Spring Garden Notice
It's officially spring in FarmVille, thanks to Zynga's most recent release: The Spring Garden. This new building project will act similarly to the Pot of Gold or Leprechaun Cottage a few weeks back. In other words, this structure will provide you with Flowers to add to your upcoming Spring Basket Collection, which offers up rare items for Flowers. Players will have to build the Spring Garden in stages with increasingly larger amounts of Bricks, Wooden Boards, and Nails.
Spring Garden 1 Spring Garden 2 Spring Garden 3
Stage 1: 12 Bricks, 12 Wooden Boards, and 12 Nails
Stage 2: 16 Bricks, 16 Wooden Boards, and 16 Nails
Stage 3: 30 Bricks, 30 Wooden Boards, and 30 Nails
That might not seem like a lot, but add it all up and that's a whopping 174 item requests. Consider this your next big project, as if your journey deeper into the English Countryside wasn't enough. Enjoy your Facebook-filled Friday--just try bringing the laptop outside with you this time, eh?
[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started on your Spring Garden yet? How do you plan on mastering it quickly?
Friday, December 30, 2011
Watch Out, Zynga: EA, Playfish want bigger piece of the Facebook pie
EA Sports president Peter Moore (pictured) drew the lines clearly in his MI6 (no, not British secret service--a games marketing conference) keynote speech: Zynga better watch themselves, because EA wants to be number one on Facebook, Gamesindustry.biz reports. "There's a big dog in front of us," Moore said, making a jab at FarmVille maker Zynga. "But we aren't far behind, and we're confident that we can catch up. What we can bring to the market in terms of blue chip IP is phenomenal."
Now that the carrot on the stick for EA and Playfish is clear as day, it seems as if the parent company is wary of how much longer consumers will pay $60 for a video game. And with good reason: Fewer gamers, casual, social and hardcore alike, are spending money upfront on their games. How does EA plan to be on top in the end? It's going to follow you everywhere, that's how.
Moore revealed a plan for EA Sports that included persistent profiles across all EA Sports games regardless of platform (ahem, that means you too, Facebook). This isn't far from what EA is doing right now with its EA Accounts working between mobile, Facebook and console games for exclusive items and other unlockables. It's unknown when exactly we'll see EA take the first step in this direction, but it also doesn't have much time before Zynga topples even Activision Blizzard. In short, expect it soon.
[Image Credit: Joystiq]
Do you EA is focused in the right direction in tackling Zynga? How successful do you think the company will be in trying to defeat the social gaming giant?
Now that the carrot on the stick for EA and Playfish is clear as day, it seems as if the parent company is wary of how much longer consumers will pay $60 for a video game. And with good reason: Fewer gamers, casual, social and hardcore alike, are spending money upfront on their games. How does EA plan to be on top in the end? It's going to follow you everywhere, that's how.
Moore revealed a plan for EA Sports that included persistent profiles across all EA Sports games regardless of platform (ahem, that means you too, Facebook). This isn't far from what EA is doing right now with its EA Accounts working between mobile, Facebook and console games for exclusive items and other unlockables. It's unknown when exactly we'll see EA take the first step in this direction, but it also doesn't have much time before Zynga topples even Activision Blizzard. In short, expect it soon.
[Image Credit: Joystiq]
Do you EA is focused in the right direction in tackling Zynga? How successful do you think the company will be in trying to defeat the social gaming giant?
Apple rejects PopCap's first 4th & Battery game, Unpleasant Horse
What's the matter, Apple? A little edginess too much for ya, huh? Well, the news that Apple rejected PopCap's first offering on the App Store through 4th & Battery, its new indie studio, gets me a little miffed--unpleasant even. Horrible puns aside, Gamasutra reports that Apple brought down the hammer on Unpleasant Horse for "mature content," to which 4th & Battery announced the bummer on Twitter with, "We thought horses dying in meat grinders was wholesome family entertainment!"
The Seattle-based indie studio then tweeted that it has resubmitted the game with nothing changed but the listed age requirement. The game features an adorable if murderous horse that kills birds and leaps on other horses from above, launching them into a meat grinder, for bonus points. Think of it as a much darker Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal Edition.
This could lead to an ongoing battle between the studio and Apple as it plans to release more iOS games with what Apple calls "mature content." It's just a wonder that completely useless "fart apps" spread meaningless flatulence around the App Store, while potentially fun games get the gates smashed in their faces for comedic violence. It begs the question: Where's the "immature content" rating standard?
[Image Credit: Gamers Daily News]
What do you think of PopCap's first indie iOS game being rejected? Will its next attempt be accepted? What do you think of Apple's rating process for apps and games?
The Seattle-based indie studio then tweeted that it has resubmitted the game with nothing changed but the listed age requirement. The game features an adorable if murderous horse that kills birds and leaps on other horses from above, launching them into a meat grinder, for bonus points. Think of it as a much darker Robot Unicorn Attack Heavy Metal Edition.
This could lead to an ongoing battle between the studio and Apple as it plans to release more iOS games with what Apple calls "mature content." It's just a wonder that completely useless "fart apps" spread meaningless flatulence around the App Store, while potentially fun games get the gates smashed in their faces for comedic violence. It begs the question: Where's the "immature content" rating standard?
[Image Credit: Gamers Daily News]
What do you think of PopCap's first indie iOS game being rejected? Will its next attempt be accepted? What do you think of Apple's rating process for apps and games?
RockYou's Julie Shumaker: 'We've got to blow sh*t up'
According to RockYou SVP and GM Julie Shumaker, social games need more explosions to reel in the hardcore crowd. While she was probably kidding, Shumaker spoke on this very topic at MI6, more specifically the future of social games, Inside Social Games reports. "The irony is that the future of social gaming will actually be social," Shumaker said. "The evolution of social games is about game content and the mechanics that make interesting social game experiences. Content will move from clicks to storylines. We may require people to think."
While we've heard it before--that social games are social enough--Shumaker addressed the how of it all in a short, six-minute long presentation at the games marketing conference in San Francisco. To her, multiplayer in social games needs to become seamless rather than harvesting your friends crops and then waiting for their response. From the looks of what Shumaker is dishing out, Facebook games need to become more like MMOs and less like Flash games. While the outset of Facebook gaming already appears to be headed in that direction, the first Facebook MMOs haven't been wildly successful. That said, some serious marketing dollars and audience rewiring will be needed to make the genre a success on Facebook.
However, mobile is also an exciting concept for social game creators. According to Inside Social Games, Shumaker presented a scenario in which someone walks into Starbucks with his smartphone, wins a level and earns a free latte from that shop. When you think of it, the whole game layer movement could turn the lot of casual mobile gamers into hardcore social gamers, which would make folks like Shumaker very happy.
RockYou recently appointed a new CEO from within and signed with Loot Drop, an extremely promising developer. It should be apparent by now that the company means business. More importantly, Facebook game creators like RockYou are out to turn us into hardcore, dedicated social gamers on every platform. But are we ready to offer that dedication?
Do you think social games need more hardcore engagement or deeper, more social gameplay? Do you see a future where you're more dedicated to social games than, say, "hardcore" games?
While we've heard it before--that social games are social enough--Shumaker addressed the how of it all in a short, six-minute long presentation at the games marketing conference in San Francisco. To her, multiplayer in social games needs to become seamless rather than harvesting your friends crops and then waiting for their response. From the looks of what Shumaker is dishing out, Facebook games need to become more like MMOs and less like Flash games. While the outset of Facebook gaming already appears to be headed in that direction, the first Facebook MMOs haven't been wildly successful. That said, some serious marketing dollars and audience rewiring will be needed to make the genre a success on Facebook.
However, mobile is also an exciting concept for social game creators. According to Inside Social Games, Shumaker presented a scenario in which someone walks into Starbucks with his smartphone, wins a level and earns a free latte from that shop. When you think of it, the whole game layer movement could turn the lot of casual mobile gamers into hardcore social gamers, which would make folks like Shumaker very happy.
RockYou recently appointed a new CEO from within and signed with Loot Drop, an extremely promising developer. It should be apparent by now that the company means business. More importantly, Facebook game creators like RockYou are out to turn us into hardcore, dedicated social gamers on every platform. But are we ready to offer that dedication?
Do you think social games need more hardcore engagement or deeper, more social gameplay? Do you see a future where you're more dedicated to social games than, say, "hardcore" games?
Playdom's Gardens of Time launches on Facebook
If there's one game genre that has clearly been missing from Facebook -- it's the ever popular hidden object game. But that's not going to last for long -- earlier this week, we saw the release of Mystery Manor from Game Insight and, today, Playdom has released its hidden object game, Gardens of Time (Check out our preview from early March).
gardens of time playdom facebook
For the uninitiated, hidden object games, aka HOGs, are puzzle games where you find items hidden in different scenes, similar to the game I Spy that you may have played as a child. Most of these puzzlers involve some kind of storyline and generally contain high-end graphics and a lush soundtrack -- all characteristics specifically designed to appeal to their largely female audience. Some of the better known hidden object games are the Mystery Case Files series from Big Fish Games, which are available for download for a price.
Playdom's Gardens of Time, like most other games on Facebook, is a freemium game, which means it's free to play and then you can spend cash if you so desire. We're just warming up our browsers to try this brand new game -- and in the first few minutes, Gardens of Time seems to be hitting all of the right notes. We've seen characters, a storyline, great looking puzzles and a garden that you can decorate with artifacts related to various puzzles you've completed. We'll be back with a full review soon -- in the meantime, check out the game for yourself by following the link below.
Play Gardens of Time on Facebook now >
Gallery: Gardens of Time on Facebook
Gardens of Time: What do you think? Looking for friends to play the game with?
gardens of time playdom facebook
For the uninitiated, hidden object games, aka HOGs, are puzzle games where you find items hidden in different scenes, similar to the game I Spy that you may have played as a child. Most of these puzzlers involve some kind of storyline and generally contain high-end graphics and a lush soundtrack -- all characteristics specifically designed to appeal to their largely female audience. Some of the better known hidden object games are the Mystery Case Files series from Big Fish Games, which are available for download for a price.
Playdom's Gardens of Time, like most other games on Facebook, is a freemium game, which means it's free to play and then you can spend cash if you so desire. We're just warming up our browsers to try this brand new game -- and in the first few minutes, Gardens of Time seems to be hitting all of the right notes. We've seen characters, a storyline, great looking puzzles and a garden that you can decorate with artifacts related to various puzzles you've completed. We'll be back with a full review soon -- in the meantime, check out the game for yourself by following the link below.
Play Gardens of Time on Facebook now >
Gallery: Gardens of Time on Facebook
Gardens of Time: What do you think? Looking for friends to play the game with?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Mafia Wars players celebrate Osama bin Laden's death with mock-up News Feed posts
The energy behind the celebration of Osama bin Laden's capture and death is captivating Facebook games, one way or another. In response to the news, one anonymous Mafia Wars player has created a mock-up News Feed post, celebrating the Al-Qaeda leader's death through the lens of, well, Mafia Wars. "America just brought their body count to 911 by icing Osama bin Laden. America is sharing the muscle power to help you fight rivals and dispatch your enemies," reads the fake News Feed post. While it would tough to argue that celebrations aren't in order, we doubt Zynga would be happy with being associated with bin Laden's death nor would some folks be enthused about how others are rejoicing. It's doubtful that this is the last we'll see of the celebrations though Facebook games.
[Source and Image Credit: MW Loot Lady]
What do you think of this celebratory joke via Mafia Wars? How have you responded to the news, and is this a response you agree with?
[Source and Image Credit: MW Loot Lady]
What do you think of this celebratory joke via Mafia Wars? How have you responded to the news, and is this a response you agree with?
Dunkin' Donuts says, 'America runs on Facebook,' with new advergame
Now while sipping that delicious new Mountain Dew Coolata from Dunkin' Donuts, you can play a Facebook game all about it. How meta! The national donuts, coffee and everything else chain has released Unfreeze It, a social game to promote its brand new frozen beverage, the Mountain Dew Coolata. OK, this drink has nothing to do with breakfast, but we'll let it slide in respect of cool prizes up for grabs.
To start the advergame, you must submit contact information for in the event that you win a prize. Once that's through, you're presented with a tall block of ice within a grid. Toward the bottom of the grid, there is a red laser. Your mission is to loosen up the frozen Mountain Dew Coolata inside so that it reaches the laser. If you succeed, you will be entered with a chance to win that day's prize, like a Sony Bravia 3D TV. "It's that simple," the instructions read.
Dunkin Donuts Unfreeze It
Once you click your three shots and submit, you'll be asked to add more friends to the game. Then, a video will play that will notify you that players can attempt to melt the ice daily. The video also reveals a very important fact: The water shots that you submit will have a chance at being the shots that a real water cannon fires at a real Coolata encased in real ice. (For real?)
This is all pretty interesting--and way deeper than most viral advergame campaigns go. Regardless, it appears that this is a finite sweepstakes. Well, I guess we'll see if I won that sweet TV by May 28, when the contest ends.
To start the advergame, you must submit contact information for in the event that you win a prize. Once that's through, you're presented with a tall block of ice within a grid. Toward the bottom of the grid, there is a red laser. Your mission is to loosen up the frozen Mountain Dew Coolata inside so that it reaches the laser. If you succeed, you will be entered with a chance to win that day's prize, like a Sony Bravia 3D TV. "It's that simple," the instructions read.
Dunkin Donuts Unfreeze It
Once you click your three shots and submit, you'll be asked to add more friends to the game. Then, a video will play that will notify you that players can attempt to melt the ice daily. The video also reveals a very important fact: The water shots that you submit will have a chance at being the shots that a real water cannon fires at a real Coolata encased in real ice. (For real?)
This is all pretty interesting--and way deeper than most viral advergame campaigns go. Regardless, it appears that this is a finite sweepstakes. Well, I guess we'll see if I won that sweet TV by May 28, when the contest ends.
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