Late night ranchers tonight were surprised to see not just a decoration release tonight, but an overhaul to the way FarmVille players will move, rotate, sell, and delete items tonight. FarmVille has debuted a brand new tool that allows you to move items around and rotate them (if the item is rotatable) and also a one-click sell/delete tool that makes getting rid of unwanted items a breeze.
The new Move Tool looks like a hand icon, and is a sub-button underneath the Multi-Tool. Once you click this Hand Tool, you can then click on an item that you want to move. The item will then be attached to your cursor and you can click anywhere on your farm to place it again. While holding it, you can press the space bar on your keyboard to automatically rotate it to face the direction you want. If you're like me and you've been trying to layout your fences to make a perfect pasture, you will greatly appreciate this change. It's also helpful because with the one-click harvesting change that was released several weeks ago, it made moving animals and trees impossible without first harvesting them.
The new Recycle Tool is a dual action tool that not only will sell items that you click on with the tool, but can also delete items that are not sellable. It's basically the universal "get rid of this" button, and will be a quick way to clear out your farm. When you click on an item to sell or delete it, you will have the option to turn on Quick Delete which will not warn you about selling or deleting any object less than 1,000 coins (if it isn't a Limited Item). You can also turn off the deletion warning until you switch tools.
All in all, we are very pleased with these changes. Little additions like this can go a long way in interface usability, and we're sure FarmVille players will find these new features to be a huge benefit.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn zynga. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn zynga. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars London officially opens, let the Crown Jewel heist begin!
There's no time like the present to take your mafia on a working vacation -- to London. The new Mafia Wars London mission officially opened at midnight and for the next three weeks, you'll be pulling off the heist of a lifetime, i.e. stealing a Crown Jewel.
Of course, your crew won't be able to simply walk in and take it. We're talking about the Crown Jewels after all. You'll have to perform a series of special jobs, which require a certain number of London passports (found as loot dropped from jobs and fighting and by visiting the London page every 24 hours) to complete. The longer your perform a job, the more police will be on your tail, which will make it more difficult to get your job done, i.e require more energy and passports to complete a task. The police activity is measured by a Heat Meter, and once its full, you'll have to wait eight hours for it to reset so you can continue your job.
mafia wars london chapter 1 jobs
That time restraint butts up against the fact that there is a limited time frame to pull off this heist -- 21 days to complete all three chapters. If Mafia Wars Paris taught us anything, it's that you have to be a tenacious mobster to get the job done. Once you complete each chapter, you'll be rewarded with an item exclusive to the London mission. In your down time, work like a fiend to get as many London passports as you can (more on that soon) -- looks like you're gonna need them.
Of course, your crew won't be able to simply walk in and take it. We're talking about the Crown Jewels after all. You'll have to perform a series of special jobs, which require a certain number of London passports (found as loot dropped from jobs and fighting and by visiting the London page every 24 hours) to complete. The longer your perform a job, the more police will be on your tail, which will make it more difficult to get your job done, i.e require more energy and passports to complete a task. The police activity is measured by a Heat Meter, and once its full, you'll have to wait eight hours for it to reset so you can continue your job.
mafia wars london chapter 1 jobs
That time restraint butts up against the fact that there is a limited time frame to pull off this heist -- 21 days to complete all three chapters. If Mafia Wars Paris taught us anything, it's that you have to be a tenacious mobster to get the job done. Once you complete each chapter, you'll be rewarded with an item exclusive to the London mission. In your down time, work like a fiend to get as many London passports as you can (more on that soon) -- looks like you're gonna need them.
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
Ponzi, Inc. is now permanently closed for business
This hasn't been a good week for Facebook games staying open, and Ponzi, Inc. is the next one to be closed for good. Ponzi is the creation of Challenge Games, an Austin-based studio that was recently acquired by social gaming giant Zynga. Ponzi has been slowly trailing off in activity over the past few months, and as of yesterday had around 221,000 monthly players. The staff who worked on Ponzi had the following to say on the game's Facebook page:
Dear Ponzi Players,
In October 2009, Challenge Games launched Ponzi, Inc., a fast paced tycoon game that pokes fun at corporate life.
Earlier this month, in real world corporate news, Challenge Games became part of the Zynga Game Network. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our games to a wider audience, but we have had to make hard choices about where to focus our energies. As of June 29th, Ponzi, Inc. will lock the office doors for the final time and close up shop.
During its peak over one million people logged in to play Ponzi, Inc., and built their home offices into global corporate empires complete with Unicorn Palaces and Death Rays.
Players who have made purchases in Ponzi, Inc. within the past two months will have an equivalent value credited to them in FrontierVille, on or by July 31, 2010.
We'd like to extend a special thanks to our community - players and friends - from all of us on the Ponzi, Inc. team. Your passion and commitment helped make the game great fun. We look forward to seeing you playing our other games.
Sincerely,
The Ponzi Inc. Team
Earlier this month, we wrote up an article claiming that the best thing about Zynga's acquisition of Challenge Games was Ponzi. Unfortunately, the revenue must not have been high enough on the game to continue supporting it. What is even more scary is the fact that Challenge Games' other title, Warstorm, is doing equally as poor. It has been in a downward slide as well, and only has about 250,000 monthly actives. Will Warstorm weather the storm?
Dear Ponzi Players,
In October 2009, Challenge Games launched Ponzi, Inc., a fast paced tycoon game that pokes fun at corporate life.
Earlier this month, in real world corporate news, Challenge Games became part of the Zynga Game Network. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our games to a wider audience, but we have had to make hard choices about where to focus our energies. As of June 29th, Ponzi, Inc. will lock the office doors for the final time and close up shop.
During its peak over one million people logged in to play Ponzi, Inc., and built their home offices into global corporate empires complete with Unicorn Palaces and Death Rays.
Players who have made purchases in Ponzi, Inc. within the past two months will have an equivalent value credited to them in FrontierVille, on or by July 31, 2010.
We'd like to extend a special thanks to our community - players and friends - from all of us on the Ponzi, Inc. team. Your passion and commitment helped make the game great fun. We look forward to seeing you playing our other games.
Sincerely,
The Ponzi Inc. Team
Earlier this month, we wrote up an article claiming that the best thing about Zynga's acquisition of Challenge Games was Ponzi. Unfortunately, the revenue must not have been high enough on the game to continue supporting it. What is even more scary is the fact that Challenge Games' other title, Warstorm, is doing equally as poor. It has been in a downward slide as well, and only has about 250,000 monthly actives. Will Warstorm weather the storm?
Is FarmVille 26 x 26 Land Expansion coming tonight? Zynga's Twitter reveals a teaser
In an update made on Zynga's official Twitter page, they simply tweeted a link to an image of the FarmVille 26 x 26 Land Expansion!
Is it possible that farmers could be upgrading their farms to the latest land expansion as soon as tonight?
Here is the link that they tweeted:
zfarmville
http://zyn.ga/PM
To follow the big Z, on Twitter, check out Zynga's Official FarmVille Twitter page here:
Zynga's Official FarmVille Twitter
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Is it possible that farmers could be upgrading their farms to the latest land expansion as soon as tonight?
Here is the link that they tweeted:
zfarmville
http://zyn.ga/PM
To follow the big Z, on Twitter, check out Zynga's Official FarmVille Twitter page here:
Zynga's Official FarmVille Twitter
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Small Can of Fuel giftable returns
FarmVille has made a minor change this evening by bringing back the Small Can of Fuel to the FarmVille Gifting Page.
However, this free giftable Small Can of Fuel is currently on available through FarmVille.com.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
However, this free giftable Small Can of Fuel is currently on available through FarmVille.com.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Experiencing Technical Issues Tonight
Zynga's FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious announced via the official FarmVille forum that FarmVille is experiencing technical issues.
These technical issues explain why many farmers are experiencing white, blank loading screens, out of sync errors and general difficulty accessing FarmVille. Perhaps this explains the delay in tonight's updates.
From Lexilicious:
"Hi Folks,
FarmVille has been experiencing some technical difficulties that have been resulting in some users experiencing white screens, loading issues and Out of Sync errors.
We are working on resolving these issues as quickly as possible and we would like to thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
We ask that you please refrain from creating additional threads about these issues to avoid excess spamming of the boards.
If you have an Out Of Sync issue to report, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.php?t=592511
If you are experiencing white screens when playing FarmVille, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.p...22#post6032222
If you have a loading issue to report, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.php?t=592521
Thanks everyone!" (Source: FarmVille Forum)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
These technical issues explain why many farmers are experiencing white, blank loading screens, out of sync errors and general difficulty accessing FarmVille. Perhaps this explains the delay in tonight's updates.
From Lexilicious:
"Hi Folks,
FarmVille has been experiencing some technical difficulties that have been resulting in some users experiencing white screens, loading issues and Out of Sync errors.
We are working on resolving these issues as quickly as possible and we would like to thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
We ask that you please refrain from creating additional threads about these issues to avoid excess spamming of the boards.
If you have an Out Of Sync issue to report, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.php?t=592511
If you are experiencing white screens when playing FarmVille, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.p...22#post6032222
If you have a loading issue to report, please post here: http://forums.zynga.com/showthread.php?t=592521
Thanks everyone!" (Source: FarmVille Forum)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars Vegas fun facts: 100 million robberies, 250 million fights
Mafia Wars Vegas has arrived (as if you didn't know already), and as far as I'm concerned, this is the best expansion yet. The jobs have been broken down into new energy and fighting paths, which does a good job catering to different types of players. Properties have been replaced with a Casino that you can build out with help from friends, new boss battles are tough and requires you to think more strategically, and the new Fight Club Tournaments aren't so bad either (except for the fact that I keep getting KO'd in the first round). Sure, it's annoying that I never seem to have enough cash to buy items required for jobs, and that I keep getting killed by bosses -- but no one ever said running a mafia would be easy. And who wants it to be?
But, I digress. Zynga released some numbers for Mafia Wars Vegas, while pimping out the fact that they plan to blow up an armored truck once 10 million people visit the next expansion. The game still has a ways to go, but it looks like the 3 million or so players trying to take over Sin City have been very busy:
- 3 million people have visited Mafia Wars: Las Vegas since launch
- 7 million Vegas gifts are been sent every day
- 8.5 million casino properties have been upgraded
- 1.5 billion jobs have been done in Vegas:
- 250 million fights haven taken place in Vegas
- 100 million buildings have been robbed
- 80 million tournament fights have taken place
Mafia Wars Vegas: What do you do the most?
JobsBuild out my casinoFight in tournamentsFighting in generalRob other properties
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
But, I digress. Zynga released some numbers for Mafia Wars Vegas, while pimping out the fact that they plan to blow up an armored truck once 10 million people visit the next expansion. The game still has a ways to go, but it looks like the 3 million or so players trying to take over Sin City have been very busy:
- 3 million people have visited Mafia Wars: Las Vegas since launch
- 7 million Vegas gifts are been sent every day
- 8.5 million casino properties have been upgraded
- 1.5 billion jobs have been done in Vegas:
- 250 million fights haven taken place in Vegas
- 100 million buildings have been robbed
- 80 million tournament fights have taken place
Mafia Wars Vegas: What do you do the most?
JobsBuild out my casinoFight in tournamentsFighting in generalRob other properties
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Amazon an unlikely winner in social gaming's growth
When you think of the companies that have benefited the most from the explosive growth of social games, a few names probably spring to mind. Facebook, of course, and definitely Farmville-maker Zynga. Playfish and Playdom, surely, in the wake of their lucrative buyouts. Well, one name that probably doesn't come to mind, but probably should, is Amazon.
As VentureBeat notes, Amazon's Web Services (AWS) division provides the hosting that powers six to eight of the top ten Facebook games, according to AWS' Jeff Barr. This means companies like Zynga, Playfish and Playdom pay Amazon substantial sums of money so they don't have to worry about things like server maintenance, bandwidth, backups and security for their growing game. Those substantial sums have helped make AWS into a $500 million a year business for Amazon, according to some estimates,
Of course the relationship isn't perfect -- problems with AWS scaling are likely behind some of the outages that occasionally plague many growing games. Still, Amazon has positioned itself well to benefit both from online sales of disc-based games and from the growth of web-based games.
As VentureBeat notes, Amazon's Web Services (AWS) division provides the hosting that powers six to eight of the top ten Facebook games, according to AWS' Jeff Barr. This means companies like Zynga, Playfish and Playdom pay Amazon substantial sums of money so they don't have to worry about things like server maintenance, bandwidth, backups and security for their growing game. Those substantial sums have helped make AWS into a $500 million a year business for Amazon, according to some estimates,
Of course the relationship isn't perfect -- problems with AWS scaling are likely behind some of the outages that occasionally plague many growing games. Still, Amazon has positioned itself well to benefit both from online sales of disc-based games and from the growth of web-based games.
YoVille: Mystery Packs Items Revealed
YoVille 4 YoCash Mystery Pack
The 2,500 coin and 4 YoCash mystery packs were updated with new rare items. You can enjoy pictures of these items after the link and add to the list in comments or on forum. Remember, you can also get common items from these packs.
Thanks to Spiralda and Angie for the pictures! YoVille Mystery Pack Item: Rustic Coffee Table, End Table, and Rustic Shower
YoVille Mystery Pack Items: Arc de Triumph and New Money Floor
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
The 2,500 coin and 4 YoCash mystery packs were updated with new rare items. You can enjoy pictures of these items after the link and add to the list in comments or on forum. Remember, you can also get common items from these packs.
Thanks to Spiralda and Angie for the pictures! YoVille Mystery Pack Item: Rustic Coffee Table, End Table, and Rustic Shower
YoVille Mystery Pack Items: Arc de Triumph and New Money Floor
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Mafia Wars: Log in this weekend to pimp your properties for free
Mafia Wars Weekend Property uprgade
According to a little stealth update in Mafia Wars, Zynga plans to give everyone a free upgrade to their property some time this weekend. While we can't say exactly how many upgrades there will be, we know that you'll be able to apply them to any of your properties in any given city.
The information appears as a small banner ad on your home page that reveal more information once clicked. While free items, apologies and upgrades are nice, we hope this isn't all that Zynga meant when they promised improvements.
According to a little stealth update in Mafia Wars, Zynga plans to give everyone a free upgrade to their property some time this weekend. While we can't say exactly how many upgrades there will be, we know that you'll be able to apply them to any of your properties in any given city.
The information appears as a small banner ad on your home page that reveal more information once clicked. While free items, apologies and upgrades are nice, we hope this isn't all that Zynga meant when they promised improvements.
YoVille: Ten new permanent hairstyles in salon
Ten new Permanent Hairstyles have been released in the YoVille Salon. Four female and four male shiny hair for 18 YoCash each available in black, blonde, brown and red. For 20 YoCash ladies can get pink and guys blue.
Photos of all new hair after the link.
yoville permanent hairstylesyoville permanent hairstyles
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Photos of all new hair after the link.
yoville permanent hairstylesyoville permanent hairstyles
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille Romantic Collectibles added in the furniture store
yoville romantic collectibles
Romantic Hot Tub and Romantic Waterfall are now available in the YoVille Furniture Store! Both Collectibles are animated with running water and will add an elegant touch to any garden. These will be in the store for 2 weeks only.
You can purchase the Hot Tub for 32 YoCash and the Waterfall for 20000 coins. Check the pictures after the link.
yoville romantic collectibles
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Romantic Hot Tub and Romantic Waterfall are now available in the YoVille Furniture Store! Both Collectibles are animated with running water and will add an elegant touch to any garden. These will be in the store for 2 weeks only.
You can purchase the Hot Tub for 32 YoCash and the Waterfall for 20000 coins. Check the pictures after the link.
yoville romantic collectibles
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Zynga holds two Top 10 Facebook pages, but something is missing
Social Media Today released a list of the Top 10 Facebook Pages today, and the results are surprising (Lady Gaga is the most popular living music artist on Facebook). The list measures the top pages in "Likes," but try to find what's missing. Here's the full list of Social Media Today's Top 10 Facebook Pages as of this morning:
Zynga Poker: 23.5 million "Likes"
Michael Jackson: 19.4 million "Likes"
Facebook (huh?): 17.8 million "Likes"
Lady Gaga: 17.1 million "Likes"
Family Guy: 16.5 million "Likes"
Vin Diesel: 14.9 million "Likes"
Mafia Wars: 13.7 million "Likes"
Starbucks: 13,206,824 "Likes"
House: 13,202,945 "Likes"
Barack Obama: 13 million "Likes"
Still haven't figured it out? Find the answer and a few more questions after the break. FarmVille LogoWhile Zynga Poker and Mafia Wars are two of Zynga's most popular games on Facebook, its most popular title of all time, FarmVille, is nowhere to be found. With a steady 60 million players, you'd think it'd have more fans than Zynga Poker.
Well, it turns out that it does with 24.3 million fans, which is nearly one million more than Zynga Poker's 23.5 million. So, what gives? Is FarmVille so ubiquitous at this point that it is not even recognized in such competitions, or this just an oversight?
Considering FarmVille's undeniable clout on Facebook, is it fair to include the game in these lists? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Zynga Poker: 23.5 million "Likes"
Michael Jackson: 19.4 million "Likes"
Facebook (huh?): 17.8 million "Likes"
Lady Gaga: 17.1 million "Likes"
Family Guy: 16.5 million "Likes"
Vin Diesel: 14.9 million "Likes"
Mafia Wars: 13.7 million "Likes"
Starbucks: 13,206,824 "Likes"
House: 13,202,945 "Likes"
Barack Obama: 13 million "Likes"
Still haven't figured it out? Find the answer and a few more questions after the break. FarmVille LogoWhile Zynga Poker and Mafia Wars are two of Zynga's most popular games on Facebook, its most popular title of all time, FarmVille, is nowhere to be found. With a steady 60 million players, you'd think it'd have more fans than Zynga Poker.
Well, it turns out that it does with 24.3 million fans, which is nearly one million more than Zynga Poker's 23.5 million. So, what gives? Is FarmVille so ubiquitous at this point that it is not even recognized in such competitions, or this just an oversight?
Considering FarmVille's undeniable clout on Facebook, is it fair to include the game in these lists? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Mozilla sees a future in HTML5-powered browser gaming
Firefox creator Mozilla thinks the future of browser games will be backed by HTML5 and other improved web tech, if today's launch of Mozilla Labs' Gaming Division is any indication. Companies launch new divisions all the time, but since Mozilla is technically behind the curve with Google and Zynga joining forces to create Google Games the company can't afford to sit idly on this project.
This must be why Mozilla also launched a game development competition, Game On 2010, today to go along with its new Gaming Division. The competition asks contenders to develop their best browser-based games and is open to just about anyone with development skills. While official details have yet to be released, it's probably a good idea to put on those thinking caps right about now if you want to make a winning product.
So, what could this mean for social games? If HTML5 is truly where browser-based gaming is headed, isn't only a matter of time before we see games sporting full 3D graphics and live multiplayer on Facebook and other social platforms? With Google, Zynga and Mozilla all taking the initiative, consider it a done deal in our book. What do you think? Would you like to more robust Facebook games take advantage of HTML5? Do you think it's possible?
This must be why Mozilla also launched a game development competition, Game On 2010, today to go along with its new Gaming Division. The competition asks contenders to develop their best browser-based games and is open to just about anyone with development skills. While official details have yet to be released, it's probably a good idea to put on those thinking caps right about now if you want to make a winning product.
So, what could this mean for social games? If HTML5 is truly where browser-based gaming is headed, isn't only a matter of time before we see games sporting full 3D graphics and live multiplayer on Facebook and other social platforms? With Google, Zynga and Mozilla all taking the initiative, consider it a done deal in our book. What do you think? Would you like to more robust Facebook games take advantage of HTML5? Do you think it's possible?
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
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.
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.
Mafia Wars Social Missions: Are you an Initiator or a Helper?
Mafia Wars Missions tab
The Zynga community team announced on the Mafia Wars forums that a new feature is now live named Social Missions. However, the feature is only live for some lucky players to initiate the missions while everyone can be recruited to help once one of their friends finds a Social Mission. Regardless of whether you've been chosen as an Initiator, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find a new "Missions" tab between the Gifting and Marketplace tabs (pictured above). We're going to make an educated guess and say that this will be the hub for all Social Missions. Common sense rocks, we know.
Social Missions only trigger while doing normal jobs, but once that happens said player, or the Initiator, can recruit his or her mafia friends to become Helpers in the mission. These are timed tasks that have different assignments specialized for certain types of players, which gives the Initiator the chance to make best use of his mafia. We hope Social Missions will make use of the Top Mafia feature, because as of right now it's severely underused aside from its bonuses and being required to Declare War.
According to the forum post, it seems that Initiators will receive special item rewards in addition to a combination of experience, coins and later Loyalty Points, while Helpers will only be rewarded the latter with a chance at common loot. Initiators can also dismiss Helpers if they're too slow or could potentially jeopardize the mission, so be on your 'A' game.
With the ability to Initiate 10 and Help with 10 Social Missions at once, we're going to have quite a lot of work on our hands when this feature goes live for everyone.
The Zynga community team announced on the Mafia Wars forums that a new feature is now live named Social Missions. However, the feature is only live for some lucky players to initiate the missions while everyone can be recruited to help once one of their friends finds a Social Mission. Regardless of whether you've been chosen as an Initiator, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find a new "Missions" tab between the Gifting and Marketplace tabs (pictured above). We're going to make an educated guess and say that this will be the hub for all Social Missions. Common sense rocks, we know.
Social Missions only trigger while doing normal jobs, but once that happens said player, or the Initiator, can recruit his or her mafia friends to become Helpers in the mission. These are timed tasks that have different assignments specialized for certain types of players, which gives the Initiator the chance to make best use of his mafia. We hope Social Missions will make use of the Top Mafia feature, because as of right now it's severely underused aside from its bonuses and being required to Declare War.
According to the forum post, it seems that Initiators will receive special item rewards in addition to a combination of experience, coins and later Loyalty Points, while Helpers will only be rewarded the latter with a chance at common loot. Initiators can also dismiss Helpers if they're too slow or could potentially jeopardize the mission, so be on your 'A' game.
With the ability to Initiate 10 and Help with 10 Social Missions at once, we're going to have quite a lot of work on our hands when this feature goes live for everyone.
FarmVille: Race a Horse in Disney's Secretariat free Farm Cash promo
FarmVille Secretariat promotion
For a good change of pace, instead of bombarding us with multiple choice questions, the latest FarmVille free Farm Cash offer allows you to run a quick horse race. Aside from that, you'll be watching the trailer of Disney's Secretariat, a film billed as "The Impossible True Story" of an American horse who aced all three races of the Triple Crown in 1973.
FarmVille Secretariat: Select a horse
It's cute that Zynga actually took the time to set this up. The sight of the familiar FarmVille horses and jockeys done in the the FarmVille style is pretty gratifying. It definitely makes me wonder if horse-racing will be the theme of Zynga's new fall game. (Facebook had a brief period of horse husbandry games, such as Ubisoft's Horse Gaga, but they didn't take off as people hoped.) The promo has you select a horse, choose something to feed it with, pick a jockey to ride it, and then let 'em race.
FarmVille Secretariat: Feed your horse
FarmVille Secretariat: Which Jersey will your jockey wear?
Though the artwork is nice prior to the race itself, the racing animation is pretty lame and incredibly crude. There's also no sound. But the concept itself is nifty, and your horse isn't guaranteed to win, so at least they didn't chicken out by taking the randomness factor out of it.
FarmVille Secretariat racing game
FarmVille Secretariat: Your horse won!
It's also pretty hilarious that if you're first place, the 'game' says your horse won! But if your horse came in third, it just says "Your horse came in third!", instead of "Sorry, it lost!", or "I'm sorry your horse sucks!"
FarmVille Secretariat: Your horse came in third!
Well, it was nice to see the Disney and Zynga marketing folks try something new. I hope you enjoy your 2 free Farm Cash!
For a good change of pace, instead of bombarding us with multiple choice questions, the latest FarmVille free Farm Cash offer allows you to run a quick horse race. Aside from that, you'll be watching the trailer of Disney's Secretariat, a film billed as "The Impossible True Story" of an American horse who aced all three races of the Triple Crown in 1973.
FarmVille Secretariat: Select a horse
It's cute that Zynga actually took the time to set this up. The sight of the familiar FarmVille horses and jockeys done in the the FarmVille style is pretty gratifying. It definitely makes me wonder if horse-racing will be the theme of Zynga's new fall game. (Facebook had a brief period of horse husbandry games, such as Ubisoft's Horse Gaga, but they didn't take off as people hoped.) The promo has you select a horse, choose something to feed it with, pick a jockey to ride it, and then let 'em race.
FarmVille Secretariat: Feed your horse
FarmVille Secretariat: Which Jersey will your jockey wear?
Though the artwork is nice prior to the race itself, the racing animation is pretty lame and incredibly crude. There's also no sound. But the concept itself is nifty, and your horse isn't guaranteed to win, so at least they didn't chicken out by taking the randomness factor out of it.
FarmVille Secretariat racing game
FarmVille Secretariat: Your horse won!
It's also pretty hilarious that if you're first place, the 'game' says your horse won! But if your horse came in third, it just says "Your horse came in third!", instead of "Sorry, it lost!", or "I'm sorry your horse sucks!"
FarmVille Secretariat: Your horse came in third!
Well, it was nice to see the Disney and Zynga marketing folks try something new. I hope you enjoy your 2 free Farm Cash!
Zynga buys studio founded by Age of Empires creators, original games incoming
Zynga Dallas
Zynga announced today that it has gobbled up yet another US game developer, Dallas-based Bonfire Studios. Formed in 2008 by members of the defunct Ensemble Studios--creators of the Age of Empires series and Halo Wars--the developer is now officially Zynga Dallas.
Heading the FarmVille creator's Lone Star stronghold will be Bonfire's three founders, David Rippy, Bill Jackson and Scott Winsett, who will become general manager, creative director and senior art director (similar positions to what they held at Bonfire), respectively. While most of Zynga's big purchases have been of web game studios, this is the first major game studio to be welcomed into the social gaming empire.
This move is strangely brilliant considering members of the studio have created one of the most critically acclaimed real-time strategy series in recent years with Age of Empires, yet Bonfire Studios has zero experience with Facebook games. After saying to TechCrunch that they will allow Zynga Dallas to "continue to develop new IP across multiple platforms," Zynga must be on to something huge whether it be on a console or on Facebook. Though, we doubt the company would turn away from one of the most profitable platforms, currently.
With the recent trend of Facebook strategy games like Kingdoms of Camelot and Monster World and the Bonfire team's obvious experience in that genre, it's possible that Zynga is looking towards this genre to innovate with Zynga Dallas "developing original IP for the company," according to the Zynga blog. Then again, the developer could just as easily be working on a clone. Hey, it's not as if Zynga hasn't before. Regardless, we're hopeful that if Zynga were to buy serious talent, it would use it seriously.
Zynga announced today that it has gobbled up yet another US game developer, Dallas-based Bonfire Studios. Formed in 2008 by members of the defunct Ensemble Studios--creators of the Age of Empires series and Halo Wars--the developer is now officially Zynga Dallas.
Heading the FarmVille creator's Lone Star stronghold will be Bonfire's three founders, David Rippy, Bill Jackson and Scott Winsett, who will become general manager, creative director and senior art director (similar positions to what they held at Bonfire), respectively. While most of Zynga's big purchases have been of web game studios, this is the first major game studio to be welcomed into the social gaming empire.
This move is strangely brilliant considering members of the studio have created one of the most critically acclaimed real-time strategy series in recent years with Age of Empires, yet Bonfire Studios has zero experience with Facebook games. After saying to TechCrunch that they will allow Zynga Dallas to "continue to develop new IP across multiple platforms," Zynga must be on to something huge whether it be on a console or on Facebook. Though, we doubt the company would turn away from one of the most profitable platforms, currently.
With the recent trend of Facebook strategy games like Kingdoms of Camelot and Monster World and the Bonfire team's obvious experience in that genre, it's possible that Zynga is looking towards this genre to innovate with Zynga Dallas "developing original IP for the company," according to the Zynga blog. Then again, the developer could just as easily be working on a clone. Hey, it's not as if Zynga hasn't before. Regardless, we're hopeful that if Zynga were to buy serious talent, it would use it seriously.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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