PopCap Games, the popular developer behind Bejeweled Blitz and Zuma Blitz on Facebook, has announced its revenue for 2010, stating that the company earned $100 million, with 14% of that coming from the online sphere, while PC downloads and mobile games accounted for 38% and 34% of their revenue, respectively.
Chief Executive David Roberts gave a presentation that claimed that most of that 14% of online revenue came from Facebook, which leaves us to wonder what the future holds for one of the industry's most polished companies. Could more "blitz" versions of popular PopCap games be in the works? Bookworm Blitz? Peggle Blitz? A reworked version of Plants vs Zombies where users help outfit each other's armies? I could make cases for all of these games and more, but for right now, we'll just have to be satisfied breaking marbles or matching gems, as PopCap works out what they'll do with their Facebook revenue, and how to expand on it in the future.
[Via Inside Social Games]
Which of PopCap's games would you most like to see given a social game spin on Facebook? Were you part of PopCap's Facebook earnings last year?
Thứ Năm, 29 tháng 12, 2011
FarmVille: Pink Hibiscus blooms once again for 30 days
Pink Hibiscus Market Pink Hibiscus Mastery
In honor of one of the most beautiful seasons, Zynga has released the Pink Hibiscus crop once again to FarmVille. This rereleased flower is available to all farmers for 140 coins. When harvested after 24 hours, you'll make 310 coins and earn 2 XP. You'll only have 30 days to master this crop, so get to planting those pretty in pinks.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you started to plant the Pink Hibiscus yet? What other crops would you like to see Zynga revisit?
In honor of one of the most beautiful seasons, Zynga has released the Pink Hibiscus crop once again to FarmVille. This rereleased flower is available to all farmers for 140 coins. When harvested after 24 hours, you'll make 310 coins and earn 2 XP. You'll only have 30 days to master this crop, so get to planting those pretty in pinks.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Have you started to plant the Pink Hibiscus yet? What other crops would you like to see Zynga revisit?
Game of the Day: Pool Master
The Game of the Day needs you to think of a smokey hall and the boys playing... Pool Master: Play Straight Pool, 8 Ball Pool against the Computer. Play in Practice Mode, Arcade mode to hone your skill. Try to pass the Challenging 8 Levels with various difficulties to become the Pool Master. Playing online Pool has never been this real! Have fun!
Click --> Play Pool Master
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Pool Master
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
CityVille Deluxe Warehouse: Everything you need to know
At this point in the CityVille game, you've likely ran out of room to put all your stuff. (Unless you've been expanding to compensate.) Thankfully, Zynga has provided us with a place to store extra houses, businesses, decorations and Community Buildings: The Deluxe Warehouse. This new building will hold up to 24 items when fully upgraded. It might not sound like a lot, but consider the items you're probably going to store. Yeah, it's big, and we have all the details to build it behind the break.
The Deluxe Warehouse Goal:
Have a warehouse that has been upgraded to 4 staff members.
Click on your Warehouse to upgrade it to a Deluxe version.
Store a Residence in your newly upgraded Deluxe Warehouse.
Funny enough, this Goal is also the building requirements for completing the Deluxe Warehouse. Just make sure you have a basic Warehouse with four staff members. Then, just upgrade it to the Deluxe edition and throw a home in there. It's that simple. However, there are a number of things to know about the Deluxe Warehouse before using it.
Deluxe Warehouse Upgrade
Buildings with pending collections will lose that money, XP and whatever else might have been in there if stored in the Deluxe Warehouse. Just remember to collect from buildings before storing them. To use the Deluxe Warehouse directly, find a button in the Tools menu above the Build button. Finally, you're ready to run the Deluxe Warehouse, but here are few more pointers:
Deluxe Warehouse in-gameDeluxe Warehouses can store the following building types:
Businesses
Residences
Community Buildings
Decorations
Things you can not store:
Buildings under construction
Neighbor Franchises
Franchise Headquarters
Storage Buildings
Crops
Water items: piers, docks, boats
Roads & Sidewalks
Original city signs (the ones that you start with)
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Forums]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started building your Deluxe Warehouse? What tips do you have for getting it done quickly?
The Deluxe Warehouse Goal:
Have a warehouse that has been upgraded to 4 staff members.
Click on your Warehouse to upgrade it to a Deluxe version.
Store a Residence in your newly upgraded Deluxe Warehouse.
Funny enough, this Goal is also the building requirements for completing the Deluxe Warehouse. Just make sure you have a basic Warehouse with four staff members. Then, just upgrade it to the Deluxe edition and throw a home in there. It's that simple. However, there are a number of things to know about the Deluxe Warehouse before using it.
Deluxe Warehouse Upgrade
Buildings with pending collections will lose that money, XP and whatever else might have been in there if stored in the Deluxe Warehouse. Just remember to collect from buildings before storing them. To use the Deluxe Warehouse directly, find a button in the Tools menu above the Build button. Finally, you're ready to run the Deluxe Warehouse, but here are few more pointers:
Deluxe Warehouse in-gameDeluxe Warehouses can store the following building types:
Businesses
Residences
Community Buildings
Decorations
Things you can not store:
Buildings under construction
Neighbor Franchises
Franchise Headquarters
Storage Buildings
Crops
Water items: piers, docks, boats
Roads & Sidewalks
Original city signs (the ones that you start with)
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Forums]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started building your Deluxe Warehouse? What tips do you have for getting it done quickly?
Mystery Manor on Facebook: A getting started guide
Take your chances in the Mystery Manor or Facebook, developed by Game Insight. In this hidden object game you are trapped in the Mystery Manor and will need to search through the various rooms locating treasures and collectibles all while avoiding spooky, and sometimes perilous, forces. Use several different searching tools to increase your score, take on quests, complete collections, and play along with neighbors visiting their manors and helping them complete collections for cash and prizes while increasing your reputation as a good neighbor.
Mystery Manor logoGetting Started
Mystery Manor is played on Facebook and you will need to have an account to play. If you need to register for a free account click here - http://www.facebook.com
Once you have a Facebook account you are ready to play and can click on the "Free - Play Now" button at the top of this page.
You will have to grant permission to the developer to access your basic information, send you emails, and post to your Facebook profile page and live feeds when you allow the game to do so.
You will be taken on a brief tutorial of how to maneuver around the game board and work through a basic hidden object scene.
The game has a lot of dialogue to read in between scenes. You can click on the text to close it if you're not interested in the storyline.
Game controls - Along the top right of the game screen there is an icon with a wrench on it. Click on this to toggle the game music and sounds on or off and to change the screen to low or high quality depending on your computer speed.
Full screen - The game is much easier in full screen and you can access at the top right of the game screen via the large green button with the four arrows on it.
Experience points - Experience points (XP) are earned by searching rooms, helping neighbors, completing collections, and purchasing items from the game store. These are what allow you to level up. The meter at the top center shows you your current level and how much XP you need to reach the next level.
Note - Before each hidden object scene you will be shown some of the storyline and given information about what collectibles may be in the scene and which phenomena may be affecting it. Be sure to read through these messages before you start each hidden object scene in a new room.
Mystery Manor Currency Bar
Mystery Manor Get Diamonds
Game Currency
There are two types of currency in Mystery Manor:
Gold coins - This is the basic game currency and what you earn when you find items, complete quests, and help neighbors.
Diamonds - Diamonds are the premium currency of the game and can be used to buy high end items, special game advantages, and meals to restore energy.
How to obtain more currency - You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins by clicking on the "+" symbol next to the currency indicators at the top right of the game screen.
You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins using a major credit card, PayPal, Facebook Credits and more.
Mystery Manor Energy Meter
Energy
Energy is used each time you search a hidden object scene and you are given a maximum of 30 energy points when you start the game.
The energy meter is located top center of the game screen and you can see a countdown clock which earns you one energy point each time it hits zero.
Each time you level up the maximum energy your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete energy meter refill each time you level up in the game.
If you run out of energy it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one energy point per three minutes.
How to obtain more energy - You can obtain energy points in a few ways. You can let it regenerate over time, ask neighbors to help you by sending gifts, or you can purchase meals with diamonds in the game store.
Note - "Energy" is what you use to search rooms in your game. "Strength" is what is used when you visit neighbors and help them. (See "Strength" below for more information.)
Mystery Manor Energy Meals Store
Meals
Meals can be purchased in the game store to restore your energy.
These meals can only be purchased with diamonds and range from a cup of coffee, which is a few energy points, to the largest meal that actually increases your energy maximum by 10 and refills your energy meter.
Click on the store button then look for the "Meals" tab to access this area.
Note - Meals do not increase your "Strength" used in neighbor visits. It is only used to restore energy levels for you to use in your manor.
Mystery Manor Quest Find a Saucer
Quests
There are ongoing quests that you will be able to complete for coins and XP rewards.
Click on the icon at the upper left side of the game screen to see your current quest.
You will have to do things such as finding specific items in rooms or clearing out a room a certain number of times.
As soon as one quest is completed you will have to click on the icon and then click on "Claim My Reward" as the game does not automatically notify you that you have finished the quest.
As soon as one quest has been completed and the reward claimed, a new one will appear in its place and the storyline will continue.
You can sometimes use diamonds to purchase items required of you in quests. Use your diamonds wisely because you will need them.
Mystery Manor Controls
How to Find Hidden Objects
You will start each game on the map of Mystery Manor. The first room is unlocked and you will unlock more rooms as you level up. Click on an open room to search it. Note that you may need to search more than one room.
Next you will see a message that contains some storyline and explains what items you can find that are collectibles in this particular scene. Be sure to look at these items closely and run your cursor over them to see a written description if you are not sure what the item is.
Once you enter the hidden object screen you will be playing in timed mode. You will see a countdown clock in the upper right hand corner of the game screen.
It is best to put the screen in full screen mode as some of the items are very tiny and hard to see.
Phenomena - As you level up there will be all kinds of obstacles or phenomena that make it harder for you to find items in a room. You can pay with diamonds to remove the phenomena or you can purchase charms, or special items to help you overcome them. Tools will be used to overcome most phenomena. (See "Phenomena" below for more detailed information.)
You will have a list in the upper right corner. In this list you will see either a text description or a silhouette of the item you need to find. As you level up other things will happen such as the words in the list may be scrambled or you may have to figure out a puzzle before you know what items to find.
Note - Before each hidden object scene starts you will be shown which collectibles may be found. These do not appear in the list to the right so you will have to remember these and there can be several at a time.
The scene has a large magnifying glass that sticks to your cursor and you will need this to enlarge the area and see the small detailed items. Note that in the center of the magnifying glass is a gold dot. Place this gold dot on the item you have found and then click your mouse button to lock in the choice.
If you correctly find an item you will see a coin fall and it will split into a coin, energy bolt, and experience star. Click on these if you can and if not they will add to your totals. Finding items equals extra money, energy, and experience points.
You must find all of the items before the timer runs out. And if you do not you will see a "Failed" message and will have to use more energy to try again.
Using tools - When you are stumped or you have a phenomena in place making it hard for you to complete the search you can use tools that are located under the text list of items to find on the right of the screen. Each tool has a different use and you will have to decide which ones to use in which scenes based on how you play and what kind of issues you encounter. (See "Tools/items to help you find objects" below for more details)
As you level up there will be more rooms with phenomena happening to them. Be sure to read about this in the "Phenomena" section of this guide.
Mystery Manor Tools Store
Tools and Items
Tools are used to help you find hidden objects in a scene and to fight off various phenomena that may be in place in a room.
You will need to either purchase tools or have them gifted to you by neighbors.
Tools are listed at the mid-right of the search screen. Click on them to use or add more.
Some tools can be purchased with gold coins and some only with diamonds. Click on the store icon and then on "Tools" at the tab along the top to locate them.
Types of Tools
Compass Tool - Mysteriously guides you to the item you are looking for. These can be purchased for one diamond each or you can purchase a 10 pack for nine diamonds.
Flashlight/Enhanced Flashlight - Lasts either 30 or 60 seconds and increases your light's range for use in dark screens
Time Freeze - Stops time for 40 seconds.
Enhanced Time Snail - Slows time for 60 seconds.
Gold Bomb - This causes five items on the find list to blow up.
Time Snail - Slows speed to half speed for 10 seconds.
The Flare - This lights up the entire room while it is in night mode for 30 seconds.
Enhanced Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point at them for 60 seconds.
Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point to them for 30 seconds.
Mystery Manor Floating Neighbors Help
Mystery Manor Help Locked in Neighbor
Floating Neighbors (Manor Map)
On your manor map you will see the names of people floating around the map and footprints that appear and disappear in a magical fashion. These are people on your friend list that are playing the game.
Click on one of these neighbors to initiate a bonus for helping them.
You will be taken to a hidden object scene where you are to find five hidden items and possible collectibles.
Once finished you can send energy to this neighbor or you can ask them to go with you, which means they will help you search the next room giving you the benefit of their level and experience. This can increase the odds of your finding collectibles or earning a higher score while searching a room.
When you accept this help an icon will appear to the right of the screen before the control buttons and list. You will also see bonuses and special items listed here when they go into effect.
Mystery Manor Darkness Phenomena
Phenomena
Each room in the manor will have various "Phenomena" that you have to get rid of or use tools to defeat. You will see the name of the phenomena when you place your cursor over the room such as "Evil Eye" or "Witches Curse"
You can instantly remove an annoying phenomenon by purchasing its removal with diamonds or you can clear the room which may eventually stop it.
Phenomenons might include a dark rooms in which you have to use a flashlight, or you may have a curse where time moves faster than what the clock tells you and you will need to purchase a snail charm to counteract it for a few seconds.
There are many different phenomena in the game and it can be very expensive to purchase the release of it. So use your diamonds sparingly and save them for the higher levels where you will need to get rid of these to proceed.
Mystery Manor Charms Store
Charms
Charms are used for special benefits in the game as you search rooms. They increase your luck and odds of finding items, give you more time, and increase the odds collectibles will be in a room you search.
You may also be able to increase your odds of finding items for a specific number of hours or you could speed up your energy restore rate or the percentage of experience you will earn while searching.
Visit the game store and click on the "Charms" tab to access the various charms and note that some can be purchased with gold coins and some with diamonds.
Most charms are only available for purchase once you reach a certain level and unlock them.
Mystery Manor store Special Items
Special Items
Special items are available in the store which when purchased give you all kinds of advantages when searching scenes in a room and removing the annoying phenomena.
Some of the items reverse actions in rooms and some of the items are used for entry into specific rooms.
You can purchase treasure chests which instantly give you six random collectible items so you do not have to search for these. The more expensive the chest the more likely you are to get rare collectibles.
Click on the store button then on "Special" to access two pages of these items and be sure to check back daily for more.
Mystery Manor Collections
Collections/Wishlist
Collections are kept in "Mr. X's" mystical chest and you can access it by clicking on the collections button at the upper right corner of the game screen.
There are currently 38 collections each requiring you find five items available to complete. (The number of collections will likely increase with future game upgrades.)
Each room you search will have potential collectibles in it and you will be shown which ones in a message before you start each hidden object scene. Sometimes a room will not have collectibles in it and it is random with the placement of these items so you may have to search a room many times before you run across them.
You are only given five minutes to search a location and the faster you find the items the more money and experience you will earn. You have to make sure you keep in mind that collectibles need to be found but can not take up a lot of time. Once you find the final item on the list the scene will close and you will not be able to look for collectibles so keep this in mind before you click on the last item.
Once in the hidden object scene look for these items before you find you final item on your list. If you find any collectibles click on them and they will be added to your collections area.
Once you have all five required items in a collection you will also have to have the correct number of collectibles required to charge the box. Once this is done you will earn a coin and/or experience point reward as well as a special item to be used in the game.
You can click on the collections button at the upper right corner and the box will appear with all items shown along with the gift that can be earned by completing that collection.
Note - It appears at this time that collections can be completed only once.
Wishlist - Along the top of the collection box you will notice a wishlist. Click on the little icon that looks like paper with a plus sign to add this item to your wishlist. Now others can gift this item to you and help you complete collections you are having difficulty finding things for.
Mystery Manor Wishlist
Gifting wishlist item to your neighbor - When you place the cursor over any of your neighbors along the bottom of the game screen you will notice that their wishlist expands immediately and you can see what they need and if you have any of these items to gift to them. Your neighbors will also be able to see your wishlist and if they send you an item on it, it will disappear from your list so be sure to keep your list updated.
Be sure to help your neighbors so they will return the favor.
Mystery gifts - Please encourage friends to send you a mystery gift as their free gift of the day to send to you. These very often contain collectibles and will keep you from having to search rooms several times to find them.
Mystery Manor Reputation Meter
Reputation
Each time you visit a neighbor you increase your reputation level. Hearts represent reputation in the game. There is a meter in the upper left corner under the experience meter that shows you how many reputation points you have earned.
You are only allowed to collect a daily neighbor visit bonus once the first time you play the game and each time you play you increase your reputation a little more and will be allowed to collect more daily visit bonuses. You will still be allowed to help your neighbors and collect reputation points and gold for doing so. (See "Visiting and Helping Neighbors" for more information.)
When you look at a neighbor in the menu at the bottom of the screen look at the star to see their level and the heart to see their reputation rating. The higher the number, the more visits that person does daily.
When you have a higher reputation level you are able to do more things for your neighbors each day such as leave hints.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Menu Options
Visiting and Helping Neighbors
Along the bottom of the game screen you will see your neighbors. These are people already playing the game that are on your Facebook friend list. The star indicates their level in the game and the number in the heart indicates their reputation rating.
If you invite more friends you will have to wait for them to accept before they appear on your list. You can only invite people on your Facebook friend list.
Use your cursor and place it on a neighbor's icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see three buttons and if they have any items on their wishlist it will expand upward and you have the option to send them one of these items if you have it to spare in your inventory.
Visit - Click here to visit your neighbor.
Profile - This will open your friend's Facebook profile page in another browser window.
Gift - Click here to send this particular neighbor a free gift.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Visit Bonus
Helping neighbors - Once you are in your neighbor's mansion based on your current reputation rating you will earn a reward of 50 experience points and 100 gold coins.
Note - The first time you play the game you will only be able to collect this bonus from one neighbor. The more people you visit and help, the more reputation points you will earn. This will increase the number of neighbors you can collect these daily visit bonuses from each day.
Next, you will see your name floating around your neighbor's mansion map along with others that have visited this friend.
You can help your neighbor a certain number of times, which begins at a minimum of five. This is seen in the upper left corner as a blue icon with a hand on it. The number you see in this button is the number of times you can help this neighbor. As your reputation level increases you will be able to help more times.
Mystery Manor Helping Neighbors
How to help - Look for rooms with the downward facing orange arrows and click on them. You will leave hints in these rooms for your neighbor and a heart and a coin will appear. Click on these hearts and coins to collect. Each heart you click on goes into your reputation meter, which increases the number of neighbors you can collect the daily bonuses from when you visit. You will need to work hard to get this bonus from many neighbors.
You will be able to see a detailed listing of your neighbor's game stats to the far right of the game screen.
Once you are finished, you are given the option to post a notification on your neighbor's Facebook profile. If you do not want to do this simply close the message.
To return home look for the house button at the bottom left corner of the game screen.
Mystery Manor Strength Indicator
Strength
Strength is used each time you visit a neighbor and you are given a maximum of 25 strength points when you start the game.
Each time you level up the maximum strength your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete strength meter refill each time you level up in the game.
Each time you give your friend hints you will spend 10 strength points.
If you run out of strength it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one strength point every three minutes. You will not be able to visit neighbors until you have enough strength points to help them out.
How to obtain more strength - You can only obtain strength points by waiting until it regenerates at a rate of one point per three minutes.
Note - "Energy" is what you use when you are home playing in your own mansion. "Strength is used for neighbor visits only. If you purchase a meal it will upgrade your energy at home not your strength meter.
Mystery Manor Sending Gifts
Sending/Receiving Daily Free Gifts
Sending gifts - You will be allowed to send one free gift to 50 of your friends per day. At first this amount may be less and you will build up to the maximum of 50 friends per day that you can initiate sending a gift to.
If a friend requests that you send them a certain gift or collectible you will be able to do that by clicking on "Gift" in the neighbor menu, send free gift at the top of the game, or returning the favor when you accept a gift in the gift area.
Mystery Manor Messages
Claiming your gifts - When gifts are sent to you a notification will appear in the messages area when you load the game. You will be shown who sent you the gift and what it is. Click on "Take" and the gift will be found laying on the manor map when you first visit it. Click on the item and it will be placed in your inventory for future use. Click on "Send Gift" to immediately send an item back to your neighbor.
Click on the inventory box when you are ready to use the gift item.
Be sure to send return gifts to your neighbors whenever possible so the gifting relationship will benefit both of you.
Tip - Mystery boxes are a great gift to send as they have collectibles in them hat can really help you out.
This article originally appeared on Gamezebo.
Looking for a few new friends to play Mystery Manor with? Got additional cheats or tips?
Mystery Manor logoGetting Started
Mystery Manor is played on Facebook and you will need to have an account to play. If you need to register for a free account click here - http://www.facebook.com
Once you have a Facebook account you are ready to play and can click on the "Free - Play Now" button at the top of this page.
You will have to grant permission to the developer to access your basic information, send you emails, and post to your Facebook profile page and live feeds when you allow the game to do so.
You will be taken on a brief tutorial of how to maneuver around the game board and work through a basic hidden object scene.
The game has a lot of dialogue to read in between scenes. You can click on the text to close it if you're not interested in the storyline.
Game controls - Along the top right of the game screen there is an icon with a wrench on it. Click on this to toggle the game music and sounds on or off and to change the screen to low or high quality depending on your computer speed.
Full screen - The game is much easier in full screen and you can access at the top right of the game screen via the large green button with the four arrows on it.
Experience points - Experience points (XP) are earned by searching rooms, helping neighbors, completing collections, and purchasing items from the game store. These are what allow you to level up. The meter at the top center shows you your current level and how much XP you need to reach the next level.
Note - Before each hidden object scene you will be shown some of the storyline and given information about what collectibles may be in the scene and which phenomena may be affecting it. Be sure to read through these messages before you start each hidden object scene in a new room.
Mystery Manor Currency Bar
Mystery Manor Get Diamonds
Game Currency
There are two types of currency in Mystery Manor:
Gold coins - This is the basic game currency and what you earn when you find items, complete quests, and help neighbors.
Diamonds - Diamonds are the premium currency of the game and can be used to buy high end items, special game advantages, and meals to restore energy.
How to obtain more currency - You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins by clicking on the "+" symbol next to the currency indicators at the top right of the game screen.
You can purchase additional diamonds or gold coins using a major credit card, PayPal, Facebook Credits and more.
Mystery Manor Energy Meter
Energy
Energy is used each time you search a hidden object scene and you are given a maximum of 30 energy points when you start the game.
The energy meter is located top center of the game screen and you can see a countdown clock which earns you one energy point each time it hits zero.
Each time you level up the maximum energy your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete energy meter refill each time you level up in the game.
If you run out of energy it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one energy point per three minutes.
How to obtain more energy - You can obtain energy points in a few ways. You can let it regenerate over time, ask neighbors to help you by sending gifts, or you can purchase meals with diamonds in the game store.
Note - "Energy" is what you use to search rooms in your game. "Strength" is what is used when you visit neighbors and help them. (See "Strength" below for more information.)
Mystery Manor Energy Meals Store
Meals
Meals can be purchased in the game store to restore your energy.
These meals can only be purchased with diamonds and range from a cup of coffee, which is a few energy points, to the largest meal that actually increases your energy maximum by 10 and refills your energy meter.
Click on the store button then look for the "Meals" tab to access this area.
Note - Meals do not increase your "Strength" used in neighbor visits. It is only used to restore energy levels for you to use in your manor.
Mystery Manor Quest Find a Saucer
Quests
There are ongoing quests that you will be able to complete for coins and XP rewards.
Click on the icon at the upper left side of the game screen to see your current quest.
You will have to do things such as finding specific items in rooms or clearing out a room a certain number of times.
As soon as one quest is completed you will have to click on the icon and then click on "Claim My Reward" as the game does not automatically notify you that you have finished the quest.
As soon as one quest has been completed and the reward claimed, a new one will appear in its place and the storyline will continue.
You can sometimes use diamonds to purchase items required of you in quests. Use your diamonds wisely because you will need them.
Mystery Manor Controls
How to Find Hidden Objects
You will start each game on the map of Mystery Manor. The first room is unlocked and you will unlock more rooms as you level up. Click on an open room to search it. Note that you may need to search more than one room.
Next you will see a message that contains some storyline and explains what items you can find that are collectibles in this particular scene. Be sure to look at these items closely and run your cursor over them to see a written description if you are not sure what the item is.
Once you enter the hidden object screen you will be playing in timed mode. You will see a countdown clock in the upper right hand corner of the game screen.
It is best to put the screen in full screen mode as some of the items are very tiny and hard to see.
Phenomena - As you level up there will be all kinds of obstacles or phenomena that make it harder for you to find items in a room. You can pay with diamonds to remove the phenomena or you can purchase charms, or special items to help you overcome them. Tools will be used to overcome most phenomena. (See "Phenomena" below for more detailed information.)
You will have a list in the upper right corner. In this list you will see either a text description or a silhouette of the item you need to find. As you level up other things will happen such as the words in the list may be scrambled or you may have to figure out a puzzle before you know what items to find.
Note - Before each hidden object scene starts you will be shown which collectibles may be found. These do not appear in the list to the right so you will have to remember these and there can be several at a time.
The scene has a large magnifying glass that sticks to your cursor and you will need this to enlarge the area and see the small detailed items. Note that in the center of the magnifying glass is a gold dot. Place this gold dot on the item you have found and then click your mouse button to lock in the choice.
If you correctly find an item you will see a coin fall and it will split into a coin, energy bolt, and experience star. Click on these if you can and if not they will add to your totals. Finding items equals extra money, energy, and experience points.
You must find all of the items before the timer runs out. And if you do not you will see a "Failed" message and will have to use more energy to try again.
Using tools - When you are stumped or you have a phenomena in place making it hard for you to complete the search you can use tools that are located under the text list of items to find on the right of the screen. Each tool has a different use and you will have to decide which ones to use in which scenes based on how you play and what kind of issues you encounter. (See "Tools/items to help you find objects" below for more details)
As you level up there will be more rooms with phenomena happening to them. Be sure to read about this in the "Phenomena" section of this guide.
Mystery Manor Tools Store
Tools and Items
Tools are used to help you find hidden objects in a scene and to fight off various phenomena that may be in place in a room.
You will need to either purchase tools or have them gifted to you by neighbors.
Tools are listed at the mid-right of the search screen. Click on them to use or add more.
Some tools can be purchased with gold coins and some only with diamonds. Click on the store icon and then on "Tools" at the tab along the top to locate them.
Types of Tools
Compass Tool - Mysteriously guides you to the item you are looking for. These can be purchased for one diamond each or you can purchase a 10 pack for nine diamonds.
Flashlight/Enhanced Flashlight - Lasts either 30 or 60 seconds and increases your light's range for use in dark screens
Time Freeze - Stops time for 40 seconds.
Enhanced Time Snail - Slows time for 60 seconds.
Gold Bomb - This causes five items on the find list to blow up.
Time Snail - Slows speed to half speed for 10 seconds.
The Flare - This lights up the entire room while it is in night mode for 30 seconds.
Enhanced Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point at them for 60 seconds.
Pointer - This lights up items that are on your list when you point to them for 30 seconds.
Mystery Manor Floating Neighbors Help
Mystery Manor Help Locked in Neighbor
Floating Neighbors (Manor Map)
On your manor map you will see the names of people floating around the map and footprints that appear and disappear in a magical fashion. These are people on your friend list that are playing the game.
Click on one of these neighbors to initiate a bonus for helping them.
You will be taken to a hidden object scene where you are to find five hidden items and possible collectibles.
Once finished you can send energy to this neighbor or you can ask them to go with you, which means they will help you search the next room giving you the benefit of their level and experience. This can increase the odds of your finding collectibles or earning a higher score while searching a room.
When you accept this help an icon will appear to the right of the screen before the control buttons and list. You will also see bonuses and special items listed here when they go into effect.
Mystery Manor Darkness Phenomena
Phenomena
Each room in the manor will have various "Phenomena" that you have to get rid of or use tools to defeat. You will see the name of the phenomena when you place your cursor over the room such as "Evil Eye" or "Witches Curse"
You can instantly remove an annoying phenomenon by purchasing its removal with diamonds or you can clear the room which may eventually stop it.
Phenomenons might include a dark rooms in which you have to use a flashlight, or you may have a curse where time moves faster than what the clock tells you and you will need to purchase a snail charm to counteract it for a few seconds.
There are many different phenomena in the game and it can be very expensive to purchase the release of it. So use your diamonds sparingly and save them for the higher levels where you will need to get rid of these to proceed.
Mystery Manor Charms Store
Charms
Charms are used for special benefits in the game as you search rooms. They increase your luck and odds of finding items, give you more time, and increase the odds collectibles will be in a room you search.
You may also be able to increase your odds of finding items for a specific number of hours or you could speed up your energy restore rate or the percentage of experience you will earn while searching.
Visit the game store and click on the "Charms" tab to access the various charms and note that some can be purchased with gold coins and some with diamonds.
Most charms are only available for purchase once you reach a certain level and unlock them.
Mystery Manor store Special Items
Special Items
Special items are available in the store which when purchased give you all kinds of advantages when searching scenes in a room and removing the annoying phenomena.
Some of the items reverse actions in rooms and some of the items are used for entry into specific rooms.
You can purchase treasure chests which instantly give you six random collectible items so you do not have to search for these. The more expensive the chest the more likely you are to get rare collectibles.
Click on the store button then on "Special" to access two pages of these items and be sure to check back daily for more.
Mystery Manor Collections
Collections/Wishlist
Collections are kept in "Mr. X's" mystical chest and you can access it by clicking on the collections button at the upper right corner of the game screen.
There are currently 38 collections each requiring you find five items available to complete. (The number of collections will likely increase with future game upgrades.)
Each room you search will have potential collectibles in it and you will be shown which ones in a message before you start each hidden object scene. Sometimes a room will not have collectibles in it and it is random with the placement of these items so you may have to search a room many times before you run across them.
You are only given five minutes to search a location and the faster you find the items the more money and experience you will earn. You have to make sure you keep in mind that collectibles need to be found but can not take up a lot of time. Once you find the final item on the list the scene will close and you will not be able to look for collectibles so keep this in mind before you click on the last item.
Once in the hidden object scene look for these items before you find you final item on your list. If you find any collectibles click on them and they will be added to your collections area.
Once you have all five required items in a collection you will also have to have the correct number of collectibles required to charge the box. Once this is done you will earn a coin and/or experience point reward as well as a special item to be used in the game.
You can click on the collections button at the upper right corner and the box will appear with all items shown along with the gift that can be earned by completing that collection.
Note - It appears at this time that collections can be completed only once.
Wishlist - Along the top of the collection box you will notice a wishlist. Click on the little icon that looks like paper with a plus sign to add this item to your wishlist. Now others can gift this item to you and help you complete collections you are having difficulty finding things for.
Mystery Manor Wishlist
Gifting wishlist item to your neighbor - When you place the cursor over any of your neighbors along the bottom of the game screen you will notice that their wishlist expands immediately and you can see what they need and if you have any of these items to gift to them. Your neighbors will also be able to see your wishlist and if they send you an item on it, it will disappear from your list so be sure to keep your list updated.
Be sure to help your neighbors so they will return the favor.
Mystery gifts - Please encourage friends to send you a mystery gift as their free gift of the day to send to you. These very often contain collectibles and will keep you from having to search rooms several times to find them.
Mystery Manor Reputation Meter
Reputation
Each time you visit a neighbor you increase your reputation level. Hearts represent reputation in the game. There is a meter in the upper left corner under the experience meter that shows you how many reputation points you have earned.
You are only allowed to collect a daily neighbor visit bonus once the first time you play the game and each time you play you increase your reputation a little more and will be allowed to collect more daily visit bonuses. You will still be allowed to help your neighbors and collect reputation points and gold for doing so. (See "Visiting and Helping Neighbors" for more information.)
When you look at a neighbor in the menu at the bottom of the screen look at the star to see their level and the heart to see their reputation rating. The higher the number, the more visits that person does daily.
When you have a higher reputation level you are able to do more things for your neighbors each day such as leave hints.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Menu Options
Visiting and Helping Neighbors
Along the bottom of the game screen you will see your neighbors. These are people already playing the game that are on your Facebook friend list. The star indicates their level in the game and the number in the heart indicates their reputation rating.
If you invite more friends you will have to wait for them to accept before they appear on your list. You can only invite people on your Facebook friend list.
Use your cursor and place it on a neighbor's icon at the bottom of the screen. You will see three buttons and if they have any items on their wishlist it will expand upward and you have the option to send them one of these items if you have it to spare in your inventory.
Visit - Click here to visit your neighbor.
Profile - This will open your friend's Facebook profile page in another browser window.
Gift - Click here to send this particular neighbor a free gift.
Mystery Manor Neighbor Visit Bonus
Helping neighbors - Once you are in your neighbor's mansion based on your current reputation rating you will earn a reward of 50 experience points and 100 gold coins.
Note - The first time you play the game you will only be able to collect this bonus from one neighbor. The more people you visit and help, the more reputation points you will earn. This will increase the number of neighbors you can collect these daily visit bonuses from each day.
Next, you will see your name floating around your neighbor's mansion map along with others that have visited this friend.
You can help your neighbor a certain number of times, which begins at a minimum of five. This is seen in the upper left corner as a blue icon with a hand on it. The number you see in this button is the number of times you can help this neighbor. As your reputation level increases you will be able to help more times.
Mystery Manor Helping Neighbors
How to help - Look for rooms with the downward facing orange arrows and click on them. You will leave hints in these rooms for your neighbor and a heart and a coin will appear. Click on these hearts and coins to collect. Each heart you click on goes into your reputation meter, which increases the number of neighbors you can collect the daily bonuses from when you visit. You will need to work hard to get this bonus from many neighbors.
You will be able to see a detailed listing of your neighbor's game stats to the far right of the game screen.
Once you are finished, you are given the option to post a notification on your neighbor's Facebook profile. If you do not want to do this simply close the message.
To return home look for the house button at the bottom left corner of the game screen.
Mystery Manor Strength Indicator
Strength
Strength is used each time you visit a neighbor and you are given a maximum of 25 strength points when you start the game.
Each time you level up the maximum strength your meter can hold increases by 10 and you earn a complete strength meter refill each time you level up in the game.
Each time you give your friend hints you will spend 10 strength points.
If you run out of strength it will either regenerate over time at a rate of one strength point every three minutes. You will not be able to visit neighbors until you have enough strength points to help them out.
How to obtain more strength - You can only obtain strength points by waiting until it regenerates at a rate of one point per three minutes.
Note - "Energy" is what you use when you are home playing in your own mansion. "Strength is used for neighbor visits only. If you purchase a meal it will upgrade your energy at home not your strength meter.
Mystery Manor Sending Gifts
Sending/Receiving Daily Free Gifts
Sending gifts - You will be allowed to send one free gift to 50 of your friends per day. At first this amount may be less and you will build up to the maximum of 50 friends per day that you can initiate sending a gift to.
If a friend requests that you send them a certain gift or collectible you will be able to do that by clicking on "Gift" in the neighbor menu, send free gift at the top of the game, or returning the favor when you accept a gift in the gift area.
Mystery Manor Messages
Claiming your gifts - When gifts are sent to you a notification will appear in the messages area when you load the game. You will be shown who sent you the gift and what it is. Click on "Take" and the gift will be found laying on the manor map when you first visit it. Click on the item and it will be placed in your inventory for future use. Click on "Send Gift" to immediately send an item back to your neighbor.
Click on the inventory box when you are ready to use the gift item.
Be sure to send return gifts to your neighbors whenever possible so the gifting relationship will benefit both of you.
Tip - Mystery boxes are a great gift to send as they have collectibles in them hat can really help you out.
This article originally appeared on Gamezebo.
Looking for a few new friends to play Mystery Manor with? Got additional cheats or tips?
Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 12, 2011
Tilt To Live creator cleverly announces new iOS project, Outwitters
For some reason, developers seem to think that casual gamers are bound to become stat-crunching strategy enthusiast someday. One Man Left, creators of iPhone mega hit Tilt To Live, have announced their next iOS project: Outwitters. The game focuses on turn-based, strategic gameplay with a heavy emphasis in multiplayer, Touch Arcade reports.
Outwitters Feedback
Outwitters GameplayAnd capturing the casual audience with a stripped strategy game that focuses on fun is exactly what One Man Left intends. The game's available characters are split into six classes: Soldier, Heavy, Runner, Medic, Sniper and Scrambler. (Hey this sounds a lot like a super popular shooter, no?) The goal of the game is destroy your opponent's base using ideal combinations of the six roles.
"The phrase 'I don't usually like this type of game, but...' has already come up in testing, which is definitely what we're aiming for," the developer said on its blog. "But how do we know if we're on the right track? We're recruiting testers that don't like strategy games AND testers that love them, and we're listening," it explained. "And then we're thinking really hard." The game is in development as of this writing, and is due out later this year on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.
[Image Credit: One Man Left]
Are you excited for an accessible strategy on iOS? Do you think that, from what you here, this developer can successfully bring a new audience into strategy games?
Outwitters Feedback
Outwitters GameplayAnd capturing the casual audience with a stripped strategy game that focuses on fun is exactly what One Man Left intends. The game's available characters are split into six classes: Soldier, Heavy, Runner, Medic, Sniper and Scrambler. (Hey this sounds a lot like a super popular shooter, no?) The goal of the game is destroy your opponent's base using ideal combinations of the six roles.
"The phrase 'I don't usually like this type of game, but...' has already come up in testing, which is definitely what we're aiming for," the developer said on its blog. "But how do we know if we're on the right track? We're recruiting testers that don't like strategy games AND testers that love them, and we're listening," it explained. "And then we're thinking really hard." The game is in development as of this writing, and is due out later this year on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices.
[Image Credit: One Man Left]
Are you excited for an accessible strategy on iOS? Do you think that, from what you here, this developer can successfully bring a new audience into strategy games?
Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack: Facebok gaming will 'crash very hard'
For a guy who's nearly 11-year-old crown jewel in the making was a commercial and critical flop, Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack has made a pretty bold prediction. According to the legendary game designer, Facebook games like Zynga's empire are doomed to fail, Industry Gamers found out during an interview. According to the creator, investing huge amounts of money in social games is foolish and that the genre will bubble up and burst.
"It is damaging traditional gaming for sure but... how it's going to work out is anyone's guess," Dyack told Industry Gamers. "The trend that I see is it's probably going to be one of the biggest bubbles and explosions that our industry's seen in a long time and I think when it crashes it's going to crash very hard. I don't think there's an economy there." Simply put, the developer just doesn't see FarmVille and its cronies lasting very long in the industry.
Facebook Games better with friends
However, much of Dyack's argument seems to stem from a personal distaste for digital farming. "I tried playing FarmVille, I really did, but it's not my cup of tea," he said. "And I'm not saying that FarmVille's a bad game but as a gamer who's played games all my life, I know what kinds of games I want to play. I play games every day and I'm always trying new stuff. Our golden rule is we make games that we want to play ourselves and I just look at those [social] games and those are just games I don't want to play for whatever reason. I just think that they're not a good use of my time versus quality."
Of course, this prediction is the odd one out when it comes to what the industry generally expects of social games. Now, to me a $10 billion company created in under half a decade thanks to social gaming says a lot for the future of the industry. However, I'll play devil's advocate: Suppose social games do die on Facebook. Our games have already been affected by their unique connection to social channels. Look at games like Uncharted 3. If anything, social games will not die, their influence will become inherent in game design.
[Via Cnet]
[Image Credits: Inside Facebook and Our Social Times]
Do you think social games are bound to crash and burn? If anything, how will the genre change over the next few years? Will social features just become inherent in game design?
"It is damaging traditional gaming for sure but... how it's going to work out is anyone's guess," Dyack told Industry Gamers. "The trend that I see is it's probably going to be one of the biggest bubbles and explosions that our industry's seen in a long time and I think when it crashes it's going to crash very hard. I don't think there's an economy there." Simply put, the developer just doesn't see FarmVille and its cronies lasting very long in the industry.
Facebook Games better with friends
However, much of Dyack's argument seems to stem from a personal distaste for digital farming. "I tried playing FarmVille, I really did, but it's not my cup of tea," he said. "And I'm not saying that FarmVille's a bad game but as a gamer who's played games all my life, I know what kinds of games I want to play. I play games every day and I'm always trying new stuff. Our golden rule is we make games that we want to play ourselves and I just look at those [social] games and those are just games I don't want to play for whatever reason. I just think that they're not a good use of my time versus quality."
Of course, this prediction is the odd one out when it comes to what the industry generally expects of social games. Now, to me a $10 billion company created in under half a decade thanks to social gaming says a lot for the future of the industry. However, I'll play devil's advocate: Suppose social games do die on Facebook. Our games have already been affected by their unique connection to social channels. Look at games like Uncharted 3. If anything, social games will not die, their influence will become inherent in game design.
[Via Cnet]
[Image Credits: Inside Facebook and Our Social Times]
Do you think social games are bound to crash and burn? If anything, how will the genre change over the next few years? Will social features just become inherent in game design?
Nick Jonas composes soundtrack for Wizard 101 expansion world
Nick Jonas Wizard 101
It's not just famous rap stars that can't stay away from Facebook and casual games, now iconic pop stars have the fever. The Jonas Brothers Band lead vocalist Nick Jonas has composed the soundtrack for the latest Wizard 101 expansion: Wintertusk. The game, a kid-friendly MMO developed and released by KingsIsle, allows kids to become powerful wizards in an academy of magic.
The developer has teased the then mystery composer for about a month, and rightfully so. Considering the kid is younger than me and has already accumulated millions of dollars, incredible fame and expertise in the music world, Jonas is a big deal. Early testers of the new expansion world could interact with a hooded version of the character, which hinted, "I've performed on Saturday Night Live and my initials are not J.B.!" According to Mashable, 2,700 fans guessed the mystery composer correctly in a contest on the Wizard 101 Facebook page. (And a good amount guessed "Justin Bieber" even after Nick's hint.)
And finally, the Jonas Brother has removed his hood to reveal himself--the in the game. Now that Nick has dipped his feet into the world of video game music, it'll be exciting to see if this interest guides him deeper into the industry. (Perhaps a trip over to Facebook is in order.) Wait a second, I don't see a ring on those fingers... Jonas!
[Image Credit: Mashable]
Are you a Wizard 101 player? Regardless, are you excited to see a Jonas Brother get into video games? Which social game do you think Nick should consider contributing to?
It's not just famous rap stars that can't stay away from Facebook and casual games, now iconic pop stars have the fever. The Jonas Brothers Band lead vocalist Nick Jonas has composed the soundtrack for the latest Wizard 101 expansion: Wintertusk. The game, a kid-friendly MMO developed and released by KingsIsle, allows kids to become powerful wizards in an academy of magic.
The developer has teased the then mystery composer for about a month, and rightfully so. Considering the kid is younger than me and has already accumulated millions of dollars, incredible fame and expertise in the music world, Jonas is a big deal. Early testers of the new expansion world could interact with a hooded version of the character, which hinted, "I've performed on Saturday Night Live and my initials are not J.B.!" According to Mashable, 2,700 fans guessed the mystery composer correctly in a contest on the Wizard 101 Facebook page. (And a good amount guessed "Justin Bieber" even after Nick's hint.)
And finally, the Jonas Brother has removed his hood to reveal himself--the in the game. Now that Nick has dipped his feet into the world of video game music, it'll be exciting to see if this interest guides him deeper into the industry. (Perhaps a trip over to Facebook is in order.) Wait a second, I don't see a ring on those fingers... Jonas!
[Image Credit: Mashable]
Are you a Wizard 101 player? Regardless, are you excited to see a Jonas Brother get into video games? Which social game do you think Nick should consider contributing to?
Front Mission creator Toshiro Tsuchida was 'addicted to social games'
Ah-ha! So, that explains why Toshiro Tsuchida, founder of Japanese game studio G-Craft and creator of the Front Mission and Arc the Lad franchises, moved on from some of the most hardcore games out there to social games. Tsuchida joined Japanese mega-developer Gree back in March, and the design icon told 1UP that the move was partially inspired by a personal interest in social games like Tsuri-star.
"Before I joined Gree, I became addicted to social games like Tsuri-star [a fishing sim] off the recommendations of friends," he said to 1UP. "I admired the idea of players working with each other over networks. It felt like a very natural process, players seeing the merits of working with each other and the game then encouraging them to spend cash to give them the advantage."
Since founding G-Craft, Tsuchiro admits that his focus shifted from creating games to managing teams, losing sight of what makes games fun and becoming absorbed in deadlines. At Gree, 1UP reports that the veteran designer said his collected knowledge will serve him well in creating social games for the monolithic developer. This is far from the first time a traditional game designer has succumbed to the allure of Facebook.
Doom creator John Romero founded his own studio and has two upcoming Facebook games; Richard Garriott, the man behind Ultima, has dove into Facebook; Sid Meier is bringing his acclaimed Civilization franchise to Facebook. Need we say more? Tsuchiro joins a large camp of triple-A refugees, looking to revive their creative spirits on Facebook. Now, if only they all banded together and created one super Facebook game (please tell me they're reading this).
[Image Credit: 1UP]
What do you think of yet another traditional developer moving onto Facebook? How will this mass exodus of talent affect the triple-A games scene?
"Before I joined Gree, I became addicted to social games like Tsuri-star [a fishing sim] off the recommendations of friends," he said to 1UP. "I admired the idea of players working with each other over networks. It felt like a very natural process, players seeing the merits of working with each other and the game then encouraging them to spend cash to give them the advantage."
Since founding G-Craft, Tsuchiro admits that his focus shifted from creating games to managing teams, losing sight of what makes games fun and becoming absorbed in deadlines. At Gree, 1UP reports that the veteran designer said his collected knowledge will serve him well in creating social games for the monolithic developer. This is far from the first time a traditional game designer has succumbed to the allure of Facebook.
Doom creator John Romero founded his own studio and has two upcoming Facebook games; Richard Garriott, the man behind Ultima, has dove into Facebook; Sid Meier is bringing his acclaimed Civilization franchise to Facebook. Need we say more? Tsuchiro joins a large camp of triple-A refugees, looking to revive their creative spirits on Facebook. Now, if only they all banded together and created one super Facebook game (please tell me they're reading this).
[Image Credit: 1UP]
What do you think of yet another traditional developer moving onto Facebook? How will this mass exodus of talent affect the triple-A games scene?
Jeopardy! on Facebook: Terrific trivia, but where are my friends?
All of us, like Gloria Clemente, have dreamed of being a Jeopardy! contestant. While it's doubtful that many of you will utterly dominate like she did, GSN Digital still wants to give Facebook gamers everywhere the chance. The developer has released Jeopardy! for Facebook, and the game has been expertly adapted to the platform with a few social features. Unfortunately, the game fails to capture the essence of Jeopardy!: three-way cerebral combat. In Jeopardy! for Facebook, it's just your lonely self in the hot seat, answering a series of multiple choice questions while wagering set amounts of cash per trivia question. And this is where the first problem with this game might arise for Jeopardy purists. The original Jeopardy never offers four possible answers. But then again, it's doubtful that this adaptation is geared toward the encyclopedia junkie who applies for a spot on the show incessantly. Better yet for the trivia "casuals," players can choose what to wager from a set of options for each questions. Gaming the system is intentional, allowing contestants to take better advantage of what they know, and mitigate the monetary damage from what they don't.
Gallery: Jeopardy on Facebook
It's definitely not as challenging as the original Jeopardy, but is that really the point of Facebook games? What truly hinders the game are three things. First, Jeopardy's version of the Energy system, or Episodes, leaves little time for you to actually play the game. Every time you play one of the short trivia sessions, you'll lose on Episode. Sure, players can send one another free Episodes, but that can only be done once every few hours. This leaves potentially large gaps of time in which you cannot play the game outside of paying up in Gold, which can be earned from winning games or buying it outright.
Second, the lack of real time, three-person trivia gameplay simply would have made Jeopardy the ultimate adaptation of a game show to Facebook. As of right now, things get quite lonely in the game, as there is little to no social interaction outside of sending and receiving gifts. Perhaps the change is being worked on as of this writing, because an upgrade like that could launch this game's paltry 128 thousand monthly player base, according to AppData, into the millions.
Jeopardy Facebook
Speaking of which, there aren't enough social features in the game, generally speaking. Aside from a leader board for your friends and the ability to trade gifts and Boosts with--which allow players to either pass on questions or multiply the payout or penalty for a question--them. Players can ask one another for help for which friends can respond through the home screen. While these options sound like quite a lot, and they are, playing the game still feels terribly lonely. Because, at the end of the day, it's just you staring at the wall of quizzical television screens ... alone.
Click here to try Jeopardy on Facebook Now >
Have you played Jeopardy on Facebook? Do you mind the lack of real time multiplayer? What do you like about the game?
Gallery: Jeopardy on Facebook
It's definitely not as challenging as the original Jeopardy, but is that really the point of Facebook games? What truly hinders the game are three things. First, Jeopardy's version of the Energy system, or Episodes, leaves little time for you to actually play the game. Every time you play one of the short trivia sessions, you'll lose on Episode. Sure, players can send one another free Episodes, but that can only be done once every few hours. This leaves potentially large gaps of time in which you cannot play the game outside of paying up in Gold, which can be earned from winning games or buying it outright.
Second, the lack of real time, three-person trivia gameplay simply would have made Jeopardy the ultimate adaptation of a game show to Facebook. As of right now, things get quite lonely in the game, as there is little to no social interaction outside of sending and receiving gifts. Perhaps the change is being worked on as of this writing, because an upgrade like that could launch this game's paltry 128 thousand monthly player base, according to AppData, into the millions.
Jeopardy Facebook
Speaking of which, there aren't enough social features in the game, generally speaking. Aside from a leader board for your friends and the ability to trade gifts and Boosts with--which allow players to either pass on questions or multiply the payout or penalty for a question--them. Players can ask one another for help for which friends can respond through the home screen. While these options sound like quite a lot, and they are, playing the game still feels terribly lonely. Because, at the end of the day, it's just you staring at the wall of quizzical television screens ... alone.
Click here to try Jeopardy on Facebook Now >
Have you played Jeopardy on Facebook? Do you mind the lack of real time multiplayer? What do you like about the game?
Chủ Nhật, 25 tháng 12, 2011
FrontierVille Pioneer Camp Goals: Everything you need to know
While you're busy building your Pioneer Camp to house some weary travelers in FrontierVille, don't forget that this feature has actually opened up a series of six new goals for you to complete. These goals see you helping up to five different travelers, with each traveler giving you a special, rare item for helping them, along with unlocking part of the in-game story concerning the upcoming Pioneer Trail expansion, which will launch soon.
Let's start with the very first goal, called "Make Camp:"
Finish Building the Pioneer Camp
Tend 40 Cows on your Homestead
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
To see a complete look to building the Pioneer Camp, check out our guide. Your rewards for finishing this first goal are 500 XP, Flint and a Blue Tent. This Flint, along with the first reward of all of the remaining goals, goes to the Pioneer Campsite Collection, which offers you a Sleeping Bag for Two for finishing it (check out our guide for all of the info).
The next of the six goals introduces us to the Carpenter, and is called "A Handy Dandy."
Chop Oak Trees 100 Times on your Homestead or a Neighbors'
Collect Two Pine Cones
Collect 10 Trail Canteens
Pine Cones are a collection item, while you'll need to ask your friends for the Canteens. For helping out the Carpenter, you'll not only unlock his portion of the story, but you'll also receive 1,000 coins, a Nature Journal and a Girly Tent.
Next, we move onto helping the Hunter in a goal called "Mountain Goat Jerky."
Collect one Chicken Drumstick
Collect 100 Food
Collect 8 Preserving Salts
The Preserving Salts are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. Finishing this goal gives you 1,000 XP, a Roasted Mallow and a Pioneer Stew pot.
After this, the Doctor appears and asks for our help in "Pioneer's Scourge."
Clear 50 Grass on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest Ten Wildflowers on your Homestead
Collect Eight Stinky Herbs
As you might have guessed, the Stinky Herbs are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. If you don't have enough clear space on your land to grow Wildflowers, remember that turning in the Manure Collection gives you a free Wildflowers that can be placed out of your inventory and onto your land. Finishing this goal for the Doctor rewards you with 2,000 coins, a Skeeter Ointment and a Polka Dot Tent.
Moving on, we're introduced to the Soldier, who needs help fixing his gun in "Mathilda the Rifle."
Collect 5 Saltpeter
Collect 10 Iron Ore
Collect 10 Rounds
You very well might have the Saltpeter (from the Manure Collection) and the Iron Ore (from digging up Rocks) already, leaving you to just ask your friends for the Rounds. Either way, finishing this goal gives you 1,500 XP, another Roasted Mallow and a Camo Tent.
Finally, our last goal sees us helping out a Trader and is called "Pioneer Goods."
Craft Two Cribs
Collect One Brake Lever
Collect Eight Shipping Manifests
Cribs are crafted in the Barn, while you'll need to ask your friends for the Shipping Manifests. The Brake Lever is part of the Wagon Collection, so if you don't have it already, start collecting the Daily Bonus on your Covered Wagons to hopefully find one rather quickly. For finishing this final goal, you'll be given 2,000XP, a Mess Kit and a Horsestream Trailer, as seen below.
Remember, you must complete the goal for each traveler before the Pioneer Trail expansion itself can launch in the game, or else they'll expire and will be unavailable to you from that point forward. While it's possible Zynga may give us an extension on time, these goals aren't too terribly difficult, and with a little help from friends you shouldn't have any problems finishing them in time.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Pioneer Camp goals? Are they too difficult to be given a time limit, or would you prefer goals that offered even more of a challenge?
Let's start with the very first goal, called "Make Camp:"
Finish Building the Pioneer Camp
Tend 40 Cows on your Homestead
Clobber 5 Groundhogs
To see a complete look to building the Pioneer Camp, check out our guide. Your rewards for finishing this first goal are 500 XP, Flint and a Blue Tent. This Flint, along with the first reward of all of the remaining goals, goes to the Pioneer Campsite Collection, which offers you a Sleeping Bag for Two for finishing it (check out our guide for all of the info).
The next of the six goals introduces us to the Carpenter, and is called "A Handy Dandy."
Chop Oak Trees 100 Times on your Homestead or a Neighbors'
Collect Two Pine Cones
Collect 10 Trail Canteens
Pine Cones are a collection item, while you'll need to ask your friends for the Canteens. For helping out the Carpenter, you'll not only unlock his portion of the story, but you'll also receive 1,000 coins, a Nature Journal and a Girly Tent.
Next, we move onto helping the Hunter in a goal called "Mountain Goat Jerky."
Collect one Chicken Drumstick
Collect 100 Food
Collect 8 Preserving Salts
The Preserving Salts are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. Finishing this goal gives you 1,000 XP, a Roasted Mallow and a Pioneer Stew pot.
After this, the Doctor appears and asks for our help in "Pioneer's Scourge."
Clear 50 Grass on your Homestead or a Neighbor's Homestead
Harvest Ten Wildflowers on your Homestead
Collect Eight Stinky Herbs
As you might have guessed, the Stinky Herbs are earned by asking your friends to send them to you. If you don't have enough clear space on your land to grow Wildflowers, remember that turning in the Manure Collection gives you a free Wildflowers that can be placed out of your inventory and onto your land. Finishing this goal for the Doctor rewards you with 2,000 coins, a Skeeter Ointment and a Polka Dot Tent.
Moving on, we're introduced to the Soldier, who needs help fixing his gun in "Mathilda the Rifle."
Collect 5 Saltpeter
Collect 10 Iron Ore
Collect 10 Rounds
You very well might have the Saltpeter (from the Manure Collection) and the Iron Ore (from digging up Rocks) already, leaving you to just ask your friends for the Rounds. Either way, finishing this goal gives you 1,500 XP, another Roasted Mallow and a Camo Tent.
Finally, our last goal sees us helping out a Trader and is called "Pioneer Goods."
Craft Two Cribs
Collect One Brake Lever
Collect Eight Shipping Manifests
Cribs are crafted in the Barn, while you'll need to ask your friends for the Shipping Manifests. The Brake Lever is part of the Wagon Collection, so if you don't have it already, start collecting the Daily Bonus on your Covered Wagons to hopefully find one rather quickly. For finishing this final goal, you'll be given 2,000XP, a Mess Kit and a Horsestream Trailer, as seen below.
Remember, you must complete the goal for each traveler before the Pioneer Trail expansion itself can launch in the game, or else they'll expire and will be unavailable to you from that point forward. While it's possible Zynga may give us an extension on time, these goals aren't too terribly difficult, and with a little help from friends you shouldn't have any problems finishing them in time.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Pioneer Camp goals? Are they too difficult to be given a time limit, or would you prefer goals that offered even more of a challenge?
FrontierVille: Pioneer Campsite Collection gives you a sleeping bag for two
To go along with the release of the Pioneer Camp in FrontierVille, Zynga has also launched a Pioneer Campsite Collection in the game. However, instead of earning these collectibles are random by collecting this "building's" Daily Bonus, you'll be given these five collectibles outright when completing the six Pioneer Camp Goals.
You'll need the following:
Flint
Nature Journal
Skeeter Ointment
Roasted Mallow
Mess Kit
Interestingly, you'll actually earn the Roasted Mallow twice, meaning that you'll have one left over even after turning in this collection. For doing so, you'll receive the Sleeping Bag for Two, which should be the perfect decoration to go alongside all of those tents you'll earn for helping each individual traveler along the way. As far as collections go, this may not be the most difficult to complete, but it is incredibly interesting (at least, in the way that Zynga will hand you everything you need), and we'll make sure to let you know if other collections adopt the same feature in the future.
What do you think of the Pioneer Campsite Collection? Would you prefer completing this collection be more "random," rather than guaranteed, or do you just want that Sleeping Bag for
You'll need the following:
Flint
Nature Journal
Skeeter Ointment
Roasted Mallow
Mess Kit
Interestingly, you'll actually earn the Roasted Mallow twice, meaning that you'll have one left over even after turning in this collection. For doing so, you'll receive the Sleeping Bag for Two, which should be the perfect decoration to go alongside all of those tents you'll earn for helping each individual traveler along the way. As far as collections go, this may not be the most difficult to complete, but it is incredibly interesting (at least, in the way that Zynga will hand you everything you need), and we'll make sure to let you know if other collections adopt the same feature in the future.
What do you think of the Pioneer Campsite Collection? Would you prefer completing this collection be more "random," rather than guaranteed, or do you just want that Sleeping Bag for
FarmVille: Say yee-haw for Wild West items available for one day only
As part of the ongoing Birthday Classics series in FarmVille that has seen multiple themes re-released in the game's store each day this week, tonight's FarmVille update brings with it a return of the Wild West theme. This theme was originally launched in the game back in August and September of last year, so if you weren't playing the game back then you'll want to pay special attention here.
The full rundown of available Wild West items contains decorations, animals, and more, so make sure to browse the game's store for these items before they leave again in just 24 hours.
Trees:
Mimosa Silk Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Ironwood Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Since both of these are the same price, we'll just come right out and tell you that the Mimosa Silk Tree is the level two tree here, meaning that you don't have to purchase it from the store and can instead earn one or more through Mystery Seedlings.
Animals:
Palouse Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Buckskin Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Western Longhorn - 20 Farm Cash
Cottontail Rabbit - 12 Farm Cash
Horned Toad - 12 Farm Cash
Paint Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Mini Appaloosa - 26 Farm Cash
Armadillo - 14 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Wild West Home - 380,000 coins
Wild West Ranch - 36 Farm Cash
Wild West Hotel - 42 Farm Cash
Train Station - 42 Farm Cash
Tipi - 360,000 coins
Decorations:
Lake with Canoe - 30 Farm Cash
Cowboy Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Cactus Garden - 7 Farm Cash
Town Statue - 100,000 coins
Red Tailed Hawk (decorative animal) - 18 Farm Cash
Gold Panning - 20 Farm Cash
Wild West Stream - 22 Farm Cash
Wagon Bench - 80,000 coins
Train Caboose - 50,000 coins
Red Passenger Car - 100,000 coins
Train Engine - 22 Farm Cash
Corral Gate - 10,000 coins
Sagebrush - 1,000 coins
Corral Fence - 5,000 coins
Organ Pipe Cactus - 10,000 coins
Town Sign - 50,000 coins
As with the other themes re-released this week, there's enough new items here to really drain your bank account, even if you haven't already been spending tons of coins and cash from items released over the last few days. If you shop smart, and shop fast, though, I'm sure you'll be able to outfit your farm with plenty of fun goodies before these items disappear again.
What do you think of these Wild West items? Did you miss out on any when they were first released, or would you have preferred to see another theme re-released instead?
The full rundown of available Wild West items contains decorations, animals, and more, so make sure to browse the game's store for these items before they leave again in just 24 hours.
Trees:
Mimosa Silk Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Ironwood Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Since both of these are the same price, we'll just come right out and tell you that the Mimosa Silk Tree is the level two tree here, meaning that you don't have to purchase it from the store and can instead earn one or more through Mystery Seedlings.
Animals:
Palouse Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Buckskin Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Western Longhorn - 20 Farm Cash
Cottontail Rabbit - 12 Farm Cash
Horned Toad - 12 Farm Cash
Paint Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Mini Appaloosa - 26 Farm Cash
Armadillo - 14 Farm Cash
Buildings:
Wild West Home - 380,000 coins
Wild West Ranch - 36 Farm Cash
Wild West Hotel - 42 Farm Cash
Train Station - 42 Farm Cash
Tipi - 360,000 coins
Decorations:
Lake with Canoe - 30 Farm Cash
Cowboy Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Cactus Garden - 7 Farm Cash
Town Statue - 100,000 coins
Red Tailed Hawk (decorative animal) - 18 Farm Cash
Gold Panning - 20 Farm Cash
Wild West Stream - 22 Farm Cash
Wagon Bench - 80,000 coins
Train Caboose - 50,000 coins
Red Passenger Car - 100,000 coins
Train Engine - 22 Farm Cash
Corral Gate - 10,000 coins
Sagebrush - 1,000 coins
Corral Fence - 5,000 coins
Organ Pipe Cactus - 10,000 coins
Town Sign - 50,000 coins
As with the other themes re-released this week, there's enough new items here to really drain your bank account, even if you haven't already been spending tons of coins and cash from items released over the last few days. If you shop smart, and shop fast, though, I'm sure you'll be able to outfit your farm with plenty of fun goodies before these items disappear again.
What do you think of these Wild West items? Did you miss out on any when they were first released, or would you have preferred to see another theme re-released instead?
FarmVille Birthday Mystery Box comes to life with sheep as prizes
While FarmVille may have tons of adorable, collectible animals, I have to say I'm probably the biggest fan of the Sheep, with all of their variety and wild colors we've seen released in the past. Imagine my excitement then when discovering that tonight's Birthday Mystery Box released in the game contains a set of limited edition Sheep!
This Mystery Box, like the others released this week, will only be available in the game for a single day, and you'll need to pay 20 Farm Cash to add a random Sheep from the box to your land. Here's what you can hope to find inside:
Lantern Sheep
Orange Ewe
Pastel Purple Ewe
Valentine Sheep
Welsh Mountain Sheep
Yellow Ewe
Remember, unfortunately this Birthday Mystery Box doesn't count as a Mystery Game, so you won't be able to use any saved darts to play - you will actually have to pay the 20 Farm Cash. Still, if you want to add a new color to your Sheep Breeding possibilities, or just want to add a new member to your farm family, do so fast before this box expires, taking the Sheep along with it!
Will you purchase a Sheep-filled Birthday Mystery Box, or will you save your Farm Cash for this weekend's Mystery Game?
This Mystery Box, like the others released this week, will only be available in the game for a single day, and you'll need to pay 20 Farm Cash to add a random Sheep from the box to your land. Here's what you can hope to find inside:
Lantern Sheep
Orange Ewe
Pastel Purple Ewe
Valentine Sheep
Welsh Mountain Sheep
Yellow Ewe
Remember, unfortunately this Birthday Mystery Box doesn't count as a Mystery Game, so you won't be able to use any saved darts to play - you will actually have to pay the 20 Farm Cash. Still, if you want to add a new color to your Sheep Breeding possibilities, or just want to add a new member to your farm family, do so fast before this box expires, taking the Sheep along with it!
Will you purchase a Sheep-filled Birthday Mystery Box, or will you save your Farm Cash for this weekend's Mystery Game?
Cafe World BBQ Grill: Everything you need to know
It seems as though Zynga has really taken a liking to this not-so-user-friendly method of cooking in Cafe World, where you'll need to ask friends to become assistants at your cooking stations in order to master dishes faster. Sure, we can ignore asking friends and master dishes slowly, but I almost feel compelled to ask my friends to help me just so I can move one to items number 2, 3, and 110 on my to-do list. Alas, such is the case with the newest piece of cooking equipment: the BBQ Grill.
This BBQ Grill takes up the space of one of your stoves in your Cafe, so you'll want to get rid of any extra large cooking projects before you place its base to avoid losing the productivity for too long. Once you place it, you'll learn that you'll be able to cook a new series of dishes on top of the Grill, and that it doesn't require cleaning. You can either cook dishes normally, allowing yourself to master them one serving at a time, or you can add friends as assistants to the station to increase your mastery faster. Additionally, when you prepare something on the Grill, your friends will be able to suggest a "sauce" for you to choose. You'll then be able to choose the winning sauce which is paired along with your dish.
But of course, you can't get down to the nitty-gritty of cooking without first constructing the BBQ Grill, so you'll need to collect four different items: 8 Grill Racks, 8 Steel Plates, 10 Kiss the Cook Aprons, and 8 Cooling Racks. The Grill Racks and Aprons are earned through individual requests to friends, while the Steel Plates and Cooking Racks are earned via general news posts asking all friends to help you at once.
To go along with this BBQ are six new goals, and we'll make sure to bring you a guide of those goals just as soon as we can, so keep checking back. and you can check out our complete guide to completing them right here.
What do you think of this BBQ Grill? Would you prefer simply collecting ingredients to build it, without having to ask your friends for help afterwards, or do you like the idea of friends picking out sauces for your dishes?
This BBQ Grill takes up the space of one of your stoves in your Cafe, so you'll want to get rid of any extra large cooking projects before you place its base to avoid losing the productivity for too long. Once you place it, you'll learn that you'll be able to cook a new series of dishes on top of the Grill, and that it doesn't require cleaning. You can either cook dishes normally, allowing yourself to master them one serving at a time, or you can add friends as assistants to the station to increase your mastery faster. Additionally, when you prepare something on the Grill, your friends will be able to suggest a "sauce" for you to choose. You'll then be able to choose the winning sauce which is paired along with your dish.
But of course, you can't get down to the nitty-gritty of cooking without first constructing the BBQ Grill, so you'll need to collect four different items: 8 Grill Racks, 8 Steel Plates, 10 Kiss the Cook Aprons, and 8 Cooling Racks. The Grill Racks and Aprons are earned through individual requests to friends, while the Steel Plates and Cooking Racks are earned via general news posts asking all friends to help you at once.
To go along with this BBQ are six new goals, and we'll make sure to bring you a guide of those goals just as soon as we can, so keep checking back. and you can check out our complete guide to completing them right here.
What do you think of this BBQ Grill? Would you prefer simply collecting ingredients to build it, without having to ask your friends for help afterwards, or do you like the idea of friends picking out sauces for your dishes?
Cafe World Grill Power Goals: Everything you need to know
To go along with the launch of the BBQ Grill in Cafe World comes a set of six Grill Power goals. These goals will see you given a series of decorations and dishes that can be cooked on the BBQ Grill, so let's get started. The first goal starts off complicated, already asking you to retrieve some items from friends:
Place the BBQ Grill to begin unlocking burners
Serve Pita and Dolmas
Ask for 3 Ears of Corn
Pita and Dolmas take four hours to cook, but remember, you can also serve servings out of your inventory for this to count as progress as well. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive an Elvis Pig decoration.
For the second of six goals, you'll need to serve more dishes and ask for more items. This is how the rest of the goal series will look, so get used to hitting that "ask" button.
Serve 20 Clubhouse Sandwich
Ask for 5 Bags of Charcoal
Have 8 Grill Racks
The Grill Racks are required for the actual construction of the BBQ Grill, so you can ask for them inside the Grill's base while you're building it. Meanwhile, the Clubhouse Sandwiches can be served after cooking for 18 hours. Finishing this goal gives you the Skillet Corn Bread recipe.
Part III of VI:
Serve Skillet Corn Bread 30 Times
Ask for 7 Cups of Cornmeal Batter
Ask for 7 Ears of Corn
As usual, just ask your friends for these items and you'll eventually finish with a little patience and perseverance. There's no special recipe as a reward this time, though, unfortunately.
Part IV of VI:
Serve Spicy Devil Eggs 30 Times
Ask for 8 Bags of Bread Crumbs
Have 6 Steel Plates
As with before, these Steel Plates are part of the BBQ Grill's construction, so you'll likely already have all that you need by the time you reach this goal. Meanwhile, the Spicy Devil Eggs can be served after cooking for 18 hours. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the BBQ Corn recipe.
Part V of VI:
Serve BBQ Corn 40 Times
Ask for 8 Bags of Beans
Ask for 8 Cups of Chopped Onions
Unfortunately, you might get stuck on this one, as you'll need a whopping 16 items to move on. You know, I could have sworn that we as users were getting tired of sending out mass requests to friends every single day, and that we've told Zynga as much, but they clearly aren't listening. Either way, once you finish these tasks, you can move on to the finale of this series.
Part VI of VI:
Reach Level 2 Mastery of Skillet Corn Bread
Ask for 12 Tanks of Gas
Finish Building BBQ Grill
Likely, you will have already finished building the BBQ Grill by this point, so at least that's a forgettable task, bringing us down to two. Just keep cooking the Skillet Corn Bread, along with the continued spamm-- err, requests to friends and you'll eventually finish this one off. You'll be rewarded with the Four Bean Chili recipe for your efforts.
We'll make sure to let you know if more Grill Power recipes are released in the future (it wouldn't be surprising), so keep checking back.
In the meantime, though, we'd love to know what you think of these Grill Power goals. Are you excited about having a new piece of cooking equipment in your cafe, or are you tired of the endless series of building and item requests?
Place the BBQ Grill to begin unlocking burners
Serve Pita and Dolmas
Ask for 3 Ears of Corn
Pita and Dolmas take four hours to cook, but remember, you can also serve servings out of your inventory for this to count as progress as well. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive an Elvis Pig decoration.
For the second of six goals, you'll need to serve more dishes and ask for more items. This is how the rest of the goal series will look, so get used to hitting that "ask" button.
Serve 20 Clubhouse Sandwich
Ask for 5 Bags of Charcoal
Have 8 Grill Racks
The Grill Racks are required for the actual construction of the BBQ Grill, so you can ask for them inside the Grill's base while you're building it. Meanwhile, the Clubhouse Sandwiches can be served after cooking for 18 hours. Finishing this goal gives you the Skillet Corn Bread recipe.
Part III of VI:
Serve Skillet Corn Bread 30 Times
Ask for 7 Cups of Cornmeal Batter
Ask for 7 Ears of Corn
As usual, just ask your friends for these items and you'll eventually finish with a little patience and perseverance. There's no special recipe as a reward this time, though, unfortunately.
Part IV of VI:
Serve Spicy Devil Eggs 30 Times
Ask for 8 Bags of Bread Crumbs
Have 6 Steel Plates
As with before, these Steel Plates are part of the BBQ Grill's construction, so you'll likely already have all that you need by the time you reach this goal. Meanwhile, the Spicy Devil Eggs can be served after cooking for 18 hours. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the BBQ Corn recipe.
Part V of VI:
Serve BBQ Corn 40 Times
Ask for 8 Bags of Beans
Ask for 8 Cups of Chopped Onions
Unfortunately, you might get stuck on this one, as you'll need a whopping 16 items to move on. You know, I could have sworn that we as users were getting tired of sending out mass requests to friends every single day, and that we've told Zynga as much, but they clearly aren't listening. Either way, once you finish these tasks, you can move on to the finale of this series.
Part VI of VI:
Reach Level 2 Mastery of Skillet Corn Bread
Ask for 12 Tanks of Gas
Finish Building BBQ Grill
Likely, you will have already finished building the BBQ Grill by this point, so at least that's a forgettable task, bringing us down to two. Just keep cooking the Skillet Corn Bread, along with the continued spamm-- err, requests to friends and you'll eventually finish this one off. You'll be rewarded with the Four Bean Chili recipe for your efforts.
We'll make sure to let you know if more Grill Power recipes are released in the future (it wouldn't be surprising), so keep checking back.
In the meantime, though, we'd love to know what you think of these Grill Power goals. Are you excited about having a new piece of cooking equipment in your cafe, or are you tired of the endless series of building and item requests?
Dress Up Rush on iPad mixes time management with fashion design with some questionable results
What all started with games like Diner Dash in the now classic time management genre has branched into fashion design on the iPad with Dress Up Rush from G5 Entertainment. Dress Up Rush places you in the somewhat cheesy role of a young woman who dreams of owning her own boutique while lounging on the beach with pals. Making her dreams a reality, you're sent on a 60 level journey through five environments as you sell clothes to a variety of different customers, each with their own individual fashion sense (in theory).
Where you might think this is simply a game where people come into your store and buy things automatically from the shelves and racks, it's much more archaic a process than that. Customers will sit down at one of four chairs in your boutique, and you'll need to bring them a catalog detailing your wares and services. A thought bubble represents their every need, and will show you whether they want a red shirt, a green pair of pants, a skirt, and so on. You'll then need to rush to your clothing racks, spinning them to find the right garment if necessary and bring it back to them.
While this mechanic works well enough, you'll also have to watch out for guests that want things hemmed or gift wrapped, as you must then take the item to another station in your boutique, completing that task, and then bringing them back to the customer. But wait! There's more! Your customer may decide to try the item on (a wise choice in the real world), which is really the only action they'll take on their own. Add to this customers that want coffee while they wait, and those that leave trash behind in their seats (which you must tap on manually, even if you've hired a maid service to clean them "automatically"), and you have an incredibly lengthy process in just getting a single guest in and out of the door.
What's more is the fact that while you're waiting for your picky customer to slowly sip their java, customers are lining up at the door, or even leaving as there's no place for them to sit. In theory, you would be able to better manage your taps to help customers move more quickly from the store, but I've discovered that each level has a very specific pattern of guests, that doesn't change on subsequent playthroughs. That is, even if you tap as fast as your little fingers will allow, the game sometimes codes so many requests into guests that it is physically impossible to help everyone before someone leaves of impatience.
On a positive note, in between levels, you can upgrade your boutique, adding new chairs, flooring and lighting to give off a more posh appearance, allowing with hiring cashiers, tailors and gift-wrappers to take care of those tasks for you. You can even purchase different clothing items to add to your shelves, giving your guests more variety.
Gallery: Dress Up Rush HD
All told, Dress Up Rush doesn't seem to be G5's finest effort, but it doesn't necessarily fall flat on the runway either. If you're a fan of fashion design or truly challenging time management games, this is probably one to at least glance at, but we just wish there was a Lite version to try before shelling out the $5 for the full version. If you'd like to take a risk, you can buy Dress Up Rush HD for iPad from iTunes.
Have you tried Dress Up Rush on iPad? What were your thoughts on this complex time management game? Did it satisfy your urge for fashion design, or were you left wanting more?
Where you might think this is simply a game where people come into your store and buy things automatically from the shelves and racks, it's much more archaic a process than that. Customers will sit down at one of four chairs in your boutique, and you'll need to bring them a catalog detailing your wares and services. A thought bubble represents their every need, and will show you whether they want a red shirt, a green pair of pants, a skirt, and so on. You'll then need to rush to your clothing racks, spinning them to find the right garment if necessary and bring it back to them.
While this mechanic works well enough, you'll also have to watch out for guests that want things hemmed or gift wrapped, as you must then take the item to another station in your boutique, completing that task, and then bringing them back to the customer. But wait! There's more! Your customer may decide to try the item on (a wise choice in the real world), which is really the only action they'll take on their own. Add to this customers that want coffee while they wait, and those that leave trash behind in their seats (which you must tap on manually, even if you've hired a maid service to clean them "automatically"), and you have an incredibly lengthy process in just getting a single guest in and out of the door.
What's more is the fact that while you're waiting for your picky customer to slowly sip their java, customers are lining up at the door, or even leaving as there's no place for them to sit. In theory, you would be able to better manage your taps to help customers move more quickly from the store, but I've discovered that each level has a very specific pattern of guests, that doesn't change on subsequent playthroughs. That is, even if you tap as fast as your little fingers will allow, the game sometimes codes so many requests into guests that it is physically impossible to help everyone before someone leaves of impatience.
On a positive note, in between levels, you can upgrade your boutique, adding new chairs, flooring and lighting to give off a more posh appearance, allowing with hiring cashiers, tailors and gift-wrappers to take care of those tasks for you. You can even purchase different clothing items to add to your shelves, giving your guests more variety.
Gallery: Dress Up Rush HD
All told, Dress Up Rush doesn't seem to be G5's finest effort, but it doesn't necessarily fall flat on the runway either. If you're a fan of fashion design or truly challenging time management games, this is probably one to at least glance at, but we just wish there was a Lite version to try before shelling out the $5 for the full version. If you'd like to take a risk, you can buy Dress Up Rush HD for iPad from iTunes.
Have you tried Dress Up Rush on iPad? What were your thoughts on this complex time management game? Did it satisfy your urge for fashion design, or were you left wanting more?
Thứ Năm, 22 tháng 12, 2011
FrontierVille Return of Lt. Flintlock Goals: Everything you need to know
What, working toward a getaway for you and your squeeze wasn't enough for ya? Of course it was, much less gather another 400 thousand or so Golden Hammers. This leaves us wondering why Zynga would release this set of six Goals, the Return of Lt. Flintlock, as it prepares to release the Pioneer Trail in FrontierVille any day now.
At any rate, these Goals tell the story of Lt. Flintlock's return to the Homestead and his ... augmentations to your Stagecoach. Though, it doesn't seem like he's back for Bess, like many had hoped. (Keep in mind that this is very early information and could change before the Goals' release.) Here's everything you need to know:
Flintlock Returns:
Plant 20 Peas
Tend 10 Horses on your Homestead or a neighbor's
Collect 10 Cardboard Boxes
To plant 20 Peas, you'll need 9,500 Coins and at least two days before they're ready for harvest. The Cardboard Boxes look to be sourced from friendly help requests. You reward for completing this Goal is a paltry 250 coins and 250 XP. (It gets better.)
Scrubbin' Down:
Harvest 20 Peppermint
Collect 3 General Store Daily Bonuses
Collect 10 Leather Balms
In this Goal, the 20 Peppermint will cost 4,000 Coins, if you don't already have them planted, and take four hours to harvest. The 10 Leather Balms look to be found from friend requests as well. A much improved 500 XP, 500 coins and a Clean Stagecoach (decoration) await you as a reward. The Stagecoach looks like it might be a new feature altogether, as future rewards involve upgrading it.
Trail Rations:
Craft 20 Batter
Harvest 40 Potatoes
Collect 10 Fluffy Biscuits
To craft 20 Batter in the Inn, you'll need a whopping 400 Food and 18,000 Coins. The 40 Potatoes will cost 3,600 Coins and take at least four hours to complete. As for the 10 Fluffy Biscuits, those seem to be another friend-requested item. The rewards climb again to 750 XP and 750 coins, if you finish this Goal.
Fortification:
Chop Trees 50 times
Clobber 5 Snakes
Collect 10 Steel Plates
Snakes are most frequently found clearing Debris like Skulls and Rocks. The 10 Steel Plates seem to be, yes, yet another friend-requested item. Finish these simple yet daunting tasks for a nice 1,000 Coins and 1,000 XP.
Lt. Flintlock CampOffensive Upgrades:
Sell 20 Adult Oxen
Harvest 30 Pear Trees on your Homestead
Collect 10 Spiked Wheels
Assuming you have little to none, 20 Oxen would cost a crazy 19,800 Coins and take days to mature. Pear Trees go for 972 Coins a piece--so, like the Oxen--just take your time and use what you have. The 10 Spiked Wheels seem, again, like an item found through help requests. Finish this Goal and score 1,200 XP, 1,200 coins and a second Stagecoach upgrade.
Long Road Ahead:
Collect 4 Covered Wagon Daily Bonuses
Clear ten debris on your homestead
Collect 10 Gatling Parts
While the first two requirements are self-explanatory, the 10 Gatling Parts may be yet another item you must request help in finding. For requesting your heart out in these Goals, enjoy 1,400 XP, 1,400 coins and the final Stagecoach Upgrade.
[Source: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Are you excited to see Captain Flintlock return to FrontierVille?
At any rate, these Goals tell the story of Lt. Flintlock's return to the Homestead and his ... augmentations to your Stagecoach. Though, it doesn't seem like he's back for Bess, like many had hoped. (Keep in mind that this is very early information and could change before the Goals' release.) Here's everything you need to know:
Flintlock Returns:
Plant 20 Peas
Tend 10 Horses on your Homestead or a neighbor's
Collect 10 Cardboard Boxes
To plant 20 Peas, you'll need 9,500 Coins and at least two days before they're ready for harvest. The Cardboard Boxes look to be sourced from friendly help requests. You reward for completing this Goal is a paltry 250 coins and 250 XP. (It gets better.)
Scrubbin' Down:
Harvest 20 Peppermint
Collect 3 General Store Daily Bonuses
Collect 10 Leather Balms
In this Goal, the 20 Peppermint will cost 4,000 Coins, if you don't already have them planted, and take four hours to harvest. The 10 Leather Balms look to be found from friend requests as well. A much improved 500 XP, 500 coins and a Clean Stagecoach (decoration) await you as a reward. The Stagecoach looks like it might be a new feature altogether, as future rewards involve upgrading it.
Trail Rations:
Craft 20 Batter
Harvest 40 Potatoes
Collect 10 Fluffy Biscuits
To craft 20 Batter in the Inn, you'll need a whopping 400 Food and 18,000 Coins. The 40 Potatoes will cost 3,600 Coins and take at least four hours to complete. As for the 10 Fluffy Biscuits, those seem to be another friend-requested item. The rewards climb again to 750 XP and 750 coins, if you finish this Goal.
Fortification:
Chop Trees 50 times
Clobber 5 Snakes
Collect 10 Steel Plates
Snakes are most frequently found clearing Debris like Skulls and Rocks. The 10 Steel Plates seem to be, yes, yet another friend-requested item. Finish these simple yet daunting tasks for a nice 1,000 Coins and 1,000 XP.
Lt. Flintlock CampOffensive Upgrades:
Sell 20 Adult Oxen
Harvest 30 Pear Trees on your Homestead
Collect 10 Spiked Wheels
Assuming you have little to none, 20 Oxen would cost a crazy 19,800 Coins and take days to mature. Pear Trees go for 972 Coins a piece--so, like the Oxen--just take your time and use what you have. The 10 Spiked Wheels seem, again, like an item found through help requests. Finish this Goal and score 1,200 XP, 1,200 coins and a second Stagecoach upgrade.
Long Road Ahead:
Collect 4 Covered Wagon Daily Bonuses
Clear ten debris on your homestead
Collect 10 Gatling Parts
While the first two requirements are self-explanatory, the 10 Gatling Parts may be yet another item you must request help in finding. For requesting your heart out in these Goals, enjoy 1,400 XP, 1,400 coins and the final Stagecoach Upgrade.
[Source: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Are you excited to see Captain Flintlock return to FrontierVille?
Facebook's Sean Ryan: 'I think Google's a viable competitor'
So, the heat is on then, huh? During an interview with Gamasutra, Facebook's Director of Games Partnerships Sean Ryan (pictured far right) called Google a "viable competitor," likely referring to its all but confirmed Google+ Games effort. Ryan, who joined the company six months ago, has big plans for Facebook and its role as a games platform. And he's not afraid of Google nor the massive Japanese social game companies DeNA and Gree, who bought Ngmoco and OpenFeint, respectively.
"At the end of the day, we're not so much about a game network," Ryan said to Gamasutra. "We're about the social graph, and everything you can do through it. So there's no reason we can't partner with everybody. We're a very partner-driven organization in general. It's just a matter of trying to figure out how that makes sense to both parties."
In other words, Facebook could just offer DeNA and Gree deals that they couldn't possibly refuse, though that's speculation at best. Facebook has some more ... concrete plans when it comes to how it will handle games on the platform from here on out. Well, at least Ryan knows what's best. First of all, the landscape for Facebook games has changed, and the copycat games must go.
It's no question it is harder to break into the top ten, just like it is in any business," Ryan told Gamasutra. "What we're seeing is, I don't think you can, right now, put out a clone of a clone of a clone and be successful. There's no question. You need to put out a well-targeted, well-designed game." (Can somebody say, "hallelujah?")
Better yet, Ryan and his team are considering a "concept of a lighter-weight social layer, that you and I can be friends without necessarily being friends," he told Gamasutra. For more on what Ryan thinks of the state of gaming on Facebook, check out in the interview in full here.
[Image Credit: Liz Mangelsdorf]
What do you think of Ryan's ideas and thoughts for Facebook gaming and its competitors? Do you think Ryan can turn Facebook into a more effective games platforms?
"At the end of the day, we're not so much about a game network," Ryan said to Gamasutra. "We're about the social graph, and everything you can do through it. So there's no reason we can't partner with everybody. We're a very partner-driven organization in general. It's just a matter of trying to figure out how that makes sense to both parties."
In other words, Facebook could just offer DeNA and Gree deals that they couldn't possibly refuse, though that's speculation at best. Facebook has some more ... concrete plans when it comes to how it will handle games on the platform from here on out. Well, at least Ryan knows what's best. First of all, the landscape for Facebook games has changed, and the copycat games must go.
It's no question it is harder to break into the top ten, just like it is in any business," Ryan told Gamasutra. "What we're seeing is, I don't think you can, right now, put out a clone of a clone of a clone and be successful. There's no question. You need to put out a well-targeted, well-designed game." (Can somebody say, "hallelujah?")
Better yet, Ryan and his team are considering a "concept of a lighter-weight social layer, that you and I can be friends without necessarily being friends," he told Gamasutra. For more on what Ryan thinks of the state of gaming on Facebook, check out in the interview in full here.
[Image Credit: Liz Mangelsdorf]
What do you think of Ryan's ideas and thoughts for Facebook gaming and its competitors? Do you think Ryan can turn Facebook into a more effective games platforms?
FarmVille Craftshop expands (again), work on six recipes at once
In a last ditch attempt to get players to care about the Craftshop in FarmVille, Zynga has introduced yet another update to the building. (As if a building to compliment the building wasn't enough.)
However, the new feature is certainly worth considering, as it allows players to craft up to six items at once in the Craftshop. Just click on your Craftshop and then "Look Inside."
Then, you'll immediately be greeted a new-and-improved Craftshop interface with six "Work Stations" sitting above the list of available recipes. The interface appears with an overlay, allowing you to ask your friends for more Wrenches, Pipes and Clamps.
It takes five of each to unlock each additional Work Station, totaling six. Now, all you need are more Bushels ... and a helluva lot more Manure.
FarmVille Craftshop expansion
Are you enjoying the added utility to the Craftshop? Are you a fan of the feature overall, or could you do without?
However, the new feature is certainly worth considering, as it allows players to craft up to six items at once in the Craftshop. Just click on your Craftshop and then "Look Inside."
Then, you'll immediately be greeted a new-and-improved Craftshop interface with six "Work Stations" sitting above the list of available recipes. The interface appears with an overlay, allowing you to ask your friends for more Wrenches, Pipes and Clamps.
It takes five of each to unlock each additional Work Station, totaling six. Now, all you need are more Bushels ... and a helluva lot more Manure.
FarmVille Craftshop expansion
Are you enjoying the added utility to the Craftshop? Are you a fan of the feature overall, or could you do without?
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Toyota 100 Cars for Good promo
Toyota apparently likes to give things away. Most importantly of which, of course, is Farm Cash--and the Japanese car manufacturer seems to have it in spades. Zynga has teamed up with Toyota and its 100 Cars for Good charity once again to give FarmVille players a freebie.
Just click on the link below your FarmVille game screen that reads, "Vote for your favorite charity and get cash!" Now, a pop-up window will appear with a cutesy promotional video for Toyota and blah, blah, blah. Just answer the questions as the video plays, and eventually blue text will appear next to a large blue "X" in the window's upper right corner that reads, "You've earned your Farm Cash."
Click the blue "X" to close the window, and your 2 Farm Cash should post to your account immediately. If not, give it at least a half-hour before getting Zynga on the horn. Unfortunately, not all players around the world have access to these promotions, and they can expire at any time, so act fast if you're one of the lucky few.
FarmVille Toyota Promo
Have you earned your free Farm Cash today? Do you take advantage of these offers, or avoid them?
Just click on the link below your FarmVille game screen that reads, "Vote for your favorite charity and get cash!" Now, a pop-up window will appear with a cutesy promotional video for Toyota and blah, blah, blah. Just answer the questions as the video plays, and eventually blue text will appear next to a large blue "X" in the window's upper right corner that reads, "You've earned your Farm Cash."
Click the blue "X" to close the window, and your 2 Farm Cash should post to your account immediately. If not, give it at least a half-hour before getting Zynga on the horn. Unfortunately, not all players around the world have access to these promotions, and they can expire at any time, so act fast if you're one of the lucky few.
FarmVille Toyota Promo
Have you earned your free Farm Cash today? Do you take advantage of these offers, or avoid them?
CityVille Rent Collector: Everything you need to know
With a single word, Zynga has stricken me with fear: fuel. While we're used to (reluctantly) relying on fuel in FarmVille to plow land, harvest and plant crops, with today's release of "City Automation," CityVille has been gassed up as well. To be specific, this City Automation will apparently be the first of many tools that will allow you to reduce the number of times you'll need to click (therefore saving time) when collecting or supplying the buildings in your town. The first tool released in this feature is the Rent Collector Car, which (as you might have guessed) deals with your residences.
You'll be able to unlock the Rent Collector Car feature once you've reached level 35, and from then on, must keep a supply of both gas and energy on hand to be able to use it. The car itself comes in a parking lot the same size as a piece of road. It needs to be connected to a road or a sidewalk to activate, just as other buildings in the game need to be. You'll need to staff your Rent Collector Car with two friends (a Landlord and Door Knocker) and can then finally begin to use it.
Once placed, the Tools menu will have a new option for "Auto" or automation. Basically, this tool allows you to complete more than one task with the same click, across residences that are nearby one another, as seen below. The buildings that will be collected from highlight in orange, and with a single click, you'll spend one energy and one unit of gas for each building collected. For instance, in the picture below, you can see four highlighted buildings. Clicking once would spend four energy and four gas, and would give you the rent from all four of those buildings at once.
To earn more gas, you have a couple of options, including simply asking your friends to send you some. You'll earn bonus gas for helping friends earn gas of their own, and you can also purchase gas for City Cash. For some overall rules, the Rent Collector Car can't be stored, and your current limit on collected gas is 50 units (unless you purchase the fuel with City Cash, in which case you can hold more).
While not available yet, we've been able to learn that both Business Collection and Business Supply automation tools will be available in the future, but an exact release date hasn't been announced as of this writing. For those that are concerned about collecting another one-time-use commodity in CityVille, know that using the Rent Collector is entirely voluntary, and you can save yourself the trouble of collecting gas if you simply don't care to use the feature. I have a feeling we might care once businesses come into play, but for now, feel free to skip this one if you'd like.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you use the Rent Collector in CityVille, or are you simply stocking up on gas for when the Business Collection and Supply tools release? What do you think of the concept of another form of "energy" being released in CityVille? Is it too much to handle?
You'll be able to unlock the Rent Collector Car feature once you've reached level 35, and from then on, must keep a supply of both gas and energy on hand to be able to use it. The car itself comes in a parking lot the same size as a piece of road. It needs to be connected to a road or a sidewalk to activate, just as other buildings in the game need to be. You'll need to staff your Rent Collector Car with two friends (a Landlord and Door Knocker) and can then finally begin to use it.
Once placed, the Tools menu will have a new option for "Auto" or automation. Basically, this tool allows you to complete more than one task with the same click, across residences that are nearby one another, as seen below. The buildings that will be collected from highlight in orange, and with a single click, you'll spend one energy and one unit of gas for each building collected. For instance, in the picture below, you can see four highlighted buildings. Clicking once would spend four energy and four gas, and would give you the rent from all four of those buildings at once.
To earn more gas, you have a couple of options, including simply asking your friends to send you some. You'll earn bonus gas for helping friends earn gas of their own, and you can also purchase gas for City Cash. For some overall rules, the Rent Collector Car can't be stored, and your current limit on collected gas is 50 units (unless you purchase the fuel with City Cash, in which case you can hold more).
While not available yet, we've been able to learn that both Business Collection and Business Supply automation tools will be available in the future, but an exact release date hasn't been announced as of this writing. For those that are concerned about collecting another one-time-use commodity in CityVille, know that using the Rent Collector is entirely voluntary, and you can save yourself the trouble of collecting gas if you simply don't care to use the feature. I have a feeling we might care once businesses come into play, but for now, feel free to skip this one if you'd like.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you use the Rent Collector in CityVille, or are you simply stocking up on gas for when the Business Collection and Supply tools release? What do you think of the concept of another form of "energy" being released in CityVille? Is it too much to handle?
Thứ Sáu, 16 tháng 12, 2011
Adventure World RewardVille prizes now available
Amid the fanfare of Zynga's newest game Adventure World officially joining forces with the Indiana Jones brand, it might be easy to let the idea of RewardVille prizes slip your mind. Still, if you're an active player of many of Zynga's games, you'll be able to trade in your hard-earned zCoins for some prizes within this newest offering.
Unfortunately, there's a fairly slim selection of items available: just seven, to be specific. While some are functional items, the others can be used as decorations back in your Base Camp. Here's a complete rundown of the newly available prizes, along with their prices.
Telescope - 200 zCoins
Floodlight - 155 zCoins
Outhouse - 120 zCoins
Dynamite Stick - 100 zCoins
Water - 62 zCoins
Fuel - 62 zCoins
Food - 62 zCoins
Yes, as you might have guessed, these Dynamite, Fuel, Water and Food items are those that you need to complete various Expeditions and quests within the game. The Dynamite in particular is fairly worthwhile, if you have plenty of zCoins to spare, as you'll be left spending 1,000 coins on a single stick if you purchase it within the game.
Unfortunately, that's the lineup of all prizes as of this writing. If more are added in the future, we'll make sure to let you know.
Do you save up your RewardVille zCoins, or do you spend them just as quickly as you earn them? What do you think of these Adventure World prizes? What other sorts of items should be offered as prizes instead?
Unfortunately, there's a fairly slim selection of items available: just seven, to be specific. While some are functional items, the others can be used as decorations back in your Base Camp. Here's a complete rundown of the newly available prizes, along with their prices.
Telescope - 200 zCoins
Floodlight - 155 zCoins
Outhouse - 120 zCoins
Dynamite Stick - 100 zCoins
Water - 62 zCoins
Fuel - 62 zCoins
Food - 62 zCoins
Yes, as you might have guessed, these Dynamite, Fuel, Water and Food items are those that you need to complete various Expeditions and quests within the game. The Dynamite in particular is fairly worthwhile, if you have plenty of zCoins to spare, as you'll be left spending 1,000 coins on a single stick if you purchase it within the game.
Unfortunately, that's the lineup of all prizes as of this writing. If more are added in the future, we'll make sure to let you know.
Do you save up your RewardVille zCoins, or do you spend them just as quickly as you earn them? What do you think of these Adventure World prizes? What other sorts of items should be offered as prizes instead?
3 Blokes launches strategic assault on Facebook with Galactic Allies
Galactic Allies on Facebook
We can almost hear the 3 Blokes team in Australia screaming "Fire everything!" as they hit the proverbial "Launch" button on its first Facebook game under publisher RockYou, Galactic Allies. (It would be most appropriate, no?) Real-time strategy fans can jump in on the thrill of space-faring, asynchronous player vs player combat, complete with 3D visuals.
Essentially, Galactic Allies is RockYou and 3 Blokes's answer to the growing trend of hardcore strategy games on Facebook. However, the duo make a point of mentioning that this is a more casual approach to the burgeoning sub genre, and that the game features a heavy focus on an episodic storyline. And in keeping with current trends sparked by developers like Kixeye in War Commander, players can control units individually.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
This means you'll likely be able to maneuver your starships around enemy fire, adding another layer of strategy to combat in the game. "Galactic Allies alters expectations for what a Facebook game can be," said 3 Blokes VP and GM George Fidler in a release. "It's a deep and compelling strategy game, but with the accessibility of a browser game." (It also looks like it takes the general idea behind Galactic Trader, one of 3 Blokes's first games, and blows it wide open using some familiar art assets.)
Hopefully this accessible approach will apply to the litany of upgrades players will accumulate across various missions and episodes. Judging from these early screen shots, it looks like Galactic Allies will focus heavily on dialog, but more importantly: Battles will take place both on the surface of alien planets and far above them in the infinite void. In other words, there will be plenty of things high and low to make go boom in Galactic Allies.
Click here to learn more about Galactic Allies on Facebook >
Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? How do you think Galactic Allies might size up against its competition?
We can almost hear the 3 Blokes team in Australia screaming "Fire everything!" as they hit the proverbial "Launch" button on its first Facebook game under publisher RockYou, Galactic Allies. (It would be most appropriate, no?) Real-time strategy fans can jump in on the thrill of space-faring, asynchronous player vs player combat, complete with 3D visuals.
Essentially, Galactic Allies is RockYou and 3 Blokes's answer to the growing trend of hardcore strategy games on Facebook. However, the duo make a point of mentioning that this is a more casual approach to the burgeoning sub genre, and that the game features a heavy focus on an episodic storyline. And in keeping with current trends sparked by developers like Kixeye in War Commander, players can control units individually.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
This means you'll likely be able to maneuver your starships around enemy fire, adding another layer of strategy to combat in the game. "Galactic Allies alters expectations for what a Facebook game can be," said 3 Blokes VP and GM George Fidler in a release. "It's a deep and compelling strategy game, but with the accessibility of a browser game." (It also looks like it takes the general idea behind Galactic Trader, one of 3 Blokes's first games, and blows it wide open using some familiar art assets.)
Hopefully this accessible approach will apply to the litany of upgrades players will accumulate across various missions and episodes. Judging from these early screen shots, it looks like Galactic Allies will focus heavily on dialog, but more importantly: Battles will take place both on the surface of alien planets and far above them in the infinite void. In other words, there will be plenty of things high and low to make go boom in Galactic Allies.
Click here to learn more about Galactic Allies on Facebook >
Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? How do you think Galactic Allies might size up against its competition?
Could Adobe Flash 11 make 3D the norm in Facebook games? [Video]
Well, it's certainly a possibility. VentureBeat reports that Adobe Flash, the software used by developers to create most of the Facebook games you play right now, will be updated to Version 11 this October. The new version of Flash will include something gamers, critics and industry folk alike have clamored for: 3D graphics. Namely, 3D graphics with no downloads.
San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe's goal is to get 3D gaming in front of 1 billion online gamers. Adobe evangelist Andrew Trice said that this new version of Flash can easily integrate with Facebook's social features. This could help bring (in theory) Adobe's vision of "the game console on the web" to life.
"With this milestone release Adobe pushes the envelope of what is possible on the web with a typical PC and opens up a new world of immersive, high-performance gaming experiences," said Adobe VP and GM of Platform Danny Winokur. Adobe should reworded that statement to say "Facebook" rather than "PC," because that's exactly where the company seems to be looking.
Another part of Adobe's announcement worth noting is that through its Adobe Air software, developers will be able to create games that are cross-platform--even on Apple's iOS, which is notorious for omitting Flash support from its iOS devices. This means that (again, in theory) you could enjoy social games that look and play no different on Facebook than on your iPhone.
And they'll both be directly connected, because (for a third time, in theory) they would be the same exact game. In fact, the company looks to have Adobe Air-powered games on over 1 billion mobile devices by 2015. But whether 3D gaming will become the norm on Facebook is ultimately up to the developers, some of which have turned to software like Unity to make it happen.
However, Unity requires a download from the user to work, something not many Facebook gamers are down with. This is especially considering how wary users like FarmVille fans are already of developers potentially encroaching on their privacy. The fact that 3D gaming in Flash will require no download is certainly a boon against its 3D competitors.
If developers take full advantage of this brand spankin' new Flash, it has the potential to push Facebook gaming into the same arena as console gaming. You know, if HTML5 doesn't take off first. The video below shows what your Facebook games could be like in the not-so-distant future with Adobe Flash 11.
[Image Credit: MacLife]
Are you excited that 3D gaming could hit Facebook in a big way? Do you think 3D games could become the norm on Facebook like they have on consoles?
San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe's goal is to get 3D gaming in front of 1 billion online gamers. Adobe evangelist Andrew Trice said that this new version of Flash can easily integrate with Facebook's social features. This could help bring (in theory) Adobe's vision of "the game console on the web" to life.
"With this milestone release Adobe pushes the envelope of what is possible on the web with a typical PC and opens up a new world of immersive, high-performance gaming experiences," said Adobe VP and GM of Platform Danny Winokur. Adobe should reworded that statement to say "Facebook" rather than "PC," because that's exactly where the company seems to be looking.
Another part of Adobe's announcement worth noting is that through its Adobe Air software, developers will be able to create games that are cross-platform--even on Apple's iOS, which is notorious for omitting Flash support from its iOS devices. This means that (again, in theory) you could enjoy social games that look and play no different on Facebook than on your iPhone.
And they'll both be directly connected, because (for a third time, in theory) they would be the same exact game. In fact, the company looks to have Adobe Air-powered games on over 1 billion mobile devices by 2015. But whether 3D gaming will become the norm on Facebook is ultimately up to the developers, some of which have turned to software like Unity to make it happen.
However, Unity requires a download from the user to work, something not many Facebook gamers are down with. This is especially considering how wary users like FarmVille fans are already of developers potentially encroaching on their privacy. The fact that 3D gaming in Flash will require no download is certainly a boon against its 3D competitors.
If developers take full advantage of this brand spankin' new Flash, it has the potential to push Facebook gaming into the same arena as console gaming. You know, if HTML5 doesn't take off first. The video below shows what your Facebook games could be like in the not-so-distant future with Adobe Flash 11.
[Image Credit: MacLife]
Are you excited that 3D gaming could hit Facebook in a big way? Do you think 3D games could become the norm on Facebook like they have on consoles?
Go on a Buddy Rush between Facebook, iPhone and now Android
Now, that's what I call cross-platform. Budang, South Korea-based Team Sollmo announced that Buddy Rush, its RPG (role-playing game) in which players can use the same adventurer between Facebook and iOS devices, has hit Android devices. What this means is that now, you can access the very same game with your very same character across all three platforms.
"We've been truly honored by the reception Buddy Rush has received thus far, reaching hundreds of thousands of users on Facebook and the Apple App Store," said Company100 (the game's publisher) President Jin Cheon Kim in a release. "With the launch on Android, we're proud to offer Buddy Rush to the vast majority of smartphone owners and establish ourselves as the first to offer an RPG with true cross-platform capabilities across these popular gaming channels."
If Buddy Rush for Android is anything like it is on both Facebook and iOS devices, which we assume it is given Kim's wording, then this is essentially the same game offered across all three modes of play.
Players can take the character they're used to dungeon crawling with on Facebook, play with it a bit on their Android phone, conquer some more monsters on, say, their iPod Touch and proceed to enter yet another battle with the baddies back on Facebook.
Gallery: Buddy Rush
While it's largely a single player experience, Buddy Rush allows players to take their friends' characters asynchronously on adventures like in most Facebook games of its kind. (The main draw, of course, being that you can do so across three platforms with the same character, and arguably whenever.) So, it pays to have lots of friends in this game that I likened to a saccharine take on Blizzard's popular if terribly dark Diablo RPGs. And now that it's on yet another gaming platform, you have no excuse.
Click here to download Buddy Rush for Android Now >
Have you tried Buddy Rush on either Facebook or iOS? What do you think of Sollmo's take on asynchronous, cross-platform gameplay?
"We've been truly honored by the reception Buddy Rush has received thus far, reaching hundreds of thousands of users on Facebook and the Apple App Store," said Company100 (the game's publisher) President Jin Cheon Kim in a release. "With the launch on Android, we're proud to offer Buddy Rush to the vast majority of smartphone owners and establish ourselves as the first to offer an RPG with true cross-platform capabilities across these popular gaming channels."
If Buddy Rush for Android is anything like it is on both Facebook and iOS devices, which we assume it is given Kim's wording, then this is essentially the same game offered across all three modes of play.
Players can take the character they're used to dungeon crawling with on Facebook, play with it a bit on their Android phone, conquer some more monsters on, say, their iPod Touch and proceed to enter yet another battle with the baddies back on Facebook.
Gallery: Buddy Rush
While it's largely a single player experience, Buddy Rush allows players to take their friends' characters asynchronously on adventures like in most Facebook games of its kind. (The main draw, of course, being that you can do so across three platforms with the same character, and arguably whenever.) So, it pays to have lots of friends in this game that I likened to a saccharine take on Blizzard's popular if terribly dark Diablo RPGs. And now that it's on yet another gaming platform, you have no excuse.
Click here to download Buddy Rush for Android Now >
Have you tried Buddy Rush on either Facebook or iOS? What do you think of Sollmo's take on asynchronous, cross-platform gameplay?
Game of the Day: WHATword?
whatword what word game of the dayHalf match-3, half word game, WHATword? is an addictive word-making challenge. Line up letters to form words and knock them off the screen. But be careful because as soon as you clear a word, new balls will drop in to fill the gap. Line up various words, make an extra-long word, or use a special bonus letter; and you'll get heaps extra points. To advance to the next level, complete all the WHATwords!
See how far you can get before the WHATwords become too difficult!
Click here to play WHATword?!
whatword what word game of the day whatword what word game of the day
Pro Tips:
When in trouble, mash the "Blast" button to rearrange the letters on the board.
When you're lining up a WHATword, be careful not to create any other combos by accident. It might be a long time before the letters you need arrive in unison again.
Click here to play WHATword?!
How many levels did you clear in WHATwords?
See how far you can get before the WHATwords become too difficult!
Click here to play WHATword?!
whatword what word game of the day whatword what word game of the day
Pro Tips:
When in trouble, mash the "Blast" button to rearrange the letters on the board.
When you're lining up a WHATword, be careful not to create any other combos by accident. It might be a long time before the letters you need arrive in unison again.
Click here to play WHATword?!
How many levels did you clear in WHATwords?
6waves Lolapps puts up $10 million for indie social game developers
Is 6waves Lolapps looking to find the next FarmVille? It's possible, but what's more important is that the new found publisher-meets-developer duo is looking to give the little guy a chance. The company just announced that it has raised $10 million in what it calls the 6L Fund. With it, the publisher will grant independent social and mobile game creators the financial resources and support they need to (hopefully) create the next big thing on Facebook or elsewhere.
"There are game teams at all stages in the creative process that have fresh and potentially groundbreaking ideas," said SVP of Publishing at 6waves Lolapps Jim Ying in a statement. "With the capital and the resources that only 6waves Lolapps can deliver, they could help shape the future of social gaming."
The resources Ying referred to include cross promotion, funded user acquisition (essentially paying for more players through advertising), product management, localization, hosting, and the FLISO Game Engine. The latter is enhanced Flash--software game developers commonly use to create Facebook games--technology acquired by 6waves earlier this year.
Independent developers might want to bite, considering that 6waves Lolapps reaches about 38 million collective monthly players, according to AppData--that technically puts the company just under Diamond Dash maker wooga's over 41 million monthly players. Most importantly, this potentially gives indie social game makers a chance on Facebook, which some argue has otherwise all but dried up.
Starting Sept. 27, developers can submit their applications for the 6L Fund, and hopefully we'll see the fruits of their labor sometime next year. Who knows, maybe it's time for another indie developer to enjoy wild success. Just think, what was Rovio before Angry Birds?
What do you think of 6waves Lolapps looking to indie game creators for the next social or mobile hit? Do you think this strategy could result in the next big Facebook game?
"There are game teams at all stages in the creative process that have fresh and potentially groundbreaking ideas," said SVP of Publishing at 6waves Lolapps Jim Ying in a statement. "With the capital and the resources that only 6waves Lolapps can deliver, they could help shape the future of social gaming."
The resources Ying referred to include cross promotion, funded user acquisition (essentially paying for more players through advertising), product management, localization, hosting, and the FLISO Game Engine. The latter is enhanced Flash--software game developers commonly use to create Facebook games--technology acquired by 6waves earlier this year.
Independent developers might want to bite, considering that 6waves Lolapps reaches about 38 million collective monthly players, according to AppData--that technically puts the company just under Diamond Dash maker wooga's over 41 million monthly players. Most importantly, this potentially gives indie social game makers a chance on Facebook, which some argue has otherwise all but dried up.
Starting Sept. 27, developers can submit their applications for the 6L Fund, and hopefully we'll see the fruits of their labor sometime next year. Who knows, maybe it's time for another indie developer to enjoy wild success. Just think, what was Rovio before Angry Birds?
What do you think of 6waves Lolapps looking to indie game creators for the next social or mobile hit? Do you think this strategy could result in the next big Facebook game?
Angry Birds creator wants to publish indie games, Rovio exec says
It makes you wonder: Could Rovio be just a little bit scared that it might not strike gold again? Chief marketing officer for the creator of Angry Birds Peter Vesterbacka (pictured) said to Develop in an interview that the developer is planning to open a publishing label.
"We have some plans for this area, but not ready to announce yet," Vesterbacka told Develop. "If we do something in the publishing area, you can expect it to be a bit different."
However, it seems as if the maker of your favorite annoyed avians wants to keep things 1.) indie (independently developed) and 2.) mobile. According to Develop, Rovio has already approached several mobile game studios to form a foundation for the new business. While the Finnish company's other ventures have arguably been leaps of faith--cookbooks ... seriously?--it certainly has experience in the publishing business.
Well, at least from the other end. Angry Birds made it to the US in 2009 though Chillingo, a mobile games publisher that is now owned by EA. Of course, Rovio was able to back out of deal once the acquisition occurred, but the company is currently in another publisher relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, through which it nabbed the rights to create Angry Birds Rio.
And honestly, it would be a no-brainer for an indie game developer to team up with Rovio. For one, if the company claims to be worth at least as much as Zynga, it at least has considerable resources to offer. And seriously, could you go wrong with a team that has somehow successfully hyped up slingshotting birds into pigs for two years running? I think not.
"We have some plans for this area, but not ready to announce yet," Vesterbacka told Develop. "If we do something in the publishing area, you can expect it to be a bit different."
However, it seems as if the maker of your favorite annoyed avians wants to keep things 1.) indie (independently developed) and 2.) mobile. According to Develop, Rovio has already approached several mobile game studios to form a foundation for the new business. While the Finnish company's other ventures have arguably been leaps of faith--cookbooks ... seriously?--it certainly has experience in the publishing business.
Well, at least from the other end. Angry Birds made it to the US in 2009 though Chillingo, a mobile games publisher that is now owned by EA. Of course, Rovio was able to back out of deal once the acquisition occurred, but the company is currently in another publisher relationship with Twentieth Century Fox, through which it nabbed the rights to create Angry Birds Rio.
And honestly, it would be a no-brainer for an indie game developer to team up with Rovio. For one, if the company claims to be worth at least as much as Zynga, it at least has considerable resources to offer. And seriously, could you go wrong with a team that has somehow successfully hyped up slingshotting birds into pigs for two years running? I think not.
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Myhomefarm23's angular English countryside
Today's featured farm was created by FarmVille Forums member, Myhomefarm23. This FarmVille English Countryside plot is a great example of intelligent farm design. Sure it's a farm art masterpiece, but it's also functional!
Myhomefarm23 went about creating this absurd tree design without a single orchard, laughing at anyone who squishes their beautiful trees into storage bins. Breathtaking rows of fruit trees line the path leading up to the Eiffel Tower located at the center of the farm, creating a truly spectacular effect. Not only that, but if you look closely, where there isn't trees, the farm is full of animals! This, folks, is an exceptional sheep and pig breeding design. If harvested consistantly, this farm could turn a huge profit! Just looking at this excellent farm makes me wish I was Myhomefarm23's neighbor, just so I could reap some of the rewards :)
I just hope Myhomefarm23 has plenty of Farm Hands and Arborists saved up or they're in for a lot of clicking!
What do you think of this great English Countryside design?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Myhomefarm23 went about creating this absurd tree design without a single orchard, laughing at anyone who squishes their beautiful trees into storage bins. Breathtaking rows of fruit trees line the path leading up to the Eiffel Tower located at the center of the farm, creating a truly spectacular effect. Not only that, but if you look closely, where there isn't trees, the farm is full of animals! This, folks, is an exceptional sheep and pig breeding design. If harvested consistantly, this farm could turn a huge profit! Just looking at this excellent farm makes me wish I was Myhomefarm23's neighbor, just so I could reap some of the rewards :)
I just hope Myhomefarm23 has plenty of Farm Hands and Arborists saved up or they're in for a lot of clicking!
What do you think of this great English Countryside design?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 12, 2011
Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?
According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga's first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to?
This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga's largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn't doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.
The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What's worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.
Adventure World doesn't seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game's defense, Adventure World hasn't enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga's existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let's just focus on the adventures, hm?).
Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it's Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it's also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here's to hoping Zynga Boston's debut finds its second wind--and fast.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think the game deserves the millions of players that the company's more traditional games cater to?
PlaySay uses Facebook friends as language lessons to get you to 'Hola'
Following its debut at TechCrunch Disrupt, the giant startup launch conference in San Francisco, PlaySay is now playable for budding linguists and aspiring polyglots on Facebook.
Founder Ryan Meinzer, who has already acquired over $570K in funding, as well as a partnership with McGraw Hill, came up with PlaySay while trying to learn Japanese in Japan. Right now, PlaySay is only teaching Spanish. But Meinzer wants to use players' Facebook friends as social lures to spread interest in non-English languages.
PlaySay does this with random Flickr photos (under the Creative Commons license) and tagged photos of your Facebook friends. This part of it works like flash cards. You'll look at photos and get asked questions en español, such as, "Is your friend in this photo?", "Which friend is this?" or "Is this a photo of a girl?" Not very sophisticated stuff, but when audio is included, the potential for tougher lessons grows.
You can also post a status to Facebook via PlaySay, and then friends can click on it and get a small quiz about the meaning of what you posted. Meinzer's logic is, "Your Facebook friends are your new classmates. Check ins, status updates and pictures are your course materials." Basically, he's banking on your most curious and nosy friends to go the extra mile.
Trivia and quiz games aside (e.g. Who Want to Be a Millionaire), there really aren't any educational Facebook games right now. At one point, I fantasized that Crowdstar's Happy Aquarium or Zynga's FishVille would actually teach people about real aquarium-keeping because both use virtualized real fish in their games, but no dice. Instead, Zynga flailed in the tank with things like Fish Battle Arena.
Gallery: PlaySay
One downside to PlaySay's reliance on tagged photos is that people don't always tag photos that have them in it. And sometimes, friends tag other friends onto something to circumvent privacy settings or to just get their attention. Hence, I got asked by PlaySay, "Is one of your friends in this photo?" while I was shown a photo of a sneaker, and then told I got my answer wrong when I said the sneaker wasn't my friend. All Facebook beta game launches undergo some buggy rite of passage, but PlaySay will have to anticipate problems that no bug fixes will solve. Mind you, it's not that I particularly want them solved, because seeing that sneaker was actually pretty darn funny.
To keep track of PlaySay's development follow its official Facebook fan page.
Click here to play PlaySay on Facebook now >
How important do you think it is to learn another language? Would you like to see more educational games on Facebook?
Founder Ryan Meinzer, who has already acquired over $570K in funding, as well as a partnership with McGraw Hill, came up with PlaySay while trying to learn Japanese in Japan. Right now, PlaySay is only teaching Spanish. But Meinzer wants to use players' Facebook friends as social lures to spread interest in non-English languages.
PlaySay does this with random Flickr photos (under the Creative Commons license) and tagged photos of your Facebook friends. This part of it works like flash cards. You'll look at photos and get asked questions en español, such as, "Is your friend in this photo?", "Which friend is this?" or "Is this a photo of a girl?" Not very sophisticated stuff, but when audio is included, the potential for tougher lessons grows.
You can also post a status to Facebook via PlaySay, and then friends can click on it and get a small quiz about the meaning of what you posted. Meinzer's logic is, "Your Facebook friends are your new classmates. Check ins, status updates and pictures are your course materials." Basically, he's banking on your most curious and nosy friends to go the extra mile.
Trivia and quiz games aside (e.g. Who Want to Be a Millionaire), there really aren't any educational Facebook games right now. At one point, I fantasized that Crowdstar's Happy Aquarium or Zynga's FishVille would actually teach people about real aquarium-keeping because both use virtualized real fish in their games, but no dice. Instead, Zynga flailed in the tank with things like Fish Battle Arena.
Gallery: PlaySay
One downside to PlaySay's reliance on tagged photos is that people don't always tag photos that have them in it. And sometimes, friends tag other friends onto something to circumvent privacy settings or to just get their attention. Hence, I got asked by PlaySay, "Is one of your friends in this photo?" while I was shown a photo of a sneaker, and then told I got my answer wrong when I said the sneaker wasn't my friend. All Facebook beta game launches undergo some buggy rite of passage, but PlaySay will have to anticipate problems that no bug fixes will solve. Mind you, it's not that I particularly want them solved, because seeing that sneaker was actually pretty darn funny.
To keep track of PlaySay's development follow its official Facebook fan page.
Click here to play PlaySay on Facebook now >
How important do you think it is to learn another language? Would you like to see more educational games on Facebook?
Dunkin' Donuts pushes its brand with a free Sims Social Lawn Chair
Dunkin' Donuts strikes again in The Sims Social. On top of all the free fan gifts from Playfish and EA rolling out daily on the game's official fan page, the American coffee-and-donuts chain has chipped in for the first Sims Social-branded virtual item in the form of an exclusive Dunkin' Donuts Lawn Chair.
To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".
Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.
Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic
To get the chair, you've got to 'like' the official Dunkin' Donuts Facebook page here and then head over to the section of the page titled "DD & The Sims Social".
Owning the lawn chair adds 250 points to your house value, which is a modest, but no small amount. It also sells for 15 Simoleons, which is chump change, but hey, free furniture! And lastly, the chair comes with a bit of extra animation.
Just click on the chair, and your Sim will get the option to "Sit" or "Drink Dunkin' Donuts Coffee". So kick back, and watch your Sim lie down on the chair to sip from a steamy cup.
Dunkin Donuts Sims Social Lawn Chair
Do you enjoy branded goods in games? Do you think it makes them more realistic
Pioneer Trail Ice Shed: Everything you need to know
Just days ago, we saw the launch of the Potting Shed in Pioneer Trail, and now we've seen another "shed" added to the game. This one, the Ice Shed, will allow you to "keep your milk cold," while receiving Critter Milk for free everyday. You'll unlock two new animals via the construction of this building, and will also have a couple of goals to complete along the way. Here's a complete guide to the Ice Shed, so get our your hammers and get ready to build! Note: This feature may not be available to all players as of this writing.
Once this update rolls around to you, you can either place the base right away, or you can purchase it from the store at a later time if you choose to finish some other tasks first. Once you place it, you'll need to gather plenty of building ingredients: 10 each of Rivets, Sheet Metal and Warm Gloves, along with 15 each of Ice Boxes, Saw Dust piles and Insulation. These final three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the former trio are earned through general news feed posts.
Once built, your Ice Shed will give you access to free Critter Milk everyday when collecting the building's Daily Bonus, and you'll also receive a free Dairy Cow (that goes by the name of Daisy) once you finish the building's two goals:
Milk Cooler
Place Ice Shed
Tend 25 Adult Cows
Collect 15 Blocks of Ice
You'll need to ask your friends for the Blocks of Ice, as you might expect. For finishing this first of two goals, you'll receive 500 XP, 1,000 coins and a single bottle of Critter Milk.
Stockpiling
Tend 15 Neighbor Goats
Tend 15 Pigmy Goats
Collect 15 Glass Milk Bottles
Again, you'll finish this collection task by asking your friends to help you, while you'll need to visit at least three neighbors for all of those regular Goats. As for the Pygmy Goat, it becomes available to purchase in the store once you've completed your Ice Shed. If your friends beat you to it, it looks like you can tend their Pygmy Goats instead. Finish this goal and you'll receive 800 XP and the Daisy Dairy Cow that I told you about earlier.
All told, this is a fairly simple and straightforward building project and goal series (albeit probably a bit time consuming), so just make sure to take a few seconds out of your day to ask for these building pieces and you'll eventually finish both off.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
What do you think of the Ice Shed in Pioneer Trail? What other sorts of items would you like to receive free from buildings, if not Critter Milk?
Once this update rolls around to you, you can either place the base right away, or you can purchase it from the store at a later time if you choose to finish some other tasks first. Once you place it, you'll need to gather plenty of building ingredients: 10 each of Rivets, Sheet Metal and Warm Gloves, along with 15 each of Ice Boxes, Saw Dust piles and Insulation. These final three items are earned through individual gift requests sent to friends, while the former trio are earned through general news feed posts.
Once built, your Ice Shed will give you access to free Critter Milk everyday when collecting the building's Daily Bonus, and you'll also receive a free Dairy Cow (that goes by the name of Daisy) once you finish the building's two goals:
Milk Cooler
Place Ice Shed
Tend 25 Adult Cows
Collect 15 Blocks of Ice
You'll need to ask your friends for the Blocks of Ice, as you might expect. For finishing this first of two goals, you'll receive 500 XP, 1,000 coins and a single bottle of Critter Milk.
Stockpiling
Tend 15 Neighbor Goats
Tend 15 Pigmy Goats
Collect 15 Glass Milk Bottles
Again, you'll finish this collection task by asking your friends to help you, while you'll need to visit at least three neighbors for all of those regular Goats. As for the Pygmy Goat, it becomes available to purchase in the store once you've completed your Ice Shed. If your friends beat you to it, it looks like you can tend their Pygmy Goats instead. Finish this goal and you'll receive 800 XP and the Daisy Dairy Cow that I told you about earlier.
All told, this is a fairly simple and straightforward building project and goal series (albeit probably a bit time consuming), so just make sure to take a few seconds out of your day to ask for these building pieces and you'll eventually finish both off.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
What do you think of the Ice Shed in Pioneer Trail? What other sorts of items would you like to receive free from buildings, if not Critter Milk?
Cafe World 2 Year Anniversary Winston's Royals Goals: Everything you need to know
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, chefs (I really do), but it looks like there's a new goal series - actually, an entire event - now taking place in Cafe World celebrating the game's two year anniversary. Via this (apparently first?) goal series, you'll be helping Winston prepare a feast fit for a King, because you are indeed cooking for Royals (our anniversary celebration includes a vacation to Britain). There are new dishes up for grabs in these goals, and if you can finish them all within the next 18 days, you'll have the ability to repeat them to earn all of the dishes therein. Yes, that's right, two of your favorite things are present here - repeatable goals and a time limit. While I know that not all of you out there are opposed to such things, there are plenty more who are, so we'll try to help you through these goals at least once with our guide.
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
What do you think of the Winston's Royals goals and the two-year anniversary event as a whole?
Winston's Royals 1
Ask for 3 old British Recipe Cards
Spice 6 of your own dishes
Place the High Table Tea Party
First, the High Table Tea Party is a new building project that we'll have a guide for as soon as possible and you can check out our guide to building it right here. In the meantime, don't panic about the spice task; if you have any extra Salts or Peppers lying around, just use those. Meanwhile, as your friends for the Recipe Cards. Finishing this goal gives you five Travel Passes. These are a huge element of this event, as they'll give you a chance to win real-world prizes like trips "around the world," or in-game items like Stoves and Cafe Cash, and you'll have the ability to collect literally hundreds of them throughout the entirety of this event.
Winston's Royals 2
Ask for 4 British Postcards
Collect 2 Anniversary Collection Items
Serve 10 French Onion Soups
French Onion Soup can be served after four hours. Meanwhile, the Anniversary Collection comes with five new items that you can earn by using spices on your dishes. Finishing this goal gives you 10 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 3
Ask for 6 Old British Recipe Cards
Spice 10 Neighbor Dishes
Serve 15 Angel Fruit Cakes
Angel Fruit Cake takes 8 hours to cook. Also, when visiting your neighbors, make sure to spice cooking dishes, and not just stoves. It's possible the latter would count, but there's always a chance that it won't. Better safe than sorry, no? Finish off this third goal and you'll earn - you guessed it - more Travel Passes, 15 to be exact.
Winston's Royals 4
Ask for 7 British Postcards
Serve 2 Dishes with the Pastry Station
Serve 25 Gem Cakes
Here's where things get a bit complicated, as you'll have to worry about cooking dishes on your stoves and in the Pastry Station. If you've yet to build your Pastry Station, here's a complete guide to doing so. As for the Gem Cake, it takes 12 hours to prepare. Finish off this goal for 20 more Travel Passes.
Winston's Royals 5
Ask for 10 Old British Recipe Cards
Serve 18 Chocolate Creme Brulee
Complete the High Tea Party Table
Chocolate Creme Brulee is a specialty coffee drink found in the Coffee Machine. You will need to have hired Becky the Barista in order to unlock it. For finishing off this last goal, you'll receive a whopping 500 Travel Passes along with a Mystery Prize in the form of a new recipe. This new recipe will most likely be Yorkshire Pudding, although there are three others that might appear in random order as you repeat the goal series. These are the Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Salmon Mousse.
As we mentioned before, Winston's Royals looks to be just the first of many goal series available in this two-year anniversary event. While it's unclear whether or not the 18 days applies to just Winston's Royals, or to the entire event, we do know that we'll eventually travel to other countries and unlock other rewards. In the meantime, here's a complete checklist of the "British" tasks you can complete, which can be found in your own game at any time (click on the airline ticket in the right-side menu).
Good luck completing these goals and earning all of the rewards in time!
What do you think of the Winston's Royals goals and the two-year anniversary event as a whole?
Cafe World High Tea Table: Everything you need to know
As we told you earlier today, the High Tea Table in Cafe World is but a small part in a much larger event in the game celebrating the two-year anniversary. Within this celebration are sections split into different countries, with the first destination being Great Britain. As part of the goal series for this section - Winston's Royals - you'll need to build the High Tea Table, so we're here to help you figure out how to do just that.
The High Tea Table's base can be added to your cafe for free by looking under the Specials tab of the Functional menu. Once placed, you'll have the expected task of gathering multiple building ingredients with your friends' help. You'll need eight Fancy Tea Pots, 10 Delicate Teacups, six Silver Platters and 6 sets of Cream and Sugar dishes. Only the Fancy Tea Pot is earned through a general news post - you'll need to gather the other three items either using Cafe Cash or by sending out individual requests to your friends for help.
Once completed, this table has more of a function that simply looking pretty, as it gives you extra mastery points when serving "British" dishes. Remember, you can sort your Cookbook by nationality, so if you're looking to quickly master some dishes, go for these British offerings as you'll earn +1 point of extra mastery each time you serve a British dish with this table out and active in your cafe.
What do you think of the High Tea Table? Are you looking forward to serving high tea to the "Royals" in your cafe, or are you tired of endless building projects?
The High Tea Table's base can be added to your cafe for free by looking under the Specials tab of the Functional menu. Once placed, you'll have the expected task of gathering multiple building ingredients with your friends' help. You'll need eight Fancy Tea Pots, 10 Delicate Teacups, six Silver Platters and 6 sets of Cream and Sugar dishes. Only the Fancy Tea Pot is earned through a general news post - you'll need to gather the other three items either using Cafe Cash or by sending out individual requests to your friends for help.
Once completed, this table has more of a function that simply looking pretty, as it gives you extra mastery points when serving "British" dishes. Remember, you can sort your Cookbook by nationality, so if you're looking to quickly master some dishes, go for these British offerings as you'll earn +1 point of extra mastery each time you serve a British dish with this table out and active in your cafe.
What do you think of the High Tea Table? Are you looking forward to serving high tea to the "Royals" in your cafe, or are you tired of endless building projects?
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