To get us even more pumped than we already are for the Holidays, Zynga has introduced the Holiday Dinner Goals to Cafe World. Unlike the standard Catering Order used to honor most holiday events, this series of Goals will be the precursor to an eventual Catering Order. Think of it as, say, the appetizer for the feast, but in this case the feast will be a big ol' job to do. The aim of these Goals is to guide players along in learning the three limited edition recipes that we imagine will be required to complete the next Catering Order. There is a grand total of seven Goals to the Holiday Dinner series, so let's get on with it.
1. Get Seasonal
This Goal is simple enough, requiring players simply visit their friends and spice their stove, which should make 100 coins in the process regardless. All the while you'll need to bake two Pumpkin Pies, a Level 3 recipe that takes 12 hours to prepare. Complete this Goal and you'll receive the Stocking Row decoration.
Join us behind the break for a look at Goals 2 through 7.
Spread Some Cheer
2. Spread Some Cheer
In the second Goal to the series, all you need to do is visit two Neighbors, ask your friends for some RSVPs, which will come in handy later on, and buy one Winter Snack. This item is available in the Decor section for 6,000 coins. Some players in the forums are reporting that this might be a bug considering it was only 300 coins days earlier, so you might want to sit tight on this one in case Zynga puts out a fix. Your reward for completing this Goal is 1 Cafe Cash.
Waldorf Salad
3. Waldorf Salad
If you hadn't guessed yet, this aptly named Goal will reward you with the new Waldorf Salad recipe, which we imagine will prove useful in the imminent Catering Order coming our way. Depending on how you look at Goals like these, this can be both good and bad. All you can do here is ask away for your friends to gift you these ingredients to learn the Waldorf Salad.
4. Warm Up Your Guests
This Goal will task players with finding five more RSVPs, which again can be found through asking our friends. Unfortunately, this Goal also appears to be bugged as it asks players to buy an item called "Holiday Chimney," yet this is nowhere in the game at this time. (Please feel free to tip us off if you find it.) The final requirement is to serve 10 Apple Ciders, the first drink in the Drink Bar menu which costs 8 Energy per six servings.
Ham it Up
5. Ham It Up!
This fifth Goal is all about getting the second of the three special recipes for the holidays. All you need to do, again, is to ask your friends for each of these above items and to send them back in return. Well sending them back isn't a requirement, per se, but you should probably practice some generosity in these games considering that's what it's all about. Finishing these tasks will reward with the Baked Ham recipe.
Make More Room
6.Make More Room
This Goal will make players get even more RSVPs from players, which is done just like before. The Red Suit Chair is available in the Decor section for 3,000 coins and visiting 10 Neighbors should be easy enough. Complete the Goal to receive the Red Nutcracker decoration.
Angel Slices
7. Angel Slices
Now, it's time for the Ask-a-Thon of 2010. A total of 30 requests will need to be made for you to win the Angel Slices recipe. Alright, so this is a bit overboard, but you do want that recipe... right? Complete this and that will be the end of the Holiday Dinner Goals. Stay tuned right here for when the Catering Oder goes live for a full guide.
[Via Cafe World Wiki and Images Credit: Cafe World Forums]
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
FarmVille Comic: The Sims for cows?
This hilarious comic was posted today on Mashable, and we can't help but giggle at the thought of a cow playing FarmVille. If you stop and think about it, a cow playing FarmVille would be very similar to them playing The SIms. I wonder what kind of home they would build for themselves? I know when I play The Sims, I spend hours simply building my house.
Click to view full comic image
[via Mashable]
Click to view full comic image
[via Mashable]
New FarmVille Mystery Game, Winter Present, decorations coming soon
White Winter Tree Winter Present
Zynga's not done with the Holidays yet--not even close. Our good friends at FarmVille Freak discovered that a new Mystery Game along with a few new decorations are on their way to FarmVille. Soon enough, or most likely Dec. 12, players will be able to enjoy new Winter Presents. These may be new free gifts similar to Mystery Gifts that will likely only be around for a limited time.
Rounding out the list of unreleased items is a Red and Green Dining Table and a White Winter Tree. It would be interesting is this new Dining Table would be attached to a quest similar to FrontierVille's Thanksgiving Dinner, but that's purely wishful thinking. As for the White Winter Tree, this will probably be just another decoration considering the Ornament Trees have returned. Stay tuned to the farm for when these new items, especially that new Mystery Game, finally arrive.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Zynga's not done with the Holidays yet--not even close. Our good friends at FarmVille Freak discovered that a new Mystery Game along with a few new decorations are on their way to FarmVille. Soon enough, or most likely Dec. 12, players will be able to enjoy new Winter Presents. These may be new free gifts similar to Mystery Gifts that will likely only be around for a limited time.
Rounding out the list of unreleased items is a Red and Green Dining Table and a White Winter Tree. It would be interesting is this new Dining Table would be attached to a quest similar to FrontierVille's Thanksgiving Dinner, but that's purely wishful thinking. As for the White Winter Tree, this will probably be just another decoration considering the Ornament Trees have returned. Stay tuned to the farm for when these new items, especially that new Mystery Game, finally arrive.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
FrontierVille Multi Sell Option: Get rid of pesky items even faster
Multi-Sell Option
In a small, yet welcome update to FrontierVille, Zynga has introduced the "Multi Sell Option." Basically, it's an easier way to sell a large number if items at once without the hassle.
To activate the Multi Sell option, do the following. Click on an item using the Sell Tool, then look for the following "are you sure" pop up window (see above). In that window you will also see a check box next to text that reads "Don't ask me again while I'm selling these items." Mark the box with an "X" before pressing "Accept" and everything else you click with the Sell Tool will turn into coins immediately. No extra clicking required.
This is especially handy if you're totally reorganizing your frontier and want to, say, get rid of a bunch of unwanted fencing. However, be extra careful about what you click on after marking that box. In a worst case scenario, you could end up selling your precious Pink Hot Rod or worse, the Frontier Jack-in-the-Box. On second thought, sell that thing - it kinda creeps me out.
In a small, yet welcome update to FrontierVille, Zynga has introduced the "Multi Sell Option." Basically, it's an easier way to sell a large number if items at once without the hassle.
To activate the Multi Sell option, do the following. Click on an item using the Sell Tool, then look for the following "are you sure" pop up window (see above). In that window you will also see a check box next to text that reads "Don't ask me again while I'm selling these items." Mark the box with an "X" before pressing "Accept" and everything else you click with the Sell Tool will turn into coins immediately. No extra clicking required.
This is especially handy if you're totally reorganizing your frontier and want to, say, get rid of a bunch of unwanted fencing. However, be extra careful about what you click on after marking that box. In a worst case scenario, you could end up selling your precious Pink Hot Rod or worse, the Frontier Jack-in-the-Box. On second thought, sell that thing - it kinda creeps me out.
FarmVille Holiday Tree: Everything you need to know
So, you've already built the Winter Workshop and the Gingerbread House is almost complete, but did you think that would really be the end of it. Of course not--this is FarmVille we're talking about here and this game is going to ring in Christmas with a bang. Zynga will be launching the 2010 edition of the Holiday Tree today and it may already be slowing rolling out to players. And for those who weren't around this year or who just want to get it right we have a full guide for how to get this prized pine tree up and running in time for Dec. 25.
You'll know when you've gotten your own Holiday Tree as you will immediately be in Placement Mode upon logging into the game. Put the tree where you see fit (next to another Holiday building would be a fine spot) and click on it to "Look Inside" like every other interactive item. (Newbie Warning: You must be Level 5 to grow your Holiday Tree, so get to leveling up about... now.)
Check after the break to find out what happens when you "Look Inside" the 2010 Holiday Tree.
Holiday Tree Menu
Once inside, you'll immediately be reminded of previous gifting event items and this Holiday Tree is no different. If you want to collect all the items that the tree has to offer, you will need to accumulate miscellaneous gifts through a variety of methods:
* Harvesting your (or your neighbor's) Winter Workshop.
* Requesting a Holiday Gift from your neighbors directly (by clicking on the "Ask for Gifts" button).
* Receive a Holiday Gift from a neighbor who uses the Free Gifts page.
* Purchase 5 Holiday Gifts at a time by clicking on the "Buy Gifts" button (for 5 Farm Cash).
* Click on a Holiday Gift-related feed where you can receive a Holiday Gift.
Like other gifting event items, the Holiday Tree will grow and become more ornate as you feed it gifts. Eventually, your farm will be regaled with a massive Christmas Tree with a golden duck resting on top as the star (how fitting). This time around, you're also able to compare your progress with your friends', adding some slight competition to Christmas in FarmVille.
Holiday Tree Gift
But Christmas isn't about getting gifts--OK, maybe just a little bit--it's about giving them to your friends and loved ones. Once you redeem a gift from the Holiday Tree, you're given the option to gift a certain amount of them to your friends. However, in the spirit of Christmas, they won't be able to open them until Christmas morning. All they will receive is a blank present, though they will know who it's from. If you can't make into FarmVille on Christmas, you'll have until Jan. 6 of next year to redeem your presents or build up your tree.
We imagine that, like last year, the gifted Presents will be randomized and not what players will find within their own Holiday Trees. Stay tuned right here for when that information becomes available as we'll be on it like white on snow. Until then, get those Holiday Trees ready--you only have two weeks until the big day.
[Source: FarmVille Blog]
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
You'll know when you've gotten your own Holiday Tree as you will immediately be in Placement Mode upon logging into the game. Put the tree where you see fit (next to another Holiday building would be a fine spot) and click on it to "Look Inside" like every other interactive item. (Newbie Warning: You must be Level 5 to grow your Holiday Tree, so get to leveling up about... now.)
Check after the break to find out what happens when you "Look Inside" the 2010 Holiday Tree.
Holiday Tree Menu
Once inside, you'll immediately be reminded of previous gifting event items and this Holiday Tree is no different. If you want to collect all the items that the tree has to offer, you will need to accumulate miscellaneous gifts through a variety of methods:
* Harvesting your (or your neighbor's) Winter Workshop.
* Requesting a Holiday Gift from your neighbors directly (by clicking on the "Ask for Gifts" button).
* Receive a Holiday Gift from a neighbor who uses the Free Gifts page.
* Purchase 5 Holiday Gifts at a time by clicking on the "Buy Gifts" button (for 5 Farm Cash).
* Click on a Holiday Gift-related feed where you can receive a Holiday Gift.
Like other gifting event items, the Holiday Tree will grow and become more ornate as you feed it gifts. Eventually, your farm will be regaled with a massive Christmas Tree with a golden duck resting on top as the star (how fitting). This time around, you're also able to compare your progress with your friends', adding some slight competition to Christmas in FarmVille.
Holiday Tree Gift
But Christmas isn't about getting gifts--OK, maybe just a little bit--it's about giving them to your friends and loved ones. Once you redeem a gift from the Holiday Tree, you're given the option to gift a certain amount of them to your friends. However, in the spirit of Christmas, they won't be able to open them until Christmas morning. All they will receive is a blank present, though they will know who it's from. If you can't make into FarmVille on Christmas, you'll have until Jan. 6 of next year to redeem your presents or build up your tree.
We imagine that, like last year, the gifted Presents will be randomized and not what players will find within their own Holiday Trees. Stay tuned right here for when that information becomes available as we'll be on it like white on snow. Until then, get those Holiday Trees ready--you only have two weeks until the big day.
[Source: FarmVille Blog]
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Reuters to social, mobile gamers: 2011 will be better
Oh, the possibilities
Aside from the burgeoning and indisputably successful social and mobile games markets, video game sales suffered a year long slump in 2010. Industry professionals predict that game sales for this year will total four percent lower than 2009. But if a recent Reuters report is any indication, 2011 will be the year of the mobile and social, bringing revenue growth to the industry. And of course, that means more money to make even better social games, which Mark Skaggs, vice president of product development at Zynga, says will have "deeper gameplay, more polish, and be much more and better social experiences."
Carnegie Mellon professor and game developer Jesse Schell predicts that 2011 will ring in games that exist on all platforms from the PC to our phones and to our consoles and TVs, Reuters reports. The news service also predicts that 3D and motion gaming will grow in 2011 thanks to the oncoming Nintendo 3DS, the Xbox Kinect and 3D TVs that will be on display at this year's CES. (Well, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, at least.)
But as for social and mobile gaming, we've already seen signs of this predicted boom in 2010 with marvels like Angry Birds on iPhone and Android along with the recent CityVille explosion on Facebook. So, 2011 could very well mean even more growth for social and mobile, but don't expect leaps and bounds when it comes to cross-platform play. Well, unless companies like Zynga continue to make use of HTML5 and the mobile web--then we're onto something.
Aside from the burgeoning and indisputably successful social and mobile games markets, video game sales suffered a year long slump in 2010. Industry professionals predict that game sales for this year will total four percent lower than 2009. But if a recent Reuters report is any indication, 2011 will be the year of the mobile and social, bringing revenue growth to the industry. And of course, that means more money to make even better social games, which Mark Skaggs, vice president of product development at Zynga, says will have "deeper gameplay, more polish, and be much more and better social experiences."
Carnegie Mellon professor and game developer Jesse Schell predicts that 2011 will ring in games that exist on all platforms from the PC to our phones and to our consoles and TVs, Reuters reports. The news service also predicts that 3D and motion gaming will grow in 2011 thanks to the oncoming Nintendo 3DS, the Xbox Kinect and 3D TVs that will be on display at this year's CES. (Well, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, at least.)
But as for social and mobile gaming, we've already seen signs of this predicted boom in 2010 with marvels like Angry Birds on iPhone and Android along with the recent CityVille explosion on Facebook. So, 2011 could very well mean even more growth for social and mobile, but don't expect leaps and bounds when it comes to cross-platform play. Well, unless companies like Zynga continue to make use of HTML5 and the mobile web--then we're onto something.
CityVille social features fueled by selfish interests, game designer says
The incredibly rapid growth and potential success of CityVille has not only piqued the interest of the media, but folks in the field as well. Game designer Tadhg Kelly, in the second half of a two-part feature on Gamasutra, claims to have discovered the secret to the game's success. And it's not exactly pretty.
According to Kelly, the social features in CityVille are "all incentive driven." He goes on to say that at every turn, the game prompts players to make use of their friends with the incentive of Energy, coins, experience points and more. "In each case, the dynamics exist to tantalise a player with a tangible reward," Kelly asserts. "If you visit your friend, you get a prize. If you send them a free gift that costs you nothing, they might send you one back. If you set up a bakery in their town, you will both gain from that. If you harvest their crops for them, you will gain reputation points."
Because of this, the designer claims that social games aren't actually social. That type of interaction is useless to the developer, so instead these social interactions are built as amusements, Kelly claims. "Socialising in amusements is more akin to having spare Poker chips at the table that you give to someone else, and maybe they'll give you some back later," Kelly says. "It is reciprocal trade, assistance for incentive, not charity. While this does not preclude the possibility that some players will engage in acts of charity for personal reasons, the social dynamics are not created with that in mind. They are built to work with self-interest."
The poignant feature goes on to explore CityVille's financial model and how it works, but more importantly, it goes on to explain why social game developers have little hope of combating Zynga in the social games race. In his eyes, Zynga won a long time ago. Comparing Zynga to Google, he finishes with the claim that social game developers aren't going to beat Zynga at its own game, advising them to utilize different strategies for personal success.
"Hearing a social game company talk about how they are going to spend $300k on development, making their own cheap knock-off games, and then become The Next Zynga is like listening to small startups convincing themselves that they just need to make a better search engine to take down Google."
According to Kelly, the social features in CityVille are "all incentive driven." He goes on to say that at every turn, the game prompts players to make use of their friends with the incentive of Energy, coins, experience points and more. "In each case, the dynamics exist to tantalise a player with a tangible reward," Kelly asserts. "If you visit your friend, you get a prize. If you send them a free gift that costs you nothing, they might send you one back. If you set up a bakery in their town, you will both gain from that. If you harvest their crops for them, you will gain reputation points."
Because of this, the designer claims that social games aren't actually social. That type of interaction is useless to the developer, so instead these social interactions are built as amusements, Kelly claims. "Socialising in amusements is more akin to having spare Poker chips at the table that you give to someone else, and maybe they'll give you some back later," Kelly says. "It is reciprocal trade, assistance for incentive, not charity. While this does not preclude the possibility that some players will engage in acts of charity for personal reasons, the social dynamics are not created with that in mind. They are built to work with self-interest."
The poignant feature goes on to explore CityVille's financial model and how it works, but more importantly, it goes on to explain why social game developers have little hope of combating Zynga in the social games race. In his eyes, Zynga won a long time ago. Comparing Zynga to Google, he finishes with the claim that social game developers aren't going to beat Zynga at its own game, advising them to utilize different strategies for personal success.
"Hearing a social game company talk about how they are going to spend $300k on development, making their own cheap knock-off games, and then become The Next Zynga is like listening to small startups convincing themselves that they just need to make a better search engine to take down Google."
FarmVille: Fertilize All available as a Free Gift for a limited time
For some time now, we've been able to experience just how great the FarmVille Fertilize All can be on our farms. What better way to boost your experience total in the game, than to earn extra experience for each and every crop on your land? Such is the function of the Fertilize All, as it rewards an extra experience point for all fertilized crops.
While you can normally earn free Fertilize Alls when harvesting from your Beehive, or receiving them as bonuses posted by your friends on their walls, for a very limited time you'll be able to send these fantastic items to friends for free, from the game's Free Gifts page.
If this is like any other "Limited Time" situation that has occurred over the past few months, this item likely won't be available to send for long - possibly not even a full day or more. That being the case, if you'd like to stock up on these helpful items, make sure to ask your friends to send you as many as possible, while the item is still available on the free gifts page.
While you can normally earn free Fertilize Alls when harvesting from your Beehive, or receiving them as bonuses posted by your friends on their walls, for a very limited time you'll be able to send these fantastic items to friends for free, from the game's Free Gifts page.
If this is like any other "Limited Time" situation that has occurred over the past few months, this item likely won't be available to send for long - possibly not even a full day or more. That being the case, if you'd like to stock up on these helpful items, make sure to ask your friends to send you as many as possible, while the item is still available on the free gifts page.
Cafe World New Years Party Goals: Everything you need to know
The countdown to the new year has officially started in Cafe World, as Zynga has launched a completely new mission line entitled "New Years Party" that will have you, you guessed it, preparing a grand celebration for the coming of the new year for all of your cafe's guests.
This mission series consists of eight parts, will reward you with three new and exclusive recipes, and will challenge you through a Catering Order. We have everything you need to know about how to complete these various goals behind the break. The New Years Party missions are labeled as I-VIII, so we'll start, of course, with New Years Party I. This mission asks you to complete three steps:
Place the Champagne Tower
Earn 500 Coins
Prepare 5 Club House Sandwiches
The Champagne Tower must be retrieved from the "Special Items" menu - the blue gem that rests alongside the menus for adding stoves and counters for your Cafe. The item is free, and takes up a single square in your cafe. The table will be empty when you place it, and you're given a brief hint as to how to fill it with glasses, and eventually Champagne - that being to simply continue completing these New Years Party Goals.
As for the Club House Sandwiches, you don't actually have to let the meal cook - you just need to set it cooking on five stoves.
The rewards for completing this first mission are 500 Cafe Coins and 500 Cafe Points.
Completing Part I instantly unlocks Part II, which asks you to complete three more steps:
Get 2 RSVPs
Buy a New Year Buffet Table
Visit 2 Neighbors
RSVPs are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending an individual gift request to those friends that you think would most likely help you out. If this is like the Holiday Dinner Party event (we assume it is), your friends will only be able to help you one time by sending RSVPs - after all, how can a friend RSVP to the same party twice in the real world?
The New Year Buffet Table, meanwhile, can be purchased from the store for 50,000 coins. It is a single square item, and you can store it instantly after purchasing it, if you don't like the look of the item in your cafe.
The reward for this second mission is a single Cafe Cash.
Part III of the New Years Party Missions introduces a new recipe to the game, that is exclusive to this event. The recipe is the Mini Crab Cakes, and you'll need to unlock it by collecting various amounts of three ingredients:
Get 10 cans of Crab Meat
Get 5 cups of Parmesan Cheese
Get 2 cups of Olive Oil
All three of these tasks can be completed by clicking on the "Ask" button next to that ingredient, and then sending individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, or at least the ones that you think will actually help you.
As we said, the reward for this mission is the Mini Crab Cakes recipe, which is a 9 hour dish. It costs 2100 coins to cook, and serves 450 at a price of 10 coins per serving, for a return of 4500 coins. The dish can be mastered, but remember, if you don't unlock it through these missions before they expire, you won't have access to the dish until (if) Zynga decides to re-release it later on.
Part IV of the mission requires you to earn more guests for your New Years Party, along with buying more decorations:
Get 6 RSVPs
Buy 1 New Year Divider
Serve 10 Cups of Ginger Ale
Ginger Ale is available to serve from the Drink Bar for 22 Energy, which supplies you with 6 cups, while the New Year Divider is available to purchase in the game's store for 15,000 coins.
Part V of the mission series asks you to collect even more recipe ingredients, and as of this writing, we're assuming that this is the mission that allows you to unlock one of the two other recipes available through this event, the Beef Skewers.
Get 15 Skewers
Get 10 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds
Get 10 Bunches of Green Onions
The Beef Skewers recipe is available to cook for 2,880 coins, and you only need to be level 8 in order to cook it. We'll make sure to give you more cooking details about this dish as they become available.
For part VI of the mission set, you'll need to add even more friends to your party, by collecting another set of RSVPs, along with collecting more general items.
Get 10 RSVPs
Get 10 Bay Leaves
Get 5 Lemons
Moving on to Part VII, we believe this will be the mission that rewards the third and final New Years recipe, the Salmon Rillettes. As you might expect, this mission requires you to collect various ingredients in order to unlock this new recipe.
Get 10 Loaves of Stale Bread
Get 10 Cups of Milk
Get 10 Cups of All Purpose Flour
Again, you'll be able to ask your friends for these items. The Salmon Rillettes recipe is available to cook for 2,786 coins and is available to users that have reached at least level 2.
Last but not least, you'll finish the New Years Party missions by completing Part VIII, which sees you adding to the Champagne Tower / Table that you purchased way back in the first mission. You'll also need to "Cater" a New Year's Party, which is a new catering order in the game. Here are the two goals as they are listed in the game:
Cater the New Year's Bash
Get 20 Bottles of Champagne
And there you have it! A very in-depth and somewhat complicated mission set in Cafe World, made even more complicated by the addition of a Catering Order in the very last mission. We won't blame you if you feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of completing all of these tasks, as we're feeling a bit stressed ourselves, considering the time sensitive nature of these missions in the game. However, Zynga has been known to be rather generous in allowing users to have time to complete these goals, even after their respective holidays have passed, so don't give up hope!
This mission series consists of eight parts, will reward you with three new and exclusive recipes, and will challenge you through a Catering Order. We have everything you need to know about how to complete these various goals behind the break. The New Years Party missions are labeled as I-VIII, so we'll start, of course, with New Years Party I. This mission asks you to complete three steps:
Place the Champagne Tower
Earn 500 Coins
Prepare 5 Club House Sandwiches
The Champagne Tower must be retrieved from the "Special Items" menu - the blue gem that rests alongside the menus for adding stoves and counters for your Cafe. The item is free, and takes up a single square in your cafe. The table will be empty when you place it, and you're given a brief hint as to how to fill it with glasses, and eventually Champagne - that being to simply continue completing these New Years Party Goals.
As for the Club House Sandwiches, you don't actually have to let the meal cook - you just need to set it cooking on five stoves.
The rewards for completing this first mission are 500 Cafe Coins and 500 Cafe Points.
Completing Part I instantly unlocks Part II, which asks you to complete three more steps:
Get 2 RSVPs
Buy a New Year Buffet Table
Visit 2 Neighbors
RSVPs are earned by clicking on the "Ask" button and then sending an individual gift request to those friends that you think would most likely help you out. If this is like the Holiday Dinner Party event (we assume it is), your friends will only be able to help you one time by sending RSVPs - after all, how can a friend RSVP to the same party twice in the real world?
The New Year Buffet Table, meanwhile, can be purchased from the store for 50,000 coins. It is a single square item, and you can store it instantly after purchasing it, if you don't like the look of the item in your cafe.
The reward for this second mission is a single Cafe Cash.
Part III of the New Years Party Missions introduces a new recipe to the game, that is exclusive to this event. The recipe is the Mini Crab Cakes, and you'll need to unlock it by collecting various amounts of three ingredients:
Get 10 cans of Crab Meat
Get 5 cups of Parmesan Cheese
Get 2 cups of Olive Oil
All three of these tasks can be completed by clicking on the "Ask" button next to that ingredient, and then sending individual gift requests to your Cafe World neighbors, or at least the ones that you think will actually help you.
As we said, the reward for this mission is the Mini Crab Cakes recipe, which is a 9 hour dish. It costs 2100 coins to cook, and serves 450 at a price of 10 coins per serving, for a return of 4500 coins. The dish can be mastered, but remember, if you don't unlock it through these missions before they expire, you won't have access to the dish until (if) Zynga decides to re-release it later on.
Part IV of the mission requires you to earn more guests for your New Years Party, along with buying more decorations:
Get 6 RSVPs
Buy 1 New Year Divider
Serve 10 Cups of Ginger Ale
Ginger Ale is available to serve from the Drink Bar for 22 Energy, which supplies you with 6 cups, while the New Year Divider is available to purchase in the game's store for 15,000 coins.
Part V of the mission series asks you to collect even more recipe ingredients, and as of this writing, we're assuming that this is the mission that allows you to unlock one of the two other recipes available through this event, the Beef Skewers.
Get 15 Skewers
Get 10 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds
Get 10 Bunches of Green Onions
The Beef Skewers recipe is available to cook for 2,880 coins, and you only need to be level 8 in order to cook it. We'll make sure to give you more cooking details about this dish as they become available.
For part VI of the mission set, you'll need to add even more friends to your party, by collecting another set of RSVPs, along with collecting more general items.
Get 10 RSVPs
Get 10 Bay Leaves
Get 5 Lemons
Moving on to Part VII, we believe this will be the mission that rewards the third and final New Years recipe, the Salmon Rillettes. As you might expect, this mission requires you to collect various ingredients in order to unlock this new recipe.
Get 10 Loaves of Stale Bread
Get 10 Cups of Milk
Get 10 Cups of All Purpose Flour
Again, you'll be able to ask your friends for these items. The Salmon Rillettes recipe is available to cook for 2,786 coins and is available to users that have reached at least level 2.
Last but not least, you'll finish the New Years Party missions by completing Part VIII, which sees you adding to the Champagne Tower / Table that you purchased way back in the first mission. You'll also need to "Cater" a New Year's Party, which is a new catering order in the game. Here are the two goals as they are listed in the game:
Cater the New Year's Bash
Get 20 Bottles of Champagne
And there you have it! A very in-depth and somewhat complicated mission set in Cafe World, made even more complicated by the addition of a Catering Order in the very last mission. We won't blame you if you feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of completing all of these tasks, as we're feeling a bit stressed ourselves, considering the time sensitive nature of these missions in the game. However, Zynga has been known to be rather generous in allowing users to have time to complete these goals, even after their respective holidays have passed, so don't give up hope!
CityVille Winter Decorations: Ice Sculptures, Ski Slopes, Christmas Tree Lot, Ice Rink & Much More!
A huge new release of Winter-themed decorative items have been released in CityVille this evening, giving you enough snow and ice-covered goodness to really send a chill down the spines of all of your imaginary little citizens.
There are plenty of items here for both City Cash and general coins, giving everyone a chance to pick up something for their towns, whether they want to splurge on a premium item or not. To give you a bit more incentive to purchase the premium items, most are animated, so keep that in mind. Here are the new items, along with their prices:
Crab Ice Sculpture - 30 City Cash
Reindeer Ice Sculpture - 15 City Cash
Giraffe Ice Sculpture - 500 Coins
Christmas Tree Lot - 2,000 Coins
Polar Bear - 30 City Cash
Snow Angel - 5,000 Coins
Sled Hill - 30 City Cash
Bunny Slope - 45 City Cash
Ski Run - 65 City Cash
Kids Building Snowman - 20,000 Coins
Frozen Pond - 35 City Cash
Ice Rink - 40 City Cash
As of right now, there aren't any time limits associated with any of these items; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will stick around after Winter itself has passed on. Either way, you should have plenty of time to stock up on these new items (we can only hope they are semi-permanent, as some of those City Cash items will take a while to earn).
We'll be sure to let you know when Zynga adds even more items to CityVille for your shopping pleasure, so keep checking back with us!
There are plenty of items here for both City Cash and general coins, giving everyone a chance to pick up something for their towns, whether they want to splurge on a premium item or not. To give you a bit more incentive to purchase the premium items, most are animated, so keep that in mind. Here are the new items, along with their prices:
Crab Ice Sculpture - 30 City Cash
Reindeer Ice Sculpture - 15 City Cash
Giraffe Ice Sculpture - 500 Coins
Christmas Tree Lot - 2,000 Coins
Polar Bear - 30 City Cash
Snow Angel - 5,000 Coins
Sled Hill - 30 City Cash
Bunny Slope - 45 City Cash
Ski Run - 65 City Cash
Kids Building Snowman - 20,000 Coins
Frozen Pond - 35 City Cash
Ice Rink - 40 City Cash
As of right now, there aren't any time limits associated with any of these items; however, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will stick around after Winter itself has passed on. Either way, you should have plenty of time to stock up on these new items (we can only hope they are semi-permanent, as some of those City Cash items will take a while to earn).
We'll be sure to let you know when Zynga adds even more items to CityVille for your shopping pleasure, so keep checking back with us!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Scam Alert: Mario Kart does not exist on Facebook, and likely never will
Nintendo has already established--rather firmly, actually--that its games will never leave Nintendo hardware. Alas, here we are, with yet another attempt at your account information to spread a dastardly scam. According to Internet security firm Sophos's Naked Security blog, a scam that claims Nintendo's popular racer Mario Kart is available for Facebook is circulating.
But it's not just circulating through News Feed posts, but through private messages between Facebook users. If you happen to click on the link that's spreading the fake news, you will arrive at what appears to be a launch page for the game. You absolutely should not click on it, but doing so takes you to an online survey rather than a thrilling race with Mario and friends.
Some users have even told Naked Security that clicking on the link attempts to install a browser extension on their computers. It should go without saying that you should under no circumstances accept the installation, but we're saying it anyway. If you were so unfortunate as to click on it, be quick to delete any News Feed or private messages sent inadvertently by you.
Mario Kart Facebook scam News Feed
And, if you did happen to install anything offered from the scam, be sure to can your computer immediately. Oh, and would you be so kind as to remind your friends that this is a scam? Sure, you'll be a dream crusher, but a computer-saving dream crusher.
But it's not just circulating through News Feed posts, but through private messages between Facebook users. If you happen to click on the link that's spreading the fake news, you will arrive at what appears to be a launch page for the game. You absolutely should not click on it, but doing so takes you to an online survey rather than a thrilling race with Mario and friends.
Some users have even told Naked Security that clicking on the link attempts to install a browser extension on their computers. It should go without saying that you should under no circumstances accept the installation, but we're saying it anyway. If you were so unfortunate as to click on it, be quick to delete any News Feed or private messages sent inadvertently by you.
Mario Kart Facebook scam News Feed
And, if you did happen to install anything offered from the scam, be sure to can your computer immediately. Oh, and would you be so kind as to remind your friends that this is a scam? Sure, you'll be a dream crusher, but a computer-saving dream crusher.
Fox ladies, karate masters and robot men will do battle in Prime World
Don't worry, we're a little confused, too. Nival, the Russian social game studio behind King's Bounty: Legions, has released some new images of Prime World. The screen shots reveal a bit more of what's about to go on your PC or Mac (or Android phone and iPhone) in this downloadable strategy game that's said to have deep Facebook Connect support.
For one, the game looks pretty gorgeous, especially the spell effects like fire and what appear to be laser weapons. (Yeah, we have no idea what type of setting Nival is going for at this point.) More important are the characters within the images that are duking it out: You'll see a woman with a fox tail, a necromancer of sorts, a karate master amongst giant robot war machines. Oh, and let's not forget the giant towers and other various defensive structures.
We scored an early look at the game during this year's E3, and game looks to tread on dynamic territory. Actually, that could be said of the simple fact that this is a downloadable, apparently hardcore strategy game that uses Facebook Connect. According to a release, Prime World uses the Unity 3D engine to create its flashy graphics.
Gallery: Prime World (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)
But we think the goofy mash-up of characters is all Nival's doing. Prime World still has not been given a release date, but you can bet we'll follow the trail this game is blazing. You know, if only to see who would win in a fight: a fox lady or a robot with spiked clubs for hands?
For one, the game looks pretty gorgeous, especially the spell effects like fire and what appear to be laser weapons. (Yeah, we have no idea what type of setting Nival is going for at this point.) More important are the characters within the images that are duking it out: You'll see a woman with a fox tail, a necromancer of sorts, a karate master amongst giant robot war machines. Oh, and let's not forget the giant towers and other various defensive structures.
We scored an early look at the game during this year's E3, and game looks to tread on dynamic territory. Actually, that could be said of the simple fact that this is a downloadable, apparently hardcore strategy game that uses Facebook Connect. According to a release, Prime World uses the Unity 3D engine to create its flashy graphics.
Gallery: Prime World (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)
But we think the goofy mash-up of characters is all Nival's doing. Prime World still has not been given a release date, but you can bet we'll follow the trail this game is blazing. You know, if only to see who would win in a fight: a fox lady or a robot with spiked clubs for hands?
OpenFeint powers Chinese mobile social game network Game Zone
Google and the Chinese government have a ... tenuous relationship. And mobile social gaming, namely Android gaming, has suffered as a result. Amidst frequent shutouts of the official Android Market in China, Chinese game company The9 has announced Game Zone, an OpenFeint-powered mobile social game network and distribution channel.
Through Game Zone, Western mobile social game makers can hit Chinese mobile game audiences across 30 Android app stores other than the Android Market. The service was made possible by deals The9 made with all three major Chinese mobile carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. The deals also allow Game Zone to be preinstalled on Lenovo, HTC, and Motorola Android phones.
While The9 will fund smaller American and European Android game creators through the $100 million-strong Fund9, it's the big league creators that might benefit most from this. PopCap recently announced that Plants vs Zombies will shuffle toward Chinese audiences, which is joined by Rovio's Angry Birds. Several Zynga games have launched in China, and perhaps this opportunity will nudge similar moves by the social game giant on Android.
We often talk about how Japan's mobile social game companies are encroaching upon Western audiences. It looks like the inverse is happening in China, where Western mobile and social game makers are looking to tap into their audience. It makes you wonder why Chinese game companies have yet to try the same at such a scale.
Through Game Zone, Western mobile social game makers can hit Chinese mobile game audiences across 30 Android app stores other than the Android Market. The service was made possible by deals The9 made with all three major Chinese mobile carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. The deals also allow Game Zone to be preinstalled on Lenovo, HTC, and Motorola Android phones.
While The9 will fund smaller American and European Android game creators through the $100 million-strong Fund9, it's the big league creators that might benefit most from this. PopCap recently announced that Plants vs Zombies will shuffle toward Chinese audiences, which is joined by Rovio's Angry Birds. Several Zynga games have launched in China, and perhaps this opportunity will nudge similar moves by the social game giant on Android.
We often talk about how Japan's mobile social game companies are encroaching upon Western audiences. It looks like the inverse is happening in China, where Western mobile and social game makers are looking to tap into their audience. It makes you wonder why Chinese game companies have yet to try the same at such a scale.
Final Fantasy's big hair and bigger swords go mobile, social on Mobage
We just hope it'll all fit into a 3-inch screen. Japanese game companies Square Enix and DeNA have announced that they're working on the first Final Fantasy social game to launch on Mobage, DeNA's mobile social game network, Gamasutra reports. That is, the first social game to directly revolve around the 24-year-old Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.
You might remember Square Enix released two Facebook games last year that were loosely based on the Final Fantasy series, Knights of the Crystal and Chocobo's Crystal Tower. According to Gamasutra, the game will be developed in-house at DeNA, and will use familiar characters from the franchise. (We imagine those will come from the 13 numbered Final Fantasy games.)
There's no word on whether the game will hit the Western, Android version of Mobage, but Japanese Final Fantasy fans can already pre-register for the game. As an added incentive, those who buy the brand new Final Fantasy Type-0 (pictured) for the PSP will receive special benefits in the Final Fantasy game for Mobage when it releases. Gamasutra's Kyle Orland (humorously) recalls that, during an interview with Gamasutra earlier this summer, Square Enix CEO Mike Fischer scoffed at social games.
Final Fantasy Mobage
Keep in mind, Fischer dismissed social games even after the company released two Facebook games. Look, if games based on Gundam and The Smurfs from Japanese companies can reel it in, a Final Fantasy social game is going to do just fine.
You might remember Square Enix released two Facebook games last year that were loosely based on the Final Fantasy series, Knights of the Crystal and Chocobo's Crystal Tower. According to Gamasutra, the game will be developed in-house at DeNA, and will use familiar characters from the franchise. (We imagine those will come from the 13 numbered Final Fantasy games.)
There's no word on whether the game will hit the Western, Android version of Mobage, but Japanese Final Fantasy fans can already pre-register for the game. As an added incentive, those who buy the brand new Final Fantasy Type-0 (pictured) for the PSP will receive special benefits in the Final Fantasy game for Mobage when it releases. Gamasutra's Kyle Orland (humorously) recalls that, during an interview with Gamasutra earlier this summer, Square Enix CEO Mike Fischer scoffed at social games.
Final Fantasy Mobage
Keep in mind, Fischer dismissed social games even after the company released two Facebook games. Look, if games based on Gundam and The Smurfs from Japanese companies can reel it in, a Final Fantasy social game is going to do just fine.
Conquer Online MMO rides from China onto Facebook and iPad
Made by Chinese developer NetDragon Websoft Inc. and published by TQ Digital, Conquer Online is a free-to-play, MMO (massively multiplayer online) game for PC that's been around since 2003 and boasts 10 million players worldwide. Earlier this year, NetDragon partnered with a major Japanese mobile network and developer, DeNA, and then unveiled both Facebook and iPad beta versions of its MMO at GamesCom in August.
The Facebook version of Conquer Online launched two weeks ago, but unfortunately has been plagued by lag, log-in issues and strange bugs. (For instance, setting my character on auto-path caused her to bare her arms in a spread-eagle sprint.) The official YouTube trailer also tries so groan-inducingly hard to appeal to Western audiences (music that sounds like the TV opening to Roseanne should not be scored with a game set in ancient China, people!), paying attention to it hurts my brain.
If you do manage to get in, things don't fare any better. Like most Chinese MMOs, you're presented with (at best) passable graphics, music, user interface, and the gameplay is always ridiculously heavy on the grind. There's also something very amateurish about this kind of game. What they lack in finesse and cohesion, they compensate with an aggressive, workman-like execution and gorgeous still art--in this case, the kind of style you'll find in Chinese wuxia comics.
Conquer Online Facebook
This thing might be on Facebook, but no changes have been made to accommodate Facebook gamers. Nexon's MapleStory Adventures does a much better (and certainly fantastic) job of making itself accessible to newcomers. And not just through gameplay, but aesthetics, too. To hammer home the unfriendly nature of this game, a more optimistic reviewer noted Conquer Online is an open PVP (player vs player) environment. This means that random players can come along and just kill you in-game, if you're not careful. On the upside, if you've never played Conquer Online, you can now save yourself the trouble of downloading a several hundred megabyte file and just run the game on Facebook in mere minutes (though it will prompt you to install Kalydo before you can begin).
The Facebook version of Conquer Online launched two weeks ago, but unfortunately has been plagued by lag, log-in issues and strange bugs. (For instance, setting my character on auto-path caused her to bare her arms in a spread-eagle sprint.) The official YouTube trailer also tries so groan-inducingly hard to appeal to Western audiences (music that sounds like the TV opening to Roseanne should not be scored with a game set in ancient China, people!), paying attention to it hurts my brain.
If you do manage to get in, things don't fare any better. Like most Chinese MMOs, you're presented with (at best) passable graphics, music, user interface, and the gameplay is always ridiculously heavy on the grind. There's also something very amateurish about this kind of game. What they lack in finesse and cohesion, they compensate with an aggressive, workman-like execution and gorgeous still art--in this case, the kind of style you'll find in Chinese wuxia comics.
Conquer Online Facebook
This thing might be on Facebook, but no changes have been made to accommodate Facebook gamers. Nexon's MapleStory Adventures does a much better (and certainly fantastic) job of making itself accessible to newcomers. And not just through gameplay, but aesthetics, too. To hammer home the unfriendly nature of this game, a more optimistic reviewer noted Conquer Online is an open PVP (player vs player) environment. This means that random players can come along and just kill you in-game, if you're not careful. On the upside, if you've never played Conquer Online, you can now save yourself the trouble of downloading a several hundred megabyte file and just run the game on Facebook in mere minutes (though it will prompt you to install Kalydo before you can begin).
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash through Bing Rewards Survey
Over the past few months, Bing and Zynga have displayed quite the partnership when it comes to free Farm Cash promotions in FarmVille. This week is no different, as we see the launch of not one, but two new Bing Rewards promotions that will allow you to earn 32 Farm Cash in total.
Earlier today, we brought you the details on how to earn 30 free Farm Cash for signing up for the Bing Rewards program and installing a free toolbar, and now you can follow that up by taking a quick survey, also sponsored by Bing Rewards, that will grant you with 2 additional Farm Cash, absolutely free.
This promotion can be launched by clicking on the Sponsored Link [pictured] underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. From there, you'll have to answer a few quick survey questions, asking you to choose which reward you might choose from a general farming theme, asking you what makes your farm so great, and what you'll spend your free Farm Cash and Bing Rewards on. Simple questions that can be answered in any way you'd like.
Those out of the way, you'll be given your two free Farm Cash, and you'll be able to close this new window to see your Farm Cash total automatically update to reflect your reward. If it doesn't, a simple refresh of the game's page will do the trick.
And there you have it! Two quick Farm Cash from Bing. If these promotions are any indication of things to come, I say bring it on, Bing!
Earlier today, we brought you the details on how to earn 30 free Farm Cash for signing up for the Bing Rewards program and installing a free toolbar, and now you can follow that up by taking a quick survey, also sponsored by Bing Rewards, that will grant you with 2 additional Farm Cash, absolutely free.
This promotion can be launched by clicking on the Sponsored Link [pictured] underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. From there, you'll have to answer a few quick survey questions, asking you to choose which reward you might choose from a general farming theme, asking you what makes your farm so great, and what you'll spend your free Farm Cash and Bing Rewards on. Simple questions that can be answered in any way you'd like.
Those out of the way, you'll be given your two free Farm Cash, and you'll be able to close this new window to see your Farm Cash total automatically update to reflect your reward. If it doesn't, a simple refresh of the game's page will do the trick.
And there you have it! Two quick Farm Cash from Bing. If these promotions are any indication of things to come, I say bring it on, Bing!
Game of the Day - Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
Games.com's Game of the Day is back with a vengeance. Today's game is a hidden object classic -- Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate. Help Madame Fate investigate each quirky carnival member by finding clues in a series of gorgeous pictures.
Important side note: By playing The Game of the Day, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day, check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Play Mystery Case Files - Madame Fate now >
Important side note: By playing The Game of the Day, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day, check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Play Mystery Case Files - Madame Fate now >
FarmVille: Giant Heart Candy trees spotted on farms
After the release of the Giant Bubblegum Tree in FarmVille earlier this month, it looks as though Zynga is going to continue in this new theme of adding giant trees to the game, as we've now started spotting Giant Candy Heart Trees on users' farms. So far, these Giant Heart Candy trees aren't available in the store, so the only way to go about grabbing one seems to be in finding one as a Mystery Seedling, either by spawning one from an Orchard on your own farm, or by grabbing one off of a wall post, posted by a neighbor.
These Giant Heart Candy trees appear to act the same on farms as a normal tree, rewarding the same amount of coins, are masterable, and so on - they are just absolutely massive when compared to the rest of the items on your farm. But hey, if you happen to still be suffering from the Giant Cupid's Castle glitch (like I am), perhaps this would be the perfect tree to accompany it.
We'll be sure to let you know if these trees are released in the store, but for now, keep an eye on your news feed to grab one of these trees while you can.
[Source & Image Credit: FV Fan]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Have you spotted any Giant Heart Candy trees on your neighbors' farms? Would you pay Farm Cash to have one of your own?
These Giant Heart Candy trees appear to act the same on farms as a normal tree, rewarding the same amount of coins, are masterable, and so on - they are just absolutely massive when compared to the rest of the items on your farm. But hey, if you happen to still be suffering from the Giant Cupid's Castle glitch (like I am), perhaps this would be the perfect tree to accompany it.
We'll be sure to let you know if these trees are released in the store, but for now, keep an eye on your news feed to grab one of these trees while you can.
[Source & Image Credit: FV Fan]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Have you spotted any Giant Heart Candy trees on your neighbors' farms? Would you pay Farm Cash to have one of your own?
Zombie Pandemic on Facebook: Can you survive the outbreak?
One of the newest Facebook games that's gaining a bit of speed (relative to its very young age of just a few days old) is Pixel Pandemic's appropriately titled Zombie Pandemic. The company describes the game as a survival-horror MMORPG, which places you in the role of a survivor in a zombie-infested city. The entire point of the game is to survive long enough to make it to one of the game's safehouses, where you can escape the zombie scourge.
Gameplay itself starts with you creating a character through a light avatar-creation process (choose a name, sex, and image). You'll then be thrown into the city. Unfortunately, the game's tutorial (or lack thereof) leaves you on your own from the get go, but if you're familiar with other mostly static MMOs (that is, those that use text and stationary images, rather than flash), you should get the hang of this rather quickly.
Each location in the world (an abandoned store, burned out building, etc.) is shown as a large image from an overhead, aerial perspective. You'll be able to move in eight directions out of the scene (N, S, SE, NW, and so on), to explore more of the city, in an effort to find a safehouse or just items that you can use in your journey.
In each screen, there are likely to be "searchable" items, like dumpsters, cars and the like, that contain items that you can use as weapons, or otherwise use to help yourself along the way. You won't be able to tell which items you can search visually, so your best bet it to just click on anything that looks remotely interesting to see if you can search it. However, you'll need to be a bit particular about the items you pick up, as you only have so much space in your inventory, and you might need to remove some items that aren't as useful in order to keep picking up items that are.
At any time, you'll have to keep track of your Stamina points, your Hit Points, and your money. As you encounter enemies, like wild animals, zombies, and so on, you'll be brought to another set of screens - a battle screen, if you will - where you can either choose to run away from your pursuer (if you are far enough away from them), or head straight into battle. Battling spends your stamina points, and as you are injured, you'll of course use up your Hit Points. These recharge over time, or can be regenerated instantly by consuming certain one-time use items that you'll find in the environment. You'll be able to control each action in battle, by choosing when to attack, how many times you'd like to attack in a row, and so on, until either you or your enemy is defeated.
As the game is a self-proclaimed MMORPG, of course one of the large elements here will be meeting other players. There is an open chat window at the bottom of the gameplay area, where you'll be able to talk to your fellow gamers in real time. Additionally, you'll be able to tag buildings in the environment (tag as in graffiti) in order to leave messages for other players.
Once you make a few friends in the game, you'll be able to bring them into your clan. Clans are allowed to build safe houses and other buildings. You can either join a Clan with other members by asking to join them, or you can create your own Clan and hope that other members join you instead. Team work will get your further in the game than going solo, as you'll be able to share some of your progress with your Clan members.
As with most other Facebook games, there is a premium element here that would require you to spend real money in order to take advantage of it. Instead of just being a single item or two, however, this premium setup is actually a new membership into the game, allowing you replenish your stamina points 50% faster, further customize your character, create more characters than just one (and all will remain active), and so on. These bonuses are questionable at best, considering that you'll have to keep renewing your membership over time - it isn't a one-time deal.
Zombie Pandemic is slowly gaining ground on Facebook - if you'd like to join the few thousand players that have already started to escape the undead, then shamble on over.
Gameplay itself starts with you creating a character through a light avatar-creation process (choose a name, sex, and image). You'll then be thrown into the city. Unfortunately, the game's tutorial (or lack thereof) leaves you on your own from the get go, but if you're familiar with other mostly static MMOs (that is, those that use text and stationary images, rather than flash), you should get the hang of this rather quickly.
Each location in the world (an abandoned store, burned out building, etc.) is shown as a large image from an overhead, aerial perspective. You'll be able to move in eight directions out of the scene (N, S, SE, NW, and so on), to explore more of the city, in an effort to find a safehouse or just items that you can use in your journey.
In each screen, there are likely to be "searchable" items, like dumpsters, cars and the like, that contain items that you can use as weapons, or otherwise use to help yourself along the way. You won't be able to tell which items you can search visually, so your best bet it to just click on anything that looks remotely interesting to see if you can search it. However, you'll need to be a bit particular about the items you pick up, as you only have so much space in your inventory, and you might need to remove some items that aren't as useful in order to keep picking up items that are.
At any time, you'll have to keep track of your Stamina points, your Hit Points, and your money. As you encounter enemies, like wild animals, zombies, and so on, you'll be brought to another set of screens - a battle screen, if you will - where you can either choose to run away from your pursuer (if you are far enough away from them), or head straight into battle. Battling spends your stamina points, and as you are injured, you'll of course use up your Hit Points. These recharge over time, or can be regenerated instantly by consuming certain one-time use items that you'll find in the environment. You'll be able to control each action in battle, by choosing when to attack, how many times you'd like to attack in a row, and so on, until either you or your enemy is defeated.
As the game is a self-proclaimed MMORPG, of course one of the large elements here will be meeting other players. There is an open chat window at the bottom of the gameplay area, where you'll be able to talk to your fellow gamers in real time. Additionally, you'll be able to tag buildings in the environment (tag as in graffiti) in order to leave messages for other players.
Once you make a few friends in the game, you'll be able to bring them into your clan. Clans are allowed to build safe houses and other buildings. You can either join a Clan with other members by asking to join them, or you can create your own Clan and hope that other members join you instead. Team work will get your further in the game than going solo, as you'll be able to share some of your progress with your Clan members.
As with most other Facebook games, there is a premium element here that would require you to spend real money in order to take advantage of it. Instead of just being a single item or two, however, this premium setup is actually a new membership into the game, allowing you replenish your stamina points 50% faster, further customize your character, create more characters than just one (and all will remain active), and so on. These bonuses are questionable at best, considering that you'll have to keep renewing your membership over time - it isn't a one-time deal.
Zombie Pandemic is slowly gaining ground on Facebook - if you'd like to join the few thousand players that have already started to escape the undead, then shamble on over.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Mystery Game Dragon and Phoenix
It looks as though this weekend might bring a new limited edition theme to FarmVille (perhaps this explains why Zynga chose to launch the Valentine's Day items as early as they did). If a new set of unreleased image are to be believed, then as early as tomorrow evening we should start seeing some of this year's Chinese New Year items added to the game.
While we brought you a sneak peek of some of these new items just yesterday, we have come across another item in the form of a Phoenix. This appears to be a decorative-only animal, as the bird is sitting upon a perch, which normally indicates that it's just a decoration. The other item is much more telling, however, and comes in the form of an unreleased Mystery Game logo, that has been marked by Zynga as that which is going to be released when the game updates tomorrow night.
Could the next Mystery Game contain both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year items, just as the latest FarmVille Showcase video did? Only time will tell, but you'll be the first to know when and if these items release, so keep checking back.
While we brought you a sneak peek of some of these new items just yesterday, we have come across another item in the form of a Phoenix. This appears to be a decorative-only animal, as the bird is sitting upon a perch, which normally indicates that it's just a decoration. The other item is much more telling, however, and comes in the form of an unreleased Mystery Game logo, that has been marked by Zynga as that which is going to be released when the game updates tomorrow night.
Could the next Mystery Game contain both Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year items, just as the latest FarmVille Showcase video did? Only time will tell, but you'll be the first to know when and if these items release, so keep checking back.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Top 25 Facebook games - March 2011
Not too many surprises here, folks. Inside Social Games brings us the 25 most popular Facebook games for March, thanks to AppData. Zynga holds the first six slots with CityVille leading the pack despite a drop worth over 3 million players to 94.8 million. Treasure Isle was knocked out of seventh place by Digital Chocolate's Millionaire City this month, a game that actually lost monthly players--just fewer than Treasure Isle's bleeding out worth 1.8 million players. In fact, there are gashes across the board with nine games losing at least 1 million.
Despite the bloodshed (last one, promise), LOLapps and Ravenwood Fair are the true winners in March. While they're in 11th place, Romero's first social game gained nearly 3.7 million new players in Feb. alone for a total of 10.9 million. The second largest gain was by Monster Galaxy by Gaia Online, which roped in another 1.4 million players and is a newcomer to the list.
The only other newcomer in this month's top 25 is Monster World by Wooga. The game, in 24th place, gained 456 thousand more players for a total of 6 million monthly players. While games are losing out all over the place, ISG reminds us that, at the end of the day, daily active players is what really matters. And CityVille has them in droves at 21 million while FarmVille, in second place by both measures, has 14 million daily players.
Regardless of how far CityVille falls, its competitors still have five games to chew through before they can even touch second place. In other words, it might take longer than previously thought for the ubiquitous city-builder to be dethroned. Especially considering most of the games on this list half the amount of monthly players that visit CityVille daily. It's an uphill battle, but if Ravenwood Fair keeps growing at this rate, it could at least put a dent in Zynga's domination of the leader board. Then again, we'll see what happens when the English Countryside in thrown into this mix.
What game or developer, if any, do you think can dismantle Zynga's hold on the top 25? Should companies even be bothered with the challenge?
Despite the bloodshed (last one, promise), LOLapps and Ravenwood Fair are the true winners in March. While they're in 11th place, Romero's first social game gained nearly 3.7 million new players in Feb. alone for a total of 10.9 million. The second largest gain was by Monster Galaxy by Gaia Online, which roped in another 1.4 million players and is a newcomer to the list.
The only other newcomer in this month's top 25 is Monster World by Wooga. The game, in 24th place, gained 456 thousand more players for a total of 6 million monthly players. While games are losing out all over the place, ISG reminds us that, at the end of the day, daily active players is what really matters. And CityVille has them in droves at 21 million while FarmVille, in second place by both measures, has 14 million daily players.
Regardless of how far CityVille falls, its competitors still have five games to chew through before they can even touch second place. In other words, it might take longer than previously thought for the ubiquitous city-builder to be dethroned. Especially considering most of the games on this list half the amount of monthly players that visit CityVille daily. It's an uphill battle, but if Ravenwood Fair keeps growing at this rate, it could at least put a dent in Zynga's domination of the leader board. Then again, we'll see what happens when the English Countryside in thrown into this mix.
What game or developer, if any, do you think can dismantle Zynga's hold on the top 25? Should companies even be bothered with the challenge?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Sour Apple Tree & Giant Sour Apple Tree
Two new trees are apparently going to launch in FarmVille in the near future, although their design doesn't really scream of a theme that they'd fit into. These two unreleased trees are the Sour Apple Tree and the Giant Sour Apple Tree. While it's most likely that these trees will be part of the Fairy Tale theme (as the theme also has the Caramel Apple Tree), we are purely speculating that at this point.
What we do "know," however, is that these new trees will be masterable, as you can see from the mastery signs pictured above. It's also practically guaranteed that the Giant Sour Apple Tree will be the level 2 tree that spawns as a Mystery Seedling when a regular Sour Apple Tree is placed into an Orchard.
Remember, neither of these trees are guaranteed to officially launch in the game, but if they do, we'll make sure to give you all of the details concerning their prices, availability and more, so keep checking back.
What we do "know," however, is that these new trees will be masterable, as you can see from the mastery signs pictured above. It's also practically guaranteed that the Giant Sour Apple Tree will be the level 2 tree that spawns as a Mystery Seedling when a regular Sour Apple Tree is placed into an Orchard.
Remember, neither of these trees are guaranteed to officially launch in the game, but if they do, we'll make sure to give you all of the details concerning their prices, availability and more, so keep checking back.
FrontierVille Flower Shop: Everything you need to know
With Spring's arrival just around the corner, Zynga has kicked FrontierVille into a sort of Spring Fever with the release of the Flower Shop building. Well, perhaps building isn't the proper word, as this looks more like a cart, or stand, than an actual building - an object that you could easily see moving from one location to the next, wherever there were flowers needed.
The Flower Shop is slowly rolling out to users, so if you don't see it in your store, be patient, as it will come around to you soon. The shop itself can be purchased from the store for 1,000 coins and 100 Wood. You'll need to be at least level 20 to purchase the Flower Shop, but once you do place its base on your land, you'll need to whack the base 18 times (each whack costs 9 Wood).
Once you build the base, you'll need to go about the usual process of collecting items to complete its construction. This time around, we see an assortment of three older items and three new items to the game. Meet us behind the break to see what those items are. You'll need to collect 60 "old" items, and 40 new items. The older items are 20 each of Hand Drills, Paint Buckets, and Nails, while the new items come in the form of 10 Planter Boxes, 15 Planter Brackets, and 15 Fabric Awnings. The 10 Planter Boxes are received by posting a general news item to your wall in the hopes that friends will send them to you, while Planter Brackets and Fabric Awnings are earned through individual gift requests to neighbors.
Once you finish the Flower Shop, you'll be able to plant four new kinds of flowers in your game, which act similarly to trees or crops. Currently, there are Pansies (250 coins), Daisies (500 coins), Carnations (750 coins) and Tulips (1000 coins) available to grow, but we're told that when tending our flowers there's a chance that they could drop other, rare flowers that we'll also be able to plant. Each time you pay this purchase price, you will unlock that flower specific quest, which will award you with the flower in question upon finishing.
Flowers grow in actual planters, not as crop spaces on your land, so you'll need to find a place to house these new round planters while your flowers grow. Flowers grow over time, so you'll need to come back to them to make sure they haven't withered.
We'll make sure to bring you more images / information about this new building as it becomes available. For now, check out our guide to the two quests that come along with the release of the Flower Shop for something else to keep you busy while waiting for that darn Tomato Timed Mission to launch on your account.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you received the Flower Shop in your game? What do you think of the ability to plant new flowers on your land?
The Flower Shop is slowly rolling out to users, so if you don't see it in your store, be patient, as it will come around to you soon. The shop itself can be purchased from the store for 1,000 coins and 100 Wood. You'll need to be at least level 20 to purchase the Flower Shop, but once you do place its base on your land, you'll need to whack the base 18 times (each whack costs 9 Wood).
Once you build the base, you'll need to go about the usual process of collecting items to complete its construction. This time around, we see an assortment of three older items and three new items to the game. Meet us behind the break to see what those items are. You'll need to collect 60 "old" items, and 40 new items. The older items are 20 each of Hand Drills, Paint Buckets, and Nails, while the new items come in the form of 10 Planter Boxes, 15 Planter Brackets, and 15 Fabric Awnings. The 10 Planter Boxes are received by posting a general news item to your wall in the hopes that friends will send them to you, while Planter Brackets and Fabric Awnings are earned through individual gift requests to neighbors.
Once you finish the Flower Shop, you'll be able to plant four new kinds of flowers in your game, which act similarly to trees or crops. Currently, there are Pansies (250 coins), Daisies (500 coins), Carnations (750 coins) and Tulips (1000 coins) available to grow, but we're told that when tending our flowers there's a chance that they could drop other, rare flowers that we'll also be able to plant. Each time you pay this purchase price, you will unlock that flower specific quest, which will award you with the flower in question upon finishing.
Flowers grow in actual planters, not as crop spaces on your land, so you'll need to find a place to house these new round planters while your flowers grow. Flowers grow over time, so you'll need to come back to them to make sure they haven't withered.
We'll make sure to bring you more images / information about this new building as it becomes available. For now, check out our guide to the two quests that come along with the release of the Flower Shop for something else to keep you busy while waiting for that darn Tomato Timed Mission to launch on your account.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you received the Flower Shop in your game? What do you think of the ability to plant new flowers on your land?
FrontierVille Flower Shop Missions: Everything you need to know
Along with the release of the Flower Shop building in FrontierVille comes two new quests dealing specifically with the new building's construction. This is an entirely separate mission duo from the flower missions you can complete after finishing the building on your land, as these two missions are simply about the construction process itself.
These missions are subject to change at any time, so keep that in mind. The first quest has you purchasing and placing the Flower Shop building onto your land, along with a couple of other tasks:
Place a Flower Shop
Clear 20 Wildflowers on Neighbor Homesteads
Harvest 20 Pink Roses
Luckily, the Wildflowers portion of this quest must be completed on neighbor homesteads, so just head to the land of friends that you know no longer play the game and take advantage. Meanwhile, Pink Roses are available to harvest after growing for 14 hours. The Flower Shop, finally, can be purchased from the store for 1000 coins and 100 Wood. Your rewards for finishing this first of two missions are a Fertilizer item, 200 XP, and a Sunflower Ready Boost. With that first quest out of the way, you'll need to go about completely constructing the Flower Shop in order to pass the second quest, not because completing the Flower Shop is a task, but because of what comes after that.
Tend 6 Neighbor Horses
Collect 15 Hand Rakes
Tend 10 Pansies
The Hand Rakes are a new item that are collected via the help of friends, as with so many other items in the game. Meanwhile, tending 10 Pansies means that you will need to have completed the construction on the Flower Shop (told ya) and then purchase and subsequently tend 10 Pansies from the Flower Shop afterwards. For all of the details on how to complete the construction of the Flower Shop, make sure to check out our guide.
Completing this mission will reward you with another Fertilizer, along with a Wither Protection Boost and 300 XP. You'll also unlock the ability to complete a series of repeatable missions, relating to the four new flower types that you can purchase inside the Flower Shop, and we'll bring you all of the details surrounding those repeatable missions as soon as we can you can check out all of the details about those four new repeatable quests in our complete guide.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
These missions are subject to change at any time, so keep that in mind. The first quest has you purchasing and placing the Flower Shop building onto your land, along with a couple of other tasks:
Place a Flower Shop
Clear 20 Wildflowers on Neighbor Homesteads
Harvest 20 Pink Roses
Luckily, the Wildflowers portion of this quest must be completed on neighbor homesteads, so just head to the land of friends that you know no longer play the game and take advantage. Meanwhile, Pink Roses are available to harvest after growing for 14 hours. The Flower Shop, finally, can be purchased from the store for 1000 coins and 100 Wood. Your rewards for finishing this first of two missions are a Fertilizer item, 200 XP, and a Sunflower Ready Boost. With that first quest out of the way, you'll need to go about completely constructing the Flower Shop in order to pass the second quest, not because completing the Flower Shop is a task, but because of what comes after that.
Tend 6 Neighbor Horses
Collect 15 Hand Rakes
Tend 10 Pansies
The Hand Rakes are a new item that are collected via the help of friends, as with so many other items in the game. Meanwhile, tending 10 Pansies means that you will need to have completed the construction on the Flower Shop (told ya) and then purchase and subsequently tend 10 Pansies from the Flower Shop afterwards. For all of the details on how to complete the construction of the Flower Shop, make sure to check out our guide.
Completing this mission will reward you with another Fertilizer, along with a Wither Protection Boost and 300 XP. You'll also unlock the ability to complete a series of repeatable missions, relating to the four new flower types that you can purchase inside the Flower Shop, and we'll bring you all of the details surrounding those repeatable missions as soon as we can you can check out all of the details about those four new repeatable quests in our complete guide.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
FrontierVille Flower Missions: Everything you need to know
As we told you in our guide to the Flower Shop building in FrontierVille, once you have constructed the building, you'll be able to access a series of four repeatable missions dealing with the four flowers that are currently available in the game - Pansies, Daisies, Carnations, and Tulips.
Each flower has a different repeatable quest, which will reward you with the flower in question for use in decorating your Homestead. These quests deal with collecting various items, harvesting trees or tending crops, and even completing collections, so I hope you're ready for an all-around test to earn these new reward items.
We have all of the details concerning these four new quests, so meet us behind the break for a look at how to finish them all, and the rewards you'll receive in the end. We'll start with the Pansies quest, which has three requirements:
Have 30 Planks
Harvest 20 Apple Trees
Collect 1 Fertilizer
As we told you in the Flower Shop missions themselves, you will receive Fertilizer items for finishing them, so hopefully, you will have held onto them long enough to get to this quest. Otherwise, you can ask for your friends to send you some via a wall post. Planks can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon, for 7 Wood and 250 coins each. Your rewards for finishing this quest are 100 XP and a potted Pansies.
Next, the Daisies quest has an entirely different set of requirements, but still nothing too overwhelming.
Complete the Manure Collection
Unwither 10 Neighbor Crops
Collect 2 Fertilizers
With all of the animals we've had to raise and sell in the game over the past few months, you likely have enough manure collectibles to complete that step, and if you've been playing the game for a long period of time, you likely have friends that have stopped playing that would have crops you could unwither. Now would also be a good time to check out users with Victory Gardens, as they would be guaranteed to have withered crops to tend to. Finishing the Daisies quest rewards you with 100 XP and a potted Daisies.
Moving onto the Carnation quest, you'll need to plant a few crops to complete this one, so I hope you have some spare land left on your homestead.
Clear 20 Debris on Neighbor Homesteads
Whack 5 Groundhogs
Collect 3 Fertilizer
Again, this is a fortunate situation, as you can travel to your non-playing friends' homesteads and clear their debris to easily complete this step. Meanwhile, if you're looking to quickly bring out Groundhogs, simply plant lots of Clover, as it can be harvested after five minutes. Finishing this quest rewards you with 100 XP and a potted Tulips.
Finally, the Tulips quest asks you to tend quite a few animals, and harvest quite a few crops, so I hope you have the animals on-hand, and the room to plant crops in order to complete it.
Tend 30 Pigs
Harvest 50 Clover
Collect 4 Fertilizer
As we said above, Clover is actually a great crop for quests, as it only requires 5 minutes to grow, and you can quickly be on your way. Meanwhile, you can harvest your own pigs at a rate of once every six hours in order to complete this task, if you don't have 30 pigs in total on your land at one time. Finishing this final flower quest rewards you with, you guessed it, 100 XP and a potted Tulip.
Again, all of these quests are repeatable, so feel free to do them as often as you'd like to continue racking up the free flowers and experience points.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Each flower has a different repeatable quest, which will reward you with the flower in question for use in decorating your Homestead. These quests deal with collecting various items, harvesting trees or tending crops, and even completing collections, so I hope you're ready for an all-around test to earn these new reward items.
We have all of the details concerning these four new quests, so meet us behind the break for a look at how to finish them all, and the rewards you'll receive in the end. We'll start with the Pansies quest, which has three requirements:
Have 30 Planks
Harvest 20 Apple Trees
Collect 1 Fertilizer
As we told you in the Flower Shop missions themselves, you will receive Fertilizer items for finishing them, so hopefully, you will have held onto them long enough to get to this quest. Otherwise, you can ask for your friends to send you some via a wall post. Planks can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon, for 7 Wood and 250 coins each. Your rewards for finishing this quest are 100 XP and a potted Pansies.
Next, the Daisies quest has an entirely different set of requirements, but still nothing too overwhelming.
Complete the Manure Collection
Unwither 10 Neighbor Crops
Collect 2 Fertilizers
With all of the animals we've had to raise and sell in the game over the past few months, you likely have enough manure collectibles to complete that step, and if you've been playing the game for a long period of time, you likely have friends that have stopped playing that would have crops you could unwither. Now would also be a good time to check out users with Victory Gardens, as they would be guaranteed to have withered crops to tend to. Finishing the Daisies quest rewards you with 100 XP and a potted Daisies.
Moving onto the Carnation quest, you'll need to plant a few crops to complete this one, so I hope you have some spare land left on your homestead.
Clear 20 Debris on Neighbor Homesteads
Whack 5 Groundhogs
Collect 3 Fertilizer
Again, this is a fortunate situation, as you can travel to your non-playing friends' homesteads and clear their debris to easily complete this step. Meanwhile, if you're looking to quickly bring out Groundhogs, simply plant lots of Clover, as it can be harvested after five minutes. Finishing this quest rewards you with 100 XP and a potted Tulips.
Finally, the Tulips quest asks you to tend quite a few animals, and harvest quite a few crops, so I hope you have the animals on-hand, and the room to plant crops in order to complete it.
Tend 30 Pigs
Harvest 50 Clover
Collect 4 Fertilizer
As we said above, Clover is actually a great crop for quests, as it only requires 5 minutes to grow, and you can quickly be on your way. Meanwhile, you can harvest your own pigs at a rate of once every six hours in order to complete this task, if you don't have 30 pigs in total on your land at one time. Finishing this final flower quest rewards you with, you guessed it, 100 XP and a potted Tulip.
Again, all of these quests are repeatable, so feel free to do them as often as you'd like to continue racking up the free flowers and experience points.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Zynga raises $2.2 million for Japan relief effort (with a li'l help from Ashton and Britney)
Twitter and social gaming yet again prove their worth (so, you can stop defending them now) as Zynga told the Hollywood Reporter that it has $2.2 million for the Japan earthquake relief effort. Within just over 24 hours of the disaster, the company launched a donation campaign with Save the Children that spanned several of its games including FarmVille, FroniterVille and more. With that alone the company raised over $1 million in matched donations through purchased in-game items, but it wasn't until Zynga enlisted the massive Twitter followings of stars like Ashton Kutcher and Britney Spears that donations soared. Many of the in-game promotions have ended, but if you've yet to donate the link tweeted by Nicki Minaj and other miscellaneous superstars still seems to be in working condition. So, what are you waiting for?
[Image Credit: CityVille Games]
Have you donated to the Japan relief effort yet through Zynga? What do you think of Zynga's approach to helping Japan?
[Image Credit: CityVille Games]
Have you donated to the Japan relief effort yet through Zynga? What do you think of Zynga's approach to helping Japan?
FrontierVille Bess Vs. Fanny Contest: Take a side, win Horseshoes
Despite the fact that FrontierVille's two leading ladies have already shacked up in several players' homesteads, Zynga is still pushing the Bess-Fanny rivalry. In fact, the company is throwing a contest to decide who gets to be Queen of the Homestead. All you need to do is express your vote for Queen in this FrontierVille forum thread through words, picture or another art form by April 5 to qualify.
If you decide to write in a response, be sure to make your case in 30 sentences or less; artful responses are asked to be under 10 images. The grand prize winner will receive a whopping 500 Horseshoes and a FrontierVille t-shirt, while second and third runners up will earn 250 and 125 Horseshoes, respectively (and a t-shirt). Another 47 runners up will get a FrontierVille shirt as well. Just don't rock the new threads to any major gaming conventions: You're subject to the wrath of the haters.
Have you entered the contest yet? Who do you should reign as Queen of the Homestead?
If you decide to write in a response, be sure to make your case in 30 sentences or less; artful responses are asked to be under 10 images. The grand prize winner will receive a whopping 500 Horseshoes and a FrontierVille t-shirt, while second and third runners up will earn 250 and 125 Horseshoes, respectively (and a t-shirt). Another 47 runners up will get a FrontierVille shirt as well. Just don't rock the new threads to any major gaming conventions: You're subject to the wrath of the haters.
Have you entered the contest yet? Who do you should reign as Queen of the Homestead?
Lunchtime Poll: How is the FarmVille English Countryside music?
The English Countryside, Zynga's first ever expansion to any of its games much less FarmVille, has been out for a few days now. As many of you likely agree, music in a videogame--even a Facebook game--can make it or break it. As with all of its games, Zynga composed a new theme song that plays on loop as you farm in England. So, we here at the office played a little game recently we call "How Long Until You Mute It." (We've already pitched it to GSN, so don't even try it.) Let's just say the winner lasted about 10 minutes, which is good for a 30-second track that endlessly loops. But we want to know what you think.
Do you like the English Countryside music?
I love it! It sounds so classically regalIt's good, but I turned it off after a few loops.I don't listen to game music as it is, so I wouldn't know.It's awful. Who could listen to that for even five minutes?
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Have a unique response?
Do you like the English Countryside music?
I love it! It sounds so classically regalIt's good, but I turned it off after a few loops.I don't listen to game music as it is, so I wouldn't know.It's awful. Who could listen to that for even five minutes?
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Have a unique response?
MinoMonsters on Facebook: A promising, unfinished Pokemon clone
Every Pokemon fan in the world has likely clamored for what will likely never happen: a Pokemon MMO game from Nintendo. Since that's about as likely as finding a Pikachu in your local park, Facebook game knock-offs will have to do until the company comes to their senses. So, a 17-year-old entrepreneur, Josh Buckley, has taken it upon himself to fill the void and hopefully beat Nintendo to the punch with MinoMonsters. While the game includes all the basic trappings that you would expect from such a game on Facebook--a litany of monsters to fight and capture, a turn-based battle system and a massive world--it currently lacks basic functions like buying items without Facebook Credits. MinoMonsters is a wonderful idea, but it's yet to become a wonderful game.
MinoMonsters Starter
The game begins with the ultimate question that every monster-collector should be familiar with: Which MinoMonster will you start your journey with? At first, the three critters aren't too different from one another, but as you level up their abilities will differentiate. However, you're only given one MinoCard to start, the instrument used to capture new monsters (think Poke Balls), and a few potions. At the moment, the only way to buy new items is through Facebook Credits, which will likely scare players away rather than force them to spend.
It's because of this that the game stagnates almost immediately. While you'll feel the urge to capture these new and interesting monsters during your travels, why would you invest money in a game that might not be around for much longer. That is, if things don't ramp up quick. The battle system will feel familiar to anyone who has played--you guessed it--Pokemon. Your options are to fight, use and item, switch to another monster or run away. However, the "Use Item" option will be just about useless until the game's store is upgraded.
MinoMonsters World
The world map consists of simply moving from battle to battle, which is OK, if progress felt like it was being made. In order to defeat stronger monsters, you'll have to stay in on particular zone until your monsters are strong enough to defeat the beast that's giving you trouble. If you lose all of your monsters in battle, you'll be revived at the expense of experience points gained. In my experience, players don't respond very well to negative reinforcement, so this will likely be another hangup for plenty of players.
Finally, several aspects of battle aren't finished. When fighting a monster that resembled a pony, it used an ability caused "Gust" against, but only a small broken image icon flew across the screen. Despite all of its flaws resulting from a far too early launch, MinoMonsters has me more excited than most recent Facebook games based on its potential alone. However, it already has some competition in the space with 154 Comments, a far more polished game with essentially the same premise. If you want to see a game with nearly limitless potential, give it a go.
Click here to try MinoMonsters on Facebook Now>
Have you played MinoMonsters yet? What do you like most about it and what do you think could be improved?
MinoMonsters Starter
The game begins with the ultimate question that every monster-collector should be familiar with: Which MinoMonster will you start your journey with? At first, the three critters aren't too different from one another, but as you level up their abilities will differentiate. However, you're only given one MinoCard to start, the instrument used to capture new monsters (think Poke Balls), and a few potions. At the moment, the only way to buy new items is through Facebook Credits, which will likely scare players away rather than force them to spend.
It's because of this that the game stagnates almost immediately. While you'll feel the urge to capture these new and interesting monsters during your travels, why would you invest money in a game that might not be around for much longer. That is, if things don't ramp up quick. The battle system will feel familiar to anyone who has played--you guessed it--Pokemon. Your options are to fight, use and item, switch to another monster or run away. However, the "Use Item" option will be just about useless until the game's store is upgraded.
MinoMonsters World
The world map consists of simply moving from battle to battle, which is OK, if progress felt like it was being made. In order to defeat stronger monsters, you'll have to stay in on particular zone until your monsters are strong enough to defeat the beast that's giving you trouble. If you lose all of your monsters in battle, you'll be revived at the expense of experience points gained. In my experience, players don't respond very well to negative reinforcement, so this will likely be another hangup for plenty of players.
Finally, several aspects of battle aren't finished. When fighting a monster that resembled a pony, it used an ability caused "Gust" against, but only a small broken image icon flew across the screen. Despite all of its flaws resulting from a far too early launch, MinoMonsters has me more excited than most recent Facebook games based on its potential alone. However, it already has some competition in the space with 154 Comments, a far more polished game with essentially the same premise. If you want to see a game with nearly limitless potential, give it a go.
Click here to try MinoMonsters on Facebook Now>
Have you played MinoMonsters yet? What do you like most about it and what do you think could be improved?
FarmVille for iOS reaches second on Top Grossing App Store list
FarmVille for iOS has had a rough history since its launch last year. Connectivity issues abound coupled with severe load times made it look as if Zynga just didn't get mobile. But today, FarmVille reached second place the Top Grossing list in the Apple App Store--just beneath the unstoppable Angry Birds' Rio sequel, reports Inside Social Apps. How did they do it?
A massive Farm Cash sale, what else? The 50 percent slash on Farm Cash prices for one hour yesterday, and the 40 percent cut that just ended 30 minutes as of this writing, applied to FarmVille for iPhone and iPad players as well. Before this, the game barely hit the Top 25 Grossing Apps since it launched.
While the recent improvements in the 2.0 update certainly helped--not to mention the news that English Countryside is iPhone-ready as well--a cut in Farm Cash prices was behind it, nothing more. Inside Social Apps asks, "Is Zynga starting to get mobile right?" If we're asking the question based off of a sale, not really. But if Zynga keeps this up and continues to improve the quality of its games, then it might be onto something.
Did you take advantage of the Farm Cash sale through your iOS game? What other improvements do you think Zynga needs to make to FarmVille for iPhone?
A massive Farm Cash sale, what else? The 50 percent slash on Farm Cash prices for one hour yesterday, and the 40 percent cut that just ended 30 minutes as of this writing, applied to FarmVille for iPhone and iPad players as well. Before this, the game barely hit the Top 25 Grossing Apps since it launched.
While the recent improvements in the 2.0 update certainly helped--not to mention the news that English Countryside is iPhone-ready as well--a cut in Farm Cash prices was behind it, nothing more. Inside Social Apps asks, "Is Zynga starting to get mobile right?" If we're asking the question based off of a sale, not really. But if Zynga keeps this up and continues to improve the quality of its games, then it might be onto something.
Did you take advantage of the Farm Cash sale through your iOS game? What other improvements do you think Zynga needs to make to FarmVille for iPhone?
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