FrontierVille Trees
This is the definitive FrontierVille tree data for the two trees in Zynga's popular Oregon Trail-themed game. This table shows you how much of a reward you will get from each tree, how long they take to grow, and what the chance is for a bear to attack after chopping down the tree. If you're looking for information on FrontierVille trees -- you have come to right place.
Right now there's only data available for two trees, but this guide will be updated regularly. Stay tuned!
Looking for animals? Click here for our FrontierVille Animal Cheatsheet.
Name State Grow Time Max Chops Reward for Chop Reward for Final Chop Bear Attack Chance
XP Wood XP Wood Any Chop Final Chop
Pine New 1 day 1 1 1 1 1 - -
Small 2 days 2 1 1 2 2 - -
Medium 3 days 3 1 1 3 3 - -
Large 5 days 5 1 1 4 5 2% 5%
Extra Large - 8 1 1 10 10 3% 100%
Oak New 1 day 1 1 1 1 1 - -
Small 3 days 2 1 1 2 2 - -
Medium 5 days 4 1 1 4 4 - -
Large 7 days 7 1 1 6 7 2% 4%
Extra Large - 12 1 1 12 15 3% 100%
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
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Monday, February 13, 2012
Summer Bedroom Furniture Now Available In YoVille
A wide collection of bedroom items was released today as part of the " Pool Party" theme. Beds, doors, windows, dressers, lamps, accent wall, pots plants and many more are now available for you to buy!
Most of the items like pots, dressers , shelves and plants are for Coins while beds, nightstands , stools , windows and armoires are available for YoCash.
We really hope that you all are enjoying this new theme. It is really nice to see new colors! A list of prices is available after the link.
Most of the items like pots, dressers , shelves and plants are for Coins while beds, nightstands , stools , windows and armoires are available for YoCash.
We really hope that you all are enjoying this new theme. It is really nice to see new colors! A list of prices is available after the link.
New FarmVille Limited Edition Japanese Buildings
farmville japanese manor farmville edo style home
New Limited Edition Japanese themed buildings were added to the FarmVille Market tonight. These buildings can be purchased for the next 14 days.
farmville manga store
Japanese Manor 1050 Xp, 42$FV
Edo Style Home 900 Xp 36$FV
Manga Store 400 Xp 27$FV
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
New Limited Edition Japanese themed buildings were added to the FarmVille Market tonight. These buildings can be purchased for the next 14 days.
farmville manga store
Japanese Manor 1050 Xp, 42$FV
Edo Style Home 900 Xp 36$FV
Manga Store 400 Xp 27$FV
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
YoVille: Pool Party Bedroom Items arrive
A wide collection of YoVille bedroom items was released today as part of the " Pool Party" theme. Beds, doors, windows, dressers, lamps, accent wall, pots plants and many more are now available for you to buy!
Most of the items like pots, dressers , shelves and plants are for Coins while beds, nightstands , stools , windows and armoires are available for YoCash.
We really hope that you all are enjoying this new theme. It is really nice to see new colors! A list of prices is available after the link.
What do you think ? Let us know in comments.
yoville pool party items
yoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Most of the items like pots, dressers , shelves and plants are for Coins while beds, nightstands , stools , windows and armoires are available for YoCash.
We really hope that you all are enjoying this new theme. It is really nice to see new colors! A list of prices is available after the link.
What do you think ? Let us know in comments.
yoville pool party items
yoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party itemsyoville pool party items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Pet Society: Cool pics from around town
Thanks to Jennefer for posting this image on the Pet Society Anonymous fan page. I love how the dad looks so worried while the daughter is having the time of her life. It totally reminds me of my own driving lessons as a teenager. My father would keep yelling, "Slow down! Slow down!" all the while clutching the dashboard with fear. (We were going about 20 miles an hour.)
pet society anteater plushie
This second image is by Chun, who apparently loves the anteater plushie so much that he made his pet look exactly like one.
pet society dragon boat
Earlier this week, on June 16, many places in Asia celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. Even if some of us couldn't see the boat races in Hong Kong or Taiwan, we were there in spirit!
pet society
I recently found this funny image on someone's Facebook profile. The lollipop totally reminded me of Pet Society, so I had to make Sushi strike a pose.
How to get your own pics published
Did something interesting happen to you Pet Society? Do you have a great Pet Society picture to share? Connect with Pet Society Anonymous on Facebook and post your story and images there. Or send them to editors@games.com, and we'll feature them here! . Your pet just might appear on this site!
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
pet society anteater plushie
This second image is by Chun, who apparently loves the anteater plushie so much that he made his pet look exactly like one.
pet society dragon boat
Earlier this week, on June 16, many places in Asia celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival. Even if some of us couldn't see the boat races in Hong Kong or Taiwan, we were there in spirit!
pet society
I recently found this funny image on someone's Facebook profile. The lollipop totally reminded me of Pet Society, so I had to make Sushi strike a pose.
How to get your own pics published
Did something interesting happen to you Pet Society? Do you have a great Pet Society picture to share? Connect with Pet Society Anonymous on Facebook and post your story and images there. Or send them to editors@games.com, and we'll feature them here! . Your pet just might appear on this site!
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Quote of the Moment: The downside of "viral"
"1. They reproduce at a fantastic rate. True. Facebook games came from nothing, and now everyone and their mother plays FarmVille.
2. They can mutate. Games update regularly, weeding out unused/disliked features and adding in better components that will help them "survive". The Challenge Missions in Mafia Wars are a prime example. The most recent was South Africa, meant to capitalize on the World Cup – the objective of this mission was to fix the matches by bribing referees and so on. Now that the World Cup is over, the new players drawn to the game will likely stay due to the fun they had with the "mutation".
3. They are acellular, that is, they contain no cytoplasm or cellular organelles. So far as I know. 'Cause if they did, that would be disturbing.
4. They carry out no metabolism on their own and must replicate using the host cell's metabolic machinery. Indeed, Facebook games are helpless to reproduce without the living "host cells", i.e. human beings. This is where all of that annoying "Please be my neighbor on FarmVille!" notification spam comes from.
Oh, and they're tricky. Tricksy little viruses they are. They even act benign, rewarding the host when they pass the contagion on, or requiring transmission of the virus to continue in the game. This usually comes right when they've got their hooks in the player. 'You need more mafia members to play this level. Recruit. Recruuuuuit!' And the player dutifully sends out request spam to everyone on their friends list, and some poor schmuck picks it up, and the cycle begins anew. These things snowflake out – and once you start with one game, others will follow."
-Alex Villanueva draws some eerie parallels between real viruses and the "viral" nature of social gaming
Source
2. They can mutate. Games update regularly, weeding out unused/disliked features and adding in better components that will help them "survive". The Challenge Missions in Mafia Wars are a prime example. The most recent was South Africa, meant to capitalize on the World Cup – the objective of this mission was to fix the matches by bribing referees and so on. Now that the World Cup is over, the new players drawn to the game will likely stay due to the fun they had with the "mutation".
3. They are acellular, that is, they contain no cytoplasm or cellular organelles. So far as I know. 'Cause if they did, that would be disturbing.
4. They carry out no metabolism on their own and must replicate using the host cell's metabolic machinery. Indeed, Facebook games are helpless to reproduce without the living "host cells", i.e. human beings. This is where all of that annoying "Please be my neighbor on FarmVille!" notification spam comes from.
Oh, and they're tricky. Tricksy little viruses they are. They even act benign, rewarding the host when they pass the contagion on, or requiring transmission of the virus to continue in the game. This usually comes right when they've got their hooks in the player. 'You need more mafia members to play this level. Recruit. Recruuuuuit!' And the player dutifully sends out request spam to everyone on their friends list, and some poor schmuck picks it up, and the cycle begins anew. These things snowflake out – and once you start with one game, others will follow."
-Alex Villanueva draws some eerie parallels between real viruses and the "viral" nature of social gaming
Source
New FarmVille Puppy: St. Bernard
Continuing with Swiss theme, FarmVille has released a new puppy this evening- the St. Bernard. You can pick the St. Bernard's barrel color- brown, blue, or pink. The new puppy will cost 65 FV$ and come with 2 weeks worth of kibble.
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size. (source: wikipedia)
FarmVille St. Bernard Choose your puppy!
Will you be adding the St. Bernard to your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
The St. Bernard Dog is a very large breed of dog, a working dog from the Swiss Alps, originally bred for rescue. The breed has become famous through tales of alpine rescues, as well as for its large size. (source: wikipedia)
FarmVille St. Bernard Choose your puppy!
Will you be adding the St. Bernard to your farm?
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
FarmVille Overflowing Beehives Yield Fertilize All Option
FarmVille Overflowing Beehive
FarmVille Fertilize All in GiftboxMany farmers, such as FarmVille Freak William, are experiencing a new FarmVille notice that offers a special perk for Overflowing Beehives.
Farmers with Overflowing Beehives may receive the pop-up below that offers a "Fertilize All" reward. Using the Fertilize All reward will fertilize your entire FarmVille farm's crops.
The Fertilize All can be used immediately or stored in your Gift Box for later use.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Fertilize All in GiftboxMany farmers, such as FarmVille Freak William, are experiencing a new FarmVille notice that offers a special perk for Overflowing Beehives.
Farmers with Overflowing Beehives may receive the pop-up below that offers a "Fertilize All" reward. Using the Fertilize All reward will fertilize your entire FarmVille farm's crops.
The Fertilize All can be used immediately or stored in your Gift Box for later use.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
YoVille: Moroccan Mystery Box Items Revealed
YoVille Mystery Box
The Moroccan Mystery box that was recently released got a very positive review from most of the YoVille players. We know that many of you want to find out about what's hidden inside! The YoVille Lounge Forums prepared a list of the items found in the box. Don't forget that the new box can also earn you coins and YoCash.
What did you get from the box? YoVille Mystery Box Results
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
The Moroccan Mystery box that was recently released got a very positive review from most of the YoVille players. We know that many of you want to find out about what's hidden inside! The YoVille Lounge Forums prepared a list of the items found in the box. Don't forget that the new box can also earn you coins and YoCash.
What did you get from the box? YoVille Mystery Box Results
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Pet Society: Homes of High Society Pets
Ever wonder what it's like to be royalty? Jean-Pierre has always been a little prince, living it up in 5-star luxury. He was especially excited when the Versailles-themed items were released earlier this month. Kellie from High Society Pets gives us this exclusive tour of her pet's palace, including the Hall of Mirrors, where Jean-Pierre takes tea with visiting pets of importance, his conservatory playhouse, and his dressing room.
I think Kellie did a fabulous job of decorating, don't you? Check out more of her pet's home at High Society Pets.
Hall of Mirrors:
Pet Society Hall of Mirrors
Sleeping Chambers:
Pet Society Sleeping Chambers
Conservatory Tea Room (made from Playhouse):
Pet Society Conservatory Tea Room
Dressing Room (made from Display Room):
Pet Society Dressing Room
The picture below comes from another player, Jessica, who re-created the Versailles Hall of Mirrors or Galerie des Glaces. Looks like this little princess could be a good match for Jean-Pierre!
Pet Society Galerie des Glaces
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
I think Kellie did a fabulous job of decorating, don't you? Check out more of her pet's home at High Society Pets.
Hall of Mirrors:
Pet Society Hall of Mirrors
Sleeping Chambers:
Pet Society Sleeping Chambers
Conservatory Tea Room (made from Playhouse):
Pet Society Conservatory Tea Room
Dressing Room (made from Display Room):
Pet Society Dressing Room
The picture below comes from another player, Jessica, who re-created the Versailles Hall of Mirrors or Galerie des Glaces. Looks like this little princess could be a good match for Jean-Pierre!
Pet Society Galerie des Glaces
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
FarmVille Unreleased Flora Fountain, Welcome Signs, Bush Topiary & White Cocketiel
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased Bush Topiary v2, Flora Fountain, Log Welcome Sign, Welcome Sign Fence, & White Cocketiel items!
It looks like a few of these items would fit nicely into the Wild West theme, like the "Welcome Sign" for example. It's about time we have a Welcome Sign for our farm.
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market and are subject to change without notice at the discretion of Zynga.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
It looks like a few of these items would fit nicely into the Wild West theme, like the "Welcome Sign" for example. It's about time we have a Welcome Sign for our farm.
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market and are subject to change without notice at the discretion of Zynga.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Birthday Bash: Lana turns two in the Philippines
Looks like her parents went all out to celebrate their daughter Lana's second birthday with a FarmVille themed party. Check out the video below to see for yourself. Note, the video is long at almost 10 minutes, but watching even the first few seconds is worth it or feel free to skip through.
This video was submitted by FarmVille Freak Son, thanks for the great find.
"I love your site! For some reason I was thinking of having a Farmvillle theme birthday party thrown for my FV Freak, Sister's Sweet16, and I came across your site and I must say there's a lot of FV freaks out there. Anyway, I also came across this Farmville theme party on You Tube which gave me some good ideas on what I'll have done for the party..( the invites, gift bags, back drop, background music, attire) Just in case you haven't seen it here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5JnwgbqYfY I must say they've truly spent a lot of money for that one of a kind Farmville Theme party and I love it. Someone who came up with the idea must be truly a FV freak! lol
More power to your site!!!
- FarmVille Freak Son =)"
Credits: A Farmville Party in Manila, Philippines
Lana turns 2! and there's no better way to celebrate it but to do it at her farm in Farmville Manila, Philippines. Event was made possible by the help of her neighbors from Weddingavenueph.com. ( Event Planner ), One Adriatico Place ( Location ), Pocholo ( Host, Magician, Puppeteer and Singer! ) ,Passion Cooks ( Food Catering ), Photospoof ( Photobooth ), Zero ( Sounds System ), Kidstar Kastles (Balloons & Set Design ) and Marvzielo Designs ( Production Concept ).
This video was submitted by FarmVille Freak Son, thanks for the great find.
"I love your site! For some reason I was thinking of having a Farmvillle theme birthday party thrown for my FV Freak, Sister's Sweet16, and I came across your site and I must say there's a lot of FV freaks out there. Anyway, I also came across this Farmville theme party on You Tube which gave me some good ideas on what I'll have done for the party..( the invites, gift bags, back drop, background music, attire) Just in case you haven't seen it here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5JnwgbqYfY I must say they've truly spent a lot of money for that one of a kind Farmville Theme party and I love it. Someone who came up with the idea must be truly a FV freak! lol
More power to your site!!!
- FarmVille Freak Son =)"
Credits: A Farmville Party in Manila, Philippines
Lana turns 2! and there's no better way to celebrate it but to do it at her farm in Farmville Manila, Philippines. Event was made possible by the help of her neighbors from Weddingavenueph.com. ( Event Planner ), One Adriatico Place ( Location ), Pocholo ( Host, Magician, Puppeteer and Singer! ) ,Passion Cooks ( Food Catering ), Photospoof ( Photobooth ), Zero ( Sounds System ), Kidstar Kastles (Balloons & Set Design ) and Marvzielo Designs ( Production Concept ).
FarmVille Farm of the Week: Mark's Piggery Farm
In honor of this week's FarmVille release of Pigpens, we have selected a farm befitting the occasion. Even though our Pigs now have homes, there is no way one Pigpen would house this swine loving FarmVille Freak's Pig collection.
FarmVille Freak Mark Moises Roja's farm or "Piggery" is filled entirely with Pigs! Every inch, except for a small spot in the center that is reserved for a favorite building, is occupied by Pigs. While it is by no means a working farm (even though Pigs yield coins when harvested) we can all appreciate its uniqueness. It's not everyday you see a Piggery farm.
Mark also mentions the shrinking Pig epidemic that many other FarmVille Freaks have reported. Earlier this week, regular Pigs appear to be smaller than before, although Zynga has made no mention of it. Says FarmVille Freak Mark,
"Hello sirs,
I didn't know that there is a Farmville Freak Farm of the Week Contest, had I known about it, I would've submitted an entry as early as April... :)
Anyways, I would like to send my "farm" that doesn't really have a farm but a Piggery... it's my idea of fun. I guess it's timely that I submit my farm as an entry since it's just now that Zynga is giving some love that my beloved pigs deserves... BTW I am Mark Moises Roja from Manila, Philippines. I am 31 years old and have been an avid farmer since January this year... :) Thank you very much
Sincerely,
FarmVille Freak Mark Moises Roja
PS: Just today, I noticed that the normal Pigs got smaller (the Ossabaws and Black Pigs remained as is). My Pigs used to encompass all of my farm, but when I opened it today, I was surprised to see that there is some gap between them that didn't exist before."
Is your farm crave-worthy or unique? Send pics of your farm to libe@games.com and we may feature it. If you have any other FarmVille inspired art, videos, music, cakes, or creations and would like to share, send them too!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Freak Mark Moises Roja's farm or "Piggery" is filled entirely with Pigs! Every inch, except for a small spot in the center that is reserved for a favorite building, is occupied by Pigs. While it is by no means a working farm (even though Pigs yield coins when harvested) we can all appreciate its uniqueness. It's not everyday you see a Piggery farm.
Mark also mentions the shrinking Pig epidemic that many other FarmVille Freaks have reported. Earlier this week, regular Pigs appear to be smaller than before, although Zynga has made no mention of it. Says FarmVille Freak Mark,
"Hello sirs,
I didn't know that there is a Farmville Freak Farm of the Week Contest, had I known about it, I would've submitted an entry as early as April... :)
Anyways, I would like to send my "farm" that doesn't really have a farm but a Piggery... it's my idea of fun. I guess it's timely that I submit my farm as an entry since it's just now that Zynga is giving some love that my beloved pigs deserves... BTW I am Mark Moises Roja from Manila, Philippines. I am 31 years old and have been an avid farmer since January this year... :) Thank you very much
Sincerely,
FarmVille Freak Mark Moises Roja
PS: Just today, I noticed that the normal Pigs got smaller (the Ossabaws and Black Pigs remained as is). My Pigs used to encompass all of my farm, but when I opened it today, I was surprised to see that there is some gap between them that didn't exist before."
Is your farm crave-worthy or unique? Send pics of your farm to libe@games.com and we may feature it. If you have any other FarmVille inspired art, videos, music, cakes, or creations and would like to share, send them too!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Disney/Playdom shuts down all Acclaim games
Back when Playdom first acquired Acclaim Games back in May, we were surprised that the company published MMO and casual games, instead of games like Mortal Kombat. We were almost equally surprised recently to find that the company will be shutting down all of its games, leaving 15 million registered users out in the cold.
A short note on the Acclaim Games web site notes that "all Acclaim games will no longer be in service effective August 26, 2010," though as Gamasutra notes, games like RockFREE and the company's still-in-development MMO Kogamu seem to still be available. The company will be offering reimbursements for unused "Acclaim coins" virtual currency and for purchases made in the game 9Dragons over the past month.
So why purchase a company if you're just going to shut down its games a few months later? Well part of the decision might have to do with Playdom's own acquisition by Disney last month. Perhaps Playdom's new owners saw less potential in the company's games than the original purchasers did. Or perhaps both companies simply agreed that the real value in Acclaim was in its employees and its potential for future hits, not its current game catalog. In either case, It will be interesting to see what comes next for this piece of a growing social game conglomerate.
A short note on the Acclaim Games web site notes that "all Acclaim games will no longer be in service effective August 26, 2010," though as Gamasutra notes, games like RockFREE and the company's still-in-development MMO Kogamu seem to still be available. The company will be offering reimbursements for unused "Acclaim coins" virtual currency and for purchases made in the game 9Dragons over the past month.
So why purchase a company if you're just going to shut down its games a few months later? Well part of the decision might have to do with Playdom's own acquisition by Disney last month. Perhaps Playdom's new owners saw less potential in the company's games than the original purchasers did. Or perhaps both companies simply agreed that the real value in Acclaim was in its employees and its potential for future hits, not its current game catalog. In either case, It will be interesting to see what comes next for this piece of a growing social game conglomerate.
PetVille: Get a Whoa! Double Rainbow and Four zLotto Unicorns
Zynga seems to think that the Double Rainbow meme still has some life in it. To recap, the Double Rainbow Guy became an instant hit on YouTube after he uploaded a video of himself going gaga over rainbows while hiking in Yosemite National Park.
In tribute, FrontierVille released their own Double Rainbow (25 Horseshoes) early this August. And now, PetVille is featuring one as part of their currently running, Enchanted Kingdom outdoors decor set.
(NOTE: As I've mentioned before, you must be Level 10 or above to be able to access the Outdoors Store. Moreover, you'll need to collect a dozen keys from friends to be able to unlock the door to any outdoors decor set, in order to buy from it.)
But PetVille's Double Rainbow (40 Pet Cash) is only available for the next 2 days. It's also currently being promoted with Maureen The Unicorn, one of the four PetVille prizes offered by zLotto, which is Zynga's official -- and FREE! -- games lottery. So grab a unicorn or four, while the promotion lasts! I personally won a Turquoise Unicorn. If I don't like it, this unicorn also sells for 2,000 Coins. Read this post by an official rep of Zynga's YoVille to learn how to get more tickets.
In tribute, FrontierVille released their own Double Rainbow (25 Horseshoes) early this August. And now, PetVille is featuring one as part of their currently running, Enchanted Kingdom outdoors decor set.
(NOTE: As I've mentioned before, you must be Level 10 or above to be able to access the Outdoors Store. Moreover, you'll need to collect a dozen keys from friends to be able to unlock the door to any outdoors decor set, in order to buy from it.)
But PetVille's Double Rainbow (40 Pet Cash) is only available for the next 2 days. It's also currently being promoted with Maureen The Unicorn, one of the four PetVille prizes offered by zLotto, which is Zynga's official -- and FREE! -- games lottery. So grab a unicorn or four, while the promotion lasts! I personally won a Turquoise Unicorn. If I don't like it, this unicorn also sells for 2,000 Coins. Read this post by an official rep of Zynga's YoVille to learn how to get more tickets.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FrontierVille & more
halloween 2010 facebook games
The Fall is characterized by refreshing air and colorful leaves. Yet, though Summer has come and gone, and the weather is getting colder, there is reason to rejoice. For one, cold weather means we have no choice but to stay inside, get cozy, and play our favorite Facebook games. In addition, those of us who play Facebook games know there are a few more things to look forward to in the realm of games. No I'm not talkinghalloween 2010 about Plants vs Zombies Halloween costumes (although that is very exciting). I'm talking about holiday releases. And fortunately for us, Halloween 2010 is just around the corner.
Starting with Halloween 2010, then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas, all our favorite Facebook games roll out all kinds of awesome content for us fans. As always, first up is Halloween. Halloween 2010 falls on Sunday, October 31st. You can expect another year of pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and of course, Facebook game Halloween items and features.
As usual, we expect some of the biggest games to roll out Halloween 2010 updates such as FarmVille, Pet Society, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, PetVille, Cafe World, Happy Aquarium, and more. To see what's new in your favorite Facebook games for Halloween 2010, check out the complete holiday coverage below:
Note: The newest updates are posted at the bottom of each game list.
farmville halloween
FarmVille
FarmVille Haunted House: Build it for Halloween
FarmVille Black Cat now giftable for a limited time
FarmVille Frankenstein Sheep, Pumpkin Sheep, Fall Fence & Pumpkin Topiary
FarmVille Haunted House: Everything you need to know
FarmVIlle Cheats & Tips: Haunted House gifting links
FarmVille Candy Corn: Grow this sweet treat on Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Pumpkin Fountain: A monument to the night of mischief
FarmVille Skeleton Horse gets dressed up for Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Decor Idea: Build your own corn maze
FarmVille LE Halloween Crop: Candy Corn
FarmVille LE Halloween Animal: Skeleton Horse
FarmVille LE Halloween Building: Haunted Hut
FarmVille LE Halloween Decorations: Pumpkin Fountain, Scaredycrow, Mummy Gnome & Pumpkin Fence
FarmVille Halloween Baskets: Everything You Need to Know
FarmVille Halloween Costumes teaser says they're 'coming soon'
FarmVille Candy Corn Pony & House arriving this Halloween
Purchase from BuyCostumes.com, get 80 Free Farm Cash
More FarmVille Halloween items sneak into the game
FarmVille Halloween Costumes arrive: Are they a trick or a treat?
FarmVille Halloween Limited Edition Item Showcase [Video]
FarmVille Halloween prank puts trees in a tangle
FarmVille Bee Rabbit, Palm Monster, Pirate Goat & Phoenix are a motley crew
FarmVille Halloween's next wave of items brings both form and function
FarmVille Giftable Gravestone & White Jack-O'-Lantern (iPhone only)
FarmVille Trick or Treating hits for Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Spooky Effect: Cover FarmVille with cobwebs and more
FarmVille Halloween Sees Re-Release Of Old Favorites, Plus New Goodies
New FarmVille Scarecrow - Rainbowcrow (iPhone Only)
FarmVille glitch charges Farm Cash for Halloween tricks
FarmVille Halloween Costume Contest: Show off your scary duds for free Farm Cash and coins
FarmVille Witch Cat exclusive for iPhone & iPad
FarmVille Halloween Limited Edition Item Showcase Part II [Video]
FarmVille Halloween Animals: Nightmare Horse and Clever Cub
FarmVille's Halloween item selection now bigger and better than ever
FarmVille Mystery Game Updated with Gothic Prizes!
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: FarmVille farmer
FarmVille: New giftable Halloween Black Rose seeds
FarmVille Black Witch Cat free with any Farm Cash purchase
FarmVille Halloween Animals: Robot Cow & Witch Cat
FarmVille Halloween Decorations: Ravens, Wizards, Black Roses, Pumpkins, & More
FarmVille Stone Coffin: Could this be the last Halloween item?
FarmVille Halloween costumes: Revealed!
FarmVille: Halloween half-off discount sale ends tomorrow
mafia wars halloween
Mafia Wars
Mafia Wars Halloween Loot: Grab devilish items for a nightmarish price
Mafia Wars Haunted Halloween Missions: Crash the Mayor's Halloween Party
Mafia Wars Halloween Loot Event: Complete jobs and brawl for seven rare costumes
cafe world halloween
Cafe World
Cafe World Jack-O-Lantern invites spooky guests to your cafe
Cafe World Ghoulish Feast Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Halloween Lightning Stove: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Halloween Sale: Cafe Cash, expansions, spices and decorations discounted
Cafe World's Outdoor Halloween decorations turn your cafe into an eerie eatery
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: Cafe World's Amelia
frontierville halloween
FrontierVille
FrontierVille Tailor Shop: Build it and pick up some new threads for Halloween
FrontierVille Trick or Treat Goals coming soon, mysterious Ghost Cannon appears
FrontierVille Halloween Mystery Crate coming soon with adorably vicious animals
FrontierVille Headless Goals incoming, lose somebody's noggin this Halloween
FrontierVille Trick or Treat Collections: Trade 'em in for cool virtual costumes
FrontierVille Hex Collection: Complete this for a free Pumpkin Topiary
FrontierVille Graveyard: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Trick or Treat! Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Headless Horseman Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille horrors: Headless Horseman rides away, game suffers massive slowdown
FrontierVille Horrors Part II: Headless Horseman glitches "fixed," but are they really?
FrontierVille Tombstones: Dedicate a witty epitaph to friends
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: FrontierVille Jack
FrontierVille Halloween missions extended - finish them while you can!
happy aquarium halloween
Happy Aquarium
Happy Aquarium puts 'Thriller' in your tank with Halloween Zombie Boy & Girl
Happy Aquarium Celebrates Halloween With Mummies, Ghosts and Cowfish... Oh My!
Happy Aquarium gets in the Halloween spirit with new decorations
Happy Aquarium Halloween Gifts, Pirate Shark and Vampire Puppy join the celebration
Happy Aquarium Halloween Fish: Mummy & Bride of Frankenstein
happy island halloween
Happy Island
Happy Island Halloween Items: Your happily haunted island resort awaits
Shrink or grow your Happy Island decor with new Magic Gems
Happy Island sees release of Spooky Quests just in time for Halloween
happy pets halloween
Happy Pets
Happy Pets' Vampire Pets transform like day and night (literally)
Happy Pets' new Halloween items: Buy 'em or send 'em to friends
New Halloween Happy Pets glow in the dark! Can you spot 'em?
Happy Pets' Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns are eerily animated
Happy Pets' giant pets will terrorize your guests this Halloween
Happy Pets Halloween Sale: Save 25-30% on select items
Zoo World
Zoo World: Buildable Haunted House unlocks Halloween festivities
fishville halloween
FishVille
FishVille Halloween Items: Turn your tank into a zombie-filled cemetery
FishVille's Halloween Celebration Explodes With 14 New Items!
FishVille: Round two of Halloween decorations creep into your tank
treasure isle halloween
Treasure Isle
Treasure Isle's Halloween Pumpkin brings tasty treats, even better items
Treasure Isle Halloween Decorations: Turn your island into the ultimate slasher flick
Treasure Isle: Haunted Voyages await you and your Pirate Ghost Ship
Treasure Isle Hallows Eve map is jam-packed with monstrous Quests
Treasure Isle Halloween Mystery Airdrop: Pick one up to snag spooky decorations
yoville halloween
YoVille
YoVille Haunted Collectibles stir up a fright
YoVille Halloween 2010 Items arrive
YoVille Ten Coin Costumes let everyone dress up for Halloween
YoVille Haunted Mystery Box awards free Halloween gifts
YoVille Evil Genius: Build your own mad scientist's lab
YoVille Halloween Hairstyles take costumes to the next level
YoVille Halloween costumes: Dress your avatar as a zombie, superhero and more
YoVille Halloween: Build a Haunted Bed in the Widget Factory
YoVille Classic Halloween Items & Castle Decorations arrive
YoVille Werewolf Costume for 30 coins
More YoVille Halloween Costumes now available
YoVille Pirate Ship House sails into the Realtor Office
YoVille: Fill your Pirate Ship with Pirate Items
YoVille: Two new Halloween Collectibles
YoVille Haunted Mystery Chest: Find out what's inside
YoVille Halloween free gifts now available to send to friends
wild ones halloween
Wild Ones
Wild Ones Graveyard Map: Do battle among the dead on Halloween
Wild Ones' Halloween Candy Mines and other weapons are deliciously destructive
pet society halloween
Pet Society
Pet Society Halloween Competition 2010: Design spooky items for Playfish Cash
Pet Society: The mysterious Hideeni returns bearing delicious candy
Pet Society Treasure Hunt: New Graveyard and updated Lost Treasures maps hide Halloween items
Pet Society's Spooky Furniture: Buy all four pieces for a matching room
Pet Society's Spooky Garden and other Halloween goodies now available
Pet Society's Halloween Mystery Boxes hide five new costumes inside
hotel city halloween
Hotel City
Hotel City gets ready for its first Halloween with new location and decor
Add more fright to your Hotel City this Halloween with new rooms, decorations
petville halloween
PetVille
PetVille Design-A-Pumpkin Contest: Carve your spookiest pumpkin for 100 Pet Cash
PetVille Halloween Theme decorations take your pets Trick-or-Treating
PetVille's Design-A-Pumpkin Contest results are in, get the winning designs for free
PetVille Haunted Mansion Collection: Turn your home into an eerie estate
PetVille's Haunted Mansion Set updated with creepy animations
Beware! PetVille brings back Midnight Crypt collection
restaurant city halloween
Restaurant City
Restaurant City: Free Colossal Halloween Coins Giveaway Links Round-Up
Restaurant City offers ghoul-busting action and free treats for Halloween
Restaurant City Halloween decorations continue with Week of the Living Dead
Restaurant City offers Mad Scientist mystery gift and free coins
Restaurant City's Mad Scientist says goodbye with a free 1,000 Coins
Restaurant City's Halloween dishes are almost too scary to eat
Restaurant City sees release of traditional Halloween item set
Restaurant City Halloween Mystery Boxes: Proving one Halloween item set is never enough
Restaurant City brings back the bats with Bleu Vampire Steak
bejeweled blitz halloween
Bejeweled Blitz
Bejeweled Blitz becomes BOOjeweled Blitz with new Halloween items
Bejeweled Blitz tricks out your screen with new Halloween wallpapers
Social City
Social City Raffle Offers Spooky Mystery Manor, Halloween Prizes
New Social City free gifts are spooktacular
Social City: Cornfield Terrain lets players build a maze of maize
vampire wars halloween
Vampire Wars
Vampire Wars Blood Brothers and Halloween Avatar Sets bring spine-chilling style
Vampire Wars Ghost Familiars will certainly not be friendly this Halloween
city of wonder halloween
City of Wonder
City of Wonder Halloween Items: Have Dracula scare your villagers
City of Wonder Halloween Items: Pumpkin Patch, Hall of Dracula, Mausoleum & More
City of Wonder Halloween: Add a Costume Shop and Guillotine to your town before it's too late
ravenwood fair halloween
Ravenwood Fair
Ravenwood Fair scares visitors even more with Halloween frights
Ravenwood Fair introduces a new monster -- the Grimm
Ravenwood Fair's Halloween costumes are too cute to pass up
Other Games
Angry Birds Halloween scares its way onto iPhone and iPad
It Girl releases Halloween superstore to dress up your avatar
Cupcake Corner bakes tasty goods with Halloween Cupcakes and more
Baking Life: Halloween goodies and costumes galore
Tiki Resort's Halloween Night Charm sets the sun on your island
Treasure Madness Halloween Maps and Gifts hide terrifying treasure
Millionaire City's Halloween Week items are frighteningly expensive
My Vineyard's Spooky Vineyard: Explore an eerie world of weird wines
Cafe Life: Get references and adopt your own Halloween Kitty
Chocolatier: Sweet Society throws a big Halloween bash
Win free Meteor Credits in Ranch Town Halloween Contest
Island Paradise: Celebrate Halloween in tropical island style
Island Paradise: Dress for a zombie invasion or vampire attack
Mall Dreams releases Haunted House and other buildings
Nightclub City adds new Halloween celebrities to the party
Continue to check back for all the latest updates as Halloween 2010 draws nearer.
The Fall is characterized by refreshing air and colorful leaves. Yet, though Summer has come and gone, and the weather is getting colder, there is reason to rejoice. For one, cold weather means we have no choice but to stay inside, get cozy, and play our favorite Facebook games. In addition, those of us who play Facebook games know there are a few more things to look forward to in the realm of games. No I'm not talkinghalloween 2010 about Plants vs Zombies Halloween costumes (although that is very exciting). I'm talking about holiday releases. And fortunately for us, Halloween 2010 is just around the corner.
Starting with Halloween 2010, then Thanksgiving, and finally Christmas, all our favorite Facebook games roll out all kinds of awesome content for us fans. As always, first up is Halloween. Halloween 2010 falls on Sunday, October 31st. You can expect another year of pumpkins, trick-or-treating, and of course, Facebook game Halloween items and features.
As usual, we expect some of the biggest games to roll out Halloween 2010 updates such as FarmVille, Pet Society, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, PetVille, Cafe World, Happy Aquarium, and more. To see what's new in your favorite Facebook games for Halloween 2010, check out the complete holiday coverage below:
Note: The newest updates are posted at the bottom of each game list.
farmville halloween
FarmVille
FarmVille Haunted House: Build it for Halloween
FarmVille Black Cat now giftable for a limited time
FarmVille Frankenstein Sheep, Pumpkin Sheep, Fall Fence & Pumpkin Topiary
FarmVille Haunted House: Everything you need to know
FarmVIlle Cheats & Tips: Haunted House gifting links
FarmVille Candy Corn: Grow this sweet treat on Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Pumpkin Fountain: A monument to the night of mischief
FarmVille Skeleton Horse gets dressed up for Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Decor Idea: Build your own corn maze
FarmVille LE Halloween Crop: Candy Corn
FarmVille LE Halloween Animal: Skeleton Horse
FarmVille LE Halloween Building: Haunted Hut
FarmVille LE Halloween Decorations: Pumpkin Fountain, Scaredycrow, Mummy Gnome & Pumpkin Fence
FarmVille Halloween Baskets: Everything You Need to Know
FarmVille Halloween Costumes teaser says they're 'coming soon'
FarmVille Candy Corn Pony & House arriving this Halloween
Purchase from BuyCostumes.com, get 80 Free Farm Cash
More FarmVille Halloween items sneak into the game
FarmVille Halloween Costumes arrive: Are they a trick or a treat?
FarmVille Halloween Limited Edition Item Showcase [Video]
FarmVille Halloween prank puts trees in a tangle
FarmVille Bee Rabbit, Palm Monster, Pirate Goat & Phoenix are a motley crew
FarmVille Halloween's next wave of items brings both form and function
FarmVille Giftable Gravestone & White Jack-O'-Lantern (iPhone only)
FarmVille Trick or Treating hits for Halloween
FarmVille Halloween Spooky Effect: Cover FarmVille with cobwebs and more
FarmVille Halloween Sees Re-Release Of Old Favorites, Plus New Goodies
New FarmVille Scarecrow - Rainbowcrow (iPhone Only)
FarmVille glitch charges Farm Cash for Halloween tricks
FarmVille Halloween Costume Contest: Show off your scary duds for free Farm Cash and coins
FarmVille Witch Cat exclusive for iPhone & iPad
FarmVille Halloween Limited Edition Item Showcase Part II [Video]
FarmVille Halloween Animals: Nightmare Horse and Clever Cub
FarmVille's Halloween item selection now bigger and better than ever
FarmVille Mystery Game Updated with Gothic Prizes!
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: FarmVille farmer
FarmVille: New giftable Halloween Black Rose seeds
FarmVille Black Witch Cat free with any Farm Cash purchase
FarmVille Halloween Animals: Robot Cow & Witch Cat
FarmVille Halloween Decorations: Ravens, Wizards, Black Roses, Pumpkins, & More
FarmVille Stone Coffin: Could this be the last Halloween item?
FarmVille Halloween costumes: Revealed!
FarmVille: Halloween half-off discount sale ends tomorrow
mafia wars halloween
Mafia Wars
Mafia Wars Halloween Loot: Grab devilish items for a nightmarish price
Mafia Wars Haunted Halloween Missions: Crash the Mayor's Halloween Party
Mafia Wars Halloween Loot Event: Complete jobs and brawl for seven rare costumes
cafe world halloween
Cafe World
Cafe World Jack-O-Lantern invites spooky guests to your cafe
Cafe World Ghoulish Feast Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Halloween Lightning Stove: Everything you need to know
Cafe World Halloween Sale: Cafe Cash, expansions, spices and decorations discounted
Cafe World's Outdoor Halloween decorations turn your cafe into an eerie eatery
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: Cafe World's Amelia
frontierville halloween
FrontierVille
FrontierVille Tailor Shop: Build it and pick up some new threads for Halloween
FrontierVille Trick or Treat Goals coming soon, mysterious Ghost Cannon appears
FrontierVille Halloween Mystery Crate coming soon with adorably vicious animals
FrontierVille Headless Goals incoming, lose somebody's noggin this Halloween
FrontierVille Trick or Treat Collections: Trade 'em in for cool virtual costumes
FrontierVille Hex Collection: Complete this for a free Pumpkin Topiary
FrontierVille Graveyard: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Trick or Treat! Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille Headless Horseman Goals: Everything you need to know
FrontierVille horrors: Headless Horseman rides away, game suffers massive slowdown
FrontierVille Horrors Part II: Headless Horseman glitches "fixed," but are they really?
FrontierVille Tombstones: Dedicate a witty epitaph to friends
Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: FrontierVille Jack
FrontierVille Halloween missions extended - finish them while you can!
happy aquarium halloween
Happy Aquarium
Happy Aquarium puts 'Thriller' in your tank with Halloween Zombie Boy & Girl
Happy Aquarium Celebrates Halloween With Mummies, Ghosts and Cowfish... Oh My!
Happy Aquarium gets in the Halloween spirit with new decorations
Happy Aquarium Halloween Gifts, Pirate Shark and Vampire Puppy join the celebration
Happy Aquarium Halloween Fish: Mummy & Bride of Frankenstein
happy island halloween
Happy Island
Happy Island Halloween Items: Your happily haunted island resort awaits
Shrink or grow your Happy Island decor with new Magic Gems
Happy Island sees release of Spooky Quests just in time for Halloween
happy pets halloween
Happy Pets
Happy Pets' Vampire Pets transform like day and night (literally)
Happy Pets' new Halloween items: Buy 'em or send 'em to friends
New Halloween Happy Pets glow in the dark! Can you spot 'em?
Happy Pets' Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns are eerily animated
Happy Pets' giant pets will terrorize your guests this Halloween
Happy Pets Halloween Sale: Save 25-30% on select items
Zoo World
Zoo World: Buildable Haunted House unlocks Halloween festivities
fishville halloween
FishVille
FishVille Halloween Items: Turn your tank into a zombie-filled cemetery
FishVille's Halloween Celebration Explodes With 14 New Items!
FishVille: Round two of Halloween decorations creep into your tank
treasure isle halloween
Treasure Isle
Treasure Isle's Halloween Pumpkin brings tasty treats, even better items
Treasure Isle Halloween Decorations: Turn your island into the ultimate slasher flick
Treasure Isle: Haunted Voyages await you and your Pirate Ghost Ship
Treasure Isle Hallows Eve map is jam-packed with monstrous Quests
Treasure Isle Halloween Mystery Airdrop: Pick one up to snag spooky decorations
yoville halloween
YoVille
YoVille Haunted Collectibles stir up a fright
YoVille Halloween 2010 Items arrive
YoVille Ten Coin Costumes let everyone dress up for Halloween
YoVille Haunted Mystery Box awards free Halloween gifts
YoVille Evil Genius: Build your own mad scientist's lab
YoVille Halloween Hairstyles take costumes to the next level
YoVille Halloween costumes: Dress your avatar as a zombie, superhero and more
YoVille Halloween: Build a Haunted Bed in the Widget Factory
YoVille Classic Halloween Items & Castle Decorations arrive
YoVille Werewolf Costume for 30 coins
More YoVille Halloween Costumes now available
YoVille Pirate Ship House sails into the Realtor Office
YoVille: Fill your Pirate Ship with Pirate Items
YoVille: Two new Halloween Collectibles
YoVille Haunted Mystery Chest: Find out what's inside
YoVille Halloween free gifts now available to send to friends
wild ones halloween
Wild Ones
Wild Ones Graveyard Map: Do battle among the dead on Halloween
Wild Ones' Halloween Candy Mines and other weapons are deliciously destructive
pet society halloween
Pet Society
Pet Society Halloween Competition 2010: Design spooky items for Playfish Cash
Pet Society: The mysterious Hideeni returns bearing delicious candy
Pet Society Treasure Hunt: New Graveyard and updated Lost Treasures maps hide Halloween items
Pet Society's Spooky Furniture: Buy all four pieces for a matching room
Pet Society's Spooky Garden and other Halloween goodies now available
Pet Society's Halloween Mystery Boxes hide five new costumes inside
hotel city halloween
Hotel City
Hotel City gets ready for its first Halloween with new location and decor
Add more fright to your Hotel City this Halloween with new rooms, decorations
petville halloween
PetVille
PetVille Design-A-Pumpkin Contest: Carve your spookiest pumpkin for 100 Pet Cash
PetVille Halloween Theme decorations take your pets Trick-or-Treating
PetVille's Design-A-Pumpkin Contest results are in, get the winning designs for free
PetVille Haunted Mansion Collection: Turn your home into an eerie estate
PetVille's Haunted Mansion Set updated with creepy animations
Beware! PetVille brings back Midnight Crypt collection
restaurant city halloween
Restaurant City
Restaurant City: Free Colossal Halloween Coins Giveaway Links Round-Up
Restaurant City offers ghoul-busting action and free treats for Halloween
Restaurant City Halloween decorations continue with Week of the Living Dead
Restaurant City offers Mad Scientist mystery gift and free coins
Restaurant City's Mad Scientist says goodbye with a free 1,000 Coins
Restaurant City's Halloween dishes are almost too scary to eat
Restaurant City sees release of traditional Halloween item set
Restaurant City Halloween Mystery Boxes: Proving one Halloween item set is never enough
Restaurant City brings back the bats with Bleu Vampire Steak
bejeweled blitz halloween
Bejeweled Blitz
Bejeweled Blitz becomes BOOjeweled Blitz with new Halloween items
Bejeweled Blitz tricks out your screen with new Halloween wallpapers
Social City
Social City Raffle Offers Spooky Mystery Manor, Halloween Prizes
New Social City free gifts are spooktacular
Social City: Cornfield Terrain lets players build a maze of maize
vampire wars halloween
Vampire Wars
Vampire Wars Blood Brothers and Halloween Avatar Sets bring spine-chilling style
Vampire Wars Ghost Familiars will certainly not be friendly this Halloween
city of wonder halloween
City of Wonder
City of Wonder Halloween Items: Have Dracula scare your villagers
City of Wonder Halloween Items: Pumpkin Patch, Hall of Dracula, Mausoleum & More
City of Wonder Halloween: Add a Costume Shop and Guillotine to your town before it's too late
ravenwood fair halloween
Ravenwood Fair
Ravenwood Fair scares visitors even more with Halloween frights
Ravenwood Fair introduces a new monster -- the Grimm
Ravenwood Fair's Halloween costumes are too cute to pass up
Other Games
Angry Birds Halloween scares its way onto iPhone and iPad
It Girl releases Halloween superstore to dress up your avatar
Cupcake Corner bakes tasty goods with Halloween Cupcakes and more
Baking Life: Halloween goodies and costumes galore
Tiki Resort's Halloween Night Charm sets the sun on your island
Treasure Madness Halloween Maps and Gifts hide terrifying treasure
Millionaire City's Halloween Week items are frighteningly expensive
My Vineyard's Spooky Vineyard: Explore an eerie world of weird wines
Cafe Life: Get references and adopt your own Halloween Kitty
Chocolatier: Sweet Society throws a big Halloween bash
Win free Meteor Credits in Ranch Town Halloween Contest
Island Paradise: Celebrate Halloween in tropical island style
Island Paradise: Dress for a zombie invasion or vampire attack
Mall Dreams releases Haunted House and other buildings
Nightclub City adds new Halloween celebrities to the party
Continue to check back for all the latest updates as Halloween 2010 draws nearer.
Farmville Haunted House: Build it for Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner, and it looks like FarmVille already has big plans to celebrate! Good news is that from the looks of the images below they are planning a buildable Haunted House that looks "pretty dope" as described by FarmVille player Kayyy. We wonder if this is the exact same (farm cash) Haunted House with animation that was featured last Halloween in 2009? View that Haunted House (post dated October 16, 2009) by clicking here. It looks very similar, with some noticeable differences though.
What do you think?
What do you think?
FrontierVille 'Mafia Wars Quest': Clobberin' and clearin' for a Mafia Wars reward
Logging in to Mafia Wars right now might activate a pop-up asking you to log in to FrontierVille and start a promotional quest on your homestead.
Once there, all you have to do to complete this quest and receive the Bowie Knife (31 Attack, 58 Defense) in your Mafia Wars inventory is clobber three snakes, clear three skulls (snakes hide in skulls) and chop down three trees. That's it. Just do those things like you would in everyday life on the virtual frontier, click on the "Mafia Wars Quest II" pop-up to claim your reward and the Bowie Knife should be in your mobster's hands in no time.
You can unlock each requirement for an obscene amount of horseshoes compared to how boringly easy each requirement is, but, please, save your money. In case you truly are the impatient type, Mafia Wars Maniac found a shortcut to making the quest appear that we've included behind the break.
Mafia Wars Quest guide
This code will take you directly to the pop-up in Mafia Wars to activate the "Mafia Wars Quest" in FrontierVille.
Copy-paste this link on your browser :
http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/track.php?next_controller=index&next_action=do_promotions&next_params={"promo"%3A"ftv_5wayin_mafia"%2C"uid"%3A"xxxxxxxxx"%2C"ts"%3A"1285477867"%2C"sig"%3A"e6ca3969646e22939232fa517cb914b1"}&zySnid=1&zySnuid=633355684&zy_user=633355684&zy_ts=&zy_session=&zySig=06d6f729083254198c0c2e1544b35fe9
Note :
Please change the "xxxxxxxxx" in the link I've provided above to your Facebook's UID.
If you read over this and your eyes glazed over for a second, then allow us to explain. Before doing this, go to your profile page and in the address bar, look for a number that follows "php?id=". That number is your Facebook User ID. Copy the URL into a blank browser tab, then copy and paste this UID number into where that series of "x's" appear. Works like a charm.
Once there, all you have to do to complete this quest and receive the Bowie Knife (31 Attack, 58 Defense) in your Mafia Wars inventory is clobber three snakes, clear three skulls (snakes hide in skulls) and chop down three trees. That's it. Just do those things like you would in everyday life on the virtual frontier, click on the "Mafia Wars Quest II" pop-up to claim your reward and the Bowie Knife should be in your mobster's hands in no time.
You can unlock each requirement for an obscene amount of horseshoes compared to how boringly easy each requirement is, but, please, save your money. In case you truly are the impatient type, Mafia Wars Maniac found a shortcut to making the quest appear that we've included behind the break.
Mafia Wars Quest guide
This code will take you directly to the pop-up in Mafia Wars to activate the "Mafia Wars Quest" in FrontierVille.
Copy-paste this link on your browser :
http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/track.php?next_controller=index&next_action=do_promotions&next_params={"promo"%3A"ftv_5wayin_mafia"%2C"uid"%3A"xxxxxxxxx"%2C"ts"%3A"1285477867"%2C"sig"%3A"e6ca3969646e22939232fa517cb914b1"}&zySnid=1&zySnuid=633355684&zy_user=633355684&zy_ts=&zy_session=&zySig=06d6f729083254198c0c2e1544b35fe9
Note :
Please change the "xxxxxxxxx" in the link I've provided above to your Facebook's UID.
If you read over this and your eyes glazed over for a second, then allow us to explain. Before doing this, go to your profile page and in the address bar, look for a number that follows "php?id=". That number is your Facebook User ID. Copy the URL into a blank browser tab, then copy and paste this UID number into where that series of "x's" appear. Works like a charm.
New FarmVille, FrontierVille & Cafe World Cross-Promotion
UPDATE: See our FarmVille Guide on how to complete the FrontierVille's FarmVille Quest I and how to claim your FarmVille Mule.
If you've been farming tonight, you may have noticed the in-game pop-ups below. Starting tonight, there has been frequent advertising for two new Zynga games and FarmVille cross-promotions with FrontierVille and Cafe World.
farmville cafe world free cafe cash cross promotion
From time to time, Zynga likes to offer cross-promotions for their games by rewarding players with special items and perks for playing multiple games. They like to make sure that us FarmVille Freaks haven't forgotten about their other games by giving us a push towards life outside of farming. This time around, playing FrontierVille and completing the FarmVille quest can unlock a special Mule for you to use in FarmVille, while playing Cafe World could potentially earn you 50 free cafe cash (for FarmVille players to use in Cafe World).
Q: Is the Mule for FarmVille or FrontierVille?
A: The Mule is for you to use in FarmVille. Though you must complete the quest in FrontierVille to claim your Mule reward.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you participate in these Zynga games and FarmVille cross-promotion or is it just another gimmick to get you to play?
If you've been farming tonight, you may have noticed the in-game pop-ups below. Starting tonight, there has been frequent advertising for two new Zynga games and FarmVille cross-promotions with FrontierVille and Cafe World.
farmville cafe world free cafe cash cross promotion
From time to time, Zynga likes to offer cross-promotions for their games by rewarding players with special items and perks for playing multiple games. They like to make sure that us FarmVille Freaks haven't forgotten about their other games by giving us a push towards life outside of farming. This time around, playing FrontierVille and completing the FarmVille quest can unlock a special Mule for you to use in FarmVille, while playing Cafe World could potentially earn you 50 free cafe cash (for FarmVille players to use in Cafe World).
Q: Is the Mule for FarmVille or FrontierVille?
A: The Mule is for you to use in FarmVille. Though you must complete the quest in FrontierVille to claim your Mule reward.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you participate in these Zynga games and FarmVille cross-promotion or is it just another gimmick to get you to play?
FarmVille unreleased Haunted House Construction Status & Cob Web Prank
This is a FarmVille exclusive! Looks like their will be lots of cool stuff going on in FarmVille this Halloween.
Remember the April Fool's Day Toilet Paper Prank? There may be a Cobweb prank for you to terrorize your neighbors with.
The image below displays the materials required to construct the buildable Haunted House.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Moderator Linkaholic for finding this unreleased FarmVille Haunted House Construction Panel and Cob Webs on a barn!
farmville halloween haunted house
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Remember the April Fool's Day Toilet Paper Prank? There may be a Cobweb prank for you to terrorize your neighbors with.
The image below displays the materials required to construct the buildable Haunted House.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Moderator Linkaholic for finding this unreleased FarmVille Haunted House Construction Panel and Cob Webs on a barn!
farmville halloween haunted house
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Treasure Isle: Haunted Voyages await you and your Pirate Ghost Ship
Start Your Haunted Voyage
Since Halloween still isn't here yet, there's more time for Zynga to stuff your favorite games with Halloween-themed events and items like the new Haunted Voyages in Treasure Isle. Log in today and you'll find the option to place a Pirate Ghost Ship on the coast of your home island, ready to take on one of three Haunted Voyages. But you'll need a willing crew first.
Each of the three Voyages requires either two, four or six crew members to embark upon--thankfully your friends can "gift" you a creepy crew member from the Gifts page if they simply don't feel like helping. You can also unlock crew slots for 5 Island Cash a piece, but asking a few friends never hurt anyone.Once you have enough crew members to at least take on Ghostbeard's Boo-ty, you'll have to complete its four stars of mastery to win all of the loot he has to offer. According to the Zynga forums, some particularly awesome items await those who complete each Voyage with four stars. Can you master all three adventures before the big night?
Since Halloween still isn't here yet, there's more time for Zynga to stuff your favorite games with Halloween-themed events and items like the new Haunted Voyages in Treasure Isle. Log in today and you'll find the option to place a Pirate Ghost Ship on the coast of your home island, ready to take on one of three Haunted Voyages. But you'll need a willing crew first.
Each of the three Voyages requires either two, four or six crew members to embark upon--thankfully your friends can "gift" you a creepy crew member from the Gifts page if they simply don't feel like helping. You can also unlock crew slots for 5 Island Cash a piece, but asking a few friends never hurt anyone.Once you have enough crew members to at least take on Ghostbeard's Boo-ty, you'll have to complete its four stars of mastery to win all of the loot he has to offer. According to the Zynga forums, some particularly awesome items await those who complete each Voyage with four stars. Can you master all three adventures before the big night?
FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Autumn Collection gifting links
Update: Mr. Cheats is sorry to report that these links are no longer working. New links will be posted when/if they are available. Sorry for the inconvenience, Farmfolks.
Hello Farmfolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Farmville autumn collection gift links
Before you do anything, make sure you've completed FarmVille's limited edition Toy Collection. Our FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Toy Collection gifting links make it super easy. You only have one day left, so get cranking.
Today's gifting links are for the new FarmVille Autumn Collection released at the start of the weekend. Completing the collection will earn you a cute Pile of Leaves Pig prize, and all you need is a little help from your friends. To buy all the parts necessary for the FarmVille Autumn Collection, you'd end up spending 47 Farm Cash. It's a relief the parts can be gifted because I want that Pile of Leaves Pig.
Use the quick FarmVille Autumn Collection gift links below by clicking on the image you want to send, and choosing who you want to send it to. Then, send this page to your friends so they can return the favor. To complete your own FarmVille Autumn Collection, you will need the following:
Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links
farmville fall collection gifting links Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links
Click the images to send out the Autumn Collectibles.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Hello Farmfolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Farmville autumn collection gift links
Before you do anything, make sure you've completed FarmVille's limited edition Toy Collection. Our FarmVille Cheats & Tips: Toy Collection gifting links make it super easy. You only have one day left, so get cranking.
Today's gifting links are for the new FarmVille Autumn Collection released at the start of the weekend. Completing the collection will earn you a cute Pile of Leaves Pig prize, and all you need is a little help from your friends. To buy all the parts necessary for the FarmVille Autumn Collection, you'd end up spending 47 Farm Cash. It's a relief the parts can be gifted because I want that Pile of Leaves Pig.
Use the quick FarmVille Autumn Collection gift links below by clicking on the image you want to send, and choosing who you want to send it to. Then, send this page to your friends so they can return the favor. To complete your own FarmVille Autumn Collection, you will need the following:
Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links
farmville fall collection gifting links Farmville autumn collection gift links Farmville autumn collection gift links
Click the images to send out the Autumn Collectibles.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Vampire Wars Blood Brothers and Halloween Avatar Sets bring spine-chilling style
Blood Brothers Akem's Gamble
Zynga decided that with this year's Halloween, Vampire Wars would pay homage to the greats of vampire history: Count Orlok, Count Dracula, Lestat and... Edward Cullen? Well, some of the greats anyway. Through Oct. 31, players can take a chance in Akem's Gamble to win one of these four vampire-inspired abilities:
Ancient Blood: Offensive, 115 Attack, 40 Defense
Class: Defensive, 50 Attack, 110 Defense
Nosferatuan Thirst: Movement, 95 Attack, 60 Defense
Popularity: Defensive, 50 Attack, 105 Defense
Collect all four to receive an Epic Ability, Blood Bond, which carries an impressive 210 Attack and 50 Defense. Join us after the break for a look at the new Halloween Avatar sets.
Red Death Set Dia Los Muertos
Inspired by the Spanish holiday "Dia De Los Muertos," or the Day of the Dead, these two absolutely beautiful Avatar sets are only available from random Mission drops through Oct. 31, but each provide the same 2 Defense, 18 Energy stat bonus. Oddly enough for a social game, these items cannot be purchased at all and must be found while completing Missions. Man, if only every Facebook game followed that philosophy during the holidays.
Zynga decided that with this year's Halloween, Vampire Wars would pay homage to the greats of vampire history: Count Orlok, Count Dracula, Lestat and... Edward Cullen? Well, some of the greats anyway. Through Oct. 31, players can take a chance in Akem's Gamble to win one of these four vampire-inspired abilities:
Ancient Blood: Offensive, 115 Attack, 40 Defense
Class: Defensive, 50 Attack, 110 Defense
Nosferatuan Thirst: Movement, 95 Attack, 60 Defense
Popularity: Defensive, 50 Attack, 105 Defense
Collect all four to receive an Epic Ability, Blood Bond, which carries an impressive 210 Attack and 50 Defense. Join us after the break for a look at the new Halloween Avatar sets.
Red Death Set Dia Los Muertos
Inspired by the Spanish holiday "Dia De Los Muertos," or the Day of the Dead, these two absolutely beautiful Avatar sets are only available from random Mission drops through Oct. 31, but each provide the same 2 Defense, 18 Energy stat bonus. Oddly enough for a social game, these items cannot be purchased at all and must be found while completing Missions. Man, if only every Facebook game followed that philosophy during the holidays.
Madden NFL Superstars' Pro League II begins with Stadium 2 in massive update
In case you're still drudging through Pro League I in Madden NFL Superstars, here's a wake-up call. With Playfish's recent update to the game, Pro League II has arrived along with a bunch of new features. After completing the first Pro League, this new, timed challenge will open up to players tasking them with taking on the American and National Divisions.
The reason we say "timed" is because if you complete Pro League II within the time limit you'll be able to sign a 99-rated player, the highest-rated player in the game. How it works is that when you begin a Pro League II Division, you will be given a player card who's rating will increase by four points with every Division timer met--there are nine timers in all. Not to mention that Pro League II can also reward players with up to 30,000 coins, more contract cards to extend time with limited edition players and 14-point game changers. Wait, are those even possible?
Along with the Pro League II must come a Stadium to hold it. Stadium 2 will grow along with your progress in the new league just like the first Stadium. But of course it'll have much cooler stuff. (Why show it off if it didn't?) But don't worry, Stadium 1 won't be left behind, just waiting to be demolished. That old heap of junk will now net you 750 coins every eight hours just like a property in, say, ESPNU College Town. Forum goers have mentioned Pro League II Division timers to be as short as two days to win the 99-rated players. If this is the case, only the most dedicated fans will have a chance at these powerful players. Looks like it all depends on whether you want them badly enough or if you have enough time on your hands.
The reason we say "timed" is because if you complete Pro League II within the time limit you'll be able to sign a 99-rated player, the highest-rated player in the game. How it works is that when you begin a Pro League II Division, you will be given a player card who's rating will increase by four points with every Division timer met--there are nine timers in all. Not to mention that Pro League II can also reward players with up to 30,000 coins, more contract cards to extend time with limited edition players and 14-point game changers. Wait, are those even possible?
Along with the Pro League II must come a Stadium to hold it. Stadium 2 will grow along with your progress in the new league just like the first Stadium. But of course it'll have much cooler stuff. (Why show it off if it didn't?) But don't worry, Stadium 1 won't be left behind, just waiting to be demolished. That old heap of junk will now net you 750 coins every eight hours just like a property in, say, ESPNU College Town. Forum goers have mentioned Pro League II Division timers to be as short as two days to win the 99-rated players. If this is the case, only the most dedicated fans will have a chance at these powerful players. Looks like it all depends on whether you want them badly enough or if you have enough time on your hands.
Mafia Wars Italy Severed Pinky: How to find this missing digit
If there's one thing that's likely to stand in your way of making progress in Mafia Wars, it's those darn consumable items required to complete jobs. Just when you thought you were done with hunting down random items, Mafia Wars Italy arrives and it starts all over again with Severed Pinky, Rail Ticket, Hidden Charges and Smart Phone consumables.
Number one on everyone must-have consumable list is the Severed Pinky. You'll need pinkies to complete the 'Send A Message to the Di Rossa Family' job in Mafia Wars Italy Region 1 Roma.
mafia wars severed pinky
You'll need a total of 91 Severed Pinky items to master all four levels of the 'Send a Message' job. That breaks down into the following per mastery level:
Bronze : 15 Severed Pinky
Silver : 17 Severed Pinky
Gold : 25 Severed Pinky
Ruby : 34 Severed Pinky
Severed Pinky consumables are not available as a gift and cannot be traded. There are two ways to find these missing digits:
severed pinkies
1. Complete the 'Intercept A Handoff in the Coliseum' job in Region 1: Roma. This job costs 8 Energy to complete and the pinkies will drop as loot about 85% of the time.
2. Complete the 'Assassinate a Corrupt City Official' job in Region 1: Roma (the Fight Path). You'll have to fight to complete this job and the Severed Pinky seems to drop less on this job than they do on the other.
mafia wars pinky
Have you been able to find enough of the Severed Pinky to get the job done? Any other tips on how to find these missing fingers?
Number one on everyone must-have consumable list is the Severed Pinky. You'll need pinkies to complete the 'Send A Message to the Di Rossa Family' job in Mafia Wars Italy Region 1 Roma.
mafia wars severed pinky
You'll need a total of 91 Severed Pinky items to master all four levels of the 'Send a Message' job. That breaks down into the following per mastery level:
Bronze : 15 Severed Pinky
Silver : 17 Severed Pinky
Gold : 25 Severed Pinky
Ruby : 34 Severed Pinky
Severed Pinky consumables are not available as a gift and cannot be traded. There are two ways to find these missing digits:
severed pinkies
1. Complete the 'Intercept A Handoff in the Coliseum' job in Region 1: Roma. This job costs 8 Energy to complete and the pinkies will drop as loot about 85% of the time.
2. Complete the 'Assassinate a Corrupt City Official' job in Region 1: Roma (the Fight Path). You'll have to fight to complete this job and the Severed Pinky seems to drop less on this job than they do on the other.
mafia wars pinky
Have you been able to find enough of the Severed Pinky to get the job done? Any other tips on how to find these missing fingers?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Skunk & Chicken Turkey
It's time for yet another FarmVille sneak peek, brought to you by the release of as-of-yet unreleased items in Zynga's massive farming game. This time around, we have images of some new animals that may or may not be coming to FarmVille in the future.
The first is the Skunk, which we actually feel comfortably saying is extremely adorable (as it's virtual and all). The other animal is one that we're most certain will actually be released in the game, as it would fit in perfectly with the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration in the game.
It is the Chicken Turkey, and while that may not be the final name of the item, it does get the point across, as it's a Turkey that has dressed itself up partially as a Chicken, most likely to avoid getting placed onto someone's dinner table this Thanksgiving! Poor little fella!
As with all unreleased items, there is no guarantee that either of these animals will actually make it into the game, so keep that in mind.
The first is the Skunk, which we actually feel comfortably saying is extremely adorable (as it's virtual and all). The other animal is one that we're most certain will actually be released in the game, as it would fit in perfectly with the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration in the game.
It is the Chicken Turkey, and while that may not be the final name of the item, it does get the point across, as it's a Turkey that has dressed itself up partially as a Chicken, most likely to avoid getting placed onto someone's dinner table this Thanksgiving! Poor little fella!
As with all unreleased items, there is no guarantee that either of these animals will actually make it into the game, so keep that in mind.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Candy Cane Crop
Similar to the release of Candy Corn back during the Halloween celebration in FarmVille, it appears that Zynga will be honoring another candy tradition in the form of Candy Canes this Christmas.
We've seen images of the new Candy Cane crop, including its Mastery Stall, Market Bushel, and Mastery Sign, all of which you can see above.
It's interesting that we see a Market Bushel image being created for the Candy Canes, as limited edition crops rarely produce bushels, so it seems a bit unneeded. Could this be a hint that things are going to change in this area? Only time will tell, but this certainly would help those users that want to earn the Mastery Sign associated with the crop, as we would be able to do so twice as fast.
As usual, there is no guarantee that that the Candy Cane Crop will actually be released in the game (although it is incredibly likely that it will), so keep that in mind.
We've seen images of the new Candy Cane crop, including its Mastery Stall, Market Bushel, and Mastery Sign, all of which you can see above.
It's interesting that we see a Market Bushel image being created for the Candy Canes, as limited edition crops rarely produce bushels, so it seems a bit unneeded. Could this be a hint that things are going to change in this area? Only time will tell, but this certainly would help those users that want to earn the Mastery Sign associated with the crop, as we would be able to do so twice as fast.
As usual, there is no guarantee that that the Candy Cane Crop will actually be released in the game (although it is incredibly likely that it will), so keep that in mind.
Happy Pets Psychedelic Pets are so bright you'll have to wear shades
CrowdStar has brought yet another round of Psychedelic Pets to Happy Pets, which first launched way back in March. In that time, however, we've seen tons of new species of pets being added to the game, so it only makes sense that we'd see Psychedelic versions of these new species released to match.
The new series contains 6 new pets, each of which costs Facebook Credits, and is limited edition. Here are the list of available pets, along with their prices:
Psychedelic Iguana - 48 Facebook Credits ($4.80 US)
Psychedelic Triceratops - 58 Facebook Credits ($5.80)
Psychedelic Chicken - 56 Facebook Credits ($5.60)
Psychedelic Butterfly - 38 Facebook Credits ($3.80)
Psychedelic Pegacorn - 68 Facebook Credits ($6.80)
Psychedelic Dragon - 68 Facebook Credits ($6.80)
Depending on the pet that you choose to purchase, they will grow to adulthood within a range of a single day (the Butterfly), all the way up to two weeks (the Iguana, Dragon, and Triceratops). Along with that, the feeding times of these pets also vary, ranging from four hours (Butterfly) to 21 hours (Dragon and Triceratops), so keep those stats in mind when looking to make a purchase.
These pets will only be available until they sell out from the store, but each species is currently available in quantities of at least 800. Still, shop fast if you want a guarantee that you'll be able to purchase the pet type that you want.
The new series contains 6 new pets, each of which costs Facebook Credits, and is limited edition. Here are the list of available pets, along with their prices:
Psychedelic Iguana - 48 Facebook Credits ($4.80 US)
Psychedelic Triceratops - 58 Facebook Credits ($5.80)
Psychedelic Chicken - 56 Facebook Credits ($5.60)
Psychedelic Butterfly - 38 Facebook Credits ($3.80)
Psychedelic Pegacorn - 68 Facebook Credits ($6.80)
Psychedelic Dragon - 68 Facebook Credits ($6.80)
Depending on the pet that you choose to purchase, they will grow to adulthood within a range of a single day (the Butterfly), all the way up to two weeks (the Iguana, Dragon, and Triceratops). Along with that, the feeding times of these pets also vary, ranging from four hours (Butterfly) to 21 hours (Dragon and Triceratops), so keep those stats in mind when looking to make a purchase.
These pets will only be available until they sell out from the store, but each species is currently available in quantities of at least 800. Still, shop fast if you want a guarantee that you'll be able to purchase the pet type that you want.
Social City: Spin to win big in the Skyscraper 2 Raffle
For those risk takers that don't mind spending a bit of real-world currency in their Facebook games, Playdom has launched a new raffle in Social City that will have you looking towards the sky.
The Skyscraper Raffle 2 offers users a chance at winning one of 17 different, mostly extremely tall buildings for use in their towns. Each spin of the raffle costs a whopping 25 City Bucks, and you're not guaranteed to receive a different item on subsequent spins, so collectors need to be aware of the money-sinking potential that this raffle actually has.
That being said, some of the items available to win are the TransAmerica Building, the Kuala Lumpur Towers, the CN Tower, and of course, many more.
If we know Playdom as well as we think we do, this raffle won't be around forever, so if you're willing to take a risk at receiving one of these buildings, it would be best to do it quickly, while it's still around.
The Skyscraper Raffle 2 offers users a chance at winning one of 17 different, mostly extremely tall buildings for use in their towns. Each spin of the raffle costs a whopping 25 City Bucks, and you're not guaranteed to receive a different item on subsequent spins, so collectors need to be aware of the money-sinking potential that this raffle actually has.
That being said, some of the items available to win are the TransAmerica Building, the Kuala Lumpur Towers, the CN Tower, and of course, many more.
If we know Playdom as well as we think we do, this raffle won't be around forever, so if you're willing to take a risk at receiving one of these buildings, it would be best to do it quickly, while it's still around.
Zoo World: Transform your zoo into Thanksgiving Island
Zoo World has just given players something else with which to celebrate Thanksgiving, with the additional of a new Thanksgiving Island map. This map will allow you to decorate one of your additional islands with a Thanksgiving theme. This island has a rock in the shape of a turkey and an orange ground to give yoru zoo that feeling of Autumn harvest.
Players aren't too happy with Zoo World developer RockYou right now, mostly because they've been upset with a lack of support. They're a bit disappointed that this island costs Wildlife Points (15 to be exact) because it seems that almost everything in the game requires WLP now. In addition, this island is yet another hilly map and players have been wanting something flat.
Players are also receiving an error when they try to add an additional island to their zoo, so it makes using this map difficult if you don't want to change an existing island to the Thanksgiving theme.
Overall, this is a fairly lackluster addition to the game, but if you're really into Thanksgiving and want to transform a whole island of your zoo to celebrate it - now is your chance.
Players aren't too happy with Zoo World developer RockYou right now, mostly because they've been upset with a lack of support. They're a bit disappointed that this island costs Wildlife Points (15 to be exact) because it seems that almost everything in the game requires WLP now. In addition, this island is yet another hilly map and players have been wanting something flat.
Players are also receiving an error when they try to add an additional island to their zoo, so it makes using this map difficult if you don't want to change an existing island to the Thanksgiving theme.
Overall, this is a fairly lackluster addition to the game, but if you're really into Thanksgiving and want to transform a whole island of your zoo to celebrate it - now is your chance.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
PSA: FarmVille is addicting and will damage your brain [video]
In this video an endearing little boy attempts to explain (rather comically) why FarmVille is addictive. You heard right, this kid believes that Zynga is evil and that FarmVille is addictive because it has 65 million active users. He also mentions that the only thing you can do in the game is raise animals, so it's clear he hasn't played the game too much. He recommends that anyone who supports his cause contact "1-800-Let's stop 65 million people from getting brain damaged by playing FarmVille".
It's all in good fun, of course, but many social game players get annoyed when the media and their friends are constantly accusing them of being addicted. Can't we just play these games because they're a fun way to pass the time? Not everyone is addicted just because they enjoy playing.
It's all in good fun, of course, but many social game players get annoyed when the media and their friends are constantly accusing them of being addicted. Can't we just play these games because they're a fun way to pass the time? Not everyone is addicted just because they enjoy playing.
Game of the Day: Kitten Cannon
The Game of the Day is back, and it's back with with good cheer! Kitten Cannon or Kitty Cannon (as it's often called) is an oldie but a goodie. In Kitten Cannon, you control your small kitty cannon and fire your unsuspecting kitty across a field trying to get your feline friend as far as you can. Along your kitty's path are power ups and hazards that will add or hinder your kitty's progress. The game is funny, good humored and will hopefully bring you a laugh or two.
Please note: No one at Games.com - The Blog! advocates cruelty to animals. In fact, I was the last hold out on getting a cat. Everyone here is a cat owner and lover of cats in general. My cat's name is The Colonel --> Check him out here.
Click here to play Kitten Cannon -->
Please note: No one at Games.com - The Blog! advocates cruelty to animals. In fact, I was the last hold out on getting a cat. Everyone here is a cat owner and lover of cats in general. My cat's name is The Colonel --> Check him out here.
Click here to play Kitten Cannon -->
FarmVille: Get Double Mastery with a free Amex Centurion Statue
In a new FarmVille sponsored link provided by American Express, they are offering farmers Double Crop and Tree Mastery for one week after placing the exclusive Amex Centurion Statue on your farm!
FarmVille Sponsored Link: Double Mastery Amex Centurion Statue
This sponsored link can be found under the bottom right of your FarmVille game screen. Click the link that takes you to Amex's Facebook Page. Then click the button to get your code. Copy your code. Next, click the Redeem Code button which will take you to a Zynga's redemption page. Enter your code in the box provided. Upon successful completion you will receive a notice that tells you that you've receive a free Amex Centurion Statue. Go to your FarmVille farm and check your Gift Box. The Amex Centurion Statue can will be in your Gift Box.
To turn on Double Mastery, you must place the statue on your farm.
You will have until December 12th to get your redemption code for the FarmVille Amex Centurion Statue. Redeem for a free Amex Centurion Gift Code for an item in FarmVille
FarmVille Double Mastery Amex Centurion Statue
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Sponsored Link: Double Mastery Amex Centurion Statue
This sponsored link can be found under the bottom right of your FarmVille game screen. Click the link that takes you to Amex's Facebook Page. Then click the button to get your code. Copy your code. Next, click the Redeem Code button which will take you to a Zynga's redemption page. Enter your code in the box provided. Upon successful completion you will receive a notice that tells you that you've receive a free Amex Centurion Statue. Go to your FarmVille farm and check your Gift Box. The Amex Centurion Statue can will be in your Gift Box.
To turn on Double Mastery, you must place the statue on your farm.
You will have until December 12th to get your redemption code for the FarmVille Amex Centurion Statue. Redeem for a free Amex Centurion Gift Code for an item in FarmVille
FarmVille Double Mastery Amex Centurion Statue
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille thong: The holiday gift that keeps on giving
Today, I was on the hunt for a few cool FarmVille-themed holiday gifts for my virtual farming obsessed friends and ran across this thong.
OK, so it's not an official FarmVille branded thing, but this cotton panty with red barn and silo imprinted on the front is the perfect silly gift for a friend who's obsessed enough with their virtual crops that they'd actually consider wearing farm-themed underwear.
The FarmVille thong is available on CafePress for $13 in size small, medium or large. Not sure if I can really vouch for the fact that these are 'Made in the USA,' but if you're one of those people who avoid buying things that may or may not be made places with lax child labor laws, well, there you go.
OK, so it's not an official FarmVille branded thing, but this cotton panty with red barn and silo imprinted on the front is the perfect silly gift for a friend who's obsessed enough with their virtual crops that they'd actually consider wearing farm-themed underwear.
The FarmVille thong is available on CafePress for $13 in size small, medium or large. Not sure if I can really vouch for the fact that these are 'Made in the USA,' but if you're one of those people who avoid buying things that may or may not be made places with lax child labor laws, well, there you go.
Mafia Wars meets CityVille (sort of) with Urban Warfare on Facebook
Enjoying CityVille, but in search of more competition? Well, Blue Shell Games' first effort on Facebook hopes to bring social gamers the best of both worlds with Urban Warfare. With both city-building elements and Mafia Wars-style battles with friends, Urban Warfare is a jack-of-all-trades of sorts, allowing players to both maintain a sprawling town while defending it from invaders. However, this game is certainly not without its flaws. In fact, it has those in spades.
Take a look behind the break to get a detailed look at whether this game might interest you (but probably not).
Urban Warfare Battles
Urban Warfare throws players into a war-torn world where every city is required to have a full-blown military to defend itself, which would be absolutely badass in most situations (fictional, of course). It's too bad that this game doesn't bring much in the fun department. Sure, Urban Warfare is functional, but that's about where development seems to have tapered off to a point. For instance, the image above is what every battle looks like. And that's it. (Well, aside from a blank loading screen that simply reads, "Battling!")
So, don't think you're preparing for full-scale war here. Battles operate almost exactly like those in Mafia Wars, but with less detailed artwork and it's the bland soldiers you train that decide the outcome rather than collected items. Not to mention that Battles can be repeated over and over again with no real benefit or penalty. You'll almost immediately catch on to the trick of finding a weak player pummeling him repeatedly to level up at lightning speeds (due to the lack of animation), but what's the point?
City building
Not much really, though in order to compete at later levels you'll need to build out your city with coin-generating businesses, residencies that boost your population and barracks to train more soldiers--all of which cost coins. The balance between generating coins and population via plopping buildings on the grid and training an army is simple enough. In fact, it's probably too simple. In my short time playing the game, there are really no perceivable setbacks aside from losing a Battle and the excruciatingly long time it takes to train soldiers.
Despite its many shortcomings, Urban Warfare does get a few things right. Take Quests, for example. While they've surely been done before, it's somewhat reassuring to know that Blue Shell at least realizes that these have essentially standard to guide players along in social games. Taking a cue from games like CityVille, players can visit their friends' cities to provide them with boosts to supplies. Alright, I'll admit it: that's all I can think up. For Pete's sake, the game allows players to pay coins for decorations that have no benefit whatsoever besides a sliver of XP. I can get more XP in an instant by pummeling Random Newbie #27.
The game offers a paid currency known as Reward Points (sound familiar?), but I would strongly recommend you not spend your hard-earned dollars on a game with little to no animation or interesting artwork and a gameplay dynamic that doesn't feel complete before really getting to know it. It's a shame too, because the initial premise is spot-on and has loads of potential for the next big social game, which Blue Shell deserves credit for. Unfortunately, it's in the execution that Urban Warfare goes AWOL.
Click here to play Urban Warfare on Facebook now>
Take a look behind the break to get a detailed look at whether this game might interest you (but probably not).
Urban Warfare Battles
Urban Warfare throws players into a war-torn world where every city is required to have a full-blown military to defend itself, which would be absolutely badass in most situations (fictional, of course). It's too bad that this game doesn't bring much in the fun department. Sure, Urban Warfare is functional, but that's about where development seems to have tapered off to a point. For instance, the image above is what every battle looks like. And that's it. (Well, aside from a blank loading screen that simply reads, "Battling!")
So, don't think you're preparing for full-scale war here. Battles operate almost exactly like those in Mafia Wars, but with less detailed artwork and it's the bland soldiers you train that decide the outcome rather than collected items. Not to mention that Battles can be repeated over and over again with no real benefit or penalty. You'll almost immediately catch on to the trick of finding a weak player pummeling him repeatedly to level up at lightning speeds (due to the lack of animation), but what's the point?
City building
Not much really, though in order to compete at later levels you'll need to build out your city with coin-generating businesses, residencies that boost your population and barracks to train more soldiers--all of which cost coins. The balance between generating coins and population via plopping buildings on the grid and training an army is simple enough. In fact, it's probably too simple. In my short time playing the game, there are really no perceivable setbacks aside from losing a Battle and the excruciatingly long time it takes to train soldiers.
Despite its many shortcomings, Urban Warfare does get a few things right. Take Quests, for example. While they've surely been done before, it's somewhat reassuring to know that Blue Shell at least realizes that these have essentially standard to guide players along in social games. Taking a cue from games like CityVille, players can visit their friends' cities to provide them with boosts to supplies. Alright, I'll admit it: that's all I can think up. For Pete's sake, the game allows players to pay coins for decorations that have no benefit whatsoever besides a sliver of XP. I can get more XP in an instant by pummeling Random Newbie #27.
The game offers a paid currency known as Reward Points (sound familiar?), but I would strongly recommend you not spend your hard-earned dollars on a game with little to no animation or interesting artwork and a gameplay dynamic that doesn't feel complete before really getting to know it. It's a shame too, because the initial premise is spot-on and has loads of potential for the next big social game, which Blue Shell deserves credit for. Unfortunately, it's in the execution that Urban Warfare goes AWOL.
Click here to play Urban Warfare on Facebook now>
Friday, January 13, 2012
FrontierVille Storage Space III Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
For those of you that have been keeping up with the various Storage Shed expansion missions in FrontierVille, you'll be happy to learn that the third and final mission in this trio has been released.
Appropriately, the mission is called "Storage Space III," and for those that have completed Storage Space I and II, released over the past two weeks, this will give you the chance to earn your final five free additional storage shed slots, so that you can store more items from your Frontier. This is a timed mission, only being available for three days once you accept it. To be clear, you have all the way up until January 7 to accept this quest, but once you do, you only have three days to complete it.
There are three tasks in this mission, and they will prove to be quite a challenge for those players with no debris or crops on their land:
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
Clobber 10 Snakes
Collect 10 Crowbars
You'll need to draw Snakes out on your land by clearing rocks, thorns, or skulls, and you can bring out Groundhogs by harvesting crops. As for the Crowbars, you'll be able to ask your friends to help you by posting a general wall post to your news feed so that you friends can send you a crowbar. This is a "Give one, get one" situation, so everyone that decides to help you will receive a Crowbar in return (and vice versa).
The rewards for this new mission are the aforementioned five free slots in your Storage Shed, along with 400 experience points and 750 coins - not a bad deal, if you can manage to lure out 15 varmints in a three day time.
Appropriately, the mission is called "Storage Space III," and for those that have completed Storage Space I and II, released over the past two weeks, this will give you the chance to earn your final five free additional storage shed slots, so that you can store more items from your Frontier. This is a timed mission, only being available for three days once you accept it. To be clear, you have all the way up until January 7 to accept this quest, but once you do, you only have three days to complete it.
There are three tasks in this mission, and they will prove to be quite a challenge for those players with no debris or crops on their land:
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
Clobber 10 Snakes
Collect 10 Crowbars
You'll need to draw Snakes out on your land by clearing rocks, thorns, or skulls, and you can bring out Groundhogs by harvesting crops. As for the Crowbars, you'll be able to ask your friends to help you by posting a general wall post to your news feed so that you friends can send you a crowbar. This is a "Give one, get one" situation, so everyone that decides to help you will receive a Crowbar in return (and vice versa).
The rewards for this new mission are the aforementioned five free slots in your Storage Shed, along with 400 experience points and 750 coins - not a bad deal, if you can manage to lure out 15 varmints in a three day time.
FarmVille: Free Gifts page updated with six new Holiday items, including trees
If you're in the giving mood this holiday season, why not send your FarmVille neighbors some interesting new themed items from the game's free gifts page? There are six holiday items now available to send, with four of them being new to the game, and two being a return from last year's Holiday celebration.
One of the returning items is the Snowflake Pole, and it is the only item of the six that is available to send through traditional means, meaning that you can stay right on Facebook and send it to your friends. The other item, the Giant Lollipop I, is a FarmVille.com exclusive, meaning that you'll have to head over to FarmVille.com and gift them to your Facebook friends from there (the process is the exact same, but you'll just need to be on FarmVille.com to do it).
As for the other, new items, there is a Gold Nutcracker (a redesigned version from last year's Gold Nutcracker, so it technically is a new item), a Red Hanging Bell, and a Holiday Tree that all must also be sent from FarmVille.com, and a White Xmas Tree that is only available to send from the FarmVille app on iPhone/iPad.
The Holiday Tree is especially interesting as it is a real, growing tree, that grows silver and gold ornaments and garland, can be harvested, and can presumably be mastered (as we saw with the then unreleased Mastery Sign in a recent FarmVille Sneak Peek). You'll only be able to send the tree to your friends by logging into FarmVille on your iPhone/iPad and heading to the free gifts menu within the app.
Keep in mind though, that no matter where you are sending your gifts from, you'll still only be able to send one gift to a particular friend everyday, so plan your gifting ahead of time if you want to outfit your friends with all of these items before they're gone.
One of the returning items is the Snowflake Pole, and it is the only item of the six that is available to send through traditional means, meaning that you can stay right on Facebook and send it to your friends. The other item, the Giant Lollipop I, is a FarmVille.com exclusive, meaning that you'll have to head over to FarmVille.com and gift them to your Facebook friends from there (the process is the exact same, but you'll just need to be on FarmVille.com to do it).
As for the other, new items, there is a Gold Nutcracker (a redesigned version from last year's Gold Nutcracker, so it technically is a new item), a Red Hanging Bell, and a Holiday Tree that all must also be sent from FarmVille.com, and a White Xmas Tree that is only available to send from the FarmVille app on iPhone/iPad.
The Holiday Tree is especially interesting as it is a real, growing tree, that grows silver and gold ornaments and garland, can be harvested, and can presumably be mastered (as we saw with the then unreleased Mastery Sign in a recent FarmVille Sneak Peek). You'll only be able to send the tree to your friends by logging into FarmVille on your iPhone/iPad and heading to the free gifts menu within the app.
Keep in mind though, that no matter where you are sending your gifts from, you'll still only be able to send one gift to a particular friend everyday, so plan your gifting ahead of time if you want to outfit your friends with all of these items before they're gone.
FarmVille Balloon Crop now in store, but unavailable to grow [UPDATE: Now available]
UPDATE: The Balloons Crop has been officially "released" as part of the New Year's Ball Drop / Party Barn event. You'll need to unlock access to planting the crop after having 10 of your friends accept your invitation to your party. Find out all of the details about this new event by clicking on this link.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
FarmVille Party Barn / New Year's Ball Drop Event: Everything you need to know
We've known about the upcoming New Year's Party in FarmVille for a few weeks now, but users everywhere have now started to see the New Year's Ball event kick off in the game, with the launch of the Party Barn in the store. While some users have been given the base of the Party Barn for free, others (even after refreshing) have had to resort to purchasing the base for 5,000 coins. Regardless of how you get it onto your farm, it can be upgraded with ingredients to turn into something truly spectacular.
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
New FarmVille Limited Edition Crop: White Poinsettia (requires seed packets)
As part of tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of a new limited edition crop in the game that flower-lovers will definitely appreciate. The crop is the White Poinsettia, and just like the regular Poinsettia before it, it is a limited time offering that you'll need to be fast to plant and harvest if you want a chance at full mastery.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Russian Little Helper maker Pixonic sets sights on Facebook, iPhones
Sure, Zynga has created some of the most popular social games around, but it has also created its own competition. (See: EA, Disney, Wooga.) Elena Masolova, the 27-year-old founder and CEO of Russian social (and mobile) game developer and publisher Pixonic, was inspired by the company's success in founding her own game company. Since its creation in 2009, the company has created 40 games for local and European networks, but has big plans for its global expansion.
Ahead of opening its third (and first international) office in San Francisco, Pixonic published Little Helper (pictured below) for iPhone and iPad. First released on Russian and European social networks, Little Helper is the mobile version of a simulator game similar to Pet Society, but with heavy Russian themes. Despite the visible cultural influences, Little Helper hit the U.S. top 10 free games chart in September, hopefully setting a precedent for future releases.
Pixonic is also slowly making headway on Facebook with The Island: Castaway, a farming-type social game that proved largely successful on local Russian networks. While it's unfortunately not doing so well on Facebook at the moment, according to AppData, Masolova looks to make a splash in the U.S. and around the globe the old-fashioned way.
Little Helper
"I don't think there's some secret sauce--you just need to make high-quality games that promote themselves," Masolova tells us. "Second, you need to be very numbers-oriented in marketing. I think it's a numbers game, and you need to look at the numbers constantly. The goal by the end of the year is to launch several high-quality games on Facebook."
The Russian game creator and publisher also looks to bring six of its most popular social games to iOS and Android devices, likely in the same vein as Little Helper, which was developed for Pixonic by MobyTail. However, Masolova says that the company has its 46 plus employees working on three mobile games from scratch. Despite coming into the Facebook and mobile games space just as the big players begin to exert their dominance, Masolova is confident that Pixonic will succeed.
"For the first three months of the company's existence, we were focused on Russian markets in social networks," Masolova says. "I think for the time it was the right decision, but now we can move to Facebook and other networks and feel very comfortable there."
Ahead of opening its third (and first international) office in San Francisco, Pixonic published Little Helper (pictured below) for iPhone and iPad. First released on Russian and European social networks, Little Helper is the mobile version of a simulator game similar to Pet Society, but with heavy Russian themes. Despite the visible cultural influences, Little Helper hit the U.S. top 10 free games chart in September, hopefully setting a precedent for future releases.
Pixonic is also slowly making headway on Facebook with The Island: Castaway, a farming-type social game that proved largely successful on local Russian networks. While it's unfortunately not doing so well on Facebook at the moment, according to AppData, Masolova looks to make a splash in the U.S. and around the globe the old-fashioned way.
Little Helper
"I don't think there's some secret sauce--you just need to make high-quality games that promote themselves," Masolova tells us. "Second, you need to be very numbers-oriented in marketing. I think it's a numbers game, and you need to look at the numbers constantly. The goal by the end of the year is to launch several high-quality games on Facebook."
The Russian game creator and publisher also looks to bring six of its most popular social games to iOS and Android devices, likely in the same vein as Little Helper, which was developed for Pixonic by MobyTail. However, Masolova says that the company has its 46 plus employees working on three mobile games from scratch. Despite coming into the Facebook and mobile games space just as the big players begin to exert their dominance, Masolova is confident that Pixonic will succeed.
"For the first three months of the company's existence, we were focused on Russian markets in social networks," Masolova says. "I think for the time it was the right decision, but now we can move to Facebook and other networks and feel very comfortable there."
Island Paradise makes Turkey a bit more tropical through Peak Games
And in directly related news, productivity levels of Turkish businesses plummet by as much as 90 percent. Social game developer Meteor Games announced that its hit Island Paradise is now available in Turkish on Facebook, thanks to a deal with Peak Games. The Istanbul-based company will make the game available through Ciftlik Adasi, which appears to be a full Turkish localization.
According to its Facebook page, Ciftlik Adasi--the Turkish Island Paradise that translates roughly to Farm Island--has already garnered over 123,000 thousand players since its launch on Sept. 30. And it makes sense: Turkey is the fourth-largest region for Facebook with over 30 million users.
And with just over 634,000 monthly Island Paradise players on Facebook, Meteor Games is playing it smart by expanding into new territories to boost its player base. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based social game creator likens itself to the Nintendo of the Facebook game world, and scale is one approach to take in order to make good on that comparison.
Peak Games however, has reportedly amassed over 16 million monthly players across its games by making the international rounds with big time western developers like RockYou and now Meteor Games. Facebook games are growing beyond the scope of the U.S. and Western Europe, but we can only hope that will make for more culturally diverse social games.
According to its Facebook page, Ciftlik Adasi--the Turkish Island Paradise that translates roughly to Farm Island--has already garnered over 123,000 thousand players since its launch on Sept. 30. And it makes sense: Turkey is the fourth-largest region for Facebook with over 30 million users.
And with just over 634,000 monthly Island Paradise players on Facebook, Meteor Games is playing it smart by expanding into new territories to boost its player base. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based social game creator likens itself to the Nintendo of the Facebook game world, and scale is one approach to take in order to make good on that comparison.
Peak Games however, has reportedly amassed over 16 million monthly players across its games by making the international rounds with big time western developers like RockYou and now Meteor Games. Facebook games are growing beyond the scope of the U.S. and Western Europe, but we can only hope that will make for more culturally diverse social games.
The Sims Social yanked millions of Zynga players, Raptr report suggests
With over 66 million monthly players, we all know that The Sims Social is killing it. But EA and Playfish's flagship social game might be killing more than just it --the game is rapidly killing off Zynga's player base, if you ask Raptr. The 10 million-strong social network for gamers has issued another report based on the data it gathers from its users, and it doesn't look pretty.
Well, it's not looking pretty for Zynga, at least. Raptr found that a whopping 50 percent of The Sims Social players are also playing Zynga's games. More importantly, play time for both FarmVille and Empires & Allies has dropped 25 percent since EA launched its secret weapon, while CityVille dipped just 10 percent in play time. The latter is thanks to a number of promotions and major content additions like the recent Enrique Iglesias event and the ongoing Governor's Run goals.
Still, that means 33 million Zynga fans are playing both The Sims Social and the top Zynga games. (Keep in mind, this study was conducted before Adventure World surpassed FarmVille.) So, how did EA do it? Well, aside from attracting a swath of Zynga game players, the company marketed heavily to its existing social game players and even the 10 million remaining The Sims 3 fans on the PC. As a result, The Sims Social has effectively cannibalized EA's own player base, according to Raptr.
Raptr Report The Sims Social
As for how EA can strike gold again on Facebook, Raptr suggests the company looks at its most recent buy: PopCap. According to the study, social versions of the publisher's core franchises like Dragon Age Legends didn't do so hot. (Who woulda' thunk it?) But the social network finds that anywhere from around 58 to 75 percent of those who enjoy PopCap casual games also play social games.
In other words, EA is sitting on the weapons cache of a lifetime, but after Zynga Unleashed, it's clear that Zynga plans to return fire. Find the full report from Raptr right here in PDF form.
Well, it's not looking pretty for Zynga, at least. Raptr found that a whopping 50 percent of The Sims Social players are also playing Zynga's games. More importantly, play time for both FarmVille and Empires & Allies has dropped 25 percent since EA launched its secret weapon, while CityVille dipped just 10 percent in play time. The latter is thanks to a number of promotions and major content additions like the recent Enrique Iglesias event and the ongoing Governor's Run goals.
Still, that means 33 million Zynga fans are playing both The Sims Social and the top Zynga games. (Keep in mind, this study was conducted before Adventure World surpassed FarmVille.) So, how did EA do it? Well, aside from attracting a swath of Zynga game players, the company marketed heavily to its existing social game players and even the 10 million remaining The Sims 3 fans on the PC. As a result, The Sims Social has effectively cannibalized EA's own player base, according to Raptr.
Raptr Report The Sims Social
As for how EA can strike gold again on Facebook, Raptr suggests the company looks at its most recent buy: PopCap. According to the study, social versions of the publisher's core franchises like Dragon Age Legends didn't do so hot. (Who woulda' thunk it?) But the social network finds that anywhere from around 58 to 75 percent of those who enjoy PopCap casual games also play social games.
In other words, EA is sitting on the weapons cache of a lifetime, but after Zynga Unleashed, it's clear that Zynga plans to return fire. Find the full report from Raptr right here in PDF form.
Google engineer rant suggests Google+ Games was an afterthought
Believe it or not, some people aren't very happy with Google+. Take Steve Yegge, a Google engineer who accidentally posted what was meant to be an internal rant to fellow Google employees to his over 2,000 followers on the new social network. Reposted by many of his followers, the 5,000 plus-word diatribe hits every gory to explain Yegge's beef with Google+.
And that includes Google+ Games. Frankly, Yegge seems to think that the games portion of Google's second attempt at a social network is, well, uninspired. "Our Google+ team took a look at the aftermarket and said: 'Gosh, it looks like we need some games. Let's go contract someone to, um, write some games for us,'" Yegge wrote. "Do you begin to see how incredibly wrong that thinking is now? The problem is that we are trying to predict what people want and deliver it for them."
While that last quip seems to contradict his previous comment on Google+ Games, his message is clear. Yegge thinks Games were an afterthought for Google, which he seems to think is why the search giant enlisted the help of major social game developers like Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to release their existing games on the platform. Yegge has since publicly apologized for accidentally posting the essay rant.
Most recently, Zynga launched its brand new Mafia Wars 2 on Google+ Games. And before that, Google updated the platform with features that, while impressive, have been considered fundamental to Facebook games for some time. Recent estimates put the number of Google+ users at around 43 million, but how many of those are playing games is still unknown. And with sentiments such as this flying around, we imagine much work needs to be done for Google+ Games to be considered a viable alternative to Facebook gaming. If you have about 30 minutes, you can read Yegge's rant in full right here.
And that includes Google+ Games. Frankly, Yegge seems to think that the games portion of Google's second attempt at a social network is, well, uninspired. "Our Google+ team took a look at the aftermarket and said: 'Gosh, it looks like we need some games. Let's go contract someone to, um, write some games for us,'" Yegge wrote. "Do you begin to see how incredibly wrong that thinking is now? The problem is that we are trying to predict what people want and deliver it for them."
While that last quip seems to contradict his previous comment on Google+ Games, his message is clear. Yegge thinks Games were an afterthought for Google, which he seems to think is why the search giant enlisted the help of major social game developers like Zynga, PopCap and Kabam to release their existing games on the platform. Yegge has since publicly apologized for accidentally posting the essay rant.
Most recently, Zynga launched its brand new Mafia Wars 2 on Google+ Games. And before that, Google updated the platform with features that, while impressive, have been considered fundamental to Facebook games for some time. Recent estimates put the number of Google+ users at around 43 million, but how many of those are playing games is still unknown. And with sentiments such as this flying around, we imagine much work needs to be done for Google+ Games to be considered a viable alternative to Facebook gaming. If you have about 30 minutes, you can read Yegge's rant in full right here.
PopCap to set fire to iPhone, iPad this winter with Popcorn Dragon
Look, PopCap, first you give us a lust for diamonds, and now you're just making us downright hungry. Bejeweled Blitz maker PopCap Games just announced Popcorn Dragon during an EA event in New York City. The game will have players shoot fireballs at flying popcorn kernels by touching the screen, and that adorable dragon will try to eat it all, according to Joystiq.
Popcorn Dragon has no specific release date nor were any other platforms mentioned during the game's reveal. Adding to the mystery, PopCap has yet to reveal a price, though we doubt it will stray far from the coveted $.99 price point. Actually, the EA-owned studio has become quite the fan of microtransactions as of late, so "free" is certainly a possibility.
Popcorn Dragon logo
But back to the game: It looks as if players will feed their miniature dragon across several movie scenes, earning stars and bumping up the infamous score multiplier for quick, accurate fireball shots. Players will be able to buy upgrades with "Tickets," reinforcing the assumption that microtransactions will be a major component to Popcorn. Well, that and growing that cute little whelp's tail. Now, where in the world is the Pop Secret?
Popcorn Dragon has no specific release date nor were any other platforms mentioned during the game's reveal. Adding to the mystery, PopCap has yet to reveal a price, though we doubt it will stray far from the coveted $.99 price point. Actually, the EA-owned studio has become quite the fan of microtransactions as of late, so "free" is certainly a possibility.
Popcorn Dragon logo
But back to the game: It looks as if players will feed their miniature dragon across several movie scenes, earning stars and bumping up the infamous score multiplier for quick, accurate fireball shots. Players will be able to buy upgrades with "Tickets," reinforcing the assumption that microtransactions will be a major component to Popcorn. Well, that and growing that cute little whelp's tail. Now, where in the world is the Pop Secret?
Burnout Crash comes to iOS this fall with help from David Hasselhoff [Interview]
Earlier this year, Criterion Games and Electronic Arts released Burnout Crash for XBLA on Xbox 360 and PSN on PlayStation 3. The game takes auto destruction to a new level with plenty of gameplay modes and speed. The game allows you to send cars crashing into one another, detonating massive explosions with the press of a button. Boss vehicles like limos, pizza trucks and ice cream trucks are thrown into the works, with the game still looks to retain a fast-paced environment. While console gamers have already been able to get their fill of this arcade title, mobile gamers will finally be able to do so this holiday season.
Burnout Crash will be launching on iOS this fall, for iPad and iPhone 4. The game has 18 traffic junctions (settings), three different gameplay modes and an '80s inspired soundtrack featuring songs by Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan. The game will feature Autolog technology, bringing a major social edge to the experience, as users will be able to connect with others and compare their stats across the game's different modes. You'll also be able to challenge friends directly via "Autolog Challenges," for some head-to-head fun.
While the mobile version of the game has just now been officially announced, the console versions of the game already come with some pretty heavy backing and publicity, thanks to a partnership with the Knight Rider himself–David Hasselhoff. David has been featured in three commercials for the game, each one funnier and crazier than the last, and we were lucky enough to get to speak to David about his experience creating them, and his thoughts on Burnout Crash in general.
We asked David what it was about Burnout Crash that made him want to partner up with EA, and he could answer in a single word: "Explosions." Going into more detail, the Hoff told us that he "love[s] to blow things up," and that even as a child, he was all about the stunts and explosions. He told us of a go-kart he had as a child that he would send off of makeshift ramps, and that his role as Michael Knight in Knight Rider, it was fitting because "Knight Rider had tons of explosions" as well, so these explosions really "drew him" into the game.
But aside from explosions, what else makes Burnout Crash great? According to David, the game is simply "fun and funny," and that it makes you "use your brain to figure things out." With each level in some of the game's modes (both on iPhone and console) allowing you to earn higher and higher scores so long as you keep the explosions going, we suppose he's right.
While the ideas for the three commercials weren't David's, he says that he did ad-lib in the phrases of his "Chicken Man" and "Cheerleader" personas. "I said the things like 'Eat my pom poms' and 'Time to get plucked.'" At first, EA wanted him to dress as a female cheerleader for the second video in the series, but after dressing as a woman in The Producers on stage, he said he would rather stick to the male outfit this time around, "especially after putting on the wig." This isn't to say that David doesn't know how to have a good time. He says he loves "self-effacing humor that the kids will love or relate to." "If you can stay relevant with the kids, then you'll last forever," Hasselhoff tells us.
We asked David what he thought about Burnout Crash coming to iPhone, and he instantly unleashed his excitement. Apparently, the Hoff has become quite the mobile gamer. He says people are often shocked when he tells them "I'm going on a 21 hour flight around the world." They wonder how he can remain sane while being isolated for so long, but he says he thrives on it. "I love it. It lets me catch up with television shows." He also spends some of that time gaming on his iPhone.
"I wasn't always a big mobile gamer," he says, but that a happy accident got him into it. "I needed a roadie, so my 25-year old nephew has started traveling with me. He accidentally loaded all of his games onto my iPhone." He says that it's funny when he's surrounded by people on a plane, and here are these "two grown men are playing with rollercoasters, going ooh!"
We here at Games.com love what the united front of Hasselhoff and EA have been able to put together, so make sure to check out one of David's commercials below, and keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Burnout Crash on iPhone in the future.
Burnout Crash will be launching on iOS this fall, for iPad and iPhone 4. The game has 18 traffic junctions (settings), three different gameplay modes and an '80s inspired soundtrack featuring songs by Vanilla Ice and Gloria Estefan. The game will feature Autolog technology, bringing a major social edge to the experience, as users will be able to connect with others and compare their stats across the game's different modes. You'll also be able to challenge friends directly via "Autolog Challenges," for some head-to-head fun.
While the mobile version of the game has just now been officially announced, the console versions of the game already come with some pretty heavy backing and publicity, thanks to a partnership with the Knight Rider himself–David Hasselhoff. David has been featured in three commercials for the game, each one funnier and crazier than the last, and we were lucky enough to get to speak to David about his experience creating them, and his thoughts on Burnout Crash in general.
We asked David what it was about Burnout Crash that made him want to partner up with EA, and he could answer in a single word: "Explosions." Going into more detail, the Hoff told us that he "love[s] to blow things up," and that even as a child, he was all about the stunts and explosions. He told us of a go-kart he had as a child that he would send off of makeshift ramps, and that his role as Michael Knight in Knight Rider, it was fitting because "Knight Rider had tons of explosions" as well, so these explosions really "drew him" into the game.
But aside from explosions, what else makes Burnout Crash great? According to David, the game is simply "fun and funny," and that it makes you "use your brain to figure things out." With each level in some of the game's modes (both on iPhone and console) allowing you to earn higher and higher scores so long as you keep the explosions going, we suppose he's right.
While the ideas for the three commercials weren't David's, he says that he did ad-lib in the phrases of his "Chicken Man" and "Cheerleader" personas. "I said the things like 'Eat my pom poms' and 'Time to get plucked.'" At first, EA wanted him to dress as a female cheerleader for the second video in the series, but after dressing as a woman in The Producers on stage, he said he would rather stick to the male outfit this time around, "especially after putting on the wig." This isn't to say that David doesn't know how to have a good time. He says he loves "self-effacing humor that the kids will love or relate to." "If you can stay relevant with the kids, then you'll last forever," Hasselhoff tells us.
We asked David what he thought about Burnout Crash coming to iPhone, and he instantly unleashed his excitement. Apparently, the Hoff has become quite the mobile gamer. He says people are often shocked when he tells them "I'm going on a 21 hour flight around the world." They wonder how he can remain sane while being isolated for so long, but he says he thrives on it. "I love it. It lets me catch up with television shows." He also spends some of that time gaming on his iPhone.
"I wasn't always a big mobile gamer," he says, but that a happy accident got him into it. "I needed a roadie, so my 25-year old nephew has started traveling with me. He accidentally loaded all of his games onto my iPhone." He says that it's funny when he's surrounded by people on a plane, and here are these "two grown men are playing with rollercoasters, going ooh!"
We here at Games.com love what the united front of Hasselhoff and EA have been able to put together, so make sure to check out one of David's commercials below, and keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Burnout Crash on iPhone in the future.
It was ... Mafia Wars malware that infected the Air Force drone fleet?
I guess when local politicians are too busy playing CityVille to attend meetings, you really can't put this sort of thing past anyone. The U.S. Air Force has revealed new details on just what virus has infected the remote cockpits of its drone fleet, Wired reports. They're quite revealing as to what these remote crews might be up to on the job.
An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the malware that infected the remote cockpits' hard drives "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." The official didn't explain why remote drone crews were playing Mafia Wars or gambling online while on missions overseas.
And according to Wired, insiders say that the virus has been particularly difficult to remove, forcing crew to erase and completely rebuild the infected hard drives. The Air Force said that the virus is "a credential stealer," transmitted by thumb drives. So, Air Force drone crews were either playing Mafia Wars/gambling online using military computers, or using thumb drives in said computers that had been used in outside computers with access to Mafia Wars.
But do you really think those thumb drives ever leave base? If that's the case (fat chance), then this is another issue entirely. Remotely piloted drones are on slippery enough of a slope already. Come on, people, couldn't you at least have been playing a new Zynga game, like Mafia Wars 2?
An anonymous defense official told the Associated Press that the malware that infected the remote cockpits' hard drives "is routinely used to steal log-in and password data from people who gamble or play games like Mafia Wars online." The official didn't explain why remote drone crews were playing Mafia Wars or gambling online while on missions overseas.
And according to Wired, insiders say that the virus has been particularly difficult to remove, forcing crew to erase and completely rebuild the infected hard drives. The Air Force said that the virus is "a credential stealer," transmitted by thumb drives. So, Air Force drone crews were either playing Mafia Wars/gambling online using military computers, or using thumb drives in said computers that had been used in outside computers with access to Mafia Wars.
But do you really think those thumb drives ever leave base? If that's the case (fat chance), then this is another issue entirely. Remotely piloted drones are on slippery enough of a slope already. Come on, people, couldn't you at least have been playing a new Zynga game, like Mafia Wars 2?
Ngmoco names former Mattel exec as CMO to oversee Mobage launch
DeNA and Ngmoco really want the Mobage platform to succeed in the states and elsewhere. And who can blame them: Mobile is the proverbial final frontier for games companies. This must be why Ngmoco just announced that it has hired former Mattel marketing executive Michael Staskin to oversee the company's marketing push for Mobage, DeNA's mobile social gaming network for Android devices (and soon iPhone and iPad).
Staskin most recently served as VP of marketing and communications at Milan, Italy-based gaming and lottery company Sisal SpA. At Ngmoco he will "lead all global marketing and communications efforts for the company," according to a release, and that includes things like advertising, public relations and customer acquistion. In layman's terms, it's Staskin's job to get more mobile gamers to use Mobage.
"ngmoco is poised to forever change the way people interact with content on their mobile devices," new Ngmoco CMO Staskin said in a release. "I'm excited to introduce consumers around the world to Mobage, a new way to consume, share and experience mobile entertainment."
A report by JP Morgan in Tokyo, via Serkan Toto, said there have been between 50,000 and 100,000 installs of the Mobage app for Android devices, calling that number "extremely small." So yeah, DeNA and Ngmoco could certainly use a guy like Staskin to get more players on their mobile social gaming platform. And with developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Atakama Labs on board, perhaps Mobage has yet to "arrive."
Staskin most recently served as VP of marketing and communications at Milan, Italy-based gaming and lottery company Sisal SpA. At Ngmoco he will "lead all global marketing and communications efforts for the company," according to a release, and that includes things like advertising, public relations and customer acquistion. In layman's terms, it's Staskin's job to get more mobile gamers to use Mobage.
"ngmoco is poised to forever change the way people interact with content on their mobile devices," new Ngmoco CMO Staskin said in a release. "I'm excited to introduce consumers around the world to Mobage, a new way to consume, share and experience mobile entertainment."
A report by JP Morgan in Tokyo, via Serkan Toto, said there have been between 50,000 and 100,000 installs of the Mobage app for Android devices, calling that number "extremely small." So yeah, DeNA and Ngmoco could certainly use a guy like Staskin to get more players on their mobile social gaming platform. And with developers like Grasshopper Manufacture and Atakama Labs on board, perhaps Mobage has yet to "arrive."
Find free Android games through OpenFeint's Game Channel app
Gree and OpenFeint just opened fire on DeNA and Ngmoco's Mobage network for Android. DeNA's primary competitors abroad just announced that Game Channel has arrived on Android devices. Known on iOS devices as OpenFeint's mobile games discovery platform, Game Channel offers Android gamers a way to discover new games to play, namely free-to-play games.
Through Game Channel, OpenFeint will display games to users such as the Featured Game and Free Game of the Day, which the company says will include free in-game items, too. As for curation, OpenFeint will recognize notable free games under its Free Games That Rock category, and highlight game personally recommended by the company within Feint's Featured Picks.
The Game Channel app will also recommend games based on the seasons and other themes like holidays. Players will get to access their profiles and other social features right from within Game Channel, and OpenFeint will recommend new releases. This news comes just as OpenFeint finds itself with a new CEO, former Gree exec Naoki Aoyagi, and a new director of developer relations, Sarah Thompson.
Gree and DeNA have begun to battle for mobile social gaming supremacy vicariously through their strategic acquisitions, OpenFeint and Ngmoco, respectively. While Ngmoco is reportedly seeking more users to bolster its rather small number of Mobage users, OpenFeint reports welcoming 128 million players across all platforms. But it's also important to note the amount of developer support DeNA and Ngmoco have garnered recently. And now Zynga is heavy into mobile gaming--oy vey.
Through Game Channel, OpenFeint will display games to users such as the Featured Game and Free Game of the Day, which the company says will include free in-game items, too. As for curation, OpenFeint will recognize notable free games under its Free Games That Rock category, and highlight game personally recommended by the company within Feint's Featured Picks.
The Game Channel app will also recommend games based on the seasons and other themes like holidays. Players will get to access their profiles and other social features right from within Game Channel, and OpenFeint will recommend new releases. This news comes just as OpenFeint finds itself with a new CEO, former Gree exec Naoki Aoyagi, and a new director of developer relations, Sarah Thompson.
Gree and DeNA have begun to battle for mobile social gaming supremacy vicariously through their strategic acquisitions, OpenFeint and Ngmoco, respectively. While Ngmoco is reportedly seeking more users to bolster its rather small number of Mobage users, OpenFeint reports welcoming 128 million players across all platforms. But it's also important to note the amount of developer support DeNA and Ngmoco have garnered recently. And now Zynga is heavy into mobile gaming--oy vey.
Angry Birds maker Rovio looking at $1 billion IPO next year
Thanks to those irate, wingless birds, Rovio is worth lots and lots of money, apparently. Speaking with Bloomberg, the Angry Birds creator's CMO Peter Vesterbacka said, "We're not ready to file for an IPO tomorrow. Maybe a year from now." And speaking to the recent estimations that Rovio is worth around $1 billion, Vesterbacka all but confirmed the guesswork.
"We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," Vesterbacka said to Bloomberg. So, there you have it: Regular folks like you and I might be able to invest in the creator of Angry Birds by sometime next year. Also known as Rovio's Mighty Eagle, a play on the in-game character, Vesterbacka said that the company is "insanely profitable."
While we're not sure, we're going to make an educated guess and say that the Angry Birds' insane profitably comes from, oh, I don't know, the fact that they're everywhere? From big-time movie deals to plush toys, cookbooks, board games and stadium screen games, Rovio's flagship franchise is everywhere. And it's through this massive push that the company looks to be the first entertainment brand with 1 billion fans.
The two never seem to come up in the same conversation, but Rovio sounds more and more like Zynga every day, though with a vastly different strategy. As rumors stir of a FarmVille movie in the works (sound familiar?), Rovio toys with the idea of becoming a games publisher (again, sound familiar?). It makes one wonder if the two will ever clash. Hey, Angry Birds is supposedly in development on Facebook, after all.
"We're happy with our valuation but we think it's probably a bit north of that," Vesterbacka said to Bloomberg. So, there you have it: Regular folks like you and I might be able to invest in the creator of Angry Birds by sometime next year. Also known as Rovio's Mighty Eagle, a play on the in-game character, Vesterbacka said that the company is "insanely profitable."
While we're not sure, we're going to make an educated guess and say that the Angry Birds' insane profitably comes from, oh, I don't know, the fact that they're everywhere? From big-time movie deals to plush toys, cookbooks, board games and stadium screen games, Rovio's flagship franchise is everywhere. And it's through this massive push that the company looks to be the first entertainment brand with 1 billion fans.
The two never seem to come up in the same conversation, but Rovio sounds more and more like Zynga every day, though with a vastly different strategy. As rumors stir of a FarmVille movie in the works (sound familiar?), Rovio toys with the idea of becoming a games publisher (again, sound familiar?). It makes one wonder if the two will ever clash. Hey, Angry Birds is supposedly in development on Facebook, after all.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Has CityVille reached its peak? Falling numbers say yes
At around January 13, CityVille reached a whopping 100 million players on Facebook (it peaked at around 101 million). That's nearly half of all players, playing all Facebook games, regardless of genre or developer. At the time, the game seemed unstoppable - smashing FarmVille's record of 84 million players set in early 2010 seemed impossible, and yet CityVille had done it. However, according to the latest AppData figures, not all is as happy as it seems in the land of CityVille.
The latest figures on AppData proper have CityVille once again back under the 100 million player mark - 99 million to be exact. Sure, that's still a huge number (even if it does account for a loss of almost 2 million players), but it does show that one of the most basic principles of Facebook gaming has still held true here - longevity in games is the key; not just how many players you can pull in to try out a game in its first month on the site.
CityVille has had a huge run to the top, as players of all ages wanted to try this incredibly hyped and publicized offering from the biggest developer on the site. Even a single play session of five or ten minutes will add that user to the monthly active users total for a game, which helps explain why CityVille reached as high of a number as it did, and why the number is starting to fall.
The past 24 hours has seen CityVille lose over 550,000 mayors - almost a million have left in the last week. Just how quickly will the game's numbers plummet now that one or even two-time users have given up on the game because it just wasn't for them? Only time will tell, but we'll make sure to keep a close eye on both the falling or rising numbers of CityVille in the future.
The latest figures on AppData proper have CityVille once again back under the 100 million player mark - 99 million to be exact. Sure, that's still a huge number (even if it does account for a loss of almost 2 million players), but it does show that one of the most basic principles of Facebook gaming has still held true here - longevity in games is the key; not just how many players you can pull in to try out a game in its first month on the site.
CityVille has had a huge run to the top, as players of all ages wanted to try this incredibly hyped and publicized offering from the biggest developer on the site. Even a single play session of five or ten minutes will add that user to the monthly active users total for a game, which helps explain why CityVille reached as high of a number as it did, and why the number is starting to fall.
The past 24 hours has seen CityVille lose over 550,000 mayors - almost a million have left in the last week. Just how quickly will the game's numbers plummet now that one or even two-time users have given up on the game because it just wasn't for them? Only time will tell, but we'll make sure to keep a close eye on both the falling or rising numbers of CityVille in the future.
Trouble loading FrontierVille? Update your Flash player, says Zynga
According to several FrontierVille forum-goers and FrontierVille Info readers, the game was experiencing significant issues yesterday from playing the game effectively to loading it at all. Of course, it garnered the attention of the Zynga community team. FrontierVille forum moderator NikkiKing posted on the forums in response, "Effective 1/25/11 you will need to have the latest version of Adobe® Flash® Player installed in order to play FrontierVille."
She then provided a link a to the Adobe Flash Player download website, which you can also find here. But for Google Chrome users, don't even worry about it--Chrome updates its built-in Flash plug-ins automatically. Personally, I didn't even notice the issue because I always have my Flash player up to date, because, well, it's my job. This is certainly not the first time the game has experience Flash-related performance issues. (Though it has gotten better.) Hopefully this will solve the headaches once and for all. And from here on out, be sure to keep abreast of Flash player updates if you want a near-seamless experience on the homestead.
She then provided a link a to the Adobe Flash Player download website, which you can also find here. But for Google Chrome users, don't even worry about it--Chrome updates its built-in Flash plug-ins automatically. Personally, I didn't even notice the issue because I always have my Flash player up to date, because, well, it's my job. This is certainly not the first time the game has experience Flash-related performance issues. (Though it has gotten better.) Hopefully this will solve the headaches once and for all. And from here on out, be sure to keep abreast of Flash player updates if you want a near-seamless experience on the homestead.
Zynga leaks details on Mafia Wars Italy 6 through 8; to the Eternal City!
And away we go. Well, not just yet. Zynga has sneakily released some extremely detailed information regarding the imminent expansion to Mafia Wars Italy covering Regions 6 through 8. The names of the three regions will officially be Calabria, Citta del Vaticano and The Eternal City, respectively. A new property will be added to the Italian Villa, the Nightclub, but all we know about it is that it will have a job attached to it like the existing properties.
Across all three regions, there will be 15 Energy Jobs, four Social Jobs and eight Fight Jobs--the names of which have all been released. Expectantly, there will be three bosses to defeat known as Don Messino, Commandant Ebersold and Don Rafael Di Rossi.Of course, each region will have a powerful item to master, the first being Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175/118). The others are unknown, but one appears to have an insane 210 Attack power at Ruby Mastery.
Zynga also provided some more interesting tips like how players will need to repeat Jobs in the original regions for consumables that are needed to complete some new Jobs. Even worse, some of the Jobs that provide consumables for the new Jobs also require consumables to complete. For instance, "You will need Cooked Books (from Milano) to do the job (in Napoli) that produces Hidden Charges," Zynga says. It's not exactly exciting news, but it's good to know.
Check out all the details here. And thankfully, Zynga has provided a feedback page for both positive and negative responses, but who honestly takes the effort to provide positive feedback? (Hey, I just tell it how I see it.) Stay tuned for when Italy Regions 6 through 8 go live, because we'll be all over it.
Across all three regions, there will be 15 Energy Jobs, four Social Jobs and eight Fight Jobs--the names of which have all been released. Expectantly, there will be three bosses to defeat known as Don Messino, Commandant Ebersold and Don Rafael Di Rossi.Of course, each region will have a powerful item to master, the first being Messino's Pistol (Ruby 175/118). The others are unknown, but one appears to have an insane 210 Attack power at Ruby Mastery.
Zynga also provided some more interesting tips like how players will need to repeat Jobs in the original regions for consumables that are needed to complete some new Jobs. Even worse, some of the Jobs that provide consumables for the new Jobs also require consumables to complete. For instance, "You will need Cooked Books (from Milano) to do the job (in Napoli) that produces Hidden Charges," Zynga says. It's not exactly exciting news, but it's good to know.
Check out all the details here. And thankfully, Zynga has provided a feedback page for both positive and negative responses, but who honestly takes the effort to provide positive feedback? (Hey, I just tell it how I see it.) Stay tuned for when Italy Regions 6 through 8 go live, because we'll be all over it.
Diner Dash on Facebook: Flo and friends take on FarmVille
If you've been keeping an eye on Facebook games for the past few years, it's likely you've noticed one major thing missing in the lineup -- time management games. In particular, Diner Dash, the classic casual game where you play the multi-tasking waitress/entrepreneur Flo and singlehandedly serve dozens of customers and do it fast enough to keep everyone happy (while scoring big points).
Starting today, Diner Dash is officially up for order on Facebook, in a new freemium version of the game that combines that oh-so familiar game experience with a social gaming elements borrowed from its peers.
"We've focused on staying true to Diner Dash gameplay. There are other restaurant games on Facebook, and people compare Cafe World and Restaurant City to Diner Dash," says Playfirst CEO Mari Baker. "Those aren't time management games, they're -- more of the classic Facebook appointment gaming. It took a lot of work, what we've done here is bring true time management gameplay to Facebook and built a social wrapper around that."
Some of those social elements include having Diner Dash 'friends' who can send you gifts. Instead of playing Flo, you create a custom avatar. Every 'shift' you play in the restaurant costs energy. When it runs out, you can get more by purchasing it using Facebook Credits, waiting for it to regenerate and visiting your customizable park and clean up litter in exchange for more power. Speaking of the park, that's where you can go to spend those tips earned during your shifts, and a series of quests (along the lines of 'Buy 5 Decorations' and 'Buy 10 grass' will help guide your path. Unlike other energy-driven social games, Diner Dash on Facebook was pretty generous and I was able to play for a good chunk of time before my stamina was depleted. And, I'm happy to report the game does a stellar job at staying true to its roots, and during my early trial of the game, everything was zippy and responsive. Hopefully that will stay the same once millions of people start playing at the same time.
Like the PC version of the game, the Facebook game includes a storyline, which will also be familiar to fans of the series. Flo and the rest of the "Diner Toons," aka the other known characters in the games, continue their battle with the greedy Mr. Big, who is dumping toxic waste and other litter in the park and forcing neighborhood restaurants to close down. Your goal is to get rid of Mr. Big's garbage and keep the restaurants open. When you start the game, there are a total of five restaurants and the park -- and you'll initially have access to one for free and will have to unlock the other restaurants using Facebook Credits.The fact that you have to pay real-life cash to unlock new venues is the most disappointing part of this game -- one that I hope will change soon.
Gallery: Diner Dash on Facebook
Soon after launch, the game will continue to evolve. Lead Designer Eric Holmes says they have plans to give players ways to upgrade restaurants (which will employ a star-rating sytem), add new items in the store that can be used in the park and create a more complex questing system than what's currently in place. Holmes says they plan to add collections, and -- later on -- in-game achievements/badges.
Will Diner Dash beat FarmVille and CityVille? While I'd love to see a classic game like this rise to the top of the charts, PlayFirst has a big battle ahead. Right now, the game will be promoted in PlayFirst's other Facebook game Chocolatier: Sweet Society (which a meager 381K monthly players according to AppData), but maybe Flo and friends will serve up a new game experience that Facebook gamers can't resist.
Starting today, Diner Dash is officially up for order on Facebook, in a new freemium version of the game that combines that oh-so familiar game experience with a social gaming elements borrowed from its peers.
"We've focused on staying true to Diner Dash gameplay. There are other restaurant games on Facebook, and people compare Cafe World and Restaurant City to Diner Dash," says Playfirst CEO Mari Baker. "Those aren't time management games, they're -- more of the classic Facebook appointment gaming. It took a lot of work, what we've done here is bring true time management gameplay to Facebook and built a social wrapper around that."
Some of those social elements include having Diner Dash 'friends' who can send you gifts. Instead of playing Flo, you create a custom avatar. Every 'shift' you play in the restaurant costs energy. When it runs out, you can get more by purchasing it using Facebook Credits, waiting for it to regenerate and visiting your customizable park and clean up litter in exchange for more power. Speaking of the park, that's where you can go to spend those tips earned during your shifts, and a series of quests (along the lines of 'Buy 5 Decorations' and 'Buy 10 grass' will help guide your path. Unlike other energy-driven social games, Diner Dash on Facebook was pretty generous and I was able to play for a good chunk of time before my stamina was depleted. And, I'm happy to report the game does a stellar job at staying true to its roots, and during my early trial of the game, everything was zippy and responsive. Hopefully that will stay the same once millions of people start playing at the same time.
Like the PC version of the game, the Facebook game includes a storyline, which will also be familiar to fans of the series. Flo and the rest of the "Diner Toons," aka the other known characters in the games, continue their battle with the greedy Mr. Big, who is dumping toxic waste and other litter in the park and forcing neighborhood restaurants to close down. Your goal is to get rid of Mr. Big's garbage and keep the restaurants open. When you start the game, there are a total of five restaurants and the park -- and you'll initially have access to one for free and will have to unlock the other restaurants using Facebook Credits.The fact that you have to pay real-life cash to unlock new venues is the most disappointing part of this game -- one that I hope will change soon.
Gallery: Diner Dash on Facebook
Soon after launch, the game will continue to evolve. Lead Designer Eric Holmes says they have plans to give players ways to upgrade restaurants (which will employ a star-rating sytem), add new items in the store that can be used in the park and create a more complex questing system than what's currently in place. Holmes says they plan to add collections, and -- later on -- in-game achievements/badges.
Will Diner Dash beat FarmVille and CityVille? While I'd love to see a classic game like this rise to the top of the charts, PlayFirst has a big battle ahead. Right now, the game will be promoted in PlayFirst's other Facebook game Chocolatier: Sweet Society (which a meager 381K monthly players according to AppData), but maybe Flo and friends will serve up a new game experience that Facebook gamers can't resist.
Pocket God on Facebook spooks pygmies in 'Clash of the Frightened'
Well, not any more spooked than they are on a daily basis, really. We're not terribly sure why the first major update to Pocket God is titled "Episode 2: Clash of the Frightened," but we are sure of the changes it brings. Quebec-based Frima Studio brings plenty welcome changes like more solo quests for when the friends aren't around, the ability to pay for items and powers with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points (the game's two currencies) and the option to unlock Powers early with either currency.
The iPhone-turned-Facebook game is enjoying mild success with nearly 140 thousand monthly players and is one of the more gorgeous and inventive games I've seen on Facebook. Unfortunately, the update doesn't include my most wanted change: A completely Facebook-connected Pocket God iPhone app in vein of the FarmVille app.
There's always next time, but until then check out a full list of the exciting changes after the break.
Here's what you can expect in the first Pocket God update:
Social Quests: Combine forces with your Facebook friends to compete with rival deities across the world! Team up and take down powerful foes with a host of your favorite powers.
Taunt Your Friends: What could be better than having a shark bite the head of your boss, or frying your roommate to a crisp with a bolt of lightning? Why, rubbing it in their face afterward, of course! Tease the friends you have sacrificed with all-new power-themed taunts.
Choose Your Currency: Upgrade your godly presence any way you want. Acquire new powers, powerful items and glorious idols with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, the two forms of currency in the game.
Unlock Powers Early: Can't wait to unlock exciting new powers and get the drop on your unsuspecting friends? Now you don't have to! For a little Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, players can catch up to their friends in the game by unlocking powers early.
New Idols: New idols to represent the rival gods
More Solo Quests: Players have spoken and Frima has listened – five brand new quests, one of the most popular features in Pocket God, have been added with this update to give you plenty to stay busy!
The iPhone-turned-Facebook game is enjoying mild success with nearly 140 thousand monthly players and is one of the more gorgeous and inventive games I've seen on Facebook. Unfortunately, the update doesn't include my most wanted change: A completely Facebook-connected Pocket God iPhone app in vein of the FarmVille app.
There's always next time, but until then check out a full list of the exciting changes after the break.
Here's what you can expect in the first Pocket God update:
Social Quests: Combine forces with your Facebook friends to compete with rival deities across the world! Team up and take down powerful foes with a host of your favorite powers.
Taunt Your Friends: What could be better than having a shark bite the head of your boss, or frying your roommate to a crisp with a bolt of lightning? Why, rubbing it in their face afterward, of course! Tease the friends you have sacrificed with all-new power-themed taunts.
Choose Your Currency: Upgrade your godly presence any way you want. Acquire new powers, powerful items and glorious idols with either Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, the two forms of currency in the game.
Unlock Powers Early: Can't wait to unlock exciting new powers and get the drop on your unsuspecting friends? Now you don't have to! For a little Pocket Change or Sacrifice Points, players can catch up to their friends in the game by unlocking powers early.
New Idols: New idols to represent the rival gods
More Solo Quests: Players have spoken and Frima has listened – five brand new quests, one of the most popular features in Pocket God, have been added with this update to give you plenty to stay busy!
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