals." My claim comes not just out of my somewhat-selfish collector's gene, that makes me want to have one of every FarmVille item ever created, but also from a very logical point-of-view. After all, if I knew that I would have a chance at receiving foals for the Horses that I specifically purchase on my own account, I would be much more likely to spend Farm Cash on the premium horses that are released in FarmVille, recently on somewhat of a weekly basis.
Why should players have to rely on other FarmVille players to purchase the horses that they'd like to receive foals from? I understand that it's a part of FarmVille's social mechanics - that being to share one's bred horses with friends - but this seems like something that would do equally well as a reward for the user that purchases the horse in the first place. Heck, why not make it a "two for one" situation, like so many other events in FarmVille - breed a foal for yourself, and share one with the first lucky neighbor that clicks on a new wall post? It's a win-win for everyone, and it would surely boost the in-game economy (read: pad Zynga's pocketbook) as players start purchasing more and more premium horses for their own use, rather than solely that of their friends.
With FarmVille undergoing multiple updates every week, and the aforementioned forum thread already drawing in over 50 replies, it will be interesting to see if Zynga takes this thought to heart and implements it in the game. We'll make sure to let you know if they do.
After reading the post, I thought - "You know, that's right! We should be allowed to keep our foals." My claim comes not just out of my somewhat-selfish collector's gene, that makes me want to have one of every FarmVille item ever created, but also from a very logical point-of-view. After all, if I knew that I would have a chance at receiving foals for the Horses that I specifically purchase on my own account, I would be much more likely to spend Farm Cash on the premium horses that are released in FarmVille, recently on somewhat of a weekly basis.
Why should players have to rely on other FarmVille players to purchase the horses that they'd like to receive foals from? I understand that it's a part of FarmVille's social mechanics - that being to share one's bred horses with friends - but this seems like something that would do equally well as a reward for the user that purchases the horse in the first place. Heck, why not make it a "two for one" situation, like so many other events in FarmVille - breed a foal for yourself, and share one with the first lucky neighbor that clicks on a new wall post? It's a win-win for everyone, and it would surely boost the in-game economy (read: pad Zynga's pocketbook) as players start purchasing more and more premium horses for their own use, rather than solely that of their friends.
With FarmVille undergoing multiple updates every week, and the aforementioned forum thread already drawing in over 50 replies, it will be interesting to see if Zynga takes this thought to heart and implements it in the game. We'll make sure to let you know if they do.
FrontierVille: "Like" the Zynga Fan Page and receive free Energy
If you're a FrontierVille player, you might want to take advantage of Zynga's quick (and free) new offer on the official Zynga, Inc. fan page. Whether you're already a fan of the fan page, or if you've never liked it before (or if you've liked and then unliked the page after a promotion, for instance), you can now head over to the Zynga, Inc. fan page, "Like" the page if you haven't done so already, and then receive a free Energy item in FrontierVille.
This free energy is unfortunately only a Light Snack, worth just three free energy when consumed, but hey, it's free, and for those that have gone through the two land expansions currently available in the game (which spawns mass amounts of trees and debris around the outskirts of your frontier), you'll know that every bit of free energy counts.
To receive this free energy, just click on the "FREE SNACK" tab on the Zynga, Inc. fan page and click on the image that appears (the image will only appear once you've liked the page). Hopefully this will be the first of many such gifts that Zynga gives away via their fan page. We'll be sure to let you know if more arrives.
This free energy is unfortunately only a Light Snack, worth just three free energy when consumed, but hey, it's free, and for those that have gone through the two land expansions currently available in the game (which spawns mass amounts of trees and debris around the outskirts of your frontier), you'll know that every bit of free energy counts.
To receive this free energy, just click on the "FREE SNACK" tab on the Zynga, Inc. fan page and click on the image that appears (the image will only appear once you've liked the page). Hopefully this will be the first of many such gifts that Zynga gives away via their fan page. We'll be sure to let you know if more arrives.
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Animals: Caribou and Fiordland Penguin
Just today, we brought you a FarmVille Sneak Peek of a series of then unreleased animals, and wouldn't you know it? Tonight's FarmVille update sees two of those four animals being released in the game.
The two animals are the Caribou and the Fiordland Penguin. Both are, unfortunately, premium Winter Wonderland animals that are only available to purchase for Farm Cash. The Caribou costs 20 Farm Cash, while this new variety of Penguin (not to be confused with the "regular" penguin that was released in the game last year, and again this year as a free gift) costs 14 Farm Cash.
Both animals can be harvested from every three days, but the Caribou is worth much more as an investment animal, as you'll receive 125 coins each time you harvest from it, while the Penguin gives off only 45 coins.
As limited edition animals, the Caribou and the Fiordland Penguin will only be available for the next 13 days, so shop fast if you want to make sure you'll have a chance to purchase them both.
The two animals are the Caribou and the Fiordland Penguin. Both are, unfortunately, premium Winter Wonderland animals that are only available to purchase for Farm Cash. The Caribou costs 20 Farm Cash, while this new variety of Penguin (not to be confused with the "regular" penguin that was released in the game last year, and again this year as a free gift) costs 14 Farm Cash.
Both animals can be harvested from every three days, but the Caribou is worth much more as an investment animal, as you'll receive 125 coins each time you harvest from it, while the Penguin gives off only 45 coins.
As limited edition animals, the Caribou and the Fiordland Penguin will only be available for the next 13 days, so shop fast if you want to make sure you'll have a chance to purchase them both.
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Ski Shop now available
Earlier today, we took a look at a then unreleased item in FarmVille by the name of a Ski Shop. Little did we know then that this item would be released this quickly into the game, but wouldn't you know it? Tonight's FarmVille update has, in fact, seen the release of the Ski Shop as a purchasable item in the game.
Unfortunately, the building doesn't seem to have any sort of function beyond looking pretty (we hoped that it would), and you'll need to bust out both the figurative and the literal pocketbook for this one - the Ski Shop is a premium building that will set you back 25 Farm Cash to add to your farm. Sure, it's not the most expensive building ever released in the game, but it's also not the cheapest.
You'll receive 2,500 bonus experience points for purchasing this lovely building (we love the bright blue roof), and you can sell the building at any time (in case you don't want to store the building, or just don't have the storage space) for a return of 12,500 coins.
As a limited edition item, the Ski Shop will only be available in the game for the next 13 days, while the items that were released earlier this week are down to ten days remaining in the store. Shop fast if you want to purchase them all!
Unfortunately, the building doesn't seem to have any sort of function beyond looking pretty (we hoped that it would), and you'll need to bust out both the figurative and the literal pocketbook for this one - the Ski Shop is a premium building that will set you back 25 Farm Cash to add to your farm. Sure, it's not the most expensive building ever released in the game, but it's also not the cheapest.
You'll receive 2,500 bonus experience points for purchasing this lovely building (we love the bright blue roof), and you can sell the building at any time (in case you don't want to store the building, or just don't have the storage space) for a return of 12,500 coins.
As a limited edition item, the Ski Shop will only be available in the game for the next 13 days, while the items that were released earlier this week are down to ten days remaining in the store. Shop fast if you want to purchase them all!
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Disney-owned social game studio Three Melons suffers layoffs
Disney has had quite a time getting used to the whole "Facebook" thing. The next of the company's troubles--or rather its employees--is a series of unfortunate layoffs that have struck Three Melons, one of Playdom's social game studios. Gamasutra reports that, according to an anonymous source, "30 people and counting" have been affected in the Buenos Aires, Argentina-based studio.
Playdom, snagged by Disney last year for around $763 million, bought Three Melons just months before being acquired, and conducted the layoffs through Disney's Interactive Media Group. "As part of our ongoing strategy to best position the Disney Interactive Media Group for success in digital media, we continually evaluate and refine our business," Disney told Gamasutra. "As part of this process we've made targeted layoffs within the division."
Three Melons, known best for a Facebook game called Bola! that enjoys 1.9 million monthly players, employed 45 people in March 2010, according to Gamasutra. (We sure hope the studio made quite a bit of hires before today's terrible news.) This news follows analysts recently playing doomsayer over Disney and Playdom's place in the social games business. Disney didn't reveal what will happen to Three Melons after the layoffs were through, though some "good luck" wishes are in order.
Playdom, snagged by Disney last year for around $763 million, bought Three Melons just months before being acquired, and conducted the layoffs through Disney's Interactive Media Group. "As part of our ongoing strategy to best position the Disney Interactive Media Group for success in digital media, we continually evaluate and refine our business," Disney told Gamasutra. "As part of this process we've made targeted layoffs within the division."
Three Melons, known best for a Facebook game called Bola! that enjoys 1.9 million monthly players, employed 45 people in March 2010, according to Gamasutra. (We sure hope the studio made quite a bit of hires before today's terrible news.) This news follows analysts recently playing doomsayer over Disney and Playdom's place in the social games business. Disney didn't reveal what will happen to Three Melons after the layoffs were through, though some "good luck" wishes are in order.
EA's Peter Moore: Paying players spend an average of $56 on sports Facebook games
That's a lot of Facebook Credits. In a recent conference call, EA Sports President Peter Moore revealed that interesting tidbit, which gives some indication of just how adamant sports fans are about their games, both on and off of Facebook. To be specific, EA / Playfish's Madden NFL Superstars, FIFA Superstars and World Series Superstars Facebook games pull in an average of $56 per paying user over their lifetime experience(s) with the games.
That's not saying that each and every player shells out money, but of those that are willing to open their wallets, the number adds up to a $56 average - almost the price of a full retail sports game on consoles. What's more, this high of an average means that some players are clearly investing far more money into these games to pull the number up, when there are surely other groups of players that may only invest a few dollars.
Moore confirmed that there are far more people (a "majority") playing these three games for free, which "add[s] to the ecosystem of that type of game." EA CEO John Riccitiello adds that they believe the low number of paying players may be attributable to the previous need to enter a credit card for each purchase. Now, with the widespread adoption of Facebook Credits, allowing users to keep a credit balance on their account at all times, he says that it "is a growth engine for us and, if you will, a playfield leveling program for Electronic Arts and social."
With Facebook Credits being a hot topic amongst most Facebook developers, it will be interesting to see if Riccitiello's prediction comes true, resulting in a higher average from paying players down the line. Only time will tell.
That's not saying that each and every player shells out money, but of those that are willing to open their wallets, the number adds up to a $56 average - almost the price of a full retail sports game on consoles. What's more, this high of an average means that some players are clearly investing far more money into these games to pull the number up, when there are surely other groups of players that may only invest a few dollars.
Moore confirmed that there are far more people (a "majority") playing these three games for free, which "add[s] to the ecosystem of that type of game." EA CEO John Riccitiello adds that they believe the low number of paying players may be attributable to the previous need to enter a credit card for each purchase. Now, with the widespread adoption of Facebook Credits, allowing users to keep a credit balance on their account at all times, he says that it "is a growth engine for us and, if you will, a playfield leveling program for Electronic Arts and social."
With Facebook Credits being a hot topic amongst most Facebook developers, it will be interesting to see if Riccitiello's prediction comes true, resulting in a higher average from paying players down the line. Only time will tell.
EA's John Riccitiello speaks out on The Sims Social Facebook launch date... or doesn't
In EA's most recent earnings / conference call, CEO John Riccitiello was questioned about the expected popularity of EA's upcoming (and highly anticipated) Facebook game, The Sims Social. While the game's Facebook fan page already has 868,000 Likes, Riccitiello still wouldn't reveal just what percentage of the franchise's user-base are predicted to make the transition to this new social version.
That's not all Riccitiello held back though, as a launch date will likely never be released before the game suddenly appears on the platform. Why? Competitive advertising. As reported by Gamasutra, Riccitiello explained the company's decision, both on the lack of an announced release date, and on withholding any predictions as to traffic:
"We aren't going to put out the stats. They're highly sensitive competitive comparisons, which is one of the reasons we're also not giving you a launch date. It's relatively easy for a competitor to buy all the relevant advertising, say 24, 36, 48 hours prior to a release."
This, says Riccitiello, would greatly impact (and not in a good way) EA's chances of marketing the game itself, as its competitors will have beaten EA to the proverbial punch. Alas, for now, that seems to be all we'll be told about the game's launch date beforehand, but you can be sure that we'll let you know when the Sims Social finally goes live. We can't wait!
That's not all Riccitiello held back though, as a launch date will likely never be released before the game suddenly appears on the platform. Why? Competitive advertising. As reported by Gamasutra, Riccitiello explained the company's decision, both on the lack of an announced release date, and on withholding any predictions as to traffic:
"We aren't going to put out the stats. They're highly sensitive competitive comparisons, which is one of the reasons we're also not giving you a launch date. It's relatively easy for a competitor to buy all the relevant advertising, say 24, 36, 48 hours prior to a release."
This, says Riccitiello, would greatly impact (and not in a good way) EA's chances of marketing the game itself, as its competitors will have beaten EA to the proverbial punch. Alas, for now, that seems to be all we'll be told about the game's launch date beforehand, but you can be sure that we'll let you know when the Sims Social finally goes live. We can't wait!
DeNA unleashes Mobage social games platform on U.S., China
And so, it begins. The first salvo hath been fired. The shooter: Japanese mobile social games giant DeNA. The ammunition: Mobage, its social games platform for smartphones now run by Ngmoco, creator of iPhone hit Godfinger. Pocket Gamer reports that the first phase of DeNA's conquest for global mobile games domination has begun with Mobage's release in the U.S, China and a list of English-speaking countries.
The platform, first released for Android phones, will expand into other countries "soon," according to Pocket Gamer. Mobage currently hosts 20 free games available to players in the states and China like Pocket God, We Rule and Zombie Farm. Many of which, according to Pocket Gamer, will debut on Android through Mobage.
"Mobage's release outside of Japan marks the next step in our company's global expansion," Neil Young, Ngmoco CEO and DeNA executive officer, said. "The opportunity in front of us is to build Mobage into the definitive destination for games and entertainment across territories and mobile operating systems."
The platform works a lot like Facebook does for web-based social games in that it handles the release and payment for games and virtual goods within the network. However, it's far more focused on those games, with support for chat, meeting friends through games and more. The platform releases just as Zynga ramps up its mobile gaming efforts with two releases, Hanging with Friends and CityVille Hometown, in just two months. (Though, Mobage will have the bloodiest social game ever among others from some legendary Japanese designers.) Mobage is available now for free in the Android Market, though no word on an iOS release ... yet.
The platform, first released for Android phones, will expand into other countries "soon," according to Pocket Gamer. Mobage currently hosts 20 free games available to players in the states and China like Pocket God, We Rule and Zombie Farm. Many of which, according to Pocket Gamer, will debut on Android through Mobage.
"Mobage's release outside of Japan marks the next step in our company's global expansion," Neil Young, Ngmoco CEO and DeNA executive officer, said. "The opportunity in front of us is to build Mobage into the definitive destination for games and entertainment across territories and mobile operating systems."
The platform works a lot like Facebook does for web-based social games in that it handles the release and payment for games and virtual goods within the network. However, it's far more focused on those games, with support for chat, meeting friends through games and more. The platform releases just as Zynga ramps up its mobile gaming efforts with two releases, Hanging with Friends and CityVille Hometown, in just two months. (Though, Mobage will have the bloodiest social game ever among others from some legendary Japanese designers.) Mobage is available now for free in the Android Market, though no word on an iOS release ... yet.
Kixeye calls Kabam a copycat; Kabam says, 'Am not!'
Alright, so it's more serious than that, but we just can't help but envision these debates happening in schoolyards rather than public forums. Gamasutra reports that Kixeye has publicly accused Kingdoms of Camelot creator Kabam of copying the hit Kixeye game Backyard Monsters in creating EdgeWorld, Kabam's brand new Facebook strategy game. Of course, Kabam firmly denies the allegations.
"There is no question that the engineers of EdgeWorld had Backyard Monsters open in one window while they coded the copy in another," Kixeye CEO Will Harbin said in a statement. "It's not detrimental to Kixeye in the short term, but this kind of practice is bad for all of us in the gaming industry - it will eventually sour users and it certainly does the opposite of proving that Facebook can be a legitimate gaming platform."
Whoa, those are some pretty harsh--and specific--claims. Kixeye went even further, according to Gamasutra, to compare Kabam's hit Kingdoms of Camelot with fantasy strategy game Evony as evidence that Kabam "is wasting talent and resources on cloning games that already exist."
Kabam CEO Kevin Chou said in response that Edgeworld, which hovers at about 200 thousand monthly players since its launch, draws inspiration from "movies, pop culture, science fiction, literature, history and, most importantly, from our players." That's in addition to borrowing ideas and techniques from its previous four games. (In other words, "Am not!")
Keep in mind that these sort of exchanges aren't uncommon to Facebook games. In fact, Zynga--which has a lawsuit on its plate from SocialApps over allegedly misused source code from its game myFarm that led to FarmVille's inception--knows the feeling very well. We've contacted both developers for comment.
"There is no question that the engineers of EdgeWorld had Backyard Monsters open in one window while they coded the copy in another," Kixeye CEO Will Harbin said in a statement. "It's not detrimental to Kixeye in the short term, but this kind of practice is bad for all of us in the gaming industry - it will eventually sour users and it certainly does the opposite of proving that Facebook can be a legitimate gaming platform."
Whoa, those are some pretty harsh--and specific--claims. Kixeye went even further, according to Gamasutra, to compare Kabam's hit Kingdoms of Camelot with fantasy strategy game Evony as evidence that Kabam "is wasting talent and resources on cloning games that already exist."
Kabam CEO Kevin Chou said in response that Edgeworld, which hovers at about 200 thousand monthly players since its launch, draws inspiration from "movies, pop culture, science fiction, literature, history and, most importantly, from our players." That's in addition to borrowing ideas and techniques from its previous four games. (In other words, "Am not!")
Keep in mind that these sort of exchanges aren't uncommon to Facebook games. In fact, Zynga--which has a lawsuit on its plate from SocialApps over allegedly misused source code from its game myFarm that led to FarmVille's inception--knows the feeling very well. We've contacted both developers for comment.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Infinite Realms offers science-fiction real-time strategy gameplay on Facebook
Infinite Realms was launched on Facebook at the beginning of December, and has since climbed to over 42,000 users. The game's real-time-strategy gameplay is served with a science-fiction storyline surrounding you, as a galactic traveler, that must traverse the many galaxies of space on your mission of expanding your own realm, and protecting a group known as the Confederation.
Infinite Realms has some of the best graphics we've seen from a game starting right out of the gate, and also offers real-time chat amongst players. The gameplay here is complex, as is normally the case in a real-time strategy game, where battles take place with, as the genre suggests, strategy, rather than just luck. However, the gameplay seems to be setup in such a way as to be friendly to those who are lacking in experience with the genre.
Meet us behind the break for a complete preview of Infinite Realms on Facebook. Infinite Realms contains a detailed tutorial, which, while containing a few mis-translated portions, serves to show you the basics of gameplay. You'll be able to control outposts or bases, which serve as your overall command centers for a particular planet. Within these outposts, you'll be able to construct buildings like Rations Depots (rations are used to train military units), Refineries (extracts resources like gas), Armories (manufactures heavy-weaponry like tanks), Barracks (trains and outfits new soldiers with equipment) and more.
You'll only be able to construct new buildings where there are free construction plots on your Outpost. As there are a limited number of these construction plots available, you'll need to think ahead so as to give each outpost a variety of buildings, so that they are never lacking in resources or military units.
You'll be helped in your progress by a quest system, that will reward you with rations, reputation points (the game's experience points), and other items. Your available minerals and resources are listed at the top of the screen, and you'll have to build the appropriate buildings to make sure these items are constantly produced, even when you're not playing the game. Think of production as a sort of factory job - you can increase the production rate of your resources by adding workers - in this case boost items - to the production line. Most of these items will only boost production for a limited amount of time, however, so you'll need to make sure to use them when they are needed most.
As for battles themselves, once you feel that you have enough soldiers ready for battle, you can zoom from your outpost to a view of the planet's surface, where you'll see enemy outposts and bases that can be attacked. Each military unit needs to have a Hero, or general of sorts assigned to it. They will lead your army into battle, and will also advise you before you attack as to whether or not victory seems likely. From there, the battle will have an immediate outcome (you either win or lose), but you can watch a detailed view of your battle via an instant replay, showing individual units on the battlefield.
On the planet's surface, you'll be able to spot any surrounding enemy camp, along with resource bases that can be taken for your own use. Your mothership will also come into play (remember, this game is about patrolling the entire galaxy - not just a single planet), and you'll be able to upgrade this ship to add to your total available supplies in the game. That is, you will eventually come to the maximum amount of Rations or Troops that your supplies can sustain for your level. By upgrading the mothership, these caps will increase, allowing you to store more items, and ultimately become stronger.
In terms of social elements, you can head to the Consulate portion of the Mothership in order to see the "Alliance-related affairs" of the game. The higher level you are in the game, the more alliance members you can have in any alliance that you happen to create, but you can also take the time to browse through and apply to join alliances of other real-world game players.
All in all, Infinite Realms offers as much complexity from the game as you'd want. You can use real world currency to purchase items that will speed up your progress or give you access to more complex customization in the game, or you can let the in-game Cooldown Timers determine when you'll come back to the game and make progress. The game's graphics stand out in terms of the entire Facebook platform, and the gameplay is linear enough to start that you shouldn't become lost in simply trying to learn the mechanics of the game.
Infinite Realms has some of the best graphics we've seen from a game starting right out of the gate, and also offers real-time chat amongst players. The gameplay here is complex, as is normally the case in a real-time strategy game, where battles take place with, as the genre suggests, strategy, rather than just luck. However, the gameplay seems to be setup in such a way as to be friendly to those who are lacking in experience with the genre.
Meet us behind the break for a complete preview of Infinite Realms on Facebook. Infinite Realms contains a detailed tutorial, which, while containing a few mis-translated portions, serves to show you the basics of gameplay. You'll be able to control outposts or bases, which serve as your overall command centers for a particular planet. Within these outposts, you'll be able to construct buildings like Rations Depots (rations are used to train military units), Refineries (extracts resources like gas), Armories (manufactures heavy-weaponry like tanks), Barracks (trains and outfits new soldiers with equipment) and more.
You'll only be able to construct new buildings where there are free construction plots on your Outpost. As there are a limited number of these construction plots available, you'll need to think ahead so as to give each outpost a variety of buildings, so that they are never lacking in resources or military units.
You'll be helped in your progress by a quest system, that will reward you with rations, reputation points (the game's experience points), and other items. Your available minerals and resources are listed at the top of the screen, and you'll have to build the appropriate buildings to make sure these items are constantly produced, even when you're not playing the game. Think of production as a sort of factory job - you can increase the production rate of your resources by adding workers - in this case boost items - to the production line. Most of these items will only boost production for a limited amount of time, however, so you'll need to make sure to use them when they are needed most.
As for battles themselves, once you feel that you have enough soldiers ready for battle, you can zoom from your outpost to a view of the planet's surface, where you'll see enemy outposts and bases that can be attacked. Each military unit needs to have a Hero, or general of sorts assigned to it. They will lead your army into battle, and will also advise you before you attack as to whether or not victory seems likely. From there, the battle will have an immediate outcome (you either win or lose), but you can watch a detailed view of your battle via an instant replay, showing individual units on the battlefield.
On the planet's surface, you'll be able to spot any surrounding enemy camp, along with resource bases that can be taken for your own use. Your mothership will also come into play (remember, this game is about patrolling the entire galaxy - not just a single planet), and you'll be able to upgrade this ship to add to your total available supplies in the game. That is, you will eventually come to the maximum amount of Rations or Troops that your supplies can sustain for your level. By upgrading the mothership, these caps will increase, allowing you to store more items, and ultimately become stronger.
In terms of social elements, you can head to the Consulate portion of the Mothership in order to see the "Alliance-related affairs" of the game. The higher level you are in the game, the more alliance members you can have in any alliance that you happen to create, but you can also take the time to browse through and apply to join alliances of other real-world game players.
All in all, Infinite Realms offers as much complexity from the game as you'd want. You can use real world currency to purchase items that will speed up your progress or give you access to more complex customization in the game, or you can let the in-game Cooldown Timers determine when you'll come back to the game and make progress. The game's graphics stand out in terms of the entire Facebook platform, and the gameplay is linear enough to start that you shouldn't become lost in simply trying to learn the mechanics of the game.
New Year's Guide: FarmVille, FrontierVille, Cafe World & more
Happy New Year's to all players of FarmVille, CityVille, FrontierVille, Cafe World and other Facebook games! Pat yourselves on the back, you made it through the entire 2010 Holiday Season. You survived Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the Holidays. Even more impressive is how you managed the bombardment of new Facebook game updates, features, and items that each holiday brought about. New Year's is no exception, there's new items and features in all of your favorite Facebook games, welcoming in the new year with style. So don't miss these 2011 New Year's Facebook game specials, they only come once a year.
Jump in to the 2011 New Year's Facebook game festivities below.
Jump to: FarmVille | FrontierVille | Cafe World
Note: The newest posts are at the bottom of each list. Posts in BOLD are the biggest New Year's updates.
farmville new years
FarmVille New Year's
FarmVille Party Barn / New Year's Ball Drop Event: Everything you need to know
FarmVille New Years Clothing: Tiaras, Top Hats, Party Dresses, and more!
FarmVille New Years Tree: Confetti Tree
FarmVille Winter Countdown: Everything you need to know
FarmVille New Years Items: New Year Horse, Party House, Cider Fountain & More
FarmVille Winter Countdown items revealed - here's what to expect over the next 11 days
FarmVille New Year Animal: Disco Ball Sheep
FarmVille Disco Ball Tree makes an appearance in the market
FarmVille New Years Items: Fireworks I, II, III, & New Year Gnome
FarmVille: Get ready for a New Years Double Mastery Weekend!
frontierville new years
FrontierVille New Year's
FrontierVille New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Collection: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille New Years RSVP Prizes: Everything you need to know
Cafe World New Year's
Cafe World New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Prep for the New Year Mission: Everything you need to know
Cafe World New Years Party Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World: The Saga of the New Years Goals continues, but this time with free iPads!
playfish new years
Playfish New Year's
Playfish's New Years Event Round-Up: Catch up with Restaurant City, Hotel City, Pet Society & More!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which is your favorite New Year's Facebook Game update?
Jump in to the 2011 New Year's Facebook game festivities below.
Jump to: FarmVille | FrontierVille | Cafe World
Note: The newest posts are at the bottom of each list. Posts in BOLD are the biggest New Year's updates.
farmville new years
FarmVille New Year's
FarmVille Party Barn / New Year's Ball Drop Event: Everything you need to know
FarmVille New Years Clothing: Tiaras, Top Hats, Party Dresses, and more!
FarmVille New Years Tree: Confetti Tree
FarmVille Winter Countdown: Everything you need to know
FarmVille New Years Items: New Year Horse, Party House, Cider Fountain & More
FarmVille Winter Countdown items revealed - here's what to expect over the next 11 days
FarmVille New Year Animal: Disco Ball Sheep
FarmVille Disco Ball Tree makes an appearance in the market
FarmVille New Years Items: Fireworks I, II, III, & New Year Gnome
FarmVille: Get ready for a New Years Double Mastery Weekend!
frontierville new years
FrontierVille New Year's
FrontierVille New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Winter Collection: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille New Years RSVP Prizes: Everything you need to know
Cafe World New Year's
Cafe World New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Prep for the New Year Mission: Everything you need to know
Cafe World New Years Party Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World: The Saga of the New Years Goals continues, but this time with free iPads!
playfish new years
Playfish New Year's
Playfish's New Years Event Round-Up: Catch up with Restaurant City, Hotel City, Pet Society & More!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which is your favorite New Year's Facebook Game update?
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day One
Partridge in a Pear TreeThe day has finally arrived. The final Goal of FrontierVille's 12 Days of Christmas series is here. And it's refreshingly, shockingly simple. "On the First Day O' Christmas," all you lucky pioneers have to do is scare one Bear, plant one Pear Tree and collect 10 Letters to Santa.
Simply chop down fully grown Pine and Oak Trees to make Bears appear and work your magic to scare them off. Pear Trees can be purchased from the Market for 972 coins and all you need to do for the 10 Letters to Santa is ask around. I know, the begging continues, but just think of the 1,000 coins, Fruitcake and Frozen Bear that await you as reward.
And, if you've been keeping up with these Goals, a Partridge in a Pear Tree will serve as your final reward for putting up with nearly two weeks worth of Goals. This tree will soon become your resident Food machine, producing three units of the good stuff and 2 XP every two hours. And, get this, it will never wither! I'd say that's a mighty handsome prize for the work. Now, off to the New Year.
Simply chop down fully grown Pine and Oak Trees to make Bears appear and work your magic to scare them off. Pear Trees can be purchased from the Market for 972 coins and all you need to do for the 10 Letters to Santa is ask around. I know, the begging continues, but just think of the 1,000 coins, Fruitcake and Frozen Bear that await you as reward.
And, if you've been keeping up with these Goals, a Partridge in a Pear Tree will serve as your final reward for putting up with nearly two weeks worth of Goals. This tree will soon become your resident Food machine, producing three units of the good stuff and 2 XP every two hours. And, get this, it will never wither! I'd say that's a mighty handsome prize for the work. Now, off to the New Year.
Lunchtime Poll: Are third-party companion apps cheating?
Bonus Checker Cheating
Well, it depends on who you ask, really. Since Facebook games have surged in popularity, small-time developers have created several applications that, when used in conjunction with popular social games like FrontierVille and Mafia Wars, simplify certain aspects of said games. Take the infamous Bonus Checker, for instance. This app (at nearly 180,000 monthly users), which supports dozens of Facebook games but is most commonly known for use with FrontierVille, aggregates all of the bonuses that appear in your News Feed from friends. It then provides a quick link to reap the rewards, which eliminates plenty of time perusing through hours worth of bonus posts. But is that cheating?
One crowd seems to believe that applications like this oversimplify the game and give players who make use of them an unfair advantage over those who don't. Not to mention that many think these apps drain a primary social element from social games. The other group appears to feel that these applications only make the game easier for everyone to enjoy and that, because they're open to everyone, we all should use them liberally. Of course, some players won't care either way and continue their normal modes of play. But we want to hear your thoughts in the issue, which makes this the perfect opportunity for a lunchtime poll:
Are third-party companion apps cheating?
Since when is browsing hours worth of News Feed posts fun? It's not cheating when it lets me focus on the fun.Absolutely! Why should some progress faster than me thanks to some app that kills the "social" in social game?Play the game your way and I'll play it mine. Now, where's that "Free Chicken" post I saw...
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Well, it depends on who you ask, really. Since Facebook games have surged in popularity, small-time developers have created several applications that, when used in conjunction with popular social games like FrontierVille and Mafia Wars, simplify certain aspects of said games. Take the infamous Bonus Checker, for instance. This app (at nearly 180,000 monthly users), which supports dozens of Facebook games but is most commonly known for use with FrontierVille, aggregates all of the bonuses that appear in your News Feed from friends. It then provides a quick link to reap the rewards, which eliminates plenty of time perusing through hours worth of bonus posts. But is that cheating?
One crowd seems to believe that applications like this oversimplify the game and give players who make use of them an unfair advantage over those who don't. Not to mention that many think these apps drain a primary social element from social games. The other group appears to feel that these applications only make the game easier for everyone to enjoy and that, because they're open to everyone, we all should use them liberally. Of course, some players won't care either way and continue their normal modes of play. But we want to hear your thoughts in the issue, which makes this the perfect opportunity for a lunchtime poll:
Are third-party companion apps cheating?
Since when is browsing hours worth of News Feed posts fun? It's not cheating when it lets me focus on the fun.Absolutely! Why should some progress faster than me thanks to some app that kills the "social" in social game?Play the game your way and I'll play it mine. Now, where's that "Free Chicken" post I saw...
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Push on Facebook: Set (lots of) time aside for this puzzling battle of wits
Push
If you hadn't noticed, Facebook games are steadily becoming more polished, for sure. But they're also growing to be more challenging, deep and visually appealing. Push on Facebook is one of those games, but it's not without a few minor flaws. This competitive puzzle game, developed by Social Spiel is a fresh take on games like Chinese Checkers and Peg Solitaire and takes a great deal of ingenuity to play well in. Push plays almost exactly how it sounds. Players are supplied with Pops, cutesy little balls with eyes that act as the playing pieces on a hexagonal board filled with holes.
To defeat your opponent you must push three of their Pops off the edge of the board using strategic movements and coordination with your team of Pops. If three of your Pops get pushed off the board, it's game over for you and those Pops are toast for good. Trust us, you'll soon enough see that it's not as easy as it might sound.
Join us after the break for more of our impressions of Push.
Push in Action
Throughout the beginning of the game, you'll be guided by Pon Du Bear, a strangely pear-shaped bear that has an affinity for post-modern furniture and high-heel boots. It's this odd creature that will tell you that you can move up to three Pops at a time either sideways or in a straight line by clicking on the Pops and then selecting their destination. It takes one more Pop than the amount of Pops you're trying to push in order to push them back one space in direction you're trying to move them. For instance, if you're trying to move one Pop, you'll need two of your own Pops to push it. If you want to move two of your opponent's Pops, you'll need three in a row to make it happen.
While the gameplay sounds simple enough, it's working against an opponent's wits that makes Push challenging. Opposing players and AI opponents alike are going to catch on to what you're up to rather quickly, forcing you to corner their Pops using feint moves and smart positioning. Unless you have a knack for puzzlers, you're going to use far more than just two Pops to push one enemy Pop off the edge.
Ranked matches, or games of Push with players in real time that contribute to a global leader board, are another beast entirely. This is because, in respect of the opposing player, you only have about 30 seconds to make each move. While you're given two time-outs, meaning you take longer than the 30 seconds to make a move (shifting the turn to your opponent), your third means game over. However, Pops double as the game's currency, which when bought in excess from the Pop Shop using Facebook Credits can be used for special powers in ranked matches.
Push Ranked Match
There are three powers to choose from: Teleport, Double Move, and Revive. Teleport allows you to move a Pop in danger to any location on the board while Double Move allows you to make two moves in one turn. Revive does just as it sounds: brings one pushed Pop back onto the playing field. Each runs on a cooldown, meaning you can't use them every turn, and cost 60 Pops each. While the game supplies players with 15 free Pops daily, big spenders could easily dominate games using these powers, somewhat trivializing the ranked system.
However, if you're just looking to add a few friends to play around with in real time and flex that thinking muscle a bit, this is a fine place to do just that. Just make sure you have a lot of time to put aside for a match as equally matched players could potential duke it out for hours, which isn't exactly what Facebook games are all about. Regardless, it's Facebook games like Push--you know, the ones that require thinking--that do well to give the genre a good name.
If you hadn't noticed, Facebook games are steadily becoming more polished, for sure. But they're also growing to be more challenging, deep and visually appealing. Push on Facebook is one of those games, but it's not without a few minor flaws. This competitive puzzle game, developed by Social Spiel is a fresh take on games like Chinese Checkers and Peg Solitaire and takes a great deal of ingenuity to play well in. Push plays almost exactly how it sounds. Players are supplied with Pops, cutesy little balls with eyes that act as the playing pieces on a hexagonal board filled with holes.
To defeat your opponent you must push three of their Pops off the edge of the board using strategic movements and coordination with your team of Pops. If three of your Pops get pushed off the board, it's game over for you and those Pops are toast for good. Trust us, you'll soon enough see that it's not as easy as it might sound.
Join us after the break for more of our impressions of Push.
Push in Action
Throughout the beginning of the game, you'll be guided by Pon Du Bear, a strangely pear-shaped bear that has an affinity for post-modern furniture and high-heel boots. It's this odd creature that will tell you that you can move up to three Pops at a time either sideways or in a straight line by clicking on the Pops and then selecting their destination. It takes one more Pop than the amount of Pops you're trying to push in order to push them back one space in direction you're trying to move them. For instance, if you're trying to move one Pop, you'll need two of your own Pops to push it. If you want to move two of your opponent's Pops, you'll need three in a row to make it happen.
While the gameplay sounds simple enough, it's working against an opponent's wits that makes Push challenging. Opposing players and AI opponents alike are going to catch on to what you're up to rather quickly, forcing you to corner their Pops using feint moves and smart positioning. Unless you have a knack for puzzlers, you're going to use far more than just two Pops to push one enemy Pop off the edge.
Ranked matches, or games of Push with players in real time that contribute to a global leader board, are another beast entirely. This is because, in respect of the opposing player, you only have about 30 seconds to make each move. While you're given two time-outs, meaning you take longer than the 30 seconds to make a move (shifting the turn to your opponent), your third means game over. However, Pops double as the game's currency, which when bought in excess from the Pop Shop using Facebook Credits can be used for special powers in ranked matches.
Push Ranked Match
There are three powers to choose from: Teleport, Double Move, and Revive. Teleport allows you to move a Pop in danger to any location on the board while Double Move allows you to make two moves in one turn. Revive does just as it sounds: brings one pushed Pop back onto the playing field. Each runs on a cooldown, meaning you can't use them every turn, and cost 60 Pops each. While the game supplies players with 15 free Pops daily, big spenders could easily dominate games using these powers, somewhat trivializing the ranked system.
However, if you're just looking to add a few friends to play around with in real time and flex that thinking muscle a bit, this is a fine place to do just that. Just make sure you have a lot of time to put aside for a match as equally matched players could potential duke it out for hours, which isn't exactly what Facebook games are all about. Regardless, it's Facebook games like Push--you know, the ones that require thinking--that do well to give the genre a good name.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille Quest Manager screen now available
Are you a CityVille player that has more than four open quests on their account? Are you tired of being unable to see the "hidden" quests and their requirements? Well, Zynga is looking out for you, as they have announced the launch of a new Quest Manager feature in the game.
The Quest Manager screen will only appear to those users who have more than four active quests in their game. At that point, you'll be able to click on a CV notepad icon to bring up the Quest Manager screen, which shows you the icons of your hidden quests. Simply hover your mouse over those icons and you'll see the tasks necessary to complete them. If you'd like to move your quests around, prioritizing one of your hidden quests over the visible ones, you can do so by clicking on the icon of the quest you'd like to move out of the "hidden" area.
You don't have to move quests around to be able to complete them, as even hidden quests are still very much active on your account and can be finished. Once you have completed enough quests to have four or less on your account, the Quest Manager will simply disappear as it is no longer needed.
This feature is slowly rolling out to users, and Zynga says that it may disappear for short intervals in the future as they continue to test it out with all users. Still, with the eventual option to see all of your quests at once, I think we can put up with a little bit more waiting. Now, if we could only get a feature like this to launch in Cafe World...
The Quest Manager screen will only appear to those users who have more than four active quests in their game. At that point, you'll be able to click on a CV notepad icon to bring up the Quest Manager screen, which shows you the icons of your hidden quests. Simply hover your mouse over those icons and you'll see the tasks necessary to complete them. If you'd like to move your quests around, prioritizing one of your hidden quests over the visible ones, you can do so by clicking on the icon of the quest you'd like to move out of the "hidden" area.
You don't have to move quests around to be able to complete them, as even hidden quests are still very much active on your account and can be finished. Once you have completed enough quests to have four or less on your account, the Quest Manager will simply disappear as it is no longer needed.
This feature is slowly rolling out to users, and Zynga says that it may disappear for short intervals in the future as they continue to test it out with all users. Still, with the eventual option to see all of your quests at once, I think we can put up with a little bit more waiting. Now, if we could only get a feature like this to launch in Cafe World...
CityVille: Chinese New Year decorations now available
If you're one that likes celebrating all manner of holiday in your Facebook games, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has launched a slew of new Lunar / Chinese New Year themed items in CityVille for your shopping pleasure. There are homes, businesses, and decorations to purchase in the game's store, with these items ranging from premium, City Cash items, to those available for varying amounts of coins.
The only home released in this new theme is the Courtyard House, which is available for 45 City Cash. If you purchase the home, you'll gain 150 citizens in your home, and you can collect rent from the home in the amount of 105 coins every four hours.
This is just the start of the theme in the game, so meet us behind the break for a full look at the rest of the newly available decorations and businesses.
Along with the new home, there is also a single new business that is readily available to purchase in the game's store. The first is the City Dojo, which requires you to have 750 citizens in your town before it can be purchased. From there, you'll be able to add it to your town for 4,250 coins. It requires 110 Goods to operate, and you'll be able to earn 495 coins from the building to start.
As for the new decorative items, you'll have plenty to choose from. Here's the full rundown:
Chinese Theater (Animated) - 21 City Cash - Offers 12% bonus
City Pagoda - 21,000 coins - Offers 16% bonus
Hanging Lanterns - 100 coins - Offers 1% bonus
Gong - 1500 coins - Offers 1% bonus
Lunar Gate - 4,000 coins - Offers 3% bonus
Dragon Statue - 4,000 coins - Offers 2% bonus
It should be noted that while the City Pagoda is a fairly affordable item (especially considering the bonus amount of coins that it offers), it is an incredibly large decorative item, likely standing as tall (or even taller) than some of the Franchise buildings you may have in your town. If you want an item that will make a statement, this is certainly one to consider.
We'll be sure to let you know if more Lunar / Chinese New Year items are added to the game in the future, but for now, we have some shopping to do.
The only home released in this new theme is the Courtyard House, which is available for 45 City Cash. If you purchase the home, you'll gain 150 citizens in your home, and you can collect rent from the home in the amount of 105 coins every four hours.
This is just the start of the theme in the game, so meet us behind the break for a full look at the rest of the newly available decorations and businesses.
Along with the new home, there is also a single new business that is readily available to purchase in the game's store. The first is the City Dojo, which requires you to have 750 citizens in your town before it can be purchased. From there, you'll be able to add it to your town for 4,250 coins. It requires 110 Goods to operate, and you'll be able to earn 495 coins from the building to start.
As for the new decorative items, you'll have plenty to choose from. Here's the full rundown:
Chinese Theater (Animated) - 21 City Cash - Offers 12% bonus
City Pagoda - 21,000 coins - Offers 16% bonus
Hanging Lanterns - 100 coins - Offers 1% bonus
Gong - 1500 coins - Offers 1% bonus
Lunar Gate - 4,000 coins - Offers 3% bonus
Dragon Statue - 4,000 coins - Offers 2% bonus
It should be noted that while the City Pagoda is a fairly affordable item (especially considering the bonus amount of coins that it offers), it is an incredibly large decorative item, likely standing as tall (or even taller) than some of the Franchise buildings you may have in your town. If you want an item that will make a statement, this is certainly one to consider.
We'll be sure to let you know if more Lunar / Chinese New Year items are added to the game in the future, but for now, we have some shopping to do.
Game of the Day: Liong - The Dragon's Dance
The game of the day goes international. Liong The Dragon's Dance is a gorgeous mahjong game with a twist. Match mahjong tiles before the Liong dragons reach the gates. Play through gorgeous and scenic backgrounds while collecting fortunes and gifts along the way. If you were ever looking for a chance to see the world while relaxing your way through it, Liong The Dragon's Dance is your ticket.
Click here to play Liong - The Dragon's Dance
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 here to play Liong - The Dragon's Dance
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.
Game of the Day: Cate West The Vanishing Files
The game of the day goes all mysterious on us! Cate West - The Vanishing Files is a baffling hidden object mystery game. As Cate West, you help the police solve the the case dubbed, The Vanishing Files. Help unleash the city from it's paralyzing fear and use your magical visions to find clues, unearth evidence and solve the case.
Click here to play Cate West - The Vanishing Files
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 here to play Cate West - The Vanishing Files
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 Greenhouse: Everything you need to know
To give us all something to work on over the weekend, Zynga has officially launched the Greenhouse feature in FarmVille. We've known that this feature would be launching in the game for some time now, and we can now finally start to create our own hybrid crops, using seed packets that we can purchase for ourselves.
This is a fairly in-depth feature that is rolling out quite slowly to users, so if you don't have the Greenhouse on your own farm just yet, be patient, as we're sure you'll receive it soon. To start, you'll need to place the frame for your Greenhouse, which is given to you for free the first time you play the game after it updates for you.
Once you place the base on your land, you'll have to begin the construction of the building, which is a three part process requiring Wooden Boards, Bricks, and Nails. The first step to completing your Greenhouse will require four each of these three ingredients. For simply completing the building, you'll be given your first seed tray, allowing you to create a single type of hybrid crop at a time.
Learn more about hybrid crops, and how to further expand your Greenhouse behind the break. After you complete the first phase of construction, you can continue to add building parts to the Greenhouse to earn yourself more seed trays, allowing for more hybrid crops to be created at one time. The second level of construction requires 45 ingredients total: 15 each of Bricks, Wooden Boards, and Nails. This level gives you access to a total of 4 seed trays, and also sees the exterior appearance of the Greenhouse changing to become larger and slightly changed in shape. Finally, the third expansion requires a total of 60 ingredients - you guessed it - 20 each of Wooden Boards, Bricks, and Nails.
As usual, you have quite a few options for how to go about obtaining these items:
Click on the "Ask for More" button to send out individual requests to friends
Find them in wall posts that your friends post to the news feed as they complete the construction of buildings
Purchase them for 1 Farm Cash each
Find them within Special Delivery Boxes
Once you complete the entire expansion process, you'll have access to the full amount of 8 seed trays. Your Greenhouse will become larger still, and you'll finally be able to take full advantage of the space given to you by unlocking new kinds of crops through experimentation (that is, even if you know which two seed types you'll need to combine to create one of the ten new crops, you'll still need to "experiment" to unlock them in full).
Regardless of how many seed trays you own, the process remains the same. You'll see a screen like the one above, where you'll be able to add two individual seed packets to a tray to see if they successfully combine into a new crop (if not, you'll be given an error message). Seeds cost different amounts of money to purchase, ranging from 500 coins for a Strawberry seed packet to 8,500 coins for an Onion seed packet. There are four pages of seeds to choose from, allowing you to mix and match different seed types to create 10 full hybrid varieties.
For an example of how you'll create hybrid seeds, let's take the Lilac Daffy crop. As the name implies, this crop is created using Lilac and Daffodil seeds. Simply add one of each of those crops to a single seed tray and you'll automatically create a hybrid crop. Each created crop takes three days to create, in the "experimentation" process. You can either wait the full three days, or you can send out requests to your friends to speed it up. You'll need three friends total to help, with each friend removing 1 day from the waiting process. Receive all three friends, and your new crop is available to grow instantly. You can also fill each spot for 2 Farm Cash.
No matter which crop you are creating, once you complete this process (either by waiting, asking friends, or unlocking with Farm Cash), you'll receive 50 seeds of this new crop to plant. These seeds will show up in the Market just as any other seed would, and can be purchased, planted, and harvested accordingly. These crops are all masterable, so you'll need to create multiple units of each crop in order to earn these exclusive - definitely show-off worthy - mastery signs.
Keep in mind though, each hybrid crop has its own set of stats, including growth time, harvest price, and XP awarded for planting, so plan ahead to know when you'll need to come back and harvest these new crops. You wouldn't want to spend the time researching them only to let them wither, now would you?
And there you have it - a complete look at crop hybridization in FarmVille - a costly, but arguably worthwhile venture for those crop mastery hounds (like myself), who can't wait to master all of these new crops.
This is a fairly in-depth feature that is rolling out quite slowly to users, so if you don't have the Greenhouse on your own farm just yet, be patient, as we're sure you'll receive it soon. To start, you'll need to place the frame for your Greenhouse, which is given to you for free the first time you play the game after it updates for you.
Once you place the base on your land, you'll have to begin the construction of the building, which is a three part process requiring Wooden Boards, Bricks, and Nails. The first step to completing your Greenhouse will require four each of these three ingredients. For simply completing the building, you'll be given your first seed tray, allowing you to create a single type of hybrid crop at a time.
Learn more about hybrid crops, and how to further expand your Greenhouse behind the break. After you complete the first phase of construction, you can continue to add building parts to the Greenhouse to earn yourself more seed trays, allowing for more hybrid crops to be created at one time. The second level of construction requires 45 ingredients total: 15 each of Bricks, Wooden Boards, and Nails. This level gives you access to a total of 4 seed trays, and also sees the exterior appearance of the Greenhouse changing to become larger and slightly changed in shape. Finally, the third expansion requires a total of 60 ingredients - you guessed it - 20 each of Wooden Boards, Bricks, and Nails.
As usual, you have quite a few options for how to go about obtaining these items:
Click on the "Ask for More" button to send out individual requests to friends
Find them in wall posts that your friends post to the news feed as they complete the construction of buildings
Purchase them for 1 Farm Cash each
Find them within Special Delivery Boxes
Once you complete the entire expansion process, you'll have access to the full amount of 8 seed trays. Your Greenhouse will become larger still, and you'll finally be able to take full advantage of the space given to you by unlocking new kinds of crops through experimentation (that is, even if you know which two seed types you'll need to combine to create one of the ten new crops, you'll still need to "experiment" to unlock them in full).
Regardless of how many seed trays you own, the process remains the same. You'll see a screen like the one above, where you'll be able to add two individual seed packets to a tray to see if they successfully combine into a new crop (if not, you'll be given an error message). Seeds cost different amounts of money to purchase, ranging from 500 coins for a Strawberry seed packet to 8,500 coins for an Onion seed packet. There are four pages of seeds to choose from, allowing you to mix and match different seed types to create 10 full hybrid varieties.
For an example of how you'll create hybrid seeds, let's take the Lilac Daffy crop. As the name implies, this crop is created using Lilac and Daffodil seeds. Simply add one of each of those crops to a single seed tray and you'll automatically create a hybrid crop. Each created crop takes three days to create, in the "experimentation" process. You can either wait the full three days, or you can send out requests to your friends to speed it up. You'll need three friends total to help, with each friend removing 1 day from the waiting process. Receive all three friends, and your new crop is available to grow instantly. You can also fill each spot for 2 Farm Cash.
No matter which crop you are creating, once you complete this process (either by waiting, asking friends, or unlocking with Farm Cash), you'll receive 50 seeds of this new crop to plant. These seeds will show up in the Market just as any other seed would, and can be purchased, planted, and harvested accordingly. These crops are all masterable, so you'll need to create multiple units of each crop in order to earn these exclusive - definitely show-off worthy - mastery signs.
Keep in mind though, each hybrid crop has its own set of stats, including growth time, harvest price, and XP awarded for planting, so plan ahead to know when you'll need to come back and harvest these new crops. You wouldn't want to spend the time researching them only to let them wither, now would you?
And there you have it - a complete look at crop hybridization in FarmVille - a costly, but arguably worthwhile venture for those crop mastery hounds (like myself), who can't wait to master all of these new crops.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
One in five seniors is a potential Facebook gamer, study shows
Is old pappy sending you new Mystery Gifts every day in FarmVille? According to a study conducted by All Assisted Living Homes, 20 percent of baby boomers--if you born anywhere from the late 70s through the 80s, likely your parents--are on Facebook. While they could be doing anything on Facebook, Deseret News mentions that gaming could be part of those activities. And we're willing to bet on that big time.
This 20 percent of seniors logs into Facebook for at least one hour daily. Since it only takes a few minutes to get the dirty work done in a Facebook game, there is likely a large portion of these old folks playing CityVille or what have you. This trend is growing so much so that at one senior center in Sandy City, Utah holds a course to teach seniors the art of Facebook. It's one of the most popular classes they offer.
It seems that FrontierVille and the lot truly are becoming the universal gaming language for first time gamers. While many are crying foul over social gaming's addictive or exploitative tendencies, there's nothing wrong with more folks getting into games. Sure, the gameplay languages between hardcore and casual slash social games are different dialects, but they both stem from the same root.
[Image Credit: Ryan's Go Blog]
Are you a senior that plays social games? What do you think of the increasingly older, and inversely new, demographic of casual and social gamers?
This 20 percent of seniors logs into Facebook for at least one hour daily. Since it only takes a few minutes to get the dirty work done in a Facebook game, there is likely a large portion of these old folks playing CityVille or what have you. This trend is growing so much so that at one senior center in Sandy City, Utah holds a course to teach seniors the art of Facebook. It's one of the most popular classes they offer.
It seems that FrontierVille and the lot truly are becoming the universal gaming language for first time gamers. While many are crying foul over social gaming's addictive or exploitative tendencies, there's nothing wrong with more folks getting into games. Sure, the gameplay languages between hardcore and casual slash social games are different dialects, but they both stem from the same root.
[Image Credit: Ryan's Go Blog]
Are you a senior that plays social games? What do you think of the increasingly older, and inversely new, demographic of casual and social gamers?
CityVille Cheats and Tips: Collections are useful beyond the cash in
Collections are awesome
You all likely know that CityVille Collections offer lots of Energy, coins and other rewards when turned in, which is great. However, Collections are far more important than that in this game, as forum contributor mws_1984 says. There are several items in Collections that are needed for Goals to complete them. So, one could just go cold turkey on Collections in fear of sacrificing an important Goal requirement, or they could be smart about it.
For instance, it's easy to take a look at your current Goals and then what completed Collections you currently have to avoid spending that precious item. Furthermore, this is why it's beneficial to vary your businesses and residencies, though it is obviously not 100 percent necessary. New Goals generally involve requirements that call for new Collection items. So, it would be a good idea to avoid turning those Collections in until after a Goal pops up requiring said items.
For new players, there will plenty of the game's core Goals that require Collection items. Here are the Goals and Collection items to watch out for:
Get Charlie Breakfast
- Have 1 Danish Collection Item
Restaurant Food
- Collect 1 Carrot Soup Collectable
- Collect 1 Pie Collectable
- Collect 1 Coffee Collectable
- Build Restaurant
State Fair Snacks
- Have 1 Strawberry Jam
- Have 1 Corn on Cob
- Have 1 Baby Carrots
Feed The Fans
- Collect 2 Hot Dogs
- Collect 2 Sodas
[Sources: CityVille Goals]
What methods do you use to avoid wasting Collection items on cash-ins? Do you care to finish Goals in CityVille at all or are you just focused on big business?
You all likely know that CityVille Collections offer lots of Energy, coins and other rewards when turned in, which is great. However, Collections are far more important than that in this game, as forum contributor mws_1984 says. There are several items in Collections that are needed for Goals to complete them. So, one could just go cold turkey on Collections in fear of sacrificing an important Goal requirement, or they could be smart about it.
For instance, it's easy to take a look at your current Goals and then what completed Collections you currently have to avoid spending that precious item. Furthermore, this is why it's beneficial to vary your businesses and residencies, though it is obviously not 100 percent necessary. New Goals generally involve requirements that call for new Collection items. So, it would be a good idea to avoid turning those Collections in until after a Goal pops up requiring said items.
For new players, there will plenty of the game's core Goals that require Collection items. Here are the Goals and Collection items to watch out for:
Get Charlie Breakfast
- Have 1 Danish Collection Item
Restaurant Food
- Collect 1 Carrot Soup Collectable
- Collect 1 Pie Collectable
- Collect 1 Coffee Collectable
- Build Restaurant
State Fair Snacks
- Have 1 Strawberry Jam
- Have 1 Corn on Cob
- Have 1 Baby Carrots
Feed The Fans
- Collect 2 Hot Dogs
- Collect 2 Sodas
[Sources: CityVille Goals]
What methods do you use to avoid wasting Collection items on cash-ins? Do you care to finish Goals in CityVille at all or are you just focused on big business?
Lunchtime Poll: Does Facebook game elitism exist?
Once upon a time, there was a wee little, Level 21 pioneer in FrontierVille named Pillowzillow who wanted to be friends with a much hardier Level 70 frontiersman. But with a huff and a puff, the mighty Level 70 pioneer deleted the lowly settler from his friends list and said, "The items you are asking for are beneath me."
As the hoity-toity pioneer removed PillowZillow, he let out a booming guffaw to his high-level friends. Alright, so maybe it didn't exactly like that, but its seems that PillowZillow and a few repliers sure feel that way. So, do Facebook game elitists exist in a genre that's supposed to be dominated by casual, friendly players?
Does Facebook game elitism exist?
Why yes, and my friends and I enjoy being better.I've never experienced anything of the sort, though I'm not surprised.Absolutely not! I have friends of all levels and styles.Sure it does, and I've been a victim of it.
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As the hoity-toity pioneer removed PillowZillow, he let out a booming guffaw to his high-level friends. Alright, so maybe it didn't exactly like that, but its seems that PillowZillow and a few repliers sure feel that way. So, do Facebook game elitists exist in a genre that's supposed to be dominated by casual, friendly players?
Does Facebook game elitism exist?
Why yes, and my friends and I enjoy being better.I've never experienced anything of the sort, though I'm not surprised.Absolutely not! I have friends of all levels and styles.Sure it does, and I've been a victim of it.
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Serf Wars on Facebook: Tyranny has never been this adorable (or fun)
We all like to think of the Middle Ages as a time when kings oversaw their loyal subjects out of respect for the crown, but fear of persecution, imprisonment or death is more like it. And leave it to a Facebook game to address this fact in the briefest and most cutesy way imaginable: Serf Wars. Developed by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Meteor Games, the folks behind Island Paradise, Serf Wars puts you in the role of a castle estate inherited from your late uncle. Like most royal estates during the time period, your subjects are largely serf, or peasants. And that's about as real as this game gets.
Honestly, Serf Wars is not much different from your standard property management game at its core. Structures to build, statistics based on arbitrary factors to maintain and expansion are all accounted for. Among all of the standard tropes of social games including paid transactions, what stands out most is this studio's ability to address a very real element of the past and turn the cute meter all the way up on it. In fact, the adorable look on those eager peasants' faces as they clean up your kingdom's filth almost causes you to forget that, in reality, you're a demanding aristocrat.
Snake N Bake
It's amazing what some cheeky artwork and a bright color palette can do, huh? But back to the gameplay, which revolves around players placating their peasants to prevent revolt (I'd love to see that happen) by providing them with food and pretty things to look at. When you think about it, that sounds oddly topical. Not to mention the ability to create a force of soldiers to protect your serfs from invaders--or are they to protect yourself in the event of an uprising?
To break the doldrums of keeping indentured servants happy and healthy, there is a slew of mini games to play in Serf Wars that provide players with coins and XP. There are only two available to begin with, though six more will unlock as you level up. The first is Snake N Bake, which is little more than the traditional phone game, Snake. However, replace the snake with a sticky glob of dough in a vat. By using the arrow keys, players will have to eat up more dough and toppings while avoiding walls, bugs and running into themselves. While it's nothing but a port, Facebook games need more skill-based gameplay.
Salaboundin'
Salaboundin' is the second game immediately available. Thankfully, this appears to be 100 percent original in that players control a strange, bipedal monster that walks as if it has four legs as it jumps over enemies, cliffs and obstacles. Along the way, your mission to gobble up as many strawberries as possible. What this has to do with serfs in a mythical interpretation of the Middle Ages, I have not in the slightest. Though, it is darn fun--purely because it's refreshing amongst the sea of simulator games. If you can ignore what Meteor Games is ignoring through its incredible art style, then Serf Wars will be a treat.
Click here to play Serf Wars on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Serf Wars? What do you think of medieval social games, especially those that address slavery so directly and indirectly simultaneously?
Honestly, Serf Wars is not much different from your standard property management game at its core. Structures to build, statistics based on arbitrary factors to maintain and expansion are all accounted for. Among all of the standard tropes of social games including paid transactions, what stands out most is this studio's ability to address a very real element of the past and turn the cute meter all the way up on it. In fact, the adorable look on those eager peasants' faces as they clean up your kingdom's filth almost causes you to forget that, in reality, you're a demanding aristocrat.
Snake N Bake
It's amazing what some cheeky artwork and a bright color palette can do, huh? But back to the gameplay, which revolves around players placating their peasants to prevent revolt (I'd love to see that happen) by providing them with food and pretty things to look at. When you think about it, that sounds oddly topical. Not to mention the ability to create a force of soldiers to protect your serfs from invaders--or are they to protect yourself in the event of an uprising?
To break the doldrums of keeping indentured servants happy and healthy, there is a slew of mini games to play in Serf Wars that provide players with coins and XP. There are only two available to begin with, though six more will unlock as you level up. The first is Snake N Bake, which is little more than the traditional phone game, Snake. However, replace the snake with a sticky glob of dough in a vat. By using the arrow keys, players will have to eat up more dough and toppings while avoiding walls, bugs and running into themselves. While it's nothing but a port, Facebook games need more skill-based gameplay.
Salaboundin'
Salaboundin' is the second game immediately available. Thankfully, this appears to be 100 percent original in that players control a strange, bipedal monster that walks as if it has four legs as it jumps over enemies, cliffs and obstacles. Along the way, your mission to gobble up as many strawberries as possible. What this has to do with serfs in a mythical interpretation of the Middle Ages, I have not in the slightest. Though, it is darn fun--purely because it's refreshing amongst the sea of simulator games. If you can ignore what Meteor Games is ignoring through its incredible art style, then Serf Wars will be a treat.
Click here to play Serf Wars on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Serf Wars? What do you think of medieval social games, especially those that address slavery so directly and indirectly simultaneously?
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