The time we've been waiting for has arrived, farmers! Lighthouse Cove has officially started its rollout in FarmVille, allowing "VIP Farmers" (ie: those that are willing to pay Farm Cash) access to this third farm via a one-time purchase of 55 Farm Cash. Everyone else will have to wait until September 19, when "free boat departures" start taking off.
If you're willing to make a purchase, you'll know that you can when you see a set of pop-ups like the ones below. If you don't have the 55 Farm Cash on your account currently, you'll be prompted to purchase it, with the 55 Farm Cash being available for $10 (conveniently in a single package).
Once you've paid for your ticket, you'll see a cutscene where Brenda will remember the beauty of the Lighthouse Cove, before a terrible storm came and swept it all away. The boat dock has been struck by lightning and the buildings (save for a few) have been destroyed.
After that point, you'll be set on your way with a series of new quests, where Brenda will introduce you to your new farm. The rules here are actually a bit different from other farms; specifically, as this is a resort town, farmland is limited, and you'll be limited to a specific amount of farm plots for the size of your farm. That is, as you expand your Lighthouse Cove, you'll gain access to plowing more plots. To start, you'll have room for just 35 farm plots, although you don't have to plow that many if you don't want to.
Other than that, things are as you'd expect - you can plant chicken coops, raise animals and other general farm tasks, and can build the Wildlife Habitat or Orchard that you've been given as free frames. You'll even be given a Mountain Lion for free in your inventory if you purchased your way in. As for repairing the Lighthouse Cove itself, you can check out our guide to repairing it right here.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you received your ticket to enter Lighthouse Cove, or will you wait until September 19, when you can get in for free? Sound off in the comments.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Items: Outfit your new farm with these goodies
With tonight's launch of the Lighthouse Cove in FarmVille, we're given an opportunity to stock that farm with all sorts of new goodies! There are new trees, animals, buildings and of course plenty of decorations to choose from in this initial launch, some of which even go for coins! Here's a complete rundown of these items, along with a bit of a visual sneak peek for those that decide to wait until "free" Lighthouse Cove tickets launch next week.
Trees:
Eastern Red Cedar - 7 Farm Cash
Tulip Poplar - 7 Farm Cash
Lombardy Poplar - 15 Farm Cash
White Ash Tree - 5,000 coins
Black Gum Tree - 7 Farm Cash
Speckled Alder - 15 Farm Cash
White Cedar Tree - 15 Farm Cash
In this scenario, we're stuck with seven trees, which doesn't seem to make sense in the "Level 1 / Level 2 tree pairing setup," but we can confirm that Eastern Red Cedar Trees will produce White Cedar Trees when placed in an Orchard. You're given one of each as free gifts just for landing in Lighthouse Cove, however, so keep that in mind.
Animals:
Milking Shorthorn - 100,000 coins
Pine Marten - 100,000 coins
Main Coon - 200,000 coins
Loon Duck - 18 Farm Cash
Buttercup Chicken - 20 Farm Cash
Chinook - 20 Farm Cash
Dorset Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Duroc Pig - 20 Farm Cash
Pineywoods Cow - 24 Farm Cash
New England Pinto - 26 Farm Cash
Sailor Cow - 24 Farm Cash
Canadian Goose - 20 Farm Cash
Quarter Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Eastern Moose - 22 Farm Cash
Mountain Lion - 20 Farm Cash
River Otter - 20 Farm Cash
Painted Turtle - 20 Farm Cash
Take particular notice of the Mountain Lion. If you purchased your way into Lighthouse Cove for 55 Farm Cash, you will have one of these big cats waiting for you in your Gift Box as a free gift for purchasing your ticket. Your farm will also have a River Otter waiting for you, for free, so feel free to skip on purchasing it if you don't care about having only one.
Buildings:
Chicken Coop - 5,000 coins
Garden Shed - 30,000 coins
Restaurant - 100,000 coins
Cove B&B - 30 Farm Cash
Garage (fully constructed) - 50 Farm Cash
Garage (frame) - 50,000 coins
Orchard (fully constructed) - 30 Farm Cash
Orchard (base) - 1,000 coins
Coastal Tool Shed - 22 Farm Cash
Coastal Barn - 30 Farm Cash
Cape House - 500,000 coins
Cottage - 20 Farm Cash
Cape Mansion - 50 Farm Cash
Post Office - 15 Farm Cash
Village Center - 50,000 coins
With these buildings, keep in mind that you'll receive a free base of an Orchard, and will also receive the Cove B&B on your land when you first arrive in Lighthouse Cove. As for the garage and restaurant, these are the vehicle storage and crafting buildings, respectively. We'll bring you a complete guide to the Restaurant feature in the Lighthouse Cove as soon as we can.
Decorations:
Beached Rowboat - 20 Farm Cash
Red Clover Pot - 1,000 coins
Ladyslipper Flower - 2 Farm Cash
Horse-Drawn Wagon - 10 Farm Cash
Inkeeper Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Sailor Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Fountain - 15 Farm Cash
Haystack - 10,000 coins
Pond - 15 Farm Cash
Stone Fence Gate - 50,000 coins
Picket Fence Gate - 2 Farm Cash
Daylily Flowerbed - 5,000 coins
Picket Fence - 5,000 coins
Stone Fence - 5,000 coins
Bench - 30,000 coins
Lamppost - 1 Farm Cash
You'll be given a few pieces of the Stone Fence for free when starting in Lighthouse Cove, but for the other decorations, it looks like you're on your own.
And there you have it! A complete look at what are (as of this writing) not-time-limited items available in the Lighthouse Cove farm. We'll bring you continued coverage about this new farm, so keep checking back with us for more!
What do you think of the many items made available to newcomers to the Lighthouse Cove? How many of these items will you stock up on? Sound off in the comments.
Trees:
Eastern Red Cedar - 7 Farm Cash
Tulip Poplar - 7 Farm Cash
Lombardy Poplar - 15 Farm Cash
White Ash Tree - 5,000 coins
Black Gum Tree - 7 Farm Cash
Speckled Alder - 15 Farm Cash
White Cedar Tree - 15 Farm Cash
In this scenario, we're stuck with seven trees, which doesn't seem to make sense in the "Level 1 / Level 2 tree pairing setup," but we can confirm that Eastern Red Cedar Trees will produce White Cedar Trees when placed in an Orchard. You're given one of each as free gifts just for landing in Lighthouse Cove, however, so keep that in mind.
Animals:
Milking Shorthorn - 100,000 coins
Pine Marten - 100,000 coins
Main Coon - 200,000 coins
Loon Duck - 18 Farm Cash
Buttercup Chicken - 20 Farm Cash
Chinook - 20 Farm Cash
Dorset Sheep - 20 Farm Cash
Duroc Pig - 20 Farm Cash
Pineywoods Cow - 24 Farm Cash
New England Pinto - 26 Farm Cash
Sailor Cow - 24 Farm Cash
Canadian Goose - 20 Farm Cash
Quarter Pony - 24 Farm Cash
Eastern Moose - 22 Farm Cash
Mountain Lion - 20 Farm Cash
River Otter - 20 Farm Cash
Painted Turtle - 20 Farm Cash
Take particular notice of the Mountain Lion. If you purchased your way into Lighthouse Cove for 55 Farm Cash, you will have one of these big cats waiting for you in your Gift Box as a free gift for purchasing your ticket. Your farm will also have a River Otter waiting for you, for free, so feel free to skip on purchasing it if you don't care about having only one.
Buildings:
Chicken Coop - 5,000 coins
Garden Shed - 30,000 coins
Restaurant - 100,000 coins
Cove B&B - 30 Farm Cash
Garage (fully constructed) - 50 Farm Cash
Garage (frame) - 50,000 coins
Orchard (fully constructed) - 30 Farm Cash
Orchard (base) - 1,000 coins
Coastal Tool Shed - 22 Farm Cash
Coastal Barn - 30 Farm Cash
Cape House - 500,000 coins
Cottage - 20 Farm Cash
Cape Mansion - 50 Farm Cash
Post Office - 15 Farm Cash
Village Center - 50,000 coins
With these buildings, keep in mind that you'll receive a free base of an Orchard, and will also receive the Cove B&B on your land when you first arrive in Lighthouse Cove. As for the garage and restaurant, these are the vehicle storage and crafting buildings, respectively. We'll bring you a complete guide to the Restaurant feature in the Lighthouse Cove as soon as we can.
Decorations:
Beached Rowboat - 20 Farm Cash
Red Clover Pot - 1,000 coins
Ladyslipper Flower - 2 Farm Cash
Horse-Drawn Wagon - 10 Farm Cash
Inkeeper Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Sailor Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
Fountain - 15 Farm Cash
Haystack - 10,000 coins
Pond - 15 Farm Cash
Stone Fence Gate - 50,000 coins
Picket Fence Gate - 2 Farm Cash
Daylily Flowerbed - 5,000 coins
Picket Fence - 5,000 coins
Stone Fence - 5,000 coins
Bench - 30,000 coins
Lamppost - 1 Farm Cash
You'll be given a few pieces of the Stone Fence for free when starting in Lighthouse Cove, but for the other decorations, it looks like you're on your own.
And there you have it! A complete look at what are (as of this writing) not-time-limited items available in the Lighthouse Cove farm. We'll bring you continued coverage about this new farm, so keep checking back with us for more!
What do you think of the many items made available to newcomers to the Lighthouse Cove? How many of these items will you stock up on? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Restaurant: Everything you need to know
As we told you earlier, one of the biggest themed items farmers can expect from FarmVille's new Lighthouse Cove would be the Restaurant, which serves as this third farm's Crafting Cottage. The base Restaurant, with just two Crafting tables, can be purchased from the game's store for 100,000 coins, and as of this writing, you're only allowed to have one Restaurant in your Lighthouse Cove farm.
With this starter Restaurant, you'll have an item that is far less impressive than that of the game's preview image, but will still have access to a few recipes. Here's a rundown of those, including the crops you'll need to grow to craft them.
Cheddar Cheese - 2 Red Clover, 1 Hay and 2 Rhubarb Bushels
Blackberry Ice Cream - 3 Darrow Blackberry, 2 Chandler Blueberry and 3 Strawberry Bushels
Creamed Corn - 3 Butter & Sugar Corn, 3 Tarragon and 1 Pepper Bushels
Once you level up recipes six times, you'll be able to upgrade your restaurant to level 2 (which also changes it visually). At that point, you'll unlock three Level 2 recipes:
Wild Blueberry Pie - 2 Chandler Blueberry, 3 Wheat and 2 Rhubarb Bushels
Black Raspberry Wine - 3 Raspberry, 2 White Grape and 3 Chandler Blueberry Bushels
Fruit Cider - 2 Cove Cranberry, 3 Red Currant and 3 Lady Slipper Bushels
As you might expect, there are far more recipes to unlock than this, as you level up your Restaurant and unlock new ones to craft. We'll make sure to update you when we know what those recipes are, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the look of the Restaurant in FarmVille? Are you going to focus on crafting just to level up its appearance to that of the teaser image, or will you craft casually and let the upgrades happen along the way? Sound off in the comments.
With this starter Restaurant, you'll have an item that is far less impressive than that of the game's preview image, but will still have access to a few recipes. Here's a rundown of those, including the crops you'll need to grow to craft them.
Cheddar Cheese - 2 Red Clover, 1 Hay and 2 Rhubarb Bushels
Blackberry Ice Cream - 3 Darrow Blackberry, 2 Chandler Blueberry and 3 Strawberry Bushels
Creamed Corn - 3 Butter & Sugar Corn, 3 Tarragon and 1 Pepper Bushels
Once you level up recipes six times, you'll be able to upgrade your restaurant to level 2 (which also changes it visually). At that point, you'll unlock three Level 2 recipes:
Wild Blueberry Pie - 2 Chandler Blueberry, 3 Wheat and 2 Rhubarb Bushels
Black Raspberry Wine - 3 Raspberry, 2 White Grape and 3 Chandler Blueberry Bushels
Fruit Cider - 2 Cove Cranberry, 3 Red Currant and 3 Lady Slipper Bushels
As you might expect, there are far more recipes to unlock than this, as you level up your Restaurant and unlock new ones to craft. We'll make sure to update you when we know what those recipes are, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the look of the Restaurant in FarmVille? Are you going to focus on crafting just to level up its appearance to that of the teaser image, or will you craft casually and let the upgrades happen along the way? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Introduction Goals: Everything you need to know
After you've made your way into the Lighthouse Cove in FarmVille, you'll be met with a series of introductory goals, that serve to introduce you to some crops, and the crop growth limit. We'll start with Welcome to Lighthouse Cove.
* Plow 3 Plots
* Plant 10 Chandler Blueberries
As you can see, we're given a very easy goal to get us started in the game's third farm. Just finish these two tasks, and you'll receive 50 XP, 2,500 coins and two each of Logs, Steel Beams and Stones, the building materials native to Lighthouse Cove.
After this introductory goal, you'll launch straight into another trio, this time of limited time goals that will only be around for a week. The first is called Ahead of Schedule.
* Get 3 Wool Blankets
* Harvest 10 Chandler Blueberries
* Complete 1 Pet Run
The Wool Blankets are earned through a general news item posted to your wall. Unfortunately, it does look like you'll have to build another Pet Run from scratch for this goal, as traveling to a farm with a completed Pet Run removes your access to these goals, as of this writing. Finishing this goal gives you 100 XP, a Tourist Gnome and 2,500 coins.
Pick It Up
* Get 6 Oat Sacks
* Harvest 45 Daylilies
* Buy 1 Storage Cellar
Storage Cellars cost just one coin from the store. Meanwhile, Daylilies are a new crop that take 16 hours to grow. Finally, the Oat Sacks are earned through a general news feed item. Finish this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, one Scottie dog and 2,500 coins.
Happy Trees
* Get 6 Tree Fertilizers
* Harvest 45 Butter & Sugar Corns
* Store 20 Trees in an Orchard
Luckily, you can purchase trees that aren't native to the Lighthouse Cove - like old fruit trees that cost just a few hundred coins each, so feel free to fill an Orchard with those. The Fertilizers, meanwhile, are earned through another news feed item. Once you finish this goal, you'll earn 300 XP, 1 Red Oak Tree and 2,500 coins.
Once you finish this trio of goals, you'll have finished the first "Chapter" in the Lighthouse Cove goal series. We're told that new "tasks" will be released in Lighthouse Cove every week, for an undisclosed amount of weeks, however, so we'll make sure to give you a look at every new set of guys just as soon as they're released.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these new Lighthouse Cove goals? Do they serve their purpose of introducing you to this new farm, or should they be more difficult? Sound off in the comments.
* Plow 3 Plots
* Plant 10 Chandler Blueberries
As you can see, we're given a very easy goal to get us started in the game's third farm. Just finish these two tasks, and you'll receive 50 XP, 2,500 coins and two each of Logs, Steel Beams and Stones, the building materials native to Lighthouse Cove.
After this introductory goal, you'll launch straight into another trio, this time of limited time goals that will only be around for a week. The first is called Ahead of Schedule.
* Get 3 Wool Blankets
* Harvest 10 Chandler Blueberries
* Complete 1 Pet Run
The Wool Blankets are earned through a general news item posted to your wall. Unfortunately, it does look like you'll have to build another Pet Run from scratch for this goal, as traveling to a farm with a completed Pet Run removes your access to these goals, as of this writing. Finishing this goal gives you 100 XP, a Tourist Gnome and 2,500 coins.
Pick It Up
* Get 6 Oat Sacks
* Harvest 45 Daylilies
* Buy 1 Storage Cellar
Storage Cellars cost just one coin from the store. Meanwhile, Daylilies are a new crop that take 16 hours to grow. Finally, the Oat Sacks are earned through a general news feed item. Finish this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, one Scottie dog and 2,500 coins.
Happy Trees
* Get 6 Tree Fertilizers
* Harvest 45 Butter & Sugar Corns
* Store 20 Trees in an Orchard
Luckily, you can purchase trees that aren't native to the Lighthouse Cove - like old fruit trees that cost just a few hundred coins each, so feel free to fill an Orchard with those. The Fertilizers, meanwhile, are earned through another news feed item. Once you finish this goal, you'll earn 300 XP, 1 Red Oak Tree and 2,500 coins.
Once you finish this trio of goals, you'll have finished the first "Chapter" in the Lighthouse Cove goal series. We're told that new "tasks" will be released in Lighthouse Cove every week, for an undisclosed amount of weeks, however, so we'll make sure to give you a look at every new set of guys just as soon as they're released.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of these new Lighthouse Cove goals? Do they serve their purpose of introducing you to this new farm, or should they be more difficult? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Repairing the Lighthouse Cove: Everything you need to know
One of the biggest elements of FarmVille's new Lighthouse Cove farm will come in actually repairing the dock and lighthouse after a huge storm wiped them out. This is done via item collection, using the three new tools found in the Lighthouse Cove proper: Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. As of this writing, there look to be 10 different levels for upgrades you can provide to the "Lighthouse Cove" itself, with the starting level requiring just three each of those Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. This removes the seaweed and debris from the water, but does little else.
As you continually repair, or level up your Lighthouse Cove (of course, each level takes more and more of each building material), you'll see visual transformations reflecting those repairs. This is important to note, as repairing the cove will be the only way to draw out animals like dolphins, which serve an (as of now) still unknown purpose. Your friends can send you more of these parts, or you can purchase them outright for Farm Cash.
On top of all of this, the Lighthouse Cove can actually be "harvested," once per day, giving you a chance to find "sea" bushels, like Clams. These bushels are then placed into a Market Stall for your friends to use, if they so choose.
We're sure that the upgrades given to the Lighthouse Cove will have a much larger effect on the game sometime in the future, but for right now, just focus on getting through the first few levels, while still trying to complete all of those new goals as well.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started repairing your Lighthouse Cove area, or are you waiting for the free passes to be handed out to FarmVille players? What will be the first thing you do when landing in Lighthouse Cove? Sound off in the comments.
As you continually repair, or level up your Lighthouse Cove (of course, each level takes more and more of each building material), you'll see visual transformations reflecting those repairs. This is important to note, as repairing the cove will be the only way to draw out animals like dolphins, which serve an (as of now) still unknown purpose. Your friends can send you more of these parts, or you can purchase them outright for Farm Cash.
On top of all of this, the Lighthouse Cove can actually be "harvested," once per day, giving you a chance to find "sea" bushels, like Clams. These bushels are then placed into a Market Stall for your friends to use, if they so choose.
We're sure that the upgrades given to the Lighthouse Cove will have a much larger effect on the game sometime in the future, but for right now, just focus on getting through the first few levels, while still trying to complete all of those new goals as well.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started repairing your Lighthouse Cove area, or are you waiting for the free passes to be handed out to FarmVille players? What will be the first thing you do when landing in Lighthouse Cove? Sound off in the comments.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Contra creator Konami welcomes over 10 million social gamers
Does this mean we'll get to blast alien scum with giant guns on Facebook anytime soon? Probably not, but Konami sounds quite proud of itself, regardless. Siliconera reports that the creator of hit franchises like Contra and Castlevania welcomed its 10 millionth social gamer just this past August, thanks to its games on smartphones and Japanese social networks like Gree.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.
Contra creator Konami welcomes over 10 million social gamers
Does this mean we'll get to blast alien scum with giant guns on Facebook anytime soon? Probably not, but Konami sounds quite proud of itself, regardless. Siliconera reports that the creator of hit franchises like Contra and Castlevania welcomed its 10 millionth social gamer just this past August, thanks to its games on smartphones and Japanese social networks like Gree.
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Specifically, Konami cited games like Dragon Collection, a game available over Gree and on smartphones that has over 4 million players collecting Dragon Cards and battling their friends with them. The game has been so successful that it has been inducted into the Gree Hall of Fame for apps, and has its very own weekly manga (Japanese take on comic books) serialization.
Other social hits published by Konami include Sengoku Collection, which sounds similar to Dragon Collection only set during Japan's Warring States period, with over 2 million registered players. Another, according to Siliconera, is Professional Dream Baseball Nine, a game that has held the number 2 spot on Gree's app rankings for 17 weeks running with over 1 million players. According to Siliconera, the game is even licensed by Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League.
This is pretty stellar news for Konami, who, like many Western game companies including EA, THQ and Ubisoft, has social gaming in its cross hairs more so than ever. In fact, Konami even recently reworked Hudson Soft, its subsidiary responsible for popular franchises like Bomberman, into a social games division for the publisher. (This 10 million players mark could include games the company has already released on Facebook like Viva Mall!.) Imagining the amount of yen being thrown at the company in games like Dragon Collection, we doubt this will be the last we hear of Konami's social soirée.
[Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment]
Do you think Konami was smart in focusing this much attention on social games? Which of the publishers famous franchises do you wish were interpreted for Facebook or other social platforms? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FIFA Superstars on iPhone yanked from App Store due to 'server issues'
EA is sitting pretty on Facebook at the moment, but on smartphones ... not so much. Mobile Entertainment reports that that the publisher has been forced to remove its recently-released iPhone version of Facebook soccer (football) hit FIFA Superstars from the App Store due to "server issues."
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The game, released in late August, provides the 2.8 million monthly players of the Facebook version of FIFA Superstars a near-identical representation of what they're used to seeing in their browsers. However, the game suffered login issues from the get-go, it seems. Players have been unable to access the game after logging into the company's new Origin service.
"We are currently experiencing server issues with FIFA Superstars mobile that have required us to temporarily take the game down," EA told Mobile Entertainment. "This is not a data security-related issue. We are implementing a solution that will ensure users have the best gameplay experience, and will provide an update soon as to when the game will be live again."
According to Mobile Entertainment, EA stresses that this issue does not affect the Facebook version of the game, and that players can still enjoy the game there for now. (When we tried to log into the game, we didn't encounter any issues either.) It's comforting to see that EA is more vocal with the issues it has encountered in this game than it has been with social games in the past.
When its hyper popular Facebook version of The Sims, The Sims Social, suffered launch issues, the company was mum on the details for days before it released a message to its players with an explanation (and later threw them a bone). Since then, the game has enjoyed incredible growth, so hopefully FIFA Superstars for iPhone can bounce back from these hiccups just as well.
[Via Pocket Gamer]
Did you have trouble logging into FIFA Superstars for iPhone, too? What are you doing to scratch the social soccer itch while you wait for the game to return to the App Store? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Social game makers Gree, DeNA to take spotlight at Tokyo Game Show
Social games will go toe to toe with the hardcore scene at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Reuters reports. Gree, the 26 million player-strong mobile and social games creator hailing from Japan, will have one of the largest booths at Japan's equivalent of E3 this year, according to Reuters. In fact, both Gree and its competitor DeNA will conduct keynote addresses at the event, which runs Sept. 15 through 18.
Reuters reports that several game companies aside from DeNA and Gree, including famed creator of games like Contra and Castlevania (some of the most hardcore franchises around) Konami, are shifting resources toward social games. While the biggest Japanese games company, Nintendo, lags behind as it continues to focus on games created deliberately to take advantage of its hardware. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working out so well for the company as of late.
"Nintendo has done some pretty awful things - no software, poor pricing, poor PR, no sign of a sustainable turnaround, software support dropping like flies," JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters, referring to the failed 3DS launch (and resultant massive price drop).
On the other hand, competitor Konami recently welcomed over 10 million players to its social games. "You can make serious returns with social games in Japan if done well - and that is exactly what they have done," Kamide said to Reuters about Konami.
Both DeNA (which enjoys 3 million more monthly players than its rival) and Gree have major ambitions of becoming global competitors in the social games space to companies like Zynga and EA, which have blazed the trail for Facebook and mobile social game in the western world. Just this past year, both Gree and DeNA made huge purchases to make global headway in the space with mobile social game network OpenFeint and mobile games developer Ngmoco, respectively.
Just as some social game makers invaded this year's E3 event in the states, it looks like the ballooning sub genre will fill up the streets of Tokyo this week, too. Whether the two companies will fill the conference halls with hot air has yet to be seen. But considering Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley analyst Masato Araki expects Japan's social games industry to grow to about 400 billion yen ($5.1 billion) by 2013 from 106 billion yen in 2011, according to Reuters, you can bet everyone will be all ears.
Do you think Gree and DeNA will have some new, interesting things to say about social games at this year's TGS? How do you think traditional Japanese gaming companies will respond? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Reuters reports that several game companies aside from DeNA and Gree, including famed creator of games like Contra and Castlevania (some of the most hardcore franchises around) Konami, are shifting resources toward social games. While the biggest Japanese games company, Nintendo, lags behind as it continues to focus on games created deliberately to take advantage of its hardware. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working out so well for the company as of late.
"Nintendo has done some pretty awful things - no software, poor pricing, poor PR, no sign of a sustainable turnaround, software support dropping like flies," JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Kamide told Reuters, referring to the failed 3DS launch (and resultant massive price drop).
On the other hand, competitor Konami recently welcomed over 10 million players to its social games. "You can make serious returns with social games in Japan if done well - and that is exactly what they have done," Kamide said to Reuters about Konami.
Both DeNA (which enjoys 3 million more monthly players than its rival) and Gree have major ambitions of becoming global competitors in the social games space to companies like Zynga and EA, which have blazed the trail for Facebook and mobile social game in the western world. Just this past year, both Gree and DeNA made huge purchases to make global headway in the space with mobile social game network OpenFeint and mobile games developer Ngmoco, respectively.
Just as some social game makers invaded this year's E3 event in the states, it looks like the ballooning sub genre will fill up the streets of Tokyo this week, too. Whether the two companies will fill the conference halls with hot air has yet to be seen. But considering Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley analyst Masato Araki expects Japan's social games industry to grow to about 400 billion yen ($5.1 billion) by 2013 from 106 billion yen in 2011, according to Reuters, you can bet everyone will be all ears.
Do you think Gree and DeNA will have some new, interesting things to say about social games at this year's TGS? How do you think traditional Japanese gaming companies will respond? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Very Good Grief: Snoopy's Street Fair is Charlie Brown's iPhone debut
Nope, no dogfights between Snoopy and The Red Baron just yet. And based on the title of Beeline Interactive's (Capcom's mobile games arm) iPhone game surrounding The Peanuts, Snoopy's Street Fair, we doubt there will be any. But that's OK, because based on these brand new screens that were just released, it looks like the game might be a hoot regardless.
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
Are you psyched for Snoopy and the gang's iPhone game debut? Are you interested in how the game is looking to play out so far--a property management game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
It appears that this freemium iPhone game adaptation of the iconic comic strip (and don't forget those ABC specials!) will take the property management approach in its homage to Snoopy and the gang. It looks like players will guide Charlie Brown as he builds a bustling street fair from scratch, adding new booths, carnival games and kitschy attractions to level up.
Basically, judging from these images, Snoopy's Street Fair won't be a far cry from one of the studio's first releases under Capcom, Smurfs' Village. Players will be given hints or quests on how to advance their little fairs from supporting characters in the Peanuts world like Peppermint Patty through classic phone call gags. If you notice, the characters still don't own cell phones, a welcome touch of authenticity to the world Charles Schulz created.
Gallery: Snoopy's Street Fair on iPhone
In fact, the entire game embodies the late and great cartoonist's artwork so well, that it looks like one of Sunday's Peanuts strips come to life. In addition to running their fair, players will partake in mini games like roasting marshmallows against a timer to sate Snoopy's sweet tooth. According to Capcom, Snoopy's Street Fair is slated for a November release. So, hopefully by then Beeline can somehow squeeze in a mini game involving Snoopy piloting his dog house ... somehow.
Are you psyched for Snoopy and the gang's iPhone game debut? Are you interested in how the game is looking to play out so far--a property management game? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Nordeus's CEO on how Top Eleven became number one [Interview]
Being number one feels good, doesn't it? EA has been the most recognized name in sports games, even on Facebook--until a little game called Top Eleven came around the bend. Created by a small Serbian studio known as Nordeus, Top Eleven has quickly become the number one football (or soccer for you American folk) game on Facebook with over 4 million monthly players, according to AppData.
The game, which overtook EA Sports and Playfish's FIFA Superstars this summer, takes a far heavier simulator approach to the sports genre on Facebook. Oddly enough, this take has done quite well for Nordeus thus far. We sat down with Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović recently to find out why the company took this approach to sports games on Facebook, how it has made it this far, and what it plans to do to stay on top. (Here's one: Top Eleven is available in about 27 languages, and it's all thanks to player contributions--now that's dedication.)
Noredus' motto seems to be, "Bringing desktop gaming experiences to social networks." Was this always the company slogan, and why did you decide to take this approach to social games?
It's probably my fault we still haven't changed it. Now, times have changed. When we got into social games at the moment, we though social games weren't complex or engaging enough, and someone who could translate the complexity of desktop games to social networks is going to be a huge success.
It has proven to be correct, because nowadays you see The Sims Social and Zynga is becoming less and less casual. Back then we thought we could differentiate ourselves from the competition by creating games that aren't completely casual or shallow, but complex and addictive. That's what we've done rather successfully with Top Eleven.
Our mission statement is a bit different--in a few words it would be something like 'Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms.' That's what Noredeus [has been] ever since we published Top Eleven.
How exactly will Nordeus connect the gaming experience between devices?
The idea is to provide users unique gaming experiences in that they can simply pick up where they left off. This would mean if you're, say, in the office and playing a game on Facebook during your break and you have to commute back home, we'll provide a way users can still interact, which is very important to them. You're going to be able to play the same game, with the same account, on different devices and platforms.
Top Eleven in action
Of course, football is huge in Europe, South America and some of Asia, but why did you go with a far heavier simulator approach to a Facebook game surrounding it?
There's a long and complex answer to that, which equals a lot of research we did. It comes down to the idea of providing users with a social game that's a bit more challenging than simply the relaxing, action-packed casual type. In short, people are managers at birth--everyone always thinks they would be able to run the country better, the team better.
And they simply don't get the chance to show how good they would have been doing the job that the other idiot is doing. That's the case in Europe, and I have a lot of American friends, so I think it's very similar back there as well. So, it's a characteristic of mankind [laughs]. In Europe, we're always having long and detailed discussions regarding football tactics or whether the manager chose the right lineup.
The idea is to fulfill users' natural need to show everybody else how good they would actually be, given the opportunity, by providing them a virtual plot that is only theirs. They're running the show, competing with other people, and Top Eleven really forces people that are friends to play together. Rather than the crew dynamics movement since day one of social games, we've taken it to the next level in that you're competing with friends synchronously.
It's also something that the rest of the industry is moving toward, but I think I can be very proud of us for picking some key elements of where social gaming is going to get to in the beginning--becoming the pioneers of what the social gaming scene is today over a year ago. I think that's the reason why a really small company from Serbia, which doesn't really have any tradition in building successful games--so, a very small company with very young people, and without any funding, we managed to build something that's rocking the boat now.
Now, will Nordeus remain focused on sports simulators, or does the company have an interest in pursuing other desktop gaming experiences on Facebook?
Without revealing too much, I can definitely say that we're going to remain in the sports genre. But we also have some plans to enter some other areas as well. Not in the distant future, but it's something to [look forward to.]
Facebook games have been largely a genre dominated by large American publishers (aside from Wooga). But I'm ready to see more culturally diverse social games. How do you think that as internationally-based companies gain global notoriety, the culture of other countries will come through in their social games?
I guess it depends on the publisher. From our side, our vision is to build global products, so we really want to cover as many countries in the world with a specific product. Of course, you can't always have the full coverage, but like with Top Eleven we have users from 140 or so countries. From our side, I don't think our culture is going to [influence] what we develop. Our vision is definitely global.
The Nordeus Team
Generally speaking, how does Nordeus plan to capitalize on this success? What can Top Eleven fans look forward to in the developer's future?
First of all, in a few weeks you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have been doing for many months. The game is going to evolve a lot--at the moment I can't share many details. But there are many improvements on the way, and we think the game is going to become exactly what users are passionate about.
And we have been conducting a lot of research and interaction with our user base. Our users are also very passionate about [Top Eleven], as our daily to monthly player ratio is one of the highest in the world: between 22 and 24 percent. And we have been working with them in polishing the feature set and building a product that's going to be super.
Thanks for sharing some of Nordeus's secrets for success with us, Branko.
What do you think of Top Eleven on Facebook? Do you prefer sports games on Facebook with the simulator approach, or something with more action? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
The game, which overtook EA Sports and Playfish's FIFA Superstars this summer, takes a far heavier simulator approach to the sports genre on Facebook. Oddly enough, this take has done quite well for Nordeus thus far. We sat down with Nordeus CEO Branko Milutinović recently to find out why the company took this approach to sports games on Facebook, how it has made it this far, and what it plans to do to stay on top. (Here's one: Top Eleven is available in about 27 languages, and it's all thanks to player contributions--now that's dedication.)
Noredus' motto seems to be, "Bringing desktop gaming experiences to social networks." Was this always the company slogan, and why did you decide to take this approach to social games?
It's probably my fault we still haven't changed it. Now, times have changed. When we got into social games at the moment, we though social games weren't complex or engaging enough, and someone who could translate the complexity of desktop games to social networks is going to be a huge success.
It has proven to be correct, because nowadays you see The Sims Social and Zynga is becoming less and less casual. Back then we thought we could differentiate ourselves from the competition by creating games that aren't completely casual or shallow, but complex and addictive. That's what we've done rather successfully with Top Eleven.
Our mission statement is a bit different--in a few words it would be something like 'Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms.' That's what Noredeus [has been] ever since we published Top Eleven.
How exactly will Nordeus connect the gaming experience between devices?
The idea is to provide users unique gaming experiences in that they can simply pick up where they left off. This would mean if you're, say, in the office and playing a game on Facebook during your break and you have to commute back home, we'll provide a way users can still interact, which is very important to them. You're going to be able to play the same game, with the same account, on different devices and platforms.
Top Eleven in action
Of course, football is huge in Europe, South America and some of Asia, but why did you go with a far heavier simulator approach to a Facebook game surrounding it?
There's a long and complex answer to that, which equals a lot of research we did. It comes down to the idea of providing users with a social game that's a bit more challenging than simply the relaxing, action-packed casual type. In short, people are managers at birth--everyone always thinks they would be able to run the country better, the team better.
And they simply don't get the chance to show how good they would have been doing the job that the other idiot is doing. That's the case in Europe, and I have a lot of American friends, so I think it's very similar back there as well. So, it's a characteristic of mankind [laughs]. In Europe, we're always having long and detailed discussions regarding football tactics or whether the manager chose the right lineup.
The idea is to fulfill users' natural need to show everybody else how good they would actually be, given the opportunity, by providing them a virtual plot that is only theirs. They're running the show, competing with other people, and Top Eleven really forces people that are friends to play together. Rather than the crew dynamics movement since day one of social games, we've taken it to the next level in that you're competing with friends synchronously.
It's also something that the rest of the industry is moving toward, but I think I can be very proud of us for picking some key elements of where social gaming is going to get to in the beginning--becoming the pioneers of what the social gaming scene is today over a year ago. I think that's the reason why a really small company from Serbia, which doesn't really have any tradition in building successful games--so, a very small company with very young people, and without any funding, we managed to build something that's rocking the boat now.
Now, will Nordeus remain focused on sports simulators, or does the company have an interest in pursuing other desktop gaming experiences on Facebook?
Without revealing too much, I can definitely say that we're going to remain in the sports genre. But we also have some plans to enter some other areas as well. Not in the distant future, but it's something to [look forward to.]
Facebook games have been largely a genre dominated by large American publishers (aside from Wooga). But I'm ready to see more culturally diverse social games. How do you think that as internationally-based companies gain global notoriety, the culture of other countries will come through in their social games?
I guess it depends on the publisher. From our side, our vision is to build global products, so we really want to cover as many countries in the world with a specific product. Of course, you can't always have the full coverage, but like with Top Eleven we have users from 140 or so countries. From our side, I don't think our culture is going to [influence] what we develop. Our vision is definitely global.
The Nordeus Team
Generally speaking, how does Nordeus plan to capitalize on this success? What can Top Eleven fans look forward to in the developer's future?
First of all, in a few weeks you're going to be pleasantly surprised by what we have been doing for many months. The game is going to evolve a lot--at the moment I can't share many details. But there are many improvements on the way, and we think the game is going to become exactly what users are passionate about.
And we have been conducting a lot of research and interaction with our user base. Our users are also very passionate about [Top Eleven], as our daily to monthly player ratio is one of the highest in the world: between 22 and 24 percent. And we have been working with them in polishing the feature set and building a product that's going to be super.
Thanks for sharing some of Nordeus's secrets for success with us, Branko.
What do you think of Top Eleven on Facebook? Do you prefer sports games on Facebook with the simulator approach, or something with more action? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Jimmy Buffett will tie Margaritaville Online to the real deal
In likely the most obvious brilliant move into Facebook games yet, Jimmy Buffett is hard at work with publisher THQ and Vancouver, BC-based developer Exploding Barrel Games on Margaritaville Online. (Though, why the game isn't simply known as "MargaritaVille" is beyond us.) In an interview with CNN, the legendary performer, author and songwriter spilled the salt, so to speak, on when the game will release and what it will be like.
According to Buffett, Exploding Barrel Games and THQ are looking at an October release to coincide with the end of his Las Vegas tour. As we already know from its initial announcement, the game will feature full 3D visuals, but Buffett revealed to CNN that players will first arrive in Margaritaville on a boat (of course) at Captain Tony's Bar. This game follows Buffett's songs, but goes even further to explore the stories within the world he has created over nearly 40 years.
The songwriter revealed that he hopes to connect the Facebook and iPad game to his existing Margaritaville restaurants and hotels via virtual goods purchased in the game. However, he has even more ambitious ideas for Margaritaville Online. "I'm toying with ideas of taking it into the real world, where you could have a battle of the bands, or you could have people play in our band," Buffett told CNN. "That's the kind of involvement that I'm looking at in the future."
Gallery: MargaritaVille Online on Facebook
Buffett will directly involve himself in the game beyond his music, which players will be able to listen to in-game. Parrot Heads will be able to directly interact with Buffett in the game, though there's a catch. "But you won't see my real name," Buffett revealed to CNN. "I'll sneak in. I already have my pseudonyms picked out, because I know they'll track me quick." We might not be able track the virtual Jimmy Buffett just yet, but we'll be tracking the release of this game ... just after this margarita.
Are you excited for Jimmy Buffett's big break on Facebook? What else do you hope to see in this social rendition of his tasty liquor-soaked world? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
According to Buffett, Exploding Barrel Games and THQ are looking at an October release to coincide with the end of his Las Vegas tour. As we already know from its initial announcement, the game will feature full 3D visuals, but Buffett revealed to CNN that players will first arrive in Margaritaville on a boat (of course) at Captain Tony's Bar. This game follows Buffett's songs, but goes even further to explore the stories within the world he has created over nearly 40 years.
The songwriter revealed that he hopes to connect the Facebook and iPad game to his existing Margaritaville restaurants and hotels via virtual goods purchased in the game. However, he has even more ambitious ideas for Margaritaville Online. "I'm toying with ideas of taking it into the real world, where you could have a battle of the bands, or you could have people play in our band," Buffett told CNN. "That's the kind of involvement that I'm looking at in the future."
Gallery: MargaritaVille Online on Facebook
Buffett will directly involve himself in the game beyond his music, which players will be able to listen to in-game. Parrot Heads will be able to directly interact with Buffett in the game, though there's a catch. "But you won't see my real name," Buffett revealed to CNN. "I'll sneak in. I already have my pseudonyms picked out, because I know they'll track me quick." We might not be able track the virtual Jimmy Buffett just yet, but we'll be tracking the release of this game ... just after this margarita.
Are you excited for Jimmy Buffett's big break on Facebook? What else do you hope to see in this social rendition of his tasty liquor-soaked world? Sound off in the comments. 13 Comments
Pioneer Trail School House Upgrade: Everything you need to know
Pioneer Trail School House Upgrades
As your little ones sadly march off to another year of dreaded school, Zynga has turned that familiar fiasco into the next exciting update to Pioneer Trail. The School House can now be upgraded in a series of complex, repeatable Goals that will ultimately build your children's confidence in riding a pony to school. Of course, you must have at least one child and a completed School House. Since you probably just can't wait to send even more kids away to school, here's everything you need to know:
If you meet the above criteria, then a pop-up will appear next time you log in, click the green button to get started. (If you choose not to start immediately, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade" to start on the building.) To start the series of Goals, click on your oldest child, who will have an exclamation point hovering above its head.
Childhood Memories
* Have or Start the School House upgrade
* Feed 20 Pigs
* Feed 20 Ducks
Again, to start the upgrade, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade." From there, Humble Bob will appear with a message asking for a payment of 10 coins to start upgrading the building. Once you pay up, the School House will appear under a tarp during the upgrade process, which requires you to collect the following items:
Finish your School House
We image that, based on the wording of the upgrade menu, you will post requests to your News Feed for the 10 School Bells, School Desks and Text Books. The latter three, however, look as if you'll be asking friends directly for them. And that's especially unfortunate considering you need 15 of each.
The Pigs and Ducks must be fed on your Homestead, the first of which costs 365 coins, while we imagine the latter is referring to Injured Ducks and feeding them Critter Milk. Your rewards for completing this Goal include an Ice Cream Sandwich, 250XP and 250 Coins.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines!
* Tend 12 Horses on your homestead or neighbors'
* Collect 10 Small Pitchforks
* With your Child, mount the Playful Pony
This Goal is somewhat special in that it cannot be completed until you fill the Confidence Meter completely. This feature measures your progress in the repeatable Confidence Goals, which must be complete three times over. Though, each time you finish the set of Goals, you will be reward with a new animal and eventually the Playful Pony.
Before we get to that, however, you'll likely find the 10 Small Pitchforks through friend requests, as they're not a Market item. Your rewards for completing this overarching Goal will be an Apple Treat, 500XP and 500 Coins. Onto the Confidence Meter and its Goals.
Pioneer Trail Confidence Meter
Whenever you complete a "First Day of School" Goal, your child's Confidence Meter will grow, and completing the series will reward you with special decorative animals each time. The final reward will be the Playful Pony, which is exactly what you need to finish this series once and for all.
Fresh N' Fruity
* Harvest 20 Pink Roses
* Harvest 40 Apple Trees
* Collect 10 Salami
To harvest 20 Pink Roses, you will need at least 6,000 coins and 14 hours time, if you plant them all at once. Tending to an Apple Tree counts as harvesting it, though they don't produce Food until they're mature. Apple Trees cost 800 coins apiece. The 10 Salami more than likely come from asking your friends for them. For completing this Goal, enjoy a Green Apple Tree, six Wax Canvases and six Leather Straps.
Baby's Got A Brand New Bag
* Collect 15 School Supplies
* Collect 50 Reputation Points
* Craft two Rucksacks in the School House
School Supplies can be sent among friends through the Free Gifts page, so make sure to update your Wishlist with this item to increase your chances of friends sending them your way. To gather 50 Reputation Points, you must visit your friends' Homesteads and do favors for them. Since each visit provides five Reputation Points, just visit 10 friends and be done with it.
School House Crafting Workbench
To craft two Rucksacks, you will need a total of 16 Wax Canvases and 9 Leather Straps, both of which are found through asking friends (and the previous Goal's reward gives you a head start). Your rewards for this Goal are a Spring Water, 12 Copper Rivets and 12 Cloth Denim.
Upgraded School HouseGotta Look Good
* Collect Upgraded School House bonus once
* Collect 10 Pairs of Shoes
* Craft three School Outfits in the School House
Of course, you will have to have an Upgrade School House by this point. To find the 10 Pairs of Shoes, it looks like you'll yet again have to ask your friends. The same general idea in the previous Goal applies to this final Goal.
You're given a jump start with 12 Copper Rivets and Cloth Denim, but crafting three School Outfits will require a total of 27 Cooper Rivets and 18 Cloth Denim, the rest of which you must ask friends for. Enjoy your new Gala Apple Tree, 2,000XP and 2,000 Coins for completing this Goal.
The first time you complete this series of Goals, you'll earn a Giant Hamster. The second time around will reward you with a Cute Dalmatian (just a decorative animal), and the third tour will net you that Playful Pony required to finish the Goal titled "Make Hay While the Sun Shines!" Finally, that's the end of the School House upgrade Goals.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Have you started putting your digital kids through school once more? What tips do you have to complete these Goals even more quickly? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
As your little ones sadly march off to another year of dreaded school, Zynga has turned that familiar fiasco into the next exciting update to Pioneer Trail. The School House can now be upgraded in a series of complex, repeatable Goals that will ultimately build your children's confidence in riding a pony to school. Of course, you must have at least one child and a completed School House. Since you probably just can't wait to send even more kids away to school, here's everything you need to know:
If you meet the above criteria, then a pop-up will appear next time you log in, click the green button to get started. (If you choose not to start immediately, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade" to start on the building.) To start the series of Goals, click on your oldest child, who will have an exclamation point hovering above its head.
Childhood Memories
* Have or Start the School House upgrade
* Feed 20 Pigs
* Feed 20 Ducks
Again, to start the upgrade, just click on the School House and then "Upgrade." From there, Humble Bob will appear with a message asking for a payment of 10 coins to start upgrading the building. Once you pay up, the School House will appear under a tarp during the upgrade process, which requires you to collect the following items:
Finish your School House
We image that, based on the wording of the upgrade menu, you will post requests to your News Feed for the 10 School Bells, School Desks and Text Books. The latter three, however, look as if you'll be asking friends directly for them. And that's especially unfortunate considering you need 15 of each.
The Pigs and Ducks must be fed on your Homestead, the first of which costs 365 coins, while we imagine the latter is referring to Injured Ducks and feeding them Critter Milk. Your rewards for completing this Goal include an Ice Cream Sandwich, 250XP and 250 Coins.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines!
* Tend 12 Horses on your homestead or neighbors'
* Collect 10 Small Pitchforks
* With your Child, mount the Playful Pony
This Goal is somewhat special in that it cannot be completed until you fill the Confidence Meter completely. This feature measures your progress in the repeatable Confidence Goals, which must be complete three times over. Though, each time you finish the set of Goals, you will be reward with a new animal and eventually the Playful Pony.
Before we get to that, however, you'll likely find the 10 Small Pitchforks through friend requests, as they're not a Market item. Your rewards for completing this overarching Goal will be an Apple Treat, 500XP and 500 Coins. Onto the Confidence Meter and its Goals.
Pioneer Trail Confidence Meter
Whenever you complete a "First Day of School" Goal, your child's Confidence Meter will grow, and completing the series will reward you with special decorative animals each time. The final reward will be the Playful Pony, which is exactly what you need to finish this series once and for all.
Fresh N' Fruity
* Harvest 20 Pink Roses
* Harvest 40 Apple Trees
* Collect 10 Salami
To harvest 20 Pink Roses, you will need at least 6,000 coins and 14 hours time, if you plant them all at once. Tending to an Apple Tree counts as harvesting it, though they don't produce Food until they're mature. Apple Trees cost 800 coins apiece. The 10 Salami more than likely come from asking your friends for them. For completing this Goal, enjoy a Green Apple Tree, six Wax Canvases and six Leather Straps.
Baby's Got A Brand New Bag
* Collect 15 School Supplies
* Collect 50 Reputation Points
* Craft two Rucksacks in the School House
School Supplies can be sent among friends through the Free Gifts page, so make sure to update your Wishlist with this item to increase your chances of friends sending them your way. To gather 50 Reputation Points, you must visit your friends' Homesteads and do favors for them. Since each visit provides five Reputation Points, just visit 10 friends and be done with it.
School House Crafting Workbench
To craft two Rucksacks, you will need a total of 16 Wax Canvases and 9 Leather Straps, both of which are found through asking friends (and the previous Goal's reward gives you a head start). Your rewards for this Goal are a Spring Water, 12 Copper Rivets and 12 Cloth Denim.
Upgraded School HouseGotta Look Good
* Collect Upgraded School House bonus once
* Collect 10 Pairs of Shoes
* Craft three School Outfits in the School House
Of course, you will have to have an Upgrade School House by this point. To find the 10 Pairs of Shoes, it looks like you'll yet again have to ask your friends. The same general idea in the previous Goal applies to this final Goal.
You're given a jump start with 12 Copper Rivets and Cloth Denim, but crafting three School Outfits will require a total of 27 Cooper Rivets and 18 Cloth Denim, the rest of which you must ask friends for. Enjoy your new Gala Apple Tree, 2,000XP and 2,000 Coins for completing this Goal.
The first time you complete this series of Goals, you'll earn a Giant Hamster. The second time around will reward you with a Cute Dalmatian (just a decorative animal), and the third tour will net you that Playful Pony required to finish the Goal titled "Make Hay While the Sun Shines!" Finally, that's the end of the School House upgrade Goals.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here. >
Have you started putting your digital kids through school once more? What tips do you have to complete these Goals even more quickly? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
CityVille Governor's Run Goals Act 1, Part 1: Everything you need to know
Well, I guess we know now what Captain Krunsch meant when he said, "I plan on sleeping in the governor's mansion tonight!" Now that Governor Phil has abandoned his post and joined the Circus, Zynga has introduced the Governor's Run Goals to CityVille.
This event will span three acts, each consisting of nine Goals to complete. Here's everything you need to know about the first of the Governor's Run Goals, which revolve around Farmer Rita (Please keep in mind that this is early information and is subject to change):
First of all, you must be at least Level 50 to have access to these Goals. Once you reach that criteria, a window will appear upon logging into the game that features a short Flash video detailing just how Krunsch made it onto the campaign trail.
In this Governor's Run event, you must win over the hearts of the three major voting groups consisting of nine series of Goals: The People, Special Interests and Big Business. So far, we have just have information on Farmer Rita's portion of Act 1.
CityVille Feast or Famine
Feast or Famine
* Collect 10 Bags of Animal Feed
* Master the Alfalfa Crop
* Have 3,000 Goods
To acquire those 10 Bags of Animal Feed, ask your friends through the Goal's menu. To completely master Alfalfa, you will need a total of 13,200 coins, and each Alfalfa will take six hours to ripen. Harvesting 300 of these crops should net you the 3,000 Goods you need. Your reward for this Goal is 60 XP.
CityVille Run for Governor
Creating a Buzz
* Collect 15 Organic Locust Sprays
* Harvest 80 Locust Resistant Blueberries
* Harvest 80 Neighbor Crops
The 15 Organic Locust Sprays are found by asking friends through the Goal window. These Locust Resistant Blueberries look to be a new crop in the game. To harvest the 80 neighbor crops, you will have to visit 16 friends total. No reward information for this Goal is available yet.
Farmer Charmer
* Collect 20 Fruit Cartons
* Collect from 7 Cruise Ships
* Collect from Produce Paradise 10 times
The 20 Fruit Cartons are more than likely found through friend help requests, like the similar Goal requirements before it. Since Cruise Ships generally act like Community Buildings and can only be collected every 12 hours, this portion of the Goal will take at least 84 hours, or 3.5 days.
The Produce Paradise costs 12,500 coins, and considering the massive amounts of coins most high-level players have these days, I'd recommend buying a bunch and selling them back, if you're feeling impatient. Again, no reward information available on this one yet. Once you complete these three Goals, the second part of Governor's Run Act 1, "The People," will be made available to you.
[Source and Image Credits: Zynga, LightChan]
Have you started the Governor's Run series of Goals in CityVille yet? What tips do you have for completing these Goals even more quickly? Sound off in the comments. 8 Comments
This event will span three acts, each consisting of nine Goals to complete. Here's everything you need to know about the first of the Governor's Run Goals, which revolve around Farmer Rita (Please keep in mind that this is early information and is subject to change):
First of all, you must be at least Level 50 to have access to these Goals. Once you reach that criteria, a window will appear upon logging into the game that features a short Flash video detailing just how Krunsch made it onto the campaign trail.
In this Governor's Run event, you must win over the hearts of the three major voting groups consisting of nine series of Goals: The People, Special Interests and Big Business. So far, we have just have information on Farmer Rita's portion of Act 1.
CityVille Feast or Famine
Feast or Famine
* Collect 10 Bags of Animal Feed
* Master the Alfalfa Crop
* Have 3,000 Goods
To acquire those 10 Bags of Animal Feed, ask your friends through the Goal's menu. To completely master Alfalfa, you will need a total of 13,200 coins, and each Alfalfa will take six hours to ripen. Harvesting 300 of these crops should net you the 3,000 Goods you need. Your reward for this Goal is 60 XP.
CityVille Run for Governor
Creating a Buzz
* Collect 15 Organic Locust Sprays
* Harvest 80 Locust Resistant Blueberries
* Harvest 80 Neighbor Crops
The 15 Organic Locust Sprays are found by asking friends through the Goal window. These Locust Resistant Blueberries look to be a new crop in the game. To harvest the 80 neighbor crops, you will have to visit 16 friends total. No reward information for this Goal is available yet.
Farmer Charmer
* Collect 20 Fruit Cartons
* Collect from 7 Cruise Ships
* Collect from Produce Paradise 10 times
The 20 Fruit Cartons are more than likely found through friend help requests, like the similar Goal requirements before it. Since Cruise Ships generally act like Community Buildings and can only be collected every 12 hours, this portion of the Goal will take at least 84 hours, or 3.5 days.
The Produce Paradise costs 12,500 coins, and considering the massive amounts of coins most high-level players have these days, I'd recommend buying a bunch and selling them back, if you're feeling impatient. Again, no reward information available on this one yet. Once you complete these three Goals, the second part of Governor's Run Act 1, "The People," will be made available to you.
[Source and Image Credits: Zynga, LightChan]
Have you started the Governor's Run series of Goals in CityVille yet? What tips do you have for completing these Goals even more quickly? Sound off in the comments. 8 Comments
Honor late, great Patrick Swayze in ... a Dirty Dancing Facebook game?
Remember, it's Sept. 9, not April 1, so this is for real. AllFacebook reports that a Facebook game surrounding the iconic 1987 film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing, is in development at Toronto-based studio Social Game Universe. The game will include the tunes you all know from the hit movie, like "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and "Hungry Eyes," as players rehearse and perform dance numbers at the Kellerman's Resort to level up.
Presented in 8-bit style visuals like the video games of the time, Dirty Dancing on Facebook will have players dancing alongside retro, digitized versions of Baby and Johnny from the movie. (I'd rather think of them as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in glorious 8-bit rendering, but to each his own.)
Players will then roam around the resort and drop "Romance Waves" to cause guests to fall in love and stay for awhile longer. Wait, that never happened in the movie!
Anyway, players will perform real dance moves that originated from the film, likely including Baby's infamous "maraca shaking." If any of this tickles your fancy, you can head over to the Facebook page right now and sign up for a chance at an exclusive preview of the game.
However, it looks like Social Game Universe is looking for super fans, here--you've been warned. Dirty Dancing is expected to make its Facebook game debut later this month.
Are you psyched that Dirty Dancing is getting its very own Facebook game? (Hey, anything beats that weird remake released in 2004.) What other nods to the classic movie do you hope to see in this game? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Presented in 8-bit style visuals like the video games of the time, Dirty Dancing on Facebook will have players dancing alongside retro, digitized versions of Baby and Johnny from the movie. (I'd rather think of them as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in glorious 8-bit rendering, but to each his own.)
Players will then roam around the resort and drop "Romance Waves" to cause guests to fall in love and stay for awhile longer. Wait, that never happened in the movie!
Anyway, players will perform real dance moves that originated from the film, likely including Baby's infamous "maraca shaking." If any of this tickles your fancy, you can head over to the Facebook page right now and sign up for a chance at an exclusive preview of the game.
However, it looks like Social Game Universe is looking for super fans, here--you've been warned. Dirty Dancing is expected to make its Facebook game debut later this month.
Are you psyched that Dirty Dancing is getting its very own Facebook game? (Hey, anything beats that weird remake released in 2004.) What other nods to the classic movie do you hope to see in this game? Sound off in the comments. 1 Comment
Monday, September 26, 2011
Vostu snags MP Game Studio, access to brands like Coca-Cola with it
Perhaps Vostu's sticky legal dispute with Zynga isn't so bad, after all. The Brazilian social game creator announced that it has acquired Buenos Aires, Argentina-based MP Game Studio for an undisclosed amount. MP Games has created social games for major (like, huge) brands including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and National Geographic.
As part of the deal, MP Game Studio will become fully integrated into Vostu, with its employees to relocate to the new Vostu headquarters that just so happens to be located in Buenos Aires, too. And Vostu will hit the ground running with this buyout, expecting to release its first game from the deal over the next few weeks.
"Vostu is committed to creating entertaining social games for our growing user base of over 42 million registered users," Vostu COO Matias Recchia said in a release. "MP has been on the cutting edge of development of online games, working with the most well-known well respected companies and brands and we are excited to add them to our team of more than 550 dedicated, talented and passionate programmers, game designers and artists."
If you hadn't noticed, Vostu is pretty darn excited about not only the talent in MP, but the brands it works with. While it's certainly not our wildest guess, we're confident that Vostu will get into branded social games, thanks to this acquisition. Now, if Vostu has access to that particularly lucrative Coca-Cola license, can we finally get game with those adorable polar bears on Facebook?
Do you think this buyout will help Vostu compete even better in the global big leagues of social games? What brands do you hope Vostu takes advantage of as part of this purchase? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
As part of the deal, MP Game Studio will become fully integrated into Vostu, with its employees to relocate to the new Vostu headquarters that just so happens to be located in Buenos Aires, too. And Vostu will hit the ground running with this buyout, expecting to release its first game from the deal over the next few weeks.
"Vostu is committed to creating entertaining social games for our growing user base of over 42 million registered users," Vostu COO Matias Recchia said in a release. "MP has been on the cutting edge of development of online games, working with the most well-known well respected companies and brands and we are excited to add them to our team of more than 550 dedicated, talented and passionate programmers, game designers and artists."
If you hadn't noticed, Vostu is pretty darn excited about not only the talent in MP, but the brands it works with. While it's certainly not our wildest guess, we're confident that Vostu will get into branded social games, thanks to this acquisition. Now, if Vostu has access to that particularly lucrative Coca-Cola license, can we finally get game with those adorable polar bears on Facebook?
Do you think this buyout will help Vostu compete even better in the global big leagues of social games? What brands do you hope Vostu takes advantage of as part of this purchase? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
MapleStory maker Nexon sets sail on Facebook with Wonder Cruise
Clicking cute creatures in MapleStory Adventures sure was fun, but Korean MMO (massively multiplayer online game) developer Nexon is ready to tread new water on Facebook. (Well, at least new water for Nexon.) The global studio based in South Korea has released Wonder Cruise, its second Facebook game tasking players with creating a world-class cruise ship.
While Gamasutra reports that the game will launch after testing with a small audience later this month, it appears that Wonder Cruise is live now for all. So, consider this the open beta for Wonder Cruise, or as we see it: The game is live. The game comes hot off of the heels of MapleStory Adventures, a Facebook rendition of the hugely successful free-to-play MMO that has already amassed over 2.8 million monthly players.
Wonder Cruise looks an awful lot like Perfect World Entertainment's recent Perfect Getaway, but plays a bit differently. Yes, you're still stuck on the same old cruise ship while your customers see the best of what the world has to offer. But this time around, the cruises, well, actually mean something. Each cruise is timed, and once you leave port after customizing and upgrading your ship with decorations and whatnot from the money that guests throw your way, you must help as many patrons have a good time before your ETA by clicking on them.
Wonder Cruise gameplay
Then, you'll be graded on how many guests you satisfied in the time limit, which matches up with a leaderboard spanning your friends. However, each time you help a guest, it consumes Energy that refills at a slow rate, like all Facebook games. This would be fine if you weren't graded on how many guests you help on a given timed cruise. Unfortunately, if you want those coveted S ranks for each trip, you'll have to either buy Energy or bug your friends.
Wonder Cruise is expected to "officially" launch on Sept. 12, Gamasutra reports. When the game releases from an open beta to most likely yet another open beta, Nexon will introduce more content (and hopefully a fix to this Energy system). As the game is testing, Nexon urges players to take a survey. Until then, keep clicking away on those guests ... at least for a minute or two.
Click here to play Wonder Cruise on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Wonder Cruise out yet on Facebook? What do you think of Nexon's approach to Facebook gaming thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
While Gamasutra reports that the game will launch after testing with a small audience later this month, it appears that Wonder Cruise is live now for all. So, consider this the open beta for Wonder Cruise, or as we see it: The game is live. The game comes hot off of the heels of MapleStory Adventures, a Facebook rendition of the hugely successful free-to-play MMO that has already amassed over 2.8 million monthly players.
Wonder Cruise looks an awful lot like Perfect World Entertainment's recent Perfect Getaway, but plays a bit differently. Yes, you're still stuck on the same old cruise ship while your customers see the best of what the world has to offer. But this time around, the cruises, well, actually mean something. Each cruise is timed, and once you leave port after customizing and upgrading your ship with decorations and whatnot from the money that guests throw your way, you must help as many patrons have a good time before your ETA by clicking on them.
Wonder Cruise gameplay
Then, you'll be graded on how many guests you satisfied in the time limit, which matches up with a leaderboard spanning your friends. However, each time you help a guest, it consumes Energy that refills at a slow rate, like all Facebook games. This would be fine if you weren't graded on how many guests you help on a given timed cruise. Unfortunately, if you want those coveted S ranks for each trip, you'll have to either buy Energy or bug your friends.
Wonder Cruise is expected to "officially" launch on Sept. 12, Gamasutra reports. When the game releases from an open beta to most likely yet another open beta, Nexon will introduce more content (and hopefully a fix to this Energy system). As the game is testing, Nexon urges players to take a survey. Until then, keep clicking away on those guests ... at least for a minute or two.
Click here to play Wonder Cruise on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Wonder Cruise out yet on Facebook? What do you think of Nexon's approach to Facebook gaming thus far? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Troy Aikman + Facebook = A fantasy football game all about the QBs
Fantasy football, or as I like to call it: The Jock's Dungeons and Dragons, doesn't exactly make for a fun Facebook game. Even the mighty Sports Illustrated couldn't make fantasy football fun on Facebook, regardless of how robust its features are. Troy Aikman (you know, the famous former Dallas Cowboys quarterback?) and Boulder, Co.-based Prediculous--which runs a social game of sorts that challenges players to accurately predict real world events--hope to change that with Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB.
"The quarterback is one of the most important and exciting positions on a football team," Aikman said in a release. "Knowing a little something about that position, I wanted to create a fun fantasy game centered around QBs that anyone can play. From casual fans to long-time fantasy players, this game gives everyone a shot to play and win."
The game simplifies the classic fantasy football gameplay of drafting an entire team down to one of the only positions that matters most exciting positions in all of football: the quarterback. Each week, players will pick their top four QBs for the week that will earn them points based on how they perform in the real NFL games. Then, those choices will be sized up against Aikman's own picks each week found in a video feature uploaded every week.
Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB gameplay
While this will serve as a guide for the casual football fan, it should also serve as a source of competition beyond the stat crunching mega fans and their friends. However, each QB can only be chosen once every three weeks, unless you want to pay up with QB Chips using Facebook Credits. You'll earn QB Chips based on your participation each week as well. And unlike most traditional fantasy football leagues with their rigid times and rules, players can join Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB at any time during the NFL season.
Every Tuesday morning, the game will tally whose QB picks earned the most points per game based on several factors, and declare the winner within your league, which can be comprised of as many as 100 players. Of course, you can brag about your winning predictions using the News Feed, and find friends via requests. Sure, it's a simplistic fantasy football game for Facebook, but maybe that's the key to getting Facebook gamers into fantasy football. We'll see once the season starts on Sept. 8.
Click here to play Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of fantasy football or have a fan in the home? Do you think Troy Aikman's approach to fantasy football on Facebook could popularize the game on a new platform? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
"The quarterback is one of the most important and exciting positions on a football team," Aikman said in a release. "Knowing a little something about that position, I wanted to create a fun fantasy game centered around QBs that anyone can play. From casual fans to long-time fantasy players, this game gives everyone a shot to play and win."
The game simplifies the classic fantasy football gameplay of drafting an entire team down to one of the only positions that matters most exciting positions in all of football: the quarterback. Each week, players will pick their top four QBs for the week that will earn them points based on how they perform in the real NFL games. Then, those choices will be sized up against Aikman's own picks each week found in a video feature uploaded every week.
Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB gameplay
While this will serve as a guide for the casual football fan, it should also serve as a source of competition beyond the stat crunching mega fans and their friends. However, each QB can only be chosen once every three weeks, unless you want to pay up with QB Chips using Facebook Credits. You'll earn QB Chips based on your participation each week as well. And unlike most traditional fantasy football leagues with their rigid times and rules, players can join Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB at any time during the NFL season.
Every Tuesday morning, the game will tally whose QB picks earned the most points per game based on several factors, and declare the winner within your league, which can be comprised of as many as 100 players. Of course, you can brag about your winning predictions using the News Feed, and find friends via requests. Sure, it's a simplistic fantasy football game for Facebook, but maybe that's the key to getting Facebook gamers into fantasy football. We'll see once the season starts on Sept. 8.
Click here to play Aikman 2011 Fantasy QB on Facebook Now >
Are you a fan of fantasy football or have a fan in the home? Do you think Troy Aikman's approach to fantasy football on Facebook could popularize the game on a new platform? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
FarmVille Aviary Goals: Everything you need to know
Attention all farmers! The FarmVille Aviary has started rolling out to some users this afternoon, and as we told you earlier this week, the new building comes with a full set of goals. We've got a guide to completing these goals right here, so even if you haven't been able to start building your own Aviary, you'll at least know what to expect.
For the Birds!
* Get 6 Bunches of Bird Seed
* Place 1 Aviary
* Harvest 3 Aviary Birds
Of course, this new building deals with with birds, and as such, you'll need to start harvesting birds (Ducks will probably be the easiest for most farmers) to complete this third task. As for the Aviary, you'll receive a base once the update has rolled around to your game, so just clear out some land on your farm and place it to finish that. For the Bird Seed, you'll need to ask your friends to send you some bunches by posting a general news item to your wall. The rewards for completing this first goal are 50 XP, one Red Bill Duck and 2,500 coins.
Bird Watching
* Get 6 Binoculars
* Buy 1 Bird House
* Harvest 100 Vegetable Crops
As usual, it doesn't matter which kind of vegetable crop you grow, so feel free to plant some of the shortest-growth-time vegetables available to you to quickly finish this off. As for this Binocular collection task, you'll be able to send out requests directly to your friends, asking them for help. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP, 5 Animal Feed and 2,500 coins.
No Birds in Last Year's Nest
* Get 6 Bird Nests
* Complete the Aviary
* Plant 3 Basic Apple Trees
This goal takes us back to general news feed requests to collect these Bird Nests. While you're waiting for them to arrive, you can plant the Apple Trees, which cost just 325 coins each to purchase from the store. To build the Aviary, you'll need to collect ingredients, and you can find our complete guide to building the habitat right here. Finish this goal and you'll receive 50 XP, 5 Animal Feed and 2,500 coins.
Free as a Bird!
* Get 9 Bird Toys
* Harvest the Aviary
* Harvest 3 Basic Apple Tress
Here's something different: instead of being able to immediately delete those trees you previously purchased, you'll need to wait for them to be ready to harvest. You'll want to make sure that these trees are not in an Orchard before you harvest them though, as harvesting trees that are in an Orchard will not count for this goal. For these Bird Toys, you'll need to ask your friends through individual gift requests to earn them. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP, 4 Swan Geese and another 2,500 coins.
Whistle While You Work
* Get 9 Bird Whistles
* Raise a Baby Bird
* Harvest 30 Basic Cranberries
Cranberries take 10 hours to grow, so you'll want to plant them pretty quickly to not be too delayed by this goal. While you're waiting for them to grow, you can post a general news item requesting the Bird Whistles. As for the Baby Bird, you can either claim one from your friends' wall posts, or wait until your Aviary is ready to collect from with the chance of receiving a Baby Bird in the process.
The Swing of Things
* Get 9 Bird Swings
* Master Swan Goose to Level 1
* Harvest 50 Fruit Crops
Again, it doesn't matter which kind of fruit you harvest. You'll collect the Bird Swings via individual requests to friends. For finishing this goal, you'll not only finish this Aviary goal series, but you'll also receive 50 XP, one Lady Amherst Pheasant and 2,500 coins.
With this new Aviary building, we've passed the halfway point in the game's new breeding building feature, and we'll make sure to let you know when additional animal breeding buildings launch in the game.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you received the new Aviary or this set of Aviary goals? What do you think of them? Sound off in the comments.
For the Birds!
* Get 6 Bunches of Bird Seed
* Place 1 Aviary
* Harvest 3 Aviary Birds
Of course, this new building deals with with birds, and as such, you'll need to start harvesting birds (Ducks will probably be the easiest for most farmers) to complete this third task. As for the Aviary, you'll receive a base once the update has rolled around to your game, so just clear out some land on your farm and place it to finish that. For the Bird Seed, you'll need to ask your friends to send you some bunches by posting a general news item to your wall. The rewards for completing this first goal are 50 XP, one Red Bill Duck and 2,500 coins.
Bird Watching
* Get 6 Binoculars
* Buy 1 Bird House
* Harvest 100 Vegetable Crops
As usual, it doesn't matter which kind of vegetable crop you grow, so feel free to plant some of the shortest-growth-time vegetables available to you to quickly finish this off. As for this Binocular collection task, you'll be able to send out requests directly to your friends, asking them for help. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP, 5 Animal Feed and 2,500 coins.
No Birds in Last Year's Nest
* Get 6 Bird Nests
* Complete the Aviary
* Plant 3 Basic Apple Trees
This goal takes us back to general news feed requests to collect these Bird Nests. While you're waiting for them to arrive, you can plant the Apple Trees, which cost just 325 coins each to purchase from the store. To build the Aviary, you'll need to collect ingredients, and you can find our complete guide to building the habitat right here. Finish this goal and you'll receive 50 XP, 5 Animal Feed and 2,500 coins.
Free as a Bird!
* Get 9 Bird Toys
* Harvest the Aviary
* Harvest 3 Basic Apple Tress
Here's something different: instead of being able to immediately delete those trees you previously purchased, you'll need to wait for them to be ready to harvest. You'll want to make sure that these trees are not in an Orchard before you harvest them though, as harvesting trees that are in an Orchard will not count for this goal. For these Bird Toys, you'll need to ask your friends through individual gift requests to earn them. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP, 4 Swan Geese and another 2,500 coins.
Whistle While You Work
* Get 9 Bird Whistles
* Raise a Baby Bird
* Harvest 30 Basic Cranberries
Cranberries take 10 hours to grow, so you'll want to plant them pretty quickly to not be too delayed by this goal. While you're waiting for them to grow, you can post a general news item requesting the Bird Whistles. As for the Baby Bird, you can either claim one from your friends' wall posts, or wait until your Aviary is ready to collect from with the chance of receiving a Baby Bird in the process.
The Swing of Things
* Get 9 Bird Swings
* Master Swan Goose to Level 1
* Harvest 50 Fruit Crops
Again, it doesn't matter which kind of fruit you harvest. You'll collect the Bird Swings via individual requests to friends. For finishing this goal, you'll not only finish this Aviary goal series, but you'll also receive 50 XP, one Lady Amherst Pheasant and 2,500 coins.
With this new Aviary building, we've passed the halfway point in the game's new breeding building feature, and we'll make sure to let you know when additional animal breeding buildings launch in the game.
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you received the new Aviary or this set of Aviary goals? What do you think of them? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Aviary Habitat: Everything you need to know
Earlier tonight, we brought you a detailed guide to finishing the new set of Aviary goals in FarmVille, that will reward you with loads of Animal Feed and even some new birds. But, of course, these goals require you to have built an Aviary, which is a bit easier said than done. The new Aviary will be given to you automatically when you next login to the game (that is, after this building has rolled around to you), and once it's built, you'll be able to store all sorts of birds inside, including (but not limited to) Geese, Turkeys and Ducks.
To actually build your Aviary, you'll need to collect 30 ingredients, all of which should look familiar to you:
* 10 Clamps
* 10 Hinges
* 10 Screwdrivers
In order to earn these items, you'll either be able to ask your friends to send them to you, claim them from news feed items posted by your friends, or purchasing them outright for Farm Cash. Once it's finished, you'll receive a free Farm Goose to store inside your new Aviary, and will then have space for 19 more birds (20 in total) to live inside. As usual, you'll be able to view all of the possible birds that can be stored inside your Aviary by browsing through the 18 pages of possible animals within the Aviary's menu.
When your Aviary is ready to "harvest," you'll have a chance to receive one of two kinds of Eggs at random. Orange eggs will contain common animals, while Purple eggs are rare and can even contain past limited edition animals that would have originally cost less than 15 Farm Cash (when those eggs are claimed from friends). Any egg you claim from your own Aviary will be identical to one of the animals currently living inside (as it has literally been bred). Unlike other animal breeding buildings, these Eggs don't require Animal Feed to hatch (how would they eat it?!), but instead hatch on a timer. Rare eggs take longer to hatch than Common eggs, as you might expect.
There's no word yet as to what kind of an animal building we'll see released next in the game, so this gives you plenty of time to complete the new Aviary goals that go along with this new building. Good luck in completing them in time!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Aviary? Do you like collecting Animal Feed for these baby animals, or do you like the idea of a timer for them to grow? Sound off in the comments.
To actually build your Aviary, you'll need to collect 30 ingredients, all of which should look familiar to you:
* 10 Clamps
* 10 Hinges
* 10 Screwdrivers
In order to earn these items, you'll either be able to ask your friends to send them to you, claim them from news feed items posted by your friends, or purchasing them outright for Farm Cash. Once it's finished, you'll receive a free Farm Goose to store inside your new Aviary, and will then have space for 19 more birds (20 in total) to live inside. As usual, you'll be able to view all of the possible birds that can be stored inside your Aviary by browsing through the 18 pages of possible animals within the Aviary's menu.
When your Aviary is ready to "harvest," you'll have a chance to receive one of two kinds of Eggs at random. Orange eggs will contain common animals, while Purple eggs are rare and can even contain past limited edition animals that would have originally cost less than 15 Farm Cash (when those eggs are claimed from friends). Any egg you claim from your own Aviary will be identical to one of the animals currently living inside (as it has literally been bred). Unlike other animal breeding buildings, these Eggs don't require Animal Feed to hatch (how would they eat it?!), but instead hatch on a timer. Rare eggs take longer to hatch than Common eggs, as you might expect.
There's no word yet as to what kind of an animal building we'll see released next in the game, so this gives you plenty of time to complete the new Aviary goals that go along with this new building. Good luck in completing them in time!
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Aviary? Do you like collecting Animal Feed for these baby animals, or do you like the idea of a timer for them to grow? Sound off in the comments.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Thesupersandy's farm wins with a three-in-a-row
farmville featured tic tac toe farmToday's FarmVille featured farm is a creative design by FarmVille Forums' Thesupersandy. I've seen a lot of farms in my time: hedge maze farms, Lady Gaga farms, and even island resort farms. But, somehow I've never seen the relatively simple tic-tac-toe farm before, and I think it's pretty neat.
Even though whoever was playing 'O's was silly to lose in that situation, the farm itself is very pleasant in appearance. Its mix of orchards, crops, and animals out on the English countryside, allow us to overlook the design's simplicity and flaws. Last week's farm had somewhat of the same effect. It was very simple and spacious, giving it a very appealing, relaxed look. Zynga seems to agree, because they named Thesupersandy's tic-tac-toe design the Farm of the Week. Keep up the good work Thesupersandy!
What do you think of this tic-tac-toe farm?
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!
Even though whoever was playing 'O's was silly to lose in that situation, the farm itself is very pleasant in appearance. Its mix of orchards, crops, and animals out on the English countryside, allow us to overlook the design's simplicity and flaws. Last week's farm had somewhat of the same effect. It was very simple and spacious, giving it a very appealing, relaxed look. Zynga seems to agree, because they named Thesupersandy's tic-tac-toe design the Farm of the Week. Keep up the good work Thesupersandy!
What do you think of this tic-tac-toe farm?
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!
FarmVille Sneak Peek: No angry birds in this upcoming Aviary
We already knew that Zynga would release a total of six Breeding Pens to FarmVille. In its mission to run this whole "breeding" concept into the ground forever (hopefully), the developer will most likely release the Aviary next. Based on these leaked images, the Aviary will host all sorts of fowl from Chickens to Ducks and Turkeys.
While we're going off on a simple promotional banner, we're going to guess that the Aviary won't operate much differently than its five counterparts including the recently released Zoo Habitat building. We also know that either building the Aviary or completing its Goals will require items like nests, binoculars, whistles and ... weird, dangly chimes. (Can you tell I don't know much about birds?)
FarmVille Aviary items
Once the Aviary releases, it will be accompanied by a whopping six Goals. As an added bonus, we get a glimpse at what the eggs will look like from when these little birdies get down. (Extra bonus points for the use of purple!) Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Are you psyched for this new building to throw your birds into? What do you think of Zynga's new found love for breeding animals? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
While we're going off on a simple promotional banner, we're going to guess that the Aviary won't operate much differently than its five counterparts including the recently released Zoo Habitat building. We also know that either building the Aviary or completing its Goals will require items like nests, binoculars, whistles and ... weird, dangly chimes. (Can you tell I don't know much about birds?)
FarmVille Aviary items
Once the Aviary releases, it will be accompanied by a whopping six Goals. As an added bonus, we get a glimpse at what the eggs will look like from when these little birdies get down. (Extra bonus points for the use of purple!) Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Are you psyched for this new building to throw your birds into? What do you think of Zynga's new found love for breeding animals? Sound off in the comments. 3 Comments
More Like 'Team FarmVille 2': Portal creator sets Steam Trading loose
Steam Trading
If you hadn't noticed, Portal creator Valve's Steam service and store is slowly becoming more and more like ... FarmVille. I know, it sounds strange, but true. The maker of some of the most hardcore, intense shooter games of all time like Half Life and Team Fortress has released the final version of Steam Trading. This new feature was released in a beta test last month, but now is ready for everyone. Better yet, the feature is available for two more games, at that: Portal 2 and Sega's Spiral Knights.
This feature allows Steam users to trade and gift items to their friends regardless of whether they're logged into their game of choice. Now, players can trade items or (new, never-played) games with friends for whatever they feel is an equal exchange. For instance, a Team Fortress 2 player can trade the hat she found while playing with a friend who has a nifty shield that she wants for her Spiral Knight.
However, players must be friends over Steam (or be in a Group Chat) to trade or give items to one another. Hmm, that sounds vaguely familiar, no? From offering free-to-play multiplayer games earlier this year like Spiral Knights to now allowing players to give each other items through a friends list, Steam has slowly become more and more like Facebook as a games platform. While its far from Facebook and its games, and likely always will be, the influence is undeniable. All we're waiting for is the day it takes Energy to fire bullets in Team Fortress 2. (Fat chance ... we hope.)
[Via Kotaku]
Are you excited to be able to trade with friends in some of your Steam games? Do you think Steam is showing its affinity for the Facebook style of gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
If you hadn't noticed, Portal creator Valve's Steam service and store is slowly becoming more and more like ... FarmVille. I know, it sounds strange, but true. The maker of some of the most hardcore, intense shooter games of all time like Half Life and Team Fortress has released the final version of Steam Trading. This new feature was released in a beta test last month, but now is ready for everyone. Better yet, the feature is available for two more games, at that: Portal 2 and Sega's Spiral Knights.
This feature allows Steam users to trade and gift items to their friends regardless of whether they're logged into their game of choice. Now, players can trade items or (new, never-played) games with friends for whatever they feel is an equal exchange. For instance, a Team Fortress 2 player can trade the hat she found while playing with a friend who has a nifty shield that she wants for her Spiral Knight.
However, players must be friends over Steam (or be in a Group Chat) to trade or give items to one another. Hmm, that sounds vaguely familiar, no? From offering free-to-play multiplayer games earlier this year like Spiral Knights to now allowing players to give each other items through a friends list, Steam has slowly become more and more like Facebook as a games platform. While its far from Facebook and its games, and likely always will be, the influence is undeniable. All we're waiting for is the day it takes Energy to fire bullets in Team Fortress 2. (Fat chance ... we hope.)
[Via Kotaku]
Are you excited to be able to trade with friends in some of your Steam games? Do you think Steam is showing its affinity for the Facebook style of gaming? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
CityVille VIP Gift feature rewards you for sending your friends gifts
A new incentive program has launched in CityVille, that will attempt to have you send all of your CityVille neighbors a "VIP Gift" in exchange for earning something yourself. Instead of being met with the free gifts page or any other menu upon loading the game, you'll instead be shown this page from time to time, giving you options for your free prize. Unfortunately, if you receive items like these, it's unlikely to do any good.
For an example of the prizes offered, we need look no further than my own game, where I was offered two Plaza Flowers or two Parking Lots for sending out these VIP Gifts. When approached with something like this yourself, you'll need to simply click on the Send button under one of the two (as seen below) to send all friends a VIP Gift, and earn your own rewards as promised. As for these VIP Gifts that you're sending, it seems as though they are nothing but those rewards that you have been offered yourself. It's either that, or all of my friends suddenly decided to send me Plaza Flowers and Parking Lots as their free gifts today, as my inbox was full of them!
This all being said, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in the prizes offered. They're relatively inexpensive to purchase outright from the store, so why should I send out request after request to every friend that has ever played the game, knowing that many of them will be ignored, or that I risk annoying friends that have already quit playing, or have little use for these items? While that may be an over-complication of the situation, I guess it all boils down to wanting some exclusive items to make this worth our while. If Zynga decides to offer some, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of this new VIP Gift feature? Sound off in the comments.
For an example of the prizes offered, we need look no further than my own game, where I was offered two Plaza Flowers or two Parking Lots for sending out these VIP Gifts. When approached with something like this yourself, you'll need to simply click on the Send button under one of the two (as seen below) to send all friends a VIP Gift, and earn your own rewards as promised. As for these VIP Gifts that you're sending, it seems as though they are nothing but those rewards that you have been offered yourself. It's either that, or all of my friends suddenly decided to send me Plaza Flowers and Parking Lots as their free gifts today, as my inbox was full of them!
This all being said, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in the prizes offered. They're relatively inexpensive to purchase outright from the store, so why should I send out request after request to every friend that has ever played the game, knowing that many of them will be ignored, or that I risk annoying friends that have already quit playing, or have little use for these items? While that may be an over-complication of the situation, I guess it all boils down to wanting some exclusive items to make this worth our while. If Zynga decides to offer some, we'll make sure to let you know.
What do you think of this new VIP Gift feature? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Crew Pack saves you time on staffing your buildings
Along with the new Zoning Permit Expansion Packs launched in CityVille over the weekend comes a new Crew Pack that serves a similar function. This Crew Pack costs 25 City Cash and will give you a 20 Crew Member bonus that stays on your account until all 20 crew members have been used.
So, how does this work exactly? It's simple: When you go to build any kind of structure that requires you to staff your building by asking your friends to help, these 20 bonus crew members will be put to work instead, saving you the time it takes to ask your friends to help you (and wait for them to respond), along with saving your friends from some annoyance if they're tired of being sent to many requests.
Is this Crew Pack worth 25 City Cash? I suppose if you have a very limited supply of in-game neighbors, it would be the saving grace for actually being able to finish some community buildings and the like, but I personally don't think I'll be investing in this particular shortcut. Why? Just look at all of these farm-themed goodies that are still begging to be purchased!
Whatever your opinion on these Crew Packs, they won't be available to purchase forever, but are only available for a "limited time." Unfortunately, Zynga hasn't announced when the actual expiration date is, so your best bet would be to stock up now if you're interested in using these bonus crew members, even at a later date.
Will you purchase any Crew Packs for future use in your buildings? Let us know in the comments.
So, how does this work exactly? It's simple: When you go to build any kind of structure that requires you to staff your building by asking your friends to help, these 20 bonus crew members will be put to work instead, saving you the time it takes to ask your friends to help you (and wait for them to respond), along with saving your friends from some annoyance if they're tired of being sent to many requests.
Is this Crew Pack worth 25 City Cash? I suppose if you have a very limited supply of in-game neighbors, it would be the saving grace for actually being able to finish some community buildings and the like, but I personally don't think I'll be investing in this particular shortcut. Why? Just look at all of these farm-themed goodies that are still begging to be purchased!
Whatever your opinion on these Crew Packs, they won't be available to purchase forever, but are only available for a "limited time." Unfortunately, Zynga hasn't announced when the actual expiration date is, so your best bet would be to stock up now if you're interested in using these bonus crew members, even at a later date.
Will you purchase any Crew Packs for future use in your buildings? Let us know in the comments.
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