Click here to see the winner!
In the finale of our March Madness Facebook Game Showdown, we have what can only be described as shocking turn of events. We have a finals match-up between two games that no one would have thought would have made it to the last round -- Pet Society by PlayFish and Bejeweled Blitz by Pop Cap.
playfish popcap march madness facebook game showdownClick the image to see the bracket!
Pet Society was an underrated competitor, which was able to tap into its popularity and vanquish newer games with more current players. Pet Society defeated Zynga's Treasure Isle fairly easily 60% to 40%.
The HUGE upset in our tournament has been Bejeweled Blitz's gutsy victory over the behemoth of CityVille. To give you perspective on the magnitude of this upset you need only one piece of information: CityVille has 19 million daily players while Bejeweled Blitz has a modest 3 million plus. Amazing! Bejeweled Blitz won by the slimmest of margins, 52% to 48%.
If we would have told you at the beginning of our tournament that no game made by Zynga would have made the finals you would have laughed at us. Zynga games made up half the field and nearly all the higher seeded games. To say that this finals match-up is a Cinderella story is an understatement. Or, as Dicky V of ESPN would say "It's TOTALLY AWESOME, BABY!"
So -- now is the time to pick which Facebook will win our Showdown this year. Vote early (and often) in the poll below.
Sorry, this poll is now closed. Final results will be posted soon. Thanks for visiting Games.com - The Blog!
Click here to see the winner!
Friday, December 30, 2011
PopCap launches 4th & Battery games label for Facebook, iPhone, & PC games
While PopCap may be known as the developer behind some of the most polished (and popular) PC, mobile, and Facebook games released to date (just take a look at Bejeweled Blitz for one example, which is in the finals of our March Madness Facebook game showdown), all of that time spent fine-tuning just a few games leaves the company's employees with a need to blow off some creative steam.
In come Ed Allard, Executive Vice President of Studios at PopCap to announce 4th & Battery, the company's new small games label that will be creating games for all manner of platforms, including PC, iPhone, and even Facebook games. The label's first announced game is Unpleasant Horse, and while it might be a mobile game, it does give us an idea of just how much "weirdness" (that's a quote) we can expect from this new division. Unpleasant Horse follows, you guessed it, a very unpleasant horse that has wings and destroys small birds or lands on other horses, sending them into the ground into a meat grinder. Doing this will reward you with extra points and "special bonuses." Obviously, the game will be meant for mature audiences, but it will be released for free later this month on the Apple App Store for all who are interested.
Jason Kapalka, CCO at PopCap, gives more of an explanation as to what to expect from 4th & Battery, via a company press release.
"4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It's kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films. Expect weirdness."
While no announcements have been made as to when an "experimental" new game will be coming to Facebook, we'll make sure to stay on top of things and let you know when that changes.
What do you think of the concept of the 4th & Battery games label? Are you looking forward to seeing what outlandish, creative titles these normally reserved developers can come up with?
In come Ed Allard, Executive Vice President of Studios at PopCap to announce 4th & Battery, the company's new small games label that will be creating games for all manner of platforms, including PC, iPhone, and even Facebook games. The label's first announced game is Unpleasant Horse, and while it might be a mobile game, it does give us an idea of just how much "weirdness" (that's a quote) we can expect from this new division. Unpleasant Horse follows, you guessed it, a very unpleasant horse that has wings and destroys small birds or lands on other horses, sending them into the ground into a meat grinder. Doing this will reward you with extra points and "special bonuses." Obviously, the game will be meant for mature audiences, but it will be released for free later this month on the Apple App Store for all who are interested.
Jason Kapalka, CCO at PopCap, gives more of an explanation as to what to expect from 4th & Battery, via a company press release.
"4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It's kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films. Expect weirdness."
While no announcements have been made as to when an "experimental" new game will be coming to Facebook, we'll make sure to stay on top of things and let you know when that changes.
What do you think of the concept of the 4th & Battery games label? Are you looking forward to seeing what outlandish, creative titles these normally reserved developers can come up with?
Crowdstar Cares campaign aids Japan relief through AmeriCares
Crowdstar games
It seems like every year, there's at least one disaster somewhere in the world that gets all the major social games companies in the giving mood. So far, on the current crisis in Japan, we've reported that Playfish has partnered with Mercy Corps, while Zynga has engaged in a massive outreach of their fans for donations going to Save the Children. On a smaller scale, there's Crowdstar, whose previous relief effort was teaming up with the National Wildlife Foundation to fight the BP oil spill.
To help Japan, Crowdstar is offering special Limited Edition virtual items in three of its Facebook games: Happy Aquarium, It Girl, and Happy Pets. Each item costs 88 Facebook Credits (roughly $9 USD) and Crowdstar has promised that all proceeds will go to AmeriCares, which has thanked Crowdstar for the help on their Facebook page. This campaign will end by April 8th. Take a look at all three items below:
Happy Pets Mini Purple Crowdstar Cat
Mini purple crowdstar cat from Happy Pets
It Girl Japanese Kimono
It Girl Japanese Kimono
Happy Aquarium Japanese Ranchu Goldfish Happy Aquarium Japanese Ranchu Goldfish
It seems like every year, there's at least one disaster somewhere in the world that gets all the major social games companies in the giving mood. So far, on the current crisis in Japan, we've reported that Playfish has partnered with Mercy Corps, while Zynga has engaged in a massive outreach of their fans for donations going to Save the Children. On a smaller scale, there's Crowdstar, whose previous relief effort was teaming up with the National Wildlife Foundation to fight the BP oil spill.
To help Japan, Crowdstar is offering special Limited Edition virtual items in three of its Facebook games: Happy Aquarium, It Girl, and Happy Pets. Each item costs 88 Facebook Credits (roughly $9 USD) and Crowdstar has promised that all proceeds will go to AmeriCares, which has thanked Crowdstar for the help on their Facebook page. This campaign will end by April 8th. Take a look at all three items below:
Happy Pets Mini Purple Crowdstar Cat
Mini purple crowdstar cat from Happy Pets
It Girl Japanese Kimono
It Girl Japanese Kimono
Happy Aquarium Japanese Ranchu Goldfish Happy Aquarium Japanese Ranchu Goldfish
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: Sebright Chicken, Red Phone Booth, & More
Don't worry if your English Countryside is still looking a little empty in FarmVille, as Zynga is apparently planning to release even more new items in the current English Countryside limited edition theme, if these newest unreleased images are to be believed (which they should).
There's a bit of a variety in this newest set of items, as we have one animal, one building, and one decoration to show you. The animal is the Sebright Chicken, and while it will likely be able to be placed in a Chicken Coop, we wouldn't be surprised if this is one item that is locked to only being placed on your second farm in England, rather than on your Home Farm.
As for the other two items, they are the English Bed & Breakfast building, or the English B&B for short, and the Red Phone Booth. If you aren't a fan of the mysterious Blue Police Box which we believe was released as a nod to Dr. Who fans, this will be your chance to add a similar item in another color to your farm instead.
We'll make sure to let you know when these items are released in the game, along with their prices or other details about how they can be obtained so keep checking back.
Which of these three items would you most like to add to your farm, or do you want them all?
There's a bit of a variety in this newest set of items, as we have one animal, one building, and one decoration to show you. The animal is the Sebright Chicken, and while it will likely be able to be placed in a Chicken Coop, we wouldn't be surprised if this is one item that is locked to only being placed on your second farm in England, rather than on your Home Farm.
As for the other two items, they are the English Bed & Breakfast building, or the English B&B for short, and the Red Phone Booth. If you aren't a fan of the mysterious Blue Police Box which we believe was released as a nod to Dr. Who fans, this will be your chance to add a similar item in another color to your farm instead.
We'll make sure to let you know when these items are released in the game, along with their prices or other details about how they can be obtained so keep checking back.
Which of these three items would you most like to add to your farm, or do you want them all?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Cricket, Polo and Equestrian items coming soon
Are any of you Cricket or Polo players/fans? Do you spend time in Equestrian activities? It looks like Zynga will be releasing a few items in FarmVille that are just for you (or anyone that decides to purchase them), as we've come across images of not only new Cricket decorations, but also a Polo outfit for your FarmVille avatar, and an equestrian fence.
The new items are (from left to right in the image above) the Cricket Garden, the Cricket Gnome, a Horse Jumping Fence, and a Polo Outfit or costume for your avatar. As of right now, we're not sure if there will be more items in each of these three sporting themes (we're fairly confident at least a cricket outfit will be released), but we can only assume that Zynga will eventually create outfits for the other two sports, or even some more decorative items for those that want to turn their farms into a sport zone.
We'll make sure to let you know when these items are released, along with whether or not they are alone.
Which of these three sports is your favorite? Will you decorate your farm to show off that you're a fan?
The new items are (from left to right in the image above) the Cricket Garden, the Cricket Gnome, a Horse Jumping Fence, and a Polo Outfit or costume for your avatar. As of right now, we're not sure if there will be more items in each of these three sporting themes (we're fairly confident at least a cricket outfit will be released), but we can only assume that Zynga will eventually create outfits for the other two sports, or even some more decorative items for those that want to turn their farms into a sport zone.
We'll make sure to let you know when these items are released, along with whether or not they are alone.
Which of these three sports is your favorite? Will you decorate your farm to show off that you're a fan?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
FarmVille Enchanted Love Decorations: Romantic Cottage, Wedding Fountain, Princess Gnome & More
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of seven new decorative items in the Enchanted Love limited edition item theme, inspired by the real world wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, just like the animals released this evening (the Welsh Corgi and Knight Steed), this set of "new" items actually contains some re-releases from past themes. We'll make sure to let you know what those are (saving you some coins / Farm Cash) as we go along.
First, a new building is available in the form of the Romantic Cottage. This cottage is accessorized with lovely pink ribbons along the roof line, and you can add one to your farm(s) for 20 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for purchasing the building, and as it doesn't necessarily scream "wedding," you could keep this item around for Valentine's Day, anniversary celebrations or any other "love" themed event you can imagine. I don't know about you, but I love items that can multi-task, and this is definitely one of them.
Along with the Romantic Cottage, six "new" decorative items are available to purchase, with only half of these items truly being new to the game. The three completely new items are the Wedding Fountain, Wedding Bouquet, and Flower Pot, which cost 12 Farm Cash, 100,000 coins, and 20,000 coins each, respectively.
Meanwhile, make sure you check your Storage Sheds or Cellars before purchasing the Prince or Princess Gnomes, along with the pieces of Wedding Fences, as we've seen these items in the game before. The Prince Gnome and Princess Gnome go for 15 Farm Cash each, but were originally seen back in the Fairy Tale theme back in February (for the same price). Meanwhile, the Wedding Fence was also seen back in February, but in the Valentine's Day theme.
All told, while none of the re-released items have become more expensive, it's always smarter to take a few seconds to check your storage buildings before spending more Farm Cash / coins, so I hope I saved you some cash there. If you haven't purchased any of these items previously, they, along with the entirely new items, will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. While these items may come back at a later date (three of these items are proof of that), do you really want to take the chance that they won't? Yeah, I don't either. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some new decorations for my farm!
Did you already own the re-released items in tonight's theme, or will you purchase everything for the first time now?
First, a new building is available in the form of the Romantic Cottage. This cottage is accessorized with lovely pink ribbons along the roof line, and you can add one to your farm(s) for 20 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for purchasing the building, and as it doesn't necessarily scream "wedding," you could keep this item around for Valentine's Day, anniversary celebrations or any other "love" themed event you can imagine. I don't know about you, but I love items that can multi-task, and this is definitely one of them.
Along with the Romantic Cottage, six "new" decorative items are available to purchase, with only half of these items truly being new to the game. The three completely new items are the Wedding Fountain, Wedding Bouquet, and Flower Pot, which cost 12 Farm Cash, 100,000 coins, and 20,000 coins each, respectively.
Meanwhile, make sure you check your Storage Sheds or Cellars before purchasing the Prince or Princess Gnomes, along with the pieces of Wedding Fences, as we've seen these items in the game before. The Prince Gnome and Princess Gnome go for 15 Farm Cash each, but were originally seen back in the Fairy Tale theme back in February (for the same price). Meanwhile, the Wedding Fence was also seen back in February, but in the Valentine's Day theme.
All told, while none of the re-released items have become more expensive, it's always smarter to take a few seconds to check your storage buildings before spending more Farm Cash / coins, so I hope I saved you some cash there. If you haven't purchased any of these items previously, they, along with the entirely new items, will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. While these items may come back at a later date (three of these items are proof of that), do you really want to take the chance that they won't? Yeah, I don't either. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some new decorations for my farm!
Did you already own the re-released items in tonight's theme, or will you purchase everything for the first time now?
FarmVille Enchanted Love Avatar Items: Wedding Dress now available, Tux already in market
With tonight's update, we see the release of the piece de resistance of FarmVille's Enchanted Love / Royal Wedding limited edition item theme - the Wedding Dress avatar item. What (traditional) wedding is complete without a flowing white gown being worn by the bride? If you agree, you can now purchase one for your in-game avatar, complete with a veil and tiara, for 10 Farm Cash. To be clear, that's 10 Farm Cash for the entire outfit - you won't have to purchase the veil separately.
"But where's the groom's tux?" I hear you asking / sense you thinking. The answer to that is simple - the Black Tuxedo item is already in the game, as a permanent clothing item available to purchase. The price? 30 Farm Cash. Yeah, that's a bit steep, but if you're a male player that wants to dress up in celebration of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, that's a price you'll unfortunately need to accept.
Unfortunately, where you can wait forever to purchase the Black Tuxedo, you don't have the luxury of doing the same with the Wedding Dress, as all purchases must be made within the next two weeks.
Tell us what you think. Is the Black Tuxedo overpriced compared to the Wedding Dress, or do you think it's a fair price considering that more individual Wedding Dresses will be purchased in the game than Tuxes?
"But where's the groom's tux?" I hear you asking / sense you thinking. The answer to that is simple - the Black Tuxedo item is already in the game, as a permanent clothing item available to purchase. The price? 30 Farm Cash. Yeah, that's a bit steep, but if you're a male player that wants to dress up in celebration of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, that's a price you'll unfortunately need to accept.
Unfortunately, where you can wait forever to purchase the Black Tuxedo, you don't have the luxury of doing the same with the Wedding Dress, as all purchases must be made within the next two weeks.
Tell us what you think. Is the Black Tuxedo overpriced compared to the Wedding Dress, or do you think it's a fair price considering that more individual Wedding Dresses will be purchased in the game than Tuxes?
FarmVille: Sheep Breeding changes again with official release of two new patterns
Well, that didn't take long. Just a day after putting their foot down about illegal sheep and pig breeding in FarmVille, Zynga has backed off a bit with an official announcement on the FarmVille forums, that details the release of two new official patterns to the game, allowing you to get back to breeding some of those colorful (and neatly patterned) Lambs.
The two new patterns are camouflage and stars, and they come by way of the Purple Camo Ram and the Purple Stars Ram, both available to purchase in the store for 30 Farm Cash each. A high price, yes, but one that's totally avoidable if you already have sheep on your land with those patterns intact, as they are now able to be bred as normal. As for other patterns, like the "eye-patch" pattern, Zynga says that they're not sure if that pattern will ever be made officially available, as it's "a bit messed up." However, new colors and patterns will be coming to the game soon, including the "flasher" color that we'll see "soonish." We'll even see a bit of a redesign of the current breeding system, but that's not to be released quite so soon.
For the complete (lengthy) new clarification on Sheep Breeding, meet us behind the break.
Community Manager Stumpgrinder lays the changes out for us:
Well yesterday's announcement sure caused a bit of commotion. We do understand your point of view, and we don't want you to feel like those pigs and sheep you claimed from your feed, spent bottles to grow and and then bred more with love potions and more bottles, are all going to waste.
Tonight we'll be adding two rams into the Market with official patterns: a white starred ram and a white camo ram. Unfortunately we wound up blocking the "hooded" pattern (which you get from Brutus the Ram) the other day and we'll be putting that back in tonight too.
So yes, all three of these patterns will be now allowed, meaning that after we update tonight you can breed with those patterns if you have them on your farm. Purchase is not required if you already have animals with those patterns to breed those patterns. And of course you can buy the two rams mentioned above from the Market and breed with them too. Note that the so-called "eye-patch" or "patch" pattern is not an official pattern and may not ever be one since it's a bit messed up. New pig patterns may not be available for a bit longer.
In the near future we'll be putting forth brand new patterns as well as colors (including the "flasher" color, which you may see soonish). This will also accompany a bit of a re-vamp about breeding and how it works so it's a bit more robust and fun, though that's a wee bit further down the road.
We're also investigating claims about getting all of one color (notably white) for completely allowed animals, complaints that generally center around FC rams and ewes. So far using various combinations we haven't reproduced a combination that has generated all whites all the time, though we have seen some other oddities that are under continued investigation.
Finally, there may be some clarification needed regarding breeding and pattern inheritance as it stands today:
If the patterns of the parents do not match, there is a chance that the offspring will inherit the father's pattern.
If the patterns of the parents do match, the chance of inheriting that pattern is greatly enhanced.
And there you have it. All that Zynga has to say on the current state of affairs with Pig and Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. With such a huge (and popular) feature in the game, it's great to see that Zynga is actively trying to achieve a balance with all players, and when (if) they update the system yet again, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of the release of these two new patterns in the game? Do you want the flasher color to be the next thing Zynga works on? What other patterns would you like to see?
The two new patterns are camouflage and stars, and they come by way of the Purple Camo Ram and the Purple Stars Ram, both available to purchase in the store for 30 Farm Cash each. A high price, yes, but one that's totally avoidable if you already have sheep on your land with those patterns intact, as they are now able to be bred as normal. As for other patterns, like the "eye-patch" pattern, Zynga says that they're not sure if that pattern will ever be made officially available, as it's "a bit messed up." However, new colors and patterns will be coming to the game soon, including the "flasher" color that we'll see "soonish." We'll even see a bit of a redesign of the current breeding system, but that's not to be released quite so soon.
For the complete (lengthy) new clarification on Sheep Breeding, meet us behind the break.
Community Manager Stumpgrinder lays the changes out for us:
Well yesterday's announcement sure caused a bit of commotion. We do understand your point of view, and we don't want you to feel like those pigs and sheep you claimed from your feed, spent bottles to grow and and then bred more with love potions and more bottles, are all going to waste.
Tonight we'll be adding two rams into the Market with official patterns: a white starred ram and a white camo ram. Unfortunately we wound up blocking the "hooded" pattern (which you get from Brutus the Ram) the other day and we'll be putting that back in tonight too.
So yes, all three of these patterns will be now allowed, meaning that after we update tonight you can breed with those patterns if you have them on your farm. Purchase is not required if you already have animals with those patterns to breed those patterns. And of course you can buy the two rams mentioned above from the Market and breed with them too. Note that the so-called "eye-patch" or "patch" pattern is not an official pattern and may not ever be one since it's a bit messed up. New pig patterns may not be available for a bit longer.
In the near future we'll be putting forth brand new patterns as well as colors (including the "flasher" color, which you may see soonish). This will also accompany a bit of a re-vamp about breeding and how it works so it's a bit more robust and fun, though that's a wee bit further down the road.
We're also investigating claims about getting all of one color (notably white) for completely allowed animals, complaints that generally center around FC rams and ewes. So far using various combinations we haven't reproduced a combination that has generated all whites all the time, though we have seen some other oddities that are under continued investigation.
Finally, there may be some clarification needed regarding breeding and pattern inheritance as it stands today:
If the patterns of the parents do not match, there is a chance that the offspring will inherit the father's pattern.
If the patterns of the parents do match, the chance of inheriting that pattern is greatly enhanced.
And there you have it. All that Zynga has to say on the current state of affairs with Pig and Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. With such a huge (and popular) feature in the game, it's great to see that Zynga is actively trying to achieve a balance with all players, and when (if) they update the system yet again, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of the release of these two new patterns in the game? Do you want the flasher color to be the next thing Zynga works on? What other patterns would you like to see?
FarmVille English Countryside Village Faire Goals: Everything you need to know
The last set of goals released in the English Countryside in FarmVille came at the beginning of April, so it's only fitting that new goals are released at the end of the month as well. Tonight's FarmVille update brought with it "Chapter 6" of the English Countryside goal series, this set dealing with the Village Faire. Your first goal is called A Delightful Bouquet, and you're introduced to the quest by Agatha, who wants you to complete three tasks dealing with flowers.
Complete the Cornflower Contingency Job
Harvest 100 English Roses
Harvest 100 Foxglove
English Roses cost 125 coins per square and are grown in six hours, while Fox Glove is planted for 101 coins per square and takes 12 hours to grow. The kicker of this mission is the Cornflower Contingency job, as this is a full-on (read: difficult) co-op farming job that you'll need to recruit a heck of a lot of friends to finish (or simply pay Farm Cash to skip).
Meet us behind the break for details on this co-op farming job, along with the quests that come after.
The Cornflower Contingency co-op job requires you to plant and harvest Cornflower 1200 times. This wouldn't be a huge problem if Cornflower grew quickly, but at 16 hours, you'll need to have a lot of help from friends (or, again, deep pockets) in order to finish this one within the two days that you have to earn the Bronze Medal. The Gold Medal is earned by completing the job in less than 19 hours, if you're feeling up to it.
Either way, finishing this mission earns you 100 XP, 4 Country Hedges, and 2,500 coins.
After that difficult quest, the next isn't as hard, as you move onto a Lamb-themed quest called Let Us Entertain Ewe. This quest has one requirement:
Place 3 Lambs on your farm
Simple enough - simply breed or adopt three Lambs and then place them from your Gift Box onto you farm to finish the quest. Doing so will reward you with 100 XP, 1 Town Fountain and 2,500 coins.
Quest three is called On the House, and it brings the Pub into the mix.
Make the Barley Crumpets recipe 3 Times
Make the Lionhead Ale recipe 3 Times
Get 6 Lemons
The Lemons are earned through a general news feed post asking for help. The Barley Crumpets are made using three English Roses bushels, two English Peas bushels and two Barley bushels. The Lionhead Ale recipe takes three Royal Hops bushels, two Barley bushels and two English Roses bushels. Finishing this quest might take you a few days, but doing so will net you the Lemonade Stand decoration, along with 2,500 coins and 100 XP.
Quest four is called A Faire to Remember, and it concludes Chapter 6 with the actual arrival of the Village Faire. You'll need to complete two rather simple (if a bit time-consuming) tasks to finish this one off:
Harvest 200 Cara Potatoes
Fertilize plots' on neighbor' farms 25 Times
Cara Potatoes are the English Countryside's longest growing crop, taking two full days to be ready to harvest. In that time, you should have no problem visiting at least five friends' farms and fertilizing five plots of land each, and once you do so, you'll have finished the faire! Your rewards are a Riding Outfit for your avatar, along with the expected 2,500 coins and 100 XP.
Once you have finished Chapter 6, the fun in the English Countryside isn't over, as Chapter 7 has been released as well. Want to see what those goals entail? Meet us back here soon, as we'll bring you a complete guide to finishing those goals as well! Check out our full guide to completing Chapter 7, where you'll meet Henry and teach him the basics of being a true farmer!
[Image Credit Goals 2-4: FarmVille Blog]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you started completing the Village Faire goals in FarmVille? What do you think of the requirement to finish a co-op job in one of the goals?
Complete the Cornflower Contingency Job
Harvest 100 English Roses
Harvest 100 Foxglove
English Roses cost 125 coins per square and are grown in six hours, while Fox Glove is planted for 101 coins per square and takes 12 hours to grow. The kicker of this mission is the Cornflower Contingency job, as this is a full-on (read: difficult) co-op farming job that you'll need to recruit a heck of a lot of friends to finish (or simply pay Farm Cash to skip).
Meet us behind the break for details on this co-op farming job, along with the quests that come after.
The Cornflower Contingency co-op job requires you to plant and harvest Cornflower 1200 times. This wouldn't be a huge problem if Cornflower grew quickly, but at 16 hours, you'll need to have a lot of help from friends (or, again, deep pockets) in order to finish this one within the two days that you have to earn the Bronze Medal. The Gold Medal is earned by completing the job in less than 19 hours, if you're feeling up to it.
Either way, finishing this mission earns you 100 XP, 4 Country Hedges, and 2,500 coins.
After that difficult quest, the next isn't as hard, as you move onto a Lamb-themed quest called Let Us Entertain Ewe. This quest has one requirement:
Place 3 Lambs on your farm
Simple enough - simply breed or adopt three Lambs and then place them from your Gift Box onto you farm to finish the quest. Doing so will reward you with 100 XP, 1 Town Fountain and 2,500 coins.
Quest three is called On the House, and it brings the Pub into the mix.
Make the Barley Crumpets recipe 3 Times
Make the Lionhead Ale recipe 3 Times
Get 6 Lemons
The Lemons are earned through a general news feed post asking for help. The Barley Crumpets are made using three English Roses bushels, two English Peas bushels and two Barley bushels. The Lionhead Ale recipe takes three Royal Hops bushels, two Barley bushels and two English Roses bushels. Finishing this quest might take you a few days, but doing so will net you the Lemonade Stand decoration, along with 2,500 coins and 100 XP.
Quest four is called A Faire to Remember, and it concludes Chapter 6 with the actual arrival of the Village Faire. You'll need to complete two rather simple (if a bit time-consuming) tasks to finish this one off:
Harvest 200 Cara Potatoes
Fertilize plots' on neighbor' farms 25 Times
Cara Potatoes are the English Countryside's longest growing crop, taking two full days to be ready to harvest. In that time, you should have no problem visiting at least five friends' farms and fertilizing five plots of land each, and once you do so, you'll have finished the faire! Your rewards are a Riding Outfit for your avatar, along with the expected 2,500 coins and 100 XP.
Once you have finished Chapter 6, the fun in the English Countryside isn't over, as Chapter 7 has been released as well. Want to see what those goals entail? Meet us back here soon, as we'll bring you a complete guide to finishing those goals as well! Check out our full guide to completing Chapter 7, where you'll meet Henry and teach him the basics of being a true farmer!
[Image Credit Goals 2-4: FarmVille Blog]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you started completing the Village Faire goals in FarmVille? What do you think of the requirement to finish a co-op job in one of the goals?
FarmVille English Countryside Back to Basics Goals: Everything you need to know
After you've completed the Village Faire goals in FarmVille's English Countryside, you'll be introduced to Henry, the Duke's son, who is desperately in love with Lucy, but has no idea how to be a good farmer! You'll need to help him out in Chapter 7 of the game's English Countryside storyline, so let's get right down to business, shall we?
The first quest is called Back to Basics, and it has you completing just two tasks, both of which can be done at the same time (should you have rebuilt your Super Combine, that is).
Plow 200 Plots
Harvest 200 English Peas
English Peas take 12 hours to grow, and can be planted for 200 coins per square. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 200 XP, five Fences and 2,500 coins.
Once you've taught Henry the basics of plowing and planting crops, you'll move onto the second goal, called Building Blocks, which teaches Henry about the various buildings on your farm.
Harvest your Chicken Coop Twice
Harvest your Horse Stable Twice
Craft Duke's Stout to Level 15
If you're reading our guide before unlocking these goals on your farm, this is as good of a warning as I could ever give you - start crafting all of the Duke's Stout that you can to make sure that you're at Level 15 before this quest launches, so as to not get stuck at this point. If you have finished all of the missions up to this point, then I hope you have a bunch of bushels on-hand to quickly get you through, as I sure don't. Finishing this goal gives you 200 XP, another five fences and 2,500 coins.
Goal three is called A Growing Concern, and it tasks you with teaching Henry some new tricks around the farm.
Achieve Level 1 Mastery of Field Beans
Complete the Amazing Aster Job
Use a Combine 50 Times
While the Field Beans and Combine tasks can be completed simultaneously (Field Beans are grown for 80 coins per square and take 16 hours to grow), the Amazing Aster task is a full co-op farming job that must be completed (or skipped with Farm Cash) before you can move on. The job asks you to harvest a whopping 1200 Pink Asters (which grows in one day) to finish, and you'll have two days to finish the job with friends to earn the Bronze medal. If you want to really challenge yourself, try for the Gold Medal, which is earned by finishing in under 19 hours.
For finishing this co-op mission, and the other two tasks, you'll receive 5,000 coins, 250 XP and 4 Flower Pots.
This brings us to the end of Chapter 7, with a quest called Being Neighbourly. If you're a bit tired after completing all of these previous quests, I assure you - pushing on to the finish will be worth it.
Fertilize plots on neighbors' farms 40 times
Get 6 Testimonials
Expand to English Freehold
The English Freehold is the 18x18 farm expansion, which can be unlocked for 100,000 coins, should you have enough Surveyors to help you (just ask friends individually to help you expand). The Testimonials, meanwhile, are earned through a general news feed post. For finishing this final quest, you'll earn 500 XP, one Heather Knoll and - wait for it - you'll unlock Lush Soil for your Home Farm! As with Lush Soil on the English Countryside farms, you'll be able to earn extra bushels and crop mastery for farming on your Home Farm with this new Lush Soil. I told you it was worth it!
After all of this hard work has been completed, you'll once again be at a standstill in the English Countryside, until Zynga can release more goals. There's a lot of work ahead of us to get here though, so good luck as you make your way through these goals!
The first quest is called Back to Basics, and it has you completing just two tasks, both of which can be done at the same time (should you have rebuilt your Super Combine, that is).
Plow 200 Plots
Harvest 200 English Peas
English Peas take 12 hours to grow, and can be planted for 200 coins per square. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 200 XP, five Fences and 2,500 coins.
Once you've taught Henry the basics of plowing and planting crops, you'll move onto the second goal, called Building Blocks, which teaches Henry about the various buildings on your farm.
Harvest your Chicken Coop Twice
Harvest your Horse Stable Twice
Craft Duke's Stout to Level 15
If you're reading our guide before unlocking these goals on your farm, this is as good of a warning as I could ever give you - start crafting all of the Duke's Stout that you can to make sure that you're at Level 15 before this quest launches, so as to not get stuck at this point. If you have finished all of the missions up to this point, then I hope you have a bunch of bushels on-hand to quickly get you through, as I sure don't. Finishing this goal gives you 200 XP, another five fences and 2,500 coins.
Goal three is called A Growing Concern, and it tasks you with teaching Henry some new tricks around the farm.
Achieve Level 1 Mastery of Field Beans
Complete the Amazing Aster Job
Use a Combine 50 Times
While the Field Beans and Combine tasks can be completed simultaneously (Field Beans are grown for 80 coins per square and take 16 hours to grow), the Amazing Aster task is a full co-op farming job that must be completed (or skipped with Farm Cash) before you can move on. The job asks you to harvest a whopping 1200 Pink Asters (which grows in one day) to finish, and you'll have two days to finish the job with friends to earn the Bronze medal. If you want to really challenge yourself, try for the Gold Medal, which is earned by finishing in under 19 hours.
For finishing this co-op mission, and the other two tasks, you'll receive 5,000 coins, 250 XP and 4 Flower Pots.
This brings us to the end of Chapter 7, with a quest called Being Neighbourly. If you're a bit tired after completing all of these previous quests, I assure you - pushing on to the finish will be worth it.
Fertilize plots on neighbors' farms 40 times
Get 6 Testimonials
Expand to English Freehold
The English Freehold is the 18x18 farm expansion, which can be unlocked for 100,000 coins, should you have enough Surveyors to help you (just ask friends individually to help you expand). The Testimonials, meanwhile, are earned through a general news feed post. For finishing this final quest, you'll earn 500 XP, one Heather Knoll and - wait for it - you'll unlock Lush Soil for your Home Farm! As with Lush Soil on the English Countryside farms, you'll be able to earn extra bushels and crop mastery for farming on your Home Farm with this new Lush Soil. I told you it was worth it!
After all of this hard work has been completed, you'll once again be at a standstill in the English Countryside, until Zynga can release more goals. There's a lot of work ahead of us to get here though, so good luck as you make your way through these goals!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
FarmVille / Edy's Fruit Bars Farm Cash Giveaway now live; do you feel lucky?
Back in May, we brought you a sneak peek at a new cross-promotional giveaway being offered in FarmVille between Zynga and Edy's / Dreyer's Fruit Bars. These frozen snacks can be found at most grocery stores (the name might be different depending on which state in the US that you live in, but the packaging looks the same), and for a limited time, you'll have a chance of finding FarmVille branded boxes that contain codes that you can enter back on Facebook.
To be specific, you must enter your codes on Edy's Facebook fan page. Look on the left-hand menu and select "FarmVille Farm Cash Giveaway" to see a form you can fill out.
If you don't have a code, you can generate one for free by selecting the appropriate button. No matter how you earn your codes, you can enter up to three per day. Don't get too excited though, as most codes won't be winners. This promotion is more like a lottery than a guarantee, and even paid codes out of purchased boxes of the Fruit Bars aren't guaranteed to reward you with anything (bummer, huh?). Still, 3,500 players will walk away with 50 Farm Cash, 1,500 players will win 100 Farm Cash and 250 players will win 500 Farm Cash each. The grand prize (for 50 players) is even better - a whopping 1,000 Farm Cash! Just think of all of the limited edition trees, decorations, animals, etc. you could buy with that kind of cash!
Of course, you'll need to have an insane amount of luck to win the grand prize (or seemingly any prize) at this point, but if you've got a sweet tooth and some real world cash to spare, this is definitely a promotion to keep in mind while shopping this summer.
To be specific, you must enter your codes on Edy's Facebook fan page. Look on the left-hand menu and select "FarmVille Farm Cash Giveaway" to see a form you can fill out.
If you don't have a code, you can generate one for free by selecting the appropriate button. No matter how you earn your codes, you can enter up to three per day. Don't get too excited though, as most codes won't be winners. This promotion is more like a lottery than a guarantee, and even paid codes out of purchased boxes of the Fruit Bars aren't guaranteed to reward you with anything (bummer, huh?). Still, 3,500 players will walk away with 50 Farm Cash, 1,500 players will win 100 Farm Cash and 250 players will win 500 Farm Cash each. The grand prize (for 50 players) is even better - a whopping 1,000 Farm Cash! Just think of all of the limited edition trees, decorations, animals, etc. you could buy with that kind of cash!
Of course, you'll need to have an insane amount of luck to win the grand prize (or seemingly any prize) at this point, but if you've got a sweet tooth and some real world cash to spare, this is definitely a promotion to keep in mind while shopping this summer.
Earn 3 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Capital One promotion
If you're in need of a few extra FarmVille Farm Cash, Zynga has launched a new cross-promotional activity with Capital One that will reward you with three Farm Cash for simply watching a video and taking a short "quiz." You'll find the Capital One activity in the Sponsored Link [pictured] located underneath your FarmVille gameplay area.
This video features the Visigoths, who always seem to find their way into mischief while showing you how you can use your Capital One credit card. You won't exactly have to pay attention to the video though, as the quiz is more of a survey than anything really testing your memory or knowledge. You will have a fill-in-the-blank question at the end of the activity, but again, this doesn't slow things down and you'll have your free Farm Cash in a matter of seconds. If they don't automatically update into your game, simply refresh FarmVille and that should force things to go into place.
This video features the Visigoths, who always seem to find their way into mischief while showing you how you can use your Capital One credit card. You won't exactly have to pay attention to the video though, as the quiz is more of a survey than anything really testing your memory or knowledge. You will have a fill-in-the-blank question at the end of the activity, but again, this doesn't slow things down and you'll have your free Farm Cash in a matter of seconds. If they don't automatically update into your game, simply refresh FarmVille and that should force things to go into place.
FarmVille: Capital One in-game promotion offers Visigoth costumes and double mastery
In addition to the new three free Farm Cash Capital One activity (say that three times fast!) currently available in FarmVille, there are additional in-game items that fit in with this newest cross-promotion. For one, you can now "purchase" two Visigoth Costumes for your avatar from the store. There's a costume for either men or women, and they are free to add to your wardrobe. You will, however, have to go into the store and go through the act of "purchasing" them (for zero coins) to complete the deal. And yes, you can buy both the male and female costumes regardless of your avatar's gender.
As for the rest of this promotion, it's something I think you're really going to like. You'll be able to add a Capital One Visigoth Statue to your farm that will activate double mastery for a period of seven days after its placed (yes, this too is free). While the statue is still rolling out to users, the costumes should be there for the taking. My guess is a technical glitch or other issue has slowed the release of the statue (not surprising, since it will change the game's farming mechanic for a period), but we have a full image of what the statue looks like at right. We also know that the statue will be available in the game's store, so keep refreshing until you find one for yourself!
As for the rest of this promotion, it's something I think you're really going to like. You'll be able to add a Capital One Visigoth Statue to your farm that will activate double mastery for a period of seven days after its placed (yes, this too is free). While the statue is still rolling out to users, the costumes should be there for the taking. My guess is a technical glitch or other issue has slowed the release of the statue (not surprising, since it will change the game's farming mechanic for a period), but we have a full image of what the statue looks like at right. We also know that the statue will be available in the game's store, so keep refreshing until you find one for yourself!
Empires & Allies Cheats & Tips: Combat and Battle Guide
empires allies cheats battle combat
Though Zynga's Empires & Allies may feature farming, resource collecting, and city building; it is primarily a war game. You may have a thriving city, but when the invading armies arrive on your shores, you'll need an army and a battle strategy to fight back.
At first, combat in Empires & Allies can seem quite daunting. Empires & Allies battles are complicated, fast paced, full of explosions, and feature a variety of different units doing different amounts of damage. I'm here to help you make sense of combat and battles in Empires & Allies; before you know it you'll be battling like a pro. empires allies cheats battle combat
Every time you engage enemy units in Empires & Allies, you begin a battle. This could be as a result of a campaign mission or by getting involved in an invasion. Check out our full invasion guide by clicking here.
Assemble an Army
When the Empires & Allies battle commences, you must first select the units to use against your opponent's army. While you might think you can just choose randomly and still win, there is actually a deep strategy element here that must be taken into account. Choosing the right units will let you win battles faster and with fewer unit losses, saving you energy, time, and money.
The different units in Empires & Allies are represented by symbols and work in a kind of rock, paper, scissors fashion. Use the guide below when unsure you're using the best units for the situation. The blue icon represents a unit, and the red icons indicate what units it is most effective against.
Land
Sea
Air
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Form an Alliance
Sometimes you will be given the opportunity to choose allies for the battle ahead. This ally will allow you to use a random power up for free during battle. I find it's best to use this power up as soon as the battle begins to gain an early advantage over the enemy.
empires allies cheats battle combat
Attack!
Now that you've chosen your units and an ally, you're ready to attack the enemy. But stop and consider before you do. After all, Empires & Allies is a game of strategy. Remember the chart above, you want to use the correct unit to attack.
Select one of your units by clicking on them, then choose an enemy to attack. Before attacking you can see whether your chances of hitting the enemy are Poor, Good, or Great. Once your satisfied with the unit match up, click to attack and your troops will open fire. Attacking costs one energy.
Protip - Don't rush. The two armies fighting in Empires & Allies always take turns attacking, so don't feel like you have to act quickly.
empires and allies battle
There are three types of hits that can occur. Each does different amounts of damage and different combat drops.
Glancing Hit - Does very little damage. Tiny combat drop.
Direct Hit - Does normal damage. Normal sized combat drop.
Critical Hit - Doe massive damage, potentially killing the targeted unit in one shot. Deals out massive combat drops.
The amount of damage your unit deals to the enemy is based upon the type of hit you score, the strength of the unit, and the type of unit being attacked.
Protip - Collect the combat drop items while continuing to attack, to fill your bonus meter. Filling up the bonus meter is an easy way to earn extra Empires & Allies coins.
empires allies cheats battle combat
Use Power Ups
In Empires & Allies, power ups can boost your troops, weaken the enemy, or deal damage directly to the enemy forces. These can be purchased before the battle from the build menu for cash, and used in battle by pressing the big green "Pick Power Up" button. Select a power up and choose where to use it.
empires allies combat heal cheats
Protip - Free power ups can be earned by leveling up your infamy and honor.
After using your power up, your opponent will get to attack. Note that a purchased power up can only be used once. More power ups can be unlocked by leveling up.
Protip - If a unit gets low on health during a battle, click the little green cross to heal that unit for two Empire Points (pictured at right).
empires allies cheats battle combat
Victory!
In Empires & Allies, victory is sweet. After you've vanquished your foes and eradicated the enemy forces, you'll receive a victory reward in addition to any combat drops you received. The prize can include coins, XP, ore, Liberty Bonds, and more!
Though Zynga's Empires & Allies may feature farming, resource collecting, and city building; it is primarily a war game. You may have a thriving city, but when the invading armies arrive on your shores, you'll need an army and a battle strategy to fight back.
At first, combat in Empires & Allies can seem quite daunting. Empires & Allies battles are complicated, fast paced, full of explosions, and feature a variety of different units doing different amounts of damage. I'm here to help you make sense of combat and battles in Empires & Allies; before you know it you'll be battling like a pro. empires allies cheats battle combat
Every time you engage enemy units in Empires & Allies, you begin a battle. This could be as a result of a campaign mission or by getting involved in an invasion. Check out our full invasion guide by clicking here.
Assemble an Army
When the Empires & Allies battle commences, you must first select the units to use against your opponent's army. While you might think you can just choose randomly and still win, there is actually a deep strategy element here that must be taken into account. Choosing the right units will let you win battles faster and with fewer unit losses, saving you energy, time, and money.
The different units in Empires & Allies are represented by symbols and work in a kind of rock, paper, scissors fashion. Use the guide below when unsure you're using the best units for the situation. The blue icon represents a unit, and the red icons indicate what units it is most effective against.
Land
Sea
Air
empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help
empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help
empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help empires and allies battle cheats help
Form an Alliance
Sometimes you will be given the opportunity to choose allies for the battle ahead. This ally will allow you to use a random power up for free during battle. I find it's best to use this power up as soon as the battle begins to gain an early advantage over the enemy.
empires allies cheats battle combat
Attack!
Now that you've chosen your units and an ally, you're ready to attack the enemy. But stop and consider before you do. After all, Empires & Allies is a game of strategy. Remember the chart above, you want to use the correct unit to attack.
Select one of your units by clicking on them, then choose an enemy to attack. Before attacking you can see whether your chances of hitting the enemy are Poor, Good, or Great. Once your satisfied with the unit match up, click to attack and your troops will open fire. Attacking costs one energy.
Protip - Don't rush. The two armies fighting in Empires & Allies always take turns attacking, so don't feel like you have to act quickly.
empires and allies battle
There are three types of hits that can occur. Each does different amounts of damage and different combat drops.
Glancing Hit - Does very little damage. Tiny combat drop.
Direct Hit - Does normal damage. Normal sized combat drop.
Critical Hit - Doe massive damage, potentially killing the targeted unit in one shot. Deals out massive combat drops.
The amount of damage your unit deals to the enemy is based upon the type of hit you score, the strength of the unit, and the type of unit being attacked.
Protip - Collect the combat drop items while continuing to attack, to fill your bonus meter. Filling up the bonus meter is an easy way to earn extra Empires & Allies coins.
empires allies cheats battle combat
Use Power Ups
In Empires & Allies, power ups can boost your troops, weaken the enemy, or deal damage directly to the enemy forces. These can be purchased before the battle from the build menu for cash, and used in battle by pressing the big green "Pick Power Up" button. Select a power up and choose where to use it.
empires allies combat heal cheats
Protip - Free power ups can be earned by leveling up your infamy and honor.
After using your power up, your opponent will get to attack. Note that a purchased power up can only be used once. More power ups can be unlocked by leveling up.
Protip - If a unit gets low on health during a battle, click the little green cross to heal that unit for two Empire Points (pictured at right).
empires allies cheats battle combat
Victory!
In Empires & Allies, victory is sweet. After you've vanquished your foes and eradicated the enemy forces, you'll receive a victory reward in addition to any combat drops you received. The prize can include coins, XP, ore, Liberty Bonds, and more!
Zynga giveth the FarmVille Craftshop, then taketh it away (for repairs)
Aw, don't cry guys. Seriously stop it, you're freaking us out. Besides, the Craftshop will return to FarmVille once it's been ... repaired. Zynga released the innards of the new crafting building last night, but just as quickly took them away as players reported several issues with the feature, FarmVille Freak reports. Now, the "Coming Soon" promotional loading screen has returned for the Craftshop with no word on when it will return, if at all. (Kidding! We're sure it's coming back at some point ... we hope.)
Players on the FarmVille forums have reported that, when the feature was still live, it was terribly glitched. Forum contributor Sandy7226 writes, "I just tried to make a Love Potion, it went OOS, now it says 'Coming Soon.'" While some players are now enjoying the feature, is appears more than not are seeing the taunting "Coming Soon" message.
Not to mention some farmers are even questioning the merit of the feature. "Why would I want to make things I can get from gifts or SDB's," emhk13 writes. "Don't like the fences, don't want a moat, a horse statue or a modern table. Maybe love potions, but that's a lot of bushels and a lot of time to invest in one bottle." Perhaps Zynga pulled the feature to make not only some bug fixes, but--one would hope, at least--some improvements as well.
Players on the FarmVille forums have reported that, when the feature was still live, it was terribly glitched. Forum contributor Sandy7226 writes, "I just tried to make a Love Potion, it went OOS, now it says 'Coming Soon.'" While some players are now enjoying the feature, is appears more than not are seeing the taunting "Coming Soon" message.
Not to mention some farmers are even questioning the merit of the feature. "Why would I want to make things I can get from gifts or SDB's," emhk13 writes. "Don't like the fences, don't want a moat, a horse statue or a modern table. Maybe love potions, but that's a lot of bushels and a lot of time to invest in one bottle." Perhaps Zynga pulled the feature to make not only some bug fixes, but--one would hope, at least--some improvements as well.
Friday, December 23, 2011
CivWorld on Facebook might be a blast, if we could play already
CivWorld is down
If you're one of the 73 thousand players who seem to have brought the CivWorld servers to their knees, you already know that the first Firaxis game on Facebook is currently offline for many players. But considering how small of a number that is, we're going to guess you might be out of the loop. Well, the game has suffered connection issues since its launch last week, really. After much complaining and dreaded 004 error codes, Firaxis decided to respond recently with:
We've had a large volume of people join the game in a very short amount of time (which is great!), and that has led to some technical challenges that we're addressing right now. Restoring access to everyone is our team's top priority. We've put some fixes into place and the team is working diligently on the remaining issues. We'll continue to keep you updated on our progress and have you back ruling the world soon!
Despite the poor first steps, we're sure Firaxis is working on a resolution as of this writing. While you wait, why not try some Empires & Allies so you can make an educated vote in one of our future Facebook Game Faceoff features? It's the American thing to do, really. In the meantime, we've contacted Firaxis for comment.
Have you been able to play CivWorld at all since its launch? Either way, what do you think of the strategy game?
If you're one of the 73 thousand players who seem to have brought the CivWorld servers to their knees, you already know that the first Firaxis game on Facebook is currently offline for many players. But considering how small of a number that is, we're going to guess you might be out of the loop. Well, the game has suffered connection issues since its launch last week, really. After much complaining and dreaded 004 error codes, Firaxis decided to respond recently with:
We've had a large volume of people join the game in a very short amount of time (which is great!), and that has led to some technical challenges that we're addressing right now. Restoring access to everyone is our team's top priority. We've put some fixes into place and the team is working diligently on the remaining issues. We'll continue to keep you updated on our progress and have you back ruling the world soon!
Despite the poor first steps, we're sure Firaxis is working on a resolution as of this writing. While you wait, why not try some Empires & Allies so you can make an educated vote in one of our future Facebook Game Faceoff features? It's the American thing to do, really. In the meantime, we've contacted Firaxis for comment.
Have you been able to play CivWorld at all since its launch? Either way, what do you think of the strategy game?
The Cat's Eye Gem (and more) blast Bejeweled Blitz for iPhone, iPad
Come on, don't act as if you haven't seen a cat on your iPhone before--these phones were built for sharing "lolcat" pictures. (Apple should just bake the function right into iOS 5 already.) PopCap has updated Bejeweled Blitz with three powerful, familiar Rare Gems from the Facebook game: Phoenix Prism, Moon Stone and ... the Cat's Eye Gem!
Finally, we have the freedom to witness a cat fire lasers from its eyes on the go, too. Honestly, does anyone play for high scores? Of course, just higher scores to get the Cat's Eye Gem to appear, though. Yes, they cost an astronomical amount of Coins to harvest, but the 100,000 Coins PopCap awarded to players for dealing with recent game outages should pay for a few of those.
Besides, could you seriously pass up Anchovy, Snackers' mobile mechanical counterpart? (Really, this cat looks badass.) PopCap teases a future debate between the two mutant felines, but we predict yet another hilarious video. In other words, color us excited on many levels.
Bejeweled Blitz Phoenix Prism
Click here to download Bejeweled Blitz for iOS Now >
[Source: PopCap]
[Image Credit: PopCap, Apple]
Have you found any of the brand new Rare Gems yet in the game? Are you as psyched for the next PopCap comedy skit as I am?
Finally, we have the freedom to witness a cat fire lasers from its eyes on the go, too. Honestly, does anyone play for high scores? Of course, just higher scores to get the Cat's Eye Gem to appear, though. Yes, they cost an astronomical amount of Coins to harvest, but the 100,000 Coins PopCap awarded to players for dealing with recent game outages should pay for a few of those.
Besides, could you seriously pass up Anchovy, Snackers' mobile mechanical counterpart? (Really, this cat looks badass.) PopCap teases a future debate between the two mutant felines, but we predict yet another hilarious video. In other words, color us excited on many levels.
Bejeweled Blitz Phoenix Prism
Click here to download Bejeweled Blitz for iOS Now >
[Source: PopCap]
[Image Credit: PopCap, Apple]
Have you found any of the brand new Rare Gems yet in the game? Are you as psyched for the next PopCap comedy skit as I am?
Zynga will launch FrontierVille's Pioneer Trail with a 'send-off bash'
FrontierVille Save the Children Pioneer Trail
Unfortunately, this isn't a confirmation that the expansion to FrontierVille is coming tomorrow. However, it appears that good-byes will be in order when Zynga releases Pioneer Trail to the masses. According to a Facebook post, the company will throw a community send-off event that, once the goal is reached, will unlock Pioneer Trail for everyone and send $200 thousand to Save the Children, a long-time Zynga beneficiary . Here are Zynga's words from the Facebook News Feed post:
We're about to throw a Pioneer Trail send-off bash and it'll take a lot of work (oh, about a Billion Golden Hammers' worth) from y'all to get ready for it! Once accomplished we'll donate $200,000 to Save the Children and unlock Pioneer Trail!
It's already been rumored that this FrontierVille expansion will be a brand new app rather than an extension of the original game, far different from FarmVille English Countryside. If it is indeed true, we still don't know how our experience, money, belongings, family and friends will play into this new adventure. Regardless, you'll be the first to know--well, right after we do, of course.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you seen what Zynga has been teasing about the Pioneer Trail? What else do you expect from the new expansion, and how do you think it being presented as a new app will change things?
Unfortunately, this isn't a confirmation that the expansion to FrontierVille is coming tomorrow. However, it appears that good-byes will be in order when Zynga releases Pioneer Trail to the masses. According to a Facebook post, the company will throw a community send-off event that, once the goal is reached, will unlock Pioneer Trail for everyone and send $200 thousand to Save the Children, a long-time Zynga beneficiary . Here are Zynga's words from the Facebook News Feed post:
We're about to throw a Pioneer Trail send-off bash and it'll take a lot of work (oh, about a Billion Golden Hammers' worth) from y'all to get ready for it! Once accomplished we'll donate $200,000 to Save the Children and unlock Pioneer Trail!
It's already been rumored that this FrontierVille expansion will be a brand new app rather than an extension of the original game, far different from FarmVille English Countryside. If it is indeed true, we still don't know how our experience, money, belongings, family and friends will play into this new adventure. Regardless, you'll be the first to know--well, right after we do, of course.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you seen what Zynga has been teasing about the Pioneer Trail? What else do you expect from the new expansion, and how do you think it being presented as a new app will change things?
Cafe World Movie Wrap Party Catering Order: Have fun cooking for virtual celebrities
Zynga has always loved bringing real world events into the Cafe World Catering Business, but with this newest order - the Movie Wrap Party - we're taken from simply catering birthday or graduation parties (bo-ring) and are sent to the glitz and glam of Hollywood.
The Movie Wrap Party sees you celebrating the end of production on a film by cooking three dishes and collecting two themed items. You'll need to serve Smoked Salmon Latkes (a two-hour dish) 110 times, Escargot (how chic) 150 times (that's a ten-hour dish) and Chicken Adobo (a 14-hour dish) 250 times. Unfortunately, the largest requirement does come with the longest cooking time, but remember to pull servings out of your Gift Box, or simply use spices to speed up the process of reaching that high 250 number.
Of course, no great chef ever truly works alone, so you're allowed to bring up to 13 of your friends in on this order to help out. While their work carries over into your cooking tasks, the other two requirements are for your game only. You'll need to ask tons of friends to send you 19 Film Reels and 15 Camera Lenses. At least this isn't a case where the same friend can't send you more than one over the course of multiple days.
Speaking of days, you'll have five full days upon starting this order to finish it for the three-star rating. Doing so will reward you with 12 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 175,000 coins and the California Sushi Roll recipe (ya know, sushi that ...isn't). If you can't finish the order within the first five days, but still complete it within a week, you'll miss out on the exclusive new recipe, but you will receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 4,500 Cafe Points, and 125,000 coins. Finally, if you can pull through and simply finish the goal at any point after the first week of starting, you'll receive a single star, 4 Catering Points, 2,700 Cafe Points, and 75,000 coins. That's actually a fairly high coin reward for a one-star rating, so keep that in mind before deciding to "cancel" should you fail to finish in time for the three-star rating.
Ok, so this order may not actually make you famous, and you may not even be able to schmooze with any real celebrities, but the cooking requirements aren't terrible, and the rewards are actually quite good. Add it all up and you have an order that should at least be attempted once, even if only to say that you tried.
What do you think of this newest catering order? Do you think the requirements are doable given the five-day time frame?
The Movie Wrap Party sees you celebrating the end of production on a film by cooking three dishes and collecting two themed items. You'll need to serve Smoked Salmon Latkes (a two-hour dish) 110 times, Escargot (how chic) 150 times (that's a ten-hour dish) and Chicken Adobo (a 14-hour dish) 250 times. Unfortunately, the largest requirement does come with the longest cooking time, but remember to pull servings out of your Gift Box, or simply use spices to speed up the process of reaching that high 250 number.
Of course, no great chef ever truly works alone, so you're allowed to bring up to 13 of your friends in on this order to help out. While their work carries over into your cooking tasks, the other two requirements are for your game only. You'll need to ask tons of friends to send you 19 Film Reels and 15 Camera Lenses. At least this isn't a case where the same friend can't send you more than one over the course of multiple days.
Speaking of days, you'll have five full days upon starting this order to finish it for the three-star rating. Doing so will reward you with 12 Catering Points, 6,300 Cafe Points, 175,000 coins and the California Sushi Roll recipe (ya know, sushi that ...isn't). If you can't finish the order within the first five days, but still complete it within a week, you'll miss out on the exclusive new recipe, but you will receive two stars, 8 Catering Points, 4,500 Cafe Points, and 125,000 coins. Finally, if you can pull through and simply finish the goal at any point after the first week of starting, you'll receive a single star, 4 Catering Points, 2,700 Cafe Points, and 75,000 coins. That's actually a fairly high coin reward for a one-star rating, so keep that in mind before deciding to "cancel" should you fail to finish in time for the three-star rating.
Ok, so this order may not actually make you famous, and you may not even be able to schmooze with any real celebrities, but the cooking requirements aren't terrible, and the rewards are actually quite good. Add it all up and you have an order that should at least be attempted once, even if only to say that you tried.
What do you think of this newest catering order? Do you think the requirements are doable given the five-day time frame?
FarmVille: Randomly appearing Dartmoor Ponies leave players confused
Quick farmers! Login to FarmVille and check your Gift Box. If you're like me, you might ask yourself if you're seeing things. But no, that's a Dartmoor Pony sitting in your gift box, for free. In my case, I never purchased this Pony, and as they're not even available in the store anymore or on the free gifts page, I know no one could have gifted it to me. It's as though this Pony has appeared by magic.
Upon some investigation, it appears that I'm not the only one. A thread has started gaining speed on the official FarmVille forums filled with farmers just as confused as I as to where this free horse came from. Placing it on my farm caused no out of sync error, and it seems to work as normal. Heck, even multiple game refreshes didn't cause him to vanish. Sure, I'm excited, but the thing is, this Pony normally costs 24 Farm Cash, and that's a heck of a price tag for Zynga to suddenly release one to players for free, so forgive me for being skeptical.
What's more, not everyone has received this free animal. It could be that it simply hasn't rolled out to everyone yet, but it could also give further evidence to this being a glitch. In cases where items were simply given away, we normally received some sort of a pop-up as indication that it had happened, but this has silently come and gone without a peep from Zynga, as of this writing. Let's just hope that if this is a glitch, we won't suddenly lose our Dartmoor Ponies just as quickly as we were given them.
Upon some investigation, it appears that I'm not the only one. A thread has started gaining speed on the official FarmVille forums filled with farmers just as confused as I as to where this free horse came from. Placing it on my farm caused no out of sync error, and it seems to work as normal. Heck, even multiple game refreshes didn't cause him to vanish. Sure, I'm excited, but the thing is, this Pony normally costs 24 Farm Cash, and that's a heck of a price tag for Zynga to suddenly release one to players for free, so forgive me for being skeptical.
What's more, not everyone has received this free animal. It could be that it simply hasn't rolled out to everyone yet, but it could also give further evidence to this being a glitch. In cases where items were simply given away, we normally received some sort of a pop-up as indication that it had happened, but this has silently come and gone without a peep from Zynga, as of this writing. Let's just hope that if this is a glitch, we won't suddenly lose our Dartmoor Ponies just as quickly as we were given them.
CityVille Sneak Peek: Rest your head in a Hotel, coming soon
Do you remember how big of a deal Cruise Ships were in CityVille when they first launched? Yeah, whatever happened to those? This seemingly abandoned feature will apparently be given new life in the future, however, as Zynga has posted a sneak peek of a new Hotel feature that will apparently incorporate them. The details of how and when this will happen are still up in the air, but we do know that we'll need to start collecting Sunglasses and finishing the construction on our Cruise Port to have a chance of keeping up.
In the meantime, let's speculate. If Cruise Ships themselves were supposed to increase the amount of tourists in our city (and therefore speed up our Businesses), could these Hotels mean that the speed increase could last longer, as tourists have a place to stay? Perhaps we'll need to collect special items like toiletries and towels to stock each hotel room to receive extra bonuses? It's a shame that so many details are unknown right now, as I honestly think this could have a lot of promise. Let's just hope Zynga doesn't force us to rely on City Cash and excessive friend requests when details do finally come to light.
What do you think the Hotel feature will entail? Do you think it will just be another Community Building, or will this be an ongoing event?
In the meantime, let's speculate. If Cruise Ships themselves were supposed to increase the amount of tourists in our city (and therefore speed up our Businesses), could these Hotels mean that the speed increase could last longer, as tourists have a place to stay? Perhaps we'll need to collect special items like toiletries and towels to stock each hotel room to receive extra bonuses? It's a shame that so many details are unknown right now, as I honestly think this could have a lot of promise. Let's just hope Zynga doesn't force us to rely on City Cash and excessive friend requests when details do finally come to light.
What do you think the Hotel feature will entail? Do you think it will just be another Community Building, or will this be an ongoing event?
FrontierVille Pioneer Trail Sneak Peek: Use TNT to blast your way through Avalanche Pass
TNT and snow-covered mountains? That doesn't sound like a very safe combination, but apparently we'll need to live dangerously in FrontierVille's upcoming Pioneer Trail expansion. Via a new fan page post, Zynga has revealed that while in Avalanche Pass, we'll need to use a "big blast of TNT" to make our way through the mountain. We'll likely either have to ask friends for the explosives, or perhaps craft them along the way; that particular detail wasn't revealed. Here's the full blurb:
When you hit the Pioneer Trail in the next few weeks, you're sure to have a blast on the Avalanche Pass! In fact, a big blast of TNT may be the only way through the mountain! So keep yer friends close and yer stash of explosives even closer!
This would apparently explain the need for shovels that we were warned about in a previous sneak peek. Could it be that we'll become buried under an avalanche caused by our TNT blast? Will we have to ask our friends to frantically dig us out before it's too late? Or, could this all be much more casual, asking us to simply dig our way closer to the rock before setting off the blast? Either way, the plot continues to thicken here in the world of Pioneer Trail speculation (including that mention of "in the next few weeks"), but we'll make sure to clear everything up for you (including whether or not the Pioneer Trail is an entirely new app) just as soon as we know more.
What do you make of this latest sneak peek? Do you think the dynamite blast will deal more with asking friends for items or crafting them yourself?
When you hit the Pioneer Trail in the next few weeks, you're sure to have a blast on the Avalanche Pass! In fact, a big blast of TNT may be the only way through the mountain! So keep yer friends close and yer stash of explosives even closer!
This would apparently explain the need for shovels that we were warned about in a previous sneak peek. Could it be that we'll become buried under an avalanche caused by our TNT blast? Will we have to ask our friends to frantically dig us out before it's too late? Or, could this all be much more casual, asking us to simply dig our way closer to the rock before setting off the blast? Either way, the plot continues to thicken here in the world of Pioneer Trail speculation (including that mention of "in the next few weeks"), but we'll make sure to clear everything up for you (including whether or not the Pioneer Trail is an entirely new app) just as soon as we know more.
What do you make of this latest sneak peek? Do you think the dynamite blast will deal more with asking friends for items or crafting them yourself?
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Weeds Social Club on Facebook sends your News Feed up in smoke
Facebook just got fired up with another of those deviant pot-dealing games, dag-nabbit! That's right, Weeds Social Club, the Facebook game created to expand on the Emmy Award-winning Showtime program of the same (though truncated) title. Created by Mytopia and published by Ecko|Code, designer Mark Ecko's gaming firm, Weeds Social Club loosely follows the comedy show as players are lured into the wheelin' dealin' world of weed by Andy Botwin, protagonist Nancy Botwin's doofy brother-in-law.
The game enlists you, a friend of the Botwin family down on his luck, to join the trade of selling and growing the fire grass, the devil's leaf, you know the deal. Much like games such as Pot Farm and, ironically FarmVille, players plant and harvest various strains of the plant of perdition. (The developers were sure to take great care in respect to detail, and provides extensive information on the THC count of each strain, as if it's necessary.)
Of course, all growing operations happen indoors, meaning players can have their grow station double as a pimpin' pad. And as players level up, they can focus on certain skills like growing or pushing to improve their pot-pushing experience. "The rich world of WEEDS and the dynamics of marijuana culture provided us the perfect concept for a groundbreaking social game," Ecko|Code executive VP Marc Fernandez said in a statement.
Weeds Social Club in action
While it was supposed to officially launch in June, it went into a beta testing phase instead, and now is available for all fans of the hilarious show. Basically, the idea here behind Weeds Social Club seems to be to engage fans in the most entertaining and, well, most accurate way possible. We'd say letting players grow their own, so to speak, is as accurate as it gets.
Click here to play Weeds Social Club on Facebook Now >
Do you think there's room for more than one pot-growing Facebook game? Would you ever play a game like this much less share your statuses?
The game enlists you, a friend of the Botwin family down on his luck, to join the trade of selling and growing the fire grass, the devil's leaf, you know the deal. Much like games such as Pot Farm and, ironically FarmVille, players plant and harvest various strains of the plant of perdition. (The developers were sure to take great care in respect to detail, and provides extensive information on the THC count of each strain, as if it's necessary.)
Of course, all growing operations happen indoors, meaning players can have their grow station double as a pimpin' pad. And as players level up, they can focus on certain skills like growing or pushing to improve their pot-pushing experience. "The rich world of WEEDS and the dynamics of marijuana culture provided us the perfect concept for a groundbreaking social game," Ecko|Code executive VP Marc Fernandez said in a statement.
Weeds Social Club in action
While it was supposed to officially launch in June, it went into a beta testing phase instead, and now is available for all fans of the hilarious show. Basically, the idea here behind Weeds Social Club seems to be to engage fans in the most entertaining and, well, most accurate way possible. We'd say letting players grow their own, so to speak, is as accurate as it gets.
Click here to play Weeds Social Club on Facebook Now >
Do you think there's room for more than one pot-growing Facebook game? Would you ever play a game like this much less share your statuses?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Catch a tan at Supertech67's beachside resort
Summer vacation's almost over, but there's still time in FarmVille to hit the beach. One of the coolest things about Supertech67's beach resort farm is the illusion of a seaport and boardwalk at the bottom of the farm, including what looks like four Limited Edition Mayflower ships in the water (from the 2010 Thanksgiving Basket) to help round out the effect.
The hotel in the center of the farm is also worth a nod. It seems to soar over all the other items, even though, like the boardwalk, it's in 2D. An older version of the resort had the hotel stretched across two buildings by way of a sky bridge with a parked hot air balloon! You can toggle between pics of the old beach and the new beach for a compare and contrast.
Usually, players stick to using the default green field background or the winter snow background for their farm designs. So we'd like to give props to supertech67 for changing things up and giving us a tan.
Which version of supertech67's beach resort do you like the best? 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
The hotel in the center of the farm is also worth a nod. It seems to soar over all the other items, even though, like the boardwalk, it's in 2D. An older version of the resort had the hotel stretched across two buildings by way of a sky bridge with a parked hot air balloon! You can toggle between pics of the old beach and the new beach for a compare and contrast.
Usually, players stick to using the default green field background or the winter snow background for their farm designs. So we'd like to give props to supertech67 for changing things up and giving us a tan.
Which version of supertech67's beach resort do you like the best? 1 Comment
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Cafe World Opening Night Catering Order: Everything you need to know
A new play has come to the virtual theater in Cafe World, and it's up to you to cater the opening night festivities. It's fitting then that the game's newest catering order is called simply "Opening Night." In this order, you'll need to cook different dishes in bulk, along with collecting two different items related to the theater. You'll have five days to finish this order for the best prizes, but don't think that it'll be easy.
For the cooking tasks, you'll need to serve Smoked Salmon Latkes (a two-hour dish) 400 times, Lavish Lamb Curry (an eight-hour dish) 90 times, Veggie Lasagna (a 22-hour dish) 30 times and Delicious Chocolate Cake (a 14-hour dish) 24 times. To help you finish these tasks, you'll be able to bring up to 13 of your friends in on the order with you, and while the largest task (the Smoked Salmon Latkes) may be the quickest cooking dish of the order, remember that you can speed up your cooking and overall progress even more by using spices and extra servings that are sitting in your Gift Box.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 15 Comedy Masks and 15 Tragedy Masks by asking your friends to send them to you. Just remember to ask for them quickly, as you won't want to have all of your cooking tasks done but still need a few more masks to finish.
If you can complete all of these tasks within five days, you'll receive the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and the Big ol' Cookie Cake recipe, which essentially looks like a pile of pancakes that just so happen to be cookies instead. If you can't finish in five days, but can before a full week has passed, you'll earn two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, for finishing at any point after the first week, you'll receive just a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins. Whether or not you'll want to settle for a single star, after all of the work you've put in, will be up to you.
What do you think of the Opening Night Catering Order? Do you complete catering orders for the free recipes, or just for the ability to help your friends in a co-op setting?
For the cooking tasks, you'll need to serve Smoked Salmon Latkes (a two-hour dish) 400 times, Lavish Lamb Curry (an eight-hour dish) 90 times, Veggie Lasagna (a 22-hour dish) 30 times and Delicious Chocolate Cake (a 14-hour dish) 24 times. To help you finish these tasks, you'll be able to bring up to 13 of your friends in on the order with you, and while the largest task (the Smoked Salmon Latkes) may be the quickest cooking dish of the order, remember that you can speed up your cooking and overall progress even more by using spices and extra servings that are sitting in your Gift Box.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 15 Comedy Masks and 15 Tragedy Masks by asking your friends to send them to you. Just remember to ask for them quickly, as you won't want to have all of your cooking tasks done but still need a few more masks to finish.
If you can complete all of these tasks within five days, you'll receive the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and the Big ol' Cookie Cake recipe, which essentially looks like a pile of pancakes that just so happen to be cookies instead. If you can't finish in five days, but can before a full week has passed, you'll earn two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, for finishing at any point after the first week, you'll receive just a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins. Whether or not you'll want to settle for a single star, after all of the work you've put in, will be up to you.
What do you think of the Opening Night Catering Order? Do you complete catering orders for the free recipes, or just for the ability to help your friends in a co-op setting?
CityVille Pirate Ship Ride Attraction: Everything you need to know
If you liked building and then operating the Go Karts ride in CityVille and are looking for another ride to add to your virtual amusement park, you'll be happy to know that Zynga has released a second attraction to the game: a Pirate Ship Ride. The ride costs 5,000 coins to purchase from the store, but of course simply purchasing the base is only part of the battle.
After placing it, you'll need to collect a series of ingredients, but if you're lucky you might already have five of them sitting around. Here's a rundown:
5 Ship Prows
5 Safety Nets
5 Gold Plating
5 Jolly Rogers
5 Overhead Bars
Again, you might have the Gold Plating already in your inventory, leaving you to collect the other 20 items. You'll be able to ask for the Ship Prows and Jolly Roger flags via general news feed items posted to your wall, while the Safety Nets are earned through individual gift requests sent directly to friends.
Once you've finished building and have opened the Pirate Ship Ride for guests, you'll be able to watch the ride run for five minutes at a time, with 2,000 - 5,800 coins being earned each time you set the ride into motion. In order to re-open it, you'll either need to wait for maintenance to complete, or collect wrenches with friends to re-open it sooner. It doesn't require Goods to operate, so you don't necessarily have to operate it at all (or build it, for that matter), but it's just so cool that I can easily justify the space it takes up in my town.
As a few notes, if you have both a Go Karts track and Pirate Ship Ride operating in your town at the same time, all of the Wrenches you collect are used as one request. That is, if you ask for Wrenches to operate your Go Karts, you can't ask for Wrenches within the Pirate Ship Ride shortly thereafter. Additionally, you'll need to be at least level 25 to access this feature, which may not have rolled around to your account yet.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
What do you think of the new Pirate Ship Ride? Do you like it better than the Go Karts track? Has your amusement park / summer-themed area started to take over the rest of your town, or have you only adopted these attractions and little else?
After placing it, you'll need to collect a series of ingredients, but if you're lucky you might already have five of them sitting around. Here's a rundown:
5 Ship Prows
5 Safety Nets
5 Gold Plating
5 Jolly Rogers
5 Overhead Bars
Again, you might have the Gold Plating already in your inventory, leaving you to collect the other 20 items. You'll be able to ask for the Ship Prows and Jolly Roger flags via general news feed items posted to your wall, while the Safety Nets are earned through individual gift requests sent directly to friends.
Once you've finished building and have opened the Pirate Ship Ride for guests, you'll be able to watch the ride run for five minutes at a time, with 2,000 - 5,800 coins being earned each time you set the ride into motion. In order to re-open it, you'll either need to wait for maintenance to complete, or collect wrenches with friends to re-open it sooner. It doesn't require Goods to operate, so you don't necessarily have to operate it at all (or build it, for that matter), but it's just so cool that I can easily justify the space it takes up in my town.
As a few notes, if you have both a Go Karts track and Pirate Ship Ride operating in your town at the same time, all of the Wrenches you collect are used as one request. That is, if you ask for Wrenches to operate your Go Karts, you can't ask for Wrenches within the Pirate Ship Ride shortly thereafter. Additionally, you'll need to be at least level 25 to access this feature, which may not have rolled around to your account yet.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
What do you think of the new Pirate Ship Ride? Do you like it better than the Go Karts track? Has your amusement park / summer-themed area started to take over the rest of your town, or have you only adopted these attractions and little else?
Empires & Allies Special Forces Spectacular: Everything you need to know
Check out our Empires & Allies Special Forces Spectacular Goals Guide right here!
If you're going for total military domination in Empires & Allies, you'll definitely want to check out the new Special Forces event that has launched in the game this afternoon. This release includes Spec Ops and Covert Ops units, including two versions of a Spectre Gunship with one being the strongest bomber ever released in the game.
Specifically, the Spectre Gunship has a strength of 175 points, while the Spectre Night Ops unit is one to behold, with, again, the highest strength in any bomber to date at 275 points.
If you're not into air units, but would rather have one that walks on two legs, you can also pick up some Commando units via two purchase options. This is the first limited edition soldier that's been released in the game so take note: a single Commando unit costs 15 Empire Points and comes with a strength of 135, while you can also choose spend more (75 Empire Points, to be exact) to unlock the ability to create more of these Commandos inside your Barracks, even after they've expired from the store. Of course, you'll also receive a free unit with that unlock purchase price.
All of these units will be available for the next 13 days, but they're not alone, as new decorative items have launched as well. These are the Helipad, which costs 10,000 coins each, and the Black Obelisk at 15,000 coins. They, again, come with the same time limit for expiring from the store.
According to Zynga, these won't be the only Spec Ops units released in the game, but the others might sneak up on us. Let the speculation begin!
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here. -->
Will you purchase either of these air units, or will you instead spend your Empire Points on creating an army of Commandos?
If you're going for total military domination in Empires & Allies, you'll definitely want to check out the new Special Forces event that has launched in the game this afternoon. This release includes Spec Ops and Covert Ops units, including two versions of a Spectre Gunship with one being the strongest bomber ever released in the game.
Specifically, the Spectre Gunship has a strength of 175 points, while the Spectre Night Ops unit is one to behold, with, again, the highest strength in any bomber to date at 275 points.
If you're not into air units, but would rather have one that walks on two legs, you can also pick up some Commando units via two purchase options. This is the first limited edition soldier that's been released in the game so take note: a single Commando unit costs 15 Empire Points and comes with a strength of 135, while you can also choose spend more (75 Empire Points, to be exact) to unlock the ability to create more of these Commandos inside your Barracks, even after they've expired from the store. Of course, you'll also receive a free unit with that unlock purchase price.
All of these units will be available for the next 13 days, but they're not alone, as new decorative items have launched as well. These are the Helipad, which costs 10,000 coins each, and the Black Obelisk at 15,000 coins. They, again, come with the same time limit for expiring from the store.
According to Zynga, these won't be the only Spec Ops units released in the game, but the others might sneak up on us. Let the speculation begin!
Check out the rest of our Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips right here. -->
Will you purchase either of these air units, or will you instead spend your Empire Points on creating an army of Commandos?
Cafe World Chef Circle: Play the game with non-Facebook friends soon
Over the last few weeks, we've brought you the news that Zynga has been toying with the ability to play some of their games with non-Facebook friends, in order to always have people around and ready to help you out in your games. In Cafe World, it looks like things are really ramping up to a final release, as the company has released a guide to the new Chef Circle, that will let you play Cafe World with complete strangers, all while retaining your privacy.
First and foremost, this feature is, as of this writing, only available to a handful of players. As Zynga works to eliminate bugs and other issues, it will be rolled out to more chefs. Once it's available to you, you'll be able to join a Chef Circle populated by strangers, but only your first name and your profile picture will be available to them. None of your profile information will be readily available (of course, this doesn't stop players from searching for you manually and finding you based on your profile picture - but that's why you can make your overall Facebook profile private - and should).
While in the same Chef Circle as other players, you'll constantly have the ability to add those users as Facebook friends, opening both of you up to further gameplay opportunities, like sending each other individual gift requests or accepting gifts from their news feed posts as you do currently with your real Facebook friends. Again, both of those tasks are not available between non-Facebook friends who just so happen to be in a Circle together, so your interaction is limited to visiting their cafes, spicing their dishes and helping them complete all new co-op Chef Circle goals and challenges.
To access your Chef Circle, you'll have a new button in the menu that's specifically called "Chefs Circle," which allows you to view a new in-depth dashboard, where the pictures of your crew appear, and where you can track each user's progress with a particular Chef Circle challenge or goal. You will be able to send these users items that go back to a goal, but these items are random, removing your ability to choose what you send. As for the goals themselves, you'll see a summary of the current goal along the right side of the screen, and can track your own progress as related to the team's overall progress in two meters.
If you see any players in your Chef Circle with "Zzz" under their profile picture, it means that they haven't played the game in order five days and you'll have the ability to send them a reminder to come back and help the team. The first person to finish any team goal will receive a "crown," or a set of stars around their profile picture. After the entire team finishes a goal, everyone will then receive the prize listed (5 Cafe Cash, in our above example), and you can all then move onto the next goal.
Let's say you run into a group of players that aren't very active, or are sporadic at best. You can leave your current Chef Circle for any reason, at any time, and join another to try your luck with other players. You can't handpick your Chef Circles, but you won't be placed back into the Circle your just left either.
As the overall goal here seems to be to allow players to meet other chefs in a safe environment, and then eventually add them as Facebook friends to open up further interaction, you can even chat with users in a chat panel on the left side of the screen. A profanity filter is in place, of course, but you can also report any user for doing or saying something naughty if it slips through the filter (which honestly wouldn't surprise me).
All told, these co-op goals and challenges seem like they could be fun, but then again, so did Co-Op Farming when it first launched in FarmVille, and that feature has been all but entirely abandoned now. Still, Catering Orders are fairly popular in Cafe World, and are updated all of the time, so maybe this will turn into something fun after all. Either way, we'll make sure to let you know when the Chef Circle feature opens up to more players, so keep checking back.
[Guide Image Credit: Zynga]
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this future Chef Circle feature in the comments. Are you looking forward to being able to play the game with non-Facebook friends, even if it doesn't look like we'll be able to help each other with currently released goals and catering orders?
First and foremost, this feature is, as of this writing, only available to a handful of players. As Zynga works to eliminate bugs and other issues, it will be rolled out to more chefs. Once it's available to you, you'll be able to join a Chef Circle populated by strangers, but only your first name and your profile picture will be available to them. None of your profile information will be readily available (of course, this doesn't stop players from searching for you manually and finding you based on your profile picture - but that's why you can make your overall Facebook profile private - and should).
While in the same Chef Circle as other players, you'll constantly have the ability to add those users as Facebook friends, opening both of you up to further gameplay opportunities, like sending each other individual gift requests or accepting gifts from their news feed posts as you do currently with your real Facebook friends. Again, both of those tasks are not available between non-Facebook friends who just so happen to be in a Circle together, so your interaction is limited to visiting their cafes, spicing their dishes and helping them complete all new co-op Chef Circle goals and challenges.
To access your Chef Circle, you'll have a new button in the menu that's specifically called "Chefs Circle," which allows you to view a new in-depth dashboard, where the pictures of your crew appear, and where you can track each user's progress with a particular Chef Circle challenge or goal. You will be able to send these users items that go back to a goal, but these items are random, removing your ability to choose what you send. As for the goals themselves, you'll see a summary of the current goal along the right side of the screen, and can track your own progress as related to the team's overall progress in two meters.
If you see any players in your Chef Circle with "Zzz" under their profile picture, it means that they haven't played the game in order five days and you'll have the ability to send them a reminder to come back and help the team. The first person to finish any team goal will receive a "crown," or a set of stars around their profile picture. After the entire team finishes a goal, everyone will then receive the prize listed (5 Cafe Cash, in our above example), and you can all then move onto the next goal.
Let's say you run into a group of players that aren't very active, or are sporadic at best. You can leave your current Chef Circle for any reason, at any time, and join another to try your luck with other players. You can't handpick your Chef Circles, but you won't be placed back into the Circle your just left either.
As the overall goal here seems to be to allow players to meet other chefs in a safe environment, and then eventually add them as Facebook friends to open up further interaction, you can even chat with users in a chat panel on the left side of the screen. A profanity filter is in place, of course, but you can also report any user for doing or saying something naughty if it slips through the filter (which honestly wouldn't surprise me).
All told, these co-op goals and challenges seem like they could be fun, but then again, so did Co-Op Farming when it first launched in FarmVille, and that feature has been all but entirely abandoned now. Still, Catering Orders are fairly popular in Cafe World, and are updated all of the time, so maybe this will turn into something fun after all. Either way, we'll make sure to let you know when the Chef Circle feature opens up to more players, so keep checking back.
[Guide Image Credit: Zynga]
In the meantime, let us know what you think of this future Chef Circle feature in the comments. Are you looking forward to being able to play the game with non-Facebook friends, even if it doesn't look like we'll be able to help each other with currently released goals and catering orders?
Pioneer Trail Sneak Peek: Bank building (finally) coming soon
Way back in April of this year, Zynga released a user survey for FrontierVille players (that is, back when the game was still called FrontierVille, and not the Pioneer Trail), asking us what we'd think of a new Bank feature. Of course, that led us to believe that a Bank was to be released sooner, rather than later. But here we are, just now hearing official confirmation that yes, a Bank is coming to the game--and soon.
We'd guess that if anything, the Bank will launch in the game as early as tomorrow, as Tuesdays tend to be very active in the world of Pioneer Trail. However, what the Bank will do exactly still remains to be seen. Via Zynga's teaser, we've been told that "A Bank will give you a nice little nest egg and lots more!" If we head back to the survey released earlier this year, the Bank idea was touted alongside a Stock Market, loans, interest rates and even Bank Robberies.
While I can see the idea of Bank Robberies actually being turned into a feature (perhaps we need to ask friends to help us catch the robbers), the idea of us receiving Loans on coins from the Bank is also an interesting one. Do you need to plant a large number of crops for a goal, but don't have the money to do so? Just take out a Loan from the Bank and pay back the coins, perhaps plus a little interest, once those crops have been harvested. Or, perhaps the Bank could be as simple a feature as giving us a place to store our coins, where we might earn interest the longer we've stored them.
Of course, the above is purely speculation, but it does leave us with plenty to think about until the Bank officially makes its presence known in the game. We'll make sure to let you know exactly what the Bank entails as soon as it launches, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the idea of a Bank on your Homestead? Would you ever take out a loan to complete a goal or task more quickly than if you had to earn the coins the hard way?
We'd guess that if anything, the Bank will launch in the game as early as tomorrow, as Tuesdays tend to be very active in the world of Pioneer Trail. However, what the Bank will do exactly still remains to be seen. Via Zynga's teaser, we've been told that "A Bank will give you a nice little nest egg and lots more!" If we head back to the survey released earlier this year, the Bank idea was touted alongside a Stock Market, loans, interest rates and even Bank Robberies.
While I can see the idea of Bank Robberies actually being turned into a feature (perhaps we need to ask friends to help us catch the robbers), the idea of us receiving Loans on coins from the Bank is also an interesting one. Do you need to plant a large number of crops for a goal, but don't have the money to do so? Just take out a Loan from the Bank and pay back the coins, perhaps plus a little interest, once those crops have been harvested. Or, perhaps the Bank could be as simple a feature as giving us a place to store our coins, where we might earn interest the longer we've stored them.
Of course, the above is purely speculation, but it does leave us with plenty to think about until the Bank officially makes its presence known in the game. We'll make sure to let you know exactly what the Bank entails as soon as it launches, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the idea of a Bank on your Homestead? Would you ever take out a loan to complete a goal or task more quickly than if you had to earn the coins the hard way?
FIFA Superstars now available on iPhone: Manage your dream team on the go
Electronic Arts has had a heck of a summer in the mobile gaming space, especially where its Facebook games are concerned. Via Playfish, both Pet Society and Restaurant City have taken the leap of faith to the mobile platform, and now FIFA Superstars has joined suit. For the low, low price of "free," you can now download FIFA Superstars from the iTunes App Store for either iPhone or iPad (note: the game can be played on iPad, but is optimized for iPhone-only).
Once you download the game, you'll be greeted with the mandatory EA Origin sign-up process. Origin is EA's attempt at a social network and digital download service, of course focusing solely on EA's titles, and if you already have an EA account, they're one in the same, allowing you to login and start playing. From there, the gameplay seems to have been ripped straight from the Facebook game, allowing you to collect cards containing players and various stats, and then build a team using the best-of-the-best. You'll then collect different equipment, implement new tactics to give your team the advantage, and can then take to the field to test your prowess.
As of right now, all of that sounds just fine, but the game itself seems to be running into some loading issues. We've tried on three devices to get the game to load, but it locks up after logging into Origin. We'd assume that these are just early-launch bugs, and that they will be cleared up shortly, but don't panic if the game doesn't work for you upon downloading it: You're (unfortunately) not alone.
Ready to take your chance with FIFA Superstars on iPhone? Download it here for free.
Will you try FIFA Superstars on your iPhone/iPad? Have you already tried to download the game, but are running into the issues we mentioned?
Once you download the game, you'll be greeted with the mandatory EA Origin sign-up process. Origin is EA's attempt at a social network and digital download service, of course focusing solely on EA's titles, and if you already have an EA account, they're one in the same, allowing you to login and start playing. From there, the gameplay seems to have been ripped straight from the Facebook game, allowing you to collect cards containing players and various stats, and then build a team using the best-of-the-best. You'll then collect different equipment, implement new tactics to give your team the advantage, and can then take to the field to test your prowess.
As of right now, all of that sounds just fine, but the game itself seems to be running into some loading issues. We've tried on three devices to get the game to load, but it locks up after logging into Origin. We'd assume that these are just early-launch bugs, and that they will be cleared up shortly, but don't panic if the game doesn't work for you upon downloading it: You're (unfortunately) not alone.
Ready to take your chance with FIFA Superstars on iPhone? Download it here for free.
Will you try FIFA Superstars on your iPhone/iPad? Have you already tried to download the game, but are running into the issues we mentioned?
Zoo World 2 grazes into Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa
Well, zoos are an international pastime. RockYou, creator of hit zookeeping Facebook game Zoo World (and its sequel) has announced that it will provide Turkish, Middle Eastern and North African fans localized version of Zoo World 2. With the help of Peak Games, the leading social gaming company in the MENA region, these newly localized versions of the game will enjoy local marketing, user acquisition, customer support, and community management.
"We realize that the best global approach is made up of a series of local approaches," RockYou SVP and GM of Studio Partners Josh Grant said in a statement. "So we've chosen the strongest partner for these regions in Peak Games: experts who can ensure that our games cater to their culture and audience through proper localization."
The Middle Eastern developer based in Istanbul will translate the game into both Modern Arabic and Turkish, as well as incorporate culturally appropriate enhancements to the games. The move marks RockYou's goal to become one of the top social games publishers around, and expanding to one of the most active Facebook communities today is a brilliant start.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 on Facebook
Just as the company expands into new territory, it also looks to new sources of hit games. Recently, the company opened an indie games partnerships firm called Studio Partners to provide indie social games with publishing support. Perhaps we'll see more RockYou games come from this region than not, thanks to Studio Partners. Now that would be an interesting way to expand.
Do you think RockYou might be looking to beat other countries like Zynga and EA to the punch by localizing in these territories? Could RockYou soon compete directly with Facebook, using this strategy?
"We realize that the best global approach is made up of a series of local approaches," RockYou SVP and GM of Studio Partners Josh Grant said in a statement. "So we've chosen the strongest partner for these regions in Peak Games: experts who can ensure that our games cater to their culture and audience through proper localization."
The Middle Eastern developer based in Istanbul will translate the game into both Modern Arabic and Turkish, as well as incorporate culturally appropriate enhancements to the games. The move marks RockYou's goal to become one of the top social games publishers around, and expanding to one of the most active Facebook communities today is a brilliant start.
Gallery: Zoo World 2 on Facebook
Just as the company expands into new territory, it also looks to new sources of hit games. Recently, the company opened an indie games partnerships firm called Studio Partners to provide indie social games with publishing support. Perhaps we'll see more RockYou games come from this region than not, thanks to Studio Partners. Now that would be an interesting way to expand.
Do you think RockYou might be looking to beat other countries like Zynga and EA to the punch by localizing in these territories? Could RockYou soon compete directly with Facebook, using this strategy?
Pioneer Trail Bank and Goals: Everything you need to know
After a lengthy trek through the Pioneer Trail, it's about time to come home and build something, no? Luckily, Zynga agrees, as it just released the oft-teased Bank building to this FrontierVille expansion. The Bank will allow players to deposit coins for special rewards. (Sorry, no robbers just yet.)
Players Level 16 and above will be granted a new set of Goals upon returning to their homesteads from the Trail, and can immediately get started on this interesting new feature. Here's everything you need to know about the Bank Goals in Pioneer Trail:
A Nest Egg
Start Building A Bank
Clear 10 Grass
Collect 1 General Store Bonus
To start building the Bank, find it in the Market for a mere 1,900 coins and 50 Wood. Put it any old place to fulfill this requirement, and collect from the General Store once. Your rewards for this simple Goal are 100XP, 500 Coins and one Bag of Money (whatever that does). To start building the Bank, you will need to find the items pictured below from your friends:
Pioneer Trail Bank upgrade
Paper Pushin'
Visit Jack's Homestead & Collect From His Bank
Visit 5 Neighbors
Collect 12 Bankin' Permits
Visiting neighbors should be second nature in Pioneer Trail by now. To grab the 12 Bankin' Permits, ask your friends through the Goal menu. For completing this Goal, enjoy 250XP, 500 Coins and a Banker's Apron.
Pioneer Trail Bank interactionThem Bulls 'N' Bears
Scare 3 Bears
Tend 10 Adult Oxen
Collect 10 Gold Certificates
Scaring Bears is as easy as clicking on them, and I doubt the Cannon would be applicable in this Goal. If you don't have any Adult Oxen, they cost 990 coins on the Market. The Gold Certificates likely also come from friend requests. Your rewards: 1 Grizzly Oak, 300XP and 500 Coins.
Countin' Yer Chickens
Buy 5 Chicks
Sell 20 Adult Chickens
Make 4 Bank Deposits
Five chicks from the Market would cost a paltry 375 coins, while selling 20 Adult Chickens could take some time. To make a deposit in the Bank, click on the building and choose "Deposit." Then, choose the amount you want to deposit from the preset options, and confirm the transaction. You'll receive a special item for doing so, and you can only deposit or withdrawal a total of three times daily. So, this Goal will take more than one day regardless. Enjoy 500XP, 500 Coins and one Chicken for completing this Goal.
Pioneer Trail Bank deposit
Seal The Deal
Collect A Neighbor's Bank Bonus
Harvest 10 Cabbage
Collect 10 Silver Notes
You can interact with neighboring Banks just like you would any other animal, crop or debris. The 10 Cabbage will cost you 2,650 coins and take a least 16 hours without Boosts. The 10 Silver Notes look like they're from friends as well. Your rewards for completing this final task are 750XP, 500 Coins and one Gold Bullion.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Have you started your Bank in Pioneer Trail yet? What do you think of the new feature so far?
Players Level 16 and above will be granted a new set of Goals upon returning to their homesteads from the Trail, and can immediately get started on this interesting new feature. Here's everything you need to know about the Bank Goals in Pioneer Trail:
A Nest Egg
Start Building A Bank
Clear 10 Grass
Collect 1 General Store Bonus
To start building the Bank, find it in the Market for a mere 1,900 coins and 50 Wood. Put it any old place to fulfill this requirement, and collect from the General Store once. Your rewards for this simple Goal are 100XP, 500 Coins and one Bag of Money (whatever that does). To start building the Bank, you will need to find the items pictured below from your friends:
Pioneer Trail Bank upgrade
Paper Pushin'
Visit Jack's Homestead & Collect From His Bank
Visit 5 Neighbors
Collect 12 Bankin' Permits
Visiting neighbors should be second nature in Pioneer Trail by now. To grab the 12 Bankin' Permits, ask your friends through the Goal menu. For completing this Goal, enjoy 250XP, 500 Coins and a Banker's Apron.
Pioneer Trail Bank interactionThem Bulls 'N' Bears
Scare 3 Bears
Tend 10 Adult Oxen
Collect 10 Gold Certificates
Scaring Bears is as easy as clicking on them, and I doubt the Cannon would be applicable in this Goal. If you don't have any Adult Oxen, they cost 990 coins on the Market. The Gold Certificates likely also come from friend requests. Your rewards: 1 Grizzly Oak, 300XP and 500 Coins.
Countin' Yer Chickens
Buy 5 Chicks
Sell 20 Adult Chickens
Make 4 Bank Deposits
Five chicks from the Market would cost a paltry 375 coins, while selling 20 Adult Chickens could take some time. To make a deposit in the Bank, click on the building and choose "Deposit." Then, choose the amount you want to deposit from the preset options, and confirm the transaction. You'll receive a special item for doing so, and you can only deposit or withdrawal a total of three times daily. So, this Goal will take more than one day regardless. Enjoy 500XP, 500 Coins and one Chicken for completing this Goal.
Pioneer Trail Bank deposit
Seal The Deal
Collect A Neighbor's Bank Bonus
Harvest 10 Cabbage
Collect 10 Silver Notes
You can interact with neighboring Banks just like you would any other animal, crop or debris. The 10 Cabbage will cost you 2,650 coins and take a least 16 hours without Boosts. The 10 Silver Notes look like they're from friends as well. Your rewards for completing this final task are 750XP, 500 Coins and one Gold Bullion.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Have you started your Bank in Pioneer Trail yet? What do you think of the new feature so far?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Dev calls Zynga games "slightly gamified websites"
Many, maybe too many, conversations about social games lead back to the same topic: Zynga games, they're big, but are they any good?
One of the more measured answers to that question comes from Cerebral Fix CEO Ben Dellaca, who is currently on a Stateside tour to promote his and a few other New Zealand game companies who specialize in social, mobile and augmented reality games. He says Zynga started out creating, well, non-games, but have evolved since then. Here's a snippit of our conversation:
"I kind of argue that the original Zynga products on Facebook were actually slightly gamified websites. And that was as simple as it was. So the likes of the Mafia Wars products or the 'X' Wars products -- they just ripped themselves off like 20-something ridiculous times, Vampire Wars... Vomit Wars. They introduced a whole RPG (role-playing game) concept to it. It was one click, and then it was like, come back here [to click again].
Do you think Zynga games are the same now?
I don't think they're the same at all. This new flight of products coming out from Zynga actually are "games," in my unhumble opinion. I have to tip my hat off to them. Games like Empires & Allies have real fighting elements in them ... I don't think the PvP element is going well at all ... but I think that took their audience to the stage where they're starting, starting, to create some cool little game content. And there's a whole new wave of them... their Indiana Jones rip-offs and their Castle-things are kind of interesting, although that CastleVille does look a little like FrontierVille to me -- so that's a little bit of a worry. But it will be interesting to see where they go in the future because the whole space is maturing. And, if you see a company like Zynga changing... then we're all going to be.
Is Zynga dominating social games on Facebook so much, that it's, in a way, killing it?
I go to all of the conferences and I'm forever seeing developers who are actually looking at the likes of Zynga and going, "Let's do that!" Which I think is crazy... Pick something you're really great at, start there and really polish that up. A lot of game companies moving into, and getting their butts kicked, in the social space are better off, in my opinion, doing something that's a little more core. We've just figured this out recently and have a new buzzword called 'Mid-core' gaming.
What about "core" games on Facebook? Is that really going to draw console games to play a game on a social network?
A great example of how not to do that is Sony and product that they've put with that dungeony thing [aka, Dungeon Overlord] they've put in there. It was a really great game but it wasn't connected to the audience properly. It was almost as if they made this great little game and wanted to sell it to Zynga customers. It wasn't a product that a 55-year-old US 'home executive' was going to play. So you really have to think it through strategically and have got that wider level of thinking as opposed to getting a little too excited about what we're doing and just going out there and making a product. Which does happen from time to time."
Cerebral Fix recently churned out a Facebook game called Crystal Link, a simple, but compelling gem matching game with power-ups (think Bejeweled Blitz). The company also released a Pokemon-style game called Terrapets for Android in November, which Dellaca says will be scampering onto Facebook in the not-too-distant future.
One of the more measured answers to that question comes from Cerebral Fix CEO Ben Dellaca, who is currently on a Stateside tour to promote his and a few other New Zealand game companies who specialize in social, mobile and augmented reality games. He says Zynga started out creating, well, non-games, but have evolved since then. Here's a snippit of our conversation:
"I kind of argue that the original Zynga products on Facebook were actually slightly gamified websites. And that was as simple as it was. So the likes of the Mafia Wars products or the 'X' Wars products -- they just ripped themselves off like 20-something ridiculous times, Vampire Wars... Vomit Wars. They introduced a whole RPG (role-playing game) concept to it. It was one click, and then it was like, come back here [to click again].
Do you think Zynga games are the same now?
I don't think they're the same at all. This new flight of products coming out from Zynga actually are "games," in my unhumble opinion. I have to tip my hat off to them. Games like Empires & Allies have real fighting elements in them ... I don't think the PvP element is going well at all ... but I think that took their audience to the stage where they're starting, starting, to create some cool little game content. And there's a whole new wave of them... their Indiana Jones rip-offs and their Castle-things are kind of interesting, although that CastleVille does look a little like FrontierVille to me -- so that's a little bit of a worry. But it will be interesting to see where they go in the future because the whole space is maturing. And, if you see a company like Zynga changing... then we're all going to be.
Is Zynga dominating social games on Facebook so much, that it's, in a way, killing it?
I go to all of the conferences and I'm forever seeing developers who are actually looking at the likes of Zynga and going, "Let's do that!" Which I think is crazy... Pick something you're really great at, start there and really polish that up. A lot of game companies moving into, and getting their butts kicked, in the social space are better off, in my opinion, doing something that's a little more core. We've just figured this out recently and have a new buzzword called 'Mid-core' gaming.
What about "core" games on Facebook? Is that really going to draw console games to play a game on a social network?
A great example of how not to do that is Sony and product that they've put with that dungeony thing [aka, Dungeon Overlord] they've put in there. It was a really great game but it wasn't connected to the audience properly. It was almost as if they made this great little game and wanted to sell it to Zynga customers. It wasn't a product that a 55-year-old US 'home executive' was going to play. So you really have to think it through strategically and have got that wider level of thinking as opposed to getting a little too excited about what we're doing and just going out there and making a product. Which does happen from time to time."
Cerebral Fix recently churned out a Facebook game called Crystal Link, a simple, but compelling gem matching game with power-ups (think Bejeweled Blitz). The company also released a Pokemon-style game called Terrapets for Android in November, which Dellaca says will be scampering onto Facebook in the not-too-distant future.
Top 25 Facebook Games - December 2011: FarmVille Strikes Back
I guess in Facebook game years, FarmVille is kind of like Obi Wan Kenobi. And boy, did Zynga's farming game come back stronger than we could possibly imagine, or what? As The Sims Social falls from its cushy number two spot after losing 7.9 million monthly players, FarmVille swoops in with a 2.8 million gain this month. CityVille lost a few million, but still clings to the top.
EA and Playfish's slugger dipped even further on December's daily players chart to fifth place with a loss of 1.1 million players. (This is what we chalk all that up to.) Of course, CastleVille--Zynga's fastest-growing game ever--makes a grand entrance into both top 25 charts. The kingdom-builder shot up to fifth place in monthly players with 20.8 million, and an impressive second place in daily players with 7.3 million. That should be the shot in the arm the company needs for its imminent public offering, no?
Not so fast, considering Mafia Wars 2 didn't even make the charts in daily players, the best measure of a game's dedicated (and paying) audience. Zynga launched Mafia Wars 2 in October. The game does, however, have 11.3 million monthly players, which ties it with Wooga's Diamond Dash. That puzzle game is nine months old.
Top 25 Facebook Games by MAU
An interesting newcomer to this lineup is Nordeus's Top Eleven, which creeps up in 25th place on the daily players charts with 950,000. Unfortunately, the rest of these charts look like business as usual, aside from Zynga's major losses including Adventure World, which hemorrhaged 4.3 million monthly players. Though, it's refreshing to see some more developers continue to thrive in the top 25 charts, like King.com with Bubble Witch Saga and 6waves Lolapps with Ravenskye City.
[Source and Image Credit: Inside Social Games]
How can The Sims Social reclaim its second place spot? What other games do you think deserve to be on this list?
EA and Playfish's slugger dipped even further on December's daily players chart to fifth place with a loss of 1.1 million players. (This is what we chalk all that up to.) Of course, CastleVille--Zynga's fastest-growing game ever--makes a grand entrance into both top 25 charts. The kingdom-builder shot up to fifth place in monthly players with 20.8 million, and an impressive second place in daily players with 7.3 million. That should be the shot in the arm the company needs for its imminent public offering, no?
Not so fast, considering Mafia Wars 2 didn't even make the charts in daily players, the best measure of a game's dedicated (and paying) audience. Zynga launched Mafia Wars 2 in October. The game does, however, have 11.3 million monthly players, which ties it with Wooga's Diamond Dash. That puzzle game is nine months old.
Top 25 Facebook Games by MAU
An interesting newcomer to this lineup is Nordeus's Top Eleven, which creeps up in 25th place on the daily players charts with 950,000. Unfortunately, the rest of these charts look like business as usual, aside from Zynga's major losses including Adventure World, which hemorrhaged 4.3 million monthly players. Though, it's refreshing to see some more developers continue to thrive in the top 25 charts, like King.com with Bubble Witch Saga and 6waves Lolapps with Ravenskye City.
[Source and Image Credit: Inside Social Games]
How can The Sims Social reclaim its second place spot? What other games do you think deserve to be on this list?
Zynga gets real, aims for third place among EA, Activision Blizzard
Zynga sure talked a big game earlier this summer with an estimated valuation of anywhere between $11.5 and $20 billion, but perhaps it spoke too soon. According to its most recent S-1 filing with the US Security and Exchanges Commission (SEC), Zynga now expects to value at between $5.9 and $7 billion when it goes public on the Nasdaq as early as Dec. 12. However, the company looks to initially raise a bit more than it previously expected: $1.15 billion when it debuts under the ticker "ZNGA".
The company still expects to price its shares between $8.50 and $10, with 699.4 million total shares. While the company does plan to raise more than previously reported, this brings the FarmVille maker back down to reality somewhat. The four-year-old company originally expected to be worth more than even Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard's $14 billion and EA's $7 billion. But with a projected valuation--the expected total worth of a company based on several factors--starting at $5.9 billion, neither will happen.
Zynga lowered the valuation due to poor market conditions, according to Inside Social Games. It appears that the company's IPO roadshow is already underway, as Zynga has posted a 30-minute video detailing the entire presentation. Within the presentation, Zynga focused on its growth in the mobile arena, with 11.1 million daily players across iOS and Android, among other things. Check it out right here.
[Via Inside Social Games]
[Image Credit: Fiscal Times]
Do you think Zynga can at least tie with EA when it goes public? Would you ever invest?
The company still expects to price its shares between $8.50 and $10, with 699.4 million total shares. While the company does plan to raise more than previously reported, this brings the FarmVille maker back down to reality somewhat. The four-year-old company originally expected to be worth more than even Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard's $14 billion and EA's $7 billion. But with a projected valuation--the expected total worth of a company based on several factors--starting at $5.9 billion, neither will happen.
Zynga lowered the valuation due to poor market conditions, according to Inside Social Games. It appears that the company's IPO roadshow is already underway, as Zynga has posted a 30-minute video detailing the entire presentation. Within the presentation, Zynga focused on its growth in the mobile arena, with 11.1 million daily players across iOS and Android, among other things. Check it out right here.
[Via Inside Social Games]
[Image Credit: Fiscal Times]
Do you think Zynga can at least tie with EA when it goes public? Would you ever invest?
Final Fantasy Brigade arrives on mobile (in Japan) this month
Back in October, Square Enix and DeNA announced that a social Final Fantasy game was in the works, but revealed few details. At a press conference in Tokyo today, the duo announced that the game, called Final Fantasy Brigade, will go into closed beta in mid-December and will launch to the public in late December on the Mobage social gaming platform in Japan.
In Final Fantasy Brigade, each player will take command of an airship and explore "the Final Fantasy universe," by joining up with friends to complete quests and earn experience points. The game will be very Final Fantasy in nature, and will include things like magic crystals, monsters and special abilities. You will also be able to go head-to-head against friends, and see who has the one airship posse to rule them all.
Final Fantasy Brigade: Will it be a hit or a flop? Sound off in the comments below.
In Final Fantasy Brigade, each player will take command of an airship and explore "the Final Fantasy universe," by joining up with friends to complete quests and earn experience points. The game will be very Final Fantasy in nature, and will include things like magic crystals, monsters and special abilities. You will also be able to go head-to-head against friends, and see who has the one airship posse to rule them all.
Final Fantasy Brigade: Will it be a hit or a flop? Sound off in the comments below.
Monday, December 12, 2011
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Ghost Bonus Challenges: Everything you need to know
Phew, what a mouthful! After completing the three Ghost Goals in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove (which have yet to be released), you'll then be able to move onto a series of three more Bonus Challenges. These seem to be some of the hardest one's we've seen released in the game to date, if info spotted by FarmVille Freak ends up being the final product. As usual, these unreleased goals are subject to change at any time, and we'll change this guide to reflect any discrepancies that may exist in the final product. Still, feel free to use this as a sort of template for how to prepare when the goals finally go live.
Bonus Challenge 1
Master Cheddar Cheese to 1-star
Harvest 110 Cove Cranberries
Harvest Lighthouse Cove
With this one, you'll either have a really easy time of things, or will already be reaching to pull your hair out, all depending on how much (or how little) you use your Restaurant in your Lighthouse Cove farm. Each batch of Cheddar Cheese takes two Red Clover, one Hay and two Rhubarb Bushels, so start crafting as much of that as you can, even before these goals launch, to catch up if you haven't already received the mastery sign (at level 20). As for the Cove Cranberries, that's no easy task either, as they take a full day to grow. Still, for finishing this first goal, you'll receive 500 XP a Trick or Treat Monkey and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Challenge 2
Harvest 110 Daylilies
Improve Lighthouse Cove to Level 6
Make Cranberry-Pineapple Relish 3 Times
Cranberry-Pineapple Relish is crafted inside the Restaurant using two Cove Cranberry, one Pineapple and three Peppermint bushels each. Meanwhile, Daylilies take 16 hours to harvest. Remember, unless you've paid Farm Cash to upgrade your farm to where it can hold 110 plots or more, you'll likely need to spend more than one day on this goal, which wastes time that you simply don't have to spare. This isn't a suggestion to go out and spend Farm Cash on expansions (I haven't done so, as an example) - it's simply a warning of what to expect. For finishing this second Bonus Challenge, you'll receive 1,000 XP a Giant Conch and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Challenge 3
Make Jonny Cakes 3 Times
Harvest 130 Butter & Sugar Corn
Harvest 1 Orchard
Each Jonny Cake requires two Butter & Sugar Corn, two Rye and two Daylily bushels, while Butter & Sugar Corn itself requires 12 hours to grow. Hopefully, with such high crop requirements across these three Bonus Challenge goals, that means that further coin options for expansions will be released alongside, but as of right now, I wouldn't hold my breath on that just yet. If you can manage to finish this third goal before the goals expire, you'll end up walking away with 500 XP, a Gnarled Tree decoration and 2,500 coins.
I highly expect further Halloween-specific goals to launch in FarmVille before the holiday comes and goes, so keep checking back with us as we'll bring you a complete guide to those goals as well, if and when they do launch.
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.
What do you think of these challenge goals? Did you already expand your land to be able to plant many more crops at once?
Bonus Challenge 1
Master Cheddar Cheese to 1-star
Harvest 110 Cove Cranberries
Harvest Lighthouse Cove
With this one, you'll either have a really easy time of things, or will already be reaching to pull your hair out, all depending on how much (or how little) you use your Restaurant in your Lighthouse Cove farm. Each batch of Cheddar Cheese takes two Red Clover, one Hay and two Rhubarb Bushels, so start crafting as much of that as you can, even before these goals launch, to catch up if you haven't already received the mastery sign (at level 20). As for the Cove Cranberries, that's no easy task either, as they take a full day to grow. Still, for finishing this first goal, you'll receive 500 XP a Trick or Treat Monkey and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Challenge 2
Harvest 110 Daylilies
Improve Lighthouse Cove to Level 6
Make Cranberry-Pineapple Relish 3 Times
Cranberry-Pineapple Relish is crafted inside the Restaurant using two Cove Cranberry, one Pineapple and three Peppermint bushels each. Meanwhile, Daylilies take 16 hours to harvest. Remember, unless you've paid Farm Cash to upgrade your farm to where it can hold 110 plots or more, you'll likely need to spend more than one day on this goal, which wastes time that you simply don't have to spare. This isn't a suggestion to go out and spend Farm Cash on expansions (I haven't done so, as an example) - it's simply a warning of what to expect. For finishing this second Bonus Challenge, you'll receive 1,000 XP a Giant Conch and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Challenge 3
Make Jonny Cakes 3 Times
Harvest 130 Butter & Sugar Corn
Harvest 1 Orchard
Each Jonny Cake requires two Butter & Sugar Corn, two Rye and two Daylily bushels, while Butter & Sugar Corn itself requires 12 hours to grow. Hopefully, with such high crop requirements across these three Bonus Challenge goals, that means that further coin options for expansions will be released alongside, but as of right now, I wouldn't hold my breath on that just yet. If you can manage to finish this third goal before the goals expire, you'll end up walking away with 500 XP, a Gnarled Tree decoration and 2,500 coins.
I highly expect further Halloween-specific goals to launch in FarmVille before the holiday comes and goes, so keep checking back with us as we'll bring you a complete guide to those goals as well, if and when they do launch.
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.
What do you think of these challenge goals? Did you already expand your land to be able to plant many more crops at once?
AddictingGames on iPhone is the top free App Store app after 48 hours
Nickelodeon Games and AddictingGames look like they're on a roll, as the AddictingGames (AG) iPhone app became the number one free app on the App Store within just 48 hours of its launch. The app, which is more like a suite of games, packs 18 of the game portal's best games--well, those that work best with touch controls.
The company looks to constantly update the AG app with new games, and already three new games are slated to hit the app on Oct. 20 in a Halloween-themed update. The app features Facebook Connect integration, which allows players to share their high scores and achievements. Players can also share games they've discovered in the app, which should come more in handy as the list of available games grows.
The iOS version of AddictingGames comes just months after Nickelodeon Games released a Facebook app for its stable of 4,000 games this past spring to a healthy 1.3 million monthly players. Included in the AG iPhone app (we've been told that an iPad-optimized version is on the way) are games like Catopult, Achoo! and a game developed exclusively for iOS: Potty Copter.
Now, whether AddictingGames can hold the top spot for the rest of the month (and for when we highlight the top 10 free iOS and Android games) will be even more impressive. The app's Facebook-driven social features are still taking shape, but you can see whether we dug AG on iPhone in our preview right here.
Have you downloaded the AG app for iPhone or your iPod Touch yet? What do you think of flash game portal-style games on social games and now on mobile?
The company looks to constantly update the AG app with new games, and already three new games are slated to hit the app on Oct. 20 in a Halloween-themed update. The app features Facebook Connect integration, which allows players to share their high scores and achievements. Players can also share games they've discovered in the app, which should come more in handy as the list of available games grows.
The iOS version of AddictingGames comes just months after Nickelodeon Games released a Facebook app for its stable of 4,000 games this past spring to a healthy 1.3 million monthly players. Included in the AG iPhone app (we've been told that an iPad-optimized version is on the way) are games like Catopult, Achoo! and a game developed exclusively for iOS: Potty Copter.
Now, whether AddictingGames can hold the top spot for the rest of the month (and for when we highlight the top 10 free iOS and Android games) will be even more impressive. The app's Facebook-driven social features are still taking shape, but you can see whether we dug AG on iPhone in our preview right here.
Have you downloaded the AG app for iPhone or your iPod Touch yet? What do you think of flash game portal-style games on social games and now on mobile?
First Elvis, now John Belushi to be revived in a Facebook game, too?
John Belushi
We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried, folks. And--get this--John Belushi will be featured in the same social game as Elvis, old cars and apparently soap opera stars (or something like that). Entertainment Games announced that, thanks to the license agreement it scored with CMG Worldwide, John Belushi will star in its first, mysterious "retro-based social game."
When it finally unleashes what sounds like a social game nostalgia bomb, it will be available on Facebook, Google+, mobile phones and simply in the browser. According to a release, we're quite close to the release of the still unnamed social game, which is said to focus heavily on story and will be built on the Heyday platform, which Entertainment Games acquired earlier this year.
"Everyone remembers the comic genius of John Belushi," Entertainment Games president Gene Mauro said in a release. "He brought laughter to the world, and it's truly exciting to cast him in new roles and feature him on virtual goods in our new social game. We're honored to be associated with CMG Worldwide and John Belushi and look forward to announcing more of our game's celebrity cast members as we approach our product launch."
The Langhorne, Penn.-based company is certainly taking the branded games strategy to a whole new level. Rather than focusing on a particular brand (or even a single celebrity, for that matter), Entertainment Games looks to harness the pull of a slew of old-time celebrities. That said, at least we know the audience that the company is going for with this release. I'm looking at you, baby boomers.
What do you expect from this game given the retro star treatment it seems to have reeled in? Do you think nostalgia is enough to get you to play a new social game?
We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried, folks. And--get this--John Belushi will be featured in the same social game as Elvis, old cars and apparently soap opera stars (or something like that). Entertainment Games announced that, thanks to the license agreement it scored with CMG Worldwide, John Belushi will star in its first, mysterious "retro-based social game."
When it finally unleashes what sounds like a social game nostalgia bomb, it will be available on Facebook, Google+, mobile phones and simply in the browser. According to a release, we're quite close to the release of the still unnamed social game, which is said to focus heavily on story and will be built on the Heyday platform, which Entertainment Games acquired earlier this year.
"Everyone remembers the comic genius of John Belushi," Entertainment Games president Gene Mauro said in a release. "He brought laughter to the world, and it's truly exciting to cast him in new roles and feature him on virtual goods in our new social game. We're honored to be associated with CMG Worldwide and John Belushi and look forward to announcing more of our game's celebrity cast members as we approach our product launch."
The Langhorne, Penn.-based company is certainly taking the branded games strategy to a whole new level. Rather than focusing on a particular brand (or even a single celebrity, for that matter), Entertainment Games looks to harness the pull of a slew of old-time celebrities. That said, at least we know the audience that the company is going for with this release. I'm looking at you, baby boomers.
What do you expect from this game given the retro star treatment it seems to have reeled in? Do you think nostalgia is enough to get you to play a new social game?
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Angry Birds Seasons 'Wreck the Halls' to crash-land for Christmas?
Rovio, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, so can we at least give it until Nov. 25? Ahem, anyway, Angry Birds Nest reports that the next update to Angry Birds Seasons will be titled "Wreck the Halls" in time for everyone's favorite holiday(s). The fan website found evidence of the upcoming update within the Angry Birds Seasons Game Center and Achievements pages.
A new logo has cropped up beside the game's title with the red bird sitting in a wintry landscape, while the leaked achievement that gives the update's title away sits at the very bottom of the Achievements page, it seems. Unfortunately, this is all we have to go off of. (But you rabid Angry Birds fans are already beginning to salivate at the thought of new pigs to pop, aren't ya?)
Angry Birds Seasons Wreck the Halls
The most reason Angry Birds Seasons update brought a new bird into the fold, so we're sure this new update will accommodate his abilities rather nicely. Who knows, Rovio could have thought up yet another new bird!
[Via PocketGamer]
What is Rovio cooking up for this holiday season's annual Angry Birds romp?
A new logo has cropped up beside the game's title with the red bird sitting in a wintry landscape, while the leaked achievement that gives the update's title away sits at the very bottom of the Achievements page, it seems. Unfortunately, this is all we have to go off of. (But you rabid Angry Birds fans are already beginning to salivate at the thought of new pigs to pop, aren't ya?)
Angry Birds Seasons Wreck the Halls
The most reason Angry Birds Seasons update brought a new bird into the fold, so we're sure this new update will accommodate his abilities rather nicely. Who knows, Rovio could have thought up yet another new bird!
[Via PocketGamer]
What is Rovio cooking up for this holiday season's annual Angry Birds romp?
ESRB soon gets to say, 'You must be this old to play this iPhone game'
With this bit of news, you're mileage may vary. This could be either the most depressing or comforting news you hear all day, dependent upon your age. The ESRB, or the Entertainment Software Rating Board, will roll out a content ratings system for iOS and Android. IndustryGamers reports that the ESRB will have help from the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association.
The new system will standardize video game and app ratings across iOS and Android devices, which is admittedly a fragmented mess at the moment. While the App Store allows developers to choose ratings based on age, the Android Market features ratings with wording from "Everyone" to "High Maturity." With this system, mobile game creators would have to submit their games to the ESRB--just like they do with console and PC games--in order to receive a rating.
According to IndustryGamers, the ESRB has rated over 21,000 games since its inception in 1994. With the amount of games that hit the App Store and Android Market every week, that number is about to skyrocket. How this system will be enforced once employed is unknown, which is certainly a concern considering the amount of parents that let little Mary Sue play with the iPad.
Are you relieved or annoyed that mobile games are about to get their own standardized ratings system? How could the ESRB enforce such a system on the App Store and Android Market?
The new system will standardize video game and app ratings across iOS and Android devices, which is admittedly a fragmented mess at the moment. While the App Store allows developers to choose ratings based on age, the Android Market features ratings with wording from "Everyone" to "High Maturity." With this system, mobile game creators would have to submit their games to the ESRB--just like they do with console and PC games--in order to receive a rating.
According to IndustryGamers, the ESRB has rated over 21,000 games since its inception in 1994. With the amount of games that hit the App Store and Android Market every week, that number is about to skyrocket. How this system will be enforced once employed is unknown, which is certainly a concern considering the amount of parents that let little Mary Sue play with the iPad.
Are you relieved or annoyed that mobile games are about to get their own standardized ratings system? How could the ESRB enforce such a system on the App Store and Android Market?
Cafe World: Play CastleVille for a free Dragon Lightning Stove
The CastleVille cross-promotional train has pulled into Cafe World this afternoon, as Zynga is now offering all chefs a chance at a free item in their cafes if they'll play its newest game, CastleVille, on Facebook. Of course, you're required to do more than simply login to the game once, as you'll need to reach at least level 5 in CastleVille to be eligible for your reward.
You'll see that this promotion is available to you via the pop-up at right, advertising a special bonus if you reach Level 5. By clicking on the button in that window, you'll be taken directly to CastleVille (if you've yet to play the big Z's newest game), or, if you've already reached Level 5 (perhaps to win the five free Instant Grows in FarmVille), you'll simply be able to close this window and check your inventory - specifically the stove section - to find a free CastleVille Lightning Stove waiting for you in your inventory.
This stove originally costs 45 Cafe Cash to purchase from the store, so if you happen to really like the design of it and wish to purchase more, you're free to do that as well (we'd expect it will only be available for a limited time). It's likely that further Zynga games will receive cross-promotions for CastleVille, and when/if they do, we'll make sure to let you know.
Have you already played CastleVille to Level 5 for another game's reward, or will you specifically do so now for this free Lightning Stove?
You'll see that this promotion is available to you via the pop-up at right, advertising a special bonus if you reach Level 5. By clicking on the button in that window, you'll be taken directly to CastleVille (if you've yet to play the big Z's newest game), or, if you've already reached Level 5 (perhaps to win the five free Instant Grows in FarmVille), you'll simply be able to close this window and check your inventory - specifically the stove section - to find a free CastleVille Lightning Stove waiting for you in your inventory.
This stove originally costs 45 Cafe Cash to purchase from the store, so if you happen to really like the design of it and wish to purchase more, you're free to do that as well (we'd expect it will only be available for a limited time). It's likely that further Zynga games will receive cross-promotions for CastleVille, and when/if they do, we'll make sure to let you know.
Have you already played CastleVille to Level 5 for another game's reward, or will you specifically do so now for this free Lightning Stove?
CityVille City Center: Everything you need to know
I hope you're ready to party, as Zynga has launched a first birthday celebration in CityVille, and that means tons of prizes, and even one heck of a functional building for you in this event. First and foremost, over the next 20 days, you'll be asked to complete a goal called "CityVille's Birthday," which mainly revolves around something called the City Center. This City Center in itself is a Community Building, raising your maximum population cap, but it also functions as a "Neighborhood" for Community Buildings, so that you can store them and free up some space on your land.
The City Center will be given to you for free via the CityVille's Birthday goal. You'll then need to upgrade the building to Level 7 and visit 30 neighbors to finish the entire goal and walk away with a whopping 5 million coins as a reward. But how do you upgrade the City Center? Well, once you place the City Center into your town (warning - it has an incredibly large base), you'll need to start collecting items with your friends' help to upgrade.
The base of the building is simply Level 1, but once you start to upgrade, you'll be able to store Community Buildings inside, all of the way up to Level 7, where you'll be able to store up to 12 Community Buildings in this single City Center. To upgrade to Level 2, for instance, you'll need to collect four each of Champagne, Poppers and Noisemakers. The Champagne is earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the Poppers and Noisemakers come through general requests you'll place on your wall. You can also purchase the ingredients for City Cash.
When you reach Level 2, this City Center will be able to hold three Community Buildings, and will offer a boost to your maximum population of 3,000 citizens. You'll be able to collect 600 coins from the building every few hours. To be especially clear, this City Center itself comes with its own population boost, on top of the boosts you've earned from building the stored Community Buildings themselves. Also, it looks like we won't be able to store any Community Buildings at this exact time, but all of the slots you've unlocked by upgrading will become available after this limited time event ends. It's a confusing setup, and we've reached out to Zynga for clarification.
As you level up the building, you'll need to ask for help from more and more friends, but if you can make it to Level 7, the City Center will then offer 10x the payout as before. It, again, will also allow you to store more buildings than before, up to the maximum of 12. At the end of this event - 20 days from now - we'll apparently all be eligible to receive a special Mystery Bonus in our towns. If you fully upgrade the City Center before these 20 days elapse, you'll simply receive the bonus then. What is the bonus? As of this writing, it unfortunately really is a mystery, but we'll make sure to fill you in as we learn more.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Are you excited to be able to store Community Buildings in this new City Center? What other events do you hope Zynga launches to celebrate CityVille's first birthday?
The City Center will be given to you for free via the CityVille's Birthday goal. You'll then need to upgrade the building to Level 7 and visit 30 neighbors to finish the entire goal and walk away with a whopping 5 million coins as a reward. But how do you upgrade the City Center? Well, once you place the City Center into your town (warning - it has an incredibly large base), you'll need to start collecting items with your friends' help to upgrade.
The base of the building is simply Level 1, but once you start to upgrade, you'll be able to store Community Buildings inside, all of the way up to Level 7, where you'll be able to store up to 12 Community Buildings in this single City Center. To upgrade to Level 2, for instance, you'll need to collect four each of Champagne, Poppers and Noisemakers. The Champagne is earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the Poppers and Noisemakers come through general requests you'll place on your wall. You can also purchase the ingredients for City Cash.
When you reach Level 2, this City Center will be able to hold three Community Buildings, and will offer a boost to your maximum population of 3,000 citizens. You'll be able to collect 600 coins from the building every few hours. To be especially clear, this City Center itself comes with its own population boost, on top of the boosts you've earned from building the stored Community Buildings themselves. Also, it looks like we won't be able to store any Community Buildings at this exact time, but all of the slots you've unlocked by upgrading will become available after this limited time event ends. It's a confusing setup, and we've reached out to Zynga for clarification.
As you level up the building, you'll need to ask for help from more and more friends, but if you can make it to Level 7, the City Center will then offer 10x the payout as before. It, again, will also allow you to store more buildings than before, up to the maximum of 12. At the end of this event - 20 days from now - we'll apparently all be eligible to receive a special Mystery Bonus in our towns. If you fully upgrade the City Center before these 20 days elapse, you'll simply receive the bonus then. What is the bonus? As of this writing, it unfortunately really is a mystery, but we'll make sure to fill you in as we learn more.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Are you excited to be able to store Community Buildings in this new City Center? What other events do you hope Zynga launches to celebrate CityVille's first birthday?
CityVille Apple Orchard: Everything you need to know
If you're excited about the new City Center in CityVille, that will allow you to store some Community Buildings and free up space on your land, maybe you're not exactly ready to re-clutter that land with even more Community Buildings. If you can always use more in the way of population cap boosts, however, you'll be happy to know that a new Apple Orchard is available to place in your town, and that it comes with its own goal.
As usual, this goal has one requirement, that being to simply place the Apple Orchard's base in your town. You'll receive 20,000 coins for doing so, and can then really get to work on building the Apple Orchard proper. The base requires six whacks (or six energy) to complete the frame, and from there, you'll be required to collect a variety of building ingredients with the help of friends. You know, just once I'd like to see a building require two, maybe three items at most, rather than these long-drawn out affairs, but alas... As is stands, you'll need to collect:
5 Work Uniforms
5 Barrels
5 Red Apples
5 Juice Jugs
5 Bags of Leaves
The Barrels, Red Apples and Juice Jugs are earned through general wall posts placed on your news feed, while the Bags of Leaves are earned through specific requests sent to individual CityVille neighbors. If you're lucky, you'll already have these Work Uniforms on hand from previous building projects, and won't have to collect as many items in total (little victories, am I right?)
Once you finish building the Apple Orchard, your town's maximum population will receive a boost of 1,700 citizens. That's a pretty big boost, considering the fact that this particular building was free, but remember that you'll need to be at least Level 20 to receive this goal, or the free building.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Apple Orchard Community Building in CityVille? Are you excited to see these nature-themed building projects, or do you enjoy the more metropolitan buildings like skyscrapers?
As usual, this goal has one requirement, that being to simply place the Apple Orchard's base in your town. You'll receive 20,000 coins for doing so, and can then really get to work on building the Apple Orchard proper. The base requires six whacks (or six energy) to complete the frame, and from there, you'll be required to collect a variety of building ingredients with the help of friends. You know, just once I'd like to see a building require two, maybe three items at most, rather than these long-drawn out affairs, but alas... As is stands, you'll need to collect:
5 Work Uniforms
5 Barrels
5 Red Apples
5 Juice Jugs
5 Bags of Leaves
The Barrels, Red Apples and Juice Jugs are earned through general wall posts placed on your news feed, while the Bags of Leaves are earned through specific requests sent to individual CityVille neighbors. If you're lucky, you'll already have these Work Uniforms on hand from previous building projects, and won't have to collect as many items in total (little victories, am I right?)
Once you finish building the Apple Orchard, your town's maximum population will receive a boost of 1,700 citizens. That's a pretty big boost, considering the fact that this particular building was free, but remember that you'll need to be at least Level 20 to receive this goal, or the free building.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Apple Orchard Community Building in CityVille? Are you excited to see these nature-themed building projects, or do you enjoy the more metropolitan buildings like skyscrapers?
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove land expansion sale happening now!
As we've all come to know (and perhaps hate) about FarmVille's third farm, Lighthouse Cove, you're limited on the amount of individual farm plots you can place on your farm dependent on how far you've expanded the farm itself. While we've seen coin versions of expansions up to the 22x22 mark be released (slowly by surely), if you're still not at the level you'd like to be, and are fine shelling out some Farm Cash to get there, you can now expand through the 26x26, 28x28 and 30x30 land expansions for around 50% off each one.
Oddly enough, there isn't a sale option for the Beachfront Property, 24x24 land expansion, so in order to unlock these three options that are on sale, you'll still have to pay 100 Farm Cash to reach that point. If you've already done so, however, you can purchase each new expansion for around half of what they originally cost, which is a pretty good deal, all things considered. Here's the specific rundown:
Shoreline Acres (26x26) - 50 Farm Cash (originally 120)
Seashore Villa (28x28) - 75 Farm Cash (originally 145)
Bayside Estate (30x30) - 100 Farm Cash (originally 170)
Unfortunately, that still doesn't round out the full selection of expansions in Lighthouse Cove, as the 32x32 expansion sits at its normal price, a whopping 195 Farm Cash. Still, if you take advantage of these sales while they happen, you can expand quicker, and for far less real-world many than you would have been forced to pay originally. Either way, could this sale mean that Zynga is trying to claim any remaining Farm Cash that they can before releasing these land expansions for coins as well? It's an interesting theory, and we'll make sure to let you know if it holds weight in the future.
Will you purchase any of these Lighthouse Cove land expansions while they're on sale?
Oddly enough, there isn't a sale option for the Beachfront Property, 24x24 land expansion, so in order to unlock these three options that are on sale, you'll still have to pay 100 Farm Cash to reach that point. If you've already done so, however, you can purchase each new expansion for around half of what they originally cost, which is a pretty good deal, all things considered. Here's the specific rundown:
Shoreline Acres (26x26) - 50 Farm Cash (originally 120)
Seashore Villa (28x28) - 75 Farm Cash (originally 145)
Bayside Estate (30x30) - 100 Farm Cash (originally 170)
Unfortunately, that still doesn't round out the full selection of expansions in Lighthouse Cove, as the 32x32 expansion sits at its normal price, a whopping 195 Farm Cash. Still, if you take advantage of these sales while they happen, you can expand quicker, and for far less real-world many than you would have been forced to pay originally. Either way, could this sale mean that Zynga is trying to claim any remaining Farm Cash that they can before releasing these land expansions for coins as well? It's an interesting theory, and we'll make sure to let you know if it holds weight in the future.
Will you purchase any of these Lighthouse Cove land expansions while they're on sale?
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