Saturday, October 1, 2011

CityVille Doggie Daycare Upgrades: Everything you need to know

CityVille Doggie Daycare Upgrades
Sometimes, we forget about the citizens of CityVille that aren't the people. And that's OK, because they don't really matter Zynga looks to remind us with the next big Community Building upgrade: the Doggie Daycare. This Community Building, released back in April, will grant you a boost in population and don a palette swap once upgraded.

However, you must be at least Level 18 to access the new Doggie Daycare. Once you reach that point, you'll notice that the building has a green arrow floating above it. Click on the Doggie Daycare to open its upgrade page. Here are all the items you'll need to upgrade the Doggie Daycare:
Ugrade Doggie Daycare
Doggie Daycare UpgradedUnfortunately, it looks like you'll have to ask you friends for each and every one of these items. Zynga claims you can also post the requests to your News Feed. Once you receive one of each item, we imagine you can also post the items to your Wish List. Once you acquire all 25 items, you can click "Finish Building" to boost the Doggie Daycare's allowed population to 540.

For the Level 3 Doggie Daycare, you'll need to ask for the same items using the same process. But this time, you will need eight of each item for a total of 40. This will boost the building's total allowed population to 1,080, and give it a fresh look. Now, you can forget all about the puppies of CityVille all over again--we kid ... sort of. Poor guys.

[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]

Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.

Have you started upgrading the Doggie Daycare yet? What do you think of how Zynga handles building upgrades in CityVille? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Adventure World Safari Showdown Expedition: Everything you need to know

By the time you reach Level 10 in Adventure World, you will have unlocked the first five Expeditions in the game, with this fifth Expedition being called Safari Showdown. This one comes with the tagline: "Face off with Queen Coral and move her nest to safety." While that may not do much to describe exactly what you'll be facing, you are told a few details about what to expect from the technical side of the things.

You'll need to have 450 Supplies to spare, along with two units each of Food, Fuel and Water. In terms of a time limit, you're limited to finishing this entire Expedition in a single 24 hour period. Your maximum rewards are 2,350 coins and 3 Food, on top of the XP and coins (among other items) you'll earn from simply completing the Quests therein. Here's a complete guide to finishing Safari Showdown from start to finish.

Stop Queen Coral!

Defeat the Queen Coral
Get Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest
Place Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest across the river

Apparently, a mama coral snake has formed a nest too close to a small village, and she's scaring the children. In this Expedition, your overall goal is to eliminate her from the area and move her next across the river where it can remain undisturbed and the children can go back to playing. Queen Coral's next is located in a fairly secure location, surrounded by shrubs and thorns. There are traps between you and she, and the snake itself has 12 hit points. Once you defeat the snake, you'll see the nest sitting nearby. It has three "points," so you'll need to eliminate those before you can pick it up. Finally, the bridge across the river is blocked by a boulder, requiring dynamite to remove. Dynamite costs 1,000 coins to purchase in the Tool Shop back in your Base Camp.



Find Them a New Home

Collect 5 Bundles of Grass
Plant 5 Bundles of Grass around the snake's new home

Since your ultimate goal is to remove the threat to the village by moving the nest across the river, you'll need to create a new home for the Queen Coral's nest by collecting and planting Bundles of Grass on this map. The bundles of grass can easily be mistaken for shrubs, so make sure to look for them at every corner. Meanwhile, the Bundles of Grass can be planted on the far side of the river, in the area clearly set aside as their new home.


Build Them a Sanctuary!

Collect 10 Cotton
Collect 4 Hardened Vines
Use 10 Soils Piles to build a fence around the snakes' new home

Of course, you're going to "remove" the snake and nest as harmlessly as possible, so you'll need to first make sure that the new home for these snakes is as comfortable as possible. After all, you wouldn't want the snakes to get bored and head back into the village, now would you? Vines themselves come from clearing out thorns (you tend to get around four hardened vines per thorn removed), while cotton is found in the far right side of the map, growing in a make-shift farm setup (apparently) by the villagers. I'm sure they won't mind you taking some of that cotton to build this new home, so long as it means they're free of the snakes. Finally, the Soil Piles are found around the outside edge of the marked area above. Here are some pictures of what you're looking for in this quest.

Once you finish these three tasks, you will have finished the fifth Expedition in Adventure World, and will be one step closer to fame and fortune within the Adventure Society. Good luck!

Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.

What did you think of this Expedition? Which of the game's Expeditions has been your favorite thus far? Sound off in the comments.

Zynga, Playdom, EA and Bioware vets cause a Rumble with new freemium studio

While many a story has come to light recently, detailing high-level game designers jumping ship to Zynga, here's one where a fairly big gun under the big Z's umbrella has left for new pastures. To be specific, John Yoo, lead designer on CityVille, is one of a few industry veterans that have joined with Greg Richardson [pictured], of former BioWare/Pandemic fame, in the creation of a new freemium (free-to-play) game studio by the name of Rumble.

After speaking with Rick Thompson, the founder of another major social games company - Playdom - the two partnered to form Rumble. Rounding out this new package are former EA employees Mark Spenner and David O'Connor. With these big names in their camp, Richardson's goal with Rumble is to create games that are free to play (supported with paid add-ons), but lie somewhere in between the expensive world of high-end PC games and the extremely casual games represented by many Facebook titles.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has faith that this middle ground holds a lot of merit. "We saw this third hill, and we think it's the biggest of the three hills," he says. This isn't to say, though, that Facebook games are out of the picture, as Richardson confirmed that they will use the social service, but will also focus on mobile devices and PCs through the browser.

In addition to developing its own games, Rumble will publish other developer's titles. While no specific details were announced about any of Rumble's specific games (we can expect the first sometime early next year), Richardson did list many of the company's areas of inspiration, which lie anywhere from Zelda and Super Smash Bros. to Diablo and Civilization. Regardless of the game in question, he says that Rumble looks to avoid overly complex gameplay. With this many areas of inspiration, we're definitely interested in seeing what Rumble comes up with, but for now - the possibilities are endless.

Are you excited in trying out this apparent middle-ground of freemium games that aren't too challenging, but aren't too basic either? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Trees: Sugar Maple Tree, Painted Bamboo Tree and more

With tonight's update, we see a ton of new trees being released in FarmVille, in both the Animal Sanctuary theme, and in the new Lighthouse Cove limited edition themes. That's right - a Lighthouse Cove theme has launched in the store, full of items that can be purchased for other farms, or for your Lighthouse Cove if you so choose (that is, if you choose to pay to get in this early). Here's a full rundown of these trees.

Lighthouse Cove

Sugar Maple Tree - 7 Farm Cash
Japanese Maple Tree - 15 Farm Cash
Bur Oak Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Pin Oak Tree - 12 Farm Cash

Here's a case where I think some price testing might be taking place. The 8 and 12 Farm Cash prices seem incredibly out of place, so if they happen to be different in your own store, that would be why. As for Mystery Seedlings, you can purchase just the Bur Oak and Sugar Maple Trees, and will (hopefully) receive the other two through mystery seedlings.

Animal Sanctuary

Painted Bamboo - 5 Farm Cash
Umbrella Bamboo - 15 Farm Cash

Again, these prices seem incredibly strange, so don't be alarmed if they're different (even potentially costing less) in your own game when you happen to check. It's a (now) normal Zynga practice to see which prices uses respond to with purchases, and we unfortunately can't prevent it from happening. Of course, the Painted Bamboo is the Level 1 tree here, while you can receive the Umbrella Bamboo from Mystery Seedlings.

Overall, the Sugar Maple and Japanese Maple Trees will be in the game for the next 11 days, while the other four trees will be around for two weeks. Keep those time limits in mind if you don't have the Farm Cash on hand to shop just yet - they won't be around forever.

What do you think of these two themes of trees? Do you like colorful trees like these maples and oaks? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Animals: Canada Lynx, Morgan Stallion and more

As was the case with trees this evening, tonight's FarmVille update has seen the launch of not only new Animal Sanctuary items, but also animals in the Lighthouse Cove limited edition theme. These Lighthouse Cove items can be purchased for other farms, not just your Lighthouse Cove farm, if you wish to carry the theme throughout your properties. This is also a great way for those who choose not to pay to get into Lighthouse Cove early to add to their animal collections while they wait.

Lighthouse Cove

Canada Lynx - 12 Farm Cash
Standardbred Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Bufflehead Duck - 18 Farm Cash
Morgan Stallion - 35 Farm Cash

With these animals, we see two horses for collectors that cost the expected high numbers, and reward appropriate XP in exchange: 2,600 for the Standardbred and 3,500 for the Morgan Stallion. The Canada Lynx and Standardbred Horse will only be in the game's store for the next 11 days, while the other two animals will be around for a full two weeks, to give you an idea of when you really need to shop.

Animal Sanctuary

Clouded Leopard - 15 Farm Cash

Unfortunately, that's the only animal released in the theme this evening, but at least it isn't so expensive that it's guaranteed to break the bank. For purchasing this little fella, you'll receive 1,500 experience points, and will be able to harvest him every two days. He'll be available in the game's store for the next two weeks.

Regardless of which animal you choose, remember that (again), these Lighthouse Cove animals can be placed in other farms, so if you'd like to place them inside your Horse Stables and the like (where applicable), go right ahead and do that. Just make sure to not let these guys expire from the store before you have a chance to shop.

Which of these animals is your favorite? What do you think of the Lighthouse Cove theme of items so far? Sound off in the comments.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

FarmVille: Take a trip to Lighthouse Cove tonight (for 55 Farm Cash)

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.

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.