Monday, October 3, 2011

No More Heroes creator to spit out three more Mobage social games

And only one of which will actually involve grasshoppers. Grasshopper Manufacture, the Japanese developer responsible for stylish, gory hardcore games like No More Heroes, revealed just before the Tokyo Game Show that it will release three mobile social games through the now-global Mobage network, Kotaku reports.

The first game to be released internationally under this new deal between the developer and DeNA, which runs the Mobage network with recent acquisition ngmoco, is Frog Minutes. The game already released in Japan back in March, so this will likely just be a localized version for Mobage on Android phones in the U.S. and abroad.

In Frog Minutes, players disturb parts of a forest scene to stir up various insects and feed them to frogs. The more quickly players do this, the higher their score will climb, it seems. Ribbeting, isn't it? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) Not much was revealed about Grasshopper Manufacture's other two Mobage projects other than their titles: Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters.

The developer plans to show more of those games at a later date, according to Kotaku. Grasshopper Manufacture is placing big bets on social games with a mobile social version of No More Heroes, which designer Suda 51 said he hopes it will be bloodiest social game around.

While it's interesting to see a Japanese developer known for taking risks with unique games major consoles that (unfortunately) sell poorly hop into the low-risk, high-profit world of social gaming, it wasn't hard to see this one coming. And considering the effect social games has had on traditional American developers, we doubt this is the last news like this we'll hear from Japan.

Are you excited to see Grasshopper Manufacture go full-bore into social gaming? What other Japanese developers do you expect to see enter the space? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Karma Kingdom looks to combine social good, social fun on Facebook

A Facebook game that can score us some good karma points--where do we sign up? We've seen games like FarmVille and CityVille run social good campaigns, but Singapore-based developer Asvathaa has a made an entire game of the idea. The developer just released Karma Kingdom on Facebook, a quest-driven game that looks to help you "Create Your Better World," according to its tag line.

Karma Kingdom integrates Indian mythology into modern lessons of doing good for others. It does this by allowing players to curate an island nation and maintain their citizens' happiness using the three tenants of happiness: health, community and knowledge. You will be guided by several Indian gods and goddesses in your efforts to keep the people happy through quests.

You do this through creating homes for your people to live in, and then surrounding those homes with decorations that promote Health, Community and Knowledge. It seems as if it's important to keep that balance in the decorations you place. Otherwise, your citizens will quickly become unhappy and provide less Goodwill, the resource you need to provide for your people.

Players can plant crops to provide more Goodwill, and the game doesn't seem to be governed by any energy system. (Now, that's something fresh.) But what's more important is the real goodwill Asvathaa aims to create with Karma Kingdom. The Singapore developer has promised to donate a 10 percent of its income through Facebook Credits to non-profit charities. (However, Asvathaa doesn't say which charities it will donate to exactly.)
Karma Kingdom in action
The more happiness-generating decorations you buy in the game using Facebook Credits, the more Asvathaa will donate ... somewhere. "We want to offer a personal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) platform for every individual as the desire to give back exists in each one of us," Asvathaa CEO and founder Ashok Desai said in a release. If anything, the game looks to be a fresh take on the genre given that it doesn't limit your play time through energy, and maybe it will do some good, too.

Click here to play Karma Kingdom on Facebook Now >

Have you tried this new Facebook game yet, and what do you think of the fact that it doesn't limit you via energy? Would you ever pay up in the game, not knowing exactly where your Facebook Credits are going? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

Saturday, October 1, 2011

FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Introduction Goals: Everything you need to know

After you've made your way into the Lighthouse Cove in FarmVille, you'll be met with a series of introductory goals, that serve to introduce you to some crops, and the crop growth limit. We'll start with Welcome to Lighthouse Cove.

    * Plow 3 Plots
    * Plant 10 Chandler Blueberries


As you can see, we're given a very easy goal to get us started in the game's third farm. Just finish these two tasks, and you'll receive 50 XP, 2,500 coins and two each of Logs, Steel Beams and Stones, the building materials native to Lighthouse Cove.

After this introductory goal, you'll launch straight into another trio, this time of limited time goals that will only be around for a week. The first is called Ahead of Schedule.

    * Get 3 Wool Blankets
    * Harvest 10 Chandler Blueberries
    * Complete 1 Pet Run

The Wool Blankets are earned through a general news item posted to your wall. Unfortunately, it does look like you'll have to build another Pet Run from scratch for this goal, as traveling to a farm with a completed Pet Run removes your access to these goals, as of this writing. Finishing this goal gives you 100 XP, a Tourist Gnome and 2,500 coins.

Pick It Up

    * Get 6 Oat Sacks
    * Harvest 45 Daylilies
    * Buy 1 Storage Cellar


Storage Cellars cost just one coin from the store. Meanwhile, Daylilies are a new crop that take 16 hours to grow. Finally, the Oat Sacks are earned through a general news feed item. Finish this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, one Scottie dog and 2,500 coins.

Happy Trees

    * Get 6 Tree Fertilizers
    * Harvest 45 Butter & Sugar Corns
    * Store 20 Trees in an Orchard

Luckily, you can purchase trees that aren't native to the Lighthouse Cove - like old fruit trees that cost just a few hundred coins each, so feel free to fill an Orchard with those. The Fertilizers, meanwhile, are earned through another news feed item. Once you finish this goal, you'll earn 300 XP, 1 Red Oak Tree and 2,500 coins.

Once you finish this trio of goals, you'll have finished the first "Chapter" in the Lighthouse Cove goal series. We're told that new "tasks" will be released in Lighthouse Cove every week, for an undisclosed amount of weeks, however, so we'll make sure to give you a look at every new set of guys just as soon as they're released.

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

What do you think of these new Lighthouse Cove goals? Do they serve their purpose of introducing you to this new farm, or should they be more difficult? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille Repairing the Lighthouse Cove: Everything you need to know

One of the biggest elements of FarmVille's new Lighthouse Cove farm will come in actually repairing the dock and lighthouse after a huge storm wiped them out. This is done via item collection, using the three new tools found in the Lighthouse Cove proper: Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. As of this writing, there look to be 10 different levels for upgrades you can provide to the "Lighthouse Cove" itself, with the starting level requiring just three each of those Logs, Stones and Steel Beams. This removes the seaweed and debris from the water, but does little else.

As you continually repair, or level up your Lighthouse Cove (of course, each level takes more and more of each building material), you'll see visual transformations reflecting those repairs. This is important to note, as repairing the cove will be the only way to draw out animals like dolphins, which serve an (as of now) still unknown purpose. Your friends can send you more of these parts, or you can purchase them outright for Farm Cash.

On top of all of this, the Lighthouse Cove can actually be "harvested," once per day, giving you a chance to find "sea" bushels, like Clams. These bushels are then placed into a Market Stall for your friends to use, if they so choose.

We're sure that the upgrades given to the Lighthouse Cove will have a much larger effect on the game sometime in the future, but for right now, just focus on getting through the first few levels, while still trying to complete all of those new goals as well.

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

Have you started repairing your Lighthouse Cove area, or are you waiting for the free passes to be handed out to FarmVille players? What will be the first thing you do when landing in Lighthouse Cove? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Bonus Challenge Goals: Everything you need to know

While you're busy working on the first "introductory" chapter of goals in FarmVille's new Lighthouse Cove, keep in mind that three additional goals will soon fall onto your plate in the form of Bonus Challenges. Here's a complete look at these goals, which have a full month long time limit (that is, once they're given to you, not from today).

Bonus Challenge 1

    * Get 3 Hobby Horses
    * Harvest 70 Cove Cranberries
    * Improve the Cove to Level 4

As we told you earlier this evening, you'll "improve" your Cove by repairing the Lighthouse Cove dock and lighthouse area using Steel Beams, Logs and Stones. Once you reach level four, you'll apparently have the ability to draw out dolphins, so watch out for that! Finishing this first goal gives you 500 XP, a Fisherman / Fishing Gnome and 2,500 coins.

Bonus Challenge 2

    * Harvest 90 Chandler Blueberries
    * Expand to a Harbor Homestead
    * Make Wild Blueberry Pie Twice

Here's where things get a bit complicated. While Wild Blueberry Pies are fairly self-explanatory, and must be crafted inside the Level 2 Restaurant, the Harbor Homestead is the third homestead expansion option in Lighthouse Cove, and it costs 50 Farm Cash. To make matters worse, the two expansion before it? Yeah, they cost Farm Cash too - 30 and 40 Farm Cash each, to be specific. I'm sure there will be coin options released eventually, but keep this in mind for now. Once you finish this goal, you'll receive 1,000 XP, a Tulip Poplar Tree and 2,500 coins.

Bonus Challenge 3

    * Harvest Lighthouse Cove
    * Make Black Raspberry Wine Twice
    * Harvest the Zoo

Unfortunately, it looks like you might have to build another Zoo to finish this goal, on top of those you may have on other farms. Check out our guide to building a Zoo for more details. Also, as you might have guessed, the Black Raspberry Wine is another crafting recipe, also requiring a Level 2 Restaurant. Finishing this final Bonus Challenge goal gives you 500 XP, a Gorilla, ten Animal Feeds and 2,500 coins.

Zynga has said previously that new content will be added to the Lighthouse Cove every week (for a few weeks, anyhow), so keep checking back with us and we'll make sure to keep you up to date as new items are added.

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

Are these Bonus Challenges worth doing? Do you appreciate a real challenge in your goals, or do you wish these goals were less complex? Sound off in the comments.

FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Crops: Everything you need to know

Just as was the case with the launch of the English Countryside in FarmVille, Lighthouse Cove has been given plenty of new crops to get you started. If you're looking for a way to earn more mastery signs, or if you enjoy crafting recipes inside your new Restaurant, you'll want to take a look at these crops to see what to expect as you play in this third farm.

Darrow Blackberry

    * Costs: 30 coins
    * Growth Time: 4 Hours
    * Earns: 60 coins
    * XP Gained: 0


Hay

    * Costs: 30 coins
    * Growth Time: 1 Day
    * Earns: 135 coins
    * XP Gained: 3


Chandler Blueberry

    * Costs: 45 coins
    * Growth Time: 8 Hours
    * Earns: 85 coins
    * XP Gained: 1


Lady Slipper

    * Costs: 50 coins
    * Growth Time: 8 hours
    * Earns: 100 coins
    * XP Gained: 1


Kennebec Potato

    * Costs: 60 coins
    * Growth Time: 1 Day
    * Earns: 155 coins
    * XP Gained: 3


Cove Cranberry

    * Costs: 65 coins
    * Growth Time: 1 Day
    * Earns: 170 coins
    * XP Gained: 3



Daylily

    * Costs: 70 coins
    * Growth Time: 16 Hours
    * Earns: 150 coins
    * XP Gained: 2


Butter & Sugar Corn

    * Costs: 90 coins
    * Growth Time: 12 Hours
    * Earns: 145 coins
    * XP Gained: 2


Tarragon

    * Costs: 110 coins
    * Growth Time: 10 Hours
    * Earns: 160 coins
    * XP Gained: 1


Red Clover

    * Costs: 120 coins
    * Growth Time: 1 Day
    * Earns: 225 coins
    * XP Gained: 3


Cauliflower

    * Costs: 125 coins
    * Growth Time: 2 Days
    * Earns: 350 coins
    * XP Gained: 4


Dill

    * Costs: 135 coins
    * Growth Time: 12 Hours
    * Earns: 190 coins
    * XP Gained: 2


While there's plenty of XP to be earned with some of these crops, keep in mind that if you want to complete all of the goals already available in Lighthouse Cove, your options for planting crops will be fairly limited, as you'll be "forced" to grow what the goals require. Even with that being the case, these crops look to be the permanent options for this new farm, so you don't have to rush to master them all. Just plant them when you have some free time and you'll earn all of those new mastery signs eventually.

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

Which of these crops do you think will be your favorite? Do you grow crops based on what they look like, or based on their stats? Sound off in the comments.

Adventure World Cheats & Tips Guide

In Zynga's Adventure World, you'll explore volcanoes, search ruins, fight monsters, trek across mountains, wade through swamps, and eventually discover El Dorado itself! Adventure World is 40 times bigger than any of Zynga's other games, and its jam-packed with difficult puzzles and mysteries. That's where our Adventure World Cheats & Tips Guide comes in.

Adventure World is nothing like FarmVille, CityVille, or any of Zynga's other games. But luckily we have the Adventure World cheats and tips to get you through the game without a hitch. Whether you're an Adventure World know-it-all or you're just getting started, I guarantee you'll learn all kinds of cheats, tricks, and more from our Adventure World Cheats & Tips Guide.

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Snake Marsh Expedition Guide
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Preview

Check out our other guides:
cityville cheats guideCityVille Cheats & Tips Guide     empires allies cheatsEmpires & Allies Cheats & Tips Guide

Click here to play Adventure World on Facebook Now >

Do you have any more Adventure World Cheats & Tips? Or looking for friends to play the game with? Leave a post in the comments below!