On the Foruth Day O' Christmas
As the 12 Days of Christmas wind down in FrontierVille, it appears that things are getting slightly simpler. In "On the Fourth Day O' Christmas," it's all about those pink, corkscrew-tailed bacon machines: Pigs. In this Goal, all you need to do is tend to four Neighbor Pigs, sell four Adult Pigs and buy one Lunch from the Market. If you haven't four Adult Pigs to sell, this Goal will cost you a total of 1,460 coins and 165 Energy.
Though, if your friends are cool, Pigs are available as a free Gift, so feel free to ask around and save some dough. However, this Goal will take much longer if you're starting with baby Pigs--54 hours longer, to be exact. When you visit Neighbors, just remember to resist the temptation of harvesting their crops for extra Food. Pigs are your number one objective. Complete this Goal and you'll be 400 XP and one Pig richer.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
CityVille Sneak Peek: DVD Shop, Jeans Shop and Lamp Shop
Lamp Shop Jeans Shop
CityVille's rise to Zynga stardom has already garnered the game scrutiny of several blogs (including the one you're reading right now), which has lead to the inevitable item leaks. So, thanks to CityVille Info, we bring you a CityVille sneak peek of a few Businesses that may or may not make it into the game.
First is the DVD Shop, a building adorned by a massive DVD that looks to be CityVille's rendition of Blockbuster (we'll see how long that business will last). Next up is the Jeans Shop, which looks exactly as it sounds: a shop with a massive pair of jeans in the window. And lastly we have the Lamp Shop that, in CityVille fashion, is signified by a giant Lamp on its roof. Doesn't anyone believe in signs anymore? Not every business is the Hard Rock Cafe. Don't be alarmed if these items don't end up in the game as they are unreleased.
CityVille's rise to Zynga stardom has already garnered the game scrutiny of several blogs (including the one you're reading right now), which has lead to the inevitable item leaks. So, thanks to CityVille Info, we bring you a CityVille sneak peek of a few Businesses that may or may not make it into the game.
First is the DVD Shop, a building adorned by a massive DVD that looks to be CityVille's rendition of Blockbuster (we'll see how long that business will last). Next up is the Jeans Shop, which looks exactly as it sounds: a shop with a massive pair of jeans in the window. And lastly we have the Lamp Shop that, in CityVille fashion, is signified by a giant Lamp on its roof. Doesn't anyone believe in signs anymore? Not every business is the Hard Rock Cafe. Don't be alarmed if these items don't end up in the game as they are unreleased.
Gamasutra names Zynga's FrontierVille Best Facebook Game of 2010
Are any of you surprised? We didn't think so. Among games like Millionaire City by Digital Chocolate, CrowdStar's It Girl, Zuma Blitz by PopCap and LOLapps' Ravenwood Fair, Gamasutra named FrontierVille the number one Facebook game of 2010. The article was written by Worlds in Motion editor Eric Caoili, who chose each game based on "compelling gameplay and metrics-based design" instead of viral strategies. As a result, some of the more robust Facebook games obviously made the cut.
Some of the more interesting picks, or lack thereof, include Ravenwood Fair, which, in the number 3 spot, suffered a roller coaster of issues as a result of a certain Wall Street Journal investigation only to bounce back as one of the top Facebook games out there. Another intriguing choice is It Girl, second only to FrontierVille on this list and one of the most successful Facebook games to date geared specifically toward women (social games' largest demographic) with 6.6 million monthly players. While it hasn't even been around for a month, CityVille still managed to snag an honorable mention, which is most likely due to its insanely rapid growth.
And, of course, who could forget FrontierVille, now Zynga's third most successful game and arguably the most advanced in many ways. The game launched at a time when it was uncertain whether another game could emulate the success of FarmVille given the since debilitated modes of discovery on Facebook, but once again Zynga proved the naysayers wrong. Caoili claims that through veteran game designer Brian Reynolds, Zynga released a game that evolved the traditional farming sim with a largely different, quest-heavy focus, neighbors to visit and more features including several playable and non-playable characters, badges to earn and enemies to defeat. Don't forget the hilarious if lecherous News Feed messages, guys.
Some of the more interesting picks, or lack thereof, include Ravenwood Fair, which, in the number 3 spot, suffered a roller coaster of issues as a result of a certain Wall Street Journal investigation only to bounce back as one of the top Facebook games out there. Another intriguing choice is It Girl, second only to FrontierVille on this list and one of the most successful Facebook games to date geared specifically toward women (social games' largest demographic) with 6.6 million monthly players. While it hasn't even been around for a month, CityVille still managed to snag an honorable mention, which is most likely due to its insanely rapid growth.
And, of course, who could forget FrontierVille, now Zynga's third most successful game and arguably the most advanced in many ways. The game launched at a time when it was uncertain whether another game could emulate the success of FarmVille given the since debilitated modes of discovery on Facebook, but once again Zynga proved the naysayers wrong. Caoili claims that through veteran game designer Brian Reynolds, Zynga released a game that evolved the traditional farming sim with a largely different, quest-heavy focus, neighbors to visit and more features including several playable and non-playable characters, badges to earn and enemies to defeat. Don't forget the hilarious if lecherous News Feed messages, guys.
CityVille Sneak Peek: Skyscraper Residences are massively mysterious
Skyscraper
Believe it or not, but there are more unreleased CityVille items where today's first batch came from. CityVille Info recently found three gargantuan skyscrapers that it believes will serve as new Residences. It's unknown how much it will take to build these items or how we'll get a hold of them, but a bit of speculation never hurt anyone, right?
Skyscraper 2 Skyscraper 3
If you look closely, the two largest Buildings have rooftop access, meaning that they're almost surely apartments. But the smallest Building has no glaring indicators that it is, in fact, a Residence, so we'll just have to wait and see. As more people nab that Skyscraper gift in the Daily Bonus, it could very well be updated to offer one of these three new Buildings. But perhaps that's wishful thinking as I'd rather not see these gems be offered for City Cash. Though, upwards 500 thousand coins isn't necessarily ideal either, if the current Skyscraper Condos is any indication of what's to come of these items.
What do you think will come of these three unreleased Skyscrapers?
Believe it or not, but there are more unreleased CityVille items where today's first batch came from. CityVille Info recently found three gargantuan skyscrapers that it believes will serve as new Residences. It's unknown how much it will take to build these items or how we'll get a hold of them, but a bit of speculation never hurt anyone, right?
Skyscraper 2 Skyscraper 3
If you look closely, the two largest Buildings have rooftop access, meaning that they're almost surely apartments. But the smallest Building has no glaring indicators that it is, in fact, a Residence, so we'll just have to wait and see. As more people nab that Skyscraper gift in the Daily Bonus, it could very well be updated to offer one of these three new Buildings. But perhaps that's wishful thinking as I'd rather not see these gems be offered for City Cash. Though, upwards 500 thousand coins isn't necessarily ideal either, if the current Skyscraper Condos is any indication of what's to come of these items.
What do you think will come of these three unreleased Skyscrapers?
CityVille Sneak Peek: CityVille Billboard, Water Tower and lots more
Recently, CityVille Info found even more unreleased items in CityVille. All of these items appear to be decorations of sorts, though none of their names or payout percentages are known at this point. Though, we can likely deduce that the Christmas-themed decorations probably won't be making it in this year.
However, there are plenty more opportunities for potentially cool new items like the clock tower, water tower and CityVille billboard. We'll soon also have new walls, panda-shaped bushes and unfinished houses to enjoy. (Who thinks this stuff up?) Rounding out the list of hopefully incoming items are what appear to be a pretzel cart, a palm tree, a black cat, spotted cow, news stand, lamp posts and a modern-looking sculpture. However, it's the water tower and clock tower that are most interesting to us--they're simply too big for decorations. Perhaps they'll be new community Buildings? Who knows, but we hope to find out soon enough.
However, there are plenty more opportunities for potentially cool new items like the clock tower, water tower and CityVille billboard. We'll soon also have new walls, panda-shaped bushes and unfinished houses to enjoy. (Who thinks this stuff up?) Rounding out the list of hopefully incoming items are what appear to be a pretzel cart, a palm tree, a black cat, spotted cow, news stand, lamp posts and a modern-looking sculpture. However, it's the water tower and clock tower that are most interesting to us--they're simply too big for decorations. Perhaps they'll be new community Buildings? Who knows, but we hope to find out soon enough.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
Zynga serves food for lunch you can't even get in FarmVille
Well, at least we know they're fed well. In a Wall Street Journal report regarding the perks of being part of the supposed second tech bubble, Zynga was found to serve daily lunches and dinners to its employees with some fairly exorbitant condiments:
Zynga Inc., which filed for an initial public offering on Friday, serves lunch and dinner daily to its employees, using specialty ingredients like wasabi oil, Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and pine cone syrup as well as locally sourced produce. The social gaming company has said that its goal is to offer sustainable and fresh food rather than be flashy or excessive.
I guess that's what you get for working at a $20 billion company. Zynga filed for IPO last week, and looks to raise another $1 billion to make it potentially the most valuable games company in the world. And with numbers like that, we hope the Kobe beef steaks are grilling next to that chocolate fountain.
Zynga Inc., which filed for an initial public offering on Friday, serves lunch and dinner daily to its employees, using specialty ingredients like wasabi oil, Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise and pine cone syrup as well as locally sourced produce. The social gaming company has said that its goal is to offer sustainable and fresh food rather than be flashy or excessive.
I guess that's what you get for working at a $20 billion company. Zynga filed for IPO last week, and looks to raise another $1 billion to make it potentially the most valuable games company in the world. And with numbers like that, we hope the Kobe beef steaks are grilling next to that chocolate fountain.
Nintendo Wii U will arrive after April 1, better start saving now
Seriously, this thing is will not be cheap. During an interview with Forbes, Nintendo of America COO Reggie Fils-Aime said that its much-awaited Wii U console will not arrive until after April 1 of next year.
When asked about how Nintendo plans to market both the new console and its existing Wii at the same time, Fils-Aime said, "This is a device that will launch in 2012, after April 1st, so we will deal with that situation at the appropriate time."
The exec went on to further deny any rumors that the Wii U controller, a slate with several buttons surrounding a 6.2-inch touch screen, is a tablet. (Well, you kind of had to expect these questions, guys.) But more importantly, Fils-Aime revealed some interesting potential in the Wii U. When asked about whether the system can stream other content than games to the tiny screen wirelessly, specifically Netflix, he replied, "Theoretically, that's possible."
Nintendo recently revealed that it has big plans for the Wii U's approach to online gaming, namely social features. But in this interview, the company stated that it will largely leave online gaming up to its third party publishers with a platform that will change from game to game. Regardless of this loose end among others (like whether its price will scare casual gamers away), that little screen just became even more impossible to wait for.
When asked about how Nintendo plans to market both the new console and its existing Wii at the same time, Fils-Aime said, "This is a device that will launch in 2012, after April 1st, so we will deal with that situation at the appropriate time."
The exec went on to further deny any rumors that the Wii U controller, a slate with several buttons surrounding a 6.2-inch touch screen, is a tablet. (Well, you kind of had to expect these questions, guys.) But more importantly, Fils-Aime revealed some interesting potential in the Wii U. When asked about whether the system can stream other content than games to the tiny screen wirelessly, specifically Netflix, he replied, "Theoretically, that's possible."
Nintendo recently revealed that it has big plans for the Wii U's approach to online gaming, namely social features. But in this interview, the company stated that it will largely leave online gaming up to its third party publishers with a platform that will change from game to game. Regardless of this loose end among others (like whether its price will scare casual gamers away), that little screen just became even more impossible to wait for.
Zynga's PrivacyVille: A silly mini game about a serious issue
When Zynga can't think of a better name for a product, slapping a good old 'Ville' on there does the trick. PrivacyVille sounds like the company's next big game, but on the contrary. It is Zynga's way of communicating the issues of Internet privacy to its fans--through a mini game.
This interactive tutorial, available now right here, rewards players with zPoints to use in RewardVille for learning everything there is to know about the intersections of Internet privacy and Zynga games.The "game," clearly inspired by CityVille, is largely a series of pop-up windows explaining each facet of the company's privacy policy plainly.
Each broken-down explanation provides links to all the tools at your disposal to edit your privacy settings with both Zynga and Facebook. After you read all of the information, Zynga will quiz you on what you learned. (And trust us, there's no way you can lose this one.) Once you're done, you will be asked to connect to RewardVille to collect your 200 zPoint reward.
PrivacyVille Quiz
While this certainly isn't the next big game we're all waiting for, it's an interesting take on privacy. Most companies merely place their privacy policies in a wall of text that no one in their right mind would waste time reading, but Zynga knows its audience. And its audience has learned to play countless Zynga games, so why not treat this lesson as one? It certainly makes sense, but ... PrivacyVille? Really, guys?
This interactive tutorial, available now right here, rewards players with zPoints to use in RewardVille for learning everything there is to know about the intersections of Internet privacy and Zynga games.The "game," clearly inspired by CityVille, is largely a series of pop-up windows explaining each facet of the company's privacy policy plainly.
Each broken-down explanation provides links to all the tools at your disposal to edit your privacy settings with both Zynga and Facebook. After you read all of the information, Zynga will quiz you on what you learned. (And trust us, there's no way you can lose this one.) Once you're done, you will be asked to connect to RewardVille to collect your 200 zPoint reward.
PrivacyVille Quiz
While this certainly isn't the next big game we're all waiting for, it's an interesting take on privacy. Most companies merely place their privacy policies in a wall of text that no one in their right mind would waste time reading, but Zynga knows its audience. And its audience has learned to play countless Zynga games, so why not treat this lesson as one? It certainly makes sense, but ... PrivacyVille? Really, guys?
Free-to-play games dominating paid games in the App Store
According to a report published today by Flurry, an independent analytics company, free-to-play games are now bringing in more revenue than traditional paid games. Free-to-play games require no up-front fees to play, you can simply download the game and start playing immediately. Paid games require the app to be purchased from the App Store for a minimum of $0.99 each.
In January of 2011, 61% of the revenue from the top 100 highest grossing games in the App Store came from paid apps. This number has now dropped to only 35%, with the other 65% coming from free-to-play titles like Smurf Village or Tap Zoo. It would appear that all forms of gaming are quickly trending to the freemium model, a business model that has proven successful for many developers including PopCap Games (who release free versions of all of their casual games). Facebook games have been using the free-to-play model exclusively, including the titan Zynga who reported over 90 million dollars in profit in 2010. Traditional games have been trending in this direction for years, despite hardcore gamers' best efforts to push back.
Free-to-play games feel like a win for everyone. Those who want to play without paying can do so, and those who want to pay have no theoretical cap on how much they can spend. It feels like a no-brainer to launch games as free-to-play on the App Store and Android Market.
In January of 2011, 61% of the revenue from the top 100 highest grossing games in the App Store came from paid apps. This number has now dropped to only 35%, with the other 65% coming from free-to-play titles like Smurf Village or Tap Zoo. It would appear that all forms of gaming are quickly trending to the freemium model, a business model that has proven successful for many developers including PopCap Games (who release free versions of all of their casual games). Facebook games have been using the free-to-play model exclusively, including the titan Zynga who reported over 90 million dollars in profit in 2010. Traditional games have been trending in this direction for years, despite hardcore gamers' best efforts to push back.
Free-to-play games feel like a win for everyone. Those who want to play without paying can do so, and those who want to pay have no theoretical cap on how much they can spend. It feels like a no-brainer to launch games as free-to-play on the App Store and Android Market.
Former Playdom exec joins OpenFeint to help in Japanese Invasion
And another falls. Yet another executive from one of social gaming's biggest companies, Playdom, has left for a competitor. This time it's Ethan Fassett, an executive producer for Playdom who is now headed to OpenFeint, a mobile games network that enjoys 90 million players, as SVP of Product, VentureBeat reports.
The Burlingham, Calif.-based mobile games platform hired Fassett to help its clients create free-to-play games using the OpenFeint network--purchased by Japanese network Gree earlier this year--on both Android and iOS devices. He'll do this by leading development on new social networking features and distribution channels to support the freebie games, according to VentureBeat.
"We're very excited to bring on Ethan, whose expertise in free-to-play games and social communities will drive product strategy and shape the evolution of the network," OpenFeint CEO Jason Citron said. "Ethan truly understands social games, the social networks they need to be successful, and the tools game developers need to properly engage and monetize their players."
Executives from major gaming companies like Playdom and EA have been leaving for potentially more lucrative ventures in the social and mobile gaming arenas. And as these two companies appear to be in a lull (though, Playdom did just launch a new ESPN-branded game), publishers from the Far East encroach on the globe, throwing around millions. DeNA and its Mobage network are competing with both Zynga and Gree for dominance in the mobile games market, and the latter just got another shot in the arm.
The Burlingham, Calif.-based mobile games platform hired Fassett to help its clients create free-to-play games using the OpenFeint network--purchased by Japanese network Gree earlier this year--on both Android and iOS devices. He'll do this by leading development on new social networking features and distribution channels to support the freebie games, according to VentureBeat.
"We're very excited to bring on Ethan, whose expertise in free-to-play games and social communities will drive product strategy and shape the evolution of the network," OpenFeint CEO Jason Citron said. "Ethan truly understands social games, the social networks they need to be successful, and the tools game developers need to properly engage and monetize their players."
Executives from major gaming companies like Playdom and EA have been leaving for potentially more lucrative ventures in the social and mobile gaming arenas. And as these two companies appear to be in a lull (though, Playdom did just launch a new ESPN-branded game), publishers from the Far East encroach on the globe, throwing around millions. DeNA and its Mobage network are competing with both Zynga and Gree for dominance in the mobile games market, and the latter just got another shot in the arm.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Study: In the year 2013, we'll have over 73 million U.S. social gamers
Every time one of these studies comes in, it feels like we're all at the World's Fair, doesn't it? (And we'll play them while being driven in our hover cars!) A study by eMarketer released today reveals the projection that, by 2013, there will be 73.6 million social gamers in the U.S. of A. This number will explode from today's estimated 61.9 million Facebook gamers in the country, which already sounds a bit low to us. And because of these growing numbers, eMarketer thinks it's thanks to shifting demographics.
"Gone are the days when only males ages 18 to 34 were hardcore gamers or only moms were pelting their Facebook friends with requests for hens or heifers in social games like FarmVille," eMarketer senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips--and author of this very report, "Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur as the Market Grows--said. "Today's core gamers are also playing casual games. More women are using game consoles beyond the Nintendo Wii, and their game choices include many genres."
And, you know what, she might be right. Just recently, it was estimated that by the same time, 2013, hardcore social games will grow five-fold. Not to mention that there already are nearly 80 million strategy gamers on the platform. While the casual, FarmVille-loving sector will certainly continue to grow, this is hardly the last we've heard from the "hardcore" gaming crowd on Facebook. Check out even more about these rapid yet expected demographic shifts right here.
"Gone are the days when only males ages 18 to 34 were hardcore gamers or only moms were pelting their Facebook friends with requests for hens or heifers in social games like FarmVille," eMarketer senior analyst Lisa E. Phillips--and author of this very report, "Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur as the Market Grows--said. "Today's core gamers are also playing casual games. More women are using game consoles beyond the Nintendo Wii, and their game choices include many genres."
And, you know what, she might be right. Just recently, it was estimated that by the same time, 2013, hardcore social games will grow five-fold. Not to mention that there already are nearly 80 million strategy gamers on the platform. While the casual, FarmVille-loving sector will certainly continue to grow, this is hardly the last we've heard from the "hardcore" gaming crowd on Facebook. Check out even more about these rapid yet expected demographic shifts right here.
The Sims Social explodes, the third most played Facebook game daily
Wait, so this is where my mom was during this weekend's mess? The Sims Social, the ambitious social version of EA's massive franchise by Playfish London, has grown into the third most played social game on Facebook. Better yet, that measure is through daily players, which is far more telling of a game's success early on than monthly players. As of now, according to AppData, The Sims Social enjoys over 7.2 million daily players.
More importantly, that beats out two more of Zynga's most popular games, Empires & Allies and Zynga Poker. The game already surpassed Pioneer Trail last week, and now EA as a little over a million daily players to go to become the first Facebook game to trump FarmVille in a very, very long time, if ever. (The game begins to flinch a bit at 8.4 million daily players.)
Of course, The Sims Social is a far cry from the behemoth that is CityVille, but hot diggity is it gaining fast. Yes, use of the word "diggity" is deemed appropriate in such impressive circumstances. Remember, this is especially significant considering the game got off to a rocky start, with outages and performance issues aplenty upon its release. If anything, it speaks volumes to the fact that this brand may have found new life on Facebook, and everyone else better watch out.
More importantly, that beats out two more of Zynga's most popular games, Empires & Allies and Zynga Poker. The game already surpassed Pioneer Trail last week, and now EA as a little over a million daily players to go to become the first Facebook game to trump FarmVille in a very, very long time, if ever. (The game begins to flinch a bit at 8.4 million daily players.)
Of course, The Sims Social is a far cry from the behemoth that is CityVille, but hot diggity is it gaining fast. Yes, use of the word "diggity" is deemed appropriate in such impressive circumstances. Remember, this is especially significant considering the game got off to a rocky start, with outages and performance issues aplenty upon its release. If anything, it speaks volumes to the fact that this brand may have found new life on Facebook, and everyone else better watch out.
FarmVille maker spooked by market woes, delays IPO to Nov. [Rumor]
As it turns out, even the mighty Zynga isn't immune to the wear and tear of the market. (But you better bet CEO Mark Pincus [pictured] wants his say.) The New York Post reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the company's plans, that Zynga will call in a delay of its imminent initial public offering (IPO) to November.
After beelining for one of the biggest IPOs in a long time, the creator of hits like FarmVille and CityVille follows a dozen of delayed IPOs due to rickety market conditions after the nation's credit rating dropped earlier this month. "It wouldn't be illogical for the bank to delay a sale, given the markets," said one source to NY Post. "It makes sense for a bank to protect its clients from a market that could potentially be a bottomless pit."
What the source is referring to is "the bubble," or the possibility that all the expectations for this market--social games and virtual goods sales--driving up its value could be inflated, meaning that if these expectations aren't fulfilled, prices could plummet and lose investors quite a lot of money. (Look up the infamous Dot-Com Bubble for more of what I'm talking about.)
Regardless, the NY Post writes that Zynga is still pursuing an IPO in earnest, most likely complete with its CEO's most recently-approved edits. It looks like nothing will stop the company from becoming potentially the most valuable gaming company in the world. Well, nothing save for maybe one game.
After beelining for one of the biggest IPOs in a long time, the creator of hits like FarmVille and CityVille follows a dozen of delayed IPOs due to rickety market conditions after the nation's credit rating dropped earlier this month. "It wouldn't be illogical for the bank to delay a sale, given the markets," said one source to NY Post. "It makes sense for a bank to protect its clients from a market that could potentially be a bottomless pit."
What the source is referring to is "the bubble," or the possibility that all the expectations for this market--social games and virtual goods sales--driving up its value could be inflated, meaning that if these expectations aren't fulfilled, prices could plummet and lose investors quite a lot of money. (Look up the infamous Dot-Com Bubble for more of what I'm talking about.)
Regardless, the NY Post writes that Zynga is still pursuing an IPO in earnest, most likely complete with its CEO's most recently-approved edits. It looks like nothing will stop the company from becoming potentially the most valuable gaming company in the world. Well, nothing save for maybe one game.
Kontagent's Josh Williams on why analytics matter in Facebook games [Interview]
Analyta-what? Is that even a real word? Well, not according to the New Oxford Dictionary, but it's nevertheless become terribly important to how the games hundreds of millions of us play daily are made and distributed. Noticing the increasing trend in analytics, or the use of measurable data to crowd source design decisions, we sat down and talked with Josh Williams (pictured below) to learn more.
Josh is President of Kontagent, a San Francisco-based firm that provides analytics tracking services to major social and mobile app companies, namely game makers. The service has been officially tracking 150 million monthly players worldwide across a variety of social games, so we figured Josh would know a bit about what analytics has uncovered regarding our social gaming habits. We also learned that, frankly, this stuff is pretty darn important to how our favorite games are made.
For the uninformed, can you explain what analytics is, exactly?
Analytics help developers look at what players are doing in their games, and then figure out what's working and what's not. The best analytics are sort of a mechanism for players to vote on what they like and don't like inside of a game.
Now that Kontagent tracks about 150 million monthly players worldwide, what would you say are the most interesting numbers relating to how social gamers play?
On the mobile side, there was a bunch of change in the last three to six months. Freemium games have just taken over on mobile over the last several months. So that's changed the way--developers are used to putting out one-time payment games [on the Apple App Store]--developers structure their apps to better track what players are doing.
Generally, people are spending more and more time, but there are more gamers on Facebook than in mobile. But the time is increasing per player a lot, too. From six months ago, [people are playing] 20 percent more time per person between mobile games and social games. It's really changing quickly.
For how long do social gamers play their games? And what are players buying most frequently while playing?
There's a huge range, but on average--the average gamer that plays mobile and social games--is about 20 minutes a day or more now playing. But the range is huge. Of course, you have people who average just a minute per day but for some it's in the hours now. It's really become a major method of consumption for games.
It really depends on the game, but overall we're seeing a shift. Early on, micro-transactions were a lot about the cosmetic items. That has definitely shifted now to items that have use in the game. There are two classifications for those: durable goods, or things that you buy and last forever, and the consumable stuff. The consumable goods are taking a larger and larger portion of micro-transactions spent both in social and mobile games. Right now, it's roughly split between [the two]. Mobile games are a little bit behind, but they're rapidly evolving.
More specifically, what are the numbers showing about how "social" social gamers are (i.e. how and what are they sharing through updates)?
These games are designed to be that way, but there are a few different numbers to look at, one being the number of users coming in via social channels--the virality of the app. Another is how many social messages get sent, and then also how many responses happen to those. Or, when you see a friend posting about [a social game] how often do you respond to those posts. All three of those numbers for social games are high, but for mobile it's actually really, really low.
When it comes to new users entering a game when their friends post a message about it, you can get as much as 15 percent--some games do a lot better, but that's a typical number--from the messages being sent out. [It's huge,] but that number actually used to be a little higher back in the days when Facebook used to just spam everybody. Facebook has toned that down a lot, which is a good thing for gamers, I think.
Kontagent
Recently, Kontagent CEO Jeff Tseng said that social games are more like casinos than we think. Could you speak to that, and how are social gamers' habits supporting that ideology?
There's a lot of the same psychology at play in a lot of the social games. In the social games now, you have a lot of them designed around simple mechanics that's kind of the gambling psychology and structure. But I'd say there is a lot more quality wrapped around [them].
What would you say is most useful about analytics to a game designer?
I'd say analytics are pretty vital to mobile and social game development. Think about it: This is the first time in the last few years that you could have a direct connection with players. Back in the days of retail games, you were basically building in the dark. Maybe you did some play testing and even had a beta. But after shipment they're hoping they did a good job, waiting until the reviews and sales numbers to come in.
Now, designers really change reviews--a lot of times they'll shift something within the first patch. And a lot of times that works, so from there the numbers that are most important to a designer are engagement metrics. So, you're looking at how much time people are spending in the game, how frequently are they coming back. If you have a sharing mechanism, how often are they sharing. You're looking for the numbers that tell how much they like the game.
Josh WilliamsWould you say that monetization becomes more of a priority later down the line for developers?
Yeah, that's right, so monetization becomes a priority later. It's not like you don't think about it up until that point. It's partly retrofitted, but the real optimization doesn't come until later.
Many traditional game developers have gotten into using analytics to inform their game's creation (take Bioware with Mass Effect 2, for instance). Why do you think analytics is slowly becoming a norm in game design across the board?
It's so powerful to have that insight. Analytics are kind of a voting mechanism for the players, so if you can get that feedback on what players really like, why wouldn't you want it? And I think traditional game developers are seeing how well it works in social games and mobile. I think it's going to be more and more [prevalent].
Josh is President of Kontagent, a San Francisco-based firm that provides analytics tracking services to major social and mobile app companies, namely game makers. The service has been officially tracking 150 million monthly players worldwide across a variety of social games, so we figured Josh would know a bit about what analytics has uncovered regarding our social gaming habits. We also learned that, frankly, this stuff is pretty darn important to how our favorite games are made.
For the uninformed, can you explain what analytics is, exactly?
Analytics help developers look at what players are doing in their games, and then figure out what's working and what's not. The best analytics are sort of a mechanism for players to vote on what they like and don't like inside of a game.
Now that Kontagent tracks about 150 million monthly players worldwide, what would you say are the most interesting numbers relating to how social gamers play?
On the mobile side, there was a bunch of change in the last three to six months. Freemium games have just taken over on mobile over the last several months. So that's changed the way--developers are used to putting out one-time payment games [on the Apple App Store]--developers structure their apps to better track what players are doing.
Generally, people are spending more and more time, but there are more gamers on Facebook than in mobile. But the time is increasing per player a lot, too. From six months ago, [people are playing] 20 percent more time per person between mobile games and social games. It's really changing quickly.
For how long do social gamers play their games? And what are players buying most frequently while playing?
There's a huge range, but on average--the average gamer that plays mobile and social games--is about 20 minutes a day or more now playing. But the range is huge. Of course, you have people who average just a minute per day but for some it's in the hours now. It's really become a major method of consumption for games.
It really depends on the game, but overall we're seeing a shift. Early on, micro-transactions were a lot about the cosmetic items. That has definitely shifted now to items that have use in the game. There are two classifications for those: durable goods, or things that you buy and last forever, and the consumable stuff. The consumable goods are taking a larger and larger portion of micro-transactions spent both in social and mobile games. Right now, it's roughly split between [the two]. Mobile games are a little bit behind, but they're rapidly evolving.
More specifically, what are the numbers showing about how "social" social gamers are (i.e. how and what are they sharing through updates)?
These games are designed to be that way, but there are a few different numbers to look at, one being the number of users coming in via social channels--the virality of the app. Another is how many social messages get sent, and then also how many responses happen to those. Or, when you see a friend posting about [a social game] how often do you respond to those posts. All three of those numbers for social games are high, but for mobile it's actually really, really low.
When it comes to new users entering a game when their friends post a message about it, you can get as much as 15 percent--some games do a lot better, but that's a typical number--from the messages being sent out. [It's huge,] but that number actually used to be a little higher back in the days when Facebook used to just spam everybody. Facebook has toned that down a lot, which is a good thing for gamers, I think.
Kontagent
Recently, Kontagent CEO Jeff Tseng said that social games are more like casinos than we think. Could you speak to that, and how are social gamers' habits supporting that ideology?
There's a lot of the same psychology at play in a lot of the social games. In the social games now, you have a lot of them designed around simple mechanics that's kind of the gambling psychology and structure. But I'd say there is a lot more quality wrapped around [them].
What would you say is most useful about analytics to a game designer?
I'd say analytics are pretty vital to mobile and social game development. Think about it: This is the first time in the last few years that you could have a direct connection with players. Back in the days of retail games, you were basically building in the dark. Maybe you did some play testing and even had a beta. But after shipment they're hoping they did a good job, waiting until the reviews and sales numbers to come in.
Now, designers really change reviews--a lot of times they'll shift something within the first patch. And a lot of times that works, so from there the numbers that are most important to a designer are engagement metrics. So, you're looking at how much time people are spending in the game, how frequently are they coming back. If you have a sharing mechanism, how often are they sharing. You're looking for the numbers that tell how much they like the game.
Josh WilliamsWould you say that monetization becomes more of a priority later down the line for developers?
Yeah, that's right, so monetization becomes a priority later. It's not like you don't think about it up until that point. It's partly retrofitted, but the real optimization doesn't come until later.
Many traditional game developers have gotten into using analytics to inform their game's creation (take Bioware with Mass Effect 2, for instance). Why do you think analytics is slowly becoming a norm in game design across the board?
It's so powerful to have that insight. Analytics are kind of a voting mechanism for the players, so if you can get that feedback on what players really like, why wouldn't you want it? And I think traditional game developers are seeing how well it works in social games and mobile. I think it's going to be more and more [prevalent].
Get Nintendo 3DS for ultra-cheap ($150) on eBay while you still can
What, so an $80 price drop still wasn't enough for you? Fine, then have the Nintendo 3DS for $100 less, you cheapskate. TechCrunch reports that MacMall is offering a limited number of 3DS consoles in both blue and black for just $150 with free shipping. (Seriously, folks, it does not get better than this ... period.)
While the newly announced red model isn't a part of the deal, I sincerely doubt color is an issue when the thing officially (or unofficially?) costs as much as its predecessor, the DSi. While there is no time limit on this deal nor is it an auction, this offer can't last forever, so you better whip out the plastic soon. As of this writing, already 222 were sold. The clock is a'ticking.
While the 3DS suffered more lows than highs since its release this March, it's an impressive piece of hardware regardless, for what it does. While you won't find as robust an online service for gaming or downloading on arguable competitors like iOS and Android devices, it's still pretty mind-blowing to see some of its games in 3D without the need of any accessory.
And besides, more games are on the way, and we seriously doubt Nintendo is going to drop this enormous project anytime soon. So, go on and pick one up. Think of it this way: This will probably be the cheapest, coolest Christmas gift you've ever gifted--and one less to worry about. We knew that would sell you. You can buy the little handheld that could right here.
While the newly announced red model isn't a part of the deal, I sincerely doubt color is an issue when the thing officially (or unofficially?) costs as much as its predecessor, the DSi. While there is no time limit on this deal nor is it an auction, this offer can't last forever, so you better whip out the plastic soon. As of this writing, already 222 were sold. The clock is a'ticking.
While the 3DS suffered more lows than highs since its release this March, it's an impressive piece of hardware regardless, for what it does. While you won't find as robust an online service for gaming or downloading on arguable competitors like iOS and Android devices, it's still pretty mind-blowing to see some of its games in 3D without the need of any accessory.
And besides, more games are on the way, and we seriously doubt Nintendo is going to drop this enormous project anytime soon. So, go on and pick one up. Think of it this way: This will probably be the cheapest, coolest Christmas gift you've ever gifted--and one less to worry about. We knew that would sell you. You can buy the little handheld that could right here.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Cafe World Cooking Academy Fall Registration Goals: Everything you need to know
At the beginning of December, Zynga launched the initial portion of the Cooking Academy event in Cafe World. Through a series of goals, users were able to apply to enter the Cooking Academy, and were even able to earn a Cravat (a status symbol, the color of which signifies your own experience level with cooking). We were stuck after earning a Light Blue, and eventually a Dark Blue Cravat, with the promise being that "soon" we would be able to actually enter into the Cooking Academy proper, complete another series of missions, and graduate to the White Cravat level, signifying our Cooking Academy mastery, and unlocking "Specialty" cooking within the game.
It turns out that "soon" equals "now," as the Cooking Academy class missions have been released in the game. You'll need to register for fall classes, cook up a feast as part of your studies, and then take your final exam in order to graduate from the academy and unlock the spoils therein. Meet us behind the break for a full look at these new "Class" goals.
You'll know when these mission are available in your own game (in the case of this being a slow rollout to all users) when the cooking jacket and white cravat symbol that has been hovering in your quests bar for some time has a "Now Here!" banner underneath it. Clicking on this button shows you the first of three new missions that are now available in the game.
The first goal is called "Fall Registration," that sees you earning some coins that will help you pay for your tuition within the Cooking Academy, along with cooking a few (yes, it's really a small number) dishes.
Cook 4 Caramel Apples
Cook 10 Pumpkin Pies
Earn 15,000 coins
The 15,000 coins can be earned in any manner. You can earn them by simply cooking dishes and then serving them in the traditional manner, or you can use any saved servings you've received as friends (you can also sell items in your inventory). This would also be a great time to bust out the instant serve items, that reward you with bulk amounts of coins instantly, depending on how many people you have in your cafe at that time. Also remember that while you are cooking dishes, you can also use some energy to prepare Drinks or Coffee if you have the Drink Bar or Coffee Machine completed in the game. This also boosts your Buzz rating, so that more customers will come into your Cafe, and therefore your food will be sold faster, earning you the profits more quickly.
As for the cooking portion, Caramel Apples take just 2 hours to prepare, while Pumpkin Pie takes 10 hours. Luckily, you only have to cook 14 dishes in total, so most mid-high level users will have more than that many stoves available, to knock these steps both out at once. Or, you can take the extremely easy (if not a tad costly) way out - you don't actually have to wait for the stoves to finish cooking either of these dishes for it to count. So, you could simply prepare a dish, delete it, and then reuse the same stove to keep going, until you have "cooked" all 14 items.
The reward for finishing this mission is a new recipe called the Beef Wellington, which can be cooked for 7,125 coins, and is unlocked to users who are least level 14. It takes a full day to cook, and gives you 1200 servings to sell for 12 coins each.
Finishing this goal unlocks the second goal of the three, called "A Royal Test." This goal also requires three steps to complete, with two of them being directly related to your new Beef Wellington dish.
Serve 12 Beef Wellingtons
Find 3 Royal Collection items
Collect 5 Seals of Approval
Unfortunately, this is a case where you must go through with cooking the Beef Wellingtons, which are a full day dish, as the mission says specifically that you must "Serve" them in order to count. You can also pay 12 Cafe Cash to skip this step, however, you might as well cook them, as cooking a Beef Wellington is the only way that you'll have a chance to earn one of the 3 Royal Collection items. These items appear just as other Collection items in the game do, but there have been reports that the rarity is quite high for these items, requiring you to cook far more Beef Wellingtons than even this mission requires in order to find 3 items (unless you choose to unlock this item with Cafe Cash as well).
Finally, the Seals of Approval can be earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending out individual requests to Cafe World neighbors that you think would help you in your quest.
Finally, after completing a Royal Test, you'll unlock the final mission in this quest line, called "Final Exam." In order to graduate, you'll likely have to cook even more Beef Wellingtons, even though cooking the dish isn't technically part of the task (the Royal Collection is).
Finish Royal Collection
Have 1 Royal Utensil Holder
As the second mission in this line (A Royal Feast) is so difficult, any extra information about the Final Exam mission is currently lacking (we haven't been able to find enough Royal Collection items to pass the second!). However, we'll be sure to give you more information (including screenshots) about this final mission, and the rewards therein (assuming it's the White Cravat) when they become available.
Now that you've had to wait a month for these new missions to become available, we want to know whether or not the wait was worth it. Do you think the Royal Feast mission is too difficult, or do these three missions offer just the right amount of challenge for you?
It turns out that "soon" equals "now," as the Cooking Academy class missions have been released in the game. You'll need to register for fall classes, cook up a feast as part of your studies, and then take your final exam in order to graduate from the academy and unlock the spoils therein. Meet us behind the break for a full look at these new "Class" goals.
You'll know when these mission are available in your own game (in the case of this being a slow rollout to all users) when the cooking jacket and white cravat symbol that has been hovering in your quests bar for some time has a "Now Here!" banner underneath it. Clicking on this button shows you the first of three new missions that are now available in the game.
The first goal is called "Fall Registration," that sees you earning some coins that will help you pay for your tuition within the Cooking Academy, along with cooking a few (yes, it's really a small number) dishes.
Cook 4 Caramel Apples
Cook 10 Pumpkin Pies
Earn 15,000 coins
The 15,000 coins can be earned in any manner. You can earn them by simply cooking dishes and then serving them in the traditional manner, or you can use any saved servings you've received as friends (you can also sell items in your inventory). This would also be a great time to bust out the instant serve items, that reward you with bulk amounts of coins instantly, depending on how many people you have in your cafe at that time. Also remember that while you are cooking dishes, you can also use some energy to prepare Drinks or Coffee if you have the Drink Bar or Coffee Machine completed in the game. This also boosts your Buzz rating, so that more customers will come into your Cafe, and therefore your food will be sold faster, earning you the profits more quickly.
As for the cooking portion, Caramel Apples take just 2 hours to prepare, while Pumpkin Pie takes 10 hours. Luckily, you only have to cook 14 dishes in total, so most mid-high level users will have more than that many stoves available, to knock these steps both out at once. Or, you can take the extremely easy (if not a tad costly) way out - you don't actually have to wait for the stoves to finish cooking either of these dishes for it to count. So, you could simply prepare a dish, delete it, and then reuse the same stove to keep going, until you have "cooked" all 14 items.
The reward for finishing this mission is a new recipe called the Beef Wellington, which can be cooked for 7,125 coins, and is unlocked to users who are least level 14. It takes a full day to cook, and gives you 1200 servings to sell for 12 coins each.
Finishing this goal unlocks the second goal of the three, called "A Royal Test." This goal also requires three steps to complete, with two of them being directly related to your new Beef Wellington dish.
Serve 12 Beef Wellingtons
Find 3 Royal Collection items
Collect 5 Seals of Approval
Unfortunately, this is a case where you must go through with cooking the Beef Wellingtons, which are a full day dish, as the mission says specifically that you must "Serve" them in order to count. You can also pay 12 Cafe Cash to skip this step, however, you might as well cook them, as cooking a Beef Wellington is the only way that you'll have a chance to earn one of the 3 Royal Collection items. These items appear just as other Collection items in the game do, but there have been reports that the rarity is quite high for these items, requiring you to cook far more Beef Wellingtons than even this mission requires in order to find 3 items (unless you choose to unlock this item with Cafe Cash as well).
Finally, the Seals of Approval can be earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending out individual requests to Cafe World neighbors that you think would help you in your quest.
Finally, after completing a Royal Test, you'll unlock the final mission in this quest line, called "Final Exam." In order to graduate, you'll likely have to cook even more Beef Wellingtons, even though cooking the dish isn't technically part of the task (the Royal Collection is).
Finish Royal Collection
Have 1 Royal Utensil Holder
As the second mission in this line (A Royal Feast) is so difficult, any extra information about the Final Exam mission is currently lacking (we haven't been able to find enough Royal Collection items to pass the second!). However, we'll be sure to give you more information (including screenshots) about this final mission, and the rewards therein (assuming it's the White Cravat) when they become available.
Now that you've had to wait a month for these new missions to become available, we want to know whether or not the wait was worth it. Do you think the Royal Feast mission is too difficult, or do these three missions offer just the right amount of challenge for you?
CityVille: Inventory changes attempt to add organization to the game
Just a few days ago, we brought you the news that Zynga had announced that a series of new changes would be coming to CityVille. Zynga assured us that these changes would help add organization to the feature (which is definitely lacking, considering that you can now have thousands of items in your inventory at once), and it seems that they have started to make strides in the right direction, with this week's inventory updates (both of which are highlighted in red in the above picture).
There are two updates to speak of so far (hopefully the first of many). The first is the addition of a "Remove" option on items in your inventory. Let's say you have 10 Shade Trees that have been given to you as free gifts from friends, and are currently sitting in your inventory. Let's also say you don't want them. In order to remove them before, you would have had to place the trees somewhere in your town, and then manually remove them with the delete tool. No longer, as you can now click on the small red and white X on each and every item to remove that item from your inventory. In cases in which you have more than one of said item, you'll be able to select how many of that item you'd like to remove using + and - buttons on a new pop-up window that appears when attempting to remove that item.
The other new change is the introduction of an item counter in the top right corner of the inventory screen. As the current limit is 2000 items, you'll be able to see how many total items you have in your inventory (including all duplicates), so as to keep track of how close you are to reaching the max point, so that you know when you should start deleting items in order to hold more.
Unfortunately, neither of these changes adds a sorting feature to the inventory (that is, the ability to sort items based on type - energy, decoration, etc.), but we can only hope that further changes, including the ability to sort, are still in the works for future release. We'll make sure to let you know if further changes arise.
What do you think of these new inventory features in CityVille? Would you like to be able to sort your items based on type, or are these changes enough to satisfy you for now?
There are two updates to speak of so far (hopefully the first of many). The first is the addition of a "Remove" option on items in your inventory. Let's say you have 10 Shade Trees that have been given to you as free gifts from friends, and are currently sitting in your inventory. Let's also say you don't want them. In order to remove them before, you would have had to place the trees somewhere in your town, and then manually remove them with the delete tool. No longer, as you can now click on the small red and white X on each and every item to remove that item from your inventory. In cases in which you have more than one of said item, you'll be able to select how many of that item you'd like to remove using + and - buttons on a new pop-up window that appears when attempting to remove that item.
The other new change is the introduction of an item counter in the top right corner of the inventory screen. As the current limit is 2000 items, you'll be able to see how many total items you have in your inventory (including all duplicates), so as to keep track of how close you are to reaching the max point, so that you know when you should start deleting items in order to hold more.
Unfortunately, neither of these changes adds a sorting feature to the inventory (that is, the ability to sort items based on type - energy, decoration, etc.), but we can only hope that further changes, including the ability to sort, are still in the works for future release. We'll make sure to let you know if further changes arise.
What do you think of these new inventory features in CityVille? Would you like to be able to sort your items based on type, or are these changes enough to satisfy you for now?
FrontierVille: Zynga working on fix for missing Bears, will increase frequency of Rock appearance
Over on the official FrontierVille forums, Zynga has announced a series of updates or bug fixes that the FrontierVille team is currently working on. Two of these issues are those that have been causing a lot of hurt with players trying to complete not only the final 12 Days of Christmas mission (missing Bears, anyone?), but also those trying to finish the New Years Resolution missions in time to earn the 50 free Horseshoes being given out to those that can complete the goals by January 14.
First, Bears will apparently be coming back out of hibernation soon. No, the Bears aren't technically hibernating - this just seems like Zynga's clever way of acknowledging the fact that Bears have gone missing, and that they are working on bringing them back with a greater frequency of appearance. Whether or not they'll actually pull through with fixing the missing Bear issue before the final 12 Days of Christmas mission can expire in less than 3 days, however, remains to be seen.
Likewise, for those users trying to complete the first portion of the Hale and Hearty New Years Resolution mission, which requires you to clear 10 Rocks, we've found that Rocks have begun doing a disappearance act just like the Bears have. Fortunately, users are finding some Rocks on their Homesteads, but they are appearing slowly - too slowly for most users to feel comfortable about being able to finish the first part of this mission, and still have time to finish the second part before January 14, when the free Horseshoe offer expires.
Zynga has announced that they will be increasing the frequency of Rock formation or "appearance" on users' Homesteads, but again, whether or not the fix will come in time or not is the main question at hand.
Either way, I suppose it's nice that Zynga has at least acknowledged the fact that there are some issues that require attention in FrontierVille, and we can only hope that these issues are addressed before its too late.
First, Bears will apparently be coming back out of hibernation soon. No, the Bears aren't technically hibernating - this just seems like Zynga's clever way of acknowledging the fact that Bears have gone missing, and that they are working on bringing them back with a greater frequency of appearance. Whether or not they'll actually pull through with fixing the missing Bear issue before the final 12 Days of Christmas mission can expire in less than 3 days, however, remains to be seen.
Likewise, for those users trying to complete the first portion of the Hale and Hearty New Years Resolution mission, which requires you to clear 10 Rocks, we've found that Rocks have begun doing a disappearance act just like the Bears have. Fortunately, users are finding some Rocks on their Homesteads, but they are appearing slowly - too slowly for most users to feel comfortable about being able to finish the first part of this mission, and still have time to finish the second part before January 14, when the free Horseshoe offer expires.
Zynga has announced that they will be increasing the frequency of Rock formation or "appearance" on users' Homesteads, but again, whether or not the fix will come in time or not is the main question at hand.
Either way, I suppose it's nice that Zynga has at least acknowledged the fact that there are some issues that require attention in FrontierVille, and we can only hope that these issues are addressed before its too late.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Alpha & Omega promotion
A new free Farm Cash promotion has launched in FarmVille, with Zynga partnering with Lionsgate to promote Alpha & Omega, a new animated film about wolves on an adventure.
The new promotion is worth 2 free Farm Cash, and can be activated by clicking on the Sponsored Link window as seen at right. The window will be found at the bottom right corner of the screen, below the actual FarmVille gameplay area. Note: This promotion is likely only available for those in the US, and may not appear on your account right away. Typically, this is due to the fact that you have other free Farm Cash promotions that you have yet to complete that are "covering this up" on your account.
Once you click on the window, you'll be asked to "go on an adventure" via a short trailer that advertises the movie's release on Blu-Ray and DVD. This activity should take less than five minutes, and afterward, you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by 2 back in FarmVille. If your total doesn't automatically update, you may need to refresh the page to force the Farm Cash total to update.
What will you do with your free Farm Cash? How many promotions have you been able to complete recently in FarmVille?
The new promotion is worth 2 free Farm Cash, and can be activated by clicking on the Sponsored Link window as seen at right. The window will be found at the bottom right corner of the screen, below the actual FarmVille gameplay area. Note: This promotion is likely only available for those in the US, and may not appear on your account right away. Typically, this is due to the fact that you have other free Farm Cash promotions that you have yet to complete that are "covering this up" on your account.
Once you click on the window, you'll be asked to "go on an adventure" via a short trailer that advertises the movie's release on Blu-Ray and DVD. This activity should take less than five minutes, and afterward, you'll see your Farm Cash total rise by 2 back in FarmVille. If your total doesn't automatically update, you may need to refresh the page to force the Farm Cash total to update.
What will you do with your free Farm Cash? How many promotions have you been able to complete recently in FarmVille?
FarmVille Art Collection now available for a limited time
As the Snow collection has now expired in FarmVille, Zynga has added a new limited time collection to the game, which celebrates all things pertaining to art. Obviously then, the collection is called the Art Collection, and it will only be available to complete for a limited time.
This collection asks you to find multiple units of six different items:
Paper - 10 (Common)
Pipe Cleaners - 10 (Common)
Crayons - 10 (Common)
Glue Bottles - 7 (Uncommon)
Scissors - 7 (Uncommon)
Paint Brushes - 3 (Rare)
As usual, you'll be able to find these items as you plant seeds on your farm, and you may find stashes of some of these items as you play the game, with these stashes being allowed to be shared on your wall for your friends to collect. Likewise, be on the lookout for posts from your friends so that you can more quickly complete this collection.
::Spoilers::
Just like other limited time collections, this one allows you to purchase the items you need for Farm Cash (ranging from 1 to 3 Farm Cash per individual item), and once you trade it in, you'll earn a special prize: the Moo-na Lisa. This Artist Cow is animated and paints a picture of the Mona Lisa, but with a cow. Unfortunately, the Artistic Cow cannot be harvested or placed in a Dairy Barn.
What do you think of the limited time only Art Collection? Have you been able to find all of the items in the other limited time collections, or do you think they are too hard to complete in the time allotted?
This collection asks you to find multiple units of six different items:
Paper - 10 (Common)
Pipe Cleaners - 10 (Common)
Crayons - 10 (Common)
Glue Bottles - 7 (Uncommon)
Scissors - 7 (Uncommon)
Paint Brushes - 3 (Rare)
As usual, you'll be able to find these items as you plant seeds on your farm, and you may find stashes of some of these items as you play the game, with these stashes being allowed to be shared on your wall for your friends to collect. Likewise, be on the lookout for posts from your friends so that you can more quickly complete this collection.
::Spoilers::
Just like other limited time collections, this one allows you to purchase the items you need for Farm Cash (ranging from 1 to 3 Farm Cash per individual item), and once you trade it in, you'll earn a special prize: the Moo-na Lisa. This Artist Cow is animated and paints a picture of the Mona Lisa, but with a cow. Unfortunately, the Artistic Cow cannot be harvested or placed in a Dairy Barn.
What do you think of the limited time only Art Collection? Have you been able to find all of the items in the other limited time collections, or do you think they are too hard to complete in the time allotted?
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Anti-Valentine Tree: Black Cherry Tree
To round out their brief Anti-Valentine's Day theme in FarmVille, Zynga has released a new limited edition tree to the game in the form of the Black Cherry Tree. Visually, this tree looks like a more sculpted version of the regular Cherry Tree, as it has more rounded leaves, while the original Cherry Tree has an oval-shaped top.
What makes this worth noting is the fact that the Black Cherry Tree, along with the regular Cherry Tree, both spawn the same tree when placed inside an Orchard, that being the Rainier Cherry Tree. Keep this in mind when choosing whether or not to purchase the Black Cherry Tree, which is available for 5 Farm Cash. Fortunately, this is a fairly cheap price, so even if you just purchase the tree once for its eventual mastery sign, you won't really be out a great deal of premium currency.
If you do go through with the purchase, you'll then be the (hopefully) proud owner of a tree that can be harvested once every two days, offering you 150 coins in the process. This is the same set of stats as most other trees released semi-recently, so you're not missing out on anything there either.
The Black Cherry Tree will be available for the next two weeks, giving you plenty of time to decide whether or not to make a purchase.
What makes this worth noting is the fact that the Black Cherry Tree, along with the regular Cherry Tree, both spawn the same tree when placed inside an Orchard, that being the Rainier Cherry Tree. Keep this in mind when choosing whether or not to purchase the Black Cherry Tree, which is available for 5 Farm Cash. Fortunately, this is a fairly cheap price, so even if you just purchase the tree once for its eventual mastery sign, you won't really be out a great deal of premium currency.
If you do go through with the purchase, you'll then be the (hopefully) proud owner of a tree that can be harvested once every two days, offering you 150 coins in the process. This is the same set of stats as most other trees released semi-recently, so you're not missing out on anything there either.
The Black Cherry Tree will be available for the next two weeks, giving you plenty of time to decide whether or not to make a purchase.
FarmVille Mystery Game (02/13/2011): Chinese New Year Round 2
If you hadn't had enough of the Chinese New Year theme in FarmVille, you're in luck, as Zynga has updated this Mystery Game this evening to include six new items from the theme, some of which you may recognize from FarmVille Sneak Peeks we've offered you in the past.
This week's item release is four part animal to two part decoration, and it costs 16 Farm Cash to play (the "normal" Mystery Game cost). Here's a look at what's at stake this week:
Asian Pavilion
Lantern Sheep
Red Lantern Bridge
Kung Fu Duck
Mongolian Horse
New Year Cow
As you might expect, the Mongolian Horse and New Year Cow can both be bred in their respective animal buildings, for a chance to receive either a Mongolian Foal or a New Years Calf. The calf has to be one of the cutest foals we've seen in the game, as this little fella is completely overwhelmed by his New Year mask.
No matter which prize you'd like to receive, you'll need to play the game quickly, as these items will only be available for the next week, after which point a new set of six items will be added to the game. We'll be sure to let you know what those items are when the time comes, so keep checking back.
Which of these items do you hope to win from the Mystery Game?
This week's item release is four part animal to two part decoration, and it costs 16 Farm Cash to play (the "normal" Mystery Game cost). Here's a look at what's at stake this week:
Asian Pavilion
Lantern Sheep
Red Lantern Bridge
Kung Fu Duck
Mongolian Horse
New Year Cow
As you might expect, the Mongolian Horse and New Year Cow can both be bred in their respective animal buildings, for a chance to receive either a Mongolian Foal or a New Years Calf. The calf has to be one of the cutest foals we've seen in the game, as this little fella is completely overwhelmed by his New Year mask.
No matter which prize you'd like to receive, you'll need to play the game quickly, as these items will only be available for the next week, after which point a new set of six items will be added to the game. We'll be sure to let you know what those items are when the time comes, so keep checking back.
Which of these items do you hope to win from the Mystery Game?
Should FarmVille maker Zynga watch out for Richard Garriott?
The legendary creator of Ultima known to many fans as Lord British has founded a social game development company called Portalarium and is after Zynga's runaway success in the industry. Richard Garriott, who was right in the middle of the MMO movement back in the early 1990s with Ultima Online, hopes to catch up with the rest of the social gaming world through Portalarium, according to VentureBeat. In fact, Garriott has a detailed plan on how to do just that, which he teases in the video above.
It's interesting and entirely expected that Garriott would have his eyes fixated on Zynga immediately out the gate. If his previous endeavors in both game creation and space travel (yes, it's true) say anything, it's that Lord British aims astronomically high. In his talk with VentureBeat, the Ultima mastermind chronicles three major eras in video gaming: the single-player age, the massively multiplayer age and the social gaming age. According to Garriott, social games will take another three years to mature into something similar to MMO or single-player games.
Of course, this is a gamble just like his previous launch, Tabula Rasa, was. Not even Playfish, a studio backed by the ubiquitous EA, has been able to topple Zynga and its 250 million plus players. But if anyone can come into the game during the third quarter and come out on top, it's someone who has helped spurred two of gaming's major eras. Portalarium will launch its first game within a month's time, which according to Garriott will not be an act of "plagiarism"--an allusion to Zynga's oft-criticized practices.
After that, he plans to return the studio to his roots and release a Facebook game that is "Lord British's brave new world, or a spiritual successor to my previous work," VentureBeat reports. "This is a particularly exciting period for the game industry," he said. "We are about to begin a new time of invention."
Are you excited to see what Lord British can produce for social games? What do you think "Lord British's brave new world" will look like on Facebook?
It's interesting and entirely expected that Garriott would have his eyes fixated on Zynga immediately out the gate. If his previous endeavors in both game creation and space travel (yes, it's true) say anything, it's that Lord British aims astronomically high. In his talk with VentureBeat, the Ultima mastermind chronicles three major eras in video gaming: the single-player age, the massively multiplayer age and the social gaming age. According to Garriott, social games will take another three years to mature into something similar to MMO or single-player games.
Of course, this is a gamble just like his previous launch, Tabula Rasa, was. Not even Playfish, a studio backed by the ubiquitous EA, has been able to topple Zynga and its 250 million plus players. But if anyone can come into the game during the third quarter and come out on top, it's someone who has helped spurred two of gaming's major eras. Portalarium will launch its first game within a month's time, which according to Garriott will not be an act of "plagiarism"--an allusion to Zynga's oft-criticized practices.
After that, he plans to return the studio to his roots and release a Facebook game that is "Lord British's brave new world, or a spiritual successor to my previous work," VentureBeat reports. "This is a particularly exciting period for the game industry," he said. "We are about to begin a new time of invention."
Are you excited to see what Lord British can produce for social games? What do you think "Lord British's brave new world" will look like on Facebook?
Picture of the Day: Tazzyjack's Valentine's Day Farm
Happy Valentine's Day folks! As you can see, today's featured farm is quite appropriate for the occasion. This FarmVille masterpiece, created by Donna (also known as Tazzyjack on the FarmVille Forums), features what is quite possibly the largest heart we've ever seen in FarmVille. From the leafy orchards that line the field, to the mountain scenery to the north, this gorgeous farm is full of love. Of course, the massive heart itself has "love" spelled out across it, but it's the package as a whole that makes this farm so wonderful.
Don't forget to enter our Free Farm Cash Valentine's Day Giveaway!
Continue reading to see what Tazzyjack had to say about her masterpiece farm.
"I can't seem to ever leave my farm just one way for some odd reason. When I started to build the orchards and place them, the heart just took shape. The hard part was the rounded corners, it requited a lot of placing and then placing again.
My decorating tip: the dead flowers are great to decorate with.
Overall, it took me about two hours to complete the heart and a couple of days for the flowers to grow. Thanks for your interest in my farm." -Donna
It seems many FarmVille artists employ the trial and error technique to craft their creations.
What do you think of Tazzyjack's farm?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Don't forget to enter our Free Farm Cash Valentine's Day Giveaway!
Continue reading to see what Tazzyjack had to say about her masterpiece farm.
"I can't seem to ever leave my farm just one way for some odd reason. When I started to build the orchards and place them, the heart just took shape. The hard part was the rounded corners, it requited a lot of placing and then placing again.
My decorating tip: the dead flowers are great to decorate with.
Overall, it took me about two hours to complete the heart and a couple of days for the flowers to grow. Thanks for your interest in my farm." -Donna
It seems many FarmVille artists employ the trial and error technique to craft their creations.
What do you think of Tazzyjack's farm?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
FrontierVille Cheats and Tips: Reaching 'Insane' on the Bonus Bar
The Pony Express Goals in FrontierVille are some of the most challenging the game has seen yet. The most difficult, of course, is the final Goal in the series titled "Special Delivery." While the first requirement is simple, it's reaching "Insane" on the Bonus Bar that has proven impossible for many players, according to FrontierVille Info. Pioneers are reporting that even if they have reached that level, the game has not been counting it toward the Goal.
So, FrontierVille Info recommends this little trick to Firefox users: just clear your browser cache. While we haven't tried this out personally, it's worth a shot considering several issues in social games stem from hang-ups within your browser. That being said, go to the Tools menu, then click on Options and choose the Network tab. From there, click on the "Clear Now" button.
frontierville insane bonus
Finally, restart Firefox and attempt to get the Insane rating again on the Bonus Bar. The best way to make this happen is to harvest all of your animals or trees at once with full Energy. Bonus Tip: For Mac users, here's how to clear the cache. Click on the main Firefox menu next to the Apple icon, then choose Preferences. From there, go to Advanced, then the Network tab and click "Clear Now." Refresh the browser and give it another go.
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Did this trick work to get you an Insane bonus that counts? What have you done differently to make this requirement take?
So, FrontierVille Info recommends this little trick to Firefox users: just clear your browser cache. While we haven't tried this out personally, it's worth a shot considering several issues in social games stem from hang-ups within your browser. That being said, go to the Tools menu, then click on Options and choose the Network tab. From there, click on the "Clear Now" button.
frontierville insane bonus
Finally, restart Firefox and attempt to get the Insane rating again on the Bonus Bar. The best way to make this happen is to harvest all of your animals or trees at once with full Energy. Bonus Tip: For Mac users, here's how to clear the cache. Click on the main Firefox menu next to the Apple icon, then choose Preferences. From there, go to Advanced, then the Network tab and click "Clear Now." Refresh the browser and give it another go.
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Did this trick work to get you an Insane bonus that counts? What have you done differently to make this requirement take?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Diamond Dash on Facebook: It smells like Bejeweled Blitz in here
Diamond Dash
Diamond Dash, Wooga's fifth Facebook game, is nearly a flawless puzzle game on the platform. It's too bad that it's already been done before, has millions of daily players and a mobile version to boot. While Diamond Dash is an impressive puzzle game, it has undoubtedly been "inspired" by Bejeweled Blitz, a PopCap game. Did we say inspired by? Sorry, we meant that aside from switching up the method through which you destroy shiny gems oh, so slightly, this is a Bejeweled clone.
Now don't you go all, "Take it easy, Joe. It's no big deal." While you would be absolutely right in saying that, do we really need another spin-off of an already popular game? The colored gems, 60-second timer, weekly tournaments, level system, Hearts, and power ups are all accounted for--just as they are in Blitz. However, instead of switching gems through either clicking-and-dragging or clicking two gems, players just have to click sections of three or more identical gems.
Level Up!
While that sounds simple enough, it actually turns out to be more difficult when your brain has been hardwired for switching rather than clicking. In fact, the clicking approach to bashing gems actually feels less rewarding than the tried-and-true method. Then again, that feeling could be a result of the nagging thought, "I've done this before ... on my phone." Simply clicking gems to destroy rather than the split-second thought process of switching gems is rather mindless, which could easily be the point of the game: Just turn off the brain for a few minutes and blow up some shiny stuff.
While that would have been a unique hook, it's sadly not the case due to the game's tournament system and focus on speed to maximize points. Worse even is that your Hearts, another game feature borrowed from PopCap, do not refill over time, but only after asking friends to help. Hearts are required to play 60-second Diamond Dash matches, but you're only given five Hearts to start. Sure, Facebook games are social, but literally forcing players to harass their friends to keep playing is just disruptive. Sadly, these are the types of games that keep the genre from escaping its stereotypes. But if what you're looking for is some good old mindless fun, give it a go.
Click here to play Diamond Dash on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Diamond Dash for Facebook yet? Which game do you think does gem-busting better?
Diamond Dash, Wooga's fifth Facebook game, is nearly a flawless puzzle game on the platform. It's too bad that it's already been done before, has millions of daily players and a mobile version to boot. While Diamond Dash is an impressive puzzle game, it has undoubtedly been "inspired" by Bejeweled Blitz, a PopCap game. Did we say inspired by? Sorry, we meant that aside from switching up the method through which you destroy shiny gems oh, so slightly, this is a Bejeweled clone.
Now don't you go all, "Take it easy, Joe. It's no big deal." While you would be absolutely right in saying that, do we really need another spin-off of an already popular game? The colored gems, 60-second timer, weekly tournaments, level system, Hearts, and power ups are all accounted for--just as they are in Blitz. However, instead of switching gems through either clicking-and-dragging or clicking two gems, players just have to click sections of three or more identical gems.
Level Up!
While that sounds simple enough, it actually turns out to be more difficult when your brain has been hardwired for switching rather than clicking. In fact, the clicking approach to bashing gems actually feels less rewarding than the tried-and-true method. Then again, that feeling could be a result of the nagging thought, "I've done this before ... on my phone." Simply clicking gems to destroy rather than the split-second thought process of switching gems is rather mindless, which could easily be the point of the game: Just turn off the brain for a few minutes and blow up some shiny stuff.
While that would have been a unique hook, it's sadly not the case due to the game's tournament system and focus on speed to maximize points. Worse even is that your Hearts, another game feature borrowed from PopCap, do not refill over time, but only after asking friends to help. Hearts are required to play 60-second Diamond Dash matches, but you're only given five Hearts to start. Sure, Facebook games are social, but literally forcing players to harass their friends to keep playing is just disruptive. Sadly, these are the types of games that keep the genre from escaping its stereotypes. But if what you're looking for is some good old mindless fun, give it a go.
Click here to play Diamond Dash on Facebook Now>
Have you tried Diamond Dash for Facebook yet? Which game do you think does gem-busting better?
Ireland Town on Facebook: Score a trip to the Emerald Isle
In honor of the best holiday this side of June (even in the Irish in me can't trump Christmas), Tourism Ireland has launched its very own social game, Ireland Town. According to Tnooz, players can create their own quaint Irish town complete with shops, pubs and farms. A virtual tour guide is also in the game to introduce players to everything Ireland has to offer. (The game was created by a tourism agency, you know.) There are 32 different locations in Ireland Town and nine tasks to complete for points and other goodies at each landmark. In an effort to get folks excited about the land of green pastures--as if folks needed any more reason--the company is offering a trip to Ireland ... for real.
Click here to play Ireland Town on Facebook Now>
Is this reason enough to play Ireland Town? Do you see other tourism groups creating Facebook games?
Click here to play Ireland Town on Facebook Now>
Is this reason enough to play Ireland Town? Do you see other tourism groups creating Facebook games?
Gamesville puzzler 'Super Chef Full Boil' offers cash and prizes
One look at that name, "Gamesville", and it's hard not to ask yourself if it's got something to do with Zynga. After all, Zynga has so many 'villes on Facebook -- FarmVille, FrontierVille, CityVille, and that Zynga Lotto usuper, RewardVille, which isn't even a game! But Gamesville is actually a company that was born long before the world had heard of Zynga. Even its motto, "Wasting your time since 1996", proudly brandishes its seniority, and now, Gamesville has arrived on Facebook.
Gamesville Super Chef Full Boil
Super Chef Full Boil is Gamesville's first Facebook game and despite its looks, I can tell you it's not another Bejeweled Blitz clone. If you like puzzlers, I guarantee that this game is going to entice and frustrate you because you're going to see it as Bejeweled Blitz, but if you play it as Bejeweled Blitz, you'll lose. I thought I was going to be a natural, but my mind isn't properly mapped for it. Basically, the goal of the game is to eliminate blocks on the board, but the method's tricky. You have to selectively click on an area, where all four corners of the grid you've picked out, all have the same symbol. Do that, and the area is eliminated.
But aside from that novelty and decent background music, this game lacked serious 'oomph' in the graphics and animations department. Where's the passion? The roaring crescendo of cascading blocks? The nearly seizure-inducing bursts of lightning and color? Thematically, it's an odd game with an odd title because everything that isn't screaming Bejeweled Blitz is screaming that it's a cooking game. The playing field really needs to get a bit more lively to sucker in those of us who like eye-candy and explosions. In the meanwhile, Gamesville has something else that'll make you stay.
Gamesville Prizes
Since the beginning of its creation, Gameville's deal was to be an online casual games portal that offered real cash or tangible prizes to dedicated players. Right now, there are daily, weekly, and monthly drawings on the site for up to $100. You can also get money by accumulating GV Rewards and trading those in for goods, but you'll need to register as a member of Gamesville to do that. As a Facebook player, you can send your questions and comments on their official Facebook page or their blog.
Gamesville Super Chef Full Boil
Super Chef Full Boil is Gamesville's first Facebook game and despite its looks, I can tell you it's not another Bejeweled Blitz clone. If you like puzzlers, I guarantee that this game is going to entice and frustrate you because you're going to see it as Bejeweled Blitz, but if you play it as Bejeweled Blitz, you'll lose. I thought I was going to be a natural, but my mind isn't properly mapped for it. Basically, the goal of the game is to eliminate blocks on the board, but the method's tricky. You have to selectively click on an area, where all four corners of the grid you've picked out, all have the same symbol. Do that, and the area is eliminated.
But aside from that novelty and decent background music, this game lacked serious 'oomph' in the graphics and animations department. Where's the passion? The roaring crescendo of cascading blocks? The nearly seizure-inducing bursts of lightning and color? Thematically, it's an odd game with an odd title because everything that isn't screaming Bejeweled Blitz is screaming that it's a cooking game. The playing field really needs to get a bit more lively to sucker in those of us who like eye-candy and explosions. In the meanwhile, Gamesville has something else that'll make you stay.
Gamesville Prizes
Since the beginning of its creation, Gameville's deal was to be an online casual games portal that offered real cash or tangible prizes to dedicated players. Right now, there are daily, weekly, and monthly drawings on the site for up to $100. You can also get money by accumulating GV Rewards and trading those in for goods, but you'll need to register as a member of Gamesville to do that. As a Facebook player, you can send your questions and comments on their official Facebook page or their blog.
Play CityVille for instant access to Mafia Wars Brazil - Our first look
If you've been disappointed by the closure of both Mafia Wars Cuba and Moscow, perhaps the new release of Mafia Wars Brazil will cheer you up. If you've fallen out of playing Mafia Wars, or if you've never even begun, you'll be invited to do so the next time you play CityVille via a pop-up like the one above. Apparently, this is one offer we won't want to refuse - yikes!
If you accept, you'll be given instant access to Mafia Wars Brazil, which is apparently only available to certain players as of this writing (like those that take advantage of the CityVille invitation). Once you make your way into Brazil, you'll see that the new expansion comes with all new jobs, properties, items and more, just as you'd expect from any proper Mafia Wars expansion.
We've got a full look at what this expansion contains, so meet us behind the break.
Mafia Wars Brazil is perhaps the most technically impressive of the game's expansions, with a streamlined user-interface. Each of the location's five districts are unlocked to you one at a time, by completing missions in the district before, and as you do jobs, you'll see a lot less clutter crowding the screen. You'll start in Rio de Janeiro: Centro, which contains 11 separate jobs, each of which comes with their own detailed image, rather than there just being an image for every few jobs.
You'll still see how may energy points you'll need to complete each job, and how many experience points and Real (this expansion's currency) you'll receive for completing each job, but that's it in terms of information. If you need to purchase items (weapons, animals, vehicles, etc.) in order to be eligible to complete the job, this will be shown to you once you click on the "Do Job" button, and you'll be able to instantly purchase the needed items and move on, without moving to the store and back again.
In Brazil, your Mafia plays a new and special role in your activities. You'll see a Crew line at the top of your Jobs page, and you'll be able to activate Crew members in one of four categories: Jobs, Fighting, Robbing, and Properties. Depending on which positions you activate (which can only be done once every 18 hours), you'll be able to earn special bonuses while completing the accompanying tasks.
Their are eight different Crew "jobs" that can be activated (that is, roles that your crew can play - not jobs that require energy). Here are their bonuses:
Strategist - Twice the Job Mastery for the next 20 Jobs you do
Lockpick - Twice the loot for the next 20 Jobs you do
Mercenary - No stamina used for your next 50 fights
Marksman - Double attack power for your next 50 fights
Scout - Finds properties that have special collection items for your first three Robbing screens
Arsonist - Guaranteed success of robbing your first three properties on your first three Robbing screens
Taskmaster - Twice the Real earned from your properties
Guardian - Protects your properties from being robbed while in Brazil for a span of 18 hours
Properties have also been changed in Brazil (when compared to some other locations), requiring you to collect building parts to upgrade your businesses/properties to the next star-level, rather than just spending a large sum of money to do so.
Each time you complete the first wave of jobs in a new District in Brazil, you'll receive a special item, and will unlock the next District, but you can of course always stay in your current location and work on maximizing your Mastery on those jobs to the four-star level.
Brazil comes with new properties, new weapons, animals, vehicles, achievements, and one-time use loot items. There's a ton of content here to look at and play through, so make sure to login to CityVille and activate your pass to Brazil, if it isn't available in your game by default.
Have you tried Mafia Wars Brazil? What did you think of this new expansion? Is the streamlined interface working for you, or do you prefer to see more details about your jobs as you complete them?
If you accept, you'll be given instant access to Mafia Wars Brazil, which is apparently only available to certain players as of this writing (like those that take advantage of the CityVille invitation). Once you make your way into Brazil, you'll see that the new expansion comes with all new jobs, properties, items and more, just as you'd expect from any proper Mafia Wars expansion.
We've got a full look at what this expansion contains, so meet us behind the break.
Mafia Wars Brazil is perhaps the most technically impressive of the game's expansions, with a streamlined user-interface. Each of the location's five districts are unlocked to you one at a time, by completing missions in the district before, and as you do jobs, you'll see a lot less clutter crowding the screen. You'll start in Rio de Janeiro: Centro, which contains 11 separate jobs, each of which comes with their own detailed image, rather than there just being an image for every few jobs.
You'll still see how may energy points you'll need to complete each job, and how many experience points and Real (this expansion's currency) you'll receive for completing each job, but that's it in terms of information. If you need to purchase items (weapons, animals, vehicles, etc.) in order to be eligible to complete the job, this will be shown to you once you click on the "Do Job" button, and you'll be able to instantly purchase the needed items and move on, without moving to the store and back again.
In Brazil, your Mafia plays a new and special role in your activities. You'll see a Crew line at the top of your Jobs page, and you'll be able to activate Crew members in one of four categories: Jobs, Fighting, Robbing, and Properties. Depending on which positions you activate (which can only be done once every 18 hours), you'll be able to earn special bonuses while completing the accompanying tasks.
Their are eight different Crew "jobs" that can be activated (that is, roles that your crew can play - not jobs that require energy). Here are their bonuses:
Strategist - Twice the Job Mastery for the next 20 Jobs you do
Lockpick - Twice the loot for the next 20 Jobs you do
Mercenary - No stamina used for your next 50 fights
Marksman - Double attack power for your next 50 fights
Scout - Finds properties that have special collection items for your first three Robbing screens
Arsonist - Guaranteed success of robbing your first three properties on your first three Robbing screens
Taskmaster - Twice the Real earned from your properties
Guardian - Protects your properties from being robbed while in Brazil for a span of 18 hours
Properties have also been changed in Brazil (when compared to some other locations), requiring you to collect building parts to upgrade your businesses/properties to the next star-level, rather than just spending a large sum of money to do so.
Each time you complete the first wave of jobs in a new District in Brazil, you'll receive a special item, and will unlock the next District, but you can of course always stay in your current location and work on maximizing your Mastery on those jobs to the four-star level.
Brazil comes with new properties, new weapons, animals, vehicles, achievements, and one-time use loot items. There's a ton of content here to look at and play through, so make sure to login to CityVille and activate your pass to Brazil, if it isn't available in your game by default.
Have you tried Mafia Wars Brazil? What did you think of this new expansion? Is the streamlined interface working for you, or do you prefer to see more details about your jobs as you complete them?
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: Decorations galore revealed
While heavy, fairly supported rumors have been circling for the past 48 hours concerning the imminent launch of the English Countryside in FarmVille, we've been told by FarmVille Community Manager Grimwell that the update will not be happening tonight. However, that doesn't mean that we can get even more excited for the upcoming expansion by looking at a slew of new content that will be available in the game.
We have an absolute treasure trove of decorative items to share with you, all of which will apparently be available (and only available) in the English Countryside expansion. Via the large picture at the top of this post, you can see there are all sorts of vehicles, statues, and various other goodies to purchase/receive through other means. From left to right in the image above, we have: Double Decker Bus, an unnamed classic vehicle, the Motorbike, Sportscar, English Balloon, English Airplane, Police Box, Wooden Bench, Venus Duck, Caesar Goat, Discus Cow, Gold Sheep Statue, Wooden Fence, Pub Sign, Potted Flowers and a Butler Gnome.
With so many vehicles / modes of transportation being in this set, it seems likely that this will be one of the collections in the upcoming English Countryside Wishing Well. Additionally, keep in mind that the names of some of these items may chance as they are officially released.
We'll make sure to give you all of the details about these decorative / English Countryside items as they become available in the game.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
We have an absolute treasure trove of decorative items to share with you, all of which will apparently be available (and only available) in the English Countryside expansion. Via the large picture at the top of this post, you can see there are all sorts of vehicles, statues, and various other goodies to purchase/receive through other means. From left to right in the image above, we have: Double Decker Bus, an unnamed classic vehicle, the Motorbike, Sportscar, English Balloon, English Airplane, Police Box, Wooden Bench, Venus Duck, Caesar Goat, Discus Cow, Gold Sheep Statue, Wooden Fence, Pub Sign, Potted Flowers and a Butler Gnome.
With so many vehicles / modes of transportation being in this set, it seems likely that this will be one of the collections in the upcoming English Countryside Wishing Well. Additionally, keep in mind that the names of some of these items may chance as they are officially released.
We'll make sure to give you all of the details about these decorative / English Countryside items as they become available in the game.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Thứ Ba, 3 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille feedback survey asks, 'Would you recommend me?'
We know you hate the Pause feature, but put the pitchforks down for a second--this news could help your farm down the line. According to FarmVille Freak, several FarmVille farmers have reported a link to a feedback survey located beneath the game screen. This is no sponsored link, folks. Clicking on the link will bring players to a separate web page containing a survey of seven questions. Among feedback on the English Countryside expansion, the most notable query is simple: "How likely are you to recommend FarmVille?"
The next, large question features several considerations that many players complain are what drove them away like "efficiency" and "technical issues." It looks like Zynga is trying to restore their former glory through--wait for it--changing the game itself. Check out the survey in full right here; this could change the game for the better later down the line.
Have you seen or taken the survey already? What change or upgrade to FarmVille would make you most likely recommend the game to someone?
The next, large question features several considerations that many players complain are what drove them away like "efficiency" and "technical issues." It looks like Zynga is trying to restore their former glory through--wait for it--changing the game itself. Check out the survey in full right here; this could change the game for the better later down the line.
Have you seen or taken the survey already? What change or upgrade to FarmVille would make you most likely recommend the game to someone?
CityVille Police Station Upgrades 5 and 6: Everything you need to know
While higher education doesn't normally lead to higher crime rates, that's exactly what it did in CityVille, oddly enough. Levels 5 and 6 of the Police Station released recently, which resulted in four new Bandits breaking out into the streets. Thankfully, you have a new Police Cruiser and Helicopter to combat them. Here's how to do it.
New Bandits
First of all, you will have to capture 30 Bandits to unlock Level 4 before these new levels are available. To reach Level 5 and the Police Cruiser, you must catch 60 Bandits. Getting the Police Helicopter will require Level 6 and 120 Bandit captures. Here are the four brand new Bandits to capture, their level requirements and rewards:
Night Owl Nick (700 coins)
Page the Bookworm (800 coins)
Meredith the Magician (rewards Magic Store)
Gary the Gadget (rewards Camera Store)
The first three Bandits require a Level 5 Police Station to capture, while the final crook is a Level 6 Bandit. Capturing the latter two will reward you with new Businesses, so it's worth it to try and catch some burglars. For more information on how to capture Bandits, check out our original guide.
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Info]
Have you seen these upgrades in the game yet? How do you recommend to catch Bandits the fastest?
New Bandits
First of all, you will have to capture 30 Bandits to unlock Level 4 before these new levels are available. To reach Level 5 and the Police Cruiser, you must catch 60 Bandits. Getting the Police Helicopter will require Level 6 and 120 Bandit captures. Here are the four brand new Bandits to capture, their level requirements and rewards:
Night Owl Nick (700 coins)
Page the Bookworm (800 coins)
Meredith the Magician (rewards Magic Store)
Gary the Gadget (rewards Camera Store)
The first three Bandits require a Level 5 Police Station to capture, while the final crook is a Level 6 Bandit. Capturing the latter two will reward you with new Businesses, so it's worth it to try and catch some burglars. For more information on how to capture Bandits, check out our original guide.
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Info]
Have you seen these upgrades in the game yet? How do you recommend to catch Bandits the fastest?
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Dr. Drew promotion
With everything you left behind on your way to the English Countryside, it might be a good idea to take advantage of every free Farm Cash opportunity you can. Zynga has released yet another FarmVille Sponsored Link, and this time Dr. Drew is here to dole out the dough. Once the link becomes available, find it beneath the game screen--it has a Dr. Drew logo on it. The star of Celebrity Rehab and Sober House has some questions about your own potential addiction.
Clicking on the link will take players to a pop-up survey, surrounded by the wooden-looking border (to remind you that it's official). Just answer Dr. Drew's nagging questions and one you're through the familiar "You've earned your Farm Cash" message should appear in the upper right. Click on the blue X to close the window correctly and your Farm Cash should post to your account within an hour. Now, you're 2 Farm Cash richer and one step closer to getting over your FarmVille addiction. One tiny step.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
How much Farm Cash have you amassed through free offers? What would spend your cash on in the game?
Clicking on the link will take players to a pop-up survey, surrounded by the wooden-looking border (to remind you that it's official). Just answer Dr. Drew's nagging questions and one you're through the familiar "You've earned your Farm Cash" message should appear in the upper right. Click on the blue X to close the window correctly and your Farm Cash should post to your account within an hour. Now, you're 2 Farm Cash richer and one step closer to getting over your FarmVille addiction. One tiny step.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
How much Farm Cash have you amassed through free offers? What would spend your cash on in the game?
Poll: Would you ever remove a FarmVille, Facebook game friend?
FrontierVille forum contributor Purselamplady (how do folks come up with these names?) suffers a dilemma. One of her high-level friends, for all intents and purposes, is a load. For all of her request she responds to and Lunches she sends, this gal sends nothing, nor does she help at any point. She just reaps the benefits, as if she needs them more than anyone else. In other words, she's not the type of friend that ... works in FrontierVille. So, to leave or not to leave, that is the question:
Would you ever remove a neighbor?
If they can't contribute like I do, away with 'em!No, because some features require numbers of friends.Yes, but I would try to communicate first.I barely contribute myself--who am I to judge?
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Would you ever remove a neighbor?
If they can't contribute like I do, away with 'em!No, because some features require numbers of friends.Yes, but I would try to communicate first.I barely contribute myself--who am I to judge?
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