If you're in the giving mood this holiday season, why not send your FarmVille neighbors some interesting new themed items from the game's free gifts page? There are six holiday items now available to send, with four of them being new to the game, and two being a return from last year's Holiday celebration.
One of the returning items is the Snowflake Pole, and it is the only item of the six that is available to send through traditional means, meaning that you can stay right on Facebook and send it to your friends. The other item, the Giant Lollipop I, is a FarmVille.com exclusive, meaning that you'll have to head over to FarmVille.com and gift them to your Facebook friends from there (the process is the exact same, but you'll just need to be on FarmVille.com to do it).
As for the other, new items, there is a Gold Nutcracker (a redesigned version from last year's Gold Nutcracker, so it technically is a new item), a Red Hanging Bell, and a Holiday Tree that all must also be sent from FarmVille.com, and a White Xmas Tree that is only available to send from the FarmVille app on iPhone/iPad.
The Holiday Tree is especially interesting as it is a real, growing tree, that grows silver and gold ornaments and garland, can be harvested, and can presumably be mastered (as we saw with the then unreleased Mastery Sign in a recent FarmVille Sneak Peek). You'll only be able to send the tree to your friends by logging into FarmVille on your iPhone/iPad and heading to the free gifts menu within the app.
Keep in mind though, that no matter where you are sending your gifts from, you'll still only be able to send one gift to a particular friend everyday, so plan your gifting ahead of time if you want to outfit your friends with all of these items before they're gone.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Balloon Crop now in store, but unavailable to grow [UPDATE: Now available]
UPDATE: The Balloons Crop has been officially "released" as part of the New Year's Ball Drop / Party Barn event. You'll need to unlock access to planting the crop after having 10 of your friends accept your invitation to your party. Find out all of the details about this new event by clicking on this link.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
If you've been looking forward to planting some of the cheerful and colorful Balloon crop seeds in FarmVille as much as we have, you'll be happy to hear that the Balloon Crop has now been spotted in the wild, via an in-game store listing that is now available for players to look at. However, that's all you can do with the crop at the moment, as it is "Locked."
The reasoning for the locked status is that a "License is needed." We'll be sure to let you know how to obtain said license as soon as we can, but in the meantime, let's take a look at the announced stats for this new crop. First, it's cheap, available to grow for just 15 coins per square. It grows for 16 hours, and you'll be able to harvest each square of ready balloons for a return of 126 coins per square.
This looks to be a fairly good crop for lower level players to jump into planting, not only due to its low price, but due to the fact that you'll gain 2 experience points for each and every square of the Balloons that you plant, which might allow some players to level up before all is said and done. Finally, the Balloons Crop can be mastered, with the first star or mastery coming after harvesting just 80 balloons.
When will the Balloons Crop be available to grow? That much is still up in the air, but we'll be sure to let you know when it unlocks, or what you'll need to do in order to unlock it, as more information becomes available.
FarmVille Party Barn / New Year's Ball Drop Event: Everything you need to know
We've known about the upcoming New Year's Party in FarmVille for a few weeks now, but users everywhere have now started to see the New Year's Ball event kick off in the game, with the launch of the Party Barn in the store. While some users have been given the base of the Party Barn for free, others (even after refreshing) have had to resort to purchasing the base for 5,000 coins. Regardless of how you get it onto your farm, it can be upgraded with ingredients to turn into something truly spectacular.
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
This is another collection event, that is sure to end the year on a high-note with users, thanks to the prizes available via this event, and we have all of the information you need about this year-ending party behind the break.
First things first, if you're like me, and have an overwhelming number of Winter Holiday decorations flooding your farm, leaving you with little free space, you'll need to do some serious reorganization in order to even fit the Party Barn on your land, as it is simply massive.
Once placed, you'll be shown a menu that details all of the aspects of this new event. First and foremost, while this is a collection event in the most basic sense of the word, you'll be collecting friend RSVPs, rather than any actual item. You'll need to invite your friends to your in-game New Year's Ball Drop party, and the more friends that accept your invite, the bigger your party becomes, and the better the rewards that you'll unlock.
As of right now, there are four prizes to unlock for both girl and boy players, but the avatar clothing item therein is different depending on the gender of your in-game avatar. For both genders, three of the prizes are the Fireworks Finale (presumably a one time fireworks show that you can put on, on your farm), an unlock of the Balloons Crop, and a Disco Pony. However, for girl avatars, you'll also be able to unlock a fancy black Party Dress for your avatar, while boys will unlock the black Party Tuxedo for the same amount of "Guests."
You'll earn the Fireworks Finale after 5 guests have been added to your party. 10 Guests unlocks the Balloons Crop, which we told you about earlier this evening (16 hour crop that rewards 2 XP when planted for 15 coins per square; harvestable for 126 coins per square), 20 guests unlocks the avatar clothing item for your specific gender, and reaching the full 40 guest capacity unlocks the Disco Pony, an animal that we told you about recently in a FarmVille Sneak Peek.
To invite guests to your party, you'll need to click on the "Invite" button within the Party Barn menu. This will take you to a menu like the one seen below, where you'll be shown a list of all of your Facebook friends, with each friend having a "Share" button underneath their profile picture. Clicking on the Share button for a particular friend allows you to post an individual invite to that user's wall. If you haven't turned on automatic wall posting within the game (Zynga suggests that you do, but this is entirely voluntary for this event), you'll need to approve each wall post as it goes onto your friends' walls, but automatic posting will speed this process up considerably.
While you're waiting for your "guests to arrive" - their avatars will appear next to your barn, but can be removed by simply clicking on them to clear space, and they will then show up inside your barn on the dance floor - you can take a few moments to upgrade your Party Barn using the standard three ingredients: 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails, and 8 Bricks. You can either buy them for 1 Farm Cash each from the store, or you can ask your friends to send them to you via individual gift requests.
Of course, once the barn has been completed, it will be transformed from a simple red barn to a neon, flashing 2011 Party Barn, complete with large crystal ball perched atop a pole from the top of the barn, as seen at the top of this post. Once the party ends at the beginning of the new year, you won't be able to invite anymore of your friends to the party (meaning you won't be able to add more guests to redeem more items), but you will be able to re-watch the ball drop, or purchase prizes you already have enough guests for. In addition, the Party Barn will thankfully be storable.
And there you have it! A complete run-down on FarmVille's last big blowout of 2010. Remember to head into your own game to get the party started!
New FarmVille Limited Edition Crop: White Poinsettia (requires seed packets)
As part of tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of a new limited edition crop in the game that flower-lovers will definitely appreciate. The crop is the White Poinsettia, and just like the regular Poinsettia before it, it is a limited time offering that you'll need to be fast to plant and harvest if you want a chance at full mastery.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
The White Poinsettias are a crop just like the Black Roses from Halloween, that must be collected in seed packets before they can be planted. You can click on the "Get" button next to the White Poinsettia crop in the store in order to "Ask for more" seed packets, with this allowing you to post a general request to your wall for your friends to see. Since this might be looked over by many players, you might try asking some of your closest neighbors personally to send you some (they are available to send in packets of 20 from the game's free gifts page).
Once you have packets of seeds, you'll be able to plant them and harvest them 16 hours later. You'll get 200 coins for each harvest, and you'll earn 2 experience points for each seed that you plant. As with other crops, the White Poinsettia can be mastered, with the first star of mastery coming at 250 harvests.
FarmVille Winter Holiday items: Candy Cane Chicken, Winter Castle, Reindeer Balloon & More
If you check out the "Specials" tab of the FarmVille marketplace, you'll see that the middle image has now been transformed to say "Last Chance!" on "Winter Holiday Items!" However, the fact that the Christmas holiday is now just days away hasn't stopped Zynga from adding even more items to this quickly expiring theme.
Tonight's FarmVille update sees the release of a new animal, a new (and very large) building, along with five new decorative items in the game's store. Luckily, the majority of the decorative items are available for coins, so if you've got any extra space on your farm to hold them, be sure to check out all of the details about these new items with us behind the break.
First, the new animal is one that we gave you a Sneak Peek of a few days ago. It is the Candy Cane Chicken, and it is available to purchase for 25 Farm Cash. Candy Cane Chickens, when placed into a Chicken Coop, have a chance of laying a treasured Candy Cane Mystery Egg, which can then be shared with your friends via a generic wall post. As for your own farm, the chicken can be harvested from once per day and will give you 64 coins in the process. The chicken will be available for the next 9 days.
Moving on, the new building is the Winter Castle, another item that we gave you a Sneak Peek of earlier this week. It is available for 42 Farm Cash. You'll receive 4200 experience points as a reward for purchasing it, and if you'd like to sell it once the holiday season is over, you'll receive 21,000 coins in return. That's not very much, so maybe you'd try storing it instead? I know I would.
As for the decorations, four out of the five new items go for coins. The one premium item is the Reindeer Gnome. Gnome collectors better have their in-game wallets ready, as the Gnome will cost 12 Farm Cash to add to your collection. However, if you're willing to make the splurge, you'll receive 1200 experience points as a reward for doing so.
The other four items are the Chilipepper Lights, the Lighted Saguaro cactus, the Reindeer Balloon, and the Stocking Planter, which cost 10,000, 30,000, 50,000, and 5,000 coins, respectively. You'll receive 10% of the purchase price as a reward in experience points (100 for the Lights, 300 for the cactus, 500 for the balloon, and 50 for the planter). It should be noted that the Reindeer Balloon is yet another large item to be released in this theme. The base itself isn't large, but the balloon portion is, so it will probably block your view of whatever sits near it / behind it.
And there you have it! Presumably the final addition of Winter Holiday items in FarmVille for the year, which will be available for the next nine days. We'll be sure to let you know if Zynga adds any other decorative items to the game, but until then, happy holidays!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Tonight's FarmVille update sees the release of a new animal, a new (and very large) building, along with five new decorative items in the game's store. Luckily, the majority of the decorative items are available for coins, so if you've got any extra space on your farm to hold them, be sure to check out all of the details about these new items with us behind the break.
First, the new animal is one that we gave you a Sneak Peek of a few days ago. It is the Candy Cane Chicken, and it is available to purchase for 25 Farm Cash. Candy Cane Chickens, when placed into a Chicken Coop, have a chance of laying a treasured Candy Cane Mystery Egg, which can then be shared with your friends via a generic wall post. As for your own farm, the chicken can be harvested from once per day and will give you 64 coins in the process. The chicken will be available for the next 9 days.
Moving on, the new building is the Winter Castle, another item that we gave you a Sneak Peek of earlier this week. It is available for 42 Farm Cash. You'll receive 4200 experience points as a reward for purchasing it, and if you'd like to sell it once the holiday season is over, you'll receive 21,000 coins in return. That's not very much, so maybe you'd try storing it instead? I know I would.
As for the decorations, four out of the five new items go for coins. The one premium item is the Reindeer Gnome. Gnome collectors better have their in-game wallets ready, as the Gnome will cost 12 Farm Cash to add to your collection. However, if you're willing to make the splurge, you'll receive 1200 experience points as a reward for doing so.
The other four items are the Chilipepper Lights, the Lighted Saguaro cactus, the Reindeer Balloon, and the Stocking Planter, which cost 10,000, 30,000, 50,000, and 5,000 coins, respectively. You'll receive 10% of the purchase price as a reward in experience points (100 for the Lights, 300 for the cactus, 500 for the balloon, and 50 for the planter). It should be noted that the Reindeer Balloon is yet another large item to be released in this theme. The base itself isn't large, but the balloon portion is, so it will probably block your view of whatever sits near it / behind it.
And there you have it! Presumably the final addition of Winter Holiday items in FarmVille for the year, which will be available for the next nine days. We'll be sure to let you know if Zynga adds any other decorative items to the game, but until then, happy holidays!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Thứ Tư, 11 tháng 1, 2012
Report: Pottermore will be Harry Potter's online gaming hub [Updated]
Soon enough, you'll become a wizard of the worldwide web in Pottermore, which The London Times (subscription required) reports will be an online gaming hub for all things Harry Potter. The website was revealed last week, which of course sent Potter fans into a whirlwind of wizardly guesswork as to what Pottermore would be.
And while author J.K. Rowling promises to officially reveal more details this June 23, this leak found by the London Times confirms what many a fan might have hoped for.
Pottermore will reportedly be an online game website that will grant players clues to the locations of hidden prizes in the real world, most notably of which are magic wands in the U.K. and US.
We also know that the project is being handled by Adam & Eve, a UK-based PR firm. Since everything is still up in the air, my (hopeful) guess is that this is a Harry Potter social game. Until we find out more information, fuel your hype with this special YouTube countdown timer until the official reveal in 16 long hours.
Update: Author J.K. Rowling has revealed that Pottermore will not be a social game, but an interactive reading experience for Harry Potter fans. It will offer audio books, and, for the first time e-books for all of the Harry Potter series. However, there will be virtual rewards for tasks completed on the site, Mashable reports. Check out Rowling's message to you, the loyal Potter-heads, below:
And while author J.K. Rowling promises to officially reveal more details this June 23, this leak found by the London Times confirms what many a fan might have hoped for.
Pottermore will reportedly be an online game website that will grant players clues to the locations of hidden prizes in the real world, most notably of which are magic wands in the U.K. and US.
We also know that the project is being handled by Adam & Eve, a UK-based PR firm. Since everything is still up in the air, my (hopeful) guess is that this is a Harry Potter social game. Until we find out more information, fuel your hype with this special YouTube countdown timer until the official reveal in 16 long hours.
Update: Author J.K. Rowling has revealed that Pottermore will not be a social game, but an interactive reading experience for Harry Potter fans. It will offer audio books, and, for the first time e-books for all of the Harry Potter series. However, there will be virtual rewards for tasks completed on the site, Mashable reports. Check out Rowling's message to you, the loyal Potter-heads, below:
Infinity Blade slashes into Mobage, DeNA's mobile social game network
Infinity Blade
Oh, and it'll be 100 percent free. It appears that Japanese social network provider DeNA has devised a way to combat Zynga in the mobile space: hardcore games at a casual price. VentureBeat reports that Infinity Blade developer Chair and publisher Epic Games have agreed to bring the iPhone hit to Mobage, re-marketed as Infinity Blade X. The game will play the same as if you downloaded it from the Apple App Store, but the game will be completely free. (Of course, the game will be supported by micro-transactions.)
Infinity Blade is an intense mobile game with hardcore-looking graphics, but a casual play style and replay value. Players must slay increasingly tough monsters, slashing them and blasting them with spells through touch gestures. You can block and parry enemy attacks with touch as well to defend yourself, but reaching and defeating the evil God-King (which will take several attempts) is only the beginning.
The global Mobage network has been announced for both iOS and Android devices. But whether Infinity Blade X will be made available for Android phones--it was created to the specific strengths of the iPhone 4 and later the iPad 2--is currently unknown. This is especially considering Epic Games ruled the game out for Android phones in April. This is second game announced for DeNA's Mobage (made by Ngmoco), as the company revealed that a Professor Layton game is in the works as well.
If this is how DeNA plans to oust Zynga in the mobile games arena, then Zynga just might want to step out of its casual shell and deliver. It's just recently that the company has started to release more mobile games like Hanging with Friends and CityVille Hometown, which is on the way. With DeNA hot on its tail--and its hands dipped into multiple genres--it's time to get a move on.
Oh, and it'll be 100 percent free. It appears that Japanese social network provider DeNA has devised a way to combat Zynga in the mobile space: hardcore games at a casual price. VentureBeat reports that Infinity Blade developer Chair and publisher Epic Games have agreed to bring the iPhone hit to Mobage, re-marketed as Infinity Blade X. The game will play the same as if you downloaded it from the Apple App Store, but the game will be completely free. (Of course, the game will be supported by micro-transactions.)
Infinity Blade is an intense mobile game with hardcore-looking graphics, but a casual play style and replay value. Players must slay increasingly tough monsters, slashing them and blasting them with spells through touch gestures. You can block and parry enemy attacks with touch as well to defend yourself, but reaching and defeating the evil God-King (which will take several attempts) is only the beginning.
The global Mobage network has been announced for both iOS and Android devices. But whether Infinity Blade X will be made available for Android phones--it was created to the specific strengths of the iPhone 4 and later the iPad 2--is currently unknown. This is especially considering Epic Games ruled the game out for Android phones in April. This is second game announced for DeNA's Mobage (made by Ngmoco), as the company revealed that a Professor Layton game is in the works as well.
If this is how DeNA plans to oust Zynga in the mobile games arena, then Zynga just might want to step out of its casual shell and deliver. It's just recently that the company has started to release more mobile games like Hanging with Friends and CityVille Hometown, which is on the way. With DeNA hot on its tail--and its hands dipped into multiple genres--it's time to get a move on.
Rumor: Bejeweled-maker PopCap to sell for over $1 billion
You know, the more rumors about PopCap there are, the more chances we have to bug the company about bringing Peggle to Facebook. The freshest from the mill is that PopCap is preparing for another acquisition ... this time of itself to another company. TechCrunch reports that, according to anonymous sources, the company will soon sell for over $1 billion, though no buyers have been officially mentioned yet.
Of course, this leaves the table wide open for wild speculation. TechCrunch says, according to anonymous sources, that Zynga approached PopCap with the intention to purchase, but backed down after PopCap named its price. The website has also heard that EA could be the lucky shopper, but $1 billion is a far cry from the $400 million it paid for Playfish in 2009. That all being said, a source close to the matter tells us there's currently no internal information on the sale.
But let's play devil's advocated for a moment. Why would PopCap suddenly sell when it has openly stated its intent on filing for initial public offering (IPO) by the end of this year? I'd imagine that since this is, in fact, the case, PopCap would ask for far more than $1 billion, and any more than that would just be ridiculous. An IPO that low these days just sounds silly, especially for a company that has been around for over 10 years. (For reference, the Pandora Internet radio service just filed for a $2.4 billion IPO, and it's only been around since about 2005.)
Furthermore, the company just purchased ZipZapPlay with the goal of increasing its presence on Facebook--that doesn't sound like a move a company that's ready to sell would make. Simply put, PopCap just doesn't seem like the type to sell, but we could easily be proven otherwise. Rumors or not, this summer will prove mighty interesting for PopCap--even if there's no Peggle for Facebook.
Of course, this leaves the table wide open for wild speculation. TechCrunch says, according to anonymous sources, that Zynga approached PopCap with the intention to purchase, but backed down after PopCap named its price. The website has also heard that EA could be the lucky shopper, but $1 billion is a far cry from the $400 million it paid for Playfish in 2009. That all being said, a source close to the matter tells us there's currently no internal information on the sale.
But let's play devil's advocated for a moment. Why would PopCap suddenly sell when it has openly stated its intent on filing for initial public offering (IPO) by the end of this year? I'd imagine that since this is, in fact, the case, PopCap would ask for far more than $1 billion, and any more than that would just be ridiculous. An IPO that low these days just sounds silly, especially for a company that has been around for over 10 years. (For reference, the Pandora Internet radio service just filed for a $2.4 billion IPO, and it's only been around since about 2005.)
Furthermore, the company just purchased ZipZapPlay with the goal of increasing its presence on Facebook--that doesn't sound like a move a company that's ready to sell would make. Simply put, PopCap just doesn't seem like the type to sell, but we could easily be proven otherwise. Rumors or not, this summer will prove mighty interesting for PopCap--even if there's no Peggle for Facebook.
Rumor: EA to buy PopCap for over $1 billion
Bejeweled
Now, this is a last ditch effort if we've ever seen one. TechCrunch reports that, following up with yesterday's news that PopCap may sell for over $1 billion, EA may very well be the company at the checkout counter. The website cites two anonymous sources that point to the nearly 30-year-old games company as the buyer. And no, the asking price has not changed--it's still insane.
But EA, which has enjoyed a distant second to Zynga in the social space, just might be crazy enough to bid what TechCrunch reports is 13 percent of their $7 billion plus market cap. This could truly be the company's Hail Mary Pass to win the social and mobile race once and for all, especially considering how long it could take EA to make all that money back.
We thought it was crazy when EA bought Playfish in 2009 for a whopping $400 million, but this clearly blows that out of the water. Unfortunately, neither company has enjoyed the runaway success both likely had hoped for. (You don't spend $400 million, much less $1 billion for second place.) So we can only hope that, if this buyout goes down, EA doesn't repeat history with PopCap.
If this purchase happens, the Bejeweled creator will obviously put its imminent IPO (initial public offering) on hold. As of this writing, a source close to the matter tells us there's currently no internal information on the sale.
Now, this is a last ditch effort if we've ever seen one. TechCrunch reports that, following up with yesterday's news that PopCap may sell for over $1 billion, EA may very well be the company at the checkout counter. The website cites two anonymous sources that point to the nearly 30-year-old games company as the buyer. And no, the asking price has not changed--it's still insane.
But EA, which has enjoyed a distant second to Zynga in the social space, just might be crazy enough to bid what TechCrunch reports is 13 percent of their $7 billion plus market cap. This could truly be the company's Hail Mary Pass to win the social and mobile race once and for all, especially considering how long it could take EA to make all that money back.
We thought it was crazy when EA bought Playfish in 2009 for a whopping $400 million, but this clearly blows that out of the water. Unfortunately, neither company has enjoyed the runaway success both likely had hoped for. (You don't spend $400 million, much less $1 billion for second place.) So we can only hope that, if this buyout goes down, EA doesn't repeat history with PopCap.
If this purchase happens, the Bejeweled creator will obviously put its imminent IPO (initial public offering) on hold. As of this writing, a source close to the matter tells us there's currently no internal information on the sale.
Scrubs will live on in iPhone, Android game this summer
So what if the hit medical sitcom was canceled last year. Scrubs ain't goin' nowhere, thanks to a mobile game that developer Herocraft plans to release this summer. Pocket Gamer reports that the game will be available for iPhone, Android, Symbian and Windows Phone devices.
Scrubs mobile game 2
In this pocket edition of Scrubs, players will assume the role of a new intern at Sacred Hearts in a brand new storyline that will feature the show's lovable and laughable characters like Dr. Cox and The Janitor. Judging from the screen shots provided by Pocket Gamer, it looks like Herocraft is making a hidden object game like the wildly popular Gardens of Time on Facebook. Since the show's major characters will appear in the game, you can (hopefully) expect some one-liners dashed amongst the puzzles.
Scrubs mobile game 2
In this pocket edition of Scrubs, players will assume the role of a new intern at Sacred Hearts in a brand new storyline that will feature the show's lovable and laughable characters like Dr. Cox and The Janitor. Judging from the screen shots provided by Pocket Gamer, it looks like Herocraft is making a hidden object game like the wildly popular Gardens of Time on Facebook. Since the show's major characters will appear in the game, you can (hopefully) expect some one-liners dashed amongst the puzzles.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Order & Chaos Online's Gameloft hits the bayou in New Orleans studio
The land of Mardi Gras and jambalaya will soon be known for another, more international pastime: video games. Gameloft, creator of mobile and Facebook games like Order & Chaos Online and N.O.V.A. Elite, has announced that it will open a studio in New Orleans, La. beginning Oct. 1 of this year. The Paris-based worldwide mobile games publisher is moving to the unofficial French capital of the states early with the promise that it will move into a more permanent location in 2012.
According to The Advertiser, Gameloft plans to hire 20 employees with the goal of creating its first locally-developed game within its first year. So, expect the first game to come from Gameloft New Orleans by October of 2012, and by then the company expects the studio to house at least 53 employees. Later, the studio is expected to grow to over 100 more employees to join Gameloft's 4,000-strong global talent force.
"As we seek to expand our presence in the U.S. we are looking for the most talented gaming professionals to help us maintain our position as an industry leader in digital and social games," said Gameloft studio GM Samir El Agili. We sure hope that these future developers have a better time than some reportedly did in Gameloft New Zealand. Then again, there's no way that could possibly happen in one of the party capitals of the U.S, right?
According to The Advertiser, Gameloft plans to hire 20 employees with the goal of creating its first locally-developed game within its first year. So, expect the first game to come from Gameloft New Orleans by October of 2012, and by then the company expects the studio to house at least 53 employees. Later, the studio is expected to grow to over 100 more employees to join Gameloft's 4,000-strong global talent force.
"As we seek to expand our presence in the U.S. we are looking for the most talented gaming professionals to help us maintain our position as an industry leader in digital and social games," said Gameloft studio GM Samir El Agili. We sure hope that these future developers have a better time than some reportedly did in Gameloft New Zealand. Then again, there's no way that could possibly happen in one of the party capitals of the U.S, right?
Facebook: Google charges '5% because they don't have any users'
In my alley, them's fightin' words. The words came from the mouth of Facebook Director of Games Partnerships Sean Ryan during an event last week, Fortune reports. More specifically, Ryan is referring to the fact that Google takes just a 5 percent cut in revenues from developers with games hosted on its fresh Google+ social platform. Compare that to Facebook's whopping 30 percent through its Facebook Credits payment system, and you can see why Ryan would have such strong words for Google.
According to Fortune, Ryan likened Google's entry into the social games space to when McDonald's entered the premium coffee biz, where Starbucks has reigned supreme. (Fortune also cleverly points out that coffee has been huge for Mickey D's.) Google launched Google+ Games just last week with support from several major developers including Zynga, EA (and PopCap) and Wooga--three of the largest Facebook game developers today.
And Fortune reports that Google+ already has 25 million registered users, so it's growing rather quickly. Regardless, Google still has a ways to go in the face of Facebook's gargantuan 750 million-strong user base, not to mention a whopping 270 million monthly social gamers. If anything, it's simply amusing to see Facebook squirm ... at least just a little bit. Let's just wait and see if Google+ Games can turn those squirms into shivers.
According to Fortune, Ryan likened Google's entry into the social games space to when McDonald's entered the premium coffee biz, where Starbucks has reigned supreme. (Fortune also cleverly points out that coffee has been huge for Mickey D's.) Google launched Google+ Games just last week with support from several major developers including Zynga, EA (and PopCap) and Wooga--three of the largest Facebook game developers today.
And Fortune reports that Google+ already has 25 million registered users, so it's growing rather quickly. Regardless, Google still has a ways to go in the face of Facebook's gargantuan 750 million-strong user base, not to mention a whopping 270 million monthly social gamers. If anything, it's simply amusing to see Facebook squirm ... at least just a little bit. Let's just wait and see if Google+ Games can turn those squirms into shivers.
Sony PS Vita adds standard social features to its 'revolutionary' arsenal
When it's the nauseating buzz word of the decade, who can blame 'em? Sony's Jim Ryan revealed today during the company's keynote at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany that its upcoming PSP successor, the PS Vita, will have support for a number of social networks, Kotaku reports. Ryan touted that the Vita will allow players to access Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and even call their friends using Skype.
I can think of, well, hundreds of devices you can access all four of those services on, play games and (drum roll, please) ... make phone calls with. They're called smartphones, and they are exactly what Sony is looking at every time it utters the words "social gaming revolution." Honestly, I'd be more wowed if the Vita didn't include these features considering its aggressive approach to social gaming thus far. Not to mention existing PSPs can already make Skype calls and access Facebook.
Now, if game developers make liberal use of these social networks as gameplay mechanics, then I'd almost certainly be impressed. (And no, I'm not implying that FarmVille belongs on the PS Vita.) Pokes and prods almost aside, these features look to be supplemental to what Sony calls "revolutionary" social features like Near, Live and Party. But honestly, at this point, couldn't Sony have just made this the PlayStation Phone? Hey, I'm just sayin'. Check out video of the announcement below:
I can think of, well, hundreds of devices you can access all four of those services on, play games and (drum roll, please) ... make phone calls with. They're called smartphones, and they are exactly what Sony is looking at every time it utters the words "social gaming revolution." Honestly, I'd be more wowed if the Vita didn't include these features considering its aggressive approach to social gaming thus far. Not to mention existing PSPs can already make Skype calls and access Facebook.
Now, if game developers make liberal use of these social networks as gameplay mechanics, then I'd almost certainly be impressed. (And no, I'm not implying that FarmVille belongs on the PS Vita.) Pokes and prods almost aside, these features look to be supplemental to what Sony calls "revolutionary" social features like Near, Live and Party. But honestly, at this point, couldn't Sony have just made this the PlayStation Phone? Hey, I'm just sayin'. Check out video of the announcement below:
Turkish bank earns 500k fans by offering Facebook games
These days, many companies are turning to Facebook games as a way of connecting with and building their audience (e.g. Channel 4's Beauty Town). But one pioneering company, a Turkish bank called Akbank, is really throwing themselves into their official Facebook page.
As of this writing, Akbank's Facebook page has 508,397 fans. The bank itself has 913 branches serving 8 million customers, and they've been managing a total of 15 social media accounts between Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They've also created 5 Facebook applications, some of which, are games promoting their brand.
One of these games, Kur Yönet, which translates into "Manage the Exchange Rate", allows users to build a virtual factory that involves everything from production to marketing to R&D. All banking, of course, is handled by the Akbank branch within the game.
Akbank Kur Yönet Facebook game
Another game, Kırmızı'nın Peşinde or "The Pursuit of the Red", is based on Pac-Man and comes with a super dramatic game trailer (shown below). Your characters run around each level collecting personal needs (e.g. education, vacation, home renovations). Ads are shown in-between level changes.
Aside from these two, there's also been a music trivia page offering free concert tickets that was targeted at the youth, a gift cards giveaway page on applying for personal loans, and another trivia game involving current events in Turkish history that later tells players how much money they could've made if only they opened a Cumulative Mutual Fund account on a certain date. These are all a bit of a stretch, but Akbank seems completely devoted to pushing their brand, wherever, whenever, and however possible. Moreover, it appears that all their efforts have paid off.
As of this writing, Akbank's Facebook page has 508,397 fans. The bank itself has 913 branches serving 8 million customers, and they've been managing a total of 15 social media accounts between Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They've also created 5 Facebook applications, some of which, are games promoting their brand.
One of these games, Kur Yönet, which translates into "Manage the Exchange Rate", allows users to build a virtual factory that involves everything from production to marketing to R&D. All banking, of course, is handled by the Akbank branch within the game.
Akbank Kur Yönet Facebook game
Another game, Kırmızı'nın Peşinde or "The Pursuit of the Red", is based on Pac-Man and comes with a super dramatic game trailer (shown below). Your characters run around each level collecting personal needs (e.g. education, vacation, home renovations). Ads are shown in-between level changes.
Aside from these two, there's also been a music trivia page offering free concert tickets that was targeted at the youth, a gift cards giveaway page on applying for personal loans, and another trivia game involving current events in Turkish history that later tells players how much money they could've made if only they opened a Cumulative Mutual Fund account on a certain date. These are all a bit of a stretch, but Akbank seems completely devoted to pushing their brand, wherever, whenever, and however possible. Moreover, it appears that all their efforts have paid off.
Market Street becomes the seventh Playdom game to shut down
Players who attempt to log into Playdom's game Market Street right now will be greeted with a message stating that the game has been removed for good. This colorful and lively simulation game puts the player in charge of running their own virtual store. While the game was polished and relatively fun, it didn't bring anything new to the crowded world of Facebook sim games. Players could decorate their isometric shop and send away for shipments so that they could please the customers that come inside to purchase wares. Market Street launched approximately one year ago.
At its peak, Market Street hit over 9 million monthly active users and over 1 million daily players, however that was in 2010 and the Facebook game landscape has grown much more crowded since its heyday. Playdom has a history of closing down games that aren't faring so well, such as Treetopia, Tiki Farm, Tiki Resort, Verdonia, Fanglies, and Lil' Farm Life. In fact, Playdom have closed more games than most developers will ever launch. With the release of Gnome Town, it is clear that Playdom are now focusing on richer and more innovative titles to set them apart from the competition.
The sad thing about games closing down is that the players not only lose any progress, coins, or hard currency that they purchased, but they also lose all their hard work decorating their space. Many players become quite attached to these spaces and it is quite sad to have to say goodbye to something you worked so hard on. It's too bad that Playdom and other developers cannot keep the games up but cease to update them. Unfortunately, the operating costs are too high to keep a game running that isn't showing much traction.
At its peak, Market Street hit over 9 million monthly active users and over 1 million daily players, however that was in 2010 and the Facebook game landscape has grown much more crowded since its heyday. Playdom has a history of closing down games that aren't faring so well, such as Treetopia, Tiki Farm, Tiki Resort, Verdonia, Fanglies, and Lil' Farm Life. In fact, Playdom have closed more games than most developers will ever launch. With the release of Gnome Town, it is clear that Playdom are now focusing on richer and more innovative titles to set them apart from the competition.
The sad thing about games closing down is that the players not only lose any progress, coins, or hard currency that they purchased, but they also lose all their hard work decorating their space. Many players become quite attached to these spaces and it is quite sad to have to say goodbye to something you worked so hard on. It's too bad that Playdom and other developers cannot keep the games up but cease to update them. Unfortunately, the operating costs are too high to keep a game running that isn't showing much traction.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille: Bess has arrived, but what brings her to the frontier?
Bess has arrived
As part of the recent New Year's Party Goals, we were briefly introduced to a new character in FrontierVille named Bess. Reportedly Frontier Jack's niece, Bess will be the next major character in FrontierVille, but as to what she's up to or why she even came out west we haven't an idea in the slightest. Though, that hasn't stopped Zynga from fueling the flames of wild speculation. The company posted a three-page long forum thread on the FrontierVille fan page that has players discussing the possibilities for this new character.
During the New Year's Party Goals and building the Dance Floor, some hints were made at a potential love triangle between Miss Fanny Wildcat, the mysterious Bess and Hank, that lecherous General Store manager. The most logical guess is that this will be the basis for an upcoming Valentine's Day holiday event series. But the teaser message that many are seeing in-game mentions that Bess will be heavily involved in the events for 2011, so it's doubtful that this homestead drama will be settled on Feb. 14. Could one of our lovestruck ladies receive some good news in time for Mother's Day? We'll have to keep playing to find out.
As part of the recent New Year's Party Goals, we were briefly introduced to a new character in FrontierVille named Bess. Reportedly Frontier Jack's niece, Bess will be the next major character in FrontierVille, but as to what she's up to or why she even came out west we haven't an idea in the slightest. Though, that hasn't stopped Zynga from fueling the flames of wild speculation. The company posted a three-page long forum thread on the FrontierVille fan page that has players discussing the possibilities for this new character.
During the New Year's Party Goals and building the Dance Floor, some hints were made at a potential love triangle between Miss Fanny Wildcat, the mysterious Bess and Hank, that lecherous General Store manager. The most logical guess is that this will be the basis for an upcoming Valentine's Day holiday event series. But the teaser message that many are seeing in-game mentions that Bess will be heavily involved in the events for 2011, so it's doubtful that this homestead drama will be settled on Feb. 14. Could one of our lovestruck ladies receive some good news in time for Mother's Day? We'll have to keep playing to find out.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Duck Pond images revealed, launching soon?
FarmVille Duck Pond
Yeah, yeah. So, you already know that the Duck Pond is coming to FarmVille. But have you seen these brand new images of the incoming item yet? Thanks again to FarmVille Freak, we've found several snap shots of both the Duck Pond in progress and the finished product. And it looks... more natural than what I was expecting. The thing doesn't even look man-made.
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three
The Duck Pond will be built in three stages, if these images turn out to be correct. Like most constructed and functional buildings, this will most likely take items from gifting requests to complete. And if our original coverage of the Duck Pond proves to be the case, then there will be four different items to collect and 10 of each item. What isn't known yet is what purpose the Duck Pond will serve beyond a pretty place for our Ducks to play in. Hopefully, Zynga thinks something up for Ducks to be useful like it did with the Pigpen and Truffle Hunting. Stay tuned for details when this item finally makes its way onto the farm, which we guess will be fairly soon considering how many details we have.
Yeah, yeah. So, you already know that the Duck Pond is coming to FarmVille. But have you seen these brand new images of the incoming item yet? Thanks again to FarmVille Freak, we've found several snap shots of both the Duck Pond in progress and the finished product. And it looks... more natural than what I was expecting. The thing doesn't even look man-made.
Stage One Stage Two Stage Three
The Duck Pond will be built in three stages, if these images turn out to be correct. Like most constructed and functional buildings, this will most likely take items from gifting requests to complete. And if our original coverage of the Duck Pond proves to be the case, then there will be four different items to collect and 10 of each item. What isn't known yet is what purpose the Duck Pond will serve beyond a pretty place for our Ducks to play in. Hopefully, Zynga thinks something up for Ducks to be useful like it did with the Pigpen and Truffle Hunting. Stay tuned for details when this item finally makes its way onto the farm, which we guess will be fairly soon considering how many details we have.
CityVille Lost Puppy Goal: A ploy to attract more players
Lost Puppy Needs a Home
A new Goal--if you would call it that--has arrived in CityVille. Titled, "Lost Puppy Needs a Home," this new task requires players to ask their friends to adopt a brown puppy that they happened to find walking down the street. However, both neighbors and general Facebook friends can be requested. Furthermore, this technically isn't even a Goal. It appears to be just another way to attract new players to the game through you, the player. (I guess over 90 million players isn't enough.)
Puppy request
After sending out the requests, no Goal icon appears on the left side of the screen and no XP, coins or Goods are rewarded. Nada. In other words, this is a fine waste of your daily requests. So, do try to avoid it if you have no friends that are willing to join CityVille. If you think this would be a cute way to get your friends who have yet to try CityVille into the game, then by all means throw a couple puppies out there. Regardless, it begs the question: If there is no benefit to sending this request to fellow neighbors, then why include the option? Very sneaky, Zynga.
Did you fall for this trick yet? What do you think of Zynga using your daily requests as a means to net more players?
A new Goal--if you would call it that--has arrived in CityVille. Titled, "Lost Puppy Needs a Home," this new task requires players to ask their friends to adopt a brown puppy that they happened to find walking down the street. However, both neighbors and general Facebook friends can be requested. Furthermore, this technically isn't even a Goal. It appears to be just another way to attract new players to the game through you, the player. (I guess over 90 million players isn't enough.)
Puppy request
After sending out the requests, no Goal icon appears on the left side of the screen and no XP, coins or Goods are rewarded. Nada. In other words, this is a fine waste of your daily requests. So, do try to avoid it if you have no friends that are willing to join CityVille. If you think this would be a cute way to get your friends who have yet to try CityVille into the game, then by all means throw a couple puppies out there. Regardless, it begs the question: If there is no benefit to sending this request to fellow neighbors, then why include the option? Very sneaky, Zynga.
Did you fall for this trick yet? What do you think of Zynga using your daily requests as a means to net more players?
FarmVille Special Delivery Boxes get 'Open All' feature, save headaches
With the amount of Special Delivery Boxes that some FarmVille players have to open daily, unpacking them individually was becoming a lengthy chore. Thankfully, Zynga introduced a small update to the game recently that allows players to open every Special Delivery Box in their inventory at once, FarmVille Freak reports. With this new 'Open All' feature precious minutes have been restored to many players' short farming sessions.
However, this doesn't remedy the other problem with Special Delivery Boxes: high level players simply don't need them. A few months ago, there were players who expressed their disdain for the smart items because they simply were on top of their game and didn't need 500 extra Bricks, so to speak. Until that improvement comes, just be smart about who you're sending Special Delivery Boxes. If a player is over Level 100, you might help more by leaving them be or sending some Fertilize All.
However, this doesn't remedy the other problem with Special Delivery Boxes: high level players simply don't need them. A few months ago, there were players who expressed their disdain for the smart items because they simply were on top of their game and didn't need 500 extra Bricks, so to speak. Until that improvement comes, just be smart about who you're sending Special Delivery Boxes. If a player is over Level 100, you might help more by leaving them be or sending some Fertilize All.
CityVille Cheats and Tips: Expansion costs and limits
Expansions in CityVille
While we've touched on Expansions a few times in CityVille, we still have yet to get to the bottom of how much they cost in both coins and permits as you progress. Not to mention how many Expansions are open to us. But first, a brief recap: Expansions are 12x12 spaces of land that players can attach to any of the four edges of their cities... for a price. And a hefty one at that. On top of an increasingly hefty coin fee, players will also need to collect Zoning Permits that match the total number of Expansions they're about to obtain.
For instance, the first Expansion will cost you the standard 20,000 coins and one Zoning Permit, but your second Expansion will not only cost much more, but will now require two Zoning Permits. If you make it to say, your fifteenth Expansion, you'll spend a massive amount of coins plus need 15 Zoning Permits. As you can imagine, expanding will become much more difficult as you progress regardless of whether you're swimming in coins. In fact, many players are currently disappointed in the Expansion system, claiming that it costs too much for too little. As for how far we can go, it's currently unknown if there is even a limit to how far we can expand our cities. At the moment, it is assumed that we can expand as far as the map extends. In other words, there should be plenty of room.
While we've touched on Expansions a few times in CityVille, we still have yet to get to the bottom of how much they cost in both coins and permits as you progress. Not to mention how many Expansions are open to us. But first, a brief recap: Expansions are 12x12 spaces of land that players can attach to any of the four edges of their cities... for a price. And a hefty one at that. On top of an increasingly hefty coin fee, players will also need to collect Zoning Permits that match the total number of Expansions they're about to obtain.
For instance, the first Expansion will cost you the standard 20,000 coins and one Zoning Permit, but your second Expansion will not only cost much more, but will now require two Zoning Permits. If you make it to say, your fifteenth Expansion, you'll spend a massive amount of coins plus need 15 Zoning Permits. As you can imagine, expanding will become much more difficult as you progress regardless of whether you're swimming in coins. In fact, many players are currently disappointed in the Expansion system, claiming that it costs too much for too little. As for how far we can go, it's currently unknown if there is even a limit to how far we can expand our cities. At the moment, it is assumed that we can expand as far as the map extends. In other words, there should be plenty of room.
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Cheats and Tips: A Characters Guide
Some would say that FrontierVille was and still is Zynga's great experiment. It was the first time the company brought in a traditional game designer to work on a project, and among several new features the primary result was characters. Seasoned gamers know them simply as NPCs, or non-player characters, meaning they are characters in the game world controlled by the game itself. Normally, their main focus is to provide flavor and life to a game world, but characters in FrontierVille has a two-fold purpose: provide that life and flavor in addition to guide the player along in Goals or give these Goals purpose. Here's a rundown of nearly every important character to grace the homestead.
Frontier Jack
Frontier Jack:
How could we start this guide any other way? He's the first fellow you meet in the game. Generally, this bearded pioneer guides you through your first tasks in FrontierVille and comes back every once in a while when a new feature crops up. However, he has become more involved in the game's storyline as time has passed. In fact, his own niece has arrived in the game, but more on that later. More importantly, he's your first neighbor. (He also has a thing for inundating you with pop ups.)
Humble Bob
Humble Bob:
Now, this one is a strange character. While Bob does offer a few quests like the recent New Years Resolution Goals, he's also the game's resident salesman. It's Humble Bob that attempts to sell you Horseshoes incessantly at 20, 30 and 40 percent discounts. Bob likes to get in on the fun too, as many of you saw after completing the New Years Party Goals.
Ms Fanny Wildcat
Miss Fanny Wildcat:
Likely the toughest-looking teacher you've ever seen, Fanny Wildcat runs the Schoolhouse and all of its Goals. There are several Goals in preparation for her arrival and thereafter. However, there seems to be love triangle rising between Hank, Bess and herself. Perhaps this year's Valentine's Day Goals will see the result of that.
Hank
Hank:
This simple-minded guy runs the General Store after a few Goals are completed to hire him. After that, Hank was nothing more than a source for terrible jokes. But now that Bess has come around, he's decided it's time to get his life in order. This leads to an arduous makeover series of Goals that leaves Hank looking like a new (and creepy) man. More importantly, Hank was the first interactive NPC--clicking his avatar on homestead allowed him to tell jokes. Too bad his jokes didn't get a makeover.
Bess
Bess:
A recent addition to FrontierVille, Bess is Frontier Jack's niece from the East. Arriving on the homestead after dumping her boyfriend, Bess asks if she can crash at your place ... indefinitely. After a series of Goals solidifies her position as "the help," Bess becomes another interactive NPC. Much like your visiting Neighbors, Bess can help out every once in a while without effecting your Energy reserves.
Jacques
Jacques:
This foreign fellow is the newest character to hit the frontier. Jacques appears as part of the Trading Post Goals, and once they're complete decides to run the business himself. A world explorer and expert trapper and trader, Jacques will accept your defunct Holiday items and the like for coins. He's yet to be involved in the story too heavily, but we can wait.
[Source: FrontierVille Wiki]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Which character is your favorite in FrontierVille? How would you like to see these characters' stories be fleshed out in the future?
Frontier Jack
Frontier Jack:
How could we start this guide any other way? He's the first fellow you meet in the game. Generally, this bearded pioneer guides you through your first tasks in FrontierVille and comes back every once in a while when a new feature crops up. However, he has become more involved in the game's storyline as time has passed. In fact, his own niece has arrived in the game, but more on that later. More importantly, he's your first neighbor. (He also has a thing for inundating you with pop ups.)
Humble Bob
Humble Bob:
Now, this one is a strange character. While Bob does offer a few quests like the recent New Years Resolution Goals, he's also the game's resident salesman. It's Humble Bob that attempts to sell you Horseshoes incessantly at 20, 30 and 40 percent discounts. Bob likes to get in on the fun too, as many of you saw after completing the New Years Party Goals.
Ms Fanny Wildcat
Miss Fanny Wildcat:
Likely the toughest-looking teacher you've ever seen, Fanny Wildcat runs the Schoolhouse and all of its Goals. There are several Goals in preparation for her arrival and thereafter. However, there seems to be love triangle rising between Hank, Bess and herself. Perhaps this year's Valentine's Day Goals will see the result of that.
Hank
Hank:
This simple-minded guy runs the General Store after a few Goals are completed to hire him. After that, Hank was nothing more than a source for terrible jokes. But now that Bess has come around, he's decided it's time to get his life in order. This leads to an arduous makeover series of Goals that leaves Hank looking like a new (and creepy) man. More importantly, Hank was the first interactive NPC--clicking his avatar on homestead allowed him to tell jokes. Too bad his jokes didn't get a makeover.
Bess
Bess:
A recent addition to FrontierVille, Bess is Frontier Jack's niece from the East. Arriving on the homestead after dumping her boyfriend, Bess asks if she can crash at your place ... indefinitely. After a series of Goals solidifies her position as "the help," Bess becomes another interactive NPC. Much like your visiting Neighbors, Bess can help out every once in a while without effecting your Energy reserves.
Jacques
Jacques:
This foreign fellow is the newest character to hit the frontier. Jacques appears as part of the Trading Post Goals, and once they're complete decides to run the business himself. A world explorer and expert trapper and trader, Jacques will accept your defunct Holiday items and the like for coins. He's yet to be involved in the story too heavily, but we can wait.
[Source: FrontierVille Wiki]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Which character is your favorite in FrontierVille? How would you like to see these characters' stories be fleshed out in the future?
Test out social games discovery service TeePee Games to win an iPad
Well, at least you'll have a chance at an Apple iPad. TeePee Games, the upcoming London, UK-based games discovery service is offering every beta applicant an entry to win a coveted iPad just for signing up. TeePee Games is looking for at least 20 thousand beta testers by the end of Feb. to try out the service, which hopes to revive the spirit of discovery Facebook once had for its games.
The service recommends social, casual and mobile games based off the games you're already playing. Think of it as Apple's Genius feature for iTunes, but for your social games. TeePee Games aims to become "the only destination for finding and playing a huge range of games across the most modern of gaming channels; social networks, smart phones and the web," according to the company. Tony Pearce, co-founder and CEO of TeePee Games, had this to say of the beta program:
It's highly encouraging to see so many people signing up, especially given that we only launched the registration at the beginning of February and have yet to kick-start our marketing campaign for the full launch in March. This confirms the market need for the unique service we've designed, but even so, the extraordinary level of interest we've generated has been a real surprise.
With rumors abound that Facebook is looking to enhance the gaming experience on the platform, TeePee Games will likely have to fight with the very reason it started in the first place. Either way, we'll see soon enough whether this interest was in the TeePee Games service or the Apple iPad.
Would you be interested in playing your social games through another service if it meant an easier way to discover new games? How do you think Facebook should handle the problem?
The service recommends social, casual and mobile games based off the games you're already playing. Think of it as Apple's Genius feature for iTunes, but for your social games. TeePee Games aims to become "the only destination for finding and playing a huge range of games across the most modern of gaming channels; social networks, smart phones and the web," according to the company. Tony Pearce, co-founder and CEO of TeePee Games, had this to say of the beta program:
It's highly encouraging to see so many people signing up, especially given that we only launched the registration at the beginning of February and have yet to kick-start our marketing campaign for the full launch in March. This confirms the market need for the unique service we've designed, but even so, the extraordinary level of interest we've generated has been a real surprise.
With rumors abound that Facebook is looking to enhance the gaming experience on the platform, TeePee Games will likely have to fight with the very reason it started in the first place. Either way, we'll see soon enough whether this interest was in the TeePee Games service or the Apple iPad.
Would you be interested in playing your social games through another service if it meant an easier way to discover new games? How do you think Facebook should handle the problem?
Picture of the Day: Scott's Valentine's Day Farm
FarmVille player, Scott, is the artist behind the second masterpiece in our series of incredible Valentine's Day farms. Folks, this is a seriously awesome farm and it pays to take a minute and inspect some of the intricate detail. Scott, also known as scott13111 over at the FarmVille Forums, takes a totally different approach to Valentine's Day decorating. Yesterday's feature farm, created by Ms. Bear, largely revolved around a heart motif. Scott on the other hand, received his artistic inspiration from another place entirely: an in game item.
Continue reading to see what Scott had to say about this incredible Valentine's Day farm design.
What inspired your Valentine's Day farm design?
I really liked Cupid's Castle, so I worked around that.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
My decorating tips? Simple trial and error.
How did you create the wonderful effect with the hay bales?
Same as before, I just kept trying over and over till I liked what I saw.
Was it difficult to make such a perfectly shaped heart?
The heart was actually very easy to make. It took me about 15 minutes total.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
The total time it took me to complete the farm? Let's go with approximately 8 hours.
You heard it here folks, just keep using trial and error till you find something you like, then go with it. Don't expect immediate results either, both Scott and Ms. Bear spent many hours creating their unbelievable farms.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Continue reading to see what Scott had to say about this incredible Valentine's Day farm design.
What inspired your Valentine's Day farm design?
I really liked Cupid's Castle, so I worked around that.
Do you have any awesome decorating tips to share?
My decorating tips? Simple trial and error.
How did you create the wonderful effect with the hay bales?
Same as before, I just kept trying over and over till I liked what I saw.
Was it difficult to make such a perfectly shaped heart?
The heart was actually very easy to make. It took me about 15 minutes total.
How long did it take you to complete the design?
The total time it took me to complete the farm? Let's go with approximately 8 hours.
You heard it here folks, just keep using trial and error till you find something you like, then go with it. Don't expect immediate results either, both Scott and Ms. Bear spent many hours creating their unbelievable farms.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to be considered for Pic of the Day, please email it to editors@games.com, Include the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Lunchtime Poll: Is being a CityVille freeloader the way to go?
How much Energy have you stocked up in CityVille? The CityVille forums are buzzing at the moment with an interesting debate over a controversial play style. Forum goer "unscathed" writes, "Why should you need energy if friends can do everything for you? I'm now at 1625 and i have 500+ in my inventory. Just wait for a few neighbors, then stop harvesting, collecting money and building, they will do it for you!"
A recent update allows friends to help one another complete quests and gain profits through visits with no Energy cost. Couple that with +3 Energy batteries being thrown around for free like they're potato chips and you get players like this. When you think about it, if everyone played this way Energy would never be an issue again. (Though, it would definitely be a way not to be a good neighbor.) But could we live with ourselves unabashedly exploiting the game? Later in the thread another the same user boasts 3,136 Energy using the same tactic. So, now we ask you:
Is being a CityVille freeloader the way to go?
What a bunch of losers! Just play the game the way it was meant to be played.Until Zynga does something about it, you can find me raking in the Energy.I don't care as long as you cheaters keep staffing my buildings.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
A recent update allows friends to help one another complete quests and gain profits through visits with no Energy cost. Couple that with +3 Energy batteries being thrown around for free like they're potato chips and you get players like this. When you think about it, if everyone played this way Energy would never be an issue again. (Though, it would definitely be a way not to be a good neighbor.) But could we live with ourselves unabashedly exploiting the game? Later in the thread another the same user boasts 3,136 Energy using the same tactic. So, now we ask you:
Is being a CityVille freeloader the way to go?
What a bunch of losers! Just play the game the way it was meant to be played.Until Zynga does something about it, you can find me raking in the Energy.I don't care as long as you cheaters keep staffing my buildings.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
FarmVille: The Cupid Corn Farm Cash crop and the issue of value
Cupid Corn
Yesterday, Zynga dropped a bomb on the FarmVille community with the Cupid Corn. The issue? It marks the first time in the game's short history that a crop has been released for Farm Cash and has not been attached to a charity. And what's worse is that it does nothing special to deserve that 10 Farm Cash required for a week-long planting permit. Sure, some players could probably master the Cupid Corn in that time, but many FarmVille forum posters have called Zynga out on it.
Money ManForum poster Pletoo recently started a forum thread titled "What WOULD motivate you to spend FC on crop?" While the question is a loaded one, implying that charging Farm Cash for a normal crop isn't fair, he raises a point not only for FarmVille but all games. Shouldn't in-game items or content that cost real money offer something more valuable than standard features or items?
Several contributors in the forum thread agree with Pletoo's cleverly rhetorical question. Some players suggest including a permanent crop that changed with the seasons while others recommend that Cupid Corn be eligible for Co-Op Jobs. However, players like MsChicklet admit that the only motivation they need is "the fact that I've gotten every mastery sign thus far and don't want to miss out on one." Not to say MsChicklet is wrong by any means--there's little reason to judge what people find worthwhile to spend money on--but It's this logic that will make Zynga lots of the green stuff with this move.
This debate isn't new, but many gamers hardcore and social alike (including myself) agree that there is a golden rule to charging money for in-game content: It must at least provide value beyond the game's basic functions and content. Of course, the word "value" is loaded with subjectivity. However, I imagine many will agree that charging for something that does nothing more nor looks vastly different from its free counterparts (in this case Candy Corn) is a far leap from, say, the Unwither Ring. Regardless, if Cupid Corn does well enough in the Market from now through Feb. 23, it wouldn't be surprising to see a far pricier FarmVille.
[Image Credit: Paste]
Did you purchase Cupid Corn yet from the Market and, more importantly, are you satisfied with that purchase? What are your thoughts on Zynga charging real money for one of the game's basic functions?
Yesterday, Zynga dropped a bomb on the FarmVille community with the Cupid Corn. The issue? It marks the first time in the game's short history that a crop has been released for Farm Cash and has not been attached to a charity. And what's worse is that it does nothing special to deserve that 10 Farm Cash required for a week-long planting permit. Sure, some players could probably master the Cupid Corn in that time, but many FarmVille forum posters have called Zynga out on it.
Money ManForum poster Pletoo recently started a forum thread titled "What WOULD motivate you to spend FC on crop?" While the question is a loaded one, implying that charging Farm Cash for a normal crop isn't fair, he raises a point not only for FarmVille but all games. Shouldn't in-game items or content that cost real money offer something more valuable than standard features or items?
Several contributors in the forum thread agree with Pletoo's cleverly rhetorical question. Some players suggest including a permanent crop that changed with the seasons while others recommend that Cupid Corn be eligible for Co-Op Jobs. However, players like MsChicklet admit that the only motivation they need is "the fact that I've gotten every mastery sign thus far and don't want to miss out on one." Not to say MsChicklet is wrong by any means--there's little reason to judge what people find worthwhile to spend money on--but It's this logic that will make Zynga lots of the green stuff with this move.
This debate isn't new, but many gamers hardcore and social alike (including myself) agree that there is a golden rule to charging money for in-game content: It must at least provide value beyond the game's basic functions and content. Of course, the word "value" is loaded with subjectivity. However, I imagine many will agree that charging for something that does nothing more nor looks vastly different from its free counterparts (in this case Candy Corn) is a far leap from, say, the Unwither Ring. Regardless, if Cupid Corn does well enough in the Market from now through Feb. 23, it wouldn't be surprising to see a far pricier FarmVille.
[Image Credit: Paste]
Did you purchase Cupid Corn yet from the Market and, more importantly, are you satisfied with that purchase? What are your thoughts on Zynga charging real money for one of the game's basic functions?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Sneak Peek: Black Deer, the second Injured Critter
Healthy Black Deer
Get ready for (hopefully) the first time you'll be excited to see an injured animal (and hopefully the last). Zynga promised to introduce more Injured Critters in FrontierVille since the White Buffalo, and FrontierVille Info has found that they will deliver. The next Injured Critter players will have to nurse back to health is the Black Deer. This helpless little fawn will hobble onto your homestead as you feed animals and chop trees. We imagine the process will play out just like before, though the animal is unreleased. In case the deer appears in secret, you best heal up those White Buffalo to make room. Some of us have quite a lot of the crybabies.
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Have you seen the Black Deer on your homestead yet? Do you think this healing process will be any different from before?
Get ready for (hopefully) the first time you'll be excited to see an injured animal (and hopefully the last). Zynga promised to introduce more Injured Critters in FrontierVille since the White Buffalo, and FrontierVille Info has found that they will deliver. The next Injured Critter players will have to nurse back to health is the Black Deer. This helpless little fawn will hobble onto your homestead as you feed animals and chop trees. We imagine the process will play out just like before, though the animal is unreleased. In case the deer appears in secret, you best heal up those White Buffalo to make room. Some of us have quite a lot of the crybabies.
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Have you seen the Black Deer on your homestead yet? Do you think this healing process will be any different from before?
FarmVille brings back Cotton Candy Trees for Farm Cash purchases
Cotton Candy Promo
Regardless of whether you agree with Farm Cash crops it seems that Zynga is enjoying their results. FarmVille players can now relive the 2010 Country Fair in FarmVille by putting up Farm Cash for Cotton Candy Trees. Alright, so it's a gift for buying Farm Cash with Facebook Credits, meaning that it won't actually cost you the Farm Cash. But since that's essentially the motivation for throwing down this hard-earned dough, consider the Cotton Candy Tree an added bonus to your next Farm Cash purchase. The deal stands for another three days. So, if you missed out before, here's your second chance--and it costs at least $1.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Have you taken advantage of this deal yet? What do you think of Zynga bringing back classic items for Farm Cash?
Regardless of whether you agree with Farm Cash crops it seems that Zynga is enjoying their results. FarmVille players can now relive the 2010 Country Fair in FarmVille by putting up Farm Cash for Cotton Candy Trees. Alright, so it's a gift for buying Farm Cash with Facebook Credits, meaning that it won't actually cost you the Farm Cash. But since that's essentially the motivation for throwing down this hard-earned dough, consider the Cotton Candy Tree an added bonus to your next Farm Cash purchase. The deal stands for another three days. So, if you missed out before, here's your second chance--and it costs at least $1.
[Via FarmVille Freak]
Have you taken advantage of this deal yet? What do you think of Zynga bringing back classic items for Farm Cash?
World of Warcraft-maker Blizzard: FarmVille is 'not evil' [Interview]
Blizzard, the company responsible for what some might call the most popular social games of all time (long before FarmVille was a twinkle in Mark Pincus' eye), is celebrating 20 years in existence. World of Warcraft, an online role-playing game that launched in '04, boasts 12 million subscribers and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, released last year, sold 2.5 million copies in 48 hours.
Right now, the company is hard at work on a third Diablo game and a new mystery MMO codenamed 'Project Titan.' Recently and was in New York City recently to ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ. Games.com caught up with Blizzard President/CEO Mark Morehaime and EVP Product Development of Frank Pearce in Times Square to talk about the company's history and see what these two industry vets think about games like FarmVille and the brave new world of social gaming.
So, you guys are celebrating.
Mark: It's our 20th year being in business, making video games. When we first started, actually, Frank and I were just six months out of UCLA. We just graduated. We had a mutual friend, Allen, and it was just three of us in the beginning. Now, we're over forty-six hundred around the world. Games were much, actually, the games we were working on were much smaller back then. And now, it takes us multiple years, over a hundred people...working on a game.
Do you ever just pinch yourself?
M: Yeah, like a thousand times for me over the past 10 years. It's been pretty crazy. We hold an annual convention called BlizzCon, for players. We sold about, this last year, about 20,000 tickets. Sold out in literally a couple of seconds. You go out there and it's just a bunch of Blizzard players. People who play all of our different games and who are really just really passionate about gaming. And really excited to be there. And the fact that we sell out so fast, means you're only getting people who really, really want to be there.
How would you say, the social elements in WoW and your other games, have evolved over the past 20 years?
M: We started out just very simple with Diablo Battle.net, where Battle.net was really a match-making service. There was no concept of persistent friendship across games. You really had to, if you were going to play with a friend, you had to schedule time outside the game. To now, we've introduced the concept of real ID friendships, so every time I log in, I can see which of my friends are online. It's pretty common for me to log in with Starcraft II and find that some of my friends are playing World of Warcraft. And we'll just be able to jump out and have a quick Starcraft team match together.
Speaking of social -- social gaming is a hot topic these days. Do you consider WoW a social game in that context or is that not really your scene?
Frank: I wouldn't say we're one of those, but I definitely think that WoW is a very, very social experience and that the social element is very important to that.
M: Yeah, I'd say absolutely. I think people ask how World of Warcraft has stayed so popular for so long, that I think it really comes down to the social connections that people make inside the game. Most of our players end up joining guilds. They make real, lasting friendships inside the game.
What's the official company line on a game like FarmVille?
M: I think part of that story is just how popular Facebook is. They talked about Facebook as sort of the directory, the white pages for the entire world. Which I think, it's real close to being, if it's not already. And I think for a long time, I think people are really looking for something fun to do. People are spending a lot of time on the network, so I think things like CityVille and FarmVille are filling that niche for now.
F: I think it also brings a lot of people to gaming that might not have otherwise experienced gaming. Potentially bridges the gap between someone not having gamed at all, and someone playing games that are more intense and hardcore like World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2. So I think it really helps grow the market.
M: Yeah, I don't really think there's a big jump necessarily from some of these more casual experiences to some of the hardcore experiences. Because honestly, I mean, Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft are real easy to get into once you decide to try them.
There's a big debate in the gaming community over whether or not games like FarmVille are "evil." What's your take on that?
M: They're not evil. It's a natural evolution of things. And I think that, even from a, we're kind of coming from the other end. I think that adding deeper, social connections to any form of gaming is very important. Lowering the barriers to entry, increasing accessibility. I think these, what people call social gaming aren't really deep gaming experiences, so the natural evolution is to add depth to the more casual, social games. And the natural evolution of more hardcore gaming experiences is to add more accessibility and more social interactions.
People talk about how these social games are designed to be addictive. There's a lot of compulsion loops built and and they're designed to get people to open up their wallets and spend money.
M: Sounds to me like they're saying the people that make them are evil. I think there's definitely... it's a question of values and entertainment value. I think the entertainment value really needs to be there to have long-term success. Because some point people wake up and say, 'Is this really fun or not?'
Then there's people who overspend on freemium games. Recently there was a report about a girl who spend $14,000 on Smurf Village for iPad. Do you think companies should, at least, give lip service to this kind of compulsive behavior?
M: One of the things we try to do at Blizzard is make sure that the value equation works. We like people to, when they buy stuff from us, to feel that they got their money's worth in entertainment value. So after $14,000, it's kind of questionable that anybody got $14,000 worth of entertainment value.
Does Blizzard have any interest in Facebook?
M. Yeah, we're very interested in what's going on, on Facebook. And what kind of opportunities for increased social connection it might help us provide to our players. One of the first things that we do when you install Starcraft and set up your Battle.net account is allow players the opportunity to make Battle.net friendships with their Facebook friends.
I mean, it's more fun to play with people that you know. (Pauses.)Especially when you win.
world of warcraft cataclysmDo you guys see any further Facebook integration in the future? Is that something you're looking at?
M. It's definitely talked about, but we don't have anything to announce today.
What about other platforms? I know the PC has been good to you guys, but consoles... mobile?
M: PC has been very good to us. We still think the PC is a great gaming platform. You know, we are currently doing an investigation whether it makes sense to do a console version of Diablo 3. But that's just in progress, we haven't made any decisions on it. A lot of us have consoles at home, we have iPhones, iPads, we love gaming on all sorts of different devices. We always, whenever we start work on a project we always look at the available platforms and see which platforms make the most sense for the games. We've been focusing on the PC. PC, online. But we really view ourselves as platform-agnostic in our willing to choose the best platform, which is, so happens that we've chosen the PC.
F: [PC is the] best platform for the game we're making. Yes. Most appropriate platform for the game we're making.
Can you see adopting a free-to-play model in the future?
M: We have free trial for all of our games. I think free-to-play is really just an extension of how much you give away with the free trial. You can go to warcraft.com right now and try out World of Warcraft for free.
Speaking of, we have a single player demo of Starcraft II out. I think the next step for that is free trial for multiplayer. Somebody who hasn't played Starcraft II before, we'd like them to be able to try out that experience before they make that purchase decision.
When do you expect that to be available?
M: We don't have a time frame right now.
What's to look forward to for the next 20 years, for Blizzard?
M: Hopefully, we can continue being a leader in online gaming. It's really difficult to see that far end into the future. But I think the world is becoming a more connected place. I think more and more people are going online and are going to be interested in online games with their friends. And I think we want to continue to develop our games to be more social, more accessible, and more portable -- just being able to game anywhere with your friends.
Right now, the company is hard at work on a third Diablo game and a new mystery MMO codenamed 'Project Titan.' Recently and was in New York City recently to ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ. Games.com caught up with Blizzard President/CEO Mark Morehaime and EVP Product Development of Frank Pearce in Times Square to talk about the company's history and see what these two industry vets think about games like FarmVille and the brave new world of social gaming.
So, you guys are celebrating.
Mark: It's our 20th year being in business, making video games. When we first started, actually, Frank and I were just six months out of UCLA. We just graduated. We had a mutual friend, Allen, and it was just three of us in the beginning. Now, we're over forty-six hundred around the world. Games were much, actually, the games we were working on were much smaller back then. And now, it takes us multiple years, over a hundred people...working on a game.
Do you ever just pinch yourself?
M: Yeah, like a thousand times for me over the past 10 years. It's been pretty crazy. We hold an annual convention called BlizzCon, for players. We sold about, this last year, about 20,000 tickets. Sold out in literally a couple of seconds. You go out there and it's just a bunch of Blizzard players. People who play all of our different games and who are really just really passionate about gaming. And really excited to be there. And the fact that we sell out so fast, means you're only getting people who really, really want to be there.
How would you say, the social elements in WoW and your other games, have evolved over the past 20 years?
M: We started out just very simple with Diablo Battle.net, where Battle.net was really a match-making service. There was no concept of persistent friendship across games. You really had to, if you were going to play with a friend, you had to schedule time outside the game. To now, we've introduced the concept of real ID friendships, so every time I log in, I can see which of my friends are online. It's pretty common for me to log in with Starcraft II and find that some of my friends are playing World of Warcraft. And we'll just be able to jump out and have a quick Starcraft team match together.
Speaking of social -- social gaming is a hot topic these days. Do you consider WoW a social game in that context or is that not really your scene?
Frank: I wouldn't say we're one of those, but I definitely think that WoW is a very, very social experience and that the social element is very important to that.
M: Yeah, I'd say absolutely. I think people ask how World of Warcraft has stayed so popular for so long, that I think it really comes down to the social connections that people make inside the game. Most of our players end up joining guilds. They make real, lasting friendships inside the game.
What's the official company line on a game like FarmVille?
M: I think part of that story is just how popular Facebook is. They talked about Facebook as sort of the directory, the white pages for the entire world. Which I think, it's real close to being, if it's not already. And I think for a long time, I think people are really looking for something fun to do. People are spending a lot of time on the network, so I think things like CityVille and FarmVille are filling that niche for now.
F: I think it also brings a lot of people to gaming that might not have otherwise experienced gaming. Potentially bridges the gap between someone not having gamed at all, and someone playing games that are more intense and hardcore like World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2. So I think it really helps grow the market.
M: Yeah, I don't really think there's a big jump necessarily from some of these more casual experiences to some of the hardcore experiences. Because honestly, I mean, Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft are real easy to get into once you decide to try them.
There's a big debate in the gaming community over whether or not games like FarmVille are "evil." What's your take on that?
M: They're not evil. It's a natural evolution of things. And I think that, even from a, we're kind of coming from the other end. I think that adding deeper, social connections to any form of gaming is very important. Lowering the barriers to entry, increasing accessibility. I think these, what people call social gaming aren't really deep gaming experiences, so the natural evolution is to add depth to the more casual, social games. And the natural evolution of more hardcore gaming experiences is to add more accessibility and more social interactions.
People talk about how these social games are designed to be addictive. There's a lot of compulsion loops built and and they're designed to get people to open up their wallets and spend money.
M: Sounds to me like they're saying the people that make them are evil. I think there's definitely... it's a question of values and entertainment value. I think the entertainment value really needs to be there to have long-term success. Because some point people wake up and say, 'Is this really fun or not?'
Then there's people who overspend on freemium games. Recently there was a report about a girl who spend $14,000 on Smurf Village for iPad. Do you think companies should, at least, give lip service to this kind of compulsive behavior?
M: One of the things we try to do at Blizzard is make sure that the value equation works. We like people to, when they buy stuff from us, to feel that they got their money's worth in entertainment value. So after $14,000, it's kind of questionable that anybody got $14,000 worth of entertainment value.
Does Blizzard have any interest in Facebook?
M. Yeah, we're very interested in what's going on, on Facebook. And what kind of opportunities for increased social connection it might help us provide to our players. One of the first things that we do when you install Starcraft and set up your Battle.net account is allow players the opportunity to make Battle.net friendships with their Facebook friends.
I mean, it's more fun to play with people that you know. (Pauses.)Especially when you win.
world of warcraft cataclysmDo you guys see any further Facebook integration in the future? Is that something you're looking at?
M. It's definitely talked about, but we don't have anything to announce today.
What about other platforms? I know the PC has been good to you guys, but consoles... mobile?
M: PC has been very good to us. We still think the PC is a great gaming platform. You know, we are currently doing an investigation whether it makes sense to do a console version of Diablo 3. But that's just in progress, we haven't made any decisions on it. A lot of us have consoles at home, we have iPhones, iPads, we love gaming on all sorts of different devices. We always, whenever we start work on a project we always look at the available platforms and see which platforms make the most sense for the games. We've been focusing on the PC. PC, online. But we really view ourselves as platform-agnostic in our willing to choose the best platform, which is, so happens that we've chosen the PC.
F: [PC is the] best platform for the game we're making. Yes. Most appropriate platform for the game we're making.
Can you see adopting a free-to-play model in the future?
M: We have free trial for all of our games. I think free-to-play is really just an extension of how much you give away with the free trial. You can go to warcraft.com right now and try out World of Warcraft for free.
Speaking of, we have a single player demo of Starcraft II out. I think the next step for that is free trial for multiplayer. Somebody who hasn't played Starcraft II before, we'd like them to be able to try out that experience before they make that purchase decision.
When do you expect that to be available?
M: We don't have a time frame right now.
What's to look forward to for the next 20 years, for Blizzard?
M: Hopefully, we can continue being a leader in online gaming. It's really difficult to see that far end into the future. But I think the world is becoming a more connected place. I think more and more people are going online and are going to be interested in online games with their friends. And I think we want to continue to develop our games to be more social, more accessible, and more portable -- just being able to game anywhere with your friends.
Want to help Japan? Play Zynga Facebook games (and buy something)
Over the weekend, Zynga joined forces with Save the Children and released several different methods through which its fans could donate to Japan as it recovers from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami. Several games were updated with exclusive items that, when purchased, Zynga promises to donate 100 percent of proceeds to Save the Children for their efforts. Here are seven ways that you can help.
FarmVille
Zynga released a brand new crop to FarmVille in light of the disaster, Daikon Radish. This Japanese radish is complete with Mastery and never withers. How does it help? You have the choice of donating 25, 55, or 240 Farm Cash for a one-week permit to plant as many Daikon crops as you wish, which cost 10 coins and harvest for 125 and 3 XP in six hours. Do this, and Zynga will match the value of your donation and hand it over to Save the Children.
Kobe Cow
FrontierVille
Kobe Cows are available for purchase in FrontierVille, and, no, you can't get any delicious beef from them. The cows cost 45 Horseshoes and will provide 5 XP and 50 coins every 10 hours when fed. Again, Zynga will take 100 percent of that Horseshoe value and give to Save the Children.
Cafe World Japan Relief
Cafe World
Zynga has re-released several Japanese-themed decorations to Cafe World like the Sumo Wrestler, the Ninja and more for either 25 or 50 Cafe Cash. Pick up one of these items inspired by Japan and Zynga will include that value in its donation to Save the Children.
Sweet PotatoesCityVille
Sweet Potatoes are CityVille's donation of choice, which are available for 5 City Cash a square, provide 250 Goods, never wither and instantly grow. This allows players to donate as much or as little as they like with instant results. Of course, Zynga will match these donations as well.
Words with Friends
In one of the more ... boring campaigns, Words with Friends players can tap the "Save the Children" button in the game and donate directly to Save the Children. Hey, at least mobile Zynga game players can contribute to the cause.
Zynga Poker
Unfortunately, there are no special items to buy in Zynga Poker, but players who buy a VIP Club membership will be donating to Save the Children simultaneously. A 30-day membership costs $5, so consider that your contribution to the relief effort. Though, we recommend that if you're not a hardcore Zynga Poker fan you donate elsewhere--a 30-day membership is a commitment for five smackers.
If you just want to avoid the new creatures and decorations, you can easily donate directly to Save the Children by clicking the relevant icon on the Zynga Game Bar, or zBar for short. Oddly enough, it appears that Zynga is the only major social game developer to contribute to the cause for whatever reason. As a social gamer, it seems you pretty much have no excuse not to donate, so get to it.
Have you donated to the Japanese relief effort through Zynga games? Which of these donation methods is most appealing to you?
FarmVille
Zynga released a brand new crop to FarmVille in light of the disaster, Daikon Radish. This Japanese radish is complete with Mastery and never withers. How does it help? You have the choice of donating 25, 55, or 240 Farm Cash for a one-week permit to plant as many Daikon crops as you wish, which cost 10 coins and harvest for 125 and 3 XP in six hours. Do this, and Zynga will match the value of your donation and hand it over to Save the Children.
Kobe Cow
FrontierVille
Kobe Cows are available for purchase in FrontierVille, and, no, you can't get any delicious beef from them. The cows cost 45 Horseshoes and will provide 5 XP and 50 coins every 10 hours when fed. Again, Zynga will take 100 percent of that Horseshoe value and give to Save the Children.
Cafe World Japan Relief
Cafe World
Zynga has re-released several Japanese-themed decorations to Cafe World like the Sumo Wrestler, the Ninja and more for either 25 or 50 Cafe Cash. Pick up one of these items inspired by Japan and Zynga will include that value in its donation to Save the Children.
Sweet PotatoesCityVille
Sweet Potatoes are CityVille's donation of choice, which are available for 5 City Cash a square, provide 250 Goods, never wither and instantly grow. This allows players to donate as much or as little as they like with instant results. Of course, Zynga will match these donations as well.
Words with Friends
In one of the more ... boring campaigns, Words with Friends players can tap the "Save the Children" button in the game and donate directly to Save the Children. Hey, at least mobile Zynga game players can contribute to the cause.
Zynga Poker
Unfortunately, there are no special items to buy in Zynga Poker, but players who buy a VIP Club membership will be donating to Save the Children simultaneously. A 30-day membership costs $5, so consider that your contribution to the relief effort. Though, we recommend that if you're not a hardcore Zynga Poker fan you donate elsewhere--a 30-day membership is a commitment for five smackers.
If you just want to avoid the new creatures and decorations, you can easily donate directly to Save the Children by clicking the relevant icon on the Zynga Game Bar, or zBar for short. Oddly enough, it appears that Zynga is the only major social game developer to contribute to the cause for whatever reason. As a social gamer, it seems you pretty much have no excuse not to donate, so get to it.
Have you donated to the Japanese relief effort through Zynga games? Which of these donation methods is most appealing to you?
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: Double Decker Tractor, Beefeater Duck, & British Chef Gnome
We've come across a series of three unreleased images detailing item that will apparently be available in the upcoming English Countryside expansion in FarmVille. One of these items is an animal in the form of a Beefeater Duck (named after the guards of the Tower of London). A second item is a British Chef Gnome, although we believe this name to be more of a placeholder than what it will actually be called in the game. Finally, it looks like we'll be able to purchase a Double Decker Bus in FarmVille, although this bus will actually be a tractor, that is simply made to look like the iconic vehicles from Britain.
How these items will be made available exactly remains to be seen, but it is presumable that you'll be able to place the Beefeater Duck into a Duck Pond (should the English Countryside receive one), and that you'll be able to upgrade your Double Decker Tractor to tend more land at once.
Should we see these items released in the original farm instead, we'll make sure to let you know that as well, so keep checking back with us for more news as it becomes available.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
What do you think of these new items? Would you purchase a Double Decker Tractor even if it cost Farm Cash?
How these items will be made available exactly remains to be seen, but it is presumable that you'll be able to place the Beefeater Duck into a Duck Pond (should the English Countryside receive one), and that you'll be able to upgrade your Double Decker Tractor to tend more land at once.
Should we see these items released in the original farm instead, we'll make sure to let you know that as well, so keep checking back with us for more news as it becomes available.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
What do you think of these new items? Would you purchase a Double Decker Tractor even if it cost Farm Cash?
Thứ Ba, 3 tháng 1, 2012
FrontierVille Oregon Trail sign updated with new information
Since the launch of FrontierVille last year, we users have been stuck with four directional markers leading to future "expansions" or at least new features that apparently in the works. Since you can't remove these signs from your land, many users have taken to checking them regularly to make sure that nothing has changed. It turns out, that thoroughness has led us to a bit of a breakthrough, at least where the Oregon Trail sign is concerned.
The text on the sign is quite interesting, leading us to believe that the feature might be the first of the four released, and that it might be the next big thing Zynga decides to work on in the game. Here's what the text says:
"Adventurers are headin' west! Maybe one of 'em will pass by your homestead, pardner. The Oregon Trail ain't for the faint of heart - you'll need pioneer spirit 'n' teamwork to make it!"
Additionally, the large yellow "Coming Soon" marker that has been seen on other signs since the beginning has now been removed. While this might mean that the feature has instead been moved further back in the line of features that Zynga is working on, that seems rather counter-intuitive. After all, why would Zynga update the sign at all, if they had no intention of working on the feature?
Help us speculate as to what all of this means in the comments. Could the Oregon Trail be FrontierVille's first expansion?
The text on the sign is quite interesting, leading us to believe that the feature might be the first of the four released, and that it might be the next big thing Zynga decides to work on in the game. Here's what the text says:
"Adventurers are headin' west! Maybe one of 'em will pass by your homestead, pardner. The Oregon Trail ain't for the faint of heart - you'll need pioneer spirit 'n' teamwork to make it!"
Additionally, the large yellow "Coming Soon" marker that has been seen on other signs since the beginning has now been removed. While this might mean that the feature has instead been moved further back in the line of features that Zynga is working on, that seems rather counter-intuitive. After all, why would Zynga update the sign at all, if they had no intention of working on the feature?
Help us speculate as to what all of this means in the comments. Could the Oregon Trail be FrontierVille's first expansion?
FarmVille Cows fan page speaks of "dark days to come"
While it could all just be some fanciful wording, the FarmVille Cows facebook page (run by Zynga, and created back in the war between Cows and Sheep as the dominate farm animal) was updated just minutes ago, thanking the page's 4.3 million fans for being just that - fans of the FarmVille cows and their movement.
The update goes on to say that of this great "herd" of players, "we're going to need every single one of you to support us in the dark days to come." What exactly could this "dark days" reference mean? Will Zynga be resurrecting the war between Cows and Sheep? Or, could a new animal, like the Duck or Horse, be set to make an attempt for their own barnyard superiority? It should be noted that the Cow vs. Sheep war first started at the beginning of April in 2010, so we are do for another installment, if that's what this means.
Whether this is just clever wording, to get users talking, or if it's really some sort of foreshadowing of things to come, we'll make sure to keep an eye on this situation, and will let you know if another war of the barnyard is set to break lose in the game.
Have you seen this update on the FarmVille Cows fan page? What do you think the "dark days" line is referring to?
The update goes on to say that of this great "herd" of players, "we're going to need every single one of you to support us in the dark days to come." What exactly could this "dark days" reference mean? Will Zynga be resurrecting the war between Cows and Sheep? Or, could a new animal, like the Duck or Horse, be set to make an attempt for their own barnyard superiority? It should be noted that the Cow vs. Sheep war first started at the beginning of April in 2010, so we are do for another installment, if that's what this means.
Whether this is just clever wording, to get users talking, or if it's really some sort of foreshadowing of things to come, we'll make sure to keep an eye on this situation, and will let you know if another war of the barnyard is set to break lose in the game.
Have you seen this update on the FarmVille Cows fan page? What do you think the "dark days" line is referring to?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Option to turn off Pause apparently coming soon
Apparently, with enough comments, Zynga's fan base can actually elicit change. According to a lone screenshot, Zynga will apparently start rolling out a Pause update to FarmVille, allowing users to choose whether or not to turn on Pause when switching from your Home Farm to the English Countryside (and vice versa), or to leave it off.
Thanks to a pop-up found by FVMasters, a new "Travel Options" window has apparently been added to the game, allowing you to choose from two options: "Pause one farm" which keeps things they way they are currently, with only one farm being active at once, or "Play both farms" which turns on all timers for both farms.
As we expected, it seems that crop wither is the main reason for the pause feature's inclusion in the first place, as (if this is a true pop-up) you're given a warning that your crops may wither if you forget to come back and check on them in time, but I'm sure many users will agree that we'd much rather run the risk of losing some crops if we're a bit forgetful than losing our entire progress on one farm or another because we didn't have a choice.
Note: It should be noted that currently, there are very few sources that can confirm the validity of this image. It could be that the feature is on such a slow roll-out that even the dedicated FarmVille forums users haven't picked up on it yet, or it could be a "coming soon" addition that just happened to leak via this new picture. We've contacted Zynga asking for official comment, and we'll make sure to update this space when we know more.
Personally, if this does turn out to be a real thing, I only have one thing to say about that.
[Image Credit: FVMasters]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you received the Travel Options window while playing FarmVille? If this feature does come to the game, will you turn off Pause, or leave it on?
Thanks to a pop-up found by FVMasters, a new "Travel Options" window has apparently been added to the game, allowing you to choose from two options: "Pause one farm" which keeps things they way they are currently, with only one farm being active at once, or "Play both farms" which turns on all timers for both farms.
As we expected, it seems that crop wither is the main reason for the pause feature's inclusion in the first place, as (if this is a true pop-up) you're given a warning that your crops may wither if you forget to come back and check on them in time, but I'm sure many users will agree that we'd much rather run the risk of losing some crops if we're a bit forgetful than losing our entire progress on one farm or another because we didn't have a choice.
Note: It should be noted that currently, there are very few sources that can confirm the validity of this image. It could be that the feature is on such a slow roll-out that even the dedicated FarmVille forums users haven't picked up on it yet, or it could be a "coming soon" addition that just happened to leak via this new picture. We've contacted Zynga asking for official comment, and we'll make sure to update this space when we know more.
Personally, if this does turn out to be a real thing, I only have one thing to say about that.
[Image Credit: FVMasters]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you received the Travel Options window while playing FarmVille? If this feature does come to the game, will you turn off Pause, or leave it on?
CityVille City Works Community Building: Everything you need to know
A new community building has been added to CityVille in the form of the City Works building. According to a new pop-up you'll receive when logging into the game, the City Works building is essential for your town (although that's questionable, as you'll soon see), and comes with a high population boost to boot.
The building itself can be found under the Community Buildings section of the store for 6,000 coins. You'll need to hammer the frame five times to complete its construction, but rather than collecting items to finish this one off, you'll need to go back to the friend recruitment method, adding a whopping 12 people (in total) to your Crew before the building can be opened. You might be lucky enough to have the Director and Deputy Director's positions filled for you by "Bonus Crew," but otherwise, you'll be able to pay 2 City Cash per position, or send out individual gift requests to those friends that you think would be most likely to accept.
Once your City Works building is entirely staffed, you'll be able to add an additional 350 citizens to your town's overall population. As for the part about the building being "essential" to your town - that is a bit questionable. There are no quests (currently) associated with building the City Works structure, and it doesn't seem to actually serve any function once it's been built. It seems like this is really just one of those buildings that those who need a higher population would like to build, but everyone else should probably save their land for other things.
We'll make sure to let you know if the City Works building is updated to include a function other than a population boost in the future, so keep checking back.
Did you build a City Works building in your town, or do you need that land for something else? What's your current population cap in CityVille?
The building itself can be found under the Community Buildings section of the store for 6,000 coins. You'll need to hammer the frame five times to complete its construction, but rather than collecting items to finish this one off, you'll need to go back to the friend recruitment method, adding a whopping 12 people (in total) to your Crew before the building can be opened. You might be lucky enough to have the Director and Deputy Director's positions filled for you by "Bonus Crew," but otherwise, you'll be able to pay 2 City Cash per position, or send out individual gift requests to those friends that you think would be most likely to accept.
Once your City Works building is entirely staffed, you'll be able to add an additional 350 citizens to your town's overall population. As for the part about the building being "essential" to your town - that is a bit questionable. There are no quests (currently) associated with building the City Works structure, and it doesn't seem to actually serve any function once it's been built. It seems like this is really just one of those buildings that those who need a higher population would like to build, but everyone else should probably save their land for other things.
We'll make sure to let you know if the City Works building is updated to include a function other than a population boost in the future, so keep checking back.
Did you build a City Works building in your town, or do you need that land for something else? What's your current population cap in CityVille?
CityVille: Cruise Ships coming soon; where will they take us?
Load CityVille this evening and you're likely to see the newest loading screen that's been added to the game, giving all users a sneak peek as to a new feature, or at least a new item, that will be setting sail in the game soon. The new item is the Cruise Ship, which will apparently bring with them some "fun and excitement."
Zynga goes on to officially announce the Cruise Ship screenshot in the game's official forums, where they add the question "Where will they take your citizens?" This leaves the feature wide open in terms of possibilities. Will Cruise Ships work just as regular boats, but they'll earn coins as citizens become tourists to other countries rather than producing Goods? Or, could this be just the first glimpse we'll see of new lands that we'll be able to explore, using the Cruise Ship as a mode of travel?
The possibilities are fairly endless at this point, and we'll make sure to give you more details about Cruise Ships as we know more.
What do you think the Cruise Ships will do in CityVille?
Zynga goes on to officially announce the Cruise Ship screenshot in the game's official forums, where they add the question "Where will they take your citizens?" This leaves the feature wide open in terms of possibilities. Will Cruise Ships work just as regular boats, but they'll earn coins as citizens become tourists to other countries rather than producing Goods? Or, could this be just the first glimpse we'll see of new lands that we'll be able to explore, using the Cruise Ship as a mode of travel?
The possibilities are fairly endless at this point, and we'll make sure to give you more details about Cruise Ships as we know more.
What do you think the Cruise Ships will do in CityVille?
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