If you're an animal collector in FarmVille, I've got some great new unreleased item images to share with you! These animals are, from left to right in the image above: Brown Gypsy Horse, Brown Gypsy Foal, and Baby Penguin.
Not to be confused with the black and white, regular Gypsy Horse released at the end of November as part of the Winter Holiday theme of items, this Brown Gypsy Horse will be an entirely different animal, able to be placed inside the Horse Stable and bred with a Stallion to produce the adorable Brown Gypsy Foal also seen above. We're guessing that if the Brown Gypsy Horse doesn't make an appearance in a Mystery Game soon, that it will be available in the store for Farm Cash.
Meanwhile, the Baby Penguin is equally interesting, if not even more so. Since Penguins have been available in the game since even last year, this begs the question - Could Zynga be looking to create a Penguin "home" of some kind, through which these Baby Penguins would be bred? Or will it simply be released as a regular animal release in the store? Only time will tell, but personally, I'm hoping for another animal storage building (especially if it means I get to have all of those cute, fluffy Baby Penguins running around on my farm!).
Remember, there is no guarantee that these items will be officially released within the game, so keep that in mind. Keep checking back with us though, as we'll make sure to give you guys all of the information about these new animals if and when they are released.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille: The Case of the Missing Holiday Ducks
A new mystery has appeared in the land of FarmVille, concerning an item that was assumed to be released with last night's FarmVille update, but either wasn't, or jumped out of the store just as soon as it entered. The item is the Holiday Ducks decoration (a set of ducks standing underneath mistletoe that apparently kiss). As this entire ordeal has spawned user outrage and confusion, we thought we'd take a minute to shed some light on the current state of affairs concerning when and if this item will ever be coming back to the store.
As of last night's update, the Holiday Ducks are nowhere to be found in the game, which is especially odd, considering that a recently added FarmVille loading screen, and the in-game marketplace (pictured) both contain images of the item. So, at least we know that the Holiday Ducks are real.
Multiple threads have appeared on the official FarmVille forums concerning these missing animals, with some users reporting that the Ducks were available in the store for a very brief period yesterday evening, before mysteriously vanishing without a trace. Furthermore, Zynga even announced that the Holiday Ducks were available in the store for 15 Farm Cash. We've read user reports of finding the ducks for 15 or 20 Farm Cash, but we have no visual proof of their existence - they disappeared that quickly.
This becomes even more of an issue when we take a look at the time limit for the other Winter Holiday items that are currently available in the store. Even those items that were released last night will only be available for 9 days, and every day that the ducks remain MIA is apparently another day that users won't have to purchase them, if and when they reappear.
Where did they go? Honestly, we don't know at this point. As of this writing, they are nowhere to be found in the game's store, and they aren't on the free gifts page. We've contacted Zynga for comment, and will be sure to let you know if and when this situation changes. We're assuming that this the disappearance of the ducks was due to an in-game glitch of some kind, but we'll continue to keep digging for information in case something else is going on.
As of last night's update, the Holiday Ducks are nowhere to be found in the game, which is especially odd, considering that a recently added FarmVille loading screen, and the in-game marketplace (pictured) both contain images of the item. So, at least we know that the Holiday Ducks are real.
Multiple threads have appeared on the official FarmVille forums concerning these missing animals, with some users reporting that the Ducks were available in the store for a very brief period yesterday evening, before mysteriously vanishing without a trace. Furthermore, Zynga even announced that the Holiday Ducks were available in the store for 15 Farm Cash. We've read user reports of finding the ducks for 15 or 20 Farm Cash, but we have no visual proof of their existence - they disappeared that quickly.
This becomes even more of an issue when we take a look at the time limit for the other Winter Holiday items that are currently available in the store. Even those items that were released last night will only be available for 9 days, and every day that the ducks remain MIA is apparently another day that users won't have to purchase them, if and when they reappear.
Where did they go? Honestly, we don't know at this point. As of this writing, they are nowhere to be found in the game's store, and they aren't on the free gifts page. We've contacted Zynga for comment, and will be sure to let you know if and when this situation changes. We're assuming that this the disappearance of the ducks was due to an in-game glitch of some kind, but we'll continue to keep digging for information in case something else is going on.
It's Official: CityVille dethrones FarmVille as Zynga's top Facebook game
CityVille Commerce
Alright, so it didn't exactly happen yesterday, but CityVille has soared high above FarmVille's 56.8 million players with a massive (for these days) 61.7 million monthly players. It did what many thought was the impossible in just 22 days, according to Inside Social, and it took good old FarmVille four months to reach that size back in the day. While we've already explored what might have contributed to the game's blindingly fast rise to Zynga supremacy, it's impossible to tell how long this will last.
It will take at least another month for CityVille's numbers to stabilize--or at least slow down, for Pete's sake. These numbers are purely an accumulation of the amount of players who have logged into the game at least once in the past three weeks. Whether the game can hold the interest of its nearly 62 million players for a lengthy period of time has yet to be seen. However, if the game keeps growing at this rate, it could easily meet FarmVille's former glory of 84 million monthly players by 2011. Until then, Mark Pincus and the CityVille team can enjoy their early Christmas gift Scrooge McDuck style.
Alright, so it didn't exactly happen yesterday, but CityVille has soared high above FarmVille's 56.8 million players with a massive (for these days) 61.7 million monthly players. It did what many thought was the impossible in just 22 days, according to Inside Social, and it took good old FarmVille four months to reach that size back in the day. While we've already explored what might have contributed to the game's blindingly fast rise to Zynga supremacy, it's impossible to tell how long this will last.
It will take at least another month for CityVille's numbers to stabilize--or at least slow down, for Pete's sake. These numbers are purely an accumulation of the amount of players who have logged into the game at least once in the past three weeks. Whether the game can hold the interest of its nearly 62 million players for a lengthy period of time has yet to be seen. However, if the game keeps growing at this rate, it could easily meet FarmVille's former glory of 84 million monthly players by 2011. Until then, Mark Pincus and the CityVille team can enjoy their early Christmas gift Scrooge McDuck style.
Mafia Wars FrontierVille Beaver Pelt Promo: Everything you need to know
Mafia Wars Beaver Pelts
Looking for some easy items to come by in Mafia Wars? Well, Zynga has introduced another of its infamous cross-promotions in the game involving FrontierVille. This time around, all you need to do is take a trip over to your New York properties and click on any of the four buildings that produce items, which includes the brand new Private Zoo.
Chop Shop FrontierVille Promo
From there, you'll see some brand new items on the first page, but they each require a unique part that you won't find on the streets of New York, but way out West on the frontier. Click on the "Get Part" button with the FrontierVille logo attached to get started.
Follow us after the break to find out how to nab these limited edition items.
A Day in the Life of a Beaver
Clicking the "Get Part" button will transport you to your FrontierVille game. Upon loading the game, you will instantly be greeted with a new Goal titled "A Day in the Life of a Beaver I." Thankfully, this Goal can be completed in minutes, especially if you're already a seasoned pioneer. You'll need to have or collect 15 Wood, clear one Stump from the homestead and have or purchase two Fences from the Market. As for that final requirement, you must clear one full tree and remove its Stump to get credit for it. In other words, old Stumps lying around on the homestead will not count. Once completed, enjoy 50 XP and 250 coins.
A Day in the Life of a Beaver II
The second Goal in this series, "A Day in the Life of a Beaver II," is simple enough. Just click on "Claim Reward" to be launched back into your New York Property page in Mafia Wars one Beaver Pelt richer. Then, enter any one of your production properties and notice that a "Build" button has replaced that "Get Part" button. Just click and you got yourself a nice weapon, vehicle, armor or animal with a permanent stat increase. That's right, all of the items in this promotion will permanent boost one of your stats, just see for yourself below. (If you want the rest of these promotional items, then follow these easy steps in all four production Buildings--the mission will be exactly the same.)
Bearskin Cloak
Venture Axe
Big Horn Sheep
As you can probably already tell, all of these items have the same exact stats on them. However, each provide a unique, permanent boost to either your Defense, Attack or Energy, making them well worth the effort for min/max players.
Looking for some easy items to come by in Mafia Wars? Well, Zynga has introduced another of its infamous cross-promotions in the game involving FrontierVille. This time around, all you need to do is take a trip over to your New York properties and click on any of the four buildings that produce items, which includes the brand new Private Zoo.
Chop Shop FrontierVille Promo
From there, you'll see some brand new items on the first page, but they each require a unique part that you won't find on the streets of New York, but way out West on the frontier. Click on the "Get Part" button with the FrontierVille logo attached to get started.
Follow us after the break to find out how to nab these limited edition items.
A Day in the Life of a Beaver
Clicking the "Get Part" button will transport you to your FrontierVille game. Upon loading the game, you will instantly be greeted with a new Goal titled "A Day in the Life of a Beaver I." Thankfully, this Goal can be completed in minutes, especially if you're already a seasoned pioneer. You'll need to have or collect 15 Wood, clear one Stump from the homestead and have or purchase two Fences from the Market. As for that final requirement, you must clear one full tree and remove its Stump to get credit for it. In other words, old Stumps lying around on the homestead will not count. Once completed, enjoy 50 XP and 250 coins.
A Day in the Life of a Beaver II
The second Goal in this series, "A Day in the Life of a Beaver II," is simple enough. Just click on "Claim Reward" to be launched back into your New York Property page in Mafia Wars one Beaver Pelt richer. Then, enter any one of your production properties and notice that a "Build" button has replaced that "Get Part" button. Just click and you got yourself a nice weapon, vehicle, armor or animal with a permanent stat increase. That's right, all of the items in this promotion will permanent boost one of your stats, just see for yourself below. (If you want the rest of these promotional items, then follow these easy steps in all four production Buildings--the mission will be exactly the same.)
Bearskin Cloak
Venture Axe
Big Horn Sheep
As you can probably already tell, all of these items have the same exact stats on them. However, each provide a unique, permanent boost to either your Defense, Attack or Energy, making them well worth the effort for min/max players.
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Goals: Everything you need to know for Day Eight
It's time to go huntin' this Christmas in the eighth day of FrontierVille's 12 Days of Christmas Goals series. Today, in "On the Eighth Day O' Christmas," it's all about clobbering some Groundhogs, but you'll need to coax them out of the ground. Thankfully, part of this Goal is to do just that. Apparently, these little buggers love Potatoes, so plant 28 of them and another 38 Tomatoes for good measure.
Your total cost for all 66 crops is going to be 3,740 coins and take over four hours to plant and harvest at least, but that's if you even have the room for so many crops. Between 66 crops harvested, you're sure to find at least 8 Groundhogs, but remember that the chance is random. If you're looking to get this Goal done quickly, you could always use a Boost from the Upgraded General Store, but that will set you back pretty far. Complete this Goal and a Boost Set for both Potatoes and Tomatoes is all yours. Gee, thanks for giving us something we could have used four hours ago. (Don't you hate when that happens?)
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Your total cost for all 66 crops is going to be 3,740 coins and take over four hours to plant and harvest at least, but that's if you even have the room for so many crops. Between 66 crops harvested, you're sure to find at least 8 Groundhogs, but remember that the chance is random. If you're looking to get this Goal done quickly, you could always use a Boost from the Upgraded General Store, but that will set you back pretty far. Complete this Goal and a Boost Set for both Potatoes and Tomatoes is all yours. Gee, thanks for giving us something we could have used four hours ago. (Don't you hate when that happens?)
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
Bejeweled neon diamond lamp lights up PopCap's Week 3 charity auction
Easily recognizable from anywhere, the iconic Bejeweled diamond has been transformed into a neon lamp by Seattle artist Jeremy Bert. That glowy blue is just mesmerizing, isn't it?
Other eyecandy highlights for this week are canvas and sketches for Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, and Peggle.
For the ceramic dishware fans (hey, that's me!) and the Facebook gamers out there, Erin Middendorf -- who's "PopCap's lead artist for Zuma Blitz by day, and master potter by night" -- has created a Zuma Blitz tea set. What an awesome follow-up to the Peggle sake set and the Plants vs. Zombies ceramic mug and bowl set!
Lastly, there's a Plants vs. Zombies outfit of the ubiquitous Zombie (see it in the video below) to complement last week's Peashooter costume. But it's not limited to Halloween, cause this is the same official costume that's been paraded around by PopCap's staff at major video games conventions, such as E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) and PAX (Penny Arcade Expo).
Zuma Blitz ceramic tea set
Other eyecandy highlights for this week are canvas and sketches for Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, and Peggle.
For the ceramic dishware fans (hey, that's me!) and the Facebook gamers out there, Erin Middendorf -- who's "PopCap's lead artist for Zuma Blitz by day, and master potter by night" -- has created a Zuma Blitz tea set. What an awesome follow-up to the Peggle sake set and the Plants vs. Zombies ceramic mug and bowl set!
Lastly, there's a Plants vs. Zombies outfit of the ubiquitous Zombie (see it in the video below) to complement last week's Peashooter costume. But it's not limited to Halloween, cause this is the same official costume that's been paraded around by PopCap's staff at major video games conventions, such as E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) and PAX (Penny Arcade Expo).
Zuma Blitz ceramic tea set
Family Guy Online: Quahog's first family gets its very own online multiplayer game
If preaching from the Good Book in Holy Town isn't your idea of a superior social game, what about a new online game based on the Fox's semi-irreverent animated show, Family Guy?
Yup, it looks like Peter, Lois, Stewie and the rest of the Griffin family will be making their debut on a web browser near you in the new multiplayer game, Family Guy Online. Right now, there are no real details available on FGO, other than it's coming in Fall 2011. There's also its recently launched official site, which you can visit and sign up for a chance to play the closed beta version of the game, as well as an official Facebook fan page for the game which you can 'Like' to get more info on the fly.
Gallery: Family Guy Online
So, as you ponder what exactly a Family Guy Online game will be like (will you be able to tour of Peter's favorite watering hole, the Drunken Clam? Can you play as Stewie and finally take over the universe? Will the entire family spontaneously break into song?), we'll dig around to see what other scraps of information we can unearth in the meantime.
Yup, it looks like Peter, Lois, Stewie and the rest of the Griffin family will be making their debut on a web browser near you in the new multiplayer game, Family Guy Online. Right now, there are no real details available on FGO, other than it's coming in Fall 2011. There's also its recently launched official site, which you can visit and sign up for a chance to play the closed beta version of the game, as well as an official Facebook fan page for the game which you can 'Like' to get more info on the fly.
Gallery: Family Guy Online
So, as you ponder what exactly a Family Guy Online game will be like (will you be able to tour of Peter's favorite watering hole, the Drunken Clam? Can you play as Stewie and finally take over the universe? Will the entire family spontaneously break into song?), we'll dig around to see what other scraps of information we can unearth in the meantime.
World of Warcraft goes free to play (until Level 20)
The question is: Will you be able to stop after that? The only hardcore MMO (massively multi-player online game) to rival the numbers--but not the value--of Zynga's top social games, World of Warcraft (WoW), has gone free-to-play. Well, until you reach Level 20. Then, creator Blizzard will force you to cough up $15, if you want to keep exploring Azeroth.
Kotaku reports that Blizzard has made the game free for its first 20 levels as part of its Rage of the Firelands, or Patch 4.2, major content update. The billionaire company is calling this new feature World of Warcraft Starter Edition, which replaces the old seven-day and 14-day long free trials that players used before to rope their friends into the high-fantasy equivalent of crack cocaine. (Seriously, I've been on and off the stuff for six years ... WoW, I mean.)
Clearly the new feature is in response to free-to-play offerings from, oh, I don't know, every MMO and Facebook game to launch in the past year or two? The game recently dipped under its peak of 12 million players to 11.4 million in May, so this move could also be in hopes of restoring that magic number that Blizzard liked to tout so much. Hey, we would tout until the cows came home if we had a videogame with 12 million players, too.
Rage of the Firelands
WoW is also designed to run on computers with low-grade or entry-level hardware, something that Facebook games have become a master of. Besides, Blizzard's Mark Morehaime and Frank Pearce don't exactly hate FarmVille. So, perhaps Blizzard is trying to sap a bit of that attractive energy from Facebook games like Empires & Allies that we know commonly as "free." And what's better than free?
Kotaku reports that Blizzard has made the game free for its first 20 levels as part of its Rage of the Firelands, or Patch 4.2, major content update. The billionaire company is calling this new feature World of Warcraft Starter Edition, which replaces the old seven-day and 14-day long free trials that players used before to rope their friends into the high-fantasy equivalent of crack cocaine. (Seriously, I've been on and off the stuff for six years ... WoW, I mean.)
Clearly the new feature is in response to free-to-play offerings from, oh, I don't know, every MMO and Facebook game to launch in the past year or two? The game recently dipped under its peak of 12 million players to 11.4 million in May, so this move could also be in hopes of restoring that magic number that Blizzard liked to tout so much. Hey, we would tout until the cows came home if we had a videogame with 12 million players, too.
Rage of the Firelands
WoW is also designed to run on computers with low-grade or entry-level hardware, something that Facebook games have become a master of. Besides, Blizzard's Mark Morehaime and Frank Pearce don't exactly hate FarmVille. So, perhaps Blizzard is trying to sap a bit of that attractive energy from Facebook games like Empires & Allies that we know commonly as "free." And what's better than free?
Consumer Watchdog barks at Facebook Credits, Zynga-Facebook deal
You know that whole shift to Facebook Credits that is supposed to happen this Friday? Well, that's not gonna' happen--not if Consumer Watchdog has anything to do about it. As of July 1, all Facebook apps and games will essentially be forced to take on the Facebook Credits payment model, from which the company takes a 30 percent cut. The Washington-based nonprofit public interest organization has openly called Facebook out on potentially violating anti-trust law and participating in anti-competitive behavior.
"This isn't just about fun and games," Consumer Advocate John M. Simpson said in a release. "These activities in the virtual world are a big business, worth billions of dollars. If Facebook is allowed to dictate terms in the online gaming market though anti-competitive tactics, consumers will pay more and innovation will be stifled."
More importantly, however, Watchdog has also requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the five-year deal Facebook made with Zynga last year to keep the $15 to $20 billion developer on board with the changes. That's funny, because the terms of the deal were never officially disclosed (not that we'd expect that). In fact, the two companies were reported to be nearly at each others' throats before the pen met paper in May of last year. So, you have to think Facebook offered quite an attractive package to keep Zynga around. And Watchdog wants to know.
It's not as if this sort of thing hasn't happened before. Apple takes the same cut from any app that is sold through its App Store, but it's the details of the imposition that are setting Consumer Watchdog off. Specifically, Watchdog said that Facebook has prohibited developers from selling their goods on different websites at lower prices, effectively locking them in. Not to mention that the 30 percent cut might be too steep for new developers to meet. This could keep the big players in business, while potentially shutting out new companies and, most importantly, new ideas for games. We've contacted Facebook for comment.
"This isn't just about fun and games," Consumer Advocate John M. Simpson said in a release. "These activities in the virtual world are a big business, worth billions of dollars. If Facebook is allowed to dictate terms in the online gaming market though anti-competitive tactics, consumers will pay more and innovation will be stifled."
More importantly, however, Watchdog has also requested that the Federal Trade Commission investigate the five-year deal Facebook made with Zynga last year to keep the $15 to $20 billion developer on board with the changes. That's funny, because the terms of the deal were never officially disclosed (not that we'd expect that). In fact, the two companies were reported to be nearly at each others' throats before the pen met paper in May of last year. So, you have to think Facebook offered quite an attractive package to keep Zynga around. And Watchdog wants to know.
It's not as if this sort of thing hasn't happened before. Apple takes the same cut from any app that is sold through its App Store, but it's the details of the imposition that are setting Consumer Watchdog off. Specifically, Watchdog said that Facebook has prohibited developers from selling their goods on different websites at lower prices, effectively locking them in. Not to mention that the 30 percent cut might be too steep for new developers to meet. This could keep the big players in business, while potentially shutting out new companies and, most importantly, new ideas for games. We've contacted Facebook for comment.
FarmVille-maker Zynga to offer exclusive games for AT&T customers
Aw, they look so cute together, too. (So, who's wearing the pants, fellas?) Zynga and AT&T have announced a strategic partnership in which the FarmVille creator will create and launch customized games to the global mobile phone carrier's customers.
Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but the press release does mention what games might hit AT&T's custom Android market stall first.It looks like existing mobile games like Words with Friends and Zynga Poker, both of which already available on the platform, will be first to appear on this AT&T shelf in the Android Market.
Zynga will also be involved with giveaways to AT&T customers during special events. However, the crux of this deal is even more strategic than just bringing in new games.AT&T also wants Zynga's help to "optimize the mobile gaming experience for AT&T customers."
More specifically, the company is looking to find ways to improve battery life on its mobile phones while playing games as well as improve network efficiency. (Perhaps this is also AT&T's first move toward an Android gaming network.) If that last bit means reducing games' effects on AT&T's data caps for smartphones, then count me in. Alright, the new games specifically for AT&T Android phones sound pretty cool too, I guess.
Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but the press release does mention what games might hit AT&T's custom Android market stall first.It looks like existing mobile games like Words with Friends and Zynga Poker, both of which already available on the platform, will be first to appear on this AT&T shelf in the Android Market.
Zynga will also be involved with giveaways to AT&T customers during special events. However, the crux of this deal is even more strategic than just bringing in new games.AT&T also wants Zynga's help to "optimize the mobile gaming experience for AT&T customers."
More specifically, the company is looking to find ways to improve battery life on its mobile phones while playing games as well as improve network efficiency. (Perhaps this is also AT&T's first move toward an Android gaming network.) If that last bit means reducing games' effects on AT&T's data caps for smartphones, then count me in. Alright, the new games specifically for AT&T Android phones sound pretty cool too, I guess.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Virtual City Playground for iOS looks like HD CityVille ... on your phone
So, CityVille Hometown is great, but I get the feeling some fans were looking for something more like the actual web game. It looks like G5, a Stockholm, Sweden-based developer of mobile games for iOS, might bring the goods. Virtual City Playground, a free version of the original with a much more social twist, is set to hit the App Store this Aug. 25, Pocket Gamer reports.
The game will allow players to create and cultivate their own city on an enormous scale in pseudo-3D, isometric graphics. The game will guide players much like Zynga's city-builder does, but offers support for far more friend interaction through Game Center Support and Facebook friend challenges.
Your job, essentially, is to grow your city by populating it with homes and businesses that grow off of one another all the while being supplied by agriculture, like any old city game. This updated version also brings an in-game currency, completing that old quarter pit feeling. That's right, Virtual City Playground is 100 percent free to play.
Virtual City Playground
However, to speed things up, players will have the option to purchase 85 of the game's quests, if they really can't wait. The game could be the city-builder of scale you've been looking for, but check the trailer below to see what we mean:
The game will allow players to create and cultivate their own city on an enormous scale in pseudo-3D, isometric graphics. The game will guide players much like Zynga's city-builder does, but offers support for far more friend interaction through Game Center Support and Facebook friend challenges.
Your job, essentially, is to grow your city by populating it with homes and businesses that grow off of one another all the while being supplied by agriculture, like any old city game. This updated version also brings an in-game currency, completing that old quarter pit feeling. That's right, Virtual City Playground is 100 percent free to play.
Virtual City Playground
However, to speed things up, players will have the option to purchase 85 of the game's quests, if they really can't wait. The game could be the city-builder of scale you've been looking for, but check the trailer below to see what we mean:
The Sims Social, Gamescom's 'Best Browser Game,' lives on Facebook
While EA and Playfish London have officially set The Sims Social live at this year's Gamescom (with a show award, to boot), we're going with "lives," because the game technically already lived. Alas, despite a shoddy launch and some unfortunate down time, this gem of a Facebook game has launched to nearly 5 million players. Even counting since its downtime (and "open beta" issues), The Sims Social has grown exponentially in the past week, gaining about a whopping 3 million players in that time, according to AppData.
I'd hate to speak too soon (no I don't), but these look a lot like Zynga numbers. Could the big red bull dog have finally met its match, the biggest casual gaming brand long before FarmVille? It's quite possible, especially considering what players say the game could imply for the future of the genre.
"When we created The Sims Social, it was important for us to incorporate the deep gameplay nuances The Sims Studio has perfected and leverage what Playfish does best – develop compelling, cutting-edge social-gaming experiences," Playfish London GM John Earner said in a statement. And based on these explosive numbers, it looks like the players might agree. If The Sims Social keeps growing at this rate, it could catch up with Zynga's top games in a few months.
Gallery: The Sims Social on Facebook
The game already has branded partnerships with companies like Dunkin' Donuts, so it's clear how serious EA is about this game. Between what seems to be a hit on Facebook and a hit machine in the bag for possibly $1.3 million, maybe the Madden guys can hang with the FarmVillers, after all.
I'd hate to speak too soon (no I don't), but these look a lot like Zynga numbers. Could the big red bull dog have finally met its match, the biggest casual gaming brand long before FarmVille? It's quite possible, especially considering what players say the game could imply for the future of the genre.
"When we created The Sims Social, it was important for us to incorporate the deep gameplay nuances The Sims Studio has perfected and leverage what Playfish does best – develop compelling, cutting-edge social-gaming experiences," Playfish London GM John Earner said in a statement. And based on these explosive numbers, it looks like the players might agree. If The Sims Social keeps growing at this rate, it could catch up with Zynga's top games in a few months.
Gallery: The Sims Social on Facebook
The game already has branded partnerships with companies like Dunkin' Donuts, so it's clear how serious EA is about this game. Between what seems to be a hit on Facebook and a hit machine in the bag for possibly $1.3 million, maybe the Madden guys can hang with the FarmVillers, after all.
PopCap study: Play games with your kids, they'll be better for it
Man, there's nothing like a feel-good study to cheer you up on a Friday. PopCap Games, creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz for Facebook, has helped in a study by Goldsmiths University that finds some comforting results for gamer parents, at least. According to the study, one in five parents said that playing computer games has helped their children develop a better understanding of technology.
While the organization does not reveal the exact number of participants, it goes on to report on findings that a third of parents believe gaming has increased their kids' concentration and that 53 percent believe that casual video games have improved their kids' problem solving skills. And the kids want more, apparently, as 27 percent of parents reported that their children attempt to borrow their smartphones to play casual games on.
"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," said Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths in a release. "Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships. The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development."
Well, there's your educated, scientific opinion, so take it or leave it. Keep in mind, however, this survey comes from the help of a company that may have interest in this particular market (with all due respect, of course). For those of you who hand the toddler the iPad or the Wii remote every once in a while, more power to ya. (Besides, a two-year-old with an iPad is YouTube gold.)
While the organization does not reveal the exact number of participants, it goes on to report on findings that a third of parents believe gaming has increased their kids' concentration and that 53 percent believe that casual video games have improved their kids' problem solving skills. And the kids want more, apparently, as 27 percent of parents reported that their children attempt to borrow their smartphones to play casual games on.
"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," said Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths in a release. "Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships. The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development."
Well, there's your educated, scientific opinion, so take it or leave it. Keep in mind, however, this survey comes from the help of a company that may have interest in this particular market (with all due respect, of course). For those of you who hand the toddler the iPad or the Wii remote every once in a while, more power to ya. (Besides, a two-year-old with an iPad is YouTube gold.)
Angry Birds worth at least as much as FarmVille, Rovio exec says
The Mighty Eagle has dollar signs in its eyes, as Rovio chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka said recently to Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that his company is worth several billion dollars, MSNBC reports. And by, "several million," Vesterbacka means somewhere in the FarmVille range--he noted to estimates that Zynga was worth $20 to $25 billion (which sounds a bit inaccurate to me)--according to MSNBC.
But Bloomberg recently reported that the Angry Birds creator was worth at least $1.2 billion, and this valuation would mean Rovio is 100 percent viable to compete with Zynga. I've never read it being discussed seriously, the two being competitors, but perhaps those talks will start now. Rovio could be the second major company of the new age of publishers to combat the first. (And here we thought the birds were looking to get bought.) Rovio is looking for 1 billion users, and fast. Perhaps Zynga was more of a motivation to the birds than previously imagined.
"We are not selling though - unless somebody offers enough," Vesterbacka was quoted saying in the interview published on Thursday, according to MSNBC. The exec went on to say that Rovio plans to list on the New York stock market within three years. If Rovio can enter new territory with the Angry Birds and take full advantage of the freemium model, then there is no reason it can't be a viable competitor to Zynga.
The more Rovio attempts to introduce the Angry Birds to new media (and sources of revenue), the further it will inch toward defeating Zygna, which only is within a single, though massive market. What I'm getting at is to warn you that there is more swiping and harvesting in your gaming future where the first three years of it came from.
But Bloomberg recently reported that the Angry Birds creator was worth at least $1.2 billion, and this valuation would mean Rovio is 100 percent viable to compete with Zynga. I've never read it being discussed seriously, the two being competitors, but perhaps those talks will start now. Rovio could be the second major company of the new age of publishers to combat the first. (And here we thought the birds were looking to get bought.) Rovio is looking for 1 billion users, and fast. Perhaps Zynga was more of a motivation to the birds than previously imagined.
"We are not selling though - unless somebody offers enough," Vesterbacka was quoted saying in the interview published on Thursday, according to MSNBC. The exec went on to say that Rovio plans to list on the New York stock market within three years. If Rovio can enter new territory with the Angry Birds and take full advantage of the freemium model, then there is no reason it can't be a viable competitor to Zynga.
The more Rovio attempts to introduce the Angry Birds to new media (and sources of revenue), the further it will inch toward defeating Zygna, which only is within a single, though massive market. What I'm getting at is to warn you that there is more swiping and harvesting in your gaming future where the first three years of it came from.
Parking Wars 2 brings Philly's ... charms to light in Facebook gaming
We have a fine city here, Philadelphia. But, a lot of that beauty has to grow on a person, and that can take years. So, to warn folks of our city's charms before they decide to visit the City of Brotherly Love, Majesco presents Parking Wars 2 for Facebook. The creator of franchises like Cooking Mama (also on Facebook!) and the Zumba Fitness games is looking to cash in on Facebook.
Based loosely on the hit A&E show of the same name--you know, the one that shows just how awesome it is to drive in my hometown? (To dispel any misleading, It's horrific.) The game launched this week, Inside Social Games reports, and has since reached over 34,000 monthly players and just over 1,500 daily players.
The game tasks players with parking cars on their friend's streets and keeping track of when to move each car and where to move them to in order to maximize points. At this year's E3, we left Parking Wars 2 feeling like it was too reliant on other friends, perhaps. And while it sounds (and sort of is) a bit boring, a slick presentation, sharp '50s style and matching tunes keep it interesting.
Parking Wars 2 in action
When players leave a car in a spot for too long or park illegally, their friends can ticket them there for parking illegally. Players level up by correctly parking and removing cars in a timely fashion. Then, they can purchase new cars that are worth more points when parked correctly. You can then buy items to boost the value of your cars, as well as for extra bonuses to ticketing vehicles. If you're a fan of watching people bicker about parking on TV, then perhaps this is your game, but I like to escape from reality, thanks.
Based loosely on the hit A&E show of the same name--you know, the one that shows just how awesome it is to drive in my hometown? (To dispel any misleading, It's horrific.) The game launched this week, Inside Social Games reports, and has since reached over 34,000 monthly players and just over 1,500 daily players.
The game tasks players with parking cars on their friend's streets and keeping track of when to move each car and where to move them to in order to maximize points. At this year's E3, we left Parking Wars 2 feeling like it was too reliant on other friends, perhaps. And while it sounds (and sort of is) a bit boring, a slick presentation, sharp '50s style and matching tunes keep it interesting.
Parking Wars 2 in action
When players leave a car in a spot for too long or park illegally, their friends can ticket them there for parking illegally. Players level up by correctly parking and removing cars in a timely fashion. Then, they can purchase new cars that are worth more points when parked correctly. You can then buy items to boost the value of your cars, as well as for extra bonuses to ticketing vehicles. If you're a fan of watching people bicker about parking on TV, then perhaps this is your game, but I like to escape from reality, thanks.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille New Year Collection now available
In addition to the six New Years Resolutions missions that are now available in FrontierVille, you can also complete a new New Years Collection in the game.
This collection consists of five items:
Baby New Year
Calendar
Resolution List
Scale
Toast Glass
You'll receive these items by participating in activities around your frontier, and you'll need to collect items like the Calendar in order to complete the New Years Resolution goals as you go along. If you can manage to collect all five items, you'll be able to turn them in for an Angel Statuette reward, so good luck in trying to collect them all.
And if this collection is as difficult to complete as collections like those released for "Back to School" and "Independence Day," I think we'll need all the luck we can get.
This collection consists of five items:
Baby New Year
Calendar
Resolution List
Scale
Toast Glass
You'll receive these items by participating in activities around your frontier, and you'll need to collect items like the Calendar in order to complete the New Years Resolution goals as you go along. If you can manage to collect all five items, you'll be able to turn them in for an Angel Statuette reward, so good luck in trying to collect them all.
And if this collection is as difficult to complete as collections like those released for "Back to School" and "Independence Day," I think we'll need all the luck we can get.
Cafe World Mr. Snowball Event: Everything you need to know
An interesting new event has been launched in Cafe World, that still refers to the holidays as though they haven't passed. This the Mr. Snowball event, and if you can look past the fact that Zynga seems to have overlooked releasing it in a more timely fashion, you'll be able to complete a series of quests to bring Mr. Snowman and holiday-themed outfits to your cafe's customers.
Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this Mr. Snowman event.
The Mr. Snowball mission series is a four part quest set. The first part is called "Mr. Snowball is Coming," and it contains two very simple steps:
Place Mr. Snowball
Place Winter Snack Table in your Cafe
The base for the Mr. Snowball structure can be found under the Special section of the Functional menu. It is free, and can simply be placed in an empty square of your cafe. The Winter Snack Table can be purchased from the decorations portion of the store for 6,000 coins. Alternatively, if you have already placed a table in your Cafe, this step will be completed for you.
The reward for completing this mission is 5,000 coins and 2,000 Cafe Points.
The second portion of the quest is called "Help Mr. Snowball" and it will require you to ask your friends to help you complete Mr. Snowball. Mr. Snowball requires 20 items to complete - 5 each of Silk Hats, Carrots, Snow Buttons, and Large Snow Balls. These can be earned by clicking on the Ask for More button and then sending individual gift requests to those Cafe World neighbors that you think would help you.
Unfortunately, that isn't all that's required for this step, as you'll also need to collect "3 Scarves to keep Mr. Snowball's neck warm," and "4 Large Branches so Mr. Snowball can drink his milk." Again, this is a process that will see you asking your friends to send you these items, via individual gift requests.
After you complete Mr. Snowball, your customers will change in appearance to be dressed like holiday characters. There are quite a few different costumes your customers will start to wear, including a Santa costume, red striped elf costumes, green striped elf costumes, a nutcracker, Mrs. Claus and more. In terms of the actual function of these costumes, they are there to simply look pretty and themed - your customers will act no differently when the Mr. Snowball model is active in your cafe. If at any time you'd like to turn off the special costumes, simply drag Mr. Snowball back into your inventory.
While the Mr. Snowball event is a four-part goal series, information about parts III and IV are still unknown as of this writing, simply due to the fact that we haven't been able to complete the task ourselves. We understand that users are unhappy with the amount of collection quests in Cafe World, but we will bring you the rest of the details about this event as soon as we have them.
Meet us behind the break for everything you need to know about this Mr. Snowman event.
The Mr. Snowball mission series is a four part quest set. The first part is called "Mr. Snowball is Coming," and it contains two very simple steps:
Place Mr. Snowball
Place Winter Snack Table in your Cafe
The base for the Mr. Snowball structure can be found under the Special section of the Functional menu. It is free, and can simply be placed in an empty square of your cafe. The Winter Snack Table can be purchased from the decorations portion of the store for 6,000 coins. Alternatively, if you have already placed a table in your Cafe, this step will be completed for you.
The reward for completing this mission is 5,000 coins and 2,000 Cafe Points.
The second portion of the quest is called "Help Mr. Snowball" and it will require you to ask your friends to help you complete Mr. Snowball. Mr. Snowball requires 20 items to complete - 5 each of Silk Hats, Carrots, Snow Buttons, and Large Snow Balls. These can be earned by clicking on the Ask for More button and then sending individual gift requests to those Cafe World neighbors that you think would help you.
Unfortunately, that isn't all that's required for this step, as you'll also need to collect "3 Scarves to keep Mr. Snowball's neck warm," and "4 Large Branches so Mr. Snowball can drink his milk." Again, this is a process that will see you asking your friends to send you these items, via individual gift requests.
After you complete Mr. Snowball, your customers will change in appearance to be dressed like holiday characters. There are quite a few different costumes your customers will start to wear, including a Santa costume, red striped elf costumes, green striped elf costumes, a nutcracker, Mrs. Claus and more. In terms of the actual function of these costumes, they are there to simply look pretty and themed - your customers will act no differently when the Mr. Snowball model is active in your cafe. If at any time you'd like to turn off the special costumes, simply drag Mr. Snowball back into your inventory.
While the Mr. Snowball event is a four-part goal series, information about parts III and IV are still unknown as of this writing, simply due to the fact that we haven't been able to complete the task ourselves. We understand that users are unhappy with the amount of collection quests in Cafe World, but we will bring you the rest of the details about this event as soon as we have them.
FarmVille: New Years Decorations, Clothing and more expiring tonight
With all of the holiday parties and events someone can take part in at the beginning of a new year, you might have missed playing FarmVille and purchasing some of the limited edition items that were released in the New Years theme. If you still haven't decked your farm our in New Years items, or would like to purchase decorations to store until next year's celebration, you have just a few more hours to do so.
At the time of this writing, the New Years items in the game's store will expire in a little under 5 hours. The prices are the same as normal, so unfortunately there is no sale here to entice you to buy these items before they're gone. It's presumable, then, that the simple fact that the items are going to expire will be enough to convince someone to do some shopping, but that's up for each individual user to decide.
As a recap, you can purchase clothing items for your avatar like dresses and tuxes for 10 Farm Cash, one-time-use Fireworks for 3 Farm Cash, an animated Cider Fountain for 15 Farm Cash, and even animals like the New Year Horse, and my personal favorite, the Disco Ball Sheep for 22 Farm Cash and 140,000 coins, respectively.
Once these items expire from the store, it's presumable that they won't be released in the game again, or at least not until the New Years celebration begins leading into 2012, when Zynga may re-release them temporarily. If you don't want to miss your chance at any of these limited edition items, make sure to shop now while you still can!
At the time of this writing, the New Years items in the game's store will expire in a little under 5 hours. The prices are the same as normal, so unfortunately there is no sale here to entice you to buy these items before they're gone. It's presumable, then, that the simple fact that the items are going to expire will be enough to convince someone to do some shopping, but that's up for each individual user to decide.
As a recap, you can purchase clothing items for your avatar like dresses and tuxes for 10 Farm Cash, one-time-use Fireworks for 3 Farm Cash, an animated Cider Fountain for 15 Farm Cash, and even animals like the New Year Horse, and my personal favorite, the Disco Ball Sheep for 22 Farm Cash and 140,000 coins, respectively.
Once these items expire from the store, it's presumable that they won't be released in the game again, or at least not until the New Years celebration begins leading into 2012, when Zynga may re-release them temporarily. If you don't want to miss your chance at any of these limited edition items, make sure to shop now while you still can!
FarmVille Mystery Game for January 9, 2011 - Endangered animals now available
It's another Sunday, which in the world of FarmVille means that a new round of the Mystery Game has been released for your risk-taking pleasure. This week's Mystery Game is a bit costlier than most (the traditional price is 16 Farm Cash), but the higher price comes with an apparently good reason - that being that this week's game offers some "endangered animals" to users.
The prizes inside this week's Mystery Game are:
Adean Bear Cub
Asian Horse
Blue Duck
Giant Panda
Kimodo Dragon
Koala
Each dart you'd like to throw (literally) at this Mystery Game will cost you 22 Farm Cash. Whether or not this is worth it, for a chance at adding one of these animals to your farm is up to you. As usual, you'll have six days to make up your mind, as the current items will only be available for a week, before being replaced by a new set of items in next week's Mystery Game.
As one final note, it appears as though the Koala item is purely decorative, so you won't be able to earn money off of this particular prize, should you win it.
The prizes inside this week's Mystery Game are:
Adean Bear Cub
Asian Horse
Blue Duck
Giant Panda
Kimodo Dragon
Koala
Each dart you'd like to throw (literally) at this Mystery Game will cost you 22 Farm Cash. Whether or not this is worth it, for a chance at adding one of these animals to your farm is up to you. As usual, you'll have six days to make up your mind, as the current items will only be available for a week, before being replaced by a new set of items in next week's Mystery Game.
As one final note, it appears as though the Koala item is purely decorative, so you won't be able to earn money off of this particular prize, should you win it.
Cafe World Cater the Winter Ball: Everything you need to know
There's a new catering order to fulfill in Cafe World, with this one fitting into the current "winter" theme that Zynga has released in the game. The catering order is called simply: "Cater the Winter Ball" and it will see you asking your friends for help over (ideally) a five day period in order to unlock a new, exclusive recipe (that is, a recipe that can only be received through completing the mission), also fitting in the theme.
To find out what this new recipe is, and how you'll earn it, join us behind the break.
This Catering Order asks you to complete a total of six steps: three cooking steps, and three collection steps. For the three dishes, you'll have to cook Steak Dinner (a 16 hour dish) 150 times, Creme Fraiche Caviar (a 30 minute dish) 300 times, and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (a 30 minute dish) 250 times.
For this portion of the catering order, you'll need a lot of help from friends, and you can bring up to 10 of your friends into the mission with you, for a total of 11 members on your Catering Crew. The only good thing here is that there are two dishes that only take 30 minutes to cook, so if you can find a friend who is willing to spend a couple of hours checking frequently back in with the game, these tasks don't seem entirely impossible.
As for the collection portions of the order, you'll need to collect 5 Corsages, 5 Tiaras, and 10 Winter Ball Tickets. These items can either be purchased for Cafe Cash (3 Cafe Cash per one individual item - not a cheap route), or you can send requests to your individual Cafe World neighbors, asking them to send you one of these items. Of course, you would want to send requests once every day (or more often, if the game allows), in order to have a better chance at collecting these items, but be sure not to spam those players who may not appreciate the requests.
Interestingly, when it comes to scoring this Catering Order, you have 5 full days to complete the order to still receive the 3 star rating - normally, the time limit is 3 days. This is likely due to the sheer number of dishes that need to be cooked, regardless of the short cooking time of two of them, and the two extra days are definitely appreciated.
If you can complete the order within 5 days, you'll receive 9 Catering Points, 7,560 Cafe Points, 113,400 coins, and you'll unlock the Snowflake Cake recipe. The Snowflake Cake recipe can only be cooked if you unlock it through this manner. When you do, you'll be able to cook it for 1530 coins. The cake cooks in 6 hours, and you'll have 320 servings to sell to your customers for 12 coins per serving. This results in a return of 3,840 coins.
If you can't finish the order in five days, but can finish it before a full seven days have elapsed, you'll receive two stars, 6 Catering Points, 5,400 Cafe Points, and 8100 coins. Yes, we're as shocked at the discrepancy of coin rewards between these two star levels as you are. In addition, the two star rating will not unlock the Snowflake Cake - you must earn all three stars in order to start cooking the dessert.
After seven days, if you're still plugging along on this order, and you do manage to complete it (without canceling it and starting over, that is), you'll receive a single star rating, 3 Catering Points, 3,240 Catering Points, and 7,450 coins.
To find out what this new recipe is, and how you'll earn it, join us behind the break.
This Catering Order asks you to complete a total of six steps: three cooking steps, and three collection steps. For the three dishes, you'll have to cook Steak Dinner (a 16 hour dish) 150 times, Creme Fraiche Caviar (a 30 minute dish) 300 times, and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (a 30 minute dish) 250 times.
For this portion of the catering order, you'll need a lot of help from friends, and you can bring up to 10 of your friends into the mission with you, for a total of 11 members on your Catering Crew. The only good thing here is that there are two dishes that only take 30 minutes to cook, so if you can find a friend who is willing to spend a couple of hours checking frequently back in with the game, these tasks don't seem entirely impossible.
As for the collection portions of the order, you'll need to collect 5 Corsages, 5 Tiaras, and 10 Winter Ball Tickets. These items can either be purchased for Cafe Cash (3 Cafe Cash per one individual item - not a cheap route), or you can send requests to your individual Cafe World neighbors, asking them to send you one of these items. Of course, you would want to send requests once every day (or more often, if the game allows), in order to have a better chance at collecting these items, but be sure not to spam those players who may not appreciate the requests.
Interestingly, when it comes to scoring this Catering Order, you have 5 full days to complete the order to still receive the 3 star rating - normally, the time limit is 3 days. This is likely due to the sheer number of dishes that need to be cooked, regardless of the short cooking time of two of them, and the two extra days are definitely appreciated.
If you can complete the order within 5 days, you'll receive 9 Catering Points, 7,560 Cafe Points, 113,400 coins, and you'll unlock the Snowflake Cake recipe. The Snowflake Cake recipe can only be cooked if you unlock it through this manner. When you do, you'll be able to cook it for 1530 coins. The cake cooks in 6 hours, and you'll have 320 servings to sell to your customers for 12 coins per serving. This results in a return of 3,840 coins.
If you can't finish the order in five days, but can finish it before a full seven days have elapsed, you'll receive two stars, 6 Catering Points, 5,400 Cafe Points, and 8100 coins. Yes, we're as shocked at the discrepancy of coin rewards between these two star levels as you are. In addition, the two star rating will not unlock the Snowflake Cake - you must earn all three stars in order to start cooking the dessert.
After seven days, if you're still plugging along on this order, and you do manage to complete it (without canceling it and starting over, that is), you'll receive a single star rating, 3 Catering Points, 3,240 Catering Points, and 7,450 coins.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Does FarmVille release too much too fast?
In some games, time goes by very slowly in between features and you can find yourself bored before something fun is released. In FarmVille, Zynga have a reputation for keeping the action happening. Between new decorations, new collection games, new mystery game prizes, new features in the game, and holidays, some players are finding themselves overwhelmed with the pace of the new content.
BWasek from the FarmVille forums says:
I started collected all the horses and cute animals a year ago, now to continue would cost a ton! I liked it better when there were only a few a month, not 5 a week!. Same with the stupid trees....I may just have to stop playing! It's becoming a money pit instead of a fun time waster!
Keeping a social game balanced for the hardcore players who login for hours each day and the casual players who don't have as much time to play is a difficult job for the FarmVille team. Many players are easily bored, buy their way through features by paying Farm Cash and then quickly get bored. It is in FarmVille's best interest to keep new content coming at a fast pace so that players can spend money and time in the game. However, how much is too much?
Right now in FarmVille there are so many features and things going on. A new expensive expansion was released, there is a Valentine's 12 Day Collection Game, there is a Valentine's Mailbox for collecting valentines and trading them in, there are new Valentine's quests, there is a new limited time masterable Farm Cash crop, the Lunar Chinese New Year items keep coming, and an England expansion is on its way. This is a lot to do in a short time, and it's easy to see how players could get overwhelmed.
BWasek from the FarmVille forums says:
I started collected all the horses and cute animals a year ago, now to continue would cost a ton! I liked it better when there were only a few a month, not 5 a week!. Same with the stupid trees....I may just have to stop playing! It's becoming a money pit instead of a fun time waster!
Keeping a social game balanced for the hardcore players who login for hours each day and the casual players who don't have as much time to play is a difficult job for the FarmVille team. Many players are easily bored, buy their way through features by paying Farm Cash and then quickly get bored. It is in FarmVille's best interest to keep new content coming at a fast pace so that players can spend money and time in the game. However, how much is too much?
Right now in FarmVille there are so many features and things going on. A new expensive expansion was released, there is a Valentine's 12 Day Collection Game, there is a Valentine's Mailbox for collecting valentines and trading them in, there are new Valentine's quests, there is a new limited time masterable Farm Cash crop, the Lunar Chinese New Year items keep coming, and an England expansion is on its way. This is a lot to do in a short time, and it's easy to see how players could get overwhelmed.
Game of the Day: UNO Undercover
The game of the day is card game classic homage to the number one. UNO Undercover lets you play the classic card game UNO as you never played it before. Play adventure mode and track down spies or simply join in the world UNO tournament. UNO Undercover has it all and it's the game of the day.
Click here to play UNO Undercover.
Important side note: Just 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.
Click here to play UNO Undercover.
Important side note: Just 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.
Picture of the Day: Sweet Cinnamon's Valentine's Day Farm
The third in our FarmVille Valentine's Day farm art series was crafted by Sweet Cinnamon (a.k.a. sweet.cinnamon on the FarmVille Forums). You can instantly see why I chose to feature her farm, it's very impressive at first glance and it gets even more magnificent when you closely observe the overwhelming amount of detail.
Look closely at those interlocking hearts. Folks, that must have taken ages to perfect. Also make sure you realize that in a clever gesture, Sweet Cinnamon has given one heart evil devil horns and given the other a halo. Well done Sweet Cinnamon, this is an incredibly creative and artistic farm.
Continue reading to see what Sweet Cinnamon had to say.
What inspired your great Valentine's Day farm design?
My inspiration was my relationship with my boyfriend. We are absolute opposites: good girl and bad boy; just like angel and devil.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
The perfect bunches from garden shed are great.
How did you go about creating the perfectly shaped hearts?
It was quite easy to make the hearts, I made 2 or 3 smaller ones before I found the perfect shape.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
Decorating took me about 4 days, but I was only doing it in the evening, so in total it wasn't that long.
What do you think of Sweet Cinnamon's epic Valentine's Day farm?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Look closely at those interlocking hearts. Folks, that must have taken ages to perfect. Also make sure you realize that in a clever gesture, Sweet Cinnamon has given one heart evil devil horns and given the other a halo. Well done Sweet Cinnamon, this is an incredibly creative and artistic farm.
Continue reading to see what Sweet Cinnamon had to say.
What inspired your great Valentine's Day farm design?
My inspiration was my relationship with my boyfriend. We are absolute opposites: good girl and bad boy; just like angel and devil.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
The perfect bunches from garden shed are great.
How did you go about creating the perfectly shaped hearts?
It was quite easy to make the hearts, I made 2 or 3 smaller ones before I found the perfect shape.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
Decorating took me about 4 days, but I was only doing it in the evening, so in total it wasn't that long.
What do you think of Sweet Cinnamon's epic Valentine's Day farm?
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
FarmVille fashion do: Vegetable hats from Japan
FarmVille officially arrived in Japan in December 2010, and their version of the game is slightly different than the game we know and love. Instead of FarmVille, the Japanese version is called FarmVillage, and it's playable on the mobile social network Mixti instead of Facebook. Another big difference -- instead of wearing red Zynga-branded T-shirts, corporate bigwigs strapped on giant vegetable hats at the game's official launch event. Only in Japan, folks. Only in Japan.
FarmVille giftable white heart hay bales -- going, going..
FarmVille is offering white heart-shaped hay bales as a free gift for a limited time. To send your FarmVille pals this gift (nothing really says 'I care' more than a novelty bale of hay), look for the icon on the left-hand side of the screen. Click the image and the friend selector will appear and then start sending free white heart hay like there's no tomorrow.
white heart hay bale farmville
white heart hay bale farmville
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Quote of the Moment: 'Nintendo president Iwata is wrong about social games'
Satoru Iwata
Iwata-san has done an incredible job rebuilding Nintendo over the last few years. He is a great leader of that company, but in this particular case he is wrong. He is mistaken if [he thinks] this is some kind of fad that will go away. Social networks, as a way of powering our game and entertainment choices, is here to stay.
Former Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison said this in an interview with IndustryGamers regarding Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's harsh words for social game creators during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech this month. Iwata believes that mobile and social games could diminish "high value" games, or $50 to $60 retail games. How, you ask? The Nintendo commander-in-chief said that social and mobile games are focused more on quantity than quality, amassing and copying software to increase revenue. If Iwata has seen what's in the works for iOS or some recent Facebook games, then his issue appears to be more with price points than anything.
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
[Image Credit: Nsider 2]
What do you think about Iwata's opinion of social game developers? How do you think Nintendo will fare continuing its retail-centric strategy?
Iwata-san has done an incredible job rebuilding Nintendo over the last few years. He is a great leader of that company, but in this particular case he is wrong. He is mistaken if [he thinks] this is some kind of fad that will go away. Social networks, as a way of powering our game and entertainment choices, is here to stay.
Former Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison said this in an interview with IndustryGamers regarding Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's harsh words for social game creators during his Game Developers Conference keynote speech this month. Iwata believes that mobile and social games could diminish "high value" games, or $50 to $60 retail games. How, you ask? The Nintendo commander-in-chief said that social and mobile games are focused more on quantity than quality, amassing and copying software to increase revenue. If Iwata has seen what's in the works for iOS or some recent Facebook games, then his issue appears to be more with price points than anything.
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
[Image Credit: Nsider 2]
What do you think about Iwata's opinion of social game developers? How do you think Nintendo will fare continuing its retail-centric strategy?
Playfish joins Japan relief effort with Mercy Corps donation program [Updated]
Finally, another social game developer has decided to use its immense resources for good. Playfish announced today that it has joined forces with Mercy Corps and their partner, Peace Winds Japan, to run a donation program. Through the program, Playfish will give 100 percent of its proceeds to Mercy Corps to provide the Japanese with "balloon shelters to accommodate up to 600 people; large emergency tents; clean water, food and blankets," according to the company.
Throughout the week, Playfish will add items to its games for purchase and donate 100 percent of those proceeds to Mercy Corps. Currently, the Garden of Hope item is available in Restaurant City, but more games will receive donation items this week including a "Support Japan" bundle in Pet Society, "Japan Elite Transfers" in FIFA Superstars, and a "Red Japanese Pagoda" in Monopoly Millionaires.
There is a link beneath most Playfish games leading to the donation website. Playfish is handling the situation differently than Zynga's, which allowed players to donate through playing its games (and buying items) immediately. Using this method, the company has already raised $1 million. Will Playfish be able to produce the same contribution with its week-long event?
That's unlikely, but keep in mind that this is far from a competition. The fact that Playfish has made the gesture is respectable, but what prevented the company from employing the same strategy? My guess is that it was a matter of how much time is left to make a contribution with impact, which lead to this week-long event. Regardless, every donation helps--here's your chance, Playfish fans.
Do you intend on donating to the Japan relief effort through Playfish? How successful do you think the company will be using this method?
Throughout the week, Playfish will add items to its games for purchase and donate 100 percent of those proceeds to Mercy Corps. Currently, the Garden of Hope item is available in Restaurant City, but more games will receive donation items this week including a "Support Japan" bundle in Pet Society, "Japan Elite Transfers" in FIFA Superstars, and a "Red Japanese Pagoda" in Monopoly Millionaires.
There is a link beneath most Playfish games leading to the donation website. Playfish is handling the situation differently than Zynga's, which allowed players to donate through playing its games (and buying items) immediately. Using this method, the company has already raised $1 million. Will Playfish be able to produce the same contribution with its week-long event?
That's unlikely, but keep in mind that this is far from a competition. The fact that Playfish has made the gesture is respectable, but what prevented the company from employing the same strategy? My guess is that it was a matter of how much time is left to make a contribution with impact, which lead to this week-long event. Regardless, every donation helps--here's your chance, Playfish fans.
Do you intend on donating to the Japan relief effort through Playfish? How successful do you think the company will be using this method?
Games For iPad: Fifty Favorites
iPad 2 is all the rage, with long lines across the country greeting customers eager to pick up Apple's newest gadget. Since gaming is such a hot activity and the iPad is one of the coolest devices to play games on, we tapped our friends at Modojo to give us a list of their favorite games for iPad.
Here are the five top iPad games you need to purchase right now to go along with that sexy tablet, and if you're a serious gamer, head over to Modojo for forty-five more top games for iPad.
Angry Birds Seasons HD [Buy it]
Don't ignore the Angry Birds phenomenon. Resistance is futile. Just embrace it and kiss your social life goodbye. This delightful strategy game challenges you to launch teams of ticked off birds towards a bunch of pigs, where the goal is to not only destroy the evil swine, but also cause massive property damage.
Flight Control HD [Buy it]
The phrase, "an oldie but a goodie" certainly applies to Firemint's outstanding strategy game that casts you as a flight controller charged with guiding planes to their respective hangars. An elegant presentation, user-friendly control scheme and catchy music make this a must play.
Infinity Blade [Buy it]
Pick up a sword and then embark upon a dangerous quest full of monsters and mayhem, where you attempt to avenge your father (and his father's father, and so on and so forth) by slaying the nefarious God King. A plethora of weapons, addictive gameplay (think Punch-Out!! with monsters) and some of the best graphics on iPad will keep you hooked for hours.
Real Racing HD [Buy it]
You'll never see Sony's Gran Turismo on the iPad and you'll never miss it, thanks to Real Racing HD. This simulation heavy racer looks phenomenal stretched across that glorious screen, with realistic graphics that pull you into each thrilling event. Beyond that, there's a 76-mission career mode, 48 real world cars, local and online multiplayer, 12 tracks, multiple camera views and more. You'll love it.
Then again, perhaps you'd rather go with the sequel, Real Racing 2 HD, which features iPad 2 specific features. [Buy it]
Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD [Buy it]
If you prefer arcade style racing, Asphalt 6 delivers. Gameloft's latest entry in its respected series is pure eye candy, from the slick looking rides to the colorful courses inspired by locations around the world. In addition, it's a blast to play, with powerful nitro boosts, shortcuts and a variety of different modes that'll keep you coming back for more.
Thanks Modojo for your picks, and once you're done with these five games, click over for forty-five more Games for iPad that you need to have!
Here are the five top iPad games you need to purchase right now to go along with that sexy tablet, and if you're a serious gamer, head over to Modojo for forty-five more top games for iPad.
Angry Birds Seasons HD [Buy it]
Don't ignore the Angry Birds phenomenon. Resistance is futile. Just embrace it and kiss your social life goodbye. This delightful strategy game challenges you to launch teams of ticked off birds towards a bunch of pigs, where the goal is to not only destroy the evil swine, but also cause massive property damage.
Flight Control HD [Buy it]
The phrase, "an oldie but a goodie" certainly applies to Firemint's outstanding strategy game that casts you as a flight controller charged with guiding planes to their respective hangars. An elegant presentation, user-friendly control scheme and catchy music make this a must play.
Infinity Blade [Buy it]
Pick up a sword and then embark upon a dangerous quest full of monsters and mayhem, where you attempt to avenge your father (and his father's father, and so on and so forth) by slaying the nefarious God King. A plethora of weapons, addictive gameplay (think Punch-Out!! with monsters) and some of the best graphics on iPad will keep you hooked for hours.
Real Racing HD [Buy it]
You'll never see Sony's Gran Turismo on the iPad and you'll never miss it, thanks to Real Racing HD. This simulation heavy racer looks phenomenal stretched across that glorious screen, with realistic graphics that pull you into each thrilling event. Beyond that, there's a 76-mission career mode, 48 real world cars, local and online multiplayer, 12 tracks, multiple camera views and more. You'll love it.
Then again, perhaps you'd rather go with the sequel, Real Racing 2 HD, which features iPad 2 specific features. [Buy it]
Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD [Buy it]
If you prefer arcade style racing, Asphalt 6 delivers. Gameloft's latest entry in its respected series is pure eye candy, from the slick looking rides to the colorful courses inspired by locations around the world. In addition, it's a blast to play, with powerful nitro boosts, shortcuts and a variety of different modes that'll keep you coming back for more.
Thanks Modojo for your picks, and once you're done with these five games, click over for forty-five more Games for iPad that you need to have!
FrontierVille St. Patrick's Day Collection has a Pot of Gold at the end
Just in time, FrontierVille has decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. While you're out hunting Leprechauns, you'll also work to complete this St. Patrick's Day Collection by finding five items. The five items include a Penny Whistle, Pint Glass, Shamrock, Hurley Stick (nice reference, Zynga) and a Celtic Harp. For completing the Collection, players will receive their very own Pot of Gold. So, get to hunting those Leprechauns and hope that luck (couldn't help myself) is on your side.
Pot of Gold
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Legend]
Have you seen this Collection in your game yet? What's your plan to complete it as quickly as possible?
Pot of Gold
[Source and Image Credit: FrontierVille Legend]
Have you seen this Collection in your game yet? What's your plan to complete it as quickly as possible?
CityVille: Daily bonus now offers energy instead of coins
It seems that Zynga is looking to stick with their new energy policy in CityVille, as they have added yet another change to the game that will help users get a bit of extra energy when they play the game, without actually changing the new energy caps that have been put in place.
From this point on, the Daily Bonus reward (received for logging in daily without missing a day) will reward you with energy, rather than coins. For the first day you login, you'll receive a single extra energy, that will be added to your current energy bar, regardless of its current total. For the second day, you'll receive two free energy and so on, until the fifth consecutive day that you play, which results in the maximum reward of five energy points.
The other features of the Daily Bonus system haven't been changed - the counter still resets every five days, and you'll still have the same percent chance of receiving the Penthouse Tower on your fifth day as you did before.
Does this really help matters? For once, opinions over on the game's official forums seem to be mixed. While many users are claiming to appreciate the added energy, some are still upset by this meager offering. Take, for instance, user alterdstate, who seems to sum up the negative opinions fairly well.
They need to get rid of the really low energy limits before I will come back period. 1-5 extra energy a day DOES NOTHING when I have over 50 businesses, several houses and tons of ship and farmland.
We'll continue to bring you all of the news surrounding these changes if and when Zynga once again tweaks the energy system in CityVille in the future. It looks like the developer has a lot of work cut out for them, to convince upset users that their changes are worthwhile, and not lose them forever.
As always, we'd love to know what you think of these continuing changes in the game. Have you already quit playing CityVille due to the "death" of energy stockpiling, or was that never your method of play to begin with?
From this point on, the Daily Bonus reward (received for logging in daily without missing a day) will reward you with energy, rather than coins. For the first day you login, you'll receive a single extra energy, that will be added to your current energy bar, regardless of its current total. For the second day, you'll receive two free energy and so on, until the fifth consecutive day that you play, which results in the maximum reward of five energy points.
The other features of the Daily Bonus system haven't been changed - the counter still resets every five days, and you'll still have the same percent chance of receiving the Penthouse Tower on your fifth day as you did before.
Does this really help matters? For once, opinions over on the game's official forums seem to be mixed. While many users are claiming to appreciate the added energy, some are still upset by this meager offering. Take, for instance, user alterdstate, who seems to sum up the negative opinions fairly well.
They need to get rid of the really low energy limits before I will come back period. 1-5 extra energy a day DOES NOTHING when I have over 50 businesses, several houses and tons of ship and farmland.
We'll continue to bring you all of the news surrounding these changes if and when Zynga once again tweaks the energy system in CityVille in the future. It looks like the developer has a lot of work cut out for them, to convince upset users that their changes are worthwhile, and not lose them forever.
As always, we'd love to know what you think of these continuing changes in the game. Have you already quit playing CityVille due to the "death" of energy stockpiling, or was that never your method of play to begin with?
Thứ Ba, 3 tháng 1, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Dove Soap promotion
News flash: People like free things. Zynga knows it (to a point), which is why its released another FarmVille Sponsored Link. While we've yet to see it under our game screens, FarmVille Freak has all the details for the folks that do. Just click on the link with the Dove icon beneath your game and a pop-up will appear. Within is a short question next to a Dove advertisement video that reads, "What do you do to keep your skin beautiful?" Just type in a response, hit the "Next" button and the 2 Farm Cash should post to your account within an hour or so. Just remember not to close the pop-up window until you see the familiar confirmation in the upper right corner of the screen.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you seen this Sponsored Link beneath your game screen? Do you participate in these promotions or do you avoid Farm Cash promotions altogether?
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you seen this Sponsored Link beneath your game screen? Do you participate in these promotions or do you avoid Farm Cash promotions altogether?
FarmVille scams are out of control; Zynga can stop them with Goals
It seems that at least once a day a new FarmVille scammer emerges, and we're always here to report the news, spread the word in warning. Unfortunately, that's about where our powers of prevention stop. Admittedly, I am no security expert, so suggesting methods for either Zynga or Facebook to track and thwart these scam artists is beyond my knowledge. However, the creators of FarmVille have one tool to impede the scammers' progress: the game itself.
Thanks to the release of FrontierVille, there has not been a more powerful feature at the hands of Zynga: Goals. In fact, these series of requirements guiding players into new content have been incorporated into every one of its games since. Even the original FarmVille has seen its fair share of Goals. These Goals make themselves known before the player can even resume their daily routine of farming or city management.
FarmVille Scam
It's been said that the ultimate prevention is education, and considering that stopping these scammers would be a job in itself, this is likely the best method to bring their impact to a screeching halt. Isn't this exactly what Goals do? They educate players in new ways to interact with features and content, most times without the player even realizing it. It's a brilliant method, really.
Zynga could easily create Goals detailing the dangers of News Feed scams and the like through all of its games. Of course, the Goals would have to be available to all players regardless of their progress. More importantly, they would have to be included in the first few levels of each for brand new players months from now to learn of the dangers of News Feed scams. Sure, some players are likely asking their computer screens, "How does fit in with the overall theme of the game?"
FrontierVille Goals
It doesn't nor does it have to. When is the last time the words "This doesn't fit with our theme" stop Zynga from introducing McDonald's to FarmVille? It sure didn't stop the company from adding a new building surrounding Intuit, the business website builder service to the game. (Not to mention a bear using a laptop within the loading screen.) So, somehow simulating a scam situation and tasking players with making the right moves to prevent its effects--and later spread--doesn't sound unreasonable.
How the Goals would look and play is entirely up to Zynga. In fact, this would be in the company's best interest, no? Surely the FarmVille scams have scared plenty of players away. Better yet, this would likely reduce call after call into Zynga customer support for something that's generally out of their control. But it doesn't have to be. Instead of releasing the next big feature, push it back and release some educational Goals--this is far more important than the next Crafting Building.
[Image Credit: Virus Removal Support]
Have you fallen victim to a FarmVille scam before? Do you think this would be helpful in preventing future successful scams?
Thanks to the release of FrontierVille, there has not been a more powerful feature at the hands of Zynga: Goals. In fact, these series of requirements guiding players into new content have been incorporated into every one of its games since. Even the original FarmVille has seen its fair share of Goals. These Goals make themselves known before the player can even resume their daily routine of farming or city management.
FarmVille Scam
It's been said that the ultimate prevention is education, and considering that stopping these scammers would be a job in itself, this is likely the best method to bring their impact to a screeching halt. Isn't this exactly what Goals do? They educate players in new ways to interact with features and content, most times without the player even realizing it. It's a brilliant method, really.
Zynga could easily create Goals detailing the dangers of News Feed scams and the like through all of its games. Of course, the Goals would have to be available to all players regardless of their progress. More importantly, they would have to be included in the first few levels of each for brand new players months from now to learn of the dangers of News Feed scams. Sure, some players are likely asking their computer screens, "How does fit in with the overall theme of the game?"
FrontierVille Goals
It doesn't nor does it have to. When is the last time the words "This doesn't fit with our theme" stop Zynga from introducing McDonald's to FarmVille? It sure didn't stop the company from adding a new building surrounding Intuit, the business website builder service to the game. (Not to mention a bear using a laptop within the loading screen.) So, somehow simulating a scam situation and tasking players with making the right moves to prevent its effects--and later spread--doesn't sound unreasonable.
How the Goals would look and play is entirely up to Zynga. In fact, this would be in the company's best interest, no? Surely the FarmVille scams have scared plenty of players away. Better yet, this would likely reduce call after call into Zynga customer support for something that's generally out of their control. But it doesn't have to be. Instead of releasing the next big feature, push it back and release some educational Goals--this is far more important than the next Crafting Building.
[Image Credit: Virus Removal Support]
Have you fallen victim to a FarmVille scam before? Do you think this would be helpful in preventing future successful scams?
Zynga's Brian Reynolds: Open Feint and Game Center are 'awkward'
Zynga' Chief Game Designer Brian Reynolds recently met with Games.com - The Blog! to talk about FarmVille, Zynga and the state of the social gaming world.
Among other things, he talked about Zynga's plans (or seeming lack of plans) to take their Facebook games and make them playable on mobile phones. In short, Reynolds says that it has been difficult to recreate the social/Facebook experience on mobile because, well, no one's created a platform that does it right yet -- not even Open Feint and Apple's Game Center, which are the two leading game-centric mobile social networks.
Here's a snippet of the larger conversation:
Zynga has been slow to get its games on mobile. What's the philosophy behind that as a company?
Well, the philosophy up to now, or the obstacles up to now in the mobile space have been -- what I would say are -- ironic obstacles. Cause you think about it, that phone has all your contacts on it, you text people on it, and then you email, and they're all they're on the list. When you hit someone's name, it'll ask you whether you want to text them, or call them, or email them. It's right there on the interface. It's an inherently, natural, social device.
But, as they are built right now, there is a very high friction involved doing some of the important things to do in a social space. Even to do social networking, let alone social gaming. One of the way that Facebook makes it very efficient to network with people, to officially keep in touch with a lot your real friends from the history of your life, is for example, you can broadcast something to all your friends, and they have an easy way to comment or like it, or a very low friction, a quick 'Oh I like that!'. That's the social touch. 'Oh, I remember that person! Yeah, it's cool that they like this. I haven't talked to them in a while. Maybe I'll send them an e-mail!' And that doesn't exist really, correctly yet, on mobile. It's getting there. Slowly getting there.
What about OpenFeint and Game Center?
Yeah, those are all a little bit awkward. OpenFeint feels like multiplayer match-making, which is something... I'm not sure what even Game Center feels like. But what's really missing is I want to be running in Facebook where I'm just naturally playing the game and I can say to my friends: Hello! I'm doing this thing!' and 'Here's this cool thing I did!' or 'Here's this funny joke that the game just wrote for me!' or 'I made this!' You show your pictures on your mobile device. I want to be able to express myself, which the web games do really well, but can they make it so that it's easier for my friends to come see me express myself. There's just too much friction, but the friction is going away. And so the mobile is going to be a really big space for social.
Is Zynga interested in HTML5?
Yes, we're interested in HTML5. Obviously that's a technical word that brings up a whole bunch of technical and political issues.
Like, being able to play your games on any and all platforms.
Yes, we're thinking about all that stuff, and ultimately where we're driving to, is where that kind of social play going to be. We're not going to become just an app company that makes little solo games that you play. That's not what we're interested in. We're interested in the social stuff and so, we're always going to drive to where the social is, and that's where we're going to be. We're really excited about Words With Friends and having that, because that feels like real social interaction. You're playing with your real friends. They've taken a lot of the friction out, and I think more is going to go out. That's kind of the path forward.
Among other things, he talked about Zynga's plans (or seeming lack of plans) to take their Facebook games and make them playable on mobile phones. In short, Reynolds says that it has been difficult to recreate the social/Facebook experience on mobile because, well, no one's created a platform that does it right yet -- not even Open Feint and Apple's Game Center, which are the two leading game-centric mobile social networks.
Here's a snippet of the larger conversation:
Zynga has been slow to get its games on mobile. What's the philosophy behind that as a company?
Well, the philosophy up to now, or the obstacles up to now in the mobile space have been -- what I would say are -- ironic obstacles. Cause you think about it, that phone has all your contacts on it, you text people on it, and then you email, and they're all they're on the list. When you hit someone's name, it'll ask you whether you want to text them, or call them, or email them. It's right there on the interface. It's an inherently, natural, social device.
But, as they are built right now, there is a very high friction involved doing some of the important things to do in a social space. Even to do social networking, let alone social gaming. One of the way that Facebook makes it very efficient to network with people, to officially keep in touch with a lot your real friends from the history of your life, is for example, you can broadcast something to all your friends, and they have an easy way to comment or like it, or a very low friction, a quick 'Oh I like that!'. That's the social touch. 'Oh, I remember that person! Yeah, it's cool that they like this. I haven't talked to them in a while. Maybe I'll send them an e-mail!' And that doesn't exist really, correctly yet, on mobile. It's getting there. Slowly getting there.
What about OpenFeint and Game Center?
Yeah, those are all a little bit awkward. OpenFeint feels like multiplayer match-making, which is something... I'm not sure what even Game Center feels like. But what's really missing is I want to be running in Facebook where I'm just naturally playing the game and I can say to my friends: Hello! I'm doing this thing!' and 'Here's this cool thing I did!' or 'Here's this funny joke that the game just wrote for me!' or 'I made this!' You show your pictures on your mobile device. I want to be able to express myself, which the web games do really well, but can they make it so that it's easier for my friends to come see me express myself. There's just too much friction, but the friction is going away. And so the mobile is going to be a really big space for social.
Is Zynga interested in HTML5?
Yes, we're interested in HTML5. Obviously that's a technical word that brings up a whole bunch of technical and political issues.
Like, being able to play your games on any and all platforms.
Yes, we're thinking about all that stuff, and ultimately where we're driving to, is where that kind of social play going to be. We're not going to become just an app company that makes little solo games that you play. That's not what we're interested in. We're interested in the social stuff and so, we're always going to drive to where the social is, and that's where we're going to be. We're really excited about Words With Friends and having that, because that feels like real social interaction. You're playing with your real friends. They've taken a lot of the friction out, and I think more is going to go out. That's kind of the path forward.
FarmVille Blog explains more about Sheep Breeding
While the basics of Sheep Breeding in FarmVille's English Countryside are fairly easy to understand (check out our full guide if you've yet to begin), the aspects concerning which traits are carried down from which parent are a bit more complicated. While the basic phrase of "pattern comes from the father and color comes from the mother" holds true to a point, there is a whole possibility for variation with each and ever Lamb that you breed. To help clarify matters, Zynga has posted "a bit more on sheep breeding" over on the official FarmVille Blog.
First, for those users that have been "unlucky" enough to receive the same gender of Lambs three times in a row, you are supposedly guaranteed to receive a Lamb of the opposite gender the next time around. Unfortunately, this seems to be a bit more like "wishful thinking" than an actual guarantee, as users like myself are now on our fourth or fifth Lambs, all of which have been one gender or another (in my case, all females). This may just be because the "guarantee" has yet to roll out into the game's coding, so we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt here. In other news, Zynga says that while the patter does come from the "father alone," the colors of both the body and the pattern of each Lamb can actually come from both the father and the mother, which is entirely different from what the basic Sheep Breeding tutorial image claimed (that color came solely from the mother). In actuality, the color comes from both parents, and can deviate through a limited range of colors for variety. That is, in order to eliminate exactly identical sheep on your land.
Here's an image preview of what Brutus the Ram and a Brown Sheep could produce through four interactions, as an example.
Hopefully, this will help clarify some of the problems and issues users are having with Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. As for the mass amounts of Ewes that some of us are being "stuck" with, we'll let you know if that opposite gender guarantee actually does start to work in full.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you only received sheep of one gender, or are having trouble breeding the colors or patterns of sheep you want? Have these clarifications given you an ideas of what to change?
First, for those users that have been "unlucky" enough to receive the same gender of Lambs three times in a row, you are supposedly guaranteed to receive a Lamb of the opposite gender the next time around. Unfortunately, this seems to be a bit more like "wishful thinking" than an actual guarantee, as users like myself are now on our fourth or fifth Lambs, all of which have been one gender or another (in my case, all females). This may just be because the "guarantee" has yet to roll out into the game's coding, so we'll give Zynga the benefit of the doubt here. In other news, Zynga says that while the patter does come from the "father alone," the colors of both the body and the pattern of each Lamb can actually come from both the father and the mother, which is entirely different from what the basic Sheep Breeding tutorial image claimed (that color came solely from the mother). In actuality, the color comes from both parents, and can deviate through a limited range of colors for variety. That is, in order to eliminate exactly identical sheep on your land.
Here's an image preview of what Brutus the Ram and a Brown Sheep could produce through four interactions, as an example.
Hopefully, this will help clarify some of the problems and issues users are having with Sheep Breeding in FarmVille. As for the mass amounts of Ewes that some of us are being "stuck" with, we'll let you know if that opposite gender guarantee actually does start to work in full.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you only received sheep of one gender, or are having trouble breeding the colors or patterns of sheep you want? Have these clarifications given you an ideas of what to change?
FarmVille: England collections officially coming to Wishing Well
At the beginning of March, we brought you a FarmVille sneak peek image of what we thought would be a Wishing Well specifically designed for release on your English Countryside farm, but it turns out, you won't have to leave home to complete these England-themed collections, as your current Wishing Well will be updated in the future to include them.
If you click on your Wishing Well on your Home Farm, you'll receive the pop-up above, telling you that you only have a limited amount of time remaining to finish the Irish collections originally released alongside the Wishing Well, as new collections and prizes will be launching in the English theme soon. If this is an indication of things to come, it looks like the Wishing Well could be updated for all future events in the game, so it's definitely something to keep on hand.
Keep saving up your Lucky Pennies, and we'll make sure to give you a complete rundown of the available prizes in these new England-themed collections as soon as we know more.
What prizes do you hope are added to the England-themed collections in your Wishing Well?
If you click on your Wishing Well on your Home Farm, you'll receive the pop-up above, telling you that you only have a limited amount of time remaining to finish the Irish collections originally released alongside the Wishing Well, as new collections and prizes will be launching in the English theme soon. If this is an indication of things to come, it looks like the Wishing Well could be updated for all future events in the game, so it's definitely something to keep on hand.
Keep saving up your Lucky Pennies, and we'll make sure to give you a complete rundown of the available prizes in these new England-themed collections as soon as we know more.
What prizes do you hope are added to the England-themed collections in your Wishing Well?
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