I've been playing FarmVille since around the time of the Halloween celebration in 2009. During that time, I've accumulated around 80 neighbors, which is a respectable number, but nowhere near the mass amounts of some of my friends. Regardless, one of the biggest technical issues concerning FarmVille neighbors, in my mind, is simply what a hassle it is to add those neighbors to your in-game account in the first place.
Other games, from other developers, seem to have figured out that users who are adding a game probably want to play that game with friends, and have since incorporated an automatic neighbor addition tool that will show you each and every friend that has installed the game on your neighbor bar, even if they stopped playing the game months ago. Why can't FarmVille do the same?
One could argue that Zynga refrains from adding such a feature because it would throw off the items in the store that require you to add a certain amount of neighbors to unlock access to purchase them, but this just doesn't seem fair.
As I look at my in-game neighbors page, I see seven people that actively play FarmVille, but technically aren't my neighbors. I can send them gifts via Facebook news feed items, and we can send free gifts between one another, but I can't visit their farm. The most basic of social interactions in FarmVille and I have to go through special steps to activate it. Sure, it doesn't take much for a neighbor request to be sent or accepted, as it is done through a basic "gift request" scenario, but the fact that we have to do it in the first place just seems a bit silly.
For now, though, I guess I'm stuck with trying to remind myself to frequently check on my Neighbors page to find those farmers that I've left out in the cold. Hopefully that won't be the case for much longer.
Do you regularly check your Neighbors page to find those neighbors that you may have forgotten to add? Which other Facebook games would you like to see automatic neighbor addition added to?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Mafia Wars: Become the Governator in Governor's Run event
Ready for another limited time event in Mafia Wars? I hope so, because Zynga has launched one either way. This newest event will see you rallying for votes among your Mafia, so that you can become the in-game Governor and receive a very special prize at the end of the election.
This event will only be available until Sunday, and between now and then, you'll need to ask for, and send Mafia Wars ballots to those you'd like to help, or wish to receive help from. You'll need to have a total of 10 ballots to win the election (must be a pretty small state), and yes, you can vote for yourself (this is done automatically, as seen in the image above). Interestingly, you don't look to have an opponent in this election, but we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Earning ballots is as simple as clicking on the "Post" button underneath each of your Facebook friends' pictures. You'll unfortunately need to give Mafia Wars automatic access to posting news items on your behalf, so that you can quickly post individual ballot requests on individual users' walls, but once you finish the event, you can easily remove this access via the Facebook Applications Settings page (in the new Facebook menu layout, this is located under Privacy Settings).
If you can manage to bribe, cheat, lie and steal your way into the nine other ballots you need (or simply ask nicely and have your helpful friends oblige), you'll finish your rise to power and will be rewarded with the 2nd Amendment as a reward. The 2nd Amendment, in the real world, protects the right for individuals to keep and bear arms, so it only makes sense that the in-game 2nd Amendment would actually be the name of a gun, which has some pretty high stats, at 52 Attack and 80 Defense points.
Remember, each and every member of your mafia can be equipped with a gun when you go into battle against rival mafia members, so it's highly unlikely that you won't be able to put this fancy new weapon to good use.
With only a limited time to complete this event (remember, it ends on Sunday), make sure you start asking for votes soon to stand a chance at winning.
Will you try to win the Governor's Run event in Mafia Wars? Have you already finished the event? If so, how are you enjoying your well-deserved reward?
This event will only be available until Sunday, and between now and then, you'll need to ask for, and send Mafia Wars ballots to those you'd like to help, or wish to receive help from. You'll need to have a total of 10 ballots to win the election (must be a pretty small state), and yes, you can vote for yourself (this is done automatically, as seen in the image above). Interestingly, you don't look to have an opponent in this election, but we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Earning ballots is as simple as clicking on the "Post" button underneath each of your Facebook friends' pictures. You'll unfortunately need to give Mafia Wars automatic access to posting news items on your behalf, so that you can quickly post individual ballot requests on individual users' walls, but once you finish the event, you can easily remove this access via the Facebook Applications Settings page (in the new Facebook menu layout, this is located under Privacy Settings).
If you can manage to bribe, cheat, lie and steal your way into the nine other ballots you need (or simply ask nicely and have your helpful friends oblige), you'll finish your rise to power and will be rewarded with the 2nd Amendment as a reward. The 2nd Amendment, in the real world, protects the right for individuals to keep and bear arms, so it only makes sense that the in-game 2nd Amendment would actually be the name of a gun, which has some pretty high stats, at 52 Attack and 80 Defense points.
Remember, each and every member of your mafia can be equipped with a gun when you go into battle against rival mafia members, so it's highly unlikely that you won't be able to put this fancy new weapon to good use.
With only a limited time to complete this event (remember, it ends on Sunday), make sure you start asking for votes soon to stand a chance at winning.
Will you try to win the Governor's Run event in Mafia Wars? Have you already finished the event? If so, how are you enjoying your well-deserved reward?
Zynga gives Mafia Wars' home page a makeover
Damn, Mafia Wars, you lookin' good. Mmmm mmm mm. That's what Zynga might expect a lot of its players will be saying when they log in to the game today only to see that its home page looks brand new. As a matter of fact, it is brand new. The company decided it was time to make navigation simpler in Mafia Wars, doing away with the Daily Checklist while emphasizing features that players will most likely care more about.
You'll notice that those thin, barely noticeable banner ads for weekly events have received much more screen real estate with what appears to be room for two advertisements. Below that is something completely different: "Game Progress" and "Build Your Empire." The former, found on the left hand side, allows players to jump right into the game from where they left off, displaying detailed information about their current Mastery and Energy Packs. Below that details your latest activity in the most recent cities you've visited.
The latter will appear on the right hand side and it seems like this will allow you to access the week's particular gifting or building events, in this case being the "Private Zoo" event. Below that is where players can buy the game's featured Reward Point items like the current Miami Vice loot. Aside from this, it doesn't seem as if much else has changed, but this is a welcome improvement if anything. Unfortunately, this change is slowly being rolled out to players, which means I've yet to receive the change. Keep your eyes peeled to Mafia Wars to make sure you take advantage of the changes as early as possible.
You'll notice that those thin, barely noticeable banner ads for weekly events have received much more screen real estate with what appears to be room for two advertisements. Below that is something completely different: "Game Progress" and "Build Your Empire." The former, found on the left hand side, allows players to jump right into the game from where they left off, displaying detailed information about their current Mastery and Energy Packs. Below that details your latest activity in the most recent cities you've visited.
The latter will appear on the right hand side and it seems like this will allow you to access the week's particular gifting or building events, in this case being the "Private Zoo" event. Below that is where players can buy the game's featured Reward Point items like the current Miami Vice loot. Aside from this, it doesn't seem as if much else has changed, but this is a welcome improvement if anything. Unfortunately, this change is slowly being rolled out to players, which means I've yet to receive the change. Keep your eyes peeled to Mafia Wars to make sure you take advantage of the changes as early as possible.
EA brings Pogo to Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch for free
Pogo Games App
Facebook is so 2010. The next big thing will be getting these addictive little gems onto mobile phones, if EA 's recent move is any indication. The gaming giant that bought social game company Playfish earlier this year for about $400 million just launched its popular online gaming site, Pogo, on iOS within the Pogo Games App. The app is available now for absolutely free, though there is an ad-free version available for $2.99, and includes five games:
Poppit!™ - Pop groups of balloons of two or more of the same color to release hidden "prizes."
Word Whomp™ - Spell as many words as possible before the clock runs out.
Turbo 21™ - Take on a fast-paced black-jack inspired card game.
Mahjong Safari - Topple tiles in this classic game of Mahjong with a wild new spin.
Sweet Tooth™ 2 - Match three or more sweets in a row to score.
Find more after the break.
Pogo Free Games
If you're already a Club Pogo member (that includes Pogo on Facebook), you can use your log-in information within the app to avoid the advertisements as well. It seems that Pogo players' existing leader boards, rewards and challenges will migrate over to their iOS device upon logging as well in an attempt to extend the social experience of Pogo's casual games to mobile devices.
"We've been entertaining audiences for more than 10 years, and that experience has given us a deep understanding of the types of games that engage people and keep them coming back for more," said Michael Marchetti , SVP & GM Pogo at Electronic Arts . "With the move to iPhone and iPod touch, we're giving people new ways to play, share and compete-now any moment can turn into a fun moment."
This announcement comes after Zynga recently revealed that Mafia Wars is coming to Android phones along with FarmVille and that Japanese social gaming company DeNa will soon release its own smartphone social game network with the help of Ngmoco. Let's just say that 2011, your social games are going to get much smaller and that much bigger at the same time.
Facebook is so 2010. The next big thing will be getting these addictive little gems onto mobile phones, if EA 's recent move is any indication. The gaming giant that bought social game company Playfish earlier this year for about $400 million just launched its popular online gaming site, Pogo, on iOS within the Pogo Games App. The app is available now for absolutely free, though there is an ad-free version available for $2.99, and includes five games:
Poppit!™ - Pop groups of balloons of two or more of the same color to release hidden "prizes."
Word Whomp™ - Spell as many words as possible before the clock runs out.
Turbo 21™ - Take on a fast-paced black-jack inspired card game.
Mahjong Safari - Topple tiles in this classic game of Mahjong with a wild new spin.
Sweet Tooth™ 2 - Match three or more sweets in a row to score.
Find more after the break.
Pogo Free Games
If you're already a Club Pogo member (that includes Pogo on Facebook), you can use your log-in information within the app to avoid the advertisements as well. It seems that Pogo players' existing leader boards, rewards and challenges will migrate over to their iOS device upon logging as well in an attempt to extend the social experience of Pogo's casual games to mobile devices.
"We've been entertaining audiences for more than 10 years, and that experience has given us a deep understanding of the types of games that engage people and keep them coming back for more," said Michael Marchetti , SVP & GM Pogo at Electronic Arts . "With the move to iPhone and iPod touch, we're giving people new ways to play, share and compete-now any moment can turn into a fun moment."
This announcement comes after Zynga recently revealed that Mafia Wars is coming to Android phones along with FarmVille and that Japanese social gaming company DeNa will soon release its own smartphone social game network with the help of Ngmoco. Let's just say that 2011, your social games are going to get much smaller and that much bigger at the same time.
FarmVille sneak peek: New Year's Party mini-game
The holidays are just getting started, but behind the scenes, the magical elves that create FarmVille are apparently thinking ahead to New Year's Eve. Based on the image above, it looks like you'll be throwing a big virtual bash on your farm, where you'll be required to invite as many friends as possible. The more friends that RSVP for your shindig, the more special New Year's-themed items you'll be able to collect? Maybe? Just a guess at that point.
One thing's certainly evident -- this New Year's Party looks way more involved than last year's NYE event, which involved watching a virtual ball drop and then earning a 'level up' or level increase for your farm. So if you were level 42, you were automatically jumped to level 43. Pretty sweet, right? Maybe we'll be ringing in 2011 with an even bigger surprise, like a bundle of free Farm Cash. Keep those fingers crossed.
One thing's certainly evident -- this New Year's Party looks way more involved than last year's NYE event, which involved watching a virtual ball drop and then earning a 'level up' or level increase for your farm. So if you were level 42, you were automatically jumped to level 43. Pretty sweet, right? Maybe we'll be ringing in 2011 with an even bigger surprise, like a bundle of free Farm Cash. Keep those fingers crossed.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mix Mafia Wars with an in-depth storyline and you have Chronicles of Herenvale on Facebook
An evil Lord is threatening to return to the land of Herenvale thanks to the Cult of Marras. A hero is needed to stop such a return, as the land will be overcome, and all goodness swept aside. You are that hero, if you'll answer the call of the Chronicles of Herenvale, a new game from the small Austin development studio Mososh, Inc.
The game is text based, with images as accompaniment, and would be perfect for those who use Facebook on a slower internet connection. For everyone else, the detailed storyline might be enough to draw one in for an extended period of time (as it has already worked to draw in more than 12,000 players in the short time the game has been available). Meet us behind the break to see if Chronicles of Herenvale is something you'd like to try.
chroi
The game offers some very (very) light character customization, in terms of allowing you to pick whether or not you are a girl or a boy, and to give yourself a name, but afterwards, you're quickly shoved into your first battle. You're told that you've come across a group of crows fighting some deadly worrocks. The worrocks are attempting to kill an innocent bystander, and you must turn the tide of the battle by jumping in on her behalf.
Attacks in battle are achieved by simply hitting the attack button. You'll use Energy for each attack you begin, and you'll receive experience points and gold (along with the occasional random loot drop) after you've successfully ended a conflict. Any loot items that can be equipped on your warrior are placed in your inventory, and you'll be able to equip these items from the Profile screen. Items have types, and your warrior's body is separated into zones, where only certain items can be equipped - one item in each particular zone.
As you go along, the story is played out through lots of text, and the world map is represented by various star markings on a stationary map. Impressive graphics, no, but the game's story seems to be a rather deep one, considering the nature of the title. As you earn experience points, you'll go up levels, increasing your maximum energy, allowing you to do more work in a single sitting. You'll also earn Stat Points that will increase your Energy even further, or can be manually assigned to a number of different traits, like Knowledge (increases your accuracy), Fortitude (health), or Strength, among others.
Just as Mafia Wars separates missions based on your progress in the game (chapters, regions, and so on), so too does Chronicles of Herenvale separate missions based on the storyline at the time. For a particular battle, it might be represented by a number of circular stars, with each stars representing a different stage of the battle. Only after you complete the steps necessary at each star within a particular cluster will you unlock the next step of the storyline.
Your quest will take you all through the land, with eight main cities, or areas, being represented as eventual travel points on the map, along with what appears to be a slew of other outcroppings where you can complete quests. You'll be able to purchase new equipment along the way, making your character even stronger, and giving you a better edge in battle.
As for social elements, you'll be able to add friends as "Allies," at which point you'll be given a better advantage in large battles, which increases depending on the number of Allies you happen to have at the time.
Chronciles of Herenvale will be incredibly familiar to those that have played Mafia Wars, or even (more specifically) Castle Age, as the fantasy storyline and unique monster races hearken back that particular title. Still, if you haven't tried a new text-based mission game in a while, Chronicles of Herenvale might be worth a shot.
The game is text based, with images as accompaniment, and would be perfect for those who use Facebook on a slower internet connection. For everyone else, the detailed storyline might be enough to draw one in for an extended period of time (as it has already worked to draw in more than 12,000 players in the short time the game has been available). Meet us behind the break to see if Chronicles of Herenvale is something you'd like to try.
chroi
The game offers some very (very) light character customization, in terms of allowing you to pick whether or not you are a girl or a boy, and to give yourself a name, but afterwards, you're quickly shoved into your first battle. You're told that you've come across a group of crows fighting some deadly worrocks. The worrocks are attempting to kill an innocent bystander, and you must turn the tide of the battle by jumping in on her behalf.
Attacks in battle are achieved by simply hitting the attack button. You'll use Energy for each attack you begin, and you'll receive experience points and gold (along with the occasional random loot drop) after you've successfully ended a conflict. Any loot items that can be equipped on your warrior are placed in your inventory, and you'll be able to equip these items from the Profile screen. Items have types, and your warrior's body is separated into zones, where only certain items can be equipped - one item in each particular zone.
As you go along, the story is played out through lots of text, and the world map is represented by various star markings on a stationary map. Impressive graphics, no, but the game's story seems to be a rather deep one, considering the nature of the title. As you earn experience points, you'll go up levels, increasing your maximum energy, allowing you to do more work in a single sitting. You'll also earn Stat Points that will increase your Energy even further, or can be manually assigned to a number of different traits, like Knowledge (increases your accuracy), Fortitude (health), or Strength, among others.
Just as Mafia Wars separates missions based on your progress in the game (chapters, regions, and so on), so too does Chronicles of Herenvale separate missions based on the storyline at the time. For a particular battle, it might be represented by a number of circular stars, with each stars representing a different stage of the battle. Only after you complete the steps necessary at each star within a particular cluster will you unlock the next step of the storyline.
Your quest will take you all through the land, with eight main cities, or areas, being represented as eventual travel points on the map, along with what appears to be a slew of other outcroppings where you can complete quests. You'll be able to purchase new equipment along the way, making your character even stronger, and giving you a better edge in battle.
As for social elements, you'll be able to add friends as "Allies," at which point you'll be given a better advantage in large battles, which increases depending on the number of Allies you happen to have at the time.
Chronciles of Herenvale will be incredibly familiar to those that have played Mafia Wars, or even (more specifically) Castle Age, as the fantasy storyline and unique monster races hearken back that particular title. Still, if you haven't tried a new text-based mission game in a while, Chronicles of Herenvale might be worth a shot.
Zynga Poker now available on Android devices
Back in November, we told you that Zynga's Justin Cincolo had revealed that Zynga Poker would soon be coming to Android devices everywhere, and the time for that launch is now. That's right, everyone with an Android device will be able to head into the Android Market and download a free copy of Zynga Poker, that can be instantly connected with your Facebook account to allow you to play a quick hand (or 50) on the go, no matter where you happen to be at the time.
To be clear, the app is free, and requires you to sign in with Facebook in order to play. From there, you'll see all of your Facebook friends that have also been playing the game (either recently or in the past), whether they've been playing it on Facebook proper, or on another Android device. From there, you can jump into a room, take a seat at a table, and start betting on hands, just as you would from a traditional desktop computer. How neat is that?!
If Zynga Poker is as successful as other Android, or even iPhone releases that Zynga has launched in the past, this may potentially open up the door for other Zynga games to be launched on the service(s), so make sure to download the game on your Android device to show the developer some support!
To be clear, the app is free, and requires you to sign in with Facebook in order to play. From there, you'll see all of your Facebook friends that have also been playing the game (either recently or in the past), whether they've been playing it on Facebook proper, or on another Android device. From there, you can jump into a room, take a seat at a table, and start betting on hands, just as you would from a traditional desktop computer. How neat is that?!
If Zynga Poker is as successful as other Android, or even iPhone releases that Zynga has launched in the past, this may potentially open up the door for other Zynga games to be launched on the service(s), so make sure to download the game on your Android device to show the developer some support!
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day Three
With nine days behind us in this long, arduous series of FrontierVille Goals known as the 12 Days of Christmas, we arrive at Day Three. In "On the Third Day O' Christmas," players will have to make lots of chicken soup. On a completely unrelated note, you'll first have to fulfill three items on friends' wish lists. It doesn't seem as if there are too many stipulations to this portion of the Goal, meaning that if one friend has three different items in their wish list that you can fulfill, sending one of each of those items will fulfill this requirement.
Secondly, you will need three Chicken Drumsticks, which are found at random while tending to Chickens. And remember, these are part of the Chicken Collection, so do not turn them in as you attempt to complete this Goal no matter how tempting the 4 Energy reward is. Lastly, it's back to the begging as you will need 10 Chicken Soup Recipes and only your friends will have them. Finish this and enjoy 3,000 coins and three Chickens. Alright, being rewarded with items we could have used in the Goal is getting tired, but the extra coins ain't too shabby. Not to mention that you're now one step closer to that elusive Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Secondly, you will need three Chicken Drumsticks, which are found at random while tending to Chickens. And remember, these are part of the Chicken Collection, so do not turn them in as you attempt to complete this Goal no matter how tempting the 4 Energy reward is. Lastly, it's back to the begging as you will need 10 Chicken Soup Recipes and only your friends will have them. Finish this and enjoy 3,000 coins and three Chickens. Alright, being rewarded with items we could have used in the Goal is getting tired, but the extra coins ain't too shabby. Not to mention that you're now one step closer to that elusive Partridge in a Pear Tree.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
CityVille Cheats and Tips: Reputation by the numbers
Hearts in CityVille
In CityVille, Reputation is more important than you might think. Anyone who has read our guide on Neighbor Visits might agree. As many probably know already, doing each of the five actions you're allowed for a Neighbor every 12 hours drops a single Heart. These Hearts act exactly like the blue stars that stand for XP while tending to your own city, but increase your Reputation level.
However, few might have known exactly how many Hearts it takes to get your Reputation to the maximum level of 50. Here's a hint: it rhymes with "heaven" and ends in "thousand." That's right, it takes a whopping 7,000 Hearts to reach Reputation Level 50
Join us after the break for a full breakdown of how many Hearts it takes to achieve each Reputation level in CityVille.
Reputation in CityVilleAnd here you are: the number of Hearts needed for every level of Reputation in CityVille:
Level 2 – 10 Hearts
Level 3 – 25 Hearts
Level 4 – 45 Hearts
Level 5 – 70 Hearts
Level 6 – 100 Hearts
Level 7 – 200 Hearts
Level 8 – 300 Hearts
Level 9 – 400 Hearts
Level 10 – 500 Hearts
Level 11 – 600 Hearts
Level 12 – 700 Hearts
Level 13 – 800 Hearts
Level 14 – 900 Hearts
Level 15 – 1000 Hearts
Level 16 – 1100 Hearts
Level 17 – 1200 Hearts
Level 18 – 1300 Hearts
Level 19 – 1400 Hearts
Level 20 – 1500 Hearts
Level 21 – 1750 Hearts
Level 22 – 2000 Hearts
Level 23 – 2500 Hearts
Level 24 – 3000 Hearts
Level 25 – 3500 Hearts
Level 26 – 4000 Hearts
Level 27 – 4500 Hearts
Level 28 – 5000 Hearts
Level 29 – 6000 Hearts
Level 30 – 7000 Hearts
Level 31 – 8000 Hearts
Level 32 – 9000 Hearts
Level 33 – 10000 Hearts
Level 34 – 11000 Hearts
Level 35 – 12000 Hearts
Level 36 – 13000 Hearts
Level 37 – 14000 Hearts
Level 38 – 15000 Hearts
Level 39 – 16000 Hearts
Level 40 – 17000 Hearts
Level 41 – 18000 Hearts
Level 42 – 19000 Hearts
Level 43 – 20000 Hearts
Level 44 – 21000 Hearts
Level 45 – 22000 Hearts
Level 46 – 23000 Hearts
Level 47 – 24000 Hearts
Level 48 – 25000 Hearts
Level 49 – 30000 Hearts
Level 50 – 35000 Hearts
As you can see, things get a little crazy around Level 28, doubling the amount of Hearts required for each level to one thousand. The best way to level your Reputation as quickly as possible is to make as many friends as you can and master the 12-hour timer system attached to Reputation. As silly as it sounds, scheduling your Neighbor visits around your daily life will maximize your daily Reputation games. But it's up to you if you want to take it that far.
In CityVille, Reputation is more important than you might think. Anyone who has read our guide on Neighbor Visits might agree. As many probably know already, doing each of the five actions you're allowed for a Neighbor every 12 hours drops a single Heart. These Hearts act exactly like the blue stars that stand for XP while tending to your own city, but increase your Reputation level.
However, few might have known exactly how many Hearts it takes to get your Reputation to the maximum level of 50. Here's a hint: it rhymes with "heaven" and ends in "thousand." That's right, it takes a whopping 7,000 Hearts to reach Reputation Level 50
Join us after the break for a full breakdown of how many Hearts it takes to achieve each Reputation level in CityVille.
Reputation in CityVilleAnd here you are: the number of Hearts needed for every level of Reputation in CityVille:
Level 2 – 10 Hearts
Level 3 – 25 Hearts
Level 4 – 45 Hearts
Level 5 – 70 Hearts
Level 6 – 100 Hearts
Level 7 – 200 Hearts
Level 8 – 300 Hearts
Level 9 – 400 Hearts
Level 10 – 500 Hearts
Level 11 – 600 Hearts
Level 12 – 700 Hearts
Level 13 – 800 Hearts
Level 14 – 900 Hearts
Level 15 – 1000 Hearts
Level 16 – 1100 Hearts
Level 17 – 1200 Hearts
Level 18 – 1300 Hearts
Level 19 – 1400 Hearts
Level 20 – 1500 Hearts
Level 21 – 1750 Hearts
Level 22 – 2000 Hearts
Level 23 – 2500 Hearts
Level 24 – 3000 Hearts
Level 25 – 3500 Hearts
Level 26 – 4000 Hearts
Level 27 – 4500 Hearts
Level 28 – 5000 Hearts
Level 29 – 6000 Hearts
Level 30 – 7000 Hearts
Level 31 – 8000 Hearts
Level 32 – 9000 Hearts
Level 33 – 10000 Hearts
Level 34 – 11000 Hearts
Level 35 – 12000 Hearts
Level 36 – 13000 Hearts
Level 37 – 14000 Hearts
Level 38 – 15000 Hearts
Level 39 – 16000 Hearts
Level 40 – 17000 Hearts
Level 41 – 18000 Hearts
Level 42 – 19000 Hearts
Level 43 – 20000 Hearts
Level 44 – 21000 Hearts
Level 45 – 22000 Hearts
Level 46 – 23000 Hearts
Level 47 – 24000 Hearts
Level 48 – 25000 Hearts
Level 49 – 30000 Hearts
Level 50 – 35000 Hearts
As you can see, things get a little crazy around Level 28, doubling the amount of Hearts required for each level to one thousand. The best way to level your Reputation as quickly as possible is to make as many friends as you can and master the 12-hour timer system attached to Reputation. As silly as it sounds, scheduling your Neighbor visits around your daily life will maximize your daily Reputation games. But it's up to you if you want to take it that far.
Godswar Online: Facebook game and MMO unite
Since free-to-play massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like Maple Story and Dungeons and Dragons Eberron Unlimited gained popularity in the U.S., their similarities with Facebook games became crystal clear. Each are free to play and download, both have item shops that deal in real world currency, and finally, most are playable on a wide range of computers. In short, it was only a matter of time before the two worlds merged, and Godswar Online, developed by Kalydo and IGG, aims to do just that.
The two companies have brought the Grecian-themed MMO to Facebook using Kalydo technology, which allows complex 3D games to run directly in the browser without a full download. However, a small Java applet download is required to play Godswar Online. Do that and soon enough you'll be in the thick of an ancient war between Athens and Sparta complete with wizards, minotaurs and walking tree creatures. Alright, so none of that really happened, but it makes for a pretty robust, entertaining Facebook game. Is it even a Facebook game?
See for yourself in our impressions after the break.
Character Creation
Through and through, Godswar Online is an MMO. With customizable, full-3D characters, four playable classes (warriors, champions, priests and wizards) and full quest and combat systems, this game could be described as nothing else. Frankly, this is going to be a shock for folks who have only played games like FarmVille or FrontierVille seriously. While seasoned MMO players will have no issue with navigating the game, fully aware of common MMO tropes and tendencies, those new to this type of game might go cross-eyed from looking at the walls of text, the littered icons and randomly moving shapes that resemble children in battle armor.
And that's exactly why the Newbie Guide is here to help. A series of pop ups that tell players exactly what to do and where to click, it's pretty tough to get lost in this game with the Newbie Guide around. The guide will hold your hand as you complete quests, which are visible at any time by pressing the scroll icon on the bottom right of the screen. Quests are the primary mode of advancement in Godswar Online like in most MMOs, granting players precious Experience Points along with new armor, weapons and skills. Those will be extremely useful if not vital in combat with the various monsters of Godswar Online.
Combat
Ranging from your standard deer to vicious tree creatures and quaint pixie fairies, there are a ton of mythical beasts to slay in the world of Ancient Greece. Fighting enemies is simple enough, requiring a double click of an enemy. Aside from clicking on your various combat skills mapped to the center area on the bottom of your screen, your character will take care of the rest. While the combat may sound a bit dry, things will spice up as you gain more abilities and when monsters become more difficult to defeat, requiring you to team up with fellow players to defeat them.
All of this probably sounds somewhat daunting, so IGG and Kalydo included a feature in the game known as the Search function. In the text of any given quest and through the Search menu beneath the mini map, players can click on highlighted portion of text to cause their character to walk in the direction of the item, place, person or monster it refers to. Think of it as effortless navigation to nearly anywhere in the game. Better yet is an AFK, or away from keyboard, option. This setting, activated by clicking on the small crossed swords icon above the action bar lining the bottom of the screen, will automatically cause your character to endlessly attack monsters if he or she is surrounded by them. Just set the skills you want your avatar to use, select healing and mana (a resource used for skills) potions for automated use, and press "Start." Go read a book, make a sandwich and watch the Experience Points flow in.
City Life in Godswar
Keep in mind that the entire game, including combat, occurs in real time. Just about everyone you see in the game is an actual player. However, this raises somewhat of a conundrum. Godswar Online, because it's successfully crossed genres, seems to be having trouble figuring out what it is. In the traditional sense of play time limitations, gifting and News Feed posts, this is not a social game. Though, with full blown guild (persistent groups of players with similar interests) support, the ability to add friends within the game and the need for adventuring parties to defeat larger monsters in real time, perhaps this is a social game in another sense.
In the sense that it allows for natural social connections through real time gameplay where players will face obstacles that require them to join forces. Players don't necessarily need friends to play Godswar Online, but at least they can make them on their own terms. Whether this type of game can survive on Facebook has yet to be seen, but Godswar Online certainly makes a strong first step in a potential new direction for social games--or whatever we're supposed to call them these days.
The two companies have brought the Grecian-themed MMO to Facebook using Kalydo technology, which allows complex 3D games to run directly in the browser without a full download. However, a small Java applet download is required to play Godswar Online. Do that and soon enough you'll be in the thick of an ancient war between Athens and Sparta complete with wizards, minotaurs and walking tree creatures. Alright, so none of that really happened, but it makes for a pretty robust, entertaining Facebook game. Is it even a Facebook game?
See for yourself in our impressions after the break.
Character Creation
Through and through, Godswar Online is an MMO. With customizable, full-3D characters, four playable classes (warriors, champions, priests and wizards) and full quest and combat systems, this game could be described as nothing else. Frankly, this is going to be a shock for folks who have only played games like FarmVille or FrontierVille seriously. While seasoned MMO players will have no issue with navigating the game, fully aware of common MMO tropes and tendencies, those new to this type of game might go cross-eyed from looking at the walls of text, the littered icons and randomly moving shapes that resemble children in battle armor.
And that's exactly why the Newbie Guide is here to help. A series of pop ups that tell players exactly what to do and where to click, it's pretty tough to get lost in this game with the Newbie Guide around. The guide will hold your hand as you complete quests, which are visible at any time by pressing the scroll icon on the bottom right of the screen. Quests are the primary mode of advancement in Godswar Online like in most MMOs, granting players precious Experience Points along with new armor, weapons and skills. Those will be extremely useful if not vital in combat with the various monsters of Godswar Online.
Combat
Ranging from your standard deer to vicious tree creatures and quaint pixie fairies, there are a ton of mythical beasts to slay in the world of Ancient Greece. Fighting enemies is simple enough, requiring a double click of an enemy. Aside from clicking on your various combat skills mapped to the center area on the bottom of your screen, your character will take care of the rest. While the combat may sound a bit dry, things will spice up as you gain more abilities and when monsters become more difficult to defeat, requiring you to team up with fellow players to defeat them.
All of this probably sounds somewhat daunting, so IGG and Kalydo included a feature in the game known as the Search function. In the text of any given quest and through the Search menu beneath the mini map, players can click on highlighted portion of text to cause their character to walk in the direction of the item, place, person or monster it refers to. Think of it as effortless navigation to nearly anywhere in the game. Better yet is an AFK, or away from keyboard, option. This setting, activated by clicking on the small crossed swords icon above the action bar lining the bottom of the screen, will automatically cause your character to endlessly attack monsters if he or she is surrounded by them. Just set the skills you want your avatar to use, select healing and mana (a resource used for skills) potions for automated use, and press "Start." Go read a book, make a sandwich and watch the Experience Points flow in.
City Life in Godswar
Keep in mind that the entire game, including combat, occurs in real time. Just about everyone you see in the game is an actual player. However, this raises somewhat of a conundrum. Godswar Online, because it's successfully crossed genres, seems to be having trouble figuring out what it is. In the traditional sense of play time limitations, gifting and News Feed posts, this is not a social game. Though, with full blown guild (persistent groups of players with similar interests) support, the ability to add friends within the game and the need for adventuring parties to defeat larger monsters in real time, perhaps this is a social game in another sense.
In the sense that it allows for natural social connections through real time gameplay where players will face obstacles that require them to join forces. Players don't necessarily need friends to play Godswar Online, but at least they can make them on their own terms. Whether this type of game can survive on Facebook has yet to be seen, but Godswar Online certainly makes a strong first step in a potential new direction for social games--or whatever we're supposed to call them these days.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Top 10 Most Influential People in Facebook and Social Games
Facebook games have attracted some of the most popular figures in the game industry since their dawn about four years ago. The past two years alone saw more video game veterans than we care to count leave the world of shooters and strategy games behind for Facebook. That said, we decided it was about time to see how these game design and business juggernauts sized up against one another after PeekYou approached us with a way to do so.
PeekYou, a search company focused on indexing the web around people, also runs PeekScore. This service ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their influence across the Internet. The score takes active and passive content creation into account, the former being social media use and blogging, and the latter being mentions in online news outlets, archives and databases.
However, we had to populate the list with 10 names. In an attempt at fairness, we took to AppData's developer leaderboard, but also peppered the list with industry transplants of note. We're certain we've glossed over some video game veterans, but did you really want a list of 30 people? So, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments. (We've put on our flame-retardant suits already.) Here are the top 10 most influential people in Facebook and social games:
PeekYou, a search company focused on indexing the web around people, also runs PeekScore. This service ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their influence across the Internet. The score takes active and passive content creation into account, the former being social media use and blogging, and the latter being mentions in online news outlets, archives and databases.
However, we had to populate the list with 10 names. In an attempt at fairness, we took to AppData's developer leaderboard, but also peppered the list with industry transplants of note. We're certain we've glossed over some video game veterans, but did you really want a list of 30 people? So, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments. (We've put on our flame-retardant suits already.) Here are the top 10 most influential people in Facebook and social games:
Q-Games to tower over Facebook with PixelJunk Monsters Online
Whenever traditional console developers announce Facebook games, they're normally completely different experiences. (Alright, we were just being nice--they're usually nothing more than buzz-builders.) But GameZebo reports that developer Q-Games will launch its hit PS3 tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters, on Facebook with "Online" following its title.
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
PapayaMobile's mobile social game network gets friendly with iOS
OpenFeint and Mobage might want to watch out ... or get a delicious fruit in their logo somehow. Beijing-based PapayaMobile announced that it has expanded its mobile social game network from Android to iOS devices. iPhone and iPad game developers can now incorporate PapayaMobile into their game much like they would OpenFeint or Apple's Game Center.
But not only that, developers can create their own social games from scratch through PapayaMobile's Social Game Engine, and launch said games across both iOS and Android devices at once. PapayaMobile's social game network works across both iOS and Android. This means that if a mobile game uses PapayaMobile on both its iOS and Android versions, players can issue challenges, send game invitations, view leaderboards and more between both versions of the game.
PapayaMobile's main goal is to connect both Android and iOS gamers through a single network, something that can't be said for most mobile social game networks (well, aside from OpenFeint). Surely PapayaMobile hopes this cross-platform move will boost its player base of over 30 million. It looks like the mobile social games arena just met a new challenger.
Well, make that a few new challengers. The first games to hit iOS with PapayaMobile include X-City by Aidi Game, Contagion by 2Clams, and Burger Joint by Arctic Empire. Something tells us Facebook missed a golden opportunity with Connect.
But not only that, developers can create their own social games from scratch through PapayaMobile's Social Game Engine, and launch said games across both iOS and Android devices at once. PapayaMobile's social game network works across both iOS and Android. This means that if a mobile game uses PapayaMobile on both its iOS and Android versions, players can issue challenges, send game invitations, view leaderboards and more between both versions of the game.
PapayaMobile's main goal is to connect both Android and iOS gamers through a single network, something that can't be said for most mobile social game networks (well, aside from OpenFeint). Surely PapayaMobile hopes this cross-platform move will boost its player base of over 30 million. It looks like the mobile social games arena just met a new challenger.
Well, make that a few new challengers. The first games to hit iOS with PapayaMobile include X-City by Aidi Game, Contagion by 2Clams, and Burger Joint by Arctic Empire. Something tells us Facebook missed a golden opportunity with Connect.
Nexon's next social game, Zombie Misfits, looks for brains on Facebook
Alright, we thought it too: "Another zombie game?" But hold on just a second there, naysayers. Nexon's new Facebook game, Zombie Misfits, takes the whole zombie craze in a decidedly different direction. Co-developed by Canadian studio Antic Entertainment, this social take on what's quickly becoming a tired trend turns is a side-scrolling tower defense game.
Wait, according to a release, it's a "cartoon-style apocalyptic tower defense game with an RPG flare." Does that sound different enough for you? And if you ask us, the game's art style looks like something you'd easily find on Cartoon Network.
Ever since Nexon struck gold with MapleStory Adventures, the company has been bullish on Facebook games, but has taken its sweet time. (The publisher likely could have thrown its name on a number of Facebook games this year, but didn't.)
But back to the brain bustin'. Zombie Misfits has players defend survivors of the zombie apocalypse in two-dimensional zones against wave after wave of walking cadavers. To do so, you must place Defenders in key, predefined points in each level to kill off the walkers (thanks, The Walking Dead) before they reach the hovel of "breathers", as tutorial character Slim calls them.
The game features a number of different defenders like the Biker, a club-wielding badass type, and the pistol-toting Trooper--all of which can be modified and upgraded. Of course, you'll need to strategize which Defenders to place as you unlock them to fight the numerous types of zombies. And players can enlist the help of their friends, as per usual. But really, nothing beats the feeling of taking a giant chain saw to a morose mob of undead mouth-breathers.
Wait, according to a release, it's a "cartoon-style apocalyptic tower defense game with an RPG flare." Does that sound different enough for you? And if you ask us, the game's art style looks like something you'd easily find on Cartoon Network.
Ever since Nexon struck gold with MapleStory Adventures, the company has been bullish on Facebook games, but has taken its sweet time. (The publisher likely could have thrown its name on a number of Facebook games this year, but didn't.)
But back to the brain bustin'. Zombie Misfits has players defend survivors of the zombie apocalypse in two-dimensional zones against wave after wave of walking cadavers. To do so, you must place Defenders in key, predefined points in each level to kill off the walkers (thanks, The Walking Dead) before they reach the hovel of "breathers", as tutorial character Slim calls them.
The game features a number of different defenders like the Biker, a club-wielding badass type, and the pistol-toting Trooper--all of which can be modified and upgraded. Of course, you'll need to strategize which Defenders to place as you unlock them to fight the numerous types of zombies. And players can enlist the help of their friends, as per usual. But really, nothing beats the feeling of taking a giant chain saw to a morose mob of undead mouth-breathers.
Compare (hilarious) Apples to Apples on Facebook, mobile this winter
Look, if you've never played Apples to Apples before, just go out to Walmart or something and fork up the 20 bucks. Play the game with a few friends, come back to read this news and you'll understand why we're excited. (Just trust us on this one, OK?) THQ and Mattel have announced that they're working to bring the awesome board game to Facebook and mobile this winter.
Better yet, like Zynga's Words With Friends, the game will be playable across platforms. This means players can challenge their friends in games of goofy comparisons from either Facebook or their mobile device (likely iOS and Android), and their friends can respond from either device. The game is quite simple: One player chooses a card from a deck with an adjective, while the other players choose one card from their hand with a person, place or thing of note. The former then chooses which card they think fits bests, generally based on whether it's funny ... which is almost always the case.
On Facebook and mobile, players will be able to create their own games with their friends or jump into existing games with random players. Through playing Apples to Apples, you'll earn Apple Coins, Apple Cash and Apple Achievements to unlock additional avatars, playing cards and themed backgrounds, according to a release.
THQ and Mattel are also releasing the game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for $10, but we imagine the Facebook and mobile versions will be free. We also imagine that Apples to Apples will create awkward situations when players inexplicably laugh to themselves in public.
Better yet, like Zynga's Words With Friends, the game will be playable across platforms. This means players can challenge their friends in games of goofy comparisons from either Facebook or their mobile device (likely iOS and Android), and their friends can respond from either device. The game is quite simple: One player chooses a card from a deck with an adjective, while the other players choose one card from their hand with a person, place or thing of note. The former then chooses which card they think fits bests, generally based on whether it's funny ... which is almost always the case.
On Facebook and mobile, players will be able to create their own games with their friends or jump into existing games with random players. Through playing Apples to Apples, you'll earn Apple Coins, Apple Cash and Apple Achievements to unlock additional avatars, playing cards and themed backgrounds, according to a release.
THQ and Mattel are also releasing the game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for $10, but we imagine the Facebook and mobile versions will be free. We also imagine that Apples to Apples will create awkward situations when players inexplicably laugh to themselves in public.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Visit England Sign hints at European expansion
Just like Lexilicious said, we'll soon be traveling to a faraway land in FarmVille. The folks at FarmVille Freak have stumbled upon an image of a sign that reads "Visit England Soon." It actually looks very similar to the recent sign promoting CityVille in the game, so perhaps this will be a portal into another location in FarmVille.
However, it could just as easily be a new theme of items that will release. But I would hope with a build up like this--between what sounded like a British man teasing the feature on the FarmVille podcast and now a promotional sign--that England in FarmVille would be much deeper than that. And unlike most of FarmVille Freak's findings, this is, in fact, confirmed. Stay tuned for when the time comes to journey across the pond.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think the new England expansion will turn out to be? When do you think it will be released to the game?
However, it could just as easily be a new theme of items that will release. But I would hope with a build up like this--between what sounded like a British man teasing the feature on the FarmVille podcast and now a promotional sign--that England in FarmVille would be much deeper than that. And unlike most of FarmVille Freak's findings, this is, in fact, confirmed. Stay tuned for when the time comes to journey across the pond.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think the new England expansion will turn out to be? When do you think it will be released to the game?
FarmVille Valentine Costumes: Dress your avatar as Cupid or a Pink Rabbit
Since Zynga has released a slew of new Valentine's Day decorations in FarmVille, many users began to wonder if we'd soon be able to dress up our in-game avatars in new themed costumes, as well as decorating our farms. We receive our answer this week, as Zynga has released three new Valentine's Day limited edition costumes to the store.
These three costumes actually come in only two varieties - Cupid Costumes, and a Bunny Costume. There is a completely different Cupid Costume available for either boy or girl avatars (the girl costume is a dress with pink wings and red tights, while the boy costume is a white suit with white wings), but both costumes cost the same at 15 Farm Cash each You'll receive 525 experience points for purchasing either one.
The Pink Rabbit costume however, is unisex. While males might scoff at the thought of dressing their avatar as a fluffy pink bunny, I personally think it would be downright adorable. Maybe that's just me though. Regardless, anyone interested can pick up this costume for 10 Farm Cash. You'll receive 350 experience points as a bonus.
All told, these costumes will be available in the game for the next 17 days, bringing us right up to Valentine's Day proper. It's unknown as of now whether or not more costumes will be released in the future, but you'll be the first to know if there are.
These three costumes actually come in only two varieties - Cupid Costumes, and a Bunny Costume. There is a completely different Cupid Costume available for either boy or girl avatars (the girl costume is a dress with pink wings and red tights, while the boy costume is a white suit with white wings), but both costumes cost the same at 15 Farm Cash each You'll receive 525 experience points for purchasing either one.
The Pink Rabbit costume however, is unisex. While males might scoff at the thought of dressing their avatar as a fluffy pink bunny, I personally think it would be downright adorable. Maybe that's just me though. Regardless, anyone interested can pick up this costume for 10 Farm Cash. You'll receive 350 experience points as a bonus.
All told, these costumes will be available in the game for the next 17 days, bringing us right up to Valentine's Day proper. It's unknown as of now whether or not more costumes will be released in the future, but you'll be the first to know if there are.
FarmVille: Unintentional(?) update brings Red Pagoda and New Year Rabbit to market early
Earlier today, we brought you a sneak peek of some unreleased Chinese New Year items that we believe will be coming to FarmVille in the near future. This afternoon, we've received confirmation that at least two of those items will in fact be released officially, as they have - get this - already appeared in many users' games.
That's right, two particular items - the Red Pagoda, and the New Year Rabbit - have been spotted on many users' farms, at the very back of the Building and Animal tabs of the store. I personally have the Red Pagoda in my own store, and have purchased one of these buildings for myself, confirming that it works. It is available to purchase for 40,000 coins. While you can purchase the building early if you'd like - one word of warning. The building is... well, it's rather blurry, as if Zynga hasn't put all of the finishing touches on it quite yet. This makes sense, as we didn't expect these items to be released until at least next month as part of an eventual Chinese New Year theme in the game. I've added a full-size screenshot of the item on my farm to show you just how big this item is, and its current state.
As for the New Year Rabbit, it is a much more costly item, priced at 250,000 coins. It also further explains the unintentional nature of this weird update, as it is invisible. It's position is found in the store, and the animal itself can be purchased, but it will show up as an invisible spot on your farm, that is, if you can find the item in the store before Zynga catches to their accident and removes both it and the Pagoda.
Whether or not you want to take a risk on purchasing either of these items will be up to you. Either way, though, it is nice to get a heads-up on what these items will eventually cost, so it might be worth looking into.
That's right, two particular items - the Red Pagoda, and the New Year Rabbit - have been spotted on many users' farms, at the very back of the Building and Animal tabs of the store. I personally have the Red Pagoda in my own store, and have purchased one of these buildings for myself, confirming that it works. It is available to purchase for 40,000 coins. While you can purchase the building early if you'd like - one word of warning. The building is... well, it's rather blurry, as if Zynga hasn't put all of the finishing touches on it quite yet. This makes sense, as we didn't expect these items to be released until at least next month as part of an eventual Chinese New Year theme in the game. I've added a full-size screenshot of the item on my farm to show you just how big this item is, and its current state.
As for the New Year Rabbit, it is a much more costly item, priced at 250,000 coins. It also further explains the unintentional nature of this weird update, as it is invisible. It's position is found in the store, and the animal itself can be purchased, but it will show up as an invisible spot on your farm, that is, if you can find the item in the store before Zynga catches to their accident and removes both it and the Pagoda.
Whether or not you want to take a risk on purchasing either of these items will be up to you. Either way, though, it is nice to get a heads-up on what these items will eventually cost, so it might be worth looking into.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Valentine Gnome, Romantic Cottage, Heart Pig & More
And the love-themed items just keep on coming. Thanks to some new unreleased images, we can now speculate that a whole host of additional Valentines' Day themed goodies will be coming to FarmVille in the very near future.
These items range from animals and buildings to even a set of decorative items, all, of course, filled with enough pink, purple, and red to make even the most girly of girly girls squeal in delight. These new items are (listed from left to right in the above picture) a Love Gondola, Romantic Picnic, Romantic Cottage, Valentine Gnome, Pink Persian Cat and Heart Pig.
We can guarantee that at least the Romantic Picnic, Pink Persian Cat, Heart Pig and Love Gondola will be released in the game, as they were featured in the most recent Valentine's Day Theme Showcase video released just this week. As for the other items, only time will tell at this point.
As an educated guess, we'd think that some of these items will start to appear in the game as soon as this weekend, as Zynga has taken to updating the game on Sunday evenings. Again, there's no guarantee that that prediction will come true, so keep that in mind. If these guys don't appear in the store, they might also show up as Mystery Game items, or even as additional prizes in the recently released Valentines Mailbox. Either way, we'll be sure to let you know when they're released in the game.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
These items range from animals and buildings to even a set of decorative items, all, of course, filled with enough pink, purple, and red to make even the most girly of girly girls squeal in delight. These new items are (listed from left to right in the above picture) a Love Gondola, Romantic Picnic, Romantic Cottage, Valentine Gnome, Pink Persian Cat and Heart Pig.
We can guarantee that at least the Romantic Picnic, Pink Persian Cat, Heart Pig and Love Gondola will be released in the game, as they were featured in the most recent Valentine's Day Theme Showcase video released just this week. As for the other items, only time will tell at this point.
As an educated guess, we'd think that some of these items will start to appear in the game as soon as this weekend, as Zynga has taken to updating the game on Sunday evenings. Again, there's no guarantee that that prediction will come true, so keep that in mind. If these guys don't appear in the store, they might also show up as Mystery Game items, or even as additional prizes in the recently released Valentines Mailbox. Either way, we'll be sure to let you know when they're released in the game.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Earn 30 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Bing Rewards Promotion
Here's a big one for you - how would you like to earn 30 Farm Cash in FarmVille absolutely free, thanks to a promotion from Bing Rewards, and their new Bing Rewards Toolbar? Well, I hope you answered that you would like to do just that, as you can via a new Sponsored Link that has started making the rounds to FarmVille players on Facebook.
The sponsored link [pictured] will take you to a new page where you'll need to sing up with Bing's Rewards program, which involves downloading a free toolbar. This toolbar is only available to users (and therefore so is the offer) who are using Internet Explorer - sorry Chrome, Firefox, etc. users. Also, you won't be able to take advantage of this offer if you're on a Mac. The deal goes like this - install the toolbar, register for a Rewards account, and make one search using the toolbar.
After allowing up to 15 minutes for the Farm Cash to appear in your account (says Zynga), you should be able to refresh your FarmVille game page to see your free 30 Farm Cash in your account. This is a great opportunity, to say the least, to really rack up some quick and easy Farm Cash on your account, even if you choose not to use the Bing Rewards Toolbar in the future (you can even uninstall it if you want). If you've already signed up for their toolbar in the past, simply make a new account to take advantage of this great offer.
There's no telling how long this promotion will be available, so make sure to sign up fast so that you don't miss out.
The sponsored link [pictured] will take you to a new page where you'll need to sing up with Bing's Rewards program, which involves downloading a free toolbar. This toolbar is only available to users (and therefore so is the offer) who are using Internet Explorer - sorry Chrome, Firefox, etc. users. Also, you won't be able to take advantage of this offer if you're on a Mac. The deal goes like this - install the toolbar, register for a Rewards account, and make one search using the toolbar.
After allowing up to 15 minutes for the Farm Cash to appear in your account (says Zynga), you should be able to refresh your FarmVille game page to see your free 30 Farm Cash in your account. This is a great opportunity, to say the least, to really rack up some quick and easy Farm Cash on your account, even if you choose not to use the Bing Rewards Toolbar in the future (you can even uninstall it if you want). If you've already signed up for their toolbar in the past, simply make a new account to take advantage of this great offer.
There's no telling how long this promotion will be available, so make sure to sign up fast so that you don't miss out.
Friday, January 6, 2012
CityVille: Five things Zynga says it could have done better
After CityVille launched, it was only a matter of weeks before it surpassed FarmVille and reached its current height of 20 million daily players. Zynga Product Development VP Mark Skaggs says they managed to perform what he considers the "impossible" with FarmVille and then with CityVille almost two years later.
And even though Zynga's city building Facebook game is breaking all sorts of records in popularity, Skaggs admitted there were things they could have done better. And his laundry list, revealed in his talk at the 2011 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, goes something like this:
Trains are only "kind of cool"
Yes, the trains in the game will bring you goods, but they don't really add that 'wow' factor.
Simpler interface for Franchises
"People just click on the buttons and don't really know what they mean," says Skaggs.
Expansions
It was too easy to buy expansions and people's cities grew too quickly.
Longer run way on the simulation
In normal-person speak, that means that power players shouldn't have been able to crank through the game as quickly as they did.
More surprises and easter eggs
What's more fun than discovering a hidden secret in the game? In FarmVille, it's great to discover that you can trap your farmer so you can get things done faster. In Pet Society, it's really fun the first time you get your pet to produce collectible poo.
Other challenges Skaggs said the CityVlle team faced when making the game was creating a story that was as engaging as the one in FrontierVille (you have to get a spouse, start a family) and injecting fun into the game.
This might be controversial, but I'd argue that CityVille -- despite its runaway success -- is still lacking on the fun factor. Maybe perhaps improvements to the five things listed above (my personal vote is for more surprises/Easter eggs) would bring a much needed sense of delight to the game that's present in FarmVille and FrontierVille but somehow still missing in this virtual city planner.
And even though Zynga's city building Facebook game is breaking all sorts of records in popularity, Skaggs admitted there were things they could have done better. And his laundry list, revealed in his talk at the 2011 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, goes something like this:
Trains are only "kind of cool"
Yes, the trains in the game will bring you goods, but they don't really add that 'wow' factor.
Simpler interface for Franchises
"People just click on the buttons and don't really know what they mean," says Skaggs.
Expansions
It was too easy to buy expansions and people's cities grew too quickly.
Longer run way on the simulation
In normal-person speak, that means that power players shouldn't have been able to crank through the game as quickly as they did.
More surprises and easter eggs
What's more fun than discovering a hidden secret in the game? In FarmVille, it's great to discover that you can trap your farmer so you can get things done faster. In Pet Society, it's really fun the first time you get your pet to produce collectible poo.
Other challenges Skaggs said the CityVlle team faced when making the game was creating a story that was as engaging as the one in FrontierVille (you have to get a spouse, start a family) and injecting fun into the game.
This might be controversial, but I'd argue that CityVille -- despite its runaway success -- is still lacking on the fun factor. Maybe perhaps improvements to the five things listed above (my personal vote is for more surprises/Easter eggs) would bring a much needed sense of delight to the game that's present in FarmVille and FrontierVille but somehow still missing in this virtual city planner.
Mahjongg Dimensions Facebook game now on iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch
Mahjongg Dimensions made a name for itself on Facebook as a new take on the traditional Mahjongg tile-matching template, giving the game a 3D layout, asking you to rotate cubes in a full 360 degree circle to match symbols on the edge of those cubes. The faster you make matches, the more boards you clear within the game's time limit, and the more points you score.
Mahjongg Dimensions on Facebook has over 1.3 million monthly active players, according to the latest AppData figures, and Arkadium and Backflip Studios are hoping that fans of the game will be willing to pay to take that gameplay with them wherever they go thanks to the release of Mahjongg Dimensions on iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.
Mahjongg Dimensions on iOS allows you to play the same gameplay that you've come to know and love on Facebook right in the palm of your hand, but with actual levels to complete. Your score carries on from one level to the next, and you aren't nearly as timed in this version of the game, as your overall timer starts at 5 minutes. While there is a free version of the game available to download from the App Store, the full game costs 99 cents, and contains 30 more levels than the demo.
The game offers Facebook connectivity, so you can show off your high scores to your friends back on Facebook, and contains full touch controls, allowing you to tap on blocks easily and quickly, and to rotate the board with a simple tap of your finger, as you'd expect. Mahjongg Dimensions has already been updated once since it launched on the App Store earlier this month, so Arkadium seems to be dedicated to making the mobile version as grand as its predecessor.
Mahjongg Dimensions on Facebook has over 1.3 million monthly active players, according to the latest AppData figures, and Arkadium and Backflip Studios are hoping that fans of the game will be willing to pay to take that gameplay with them wherever they go thanks to the release of Mahjongg Dimensions on iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad.
Mahjongg Dimensions on iOS allows you to play the same gameplay that you've come to know and love on Facebook right in the palm of your hand, but with actual levels to complete. Your score carries on from one level to the next, and you aren't nearly as timed in this version of the game, as your overall timer starts at 5 minutes. While there is a free version of the game available to download from the App Store, the full game costs 99 cents, and contains 30 more levels than the demo.
The game offers Facebook connectivity, so you can show off your high scores to your friends back on Facebook, and contains full touch controls, allowing you to tap on blocks easily and quickly, and to rotate the board with a simple tap of your finger, as you'd expect. Mahjongg Dimensions has already been updated once since it launched on the App Store earlier this month, so Arkadium seems to be dedicated to making the mobile version as grand as its predecessor.
Cafe World Renewed Renovations Goals: Everything you need to know
Back that beginning of February, Zynga launched a series of three "Free Renovations" goals in Cafe World, which offered users some pretty nice rewards for completing them - prizes that are normally only found in the game's store for Cafe Cash. Those goals apparently went over fairly well, as the "Renovations" series has been expanded with four new goals, called "Renewed Renovations."
The first of four new goals will only show up on your account once you have finished the first three goals in this series, so check out our complete guide to completing them if you still haven't made your way through them. As for this, once you're ready for what is technically the fourth mission in this series, you'll need to complete three tasks, which should look mighty familiar to those who finished the first trio of missions in this set.
Serve Eggs Benedict 14 Times
Cook Bacon and Eggs 14 Times
Ask for 10 Ladders
Eggs Benedict cooks in six hours, while Bacon and Eggs cooks in nine hours. While you're waiting for those dishes to cook, you can ask your friends for the ladders by clicking on Ask button and then sending individual requests to those friends that you think would be most likely to help you. Your rewards for completing this quest are 2 Stainless Wall Ovens, which are normally only available for 10 Cafe Cash.
Moving on from that quest, you'll start the second of these four new goals, called "A Perfect Pair." This quest asks you to serve quite a bit of food, but luckily, the particular dish doesn't take very long to prepare.
Serve Fish n Chips 45 times
Ask for 12 Lunchboxes
Ask for 12 Coolers
The item collection here is the same process as with the ladders in the first quest, and while you're waiting for your friends to send you those items, you can cook and serve the 45 Fish n Chips, which are ready after just two hours. Again, this is a quest that is nearly identical to that of that released back at the beginning of the month, so don't feel bad if you're suffering from a bit of deja vu. Your rewards for completing this mission are a Stainless Steel Cooker, and a Stainless Steel Countertop, more decorative items that will allow you to build a virtual kitchen in your equally virtual cafe.
The next quest is called Twice as Nice, and it is setup just like A Perfect Pair, asking you to cook a single dish in bulk while asking for 24 collectible items.
Serve Ginger Plum Pork Chops 35 times
Ask for 12 Bibs
Ask for 12 Serving Bowls
The Ginger Plum Pork Chops take a full day to cook, but remember, you can always speed this process up by using spices. You likely won't need to, however, as it will probably take you at least a day, or more, to collect the necessary items anyway. Finishing this quest rewards you with a Stainless Steel Counter, an actual functional item that acts as any other Counter in the game, allowing you to serve food on it.
Finally, after making it through these three new missions (technically six, if you count the missions that come before this), you'll need to run through another cooking and item collecting setup, but the prize here seems to definitely be worth it.
Serve King Crab Bisque 40 times
Ask for 12 Lunchboxes
Ask for 12 Coolers
King Crab Bisque is available to serve after one full day. Again, use spices if you'd rather not wait. Finishing this mission will reward you with two Lightning Stoves. Yes, that's correct - Lightning Stoves. If you don't consider this a worthwhile prize after this work, then I'm not quite sure what could make it better. The only problem will be in actually getting these quests to actually show up on your account in the first place, so that you can ask for these items (is a mission select screen really too much to ask Zynga?).
The first of four new goals will only show up on your account once you have finished the first three goals in this series, so check out our complete guide to completing them if you still haven't made your way through them. As for this, once you're ready for what is technically the fourth mission in this series, you'll need to complete three tasks, which should look mighty familiar to those who finished the first trio of missions in this set.
Serve Eggs Benedict 14 Times
Cook Bacon and Eggs 14 Times
Ask for 10 Ladders
Eggs Benedict cooks in six hours, while Bacon and Eggs cooks in nine hours. While you're waiting for those dishes to cook, you can ask your friends for the ladders by clicking on Ask button and then sending individual requests to those friends that you think would be most likely to help you. Your rewards for completing this quest are 2 Stainless Wall Ovens, which are normally only available for 10 Cafe Cash.
Moving on from that quest, you'll start the second of these four new goals, called "A Perfect Pair." This quest asks you to serve quite a bit of food, but luckily, the particular dish doesn't take very long to prepare.
Serve Fish n Chips 45 times
Ask for 12 Lunchboxes
Ask for 12 Coolers
The item collection here is the same process as with the ladders in the first quest, and while you're waiting for your friends to send you those items, you can cook and serve the 45 Fish n Chips, which are ready after just two hours. Again, this is a quest that is nearly identical to that of that released back at the beginning of the month, so don't feel bad if you're suffering from a bit of deja vu. Your rewards for completing this mission are a Stainless Steel Cooker, and a Stainless Steel Countertop, more decorative items that will allow you to build a virtual kitchen in your equally virtual cafe.
The next quest is called Twice as Nice, and it is setup just like A Perfect Pair, asking you to cook a single dish in bulk while asking for 24 collectible items.
Serve Ginger Plum Pork Chops 35 times
Ask for 12 Bibs
Ask for 12 Serving Bowls
The Ginger Plum Pork Chops take a full day to cook, but remember, you can always speed this process up by using spices. You likely won't need to, however, as it will probably take you at least a day, or more, to collect the necessary items anyway. Finishing this quest rewards you with a Stainless Steel Counter, an actual functional item that acts as any other Counter in the game, allowing you to serve food on it.
Finally, after making it through these three new missions (technically six, if you count the missions that come before this), you'll need to run through another cooking and item collecting setup, but the prize here seems to definitely be worth it.
Serve King Crab Bisque 40 times
Ask for 12 Lunchboxes
Ask for 12 Coolers
King Crab Bisque is available to serve after one full day. Again, use spices if you'd rather not wait. Finishing this mission will reward you with two Lightning Stoves. Yes, that's correct - Lightning Stoves. If you don't consider this a worthwhile prize after this work, then I'm not quite sure what could make it better. The only problem will be in actually getting these quests to actually show up on your account in the first place, so that you can ask for these items (is a mission select screen really too much to ask Zynga?).
Wishful Features: True in-game gifting in CityVille
As we seem to be receiving more and more CityVille quests that require you to have one or more of a particular collectible item, I've come to the conclusion that the game desperately needs a true in-game gifting feature. While adding an item to your wishlist and then posting that wishlist to your wall is one thing, the fact that the item disappears from your wishlist automatically after a single person sends you the item in question seems rather counter-productive.
What if you need more than one of the item you're asking for? What if one of your CityVille friends has 20 of that item that they're ready and willing to give to you, but now can't because it's no longer on your wishlist? Unless you monitor your game 24 hours a day, you might miss out on these important items that you clearly needed, or else you wouldn't have asked for them in the first place.
Imagine instead a game where you could simply head into your inventory and choose a particular item to send, in bulk, to any of your neighbors. FrontierVille has this system in place, and I use it all of the time - as do many of my neighbors. Wouldn't it be great if we could share excess decorations, or even excess energy with friends when we simply didn't need it? Isn't the point of Facebook games to be social? This would definitely be a new social feature, and I'd love to see it arrive in the game sooner, rather than later.
What do you think of the concept of in-game gifting in CityVille? What other changes would you like to see come to the city-building game?
What if you need more than one of the item you're asking for? What if one of your CityVille friends has 20 of that item that they're ready and willing to give to you, but now can't because it's no longer on your wishlist? Unless you monitor your game 24 hours a day, you might miss out on these important items that you clearly needed, or else you wouldn't have asked for them in the first place.
Imagine instead a game where you could simply head into your inventory and choose a particular item to send, in bulk, to any of your neighbors. FrontierVille has this system in place, and I use it all of the time - as do many of my neighbors. Wouldn't it be great if we could share excess decorations, or even excess energy with friends when we simply didn't need it? Isn't the point of Facebook games to be social? This would definitely be a new social feature, and I'd love to see it arrive in the game sooner, rather than later.
What do you think of the concept of in-game gifting in CityVille? What other changes would you like to see come to the city-building game?
CityVille Wedding Hall receives redesign for more universal look
Wedding Halls
The Wedding Hall Community Building in CityVille looked shockingly different last week to forum user randelex. According to three pages worth of responses, he is absolutely right. Zynga sneakily changed the appearance of the low-level building to be more ... universally acceptable. Forum user Crisis City built the new hotness immediately to the right of his old-and-busted (pictured above) to show the difference. Several players cry foul, claiming it was a move for political correctness. They might be right (OK, that's more than likely), but what's wrong with having both a chapel and a reception hall?
[Image Credit: Crisis City]
What do you think of the new Wedding Hall? Was this a necessary change?
The Wedding Hall Community Building in CityVille looked shockingly different last week to forum user randelex. According to three pages worth of responses, he is absolutely right. Zynga sneakily changed the appearance of the low-level building to be more ... universally acceptable. Forum user Crisis City built the new hotness immediately to the right of his old-and-busted (pictured above) to show the difference. Several players cry foul, claiming it was a move for political correctness. They might be right (OK, that's more than likely), but what's wrong with having both a chapel and a reception hall?
[Image Credit: Crisis City]
What do you think of the new Wedding Hall? Was this a necessary change?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FarmVille: Giant Candy Apple Tree found from Mystery Seedlings
If you like having FarmVille trees in your collection before they're even released in the store, be sure to claim any and all Mystery Seedlings that your friends post on their walls, and make sure to harvest your Orchards as soon as they are ready, as a new tree has started appearing from Mystery Seedlings - the otherwise unreleased Giant Candy Apple Tree.
While this tree will eventually be available (presumably) as a Mystery Seedling of the also unreleased normal Candy Apple Tree, you can only find it now through growing Mystery Seedlings and hoping to get lucky, or by hoping that you friends have grown one only to share an extra on their wall.
We'll make sure to let you know when these trees are released in the game's store, so keep checking back.
Have you received a Giant Candy Apple Tree from a Mystery Seedling?
While this tree will eventually be available (presumably) as a Mystery Seedling of the also unreleased normal Candy Apple Tree, you can only find it now through growing Mystery Seedlings and hoping to get lucky, or by hoping that you friends have grown one only to share an extra on their wall.
We'll make sure to let you know when these trees are released in the game's store, so keep checking back.
Have you received a Giant Candy Apple Tree from a Mystery Seedling?
FrontierVille: Expand to 37 x 37 now for coins
It's been a long time coming. We've known that a 37 x 37 land expansion would be coming to FrontierVille via a new set of goals discovered way back at the beginning of February. Last week, the expansion was finally made available in the game, but only to those players who wanted to shell out a whopping 185 Horseshoes to unlock the missions early.
Now, though, the time has finally come as users can now purchase the 37 x 37 land expansion goals for coins - 1,000 coins, to be exact. For that price, you'll simply unlock the mission set that sees you expanding your land at the end, meaning that you won't instantly have access to more squares in your game, but you will be finally working your way towards that with a guarantee of availability.
For a complete guide as to what to expect from these missions, check out our guide.
Have you purchased the 37 x 37 land expansion goals, or do you already have all of the room you need?
Now, though, the time has finally come as users can now purchase the 37 x 37 land expansion goals for coins - 1,000 coins, to be exact. For that price, you'll simply unlock the mission set that sees you expanding your land at the end, meaning that you won't instantly have access to more squares in your game, but you will be finally working your way towards that with a guarantee of availability.
For a complete guide as to what to expect from these missions, check out our guide.
Have you purchased the 37 x 37 land expansion goals, or do you already have all of the room you need?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Spring Basket and collectibles
While we know (or are pretty well certain) that a Spring Basket collection feature will be coming to FarmVille in the coming days and weeks, we now also have a better understanding of what it will look like, through some unreleased images. The Spring Basket itself is a flower-basket of sorts, that we'll apparently fill with more flowers that we gather from friends.
It looks like there will be four different flowers to collect: a kind of Lilly, Daffodils, Foxglove, and Forget Me Not. This would present Zynga with a fantastic opportunity, to allow users to plant these flowers in their games and then receive a fraction of that they planted as flowers redeemable in the basket for prizes, but we're not sure if Zynga's thought of that yet.
Again, Spring Basket information is really light at this point, but we'll make sure to give you all of the details about this feature and the prizes you'll (presumably) win as soon as we know more.
What items would you like to see given away in a Spring Basket in FarmVille?
It looks like there will be four different flowers to collect: a kind of Lilly, Daffodils, Foxglove, and Forget Me Not. This would present Zynga with a fantastic opportunity, to allow users to plant these flowers in their games and then receive a fraction of that they planted as flowers redeemable in the basket for prizes, but we're not sure if Zynga's thought of that yet.
Again, Spring Basket information is really light at this point, but we'll make sure to give you all of the details about this feature and the prizes you'll (presumably) win as soon as we know more.
What items would you like to see given away in a Spring Basket in FarmVille?
FarmVille English Countryside: Exclusive decorations in the store
While you may have found yourself all caught up in the many quests and buildings to construct on your second farm in the FarmVille English Countryside, don't lose sight of the fact that there are a set of new and exclusive decorative items available to purchase for your new land in the game's store.
Like the Country Fence that was standing next to your Horse Stable? You can purchase that and two other items that are exclusive to the English Countryside expansion by heading to the Decorations tab of the store and clicking on "Them" under the Sort By drop down menu.
The Country Fence mentioned above costs 300 coins per piece, while a Dilapidated Fence is a lighter shade of brown (or even a dark tan color) that also costs 300 coins per section, but is a bit broken (on purpose of course). Finally, you can purchase a low Country Hedge to create all manner of mazes or just more naturally divided areas on your farm for 600 coins per piece.
There is no time limit associated with these items, so we expect them to be available permanently on your new farm.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Will you fill your second farm with these exclusive fence types?
Like the Country Fence that was standing next to your Horse Stable? You can purchase that and two other items that are exclusive to the English Countryside expansion by heading to the Decorations tab of the store and clicking on "Them" under the Sort By drop down menu.
The Country Fence mentioned above costs 300 coins per piece, while a Dilapidated Fence is a lighter shade of brown (or even a dark tan color) that also costs 300 coins per section, but is a bit broken (on purpose of course). Finally, you can purchase a low Country Hedge to create all manner of mazes or just more naturally divided areas on your farm for 600 coins per piece.
There is no time limit associated with these items, so we expect them to be available permanently on your new farm.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Will you fill your second farm with these exclusive fence types?
Game of the Day: Jumble Crosswords
Today's Game of the Day rocks it old school with a classic newspaper game, Jumble Crosswords. It's a combo of word scramble and crossword -- the goal is to unscramble a list of words using crossword-like clues to complete the crossword puzzle. Then use the circled letters in the puzzle to unscramble the bonus solution. Play today, then come back again every day for a brand new challenge.
Play Jumble Crosswords now >
Important side note: By playing The Game of the Day, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Play Jumble Crosswords now >
Important side note: By playing The Game of the Day, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
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