If only they had released it sooner! In a move that is sure to both infuriate and excite plenty of FarmVille players (trust me, it's possible to do both at once), Zynga has released a coin option to purchase the first land expansion in Lighthouse Cove, called the Coastal Patch. Why would this be a bad thing? If you recall, we needed to reach at least this expansion for the first set of Bonus Challenge goals in the Lighthouse Cove, but many people (myself included) decided to skip it (and all of the prizes available therein) due to the Farm Cash cost.
Either way, this new coin-option itself does come with a catch. As of this writing, it looks like the vast majority of users need to add more Neighbors to their game in order to unlock it. This isn't a case like in the English Countryside where you must simply ask your friends for help; this is a case where you legitimately need to add new farmers to your account (and whether or not the new FarmVille Friends feature neighbors count remains to be seen).
The amount of neighbors you'll need to add seems to vary across users, but I personally only had to add two (for your reference). Once you've fulfilled whatever the game asks of you, you can then purchase the Coastal Patch expansion for 750,000 coins. If we're starting out with that price, which I wouldn't consider to be inexpensive, I can only imagine how high the prices will soar for additional expansions in the future. In the meantime though, I suppose it's best not to argue and accept this land expansion for coins while we can.
Did you already expand to the Coastal Patch farm for Farm Cash? Will you add new neighbors just to expand for coins? Sound off in the comments.
Thứ Sáu, 30 tháng 9, 2011
Cafe World Amelia's Admirer Goals: Everything you need to know
A new goal series has launched in Cafe World this week, which sees Chef Amelia having a bit of a secret admirer. Don't worry though - this doesn't come with a lengthy romance that you'll need to help evolve, as it turns out to be far more innocent than that. We'll get to the specifics of the story here later, but for now, let's get started on the guide for this eight part goal series.
Note: Zynga didn't confirm whether or not these goals will be different for each user (we expect that they will be) so if you are required to cook other dishes, that's completely normal.
Amelia's Admirer 1
* Serve 30 Vegetarian Chili
* Serve 10 Kung Pao Stir Fry
* Complete 5 Eat Missions
Eat Missions are those that see you trying the "daily special" in your friends' cafes. As for the Kung Pao Stir Fry, it takes four hours to prepare and the Vegetarian Chili takes two hours.
Amelia's Admirer 2
* Ask for 8 Chocolate Chips
* Serve 20 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 8 Frosting Squeezers
Belgian Waffles take two hours to cook. By this point, Amelia will have been given a love letter in the shape of a heart, which explains this goal's prize: the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 3
* Ask for 10 Clue Notebooks
* Serve 25 Fish n Chips
* Serve Gem Cake 12 Times
Fish n Chips takes two hours to prepare, while Gem Cake takes 12 hours. There's still no official word as to who the secret admirer is by this point, so let's keep going.
Amelia's Admirer 4
* Ask for 8 Macaroni Noodles
* Serve Macaroni and Cheese 20 Times
* Ask for 6 Chipotles in Adobo
Macaroni and Cheese takes two hours to prepare. At this point, you'll get another clue: a heart made of macaroni on a note. It looks like the new recipe for this goal is 4-Alarm Chili Mac.
Amelia's Admirer 5
* Serve Angel Fruit Cake 16 Times
* Serve Jammin' Jelly Donuts 40 Times
* Master Heart-Shaped Cookie to Level 1
Jammin' Jelly Donuts take 20 minutes to prepare, while Angel Fruit Cake takes eight hours. As for the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake, this new recipe takes just 30 minutes.
Amelia's Admirer 6
* Ask for 8 Multicolored Sprinkles
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Vanilla Extract
Another note arrives at this goal, this time with an animal drawn on it. Hmm, macaroni pictures and drawings of animals - are you starting to put two and two together about who this secret crush could be? While you're trying to piece together the puzzle, you'll need to serve Triple Berry Cheesecake, which is ready in 12 hours. For finishing this goal, you're given the Ice Animal Cookies recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 7
* Serve Iced Animal Cookies 20 Times
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Spice 5 Neighbors' Stoves
We'll tell you outright - something seems a bit off about this goal. The in-game window says that you need to serve 40 Cheesecakes, while the text says 20, but the accompanying picture is of a chair, not the cheesecake itself. Whatever the official requirement may be, the story here becomes completely clear as we learn that Amelia's secret admirer is actually a young boy - a child by the name of Oscar in the local kindergarten class who has found his first crush! How cute! There's just one more thing left to do before finishing this goal series off completly.
Amelia's Admirer 8
* Serve Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake 1 Time
* Master Iced Animal Cookies to Level 1
* Ask for 10 Balloons
To make Oscar's day, you'll be able to bake him a few goodies, and in doing so, you'll also finish this goal series off for good. You won't receive any additional recipes for finishing the goal series entirely, but you will have made a (virtual) little boy's day. Isn't that reward enough?
What do you think of the Amelia's Admirer goals in Cafe World? Were you able to figure out who the admirer was early on in the series? Sound off in the comments.
Note: Zynga didn't confirm whether or not these goals will be different for each user (we expect that they will be) so if you are required to cook other dishes, that's completely normal.
Amelia's Admirer 1
* Serve 30 Vegetarian Chili
* Serve 10 Kung Pao Stir Fry
* Complete 5 Eat Missions
Eat Missions are those that see you trying the "daily special" in your friends' cafes. As for the Kung Pao Stir Fry, it takes four hours to prepare and the Vegetarian Chili takes two hours.
Amelia's Admirer 2
* Ask for 8 Chocolate Chips
* Serve 20 Belgian Waffles
* Ask for 8 Frosting Squeezers
Belgian Waffles take two hours to cook. By this point, Amelia will have been given a love letter in the shape of a heart, which explains this goal's prize: the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 3
* Ask for 10 Clue Notebooks
* Serve 25 Fish n Chips
* Serve Gem Cake 12 Times
Fish n Chips takes two hours to prepare, while Gem Cake takes 12 hours. There's still no official word as to who the secret admirer is by this point, so let's keep going.
Amelia's Admirer 4
* Ask for 8 Macaroni Noodles
* Serve Macaroni and Cheese 20 Times
* Ask for 6 Chipotles in Adobo
Macaroni and Cheese takes two hours to prepare. At this point, you'll get another clue: a heart made of macaroni on a note. It looks like the new recipe for this goal is 4-Alarm Chili Mac.
Amelia's Admirer 5
* Serve Angel Fruit Cake 16 Times
* Serve Jammin' Jelly Donuts 40 Times
* Master Heart-Shaped Cookie to Level 1
Jammin' Jelly Donuts take 20 minutes to prepare, while Angel Fruit Cake takes eight hours. As for the Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake, this new recipe takes just 30 minutes.
Amelia's Admirer 6
* Ask for 8 Multicolored Sprinkles
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Ask for 10 Vanilla Extract
Another note arrives at this goal, this time with an animal drawn on it. Hmm, macaroni pictures and drawings of animals - are you starting to put two and two together about who this secret crush could be? While you're trying to piece together the puzzle, you'll need to serve Triple Berry Cheesecake, which is ready in 12 hours. For finishing this goal, you're given the Ice Animal Cookies recipe.
Amelia's Admirer 7
* Serve Iced Animal Cookies 20 Times
* Serve Triple Berry Cheesecake 20 Times
* Spice 5 Neighbors' Stoves
We'll tell you outright - something seems a bit off about this goal. The in-game window says that you need to serve 40 Cheesecakes, while the text says 20, but the accompanying picture is of a chair, not the cheesecake itself. Whatever the official requirement may be, the story here becomes completely clear as we learn that Amelia's secret admirer is actually a young boy - a child by the name of Oscar in the local kindergarten class who has found his first crush! How cute! There's just one more thing left to do before finishing this goal series off completly.
Amelia's Admirer 8
* Serve Heart-Shaped Cookie Cake 1 Time
* Master Iced Animal Cookies to Level 1
* Ask for 10 Balloons
To make Oscar's day, you'll be able to bake him a few goodies, and in doing so, you'll also finish this goal series off for good. You won't receive any additional recipes for finishing the goal series entirely, but you will have made a (virtual) little boy's day. Isn't that reward enough?
What do you think of the Amelia's Admirer goals in Cafe World? Were you able to figure out who the admirer was early on in the series? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Soap Box Supper Catering Order: Everything you need to know
Here's an interesting one: a new Catering Order has launched in Cafe World asking you to help feed a group of racers after their Soap Box Derby race. You'll be there at the finish line waiting, and if you can help these racers out in time, you'll walk away with a free recipe for your efforts.
This particular catering order requires you to serve Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 100 Times, Basil Finger Sandwiches (a six-hour dish) 35 Times, Clubhouse Sandwiches (an 18 hour dish) 20 times and Bacon Cheeseburgers (a five-minute dish) 300 times. Luckily, the Bacon Cheeseburger happens to be the shortest cooking dish and is the one required in the highest quantity. This means that you'll be able to push out dozens of servings in a single sitting in the game, and when you bring up to 14 of your friends in on this order with you, the progress becomes even quicker.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 12 Axles and 12 Racing Flags to go along with the Soap Box Derby theme. Both of these sets of items are earned through individual gift requests sent to your friends.
If you can finish all six tasks within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and a Fried Chicken Sandwich recipe. Unfortunately, you must complete this order with the three star rating in order to earn the recipe, so feel free to cancel the order and start over if you haven't finished it by that time. If you do decide to push on, however, and can finish before five full days have passed, you'll receive two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, finishing at any point after those first five days gives you a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins.
All in all, this Catering Order doesn't have a time limit in terms of when it must be started, so if you have more time-sensitive tasks to complete in your cafe first, feel free to complete those entirely before coming back and helping these racers.
What do you think of the Soap Box Supper Catering Order? Do you appreciate "easier" orders like these, or do you prefer a true challenge? Sound off in the comments.
This particular catering order requires you to serve Tony's Classic Pizza (a five-hour dish) 100 Times, Basil Finger Sandwiches (a six-hour dish) 35 Times, Clubhouse Sandwiches (an 18 hour dish) 20 times and Bacon Cheeseburgers (a five-minute dish) 300 times. Luckily, the Bacon Cheeseburger happens to be the shortest cooking dish and is the one required in the highest quantity. This means that you'll be able to push out dozens of servings in a single sitting in the game, and when you bring up to 14 of your friends in on this order with you, the progress becomes even quicker.
In addition to these cooking tasks, you'll also need to collect 12 Axles and 12 Racing Flags to go along with the Soap Box Derby theme. Both of these sets of items are earned through individual gift requests sent to your friends.
If you can finish all six tasks within the first three days of starting, you'll earn the three-star rating, 15 Catering Points, 7,500 Cafe Points, 200,000 coins and a Fried Chicken Sandwich recipe. Unfortunately, you must complete this order with the three star rating in order to earn the recipe, so feel free to cancel the order and start over if you haven't finished it by that time. If you do decide to push on, however, and can finish before five full days have passed, you'll receive two stars, 10 Catering Points, 5,000 Cafe Points and 125,000 coins. Finally, finishing at any point after those first five days gives you a single star, 5 Catering Points, 3,000 Cafe Points and 75,000 coins.
All in all, this Catering Order doesn't have a time limit in terms of when it must be started, so if you have more time-sensitive tasks to complete in your cafe first, feel free to complete those entirely before coming back and helping these racers.
What do you think of the Soap Box Supper Catering Order? Do you appreciate "easier" orders like these, or do you prefer a true challenge? Sound off in the comments.
Thứ Năm, 29 tháng 9, 2011
Google+ Games Stream now real time, updates mimic Facebook
Google+ Games just got a little bit better ... or just more like Facebook games. (Zing!) Google+ Product Manager Satyajeet Salgar just announced that the Google+ Games Stream has gone real time. This means that, rather than having to refresh the Stream to see gaming updates from your friends, they'll appear before you as they happen. For speedier reading, keyboard shortcuts work when perusing the Games Stream, too.
Frankly, this sounds an awful lot like the recent Games Ticker addition to the Facebook games Canvas. The second update to Google+ Games is the brand new ability to add your own personalized comments to updates you share with friends. Again, this is something players could in Facebook games for awhile now.
Finally, game notifications will appear in the Google+ Bar lining the top of users' web pages just below the address bar. Bonus: If they're annoying, you can just mute them. (Double Bonus: Google added Kabam's Global Warfare to Google+ Games in addition to Zynga's CityVille earlier this week.)
Granted, these changes are likely welcome by Google+ gamers with open arms, but their Facebook counterparts either have existed for quite some time or were recently added. In defense of Google+, however, Facebook arguably made a lot of its recent changes to the games Canvas in response to its new arch nemesis. And something tell us this slap battle is far from over. Check out Salgar detail the changes below.
[Via The Next Web]
What do you think of the recent changes to Google+ Games? Where do you see the fight between Facebook and Google in the games space going? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Frankly, this sounds an awful lot like the recent Games Ticker addition to the Facebook games Canvas. The second update to Google+ Games is the brand new ability to add your own personalized comments to updates you share with friends. Again, this is something players could in Facebook games for awhile now.
Finally, game notifications will appear in the Google+ Bar lining the top of users' web pages just below the address bar. Bonus: If they're annoying, you can just mute them. (Double Bonus: Google added Kabam's Global Warfare to Google+ Games in addition to Zynga's CityVille earlier this week.)
Granted, these changes are likely welcome by Google+ gamers with open arms, but their Facebook counterparts either have existed for quite some time or were recently added. In defense of Google+, however, Facebook arguably made a lot of its recent changes to the games Canvas in response to its new arch nemesis. And something tell us this slap battle is far from over. Check out Salgar detail the changes below.
[Via The Next Web]
What do you think of the recent changes to Google+ Games? Where do you see the fight between Facebook and Google in the games space going? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille Halloween items: Candy Corn Tree, Halloween Cottage, Jack-O'-Lantern and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see the game switch to Halloween-mode, as the first set of Halloween related items has been released in the store. This particular update sees the launch of both new items and old, so if you happen to regret not purchasing some items from last year's Halloween theme, take a look at our overview of these items to see if they've come back around.
Crops
Jack O Lantern - 10 Farm Cash
To be specific, the Jack O Lantern crop comes as an exclusive, permit-only crop that can be unlocked for 10 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll gain access to planting the crop as many times as you'd like for a seven day period. Once purchased and planted, you'll be able to harvest the Jack O Lanterns after 12 hours, and will gain three experience points for each and every square planted. The crop is masterable, with the first star coming at 400 harvests.
Trees
Candy Corn Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Candy Corn Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Halloween Candy Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Big Halloween Candy Tree - 14 Farm Cash
If you're like me, the thought of bright and whimsical trees will likely have you ready to whip out your credit card. These trees are no exception, as the Halloween Candy trees keep their purple color constantly, while the Candy Corn trees start out in different shades of green, only to mature into the classic white, yellow and orange trio of colors we're familiar with from the candy. As usual, the Level 1 (cheaper) trees are the only ones you really need to worry about purchasing outright for your collection, as you'll likely earn the larger trees in each pair for free via Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Candy Corn Cat - 12 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Unicorn - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
For these animals, the Candy Corn Pony was released last year (also for 24 Farm Cash), so you might already have one on your farm. If you'd like to purchase these items for your new Lighthouse Cove farm, however, you will have to purchase multiples (duplicates) as there is no way to transfer storage to your new farm as of this writing.
Buildings
Halloween Cottage - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Home - 18 Farm Cash
The Halloween Cottage has to be one of the most intricately detailed buildings I've seen released in FarmVille in quite some time, if not ever. The building is covered in various spiderwebs and has candy, pumpkins and what appear to be twigs resting in the windowsills, around the front "porch" and the sides. Even the weather vane on the roof is in the design of the bat - how neat! As for the Candy Corn Home, it takes on a cuter appearance, with smaller candy corn pieces branching off from the main home as separate rooms. It's just a shame that both of these items cost Farm Cash, rather than going for coins.
Decorations
Candy Corn Gate - 10,000 coins
Candy Corn (Fountain) - 15 Farm Cash
Jack-O'-Lantern - 3,000 coins
Candy Corn Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Fence - 5,000 coins
If this Jack-O'-Lantern trio looks familiar, it's because this is one item that has been a stable in FarmVille's Halloween events for the last few years, first appearing in 2009. The price has increased somewhat, but at 3,000 coins, it's still a bargain (especially considering that they glow as though lit with a candle).
Avatar Clothing
Banana Costume - 5 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Costume - 7 Farm Cash
While I'm fairly confident additional costumes will be launched in the game's store between now and Halloween proper, if you're looking to get into the spirit early, or just really like Bananas or Candy Corn, you can spend a few Farm Cash to dress your avatar up appropriately. Remember, you can try on items to see if you like the way your avatar looks in them before purchasing.
All of these items (with the exception of the crop) will be available in the game for the next 13 days. To top all of this off, however, if you happen to purchase seven items in this theme so far within the next seven days, you'll receive a free Nightmare Rider: a Halloween-themed sheep with a pumpkin hat and an orange and black flame motorcycle. We'll make sure to let you know when additional Halloween items and features launch in the game in the coming weeks, so keep checking back with us!
Are you excited to see FarmVille transition into Halloween-themed mode this year? Which of these items is your favorite so far? Sound off in the comments.
Crops
Jack O Lantern - 10 Farm Cash
To be specific, the Jack O Lantern crop comes as an exclusive, permit-only crop that can be unlocked for 10 Farm Cash. For that price, you'll gain access to planting the crop as many times as you'd like for a seven day period. Once purchased and planted, you'll be able to harvest the Jack O Lanterns after 12 hours, and will gain three experience points for each and every square planted. The crop is masterable, with the first star coming at 400 harvests.
Trees
Candy Corn Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Giant Candy Corn Tree - 14 Farm Cash
Halloween Candy Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Big Halloween Candy Tree - 14 Farm Cash
If you're like me, the thought of bright and whimsical trees will likely have you ready to whip out your credit card. These trees are no exception, as the Halloween Candy trees keep their purple color constantly, while the Candy Corn trees start out in different shades of green, only to mature into the classic white, yellow and orange trio of colors we're familiar with from the candy. As usual, the Level 1 (cheaper) trees are the only ones you really need to worry about purchasing outright for your collection, as you'll likely earn the larger trees in each pair for free via Mystery Seedlings.
Animals
Candy Corn Cat - 12 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Unicorn - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
For these animals, the Candy Corn Pony was released last year (also for 24 Farm Cash), so you might already have one on your farm. If you'd like to purchase these items for your new Lighthouse Cove farm, however, you will have to purchase multiples (duplicates) as there is no way to transfer storage to your new farm as of this writing.
Buildings
Halloween Cottage - 30 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Home - 18 Farm Cash
The Halloween Cottage has to be one of the most intricately detailed buildings I've seen released in FarmVille in quite some time, if not ever. The building is covered in various spiderwebs and has candy, pumpkins and what appear to be twigs resting in the windowsills, around the front "porch" and the sides. Even the weather vane on the roof is in the design of the bat - how neat! As for the Candy Corn Home, it takes on a cuter appearance, with smaller candy corn pieces branching off from the main home as separate rooms. It's just a shame that both of these items cost Farm Cash, rather than going for coins.
Decorations
Candy Corn Gate - 10,000 coins
Candy Corn (Fountain) - 15 Farm Cash
Jack-O'-Lantern - 3,000 coins
Candy Corn Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Fence - 5,000 coins
If this Jack-O'-Lantern trio looks familiar, it's because this is one item that has been a stable in FarmVille's Halloween events for the last few years, first appearing in 2009. The price has increased somewhat, but at 3,000 coins, it's still a bargain (especially considering that they glow as though lit with a candle).
Avatar Clothing
Banana Costume - 5 Farm Cash
Candy Corn Costume - 7 Farm Cash
While I'm fairly confident additional costumes will be launched in the game's store between now and Halloween proper, if you're looking to get into the spirit early, or just really like Bananas or Candy Corn, you can spend a few Farm Cash to dress your avatar up appropriately. Remember, you can try on items to see if you like the way your avatar looks in them before purchasing.
All of these items (with the exception of the crop) will be available in the game for the next 13 days. To top all of this off, however, if you happen to purchase seven items in this theme so far within the next seven days, you'll receive a free Nightmare Rider: a Halloween-themed sheep with a pumpkin hat and an orange and black flame motorcycle. We'll make sure to let you know when additional Halloween items and features launch in the game in the coming weeks, so keep checking back with us!
Are you excited to see FarmVille transition into Halloween-themed mode this year? Which of these items is your favorite so far? Sound off in the comments.
Chủ Nhật, 25 tháng 9, 2011
Adventure World: New chapters revealed after El Dorado
While we all know that Zynga's newest game, Adventure World, starts out as a quest to solve the mystery of El Dorado by gathering the Mastery Key and four totems, did you know that the game is far from over after this first mission is complete? That's right, after solving the mystery of El Dorado, Zynga announced that we'll be taken through Chapters 2 and 3 of the game (each likely as lengthy as the first - or longer).
While there's no way to guarantee when each user will make their way to these newest chapters individually, we do know their locations, thanks to a screenshot posted by the big Z on the game's Facebook fan page. Chapter 2 takes us to Egypt, where we'll solve the "Riddle of the Sphinx." Meanwhile, Chapter 3 is set in Tibet, where the "Mystery of the Yeti" waits to be solved.
Unfortunately, while we also know that Indiana Jones will showing up in the game next month, we haven't been told how great of an impact he will have on these two Chapters, if at all. It could be that we'll need to wait until Chapter 4 and beyond to see Indy come into the actual story of the game, depending on how far ahead the team at Zynga had developed the game before making this announcement.
Either way, we'll make sure to bring you continued coverage on the quests, expeditions and story missions in Adventure World, so keep checking back with us for more.
Are you excited to travel to Egypt and Tibet in Adventure World? How far have you made it in the story so far? Sound off in the comments.
While there's no way to guarantee when each user will make their way to these newest chapters individually, we do know their locations, thanks to a screenshot posted by the big Z on the game's Facebook fan page. Chapter 2 takes us to Egypt, where we'll solve the "Riddle of the Sphinx." Meanwhile, Chapter 3 is set in Tibet, where the "Mystery of the Yeti" waits to be solved.
Unfortunately, while we also know that Indiana Jones will showing up in the game next month, we haven't been told how great of an impact he will have on these two Chapters, if at all. It could be that we'll need to wait until Chapter 4 and beyond to see Indy come into the actual story of the game, depending on how far ahead the team at Zynga had developed the game before making this announcement.
Either way, we'll make sure to bring you continued coverage on the quests, expeditions and story missions in Adventure World, so keep checking back with us for more.
Are you excited to travel to Egypt and Tibet in Adventure World? How far have you made it in the story so far? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Mountain Quests: Everything you need to know
After making your way through the Deep Jungle in Adventure World, and successfully retrieving the Monkey Idol, you'll unlock the ability to head up the mountain in - you guessed it - Mountain quests. You're going after the Bird Idol here, but you'll have some steep requirements to meet before you can leave Base Camp on the trek. You'll need to collect 20 each of Food, Fuel and Water, and will need to gather six friends to help you out on this quest. Technically, their job will be to "pull you up the mountain elevator," so they must be gathered before you're allowed to start on this quest for the Bird Idol. They can also be used while on the quests, giving you three free energy for each friend.
Once you begin, there's no time limit associated with these Quests, unlike the time limits found in Expeditions, so don't feel the need to rush through. Take your time with completing these quests and you'll get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of rewards. Here's a complete guide to doing just that.
Main Quests on the Mountain
Recover the Bird Idol Part 1
* Get the Box of TNT
* Get the Fuse Cord
* Get the Detonator
These three items are scattered about the map, and are guarded by a new kind of enemy: the Ram. By simply exploring the various "islands" or cliffs in this map (they look more like islands, if you ask me), you'll come across these three items on your own, but can always click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window to be shown exactly where they lie.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 2
* Set the TNT Below the Cliff
Once you've defeated Papa Cliff Jumper and have gathered all of the materials for your TNT bundle, you can place it in the highlight on your map, at the very top end. There's a Ram up here guarding the path, so keep that in mind.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 3
* Use the Plunger to Blast a Path!
* Recover the Bird Idol
The Plunger is found past a rock that must be blown up with dynamite (see the screenshot above), which can be purchased back at Base Camp for 1,000 coins. It's a single-use item, so you'll have to purchase one each time you want to use dynamite on a map. Once you've used the Plunger, you'll have to fight one last Ram before finding the Bird Idol on the platform you've just formed.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 4
* Return to Base Camp
* Place the Bird Idol
Unlike last time (when recovering the 20 Comments), once you collect the Bird Idol on the top of the cliff, you really will be done (no secret cave this time around). You'll just need to head home and place it outside the entrance to El Dorado to be completely finished.
Mountain Side Quests
Society Work
* Get 10 Jade Vases
* Get 5 Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Azure Skulls from Hidden Caves
* Get a Ram Horn Grip from the Mountaineer Collection
The Mountaineer Collection items drop from any Mountain map, including this one, so as you complete tasks, you might be lucky enough to come across enough collectibles to turn this one in (the Ram Horn Grip is the prize) before everything is said and done. As for the Ruby & Jade Vases (especially Jade Vases), they're scattered around the map as you might expect, hidden behind trees or under clouds, so make sure to explore every nook and cranny of the map to find them all. As an example, you'll be able to find four Jade Vases on the very first "island" you start the Mountain quests on. As for the Azure Skulls, the Hidden Caves are found under "Blooming Bushes," which are small areas of ground cover, the size of a regular bush, with white flowers on top. Once you interact with these bushes, they'll disappear, revealing a ladder into the cave. Here, you'll find Red Vases as well. Check out the screenshots below for the locations of both Hidden Caves, and an example of what you'll see when entering one.
A couple of notes: First, ignore Fluffy the Ewe in the below screenshot - she is a "lost animal" that may not appear in this particular location in your own game, and shouldn't be used as a place marker. Second, if you don't happen to find a Ram Horn, you don't technically have to to complete this entire mission and recover the Bird Idol. You can skip this quest and simply head back to Base Camp and place the Idol in its place.
Butting Heads
* Defeat four Rams
* Defeat Papa Cliff Jumper!
The four Rams are scattered around the map (check out the screenshot above), while Papa Cliff Jumper is found at the top end of the map, next to the Detonator you need for the first story mission in this area. He has 12 hit points, and he takes away two energy points each time he hits you, so it might take you a while to whittle him down, depending on how much you've upgraded your whip.
On the Rocks
* Break five Small Rocks
* Break five Medium Rocks
* Break three Big Rocks
* Use Dynamite
A single use of Dynamite is available to purchase for 1,000 coins in your Tool Shop back in Base Camp. As for the 13 rocks, you'll find them blocking your path between islands, or blocking your path between collectibles like vases, so you shouldn't have any problem finding the ones you need. If you do need one or more of a particular kind of rock, remember to hit the "Show Me" button in the quest window to see the camera zoom to a rock's location. As for the dynamite, you'll find a rock on your path after finding the Fuse Cord that must be blown up for you to proceed, and another as you reach the top of the map.
Bird Watching
* Investigate Rare Birds
* Investigate Exotic Eggs
* Investigate Bird Nests
Just like the Vases and rocks, these Birds, Nests, and Eggs are scattered around the map, normally blocked by some kind of obstacle, whether that be a trap, bush, thorn, or rock (as examples). The nests are found in similar areas, but they blend in incredibly well (that is, they look almost identical to thorns), so keep a lookout for things that look like the item in the square below.
Once you finish all of these goals, you will have successfully retrieved the Bird Idol, and will be at the halfway point for opening El Dorado itself, back on Base Camp. We'll make sure to let you know how to recover the other two idols, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Mountain / Bird Idol quests? Do you like it more than those quests for collecting the Monkey Idol? What sorts of adventures are you looking forward to next? Sound off in the comments.
Once you begin, there's no time limit associated with these Quests, unlike the time limits found in Expeditions, so don't feel the need to rush through. Take your time with completing these quests and you'll get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of rewards. Here's a complete guide to doing just that.
Main Quests on the Mountain
Recover the Bird Idol Part 1
* Get the Box of TNT
* Get the Fuse Cord
* Get the Detonator
These three items are scattered about the map, and are guarded by a new kind of enemy: the Ram. By simply exploring the various "islands" or cliffs in this map (they look more like islands, if you ask me), you'll come across these three items on your own, but can always click on the "Show Me" button within the quest window to be shown exactly where they lie.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 2
* Set the TNT Below the Cliff
Once you've defeated Papa Cliff Jumper and have gathered all of the materials for your TNT bundle, you can place it in the highlight on your map, at the very top end. There's a Ram up here guarding the path, so keep that in mind.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 3
* Use the Plunger to Blast a Path!
* Recover the Bird Idol
The Plunger is found past a rock that must be blown up with dynamite (see the screenshot above), which can be purchased back at Base Camp for 1,000 coins. It's a single-use item, so you'll have to purchase one each time you want to use dynamite on a map. Once you've used the Plunger, you'll have to fight one last Ram before finding the Bird Idol on the platform you've just formed.
Recover the Bird Idol Part 4
* Return to Base Camp
* Place the Bird Idol
Unlike last time (when recovering the 20 Comments), once you collect the Bird Idol on the top of the cliff, you really will be done (no secret cave this time around). You'll just need to head home and place it outside the entrance to El Dorado to be completely finished.
Mountain Side Quests
Society Work
* Get 10 Jade Vases
* Get 5 Ruby Vases
* Get 2 Azure Skulls from Hidden Caves
* Get a Ram Horn Grip from the Mountaineer Collection
The Mountaineer Collection items drop from any Mountain map, including this one, so as you complete tasks, you might be lucky enough to come across enough collectibles to turn this one in (the Ram Horn Grip is the prize) before everything is said and done. As for the Ruby & Jade Vases (especially Jade Vases), they're scattered around the map as you might expect, hidden behind trees or under clouds, so make sure to explore every nook and cranny of the map to find them all. As an example, you'll be able to find four Jade Vases on the very first "island" you start the Mountain quests on. As for the Azure Skulls, the Hidden Caves are found under "Blooming Bushes," which are small areas of ground cover, the size of a regular bush, with white flowers on top. Once you interact with these bushes, they'll disappear, revealing a ladder into the cave. Here, you'll find Red Vases as well. Check out the screenshots below for the locations of both Hidden Caves, and an example of what you'll see when entering one.
A couple of notes: First, ignore Fluffy the Ewe in the below screenshot - she is a "lost animal" that may not appear in this particular location in your own game, and shouldn't be used as a place marker. Second, if you don't happen to find a Ram Horn, you don't technically have to to complete this entire mission and recover the Bird Idol. You can skip this quest and simply head back to Base Camp and place the Idol in its place.
Butting Heads
* Defeat four Rams
* Defeat Papa Cliff Jumper!
The four Rams are scattered around the map (check out the screenshot above), while Papa Cliff Jumper is found at the top end of the map, next to the Detonator you need for the first story mission in this area. He has 12 hit points, and he takes away two energy points each time he hits you, so it might take you a while to whittle him down, depending on how much you've upgraded your whip.
On the Rocks
* Break five Small Rocks
* Break five Medium Rocks
* Break three Big Rocks
* Use Dynamite
A single use of Dynamite is available to purchase for 1,000 coins in your Tool Shop back in Base Camp. As for the 13 rocks, you'll find them blocking your path between islands, or blocking your path between collectibles like vases, so you shouldn't have any problem finding the ones you need. If you do need one or more of a particular kind of rock, remember to hit the "Show Me" button in the quest window to see the camera zoom to a rock's location. As for the dynamite, you'll find a rock on your path after finding the Fuse Cord that must be blown up for you to proceed, and another as you reach the top of the map.
Bird Watching
* Investigate Rare Birds
* Investigate Exotic Eggs
* Investigate Bird Nests
Just like the Vases and rocks, these Birds, Nests, and Eggs are scattered around the map, normally blocked by some kind of obstacle, whether that be a trap, bush, thorn, or rock (as examples). The nests are found in similar areas, but they blend in incredibly well (that is, they look almost identical to thorns), so keep a lookout for things that look like the item in the square below.
Once you finish all of these goals, you will have successfully retrieved the Bird Idol, and will be at the halfway point for opening El Dorado itself, back on Base Camp. We'll make sure to let you know how to recover the other two idols, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these Mountain / Bird Idol quests? Do you like it more than those quests for collecting the Monkey Idol? What sorts of adventures are you looking forward to next? Sound off in the comments.
Thứ Sáu, 23 tháng 9, 2011
FarmVille Dairy Mystery Box brings re-released Cows to pasture
Even if you're dissatisfied with the release of the Cow Pasture animal habitat in FarmVille, that has, more or less, replaced the Dairy Farm on our farms, you still might be interested in adding some previously released cows to your collection for the sake of Animal Mastery. You're now allowed to do just that with the release of the Dairy Mystery Box in the game's store. This box contains six different cows, but remember - the cow you receive upon opening each box is random, and very well could give you duplicates if you purchase more than one.
For 20 Farm Cash, you'll be able to purchase a single Dairy Mystery Box containing one of the following:
Black Yak
Jersey Cow
New Year Cow
Panda Cow
Vineyard Cow
Welsh Black Cow
While it's great to see these cows make a comeback, they won't be here forever; you'll have just a week to purchase as many of these boxes as you like before these cows go back into retirement. Then again, it's always possible these cows will release yet again sometime in the future, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how important it is to have each one right now. Good luck with receiving the cow(s) you want most!
Which of these cows do you hope to win from the Dairy Mystery Box? Do you already have enough of these cows that it would make purchasing one of these boxes too big of a risk? Sound off in the comments.
For 20 Farm Cash, you'll be able to purchase a single Dairy Mystery Box containing one of the following:
Black Yak
Jersey Cow
New Year Cow
Panda Cow
Vineyard Cow
Welsh Black Cow
While it's great to see these cows make a comeback, they won't be here forever; you'll have just a week to purchase as many of these boxes as you like before these cows go back into retirement. Then again, it's always possible these cows will release yet again sometime in the future, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how important it is to have each one right now. Good luck with receiving the cow(s) you want most!
Which of these cows do you hope to win from the Dairy Mystery Box? Do you already have enough of these cows that it would make purchasing one of these boxes too big of a risk? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: 2x Mastery Statue comes back for 12 days only
While many users voiced their concerns upon the initial release of the 2x Mastery Statue in FarmVille (that Zynga had created the ultimate money-grabber), that didn't stop many other farmers from purchasing one for their farms. Apparently, the initial release was so successful that they've decided to bring the statue back around for another go. That's right, the 2x Mastery Statue is once again available to purchase in the store, but only for a limited time (12 days, to be exact).
As a reminder, this 2x Mastery Statue gives you double the amount of mastery points on all crops and trees harvested during a two-day period. A single statue costs 25 Farm Cash, and if you're already the owner of a Platinum Mastery Statue (which has the same effect, but permanently), you'll want to skip out on buying these re-released statues as the status effect doesn't stack.
Also, let me once again point out that this double mastery boost doesn't apply to animals, so if you've really taken to Animal Mastery, there's no reason to waste your Farm Cash on these statues either. Perhaps one day we'll see a double mastery statue released just for animals, but that still doesn't solve the conundrum of whether or not these items should exist to begin with. With enough hard work and some patience, you'll be able to earn dozens, if not hundreds of mastery signs for your farm. Do we really need to pay Farm Cash to speed up the process? We'll leave that up to you, farmers.
Will you purchase a 2x Mastery Statue? Did you purchase one of these statues upon their initial release, or did you splurge on the Platinum Mastery Statue instead? Sound off in the comments.
As a reminder, this 2x Mastery Statue gives you double the amount of mastery points on all crops and trees harvested during a two-day period. A single statue costs 25 Farm Cash, and if you're already the owner of a Platinum Mastery Statue (which has the same effect, but permanently), you'll want to skip out on buying these re-released statues as the status effect doesn't stack.
Also, let me once again point out that this double mastery boost doesn't apply to animals, so if you've really taken to Animal Mastery, there's no reason to waste your Farm Cash on these statues either. Perhaps one day we'll see a double mastery statue released just for animals, but that still doesn't solve the conundrum of whether or not these items should exist to begin with. With enough hard work and some patience, you'll be able to earn dozens, if not hundreds of mastery signs for your farm. Do we really need to pay Farm Cash to speed up the process? We'll leave that up to you, farmers.
Will you purchase a 2x Mastery Statue? Did you purchase one of these statues upon their initial release, or did you splurge on the Platinum Mastery Statue instead? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World 2 Year Anniversary Manny's Journey Goals: Everything you need to know
After spending a few days in Great Britain, the Cafe World two-year anniversary extravaganza has moved onto the Philippines, where we'll meet Master Chef Manny in a new set of goals called "Manny's Journey." Through these goals, we'll be introduced to four new dishes, but of course, they won't simply be handed to you. You'll need to finish the Manny's Journey goals multiple times in order to unlock all of the prizes, which include a 50% Lightning Stove (that would reduce the time it takes your dishes to cook by 50%). Here's a complete guide to these new goals.
As a note, we weren't told by Zynga whether or not these goals contain the same dishes for all users across the entire game, or if they vary as in past goal sets. If you notice any differences in your own game, this will likely be the cause.
Manny's Journey 1
* Ask for 3 Old Filipino Recipe Cards
* Place the Roasting Pit
* Serve 20 Fish n Chips
You'll start this goal series out serving Fish n Chips which takes two hours to prepare. You can wait for those to cook while asking your friends to send you the Old Filipino Recipe Cards, and can finish off this goal by placing the base to your new Roasting Pit. Yes, there's a building project to go along with these goals, and we'll bring you a guide to building the Roasting Pit as soon as we can you can check out our guide to building the Roasting Pit right here. Finishing this first goal gives you 15 Travel Passes. As a reminder, these Travel Passes work as contest entries of sorts, giving you a chance to win in-game prizes, along with real world trips to exotic locations.
Manny's Journey 2
* Ask for 6 Filipino Postcards
* Spice 6 Neighbors Dishes
* Serve 20 Gnocchi Gianna
The Gnocchi Gianna takes six hours to prepare, and is unlocked while completing the Pasta Maker goals. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 20 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 3
* Ask for 10 New Filipino Recipe Cards
* Collect 4 Anniversary Collection items
* Serve 30 Broiled Rainbow Trout
Anniversary Collection items are earned by using spices on your dishes, while Broiled Rainbow Trout takes 12 hours to cook (at the very least, this gives you plenty of time to collect spices if you don't earn the four Anniversary Collection items after running through your supply). Finish this goal to receive 25 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 4
* Ask for 8 Filipino Postcards
* Serve 12 Cafe Bombon
* Serve 30 Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco takes 18 hours to prepare, giving you plenty of time to collect these Postcards from friends. As for the Cafe Bombon, this is a Specialty Coffee Drink that can only be served after you've hired Becky the Barista to work in your cafe. It costs 55 Energy for 10 Servings, so you'll need to prepare it twice in order to reach the total required number of 12 servings. You've almost reached the finale at this point, and finishing this particular goal gives you 30 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 5
* Ask for 12 Dirty Filipino Recipe Cards
* Serve 18 Acai Blueberry Juice
* Complete the Roasting Pit
Once again, the Acai Blueberry Juice must be served from a machine - this time the Drink Bar. It's not available until after you've hired Beverly Bartender. Once you finish this goal, you'll have finished off Manny's Journey, and will receive 500 Travel Passes. You'll also receive one of four new dishes, from a selection of Beef Mechado, Filipino Paella, Lechon and Sisig.
To be especially clear, completing this goal series the first time only gives you a single recipe, and it looks like you'll need to complete the entirety of these goals another three times to unlock the remaining three recipes. These goals (along with your chance to repeat the British goals) will expire in 10 days, so you'll want to make sure and complete as many goals as quickly as possible to stand the biggest chance of unlocking everything in time.
What do you think of these Manny's Journey goals? Do you think they're easier, or more difficult than Winston's Royals goals? Sound off in the comments.
As a note, we weren't told by Zynga whether or not these goals contain the same dishes for all users across the entire game, or if they vary as in past goal sets. If you notice any differences in your own game, this will likely be the cause.
Manny's Journey 1
* Ask for 3 Old Filipino Recipe Cards
* Place the Roasting Pit
* Serve 20 Fish n Chips
You'll start this goal series out serving Fish n Chips which takes two hours to prepare. You can wait for those to cook while asking your friends to send you the Old Filipino Recipe Cards, and can finish off this goal by placing the base to your new Roasting Pit. Yes, there's a building project to go along with these goals, and we'll bring you a guide to building the Roasting Pit as soon as we can you can check out our guide to building the Roasting Pit right here. Finishing this first goal gives you 15 Travel Passes. As a reminder, these Travel Passes work as contest entries of sorts, giving you a chance to win in-game prizes, along with real world trips to exotic locations.
Manny's Journey 2
* Ask for 6 Filipino Postcards
* Spice 6 Neighbors Dishes
* Serve 20 Gnocchi Gianna
The Gnocchi Gianna takes six hours to prepare, and is unlocked while completing the Pasta Maker goals. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 20 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 3
* Ask for 10 New Filipino Recipe Cards
* Collect 4 Anniversary Collection items
* Serve 30 Broiled Rainbow Trout
Anniversary Collection items are earned by using spices on your dishes, while Broiled Rainbow Trout takes 12 hours to cook (at the very least, this gives you plenty of time to collect spices if you don't earn the four Anniversary Collection items after running through your supply). Finish this goal to receive 25 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 4
* Ask for 8 Filipino Postcards
* Serve 12 Cafe Bombon
* Serve 30 Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco takes 18 hours to prepare, giving you plenty of time to collect these Postcards from friends. As for the Cafe Bombon, this is a Specialty Coffee Drink that can only be served after you've hired Becky the Barista to work in your cafe. It costs 55 Energy for 10 Servings, so you'll need to prepare it twice in order to reach the total required number of 12 servings. You've almost reached the finale at this point, and finishing this particular goal gives you 30 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 5
* Ask for 12 Dirty Filipino Recipe Cards
* Serve 18 Acai Blueberry Juice
* Complete the Roasting Pit
Once again, the Acai Blueberry Juice must be served from a machine - this time the Drink Bar. It's not available until after you've hired Beverly Bartender. Once you finish this goal, you'll have finished off Manny's Journey, and will receive 500 Travel Passes. You'll also receive one of four new dishes, from a selection of Beef Mechado, Filipino Paella, Lechon and Sisig.
To be especially clear, completing this goal series the first time only gives you a single recipe, and it looks like you'll need to complete the entirety of these goals another three times to unlock the remaining three recipes. These goals (along with your chance to repeat the British goals) will expire in 10 days, so you'll want to make sure and complete as many goals as quickly as possible to stand the biggest chance of unlocking everything in time.
What do you think of these Manny's Journey goals? Do you think they're easier, or more difficult than Winston's Royals goals? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Roasting Pit: Everything you need to know
On top of being required to complete five new goals in Cafe World's Manny's Journey set, the game's two-year anniversary event has received another building project as well. This "buildable" is the Roasting Pit, the base of which will be given to you for free when you start these Manny's Journeys goals. While you may think you can simply place the base and then forget about it, if you're interested in completing these goals, and subsequently unlocking any of the four recipes associated with them, you'll be required to complete its construction.
Once you place the Roasting Pit, you'll be able to begin the process of asking your friends for building materials. You'll need to collect eight Bags of Coal, 10 Steel Plates, six Roasting Sticks and six Roasting Pit Stones. The Bags of Coal are the only items you'll be able to ask for via a general post to your news feed / wall, while the other three items are earned via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be the most likely to help you.
Once you finish this Roasting Pit, you'll not only have a new "decorative" machine in your cafe, but you'll also be able to earn a single bonus mastery point for each Filipino dish you serve while the Roasting Pit is displayed and therefore "active" in your cafe. That is, instead of earning a single point for each Filipino dish, this Roasting Pit will cause you to earn two points with every serving, well, served. Also, even if you don't manage to unlock all four recipes in the Manny's Journey goal set, this Roasting Pit will still have a purpose, as a single, pre-existing dish falls under the Filipino heading: Chicken Adobo.
Again, this machine must be built in order to complete the Manny's Journey goal set in Cafe World, so check out our guide to doing just that to have the best shot of earning some new dishes - and fast!
What do you think of the Roasting Pit? Do you like items like this that allow you to earn bonus dish mastery points? Let us know in the comments.
Once you place the Roasting Pit, you'll be able to begin the process of asking your friends for building materials. You'll need to collect eight Bags of Coal, 10 Steel Plates, six Roasting Sticks and six Roasting Pit Stones. The Bags of Coal are the only items you'll be able to ask for via a general post to your news feed / wall, while the other three items are earned via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be the most likely to help you.
Once you finish this Roasting Pit, you'll not only have a new "decorative" machine in your cafe, but you'll also be able to earn a single bonus mastery point for each Filipino dish you serve while the Roasting Pit is displayed and therefore "active" in your cafe. That is, instead of earning a single point for each Filipino dish, this Roasting Pit will cause you to earn two points with every serving, well, served. Also, even if you don't manage to unlock all four recipes in the Manny's Journey goal set, this Roasting Pit will still have a purpose, as a single, pre-existing dish falls under the Filipino heading: Chicken Adobo.
Again, this machine must be built in order to complete the Manny's Journey goal set in Cafe World, so check out our guide to doing just that to have the best shot of earning some new dishes - and fast!
What do you think of the Roasting Pit? Do you like items like this that allow you to earn bonus dish mastery points? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille Executive Driving Range Attraction: Everything you need to know
It seems that just as quickly as we can finish the construction on an Attraction in CityVille, another one is released. Such is the case this week, as the Ferris Wheel has been followed up by the Executive Driving Range, or a golf range, if you prefer.
The base of the Executive Driving Range costs 10,000 coins, and it must be whacked eight times before the base is complete. From there, you'll need to collect various building materials, as you might have expected:
* 5 City Seals
* 5 Golf Balls
* 5 Buckets
* 5 Netting
* 5 Targets
If you're lucky, you'll already have the City Seals in your account waiting for you, and can then concentrate on gathering the other four items instead. Golf Balls and Buckets can be earned by posting a general news item to your wall, while Netting and Targets are earned via individual gift requests sent to friends.
Once the Executive Driving Range is complete, you can put it into operation for five minutes at a time. Once the five minutes has passed, you'll collect your profits just as you would any other business (your income ranges from 1,400 to 6,000 coins each cycle), but you can't restock it with Goods. Instead, you'll need to wait for a countdown timer to hit zero before you can restart it. You can collect Wrenches from your friends to speed up this timer, but remember - you can only post a single request for Wrenches, which are shared among all of the four available Attractions, so you won't be able to stock up as greatly as you might like.
Of course, building the Executive Driving Range is entirely voluntary, but if you like features such as this, why not give it a swing? Note: you must be at least level 25 to access the Executive Driving Range.
Will you build the Executive Driving Range in your town, or are three attractions enough? Sound off in the comments.
We can almost hear the 3 Blokes team in Australia screaming "Fire everything!" as they hit the proverbial "Launch" button on its first Facebook game under publisher RockYou, Galactic Allies. (It would be most appropriate, no?) Real-time strategy fans can jump in on the thrill of space-faring, asynchronous player vs player combat, complete with 3D visuals.
Essentially, Galactic Allies is RockYou and 3 Blokes's answer to the growing trend of hardcore strategy games on Facebook. However, the duo make a point of mentioning that this is a more casual approach to the burgeoning sub genre, and that the game features a heavy focus on an episodic storyline. And in keeping with current trends sparked by developers like Kixeye in War Commander, players can control units individually.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
This means you'll likely be able to maneuver your starships around enemy fire, adding another layer of strategy to combat in the game. "Galactic Allies alters expectations for what a Facebook game can be," said 3 Blokes VP and GM George Fidler in a release. "It's a deep and compelling strategy game, but with the accessibility of a browser game." (It also looks like it takes the general idea behind Galactic Trader, one of 3 Blokes's first games, and blows it wide open using some familiar art assets.)
Hopefully this accessible approach will apply to the litany of upgrades players will accumulate across various missions and episodes. Judging from these early screen shots, it looks like Galactic Allies will focus heavily on dialog, but more importantly: Battles will take place both on the surface of alien planets and far above them in the infinite void. In other words, there will be plenty of things high and low to make go boom in Galactic Allies.
Click here to learn more about Galactic Allies on Facebook >
Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? How do you think Galactic Allies might size up against its competition? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
To go along with the Animal Mastery feature released in Pioneer Trail this weekend, you can now also complete one of three new collections in the game. Two of these collections go with the new animals that have also been released: the Badger and Moose, while the third goes with the 4F Mastery Club itself.
4F Collection
* Rewards Spring Water and 80 XP
Badger Collection
* Rewards Free Critter Milk and 120 XP
Moose Collection
* Free Carrot Juice and 100 XP
As you might expect, you can earn each of these collections' items by tending to the appropriate animals (that is, you'll earn Badger Collection items for tending Badgers, and Moose Collection items for tending Moose), or by collecting the 4F Mastery Club's daily bonus. You'll also have a chance to earn these specific collectibles during the construction of the Mastery Club itself, although I wouldn't expect to receive the full set unless you're really lucky. By the way, if you're that lucky, would you mind letting some of that luck rub off on me?
Are you a fan of the collections in Pioneer Trail and actively try to complete them, or do you just let yourself complete these Collections casually? Let us know in the comments.
The base of the Executive Driving Range costs 10,000 coins, and it must be whacked eight times before the base is complete. From there, you'll need to collect various building materials, as you might have expected:
* 5 City Seals
* 5 Golf Balls
* 5 Buckets
* 5 Netting
* 5 Targets
If you're lucky, you'll already have the City Seals in your account waiting for you, and can then concentrate on gathering the other four items instead. Golf Balls and Buckets can be earned by posting a general news item to your wall, while Netting and Targets are earned via individual gift requests sent to friends.
Once the Executive Driving Range is complete, you can put it into operation for five minutes at a time. Once the five minutes has passed, you'll collect your profits just as you would any other business (your income ranges from 1,400 to 6,000 coins each cycle), but you can't restock it with Goods. Instead, you'll need to wait for a countdown timer to hit zero before you can restart it. You can collect Wrenches from your friends to speed up this timer, but remember - you can only post a single request for Wrenches, which are shared among all of the four available Attractions, so you won't be able to stock up as greatly as you might like.
Of course, building the Executive Driving Range is entirely voluntary, but if you like features such as this, why not give it a swing? Note: you must be at least level 25 to access the Executive Driving Range.
Will you build the Executive Driving Range in your town, or are three attractions enough? Sound off in the comments.
We can almost hear the 3 Blokes team in Australia screaming "Fire everything!" as they hit the proverbial "Launch" button on its first Facebook game under publisher RockYou, Galactic Allies. (It would be most appropriate, no?) Real-time strategy fans can jump in on the thrill of space-faring, asynchronous player vs player combat, complete with 3D visuals.
Essentially, Galactic Allies is RockYou and 3 Blokes's answer to the growing trend of hardcore strategy games on Facebook. However, the duo make a point of mentioning that this is a more casual approach to the burgeoning sub genre, and that the game features a heavy focus on an episodic storyline. And in keeping with current trends sparked by developers like Kixeye in War Commander, players can control units individually.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
This means you'll likely be able to maneuver your starships around enemy fire, adding another layer of strategy to combat in the game. "Galactic Allies alters expectations for what a Facebook game can be," said 3 Blokes VP and GM George Fidler in a release. "It's a deep and compelling strategy game, but with the accessibility of a browser game." (It also looks like it takes the general idea behind Galactic Trader, one of 3 Blokes's first games, and blows it wide open using some familiar art assets.)
Hopefully this accessible approach will apply to the litany of upgrades players will accumulate across various missions and episodes. Judging from these early screen shots, it looks like Galactic Allies will focus heavily on dialog, but more importantly: Battles will take place both on the surface of alien planets and far above them in the infinite void. In other words, there will be plenty of things high and low to make go boom in Galactic Allies.
Click here to learn more about Galactic Allies on Facebook >
Are you a fan of strategy games on Facebook? How do you think Galactic Allies might size up against its competition? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
To go along with the Animal Mastery feature released in Pioneer Trail this weekend, you can now also complete one of three new collections in the game. Two of these collections go with the new animals that have also been released: the Badger and Moose, while the third goes with the 4F Mastery Club itself.
4F Collection
* Rewards Spring Water and 80 XP
Badger Collection
* Rewards Free Critter Milk and 120 XP
Moose Collection
* Free Carrot Juice and 100 XP
As you might expect, you can earn each of these collections' items by tending to the appropriate animals (that is, you'll earn Badger Collection items for tending Badgers, and Moose Collection items for tending Moose), or by collecting the 4F Mastery Club's daily bonus. You'll also have a chance to earn these specific collectibles during the construction of the Mastery Club itself, although I wouldn't expect to receive the full set unless you're really lucky. By the way, if you're that lucky, would you mind letting some of that luck rub off on me?
Are you a fan of the collections in Pioneer Trail and actively try to complete them, or do you just let yourself complete these Collections casually? Let us know in the comments.
Thứ Tư, 21 tháng 9, 2011
Finally, hang out with your Android buddies in Hanging With Friends
It looks like Tuesday is unofficially Zynga Game Day, as the company just announced that Hanging With Friends is now available for free on the Android Market. Keep in mind, this comes just minutes after the company revealed Mafia Wars 2. Even better news than the fact that Android players can get in on Zynga With Friends's second mobile game is that it's now cross-platform ready.
Yes, now you can play both your iPhone-toting friends and your best Android-owning enemies buds in this crazy take on the classic pen and paper game of Hangman. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanging With Friends takes the popular turn-based exchange of the wildly popular Words With Friends and applies that to a wacky game of Hangman, but with some twists.
For one, players who choose their word for an opponent are limited by the letters provided to them. Then, that challenge is sent to a player who must guess the word with a limited amount of guesses. This exchange of posing challenges and guesses continues asynchronously until one player loses all of their balloons and falls into a pit of lava or other various deathtraps.
Luckily, you have a series of power-ups at your disposal that can restore some of your guesses or reveal letters that may or may not be part of the word your friend chose in secret. Of course, these boosts cost Coins, which you can accumulate over time by winning Hanging With Friends matches or purchasing them outright in-game.
Gallery: Hanging With Friends on Android
Of course, the Android version contains all of the features that its iOS counterpart sports, like the ability to play up to 20 games at a time, in-game chat and push notifications. Finally, you can add friends via your existing With Friends account, or just connect to Facebook (like everyone else) to find more folks to crush with your wordsmithery. Have at thee, Fandroids.
Click here to download Hanging With Friends on the Android Market Now >
Are you psyched that Hanging With Friends has finally come to Android? What other Zynga games do you hope to see on Android phones on the future? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Yes, now you can play both your iPhone-toting friends and your best Android-owning enemies buds in this crazy take on the classic pen and paper game of Hangman. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanging With Friends takes the popular turn-based exchange of the wildly popular Words With Friends and applies that to a wacky game of Hangman, but with some twists.
For one, players who choose their word for an opponent are limited by the letters provided to them. Then, that challenge is sent to a player who must guess the word with a limited amount of guesses. This exchange of posing challenges and guesses continues asynchronously until one player loses all of their balloons and falls into a pit of lava or other various deathtraps.
Luckily, you have a series of power-ups at your disposal that can restore some of your guesses or reveal letters that may or may not be part of the word your friend chose in secret. Of course, these boosts cost Coins, which you can accumulate over time by winning Hanging With Friends matches or purchasing them outright in-game.
Gallery: Hanging With Friends on Android
Of course, the Android version contains all of the features that its iOS counterpart sports, like the ability to play up to 20 games at a time, in-game chat and push notifications. Finally, you can add friends via your existing With Friends account, or just connect to Facebook (like everyone else) to find more folks to crush with your wordsmithery. Have at thee, Fandroids.
Click here to download Hanging With Friends on the Android Market Now >
Are you psyched that Hanging With Friends has finally come to Android? What other Zynga games do you hope to see on Android phones on the future? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Game of the Day: Alchemy
alchemy game of the dayAlchemy is a game of strategy and wit. Carefully place runes and turn the entire board to gold. You can only place runes next to pieces of the same color or shape. However, you can place a rune of any color or shape next to a grey stone. If you can't place the rune, you may discard it. But be careful, discard four runes in a row and it'll be game over! If you fill a row or column with runes, they'll all disappear, opening up the board. Similarly, a skull will let you destroy any rune on the board.
Alchemy may seem complicated at first, but once you grasp the basics, you'll be hooked on its addictive gameplay. Good luck!
Click here to play Alchemy!
alchemy game of the day
Alchemy may seem complicated at first, but once you grasp the basics, you'll be hooked on its addictive gameplay. Good luck!
Click here to play Alchemy!
alchemy game of the day
Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski is awfully addicted to Angry Birds
Another falls to the power of casual games. Just as actress Emma Stone had to go cold turkey on FarmVille, Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski has admitted to Collider an acute Angry Birds addiction. The actress (and voice of Miranda Lawson in Bioware's Mass Effect series) told the website she's not just hopelessly addicted to the game, but has some serious bird-slinging game.
"I don't know if this classifies as a video game, but I have a terrible obsession with Angry Birds," Strahovski admitted to Collider. "I have 3 stared every single level that has ever come out ever except for this one in this moon thing that just came out." Well, she already has me beat, it seems, and likely many of you.
When asked whether she used YouTube or something else to cheat, the Australian starlet replied, "No. I am legitimate. The only thing I looked up is that I could't find the last two golden watermelons in the Rio version. I could't find them. I was like, 'Where are the watermelons?!' So I had to go online and find out where they were." Alright, we get it, so you know your stuff.
Her next mission? Clear every level in the game with 100 percent using the Mighty Eagle. Well, I guess that's about the only challenge she has left, considering she's obliterated every last level. After that, maybe she might consider voice over work for the upcoming Angry Birds movie when it goes into production in oh, I don't know, two years? And who knows, maybe you'll catch her in a Starbucks, flicking away to destroy your high score sometime soon.
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Collider]
Are you still addicted to Angry Birds after all this time? Have you accomplished more in the game than lovely Yvonne? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"I don't know if this classifies as a video game, but I have a terrible obsession with Angry Birds," Strahovski admitted to Collider. "I have 3 stared every single level that has ever come out ever except for this one in this moon thing that just came out." Well, she already has me beat, it seems, and likely many of you.
When asked whether she used YouTube or something else to cheat, the Australian starlet replied, "No. I am legitimate. The only thing I looked up is that I could't find the last two golden watermelons in the Rio version. I could't find them. I was like, 'Where are the watermelons?!' So I had to go online and find out where they were." Alright, we get it, so you know your stuff.
Her next mission? Clear every level in the game with 100 percent using the Mighty Eagle. Well, I guess that's about the only challenge she has left, considering she's obliterated every last level. After that, maybe she might consider voice over work for the upcoming Angry Birds movie when it goes into production in oh, I don't know, two years? And who knows, maybe you'll catch her in a Starbucks, flicking away to destroy your high score sometime soon.
[Via Kotaku]
[Image Credit: Collider]
Are you still addicted to Angry Birds after all this time? Have you accomplished more in the game than lovely Yvonne? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille Pic of the Day: AlexisSkrull's petting zoo
Click the image to make it larger.
A few days ago, I featured a massive FarmVille zoo. However, plenty of folks complained that it was just too crowded and busy. While it was a super detailed zoo, the jumbled appearance diminished its aesthetic appeal. Today's featured zoo farm resolves many of the issues present in the old farm, by attempting a simpler approach to the FarmVille zoo.
Today's featured farm, created by AlexisSkrull, is in many ways quite humble. For instance, it doesn't even fill the whole farm plot and there are no fancy complex illusions to be found. However, the simplicity of the fenced in pens full of animals is charming. It reminds me of the early days of FarmVille and FrontierVille, when all I had was a few animals, crops, and some decorations that I was forced to buy in order to complete goals.
Of course, in reality this farm is far more detailed than my boring starter farm. There are unique habitats and exhibitions built for various animals. So make sure to look closely at the images below to get the full effect of AlexisSkrull's farm.
Click the images to make them larger.
farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm
farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm
What do you think of AlexisSkrull's zoo farm? Which zoo farm do you prefer?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
A few days ago, I featured a massive FarmVille zoo. However, plenty of folks complained that it was just too crowded and busy. While it was a super detailed zoo, the jumbled appearance diminished its aesthetic appeal. Today's featured zoo farm resolves many of the issues present in the old farm, by attempting a simpler approach to the FarmVille zoo.
Today's featured farm, created by AlexisSkrull, is in many ways quite humble. For instance, it doesn't even fill the whole farm plot and there are no fancy complex illusions to be found. However, the simplicity of the fenced in pens full of animals is charming. It reminds me of the early days of FarmVille and FrontierVille, when all I had was a few animals, crops, and some decorations that I was forced to buy in order to complete goals.
Of course, in reality this farm is far more detailed than my boring starter farm. There are unique habitats and exhibitions built for various animals. So make sure to look closely at the images below to get the full effect of AlexisSkrull's farm.
Click the images to make them larger.
farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm
farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm farmville featured alexisskrull zoo farm
What do you think of AlexisSkrull's zoo farm? Which zoo farm do you prefer?
If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!
Google+ opens its doors to all, but (hopefully) mostly social gamers
The proverbial veil has been lifted, everyone. Google+ is finally open to the public, meaning anyone can join Google's social network regardless of whether they've been invited through a friend. More importantly, this means the service, which soft-launched back in August to a controlled amount of users through invites, is open to even more social gamers than before.
Granted, there are only 16 games so far on Google+ Games. But surely the company hopes, that with an influx of potential players, that developers will become even more interested in Google as a social gaming destination. However, there are several arguably basic social features that aren't yet a part of the Google+ developer API, or application programming interface.
Namely, the posts that players can push through to the Games Stream from a Google+ game are not interactive. This means that the viral nature of social gaming is severely hindered on the network--players cannot directly help one another through the Games Stream like the can through the Facebook News Feed. This essentially thwarts what is popularly believed to give social games their name.
At the moment, players can only post general updates such as, "I scored 5 bajillion points in Bejeweled Blitz!" However, Rovio played somewhat of a smarter game with Angry Birds on Google+ Games, and introduced a friend gate to most of its content, meaning players have to add so many friends to access new levels. Luckily, Google has already stated that it's working to introduce more robust features over time.
Regardless, omissions like this serve as proof that Google+ Games, while impressive in its scope, ambition and support, is still a nascent gaming platform when put up against competitors like Facebook. With this news, perhaps the race Google+ is running has changed track to whether Google+ Games can keep up with the demands and needs of its players, rather than its competitors.
[Via Inside Social Games]
Have you tried out Google+ Games yet? Do you think, after what you experienced, that Google has a chance at competing in the social games world? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Granted, there are only 16 games so far on Google+ Games. But surely the company hopes, that with an influx of potential players, that developers will become even more interested in Google as a social gaming destination. However, there are several arguably basic social features that aren't yet a part of the Google+ developer API, or application programming interface.
Namely, the posts that players can push through to the Games Stream from a Google+ game are not interactive. This means that the viral nature of social gaming is severely hindered on the network--players cannot directly help one another through the Games Stream like the can through the Facebook News Feed. This essentially thwarts what is popularly believed to give social games their name.
At the moment, players can only post general updates such as, "I scored 5 bajillion points in Bejeweled Blitz!" However, Rovio played somewhat of a smarter game with Angry Birds on Google+ Games, and introduced a friend gate to most of its content, meaning players have to add so many friends to access new levels. Luckily, Google has already stated that it's working to introduce more robust features over time.
Regardless, omissions like this serve as proof that Google+ Games, while impressive in its scope, ambition and support, is still a nascent gaming platform when put up against competitors like Facebook. With this news, perhaps the race Google+ is running has changed track to whether Google+ Games can keep up with the demands and needs of its players, rather than its competitors.
[Via Inside Social Games]
Have you tried out Google+ Games yet? Do you think, after what you experienced, that Google has a chance at competing in the social games world? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
DC Universe Online: Pound on bad guys for free starting next month
If you've always wanted to try out Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe online (on either PS3 or PC), but didn't want to pay actual money to do so, you'll be happy to know that you'll soon be able to access "the entire game" for free starting next month. As reported by PCWorld, this switch to a freemium pricing plan will still allow users to purchase premium content, but all of the open world gameplay, missions, game updates and patches will be free.
To be specific, DC Universe Online will have three different levels of access. The first and completely free level, gives players access to create just two characters and join a league with other players. From there, the Premium level of users requires that a player spend at least $5 in real money in the game's store to be given that Premium player status for life. This gives them access to larger inventory space, the ability to create more characters and the ability to trade items with others. Finally, if you still want the subscription plan, you can be a Legendary player, paying around $15 a month for access to even more character and inventory slots, along with access to the game's DLC packages at no additional cost. There are plenty of other differences between the three gameplay levels; head over here to check them out.
DC Universe Online is just the latest of many once entirely paid-sub games to go free-to-play in some form. While the most noteworthy case has arguably been World of Warcraft's free-to-play setup for users up to level 20, this is just another case where social and casual players are given an opportunity to break away from Facebook simulators and jump into the world of true MMOs. While the two worlds are (for the most part) entirely different, a bigger selection is definitely not a bad thing.
Will you try out DC Universe Online when it goes free-to-play next month? Let us know in the comments.
To be specific, DC Universe Online will have three different levels of access. The first and completely free level, gives players access to create just two characters and join a league with other players. From there, the Premium level of users requires that a player spend at least $5 in real money in the game's store to be given that Premium player status for life. This gives them access to larger inventory space, the ability to create more characters and the ability to trade items with others. Finally, if you still want the subscription plan, you can be a Legendary player, paying around $15 a month for access to even more character and inventory slots, along with access to the game's DLC packages at no additional cost. There are plenty of other differences between the three gameplay levels; head over here to check them out.
DC Universe Online is just the latest of many once entirely paid-sub games to go free-to-play in some form. While the most noteworthy case has arguably been World of Warcraft's free-to-play setup for users up to level 20, this is just another case where social and casual players are given an opportunity to break away from Facebook simulators and jump into the world of true MMOs. While the two worlds are (for the most part) entirely different, a bigger selection is definitely not a bad thing.
Will you try out DC Universe Online when it goes free-to-play next month? Let us know in the comments.
Zynga gives free rides to FarmVille Lighthouse Cove starting today
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove screen
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
FarmVille Sailor CalfDuring an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. 2 Comments
Thứ Hai, 19 tháng 9, 2011
Empires & Allies Battle Blitz launches global PvP (and special prizes)
Finally, Zynga's answer to the growing legion of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Empires & Allies, puts on the brass knuckles, so to speak. The developer has released Battle Blitz to the game, a feature that essentially allows you to invade (or be invaded by) any opposing Empire in the game. In other words, E&A finally has its own global PvP (player vs player) mode.
The feature appears on your tool bar to the bottom right of the screen with an icon that looks like two heads butting each other. Click on it to open the Battle Blitz menu. This replaces your Neighbor Bar for the time being with portraits of players that may or (most likely) may not be your Facebook friends. However, you must fight these players in succession--more on that later.
Once you click on the player, you will be taken to their Empire. Then, it's clobbering time as per usual. Click on a site to invade, and proceed to bring it to the ground. Once you successfully invade an opposing Empire, the Prize Machine will appear. Successfully invading Empires through Battle Blitz earns you Tokens to use in this feature for rewards like resources.
The reason you must invade Battle Blitz players in succession is that the higher you climb on the Battle Blitz ladder, the better your rewards will be from the Prize Machine. And just like normal invasions between friends, players can easily opt out of Battle Blitz by using your Immunity Tower or click on the white flag icon found to the left of the Battle Blitz bar. But look, this is war--why would you want to do that? What are you ... chicken?
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you participated in the Battle Blitz feature yet--what do you think? Is this the feature you've been waiting for in E&A, or what else do you think the game needs? Sound off in the comments. 16 Comments
The feature appears on your tool bar to the bottom right of the screen with an icon that looks like two heads butting each other. Click on it to open the Battle Blitz menu. This replaces your Neighbor Bar for the time being with portraits of players that may or (most likely) may not be your Facebook friends. However, you must fight these players in succession--more on that later.
Once you click on the player, you will be taken to their Empire. Then, it's clobbering time as per usual. Click on a site to invade, and proceed to bring it to the ground. Once you successfully invade an opposing Empire, the Prize Machine will appear. Successfully invading Empires through Battle Blitz earns you Tokens to use in this feature for rewards like resources.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Have you participated in the Battle Blitz feature yet--what do you think? Is this the feature you've been waiting for in E&A, or what else do you think the game needs? Sound off in the comments. 16 Comments
FarmVille Livestock Pen Animals re-released to fill your habitats
If you're looking for a slew of new (ok, re-released) animals to fill your new Livestock Pen in FarmVille, you'll want to check out the game's store within the next five days, as you can choose from a selection of re-released pigs, sheep and goats for a limited time. Here's the full lineup of re-released animals, along with their prices for your reference.
Black Pied Pig - 18 Farm Cash
Alpine Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Latxa Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Biker Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Fame Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Chamois Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Island Pig - 16 Farm Cash
Devon Pig - 16 Farm Cash
Again, these animals have been released previously; for instance, the Black Pied Pig was released previously in the German event in 2010 and then again in the Birthday Classics even earlier this year. You'll want to make sure you don't already have these animals on your farm before shelling out the Farm Cash, so you don't run into unnecessary duplicates. Just make sure you shop fast - these little fellas (and ladies) won't be around forever.
Are you going to purchase any of these animals during their brief re-release in the store, or do you already have the best ones on your farm? Sound off in the comments.
Black Pied Pig - 18 Farm Cash
Alpine Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Latxa Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Biker Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Fame Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Chamois Goat - 14 Farm Cash
Island Pig - 16 Farm Cash
Devon Pig - 16 Farm Cash
Again, these animals have been released previously; for instance, the Black Pied Pig was released previously in the German event in 2010 and then again in the Birthday Classics even earlier this year. You'll want to make sure you don't already have these animals on your farm before shelling out the Farm Cash, so you don't run into unnecessary duplicates. Just make sure you shop fast - these little fellas (and ladies) won't be around forever.
Are you going to purchase any of these animals during their brief re-release in the store, or do you already have the best ones on your farm? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Livestock Mystery Crate: What's inside?
As part of Zynga's attempt to make people care about the Livestock Pen in FarmVille, which, admittedly is a little hard (don't we already have dedicated storage buildings for both pigs and sheep?), it has released a Livestock Mystery Crate in the game's store containing six animals that can be stored inside your new pen. Now, the Livestock Pen can also store animals like goats or llamas, but unfortunately, only two items of these six re-released animals isn't some form of Pig or Sheep. Here's a full list so you see what I mean:
Alpaca
Babydoll Sheep
Miniature Goat
Teacup Pig
Welsh Mountain Sheep
White Ram
Each of these crates costs 20 Farm Cash, and they can be purchased from within the Decorations tab of the marketplace, instead of the Animals tab like you might expect. Remember, while you are guaranteed to receive one of these animals when you purchase a crate, you aren't guaranteed that you won't receive duplicates the next time you purchase one. That being the case, you'll want to really make sure you don't already have some of these animals already on your land before making a purchase, to ward off any unneeded extras. If you do want one of these crates, shop fast, as they'll only be around for five days.
Do you already have all of the animals inside the Livestock Mystery Crate, or will you purchase some for your farm this week? Which of these animals are you hoping to find inside? Let us know in the comments.
Alpaca
Babydoll Sheep
Miniature Goat
Teacup Pig
Welsh Mountain Sheep
White Ram
Each of these crates costs 20 Farm Cash, and they can be purchased from within the Decorations tab of the marketplace, instead of the Animals tab like you might expect. Remember, while you are guaranteed to receive one of these animals when you purchase a crate, you aren't guaranteed that you won't receive duplicates the next time you purchase one. That being the case, you'll want to really make sure you don't already have some of these animals already on your land before making a purchase, to ward off any unneeded extras. If you do want one of these crates, shop fast, as they'll only be around for five days.
Do you already have all of the animals inside the Livestock Mystery Crate, or will you purchase some for your farm this week? Which of these animals are you hoping to find inside? Let us know in the comments.
FarmVille: New Craftshop recipes use Lighthouse Cove crops
If you thought your Lighthouse Cove crops in FarmVille were only going to be good for completing goals or earning new mastery signs, think again. Zynga has released a series of new Craftshop recipes using these new crops which will see you combining "old" crops with these new bushels. Here's a complete rundown of the new crops so you know exactly what to grow (and what to stock up on) should you wish to craft any of these items in bulk.
Bright Yellow Tractor: 4 Clam, 10 Tarragon and 6 Elderberry Bushels
Mechanic Scarecrow: 3 Hay Bushels, 3 Apple Wood Baskets and 4 Wheat Bushels
Sheep Topiary: 4 Tarragon Bushels, 2 Wool Bundles and 5 Green Tea Bushels
Apple Red Seeder: 4 Seafood, 10 Dill and 6 Onion Bushels
Bonsai: 3 Kennebec Potato, 2 Cherry and 4 Basil Bushels
Tree House: 4 Lady Slipper Bushels, 2 Apple Wood Baskets and 4 Chandler Blueberry Bushels
Apple Red Harvester: 4 Lobster, 10 Daylily and 6 Basil Bushels
Post Office: 10 Cove Cranberry Bushels, 4 Poplar Wood Baskets and 6 Cauliflower Bushels
Evergreen Train: 10 Red Clover Bushels, 4 Poplar Wood Baskets and 6 Hay Bushels
Keep in mind, farmers, that if you're new to crafting these items, you won't be able to craft many of them until you earn mastery stars by crafting other things. Luckily, ones like the Bright Yellow Tractor and Sheep Topiary recipes are open by default, so at least you can earn some mastery stars while completing these new recipes. Also, keep track of how long each of these recipes take to complete, as some of them aren't exactly fast (the Harvester, for instance).
We'll make sure to let you know if additional Craftshop recipes are released in the future, along with what you'll take to actually craft them. Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of these new Craftshop recipes? Which items would you like to have more of on your farm? Sound off in the comments.
Bright Yellow Tractor: 4 Clam, 10 Tarragon and 6 Elderberry Bushels
Mechanic Scarecrow: 3 Hay Bushels, 3 Apple Wood Baskets and 4 Wheat Bushels
Sheep Topiary: 4 Tarragon Bushels, 2 Wool Bundles and 5 Green Tea Bushels
Apple Red Seeder: 4 Seafood, 10 Dill and 6 Onion Bushels
Bonsai: 3 Kennebec Potato, 2 Cherry and 4 Basil Bushels
Tree House: 4 Lady Slipper Bushels, 2 Apple Wood Baskets and 4 Chandler Blueberry Bushels
Apple Red Harvester: 4 Lobster, 10 Daylily and 6 Basil Bushels
Post Office: 10 Cove Cranberry Bushels, 4 Poplar Wood Baskets and 6 Cauliflower Bushels
Evergreen Train: 10 Red Clover Bushels, 4 Poplar Wood Baskets and 6 Hay Bushels
Keep in mind, farmers, that if you're new to crafting these items, you won't be able to craft many of them until you earn mastery stars by crafting other things. Luckily, ones like the Bright Yellow Tractor and Sheep Topiary recipes are open by default, so at least you can earn some mastery stars while completing these new recipes. Also, keep track of how long each of these recipes take to complete, as some of them aren't exactly fast (the Harvester, for instance).
We'll make sure to let you know if additional Craftshop recipes are released in the future, along with what you'll take to actually craft them. Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of these new Craftshop recipes? Which items would you like to have more of on your farm? Sound off in the comments.
Other Games Add Comment Sims Social survey lets you sound off on item prices, favorite features and more
It's that time folks - time to let your collective voices be heard! EA wants to know how much fun (or not) you're having with the Sims Social on Facebook, and they've released a fairly long survey to help you tell them. This survey contains all sorts of questions, ranging from the basics of how often you play the game, to allowing you to rate your opinion on item pricing (are they too cheap? too expensive?) and what some of your favorite features are in the game.
Of course, the point of all of this is to gather enough opinions to actually sway the way the game develops in the future. Hopefully, with questions dealing with how much we like to "build" items with parts (bookcases, double beds, etc.), and the option to say that you don't like it at all, we may actually see a lessening in those kinds of items, if enough users agree. You can even rank various gameplay features (decorating your house, visiting friends, customizing your Sim, etc.) in the order that you like them. In this way, perhaps we'll see more focus being placed on the most (overall) liked feature, and you'll be able to say you helped to make that happen.
Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of survey that will allow you to give your opinion on future item sets, but there are plenty of blank text boxes for you to say exactly what you want to the developers in a place that you know they'll see it. Again, this survey is prety lengthy (when compared to other Facebook game surveys anyway), so you'll want to make sure you have around 5-10 minutes to set aside to take it.
We've taken this survey as well, and if we start to notice any gameplay changes arising because of options listed here, we'll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to this link right here to take the survey for yourself.
Of course, the point of all of this is to gather enough opinions to actually sway the way the game develops in the future. Hopefully, with questions dealing with how much we like to "build" items with parts (bookcases, double beds, etc.), and the option to say that you don't like it at all, we may actually see a lessening in those kinds of items, if enough users agree. You can even rank various gameplay features (decorating your house, visiting friends, customizing your Sim, etc.) in the order that you like them. In this way, perhaps we'll see more focus being placed on the most (overall) liked feature, and you'll be able to say you helped to make that happen.
Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of survey that will allow you to give your opinion on future item sets, but there are plenty of blank text boxes for you to say exactly what you want to the developers in a place that you know they'll see it. Again, this survey is prety lengthy (when compared to other Facebook game surveys anyway), so you'll want to make sure you have around 5-10 minutes to set aside to take it.
We've taken this survey as well, and if we start to notice any gameplay changes arising because of options listed here, we'll make sure to let you know. In the meantime, head over to this link right here to take the survey for yourself.
FarmVille: 24x24 and under land expansions 50% off this weekend
If you're a new(er) player to FarmVille that hasn't had a chance to expand their Home or English Countryside farms, or, if you've just held off until expanding your farms until now, Zynga is offering some major incentive to doing so this weekend. All expansions in both the Home Farm and the English Countryside farm that are 24x24 and smaller are now 50% off. This sale will last until Sunday evening at 9PM PST.
Let's put this into perspective. The two most recent expansions to the Home Farm are for 30x30 and 32x32. While the 32x32 land expansion is technically still on "sale" for 5 days only, it still goes for 180 Farm Cash. Both of these expansions, then, wouldn't be part of this weekend sale. As for English Countryside expansions, there are four that many farmers have likely not unlocked: starting with 26x26 and up, simply because of their prices (2.5 million coins, 5 million coins, 195 Farm Cash and 195/215 Farm Cash respectively). This, again, takes us to the 32x32 sized farm, but none of these are included in the sale.
What's even more disappointing about this sale is the fact that Lighthouse Cove expansions aren't included. As we're limited (in Lighthouse Cove only) to a certain number of crops based on how big our farm is, and since these early expansions start out costing 30 Farm Cash each, it would have been great to see them included in this sale. Whether this means the prices will soon turn to coins instead is anyone's guess, but for now, I suppose this is one sale that most of us will simply have to miss out on.
Are you a farmer that can take advantage of this sale? Will you purchase any expansions for your farms this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Let's put this into perspective. The two most recent expansions to the Home Farm are for 30x30 and 32x32. While the 32x32 land expansion is technically still on "sale" for 5 days only, it still goes for 180 Farm Cash. Both of these expansions, then, wouldn't be part of this weekend sale. As for English Countryside expansions, there are four that many farmers have likely not unlocked: starting with 26x26 and up, simply because of their prices (2.5 million coins, 5 million coins, 195 Farm Cash and 195/215 Farm Cash respectively). This, again, takes us to the 32x32 sized farm, but none of these are included in the sale.
What's even more disappointing about this sale is the fact that Lighthouse Cove expansions aren't included. As we're limited (in Lighthouse Cove only) to a certain number of crops based on how big our farm is, and since these early expansions start out costing 30 Farm Cash each, it would have been great to see them included in this sale. Whether this means the prices will soon turn to coins instead is anyone's guess, but for now, I suppose this is one sale that most of us will simply have to miss out on.
Are you a farmer that can take advantage of this sale? Will you purchase any expansions for your farms this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Intuit Business promotion
It's been a few weeks since we've seen a rush of free FarmVille farm cash promotions being launched by Zynga, but it has finally come through for us this morning with an activity with Intuit. This Intuit Business promotion can be found under the bottom right of your gameplay area, but it may just be labeled as "complete this brand activity," rather than anything specific to Intuit. Trust me, this sponsored link window works the same as all of the others, it just comes labeled differently.
Once you start the promotion, you'll be asked to share your love for a small, local business in your community. This requires some thought on your part, as I found it to be incredibly difficult to enter something that the fields could actually recognize. That is, you're asked for the name of the business, along with your city and state location, and it will then search for any addresses matching that business description. Once you find one (perhaps you'll just be luckier than me and score a hit on your first try), you'll have to fill in a form asking for your name, email address and why you like this business the most. If I were you, or are just in this for the free Farm Cash, feel free to give them an out-of-use email address as, let's face it, that's an instant sign-up for Intuit's newsletter right there.
Either way, once you jump through these hoops, you'll finally be given your two free Farm Cash. Remember, these Farm Cash should automatically update into your account, but if they don't, refresh the page and see if that sets things right. As always, we'll make sure to bring you more news about free Farm Cash offers in the future, just as soon as they pop into the game. Keep checking back for more!
What will you do with your two free Farm Cash? Do you participate in activities such as this, that require some real information about yourself, rather than just answering surveys? Sound off in the comments.
Once you start the promotion, you'll be asked to share your love for a small, local business in your community. This requires some thought on your part, as I found it to be incredibly difficult to enter something that the fields could actually recognize. That is, you're asked for the name of the business, along with your city and state location, and it will then search for any addresses matching that business description. Once you find one (perhaps you'll just be luckier than me and score a hit on your first try), you'll have to fill in a form asking for your name, email address and why you like this business the most. If I were you, or are just in this for the free Farm Cash, feel free to give them an out-of-use email address as, let's face it, that's an instant sign-up for Intuit's newsletter right there.
Either way, once you jump through these hoops, you'll finally be given your two free Farm Cash. Remember, these Farm Cash should automatically update into your account, but if they don't, refresh the page and see if that sets things right. As always, we'll make sure to bring you more news about free Farm Cash offers in the future, just as soon as they pop into the game. Keep checking back for more!
What will you do with your two free Farm Cash? Do you participate in activities such as this, that require some real information about yourself, rather than just answering surveys? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille: Post your in-game achievements to the Facebook ticker
Here we are again, mayors. Another Zynga game is asking for additional permission to share your gameplay information with friends via the new Facebook ticker that appears along the right side of the screen when playing games on the site. First it was FarmVille, and now comes CityVille.
This "new permissions" set is at least far more detailed than the FarmVille request, which left many users wondering exactly what they were giving Zynga access to. Here, we're told straight up that by giving Zynga these additional permissions, you're simply allowing it to share your gameplay activity in the ticker (including achievements you've earned or goals you may have completed while playing) with your friends. Facebook apparently requires it to do so, so here we are.
You'll be able to give Zynga permission (or deny it) when you see a window like the one at right appear in your screen. From there, you can either hit "Allow" to let yourself appear in the ticker, or "Don't Allow" to keep yourself hidden. Your own gameplay experience won't change, and nothing in the game itself will change either. This all goes back to how much information you want to share with friends about your gameplay activity, all in the Facebook ticker. That being the case, feel free to choose whichever option you wish without the fear of penalty.
Will you allow Zynga to share your gameplay activity with your CityVille friends? What do you think of the Facebook ticker as a whole? Sound off in the comments.
This "new permissions" set is at least far more detailed than the FarmVille request, which left many users wondering exactly what they were giving Zynga access to. Here, we're told straight up that by giving Zynga these additional permissions, you're simply allowing it to share your gameplay activity in the ticker (including achievements you've earned or goals you may have completed while playing) with your friends. Facebook apparently requires it to do so, so here we are.
You'll be able to give Zynga permission (or deny it) when you see a window like the one at right appear in your screen. From there, you can either hit "Allow" to let yourself appear in the ticker, or "Don't Allow" to keep yourself hidden. Your own gameplay experience won't change, and nothing in the game itself will change either. This all goes back to how much information you want to share with friends about your gameplay activity, all in the Facebook ticker. That being the case, feel free to choose whichever option you wish without the fear of penalty.
Will you allow Zynga to share your gameplay activity with your CityVille friends? What do you think of the Facebook ticker as a whole? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Mexican theme expands with Statue of Independence, Cantina and more
As promised, here we are again with news of more Mexican Independence items that have been added to CityVille's store. You know, I honestly thought that this would be a one-time release, but leave it to Zynga to release more items even after the holiday in question has passed (this holiday being the Mexican Independence celebration). There aren't as many items here as in the original release we told you about earlier this week, but there is a new crop here, if you happen to be into that sort of thing.
Statue of Independence (Decoration)
Cantina (Business)
Quince Anos Party (Decoration)
Fine Arts Theater (Community Building)
Agave Crop
See? There aren't as many items in this release, but luckily, we're given plenty of time to purchase them either way. You'll have 12 days to do your shopping for these new items (the original section of this theme is down to a 10-day time limit), so just make sure to go shopping eventually before these items do actually expire.
What do you think of these newest CityVille Mexican-themed items? What sort of cultural or geographical theme would you like to see released next? Sound off in the comments.
Statue of Independence (Decoration)
- Costs: 36,000 coins
- Payout Bonus: 12% to surrounding businesses and residences; bonus 12% to Mexican themed items
Cantina (Business)
- Costs: 3,800 coins
- Requires: 95 Goods
- Supplies: 640 coins
Quince Anos Party (Decoration)
- Costs: 12 City Cash
- Payout Bonus: 12%; bonus 12% to Mexican themed items
Fine Arts Theater (Community Building)
- Costs: 80 City Cash
- Allows: 7500 citizens added to maximum population cap
Agave Crop
- Costs: 5 City Cash per square
- Harvest Time: Instant
- Supplies: 450 Goods per square planted
- First Star of Mastery: 3 Harvests
See? There aren't as many items in this release, but luckily, we're given plenty of time to purchase them either way. You'll have 12 days to do your shopping for these new items (the original section of this theme is down to a 10-day time limit), so just make sure to go shopping eventually before these items do actually expire.
What do you think of these newest CityVille Mexican-themed items? What sort of cultural or geographical theme would you like to see released next? Sound off in the comments.
The Sims Social: Country meets chic with Country Kitchen items
Is it just me, or is decorating our houses one of the best things to do in the Sims Social? I know I could personally spend plenty of time rearranging furniture in each room, only to ripe it all out and start over again, and to help us do that with even more themes is a new Country Kitchen theme that has launched in the game this week. These country kitchen items bring in all sorts of shades of brown and ivory, and it's one of the most complete themes we've seen released in the game yet. Here's a rundown of what to look out for in the store to make this theme complete in your own home.
Plate Collection
Perfecto Fruitbowl
Vintage Wines
RuralU Deluxe C (Kitchen Counter Piece)
RuralU Deluxe (Kitchen Counter Piece)
Antiquitate Deco (Wall Sconce)
19th Century Lamp
19th Century Pot (Flowers)
Antiquitate Oil
Basinuate Marble (Sink)
FrancoFaux Chaise (Buildable item)
Cereal Shelf
19th Century Mat
Clox Fruitful
RuralU Trove (Wall Cabinet Piece)
RuralU Charm (Wall Cabinet Piece)
FrancoFaux Tableau (Buildable item)
RuralU Latch (Hutch - Buildable item)
G King Counter (Center Island - Buildable item)
Normanity Chair (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
FrancoFaux Cafe (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
Normanity Sofa (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
In addition to all of these items, there's also a Cooking Skill vent hood called the SuxDelux that's available to users that have reached a Cooking Skill of 40 or higher. This item has a value of $3650.
In the Build Menu, you can also find a selection of new windows in the same matching dark wood color, ranging in price from 750 coins for the RealOak 2 Pane to 6,000 coins for the RealOak 5 Pane. If you want the window in the picture above, with the quaint ivory curtains, that will set you back a whopping 39 SimCash. Along with this, there are five new wallpapers and three new floor tiles to round out the theme.
There's no listed time limit on any of these items, so if you don't have enough Social Points or SimCash available to buy them now, you should be able to save up and purchase them well into the future. Still, if you want to get your hands on these items while they're fresh, I really couldn't blame you. I just hope your kitchen is big enough to hold them all!
[Final Image Credit: Playfish/EA]
What do you think of these Country Kitchen items? Are you more of a modern fan, or do you like country / southwestern items? Sound off in the comments.
Plate Collection
- Costs: 4 SimCash
- Value: $600
Perfecto Fruitbowl
- Costs: 4 SimCash
- Value $600
Vintage Wines
- Costs: 6 SimCash
- Value: $900
RuralU Deluxe C (Kitchen Counter Piece)
- Costs: 10 SimCash
- Value: $1500
RuralU Deluxe (Kitchen Counter Piece)
- Costs: 12 SimCash
- Value: $1750
Antiquitate Deco (Wall Sconce)
- Costs: 3 SimCash
- Value: $450
19th Century Lamp
- Costs: 10 SimCash
- Value: $1500
19th Century Pot (Flowers)
- Costs: 19 SimCash
- Value: $2800
Antiquitate Oil
- Costs: 325 Social Points
- Value: $700
Basinuate Marble (Sink)
- Costs: 12 SimCash
- Value: 1750
- Clean Stat: 5
FrancoFaux Chaise (Buildable item)
- Costs: 225 Social Points
- Value: $500
Cereal Shelf
- Costs: 250 Social Points
- Value: $550
19th Century Mat
- Costs: 19 SimCash
- Value: $2800
Clox Fruitful
- Costs: 350 Social Points
- Value: $800
RuralU Trove (Wall Cabinet Piece)
- Costs: 600 Social Points
- Value: $1450
RuralU Charm (Wall Cabinet Piece)
- Costs: 800 Social Points
- Value: $2050
FrancoFaux Tableau (Buildable item)
- Costs: 800 Social Points
- Value: $2050
RuralU Latch (Hutch - Buildable item)
- Costs: 1100 Social Points
- Value: $3100
G King Counter (Center Island - Buildable item)
- Costs: 15,000 Social Points
- Value: $21,250
- Happiness Stat: 3
Normanity Chair (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
- Costs: 450 Social Points
- Value: $1050
FrancoFaux Cafe (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
- Costs: 650 Social Points
- Value: $1600
Normanity Sofa (Living Room Furniture - Buildable item)
- Costs: 700 Social Points
- Value: $1750
- Sleep Stat: 3
In addition to all of these items, there's also a Cooking Skill vent hood called the SuxDelux that's available to users that have reached a Cooking Skill of 40 or higher. This item has a value of $3650.
In the Build Menu, you can also find a selection of new windows in the same matching dark wood color, ranging in price from 750 coins for the RealOak 2 Pane to 6,000 coins for the RealOak 5 Pane. If you want the window in the picture above, with the quaint ivory curtains, that will set you back a whopping 39 SimCash. Along with this, there are five new wallpapers and three new floor tiles to round out the theme.
There's no listed time limit on any of these items, so if you don't have enough Social Points or SimCash available to buy them now, you should be able to save up and purchase them well into the future. Still, if you want to get your hands on these items while they're fresh, I really couldn't blame you. I just hope your kitchen is big enough to hold them all!
[Final Image Credit: Playfish/EA]
What do you think of these Country Kitchen items? Are you more of a modern fan, or do you like country / southwestern items? Sound off in the comments.
The Sims Social: Claim your free Pogo Arcade Machine
While you may already be the proud owner of one or two Arcade Machines in the Sims Social, if you're like me, you'll always be ready for one more - especially if it's free. Such is the case with this new goodie, a Pogo branded Arcade Machine, spotted by BadgeHungry. The single link to claim your reward has apparently been going around for about a week, but hasn't been heavily advertised. It does, however, still work (as of this writing).
To claim your free Pogo Arcade Machine in the Sims Social just make sure you're logged into your Facebook account and click on this link right here. This will take you to Facebook, where you'll be told whether or not your claim attempt was successful. Once in your house, the Pogo Arcade Machine will go into your storage, where you can then freely place it anywhere in your house (or even outside).
As for interactivity, the machine allows you to do two things: Play Games (no energy required), and "Redeem Tokens at Pogo." This link will let you earn 25,000 free tokens on the site, but unfortunately, doesn't come with any free Simoleons back in the Sims Social. But hey, we've walked away with a free Arcade Machine; it's that all we could really ask for?
Have you already claimed your free Pogo Arcade Machine? What other sorts of goodies do you hope come to the Sims Social? Sound off in the comments.
To claim your free Pogo Arcade Machine in the Sims Social just make sure you're logged into your Facebook account and click on this link right here. This will take you to Facebook, where you'll be told whether or not your claim attempt was successful. Once in your house, the Pogo Arcade Machine will go into your storage, where you can then freely place it anywhere in your house (or even outside).
As for interactivity, the machine allows you to do two things: Play Games (no energy required), and "Redeem Tokens at Pogo." This link will let you earn 25,000 free tokens on the site, but unfortunately, doesn't come with any free Simoleons back in the Sims Social. But hey, we've walked away with a free Arcade Machine; it's that all we could really ask for?
Have you already claimed your free Pogo Arcade Machine? What other sorts of goodies do you hope come to the Sims Social? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille: Playa del Rey Apartments add plenty of population at a high price
As tends to be the case with limited edition item themes in CityVille, the current Mexican theme of items has received a new, limited edition residential building by the name of the Playa del Rey Apartments. These apartments cost a whopping 75 City Cash to add to your town, but are highly detailed, with tons of architectural interest, and even some palm trees (you know, if the way your town looks matters as much as the stats themselves).
Once you purchase the Playa del Rey Apartments, you'll have a house with a starting population of 2,350 residents, that can be expanded through random boosts all of the way up to 4,350 citizens. You'll earn 451 coins in rent every day, if you remember to collect from it, and you might even be able to place this one in your apartment-centric Neighborhood, if the folks at Zynga remembered to program that option in (we're working on discovering if that's the case).
Remember, as this one is limited edition, your opportunity to purchase one will only be around for the next 11 days. After that point, it's likely we'll see a new limited edition item theme launch in the store, with its own set of expensive housing units, and we may never see this one again. Shop now if you really want it.
Will you purchase a Playa del Rey Apartments for your town? How much is too much for a business or residence in CityVille? Sound off in the comments.
Once you purchase the Playa del Rey Apartments, you'll have a house with a starting population of 2,350 residents, that can be expanded through random boosts all of the way up to 4,350 citizens. You'll earn 451 coins in rent every day, if you remember to collect from it, and you might even be able to place this one in your apartment-centric Neighborhood, if the folks at Zynga remembered to program that option in (we're working on discovering if that's the case).
Remember, as this one is limited edition, your opportunity to purchase one will only be around for the next 11 days. After that point, it's likely we'll see a new limited edition item theme launch in the store, with its own set of expensive housing units, and we may never see this one again. Shop now if you really want it.
Will you purchase a Playa del Rey Apartments for your town? How much is too much for a business or residence in CityVille? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Mystery Game (09/18/11): Livestock animals come to the farm
In tonight's FarmVille update, we see a new round of animals hit the Mystery Game, with this week's theme (understandably) revolving around the new Livestock Pen released just last week. That means that for the price of 20 Farm Cash per dart, you can play this week's game to walk away with six (potentially seven) animals that can be stored, and subsequently bred (if you're lucky) inside that very Livestock Pen.
Here's the rundown of this week's animals:
Arapawa Island Pig
Barbados Sheep
Berkshire Pig
Dutch Landrace Goat
Girgentana Goat
Valais Goat
While you're not guaranteed to receive all six of these animals in the first six darts you throw, keep in mind that if you can manage to "win" all six during this week's game (again, that will be an incredibly pricey endeavor, even if you're really lucky), you'll walk away with a seventh, free prize: the Clun Forest Sheep.
Remember, these animals will only be around a single week. Whether or not they'll ever be re-released is anyone's guess (although, I will admit the possibility is likely), so if you don't want to wait to see if that possibility comes true, make sure to try your hand at this week's Mystery Game while you can.
Which of these prizes would you most want to win by playing this week's Mystery Game? What animals did you actually win? Share with us in the comments!
Here's the rundown of this week's animals:
Arapawa Island Pig
Barbados Sheep
Berkshire Pig
Dutch Landrace Goat
Girgentana Goat
Valais Goat
While you're not guaranteed to receive all six of these animals in the first six darts you throw, keep in mind that if you can manage to "win" all six during this week's game (again, that will be an incredibly pricey endeavor, even if you're really lucky), you'll walk away with a seventh, free prize: the Clun Forest Sheep.
Remember, these animals will only be around a single week. Whether or not they'll ever be re-released is anyone's guess (although, I will admit the possibility is likely), so if you don't want to wait to see if that possibility comes true, make sure to try your hand at this week's Mystery Game while you can.
Which of these prizes would you most want to win by playing this week's Mystery Game? What animals did you actually win? Share with us in the comments!
FarmVille Raffle Booth (09/18/11): Black Corgi and Gazebo up for grabs
It's Sunday night again farmers, which means that it's time for the FarmVille Raffle Booth to update with new prizes. I hope you walked away with plenty of prizes from last week's drawing, but if not, you've got a chance for even more prizes this week. Sure, three of the most basic prizes are basic and expected, but the top two prizes are pretty nice and come with even better odds. Here's the lineup:
While the Black Corgi is really cute, keep in mind that this dog isn't a "pet" in the game, that can be fed or trained; instead, it's a "normal" animal that can simply be kept and harvested from every few days. As usual, you'll at least one chance of winning all of these items, as you'll receive one Raffle Ticker for free. To earn extras, you'll either be able to purchase them with Farm Cash or receive them from friends as gifts. Once next Sunday rolls around, the drawing for these items will take place, and hopefully you'll walk away with the full set!
Have you ever won the top two prizes in any FarmVille Raffle Booth drawing? Which item are you most hoping to win in this week's drawing? Sound off in the comments.
- 10 Special Delivery Boxes: 1:5
- 3 Farmhands: 1:20
- 5 Love Potions: 1:50
- Gazebo: 1:200
- Black Corgi: 1:500
While the Black Corgi is really cute, keep in mind that this dog isn't a "pet" in the game, that can be fed or trained; instead, it's a "normal" animal that can simply be kept and harvested from every few days. As usual, you'll at least one chance of winning all of these items, as you'll receive one Raffle Ticker for free. To earn extras, you'll either be able to purchase them with Farm Cash or receive them from friends as gifts. Once next Sunday rolls around, the drawing for these items will take place, and hopefully you'll walk away with the full set!
Have you ever won the top two prizes in any FarmVille Raffle Booth drawing? Which item are you most hoping to win in this week's drawing? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Items: Autumn Birch Tree, Walking Pony, Meadow Sage and more
With tonight's FarmVille update, we see a continuation of the new Lighthouse Cove item theme in the game's store. Just as a reminder, it doesn't matter if you paid your way into Lighthouse Cove early, or if you're waiting for free tickets to arrive (starting tomorrow), as these items can be purchased even when you're not on the Lighthouse Cove farm itself. That means you can take a little piece of the Cove with you back to your Home Farm, if that's where you spend most of your time, as an example. Here's a complete lineup of the newly available items.
Trees
Autumn Birch - 7 Farm Cash
Weeping Birch - 15 Farm Cash
If it's not obvious, the Autumn Birch is the level one tree here, while the Weeping Birch is the level two tree, available either by purchasing it here, or by waiting for one to appear as a Mystery Seedling (your best bet is the latter option). Both of these trees are available to harvest every two days, and their first stars of mastery come at 75 harvests each.
Animals
New Hampshire Red - 20 Farm Cash
Walking Pony - 24 Farm Cash
The New Hampshire Red is a chicken that can be mastered. Its first star of mastery comes at eight harvests, and as a chicken, it can be harvested once per day, making this a fairly quick procedure (that is, in cases where you only have a single animal to pull from). As for the Walking Pony, this one will generate a foal when randomly bred in your Horse Stable, with the Walking Pony Foal being available to share with your friends.
Buildings
Coastal Sweet Store - 300,000 coins
Coastal Antique - 20 Farm Cash
Gingerbread (Cottage?) - 30 Farm Cash
Don't lose it on me now farmers, but yes, you're looking at a coin building being released in a limited edition item theme. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, as the previous few themes were incredibly lacking in coin items altogether, let alone buildings. As for the Gingerbread building, it comes with no other name besides "Gingerbread," so it's up to you to determine what kind of home/cottage/hostel it really is. We'll go with "Cottage," for the sake of argument.
Decorations
Autumn Waterfall - 20 Farm Cash
Horse Rider Statue - 30,000 coins
Town Sign - 20,000 coins
Dolphin Fountain - 12 Farm Cash
Meadow Sage - 5,000 coins
Surprisingly, more of these new decorations cost coins than Farm Cash, with the Horse Rider Statue being a fairly large item in and of itself. The Town Sign contains a miniature picture of the Lighthouse Cove lighthouse, while the Meadow Sage is a long and narrow plant, rather than something in a square shape.
All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, so while you can shop leisurely without the fear of them expiring, don't wait too long; I wouldn't want you to forget about them entirely and then regret missing out on your favorites.
Which of these items is your favorite? Are you happy to see coin-buildings released, or are you more of a tree or animal fan? Let us know in the comments.
Trees
Autumn Birch - 7 Farm Cash
Weeping Birch - 15 Farm Cash
If it's not obvious, the Autumn Birch is the level one tree here, while the Weeping Birch is the level two tree, available either by purchasing it here, or by waiting for one to appear as a Mystery Seedling (your best bet is the latter option). Both of these trees are available to harvest every two days, and their first stars of mastery come at 75 harvests each.
Animals
New Hampshire Red - 20 Farm Cash
Walking Pony - 24 Farm Cash
The New Hampshire Red is a chicken that can be mastered. Its first star of mastery comes at eight harvests, and as a chicken, it can be harvested once per day, making this a fairly quick procedure (that is, in cases where you only have a single animal to pull from). As for the Walking Pony, this one will generate a foal when randomly bred in your Horse Stable, with the Walking Pony Foal being available to share with your friends.
Buildings
Coastal Sweet Store - 300,000 coins
Coastal Antique - 20 Farm Cash
Gingerbread (Cottage?) - 30 Farm Cash
Don't lose it on me now farmers, but yes, you're looking at a coin building being released in a limited edition item theme. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, as the previous few themes were incredibly lacking in coin items altogether, let alone buildings. As for the Gingerbread building, it comes with no other name besides "Gingerbread," so it's up to you to determine what kind of home/cottage/hostel it really is. We'll go with "Cottage," for the sake of argument.
Decorations
Autumn Waterfall - 20 Farm Cash
Horse Rider Statue - 30,000 coins
Town Sign - 20,000 coins
Dolphin Fountain - 12 Farm Cash
Meadow Sage - 5,000 coins
Surprisingly, more of these new decorations cost coins than Farm Cash, with the Horse Rider Statue being a fairly large item in and of itself. The Town Sign contains a miniature picture of the Lighthouse Cove lighthouse, while the Meadow Sage is a long and narrow plant, rather than something in a square shape.
All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, so while you can shop leisurely without the fear of them expiring, don't wait too long; I wouldn't want you to forget about them entirely and then regret missing out on your favorites.
Which of these items is your favorite? Are you happy to see coin-buildings released, or are you more of a tree or animal fan? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille: Casa del Sol offers fun-in-the-sun living for a huge price
If you thought the Playa del Rey Apartments in CityVille were expensive, costing 75 City Cash for a population boost of 2,350 citizens (at least), try this newest building on for size. The Casa del Sol home is priced at 90 City Cash, and is also in the Mexican item theme, making it limited edition. Specifically, the Casa del Sol home will be in the game for 10 days (note that that's also one day less than the Playa del Rey Apartments).
Once you purchase the Casa del Sol, you'll have a home that starts with a whopping population of 3,000 citizens, and can be upgraded by collecting from the building (or your friends can collect from them as well; all upgrades drop randomly) to a staggering figure of 5,500 citizens. If you're looking for a quick way (albeit expensive way) to unlock that next expansion by reaching your next population goal without adding multiple homes to your town, this would definitely be an easy way to get that done. However, at a price this high, even I'm not sure it's worth it.
Still, I suppose the building's rent potential could raise its value. You'll receive 156 coins every hour if you're prompt enough to routinely collect your earnings, which would give you upwards of 3,000 coins daily, if you were really on top of things. Still, does that justify the current cost of over $11 US for this single building? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
What do you think of the Casa del Sol in CityVille? Will you purchase one of the expensive homes for your city, or would you rather purchase multiple, cheaper buildings instead? Let us know in the comments.
Once you purchase the Casa del Sol, you'll have a home that starts with a whopping population of 3,000 citizens, and can be upgraded by collecting from the building (or your friends can collect from them as well; all upgrades drop randomly) to a staggering figure of 5,500 citizens. If you're looking for a quick way (albeit expensive way) to unlock that next expansion by reaching your next population goal without adding multiple homes to your town, this would definitely be an easy way to get that done. However, at a price this high, even I'm not sure it's worth it.
Still, I suppose the building's rent potential could raise its value. You'll receive 156 coins every hour if you're prompt enough to routinely collect your earnings, which would give you upwards of 3,000 coins daily, if you were really on top of things. Still, does that justify the current cost of over $11 US for this single building? I'll leave you to be the judge of that.
What do you think of the Casa del Sol in CityVille? Will you purchase one of the expensive homes for your city, or would you rather purchase multiple, cheaper buildings instead? Let us know in the comments.
Google+ releases API to developers, more social games incoming
Google+ Games is cool with its no-nonsense interface and all, but the sad fact is that it only has 16 games. Compare that to the thousands of Facebook games out there, and it's clear that Google has to do something to compete with that selection. Enter the Google+ API, which was just recently released to developers, and could lead to a plethora of more Google+ Games.
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The acronym API is short for Application Programming Interface, meaning it contains the tools for developers to create new applications within a given framework--in this case being Google+. Wired reports that Google will steadily release its developer API, meaning that it will be some time before it's feature-complete. And the features not yet included are, well, kinda vital.
For instance, at the moment developers can only create apps that publish read-only public posts. For instance, if a developer like Zynga released a new social game today on Google+ Games, your friends would not be able to interact with the News Feed posts you create. You all already likely know that this is essentially the bread and butter of Facebook games. It's how things get done in-game aside from directly requesting help from friends.
The reasoning for the omission? According to PC World, Google's Eric Chabot explains that this is because the company would rather improve Google+ over time, rather open up a "vacuum" with too many features at once. I'm not sure adding simple post-sharing interactivity would create a vacuum for the platform, but it's a first step nonetheless. What Google+ Games has to deal with more in its competition with Facebook's wide offering of games is scale. The bell rings on Round 2.
[Source: Google+ Platform Blog]
Do you think developers will flock to Google+ Games, even with a limited API at launch? Does Google+ Games have a chance against Facebook's Canvas platform for games? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day: Play our Top Five pirate Facebook games
s there any other way to being this feature than with a hearty "Yarrgg?" Probably not. (In fact, let's use this entire introduction to talk like pirates, eh?) In case ye hadn't noticed, mate, today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. So, I ask ye landlubbers, what better way to honor this joyous, silly holiday than with five of the best pirate games around on Facebook?
Avast, ye swabs! Look no further than right here for the five best seafarin' and land lootin' games on Facebook. Oh, right, and remember to click on the headers to jump off the plank right into each Facebook game:
Mighty Pirates handles battles in turn-based affairs that add a bit of strategy to burning your enemies to the blue depths. In your off time, explore islands to dig up buried treasure and other resources to boost your ship with.
[Lead Image Credit: Disney]
How are you honoring this most awesome Talk Like a Pirate Day? Which of these pirate-themed Facebook games do you like most, and do you know of any you'd personally recommend? Share with us in the comments. Add Comment
Avast, ye swabs! Look no further than right here for the five best seafarin' and land lootin' games on Facebook. Oh, right, and remember to click on the headers to jump off the plank right into each Facebook game:
Mighty Pirates
This release (pictured below) by CrowdStar explores the two most important things in a pirate's life: exploring and fighting. Players create, maintain and upgrade their very own vessel of piracy. And it's all in the name of surviving your next fight with your fellow pirate.Mighty Pirates handles battles in turn-based affairs that add a bit of strategy to burning your enemies to the blue depths. In your off time, explore islands to dig up buried treasure and other resources to boost your ship with.
Treasure Isle
While it may not directly involve pirates, the swashbucklers have invaded the shores of Zynga's island exploration game more times than not. In fact, players can even embark on Voyages with their own vessels, though simply to explore even more. Treasure Isle has players aiming to complete island maps by digging and digging ... and digging. But judging from more experienced players' islands, it certainly pays off. (In other words, there's lots and lots of treasure in it for you.)Battle Pirates
Want a more ... serious approach to high seas fighting and looting? Then Kixeye certainly has that in spades with Battle Pirates, its strategy Facebook game centered around modern day piracy. (You know, like those bad dudes off the coast of Somalia?) The game plays much like the developer's previous strategy offerings, giving you a week to prepare your base for incoming attack from anyone playing the game. If you want a pirate game that puts the battle first, then look no further.Pirates Saga
In this take on everyone's favorite sea-faring antiheroes, Can't Stop Games focuses almost entirely on your ship. More importantly, it's concerned with how you navigate it through the deep blue sea ... and away from enemy gunfire. Another battle-focused pirates game, Pirates Saga allows players to interact with each other in real time. As you transport cargo and fight back the forces of the infamous Blackbeard, be wary at all times of opposing ships that may or may not be fellow players.Pirate Legacy
A somewhat smaller game than the rest in terms of monthly players, this game by 6waves and Paprika Lab throws a heavy RPG (role-playing game) layer onto the pirate game aesthetic. Pirate Legacy enlists you, a new corsair, to explore the ocean around your home port and hunt for monsters like giant serpents and ghost ships to acquire materials for contractors. Everything about the game is turn-based, giving it an impressive layer of strategy that's a little lighter on the action.How are you honoring this most awesome Talk Like a Pirate Day? Which of these pirate-themed Facebook games do you like most, and do you know of any you'd personally recommend? Share with us in the comments. Add Comment
Zynga gives free rides to FarmVille Lighthouse Cove starting today
Oh, you patient ones. Now is finally the time to see if waiting in the freebie line was worth it. For those FarmVille players that declined to fork up 55 Farm Cash ($10 USD, to be exact), the Lighthouse Cove expansion will be available to all starting today. We assume, as with all changes or major releases by Zynga, that this release will be a slow roll-out.
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
During an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."
So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Just like players did early last week, they will hop on a sail boat to a New England-esque coastal farming village. Unfortunately, the area has been ravaged by a brutal storm, and Brenda--the town's resident widow--has enlisted you to help restore it. You'll slowly level up your Lighthouse by repairing the lighthouse, dock and more through quests.
However, free players will not receive the exclusive quests and items given to those who put up the dough. Regardless there looks to be a ton of content here with a larger focus on building a village than simply farming crops. For instance, you'll have fewer plots to farm on that unlock over time in Lighthouse Cove, though those crops yield far more coins, XP and Mastery.
In addition to farming, you can harvest the Cove once its restored for ingredients to use in Restaurant recipes like clams and lobster for dishes like New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Rolls. Another interesting change with FarmVille LC in comparison to its first expansion, English Countryside, is that all quests will be timed this time around.
Gallery: FarmVille Lighthouse Cove
And that includes the bonus quests, courtesy of Brenda. Because quests were persistent throughout FarmVille EC, it was easy for friends to speed ahead or slip behind one another in their progress. "It was harder for players to work on the same thing in English Countryside," FarmVille GM Nate Etter explains.
During an early look of the game, Etter told us that the team was going for "a FarmVille meets Martha's Vineyard style." "Players seem to love water, which was a major source of inspiration for Lighthouse Cove," Etter recalls. "I think we're constantly listening to players, [and] that will govern where FarmVille will go."So, while you're enjoying the serene orange glow and brisk autumn breeze of Lighthouse Cove (imagination, people), try to think up where you would like to go next, and take it to the Facebook page or forums--they're all ears. As for why the second expansion was released early to players who paid Farm Cash, a Zynga representative told us, "We have so many passionate players, that we wanted to offer them a first look at the game."
Well, patience has its payoffs, my friends. Namely, it saves you money. So, enjoy that peace of mind, and increase that peace in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove. Good things come to those who (choose to) wait--that's especially because we have a bevy of content to get you through your first several hours in FarmVille LC. Enjoy.
Did you pay to get into the FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Early? What do you think of all the new content so far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Valve Shuns Phones, Handheld Consoles Valve does not intend to get mixed up in the handheld or phone market, the publisher was unequivocal in its answer: "no.
Valve Shuns Phones, Handheld Consoles
Valve does not intend to get mixed up in the handheld or phone market, the publisher was unequivocal in its answer: "no."
"We're about people sitting on their couches or at their desks," a company rep said. "We haven't forayed into that space. It's just not a space our engine has been looked at or optimized for."
Valve is currently focusing on some pretty big projects, with Defence of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) and Half Life 2: Episode 3 expected within the next 12 months.
The former might even be released before the end of the year, while the latter's fate is much less clear.
"We're about people sitting on their couches or at their desks," a company rep said. "We haven't forayed into that space. It's just not a space our engine has been looked at or optimized for."
Valve is currently focusing on some pretty big projects, with Defence of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) and Half Life 2: Episode 3 expected within the next 12 months.
The former might even be released before the end of the year, while the latter's fate is much less clear.
Thứ Tư, 14 tháng 9, 2011
Angry Birds for PC
Angry Birds for PC
Angry Birds is a global phenomenon in mobile gaming and the top grossing iPhone app of 2010. So if you’re not a smart-phone wielding hipster, you no longer have an excuse not to be part of this franchise.
Overall it’s pretty much an identical game play experience to the iPhone app, with some minor differences. It’s snappy, gorgeous, and it sounds amazing. On the netbook version you use a mouse or trackpad instead of touch. There is an open hand icon when the mouse is in hover state, and a closed hand icon when you are clicking or dragging. This visible clue when pulling the slingshot is a nice aid. It allows you to fine tune shots more than just observing the angle of the slingshot band.
In terms of features, options, menu etc it’s pretty close to the original. On the netbook the replay level icon has been added to the game space. So you don’t need to pause first then replay. If you start off with bad shot, just click the replay icon, then you can start over. Saving a click is nice. There is a Menu button in the Pause menu that gets you back to the Start screen. There are some things not in play on the netbook version. The leader board and achievements are not available in the main menu. The Golden Eggs are there.
Angry Birds strikes an interesting balance of repetitive, simple tasks and challenging game play working for the many scenarios. So, if you liked this game on your iPhone or Android phone, you’ll sure like it on your big PC screen. If you are new player, don’t hesitate and join the fun now.
You must know and recognize the game from the Rovio, Angry Birds.
This game consists of seven birds with super abilities are different. By using slingshots, you can control the jump and the height of ill-tempered birds to tear down the building where the collection of green pork fat is shelter.
Where is a funny collection of birds swelled, turned into a grumpy group of birds which destroy the kingdom of lustful pigs these cunning thieves.
Angry Birds now not only for the iPhone, Android OS, PS3 and PSP. even Angry Birds has been available in Ovi Store for Nokia. And now Angry Birds have been available for Windows XP and Windows 7
Free Angry Birds for PC
Plenty of dodgy website owners want to rip off Google and push traffic towards their sites on the bogus promise of the free version of Angry Birds for PC. This is only a scam but in fact there exists a download free Angry Birds for PC nevertheless, you will need to move quickly to take advantage of that offer
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the Rovio
Mobile switched their attentions to the huge users of the PSP or the Play Station Portable and the PS3. That has been an additional huge porting project for Rovio operations.
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds Game is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
Finland games producer Rovio Mobile has produced their very 1st version of Angry Birds Game for the Apple iPhone. This particular game was immediately caught by the iPhonesters, and Rovio understood that they will become successful. That has been fine. However, Rovio needed to get going by recoding Angry Birds Games for several programs, which become easier for small companies to get done.
Several weeks went by and finally, the Nokia and Android users could get themselves the Angry Birds Game. After that, the Rovio
During that time, the PC users have been reading and hearing rumors regarding Angry Birds for PC. Ultimately, in January, Angry Birds for PC was released, and downloading is not for free. However, not everybody is willing to pay for $5 for just a game, even if they will enjoy playing with it. These days, several users have grown to be familiar of getting some thing for free, so there are many who are on the lookout for a totally free Angry Birds for PC download. It can be downloaded via Windows 7 and Windows XP and Vista, or Mac support. But downloading can only be downloaded if you have an internet connection for the process to activate successfully.
Angry Birds Game is one of the well-known games that have taken the popularity with over 200 million downloads. The availability of this game is taking place in almost all of the popular platforms. In addition to playing the game online in the browser you can now download it on your laptop and take it wherever you may go to enjoy the amazing games, enabling you to play whenever, wherever you go. Take it to your workplace or even in the park, while resting and basting under the sun. Probably launching the Angry Birds for PC the wisest and the best move the game maker ever made. This availability made for the millions of platform owners, even made the popularity of Angry Birds known to more video-gaming enthusiasts more than over.
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- Angry Birds PC Updated
The PC version was updated last week which we talked about in this post. This update will finally include all episodes of Ham ‘Em High and the two chapters of Mine and Dine. I’m sure this is welcome news for all the PC players who have been feeling left out. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get all the episodes out but that’s in the past now so lets just get to playing. Since all the chapters are available you also have access to all of the golden eggs. You can finally complete your collection!As a side note because I didn’t want to do an entire post about the subject, have you all seen the Angry Birds bra? It’s available over on etsy you should go check it out. I personally don’t know anyone who would wear it but i’m sure there is someone out there who would. I don’t recommend buying this for you girlfriend or wife unless she really loves angry birds.
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