FrontierVille Huge Expansion Missions: Everything you need to know

FrontierVille Huge Homestead is here
Zynga allowed pioneers in FrontierVille to expand their homestead to 29x29 squares earlier this summer with the Big Homestead Expansion, but things have gotten a little cramped in the past two months with all of the nifty animals, industrial buildings and money pits activities we've had the pleasure of playing with. That's why today, we can now expand our homestead even farther to 33x33 squares with the Huge Expansion Missions. But if you've yet to expand your homestead, the price for the Big Expansion Quest mission has been cut by 4,500 coins!

You officially have no reason to at least get started on breaking new ground, but if you're right there with us, join us after the break for a full guide.
Huge Homestead Exploration
The series of missions will initially cost you just a handful of 950 coins (that's just the beginning), which will automatically add the missions to your queue, which you can edit at will thanks to a recent update. The first mission, titled "Huge Homestead Exploration," goes a little something like this:

    Own three Ribbons (They'll be used for the mission)
    Buy a Forest Saw at the Market (costs 3,500 coins in Decorations section)
    Chop 10 neighbors' trees (Easy enough)



Aside from buying the Forest Saw in the Market and chopping trees like normal, the Ribbons naturally appear on the free gift list, so put them on your wish list and publish it to your friends. They do go for 4 Horseshoes a piece in the Market, but such an accessible item can wait out the 12 Horseshoes ($2 USD).

Spying on Some Foxes
The next mission is called "Spying on Some Foxes" and requires quite a bit more time to complete. Here's what you need to do:

    Gather 20 Telescopes (Ask your friends from the mission page)
    Feed 25 Animals
    Clobber Four Foxes


The hardest parts of this mission are how long it's going to take to get 20 Telescopes from your friends and how much energy it will cost both feeding your animals and beating down some foxes. While you can unlock the Telescopes for an insane 80 Horseshoes, or over $8, here's a real tip: foxes appear when you feed or harvest chickens, so buy a few extra chickens (they're only 75 coins) and feed them to increase your chances of foxes appearing.

Sneaky Snake Cakes
"Sneak Snake Cakes!" is the third mission on your way to a nice chunk of land and has a prerequisite that you'll have to meet before you can continue: an Inn, which is quite an undertaking that requires lots of time, wood and coins. After completing an Inn you can finally finish this long mission:

    Clobber Three Snakes
    Bake Three Cakes
    Visit 12 Neighbors



What killing snakes has to do with baking cakes, other than the fact that the two words rhyme, we haven't in the slightest. Nonetheless, snakes can be found when clearing rocks and skulls from your homestead, so that's an easy enough goal. Baking cakes requires the Inn to craft, so that's a pretty big barrier to entry for a goal that takes seconds to accomplish. If you don't have 12 neighbors already, this goal is going to take you more than one day, but you can always unlock it for 24 Horseshoes (fat chance)!

Just Sign Here
The fourth mission, "Just Sign Here," while it kind of completes itself, is ridiculous nonetheless:

    Harvest 300 crops (seriously?)
    Clobber Eight Groundhogs
    Get 20 Survey Authorizations



Regardless of the fact that you can harvest any crop you like (hint: Clovers take just five minutes) this goal is going to take a long, tedious time. Since groundhogs pop up from harvesting crops, you'll probably have that goal finished before your halfway done the first. All the while, you'll have to ask your friends for 20 Survey Authorizations. Those insane Horseshoes options aren't looking so bad now, are they? (No... must resist!)

Get Huge!
Your final mission, should you choose to accept it (we'd hope so if you've come this far), is "Get Huge," which will essentially drain you of your life savings:

    Collect Two Daily Bonuses from your Land Office
    Have or Craft Two Land Grants Inside the Land Office
    Buy Land Expansion (33x33) at the Land Office



Well, I don't know about "huge," but something will surely shrink from completing this mission when it costs 20,000 coins to craft two Land Grants. While that's phenomenally better than when one Land Grant cost a ludicrous 100,000 coins to craft, some players are probably still reeling from the cost of the first. Maybe the final rewards from this mission, two Mystery Crates, two Animal Mystery Crates and a Swimming Hole will make up for some of the financial damages. All in all, this is probably the longest and most arduous task in FrontierVille to date, so for those looking for a true challenge, here you are.

FrontierVille Kwanzaa Kinara and Flashing Tree bring cheer of all kinds

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Redeem FrontierVille Game Card, receive free Easter Mystery Crate

Just as FarmVille is giving away free Spring Mystery Boxes to users who purchase Game Cards from now until April 24, so too is FrontierVille offering users a prize for doing the same (although you have less time to do so). From now until April 20, simply redeem a Zynga Game Card in FrontierVille, and you'll receive a free Easter Mystery Crate, which can contain one of the following items, or a large Easter Egg (the full contents are as-of-now unknown, but we'll make sure to update you):

Yellow Mallow Chick
Pink Mallow Chick
Green Mallow Chick
Bunny Ears Blonde
Bunny Ears Brown

To be clear, these "Mallow Chicks" are the game's representation of the "Peeps" Easter candy, although they of course couldn't use the name. The bunny ears, then, are avatar clothing items for your family to wear proudly around the Homestead. There's no word right now as to whether or not these crates will be available to purchase from the store, so if you've been saving up a Game Card for a good promotion, this is likely the best promotion you'll see for some time - (for now) exclusive items that you'll be proud to show off on your land.

Have you received an item that isn't on our list? Make sure to let us know which items you receive from this promotion! Are you happy with your prize(s)?

FrontierVille Tips & Tricks: Quickly finish the Bear Collection for Animal Ready Boosts

Don't you just hate receiving quests in FrontierVille that ask you to sell 50 Sheep, or sell 25 Oxen, only to have just finished a quest that required you to sell them all already? Now you're stuck purchasing and growing animals all over again, in what is undeniably a time consuming process (or an expensive one, if you choose to buy Boosts). Your pain can be lessened a bit, however, by simply completing the Bear Collection.

The Bear Collection gives you a free Animal Ready Boost when you turn it in, causing all of the animals on your Homestead to instantly become "ready" to be fed. But I know what you're thinking - "The Bear Collection is way too hard to complete! I never have enough trees around, and Bears never come out on my land!" While I unfortunately can't help you bring out more Bears on your land (other than suggesting to let your trees grow to maturity before you ever chop them), I can help you complete that Bear Collection all the same.

Meet us behind the break for a set of tips on how to complete the Bear Collection (believe me, it's a trick you may not know about), and earn those free Animal Ready Boosts for your land!


Step 1: Complete the Mystery Animal Collection

The Mystery Animal Collection can be completed by either tending to your own Mystery Animals, or by tending to your friends' Mystery Animals when you visit. Turning this collection in will reward you with a Stuffed Bear. This isn't just a regular decorative item, however, as this is actually the key to this entire method!

Step 2: Place the Stuffed Bear on your land

Once you have the Stuffed Bear on your land, you'll want to keep it out in the open - somewhere that you can easily click on it everyday, and won't forget to do so. That is, if you're like me, you won't want to put it in the far corner of your land, or else you'll forget it exists and miss out on these free items!

Step 3: Collect the Bonus from the Stuffed Bear once every day

You can collect a bonus from the Stuffed Bear just as you can collect a bonus from all of your buildings. Simply click on the Bear and then click on "Collect Bonus." This bonus can only be collected once every 24 hours, but you'll receive a free collectible item from the Bear Collection when you do so. Sure, you may not be guaranteed to receive the elusive Bear Claw (the rarest item in the collection) each time you collect your bonus, but if you've gone days or weeks without seeing an actual Bear varmint on your land, you'll likely be happy with any item that you can get!

And there you have it! An easy way to earn Bear Collection items, that doesn't require you to fill your land with trees, and hope to luckily receive a Bear while wasting all of your energy chopping them down. If you need help finishing the Mystery Animal Collection to receive a Stuffed Bear in the first place, remember to ask your friends if they have any spare items, as they'll likely be much more willing to share those with you than actual Bear Collection items.

For more of our FrontierVille Tips and Tricks, click right here.

Did you know that the Stuffed Bear item gave away free Bear Collection items? Have you been using this method to receive free Animal Ready boosts on your land?

FrontierVille: Find Granny's Field Mice for three Tea Tables

As part of the Mother's Day celebration in FrontierVille, Zynga has launched a new activity in the game called "Find Field Mice for Granny's Kitty." You see, Granny would love to have a cat for Mother's Day, and you'll need to lure one onto the Homestead by finding Field Mice that can be...well... used to tame the cat (if you get my meaning). This activity is technically a sub-quest, released as part of Granny's Mother's Day goals, but it is its own feature, with its own rewards.

Similar to the Oregon Trail Medical Journal or Rango activities we've seen released in the past, you'll be able to find these field mice simply by completing normal tasks around your Homestead, like clearing debris or tending to fruit trees. You'll be able to collect nine Field Mice in all, with the Mice being split into three groups of three. Once you collect just three mice, you'll earn the Candlelit Tea Table. at 6 Mice you'll earn the Tea Set Tea Table, and when you've finished collecting all nine you'll earn the Floral Tea Table. What's interesting about these three items is that they are actually portions of a larger, completely round table, that should look quite impressive when placed appropriately on your Homestead. You'll likely only be able to collect Field Mice for a limited time, so start working on your Homestead now to earn them as fast as possible!

What do you think of the Field Mice activity in FrontierVille? Do you like these collection tasks in the game, or do you prefer more standard missions and goals?