Finally, the dancing around the bush has ended. Zynga and FrontierVille have finally decided to address and celebrate the rest of the true holidays this season (the first being Hanukkah, of course): Kwanzaa and Christmas. While most of the recent events in FrontierVille have been mostly Christmas-esque, it's only now that our fellow pioneers can recognize both of the final winter holidays in 2010: Kwanzaa and Christmas.
The new Kwanzaa Kinara is asking for 8,500 coins and 20 Wood while the Flashing Tree is going for a whopping 52 Horseshoes. Now, we're not even going to try to explain the discrepancy in price between these two items, but asking about $6 for a tree with lights on it would be considered absurd by some and outright crazy by others. Anyway, these two items are limited edition, so if you want to celebrate the holidays your way on the homestead, now is the time as both of these festive decorations will be going away in just 22 days.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
Crime City Cheats & Tips Walkthrough
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Crime City is a Facebook game that lets you take command of your own hood and build your career within the crime world. Open up businesses to collect money, commit crimes to earn rewards and respect, increase your wealth and influence to be the best mafia lord in the city. These are just a few of the things you can do to get started playing Crime City by referring to this quick start guide.
Build your Hood
Your hood is your neighborhood where you construct buildings to help you collect resources and materials to do crimes in several locations. When you start in the game, you'll have your own steel mill and get to build your first business, a laundromat. Use these buildings to jump start your career in crime to support you in the list of jobs needed to be accomplished.
As you progress through the game, you'll need more cash to buy equipment and vehicles to attain goals. Expand your hood by constructing more buildings. Go and click on the store icon and you are presented with 3 types of buildings.
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The first two is what you'll need. Money buildings provide you with cash, which you can collect at certain periods. Some need resources for it to be completed, such as paint, concrete blocks or drills. Ask help from your mafia members and friends for them to send it over.
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Resource buildings provide energy and steel. There is no urgent need to build another steel mill at earlier stages since you will have enough to construct your other buildings. For energy, the coffee shop is a must. It will help you finish more jobs when your energy runs out.
Special buildings are beneficial but only if you're willing to spend some real money and credits to get ahead of your rivals.
The rest are for decorative purposes. Having roads, adding trees and road signs will make your neighborhood more "city friendly". Don't forget to expand your hood to make room for more buildings.
Currency and Resources
There are 3 main currencies you need to collect in order to progress through the game.
Money (cash)
Diamonds
Respect
Money is needed to purchase items in the store. You can collect them from doing jobs and buildings you've constructed in your hood. You can also get money from rivals when you fight and rob their hood. You'll get more of it when you finish goals and level up.
Diamonds are used to purchase equipment such as armor, vehicles, and weapons. You gain them by finishing jobs, robbing rivals and attaining goals. The bigger the jobs, the more diamonds you earn.
Respect is gained when you fight and rob rivals. This is also needed for items in the store.
Energy is the most important resource you'll need. The more you have and increase its maximum level through skill points, you'll be able to finish more jobs.
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You can gain energy through time by waiting, collecting it from resource buildings, visiting your mafia members and doing jobs.
Steel is needed to construct some buildings in your hood. You can collect it from the steel factory or when visiting mafia members.
Job Preparation and Completion
At earlier levels, jobs are easy to accomplish. You'll need few energy points and equipment needed are cheap. But, as your progress, jobs will take several steps to accomplish.
To complete jobs, it's best to follow the story line and accomplish the list of goals that appear.
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All goals will give you a list of tasks to do at each location. You can click on the links within the window to make it easier for you to proceed to the place. Some jobs will entail you to deal with buildings and some to interact with other people (avatars). To aid you on what needs to be done, look around and you'll see green arrows on top of buildings and people.
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These are job indicators. Hover your mouse over each to know how much energy and number of steps are needed to accomplish the job. Clicking on it will sometimes reveal the equipment required for the job. If you have enough resources, go ahead and purchase it.
For jobs that take a lot of steps, your energy level might not be enough to finish it in one go. A tip here is to go to your hood and collect energy from your coffee shop. You can also visit your mafia members. You'll get 20 energy points for every visit.
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Location Mastery for Skill Points
It's recommended, not only for goal purposes, but to gain skill points, to master each location. At the bottom, just above your neighbor's list, you'll see a bar with a number beside it. A yellow arrow is also shown. This is your mastery bar that indicates your mastery level for each location.
By clicking on the arrow, it will show yellow arrows that will indicate all the jobs you need to complete to master one level. Take note that these arrows are hidden by default.
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You can opt to do the jobs to gain rewards. It is recommended to wait for it to appear on the goal's list so you can get that extra goal bonus. You can also go back to the location to increase your mastery level and you'll get more rewards for each job.
Each time you master each location, you'll get 1 skill point to use to increase your skills within your profile.
Collections and Getting Busted
As mentioned, constructing more buildings in your hood will be beneficial for you to gain more money and energy.
Take note that each building has an "expiry" date (or time). The faster you can collect from it, the shorter grace period you have until the cops bust your building. The longer you wait before you collect, the more money you will lose.
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You'll know if your building has been busted if you see an image of a police car within the collect bubble.
Upgrade Buildings
Improving your buildings will increase the number of rewards you'll get. Upgrade the laundromat to the highest level as soon as you can. This will help you accumulate cash to purchase items.
The coffee shop is another key building you need to upgrade. The more energy you can collect every time it is ready, the quicker you can finish a job.
Rob and Fight Against Rivals
Fight against your rivals and rob their buildings. This will give you instant rewards.
When you visit the rival's list, the sure way to win is to pick someone who has less mafia members. Once you enter your rival's hood, double check their profile and check their mafia's attack and defense strength as well.
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Look at the "total item attack and defense" points and compare it to yours. You can find your stats at the bottom, just above your neighbor's list. The number of mafia members, your attack and defense stats will help you decide whether you should continue and rob or fight with your chosen rival. If yours is higher overall, then you'll sure to win.
Take note that not all rival hoods can be robbed. You'll only see the "rob" indicator if their buildings are ready to be collected.
The Empire Times
This is where you'll find any rivals who stopped by your neighborhood, whether you've been robbed or fought with them during your absence.
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Featured items from the store will also be shown, which you can purchase for Facebook credits. New areas will be announced as well.
Click here to Play Crime City >
Crime City is a Facebook game that lets you take command of your own hood and build your career within the crime world. Open up businesses to collect money, commit crimes to earn rewards and respect, increase your wealth and influence to be the best mafia lord in the city. These are just a few of the things you can do to get started playing Crime City by referring to this quick start guide.
Build your Hood
Your hood is your neighborhood where you construct buildings to help you collect resources and materials to do crimes in several locations. When you start in the game, you'll have your own steel mill and get to build your first business, a laundromat. Use these buildings to jump start your career in crime to support you in the list of jobs needed to be accomplished.
As you progress through the game, you'll need more cash to buy equipment and vehicles to attain goals. Expand your hood by constructing more buildings. Go and click on the store icon and you are presented with 3 types of buildings.
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The first two is what you'll need. Money buildings provide you with cash, which you can collect at certain periods. Some need resources for it to be completed, such as paint, concrete blocks or drills. Ask help from your mafia members and friends for them to send it over.
crime city cheats
Resource buildings provide energy and steel. There is no urgent need to build another steel mill at earlier stages since you will have enough to construct your other buildings. For energy, the coffee shop is a must. It will help you finish more jobs when your energy runs out.
Special buildings are beneficial but only if you're willing to spend some real money and credits to get ahead of your rivals.
The rest are for decorative purposes. Having roads, adding trees and road signs will make your neighborhood more "city friendly". Don't forget to expand your hood to make room for more buildings.
Currency and Resources
There are 3 main currencies you need to collect in order to progress through the game.
Money (cash)
Diamonds
Respect
Money is needed to purchase items in the store. You can collect them from doing jobs and buildings you've constructed in your hood. You can also get money from rivals when you fight and rob their hood. You'll get more of it when you finish goals and level up.
Diamonds are used to purchase equipment such as armor, vehicles, and weapons. You gain them by finishing jobs, robbing rivals and attaining goals. The bigger the jobs, the more diamonds you earn.
Respect is gained when you fight and rob rivals. This is also needed for items in the store.
Energy is the most important resource you'll need. The more you have and increase its maximum level through skill points, you'll be able to finish more jobs.
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You can gain energy through time by waiting, collecting it from resource buildings, visiting your mafia members and doing jobs.
Steel is needed to construct some buildings in your hood. You can collect it from the steel factory or when visiting mafia members.
Job Preparation and Completion
At earlier levels, jobs are easy to accomplish. You'll need few energy points and equipment needed are cheap. But, as your progress, jobs will take several steps to accomplish.
To complete jobs, it's best to follow the story line and accomplish the list of goals that appear.
crime city cheats
All goals will give you a list of tasks to do at each location. You can click on the links within the window to make it easier for you to proceed to the place. Some jobs will entail you to deal with buildings and some to interact with other people (avatars). To aid you on what needs to be done, look around and you'll see green arrows on top of buildings and people.
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These are job indicators. Hover your mouse over each to know how much energy and number of steps are needed to accomplish the job. Clicking on it will sometimes reveal the equipment required for the job. If you have enough resources, go ahead and purchase it.
For jobs that take a lot of steps, your energy level might not be enough to finish it in one go. A tip here is to go to your hood and collect energy from your coffee shop. You can also visit your mafia members. You'll get 20 energy points for every visit.
crime city cheats
Location Mastery for Skill Points
It's recommended, not only for goal purposes, but to gain skill points, to master each location. At the bottom, just above your neighbor's list, you'll see a bar with a number beside it. A yellow arrow is also shown. This is your mastery bar that indicates your mastery level for each location.
By clicking on the arrow, it will show yellow arrows that will indicate all the jobs you need to complete to master one level. Take note that these arrows are hidden by default.
crime city cheats
You can opt to do the jobs to gain rewards. It is recommended to wait for it to appear on the goal's list so you can get that extra goal bonus. You can also go back to the location to increase your mastery level and you'll get more rewards for each job.
Each time you master each location, you'll get 1 skill point to use to increase your skills within your profile.
Collections and Getting Busted
As mentioned, constructing more buildings in your hood will be beneficial for you to gain more money and energy.
Take note that each building has an "expiry" date (or time). The faster you can collect from it, the shorter grace period you have until the cops bust your building. The longer you wait before you collect, the more money you will lose.
crime city cheats
You'll know if your building has been busted if you see an image of a police car within the collect bubble.
Upgrade Buildings
Improving your buildings will increase the number of rewards you'll get. Upgrade the laundromat to the highest level as soon as you can. This will help you accumulate cash to purchase items.
The coffee shop is another key building you need to upgrade. The more energy you can collect every time it is ready, the quicker you can finish a job.
Rob and Fight Against Rivals
Fight against your rivals and rob their buildings. This will give you instant rewards.
When you visit the rival's list, the sure way to win is to pick someone who has less mafia members. Once you enter your rival's hood, double check their profile and check their mafia's attack and defense strength as well.
crime city cheats
Look at the "total item attack and defense" points and compare it to yours. You can find your stats at the bottom, just above your neighbor's list. The number of mafia members, your attack and defense stats will help you decide whether you should continue and rob or fight with your chosen rival. If yours is higher overall, then you'll sure to win.
Take note that not all rival hoods can be robbed. You'll only see the "rob" indicator if their buildings are ready to be collected.
The Empire Times
This is where you'll find any rivals who stopped by your neighborhood, whether you've been robbed or fought with them during your absence.
crime city cheats
Featured items from the store will also be shown, which you can purchase for Facebook credits. New areas will be announced as well.
Click here to Play Crime City >
FrontierVille Mystery Reindeer Crate: Collect all three to find Rudolf
It looks like Zynga has decided to join in the reindeer games this holiday season by introducing the Reindeer Mystery Crate to FrontierVille for just the remainder of December. For only 15 more days, you'll be able to buy this limited edition Mystery Animal Crate for 30 Horseshoes, or about $4, with a chance at one of three different reindeer. Inside the most festive box will either be a Brown, Gray or White Reindeer equipped with bells, reins and ready to go.
Even the White Reindeer has a red nose, so let that serve as Rudolf's unofficial cameo on the homestead. Unfortunately, there's currently no option to buy a single reindeer like with most Mystery Animal Crates. So, act fast and do whatever luck-conjuring rituals you have up your sleeves to get the Mystery Reindeer you desire by Dec. 31 when these magical bucks are set to disappear for good.
Even the White Reindeer has a red nose, so let that serve as Rudolf's unofficial cameo on the homestead. Unfortunately, there's currently no option to buy a single reindeer like with most Mystery Animal Crates. So, act fast and do whatever luck-conjuring rituals you have up your sleeves to get the Mystery Reindeer you desire by Dec. 31 when these magical bucks are set to disappear for good.
The Price is Right Cheats & Tips Walkthrough
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The Price is Right is a social game based on one of the longest running, most loved game shows in television history. Developed by Ludia, you can play your Favorite TPIR games along with friends and other TPIR enthusiasts from all over the World. Gamezebo's The Price is Right strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints and cheats on how to win.
Getting Started
To play The Price is Right you must be registered with a Facebook account in good standing. You can find the link to play the game at the bottom of this page.
Once you load the screen you will need to give the game permission to access your information and it will also bookmark the game which can be found in your bookmark area at Facebook.
You will start out with 10 coins the first time you play the game. Each day you receive a random number of free coins to play the game. 1-5 Coins You must pay 2 coins to play one 5 round game. (2 Coins equals 1 show) Once you run out of coins you have the option of purchasing more using a major credit card, Paypal, or several other methods. $5.00 will buy you 20 coins which is 10 games. Leveling up also earns you additional coins to play so the more you win in the game the more times you can play.
Note: There is a chat box at the bottom of the game screen that allows you to chat with all people in your game room. Please note that it has been said that certain profane words (even those considered "mild") will have you immediately kicked out of the game so be careful what you type in the chat box.
Note: You must have Adobe Flash player 10.1 to play this game. If you do not have the current version there is a prompt available for you to download it. If the game still does not work after you install it, restart your computer and it should work.
Getting into Contestant's Row
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Click on the green "Play Now" button at the bottom right corner of the screen. It will cost 2 coins to play each 5 round game. To see how many coins you have look up to the top left of the screen for your total.
Twelve people (which includes yourself) play in each show. If your Facebook friends are playing you may see them or other players you do not know may be in your game. Just like the television show you are a member of the audience and the other members are your friends and other Facebook players.
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Your first goal is to make it into one of the 4 seats called "Contestant's Row" and you will be given 5 rounds for every 2 coins you pay to play.
An item will be displayed on a small video screen (Clips from the actual television show) and a full description of that item will be given voice and in text at the bottom of the screen.
Note: The moment the description and video begins you can enter your bid and you will also see a green circular time keeper moving and once it turns red and completes the circle your time is up so have our bid in as fast as possible or your bid will be entered as "0000".
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Note: There are 4 digit place holders and if you place your cursor to the top of the "0" you will see an up arrow and if you move the cursor to the bottom of it you will see a down arrow. Place it where you feel most comfortable moving the numbers from 9 down or 0 up.
The four players closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over will be called to participate in Contestant's Row and will win cash bonuses based on who came the closest.
If you do not make it into contestant's row you will remain in the audience and round 2 will begin where you will continue to try and make it into Contestant's row and this will continue until your 5 sessions are over.
Contestant's Row
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If you are one of the lucky 4 people that make it into Contestant's row you will see your name tag and Facebook profile picture in one of the four seats along with the other 3 players that made it in.
Another item will be shown to you in video format (Clips from the television show) with a description read to you and with text at the bottom if you prefer to read it.
The game follows the Television show very well and you feel the pressure to put an answer in quickly in the same way. Watch for the green wheel turning and once it turns red you have just a couple of seconds to get your answer in and hit "Submit" .
The winner is the person that comes closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over.
You can as in the game show enter a bid of one dollar if you think your competition has overbid.
If everyone overbids the round will be replayed and instructed to bid lower than the lowest overbid.
If you guess the exact cost of the item you will win a cash bonus.
If you lose the round you will stay in contestant's row and the winner will move on to play a pricing game.
You do not see other players playing their pricing games you move on to the next round.
If you win while on Contestant's Row you will be taken to play the very first of whichever 9 pricing games you have unlocked the first one of which will be "Safe Cracker"
Any money you win in a pricing game will be added to your grand total which you can see in the list at the right of the screen.
If you lose the pricing game you are finished until it is time to spin the wheel at the end of the game to see if you qualify for the showcase.
Note: Based on your level you could be asked to play any pricing game that you have unlocked. The more you play and level up the more pricing games you will unlock increasing your chances of getting the one you are most proficient at.
Pricing Games
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Just as in the Television version there are pricing games available to play once you successfully bid on an item while on Contestant's row.
Note: On the Television show there are over 60 pricing games in rotation. In this game there are currently 9 but this could increase in the future.
As you win money in the game a cumulative total is kept as this determines your ranking in the game.
The more you play TPIR and the more money you win you will also level up. Leveling up unlocks certain pricing games for you to play and practice and you earn more points to play additional games with.
The pricing games follow this unlock order and are played just as the games on Television but with adaptations for computer play:
Safe Cracker - Unlocked at Start of Game.
Clock Game - Unlocks at Level 1
Bonkers - Unlocks at Level 5
Three Strikes - Unlocks at Level 10
Plinko - Unlocks at Level 15
Lucky Seven - Unlocks at Level 20
Hole in One - Unlocks at Level 25
Cliff Hangers - Unlocks at Level 30
Check Out - Unlocks at Level 35
Winning any of these pricing games adds to your grand total increasing your odds of winning the Showcase Showdown at the end of the game.
Spinning the Wheel
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The top 2 of the 12 players will move on to the Showcase Showdown and the other 10 players will spin the Wheel for bonus money. The 10 players will be allowed to spin the wheel and you will be able to see their results on the list at the right of the screen. The wheel is divided into 20 sections in increments of 5 cents to $1.00. Simply Click on the wheel to spin and it will spin downward.
Rules: The goal is to try to get as close to one dollar as possible without going over.
You are allowed 2 spins and you do not have to take the second spin if you do not want to in fear you may go over.
Pro Tip: If you look to the right you will see your ranking and what your other players have spun and this can help you decide if you want a second spin or not. If someone has already reached 3 high scores you might as well go for it.
The top 3 people to get closest to $1.00 without going over will win as follows:
First Place Wins - $20,000
Second Place Wins - $10,000
Third Place Wins - $ 5,000
If you did not make it to the showdown you will not see the actual showdown but you will see the results of it shown on the screen after a few moments.
Look at the very top of the list to your right to see which friends have won the most money and where your ranking is in the list of 12 players.
Note: Encourage your friends to play by sending them an invitation at the top right of the screen. The more friends that play the more money for all of you.
Showcase Showdown
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If you make it to the Showcase Showdown you will be playing against one other person as you two are the two top money earners out of the 12 players in the game.
You will each be shown a different showcase of prizes of which you must try to give your best estimate as to the retail value of all of it added together but you can not go over.
Note there is again a green wheel timer so be sure to enter your bid before this wheel has made one complete revolution.
The person with the highest ranking will see their showcase first and can either bid or pass it to the second highest ranking person.
If you are able to come within 500 dollars of the total retail value of your showcase then you will win both showcases.
The grand total of all money earned will be listed and you will be placed in a ranking order found on the right side of the screen.
Note: Your winnings are cumulative and the more you play the faster you will level up unlocking pricing games and earning bonus cash.
Congratulations!
You have completed the basic game play guide for The Price is Right from Ludia Games at Facebook. Be sure to check back often for game updates, Staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments and much more.
The Price is Right is a social game based on one of the longest running, most loved game shows in television history. Developed by Ludia, you can play your Favorite TPIR games along with friends and other TPIR enthusiasts from all over the World. Gamezebo's The Price is Right strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints and cheats on how to win.
Getting Started
To play The Price is Right you must be registered with a Facebook account in good standing. You can find the link to play the game at the bottom of this page.
Once you load the screen you will need to give the game permission to access your information and it will also bookmark the game which can be found in your bookmark area at Facebook.
You will start out with 10 coins the first time you play the game. Each day you receive a random number of free coins to play the game. 1-5 Coins You must pay 2 coins to play one 5 round game. (2 Coins equals 1 show) Once you run out of coins you have the option of purchasing more using a major credit card, Paypal, or several other methods. $5.00 will buy you 20 coins which is 10 games. Leveling up also earns you additional coins to play so the more you win in the game the more times you can play.
Note: There is a chat box at the bottom of the game screen that allows you to chat with all people in your game room. Please note that it has been said that certain profane words (even those considered "mild") will have you immediately kicked out of the game so be careful what you type in the chat box.
Note: You must have Adobe Flash player 10.1 to play this game. If you do not have the current version there is a prompt available for you to download it. If the game still does not work after you install it, restart your computer and it should work.
Getting into Contestant's Row
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Click on the green "Play Now" button at the bottom right corner of the screen. It will cost 2 coins to play each 5 round game. To see how many coins you have look up to the top left of the screen for your total.
Twelve people (which includes yourself) play in each show. If your Facebook friends are playing you may see them or other players you do not know may be in your game. Just like the television show you are a member of the audience and the other members are your friends and other Facebook players.
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Your first goal is to make it into one of the 4 seats called "Contestant's Row" and you will be given 5 rounds for every 2 coins you pay to play.
An item will be displayed on a small video screen (Clips from the actual television show) and a full description of that item will be given voice and in text at the bottom of the screen.
Note: The moment the description and video begins you can enter your bid and you will also see a green circular time keeper moving and once it turns red and completes the circle your time is up so have our bid in as fast as possible or your bid will be entered as "0000".
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Note: There are 4 digit place holders and if you place your cursor to the top of the "0" you will see an up arrow and if you move the cursor to the bottom of it you will see a down arrow. Place it where you feel most comfortable moving the numbers from 9 down or 0 up.
The four players closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over will be called to participate in Contestant's Row and will win cash bonuses based on who came the closest.
If you do not make it into contestant's row you will remain in the audience and round 2 will begin where you will continue to try and make it into Contestant's row and this will continue until your 5 sessions are over.
Contestant's Row
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If you are one of the lucky 4 people that make it into Contestant's row you will see your name tag and Facebook profile picture in one of the four seats along with the other 3 players that made it in.
Another item will be shown to you in video format (Clips from the television show) with a description read to you and with text at the bottom if you prefer to read it.
The game follows the Television show very well and you feel the pressure to put an answer in quickly in the same way. Watch for the green wheel turning and once it turns red you have just a couple of seconds to get your answer in and hit "Submit" .
The winner is the person that comes closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over.
You can as in the game show enter a bid of one dollar if you think your competition has overbid.
If everyone overbids the round will be replayed and instructed to bid lower than the lowest overbid.
If you guess the exact cost of the item you will win a cash bonus.
If you lose the round you will stay in contestant's row and the winner will move on to play a pricing game.
You do not see other players playing their pricing games you move on to the next round.
If you win while on Contestant's Row you will be taken to play the very first of whichever 9 pricing games you have unlocked the first one of which will be "Safe Cracker"
Any money you win in a pricing game will be added to your grand total which you can see in the list at the right of the screen.
If you lose the pricing game you are finished until it is time to spin the wheel at the end of the game to see if you qualify for the showcase.
Note: Based on your level you could be asked to play any pricing game that you have unlocked. The more you play and level up the more pricing games you will unlock increasing your chances of getting the one you are most proficient at.
Pricing Games
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Just as in the Television version there are pricing games available to play once you successfully bid on an item while on Contestant's row.
Note: On the Television show there are over 60 pricing games in rotation. In this game there are currently 9 but this could increase in the future.
As you win money in the game a cumulative total is kept as this determines your ranking in the game.
The more you play TPIR and the more money you win you will also level up. Leveling up unlocks certain pricing games for you to play and practice and you earn more points to play additional games with.
The pricing games follow this unlock order and are played just as the games on Television but with adaptations for computer play:
Safe Cracker - Unlocked at Start of Game.
Clock Game - Unlocks at Level 1
Bonkers - Unlocks at Level 5
Three Strikes - Unlocks at Level 10
Plinko - Unlocks at Level 15
Lucky Seven - Unlocks at Level 20
Hole in One - Unlocks at Level 25
Cliff Hangers - Unlocks at Level 30
Check Out - Unlocks at Level 35
Winning any of these pricing games adds to your grand total increasing your odds of winning the Showcase Showdown at the end of the game.
Spinning the Wheel
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The top 2 of the 12 players will move on to the Showcase Showdown and the other 10 players will spin the Wheel for bonus money. The 10 players will be allowed to spin the wheel and you will be able to see their results on the list at the right of the screen. The wheel is divided into 20 sections in increments of 5 cents to $1.00. Simply Click on the wheel to spin and it will spin downward.
Rules: The goal is to try to get as close to one dollar as possible without going over.
You are allowed 2 spins and you do not have to take the second spin if you do not want to in fear you may go over.
Pro Tip: If you look to the right you will see your ranking and what your other players have spun and this can help you decide if you want a second spin or not. If someone has already reached 3 high scores you might as well go for it.
The top 3 people to get closest to $1.00 without going over will win as follows:
First Place Wins - $20,000
Second Place Wins - $10,000
Third Place Wins - $ 5,000
If you did not make it to the showdown you will not see the actual showdown but you will see the results of it shown on the screen after a few moments.
Look at the very top of the list to your right to see which friends have won the most money and where your ranking is in the list of 12 players.
Note: Encourage your friends to play by sending them an invitation at the top right of the screen. The more friends that play the more money for all of you.
Showcase Showdown
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If you make it to the Showcase Showdown you will be playing against one other person as you two are the two top money earners out of the 12 players in the game.
You will each be shown a different showcase of prizes of which you must try to give your best estimate as to the retail value of all of it added together but you can not go over.
Note there is again a green wheel timer so be sure to enter your bid before this wheel has made one complete revolution.
The person with the highest ranking will see their showcase first and can either bid or pass it to the second highest ranking person.
If you are able to come within 500 dollars of the total retail value of your showcase then you will win both showcases.
The grand total of all money earned will be listed and you will be placed in a ranking order found on the right side of the screen.
Note: Your winnings are cumulative and the more you play the faster you will level up unlocking pricing games and earning bonus cash.
Congratulations!
You have completed the basic game play guide for The Price is Right from Ludia Games at Facebook. Be sure to check back often for game updates, Staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments and much more.
Nominate Zynga's FarmVille and FrontierVille in 2010 Crunchies Awards
Feeling down in the dumps that neither Treasure Isle nor even FarmVille were awarded Social Game of the Year in this year's Game Developer's Choice Online Awards? Well, Zynga wants to save some face in 2010 by rallying the masses to nominate both FrontierVille and FarmVille in the 2010 Crunchies Awards put together by Tech Crunch. A community driven award show that honors achievements in the technology world from Best Venture Capitalist to Best Time Sink Application.
This is where you come in. In the preliminary nominations period, going on now through Dec. 24, anyone can nominate anything for any award. While this leaves things open for potential sabotage--I'm looking at you, Anonymous--it also leaves it open for FarmVille and FrontierVille players like you and I to throw in a vote. Zynga is currently asking its fans to choose FarmVille as The Best Time Sink Application of 2010 while asking FrontierVille players to nominate its Wild West Facebook game as the Best Social Application of 2010.
The top nominees in each category will be selected by Tech Crunch as Crunchies Finalists. Voting on the finalists will then begin in January 2011. If you live in or near San Francisco or truly love tech enough to travel and attend the ceremony on Jan. 21 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, extremely limited general admission tickets will go on sale soon. But even if you can't make it, be sure to vote for your favorite social game in the 2010 Crunchies even if it isn't a Zynga game, because, hey, it's a free country.
This is where you come in. In the preliminary nominations period, going on now through Dec. 24, anyone can nominate anything for any award. While this leaves things open for potential sabotage--I'm looking at you, Anonymous--it also leaves it open for FarmVille and FrontierVille players like you and I to throw in a vote. Zynga is currently asking its fans to choose FarmVille as The Best Time Sink Application of 2010 while asking FrontierVille players to nominate its Wild West Facebook game as the Best Social Application of 2010.
The top nominees in each category will be selected by Tech Crunch as Crunchies Finalists. Voting on the finalists will then begin in January 2011. If you live in or near San Francisco or truly love tech enough to travel and attend the ceremony on Jan. 21 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, extremely limited general admission tickets will go on sale soon. But even if you can't make it, be sure to vote for your favorite social game in the 2010 Crunchies even if it isn't a Zynga game, because, hey, it's a free country.
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Pigpen Expansion: Everything you need to know plus links
Pigpen Expansion
Bring on the slop, farmers, because Zynga will soon allow you to expand your Pigpens in FarmVille. Thanks to our friends over at FarmVille Freak, we have all the information and tools you'll need to get that Pigpen even bigger (and even sloppier) as soon as possible. Luckily, it's pretty simple albeit potentially tedious. You'll need to acquire 12 of these three items from friends in good old "BegVille" style:
12 Wooden Boards
12 Bricks
12 Nails
Get all 36 items and, just like that, your Pigpen will be able to hold twice as many Pigs as before at 40 Pigs. After about 20 minutes on the good old calculator, I deduced that this should... double your chance of finding precious Truffles. What, does it look like I went to college for mathematics? Anyway, if you're having trouble finding any of these three items in your Free Gifts page, here are some links that should take you straight there:
Bring on the slop, farmers, because Zynga will soon allow you to expand your Pigpens in FarmVille. Thanks to our friends over at FarmVille Freak, we have all the information and tools you'll need to get that Pigpen even bigger (and even sloppier) as soon as possible. Luckily, it's pretty simple albeit potentially tedious. You'll need to acquire 12 of these three items from friends in good old "BegVille" style:
12 Wooden Boards
12 Bricks
12 Nails
Get all 36 items and, just like that, your Pigpen will be able to hold twice as many Pigs as before at 40 Pigs. After about 20 minutes on the good old calculator, I deduced that this should... double your chance of finding precious Truffles. What, does it look like I went to college for mathematics? Anyway, if you're having trouble finding any of these three items in your Free Gifts page, here are some links that should take you straight there:
FrontierVille Arts and Crafts: Awesome 3D avatar, Sugar Glider models
Some pioneers express their love (or temporary disdain) for FrontierVille through words on various message boards, through comments right here on the site or even through skillful, hilarious Photoshop edits. But FrontierVille forum member SisLayla has articulated her adoration for the homestead through clay. In her spare time, SisLayla has been working on bringing her FrontierVille avatar into the real world through the art of clay sculpture and the results are pretty amazing.
According to her original forum post, she used solely polymer clay. FrontierVille Info reports that she later created a Suger Glider (pictured below) from the same material. You know, the one that's still available from the in-game Mystery Animal Crate until Jan. 6? Both are impressive creations and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next. In the meantime, why not send any social game-inspired artwork you find or have made yourself to us at editors@games.com? Check out some more snapshots of how she did it both in her forum post and on FrontierVille Info.
Sugar Glider 3D model
According to her original forum post, she used solely polymer clay. FrontierVille Info reports that she later created a Suger Glider (pictured below) from the same material. You know, the one that's still available from the in-game Mystery Animal Crate until Jan. 6? Both are impressive creations and we can't wait to see what she comes up with next. In the meantime, why not send any social game-inspired artwork you find or have made yourself to us at editors@games.com? Check out some more snapshots of how she did it both in her forum post and on FrontierVille Info.
Sugar Glider 3D model
FrontierVille's Giant Pink Tree goes missing, Zynga is on the case
There have been many recent complaints on the FrontierVille forums that the Giant Pink Tree decoration from the Toy Factory has gone missing. A four-page long forum thread has sprouted as a result of the issue, which according to forum moderator Miss Marme, has already been reported to Zynga.
The item, which certainly makes a statement, costs 250 Toys from the Toy Factory. If you've been keeping up with recent events on the homestead, you'll know that collecting 250 Toys is no easy feat and the Giant Pink Tree is the second most expensive present available inside the Toy Factory. According to FrontierVille Info, many players are receiving this message upon logging into the game at the top of the screen, "We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve an issue where Pink Christmas Trees are temporarily missing." It's unsure what type of solution Zynga is cooking up for this little mishap, but let's hope it involves either bringing the Giant Pink Tree back or a pretty hefty refund.
The item, which certainly makes a statement, costs 250 Toys from the Toy Factory. If you've been keeping up with recent events on the homestead, you'll know that collecting 250 Toys is no easy feat and the Giant Pink Tree is the second most expensive present available inside the Toy Factory. According to FrontierVille Info, many players are receiving this message upon logging into the game at the top of the screen, "We appreciate your patience while we work to resolve an issue where Pink Christmas Trees are temporarily missing." It's unsure what type of solution Zynga is cooking up for this little mishap, but let's hope it involves either bringing the Giant Pink Tree back or a pretty hefty refund.
Facebook games partnerships gig given to former LiveJournal CEO
Sean Ryan (pictured), who previously worked for News Corp. creating an online games division, is now director of games partnerships at Facebook, VentureBeat reports. The position had been open since August before the decision was finally made to take Ryan on, who also previously served as CEO for Meez, a virtual world for teenagers and LiveJournal, a once popular blogging service before the turn of the decade.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Starz sending Spartacus Facebook game into the arena this month
Forget Mafia Wars, real warriors fight with sword and shield in hand, nothing but a loin cloth protecting their bodies. No? Well, Starz seems to think so as the network will soon launch a Facebook game surrounding its hit series, Spartacus. Fox News reports that the game, officially titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and published by 6waves (the same folks working on that mysterious Kobe Bryant game), will be available come Jan. 20. Just in time for the show's six-episode mini-series coming Jan. 21, this will be one of the first TV shows to get its own social game, according to Fox News. Well, unless you count that weird soap opera game in the U.K.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Like cutesy birds? How about ropes? Then you'll love Rope Rescue
How do you best the crazy success of two of your most beloved iOS games? Make one game to rule them all! At least that's what seems to be EA and Chillingo's idea behind Rope Rescue. This upcoming game for iOS devices is set to release "soon," according to video posted by Kotaku's Brian Crecente (found below).
The game was spotted at an EA fall preview event, and it challenges players with--using a rope attached to one bird across pulleys and avoiding obstacles--freeing a slew of caged birds. Hmm, colorful, animated birds guiding ropes that are in danger of being cut?
That sounds as if Chillingo and EA are looking to hook Angry Birds and Cut the Rope (you know, the two astronomical iPhone games?) fans--though, that could entirely coincidental. In the duo's defense, neither are these birds "angry" nor is the goal of the game to "cut the rope." (In fact, your mission is to keep the rope intact amidst floating knives, bursts of flame and other threats.)
There looks to be around 60 levels that will be ready at launch, which will grow in complexity as you progress. And as you rescue more birds, they will be featured in a bird sanctuary of sorts. It also displays secret butterflies, should you manage to find them in each level. No official release date or price was announced during the event, but Kotaku seems to think we'll be seeing the game this September. Stay tuned, folks: This might be the next Angry Birds ... or should I say Cut the Rope? Oh, whatever.
The game was spotted at an EA fall preview event, and it challenges players with--using a rope attached to one bird across pulleys and avoiding obstacles--freeing a slew of caged birds. Hmm, colorful, animated birds guiding ropes that are in danger of being cut?
That sounds as if Chillingo and EA are looking to hook Angry Birds and Cut the Rope (you know, the two astronomical iPhone games?) fans--though, that could entirely coincidental. In the duo's defense, neither are these birds "angry" nor is the goal of the game to "cut the rope." (In fact, your mission is to keep the rope intact amidst floating knives, bursts of flame and other threats.)
There looks to be around 60 levels that will be ready at launch, which will grow in complexity as you progress. And as you rescue more birds, they will be featured in a bird sanctuary of sorts. It also displays secret butterflies, should you manage to find them in each level. No official release date or price was announced during the event, but Kotaku seems to think we'll be seeing the game this September. Stay tuned, folks: This might be the next Angry Birds ... or should I say Cut the Rope? Oh, whatever.
Is Galaxy of Wonder Playdom's next Facebook game?
It looks like City of Wonder is headed for the stars. Playdom recently posted a teaser trailer to YouTube that revealed the first glimpse (and by glimpse we mean a 13-second long video clip with a logo) of Galaxy of Wonder. Aside from an official logo that cleverly throws a spaceship in replace of an "A"--and the famous words of Neil Armstrong when he step foot on the moon exactly 42 years ago--all we know about this project is that it's "coming soon."
Is it an expansion to its strategy game City of Wonder a' la FrontierVille's Pioneer Trail, or is this a new game entirely? I guess we'll find out "soon" enough. In the meantime, go on and spend the 13 seconds it takes to learn all there is to know about Galaxy of Wonder ... so far.
Are you excited about what looks to be a space-age strategy game? What do you hope Playdom will do differently with Galaxy of Wonder than it did City of Wonder?
Is it an expansion to its strategy game City of Wonder a' la FrontierVille's Pioneer Trail, or is this a new game entirely? I guess we'll find out "soon" enough. In the meantime, go on and spend the 13 seconds it takes to learn all there is to know about Galaxy of Wonder ... so far.
Are you excited about what looks to be a space-age strategy game? What do you hope Playdom will do differently with Galaxy of Wonder than it did City of Wonder?
Fox officially announces Family Guy Online, and dammit, Meg is in it
Really, Meg? Do you have to ruin this game, too? Fox has officially announced Family Guy Online, the upcoming browser-based 3D multiplayer game surrounding the not-so-lovely town of Quahog and its ... charming residents. In fact, when the game launches "exactly later this year," you can become of those residents. It's thanks to the Family Guy Online Character Creator, which fans can take advantage of now after registering, of course.
The Character Creator allows you to base your customized avatar off of existing characters from the Griffin family like Lois, Stewie, Peter, Chris and Brian, though he's locked at the moment. (Hey, at least Meg isn't a playable character.) Each family remember represents a character archetype, though they're pretty nebulous characteristics like "Throws Weight Around" and "Spaz Attack."
The amount of options you have to customize your character is remarkable, you know, for a game based on Family Guy. It shows that developer Roadhouse Interactive is taking great care with the franchise. And, according to an interview with Gamasutra, the game will be free to play and is aimed to fit in a sweet spot "between social games and hardcore online games called accessible games."
Family Guy Online Character Creator
Other than that, what we know about the game is two writers for the show, Andrew Goldberg and Alex Carter, have an important role in the game's creation, and the game is being built on the Unity engine. How "accessible" gamers will deal with an extra download has yet to be seen, but maybe the news that at least Meg isn't heavily involved will entice them. Stupid Meg.
The Character Creator allows you to base your customized avatar off of existing characters from the Griffin family like Lois, Stewie, Peter, Chris and Brian, though he's locked at the moment. (Hey, at least Meg isn't a playable character.) Each family remember represents a character archetype, though they're pretty nebulous characteristics like "Throws Weight Around" and "Spaz Attack."
The amount of options you have to customize your character is remarkable, you know, for a game based on Family Guy. It shows that developer Roadhouse Interactive is taking great care with the franchise. And, according to an interview with Gamasutra, the game will be free to play and is aimed to fit in a sweet spot "between social games and hardcore online games called accessible games."
Family Guy Online Character Creator
Other than that, what we know about the game is two writers for the show, Andrew Goldberg and Alex Carter, have an important role in the game's creation, and the game is being built on the Unity engine. How "accessible" gamers will deal with an extra download has yet to be seen, but maybe the news that at least Meg isn't heavily involved will entice them. Stupid Meg.
Gaia Interactive and Fever Studio partner to bring "new breed" of games to Facebook
Late last year, Gaia Interactive launched Monster Galaxy on Facebook. This monster collection game was influenced heavily by titles like Pokemon, and came with enough charming, colorful graphics and gameplay to make players want to catch them all. The game did so well that it peaked at over 19 million monthly active users, and now currently sits at a very respectable 14.9 million players.
Hoping to continue in this success with future games, Gaia Interactive has announced a new partnership with South Korean social game developer Fever Studio, that will see the companies bringing a localized version of "Everytown" to Facebook. Everytown is, as of this writing, the most successful game on the top South Korean social networks, so Gaia hopes that Facebook's extensive user base of over 750 million users will adopt it into their gameplay schedules just as regularly. In addition, Gaia and Fever Studio plan to create a "new breed of social games" for the site, using their previous experience with Gaia Online (an incredibly active social community based around dressing up an online avatar, forums, and virtual shopping) to determine what users like and how to bring those elements to Facebook.
"With Monster Galaxy as a catalyst, we aim to integrate high-quality social gaming into everyone's daily lives as Facebook has done for social networking," said Charles Park, co-founder and creative director of Gaia Interactive, via a company press release. "The partnership with Fever Studio will allow us to continue to offer a unique mix of highly-creative storylines, stunning visuals and engaging game mechanics that blur the lines between serious and casual games at an accelerated pace."
Sure, this might all sound like fluff language at this point, but Gaia has been able to continually bring players into Gaia Online since its launch eight years ago, so they've already exhibited a track record in longevity. Facebook, though, is an entirely different monster. Can Gaia Interactive's new partnership with Fever Studio help it tackle the big players like Zynga? We'll keep an eye on things, and will let you know either way.
Hoping to continue in this success with future games, Gaia Interactive has announced a new partnership with South Korean social game developer Fever Studio, that will see the companies bringing a localized version of "Everytown" to Facebook. Everytown is, as of this writing, the most successful game on the top South Korean social networks, so Gaia hopes that Facebook's extensive user base of over 750 million users will adopt it into their gameplay schedules just as regularly. In addition, Gaia and Fever Studio plan to create a "new breed of social games" for the site, using their previous experience with Gaia Online (an incredibly active social community based around dressing up an online avatar, forums, and virtual shopping) to determine what users like and how to bring those elements to Facebook.
"With Monster Galaxy as a catalyst, we aim to integrate high-quality social gaming into everyone's daily lives as Facebook has done for social networking," said Charles Park, co-founder and creative director of Gaia Interactive, via a company press release. "The partnership with Fever Studio will allow us to continue to offer a unique mix of highly-creative storylines, stunning visuals and engaging game mechanics that blur the lines between serious and casual games at an accelerated pace."
Sure, this might all sound like fluff language at this point, but Gaia has been able to continually bring players into Gaia Online since its launch eight years ago, so they've already exhibited a track record in longevity. Facebook, though, is an entirely different monster. Can Gaia Interactive's new partnership with Fever Studio help it tackle the big players like Zynga? We'll keep an eye on things, and will let you know either way.
Zynga vs Vostu: Brazilian developer fires back with a lawsuit of its own
And the saga of Zynga vs Vostu continues, as Vostu, the Brazilian social game developer, has filed a countersuit against Zynga after being sued by the gaming juggernaut last June. As a recap, Zynga sued Vostu for copyright infringement, after Vostu's MegaCity was shown to have incredibly similar designs and gameplay elements to Zynga's CityVille, which was released four months prior.
Not willing to take these serious accusations lying down, today Vostu filed a countersuit against Zynga stating the company has no right to "claim copyright over the design of everyday objects and places, including barns, farms and chairs." As reported by the NY Times, Vostu also goes on to call out Zynga for copying many designs from other games in the past as well.
But it's not just Zynga or Vostu that seem to have found the copy and paste mechanic, as Vostu compiled images showing release dates and screenshots of popular city-building and cafe games. Starting with Playdom's Social City in March of 2010, we see games from all sorts of developers, including Quepasa and Gamester, releasing similar games that all allow for the design of a fairly identical city using in-game items.
As for the restaurant games, the similarities are just as striking. Taking a cue from Playfish's Restaurant City, Zynga, Vostu, You Dong Network and Metrogames all released similarly themed cafe games, as seen below.
While this might seem like Vostu is incriminating itself by including its own games in these comparisons, it seems instead that it's simply trying to show that Zynga shouldn't be allowed to throw its weight around, when it's just as guilty of "borrowing" ideas. What's more, Vostu's suit claims that Zynga went so far as to entering into talks with the company over a potential partnership that would see Vostu revealing information about how Zynga could branch into the Brazilian social gaming market, but these talks quickly dissolved and Vostu was sued shortly thereafter.
While this entire legal drama seems to have spawned from the phrase "pot calling the kettle black," it is promising to see a smaller company standing up to Zynga (and its surely massive legal team). With all of these examples to back it up, could Vostu actually turn things around and win this thing, or at least force Zynga to quietly crawl away from the courtroom? As this drama is sure to continue to unfold, we'll make sure to let you know what comes of it.
Not willing to take these serious accusations lying down, today Vostu filed a countersuit against Zynga stating the company has no right to "claim copyright over the design of everyday objects and places, including barns, farms and chairs." As reported by the NY Times, Vostu also goes on to call out Zynga for copying many designs from other games in the past as well.
But it's not just Zynga or Vostu that seem to have found the copy and paste mechanic, as Vostu compiled images showing release dates and screenshots of popular city-building and cafe games. Starting with Playdom's Social City in March of 2010, we see games from all sorts of developers, including Quepasa and Gamester, releasing similar games that all allow for the design of a fairly identical city using in-game items.
As for the restaurant games, the similarities are just as striking. Taking a cue from Playfish's Restaurant City, Zynga, Vostu, You Dong Network and Metrogames all released similarly themed cafe games, as seen below.
While this might seem like Vostu is incriminating itself by including its own games in these comparisons, it seems instead that it's simply trying to show that Zynga shouldn't be allowed to throw its weight around, when it's just as guilty of "borrowing" ideas. What's more, Vostu's suit claims that Zynga went so far as to entering into talks with the company over a potential partnership that would see Vostu revealing information about how Zynga could branch into the Brazilian social gaming market, but these talks quickly dissolved and Vostu was sued shortly thereafter.
While this entire legal drama seems to have spawned from the phrase "pot calling the kettle black," it is promising to see a smaller company standing up to Zynga (and its surely massive legal team). With all of these examples to back it up, could Vostu actually turn things around and win this thing, or at least force Zynga to quietly crawl away from the courtroom? As this drama is sure to continue to unfold, we'll make sure to let you know what comes of it.
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
PETA wags the finger at Nintendo for Mario's taste in furry power-ups
Mario Kils Tanooki
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has chosen a peculiar target for its next pro-animal campaign. You all likely know him quite well: Super Mario. The organization has created a highly suggestive Flash game that essentially calls developer Nintendo out for what it claims is a message that says it's OK to skin animals and wear them as suits.
You could also say this for Mario's less popular Frog Suit, but that just wouldn't have the same sting as "Mario Kills Tanooki." That's the title of the game, which throws players behind the controls of--literally--a skinned tanuki. You can probably already guess the game's objective: Capture Mario ... who happens to be flying away with your fur coat. So much for subtleties.
"Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur," the PETA game's website reads. "By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur."
The timing of Mario Kills Tanooki is spot on, as Nintendo just released Super Mario 3D Land in which the plumber's famous Tanooki Suit is a prominent feature. Frankly, we've never seen a more menacing Mario than within PETA's interactive call to arms in defense of the tanuki. Now, you gotta' wonder how the organization would feel about this guy.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has chosen a peculiar target for its next pro-animal campaign. You all likely know him quite well: Super Mario. The organization has created a highly suggestive Flash game that essentially calls developer Nintendo out for what it claims is a message that says it's OK to skin animals and wear them as suits.
You could also say this for Mario's less popular Frog Suit, but that just wouldn't have the same sting as "Mario Kills Tanooki." That's the title of the game, which throws players behind the controls of--literally--a skinned tanuki. You can probably already guess the game's objective: Capture Mario ... who happens to be flying away with your fur coat. So much for subtleties.
"Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur," the PETA game's website reads. "By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur."
The timing of Mario Kills Tanooki is spot on, as Nintendo just released Super Mario 3D Land in which the plumber's famous Tanooki Suit is a prominent feature. Frankly, we've never seen a more menacing Mario than within PETA's interactive call to arms in defense of the tanuki. Now, you gotta' wonder how the organization would feel about this guy.
If Pawn Stars works on Facebook, Storage Wars will feel right at home
What the hey, let's throw Parking Wars on their too while we're at it--oh, never mind. It's official, folks: Now that Storage Wars has made it to Facebook after just a single season on A&E, reality TV has staked its claim in social gaming. The game based on the popular--though, we can't understand why--TV show hits Facebook today as the second season premieres tonight on A&E. (With Pawn Stars still kicking, this is A&E's second Facebook game.)
In Storage Wars on Facebook, players join animated versions of characters from the show in high-stakes bidding wars on things in folks' storage units. Players travel around the world in-game to bid on various relics with virtual cash in order to earn more digital bucks to bid on more things. It sounds like a boring vicious cycle, but ultimately players will go all-in for Wanted Treasures that come with huge profits.
"Storage Wars fans have shown that they are eager to get in on the bidding action themselves and our new game for Facebook lets them do just that," said A+E Networks SVP of Games Kris Soumas in a release. "We've put the same emphasis on developing a fun and addictive game experience that A&E brings to its program development."
Gallery: Storage Wars on Facebook
Based on these first screen shots, the game looks to pack numerous storage units with items to bid for inside. More importantly, however, players are guided through the game with none other than quests, or folks craving for Wanted Treasures. But what about our Wanted Treasure, Mario Kart on Facebook?
In Storage Wars on Facebook, players join animated versions of characters from the show in high-stakes bidding wars on things in folks' storage units. Players travel around the world in-game to bid on various relics with virtual cash in order to earn more digital bucks to bid on more things. It sounds like a boring vicious cycle, but ultimately players will go all-in for Wanted Treasures that come with huge profits.
"Storage Wars fans have shown that they are eager to get in on the bidding action themselves and our new game for Facebook lets them do just that," said A+E Networks SVP of Games Kris Soumas in a release. "We've put the same emphasis on developing a fun and addictive game experience that A&E brings to its program development."
Gallery: Storage Wars on Facebook
Based on these first screen shots, the game looks to pack numerous storage units with items to bid for inside. More importantly, however, players are guided through the game with none other than quests, or folks craving for Wanted Treasures. But what about our Wanted Treasure, Mario Kart on Facebook?
Social game startup Pangalore makes HTML5 games look good
Let's just get something out of the way: HTML5 gaming on Facebook and mobile hasn't exploded because, frankly, most of the early HTML5 games look like high school programming class projects. Pangalore, a startup based in Seoul, South Korea and San Jose, Calif., looks to change that with HTML5-based social games that both work across platforms and are actually a treat to look at.
Today, the company launches its first two HTML5 games--ArtFit and Wild West Solitaire--for Facebook, iOS and Android devices simultaneously. (Players can also play these games from their smartphone's web browser.)
The former of which is a puzzler presented in colorful, semi-realistic crayon and paper mache-style artwork. Players must use predetermined colored blocks in various shapes to fit them inside of a larger shape, like, say, a giraffe. Of course, players are scored for how long it takes them to fit the pieces within the larger shape, and for how many changes made before it's complete.
Everything from the music to the textured artwork in ArtFit is top notch, which is surprising for an HTML5 game. (However, it's important to note that animation isn't a particularly impressive component to neither this game nor Wild West Solitaire.) Players can invite their friends to compare scores with and source hints for tough puzzles from, which you'll incessantly be reminded of.
Gallery: Pangalore Games on Facebook
While the latter, Wild West Solitaire, looks wonderful, its animation is rather choppy, a likely limitation of HTML5 games. (Not to mention its artwork is terribly reminiscent of Blue Fang's take on The Learning Company's The Oregon Trail.) The game is a variation on Solitaire in which players must clear numerous stages of cards by clicking them in either standard or reverse numerical order. Doing so quickly and without fail earns combo points, and each stage is a representation of the Oregon Trail.
ArtFit in action
Each stage in the game culminates with a target practice of sorts in which players click badges in succession similar to the Solitaire portion of the game. The more badges you can put a dent into before the dynamite goes off, the more badges you'll collect, which are needed to access the next stage. Players can compete Wild West Solitaire's weekly tournaments as well, which rank players based on their scores. Of course, you also need friends to provide you with more cards to play with in story mode.
Aside from the annoying, constant requests to add friends and somewhat unnatural animations, ArtFit and Wild West Solitaire are two of the most visually impressive HTML5-based Facebook games we've seen to date. More importantly in Pangalore's case, however, is that these games are linked via Facebook. This means players can pick up where they left off on in, say, ArtFit on Facebook through their iPhone, and later continue their progress made on the iPhone back on Facebook.
Wild West Solitaire
Pangalore calls this "Universal Play," and during a demo of the two games, CPO Doyon Kim tells us that it's the developer's core mission. While Kim admits that the games are asynchronous, like nearly all social games, Pangalore is more concerned with allowing its players to enjoy games like ArtFit everywhere they are. Two more HTML5-based social games, Pop Candy and Bubble Prince, are due out before the end of the year, according to Kim.
But Kim also took the time to show us another game built using the Unity Player for decidedly more hardcore or traditional audiences. The game, which has yet to even receive an official title, is essentially a more visually robust FarmVille, but set in a medieval world. Players will create their own farming village, which is to support their character's quests slaying monsters and rescuing damsels. While we were only shown a knight class, Kim tell us that more character options that fit into the high fantasy theme will be available when the game launches simultaneously on Facebook, iOS and Android in early 2012.
Wild West Solitaire in action
Pangalore's strategy is twofold: Make games for the average Facebook gamer through HTML5, and hit up the supposedly growing hardcore gaming audience on Facebook with more visually robust games through Unity. (Notice how Flash--the normal method of creating social games--is avoided altogether.) Then again, Pangalore's approach comes back to a single motivation: Make games that people can play from wherever they are.
Today, the company launches its first two HTML5 games--ArtFit and Wild West Solitaire--for Facebook, iOS and Android devices simultaneously. (Players can also play these games from their smartphone's web browser.)
The former of which is a puzzler presented in colorful, semi-realistic crayon and paper mache-style artwork. Players must use predetermined colored blocks in various shapes to fit them inside of a larger shape, like, say, a giraffe. Of course, players are scored for how long it takes them to fit the pieces within the larger shape, and for how many changes made before it's complete.
Everything from the music to the textured artwork in ArtFit is top notch, which is surprising for an HTML5 game. (However, it's important to note that animation isn't a particularly impressive component to neither this game nor Wild West Solitaire.) Players can invite their friends to compare scores with and source hints for tough puzzles from, which you'll incessantly be reminded of.
Gallery: Pangalore Games on Facebook
While the latter, Wild West Solitaire, looks wonderful, its animation is rather choppy, a likely limitation of HTML5 games. (Not to mention its artwork is terribly reminiscent of Blue Fang's take on The Learning Company's The Oregon Trail.) The game is a variation on Solitaire in which players must clear numerous stages of cards by clicking them in either standard or reverse numerical order. Doing so quickly and without fail earns combo points, and each stage is a representation of the Oregon Trail.
ArtFit in action
Each stage in the game culminates with a target practice of sorts in which players click badges in succession similar to the Solitaire portion of the game. The more badges you can put a dent into before the dynamite goes off, the more badges you'll collect, which are needed to access the next stage. Players can compete Wild West Solitaire's weekly tournaments as well, which rank players based on their scores. Of course, you also need friends to provide you with more cards to play with in story mode.
Aside from the annoying, constant requests to add friends and somewhat unnatural animations, ArtFit and Wild West Solitaire are two of the most visually impressive HTML5-based Facebook games we've seen to date. More importantly in Pangalore's case, however, is that these games are linked via Facebook. This means players can pick up where they left off on in, say, ArtFit on Facebook through their iPhone, and later continue their progress made on the iPhone back on Facebook.
Wild West Solitaire
Pangalore calls this "Universal Play," and during a demo of the two games, CPO Doyon Kim tells us that it's the developer's core mission. While Kim admits that the games are asynchronous, like nearly all social games, Pangalore is more concerned with allowing its players to enjoy games like ArtFit everywhere they are. Two more HTML5-based social games, Pop Candy and Bubble Prince, are due out before the end of the year, according to Kim.
But Kim also took the time to show us another game built using the Unity Player for decidedly more hardcore or traditional audiences. The game, which has yet to even receive an official title, is essentially a more visually robust FarmVille, but set in a medieval world. Players will create their own farming village, which is to support their character's quests slaying monsters and rescuing damsels. While we were only shown a knight class, Kim tell us that more character options that fit into the high fantasy theme will be available when the game launches simultaneously on Facebook, iOS and Android in early 2012.
Wild West Solitaire in action
Pangalore's strategy is twofold: Make games for the average Facebook gamer through HTML5, and hit up the supposedly growing hardcore gaming audience on Facebook with more visually robust games through Unity. (Notice how Flash--the normal method of creating social games--is avoided altogether.) Then again, Pangalore's approach comes back to a single motivation: Make games that people can play from wherever they are.
Facebook strategy games match PC quality ... from back in the day
Edgeworld
"We see the emergence now of companies on Facebook who are building what they'd call a core game," Facebook games platform head Gareth Davis said to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview. "Games targeted at people who played PC games back in the day, strategy games. They're at the quality level now of those PC games."
Considering these games are being created in 2011, we're not sure whether that's a compliment or a complaint. This isn't to say that games like Kixeye's War Commander or Edgeworld by Kabam aren't impressive in their own right. However, if Davis is referring to classic real-time strategy games for the PC like StarCraft and Command & Conquer--you know, games that allowed for real-time multiplayer matchmaking and control of individual units on the battlefield--then we'd have to disagree.
Davis's ultimate point is that new genres are blooming in the Facebook games space for growing niche audiences, like hardcore strategy gamers (from the late '90s?). Jokes aside, new niches in Facebook games are certainly cropping up, and that can only mean more diversity from the tired FarmVille formula. For instance, Entertainment Games is aiming directly at our parents with its first Facebook game, Retro World.
"So we're seeing this broadening now of the kinds of games and audiences and you can be very successful, creating different types of games and you can make a lot of money doing it," Davis told GI.biz. "We're seeing a real maturing of the eco-system as people figure out the right opportunities and go after them." If this means an end to the rampant propagation of the 'Ville species, then count us in.
"We see the emergence now of companies on Facebook who are building what they'd call a core game," Facebook games platform head Gareth Davis said to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview. "Games targeted at people who played PC games back in the day, strategy games. They're at the quality level now of those PC games."
Considering these games are being created in 2011, we're not sure whether that's a compliment or a complaint. This isn't to say that games like Kixeye's War Commander or Edgeworld by Kabam aren't impressive in their own right. However, if Davis is referring to classic real-time strategy games for the PC like StarCraft and Command & Conquer--you know, games that allowed for real-time multiplayer matchmaking and control of individual units on the battlefield--then we'd have to disagree.
Davis's ultimate point is that new genres are blooming in the Facebook games space for growing niche audiences, like hardcore strategy gamers (from the late '90s?). Jokes aside, new niches in Facebook games are certainly cropping up, and that can only mean more diversity from the tired FarmVille formula. For instance, Entertainment Games is aiming directly at our parents with its first Facebook game, Retro World.
"So we're seeing this broadening now of the kinds of games and audiences and you can be very successful, creating different types of games and you can make a lot of money doing it," Davis told GI.biz. "We're seeing a real maturing of the eco-system as people figure out the right opportunities and go after them." If this means an end to the rampant propagation of the 'Ville species, then count us in.
Kixeye's War Commander blasts onto Facebook for all to conquer
Hardcore gamers have established a beachhead on Facebook, and now can make their next offensive in War Commander. The next social strategy game by San Francisco-based Kixeye has entered public beta is now live and available for all would-be commanders on Facebook to dominate with. The game isn't a far cry from the studio's previous efforts, except for one thing.
Players can finally control individual units on the battle field in real time as they slaughter enemy units and demolish buildings. Clearly inspired by traditional strategy staples like Command and Conquer on the PC, War Commander continues the developer's tradition of real time gameplay with asynchronous interaction between friends ... or enemies.
Based on our time trying out the game's closed beta test, our very own Brandy Shaul found attacking and defending bases to be a largely passive experience, regardless of whether you can now directly control units. Personally, I find the choice to decide which unit gets fired at first by enemy defense turrets a strategic boost, though a small one.
Regardless, this marks Kixeye's next step in its ultimate goal to bring a true RTS (real time strategy) experience to Facebook, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin told VentureBeat. "It's the most advanced strategy game ever created for Facebook," Harbin said. "We're getting closer and closer to real-time strategy titles that you've seen on the PC."
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Based on my brief experience with the game, War Commander suffers from brief lag issues at the moment, with intermittent pauses during gameplay. However, Kixeye appears to be hard at work on optimizing the game already. (It is in "open beta," after all.) "We're learning from the past and optimizing the code base more and more," Harbin told VentureBeat.
While Kixeye mentioned that it's "waiting for an onslaught of competition" that it has yet to see, the company does have one worthy opponent that it has already exchanged stern words with over its most recent release, Kabam and Edgeworld. We're sure this rivalry is far from over, so why not check the latest traded blow right now?
Players can finally control individual units on the battle field in real time as they slaughter enemy units and demolish buildings. Clearly inspired by traditional strategy staples like Command and Conquer on the PC, War Commander continues the developer's tradition of real time gameplay with asynchronous interaction between friends ... or enemies.
Based on our time trying out the game's closed beta test, our very own Brandy Shaul found attacking and defending bases to be a largely passive experience, regardless of whether you can now directly control units. Personally, I find the choice to decide which unit gets fired at first by enemy defense turrets a strategic boost, though a small one.
Regardless, this marks Kixeye's next step in its ultimate goal to bring a true RTS (real time strategy) experience to Facebook, Kixeye CEO Will Harbin told VentureBeat. "It's the most advanced strategy game ever created for Facebook," Harbin said. "We're getting closer and closer to real-time strategy titles that you've seen on the PC."
Gallery: War Commander on Facebook
Based on my brief experience with the game, War Commander suffers from brief lag issues at the moment, with intermittent pauses during gameplay. However, Kixeye appears to be hard at work on optimizing the game already. (It is in "open beta," after all.) "We're learning from the past and optimizing the code base more and more," Harbin told VentureBeat.
While Kixeye mentioned that it's "waiting for an onslaught of competition" that it has yet to see, the company does have one worthy opponent that it has already exchanged stern words with over its most recent release, Kabam and Edgeworld. We're sure this rivalry is far from over, so why not check the latest traded blow right now?
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Cafe World Valentine's Day Goals: Everything you need to know
It just wouldn't be a holiday in Cafe World without a series of new missions or goals to complete, and the same is true for Valentine's Day. To celebrate in the game this year, Zynga has launched a whopping eight part mission series, that sees you helping Espresso Joe and Lisa Latte find love. If you've been keeping up with the saga of these two in-game characters, you'll know that Espresso Joe has a crush on Lisa Latte. After getting to know her by continually running into her in your cafe, he shared a New Year's kiss with Lisa back in the New Year's Eve event. Now, though, he's finally mustered up the nerve to ask Lisa on a true date - a Valentine's Day date, no less!
This eight part mission series will see you helping Joe prepare the perfect dinner for two, including, but not limited to, gathering roses, unlocking and cooking three new dishes, and purchasing some themed decorations. Luckily, the first few goals in this eight-part series are fairly simple, so meet us behind the break for a look at this entire set and start making a dent in this new event. Hint: You'll be eligible to win some very cool real world prizes if you push through them all.
To start off, you'll only need to complete three very simple steps to finish Valentine's Day I.
Place the Love Thermometer
Spice 5 Friends' Stoves
Cook 5 Pita and Dolmas
The Love Thermometer can be found under the Special items section of the store, where it can be added to your Cafe for free. This thermometer will fill to the top as you complete the rest of the goals in this series. Meanwhile, notice the wording of the cooking task - all you have to do is "Cook" Pita and Dolmas. Simply purchasing this normally 4-hour dish, and starting the cooking process five times will finish this task for you, whether you choose to actually finish cooking and ultimately serve these dishes or not.
Your rewards for Valentine's Day I are 100 coins and 100 Cafe Points.
Valentine's Day II is another fairly simple mission, which introduces the first collection feature to this series.
Get 2 Roses
Cook 10 French Onion Soup
Purchase 1 Flower Machine
The Flower Machine can be found in the Decorations section of the store for 60,000 coins. The French Onion Soup, again, only needs to be started to cook, not served entirely, so you can get that out of the way quickly as well. Finally, the Roses introduce this feature's collection event, with Roses serving the same function as RSVPs in the past. That is, after a friend sends you a rose, you'll be able to take that Rose tally with you throughout the rest of the missions (they are cumulative), but each friend will (at the time of this writing) only be able to give you one Rose in total.
Finishing Valentine's Day II earns you 200 coins and 200 Cafe Points. You'll be able to share some coins with your friends on your wall.
Moving on, Valentine's Day III is where things start to get a bit complicated, as you'll now star working on unlocking the first of three new recipes released as part of this event.
Visit 5 Neighbors
Get 2 Bags of Oysters
Get 3 Glasses
Luckily, these tasks don't require you to collect that many items, but you'll still need to ask your friends (via individual gift requests) to send you the five ingredients necessary to unlock this mission's prize - the Oyster Shooter recipe.
You'll need to use this new recipe to finish Valentine's Day IV, which also requires you to get back on the hunt for more Roses.
Get 5 Roses
Serve 10 Oyster Shooters
Spice 7 Neighbors' Stoves
As you can see from the screenshot above, the two Roses that you've earned previously will count towards two of the five necessary Roses for this round, so at least you won't have to start from scratch. Meanwhile, the Oyster Shooter dish can now be cooked as any other dish from your cookbook. It's only a one-hour dish, costing 290 coins to cook, and serving 50 customers at a rate of 12 coins each. That's a return of 600 coins, for those doing the math.
Moving on to Valentine's Day V, you'll have to continue to not only help out in your friends' cafes, but also continue collecting Roses.
Get 11 Roses
Purchase 3 Cupid Trumpeter Statues
Spice 7 Neighbors' Stoves
Don't worry if you don't have enough neighbors in the game to complete these tasks in one day - you can always come back the next day and continue where you left off. The Cupid Trumpeter Statues can be purchased from the store for 30,000 coins each.
In Valentine's Day VI, you'll be introduced to the second of three new dishes, but you'll have to collect the appropriate ingredients to unlock it first.
Earn 20,000 Coins
Get 3 Tbsp of Butter
Get 5 Turbot Fillets
As you can see, this mission has you collecting eight items with the help of friends. The reward for doing so is the unlocking of the Sauteed Turbot recipe. This dish can be cooked in six hours for 1620 coins. You'll receive 300 servings that can be sold for 12 coins each, resulting in a 3600 coin return for you.
We're almost done now - stick with me here. Valentine's Day VII moves you straight from unlocking the Sauteed Turbot to unlocking the third and final dish in this event.
Earn 50,000 Coins
Get 5 Quarts of Heavy Cream
Get 10 Large Eggs
Again, you'll unfortunately need to pester... err, I mean ask your friends to give you the ingredients necessary to unlock the reward for this mission - the Creme Brulee recipe. Creme Brulee can be cooked for 4250 coins, and will be ready in 20 hours. you'll then have 1000 servings to sell for 10 coins per serving, which gives you 10,000 coins in total. Obviously, the dish takes a lot of coins to cook, but offers a great rate of return, so it's worth looking into if you can afford cooking it in bulk.
Finally, we've made it to the last goal - Valentine's Day VIII has you preparing the final touches for Joe's big evening with Lisa, and will have you once again asking for more Roses from your friends, along with serving some of your new dishes.
Get 20 Roses
Serve 20 Creme Brulee
Serve 2 Sauteed Turbot
Finishing this final mission will allow you to see the result of Joe and Lisa's date, and whether or not you succeeded in your attempt at playing match-maker.
These goals can only be finished up until February 14 - Valentine's Day proper. If you can manage to push through the lot of them, however, you'll be entered to win some fantastic real world prizes. All those that finish all eight Valentine's Day goals will be entered to win a Tiffany's Pendant, one of 3 iPads, one of 5 iPod Touches, or one of 50 packs of 50 Instant Thymes (to clarify, 50 users will win 50 Instant Thymes each).
If you've ever needed incentive to finish goals in Cafe World, I don't know what better incentive you'll need than this - these top prizes are incredibly valuable, if you were to purchase them on your own, so why not make your way through these Cafe World mission to have a chance at them for free? Good luck to all those that enter!
This eight part mission series will see you helping Joe prepare the perfect dinner for two, including, but not limited to, gathering roses, unlocking and cooking three new dishes, and purchasing some themed decorations. Luckily, the first few goals in this eight-part series are fairly simple, so meet us behind the break for a look at this entire set and start making a dent in this new event. Hint: You'll be eligible to win some very cool real world prizes if you push through them all.
To start off, you'll only need to complete three very simple steps to finish Valentine's Day I.
Place the Love Thermometer
Spice 5 Friends' Stoves
Cook 5 Pita and Dolmas
The Love Thermometer can be found under the Special items section of the store, where it can be added to your Cafe for free. This thermometer will fill to the top as you complete the rest of the goals in this series. Meanwhile, notice the wording of the cooking task - all you have to do is "Cook" Pita and Dolmas. Simply purchasing this normally 4-hour dish, and starting the cooking process five times will finish this task for you, whether you choose to actually finish cooking and ultimately serve these dishes or not.
Your rewards for Valentine's Day I are 100 coins and 100 Cafe Points.
Valentine's Day II is another fairly simple mission, which introduces the first collection feature to this series.
Get 2 Roses
Cook 10 French Onion Soup
Purchase 1 Flower Machine
The Flower Machine can be found in the Decorations section of the store for 60,000 coins. The French Onion Soup, again, only needs to be started to cook, not served entirely, so you can get that out of the way quickly as well. Finally, the Roses introduce this feature's collection event, with Roses serving the same function as RSVPs in the past. That is, after a friend sends you a rose, you'll be able to take that Rose tally with you throughout the rest of the missions (they are cumulative), but each friend will (at the time of this writing) only be able to give you one Rose in total.
Finishing Valentine's Day II earns you 200 coins and 200 Cafe Points. You'll be able to share some coins with your friends on your wall.
Moving on, Valentine's Day III is where things start to get a bit complicated, as you'll now star working on unlocking the first of three new recipes released as part of this event.
Visit 5 Neighbors
Get 2 Bags of Oysters
Get 3 Glasses
Luckily, these tasks don't require you to collect that many items, but you'll still need to ask your friends (via individual gift requests) to send you the five ingredients necessary to unlock this mission's prize - the Oyster Shooter recipe.
You'll need to use this new recipe to finish Valentine's Day IV, which also requires you to get back on the hunt for more Roses.
Get 5 Roses
Serve 10 Oyster Shooters
Spice 7 Neighbors' Stoves
As you can see from the screenshot above, the two Roses that you've earned previously will count towards two of the five necessary Roses for this round, so at least you won't have to start from scratch. Meanwhile, the Oyster Shooter dish can now be cooked as any other dish from your cookbook. It's only a one-hour dish, costing 290 coins to cook, and serving 50 customers at a rate of 12 coins each. That's a return of 600 coins, for those doing the math.
Moving on to Valentine's Day V, you'll have to continue to not only help out in your friends' cafes, but also continue collecting Roses.
Get 11 Roses
Purchase 3 Cupid Trumpeter Statues
Spice 7 Neighbors' Stoves
Don't worry if you don't have enough neighbors in the game to complete these tasks in one day - you can always come back the next day and continue where you left off. The Cupid Trumpeter Statues can be purchased from the store for 30,000 coins each.
In Valentine's Day VI, you'll be introduced to the second of three new dishes, but you'll have to collect the appropriate ingredients to unlock it first.
Earn 20,000 Coins
Get 3 Tbsp of Butter
Get 5 Turbot Fillets
As you can see, this mission has you collecting eight items with the help of friends. The reward for doing so is the unlocking of the Sauteed Turbot recipe. This dish can be cooked in six hours for 1620 coins. You'll receive 300 servings that can be sold for 12 coins each, resulting in a 3600 coin return for you.
We're almost done now - stick with me here. Valentine's Day VII moves you straight from unlocking the Sauteed Turbot to unlocking the third and final dish in this event.
Earn 50,000 Coins
Get 5 Quarts of Heavy Cream
Get 10 Large Eggs
Again, you'll unfortunately need to pester... err, I mean ask your friends to give you the ingredients necessary to unlock the reward for this mission - the Creme Brulee recipe. Creme Brulee can be cooked for 4250 coins, and will be ready in 20 hours. you'll then have 1000 servings to sell for 10 coins per serving, which gives you 10,000 coins in total. Obviously, the dish takes a lot of coins to cook, but offers a great rate of return, so it's worth looking into if you can afford cooking it in bulk.
Finally, we've made it to the last goal - Valentine's Day VIII has you preparing the final touches for Joe's big evening with Lisa, and will have you once again asking for more Roses from your friends, along with serving some of your new dishes.
Get 20 Roses
Serve 20 Creme Brulee
Serve 2 Sauteed Turbot
Finishing this final mission will allow you to see the result of Joe and Lisa's date, and whether or not you succeeded in your attempt at playing match-maker.
These goals can only be finished up until February 14 - Valentine's Day proper. If you can manage to push through the lot of them, however, you'll be entered to win some fantastic real world prizes. All those that finish all eight Valentine's Day goals will be entered to win a Tiffany's Pendant, one of 3 iPads, one of 5 iPod Touches, or one of 50 packs of 50 Instant Thymes (to clarify, 50 users will win 50 Instant Thymes each).
If you've ever needed incentive to finish goals in Cafe World, I don't know what better incentive you'll need than this - these top prizes are incredibly valuable, if you were to purchase them on your own, so why not make your way through these Cafe World mission to have a chance at them for free? Good luck to all those that enter!
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Kia promotion
If you're looking forward to the Super Bowl as much as Zynga and Kia are, you'll want to take a look at the new promotion that the two companies have launched in FarmVille, which will reward you with two free Farm Cash for completing a short survey and playing in a fake football game, pitting multiple Zynga games against one another.
The promotion can be found, as usual, underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. The sponsored link [pictured] will launch a new window, where you'll need to choose a team to represent you in a fake football game. After the first "half," which really only lasts a matter of seconds, you'll get to the halftime show, which is the real promotion itself. You'll need to answer a series of survey questions about Kia cars and trips - What trip would you take if money wasn't an option, and so on.
After answering these questions, you'll be rewarded with your two free Farm Cash. Simply close this new window, and your Farm Cash total should automatically rise by two, but if not, a refresh of the game page ought to do the trick.
The promotion can be found, as usual, underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. The sponsored link [pictured] will launch a new window, where you'll need to choose a team to represent you in a fake football game. After the first "half," which really only lasts a matter of seconds, you'll get to the halftime show, which is the real promotion itself. You'll need to answer a series of survey questions about Kia cars and trips - What trip would you take if money wasn't an option, and so on.
After answering these questions, you'll be rewarded with your two free Farm Cash. Simply close this new window, and your Farm Cash total should automatically rise by two, but if not, a refresh of the game page ought to do the trick.
FrontierVille: Two land expansions coming soon?
Over on Zynga's official FrontierVille fan page, the developer has brought up the issue of land expansions by asking users "Is bigger better?" This seems to be far more than a rhetorical question, as we've found images detailing two new land expansions that are currently in the works.
One expansion will bring the total space in the game to 37 x 37 (this will, in theory, be the next expansion to be released, as the current size is 33 x 33), while the other will give us a whopping 41 x 41 area of space on our Homestead! With the recent release of the Chapel and Trading Post, along with the new crop-centric, land-heavy focus of the Groundhog Traps, these two expansions should answer many of the fears users have about purchasing new items, as there simply isn't enough room on their land to contain them.
Zynga says that we'll find out the answer to their question "SOON," and we'll make sure you're the first to know when and if these expansions are released in the game.
One expansion will bring the total space in the game to 37 x 37 (this will, in theory, be the next expansion to be released, as the current size is 33 x 33), while the other will give us a whopping 41 x 41 area of space on our Homestead! With the recent release of the Chapel and Trading Post, along with the new crop-centric, land-heavy focus of the Groundhog Traps, these two expansions should answer many of the fears users have about purchasing new items, as there simply isn't enough room on their land to contain them.
Zynga says that we'll find out the answer to their question "SOON," and we'll make sure you're the first to know when and if these expansions are released in the game.
FarmVille Valentine's Day Theme Showcase 3 [Video]
Today, Zynga silently confirmed that more new Valentine's Day themed items would be released in FarmVille to coincide with the upcoming holiday by releasing a third video in their now trio of Valentine's Day Theme Showcase videos. This video also looks to show off a few more items that may be releasing in honor of the Chinese New Year.
This video shows off a ton of unreleased items, many of which we're just seeing for the first time. There's a lovely pink fountain, two gnomes (one appears as though she may be wearing a wedding dress), what looks like a Pink Stallion, a Bamboo Forest, a chair and building absolutely covered in sweet treats (a new theme perhaps), an adorable, animated drive-in movie theater and more.
As usual, the details concerning these items are slim at best, as we don't know when they will release in full, how they'll be released (Mystery Game, store, free gifts, etc.) or how much they'll cost (where applicable). Stay tuned though - we'll be sure to give you all the details about these new items as soon as they launch in the game.
This video shows off a ton of unreleased items, many of which we're just seeing for the first time. There's a lovely pink fountain, two gnomes (one appears as though she may be wearing a wedding dress), what looks like a Pink Stallion, a Bamboo Forest, a chair and building absolutely covered in sweet treats (a new theme perhaps), an adorable, animated drive-in movie theater and more.
As usual, the details concerning these items are slim at best, as we don't know when they will release in full, how they'll be released (Mystery Game, store, free gifts, etc.) or how much they'll cost (where applicable). Stay tuned though - we'll be sure to give you all the details about these new items as soon as they launch in the game.
Enter to win a free Zynga Gift Card from Klondike Potatoes
If you're in the mood for a giveaway, the folks at FVNation have found a new contest sponsored by Klondike Potatoes. The contest is called the "Steam Away Your Stress Sweepstakes," and it will see users entering to win one of 50 $10 Zynga Gift Cards, which can be used in all sorts of Zynga games - from FarmVille and Mafia Wars, to YoVille and more.
To be eligible for this contest, you must be at least 18 years or older as of January 11, 2011, and you must live in the United States. If you'd like to enter the contest, all you need to do is head over to Klondike Potatoes' website and create an account. It's free to do, and you can always ignore the account for eternity should you not win the contest.
This contest will only be open until February 15, so make sure to enter fast for your chance to be one of the lucky 50 winners.
To be eligible for this contest, you must be at least 18 years or older as of January 11, 2011, and you must live in the United States. If you'd like to enter the contest, all you need to do is head over to Klondike Potatoes' website and create an account. It's free to do, and you can always ignore the account for eternity should you not win the contest.
This contest will only be open until February 15, so make sure to enter fast for your chance to be one of the lucky 50 winners.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Mardi Gras Trees: Mardi Gras Tree & Giant Mardi Gras Tree
Just as we predicted, this weekend's FarmVille update brought with it the many Mardi Gras themed items that we brought you sneak peeks of last week. This first duo of items comes in the form of the two Mardi Gras Trees that look similar to last year's release, but are in fact entirely new trees.
As you might expect, the normally sized tree costs just 5 Farm Cash, while the giant version costs 10 Farm Cash. You'll be able to master both trees by harvesting them once every two days, and you'll reach the first star of mastery for each tree after 75 harvests. Remember, if you'd rather just purchase one of these trees, in an effort to save some Farm Cash, just purchase the normal Mardi Gras Tree and then place it into one of your Orchards, as you'll then have a chance to spawn the giant tree as a Mystery Seedling.
Both of these trees will be available in the game for the next two weeks, so make sure to purchase them fast and throw a Mardi Gras celebration now while you still can.
What do you think of these two new trees?
As you might expect, the normally sized tree costs just 5 Farm Cash, while the giant version costs 10 Farm Cash. You'll be able to master both trees by harvesting them once every two days, and you'll reach the first star of mastery for each tree after 75 harvests. Remember, if you'd rather just purchase one of these trees, in an effort to save some Farm Cash, just purchase the normal Mardi Gras Tree and then place it into one of your Orchards, as you'll then have a chance to spawn the giant tree as a Mystery Seedling.
Both of these trees will be available in the game for the next two weeks, so make sure to purchase them fast and throw a Mardi Gras celebration now while you still can.
What do you think of these two new trees?
FarmVille Mardi Gras Animals: Carnival Horse, Carnival Foal, and Carnival Pig
A trio of new Mardi Gras themed animals were released as part of tonight's FarmVille update, with two of these being available in the game's store. These two animals are the Carnival Horse and the Carnival Pig, both of which are unfortunately only available for Farm Cash.
First, the Carnival Pig costs 18 Farm Cash, and can be harvested from once every two days. You'll gain 1800 experience points for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the Carnival Horse costs more at 26 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2600 experience points for spending more on the horse, which can be harvested every three days; that is, unless you place it inside the Horse Stable, where it can be harvested once daily. This is also the way to create the third animal in the game - the Carnival Foal - as you'll have a chance of breeding a foal when you have the Horse and a Stallion in your Horse Stable.
Remember though - as exciting as it might be to breed this horse to create a foal will only be sharable to your friends, and you won't actually get to keep one of your own. To have a Carnival Foal on your own land, you'll need to look out for wall posts from friends that have bred their own horses and received one at random.
Both the Carnival Horse and Carnival Pig will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, while of course the Carnival Foal will continue to be available for long after.
Which of these two animals is your favorite? Do you think either is worth the high Farm Cash price?
First, the Carnival Pig costs 18 Farm Cash, and can be harvested from once every two days. You'll gain 1800 experience points for purchasing it. Meanwhile, the Carnival Horse costs more at 26 Farm Cash. You'll gain 2600 experience points for spending more on the horse, which can be harvested every three days; that is, unless you place it inside the Horse Stable, where it can be harvested once daily. This is also the way to create the third animal in the game - the Carnival Foal - as you'll have a chance of breeding a foal when you have the Horse and a Stallion in your Horse Stable.
Remember though - as exciting as it might be to breed this horse to create a foal will only be sharable to your friends, and you won't actually get to keep one of your own. To have a Carnival Foal on your own land, you'll need to look out for wall posts from friends that have bred their own horses and received one at random.
Both the Carnival Horse and Carnival Pig will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, while of course the Carnival Foal will continue to be available for long after.
Which of these two animals is your favorite? Do you think either is worth the high Farm Cash price?
FarmVille Mardi Gras Decorations: French Quarter, Carnival Float, Mask Fountain & More
With tonight's FarmVille update came the release of three new decorative items in the game's new Mardi Gras theme, along with the re-release of two items that were first made available in the game at around this time last year. These new decorations are split into two actual decorations and one building, with the building being the French Quarter - a building that is styled after those you'd see on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the home of Mardi Gras.
The French Quarter is quite substantial in size, so keep that in mind. It costs 25 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and you'll gain 2500 experience points for purchasing it. The building has no function, but simply looking at this intricately designed and colorful building seems to be enough.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the other items released this evening. As for the decorations, again, some of these are new and some were released last year. Both of the new items are Farm Cash only, with a Carnival Float being available for 12 Farm Cash, and a Mask Fountain costing 15 Farm Cash. Personally, the Mask Fountain is the much more interesting item here, regardless of its slightly higher price tag, as it animates with flying confetti and of course water pouring out of the fountain's top and sides. You'll gain 1500 experience points for purchasing the Mask Fountain, and only 120 for buying the Carnival Float.
Finally, the two re-released items are the Carnival Mask I and Carnival Mask II. Both of these items are available for coins, and come in the form of masks perched on sticks. Both cost 2,200 coins, will reward you with 22 experience points for purchasing, and can be sold for 110 coins in return. Luckily, these are the exact same stats as when they were first available in the game, so no need to feel bitter about a price hike here (as has been the case in the past).
Remember, the Fairy Tale theme that had taken up residence in the game over the past few weeks has officially ended, so if you're looking to spend coins and Farm Cash on some new decorations in the game, you can either pick over what's still available in the store (a selection that is lessening quickly as things expire), or you can jump into the Mardi Gras spirit and pick up items in this new theme, which will be available for the next two weeks.
Which of these items is your favorite? Do you have any of the Carnival Masks from last year, that you're pulling out of storage for this year's celebration, or are all of these items new to you?
The French Quarter is quite substantial in size, so keep that in mind. It costs 25 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and you'll gain 2500 experience points for purchasing it. The building has no function, but simply looking at this intricately designed and colorful building seems to be enough.
Meet us behind the break for a look at the other items released this evening. As for the decorations, again, some of these are new and some were released last year. Both of the new items are Farm Cash only, with a Carnival Float being available for 12 Farm Cash, and a Mask Fountain costing 15 Farm Cash. Personally, the Mask Fountain is the much more interesting item here, regardless of its slightly higher price tag, as it animates with flying confetti and of course water pouring out of the fountain's top and sides. You'll gain 1500 experience points for purchasing the Mask Fountain, and only 120 for buying the Carnival Float.
Finally, the two re-released items are the Carnival Mask I and Carnival Mask II. Both of these items are available for coins, and come in the form of masks perched on sticks. Both cost 2,200 coins, will reward you with 22 experience points for purchasing, and can be sold for 110 coins in return. Luckily, these are the exact same stats as when they were first available in the game, so no need to feel bitter about a price hike here (as has been the case in the past).
Remember, the Fairy Tale theme that had taken up residence in the game over the past few weeks has officially ended, so if you're looking to spend coins and Farm Cash on some new decorations in the game, you can either pick over what's still available in the store (a selection that is lessening quickly as things expire), or you can jump into the Mardi Gras spirit and pick up items in this new theme, which will be available for the next two weeks.
Which of these items is your favorite? Do you have any of the Carnival Masks from last year, that you're pulling out of storage for this year's celebration, or are all of these items new to you?
FarmVille Mardi Gras Masks now available for your avatar
No, it isn't Halloween, but there are two new masks that you can now outfit your in-game avatar with in FarmVille, with both being available in the new Mardi Gras limited edition item theme. Unfortunately, if you want to dress your avatar up for the party, you'll need to spend just a bit of Farm Cash, as both of these masks are premium.
Both of these masks, appropriately named Mardi Gras Mask I and Mardi Gras Mask II, cost 5 Farm Cash each, and will reward your with 175 experience points for purchasing them. Note that if you purchase one, and your avatar was currently wearing some sort of costume, you will be reverted back to a normal shirt and pants, so you'll need to customize the rest of your appearance to go along with this new mask.
I personally went with a Purple Blouse and Purple Overalls to carry on the theme (as Mardi Gras is traditionally filled with shades of purple, gold, and green), but you're more than welcome to go with any combination that you'd like (or have available via the items you've previously purchased).
Both of these masks will be available in the game for the next two weeks, but if you want to get the most use out of them, your best bet would be to purchase them sooner, rather than later, to make the most of the occasion.
Both of these masks, appropriately named Mardi Gras Mask I and Mardi Gras Mask II, cost 5 Farm Cash each, and will reward your with 175 experience points for purchasing them. Note that if you purchase one, and your avatar was currently wearing some sort of costume, you will be reverted back to a normal shirt and pants, so you'll need to customize the rest of your appearance to go along with this new mask.
I personally went with a Purple Blouse and Purple Overalls to carry on the theme (as Mardi Gras is traditionally filled with shades of purple, gold, and green), but you're more than welcome to go with any combination that you'd like (or have available via the items you've previously purchased).
Both of these masks will be available in the game for the next two weeks, but if you want to get the most use out of them, your best bet would be to purchase them sooner, rather than later, to make the most of the occasion.
FarmVille Mystery Game (3/6/2011): Spring-themed items clear away the snow
While the FarmVille store may have been packed full with Mardi Gras themed items in tonight's game update, there is one area that is entirely different - that being this week's Mystery Game. This week, we clear away the cold chill of winter for a set of new Spring-themed items, including the Yellow Unicorn we brought you a sneak peek of previously.
This week's Mystery Game luckily returns us to the "normal" price tag of 16 Farm Cash per single dart thrown at the board. For that price, you'll have a chance to land one of the following six items:
Hummingbirds
Butterfly Fountain
Fawn Deer
Baby Alpaca
White Kitten
Yellow Unicorn
You'll likely also recognize the Fawn and Baby Alpaca from previous posts here on Games.com - The Blog!, so it's great to see these items officially find a place in the game, even if it is without a guarantee that you'll actually end up with them if you want them. Still, any of these items would make a great addition to your farm, so I don't think the disappointment will last.
As usual, you have a week to try and earn all six of these items in your game, as next Sunday the game's items will rotate, and these six will no longer be available, and likely won't be available again for some time, if ever.
Which of these six items are you most hoping to win from this week's Mystery Game? Would you pay a flat price for any of these items if they were released in the market, or do you like that Zynga makes a game of it?
This week's Mystery Game luckily returns us to the "normal" price tag of 16 Farm Cash per single dart thrown at the board. For that price, you'll have a chance to land one of the following six items:
Hummingbirds
Butterfly Fountain
Fawn Deer
Baby Alpaca
White Kitten
Yellow Unicorn
You'll likely also recognize the Fawn and Baby Alpaca from previous posts here on Games.com - The Blog!, so it's great to see these items officially find a place in the game, even if it is without a guarantee that you'll actually end up with them if you want them. Still, any of these items would make a great addition to your farm, so I don't think the disappointment will last.
As usual, you have a week to try and earn all six of these items in your game, as next Sunday the game's items will rotate, and these six will no longer be available, and likely won't be available again for some time, if ever.
Which of these six items are you most hoping to win from this week's Mystery Game? Would you pay a flat price for any of these items if they were released in the market, or do you like that Zynga makes a game of it?
Thứ Tư, 4 tháng 1, 2012
Look, Activision, do you want to make Facebook games or not?
Call of Duty Elite
Seriously, it's not a hard question. And yet, the omnipotent games publisher continues to flip-flop on the subject of social games. In October, Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty ring a bell?) CEO Bobby Kotick told Los Angeles Magazine that, while the company is at a point where it's ready to invest in Facebook games, it doesn't expect much to come of it. Here's an excerpt from Kotick's conversation:
As of October Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick still wasn't ready. "If we can't put a creative foot forward, it's not interesting to us," he told me at the company's headquarters, which is tucked in an office complex on Ocean Park Avenue. In assessing Facebook, Kotick says he's been "trying to figure out what we could do that's different from what's being done. So now that they've gotten a large enough audience and we've done enough analysis of the opportunity, we can commit capital." He adds, however, "We don't have huge expectations."
Um, just curious ... what's the point then? Since then, Kotick spoke with Bloomberg, seeming refreshingly bullish on the prospect of Facebook games. Over the summer--before either interview--the Activision chief admitted that the company was into social games. But shortly after, other executives within the company made points to denounce Facebook gaming. What gives?
Here's the thing: If you're not going to go full bore into the social games space, then you're not going to get anywhere. Just look at EA, for instance. It's cost the company upwards of $2 billion in acquisitions to hit second place on the charts with 56.9 million monthly players, and that's not even close to the industry leader Zynga's 218 million. If Activision doesn't have "huge expectations" of its efforts in Facebook games, why even spend the cash? Hell, the publisher's own former game creators may beat it to the punch.
[Via LA Observed]
Is it even worth it for Activision Blizzard to get into Facebook games at this point? If so, what types of games would you like to see from the games publisher?
Seriously, it's not a hard question. And yet, the omnipotent games publisher continues to flip-flop on the subject of social games. In October, Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty ring a bell?) CEO Bobby Kotick told Los Angeles Magazine that, while the company is at a point where it's ready to invest in Facebook games, it doesn't expect much to come of it. Here's an excerpt from Kotick's conversation:
As of October Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick still wasn't ready. "If we can't put a creative foot forward, it's not interesting to us," he told me at the company's headquarters, which is tucked in an office complex on Ocean Park Avenue. In assessing Facebook, Kotick says he's been "trying to figure out what we could do that's different from what's being done. So now that they've gotten a large enough audience and we've done enough analysis of the opportunity, we can commit capital." He adds, however, "We don't have huge expectations."
Um, just curious ... what's the point then? Since then, Kotick spoke with Bloomberg, seeming refreshingly bullish on the prospect of Facebook games. Over the summer--before either interview--the Activision chief admitted that the company was into social games. But shortly after, other executives within the company made points to denounce Facebook gaming. What gives?
Here's the thing: If you're not going to go full bore into the social games space, then you're not going to get anywhere. Just look at EA, for instance. It's cost the company upwards of $2 billion in acquisitions to hit second place on the charts with 56.9 million monthly players, and that's not even close to the industry leader Zynga's 218 million. If Activision doesn't have "huge expectations" of its efforts in Facebook games, why even spend the cash? Hell, the publisher's own former game creators may beat it to the punch.
[Via LA Observed]
Is it even worth it for Activision Blizzard to get into Facebook games at this point? If so, what types of games would you like to see from the games publisher?
Facebook Pokémon clone MinoMonsters migrates to iOS for $1
You might remember MinoMonsters, game developer Josh Buckley's take on Pokémon for Facebook. Well, that game was either just a test or a flop for the 17-year-old entrepreneur, as his new studio has re-released the game as an iPhone and iPad app. In this new-and-improved MinoMonsters, players must journey across the Kingdom of Zancardi, capturing and battling creatures called Minos for, well, the sake of battling monsters. Come on, it's not as if Pokémon's plot is rock solid either.
The youngin's new studio is called MinoMonsters Inc., so you can tell the guy's dedicated to the concept, which will cost you $.99 on the App Store. Once purchased, you can start trading blows back and forth in turn-based bouts with opponents' monsters either within the game's story or your friends from anywhere in the world. Just like in Pokémon, players' monsters gain new abilities and will become stronger, which helps players find new monsters and defeat tougher opponents.
MinoMonsters in action
The first thing we noticed with these screens of the game in action are the impressive, seemingly hand-drawn graphics. Seriously, this game looks like an episode of Pokémon--look, the comparisons are inevitable at this point--at least when still. MinoMonsters (the company) promises that you can find players to do battle with in under 30 seconds. The game's primary competition on iOS, Monster Galaxy, doesn't seem to have multiplayer just yet. So, now MinoMonsters is the closest you're going to get a Pokémon game on your iPhone.
Click here to download MinoMonsters for $.99 on the App Store Now >
Are you craving that Pokémon experience on your iPhone? Do you think a game like MinoMonsters can feed the need?
The youngin's new studio is called MinoMonsters Inc., so you can tell the guy's dedicated to the concept, which will cost you $.99 on the App Store. Once purchased, you can start trading blows back and forth in turn-based bouts with opponents' monsters either within the game's story or your friends from anywhere in the world. Just like in Pokémon, players' monsters gain new abilities and will become stronger, which helps players find new monsters and defeat tougher opponents.
MinoMonsters in action
The first thing we noticed with these screens of the game in action are the impressive, seemingly hand-drawn graphics. Seriously, this game looks like an episode of Pokémon--look, the comparisons are inevitable at this point--at least when still. MinoMonsters (the company) promises that you can find players to do battle with in under 30 seconds. The game's primary competition on iOS, Monster Galaxy, doesn't seem to have multiplayer just yet. So, now MinoMonsters is the closest you're going to get a Pokémon game on your iPhone.
Click here to download MinoMonsters for $.99 on the App Store Now >
Are you craving that Pokémon experience on your iPhone? Do you think a game like MinoMonsters can feed the need?
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.
[Via IndustryGamers]
[Image Credit: Pharan]
Are you bummed to hear that a portion of the team behind Diner Dash is now without work? Are you still a fan of Diner Dash, and if so, where do you play it?
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.
[Via IndustryGamers]
[Image Credit: Pharan]
Are you bummed to hear that a portion of the team behind Diner Dash is now without work? Are you still a fan of Diner Dash, and if so, where do you play it?
This Scrubs game for Android says, 'It's never too soon for nostalgia'
Scrubs Android
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.?
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 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?
Frogger is 30 years old, still bouncin' in Frogger Pinball on Facebook
Alright, so 30 is far from old, but that's ancient in frog years. Konami celebrates the 30th anniversary of gaming's favorite jaywalker with Frogger Pinball on Facebook. The game, created by Silverball Studios, is definitely a departure for Frogger, having the little green guy save his Lily from the clutches of the evil RoboCroc ... as a pinball. We at least hope the villain drives a red sedan.
Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.
Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.
Click here to play Frogger Pinball on Facebook Now >
Are you still a Frogger fan after all of these years? Do you think Konami can bring its classic franchises back to life through Facebook?
Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.
Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.
Click here to play Frogger Pinball on Facebook Now >
Are you still a Frogger fan after all of these years? Do you think Konami can bring its classic franchises back to life through Facebook?
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