As we told you earlier today, a new tree has begun appearing from Mystery Seedlings in FarmVille.That tree is the Giant Ribbon Flower Tree, and while it's definitely one of the prettiest trees in the game (in my very humble opinion), what if you haven't received one from a Mystery Seedling, but still want one on your farm? Luckily, with tonight's FarmVille update, you've gained the ability to have one of these trees on your farm regardless of your luck, as you can purchase the Giant Ribbon Flower Tree from 12 Farm Cash from the store.
In addition, the smaller," normal," Ribbon Flower Tree is also available to purchase, for the new (higher) price of 7 Farm Cash. So much for 5 and 10 Farm Cash for each limited edition tree - looks like Zynga finally learned that we'll pay a higher price. Drats! Either way, these two trees will only be available in the game's store for the next two weeks.
What do you think of these two trees? Better yet, what do you think of the higher price tag of limited edition trees in the store?
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
FarmVille Enchanted Love Animals: Welsh Corgi, Knight Steed re-release
While we've been looking forward to the release of the Corgi in FarmVille for a few days now, with tonight's FarmVille update, the waiting game has stopped. Unfortunately, so has my excitement. The Welsh Corgi isn't actually a "puppy," able to be fed and grown into an adult. It's a full-grown animal just like a cow or sheep you may purchase from the store, with this one costing 18 Farm Cash.
You'll know that you're not getting an actual dog when the "Buy" button simply takes you to your farm where you can place the Corgi on your land. If it were a functional dog in the game, remember that you'd be asked to choose its color and its name before purchasing it. Either way, the Corgi can be "harvested" every two days, and you'll receive 90 coins when you do so.
The other new animal(s) released this evening is also a bit disappointing, as the Knight Steed (and therefore the Knight Steed Foal) were released just back in February as part of the game's Fairy Tale theme. If you missed picking up the Steed then, you can do so now for the same price of 26 Farm Cash. You'll still be able to collect from the Steed every three days, unless you put it in your horse stable, where you have the chance of breeding a foal. Just don't hurriedly purchase this Steed thinking it's a new one for your collection, as it's definitely not.
These two Enchanted Love / Royal Wedding-inspired animals will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. Will you purchase either of them?
You'll know that you're not getting an actual dog when the "Buy" button simply takes you to your farm where you can place the Corgi on your land. If it were a functional dog in the game, remember that you'd be asked to choose its color and its name before purchasing it. Either way, the Corgi can be "harvested" every two days, and you'll receive 90 coins when you do so.
The other new animal(s) released this evening is also a bit disappointing, as the Knight Steed (and therefore the Knight Steed Foal) were released just back in February as part of the game's Fairy Tale theme. If you missed picking up the Steed then, you can do so now for the same price of 26 Farm Cash. You'll still be able to collect from the Steed every three days, unless you put it in your horse stable, where you have the chance of breeding a foal. Just don't hurriedly purchase this Steed thinking it's a new one for your collection, as it's definitely not.
These two Enchanted Love / Royal Wedding-inspired animals will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. Will you purchase either of them?
FarmVille Enchanted Love Decorations: Romantic Cottage, Wedding Fountain, Princess Gnome & More
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of seven new decorative items in the Enchanted Love limited edition item theme, inspired by the real world wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. However, just like the animals released this evening (the Welsh Corgi and Knight Steed), this set of "new" items actually contains some re-releases from past themes. We'll make sure to let you know what those are (saving you some coins / Farm Cash) as we go along.
First, a new building is available in the form of the Romantic Cottage. This cottage is accessorized with lovely pink ribbons along the roof line, and you can add one to your farm(s) for 20 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for purchasing the building, and as it doesn't necessarily scream "wedding," you could keep this item around for Valentine's Day, anniversary celebrations or any other "love" themed event you can imagine. I don't know about you, but I love items that can multi-task, and this is definitely one of them.
Along with the Romantic Cottage, six "new" decorative items are available to purchase, with only half of these items truly being new to the game. The three completely new items are the Wedding Fountain, Wedding Bouquet, and Flower Pot, which cost 12 Farm Cash, 100,000 coins, and 20,000 coins each, respectively.
Meanwhile, make sure you check your Storage Sheds or Cellars before purchasing the Prince or Princess Gnomes, along with the pieces of Wedding Fences, as we've seen these items in the game before. The Prince Gnome and Princess Gnome go for 15 Farm Cash each, but were originally seen back in the Fairy Tale theme back in February (for the same price). Meanwhile, the Wedding Fence was also seen back in February, but in the Valentine's Day theme.
All told, while none of the re-released items have become more expensive, it's always smarter to take a few seconds to check your storage buildings before spending more Farm Cash / coins, so I hope I saved you some cash there. If you haven't purchased any of these items previously, they, along with the entirely new items, will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. While these items may come back at a later date (three of these items are proof of that), do you really want to take the chance that they won't? Yeah, I don't either. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some new decorations for my farm!
Did you already own the re-released items in tonight's theme, or will you purchase everything for the first time now?
First, a new building is available in the form of the Romantic Cottage. This cottage is accessorized with lovely pink ribbons along the roof line, and you can add one to your farm(s) for 20 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2,000 experience points for purchasing the building, and as it doesn't necessarily scream "wedding," you could keep this item around for Valentine's Day, anniversary celebrations or any other "love" themed event you can imagine. I don't know about you, but I love items that can multi-task, and this is definitely one of them.
Along with the Romantic Cottage, six "new" decorative items are available to purchase, with only half of these items truly being new to the game. The three completely new items are the Wedding Fountain, Wedding Bouquet, and Flower Pot, which cost 12 Farm Cash, 100,000 coins, and 20,000 coins each, respectively.
Meanwhile, make sure you check your Storage Sheds or Cellars before purchasing the Prince or Princess Gnomes, along with the pieces of Wedding Fences, as we've seen these items in the game before. The Prince Gnome and Princess Gnome go for 15 Farm Cash each, but were originally seen back in the Fairy Tale theme back in February (for the same price). Meanwhile, the Wedding Fence was also seen back in February, but in the Valentine's Day theme.
All told, while none of the re-released items have become more expensive, it's always smarter to take a few seconds to check your storage buildings before spending more Farm Cash / coins, so I hope I saved you some cash there. If you haven't purchased any of these items previously, they, along with the entirely new items, will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks. While these items may come back at a later date (three of these items are proof of that), do you really want to take the chance that they won't? Yeah, I don't either. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to buy some new decorations for my farm!
Did you already own the re-released items in tonight's theme, or will you purchase everything for the first time now?
FarmVille Enchanted Love Avatar Items: Wedding Dress now available, Tux already in market
With tonight's update, we see the release of the piece de resistance of FarmVille's Enchanted Love / Royal Wedding limited edition item theme - the Wedding Dress avatar item. What (traditional) wedding is complete without a flowing white gown being worn by the bride? If you agree, you can now purchase one for your in-game avatar, complete with a veil and tiara, for 10 Farm Cash. To be clear, that's 10 Farm Cash for the entire outfit - you won't have to purchase the veil separately.
"But where's the groom's tux?" I hear you asking / sense you thinking. The answer to that is simple - the Black Tuxedo item is already in the game, as a permanent clothing item available to purchase. The price? 30 Farm Cash. Yeah, that's a bit steep, but if you're a male player that wants to dress up in celebration of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, that's a price you'll unfortunately need to accept.
Unfortunately, where you can wait forever to purchase the Black Tuxedo, you don't have the luxury of doing the same with the Wedding Dress, as all purchases must be made within the next two weeks.
Tell us what you think. Is the Black Tuxedo overpriced compared to the Wedding Dress, or do you think it's a fair price considering that more individual Wedding Dresses will be purchased in the game than Tuxes?
"But where's the groom's tux?" I hear you asking / sense you thinking. The answer to that is simple - the Black Tuxedo item is already in the game, as a permanent clothing item available to purchase. The price? 30 Farm Cash. Yeah, that's a bit steep, but if you're a male player that wants to dress up in celebration of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, that's a price you'll unfortunately need to accept.
Unfortunately, where you can wait forever to purchase the Black Tuxedo, you don't have the luxury of doing the same with the Wedding Dress, as all purchases must be made within the next two weeks.
Tell us what you think. Is the Black Tuxedo overpriced compared to the Wedding Dress, or do you think it's a fair price considering that more individual Wedding Dresses will be purchased in the game than Tuxes?
FarmVille: Sheep Breeding changes again with official release of two new patterns
Well, that didn't take long. Just a day after putting their foot down about illegal sheep and pig breeding in FarmVille, Zynga has backed off a bit with an official announcement on the FarmVille forums, that details the release of two new official patterns to the game, allowing you to get back to breeding some of those colorful (and neatly patterned) Lambs.
The two new patterns are camouflage and stars, and they come by way of the Purple Camo Ram and the Purple Stars Ram, both available to purchase in the store for 30 Farm Cash each. A high price, yes, but one that's totally avoidable if you already have sheep on your land with those patterns intact, as they are now able to be bred as normal. As for other patterns, like the "eye-patch" pattern, Zynga says that they're not sure if that pattern will ever be made officially available, as it's "a bit messed up." However, new colors and patterns will be coming to the game soon, including the "flasher" color that we'll see "soonish." We'll even see a bit of a redesign of the current breeding system, but that's not to be released quite so soon.
For the complete (lengthy) new clarification on Sheep Breeding, meet us behind the break.
Community Manager Stumpgrinder lays the changes out for us:
Well yesterday's announcement sure caused a bit of commotion. We do understand your point of view, and we don't want you to feel like those pigs and sheep you claimed from your feed, spent bottles to grow and and then bred more with love potions and more bottles, are all going to waste.
Tonight we'll be adding two rams into the Market with official patterns: a white starred ram and a white camo ram. Unfortunately we wound up blocking the "hooded" pattern (which you get from Brutus the Ram) the other day and we'll be putting that back in tonight too.
So yes, all three of these patterns will be now allowed, meaning that after we update tonight you can breed with those patterns if you have them on your farm. Purchase is not required if you already have animals with those patterns to breed those patterns. And of course you can buy the two rams mentioned above from the Market and breed with them too. Note that the so-called "eye-patch" or "patch" pattern is not an official pattern and may not ever be one since it's a bit messed up. New pig patterns may not be available for a bit longer.
In the near future we'll be putting forth brand new patterns as well as colors (including the "flasher" color, which you may see soonish). This will also accompany a bit of a re-vamp about breeding and how it works so it's a bit more robust and fun, though that's a wee bit further down the road.
We're also investigating claims about getting all of one color (notably white) for completely allowed animals, complaints that generally center around FC rams and ewes. So far using various combinations we haven't reproduced a combination that has generated all whites all the time, though we have seen some other oddities that are under continued investigation.
Finally, there may be some clarification needed regarding breeding and pattern inheritance as it stands today:
If the patterns of the parents do not match, there is a chance that the offspring will inherit the father's pattern.
If the patterns of the parents do match, the chance of inheriting that pattern is greatly enhanced.
And there you have it. All that Zynga has to say on the current state of affairs with Pig and Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. With such a huge (and popular) feature in the game, it's great to see that Zynga is actively trying to achieve a balance with all players, and when (if) they update the system yet again, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of the release of these two new patterns in the game? Do you want the flasher color to be the next thing Zynga works on? What other patterns would you like to see?
The two new patterns are camouflage and stars, and they come by way of the Purple Camo Ram and the Purple Stars Ram, both available to purchase in the store for 30 Farm Cash each. A high price, yes, but one that's totally avoidable if you already have sheep on your land with those patterns intact, as they are now able to be bred as normal. As for other patterns, like the "eye-patch" pattern, Zynga says that they're not sure if that pattern will ever be made officially available, as it's "a bit messed up." However, new colors and patterns will be coming to the game soon, including the "flasher" color that we'll see "soonish." We'll even see a bit of a redesign of the current breeding system, but that's not to be released quite so soon.
For the complete (lengthy) new clarification on Sheep Breeding, meet us behind the break.
Community Manager Stumpgrinder lays the changes out for us:
Well yesterday's announcement sure caused a bit of commotion. We do understand your point of view, and we don't want you to feel like those pigs and sheep you claimed from your feed, spent bottles to grow and and then bred more with love potions and more bottles, are all going to waste.
Tonight we'll be adding two rams into the Market with official patterns: a white starred ram and a white camo ram. Unfortunately we wound up blocking the "hooded" pattern (which you get from Brutus the Ram) the other day and we'll be putting that back in tonight too.
So yes, all three of these patterns will be now allowed, meaning that after we update tonight you can breed with those patterns if you have them on your farm. Purchase is not required if you already have animals with those patterns to breed those patterns. And of course you can buy the two rams mentioned above from the Market and breed with them too. Note that the so-called "eye-patch" or "patch" pattern is not an official pattern and may not ever be one since it's a bit messed up. New pig patterns may not be available for a bit longer.
In the near future we'll be putting forth brand new patterns as well as colors (including the "flasher" color, which you may see soonish). This will also accompany a bit of a re-vamp about breeding and how it works so it's a bit more robust and fun, though that's a wee bit further down the road.
We're also investigating claims about getting all of one color (notably white) for completely allowed animals, complaints that generally center around FC rams and ewes. So far using various combinations we haven't reproduced a combination that has generated all whites all the time, though we have seen some other oddities that are under continued investigation.
Finally, there may be some clarification needed regarding breeding and pattern inheritance as it stands today:
If the patterns of the parents do not match, there is a chance that the offspring will inherit the father's pattern.
If the patterns of the parents do match, the chance of inheriting that pattern is greatly enhanced.
And there you have it. All that Zynga has to say on the current state of affairs with Pig and Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. With such a huge (and popular) feature in the game, it's great to see that Zynga is actively trying to achieve a balance with all players, and when (if) they update the system yet again, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of the release of these two new patterns in the game? Do you want the flasher color to be the next thing Zynga works on? What other patterns would you like to see?
Monday, December 26, 2011
FarmVille GagaVille Born This Way Quest 5: Everything you need to know
Tonight's FarmVille update sees the launch of the fifth quest in the GagaVille quest line. Don't be confused when you see the name of this quest though, as it's the same as yesterday's - Born This Way. Tonight's "Born This Way" quest asks you to once again visit GagaVille, and also puts to use some of the VIP tickets I hope you've been saving all week.
Visit GagaVille
Buy a Tree
Have 6 VIP Tickets
The tree can be any non-limited edition tree currently available in the store. There are some trees that go for coins, like the Orange Tree which sells for just 425 coins. All in all, this is a relatively inexpensive quest, just like many of the others. For finishing tonight's quest, you'll receive three prizes: a Spiky Tree, 100 XP and 2,500 coins. You'll also receive continued access to listen to the entirety of Lady Gaga's new Born This Way album.
As usual, this quest is only available to complete for 24 hours, so make sure to earn any tickets you need as soon as you can in order to finish this quest in time.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >
What do you think of Lady Gaga's entire album? Are you enjoying the simplicity of these GagaVille quests?
Visit GagaVille
Buy a Tree
Have 6 VIP Tickets
The tree can be any non-limited edition tree currently available in the store. There are some trees that go for coins, like the Orange Tree which sells for just 425 coins. All in all, this is a relatively inexpensive quest, just like many of the others. For finishing tonight's quest, you'll receive three prizes: a Spiky Tree, 100 XP and 2,500 coins. You'll also receive continued access to listen to the entirety of Lady Gaga's new Born This Way album.
As usual, this quest is only available to complete for 24 hours, so make sure to earn any tickets you need as soon as you can in order to finish this quest in time.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >
What do you think of Lady Gaga's entire album? Are you enjoying the simplicity of these GagaVille quests?
Live in San Francisco? Earn money by playing FishVille
Do you live in San Francisco and spent time playing FishVille? A Palo Alto company is doing research into the playing habits of gamers and is looking for players to come into their office and earn $9.00 an hour for playing FishVille while being studied. Sounds pretty neat, doesn't it? $9.00 per hour isn't exactly a liveable wage, but it could make for some nice extra change for someone looking to supplement their income. And who doesn't like to be paid for playing Facebook games?
At this point, it's unclear which company this is or why they picked FishVille. Chances are good that it is another competing Facebook company who might be working on an aquarium themed game. Many times, gaming companies will do in-house user testing to see what players enjoy and dislike about other games so that they can use the knowledge for developing the next great hit.
To participate, send an email to the address on the Craigslist ad, and make sure to include your current level in FishVille for consideration.
At this point, it's unclear which company this is or why they picked FishVille. Chances are good that it is another competing Facebook company who might be working on an aquarium themed game. Many times, gaming companies will do in-house user testing to see what players enjoy and dislike about other games so that they can use the knowledge for developing the next great hit.
To participate, send an email to the address on the Craigslist ad, and make sure to include your current level in FishVille for consideration.
Words with Friends becomes Words with Gaga in new sweepstakes
Have you ever played Zynga's Words with Friends, the Scrabble clone available on iOS and Android devices? Even if you haven't, Zynga hopes that you'll do so now, as Lady Gaga has infiltrated the game with a new sweepstakes. The Words with Gaga Sweepstakes sees a special "Word of the Day" being made available from now until May 26. If you play that word in any of your games that day, you'll be entered to win a Daily Prize pack.
Today's word, for instance, is "PAWS." Of course, you'll have to become lucky enough to have all four of those letters either in your hand, or available to play on the board, but if you can get the job done, you'll be asked to fill out an entry form to officially enter the contest. Each of the daily prize packs include a signed copy of Lady Gaga's newest CD "Born This Way," along with a three-day, two night trip for the winner and a guest to see Lady Gaga in concert.
Remember, you'll need to check Zynga's website once per day to find out what the new Word of the Day is, so you can increase your chances of winning. The app is free on both services, however, so there really is nothing to lose if you happen to own a smartphone.
Will you enter the Words with Gaga Sweepstakes? How easy do you think it would be to find those letters in your game?
Today's word, for instance, is "PAWS." Of course, you'll have to become lucky enough to have all four of those letters either in your hand, or available to play on the board, but if you can get the job done, you'll be asked to fill out an entry form to officially enter the contest. Each of the daily prize packs include a signed copy of Lady Gaga's newest CD "Born This Way," along with a three-day, two night trip for the winner and a guest to see Lady Gaga in concert.
Remember, you'll need to check Zynga's website once per day to find out what the new Word of the Day is, so you can increase your chances of winning. The app is free on both services, however, so there really is nothing to lose if you happen to own a smartphone.
Will you enter the Words with Gaga Sweepstakes? How easy do you think it would be to find those letters in your game?
Edy's Fruit Bars to partner with Zynga's FarmVille in 500,000 Farm Cash giveaway
Over on Edy's official Facebook fan page, the company has added a new tab that has many FarmVille farmers talking (even those at FVNation). Similar to the Green Giant or 7-Eleven events from last year, that saw players leaving their computers long enough to buy products in the real world containing redeemable codes, it looks as though this summer's promotion will be with "Edy's Fruit Bars."
While we still don't know everything about this promotion, we do know that the two companies have paired to give away 500,000 Farm Cash in total. If we'd like a "share of the bounty," well need to come back to Edy's fan page after June 1 (presumably when the promotion officially launches), and learn more. Apparently, farmers will have a chance at winning at most 1,000 Farm Cash each (prizes range from 50 Farm Cash to 1,000 Farm Cash per person), but again, specific details about what will happen in stores isn't yet known.
For now, since everyone is still relatively in the dark about this new promotion (other than knowing that it's open only to the US, ages 18 and up), your best bet is to keep checking back with us as we learn more, or head out to the store early to see if any of your local stores are stocking branded Edy's Fruit Bars in the freezer section.
What do you think this Edy's Fruit Bars promotion will entail? Do you think we'll simply have to enter codes from specially marked packages, or will this be more of a "contest" setting?
While we still don't know everything about this promotion, we do know that the two companies have paired to give away 500,000 Farm Cash in total. If we'd like a "share of the bounty," well need to come back to Edy's fan page after June 1 (presumably when the promotion officially launches), and learn more. Apparently, farmers will have a chance at winning at most 1,000 Farm Cash each (prizes range from 50 Farm Cash to 1,000 Farm Cash per person), but again, specific details about what will happen in stores isn't yet known.
For now, since everyone is still relatively in the dark about this new promotion (other than knowing that it's open only to the US, ages 18 and up), your best bet is to keep checking back with us as we learn more, or head out to the store early to see if any of your local stores are stocking branded Edy's Fruit Bars in the freezer section.
What do you think this Edy's Fruit Bars promotion will entail? Do you think we'll simply have to enter codes from specially marked packages, or will this be more of a "contest" setting?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Mohawk Cow, Mohawk Calf, Irish Moiled Calf
A set of new animals will be coming to FarmVille in the near future - perhaps as early as this weekend, as we've come across images of three unreleased images. Fortunately, we can actually make a couple of assumptions about these images, giving us something to go on in terms of their release dates.
The first two animals are the Mohawk Cow and Mohawk Calf, which are part of the GagaVille limited edition item theme. That being the case, we can expect them to launch soon (perhaps tomorrow evening). Meanwhile, the Irish Moiled Calf looks to be entirely separate (perhaps part of a new Irish theme, since we saw Scottish items in the past). Futhermore, for there to be a calf, there has to be an adult, so we know that an Irish Moiled Cow also has to be in the works. I wouldn't expect to see this cute little fella in the game until GagaVille makes its way out, but Zynga could surprise us.
Either way, we'll make sure you know all of the details about these animals as they release, so keep checking back.
What do you think of these three unreleased animals? From the Irish Moiled Calf picture, do you think the Cow will be a cute one?
The first two animals are the Mohawk Cow and Mohawk Calf, which are part of the GagaVille limited edition item theme. That being the case, we can expect them to launch soon (perhaps tomorrow evening). Meanwhile, the Irish Moiled Calf looks to be entirely separate (perhaps part of a new Irish theme, since we saw Scottish items in the past). Futhermore, for there to be a calf, there has to be an adult, so we know that an Irish Moiled Cow also has to be in the works. I wouldn't expect to see this cute little fella in the game until GagaVille makes its way out, but Zynga could surprise us.
Either way, we'll make sure you know all of the details about these animals as they release, so keep checking back.
What do you think of these three unreleased animals? From the Irish Moiled Calf picture, do you think the Cow will be a cute one?
FarmVille GagaVille: Grab the Chrome Daisy Arch from 102.7 KIIS FM
Today marks a new day in the FarmVille GagaVille saga, and it also marks a new prize being available from 102.7 KIIS FM. Today's item is the Chrome Daisy Arch, and you can earn it by heading over to Zynga's official Lady Gaga hub and entering in today's code: "ARCH."
Remember, codes are only valid for one day, so you have until 11:59 PM EST this evening to redeem this code for your free Chrome Daisy Arch. Unfortunately, this also means that any previously given away items are no longer available, but I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga released them for Farm Cash in the store at a later date to give users a second chance. We'll be sure to let you know if they do.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >
Have you earned all of the GagaVille radio prizes so far? Which one has been your favorite?
Remember, codes are only valid for one day, so you have until 11:59 PM EST this evening to redeem this code for your free Chrome Daisy Arch. Unfortunately, this also means that any previously given away items are no longer available, but I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga released them for Farm Cash in the store at a later date to give users a second chance. We'll be sure to let you know if they do.
Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >
Have you earned all of the GagaVille radio prizes so far? Which one has been your favorite?
Cafe World 2nd Pizza Oven Goals: Everything you need to know
Just as we were recently given the opportunity to add a second Deep Fryer to our cafes in Cafe World, we've now been given the chance to increase our pizza-making productivity with the launch of a second Pizza Oven. Of course, with any new item we're also given new goals, with a five-part 2nd Pizza Oven goal series now being available in the game.
To start, you'll need to simply place the base of your second Pizza Oven in your Cafe.
Please your second Pizza Oven
Ask for 4 Scoops of Flour
Serve Pizza Margherita 1 Time
Unfortunately, you will have to go through the building process of constructing your second Pizza Oven, just as you did the first, so check out our guide to building it if you need a refresher. Meanwhile, on your first Pizza Oven you can cook the Pizza Margherita, which is ready to serve after just 30 minutes. For the flour, you'll be able to post a general news item to your feed asking all friends to send it to you at once.
For Part II of V, you'll be able to unlock a new recipe called Mike's Mystical Pizza, which can be cooked on either of your Pizza Ovens, depending on how quickly you build the second one.
Cook Mike's Mystical Pizza 2 Times
Spice 4 Neighbors Dishes
Ask for 5 Jalapeno Peppers
Notice the wording of two of these tasks: Cooking the Mystical Pizza should (in theory) only require you to put the dish to cook, not actually wait to serve it. Therefore, you can just cook it once, delete it before it's done, and cook it again to finish this task within seconds. Meanwhile, while we're normally told to spice neighbors' stoves, this time we're told specifically to spice dishes. Keep that in mind as you're visiting your friends - don't just spice a stove if it doesn't have something currently cooking on it, or you'll waste your action at their cafe for the day. For Mike's Mystical Pizza itself, you can cook it for 4,000 coins and serve it after cooking for 11 hours.
Part III of V requires you to collect quite a few items from friends, but also rewards you with a new recipe.
Serve Sausage Deep Dish Pizza 2 Times
Ask for 5 Jars of BBQ Sauce
Ask for 6 Chicken Breasts
Items like the Chicken Breasts can be asked for via individual gift requests to friends, while Sausage Deep Dish Pizza takes four hours to cook. For finishing this goal, you'll unlock the BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Moving on, Part IV of V asks you to put your new recipe to work, while also collecting more items from friends.
Have 5 Pizza Hickory Logs
Serve BBQ Chicken Pizza 2 Times
Ask for 8 Basil Leaves
You won't unlock a new recipe with this goal, but you will be one step closer to the finale, which is always a good thing.
For Part V of V, you'll finally be required to have finished your second Pizza Oven's construction, and will be rewarded handsomely when you do.
Finish Building your 2nd Pizza Oven
Serve Mike's Mystical Pizza 5 times
Cook BBQ Chicken Pizza 8 Times
Luckily, with a second Pizza Oven now in use, you can more quickly finish these two cooking tasks, as you can have both of them cooking Mike's Mystical Pizza at once. Add spices to the mix and you'll finish even quicker. Again, though, make sure to check out the requirement for the BBQ Chicken Pizza, as you're simply told to "cook" it, rather than "serve" it. That will end up being a huge time-saver here if you take advantage of that fact. Finishing this final goal unlocks the Chef Piero's Special pizza dish, giving you three new dishes in total to cook and master.
While more Pizza Oven goals and recipes could very well be released in the future, this brings us to the end of those currently available in the game. We'll make sure to let you know if more are added, or if we eventually earn the right to have more than two Pizza Ovens going at once (one can only hope).
What do you think of these newest Pizza Oven goals? Do you like having more than one Pizza Oven in your cafe, or do you not even use the one you have?
To start, you'll need to simply place the base of your second Pizza Oven in your Cafe.
Please your second Pizza Oven
Ask for 4 Scoops of Flour
Serve Pizza Margherita 1 Time
Unfortunately, you will have to go through the building process of constructing your second Pizza Oven, just as you did the first, so check out our guide to building it if you need a refresher. Meanwhile, on your first Pizza Oven you can cook the Pizza Margherita, which is ready to serve after just 30 minutes. For the flour, you'll be able to post a general news item to your feed asking all friends to send it to you at once.
For Part II of V, you'll be able to unlock a new recipe called Mike's Mystical Pizza, which can be cooked on either of your Pizza Ovens, depending on how quickly you build the second one.
Cook Mike's Mystical Pizza 2 Times
Spice 4 Neighbors Dishes
Ask for 5 Jalapeno Peppers
Notice the wording of two of these tasks: Cooking the Mystical Pizza should (in theory) only require you to put the dish to cook, not actually wait to serve it. Therefore, you can just cook it once, delete it before it's done, and cook it again to finish this task within seconds. Meanwhile, while we're normally told to spice neighbors' stoves, this time we're told specifically to spice dishes. Keep that in mind as you're visiting your friends - don't just spice a stove if it doesn't have something currently cooking on it, or you'll waste your action at their cafe for the day. For Mike's Mystical Pizza itself, you can cook it for 4,000 coins and serve it after cooking for 11 hours.
Part III of V requires you to collect quite a few items from friends, but also rewards you with a new recipe.
Serve Sausage Deep Dish Pizza 2 Times
Ask for 5 Jars of BBQ Sauce
Ask for 6 Chicken Breasts
Items like the Chicken Breasts can be asked for via individual gift requests to friends, while Sausage Deep Dish Pizza takes four hours to cook. For finishing this goal, you'll unlock the BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Moving on, Part IV of V asks you to put your new recipe to work, while also collecting more items from friends.
Have 5 Pizza Hickory Logs
Serve BBQ Chicken Pizza 2 Times
Ask for 8 Basil Leaves
You won't unlock a new recipe with this goal, but you will be one step closer to the finale, which is always a good thing.
For Part V of V, you'll finally be required to have finished your second Pizza Oven's construction, and will be rewarded handsomely when you do.
Finish Building your 2nd Pizza Oven
Serve Mike's Mystical Pizza 5 times
Cook BBQ Chicken Pizza 8 Times
Luckily, with a second Pizza Oven now in use, you can more quickly finish these two cooking tasks, as you can have both of them cooking Mike's Mystical Pizza at once. Add spices to the mix and you'll finish even quicker. Again, though, make sure to check out the requirement for the BBQ Chicken Pizza, as you're simply told to "cook" it, rather than "serve" it. That will end up being a huge time-saver here if you take advantage of that fact. Finishing this final goal unlocks the Chef Piero's Special pizza dish, giving you three new dishes in total to cook and master.
While more Pizza Oven goals and recipes could very well be released in the future, this brings us to the end of those currently available in the game. We'll make sure to let you know if more are added, or if we eventually earn the right to have more than two Pizza Ovens going at once (one can only hope).
What do you think of these newest Pizza Oven goals? Do you like having more than one Pizza Oven in your cafe, or do you not even use the one you have?
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Empires & Allies: New updates allow for shorter gift request timer, higher energy cap and more
You have to give it to Zynga. Over the first few weeks of its existence, Empires & Allies has been improved in some fairly large and helpful ways. Such is the case today, as quite a few updates were pushed out, altering all things from the energy received from neighbor bonuses to boss battles against some of the story characters.
Here's a full rundown of Zynga's announced changes:
You can now receive up to 100 energy per day from neighbor visits. This was formerly capped at 20, and user encouragement has forced it higher.
You can now send gift requests to friends every 23 hours, rather than 24 hours. This will help those players that play the game at the same time every day be able to play consistently.
Fullscreen neighbor bar and video issues have been fixed.
Various issues with Captain Krunsch boss battle have been resolved.
Friend selector loading issues have been fixed.
Ok, so some of these issues may not have affected all of us, but I can bet you're pretty pleased about the increase in neighbor visitation energy. What started at just 5 energy per day has gone to 20 and now 100. If you have over 100 players on your friends' list, then you'll still have to stop short of visiting each one for energy, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. What's more, this suggestion was made by many of the game's players, proving that (for now at least), the development team is actually hearing and listening to what we have to say. We can only hope this is a positive sign of things to come.
Did you stop visiting your Empires & Allies neighbors because they weren't giving you energy? Do you have more than 100 neighbors, or simply believe the energy cap should be removed altogether?
Here's a full rundown of Zynga's announced changes:
You can now receive up to 100 energy per day from neighbor visits. This was formerly capped at 20, and user encouragement has forced it higher.
You can now send gift requests to friends every 23 hours, rather than 24 hours. This will help those players that play the game at the same time every day be able to play consistently.
Fullscreen neighbor bar and video issues have been fixed.
Various issues with Captain Krunsch boss battle have been resolved.
Friend selector loading issues have been fixed.
Ok, so some of these issues may not have affected all of us, but I can bet you're pretty pleased about the increase in neighbor visitation energy. What started at just 5 energy per day has gone to 20 and now 100. If you have over 100 players on your friends' list, then you'll still have to stop short of visiting each one for energy, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. What's more, this suggestion was made by many of the game's players, proving that (for now at least), the development team is actually hearing and listening to what we have to say. We can only hope this is a positive sign of things to come.
Did you stop visiting your Empires & Allies neighbors because they weren't giving you energy? Do you have more than 100 neighbors, or simply believe the energy cap should be removed altogether?
FishHunt: Take to the high seas as an angler on Facebook
While there are quite a few fish-themed games on Facebook, these tend to be aquarium based, as you simply purchase fish from a store and watch them swim around your tanks. But what if you were given the opportunity to actually go out and catch your own fish? Well, HitGrab now allows you to do just that with FishHunt on Facebook.
FishHunt places you in the role of amateur fisherman (or fisher-woman), as you're given a boat and set sail towards adventure. Rather than being given a level, your game's progress is instead measured by your fishing license. You'll start with the basic A1 license, which simply allows you to fish with the most basic of beginner's equipment, but as you complete quests, you'll reach higher and higher licenses, unlocking better equipment and more areas to explore.
Gameplay itself is setup on a grid, and you can click on various squares to navigate freely through the environments that you've unlocked. To fish, simply click on your rod and click on the square you'd like to cast into. The types of fish you can catch depend on various factors: the depth of the water, location, type of bait and quality of your rod all being factors.
Depending on the square, you may not catch a fish (no bait is wasted), or you may simply catch a fish without a fight. Other times, you'll reel in a fighter, which triggers a mini-game where you'll need to keep your mouse within a green area to not allow the fish to fight its way off of the line. For each fish that you catch, you'll have various options for what to do with it. For one, the first of every fish goes to filling out that fish's trophy in your Trophy Room.
The Trophy Room allows you to "mount" these fish on upgradable plaques. With each new species of fish that you catch, you have a chance of unlocking clues as to where to find others (this comes in handy for quests that require you to catch specific kinds of fish). You can even unlock clues about fish that you haven't captured by either purchasing them with Facebook Credits (the native premium currency), or by visiting your friends' Trophy Rooms and asking for hints.
Where FishHunt adds in some strategy is in its variable economy. As you catch more of the same fish, your boat will eventually reach its storage capacity and you'll need to head to the Fish Market to sell the excess. Market prices for your fish vary over time (for instance, a Diva Fish might sell for 18 coins one hour, and only 15 the next), but all users see the same prices, which look to update once every 60 minutes. You'll want to routinely check back into the store to see how much profit you can make for the same fish, as you'll forever need money to purchase more bait or better fishing rods.
In order to keep players coming back for more, FishHunt includes two types of timers outside of the energy bar. One is the Ice timer, which must be consistently refilled manually by purchasing ice from the store. If your boat runs out of ice, the fish inside go rotten and can only be sold as chum. Another timer comes when using Nets instead of Fishing Rods. These nets won't catch the greatest fish, but they're consistent. The only catch (see what I did there? catch fish? nevermind) is that they take time to fill, so you'll have to come back after 30 minutes or more to see what you've snagged.
Gallery: FishHunt on Facebook
After launching just a few weeks ago, FishHunt has reeled in over 260,000 players, and we can see why. The game has plentiful, constant animation and very colorful, pleasing graphics (not to mention the ever-popular fullscreen mode). FishHunt seems to be a truly unique idea in a sea of city-builders or farming simulations, and we definitely can't fault it for that. If you'd like to try your hand at becoming a master angler, make sure to give this one a shot!
FishHunt places you in the role of amateur fisherman (or fisher-woman), as you're given a boat and set sail towards adventure. Rather than being given a level, your game's progress is instead measured by your fishing license. You'll start with the basic A1 license, which simply allows you to fish with the most basic of beginner's equipment, but as you complete quests, you'll reach higher and higher licenses, unlocking better equipment and more areas to explore.
Gameplay itself is setup on a grid, and you can click on various squares to navigate freely through the environments that you've unlocked. To fish, simply click on your rod and click on the square you'd like to cast into. The types of fish you can catch depend on various factors: the depth of the water, location, type of bait and quality of your rod all being factors.
Depending on the square, you may not catch a fish (no bait is wasted), or you may simply catch a fish without a fight. Other times, you'll reel in a fighter, which triggers a mini-game where you'll need to keep your mouse within a green area to not allow the fish to fight its way off of the line. For each fish that you catch, you'll have various options for what to do with it. For one, the first of every fish goes to filling out that fish's trophy in your Trophy Room.
The Trophy Room allows you to "mount" these fish on upgradable plaques. With each new species of fish that you catch, you have a chance of unlocking clues as to where to find others (this comes in handy for quests that require you to catch specific kinds of fish). You can even unlock clues about fish that you haven't captured by either purchasing them with Facebook Credits (the native premium currency), or by visiting your friends' Trophy Rooms and asking for hints.
Where FishHunt adds in some strategy is in its variable economy. As you catch more of the same fish, your boat will eventually reach its storage capacity and you'll need to head to the Fish Market to sell the excess. Market prices for your fish vary over time (for instance, a Diva Fish might sell for 18 coins one hour, and only 15 the next), but all users see the same prices, which look to update once every 60 minutes. You'll want to routinely check back into the store to see how much profit you can make for the same fish, as you'll forever need money to purchase more bait or better fishing rods.
In order to keep players coming back for more, FishHunt includes two types of timers outside of the energy bar. One is the Ice timer, which must be consistently refilled manually by purchasing ice from the store. If your boat runs out of ice, the fish inside go rotten and can only be sold as chum. Another timer comes when using Nets instead of Fishing Rods. These nets won't catch the greatest fish, but they're consistent. The only catch (see what I did there? catch fish? nevermind) is that they take time to fill, so you'll have to come back after 30 minutes or more to see what you've snagged.
Gallery: FishHunt on Facebook
After launching just a few weeks ago, FishHunt has reeled in over 260,000 players, and we can see why. The game has plentiful, constant animation and very colorful, pleasing graphics (not to mention the ever-popular fullscreen mode). FishHunt seems to be a truly unique idea in a sea of city-builders or farming simulations, and we definitely can't fault it for that. If you'd like to try your hand at becoming a master angler, make sure to give this one a shot!
FrontierVille: Read Newsstand updates without leaving your Homestead
While we've all likely been busy completing our Rodeo Arenas or Fowl Ponds in FrontierVille, FrontierVille Legend has spotted something you might have missed: the Newsstand now allows you to view all of your friends' headlines without actually traveling to their Homesteads.
What does this mean in the long term? Well, if you're the kind that likes collecting all of the game's Badges, you'll now have a much easier time at finding those players whose classifieds you can respond to for progress on the Donator Badge. Additionally, as you'll be able to read your friends' published messages at any time, you'll know when a friend needs help with a particular task, and can better plan when to visit and when to (perhaps) wait.
To see this new feature, all you have to do is click on your Newsstand and then click on the "Friends' Papers" button in the drop-down menu that appears. From there, you'll see a large menu showing you each and every one of your friends' current classifieds. You can scroll from page to page where applicable, and can even instantly jump to that players' Homestead, should they have asked for your immediate help.
Unfortunately, this doesn't remove the newspaper classified window that appears when you visit those friends, but hey, at least you'll know where to expect to see them from now on.
What does this mean in the long term? Well, if you're the kind that likes collecting all of the game's Badges, you'll now have a much easier time at finding those players whose classifieds you can respond to for progress on the Donator Badge. Additionally, as you'll be able to read your friends' published messages at any time, you'll know when a friend needs help with a particular task, and can better plan when to visit and when to (perhaps) wait.
To see this new feature, all you have to do is click on your Newsstand and then click on the "Friends' Papers" button in the drop-down menu that appears. From there, you'll see a large menu showing you each and every one of your friends' current classifieds. You can scroll from page to page where applicable, and can even instantly jump to that players' Homestead, should they have asked for your immediate help.
Unfortunately, this doesn't remove the newspaper classified window that appears when you visit those friends, but hey, at least you'll know where to expect to see them from now on.
Shadow Fight on Facebook: Kicks butt without a shadow of doubt
You wanted Mortal Kombat on Facebook? Well, you got it ... sort of, with Shadow Fight. Developed by European Nekki Games, Shadow Fight brings a much watered-down version of what Mortal Kombat was all about back in the day: beating the living snot out of each other. Notice I say "snot" and not something like "bones" or "internal organs." Of course, Shadow Fight is kids friendly, but it presents one of the simplest yet deepest fighting experiences on Facebook with just a few keys.
Sure, this is a social game, but Shadow Fight is truly all about the pugilism. Players can randomly choose opponents from their friend list to fight, each of which costing 40 Energy (that refills over time). These friends, luckily, do not need to have the game installed thanks to asynchronous combat, with players posting taunts to their opponents as they trade blows for three rounds. (Think Mafia Wars, but if the fights were actually acted out ... kung-fu style.)
Players--and their AI avatars--are matched up according to their Dan, or fighting level. To boost your Dan, you can always take an exam that costs 40 Energy. (And that's the cost of a standard fight--don't expect to fight very long per session.) The exam consists of a series of matches that you must complete without defeat. While earning Dan ranks you higher in competition, it also unlocks special abilities called Super Strikes and, in a later update, Fatalities. (Sound familiar?) But we've yet to even get into what fighting is like in Shadow Fight.
Gallery: Shadow Fight on Facebook
Frankly, it's graceful. Thanks to what appears to be a light physics engine underneath all that Flash, duelists soar through the air and move realistically as they strike one another with various punches and kicks. Players move their character with the arrow keys, and punch and kick using the "C" and "X" keys in a litany of combinations including wall jumps, leaping kicks and back flips.
Button mashing will only get you so far in Shadow Fight, so it pays to be attentive to what combinations do, and how to repeat them. This lends the game to skew a bit further to the hardcore gamer crowd, but with just two keys to keep up with I'm sure some of the FarmVille crowd could kick my butt in no time. (Oh, and the game supports real time, shared-screen multi-player too by splitting the keyboard.)
Shadow Fight in Action
To add some depth to the fight, players can purchase weapons in the Shop for Coins and Rubies, the game's paid currency. However, there are plenty of boosts to be bought as well that increase strength, heath and experience point gain. Though, most of which require Rating, or points earned from participating in tournaments. After gaining some Rating, you can even fight special bosses and later attack the ominous Gate of Shadows after acquiring their seals.
While visible social features take a slight backseat in Shadow Fight, the fighting in and of itself is social. Every fight counts toward friends' and global leader boards as well as posts messages to your friends' Facebook News Feeds to spur retaliation. Nekki's fighting simulator looks simple enough, but moves beautifully like any ninja battle game should. Shadow Fight somewhat shoehorns its way into Facebook, but does so with an ever-so graceful back flip ... and a roundhouse kick to the face.
Sure, this is a social game, but Shadow Fight is truly all about the pugilism. Players can randomly choose opponents from their friend list to fight, each of which costing 40 Energy (that refills over time). These friends, luckily, do not need to have the game installed thanks to asynchronous combat, with players posting taunts to their opponents as they trade blows for three rounds. (Think Mafia Wars, but if the fights were actually acted out ... kung-fu style.)
Players--and their AI avatars--are matched up according to their Dan, or fighting level. To boost your Dan, you can always take an exam that costs 40 Energy. (And that's the cost of a standard fight--don't expect to fight very long per session.) The exam consists of a series of matches that you must complete without defeat. While earning Dan ranks you higher in competition, it also unlocks special abilities called Super Strikes and, in a later update, Fatalities. (Sound familiar?) But we've yet to even get into what fighting is like in Shadow Fight.
Gallery: Shadow Fight on Facebook
Frankly, it's graceful. Thanks to what appears to be a light physics engine underneath all that Flash, duelists soar through the air and move realistically as they strike one another with various punches and kicks. Players move their character with the arrow keys, and punch and kick using the "C" and "X" keys in a litany of combinations including wall jumps, leaping kicks and back flips.
Button mashing will only get you so far in Shadow Fight, so it pays to be attentive to what combinations do, and how to repeat them. This lends the game to skew a bit further to the hardcore gamer crowd, but with just two keys to keep up with I'm sure some of the FarmVille crowd could kick my butt in no time. (Oh, and the game supports real time, shared-screen multi-player too by splitting the keyboard.)
Shadow Fight in Action
To add some depth to the fight, players can purchase weapons in the Shop for Coins and Rubies, the game's paid currency. However, there are plenty of boosts to be bought as well that increase strength, heath and experience point gain. Though, most of which require Rating, or points earned from participating in tournaments. After gaining some Rating, you can even fight special bosses and later attack the ominous Gate of Shadows after acquiring their seals.
While visible social features take a slight backseat in Shadow Fight, the fighting in and of itself is social. Every fight counts toward friends' and global leader boards as well as posts messages to your friends' Facebook News Feeds to spur retaliation. Nekki's fighting simulator looks simple enough, but moves beautifully like any ninja battle game should. Shadow Fight somewhat shoehorns its way into Facebook, but does so with an ever-so graceful back flip ... and a roundhouse kick to the face.
FarmVille CityVille Mailbox: Send yourself gifts between Zynga games
Apparently neither FarmVille nor CityVille have heard of email. That's the impression we get with a brand new and interesting feature that has dropped on ... both games, really. It's called the CityVille Mailbox, and when you log into FarmVille today you will be greeted with a message promoting this new tool.
Then, you'll of course be thrown into placement mode, so put the Mailbox any old place and get on with it. When you click on the Mailbox, you will discover its true power: the ability to send gifts to yourself between games. Did Zynga just eliminate the need for multiple accounts?
Well, it sure seems that way--at least for FarmVille and CityVille. Players can send themselves free (and useful) gifts once the feature is put in place in both games. (We imagine the process for placing the Mailbox in CityVille isn't far different from what we've found here.) Here are just a few of items you can send and receive:
FarmVille CityVille Mailbox Sent
CityVille:
Energy
Goods
Building Permits
CityVille Seal
Marble
Ribbon
Zoning Permits
FarmVille CityVille Mailbox Received
FarmVille:
Brick
Nail
Wooden Board
Mystery Gift
Special Delivery
Bottle
1/5 Fuel Refill
Love Potion
The main draw of this new feature is self-sufficiency. Finally, players can (legitimately) send themselves free gifts that are actually useful. However, we doubt you can send these gifts very often, so as to not beef players up too quickly in either game. Regardless, this feature is one of the best we've seen recently, and we hope to see more like it.
Then, you'll of course be thrown into placement mode, so put the Mailbox any old place and get on with it. When you click on the Mailbox, you will discover its true power: the ability to send gifts to yourself between games. Did Zynga just eliminate the need for multiple accounts?
Well, it sure seems that way--at least for FarmVille and CityVille. Players can send themselves free (and useful) gifts once the feature is put in place in both games. (We imagine the process for placing the Mailbox in CityVille isn't far different from what we've found here.) Here are just a few of items you can send and receive:
FarmVille CityVille Mailbox Sent
CityVille:
Energy
Goods
Building Permits
CityVille Seal
Marble
Ribbon
Zoning Permits
FarmVille CityVille Mailbox Received
FarmVille:
Brick
Nail
Wooden Board
Mystery Gift
Special Delivery
Bottle
1/5 Fuel Refill
Love Potion
The main draw of this new feature is self-sufficiency. Finally, players can (legitimately) send themselves free gifts that are actually useful. However, we doubt you can send these gifts very often, so as to not beef players up too quickly in either game. Regardless, this feature is one of the best we've seen recently, and we hope to see more like it.
Empires & Allies Cheats and Tips: Infinite resources await in old battles
Well, close enough, anyway. Thanks to crafty players on the Empires & Allies forums like Brisson, we have probably the greatest cheat you'll ever come across. (And we're ashamed to not have thought of it ourselves.)
It's this simple: Replay old campaign battles with upgraded units. Of course, the strategy for such a thing goes far deeper than that but be warned: This cheat is only possible after reaching a certain point in the game. To play on the safe side, don't try this until you're about Level 30.
1. Get the Goods
First things first, you'll need to get the equipment necessary for a trick like this work. Not to mention you'll need units that best match the battle you're looking to profit from. Brisson uses the example of grabbing at least three Sherman Tanks for the 7th Kai Tana battle in the Mercadia 1 series. Sherman Tanks require Level 26, cost 2,800 Coins, 140 Oil and seven Ore, and take 60 minutes to complete. Once you have these monsters, it's time to beef them up.
Kai Tana Mercadia 1
2. Better, Faster, Stronger
Once you've acquired your beefy units like the Sherman Tank (you can be creative if you like--just make sure it fits), it's time to give them the shot in the arm they need. So, head on over to the Army Research Lab and train the Sherman Tanks in Accuracy, which increases the chance of Critical Hits. (A damage or strength upgrade wouldn't hurt either.)
Sherman TankThis is vital to the process, because Critical Hits are proven to increase the amount of resources that an enemy drops in battle. And this is the sole reason for this strategy, the power of Critical Hits.
3. To Battle!
Now, it's time to try out your Sherman Tanks and blow up some planes. The 7th battle in the Mercadia 1 series features two fighter class Air units and two bomber class Air units. So, bring at least three of the Sherman Tanks along, and one pumped up unit to take care of the bombers. Even a basic, upgrade Cannon Artillery unit would do just fine.
Then, select the right targets and let the Critical Hits roll in, dropping all sorts of free resources and Energy to compensate for the Energy spent. Remember to have your Sherman Tanks and Cannon Artillery eventually upgraded to the max, because the lynch pin of this strategy is to lose as few units as possible in order to maximize your gains.
Rinse and repeat this until you have a load of new Oil, Wood, Ore, XP and Coins--and don't forget to keep that Bonus Bar going for extra Coins. Be sure to take advantage of this cheat before Zynga catches eye, as some players believe it already has, though nothing has been confirmed.
It's this simple: Replay old campaign battles with upgraded units. Of course, the strategy for such a thing goes far deeper than that but be warned: This cheat is only possible after reaching a certain point in the game. To play on the safe side, don't try this until you're about Level 30.
1. Get the Goods
First things first, you'll need to get the equipment necessary for a trick like this work. Not to mention you'll need units that best match the battle you're looking to profit from. Brisson uses the example of grabbing at least three Sherman Tanks for the 7th Kai Tana battle in the Mercadia 1 series. Sherman Tanks require Level 26, cost 2,800 Coins, 140 Oil and seven Ore, and take 60 minutes to complete. Once you have these monsters, it's time to beef them up.
Kai Tana Mercadia 1
2. Better, Faster, Stronger
Once you've acquired your beefy units like the Sherman Tank (you can be creative if you like--just make sure it fits), it's time to give them the shot in the arm they need. So, head on over to the Army Research Lab and train the Sherman Tanks in Accuracy, which increases the chance of Critical Hits. (A damage or strength upgrade wouldn't hurt either.)
Sherman TankThis is vital to the process, because Critical Hits are proven to increase the amount of resources that an enemy drops in battle. And this is the sole reason for this strategy, the power of Critical Hits.
3. To Battle!
Now, it's time to try out your Sherman Tanks and blow up some planes. The 7th battle in the Mercadia 1 series features two fighter class Air units and two bomber class Air units. So, bring at least three of the Sherman Tanks along, and one pumped up unit to take care of the bombers. Even a basic, upgrade Cannon Artillery unit would do just fine.
Then, select the right targets and let the Critical Hits roll in, dropping all sorts of free resources and Energy to compensate for the Energy spent. Remember to have your Sherman Tanks and Cannon Artillery eventually upgraded to the max, because the lynch pin of this strategy is to lose as few units as possible in order to maximize your gains.
Rinse and repeat this until you have a load of new Oil, Wood, Ore, XP and Coins--and don't forget to keep that Bonus Bar going for extra Coins. Be sure to take advantage of this cheat before Zynga catches eye, as some players believe it already has, though nothing has been confirmed.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Beauty Town - Fashion, Friends & Fun reminds us why open betas suck
Beauty Town loading screen
So the name of the game is Beauty Town - Fashion, Friends & Fun, but what do you see when you look at the loading screen? That's right, Beauty Town BETA. No matter how many Greek alphabet letters game makers stick at the end of their titles -- alpha, beta, gamma, et al -- if a game's been set loose upon the Facebook masses and there's a press release with the red carpet all rolled out, then it's safe to assume it's playable, right? Wrong!
Beauty Town: Loading out of space and out of time
Make no mistake, when Beauty Town loads, it's tons of fun, just like The Sims Social. But it's stuck in open beta hell right now, again, just like The Sims Social; except, Beauty Town hides it better. It does this by using lots of loading screens. They come with an image, a great big "Loading!" caption, and then a game tip below. Every time I see a loading screen now, I get scared it'll just hang there and the game will never move again. So far, I've counted 5 different loading screens, but there's more if you note the times the game matches the images to different captions, like some shell game and I'm the oblivious mark. Alright, I think I'll be quiet about the negatives now and let the other players do the rest of the kvetching for me.
Beauty Town choose body shape
So what's great about Beauty Town? It's combines two genres: the dress-up game (e.g. Crowdstar's IT Girl) and the store management game (e.g. Playdom's Market Street), but helps promote healthy body image and provides fashion advice to its players. Your customers also come personalized. Each one will have a unique story, and you can either help make them happy by picking the right outfit (based on the tips the game gives you) or you can pick the wrong pair of shoes and send those customers crying. And yes, you'll actually hear them cry.
Beauty Town: You Like Us! Give us 5 Stars! Feedback!
But do you know what's really, really hilarious? The bottom of the game screen has a bar (seen above) that has buttons to take you to their official Facebook fan page, a place to rate them 5 stars, and a feedback page. But if you 'like' the official Facebook fan page, you land on a page called BeautyTownTest (seen below). So yes, even their official Facebook fan page is in BETA! If you want the real page, you need to click on the 'Give us 5 Stars' button, which should take you there.
BeautyTownTest
The press release says that Beauty Town - Fashion, Friends & Fun was "created by Dynamo Games and funded by Channel 4 and Creative Scotland's Digital Media IP Fund". That's all well and good. It all sounds quite impressive. Now, can someone in that bunch polish up this diamond-in-the-rough of a game?
So the name of the game is Beauty Town - Fashion, Friends & Fun, but what do you see when you look at the loading screen? That's right, Beauty Town BETA. No matter how many Greek alphabet letters game makers stick at the end of their titles -- alpha, beta, gamma, et al -- if a game's been set loose upon the Facebook masses and there's a press release with the red carpet all rolled out, then it's safe to assume it's playable, right? Wrong!
Beauty Town: Loading out of space and out of time
Make no mistake, when Beauty Town loads, it's tons of fun, just like The Sims Social. But it's stuck in open beta hell right now, again, just like The Sims Social; except, Beauty Town hides it better. It does this by using lots of loading screens. They come with an image, a great big "Loading!" caption, and then a game tip below. Every time I see a loading screen now, I get scared it'll just hang there and the game will never move again. So far, I've counted 5 different loading screens, but there's more if you note the times the game matches the images to different captions, like some shell game and I'm the oblivious mark. Alright, I think I'll be quiet about the negatives now and let the other players do the rest of the kvetching for me.
Beauty Town choose body shape
So what's great about Beauty Town? It's combines two genres: the dress-up game (e.g. Crowdstar's IT Girl) and the store management game (e.g. Playdom's Market Street), but helps promote healthy body image and provides fashion advice to its players. Your customers also come personalized. Each one will have a unique story, and you can either help make them happy by picking the right outfit (based on the tips the game gives you) or you can pick the wrong pair of shoes and send those customers crying. And yes, you'll actually hear them cry.
Beauty Town: You Like Us! Give us 5 Stars! Feedback!
But do you know what's really, really hilarious? The bottom of the game screen has a bar (seen above) that has buttons to take you to their official Facebook fan page, a place to rate them 5 stars, and a feedback page. But if you 'like' the official Facebook fan page, you land on a page called BeautyTownTest (seen below). So yes, even their official Facebook fan page is in BETA! If you want the real page, you need to click on the 'Give us 5 Stars' button, which should take you there.
BeautyTownTest
The press release says that Beauty Town - Fashion, Friends & Fun was "created by Dynamo Games and funded by Channel 4 and Creative Scotland's Digital Media IP Fund". That's all well and good. It all sounds quite impressive. Now, can someone in that bunch polish up this diamond-in-the-rough of a game?
EA takes The Sims Social down, puts 'Coming Soon' sign up
It looks like the town of Littlehaven is having a power outage. Since around 2 a.m. Aug. 10, The Sims Social, EA's brand new ambitious attempt to bring its mega hit casual franchise to Facebook, has been out of commission.
When players head to the app through Facebook, they're greeted with an admittedly misleading sign that reads, "Coming Soon! Undergoing beta testing." However, The Sims Social is clearly already here, and is, according to EA, in its open beta. (Or, if you ask us, its release.)
EA and Playfish have clarified on The Sims Social forums that the game is currently down for repairs, and that it will not reset players' progress, as many fans already fear. Here's the full statement from Playfish Community Manager Lady Coconut:
"The Sims Social is currently in Open Beta, which means we're calibrating and fine-tuning to ensure you will have the best playing experience possible. Please bear with us while we fix some of the issues that some of you have been having, during which time the game may be unavailable from time-to-time. Rest assured that we will not be resetting the game during this maintenance period, so you won't lose any progress, SimCash or relationships that you have built up so far."
We're sure that The Sims Social would prove to be an impressive addition to the company's Facebook catalog, if we could just play it already. (Based on my brief, brief experience with the game, I'm actually enjoying it, mind you.) Yesterday, the game suffered a number of issues regarding performance, and our guess is that this is the result of those frequent crashes, freeze-ups and other errors players have been struggling to play the game through. No ETA has been given on The Sims Social's return, so I guess you could go play the original Sims games while you wait. Just remember to check back ... eventually. We've contacted EA for comment.
What do you think of EA taking its brand new game down already just after mere hours of its launch? Do you think the game will recover from the setback?
When players head to the app through Facebook, they're greeted with an admittedly misleading sign that reads, "Coming Soon! Undergoing beta testing." However, The Sims Social is clearly already here, and is, according to EA, in its open beta. (Or, if you ask us, its release.)
EA and Playfish have clarified on The Sims Social forums that the game is currently down for repairs, and that it will not reset players' progress, as many fans already fear. Here's the full statement from Playfish Community Manager Lady Coconut:
"The Sims Social is currently in Open Beta, which means we're calibrating and fine-tuning to ensure you will have the best playing experience possible. Please bear with us while we fix some of the issues that some of you have been having, during which time the game may be unavailable from time-to-time. Rest assured that we will not be resetting the game during this maintenance period, so you won't lose any progress, SimCash or relationships that you have built up so far."
We're sure that The Sims Social would prove to be an impressive addition to the company's Facebook catalog, if we could just play it already. (Based on my brief, brief experience with the game, I'm actually enjoying it, mind you.) Yesterday, the game suffered a number of issues regarding performance, and our guess is that this is the result of those frequent crashes, freeze-ups and other errors players have been struggling to play the game through. No ETA has been given on The Sims Social's return, so I guess you could go play the original Sims games while you wait. Just remember to check back ... eventually. We've contacted EA for comment.
What do you think of EA taking its brand new game down already just after mere hours of its launch? Do you think the game will recover from the setback?
FarmVille for iPhone Update 2.2 is here, and for real this time
We swear--check it for yourselves. Zynga has officially released Update 2.2 for its mobile version of FarmVille for iPhone. Just this past Monday, Zynga psyched everyone out on Facebook, posting a reminder for players to update their mobile FarmVille when a new update hadn't been released since May.
Finally, the developer has made good on its request and, surprisingly, the update contains a good amount of new features. Here's the list of changes, according to the App Store:
Ability to view Sheep and Pigs you have bred
Easier to drive your tractors, harvesters and combines without pop-ups!
Added stability to your feed posts, so don't forget to share all that wealth with your Neighbors!
Bug fixes
Wait, did Zynga just say fewer pop-ups? Alright, I'm interested. And being able to share more easily is always a plus. However, my brief test with the new version resulted in a failed attempt at sharing some fuel, and a pop-up appeared while plowing. (Though, it was one to share some fuel I found while plowing, which is the exact attempt to share that failed.) Let me double check ... yup, that's exactly what this update was designed to prevent.
FarmVille iPhone Sheep Pen
So, your mileage with FarmVille for iPhone version 2.2 might vary. Hey, at least the Sheep Pen and Pig Pen feature are kinda nifty--you can even take the new sheep and pigs out (and put them back in) of the Pens for use. Though, I'm still not sure this changes as much as we'd like.
Click here to download FarmVille for iPhone Version 2.2 Now >
Are you satisfied with the changes Zynga has made to FarmVille for iPhone? What other changes do you think need to be made?
Finally, the developer has made good on its request and, surprisingly, the update contains a good amount of new features. Here's the list of changes, according to the App Store:
Ability to view Sheep and Pigs you have bred
Easier to drive your tractors, harvesters and combines without pop-ups!
Added stability to your feed posts, so don't forget to share all that wealth with your Neighbors!
Bug fixes
Wait, did Zynga just say fewer pop-ups? Alright, I'm interested. And being able to share more easily is always a plus. However, my brief test with the new version resulted in a failed attempt at sharing some fuel, and a pop-up appeared while plowing. (Though, it was one to share some fuel I found while plowing, which is the exact attempt to share that failed.) Let me double check ... yup, that's exactly what this update was designed to prevent.
FarmVille iPhone Sheep Pen
So, your mileage with FarmVille for iPhone version 2.2 might vary. Hey, at least the Sheep Pen and Pig Pen feature are kinda nifty--you can even take the new sheep and pigs out (and put them back in) of the Pens for use. Though, I'm still not sure this changes as much as we'd like.
Click here to download FarmVille for iPhone Version 2.2 Now >
Are you satisfied with the changes Zynga has made to FarmVille for iPhone? What other changes do you think need to be made?
Kixeye CEO: 'CityVille is a good game,' but its 'exact opposite audience'
The real question is, however, is would Kixeye CEO Will Harbin (pictured) call Empires & Allies, the number one strategy game on Facebook, a good strategy game? During an interview with Gamasutra, Harbin got into his company's struggles to prove that Facebook truly is a legitimate gaming platform. He mentioned that, based on his first interactions with FarmVille that he "wouldn't call it a game." However, when CityVille released in late 2010, Harbin was visibly impressed.
"When more of the traditional game guys came into Zynga, you started seeing more original titles," Harbin told Gamasutra. "CityVille is a good app, it's a good game! They kind of took like the interesting parts of, say SimCity, combining with the harvesting mechanics of FarmVille. I was pretty surprised when Zynga launched that game; it was a lot better than I expected of what they could do."
It's interesting that Harbin makes this point considering Zynga's CityVille has under fire from companies like Brazilian developer Vostu, which claims that the big time creator has copied other games while designing its own city-builder. But more importantly, Harbin makes a distinction between his audience and the FarmVille crowd: They're not the same at all. Harbin has no interest in catering to this audience, and that approach has apparently done Kixeye quite well. (And the company likely hopes it will do even better with its upcoming game, War Commander.)
"... Battle Pirates launched about a little while ago, and it's doing super well, it's very sticky in terms the users that are playing," Harbin gushed to Gamasutra. "That game was really driven by us wanting to make cool games that we wanted to play that aren't on Facebook. That's the bottom line. I'm on Facebook hours a day, and all these people are playing games are putting stupid crap on my wall. There's something to this, but there's no content that appeals specifically to me."
While Harbin goes on to elaborate, which you can read here, the main takeaway is this: Harbin and Kixeye claim to attract an audience that is not your average social gamer, and they're doing quite well at it. In fact, players of games like Kixeye's Battle Pirates--the company's most recent real-time strategy game--are coming from their Starcraft's and Call of Duty's for a hardcore experience on Facebook, according to Harbin. So, will the existing nearly 80 million hardcore Facebook gamers grow? If Harbin and Kixeye have anything to do about, then absolutely.
[Image Credit: Kixeye]
Do you think Kixeye is smart in approaching an entirely different audience from Zynga? Do you see more hardcore game genres coming to Facebook than simply strategy games?
"When more of the traditional game guys came into Zynga, you started seeing more original titles," Harbin told Gamasutra. "CityVille is a good app, it's a good game! They kind of took like the interesting parts of, say SimCity, combining with the harvesting mechanics of FarmVille. I was pretty surprised when Zynga launched that game; it was a lot better than I expected of what they could do."
It's interesting that Harbin makes this point considering Zynga's CityVille has under fire from companies like Brazilian developer Vostu, which claims that the big time creator has copied other games while designing its own city-builder. But more importantly, Harbin makes a distinction between his audience and the FarmVille crowd: They're not the same at all. Harbin has no interest in catering to this audience, and that approach has apparently done Kixeye quite well. (And the company likely hopes it will do even better with its upcoming game, War Commander.)
"... Battle Pirates launched about a little while ago, and it's doing super well, it's very sticky in terms the users that are playing," Harbin gushed to Gamasutra. "That game was really driven by us wanting to make cool games that we wanted to play that aren't on Facebook. That's the bottom line. I'm on Facebook hours a day, and all these people are playing games are putting stupid crap on my wall. There's something to this, but there's no content that appeals specifically to me."
While Harbin goes on to elaborate, which you can read here, the main takeaway is this: Harbin and Kixeye claim to attract an audience that is not your average social gamer, and they're doing quite well at it. In fact, players of games like Kixeye's Battle Pirates--the company's most recent real-time strategy game--are coming from their Starcraft's and Call of Duty's for a hardcore experience on Facebook, according to Harbin. So, will the existing nearly 80 million hardcore Facebook gamers grow? If Harbin and Kixeye have anything to do about, then absolutely.
[Image Credit: Kixeye]
Do you think Kixeye is smart in approaching an entirely different audience from Zynga? Do you see more hardcore game genres coming to Facebook than simply strategy games?
Portal creator takes hint from Zynga, updates Steam with game, item gifting
Well, imitation is the finest form of flattery. GamePro reports that Valve, the creator of hit shooters like Portal, Team Fortress 2 (TF2) and the popular online game store slash community Steam, has introduced out-of-game hat trading to TF2. Better yet, Steam users can trade and gift full games with one another, though they must be brand new, never-before-played copies.
Now, a little background: As players bust a cap into numerous enemies in TF2 they accumulate or buy hats, cosmetic items that change their characters' headdress into slightly more unique designs (usually in humorous ways like so). Before today, players could only trade hats within the game, but now players can trade and gift these items from Steam client. The feature is called Steam Trading, and it sure sounds a lot like gifting in games like FarmVille and Empires & Allies.
In Facebook games, gifting can be done both in an outside of the game through either each game's gifting page or by responding to News Feed posts that friends provide. Since this Steam Trading system works within its Group Chat and Steam Friends list, we're gonna go out on a limb and say that this is less coincidence and more ... adaptation.
While trading full games to other players is certainly new regardless, it's the fact that Steam is opening itself up to this new layer of friend interaction normally reserved for social games that's interesting. This is far from the first move Valve has made with its Steam platform toward social game-like tendencies. First, the company brought in free-to-play games like Spiral Knights--of course, social games are free-to-play as well. Then, Valve introduced a free component to TF2, allowing players to enjoy a somewhat limited version of the game for no upfront cost, though it was sure to keep those micro-transactions open.
Now, players can send each other gifts without even opening TF2, and can send each other full games from the Steam client (as long as they're brand new copies, like leftovers from a bundle purchase). And Valve has even introduced Friend Tagging to the service to more easily organize and search for your friends--likely those who gift often.
Steam Trading is currently in beta testing--and we all know what sometime implies--but this feature won't stop here. According to GamePro, Steam Trading will cross over into Portal 2 and later the developer's third-party game offerings. Valve games like Team Fortress 2 are tightrope-walking the line between hardcore and Facebook game, and we have a good feeling of which way they're going to fall in the future. To learn more about Steam Trading, check out the FAQ here.
Are you interested in TF2 now that you can trade items with your friends? Do you think Valve is headed in the right direction with these and past changes to its games offerings?
Now, a little background: As players bust a cap into numerous enemies in TF2 they accumulate or buy hats, cosmetic items that change their characters' headdress into slightly more unique designs (usually in humorous ways like so). Before today, players could only trade hats within the game, but now players can trade and gift these items from Steam client. The feature is called Steam Trading, and it sure sounds a lot like gifting in games like FarmVille and Empires & Allies.
In Facebook games, gifting can be done both in an outside of the game through either each game's gifting page or by responding to News Feed posts that friends provide. Since this Steam Trading system works within its Group Chat and Steam Friends list, we're gonna go out on a limb and say that this is less coincidence and more ... adaptation.
While trading full games to other players is certainly new regardless, it's the fact that Steam is opening itself up to this new layer of friend interaction normally reserved for social games that's interesting. This is far from the first move Valve has made with its Steam platform toward social game-like tendencies. First, the company brought in free-to-play games like Spiral Knights--of course, social games are free-to-play as well. Then, Valve introduced a free component to TF2, allowing players to enjoy a somewhat limited version of the game for no upfront cost, though it was sure to keep those micro-transactions open.
Now, players can send each other gifts without even opening TF2, and can send each other full games from the Steam client (as long as they're brand new copies, like leftovers from a bundle purchase). And Valve has even introduced Friend Tagging to the service to more easily organize and search for your friends--likely those who gift often.
Steam Trading is currently in beta testing--and we all know what sometime implies--but this feature won't stop here. According to GamePro, Steam Trading will cross over into Portal 2 and later the developer's third-party game offerings. Valve games like Team Fortress 2 are tightrope-walking the line between hardcore and Facebook game, and we have a good feeling of which way they're going to fall in the future. To learn more about Steam Trading, check out the FAQ here.
Are you interested in TF2 now that you can trade items with your friends? Do you think Valve is headed in the right direction with these and past changes to its games offerings?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Breeding Pens for all Animals incoming
Ever wanted a purple cow with orange polka dots in FarmVille? Well, thanks to an upcoming feature, that might just happen. It looks like Zynga will soon introduce breeding for Animals of all kinds to the game.
This teaser image below shows that the new Breeding Pens will be heavily decorated. Of course, the image doesn't explain whether each new species will have its own pen or whether all animals will be bred in a single pen.
However, what we do know is that this feature will be introduced through a new character. He looks to be the Jack Hannah or Steve Irwin type. You know, a guy crazy enough to interact with all sorts of wild and crazy creatures?
We can also deduce at least a few of the animals that will available for breeding for this feature, like rare Horses, Cows, Dogs, Chickens, Deer and Goats. Now, if only Zynga would classify Dragons as animals.
FarmVille Animal Breeding Pens
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Pro]
Have you seen this teaser appear in your version of the game yet? Which type of animal are you most excited about breeding?
This teaser image below shows that the new Breeding Pens will be heavily decorated. Of course, the image doesn't explain whether each new species will have its own pen or whether all animals will be bred in a single pen.
However, what we do know is that this feature will be introduced through a new character. He looks to be the Jack Hannah or Steve Irwin type. You know, a guy crazy enough to interact with all sorts of wild and crazy creatures?
We can also deduce at least a few of the animals that will available for breeding for this feature, like rare Horses, Cows, Dogs, Chickens, Deer and Goats. Now, if only Zynga would classify Dragons as animals.
FarmVille Animal Breeding Pens
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Pro]
Have you seen this teaser appear in your version of the game yet? Which type of animal are you most excited about breeding?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Do Not Pass Go on Jest84's Monopoly board
Monopoly board editions are endless, and we feel it's only a matter of time before Zynga starts knocking on Hasbro for a FarmVille board themselves. But one talented fan, Jest84, took it upon himself to design his own board.
Judging by his online art gallery, designing Monopoly boards is an ardent hobby of his, cause besides FarmVille, Jest84 has also created boards for games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, World of Warcraft, and Kingdom Hearts. But if you're after an actual FarmVille farm today, then hold tight, cause we've got one coming right up that's also Monopoly related...
Click the image to make it larger.
...welcome to FarmVille-opoly! This is an oldie (dated April 2010), but a goodie from the unofficial fan group "FarmVille Art" on Facebook. The trouble with them is that they rarely, if ever, credit the farm creators for their artwork. So unfortunately, whoever built this magnificent board will just have to remain anonymous for now.
[Sources: Deviant Art and FarmVille Art]
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Judging by his online art gallery, designing Monopoly boards is an ardent hobby of his, cause besides FarmVille, Jest84 has also created boards for games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, World of Warcraft, and Kingdom Hearts. But if you're after an actual FarmVille farm today, then hold tight, cause we've got one coming right up that's also Monopoly related...
Click the image to make it larger.
...welcome to FarmVille-opoly! This is an oldie (dated April 2010), but a goodie from the unofficial fan group "FarmVille Art" on Facebook. The trouble with them is that they rarely, if ever, credit the farm creators for their artwork. So unfortunately, whoever built this magnificent board will just have to remain anonymous for now.
[Sources: Deviant Art and FarmVille Art]
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
FarmVille Fairy Garden Trees: Pink Hanging and Purple Hanging Trees
So long, Vineyard items! Ok, so maybe the items haven't all disappeared from the store (yet), but that doesn't mean that Zynga can't welcome a new limited edition item theme in FarmVille, as this evening they've launched the Fairy Garden theme with these two new trees: the Pink Hanging Tree and Purple Hanging Tree.
In this particular pair, the Pink Hanging Tree is the level one option, costing 7 Farm Cash, while the Purple Hanging Tree is available for 15 Farm Cash, or for free if you're willing to wait for one to appear from Pink Hanging Tree Mystery Seedlings, or for your friends to post some on their walls. Either way, I'm sorry to say that currently, it looks like Zynga is trying to earn as much cash as possible from users by raising the standard tree price to 7 (from its normal price of 5). Unfortunately, unless all users suddenly decide to stop purchasing these trees at the higher price tags (I know ignoring them is hard to do), I doubt we'll see Zynga ditching the higher price anytime soon.
Either way, these two trees will only be available for the next two weeks. Whether this Fairy Garden theme will see another item release, or if this is a one-and-done situation remains to be seen, but we'll make sure to let you know if new items are released. We'd expect them to launch sometime this weekend, so keep that in mind as you keep farming the rest of the week!
Will you purchase either of these Fairy Garden Trees, or do you think users should boycott purchasing trees at the higher price tags to force Zynga to lower them?
In this particular pair, the Pink Hanging Tree is the level one option, costing 7 Farm Cash, while the Purple Hanging Tree is available for 15 Farm Cash, or for free if you're willing to wait for one to appear from Pink Hanging Tree Mystery Seedlings, or for your friends to post some on their walls. Either way, I'm sorry to say that currently, it looks like Zynga is trying to earn as much cash as possible from users by raising the standard tree price to 7 (from its normal price of 5). Unfortunately, unless all users suddenly decide to stop purchasing these trees at the higher price tags (I know ignoring them is hard to do), I doubt we'll see Zynga ditching the higher price anytime soon.
Either way, these two trees will only be available for the next two weeks. Whether this Fairy Garden theme will see another item release, or if this is a one-and-done situation remains to be seen, but we'll make sure to let you know if new items are released. We'd expect them to launch sometime this weekend, so keep that in mind as you keep farming the rest of the week!
Will you purchase either of these Fairy Garden Trees, or do you think users should boycott purchasing trees at the higher price tags to force Zynga to lower them?
FarmVille Fairy Garden Animals: Vineyard Horse comes back around
With tonight's FarmVIlle update, we see a bit of scandal erupting on the barnyard. With the new Fairy Garden theme, we actually see the re-release of the Vineyard Horse which was formerly available in a Vineyard-themed Mystery Game. The horse costs 30 Farm Cash to simply purchase one outright, so if you spent more than that in the Mystery Game to earn one before, I can definitely see a justification in contacting Customer Service about a potential refund (since this re-release happened so quickly).
Either way, two other animals have been released in the theme, although one isn't marked, so watch out! You can buy a Mini Purple Unicorn for 35 Farm Cash (it won't produce a foal), or a new Fairy Horse, complete with wings, for 26 Farm Cash... and yes, that one will produce a Fairy Foal. The Fairy Horse's first star of mastery comes at just two harvests, while the Mini Purple Unicorn won't hit its first star until 19 harvests. While the Mini Purple Unicorn isn't specifically marked as a part of the Fairy Garden theme, it does come with the same limited edition time limit as the others: two weeks from this writing.
All we can say for now is that if you're going to contact Zynga about the Vineyard Horse issue, make sure to do so sooner, rather than later, to have the best chance of convincing them to refund your Farm Cash. Good luck!
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Did you spend dozens (or even hundreds) of Farm Cash to earn a Vineyard Horse during their original release? Will you purchase this new unicorn?
Either way, two other animals have been released in the theme, although one isn't marked, so watch out! You can buy a Mini Purple Unicorn for 35 Farm Cash (it won't produce a foal), or a new Fairy Horse, complete with wings, for 26 Farm Cash... and yes, that one will produce a Fairy Foal. The Fairy Horse's first star of mastery comes at just two harvests, while the Mini Purple Unicorn won't hit its first star until 19 harvests. While the Mini Purple Unicorn isn't specifically marked as a part of the Fairy Garden theme, it does come with the same limited edition time limit as the others: two weeks from this writing.
All we can say for now is that if you're going to contact Zynga about the Vineyard Horse issue, make sure to do so sooner, rather than later, to have the best chance of convincing them to refund your Farm Cash. Good luck!
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Did you spend dozens (or even hundreds) of Farm Cash to earn a Vineyard Horse during their original release? Will you purchase this new unicorn?
FarmVille Fairy Garden Decorations: Fairy Flower Gnome, Red Toadstool House, Fantasy Bird and more
Along with the new trees and animals released in the equally new Fairy Garden theme in FarmVille comes a set of buildings and decorations that will quickly give any fairy or enchanted-themed area on your farm that special touch of luxury. Two buildings come in the form of the Red Toadstool House and Fairy Cottage, and both are "on sale," meaning that they've been released for a "lesser" Farm Cash price, with the understanding that the price may increase at some point in the future. For now, the Red Toadstool House costs 10 Farm Cash (down from 15), and the Fairy Cottage costs 20 Farm Cash (down from 30). Also, it should be noted that another building has been released previously with the exact name "Fairy Cottage," but the items are different. We expect Zynga to change the name of one or both soon to avoid further confusion.
As for the decorations, you can pick up a Fantasy Bird for 10 Farm Cash, an Overgrown Arch (overgrown with plant life) for 1 Farm Cash, and individual pieces of Wooden Fencing for 5,000 coins each. There's even a Wooden Gate available for you to add an opening to your newly fenced-in area for 10,000 coins. One final decorative item is the Fairy Flower Gnome, which also costs 10 Farm Cash. Both it and the Fantasy Bird come with the sale prices, allowing you to save 5 Farm Cash on the Gnome and what looks like 6 Farm Cash on the Fantasy Bird (the crossed-out price is hard to decipher).
All told, these new items will be available for the next two weeks, but remember that these sale prices are subject to change (increase) at any time, either with or without notice. Wouldn't you rather purchase these items now, while you're semi-guaranteed to get them on sale?
How many of these Fairy Garden items will you purchase for your land? Did you already purchase the Fairy Tale theme's Fairy Cottage?
As for the decorations, you can pick up a Fantasy Bird for 10 Farm Cash, an Overgrown Arch (overgrown with plant life) for 1 Farm Cash, and individual pieces of Wooden Fencing for 5,000 coins each. There's even a Wooden Gate available for you to add an opening to your newly fenced-in area for 10,000 coins. One final decorative item is the Fairy Flower Gnome, which also costs 10 Farm Cash. Both it and the Fantasy Bird come with the sale prices, allowing you to save 5 Farm Cash on the Gnome and what looks like 6 Farm Cash on the Fantasy Bird (the crossed-out price is hard to decipher).
All told, these new items will be available for the next two weeks, but remember that these sale prices are subject to change (increase) at any time, either with or without notice. Wouldn't you rather purchase these items now, while you're semi-guaranteed to get them on sale?
How many of these Fairy Garden items will you purchase for your land? Did you already purchase the Fairy Tale theme's Fairy Cottage?
Thursday, December 15, 2011
What's in a name: Playdom rebrands City of Might as City of Warfare?
Not much, apparently. Fusible reports that Gardens of Time maker Playdom filed for the trademark "City of Warfare" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 26. While the website seems to think that the developer is creating a whole new game, we're thinking that Playdom might simply be rebranding its upcoming City of Might as City of Warfare.
Regardless, the game will almost certainly center around the same premise that we caught a glimpse of at this year's E3. When we last saw City of Might, it looked to build a franchise out of Playdom's existing City of Wonder and enter new genres. However, the game appeared to be terribly reminiscent of competitors like Empires & Allies and perhaps more hardcore social strategy games.
The game was expected to launch this summer, but has yet to leave its closed beta test. Since then, Playdom has teased two more games, Galaxy of Wonder and Secret Agent X. The first of which sounds like it will take the familiar City of Wonder gameplay into a new environment, while the latter appears to entertain new gameplay ideas.
Regardless, City of Migh--er, Warfare should be close to release, if the company was willing to show it in action months ago. Fusible mentions that it nailed the Gnome Town trademark right on the nose, only for Playdom to release the game days later, so perhaps we're even closer. The developer also plans to release games focusing on Disney brands--it's about time.
Why do you think Playdom might rebrand City of Might as City of Warfare? Could this game give E&A and other Facebook strategy games a run for their money?
Regardless, the game will almost certainly center around the same premise that we caught a glimpse of at this year's E3. When we last saw City of Might, it looked to build a franchise out of Playdom's existing City of Wonder and enter new genres. However, the game appeared to be terribly reminiscent of competitors like Empires & Allies and perhaps more hardcore social strategy games.
The game was expected to launch this summer, but has yet to leave its closed beta test. Since then, Playdom has teased two more games, Galaxy of Wonder and Secret Agent X. The first of which sounds like it will take the familiar City of Wonder gameplay into a new environment, while the latter appears to entertain new gameplay ideas.
Regardless, City of Migh--er, Warfare should be close to release, if the company was willing to show it in action months ago. Fusible mentions that it nailed the Gnome Town trademark right on the nose, only for Playdom to release the game days later, so perhaps we're even closer. The developer also plans to release games focusing on Disney brands--it's about time.
Why do you think Playdom might rebrand City of Might as City of Warfare? Could this game give E&A and other Facebook strategy games a run for their money?
Angry Birds flies (and crashes) past half a billion downloads [Video]
The Angry Birds games are, for all intents and purposes, a cultural phenomenon at this point. And that's chalked up to more than just how many times the games have been downloaded--the things are dang near everywhere. Rovio CMO Peter Vesterbacka announced at Slush 2011 in Finland that its flagship game series has been downloaded over 500 million times.
And, according to TechCrunch, the game reportedly experienced 100 million of those downloads in the past two weeks alone. As of earlier this month, the game enjoys over 130 million monthly players and over 30 million daily players. To put things into perspective, the equivalent of over half of Zynga's monthly player base across all of its games is playing a single game.
Rovio is doing everything in its power to keep the money-printing franchise relevant. Everything from Angry Birds plush toys to t-shirts and a cookbook have been released. (Let's not forget about the feature film that's slated for 2014.) And to celebrate, Rovio created this nifty video showing off how awesome it is. The red bird literally soars through milestones, one of which being that 200,000 years worth of Angry Birds has been played to date.
No wonder Rovio is eying up a $1 billion initial public offering. However, many wonder whether the franchise can remain relevant as the Finnish developer skyrockets toward its goal of 1 billion Angry Birds players. To ensure everything goes according to plan, Rovio looks to bring the birds into new game genres. Angry Karts, anyone?
[Image Credit: Mohamed Raoof]
Do you think the Angry Birds can go up from here? What type of Angry Birds game would you like to see next?
And, according to TechCrunch, the game reportedly experienced 100 million of those downloads in the past two weeks alone. As of earlier this month, the game enjoys over 130 million monthly players and over 30 million daily players. To put things into perspective, the equivalent of over half of Zynga's monthly player base across all of its games is playing a single game.
Rovio is doing everything in its power to keep the money-printing franchise relevant. Everything from Angry Birds plush toys to t-shirts and a cookbook have been released. (Let's not forget about the feature film that's slated for 2014.) And to celebrate, Rovio created this nifty video showing off how awesome it is. The red bird literally soars through milestones, one of which being that 200,000 years worth of Angry Birds has been played to date.
No wonder Rovio is eying up a $1 billion initial public offering. However, many wonder whether the franchise can remain relevant as the Finnish developer skyrockets toward its goal of 1 billion Angry Birds players. To ensure everything goes according to plan, Rovio looks to bring the birds into new game genres. Angry Karts, anyone?
[Image Credit: Mohamed Raoof]
Do you think the Angry Birds can go up from here? What type of Angry Birds game would you like to see next?
How FarmVille-maker Zynga is changing the game industry
Some might say Hollywood has had the biggest influence on gaming, and others will argue that the late Steve Jobs is one of the most important figures in gaming. FarmVille-maker Zynga is also wielding a pretty big hammer, though you might be hard pressed to find many game makers who will freely admit to it.
Save for MMO maker Todd Coleman. The KingsIsle creative director, responsible for the kid-friendly MMO Wizard 101, says that Zynga games were a major inspiration for Grub Guardians, an online tower defense game that also serves as a companion game to Wizard 101.
"We're taking a trick from the Zynga playbook," he says. "The trick is that players like to connect to a game's advancement curve, they like to make forward progress from whatever device they have handy."
In this case, players who want to get ahead in Wizard 101, but don't have a computer handy, will be able to do so by playing Grub Guardians. Play a few rounds of the tower defense game in whatever browser you have handy (and later on iOS and Android devices), then score new items and experience for your pet in Wizard.
"Sometimes players take 15 minutes, sometimes two hours, sometimes just 30 seconds to play Wizard. We thought it would be interesting to expose smaller, more digestible entry points to make advancements in the game," Coleman says.
The one way Zynga isn't influencing this MMO developer? Metrics. Zynga is notorious for crunching numbers and then using them to drive the game making process. Coleman maintains that when it comes to making games with more complexity than, say, FarmVille, you can't just rely on data to make decisions. Sometimes, he says, you just have to go with your gut.
Coleman and crew's guts seems to be leading down the right path (Wizard 101 has 13 million unique users a month, according to the Gamasutra article), though it's also hard to argue with Zynga's number crunching ways when a simple game like FarmVille brings in 28 million players a month. In the battle of gut vs. numbers -- numbers win. Or do they?
Save for MMO maker Todd Coleman. The KingsIsle creative director, responsible for the kid-friendly MMO Wizard 101, says that Zynga games were a major inspiration for Grub Guardians, an online tower defense game that also serves as a companion game to Wizard 101.
"We're taking a trick from the Zynga playbook," he says. "The trick is that players like to connect to a game's advancement curve, they like to make forward progress from whatever device they have handy."
In this case, players who want to get ahead in Wizard 101, but don't have a computer handy, will be able to do so by playing Grub Guardians. Play a few rounds of the tower defense game in whatever browser you have handy (and later on iOS and Android devices), then score new items and experience for your pet in Wizard.
"Sometimes players take 15 minutes, sometimes two hours, sometimes just 30 seconds to play Wizard. We thought it would be interesting to expose smaller, more digestible entry points to make advancements in the game," Coleman says.
The one way Zynga isn't influencing this MMO developer? Metrics. Zynga is notorious for crunching numbers and then using them to drive the game making process. Coleman maintains that when it comes to making games with more complexity than, say, FarmVille, you can't just rely on data to make decisions. Sometimes, he says, you just have to go with your gut.
Coleman and crew's guts seems to be leading down the right path (Wizard 101 has 13 million unique users a month, according to the Gamasutra article), though it's also hard to argue with Zynga's number crunching ways when a simple game like FarmVille brings in 28 million players a month. In the battle of gut vs. numbers -- numbers win. Or do they?
CityVille Hometown is here, your miniature mobile metropolis awaits
Well, it's about time. After going live on the Canadian App Store weeks ago, CityVille Hometown is finally here in the US and globally for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
Click here to download CityVille Hometown on the Apple App Store Now >
Are you psyched to see Zynga release more mobile games? What do you think of CityVille Hometown, and what do you hope the company releases next?
The game marks a list of firsts for Zynga in that it's the company's first game to release on all iOS platforms simultaneously, not to mention its first mobile game to release in five languages.
The game allows players to import their existing Facebook and CityVille friends into a new, but separate mobile experience in the franchise. (Note: This is not a mobile extension of your CityVille web game, but a brand new one.)
However, the game will allow CityVille Hometown players to exchange gifts and resources to one another to lend a helping hand. And don't worry, you can visit their towns, too. For lucky iPhone 4 users out there, the game has fancy Retina Display graphics to boot. See for yourself in the trailer below.
Click here to download CityVille Hometown on the Apple App Store Now >
Are you psyched to see Zynga release more mobile games? What do you think of CityVille Hometown, and what do you hope the company releases next?
Quote of the Moment: 'There is no right way to do [social games]'
That's what Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price (pictured) said to GameSpot during an interview. The company has recently created Insomniac Click, its very own social games studio. But forming a social games wing has had deeper effects than simply making executives see green. Social gaming has apparetly permeated how the studio approaches its core game franchises like Resistance and Rachet & Clank on the PS3.
"What we are learning as we get further into social game development is the importance of on-boarding, the importance of social hooks, and reaching the broadest audience possible while delivering a AAA experience," Price told GameSpot. "These are things that we of course considered in console development, but as we are building social games we have to be even more focused on particular aspects of development, and because of that, we are learning a lot that also applies to our console games. And as a result, we are learning lessons that we probably wouldn't have learned if we were purely focused on our console games."
In other words, social games have had a visible effect on how the studio creates and maintains its existing console games. No, you won't come across farms to grow as you fend off the alien invasion, but you might "share" the fun with your friends. Price went on to say that the existence of Insomniac Click has led the studio to consider a bigger focus on community in its games. Then, the Insomniac head gets even more real for a second.
"Well, most of us are trying to figure out exactly where we want to focus in terms of making our mark in social games, because there is so much experimentation happening every day, and there is no right way to do it," Price said. "That's what is exciting about it." (And we seriously doubt Insomniac Games is alone there.)
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
What do you hope or expect will come from Insomniac Click? Do you think social games will have a lasting effect on the games business overall?
"What we are learning as we get further into social game development is the importance of on-boarding, the importance of social hooks, and reaching the broadest audience possible while delivering a AAA experience," Price told GameSpot. "These are things that we of course considered in console development, but as we are building social games we have to be even more focused on particular aspects of development, and because of that, we are learning a lot that also applies to our console games. And as a result, we are learning lessons that we probably wouldn't have learned if we were purely focused on our console games."
In other words, social games have had a visible effect on how the studio creates and maintains its existing console games. No, you won't come across farms to grow as you fend off the alien invasion, but you might "share" the fun with your friends. Price went on to say that the existence of Insomniac Click has led the studio to consider a bigger focus on community in its games. Then, the Insomniac head gets even more real for a second.
"Well, most of us are trying to figure out exactly where we want to focus in terms of making our mark in social games, because there is so much experimentation happening every day, and there is no right way to do it," Price said. "That's what is exciting about it." (And we seriously doubt Insomniac Games is alone there.)
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
What do you hope or expect will come from Insomniac Click? Do you think social games will have a lasting effect on the games business overall?
Supercell blows up on Facebook with real-time multiplayer Gunshine.net
Many seem to believe that hardcore or traditional gamers are waiting to be captivated on Facebook. Helinski, Finland based social game developer Supercell would be one of them. After five months of open beta testing, the company has formally released Gunshine.net to Facebook, an isometric, real-time multiplayer RPG (role-playing game) for the core gaming crowd.
The game already exists on the website of the same name, but this version is said to combine an open world and real-time combat with social features like hiring friends and team creation to take on daunting bosses. Gunshine.net takes place in a dystopian, sci-fi world where players do battle on an isometric map. Players arrive in a pristine island called Dreamwake, tasked with fighting off infected citizens and later uncover just what's going on here.
Ultimately, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen wants to prove that this type of social game can work successfully on Facebook. "We intend to get ahead of the curve and challenge the big guys," Paananen said in a release. "With Gunshine.net, we wanted to reach a niche group of gamers that enjoy playing a rich, MMO-style game in a sci-fi, dystopian setting, and we wanted to prove that this type of model works on Facebook. Our next step is to widen Supercell's reach by launching games that offer similar styles of rich game play, but with themes that have broader appeal."
Gunshine.net Intro
Gunshine.net currently hosts 160,000 monthly players and 20,000 daily players, according to AppData. The game certainly looks impressive, with full 3D visuals, and a heavy focus on plot before getting to the multiplayer aspects. We've yet to see traditional-style games do well on Facebook aside from the few strategy game makers, but perhaps blowing up a few zombies in an RPG is just what the doctor ordered.
Click here to play Gunshine.net on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to jump into a new Facebook RPG? Do you think a game like this will do well on Facebook, or is the audience not there?
The game already exists on the website of the same name, but this version is said to combine an open world and real-time combat with social features like hiring friends and team creation to take on daunting bosses. Gunshine.net takes place in a dystopian, sci-fi world where players do battle on an isometric map. Players arrive in a pristine island called Dreamwake, tasked with fighting off infected citizens and later uncover just what's going on here.
Ultimately, Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen wants to prove that this type of social game can work successfully on Facebook. "We intend to get ahead of the curve and challenge the big guys," Paananen said in a release. "With Gunshine.net, we wanted to reach a niche group of gamers that enjoy playing a rich, MMO-style game in a sci-fi, dystopian setting, and we wanted to prove that this type of model works on Facebook. Our next step is to widen Supercell's reach by launching games that offer similar styles of rich game play, but with themes that have broader appeal."
Gunshine.net Intro
Gunshine.net currently hosts 160,000 monthly players and 20,000 daily players, according to AppData. The game certainly looks impressive, with full 3D visuals, and a heavy focus on plot before getting to the multiplayer aspects. We've yet to see traditional-style games do well on Facebook aside from the few strategy game makers, but perhaps blowing up a few zombies in an RPG is just what the doctor ordered.
Click here to play Gunshine.net on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to jump into a new Facebook RPG? Do you think a game like this will do well on Facebook, or is the audience not there?
Monday, December 12, 2011
Mafia Wars 2 gives a bird's-eye view of the mob life on Facebook
Most of the down and dirty events that take place in Mafia Wars--the hits, the robberies and the all-out wars--are implied. If there is one shining difference between that game and its upcoming direct sequel by Zynga, it's that all of those activities are laid out before you.
And yes, that includes all of the gory details that are normally alluded to in Mafia Wars behind the scenes. Mafia Wars 2 is, in a nutshell, the visual representation of what you've been up to for the past three years in Mafia Wars proper.
During a sneak peek of the game provided by Mafia Wars 2 Lead Product Manager Ian Wang and Art Director Christy Schaefer, it was almost shocking to see a player literally pull out a gun and blow an approaching thug away. Sure, the blood and gore is mild in Mafia Wars 2, but seeing that happen before your eyes after years of it portrayed in stylish concept art stills is quite jarring.
Mafia Wars 2 Bone Yard
For those of you who have been digging on Mafia Wars for awhile now, it will definitely be the sort of jarring effect that spurs an "Oh, hell yeah!" However, those coming from the CityVille crowd or even elsewhere might be a bit shocked--this could very well be the first Zynga game to feature animated blood and buildings like "grow houses" that generate profits. This certainly isn't anything new on Facebook (See: Weeds Social Club; strategy games like the new War Commander), but perhaps new territory for the massive developer.
Social games are growing up, and Zynga looks to keep up with the Joneses. "What we wanted to do with [Mafia Wars 2] is take the core of the violence, the ability to escape into a different world and act out your fantasies, and visualize that," Wang tells us just before his fully customizable in-game character blasts an approaching thug until the red stuff spurts out. "We actually found, with the success of [the first] Mafia Wars, that people actually really want to be violent and act out the fantasies. We want it to be gritty, we want it to be visceral, and we want the experience to be pretty climactic."
Gallery: Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook
You've been let out of prison for an unknown crime and a modest sum to revive your crime empire. But this time, it's off to the outskirts of Las Vegas to make it happen. Mafia Wars 2 takes on the common isometric perspective and property building mechanic of previous Zynga games like FrontierVille and FarmVille. (And, as it appears to this writer, competitors like Funzio's Crime City.) However, that experience is constantly peppered with action as enemies from the game's storyline sic thugs on you. And the action is presented in a fun, comic book-inspired art style that looks to help get players hyped about their exploits.
During your time in the game, you will grow your seedy shanty town of sorts into a thriving, crime-ridden metropolis that might put the Vegas strip to shame. And just like in its predecessor, there will be plenty of jobs to do and, yes, bosses to take down across seven sprawling sections of Las Vegas and its outskirts. This all happens within the game's combat system, which is decided by your character's equipment as it's sized up against your enemies' weapons. Clearly, it's important to build weapon and armor shops to increase your strength, and most weapons have uniquely gruesome animations.
Mafia Wars 2 Boss Fight
In fact, it's easy to simply take the design tropes of the first Mafia Wars and apply them to this more direct approach to the franchise when imagining what the sequel will be like. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and Zynga compounds upon that, touting features such as over 100 decorations at launch to improve the look, feel and function of your Turf. Over 300 different types of weapons, armor and vehicles will be available in the game at first, and players can deck out their digital mobster in over 600 pieces of clothing.
Of course, player vs player combat is as major a focus in this sequel as it was in the original. While players can invade their enemies' Turf and rob their properties, they can also rally their friends to form crews and defend or restore each other's Turf. To take the fight to even more random players, three Battle Arenas--Bone Yard, Badlands and Area 51--in asynchronous combat to spur longstanding rivalries of back-and-forth robberies.
While the game is under development in Zynga's San Francisco headquarters with many members from the original Mafia Wars team, Wang assures us that the first game will be maintained alongside the sequel for some time. And the giant social game creator is reaching further than any gang ever has with 16 languages supported at launch (including English): French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Japanese and Thai. Mafia Wars 2 will be available on Facebook within the next few weeks.
Click here to learn more about Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook >
Are you excited to get your hands on the brand new take on Mafia Wars? What do you think of this drastically different approach to the franchise?
And yes, that includes all of the gory details that are normally alluded to in Mafia Wars behind the scenes. Mafia Wars 2 is, in a nutshell, the visual representation of what you've been up to for the past three years in Mafia Wars proper.
During a sneak peek of the game provided by Mafia Wars 2 Lead Product Manager Ian Wang and Art Director Christy Schaefer, it was almost shocking to see a player literally pull out a gun and blow an approaching thug away. Sure, the blood and gore is mild in Mafia Wars 2, but seeing that happen before your eyes after years of it portrayed in stylish concept art stills is quite jarring.
Mafia Wars 2 Bone Yard
For those of you who have been digging on Mafia Wars for awhile now, it will definitely be the sort of jarring effect that spurs an "Oh, hell yeah!" However, those coming from the CityVille crowd or even elsewhere might be a bit shocked--this could very well be the first Zynga game to feature animated blood and buildings like "grow houses" that generate profits. This certainly isn't anything new on Facebook (See: Weeds Social Club; strategy games like the new War Commander), but perhaps new territory for the massive developer.
Social games are growing up, and Zynga looks to keep up with the Joneses. "What we wanted to do with [Mafia Wars 2] is take the core of the violence, the ability to escape into a different world and act out your fantasies, and visualize that," Wang tells us just before his fully customizable in-game character blasts an approaching thug until the red stuff spurts out. "We actually found, with the success of [the first] Mafia Wars, that people actually really want to be violent and act out the fantasies. We want it to be gritty, we want it to be visceral, and we want the experience to be pretty climactic."
Gallery: Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook
You've been let out of prison for an unknown crime and a modest sum to revive your crime empire. But this time, it's off to the outskirts of Las Vegas to make it happen. Mafia Wars 2 takes on the common isometric perspective and property building mechanic of previous Zynga games like FrontierVille and FarmVille. (And, as it appears to this writer, competitors like Funzio's Crime City.) However, that experience is constantly peppered with action as enemies from the game's storyline sic thugs on you. And the action is presented in a fun, comic book-inspired art style that looks to help get players hyped about their exploits.
During your time in the game, you will grow your seedy shanty town of sorts into a thriving, crime-ridden metropolis that might put the Vegas strip to shame. And just like in its predecessor, there will be plenty of jobs to do and, yes, bosses to take down across seven sprawling sections of Las Vegas and its outskirts. This all happens within the game's combat system, which is decided by your character's equipment as it's sized up against your enemies' weapons. Clearly, it's important to build weapon and armor shops to increase your strength, and most weapons have uniquely gruesome animations.
Mafia Wars 2 Boss Fight
In fact, it's easy to simply take the design tropes of the first Mafia Wars and apply them to this more direct approach to the franchise when imagining what the sequel will be like. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and Zynga compounds upon that, touting features such as over 100 decorations at launch to improve the look, feel and function of your Turf. Over 300 different types of weapons, armor and vehicles will be available in the game at first, and players can deck out their digital mobster in over 600 pieces of clothing.
Of course, player vs player combat is as major a focus in this sequel as it was in the original. While players can invade their enemies' Turf and rob their properties, they can also rally their friends to form crews and defend or restore each other's Turf. To take the fight to even more random players, three Battle Arenas--Bone Yard, Badlands and Area 51--in asynchronous combat to spur longstanding rivalries of back-and-forth robberies.
While the game is under development in Zynga's San Francisco headquarters with many members from the original Mafia Wars team, Wang assures us that the first game will be maintained alongside the sequel for some time. And the giant social game creator is reaching further than any gang ever has with 16 languages supported at launch (including English): French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Japanese and Thai. Mafia Wars 2 will be available on Facebook within the next few weeks.
Click here to learn more about Mafia Wars 2 on Facebook >
Are you excited to get your hands on the brand new take on Mafia Wars? What do you think of this drastically different approach to the franchise?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Snuggle in flower patches at tUlIptrEE_06's farm
We've been bouncing around the seasons with autumn and winter farms, but our local, bipolar fall weather has finally committed itself to the cold, so I felt it was time to go for something spring-like. Nothing says spring like lots and lots of flowers and tUILIptrEE_06's FarmVille patchwork quilt-looking farm is clearly one that's good enough to wrap yourself up in.
The last time we found a patchwork quilt design was Lou Martell's orchard farm, and I don't mean orchard as in lining up a bunch of trees together. That one was actually made of the kind of FarmVille orchard you'd have to ask your friends for help to build. But tUILIptrEE_06's farm is made up of a massive assortment of planted flowers and trees, with no orchards that I can see, but those flowers aren't easy to come by.
tuliptree_06 FarmVille flower farm
Click the image to make it larger.
She has Morning Glory, Lilies, Iris, Cornflower, Pink Asters, Forget-Me-Nots (Level 90 required, unless you've got the Farm Cash to burn), and Limited Edition Golden Poppies--and these are just the ones I can identify from the zoomed in screenshot she provided. As for trees, she seems to prefer Dogwood, since we've got both regular and Pink Dogwood trees in the screenshot.
But the entire farm is also bordered in a ridiculous amount of trees, with Cherry Trees and Sugar Plum Trees arranged into heart-shapes to decorate the corners. I also see plenty of Fairy Garden Event items, e.g. the Giant Flower and Bell Flower Tree, and some Lady GagaVille items thrown into the mix here.
How many FarmVille flowers and trees can you identify?
The last time we found a patchwork quilt design was Lou Martell's orchard farm, and I don't mean orchard as in lining up a bunch of trees together. That one was actually made of the kind of FarmVille orchard you'd have to ask your friends for help to build. But tUILIptrEE_06's farm is made up of a massive assortment of planted flowers and trees, with no orchards that I can see, but those flowers aren't easy to come by.
tuliptree_06 FarmVille flower farm
Click the image to make it larger.
She has Morning Glory, Lilies, Iris, Cornflower, Pink Asters, Forget-Me-Nots (Level 90 required, unless you've got the Farm Cash to burn), and Limited Edition Golden Poppies--and these are just the ones I can identify from the zoomed in screenshot she provided. As for trees, she seems to prefer Dogwood, since we've got both regular and Pink Dogwood trees in the screenshot.
But the entire farm is also bordered in a ridiculous amount of trees, with Cherry Trees and Sugar Plum Trees arranged into heart-shapes to decorate the corners. I also see plenty of Fairy Garden Event items, e.g. the Giant Flower and Bell Flower Tree, and some Lady GagaVille items thrown into the mix here.
How many FarmVille flowers and trees can you identify?
Frima Studio brings flatulence to Facebook in Pocket God Episode 9
Has Robot Unicorn Attack met its match? In the most recent update to Frima Studio's Facebook take on Pocket God, Episode 9: My Little Pygmy, the Canadian developer has introduced a new pygmy-pulverizing power to the game. We'll just come out and say it: The new power is a unicorn that, when clicked twice, farts rainbows that dissolve pygmies instantly.
If you're not laughing yet, then you have no soul. Come on, flatulent humor never gets old in small doses. Oh, and the gaseous mythical horse can also impale pygmies and send them flying with a rainbow flourish. The fart-filled unicorn is available to players Level 11 and above, and comes with a hidden quest that tasks them with defeating the Night Mare. Players that enlist the help of their friends in besting the beast will have a better shot at unlocking another god idol.
The update introduced a Daily Bonus mechanic to Pocket God, something that most Facebook games have enjoyed for some time now. But we're sure Frima Studio is far more excited at introducing such a chuckle-worthy character.
As of this writing, Pocket God enjoys just over 222,000 monthly players and over 27,000 daily players, according to AppData. Frankly, a game with this much humor (and this little shame) deserves far more players than that. Well, it at least deserves points for originality.
Have you played around with this gassy unicorn yet in Pocket God? What do you think of the game's Facebook rendition so far?
If you're not laughing yet, then you have no soul. Come on, flatulent humor never gets old in small doses. Oh, and the gaseous mythical horse can also impale pygmies and send them flying with a rainbow flourish. The fart-filled unicorn is available to players Level 11 and above, and comes with a hidden quest that tasks them with defeating the Night Mare. Players that enlist the help of their friends in besting the beast will have a better shot at unlocking another god idol.
The update introduced a Daily Bonus mechanic to Pocket God, something that most Facebook games have enjoyed for some time now. But we're sure Frima Studio is far more excited at introducing such a chuckle-worthy character.
As of this writing, Pocket God enjoys just over 222,000 monthly players and over 27,000 daily players, according to AppData. Frankly, a game with this much humor (and this little shame) deserves far more players than that. Well, it at least deserves points for originality.
Have you played around with this gassy unicorn yet in Pocket God? What do you think of the game's Facebook rendition so far?
UK online safety expert proposes Pet Society feature as dangerous to children
Playfish might want to take a break from its London headquarters and head to Wrexham for a chat with Charles Conway. Conway, a self-touted "online safety expert," has been making rounds in North Wales and North West England telling people that Pet Society is encouraging "stranger danger" in kids.
He alleges that the game exposes them to real-world contact with "murderers, rapists and pedophiles." While those passionate about Facebook games might want to write off Conway as a professional fearmonger, Conway may have a point, because he's actually played the game.
A professional web designer by trade, Conway runs the Clear as Crystal web firm. He then started the Scam Detectives website with his wife Christine in Jan. 2010, claiming "over a quarter of a million visitors around the world" since its inception. In March 2011, he released an ebook titled, "Scammers, Spammers & Social Engineers: A Scam Detectives guide to keeping your business safe online", available on the Amazon Kindle for $9.99. A month later, he wrote a tech column in Euro Weekly News. Lastly, Scam Detectives was also shortlisted for the 2011 Nominet Internet Awards in the category of "Making the internet safer", although it didn't win.
While Conway also names FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and CityVille in his lecture on Facebook games, he uses Pet Society's social features to build his strongest case. We've all known about the "Cafe" in Pet Society, a location in the game where everyone can go to show off their pets and their pets' homes.
Charles Conway Pet Society BunnyPig
Pet Society Go to ProfileBy being in the Cafe, you're bound to meet strangers. Even though all you can do once you get to another pet's home is some pre-set actions (e.g. hug, kiss, dance, laugh, and punch), there's also the option to visit the real Facebook profile of a someone you might not know at all. Conway demonstrated this by creating an avatar named "BunnyPig" to demonstrate to a group of foster care and social workers.
Because Facebook games require players to have lots of friends to earn virtual money and goods, Conway concludes that kids will be tempted to friend strangers. And in turn, he estimates that malevolent strangers can scope out kids who play the game. This "Go to profile" option is clearly a valid concern and does exist in the game.
So far, I could find no options within Pet Society to turn off this feature. However, Pet Society players can secure their Facebook profiles within the "Privacy Settings" menu beneath the "Account" tab on the Facebook home page. Just because a stranger can visit a kid's profile, doesn't mean a stranger will see much if their profiles are locked in Friends Only mode.
It's also entirely possible that this feature is only available for the adults who play the game. But as we've proven before, even if that is the case, kids under 13 years-old could still lie to Facebook about their age just to have a Facebook account.
In an ironic twist, Conway actually hosts several online games on his Scam Detectives website. However, these are simple Flash-based web games designed to teach and quiz players about online security. So there are no social elements involved in these games and they could be played anonymously.
(Editor's Note: This article and its headline was edited for clarity, and now clarifies how users can secure their Facebook profiles.)
[Hat-tip: PR Fire]
Is Charles Conway just another fearmonger? Do you think Pet Society players should be able to disable the Cafe?
He alleges that the game exposes them to real-world contact with "murderers, rapists and pedophiles." While those passionate about Facebook games might want to write off Conway as a professional fearmonger, Conway may have a point, because he's actually played the game.
A professional web designer by trade, Conway runs the Clear as Crystal web firm. He then started the Scam Detectives website with his wife Christine in Jan. 2010, claiming "over a quarter of a million visitors around the world" since its inception. In March 2011, he released an ebook titled, "Scammers, Spammers & Social Engineers: A Scam Detectives guide to keeping your business safe online", available on the Amazon Kindle for $9.99. A month later, he wrote a tech column in Euro Weekly News. Lastly, Scam Detectives was also shortlisted for the 2011 Nominet Internet Awards in the category of "Making the internet safer", although it didn't win.
While Conway also names FarmVille, Mafia Wars, and CityVille in his lecture on Facebook games, he uses Pet Society's social features to build his strongest case. We've all known about the "Cafe" in Pet Society, a location in the game where everyone can go to show off their pets and their pets' homes.
Charles Conway Pet Society BunnyPig
Pet Society Go to ProfileBy being in the Cafe, you're bound to meet strangers. Even though all you can do once you get to another pet's home is some pre-set actions (e.g. hug, kiss, dance, laugh, and punch), there's also the option to visit the real Facebook profile of a someone you might not know at all. Conway demonstrated this by creating an avatar named "BunnyPig" to demonstrate to a group of foster care and social workers.
Because Facebook games require players to have lots of friends to earn virtual money and goods, Conway concludes that kids will be tempted to friend strangers. And in turn, he estimates that malevolent strangers can scope out kids who play the game. This "Go to profile" option is clearly a valid concern and does exist in the game.
So far, I could find no options within Pet Society to turn off this feature. However, Pet Society players can secure their Facebook profiles within the "Privacy Settings" menu beneath the "Account" tab on the Facebook home page. Just because a stranger can visit a kid's profile, doesn't mean a stranger will see much if their profiles are locked in Friends Only mode.
It's also entirely possible that this feature is only available for the adults who play the game. But as we've proven before, even if that is the case, kids under 13 years-old could still lie to Facebook about their age just to have a Facebook account.
In an ironic twist, Conway actually hosts several online games on his Scam Detectives website. However, these are simple Flash-based web games designed to teach and quiz players about online security. So there are no social elements involved in these games and they could be played anonymously.
(Editor's Note: This article and its headline was edited for clarity, and now clarifies how users can secure their Facebook profiles.)
[Hat-tip: PR Fire]
Is Charles Conway just another fearmonger? Do you think Pet Society players should be able to disable the Cafe?
Games And Prizes brings casual games, real prizes to Facebook
Titan Gaming Inc. launched a beta Facebook app last week, appropiately titled "Games And Prizes", with a suite of games that allow players to win real world goods, promising everything from shoes to computer hardware. If you loved the deal saver social game Penny Drop, but wanted real games to play, then this could be the next best thing.
There are 22 games currently available for plays and bets. These include a Zuma Blitz look-alike called Crazy King, an obvious Pac-Man ripoff (down to the color palette) called Ghostman, a Tetris clone called Prizetris, a bubble shooter called Ballsy, and even an Asteroids as "Asteroids". Players can see how many friends have also played these games, and earn achievement badges and virtual coins through winning games and daily spins. More coins can be bought with Facebook Credits.
Games And Prizes Top Games
Brands who've signed up to promote themselves on this app are Alienware, ShoeDazzle, Beach Body, ClarityOne Audio, and Antica Farmacista.
Click here to play Games And Prizes on Facebook now >
Are the current offerings in Games And Prizes enough to make you check out the game?
There are 22 games currently available for plays and bets. These include a Zuma Blitz look-alike called Crazy King, an obvious Pac-Man ripoff (down to the color palette) called Ghostman, a Tetris clone called Prizetris, a bubble shooter called Ballsy, and even an Asteroids as "Asteroids". Players can see how many friends have also played these games, and earn achievement badges and virtual coins through winning games and daily spins. More coins can be bought with Facebook Credits.
Games And Prizes Top Games
Brands who've signed up to promote themselves on this app are Alienware, ShoeDazzle, Beach Body, ClarityOne Audio, and Antica Farmacista.
Click here to play Games And Prizes on Facebook now >
Are the current offerings in Games And Prizes enough to make you check out the game?
Facebook games move to Requests 2.0, or one-click requests, next year
The FarmVille fans are just gonna' love this one. Facebook announced that Requests 2.0, a feature that will allow users to opt into one-click requests in their favorite Facebook games with specific friends, will become the standard starting Jan. 1, 2012. The upcoming change was announced on the Facebook Developers Blog, but don't fret just yet, privacy watchdogs.
Actually, this feature already exists on Facebook in games like EA and Playfish's The Sims Social. We're all familiar with the pop-ups that require us to click "Share" in order to send direct requests to our friends, but you may have noticed some with a checked box and a message that reads, "Don't ask again before sending requests to Joe Shmoe from this app." While perhaps the box shouldn't already be checked, removing the check will force Facebook to continue requesting for your permission.
Honestly, after Facebooks' Mark Zuckerberg revealed at the annual f8 Conference that games will automatically post certain data to the new universal Ticker, it's hard not to wonder why players would be scared of a feature like this. This change is much different than Zynga's approach, which essentially makes all sharing automatic and barred players from choosing who to send what items. Requests 2.0 gives players to option to activate automatic sharing with whomever they want on an individual basis.
Facebook Games Platform developer Derek Brandao then revealed how this new change--that will remove support for the old requests model come Jan. 1, 2012--could make Facebook game requests much faster for players. Brandao then starts speaking developer, to which many of your eyes (including mine) will begin to glaze over.
This change doesn't seem to affect public game shares like "I need 17 pickles in FarmVille," but could make sharing between friends much smoother. Giving players the choice to opt out of the feature protects Facebook somewhat from anti-privacy claims, but there's still something about Facebook reporting on every game we play that's just a tiny bit disconcerting.
What do you think of this upcoming change to Facebook games? Do you think it somehow encroaches on players' privacy or complicates things like FarmVille One-Click Sharing did?
Actually, this feature already exists on Facebook in games like EA and Playfish's The Sims Social. We're all familiar with the pop-ups that require us to click "Share" in order to send direct requests to our friends, but you may have noticed some with a checked box and a message that reads, "Don't ask again before sending requests to Joe Shmoe from this app." While perhaps the box shouldn't already be checked, removing the check will force Facebook to continue requesting for your permission.
Honestly, after Facebooks' Mark Zuckerberg revealed at the annual f8 Conference that games will automatically post certain data to the new universal Ticker, it's hard not to wonder why players would be scared of a feature like this. This change is much different than Zynga's approach, which essentially makes all sharing automatic and barred players from choosing who to send what items. Requests 2.0 gives players to option to activate automatic sharing with whomever they want on an individual basis.
Facebook Games Platform developer Derek Brandao then revealed how this new change--that will remove support for the old requests model come Jan. 1, 2012--could make Facebook game requests much faster for players. Brandao then starts speaking developer, to which many of your eyes (including mine) will begin to glaze over.
This change doesn't seem to affect public game shares like "I need 17 pickles in FarmVille," but could make sharing between friends much smoother. Giving players the choice to opt out of the feature protects Facebook somewhat from anti-privacy claims, but there's still something about Facebook reporting on every game we play that's just a tiny bit disconcerting.
What do you think of this upcoming change to Facebook games? Do you think it somehow encroaches on players' privacy or complicates things like FarmVille One-Click Sharing did?
Adventure World Cavern Quests: Everything you need to know
If you like sticking close to the story in Adventure World, you may have already completed the Monkey Idol and Bird Idol quests, taking you to the halfway point in your attempt to unlock the secrets of El Dorado by opening its locked doors. Continuing in the story, you'll next need to travel into a Cavern to find the Snake Idol, which requires quite a bit of Supplies (and help from friends) to pull off. Specifically, these quests, as they are story-based and therefore "mandatory" (that is, if you ever want to move the story along), there's no time limit to completing them.
You'll need to add eight crew members to your team by asking your friends to help you out, and you must collect a whopping 80 each of Food, Fuel and Water. While normally, asking your friends for help is voluntary, here it's absolutely required, so make sure to ask your friends to be your neighbors if you don't currently have active folks playing with you. Once you begin, as usual, there will be an overall set of quests to retrieve the Snake Idol, along with secondary quests that you can complete along the way. Here's a guide to recovering the Snake Idol, and getting that much closer to the treasures within El Dorado!
Cavern Main Quests
Find the Snake Idol Part 1
Investigate the Keystone Clue
Use the Ruby Skull on the Pedestal
Light the Central Ruby Skull
First things first, your goal will be to make it to the Red Skull which rests shortly after the first track and Mine Cart. You'll have to push the Mine Cart along the path, wasting energy as you go, until you eventually make it to this small "island," if you will. The key in the picture below is covered with debris, so just interact with the debris to clear it. Then, by clicking on the skull itself, you'll see the Central Tower's ruby skull light as well. If you're putting two and two together here, the point would of course be to light all of the skulls in the Central Tower one by one.
Find the Snake Idol Part 2
Investigate the Red Keystone Clue
Investigate the Blue Keystone Clue
Use the Two Skulls
Light the Central Sapphire Skull
If these tasks tell us anything, it's that the process isn't simply a "one at a time" deal of lighting the skulls. Instead, each time you light a skull, you simply extend the chain. Since red came first, you'll need to activate another red skull and then a blue skull as well. The two keystones are found under the mushrooms highlighted below.
Find the Snake Idol Part 3
Use the Three Skulls
Use the Four Sulls
Use the Five Skulls
Light the Column of Skulls
Rather than having a single quest for each individual color, this next quest combines all of your work into one, making it a rather lengthy one to complete. The third and fourth skulls to light contain keystones that are near each other on the map, as seen below. When you clear the mushrooms off of the keystones, you'll be told the order in which to activate the skulls. Only by activating them in the right order will you light the skull in the Central Tower, so make sure to pay attention!
As for the fifth and final skull, this set of keystones is found at the end of the map, after another mine cart and series of traps that need to be deactivated. The skulls are even blocked by a rock that can only be removed by Dynamite, which can be purchased back in Base Camp for 1,000 coins.
Find the Snake Idol Part 4
Reveal the Water path!
Walk on Water to find the Idol
Recover the Snake Idol
After the entirety of the Central Tower is lit, a series of three stones will appear in the water nearby. By walking out onto these rocks, you cause more to appear, until you're standing on the central platform next to the tower of lighted skulls. Another set of stones appear (as seen below under the arrow) and by walking out on these, you'll eventually reach the small island that houses the Snake Idol. Activate the keyhole next to it, and the pillar holding the idol will lower so you can collect it.
Find the Snake Idol Part 5
Return to Base
Place the Snake Idol
The last bit is just a formality, so head back to Base Camp, click on the statue with the transparent snake and voila! You'll have finished off the main portion of these story quests! Keep in mind, however, that even if you complete these quests before the others (the side-quests below), you'll be able to go back later by visiting the Map Screen and finish them off. There's valuable XP waiting there, so they really are worth completing.
Cavern Side Quests
Riches of Mesoamerica
Collect 8 Silver Nuggets
Collect 4 Gold Nuggets
Collect a Platinum Nugget
Collect 3 Gemstones
As you make your way through this large map, you'll see plenty of rocks that are labeled as "Ore Rocks" when you hover over them. Most of these are out of the way, so you may not even think you need to interact with them, but if you want to complete all of these side quests, you'll definitely need to do so. You'll never know which kind of material will pop out of each rock, so just click on every rock you see (energy permitting) to eventually complete this time-consuming quest off. Note: you may not receive an item with every rock destroyed, so keep that in mind.
Tunnel of Love
Collect 5 Spider Silks
Collect 5 Lovely Crystal Dusts
Collect 5 Mushroom Spores
Yet again, we see Emily out to impress a boy, this time by concocting a love potion made out of materials you'll need to gather. Spiders are the main enemies in this map, so you'll have no trouble finding nests to destroy to earn the Silk. Meanwhile, Lovely Crystal Dust is found within pink crystals (not to be confused with the many blue crystals also found on the map) that are on the far right side of the map, and Mushroom Spores - you guessed it - come from Mushroom Colonies. Here are some screenshots of what to look out for when gathering these items.
Society Work
Get 2 Azure Skulls
Get 8 Jade Vases
Get 4 Ruby Vases
Get some Diamond Coating from the Gemstone Collection
As has become customary, we're being given a side-quest to collect Jade and Ruby Vases, with these items being scattered openly throughout the map. They may be blocked by various kinds of debris, but at least they aren't overly hard to find. For instance, you'll be able to find all four Ruby Vases before ever activating the second skull above. For the Diamond Coating, you'll need to get a bit lucky, as you'll first need to collect the five pieces of the Gemstone Collection (on any Cavern map, like the one we're currently on) in order to trade them in for your reward. Don't worry if you don't gather all of the pieces during you time with this Expedition - you can come back later to turn in the quest (thus earning extra experience points) at a later date.
For the Azure Skulls, you'll wan to look out for squares like the one pictured below, which show stairs being covered up by spider webs. Bu interacting with the webs, you can remove them and venture into the abandoned mine below. Here, you'll find even more Ruby and Jade Vases, along with the Skull and various debris.
Danger in the Cavern
Defeat 12 Spiders in the Cavern
Clear 4 Spider Webs
Clear 6 Spider Nests
Apparently, the mining company that abandoned this place did so because of the relentless spider infestation, but would really like to have it back. They're willing to pay you handsomely (with experience points, anyway) if you can clear out the spiders and allow them to return to work. Spider Nests are necessary for the Spider Silks in the quest above, so shouldn't pose a problem, while Spider Webs are a new kind of obstacle that see a web being hung between two branches blocking your path. You'll likely come across enough of them while simply completing other quests to not have to go out hunting for them either. As for Spiders themselves, you don't have to find them... they'll come to you. Note: In the screenshot below, webs did hang between the two sets of branches, but I had already cleared them out.
Once you complete all of these quests (which will likely take you quite a while to do), you will have successfully retrieved the Snake Idol and will be that much closer to finally unlocking the secrets of El Dorado. Only the Jaguar Idol remains, so make sure to keep checking back with us as we'll give you a complete guide to collecting it as well! Happy adventuring!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Cavern / Snake Idol quests?
You'll need to add eight crew members to your team by asking your friends to help you out, and you must collect a whopping 80 each of Food, Fuel and Water. While normally, asking your friends for help is voluntary, here it's absolutely required, so make sure to ask your friends to be your neighbors if you don't currently have active folks playing with you. Once you begin, as usual, there will be an overall set of quests to retrieve the Snake Idol, along with secondary quests that you can complete along the way. Here's a guide to recovering the Snake Idol, and getting that much closer to the treasures within El Dorado!
Cavern Main Quests
Find the Snake Idol Part 1
Investigate the Keystone Clue
Use the Ruby Skull on the Pedestal
Light the Central Ruby Skull
First things first, your goal will be to make it to the Red Skull which rests shortly after the first track and Mine Cart. You'll have to push the Mine Cart along the path, wasting energy as you go, until you eventually make it to this small "island," if you will. The key in the picture below is covered with debris, so just interact with the debris to clear it. Then, by clicking on the skull itself, you'll see the Central Tower's ruby skull light as well. If you're putting two and two together here, the point would of course be to light all of the skulls in the Central Tower one by one.
Find the Snake Idol Part 2
Investigate the Red Keystone Clue
Investigate the Blue Keystone Clue
Use the Two Skulls
Light the Central Sapphire Skull
If these tasks tell us anything, it's that the process isn't simply a "one at a time" deal of lighting the skulls. Instead, each time you light a skull, you simply extend the chain. Since red came first, you'll need to activate another red skull and then a blue skull as well. The two keystones are found under the mushrooms highlighted below.
Find the Snake Idol Part 3
Use the Three Skulls
Use the Four Sulls
Use the Five Skulls
Light the Column of Skulls
Rather than having a single quest for each individual color, this next quest combines all of your work into one, making it a rather lengthy one to complete. The third and fourth skulls to light contain keystones that are near each other on the map, as seen below. When you clear the mushrooms off of the keystones, you'll be told the order in which to activate the skulls. Only by activating them in the right order will you light the skull in the Central Tower, so make sure to pay attention!
As for the fifth and final skull, this set of keystones is found at the end of the map, after another mine cart and series of traps that need to be deactivated. The skulls are even blocked by a rock that can only be removed by Dynamite, which can be purchased back in Base Camp for 1,000 coins.
Find the Snake Idol Part 4
Reveal the Water path!
Walk on Water to find the Idol
Recover the Snake Idol
After the entirety of the Central Tower is lit, a series of three stones will appear in the water nearby. By walking out onto these rocks, you cause more to appear, until you're standing on the central platform next to the tower of lighted skulls. Another set of stones appear (as seen below under the arrow) and by walking out on these, you'll eventually reach the small island that houses the Snake Idol. Activate the keyhole next to it, and the pillar holding the idol will lower so you can collect it.
Find the Snake Idol Part 5
Return to Base
Place the Snake Idol
The last bit is just a formality, so head back to Base Camp, click on the statue with the transparent snake and voila! You'll have finished off the main portion of these story quests! Keep in mind, however, that even if you complete these quests before the others (the side-quests below), you'll be able to go back later by visiting the Map Screen and finish them off. There's valuable XP waiting there, so they really are worth completing.
Cavern Side Quests
Riches of Mesoamerica
Collect 8 Silver Nuggets
Collect 4 Gold Nuggets
Collect a Platinum Nugget
Collect 3 Gemstones
As you make your way through this large map, you'll see plenty of rocks that are labeled as "Ore Rocks" when you hover over them. Most of these are out of the way, so you may not even think you need to interact with them, but if you want to complete all of these side quests, you'll definitely need to do so. You'll never know which kind of material will pop out of each rock, so just click on every rock you see (energy permitting) to eventually complete this time-consuming quest off. Note: you may not receive an item with every rock destroyed, so keep that in mind.
Tunnel of Love
Collect 5 Spider Silks
Collect 5 Lovely Crystal Dusts
Collect 5 Mushroom Spores
Yet again, we see Emily out to impress a boy, this time by concocting a love potion made out of materials you'll need to gather. Spiders are the main enemies in this map, so you'll have no trouble finding nests to destroy to earn the Silk. Meanwhile, Lovely Crystal Dust is found within pink crystals (not to be confused with the many blue crystals also found on the map) that are on the far right side of the map, and Mushroom Spores - you guessed it - come from Mushroom Colonies. Here are some screenshots of what to look out for when gathering these items.
Society Work
Get 2 Azure Skulls
Get 8 Jade Vases
Get 4 Ruby Vases
Get some Diamond Coating from the Gemstone Collection
As has become customary, we're being given a side-quest to collect Jade and Ruby Vases, with these items being scattered openly throughout the map. They may be blocked by various kinds of debris, but at least they aren't overly hard to find. For instance, you'll be able to find all four Ruby Vases before ever activating the second skull above. For the Diamond Coating, you'll need to get a bit lucky, as you'll first need to collect the five pieces of the Gemstone Collection (on any Cavern map, like the one we're currently on) in order to trade them in for your reward. Don't worry if you don't gather all of the pieces during you time with this Expedition - you can come back later to turn in the quest (thus earning extra experience points) at a later date.
For the Azure Skulls, you'll wan to look out for squares like the one pictured below, which show stairs being covered up by spider webs. Bu interacting with the webs, you can remove them and venture into the abandoned mine below. Here, you'll find even more Ruby and Jade Vases, along with the Skull and various debris.
Danger in the Cavern
Defeat 12 Spiders in the Cavern
Clear 4 Spider Webs
Clear 6 Spider Nests
Apparently, the mining company that abandoned this place did so because of the relentless spider infestation, but would really like to have it back. They're willing to pay you handsomely (with experience points, anyway) if you can clear out the spiders and allow them to return to work. Spider Nests are necessary for the Spider Silks in the quest above, so shouldn't pose a problem, while Spider Webs are a new kind of obstacle that see a web being hung between two branches blocking your path. You'll likely come across enough of them while simply completing other quests to not have to go out hunting for them either. As for Spiders themselves, you don't have to find them... they'll come to you. Note: In the screenshot below, webs did hang between the two sets of branches, but I had already cleared them out.
Once you complete all of these quests (which will likely take you quite a while to do), you will have successfully retrieved the Snake Idol and will be that much closer to finally unlocking the secrets of El Dorado. Only the Jaguar Idol remains, so make sure to keep checking back with us as we'll give you a complete guide to collecting it as well! Happy adventuring!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Cavern / Snake Idol quests?
Cafe World Signature Dish feature coming soon [Video]
While sometimes it may seem like Cafe World is more about asking your friends for items than actually cooking, a new feature will soon be launching in the game called "Signature Dish," which will apparently put a focus back on cooking. To put it simply, this feature will allow you to combine various ingredients to create your own dishes. These dishes can then be cooked and mastered in your cafe.
Along with this new feature will come a seven-part goal series which will see us building something called the "DishMaster." This DishMaster will give us access to a Taste Lab where we'll be able to combine our ingredients. Each dish starts out with Base Ingredients, and can then be spruced up using meats, herbs, spices or even side dishes. Two base ingredients, for example, may be Spaghetti or White Rice.
Once this feature launches, a new "Taste Lab" section will be available in you cookbook. It looks like we'll be able to create just four signature dishes to start, with additional recipe slots being unlocked with Cafe Cash. When creating dishes, we'll use one of each ingredient to create it, with ingredients coming from another new feature: Farmer Fred's Ingredient Marketplace. Some ingredients go for Cafe Cash, while others cost varying amount of coins. Each particular ingredient updates the stats of your dish; that is, if you use Beef in your recipe, it will automatically gain six hours of cooking time, while Pork adds just four hours. Each ingredient also adds different amount of Cafe Points and Servings to your final product.
Again, this Signature Dish feature is still listed as "coming soon," but it does give those players who like mastering dishes something to be very excited about. We'll make sure to bring you a complete look at these DishMaster goals and the Signature Dish feature when it fully launches in the game, but for now, check out the trailer below for more of a sneak peek.
Are you excited about the upcoming Signature Dish feature in Cafe World, or does it add an extra layer of complexity to the game that it doesn't need?
Along with this new feature will come a seven-part goal series which will see us building something called the "DishMaster." This DishMaster will give us access to a Taste Lab where we'll be able to combine our ingredients. Each dish starts out with Base Ingredients, and can then be spruced up using meats, herbs, spices or even side dishes. Two base ingredients, for example, may be Spaghetti or White Rice.
Once this feature launches, a new "Taste Lab" section will be available in you cookbook. It looks like we'll be able to create just four signature dishes to start, with additional recipe slots being unlocked with Cafe Cash. When creating dishes, we'll use one of each ingredient to create it, with ingredients coming from another new feature: Farmer Fred's Ingredient Marketplace. Some ingredients go for Cafe Cash, while others cost varying amount of coins. Each particular ingredient updates the stats of your dish; that is, if you use Beef in your recipe, it will automatically gain six hours of cooking time, while Pork adds just four hours. Each ingredient also adds different amount of Cafe Points and Servings to your final product.
Again, this Signature Dish feature is still listed as "coming soon," but it does give those players who like mastering dishes something to be very excited about. We'll make sure to bring you a complete look at these DishMaster goals and the Signature Dish feature when it fully launches in the game, but for now, check out the trailer below for more of a sneak peek.
Are you excited about the upcoming Signature Dish feature in Cafe World, or does it add an extra layer of complexity to the game that it doesn't need?
Zynga Gamestop promotion now live in Cafe World, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and more [UPDATE]
Last night, we brought you a complete rundown of the new GameStop promotion taking place in FarmVille, that will reward users with 1, 3 or 6 mystery goods in the game for redeeming one of the three dollar values of Zynga Game Cards that have been purchased at GameStop. Now, though, the promotion becomes much more interesting (and perhaps more dangerous to your pocketbook), as a similar deal has gone live in Cafe World, Mafia Wars, YoVille, CityVille, the Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies! Holy cow!
To be specific, each game has its own set of items, some of which are exclusive to this GameStop promotion. If you purchase a $10 Game Card, you're guaranteed to receive just a single Mystery Good, although which item on the list you'll receive looks to truly be a mystery. For $25, your prize goes up to three Mystery Goods, while the top dollar amount - $50 - grants you six prizes. Keep in mind, you'll also receive the appropriate amount of premium currency for the particular game you've redeemed the card in.
Here's a complete look at the items that are available (notice that some are re-releases, or are least far less valuable than others - Cafe World spice, I'm looking at you).
Interestingly, Adventure World isn't found in this promotion, but that's likely due to its still young age. You'll only have until November 6 to take advantage of this offer, but in that time you can purchase as many cards (or as few) as you'd like. Perhaps we'll see Adventure World items added in that time frame, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that possibility just to be safe. For more information, check out the promotion's website.
UPDATE: We've spoken with Zynga, which confirms that Adventure World players won't be left out in the cold. If you're a PowerUp Rewards member (GameStop's rewards program), you'll receive an additional code for a starter pack in Adventure World or the upcoming Mafia Wars 2.
Will you purchase a Zynga Game Card or two during this promotional period? Which game will you redeem it in, and which items are you hoping to win when you do?
To be specific, each game has its own set of items, some of which are exclusive to this GameStop promotion. If you purchase a $10 Game Card, you're guaranteed to receive just a single Mystery Good, although which item on the list you'll receive looks to truly be a mystery. For $25, your prize goes up to three Mystery Goods, while the top dollar amount - $50 - grants you six prizes. Keep in mind, you'll also receive the appropriate amount of premium currency for the particular game you've redeemed the card in.
Here's a complete look at the items that are available (notice that some are re-releases, or are least far less valuable than others - Cafe World spice, I'm looking at you).
Interestingly, Adventure World isn't found in this promotion, but that's likely due to its still young age. You'll only have until November 6 to take advantage of this offer, but in that time you can purchase as many cards (or as few) as you'd like. Perhaps we'll see Adventure World items added in that time frame, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that possibility just to be safe. For more information, check out the promotion's website.
UPDATE: We've spoken with Zynga, which confirms that Adventure World players won't be left out in the cold. If you're a PowerUp Rewards member (GameStop's rewards program), you'll receive an additional code for a starter pack in Adventure World or the upcoming Mafia Wars 2.
Will you purchase a Zynga Game Card or two during this promotional period? Which game will you redeem it in, and which items are you hoping to win when you do?
CityVille Universities: Everything you need to know
While Elementary, Middle and High Schools in CityVille are one thing (fairly forgettable things, if we're being honest), Zynga is really getting into the school spirit this week with the release of a University feature in the game. This feature is more than just a single building, as you'll be able to build and name your own University consisting of multiple parts. First, you'll need to be at least level 23 to access this feature, but from there, will need to place a Student Center to get things started.
The Student Center takes seven whacks to build. To finish its construction, you'll need to collect various building materials:
6 Gowns
6 Laptops
6 Caps
6 Textbooks
6 Notebooks
The Gowns and Caps are earned through general news posts on your wall, while the other three items are earned through specific requests sent to individual friends. After the construction is finished, you'll get to name your Student Center and overall University. This currently can't be renamed, so make sure to choose something you really like.
After the naming process, you'll get to choose a logo, with a generic CityVille U logo being available for free, and tons more representing real world universities. These real-world logos come via a partnership between Zynga and Collegiate Licensing Company, which allows the logos to be represented in the game virtually. These logos cost City Cash, and come with a catch.
Once you purchase a logo with CIty Cash, it can be used on any duplicate college buildings you build, but not on different buildings. For instance, if I chose the Boise State logo for my first Student Center, and then built another Student Center, I could use the same logo twice without paying for it a second time. However, if I later built a College Stadium, Dorm, etc. I would need to purchase the logo all over again. This, needless to say might turn into a pretty costly endeavor, depending on how many college buildings you plan on investing in.
Speaking of, there are currently four additional buildings that can be constructed, but again, this can only be done after the Student Center is completely built (building materials and all). Here's a rundown of where you extra school spirit can go.
Collect Stadium - 150,000 coins
Collect Dorm - 30,000 coins
University Sign - 8,000 coins
Clock Tower - 16,000 coins
It's not unlikely that additional college-themed buildings will be released in the future, but for now, this gives you plenty to work on. As for an overall function, there doesn't really appear to be one here other than simply allowing you to show off your real-world team colors inside your CityVille town. Should we come across anything different, we'll make sure to let you know.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you build a large college complex in your town in CityVille? Which college logo are you going to unlock?
The Student Center takes seven whacks to build. To finish its construction, you'll need to collect various building materials:
6 Gowns
6 Laptops
6 Caps
6 Textbooks
6 Notebooks
The Gowns and Caps are earned through general news posts on your wall, while the other three items are earned through specific requests sent to individual friends. After the construction is finished, you'll get to name your Student Center and overall University. This currently can't be renamed, so make sure to choose something you really like.
After the naming process, you'll get to choose a logo, with a generic CityVille U logo being available for free, and tons more representing real world universities. These real-world logos come via a partnership between Zynga and Collegiate Licensing Company, which allows the logos to be represented in the game virtually. These logos cost City Cash, and come with a catch.
Once you purchase a logo with CIty Cash, it can be used on any duplicate college buildings you build, but not on different buildings. For instance, if I chose the Boise State logo for my first Student Center, and then built another Student Center, I could use the same logo twice without paying for it a second time. However, if I later built a College Stadium, Dorm, etc. I would need to purchase the logo all over again. This, needless to say might turn into a pretty costly endeavor, depending on how many college buildings you plan on investing in.
Speaking of, there are currently four additional buildings that can be constructed, but again, this can only be done after the Student Center is completely built (building materials and all). Here's a rundown of where you extra school spirit can go.
Collect Stadium - 150,000 coins
Collect Dorm - 30,000 coins
University Sign - 8,000 coins
Clock Tower - 16,000 coins
It's not unlikely that additional college-themed buildings will be released in the future, but for now, this gives you plenty to work on. As for an overall function, there doesn't really appear to be one here other than simply allowing you to show off your real-world team colors inside your CityVille town. Should we come across anything different, we'll make sure to let you know.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you build a large college complex in your town in CityVille? Which college logo are you going to unlock?
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