A whopping five new animals were introduced to FarmVille this evening, with four of these being available to purchase in the store. Technically, all four of these animals are available to purchase for both your English Countryside farmbut only two can be purchased for the Home Farm. Why? Simple: two of these animals are Ewes, which are currently locked to the Sheep-Breeding centric English Countryside.
To be specific, the King Horse and the Robin Duck are available for both of your farms, at a price of 26 Farm Cash for the horse and 16 Farm Cash for the Duck. If you'd rather expand your rainbow of multi-colored sheep, you can purchase the Pastel Green Ewe or the Pastel Purple Ewe for 20 Farm Cash each instead. Interestingly, even if you choose to purchase the sheep, which cost more than the Robin Duck, you'll only receive a laughable 5 experience points for your purchase. Perhaps this is because Zynga knows that users have more incentive to purchase these Ewes either way, but it's still something to keep in mind if you're looking to quickly level up.
Remember, you can also breed your King Horse in your Horse Stable to receive a King Horse Foal to share with your friends (this little fella is so cute, it makes us wish all the more than Horse breeders could keep their foals, but alas...). These animals (foal excluded) will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks.
Which of these animals is your favorite? Have you already accumulated enough colors of sheep that you'll pass on these, or would you love to add these to your collection?
Thứ Năm, 29 tháng 12, 2011
FarmVille LE English Countryside Buildings: Gatehouse, King Castle & Blacksmith
Three new buildings are available to purchase in FarmVille this evening, with these three buildings falling into the current limited edition English Countryside item theme. These three items all fall into the medieval or "King Arthur" sub-theme that launched this evening, as they will help you to build not only your castle, but also add a building to your kingdom of imaginary villagers.
The three buildings are the Gatehouse, King Castle and the Blacksmith shop. Unfortunately, both the Gatehouse and the King Castle cost Farm Cash, at 20 and 40 Farm Cash each, respectively. The King Castle is a downright massive building, however, which fits its noble nature, and seems to explain some of the high price tag. Meanwhile, the Blacksmith building costs 200,000 coins, and is itself a small building, barely larger than your in-game avatar. Still, the details are nice and the item is just downright adorable, if I do say so myself, so I suppose I can justify the price.
These three buildings give off great XP rewards, at either 2,000 XP or 4,000 XP depending on the item, and all three are available to purchase for either your Home Farm or your second farm in the English Countryside. Remember though, if you want to add these items to more than one farm, you'll have to buy more than one as there is currently no way to transfer items between farms. That just may be coming in the future, but for now, save your Farm Cash and coins for a double-splurge.
Will you create a separate medieval village on your English Countryside farm, or have you instead been working on a large garden or more modern decorations?
The three buildings are the Gatehouse, King Castle and the Blacksmith shop. Unfortunately, both the Gatehouse and the King Castle cost Farm Cash, at 20 and 40 Farm Cash each, respectively. The King Castle is a downright massive building, however, which fits its noble nature, and seems to explain some of the high price tag. Meanwhile, the Blacksmith building costs 200,000 coins, and is itself a small building, barely larger than your in-game avatar. Still, the details are nice and the item is just downright adorable, if I do say so myself, so I suppose I can justify the price.
These three buildings give off great XP rewards, at either 2,000 XP or 4,000 XP depending on the item, and all three are available to purchase for either your Home Farm or your second farm in the English Countryside. Remember though, if you want to add these items to more than one farm, you'll have to buy more than one as there is currently no way to transfer items between farms. That just may be coming in the future, but for now, save your Farm Cash and coins for a double-splurge.
Will you create a separate medieval village on your English Countryside farm, or have you instead been working on a large garden or more modern decorations?
FarmVille LE English Countryside Decorations: Build a Moat, Sword Statue, Castle Bridge & More
Ready your virtual pocketbooks farmers - Zynga has just thrown down a motherload of new decorative items in FarmVille, with all of these items being in the current English Countryside theme, and all being available to place on either of your farms. As we told you last week, the individual building blocks to put together your own moat have been released, with only one of the ingredients costing Farm Cash. That piece is the Castle Bridge, which you'll luckily only need to buy one of for 7 Farm Cash.
Two separate decorations are also available for Farm Cash: those being the English Forest for 5 Farm Cash and the Sword Statue (think Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone) for 4 Farm Cash. The English Forest is a fairly small item, in terms of how many trees it contains, so you may have to purchase more than one to achieve the look you're going for.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the other decorations released this evening.
Aside from the building pieces for your moat (which you can see below), there is one other decorative item available for coins - that being the Royal Table (think a scaled-down version of the Round Table) available for 150,000 coins.
If you'd rather build a moat however, either for security, or just because it would look cool, you can do so by purchasing an assortment of individual moat pieces for anywhere from 5,000 - 10,000 coins each, and can arrange them in any pattern you'd like, to create either a simple square moat, or even a river of sorts. The possibilities are practically endless, and are just dependent on your virtual pocketbook and your creativity (or maybe your patience). Either way, we're definitely looking forward to seeing what users can put together with these items in terms of farm art.
All of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, so start shopping now even if you know you'll eventually want to build a moat, but aren't quite in the mood now. You have storage for a reason farmers - don't let it go to waste!
Will you take on the task of creating a moat on your farm? What sorts of decorating ideas can you share with your fellow farmers?
Two separate decorations are also available for Farm Cash: those being the English Forest for 5 Farm Cash and the Sword Statue (think Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone) for 4 Farm Cash. The English Forest is a fairly small item, in terms of how many trees it contains, so you may have to purchase more than one to achieve the look you're going for.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the other decorations released this evening.
Aside from the building pieces for your moat (which you can see below), there is one other decorative item available for coins - that being the Royal Table (think a scaled-down version of the Round Table) available for 150,000 coins.
If you'd rather build a moat however, either for security, or just because it would look cool, you can do so by purchasing an assortment of individual moat pieces for anywhere from 5,000 - 10,000 coins each, and can arrange them in any pattern you'd like, to create either a simple square moat, or even a river of sorts. The possibilities are practically endless, and are just dependent on your virtual pocketbook and your creativity (or maybe your patience). Either way, we're definitely looking forward to seeing what users can put together with these items in terms of farm art.
All of these items will be available in the game for the next two weeks, so start shopping now even if you know you'll eventually want to build a moat, but aren't quite in the mood now. You have storage for a reason farmers - don't let it go to waste!
Will you take on the task of creating a moat on your farm? What sorts of decorating ideas can you share with your fellow farmers?
FarmVille Mystery Game (04/17/11): Exclusive animals for 20 Farm Cash each
This week's FarmVille Mystery Game has been updated with a series of six new (and need I say exclusive?) animals that are available to win at random. There isn't really a true theme here, other than the fact that there are only animals to win this week, and you'll likely recognize the lot of them from one of our recent FarmVille Sneak Peeks.
This week's Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash to play, per dart, but remember, if you redeem a Zynga Game Card, you'll receive darts for free, allowing you to save your new Farm Cash. Here are the prizes you can win:
Black Shire Horse
Burrowing Owl
California Condor
Mountain Goata
Sonoran Pronghorn Deer
Wolverine
Remember, if you're lucky enough to receive the Black Shire Horse, your friends will also be winners (at least some of them), as you'll have a chance to breed the Black Shire Horse in your Horse Stable to receive a Black Shire Foal. You'll need to play the game fast, though, as of course this game will only be available for the next week, at which point the selection of prizes will change.
Which animal are you most hoping to win this week? Or, if none of these animals interest you, what are you going to spend your Farm Cash on instead?
This week's Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash to play, per dart, but remember, if you redeem a Zynga Game Card, you'll receive darts for free, allowing you to save your new Farm Cash. Here are the prizes you can win:
Black Shire Horse
Burrowing Owl
California Condor
Mountain Goata
Sonoran Pronghorn Deer
Wolverine
Remember, if you're lucky enough to receive the Black Shire Horse, your friends will also be winners (at least some of them), as you'll have a chance to breed the Black Shire Horse in your Horse Stable to receive a Black Shire Foal. You'll need to play the game fast, though, as of course this game will only be available for the next week, at which point the selection of prizes will change.
Which animal are you most hoping to win this week? Or, if none of these animals interest you, what are you going to spend your Farm Cash on instead?
Game of the Day: Mahjongg Dimensions
The Game of the Day wants to take you to another dimension, the Mahjong dimension! Mahjongg Dimensions: Explore a universe of relaxation with Mahjongg Dimensions Deluxe, a wonderful 3D twist on the classic game of tiles. Experience the majesty of this ancient game like never before as you travel through six blissful dimensions, each with their own power-ups and arrangements.
Click --> Play Mahjongg Dimensions
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Mahjongg Dimensions
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 12, 2011
Zynga, Lady Gaga, bring GagaVille to FarmVille: Clash of the 'Villes
Lady Gaga Born This Way
Those rumored conversations between Zynga and Lady Gaga a few weeks back were no joke. In fact, it's worse than we thought: The two culture icons have merged into a single entity a la' Akira and are hell bent on culturally dominating the planet! Alright, so it's not that bad, but the two will clash, as GagaVille is coming to FarmVille on May 17. Ever since Lady Gaga gave a nice chunk of change to the Japanese earthquake victims through Zynga a while back, she and the multi-billion dollar company have been enjoying little chats. The result is likely the biggest brand integration both Zynga and Lady Gaga have ever experienced.
Lady Gaga UnicornThe result? A Lady Gaga-inspired farm that players will visit, complete with Sheep on motorcycles, other items inspired by Gaga's style and exclusive access to songs from the artist's next album, "Born This Way," set to release May 23. If they're not already, it looks like Ms. Gaga is about to turn a legion of digital farmers into Monsters as well. Let's hope it's nothing like the Akira-esque monster allusion--that's just gross.
"I want to celebrate and share 'Born This Way' with my little monsters in a special way that's never been done before," said Lady Gaga in a press release. "Zynga has created a magical place in FarmVille where my fans can come play, and be the first to listen to the album."
The program, said to run through May 26, and three new tracks from Gaga's upcoming album will be released to the game through May 19, thanks to Clear Channel's iHeartRadio player. And, if you really want to go all in on this promotion, listening to Clear Channel's streaming radio stations could score you even more Lady Gaga-themed virtual items. "Radio has been Lady Gaga's virtual stage from the very beginning, enabling fans to connect with her 24x7, and this is another extension of that stage," Bob Pittman, Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms at Clear Channel, said in a separate press release.
GagaVille
But that's not even the end of it. Zynga will release $25 Zynga Game Cards on May 15 through June 11, and redeeming the cards will unlock an exclusive in-game Lady Gaga unicorn for players. Not to mention that seven lucky FarmVille players who redeem these cards will win one day with the icon on the set, no matter where that may at the time.
Sheep MotorcycleEven Words with Friends is joining in on the techno-lathered fun. Players who spell the mysterious Lady Gaga Word of the Day while playing matches will randomly be entered to win tickets to a show on Gaga's next tour and a signed copy of "Born This Way." And finally, RewardVille will feature 10 Lady Gaga-themed prizes across its stable of Facebook games for players that have mustered enough zCoins. As result of the merge, we've even come up with a new name for the new cultural behemoth: Lady ZynGaga! Whaddya' think?
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you excited to see Lady Gaga arrive in FarmVille? Where can Zynga go from here in terms of ultra-high-profile celebrity partnerships?
Those rumored conversations between Zynga and Lady Gaga a few weeks back were no joke. In fact, it's worse than we thought: The two culture icons have merged into a single entity a la' Akira and are hell bent on culturally dominating the planet! Alright, so it's not that bad, but the two will clash, as GagaVille is coming to FarmVille on May 17. Ever since Lady Gaga gave a nice chunk of change to the Japanese earthquake victims through Zynga a while back, she and the multi-billion dollar company have been enjoying little chats. The result is likely the biggest brand integration both Zynga and Lady Gaga have ever experienced.
Lady Gaga UnicornThe result? A Lady Gaga-inspired farm that players will visit, complete with Sheep on motorcycles, other items inspired by Gaga's style and exclusive access to songs from the artist's next album, "Born This Way," set to release May 23. If they're not already, it looks like Ms. Gaga is about to turn a legion of digital farmers into Monsters as well. Let's hope it's nothing like the Akira-esque monster allusion--that's just gross.
"I want to celebrate and share 'Born This Way' with my little monsters in a special way that's never been done before," said Lady Gaga in a press release. "Zynga has created a magical place in FarmVille where my fans can come play, and be the first to listen to the album."
The program, said to run through May 26, and three new tracks from Gaga's upcoming album will be released to the game through May 19, thanks to Clear Channel's iHeartRadio player. And, if you really want to go all in on this promotion, listening to Clear Channel's streaming radio stations could score you even more Lady Gaga-themed virtual items. "Radio has been Lady Gaga's virtual stage from the very beginning, enabling fans to connect with her 24x7, and this is another extension of that stage," Bob Pittman, Chairman of Media and Entertainment Platforms at Clear Channel, said in a separate press release.
GagaVille
But that's not even the end of it. Zynga will release $25 Zynga Game Cards on May 15 through June 11, and redeeming the cards will unlock an exclusive in-game Lady Gaga unicorn for players. Not to mention that seven lucky FarmVille players who redeem these cards will win one day with the icon on the set, no matter where that may at the time.
Sheep MotorcycleEven Words with Friends is joining in on the techno-lathered fun. Players who spell the mysterious Lady Gaga Word of the Day while playing matches will randomly be entered to win tickets to a show on Gaga's next tour and a signed copy of "Born This Way." And finally, RewardVille will feature 10 Lady Gaga-themed prizes across its stable of Facebook games for players that have mustered enough zCoins. As result of the merge, we've even come up with a new name for the new cultural behemoth: Lady ZynGaga! Whaddya' think?
[Image Credit: VentureBeat]
Are you excited to see Lady Gaga arrive in FarmVille? Where can Zynga go from here in terms of ultra-high-profile celebrity partnerships?
Rovio releases new Angry Birds merchandise, but where's Zynga?
Angry Birds Merch Shop
Rovio has done the unthinkable--wait. Actually, this is exactly what the company would do when it comes to Angry Birds. Fans of the feather-flinging franchise can now pre-order merchandise from the Angry Birds online store. That way, super fans can be the first to receive the new items as soon as they release. Angry Birds merchandise has been somewhat of a mini-phenomenon to the already massive mobile (and soon Facebook) game developer, and now it can fuel even more excitement for ... Angry Birds flip-flops.
Here's the thing that's mind blowing in all of this: Zynga has yet to release a similar merchandise shop. With the company's immense following, is there any question as to how successful it would be. What FarmViller lover wouldn't enjoy an official FarmVille t-shirt or a Sheep plush doll to sleep with? It's not as if the studio doesn't have recognizable mascots--just look at FrontierVille and CityVille's list of characters. Zynga is sitting on a literal gold mine, one that could boost it to become the most valuable game company on the planet. Meanwhile, Rovio makes way for the coveted title with simple retail. I'd like a FrontierVille Groundhog plush doll, please.
[Image Credit: Rovio]
Have you ever bought any Angry Birds merch from the official store? If Zynga created a merchandise store, would you buy Zynga-themed clothes and toys?
Rovio has done the unthinkable--wait. Actually, this is exactly what the company would do when it comes to Angry Birds. Fans of the feather-flinging franchise can now pre-order merchandise from the Angry Birds online store. That way, super fans can be the first to receive the new items as soon as they release. Angry Birds merchandise has been somewhat of a mini-phenomenon to the already massive mobile (and soon Facebook) game developer, and now it can fuel even more excitement for ... Angry Birds flip-flops.
Here's the thing that's mind blowing in all of this: Zynga has yet to release a similar merchandise shop. With the company's immense following, is there any question as to how successful it would be. What FarmViller lover wouldn't enjoy an official FarmVille t-shirt or a Sheep plush doll to sleep with? It's not as if the studio doesn't have recognizable mascots--just look at FrontierVille and CityVille's list of characters. Zynga is sitting on a literal gold mine, one that could boost it to become the most valuable game company on the planet. Meanwhile, Rovio makes way for the coveted title with simple retail. I'd like a FrontierVille Groundhog plush doll, please.
[Image Credit: Rovio]
Have you ever bought any Angry Birds merch from the official store? If Zynga created a merchandise store, would you buy Zynga-themed clothes and toys?
Pixwoo, a 'Facebook for gamers', wooes in big game publishers
The easiest way to explain Pixwoo is to describe it as a 'Facebook for gamers'. But that's only partly accurate when you realize that Facebook is a social network and a major gaming platform, while Pixwoo isn't aspiring to be anything more than a glorified sounding board for publishers and a hangout for gamers. But for the publishers, this seems to be enough.
Pascal Vielhescaze, the creator of Pixwoo, and CEO of a "digital lifestyle agency" called Spiderdreams, has gotten a lot of noteworthy publishers to sign up as partners since the site's launch in February. Codemasters, Capcom, Namco Bandai Partners and Rising Star have joined in on what could be "a potentially fantastic promotional tool for the industry."
Pixwoo: Your video gamers social network
As for the gamers, Vielhescaze has chosen to pitch Pixwoo this way:
Generic social networking platforms are fantastic for keeping in touch with friends and family, but it's not ideal for sharing the minutiae of hobbies and passions. Gamers deserve to feel comfortable boasting they have reached level 85 in Guild Wars, for example. And that's why big isn't necessarily better when it comes to social networking. Knowing you share a common interest with everyone else on there is much more important, as is the ability to speak passionately without prejudice.
So far, what we have here is a lot of self-generated hype that Pixwoo is the place-to-be to get community feel-goodness. In an age of social networks, it's really hard for anyone to be wowed by that. Ultimately, Pixwoo and the game companies it's partnered with, will need to offer something unique to generate real buzz.
Pascal Vielhescaze, the creator of Pixwoo, and CEO of a "digital lifestyle agency" called Spiderdreams, has gotten a lot of noteworthy publishers to sign up as partners since the site's launch in February. Codemasters, Capcom, Namco Bandai Partners and Rising Star have joined in on what could be "a potentially fantastic promotional tool for the industry."
Pixwoo: Your video gamers social network
As for the gamers, Vielhescaze has chosen to pitch Pixwoo this way:
Generic social networking platforms are fantastic for keeping in touch with friends and family, but it's not ideal for sharing the minutiae of hobbies and passions. Gamers deserve to feel comfortable boasting they have reached level 85 in Guild Wars, for example. And that's why big isn't necessarily better when it comes to social networking. Knowing you share a common interest with everyone else on there is much more important, as is the ability to speak passionately without prejudice.
So far, what we have here is a lot of self-generated hype that Pixwoo is the place-to-be to get community feel-goodness. In an age of social networks, it's really hard for anyone to be wowed by that. Ultimately, Pixwoo and the game companies it's partnered with, will need to offer something unique to generate real buzz.
Five million Facebook users are under age 11, how many play games?
Consumer Reports estimates that 5 million Facebook users are under 11, but how many of them are Facebook gamers? The news comes from the magazine's June issue, and echoes a Liberty Mutual study that reports 7.5 million of those on the social network are below the required minimum age of 13 years old. This means that either parents are making profiles for their kids or the little ones are going rogue, making their own profiles.
Facebook has age limits for a reason: it's the law. And while one third of parents claim to monitor their kids' activity on Facebook, 17 percent of them have no qualms with their kids using the service underage. In fact, All Facebook reports that many respondents seemed to have no problem with the fact that their kids might have posted fake registration information in order to get in.
And Facebook is working against them, banning an estimated 20 thousands daily that it suspects are underage. That amounts to about 7.3 million Facebook minors a year. As a gamer, one can't help but wonder how many of these 7.5 million kids are toiling away in FarmVille. As Capcom and Smurfs Village displayed effectively, kids and virtual goods can be a deadly combination. Not to mention that this could shift the average Facebook gamer demographic considerably. The horror!
[Image Credit: Fooyoh]
Do you allow your preteens to play around on Facebook, or are you a minor Facebooker yourself? What are your thoughts on kids playing Facebook games, and if your kids are on Facebook, how do you monitor their activity/purchases?
Facebook has age limits for a reason: it's the law. And while one third of parents claim to monitor their kids' activity on Facebook, 17 percent of them have no qualms with their kids using the service underage. In fact, All Facebook reports that many respondents seemed to have no problem with the fact that their kids might have posted fake registration information in order to get in.
And Facebook is working against them, banning an estimated 20 thousands daily that it suspects are underage. That amounts to about 7.3 million Facebook minors a year. As a gamer, one can't help but wonder how many of these 7.5 million kids are toiling away in FarmVille. As Capcom and Smurfs Village displayed effectively, kids and virtual goods can be a deadly combination. Not to mention that this could shift the average Facebook gamer demographic considerably. The horror!
[Image Credit: Fooyoh]
Do you allow your preteens to play around on Facebook, or are you a minor Facebooker yourself? What are your thoughts on kids playing Facebook games, and if your kids are on Facebook, how do you monitor their activity/purchases?
Game of the Day: Mahjong Escape - Ancient Japan
The Game of the Day ready for a mystery trip around the world. Mahjong Escape - Ancient Japan: Escape to the land of the rising sun in this amazing Mahjong adventure! Your tile-matching adventure begins over 10,000 years ago in Ancient Japan. Travel through 12 eras of Japanese history on your search for the gold tiles and ancient wisdom.
Click --> Play Mahjong Escape - Ancient Japan
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> Play Mahjong Escape - Ancient Japan
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Chủ Nhật, 25 tháng 12, 2011
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Desert Ironwood, Mimosa Silk Trees taking root
Amidst its second birthday and an upcoming Storage revamp, Zynga's taken the time to cater to your inner arborist in FarmVille. Two new trees, the Desert Ironwood and the Mimosa Silk, might be headed to the game sometime soon. FarmVille Feed estimates that the two new arboreal creatures will go for between 5 and 10 Farm Cash. And, of course, we also guess that they'll appear in Mystery Seedlings too, as trees are wont to do in FarmVille. As soon as these new wooden monuments start to sprout up, you'll be the first to know.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What do you think of these two new trees (whose art appears to be unfinished)? When do you expect them to appear in the game?
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What do you think of these two new trees (whose art appears to be unfinished)? When do you expect them to appear in the game?
CityVille Sports Car Dealership: For Father's Day ... a new car?
Not unless you just fell into a windfall or made big cash on an NBA Finals bet. Luckily, Zynga has released two new items to CityVille that can make that dream of getting old pop a new whip for Father's Day a reality ... sort of. The Sports Car Dealership is a brand new business in the game, but there's a brand new decoration as well. Unfortunately, both cost a nice chunk of City Cash, but check out the stats if you need some pushing over the edge:
Sports Car Dealership (unlocks at level 58):
Cost: 32 City Cash
Supply: 150 Goods
Payout: 800 Coins
Playing Catch (7 days only):
Cost: 20 City Cash
6% Bonus Payout
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Info]
What did you get your pop for Father's Day? Does it compare to a new car (digital or otherwise)?
Sports Car Dealership (unlocks at level 58):
Cost: 32 City Cash
Supply: 150 Goods
Payout: 800 Coins
Playing Catch (7 days only):
Cost: 20 City Cash
6% Bonus Payout
[Source and Image Credit: CityVille Info]
What did you get your pop for Father's Day? Does it compare to a new car (digital or otherwise)?
Steam goes social (and free) with Spiral Knights by Sega and more
You know this whole social games thing those whippersnappers are talking about is big when Steam gets into the game. The premier PC games distribution platform from Valve, creators of the Left 4 Dead and Half-Life (read: hardcore) franchises, has just signed on five free-to-play games for gamers to enjoy for, well, free! The games include hits like Forsaken World and Champions Online. But most notable of which is Spiral Knights, a brand new casual online role-playing game, or RPG, published by Sega and developed by San Francisco-based Three Rings. Did we mention it's free? Because it totally is.
Spiral Knights is a top-down, hack 'n slash RPG that isn't a far cry from games like The Legend of Zelda. Players assume the role of a Spiral Knight (no way, really?) as they delve deeper into the "Clockworks" of an unknown planet named Cradle. Your mission? Find a way home for your people by harvesting new materials to repair their busted spacecraft. You'll do just that through countless ever-changing dungeons presented in a style that harkens back to the good old days of gaming. And you can dungeon crawl with up to four friends at a time, create guilds, and craft your own armor and weapons with what you find.
Spiral Knights on Steam
"A game with strong co-operative and social elements like Spiral Knights is, put simply, a great fit for Steam," said Three Rings CEO Daniel James in a statement. "Beyond the convenience of automatic game updates and easy Energy purchases through Steam, our players will be able to enjoy their time in the Clockworks with their existing Friends List members, aided by built-in voice chat and instant messaging."
The game, since it is free to play (we hope that's sunken in by now), is supported by micro-transactions for new duds and the like, but most important is Crystal Energy. As you dive deeper into the Clockworks, you will need more of this Energy to operate the gates that unlock those dungeons. Luckily, just like in your favorite Facebook games, that Energy refills over time. You can check out the lot of Steam's new free-to-play games right here, and get to playing some Spiral Knights already ... we could always use more dungeon buddies.
Spiral Knights is a top-down, hack 'n slash RPG that isn't a far cry from games like The Legend of Zelda. Players assume the role of a Spiral Knight (no way, really?) as they delve deeper into the "Clockworks" of an unknown planet named Cradle. Your mission? Find a way home for your people by harvesting new materials to repair their busted spacecraft. You'll do just that through countless ever-changing dungeons presented in a style that harkens back to the good old days of gaming. And you can dungeon crawl with up to four friends at a time, create guilds, and craft your own armor and weapons with what you find.
Spiral Knights on Steam
"A game with strong co-operative and social elements like Spiral Knights is, put simply, a great fit for Steam," said Three Rings CEO Daniel James in a statement. "Beyond the convenience of automatic game updates and easy Energy purchases through Steam, our players will be able to enjoy their time in the Clockworks with their existing Friends List members, aided by built-in voice chat and instant messaging."
The game, since it is free to play (we hope that's sunken in by now), is supported by micro-transactions for new duds and the like, but most important is Crystal Energy. As you dive deeper into the Clockworks, you will need more of this Energy to operate the gates that unlock those dungeons. Luckily, just like in your favorite Facebook games, that Energy refills over time. You can check out the lot of Steam's new free-to-play games right here, and get to playing some Spiral Knights already ... we could always use more dungeon buddies.
Zynga slaps Brazilian social game creator Vostu with lawsuit for copycatting
Zynga vs Vostu
Look, we all know Zynga has been pegged before for, how do you say, being inspired by their competitors' works. But that pales in comparison to what Vostu, a Brazilian social game publisher has done with popular games like CityVille and PetVille. The developer south of the equator has essentially copied several Zynga games wholesale--mistakes and all, as TechCrunch reports--into games like Mega City and Pet Mania. Lo and behold, Zynga has slapped Vostu with a big ol' lawsuit for, you guessed it, infringement. Zynga had this to say in its lawsuit:
Vostu has brazenly appropriated the copyright-protected aspects of Zynga's games(as well as almost every other aspect of Zynga's business) – with scant effort to mask their strategy– and then offered games virtually identical to Zynga's games to prospective players in the United States and elsewhere.
Basically (and based on its previous run-ins with companies), Zynga sees drawing inspiration from and downright copying the opposition verbatim, as two different things. Though, again, that's also a slippery slope. The lawsuit, which Zynga filed in a San Francisco court (and TechCrunch has in full right here), displays detailed comparisons between its games and Vostu's, clearly supporting its case. It's a shame, too, because we'd love to see Vostu's take on games like FarmVille for iPhone--mistakes and all.
Look, we all know Zynga has been pegged before for, how do you say, being inspired by their competitors' works. But that pales in comparison to what Vostu, a Brazilian social game publisher has done with popular games like CityVille and PetVille. The developer south of the equator has essentially copied several Zynga games wholesale--mistakes and all, as TechCrunch reports--into games like Mega City and Pet Mania. Lo and behold, Zynga has slapped Vostu with a big ol' lawsuit for, you guessed it, infringement. Zynga had this to say in its lawsuit:
Vostu has brazenly appropriated the copyright-protected aspects of Zynga's games(as well as almost every other aspect of Zynga's business) – with scant effort to mask their strategy– and then offered games virtually identical to Zynga's games to prospective players in the United States and elsewhere.
Basically (and based on its previous run-ins with companies), Zynga sees drawing inspiration from and downright copying the opposition verbatim, as two different things. Though, again, that's also a slippery slope. The lawsuit, which Zynga filed in a San Francisco court (and TechCrunch has in full right here), displays detailed comparisons between its games and Vostu's, clearly supporting its case. It's a shame, too, because we'd love to see Vostu's take on games like FarmVille for iPhone--mistakes and all.
FarmVille web is coming to iPhone? Maybe, thanks to Facebook's 'Project Spartan'
Will we soon be able to play stock FarmVille on iOS devices? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but Zynga is involved in a project that could take Facebook for iOS from the App Store to its Safari mobile web browser. It's called "Project Spartan," and it's Facebook's HTML5-based answer to avoiding Apple's control over app distribution through its App Store. Zynga is reported by TechCrunch to have joined 80-or-so other developers on the massive project that will essentially bring all of Facebook and its Flash-based apps into HTML5, and thus mobile--and that includes games.
So, if Zynga is reportedly working on games to work directly within Facebook (most likely its existing games--just in a different code base), what does this mean for not only its existing games in the App Store, but those that are likely on the way? Will Zynga have any reason to support those games if its web-based games like CityVille and FarmVille, which bring in a major chunk of its 264 million players, will be right in Safari?
Facebook still has plenty of work to do when it comes to monetization, which by July 1 will likely be solidified when Facebook Credits becomes the currency of choice, or lack thereof, for developers and us gamers alike. Oh, and did we mention that Android will be included in this as well, as TechCrunch reports? With 'Project Spartan,' the future of Zynga's mobile games is uncertain, but either way the results will certainly be interesting. We've contact Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
So, if Zynga is reportedly working on games to work directly within Facebook (most likely its existing games--just in a different code base), what does this mean for not only its existing games in the App Store, but those that are likely on the way? Will Zynga have any reason to support those games if its web-based games like CityVille and FarmVille, which bring in a major chunk of its 264 million players, will be right in Safari?
Facebook still has plenty of work to do when it comes to monetization, which by July 1 will likely be solidified when Facebook Credits becomes the currency of choice, or lack thereof, for developers and us gamers alike. Oh, and did we mention that Android will be included in this as well, as TechCrunch reports? With 'Project Spartan,' the future of Zynga's mobile games is uncertain, but either way the results will certainly be interesting. We've contact Zynga for comment, so stay tuned.
EA gets ghastly with Ghost Harvest on iPhone and iPad
Ghost Harvest 2
And no, we don't mean that literally (we're not that quick to pass judgment, folks). EA, through developer 8lb Gorilla, has just released Ghost Harvest to iPhone and iPad. The game is a free download in which you'll assume the role of a ghost farmer of sorts. OK, you're the curator of a cemetery, but what the game amounts to sounds a lot like ghost farming. As curator, you must grow and cultivate a community of spirits to sell them for Karma and profit.
But the locals just think you're one of those satanists or something, and will do whatever it takes to thwart your presumed worship of the dead. You'll fight them back in a tower defense-type mini game as you farm more ghosts and spruce up your cemetery. (Again, with the farming.) At any rate, you must level up and create more effective defenses against increasingly clever intruders. There aren't many social features to speak of (yet), but check out the budding Ghost Harvest community right here, and give the game a shot. What can you lose when the game's free?
And no, we don't mean that literally (we're not that quick to pass judgment, folks). EA, through developer 8lb Gorilla, has just released Ghost Harvest to iPhone and iPad. The game is a free download in which you'll assume the role of a ghost farmer of sorts. OK, you're the curator of a cemetery, but what the game amounts to sounds a lot like ghost farming. As curator, you must grow and cultivate a community of spirits to sell them for Karma and profit.
But the locals just think you're one of those satanists or something, and will do whatever it takes to thwart your presumed worship of the dead. You'll fight them back in a tower defense-type mini game as you farm more ghosts and spruce up your cemetery. (Again, with the farming.) At any rate, you must level up and create more effective defenses against increasingly clever intruders. There aren't many social features to speak of (yet), but check out the budding Ghost Harvest community right here, and give the game a shot. What can you lose when the game's free?
Crowdstar launches first-ever social mobile game, Top Girl
Facebook game maker Crowdstar launches its first mobile social game -- Top Girl -- which is based on its hit fashion-centric game It Girl on Facebook.
While Top Girl is a separate game from It Girl -- the two games are largely identical. Start the game by custom-creating an avatar and then take them shopping, dress them and then help them climb a virtual social ladder by taking on modeling jobs and hitting up popular nightspots. There's also a dating feature which require you to flirt and snag a boyfriend who will shower your avatar with gifts.
The biggest difference between the two games is that Top Girl does not directly tie-in to Facebook or Facebook Connect, and instead uses mobile social network OpenFeint. It's a bold move, considering that OpenFeint doesn't have as many users as Facebook, but Crowdstar Mobile Studio Head Blair Hamilton says they made that decision, "because we expect a different set of users to play this game."
Hamilton says, "While resource management games appear to be succeeding in mobile social gaming, we felt that a role-playing game- especially for females- would establish a new category and opportunity for CrowdStar."
Even though It Girl (and, now, Top Girl) has intellectual parity with a TV show like 'Keeping up with the Kardashians,' this type of shopping/fashion game has proven to be popular with the social gaming set. Guess everyone needs a junk food fix, whether it's keeping up with pseudo-celebs in tabloid-style TV or the newest social game.
Top Girl is currently available in the AppStore and will "initially" be available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
While Top Girl is a separate game from It Girl -- the two games are largely identical. Start the game by custom-creating an avatar and then take them shopping, dress them and then help them climb a virtual social ladder by taking on modeling jobs and hitting up popular nightspots. There's also a dating feature which require you to flirt and snag a boyfriend who will shower your avatar with gifts.
The biggest difference between the two games is that Top Girl does not directly tie-in to Facebook or Facebook Connect, and instead uses mobile social network OpenFeint. It's a bold move, considering that OpenFeint doesn't have as many users as Facebook, but Crowdstar Mobile Studio Head Blair Hamilton says they made that decision, "because we expect a different set of users to play this game."
Hamilton says, "While resource management games appear to be succeeding in mobile social gaming, we felt that a role-playing game- especially for females- would establish a new category and opportunity for CrowdStar."
Even though It Girl (and, now, Top Girl) has intellectual parity with a TV show like 'Keeping up with the Kardashians,' this type of shopping/fashion game has proven to be popular with the social gaming set. Guess everyone needs a junk food fix, whether it's keeping up with pseudo-celebs in tabloid-style TV or the newest social game.
Top Girl is currently available in the AppStore and will "initially" be available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
Empires & Allies: 'Dragon Week' goal unleashes limited edition warship and decor
As far as the Chinese zodiac is concerned, we're still in the Year of the Rabbit and the Dragon isn't stopping by until 2012, but that hasn't kept Zynga from randomly running a "Dragon Week" in Empires & Allies. Sporting an East Asian design, "Dragon Boat" is the first Limited Edition warship to appear in the game. To get it, complete the "Dance with a Dragon" goal by buying three dragon statues -- Green Dragon (for 1,000 Coins), Blue Dragon (1,000 Coins), and Golden Dragon (5,000 Coins) -- and placing them in your city.
Empires and Allies Dragon Week items
These three dragon statues can be found in the Decorations section of the Build Menu, and we're lucky they cost coins and not the game's premium currency, which is Empire Points. Other dragon-themed items that are also available for purchase using coins, include the Dragon Topiary, which continues to be offered in RewardVille for 52 zCoins. Finally, the premium items are Flag of the Dragon, Jade Lion Statue, and Plum Blossom.
Empires & Allies Dance with a Dragon
You've got approximately 13 days and several hours as of this post to qualify for a Dragon Boat. That's nearly two weeks, but "Dragon Week That's Actually Two Weeks Long" certainly doesn't have the same ring to it.
Empires and Allies Dragon Week items
These three dragon statues can be found in the Decorations section of the Build Menu, and we're lucky they cost coins and not the game's premium currency, which is Empire Points. Other dragon-themed items that are also available for purchase using coins, include the Dragon Topiary, which continues to be offered in RewardVille for 52 zCoins. Finally, the premium items are Flag of the Dragon, Jade Lion Statue, and Plum Blossom.
Empires & Allies Dance with a Dragon
You've got approximately 13 days and several hours as of this post to qualify for a Dragon Boat. That's nearly two weeks, but "Dragon Week That's Actually Two Weeks Long" certainly doesn't have the same ring to it.
Thứ Năm, 22 tháng 12, 2011
Zynga City, the Chinese CityVille, launches on Tencent platforms soon
As Far Eastern companies attempt to enter U.S. social gamers' devices, American companies like Zynga are already abroad. Zynga announced a partnership with Tencent, a leading Internet service provider in China, to launch Zynga City in open beta on Pengyou in the country.
The game, essentially a Chinese version of its mega hit CityVille, is set to launch on the Pengyou network within a few days. From there, Tencent plans to make the game accessible on QZone, its main social games platform.
If you remember correctly, CityVille was the first Zynga game to release in multiple languages at launch. But localizations for regions like China and Japan take far longer, as the divide between our two countries is arguably more cultural than with other nations like in Western Europe.
Zynga City street peddler
Chinese Zynga City players will enjoy items, quests and other content that is heavily influenced by Chinese culture, according to a statement. But the game will also have game mechanics that stem from Chinese cultural nuances, like the ability to send street peddlers to your friends' cities.
The development and continued support for Zynga City will be handled by Zynga China, acquired by the company when it was still XPD Media over a year ago. While the game will first release on a few Tencent platforms, eventually the company plans for Zynga City to be played over several platforms--including Pengyou, Weibo, QQ games, QZone and Q+--within Tencent's Open Platform. Now, will this count toward CityVille's already 80 million players? If that's the case, then the competition has a city's worth of work on its plate.
Zynga City in action
Do you think Zynga is smart to enter foreign spaces with its games? Do you think the company should spend this much time localizing in other languages like, say, German?
The game, essentially a Chinese version of its mega hit CityVille, is set to launch on the Pengyou network within a few days. From there, Tencent plans to make the game accessible on QZone, its main social games platform.
If you remember correctly, CityVille was the first Zynga game to release in multiple languages at launch. But localizations for regions like China and Japan take far longer, as the divide between our two countries is arguably more cultural than with other nations like in Western Europe.
Zynga City street peddler
Chinese Zynga City players will enjoy items, quests and other content that is heavily influenced by Chinese culture, according to a statement. But the game will also have game mechanics that stem from Chinese cultural nuances, like the ability to send street peddlers to your friends' cities.
The development and continued support for Zynga City will be handled by Zynga China, acquired by the company when it was still XPD Media over a year ago. While the game will first release on a few Tencent platforms, eventually the company plans for Zynga City to be played over several platforms--including Pengyou, Weibo, QQ games, QZone and Q+--within Tencent's Open Platform. Now, will this count toward CityVille's already 80 million players? If that's the case, then the competition has a city's worth of work on its plate.
Zynga City in action
Do you think Zynga is smart to enter foreign spaces with its games? Do you think the company should spend this much time localizing in other languages like, say, German?
No More Heroes Royal could be the bloodiest social game ever
Yes, because that's what attracts the middle-aged ladies ... blood. (Well, ladies of the fanged persuasion.) Suda 51, the creator of the stylish, gory No More Heroes franchise, is working on an Android-based social version titled No More Heroes Royal, Tom's Hardware reports. When DeNA announced its Super Creators program yesterday containing deals with major Japanese game designers like the creators of Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog, another of those developers was Goichi Suda, better known as Suda 51 of Grasshopper Manufacture.
However, what we didn't know then was that the designer plots to create a seriously sanguine social game. "We're aiming to make it the social game with the most blood," Suda said during the conference. He added that not only does he want the game to have "power" and "impact," but he also wants it to succeed overseas. Meaning the U.S. ... meaning American smartphones.
While Suda reportedly has over 100 ideas for social games, the No More Heroes game is aimed for a winter release, and will be the first of many. As for the games created under DeNA's Super Creators program, they'll all be published by AQ Interactive and released over Mobage, the Ngmoco-powered mobile social games platform that looks to set the world on fire. Or, you know, drown it in digital blood.
[Image Credit: Grasshopper Manufacture]
Are you psyched to hear that social games are about to get gorier? Do you think there's yet a place for hardcore social games?
However, what we didn't know then was that the designer plots to create a seriously sanguine social game. "We're aiming to make it the social game with the most blood," Suda said during the conference. He added that not only does he want the game to have "power" and "impact," but he also wants it to succeed overseas. Meaning the U.S. ... meaning American smartphones.
While Suda reportedly has over 100 ideas for social games, the No More Heroes game is aimed for a winter release, and will be the first of many. As for the games created under DeNA's Super Creators program, they'll all be published by AQ Interactive and released over Mobage, the Ngmoco-powered mobile social games platform that looks to set the world on fire. Or, you know, drown it in digital blood.
[Image Credit: Grasshopper Manufacture]
Are you psyched to hear that social games are about to get gorier? Do you think there's yet a place for hardcore social games?
FarmVille could load even faster, if you open Flash up to Zynga
Want the ultimate in speed when it comes to planting and harvesting your digital crops? According to FarmVille Feed, Zynga has released yet another option for players to improve their speed in FarmVille. It comes in the form of the all-too-familiar pop-up window in the game, and reads, "Hey Farmer, wanna let us cut your load time by allowing us to store some files on your computer?"
FarmVille Feed says that this upgrade makes use of the Global Storage Settings in your Flash player, the tool used to play web browser games. The idea here is to set the storage settings within Flash to save a certain amount of data from Flash games onto your personal computer's hard drive. While we doubt Zynga has much stock in placing malware on your computer, whether you think this is safe is your call. (I keep it on an app-by-app basis for these things, honestly.)
FarmVille faster loading
However, placing the dial in the Global Storage, which can be done here, all the way to the right will allows an unlimited amount of data to be stored on your hard drive from games and other apps. This would, in theory, make FarmVille load even faster. (And Zynga would know--FrontierVille has been given a similar option, too.) However, this trick could work for almost any social game that stores information on your computer. Here's the best part: Restoring these settings to normal is as easy as going back to that page.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Have you opted for Zynga to save even more information onto your computer for a FarmVille performance boost? Have you seen the results, and would you do it for other games?
FarmVille Feed says that this upgrade makes use of the Global Storage Settings in your Flash player, the tool used to play web browser games. The idea here is to set the storage settings within Flash to save a certain amount of data from Flash games onto your personal computer's hard drive. While we doubt Zynga has much stock in placing malware on your computer, whether you think this is safe is your call. (I keep it on an app-by-app basis for these things, honestly.)
FarmVille faster loading
However, placing the dial in the Global Storage, which can be done here, all the way to the right will allows an unlimited amount of data to be stored on your hard drive from games and other apps. This would, in theory, make FarmVille load even faster. (And Zynga would know--FrontierVille has been given a similar option, too.) However, this trick could work for almost any social game that stores information on your computer. Here's the best part: Restoring these settings to normal is as easy as going back to that page.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
Have you opted for Zynga to save even more information onto your computer for a FarmVille performance boost? Have you seen the results, and would you do it for other games?
Global Resistance is Insomniac's irresistible Resistance 3 promotion
Well, at least it looks the part. Insomniac, creator of the Ratchet and Clank series, has unleashed Global Resistance, a Facebook-connected social game to promote the upcoming release of Resistance 3 for the Sony PS3, Gaming Union reports. The game, which is said to play much like Risk--which ironically will have a Facebook version of its own soon enough--will unlock exclusive content in the PS3 shooter. Inversely, playing the shooter will bolster your forces in the social game.
Players are forced to side with either the humans in this alternate WWII reality, or the Chimera, an alien race that's a cross between The Thing and the Body Snatchers. Players will gather troops and attempt to take over regions of the world using the vast war map across rounds that last for hours in wars that last for days--seven days, to be exact. Your military decisions are aided with color-coded icons that help you judge your forces against the enemy's.
However, the game appears to be extremely complicated, and generally skewed to the hardcore, war-mongering gamer. Luckily, the game takes on a few Facebook game cues like Missions. These, like Goals in FarmVille, direct players on what to do next in order to unlock content in Resistance 3. Players must even create and maintain their own military base to create new troops to launch Missions with--that sounds a lot like Empires & Allies, no? (Not to mention the battle system, an asynchronous affair with players trading pre-planned attacks much similar to Mafia Wars.)
Global Resistance
Perhaps Global Resistance is the first move by Insomniac Click, a social games division within the studio that recently opened for business. Regardless, this is an impressive endeavor in both looks and scope that Resistance fans will surely love. Now, we just can't wait to see what Insomniac Click can do with a game all its own.
Click here to play Global Resistance Now >
Do you think this game will attract some more social gaming fans to the hardcore shooter crowd? Do you hope the company will eventually make a standalone game?
Players are forced to side with either the humans in this alternate WWII reality, or the Chimera, an alien race that's a cross between The Thing and the Body Snatchers. Players will gather troops and attempt to take over regions of the world using the vast war map across rounds that last for hours in wars that last for days--seven days, to be exact. Your military decisions are aided with color-coded icons that help you judge your forces against the enemy's.
However, the game appears to be extremely complicated, and generally skewed to the hardcore, war-mongering gamer. Luckily, the game takes on a few Facebook game cues like Missions. These, like Goals in FarmVille, direct players on what to do next in order to unlock content in Resistance 3. Players must even create and maintain their own military base to create new troops to launch Missions with--that sounds a lot like Empires & Allies, no? (Not to mention the battle system, an asynchronous affair with players trading pre-planned attacks much similar to Mafia Wars.)
Global Resistance
Perhaps Global Resistance is the first move by Insomniac Click, a social games division within the studio that recently opened for business. Regardless, this is an impressive endeavor in both looks and scope that Resistance fans will surely love. Now, we just can't wait to see what Insomniac Click can do with a game all its own.
Click here to play Global Resistance Now >
Do you think this game will attract some more social gaming fans to the hardcore shooter crowd? Do you hope the company will eventually make a standalone game?
Thứ Sáu, 16 tháng 12, 2011
FarmVille: Visit the Capital One farm for a free Capital One Goat
As we told you earlier this week, Zynga has officially launched a three-part cross-promotion with Capital One that sees the brand returning to FarmVille (and also making an appearance in CityVille and the Pioneer Trail). For FarmVille, we see the Capital One farm being added to our neighbor bars, and an incentive being offered for actually visiting said farm.
Once you visit the Capital One farm (don't worry if it doesn't show up in your friends list; an in-game prompt will appear allowing you to access it), you'll find that you don't really need to do anything here, except take in the scenery and click on the "Help Out" button that quickly appears. This sees the Capital One Goat (you'll know it's him as he's wearing sunglasses) harvesting crops and boosting animal storage buildings before being given to you as a gift.
What's more, if you agree to visit the Capital One Facebook Page, and then "Like" it, you'll receive one free application of "Capital One Grow," or instant grow for your farm. On top of this, there's also a Capital One Gift available to send to your friends on the FarmVille free gifts page, that can contain all sorts of goodies, so make sure to send some while you can. It will only be available to send for the next nine days.
Any and all of these prizes will appear in your Gift Box when you return to your farm, so make sure to check them out!
What do you think of this newest Capital One promotion? Will you save your Capital One grow for a Double Mastery event, or will you use it right away?
Once you visit the Capital One farm (don't worry if it doesn't show up in your friends list; an in-game prompt will appear allowing you to access it), you'll find that you don't really need to do anything here, except take in the scenery and click on the "Help Out" button that quickly appears. This sees the Capital One Goat (you'll know it's him as he's wearing sunglasses) harvesting crops and boosting animal storage buildings before being given to you as a gift.
What's more, if you agree to visit the Capital One Facebook Page, and then "Like" it, you'll receive one free application of "Capital One Grow," or instant grow for your farm. On top of this, there's also a Capital One Gift available to send to your friends on the FarmVille free gifts page, that can contain all sorts of goodies, so make sure to send some while you can. It will only be available to send for the next nine days.
Any and all of these prizes will appear in your Gift Box when you return to your farm, so make sure to check them out!
What do you think of this newest Capital One promotion? Will you save your Capital One grow for a Double Mastery event, or will you use it right away?
CityVille Capital One Bank: Everything you need to know
While we already knew that Capital One would be appearing via a new bank building in CityVille, we didn't know the exact details until now. That's right - the promotion has launched in the game this evening, bringing with it the "branded business" in the form of the Capital One Bank. This bank looks like a fairly modern building, and has Capital One written along the top corner, but overall isn't overly "advertising." It costs 5,000 coins to add to your town, and must be built using four energy to build the frame.
From there, you won't be able to actually name your building, but you can operate it using Goods like other businesses. Specifically, the Bank requires 100 Goods to put into service and will reward you with 500 coins once those Goods are used. What makes this particular business special however is that it introduces "branded business mastery" to the game.
While this doesn't give us any sort of indication as to what other "branded" businesses will be coming to the game, we do know that we have just over a month to master this one. As with upgrading businesses, mastering the Capital One Bank will require you to continually stock and collect from the business whenever possible, with each round giving you a single point. Once you reach 50 points, you'll receive your reward, which we know is some form of decoration (probably a statue), but don't have the specific name as of this writing.
As for purchasing the building, it has a different time limit than that for actually earning your decorative reward. You can only purchase the Capital One Bank from the store for the next 28 days, giving you around a week to earn the decoration even after that point. Good luck!
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Capital One Bank and the new branded business mastery feature? What sorts of branded businesses do you hope Zynga releases in the future?
From there, you won't be able to actually name your building, but you can operate it using Goods like other businesses. Specifically, the Bank requires 100 Goods to put into service and will reward you with 500 coins once those Goods are used. What makes this particular business special however is that it introduces "branded business mastery" to the game.
While this doesn't give us any sort of indication as to what other "branded" businesses will be coming to the game, we do know that we have just over a month to master this one. As with upgrading businesses, mastering the Capital One Bank will require you to continually stock and collect from the business whenever possible, with each round giving you a single point. Once you reach 50 points, you'll receive your reward, which we know is some form of decoration (probably a statue), but don't have the specific name as of this writing.
As for purchasing the building, it has a different time limit than that for actually earning your decorative reward. You can only purchase the Capital One Bank from the store for the next 28 days, giving you around a week to earn the decoration even after that point. Good luck!
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Capital One Bank and the new branded business mastery feature? What sorts of branded businesses do you hope Zynga releases in the future?
Pioneer Trail Capital One Goals: Everything you need to know
While we've already taken a look at the Capital One cross-promotions in FarmVille and CityVille, Pioneer Trail's version of the promotion is definitely the most complex, taking four goals to complete. The first of these goals introduces you to the Capital One Goat, who hopes that you can help him find his lost band mates, and bring their bandstand to life on your Homestead. That's right - there's a new building to create as part of this cross-promotion, along with the four goals. Here's a complete rundown of the event.
Sterling the Bloodhound
Collect one Bandstand Upgrade Part
Visit Capital One Facebook Page
Craft Sterling's Guitar in the Bandstand
First things first, the Bandstand can be purchased inside the store for under 10 coins if you have the discount enabled in your game. You won't have to whack a frame or collect items to create a functioning Bandstand; however, you will have to collect these parts to upgrade the building. This is done by clicking on the Bandstand and then clicking "Upgrade" on the menu that appears. From here, it's the familiar process of asking your friends for items.
You'll need to collect 10 each of Stage Lights, pieces of Band Merchandise and Concert Wristbands, all of which are earned through general news posts, while 15 each of Sandbags and Scaffolding are earned by sending out individual requests to your friends for help. The final item - the five Band Groupies - are earned by completing these new goals, as they'll be earned automatically. That being the case, you don't have to be in too great of a rush to collect the rest of the ingredients, as you literally can't complete it anyway.
As for finishing this first goal, you'll need to head inside your Bandstand to craft items as you would in other buildings. From there, you'll need three Guitar Fretboards and five Guitar Strings to actually craft the guitar. These are both new items, requiring you to tend goats or simply ask your friends to help you earn them, among other tasks. Finishing the entirety of this first goal will give you 250 XP, Sterling the Bloodhound and 250 coins.
Toonie the Bear
Chop 10 Trees on your Neighbors' Homesteads
Feed 30 Goats on your Homestead
Craft Toonie's Upright Bass in the Bandstand
Again, you'll need to head inside the Bandstand to craft Toonie's Upright Base, which requires three Tailpieces and five Bass Strings. Again, you can ask your friends to send you the Bass Strings, and can craft the Tailpieces, also inside the Bandstand.
Once you finish this second goal, you'll receive 500 XP, Toonie the Bear and 500 coins.
Penny the Bullfrog
Feed 30 Geese on your Homestead
Have or Collect 3 Termites
Craft Penny's Banjo in the Bandstand
Again, just head inside the Bandstand to see the parts you need to craft Penny's Banjo (in this case the Banjo Pot and Banjo Pick), and then make sure you have three termites from the Oak Tree collection to finish this one off. For doing so, you'll receive 750 XP, Goat and Penny (the two remaining band members) and 5 Band Groupies. Remember those Groupies that you needed to complete the upgrade of the Bandstand? There you go.
Entertainment, Not Food
Collect the Upgraded Bandstand Bonus Once
Collect 10 Wildberries
Harvest 50 Corn
Like a regular building, the Bandstand has a daily bonus that can be collected, so complete that and these other simple (albeit time-consuming) tasks and you'll be golden. You'll receive 1,000 XP, a Rockin Horse (a new mount for your avatar that wears sunglasses) and 1,000 coins for finishing this final goal.
All told, we're not given an expiration date for when this cross-promotion and these goals will leave the game, but your best bet would be to finish everything off as soon as possible just to make sure you don't miss out on anything. Have fun!
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this entire Capital One promotion in Pioneer Trail? Are you going to make your avatar ride this horse-with-shades?
Sterling the Bloodhound
Collect one Bandstand Upgrade Part
Visit Capital One Facebook Page
Craft Sterling's Guitar in the Bandstand
First things first, the Bandstand can be purchased inside the store for under 10 coins if you have the discount enabled in your game. You won't have to whack a frame or collect items to create a functioning Bandstand; however, you will have to collect these parts to upgrade the building. This is done by clicking on the Bandstand and then clicking "Upgrade" on the menu that appears. From here, it's the familiar process of asking your friends for items.
You'll need to collect 10 each of Stage Lights, pieces of Band Merchandise and Concert Wristbands, all of which are earned through general news posts, while 15 each of Sandbags and Scaffolding are earned by sending out individual requests to your friends for help. The final item - the five Band Groupies - are earned by completing these new goals, as they'll be earned automatically. That being the case, you don't have to be in too great of a rush to collect the rest of the ingredients, as you literally can't complete it anyway.
As for finishing this first goal, you'll need to head inside your Bandstand to craft items as you would in other buildings. From there, you'll need three Guitar Fretboards and five Guitar Strings to actually craft the guitar. These are both new items, requiring you to tend goats or simply ask your friends to help you earn them, among other tasks. Finishing the entirety of this first goal will give you 250 XP, Sterling the Bloodhound and 250 coins.
Toonie the Bear
Chop 10 Trees on your Neighbors' Homesteads
Feed 30 Goats on your Homestead
Craft Toonie's Upright Bass in the Bandstand
Again, you'll need to head inside the Bandstand to craft Toonie's Upright Base, which requires three Tailpieces and five Bass Strings. Again, you can ask your friends to send you the Bass Strings, and can craft the Tailpieces, also inside the Bandstand.
Once you finish this second goal, you'll receive 500 XP, Toonie the Bear and 500 coins.
Penny the Bullfrog
Feed 30 Geese on your Homestead
Have or Collect 3 Termites
Craft Penny's Banjo in the Bandstand
Again, just head inside the Bandstand to see the parts you need to craft Penny's Banjo (in this case the Banjo Pot and Banjo Pick), and then make sure you have three termites from the Oak Tree collection to finish this one off. For doing so, you'll receive 750 XP, Goat and Penny (the two remaining band members) and 5 Band Groupies. Remember those Groupies that you needed to complete the upgrade of the Bandstand? There you go.
Entertainment, Not Food
Collect the Upgraded Bandstand Bonus Once
Collect 10 Wildberries
Harvest 50 Corn
Like a regular building, the Bandstand has a daily bonus that can be collected, so complete that and these other simple (albeit time-consuming) tasks and you'll be golden. You'll receive 1,000 XP, a Rockin Horse (a new mount for your avatar that wears sunglasses) and 1,000 coins for finishing this final goal.
All told, we're not given an expiration date for when this cross-promotion and these goals will leave the game, but your best bet would be to finish everything off as soon as possible just to make sure you don't miss out on anything. Have fun!
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this entire Capital One promotion in Pioneer Trail? Are you going to make your avatar ride this horse-with-shades?
Baseball Superstars: The League goes for a grand slam on Facebook
Just in time for the playoff season in the states (Philadelphia NL East Champs! ... sorry), Gamevil has released its very own baseball simulator on Facebook, Baseball Superstars: The League. The Korean and Los Angeles-based developer best known for the Zenonia series of RPGs (role-playing games) on the iPhone released this social version of its hit baseball sims on iOS.
Of course, EA Sports and Playfish have already staked their claim to the sub genre on Facebook with World Series Superstars, but already Gamevil has one thing going for it: global multiplayer. That's right, once you choose your team's name, logo and specialty between Power, Accuracy and Speed, you can jump into games immediately with anyone playing the game.
While you will certainly need Facebook friends to play in Exhibition games, those looking for a fast and easy Quick Play game, the world's digital baseball managers await you. There's also a Home Run Derby mode as well as full-blown tournaments, which are coming soon. And the gameplay is surprisingly interactive, having players actually swing at pitches with clicks.
Baseball Superstars Logo
Baseball Superstars features a full-blown pitching system as well, in which players select from a variety of pitches and choose exactly where they land in or around the strike zone. There are also a number of commands you can give to base runners to attempt to steal bases. All in all, this looks like an impressively full-featured baseball game on Facebook at launch.
While much of the game has players tweaking their stadiums like most sports games on Facebook, it's the actually Quick Plays and Exhibition games that are the meat and potatoes of Baseball Superstars, and what could make this game a competitor to existing social sports games. "It builds upon our years of strategic advances in the global games market, and shows that we can adapt and offer a unique yet competitive social games experience," VP and head of Gamevil USA Kyu Lee said in a release.
Baseball Superstars gameplay
Baseball Superstars is just Gamevil's second release on Facebook after Train City, which didn't do so hot, according to AppData. Considering the hype train that is US baseball in September and October, baseball fans (the closet Facebook game-loving ones, at least) are going to be on the hunt for a new experience on Facebook.
And it looks like Gamevil will be there to meet them with a Facebook game that actually focuses on, you know, the baseball? Hey, the second time can still be a charm, too, right?
Click here to play Baseball Superstars: The League on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new baseball Facebook game yet? What do you think of Gamevil's second entry into the Facebook game space, and what about their existing iOS games?
Of course, EA Sports and Playfish have already staked their claim to the sub genre on Facebook with World Series Superstars, but already Gamevil has one thing going for it: global multiplayer. That's right, once you choose your team's name, logo and specialty between Power, Accuracy and Speed, you can jump into games immediately with anyone playing the game.
While you will certainly need Facebook friends to play in Exhibition games, those looking for a fast and easy Quick Play game, the world's digital baseball managers await you. There's also a Home Run Derby mode as well as full-blown tournaments, which are coming soon. And the gameplay is surprisingly interactive, having players actually swing at pitches with clicks.
Baseball Superstars Logo
Baseball Superstars features a full-blown pitching system as well, in which players select from a variety of pitches and choose exactly where they land in or around the strike zone. There are also a number of commands you can give to base runners to attempt to steal bases. All in all, this looks like an impressively full-featured baseball game on Facebook at launch.
While much of the game has players tweaking their stadiums like most sports games on Facebook, it's the actually Quick Plays and Exhibition games that are the meat and potatoes of Baseball Superstars, and what could make this game a competitor to existing social sports games. "It builds upon our years of strategic advances in the global games market, and shows that we can adapt and offer a unique yet competitive social games experience," VP and head of Gamevil USA Kyu Lee said in a release.
Baseball Superstars gameplay
Baseball Superstars is just Gamevil's second release on Facebook after Train City, which didn't do so hot, according to AppData. Considering the hype train that is US baseball in September and October, baseball fans (the closet Facebook game-loving ones, at least) are going to be on the hunt for a new experience on Facebook.
And it looks like Gamevil will be there to meet them with a Facebook game that actually focuses on, you know, the baseball? Hey, the second time can still be a charm, too, right?
Click here to play Baseball Superstars: The League on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new baseball Facebook game yet? What do you think of Gamevil's second entry into the Facebook game space, and what about their existing iOS games?
Thứ Tư, 14 tháng 12, 2011
Number of Diner Dash maker Playfirst staffers get axed in restructuring
An unspecified number of Playfirst employees were served the worst dish last week: unemployment. The San Francisco-based social and casual game maker, known best for its Diner Dash franchise, laid off a number of staffers due to "restructuring", according to Gamasutra. The website reports that the developer held more than 100 employees as of late last year, just as the studio opted to focus more on social and mobile games.
Unfortunately, that initiative hasn't fared so well for Playfirst, as the developer was forced to close all of its Facebook games, including Diner Dash and Chocolatier, due to poor performance in the face of big league players like Zynga and EA. In fact, Gamasutra reports that a number of ex-Zynga and Playdom employees that joined Playfirst have since left the company. Nevertheless, the developer looks to press on.
"Our future plans are to continue to focus on the mobile casual gaming space," Playfirst VP of marketing Katie Kihorany told Gamasutra. "Part of this focus means continually making sure that the organization is structured to allow us to focus on creating those great games. Unfortunately, sometimes that means restructuring, so that we can better achieve this goal."
The company would not disclose to Gamasutra exactly how many employees were let go last week. And if Playfirst's iconic Diner Dash franchise--which boasts over 550 million downloads--can't succeed on Facebook, what can? It's terribly unfortunate news like this that affirms the even more unfortunate notion that the fat cats of Facebook gaming will only get fatter.
Unfortunately, that initiative hasn't fared so well for Playfirst, as the developer was forced to close all of its Facebook games, including Diner Dash and Chocolatier, due to poor performance in the face of big league players like Zynga and EA. In fact, Gamasutra reports that a number of ex-Zynga and Playdom employees that joined Playfirst have since left the company. Nevertheless, the developer looks to press on.
"Our future plans are to continue to focus on the mobile casual gaming space," Playfirst VP of marketing Katie Kihorany told Gamasutra. "Part of this focus means continually making sure that the organization is structured to allow us to focus on creating those great games. Unfortunately, sometimes that means restructuring, so that we can better achieve this goal."
The company would not disclose to Gamasutra exactly how many employees were let go last week. And if Playfirst's iconic Diner Dash franchise--which boasts over 550 million downloads--can't succeed on Facebook, what can? It's terribly unfortunate news like this that affirms the even more unfortunate notion that the fat cats of Facebook gaming will only get fatter.
This Scrubs game for Android says, 'It's never too soon for nostalgia'
Come on, Scrubs was canceled a little over a year ago. And it's last few seasons weren't even that great. (Yeah, I said it!) Luckily, it looks like mobile game maker HeroCraft has opted to focus on the golden years of J.D., Turk and Dr. Cox's escapades in its Android game based on the hit comedy. Simply know as "Scrubs", the game is scheduled to hit the Android Market on Dec. 14.
The Scrubs game, which was first revealed this summer for both iOS and Android devices, will throw players into the role of Sacred Heart's newest intern. With that, players will have to help patients and solve mysteries to help restore the hospital's reputation, according to PocketGamer. In other words, and based on the trailer below, it looks a lot like a hidden-object game.
However, HeroCraft has mixed things up with a few mini games to mix things up amongst the slew of hidden-object scenarios. Of course, the developer has made strides to inject some of the show's quirky humor into the game. The game has yet to be priced, but we're going to ballpark it somewhere between $.99 and "free"--call us dreamers. But for unlimited access to that version of Zach Braff's mug, we'd pay much, much more for the laughs alone.
Were you a big time Scrubs fan when the show was still on? Is an Android game enough to feed the need for J.D.?
The Scrubs game, which was first revealed this summer for both iOS and Android devices, will throw players into the role of Sacred Heart's newest intern. With that, players will have to help patients and solve mysteries to help restore the hospital's reputation, according to PocketGamer. In other words, and based on the trailer below, it looks a lot like a hidden-object game.
However, HeroCraft has mixed things up with a few mini games to mix things up amongst the slew of hidden-object scenarios. Of course, the developer has made strides to inject some of the show's quirky humor into the game. The game has yet to be priced, but we're going to ballpark it somewhere between $.99 and "free"--call us dreamers. But for unlimited access to that version of Zach Braff's mug, we'd pay much, much more for the laughs alone.
Were you a big time Scrubs fan when the show was still on? Is an Android game enough to feed the need for J.D.?
The Godfather: Five Families takes an exclusive hit out on Google+
Google+ just made hardcore social gamers an offer they can't refuse. Kabam announced that its new ... family-oriented social game, The Godfather: Five Families, hits Google+ exclusively today, and it'll stay that way for the next 45 days. In fact, this is the first game to release exclusively on Google's games platform, meaning not both there and on Facebook, capiche?
The game, set in the Prohibition Era before the events of the first film, employs many of the same gameplay hooks found in existing Kabam games: build armies, sic armies against enemies or defend your friends asynchronously, repeat. However, this social take on the Oscar-winning franchise packs features that spice up the social strategy gaming formula, namely "Families".
Upon starting the game, players must choose to join one of five Families (get it?). The concept of "Families" introduces a level of tension to the alliances players make, because there can only be one Don. Perhaps it's thanks to features like this that Five Families is said to have enjoyed the most successful beta test in Kabam history.
Five Families in action
"The Godfather: Five Families has enjoyed the best ever beta period for a Kabam game," Kabam COO Chris Carvalho said in a release. "To support the exclusive launch on The Godfather: Five Families on Google+, Google will provide promotional support to maximize the game's visibility to Google+ users. This is our fourth title to launch on Google+ and they have repeatedly exceeded our expectations."
It's nice to hear that Google will somehow support Five Families, as the size of the network's audience could be a cause for concern, especially for a game launching exclusively on the platform. Then again, "hardcore" social gamers are said to be a dedicated bunch, and they'll certainly know where to find their next family.
Click here to play The Godfather: Five Families on Google+ Now >
Do you consider yourself "hardcore" social gamer? Do you plan on trying the game out on Google+, or will you wait until it hits Facebook?
The game, set in the Prohibition Era before the events of the first film, employs many of the same gameplay hooks found in existing Kabam games: build armies, sic armies against enemies or defend your friends asynchronously, repeat. However, this social take on the Oscar-winning franchise packs features that spice up the social strategy gaming formula, namely "Families".
Upon starting the game, players must choose to join one of five Families (get it?). The concept of "Families" introduces a level of tension to the alliances players make, because there can only be one Don. Perhaps it's thanks to features like this that Five Families is said to have enjoyed the most successful beta test in Kabam history.
Five Families in action
"The Godfather: Five Families has enjoyed the best ever beta period for a Kabam game," Kabam COO Chris Carvalho said in a release. "To support the exclusive launch on The Godfather: Five Families on Google+, Google will provide promotional support to maximize the game's visibility to Google+ users. This is our fourth title to launch on Google+ and they have repeatedly exceeded our expectations."
It's nice to hear that Google will somehow support Five Families, as the size of the network's audience could be a cause for concern, especially for a game launching exclusively on the platform. Then again, "hardcore" social gamers are said to be a dedicated bunch, and they'll certainly know where to find their next family.
Click here to play The Godfather: Five Families on Google+ Now >
Do you consider yourself "hardcore" social gamer? Do you plan on trying the game out on Google+, or will you wait until it hits Facebook?
Bejeweled is new and improved on iOS, while Blitz goes solo for free
Your second life of destroying shiny gems to techno music is about to enter its next chapter. Social and casual game maker PopCap announced that it has re-released Bejeweled to the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch in a brand new, much-improved app. This new hotness is said to sport Retina Display graphics, new game modes including Zen Mode from Bejeweled 3 and more.
More like a Diamond Mine mode pulled right from Bejeweled 3 as well, personal leaderboards and support for multiple player profiles and several achievement badges with four levels each (bronze, silver, gold and platinum). However, there is one catch: You're going to have to download the game again for $.99, as this game is officially replacing Bejeweled 2 + Blitz on the App Store. We know, we were shocked too, but who are you kidding? You and I both know you're already in the App Store.
Besides, it's not as if PopCap didn't include two new play modes and high-resolution graphics or anything. As for the Facebook-connected Bejeweled Blitz? It's now a stand-alone freemium game on the App Store, meaning you can play the game for absolutely free, but you have the option to purchase additional power-ups to boost your ranking among friends. (However, we're guessing that this change will introduce the Hearts system to this version of the game, which is a bummer.) In short, it's just like the Facebook game, but in your phone. The future is awesome, we know. Both games are slowly rolling out today.
Are you down with buying another version of Bejeweled for your iOS device, given the new features introduced? Where do you play Bejeweled Blitz more: on your phone or on Facebook?
More like a Diamond Mine mode pulled right from Bejeweled 3 as well, personal leaderboards and support for multiple player profiles and several achievement badges with four levels each (bronze, silver, gold and platinum). However, there is one catch: You're going to have to download the game again for $.99, as this game is officially replacing Bejeweled 2 + Blitz on the App Store. We know, we were shocked too, but who are you kidding? You and I both know you're already in the App Store.
Besides, it's not as if PopCap didn't include two new play modes and high-resolution graphics or anything. As for the Facebook-connected Bejeweled Blitz? It's now a stand-alone freemium game on the App Store, meaning you can play the game for absolutely free, but you have the option to purchase additional power-ups to boost your ranking among friends. (However, we're guessing that this change will introduce the Hearts system to this version of the game, which is a bummer.) In short, it's just like the Facebook game, but in your phone. The future is awesome, we know. Both games are slowly rolling out today.
Are you down with buying another version of Bejeweled for your iOS device, given the new features introduced? Where do you play Bejeweled Blitz more: on your phone or on Facebook?
Alec Baldwin's love for Words With Friends got him booted off a plane
Alec Baldwin really digs Zynga's Word With Friends, and an American Airlines flight attendant didn't like that so much, apparently. CNN reports that the actor was allegedly kicked off of a plane sitting on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport after an attendant confronted him for playing the mega popular Scrabble-style mobile game.
"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," Baldwin tweeted on Tuesday. The 30 Rock star seems to have taken the incident in stride, and soon after tweeted, "Now, as I was kicked off this flight, the word I was playing was UNITED." We think you get the joke.
Now, it's not clear whether Baldwin was kicked off of the airplane specifically for playing Words With Friends, as American Airlines refused to comment on exactly why the actor was removed from the plane and onto another flight. Baldwin continued his zingers against the airline, later tweeting that the company is "where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants." Ouch!
When CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin tagged the actor in a tweet asking about Words With Friends, Baldwin (the actor) admitted, "It's...well....addicting," according to CNN. We feel your pain, Baldwin. Actually, we bet Emma Stone, Mila Kunis and Jimmy Fallon are right there with you.
"Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt," Baldwin tweeted on Tuesday. The 30 Rock star seems to have taken the incident in stride, and soon after tweeted, "Now, as I was kicked off this flight, the word I was playing was UNITED." We think you get the joke.
Now, it's not clear whether Baldwin was kicked off of the airplane specifically for playing Words With Friends, as American Airlines refused to comment on exactly why the actor was removed from the plane and onto another flight. Baldwin continued his zingers against the airline, later tweeting that the company is "where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950's find jobs as flight attendants." Ouch!
When CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin tagged the actor in a tweet asking about Words With Friends, Baldwin (the actor) admitted, "It's...well....addicting," according to CNN. We feel your pain, Baldwin. Actually, we bet Emma Stone, Mila Kunis and Jimmy Fallon are right there with you.
Producer on anticipated PS3 game ditches Sony for Facebook games
One the most anticipated PS3 games of 2012, The Last Guardian (pictured), just lost its executive producer to Facebook games. And in other news, the sky is falling. Jokes aside, former Sony Computer Entertainment president and executive producer on The Last Guardian Yoshifusa Hayama has left Sony for UK-based social games studio Bossa Studios, Eurogamer reports.
Hayama, who previously worked on the popular Final Fantasy series and cult classic Ico, will serve as creative director at Monstermind creator Bossa and work to bring the studio's first 3D Facebook game to life. The game is set to launch this year, according to Eurogamer, which we imagine means within the next 365 days. Hayama sounds exceedingly confident (refreshingly so even) in 3D Facebook games.
"The future of gaming is definitely online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11, there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles," Hayama told Eurogamer. "Together at Bossa we have plans to bring a plethora of games to Facebook and eventually other appropriate social media channels, which include 3D elements and can be enjoyed by all age and interest groups."
Not only does this news follow the unfortunate reports of Ico creator Fumito Ueda had left Sony, but the increasing rate at which big time Japanese game creators are hopping on the social games bandwagon. This year alone saw the folks behind Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog and games like No More Heroes break onto the scene. At least where "compelling" social games are concerned, let's hope they're all onto something.
Hayama, who previously worked on the popular Final Fantasy series and cult classic Ico, will serve as creative director at Monstermind creator Bossa and work to bring the studio's first 3D Facebook game to life. The game is set to launch this year, according to Eurogamer, which we imagine means within the next 365 days. Hayama sounds exceedingly confident (refreshingly so even) in 3D Facebook games.
"The future of gaming is definitely online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11, there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles," Hayama told Eurogamer. "Together at Bossa we have plans to bring a plethora of games to Facebook and eventually other appropriate social media channels, which include 3D elements and can be enjoyed by all age and interest groups."
Not only does this news follow the unfortunate reports of Ico creator Fumito Ueda had left Sony, but the increasing rate at which big time Japanese game creators are hopping on the social games bandwagon. This year alone saw the folks behind Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog and games like No More Heroes break onto the scene. At least where "compelling" social games are concerned, let's hope they're all onto something.
Diamond Dash rushes to blast back at Bejeweled Blitz on iPhone, iPad
Watch out, PopCap: It looks like someone is gunning for your best game. Berlin, Germany-based social games maker wooga announced at the Le Web Conference in Paris that its Facebook hit Diamond Dash has finally hit iPhones and iPads everywhere. (The keyword in that sentence is "iPad", folks.) Better yet, the Facebook-connected game--announced way back in July--is 100 percent free to play.
Through Facebook Connect, players can compete for dominance between their friends on weekly leaderboards on their iOS device, and the game will track their progress should they hop back in on Facebook. While the game is free to play, you'll be governed by that dastardly Heart system--just the way it is on Facebook. However, you can also dole Hearts to your friends like you do on Facebook. (Of course, you can buy more, too.)
Wooga also promises players that the game, which is available in nine languages, will be updated frequently with new content. Diamond Dash hits the App Store the same day as its main competitor, Bejeweled Blitz, relaunches as an independent freemium game. While Diamond Dash is beating Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook in monthly players, according to AppData, the alternative gem crusher has some catching up to do on mobile devices. And the fact that it's first to officially hit the iPad certainly helps.
Click here to download Diamond Dash on the App Store for Free Now >
Do you prefer Diamond Dash or Bejeweled Blitz for your shiny smashing fix? Does the fact that the former is on iPad first sway you at all?
Through Facebook Connect, players can compete for dominance between their friends on weekly leaderboards on their iOS device, and the game will track their progress should they hop back in on Facebook. While the game is free to play, you'll be governed by that dastardly Heart system--just the way it is on Facebook. However, you can also dole Hearts to your friends like you do on Facebook. (Of course, you can buy more, too.)
Wooga also promises players that the game, which is available in nine languages, will be updated frequently with new content. Diamond Dash hits the App Store the same day as its main competitor, Bejeweled Blitz, relaunches as an independent freemium game. While Diamond Dash is beating Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook in monthly players, according to AppData, the alternative gem crusher has some catching up to do on mobile devices. And the fact that it's first to officially hit the iPad certainly helps.
Click here to download Diamond Dash on the App Store for Free Now >
Do you prefer Diamond Dash or Bejeweled Blitz for your shiny smashing fix? Does the fact that the former is on iPad first sway you at all?
EA, Playfish developing 'the hell out of SimCity' for Facebook [Report]
Hey, if The Sims Social struck gold, it only makes sense at this point. Business Insider reports, citing nameless sources, that a China-based Playfish team has suspended all other projects to "develop the hell out of SimCity" for Facebook. Of course, the idea is that the second place developer is doing so to go toe-to-toe directly with CityVille, the number one game on Facebook.
Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.
At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.
According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.
[Via IndustryGamers]
Are you excited by the thought of SimCity hitting Facebook? Do you think it could give CityVille a run for its (boatloads of) money?
Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.
At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.
According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.
[Via IndustryGamers]
Are you excited by the thought of SimCity hitting Facebook? Do you think it could give CityVille a run for its (boatloads of) money?
Raptr users fell in love with The Sims Social in every way this year
Who saw this one coming? (Not us, based on AppData numbers.) Raptr, the social network and tracking service for gamers, issued a report detailing its First Annual Playtime Awards, recognizing the most played games across several genres. When it comes to social games, EA and Playfish's The Sims Social dominated, accumulating more playtime in its first month than any social game released this year did in its first 30 days.
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
Are you surprised that The Sims Social won Raptr users over this year? Who do you think should have won?
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
Are you surprised that The Sims Social won Raptr users over this year? Who do you think should have won?
The father of Super Mario is retiring, but not according to Nintendo
Is this the end of an era? Not quite, but it's pretty darn close. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of legendary video game franchises like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, revealed to Wired that he will retire from his current position at Nintendo. While the designer made a point to say that he will remain with the company, working on smaller projects with younger teams, Nintendo has denied Miyamoto's words, saying "this is absolutely not true," to Reuters.
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
CastleVille beats CityVille as Zynga's fastest growing Facebook game
It's a good day to be the king. Zynga tells us that CastleVille has amassed over 5 million daily players in just six days. (However, AppData tells a different story, though we're told it will reflect this number in a few days.) That's leaps and bounds beyond how quickly the developer's top Facebook game, CityVille, grew. The city-builder took on just 3.2 million daily players in the same time frame when it launched in December 2010. Zynga provided more fun facts.
The San Francisco-based social games giant says that 68 percent of CastleVille fans are logging in twice daily, and that 135,176,035 quests have been completed. Players have expanded their kingdoms in the Gloom 4,594,750 times, all the while bashing 23,845,983 beasties with their bare hands. If anything, that's one helluva lot of clicks.
CastleVille launched just last week to fanfare, but likely exploded over the weekend thanks to cross-promotions in FarmVille and CityVille--two of the developer's most popular games. In CityVille, players can earn 20 free Zoning Permits for reaching Level 5 in its medieval counterpart, while FarmVillers will score five Instant Grows for doing the same.
These rewards are far more substantial than usual cross-promotions, and we bet there will be more where that came from. Adventure World failed to grow on its own for its first few weeks of existence, but Zynga stepped in with liberal use of cross-promotions to skyrocket its player base to over 16 million monthly. While the big Z might be more reliant on its existing players than it would like, this growth is nevertheless ... insane? Yeah, we think that's the word.
Are you enjoying CastleVille so far? What do you think Zynga will need to put out in order to top this potential milestone?
The San Francisco-based social games giant says that 68 percent of CastleVille fans are logging in twice daily, and that 135,176,035 quests have been completed. Players have expanded their kingdoms in the Gloom 4,594,750 times, all the while bashing 23,845,983 beasties with their bare hands. If anything, that's one helluva lot of clicks.
CastleVille launched just last week to fanfare, but likely exploded over the weekend thanks to cross-promotions in FarmVille and CityVille--two of the developer's most popular games. In CityVille, players can earn 20 free Zoning Permits for reaching Level 5 in its medieval counterpart, while FarmVillers will score five Instant Grows for doing the same.
These rewards are far more substantial than usual cross-promotions, and we bet there will be more where that came from. Adventure World failed to grow on its own for its first few weeks of existence, but Zynga stepped in with liberal use of cross-promotions to skyrocket its player base to over 16 million monthly. While the big Z might be more reliant on its existing players than it would like, this growth is nevertheless ... insane? Yeah, we think that's the word.
Are you enjoying CastleVille so far? What do you think Zynga will need to put out in order to top this potential milestone?
Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 12, 2011
EA, Playfish developing 'the hell out of SimCity' for Facebook [Report]
Hey, if The Sims Social struck gold, it only makes sense at this point. Business Insider reports, citing nameless sources, that a China-based Playfish team has suspended all other projects to "develop the hell out of SimCity" for Facebook. Of course, the idea is that the second place developer is doing so to go toe-to-toe directly with CityVille, the number one game on Facebook.
Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.
At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.
According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.
Zynga's city-builder has held the top spot on Facebook for over a year, and EA is reportedly doing everything in its power to dethrone the king of social games. According to Business Insider, multiple sources within the company say that SimCity has been in development for over a year, around the same time that Zynga started work on CityVile. But when the game broke every record in the book over the past year, EA had no choice but to ramp up work on SimCity.
At the time, Zynga had more time and resources to pour into CityVille than EA did with SimCity, which had "doubled down" on The Sims Social. Since the game has now proven itself, putting a dent into Zynga's then spotless lineup, the veteran games publisher has placed a laser focus on the social iteration of game designer Will Wright's masterpiece.
According to the news outlet, Playfish's Norway and San Francisco teams are working on entirely new games for EA. And yes, it's OK to be more excited by that rumor than yet another city-builder. This better be good.
Raptr users fell in love with The Sims Social in every way this year
Who saw this one coming? (Not us, based on AppData numbers.) Raptr, the social network and tracking service for gamers, issued a report detailing its First Annual Playtime Awards, recognizing the most played games across several genres. When it comes to social games, EA and Playfish's The Sims Social dominated, accumulating more playtime in its first month than any social game released this year did in its first 30 days.
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
The report goes on to reveal that the average Sims Social player logged 1.37 hours in the first week, which is 16 percent more than Zynga's two best games released this year. Breaking it down even further, The Sims' debut on Facebook also garnered five times the playtime of Zynga's Mafia Wars 2, 18 percent more than CastleVille, and 33 percent more than Empires & Allies. (However, CastleVille garnered longer average play sessions than its competitor.)
Finally, Raptr points out that, when The Sims Social launched this summer, playtime in FarmVille and E&A dropped by 25 percent. In other words, The Sims killed it this year on Facebook--at least where Raptr users are concerned. This is undoubtedly an achievement for Playfish's most successful game, but it's story plays out rather differently on services like AppData. You could argue that Raptr users are generally more "hardcore" gamers, so we can't wait to see their response when (or if) SimCity lands. Check out the full report, including the winners of all of the other genres, right here.
The father of Super Mario is retiring, but not according to Nintendo
Is this the end of an era? Not quite, but it's pretty darn close. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of legendary video game franchises like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, revealed to Wired that he will retire from his current position at Nintendo. While the designer made a point to say that he will remain with the company, working on smaller projects with younger teams, Nintendo has denied Miyamoto's words, saying "this is absolutely not true," to Reuters.
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
"Inside our office, I've been recently declaring, 'I'm going to retire, I'm going to retire,'" Miyamoto told Wired through an interpreter. "I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position."
The creator of the Mushroom Kingdom went on to say that he wishes to return to being hands-on with the game design process within Nintendo, working on smaller projects with younger game developers. According to Wired, Miyamoto made the decision in confidence of the staff that worked on acclaimed games like Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo has denied what the developer said in the interview completely.
"There seems to have been a misunderstanding," a Nintendo spokeswoman told Reuters. "He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned." Miymoto told Kotaku a few years back that he had no intention of retiring entirely. Rest easy, Nintendo fans.
Zynga tells American Airlines to 'LET ALEC PLAY' (in word tiles)
Behold, the mighty power of celebrity. After actor Alec Baldwin was removed from an American Airlines plane sitting at the gate in Los Angeles International Airport, allegedly while playing Words With Friends, Zynga took the opportunity to chime in. On the company's Twitter account, Zynga wrote, "Hey @AmericanAir, don't ground @AlecBaldwin for playing. A.B.S.U.R.D. is worth *at least* 11 points in @WordsWFriends #LetAlecPlay."
Zynga then articulated its tongue-in-cheek response with the image you see to the right in another tweet, part of which reads, "Alec 1. @AmericanAir 0." Get it? Zynga strung the words "LET ALEC PLAY" together using word tiles in Words With Friends. That's just plain cute.
Perhaps as a result of the incident, which Baldwin explained in detail in a piece on The Huffington Post, Words With Friends gained 100,000 players today on Facebook alone, according to AppData. And, based on AppData's readings on the iOS version of Words With Friends, the game's ranking experienced major spikes in all categories. Again, behold the power of celebrity.
This is far from the first time a celebrity has ... candidly expressed their love of social games. Actresses Emma Stone and Mila Kunis have both admitted to FarmVille addictions, while folks like John Mayer and Eliza Dushku are known to be fans, according to Boston Herald. We like the game as much as the next couple million people, but it looks like this is becoming more about Words With Friends than it really is, no?
Zynga then articulated its tongue-in-cheek response with the image you see to the right in another tweet, part of which reads, "Alec 1. @AmericanAir 0." Get it? Zynga strung the words "LET ALEC PLAY" together using word tiles in Words With Friends. That's just plain cute.
Perhaps as a result of the incident, which Baldwin explained in detail in a piece on The Huffington Post, Words With Friends gained 100,000 players today on Facebook alone, according to AppData. And, based on AppData's readings on the iOS version of Words With Friends, the game's ranking experienced major spikes in all categories. Again, behold the power of celebrity.
This is far from the first time a celebrity has ... candidly expressed their love of social games. Actresses Emma Stone and Mila Kunis have both admitted to FarmVille addictions, while folks like John Mayer and Eliza Dushku are known to be fans, according to Boston Herald. We like the game as much as the next couple million people, but it looks like this is becoming more about Words With Friends than it really is, no?
Flutter on Facebook flits into the sunset on December 23
It's no secret that Facebook games don't have the best reputation when it comes to doing things differently. So it's especially sad to see one of the more unique games -- Flutter by Runaway Play -- prepare for its last flight. The game, in which you take on the role of a butterfly flitting around lush environments, will be no more as of December 23.
For the 30,000 of you who are still playing the game -- you'll be able to partake in the game's final flight with a new quest, a few freebies and more. Those include:
- Premium items (except potions, power-ups, and WWF items) can be purchased with HD instead of Facebook Credits
- Play a final quest that involves a "magical mishap" with an owl.
- A free free flower pack or two
Right now, the game's main forest has a new sunset background and, during the last week, will go into nighttime mode before "going to sleep." My god, it's all so sad, isn't it?
But wait! Before you get all misty eyed, there's some positive news, too. The Runaway Play blog says that, while this version of Flutter is going away, its using the down time to rebuild the game from scratch and will eventually launch a new, improved Flutter at a later time. From the post:
"We are a lot more experienced now than we were when we first designed the game, and have been working very very hard to design an approach for the next version of Flutter which is a far better core experience. So from 23rd December we will be going into our chrysalis, putting our heads down, and emerging with a much more spectacular creature."
There, there. Don't you feel better? Stay tuned for more details on the new and improved Flutter as it emerges.
For the 30,000 of you who are still playing the game -- you'll be able to partake in the game's final flight with a new quest, a few freebies and more. Those include:
- Premium items (except potions, power-ups, and WWF items) can be purchased with HD instead of Facebook Credits
- Play a final quest that involves a "magical mishap" with an owl.
- A free free flower pack or two
Right now, the game's main forest has a new sunset background and, during the last week, will go into nighttime mode before "going to sleep." My god, it's all so sad, isn't it?
But wait! Before you get all misty eyed, there's some positive news, too. The Runaway Play blog says that, while this version of Flutter is going away, its using the down time to rebuild the game from scratch and will eventually launch a new, improved Flutter at a later time. From the post:
"We are a lot more experienced now than we were when we first designed the game, and have been working very very hard to design an approach for the next version of Flutter which is a far better core experience. So from 23rd December we will be going into our chrysalis, putting our heads down, and emerging with a much more spectacular creature."
There, there. Don't you feel better? Stay tuned for more details on the new and improved Flutter as it emerges.
Want to come clean about your FarmVille addiction to all of New York?
If that intrigues you, then Zynga is certainly the place to do it. The FarmVille maker is running a contest on its fan page, calling for players to proclaim their love of Zynga's games to the world. Well, "the world" being Times Square in New York City through New Year's Eve. (So ... pretty much the world.) Zynga's calling it the "I Love Play" contest, and it's actually an app for players to install.
Once players click on the "Get Started" button, they'll be asked to install an app on their Facebook profile. Then, it's time to complete a somewhat lengthy form asking for your name, images of yourself and the game board from your favorite game, and a quote to go along with your entry. Finally, you'll be asked to give a shout-out to a friend. Hit "Submit" and you might find yourself on a billboard in Times Square through New Year's Eve.
And ... that's about it. There's no real prize to be won in this contest. Well, some might consider giving the world the ultimate "Hey, look at my farm, dammit!" a prize in and of itself. All this contest reminds us of is the fact that, back in the day, social gamers made separate Facebook accounts for a reason. Wait, why was that again? Oh, right.
[Image Credit: Good To Go Tees]
Will you enter this contest and attempt to proclaim your love of Zynga games to the world? Do you think this is a silly contest?
Once players click on the "Get Started" button, they'll be asked to install an app on their Facebook profile. Then, it's time to complete a somewhat lengthy form asking for your name, images of yourself and the game board from your favorite game, and a quote to go along with your entry. Finally, you'll be asked to give a shout-out to a friend. Hit "Submit" and you might find yourself on a billboard in Times Square through New Year's Eve.
And ... that's about it. There's no real prize to be won in this contest. Well, some might consider giving the world the ultimate "Hey, look at my farm, dammit!" a prize in and of itself. All this contest reminds us of is the fact that, back in the day, social gamers made separate Facebook accounts for a reason. Wait, why was that again? Oh, right.
[Image Credit: Good To Go Tees]
Will you enter this contest and attempt to proclaim your love of Zynga games to the world? Do you think this is a silly contest?
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus doesn't like it when fans play for too long
Right. During an interview with MIT's Technology Review, FarmVille creator Zynga's CEO Mark Pincus said, "I don't like it when I find out that people are averaging long session times in any of our games. All of the newer games that we bring out are trying to reduce those session times. Because one of the biggest reasons people don't play games is they say that they don't have the time."
According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.
Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.
Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?
According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.
Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.
Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?
Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 12, 2011
Capcom CEO: Social games had 'earth-shattering' effect on industry
But the guy means more than, "Holy moley, these things are money machines!" During an interview with Bloomberg Japan, Capcom CEO Kenzo Tsujimoto likened the rise of social gaming to when pinball machines were overrun in arcades by game cabinets, according to Serkan Toto. If there's one company to make that point, it's certainly Capcom.
The company behind horror and action franchises like Resident Evil and Street Fighter has enjoyed more international success in mobile social games than even Japanese giants like DeNA and Gree. Of course, that's thanks to its Beeline Interactive subsidiary, which is responsible for the wildly successful Smurfs Village (and Smurfs Grabber, sort of) on U.S. iPhones. In fact, the game was so ... compelling to consumers that Capcom had to rework how it handled in-game purchases.
Speaking with Bloomberg Japan, Tsujimoto said that social games make up about 6.6 percent of Capcom's profits, but he expects that to explode to about 30 percent "in a few years." But despite the wild profits Capcom expects to make from social games, Tsujimoto said to Bloomberg Japan that he's still excited about Nintendo's upcoming console, the Wii U. Well, here's to hoping the console has some sort of social gaming support, but we're sure the company has wised up by now.
Is it fair to compare social games' effect on the game industry to that of arcade games on pinball machines in the late '70s and early '80s? What company will get into social gaming next?
The company behind horror and action franchises like Resident Evil and Street Fighter has enjoyed more international success in mobile social games than even Japanese giants like DeNA and Gree. Of course, that's thanks to its Beeline Interactive subsidiary, which is responsible for the wildly successful Smurfs Village (and Smurfs Grabber, sort of) on U.S. iPhones. In fact, the game was so ... compelling to consumers that Capcom had to rework how it handled in-game purchases.
Speaking with Bloomberg Japan, Tsujimoto said that social games make up about 6.6 percent of Capcom's profits, but he expects that to explode to about 30 percent "in a few years." But despite the wild profits Capcom expects to make from social games, Tsujimoto said to Bloomberg Japan that he's still excited about Nintendo's upcoming console, the Wii U. Well, here's to hoping the console has some sort of social gaming support, but we're sure the company has wised up by now.
Is it fair to compare social games' effect on the game industry to that of arcade games on pinball machines in the late '70s and early '80s? What company will get into social gaming next?
Collapse! Blast, UNO Boost burst onto GameHouse games portal
Between its new mobile platform and now this, Facebook looms like the spaceship from Independence Day over the Internet. Casual and social game creator GameHouse announced that both of its Facebook games, Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost, are now available on GameHouse.com. The games are playable on GameHouse's home turf through Facebook Connect.
This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.
According to GameHouse, this is currently in the test phase, allowing players to buy virtual goods using Facebook Credits within Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost on the GameHouse website slash games portal. The process of buying virtual items using Facebook Credits outside of Facebook is seamless. "We truly believe that every game will be social someday, whether it's played on Facebook, Google+, or at GameHouse.com," the company wrote in a blog post.
GameHouse social games
This news follows GameHouse's recent reveal of Bayou Blast, the developer's next game in the Blast series of social games. The game looks to be an arguably fresh take on the match-three genre that PopCap popularized with Bejeweled. As for Facebook Credits appearing outside of Facebook, this could have massive implications not only for social games, but the commerce on the web across the board.
Click here to play Collapse! Blast and here to play UNO Boost on GameHouse.com Now >
Will Facebook Credits' availability through other online game platforms will change anything about online games? Is this indicative of all online games ultimately attaching to social networks?
This allows players to switch between platforms with the same scores and gameplay data. More importantly--if not for GameHouse, then the Internet on the whole--this marks a creative partnership between Facebook and GameHouse that brings Facebook Credits to GameHouse.com. This is a first for Facebook that allows users to make purchases on third-party websites, games and apps using its exclusive currency, namely Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost.
According to GameHouse, this is currently in the test phase, allowing players to buy virtual goods using Facebook Credits within Collapse! Blast and UNO Boost on the GameHouse website slash games portal. The process of buying virtual items using Facebook Credits outside of Facebook is seamless. "We truly believe that every game will be social someday, whether it's played on Facebook, Google+, or at GameHouse.com," the company wrote in a blog post.
GameHouse social games
This news follows GameHouse's recent reveal of Bayou Blast, the developer's next game in the Blast series of social games. The game looks to be an arguably fresh take on the match-three genre that PopCap popularized with Bejeweled. As for Facebook Credits appearing outside of Facebook, this could have massive implications not only for social games, but the commerce on the web across the board.
Click here to play Collapse! Blast and here to play UNO Boost on GameHouse.com Now >
Will Facebook Credits' availability through other online game platforms will change anything about online games? Is this indicative of all online games ultimately attaching to social networks?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: Dracula looms large at Liveloula46's farm
Look into his eyes. Are you mesmerized yet? Liveloula46's Halloween FarmVille farm pays homage to the father of all vampires, Count Dracula himself, by using red, white, blue, black, and gray hay bales. You can thank Béla Lugosi for how we envision Dracula today, and this farm-sized piece of hay bale art certainly resembles him. Donning an enormous, red-lined black cape, the grandest effect of Liveloula46's design is how Dracula's arm seems ready to sweep an entire forest away.
Click the image to make it larger.
As awesome as many of this year's Halloween items are, Liveloula46's farm proves you don't need to spend 400 Farm Cash (which is somewhere between $50 to $100, depending on the Farm Cash package) on limited edition decorations. The only visible Halloween decor here is in the zoomed-in image of the farm: Count Duckula's Castle, a truly classy topping on what's already a chilling masterpiece to one of horror's classiest monsters.
Who's your favorite vampire of all time? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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!
Click the image to make it larger.
As awesome as many of this year's Halloween items are, Liveloula46's farm proves you don't need to spend 400 Farm Cash (which is somewhere between $50 to $100, depending on the Farm Cash package) on limited edition decorations. The only visible Halloween decor here is in the zoomed-in image of the farm: Count Duckula's Castle, a truly classy topping on what's already a chilling masterpiece to one of horror's classiest monsters.
Who's your favorite vampire of all time? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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!
Former Playdom GM takes the reins of social game start-up 519 Games
Hey, at least it's not another traditional game exec jumping ship. Former Playdom GM Lloyd Melnick (pictured) left the Disney-owned social game maker earlier this summer for 519 Games, a social game start-up that plans to release its first game in 2012. Melnick announced the move on the down-low through his personal blog on his first day as CEO, Aug. 29.
The studio is a joint venture between EW Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. But more importantly, the GM-turned-chief has big ambitions for 519 Games. (Like, massive, turn-the-industry-on-its-head ambitions.) "We are currently building a fantastic team and will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012," Melnick wrote in a blog post. "More details will emerge over the next few weeks."
Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."
Melnick left Playdom and Disney just as doubts grew as to whether the latter could properly use the former to succeed in social games. Since then, Playdom has finally moved to take advantage of Disney's immense branding support, first slapping "Disney's" onto Gnome Town. A number of Playdom games featuring the company's properties will see the light in 2012. Playdom also announced Secret Agent X, a Facebook game shrouded in secrecy that lives up to its title--very sneaky, sis.
[Via Gamasutra]
Is it unwise or admirable for Melnick to challenge the top five before his first game hits? Can Disney and Playdom chomp on an even bigger chunk of the top five with Disney-branded games?
The studio is a joint venture between EW Scripps Company and Capitol Broadcasting. But more importantly, the GM-turned-chief has big ambitions for 519 Games. (Like, massive, turn-the-industry-on-its-head ambitions.) "We are currently building a fantastic team and will be one of the top five social gaming companies (both social web and social mobile) by the end of 2012," Melnick wrote in a blog post. "More details will emerge over the next few weeks."
Those details haven't exactly emerged yet, but it's only a matter of time. Melnick, who worked for Disney International as Playdom's head of international operations, had nothing but thanks and praise for the company. "It was this great collection of people that helped me learn and grow professionally that I can now move on to the biggest opportunity I have ever had," Melnick wrote. "Again, thank you all."
Melnick left Playdom and Disney just as doubts grew as to whether the latter could properly use the former to succeed in social games. Since then, Playdom has finally moved to take advantage of Disney's immense branding support, first slapping "Disney's" onto Gnome Town. A number of Playdom games featuring the company's properties will see the light in 2012. Playdom also announced Secret Agent X, a Facebook game shrouded in secrecy that lives up to its title--very sneaky, sis.
[Via Gamasutra]
Is it unwise or admirable for Melnick to challenge the top five before his first game hits? Can Disney and Playdom chomp on an even bigger chunk of the top five with Disney-branded games?
The Sims Social celebrates launch of Sims 3 Pets with free virtual poster
Dogs, horses and cats, oh my. Because life is better with pets, The Sims maker EA has launched an expansion pack today for players that allows pets to take center stage in the game. Helping promote this launch is a free virtual poster offered to fans of The Sims Social.
You can grab The Sims 3 Pets Poster by clicking here, after you become a fan of the game's official Facebook fan page.
Aside from looking cool, the poster takes up two tiles of wall space and adds 100 House Value points to your home. If you don't like it, it can be sold for 150 Simoleons. It also comes with one action, "Learn More", which sends you to the Sims 3 Pets website when you click on it.
You can grab The Sims 3 Pets Poster by clicking here, after you become a fan of the game's official Facebook fan page.
Aside from looking cool, the poster takes up two tiles of wall space and adds 100 House Value points to your home. If you don't like it, it can be sold for 150 Simoleons. It also comes with one action, "Learn More", which sends you to the Sims 3 Pets website when you click on it.
Thứ Sáu, 9 tháng 12, 2011
Facebook gaming's fat cats will only get fatter, unfortunately
Companies like Zynga and EA (with the help of Playfish and PopCap) have long dominated the Facebook game scene. Sadly, it looks like that's not going to change anytime soon, according to a report released by Lazard Capital Markets. Basically, the report comes to the conclusion that, because they've already achieved critical mass, Zynga and EA will continue to rule Facebook games.
The report is based on meetings with six privately-held social game makers, including CrowdStar, Digital Chocolate, Funzio, HeyZap, IGG, and Tapjoy, according to All Facebook. "We acknowledge that toughening competition on Facebook could constrain margins and is generally negative for the space; however," the report reads, "we believe that rising user acquisition costs could be relatively positive for companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts that have already built large user bases on Facebook and disproportionately benefit from network effect and, therefore, may have an advantage over the newer companies in the space."
In other words, Zynga and EA will always competitive advantage over even relatively large companies like CrowdStar simply due to the fact that these companies already have created massive internal networks of players. This is exactly why no other company could release a game that amasses 5 million players in six days like CastleVille. The smaller developers' response?
Look elsewhere, basically. But when the majority of social gamers hang out on Facebook, where else is there to look? It's quite the predicament that the industry faces, especially considering the implications it could have as far as creativity is concerned on the platform. Developers will continue to create games that attempt to emulate Zynga and EA's wild success, and the copycat syndrome will persist. If the indie's time on Facebook is over, then all the hope we have for successful games that test the limits of the genre is for the players to grow tired of 'Ville after 'Ville.
Are you sick of the current stable of popular Facebook games? What new approaches or genres would you like to see on Facebook?
The report is based on meetings with six privately-held social game makers, including CrowdStar, Digital Chocolate, Funzio, HeyZap, IGG, and Tapjoy, according to All Facebook. "We acknowledge that toughening competition on Facebook could constrain margins and is generally negative for the space; however," the report reads, "we believe that rising user acquisition costs could be relatively positive for companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts that have already built large user bases on Facebook and disproportionately benefit from network effect and, therefore, may have an advantage over the newer companies in the space."
In other words, Zynga and EA will always competitive advantage over even relatively large companies like CrowdStar simply due to the fact that these companies already have created massive internal networks of players. This is exactly why no other company could release a game that amasses 5 million players in six days like CastleVille. The smaller developers' response?
Look elsewhere, basically. But when the majority of social gamers hang out on Facebook, where else is there to look? It's quite the predicament that the industry faces, especially considering the implications it could have as far as creativity is concerned on the platform. Developers will continue to create games that attempt to emulate Zynga and EA's wild success, and the copycat syndrome will persist. If the indie's time on Facebook is over, then all the hope we have for successful games that test the limits of the genre is for the players to grow tired of 'Ville after 'Ville.
Are you sick of the current stable of popular Facebook games? What new approaches or genres would you like to see on Facebook?
Pioneer Trail Holiday Hogknocker Timed Goals: Everything you need to know
As another way to lead into the holiday season in Pioneer Trail, you'll be greeted by Pioneer Jack, who is on the hunt for the legendary Hogknocker, a massive pig that will apparently make for a great Christmas ham on the dinner table. Ignoring for a moment that these goals deal with hunting and killing the poor thing, you'll be able to go through three separate timed goals, with there being level requirements along the way. For the first two goals, you'll need to be level 22 or above, while the third goal requires you to be level 90 or higher (quite a jump, wouldn't you say?).
As of this writing, only Part I of this feature is actually available, and is rolling out to users' games. It's called "That's Some Pig," and it must be accepted in your game by December 3. That's tomorrow, if you're keeping track, so make sure to accept it in your game as soon as you can! You'll have five days to finish this first timed goal, and here's how to do just that.
That's Some Pig
Harvest 100 Wheat on your Homestead
Find 25 Fuzzy Peaches
Collect 15 Holiday Slops
You'll need to ask your friends for the Holiday Slop, and can do the same for the Fuzzy Peaches. You can also earn Fuzzy Peaches by harvesting Peach Trees on your Homestead. As for the Wheat, it takes a full day to harvest, giving you plenty of time to wait for your friends to send you those items (since you have five full days to complete the goal, after all). Finishing this first timed goal gives you 500 XP and a Hogknocker Crate.
Again, as of this writing, only Part I is available in the game. Even if you complete it well before the five day time limit has expired, you won't be able to move on to Part II until Zynga decides to launch it in the game. However, we do know what to expect from these two timed goals. Here's a look at them, so you can prepare for when they do launch.
The Trouble with Truffles
Tend 60 Adult Spotted Pigs
Collect 25 Truffles
Collect 30 Hog Calls
Spotted Pigs are unlocked after mastering pigs to Level 1. If you've yet to master Level 1 of the original pig, this gives you plenty of time to do so (and grow some Spotted Pigs to adulthood) before ever being put on a timer for this second goal. Pretty convenient, right? Once you finish this goal, you'll be given 1,000 XP, another Hogknocker Crate and the Hogkocker Pig himself - a cute pig wearing a colorful winter hat.
For this third goal, remember that you must be at least Level 90 to access it. This will all but entirely eliminate the possibility for many users to be able to complete it (as it doesn't appear to be a permanent addition to the game). However, it looks to be quite the challenge, so if you've leveled up this far in the game, you're going to have to work for your rewards.
Bringing Home the Bacon
Harvest 50 Super Corn
Sell 75 Adult Giant Hogs on your Homestead
Collect 50 Holiday Hog Tracks
See? I told you it would be difficult. Super Corn on its own is available to purchase from the store for 1 Horseshoe per square, but you may have some seeds in your inventory from past goals / news feed rewards. If you can finish all three of these tasks in what looks to be another five day time limit, you'll receive a whopping 25,000 XP (yes, that's 25 thousand), a Hogknocker Crate and a Hogknocker Mount - a rideable pig that you can use to replace the Horse your avatar is currently riding.
There's also a new collection to complete with this feature - the Hogknocker Collection that gives you a Hogknocker Piglet and 50 XP for completing it. You can earn the five items necessary to complete this collection by opening Hogknocker Crates or by feeding Hogknocker Pigs.
We'll make sure to update this space when the second and third goals in the Holiday Hogknocker series launch, but for now, why not get started on Part I? You only have a limited amount of time to even accept the goal, so make sure you don't miss out!
What do you think of these Holiday Hogknocker Goals? Are you level 90, or anywhere close? Do you think it's fair that a goal be limited to such a high level / group of users?
As of this writing, only Part I of this feature is actually available, and is rolling out to users' games. It's called "That's Some Pig," and it must be accepted in your game by December 3. That's tomorrow, if you're keeping track, so make sure to accept it in your game as soon as you can! You'll have five days to finish this first timed goal, and here's how to do just that.
That's Some Pig
Harvest 100 Wheat on your Homestead
Find 25 Fuzzy Peaches
Collect 15 Holiday Slops
You'll need to ask your friends for the Holiday Slop, and can do the same for the Fuzzy Peaches. You can also earn Fuzzy Peaches by harvesting Peach Trees on your Homestead. As for the Wheat, it takes a full day to harvest, giving you plenty of time to wait for your friends to send you those items (since you have five full days to complete the goal, after all). Finishing this first timed goal gives you 500 XP and a Hogknocker Crate.
Again, as of this writing, only Part I is available in the game. Even if you complete it well before the five day time limit has expired, you won't be able to move on to Part II until Zynga decides to launch it in the game. However, we do know what to expect from these two timed goals. Here's a look at them, so you can prepare for when they do launch.
The Trouble with Truffles
Tend 60 Adult Spotted Pigs
Collect 25 Truffles
Collect 30 Hog Calls
Spotted Pigs are unlocked after mastering pigs to Level 1. If you've yet to master Level 1 of the original pig, this gives you plenty of time to do so (and grow some Spotted Pigs to adulthood) before ever being put on a timer for this second goal. Pretty convenient, right? Once you finish this goal, you'll be given 1,000 XP, another Hogknocker Crate and the Hogkocker Pig himself - a cute pig wearing a colorful winter hat.
For this third goal, remember that you must be at least Level 90 to access it. This will all but entirely eliminate the possibility for many users to be able to complete it (as it doesn't appear to be a permanent addition to the game). However, it looks to be quite the challenge, so if you've leveled up this far in the game, you're going to have to work for your rewards.
Bringing Home the Bacon
Harvest 50 Super Corn
Sell 75 Adult Giant Hogs on your Homestead
Collect 50 Holiday Hog Tracks
See? I told you it would be difficult. Super Corn on its own is available to purchase from the store for 1 Horseshoe per square, but you may have some seeds in your inventory from past goals / news feed rewards. If you can finish all three of these tasks in what looks to be another five day time limit, you'll receive a whopping 25,000 XP (yes, that's 25 thousand), a Hogknocker Crate and a Hogknocker Mount - a rideable pig that you can use to replace the Horse your avatar is currently riding.
There's also a new collection to complete with this feature - the Hogknocker Collection that gives you a Hogknocker Piglet and 50 XP for completing it. You can earn the five items necessary to complete this collection by opening Hogknocker Crates or by feeding Hogknocker Pigs.
We'll make sure to update this space when the second and third goals in the Holiday Hogknocker series launch, but for now, why not get started on Part I? You only have a limited amount of time to even accept the goal, so make sure you don't miss out!
What do you think of these Holiday Hogknocker Goals? Are you level 90, or anywhere close? Do you think it's fair that a goal be limited to such a high level / group of users?
Adventure World Lunar Mine Expedition: Everything you need to know
As we make our way deeper into the Calendar of the Sun series in Adventure World, we've seen an increase in the difficulty of these Expeditions. After making your way through Jungle Approach and Mystery of the Moon Door, you'll be left with tackling Lunar Mine, where you'll collect bits of strange ore for the Celestial Compass, and learn more about your competition in the process (that competition being other adventurers hoping to strike it rich before you and Indiana Jones). For Lunar Mine, you'll need to have at least 250 Supplies, along with two each of Food, Fuel and Water to begin. You can bring five friends in on this Expedition with you for free energy and will have five days to finish the quests within it. Here's a guide to doing just that.
Strange Ore
Ask for 10 Stone Cogs
Use 5 Seismograph Machines to Find Strange Ore
Collect 15 Strange Ore
First things first, the Stone Cogs are earned by asking your friends to send them to you via a general news item that you place on your wall. Since you're in a mine, there are tons of rocks scattered about, that you can destroy with your pick axe; however, only certain stones will contain Strange Ore, while others will simply waste your energy in clearing them. As you collect the Stone Cogs, you'll be able to activate Seismograph Machines placed around the map that will show you the rocks that contain the ore, so you won't waste energy on those empty rocks.
The Competition
Ask for 10 Ciphers
Use 5 Telegrams to Translate the Ciphers
Use Radios to Intercept Transmissions
To learn more about the other treasure hunters, you'll need to study the items they left behind. In this case, you'll find telegrams scattered around the map, but will need to ask your friends for Ciphers via individual requests in order to actually "use" those telegrams. The Radios are also found at various locations around the map, although they might be guarded by spiders (since you're in a cave), mine train carts that need to moved or traps that need to be disarmed.
Out of Time
Collect the Ancient Marajoara Vase
Collect the Ancient Conquistador Armor
Collect the Pristine Marajoara Vase
Collect the Pristine Conquistador Armor
Apparently, the Calendar of the Sun and Celestial Compass have something to do with the progress of time and space, which could explain why the previous two Expeditions in the series saw you collecting previously extinct birds or plants. While the team is still confused as to what exactly is causing this time warp, you can gather a pair of or armor pieces or vases to try and fill in the blanks. Feel free to click on the "Show Me" button next to a particular item if you're having trouble spotting it on the map on your own. Just keep in mind that these pieces might be located in an out-of-the-way corner of the map that you may not otherwise even need to travel to.
Once you finish this third Calendar of the Sun Expedition, you will have officially reached the halfway point in the series. We'll continue to bring you guides on how to finish the other Expeditions in both the Calendar of the Sun story and in the main game itself, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Lunar Mine Expedition? Do you appreciate the increase in difficulty we've seen in these Indiana Jones Expeditions thus far, or would you prefer them all to be as easy as the first?
Strange Ore
Ask for 10 Stone Cogs
Use 5 Seismograph Machines to Find Strange Ore
Collect 15 Strange Ore
First things first, the Stone Cogs are earned by asking your friends to send them to you via a general news item that you place on your wall. Since you're in a mine, there are tons of rocks scattered about, that you can destroy with your pick axe; however, only certain stones will contain Strange Ore, while others will simply waste your energy in clearing them. As you collect the Stone Cogs, you'll be able to activate Seismograph Machines placed around the map that will show you the rocks that contain the ore, so you won't waste energy on those empty rocks.
The Competition
Ask for 10 Ciphers
Use 5 Telegrams to Translate the Ciphers
Use Radios to Intercept Transmissions
To learn more about the other treasure hunters, you'll need to study the items they left behind. In this case, you'll find telegrams scattered around the map, but will need to ask your friends for Ciphers via individual requests in order to actually "use" those telegrams. The Radios are also found at various locations around the map, although they might be guarded by spiders (since you're in a cave), mine train carts that need to moved or traps that need to be disarmed.
Out of Time
Collect the Ancient Marajoara Vase
Collect the Ancient Conquistador Armor
Collect the Pristine Marajoara Vase
Collect the Pristine Conquistador Armor
Apparently, the Calendar of the Sun and Celestial Compass have something to do with the progress of time and space, which could explain why the previous two Expeditions in the series saw you collecting previously extinct birds or plants. While the team is still confused as to what exactly is causing this time warp, you can gather a pair of or armor pieces or vases to try and fill in the blanks. Feel free to click on the "Show Me" button next to a particular item if you're having trouble spotting it on the map on your own. Just keep in mind that these pieces might be located in an out-of-the-way corner of the map that you may not otherwise even need to travel to.
Once you finish this third Calendar of the Sun Expedition, you will have officially reached the halfway point in the series. We'll continue to bring you guides on how to finish the other Expeditions in both the Calendar of the Sun story and in the main game itself, so keep checking back with us!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Lunar Mine Expedition? Do you appreciate the increase in difficulty we've seen in these Indiana Jones Expeditions thus far, or would you prefer them all to be as easy as the first?
Cafe World Kid's Night Goals: Everything you need to know
While you still have four days to finish the Fall Feast feature in Cafe World, if you've already moved past all that, you can now move onto a goal series that's perfect for the kiddies. Kid's Night is an eight part goal series that contains the same basic principles of all goal sets: you'll need to cook a lot of dishes (in this case some random dishes) and ask your friends to send you a lot of items, but in this case, they're all themed towards children. Here's a guide to completing these eight goals.
As a reminder, this goal series contains some random dishes, so there's unfortunately no way to predict which dishes each and every user will have to cook. Just keep in mind that if you finish all eight goals, your overall cooking time should be incredibly similar to that of other players.
Kid's Night
Ask for 6 Kid's Menus
Serve Macaroni and Cheese 35 Times
Serve 40 Dishes
Remember, any of these "ask for" tasks have you asking your friends to send you items, while the dishes tasks simply require you to cook those dishes before moving on. You can spice them if you'd like to reduce or even eliminate their cooking times entirely, or you can wait for your dishes to cook the old-fashion way. There doesn't look to be a time limit for when you'll need to complete these goals, so feel free to not rush.
Smash Hit
Ask for 10 Balloons
Ask for 6 Crayon Boxes
Serve 40 Dishes
Your reward for this goal is a new recipe: Hotdog Mac and Cheese. That sounds like something a kid would eat, right? Heck, I think I'd eat it too!
Oldie But Goodie
Ask for 6 Cheese Wheels
Master Hotdog Mac and Cheese through Level 1
Serve 50 Dishes
Dino-Mite
Ask for 6 Dinosaur Shaped Cutters
Serve 45 Dishes
Ask for 10 Chicken Breasts
If the ingredients didn't give it away, you'll receive a fun new recipe for completing this one: the Dino Chicken Nuggets.
Ant Invasion
Ask for 10 Stalks of Celery
Master Dino Chicken Nuggets through Level 1
Master Hotdog Mac and Cheese through Level 2
Your reward for this goal is a healthy snack for the kids: Ants on a Log (don't worry - it's just raisins and peanut butter on top of celery).
Almost Showtime
Ask for 7 Coloring Books
Master Ants on a Log through Level 1
Ask for 12 Kid Plates
Kids Eat Free
Master Dino Chicken Nuggets through Level 2
Ask for 12 Streamers
Master Ants on a Log to Level 2
The Kid's Win!
Ask for 6 Boxes of Macaroni
Ask for 13 Chocolate Bars
Earn 500,000 coins
By this point, you've reached the end of the Kid's Night goal series, and will receive one more recipe for your trouble: Chocolate Pudding. If you're wondering what Macaroni has to do with pudding, we're told in the story that after dessert, the kids will take part in making some macaroni art. How fun!
Again, there doesn't appear to be a time limit on these goals, so feel free to work on other things (perhaps a catering order that you're being timed on).
[Via Zynga]
What do you think of these Kid's Night goals in Cafe World?
As a reminder, this goal series contains some random dishes, so there's unfortunately no way to predict which dishes each and every user will have to cook. Just keep in mind that if you finish all eight goals, your overall cooking time should be incredibly similar to that of other players.
Kid's Night
Ask for 6 Kid's Menus
Serve Macaroni and Cheese 35 Times
Serve 40 Dishes
Remember, any of these "ask for" tasks have you asking your friends to send you items, while the dishes tasks simply require you to cook those dishes before moving on. You can spice them if you'd like to reduce or even eliminate their cooking times entirely, or you can wait for your dishes to cook the old-fashion way. There doesn't look to be a time limit for when you'll need to complete these goals, so feel free to not rush.
Smash Hit
Ask for 10 Balloons
Ask for 6 Crayon Boxes
Serve 40 Dishes
Your reward for this goal is a new recipe: Hotdog Mac and Cheese. That sounds like something a kid would eat, right? Heck, I think I'd eat it too!
Oldie But Goodie
Ask for 6 Cheese Wheels
Master Hotdog Mac and Cheese through Level 1
Serve 50 Dishes
Dino-Mite
Ask for 6 Dinosaur Shaped Cutters
Serve 45 Dishes
Ask for 10 Chicken Breasts
If the ingredients didn't give it away, you'll receive a fun new recipe for completing this one: the Dino Chicken Nuggets.
Ant Invasion
Ask for 10 Stalks of Celery
Master Dino Chicken Nuggets through Level 1
Master Hotdog Mac and Cheese through Level 2
Your reward for this goal is a healthy snack for the kids: Ants on a Log (don't worry - it's just raisins and peanut butter on top of celery).
Almost Showtime
Ask for 7 Coloring Books
Master Ants on a Log through Level 1
Ask for 12 Kid Plates
Kids Eat Free
Master Dino Chicken Nuggets through Level 2
Ask for 12 Streamers
Master Ants on a Log to Level 2
The Kid's Win!
Ask for 6 Boxes of Macaroni
Ask for 13 Chocolate Bars
Earn 500,000 coins
By this point, you've reached the end of the Kid's Night goal series, and will receive one more recipe for your trouble: Chocolate Pudding. If you're wondering what Macaroni has to do with pudding, we're told in the story that after dessert, the kids will take part in making some macaroni art. How fun!
Again, there doesn't appear to be a time limit on these goals, so feel free to work on other things (perhaps a catering order that you're being timed on).
[Via Zynga]
What do you think of these Kid's Night goals in Cafe World?
Thứ Tư, 26 tháng 10, 2011
Throw Grenades With Halo: Anniversary’s Kinect Functionality
You can shout “grenade!” and see Master Chief sling one with the Kinect functionality 343 Industries has added to Halo: Anniversary, the high-definition remake coming on November 15. Other voice commands include “reload!” the studio revealed yesterday at Comic-Con.
Kinect will also support the spoken command “analyse”, which allows players to capture specific items from the environment and store them in the game’s “library”, where they are given a text listing and a 3D model to view up close.
Library is available only for those with Kinect, however. (Reloading and grenade chucking are, of course, available for controller-only gamers.)
Though 343 did not specify further, it sounds as though “reload”, “grenade” and “analyse” are not the only spoken commands Halo: Anniversary will recognise. We’d already heard that Kinect would allow players to switch the game between its high-definition and classic graphics.
Also, ShackNews reported that 343 revealed that “Hang ‘Em High” is the final multiplayer map for Anniversary.
Kinect will also support the spoken command “analyse”, which allows players to capture specific items from the environment and store them in the game’s “library”, where they are given a text listing and a 3D model to view up close.
Library is available only for those with Kinect, however. (Reloading and grenade chucking are, of course, available for controller-only gamers.)
Though 343 did not specify further, it sounds as though “reload”, “grenade” and “analyse” are not the only spoken commands Halo: Anniversary will recognise. We’d already heard that Kinect would allow players to switch the game between its high-definition and classic graphics.
Also, ShackNews reported that 343 revealed that “Hang ‘Em High” is the final multiplayer map for Anniversary.
Burglary Delivers Huge Setback To Indie Game Project Zomboid
The Indie Stone, the UK-based team behind the survival-horror game Project Zomboid might have the worst and hardest luck in independent games development. They’ve battled piracy — the kind that actually does cost a developer money — and had preorders cut off when PayPal suddenly shut down their account for bogus reasons. Still like the undead, they always managed to shamble back from adversity. It will be a lot tougher to rally this time.
Sunday Comics: Upright And Locked
Welcome to your weekly roundup of the week’s best in web comics. Make sure to click on the image to enlarge each comic.
Five Video Games with Rock Stars Not Rocking
This sounds like an alternate lyric to the Twelve Days of Christmas. Hey why isn’t Band Hero on this list? … Rimshot? Hello? Anyone? Thank you …
•Ten Characters We’d Like to Swap in
Megabits of Gaming] Gordon Freeman and Commander Shepard swapping places? Batman in Fortune City? These and seven others make up a list of imagined crossovers one site would like to see. I’d like to take the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin from NBA 2K12 and put him in Rage.
The Motherload
This is the motherload. WIth more systems, games, accessories and controllers than you can count, and bonafied gamer girl (verified by the geek community, as directed by the President of the United States) Jo Garcia, this pretty much wins in my book.
Hey Baby, Nice Hardware
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What’s better? A list of those. Here’s a roundup of the rundowns out there.
Thứ Ba, 25 tháng 10, 2011
Watch Kinect Power The Future Of Touch-Based Interface
The whole deal with Kinect is that it’s supposed to free you from touching things. But a new implementation might have you being more in touch with the physical world than before.
What you’re looking at is an experimental prototype created by Microsoft Research labs designed to make any surface a touch surface. It uses a modified Kinect-style camera created by PrimeSense and a pico projector to create an image on a surface. What’s coolest about this is that it combines off-the-shelf components currently available to any tinkerer. That means that a smaller, refined version of this might not be that far away. I could see OmniTouch being used to control strategy games like Starcraft or being used to usher in the next generation of Pokemon games. What about you, readers? Any genres or titles you think would be enhanced by OmniTouch?
What you’re looking at is an experimental prototype created by Microsoft Research labs designed to make any surface a touch surface. It uses a modified Kinect-style camera created by PrimeSense and a pico projector to create an image on a surface. What’s coolest about this is that it combines off-the-shelf components currently available to any tinkerer. That means that a smaller, refined version of this might not be that far away. I could see OmniTouch being used to control strategy games like Starcraft or being used to usher in the next generation of Pokemon games. What about you, readers? Any genres or titles you think would be enhanced by OmniTouch?
Grand Slam Tennis 2 Swings Both Ways (DualShock And Move)
Tennis games and I have a weird relationship. It was an ancient, LCD handheld tennis game that taught me the fundamentals of tennis scoring. Numbers? Then words? Then words that are numbers? Huh?
Then, when I started playing video games, tennis became my favourite sport to play in digital form. The combination of reflexes, response time and angles of attack felt right to me and, still to this day, I get more worked up when playing tennis titles.
But recent serve-and-volley experiences have left me cold. I used to love the Top Spin games, but the changes to the control scheme in Top Spin 3 frustrated me to the point where Top Spin 4‘s attempt to address those issues felt inadequate. And I took Virtua Tennis 4 for a whirl, but something about it felt too robotic for me to really enjoy.
So, I was more than ready to try out Grand Slam Tennis 2 at a demo last week. Most significantly, EA’s bringing their tennis franchise to PS3 and Xbox 360 after a Wii game a few years back. Player likenesses look great, with animations that bring little individual quirks to life. As for the tournaments themselves, Wimbledon will be exclusive to Grand Slam Tennis 2, making it the only game to have all four real-world Grand Slams. Also, with Grand Slam Tennis 2, EA’s adopting the same right analogue stick control that they’ve implemented with their Tiger Woods, Fight Night and NHL franchises. With Total Racket Control, a straight upward push on the right stick gives a safe return and pulling back on the stick grants top spin to the ball. You’ll pull off lobs and drop shots by pressing R2 as a modifier with different shot motions. Serving’s broken up into a two-part swing meter, where you pull back and hold for power and forward to serve. Holding too long will result in faults. I found the timing tricky to master, but there’s supposed to be training to get you used to the mechanic.
The whole thing felt responsive and I was able to get the ball where I wanted to. My own flubs came from having Federer rush the net too often, giving the AI Sharapova opportunity to get the ball behind me. (Hey, I never said I was good at tennis games. Just that I was passionate.) The Pro AI system in the game is based on actual pros’ proclivities so that virtual Sharapova was able to play the baseline and get me running to and fro. If you actually know how your athlete of choice likes to play, you’ll do better in competition.
In what’s pretty much a no-brainer, Grand Slam Tennis 2 will support the PlayStation Move peripheral. Gestures map as you’d expect and there’s movement auto-assist if you’re just playing with the Move wand. Your character will get there in time for you to plant your feed; all you need to worry about is aiming your swing. Using Move was fun but I kept getting distracted by my own body mechanics, which are not just that good, honestly. Total Racket Control and the chance to hoist tennis’ biggest trophy at Wimbledon makes Grand Slam Tennis 2 one to watch when it hits next year.
Then, when I started playing video games, tennis became my favourite sport to play in digital form. The combination of reflexes, response time and angles of attack felt right to me and, still to this day, I get more worked up when playing tennis titles.
But recent serve-and-volley experiences have left me cold. I used to love the Top Spin games, but the changes to the control scheme in Top Spin 3 frustrated me to the point where Top Spin 4‘s attempt to address those issues felt inadequate. And I took Virtua Tennis 4 for a whirl, but something about it felt too robotic for me to really enjoy.
So, I was more than ready to try out Grand Slam Tennis 2 at a demo last week. Most significantly, EA’s bringing their tennis franchise to PS3 and Xbox 360 after a Wii game a few years back. Player likenesses look great, with animations that bring little individual quirks to life. As for the tournaments themselves, Wimbledon will be exclusive to Grand Slam Tennis 2, making it the only game to have all four real-world Grand Slams. Also, with Grand Slam Tennis 2, EA’s adopting the same right analogue stick control that they’ve implemented with their Tiger Woods, Fight Night and NHL franchises. With Total Racket Control, a straight upward push on the right stick gives a safe return and pulling back on the stick grants top spin to the ball. You’ll pull off lobs and drop shots by pressing R2 as a modifier with different shot motions. Serving’s broken up into a two-part swing meter, where you pull back and hold for power and forward to serve. Holding too long will result in faults. I found the timing tricky to master, but there’s supposed to be training to get you used to the mechanic.
The whole thing felt responsive and I was able to get the ball where I wanted to. My own flubs came from having Federer rush the net too often, giving the AI Sharapova opportunity to get the ball behind me. (Hey, I never said I was good at tennis games. Just that I was passionate.) The Pro AI system in the game is based on actual pros’ proclivities so that virtual Sharapova was able to play the baseline and get me running to and fro. If you actually know how your athlete of choice likes to play, you’ll do better in competition.
In what’s pretty much a no-brainer, Grand Slam Tennis 2 will support the PlayStation Move peripheral. Gestures map as you’d expect and there’s movement auto-assist if you’re just playing with the Move wand. Your character will get there in time for you to plant your feed; all you need to worry about is aiming your swing. Using Move was fun but I kept getting distracted by my own body mechanics, which are not just that good, honestly. Total Racket Control and the chance to hoist tennis’ biggest trophy at Wimbledon makes Grand Slam Tennis 2 one to watch when it hits next year.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)