Zynga hinted at the release of a Private Zoo in Mafia Wars for a short while, but has finally come through with releasing this new property in the game. The Private Zoo can be thought of like the Armory and Weapons Depot, both of which are found under your New York set of properties, except that instead of producing Armor (defensive items) and Weapons (offensive items), respectively, you'll now be able to "acquire" animals from around the world that will help fight on your side.
You can find your new Private Zoo by heading into your Properties bar while visiting Mafia Wars New York. As you might expect, the Zoo has a level, and yours starts out at just level 1. You'll need to collect various items to level up your Private Zoo and subsequently unlock better animals, so meet us behind the break for all of the details on how to go about that.
For starters, your Private Zoo can eventually end up reaching level 10, depending on how much work you put into collecting the ingredients necessary to upgrade it. For instance, to upgrade your Private Zoo the first time (from level 1 to level 2), you'll need to collect three each of five different ingredients: Aquariums, Big Cages, Bird Cages, Feeding Troughs, and Terrariums.
These can be earned either as loot drops from completely jobs (a fairly rare outcome), or you can ask your friends to send you these ingredients by clicking on the "Ask for More" button associated with a particular item. This will allow you to publish a news item to your wall asking your mafia members to send you that item. Unfortunately, this isn't a situation where you can ask individual friends for items, as that would make this process far easier. As it stands, you'll only be able to ask for help once every 12 hours.
Either way, you can boost your current upgrade progress at any time by simply purchasing ingredients outright for 1 Reward Point each. For the sake of argument, the total upgrade for level 2 would cost 15 Reward Points, if you wanted to purchase it without waiting for any of your friends to help you whatsoever.
And so the story goes - you'll collect more and more ingredients to upgrade your Private Zoo more and more times, each time unlocking new species of animals that can be created in your zoo, just like you create weapons and armor. You'll need to have Animal Feed on hand to "create" the animals, which become progressively stronger with the rise in levels. Here's a full look at what's available to build, and when:
Level 1 - Fennec Fox - 25 Attack and 36 Defense points
Level 2 - Spur Tortoise - 26 Attack and 43 Defense
Level 3 - Philippine Eagle - 48 Attack and 31 Defense
Level 4 - Bobcat - 42 Attack 49 Defense
Level 5 - Secretary Raptor - 51 Attack and 40 Defense
Level 6 - Brown Recluse Spider - 53 Attack and 41 Defense
Level 7 - Tiger Shark - 50 Attack and 48 Defense; +3 Attack points
Level 8 - Black Mamba - 45 Attack and 52 Defense; +1 Skill Point
Level 9 - Gharial - 48 Attack and 57 Defense; +3 Defense points
Level 10 - Warthog - 62 Attack and 50 Defense; +20 Health
While you may laugh at the inclusion of a spider on that list, being from the Midwest myself (their primary location), I can tell you that they are no laughing matter, as bites from a single spider (no matter how rare) can lead to tissue death, scars or worse - now, aren't you glad that you can have these guys on your team, rather than the enemy's?
Back to the topic at hand, for animals at levels 7-10, you'll need to have more than just regular Animal Feed to create these animals, as you must also have Exotic Animal Feed on hand. Exotic Animal Feed can only be earned by receiving it from friends as a gift. It will not drop as a loot item from jobs or fights.
As with other buildings, your Private Zoo will general some generic Animal Feed every 18 hours, which can be collected and added to your stash, so if you ever do run out, but also don't have the energy available to do some jobs in the hopes of receiving Feed as a loot drop, you can always come back when the time is right and collect from the Zoo again.
Let us know what you think of this new Private Zoo. Have you already upgraded your Weapons Depot and Armory to level 10? Will you do the same with your Private Zoo, or do you think the animals that can be created inside just aren't worth it?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in GE promotion
At this rate, Zynga might start releasing new free Farm Cash activities in FarmVille before we can even tell you about the last, as just earlier this evening, we brought you news concerning the new Step Up 3 cross-promotion that will allow users to earn 2 Free Farm Cash, and now, not even a day later (as a matter of fact, merely hours later), we see the launch of a new promotion with GE which offers another 2 free Farm Cash for users that take a few minutes to participate.
As usual, this promotion can be found by clicking on the "Sponsored Link" window that now sits at the bottom of the FarmVille game page. Once you click on the link, a new window will appear, where you'll be asked to upload a photo fitting into one of three themes: Light, Wind, and Water.
You'll see a large "Upload" button, which will take you a page where you can "donate" one of your photos. You can voluntarily do this, as donating a photo that GE deems appropriate for the theme will result in an charitable donation on your behalf. However, once you click on the Upload button, you'll see the famous "You've earned for Farm Cash" text in the top right corner of this new window.
Whether or not you choose to actually upload a photo, simply close this new window and your Farm Cash total in-game should automatically go up by two. If not, a quick refresh of the game should do the trick of adding the Farm Cash to your account.
If you like free Farm Cash - and who doesn't - keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when new opportunities arise.
As usual, this promotion can be found by clicking on the "Sponsored Link" window that now sits at the bottom of the FarmVille game page. Once you click on the link, a new window will appear, where you'll be asked to upload a photo fitting into one of three themes: Light, Wind, and Water.
You'll see a large "Upload" button, which will take you a page where you can "donate" one of your photos. You can voluntarily do this, as donating a photo that GE deems appropriate for the theme will result in an charitable donation on your behalf. However, once you click on the Upload button, you'll see the famous "You've earned for Farm Cash" text in the top right corner of this new window.
Whether or not you choose to actually upload a photo, simply close this new window and your Farm Cash total in-game should automatically go up by two. If not, a quick refresh of the game should do the trick of adding the Farm Cash to your account.
If you like free Farm Cash - and who doesn't - keep checking back with us, as we'll make sure you're the first to know when new opportunities arise.
FarmVille Festive Cow will make its grand appearance ... soon
The official Zynga Inc Facebook fan page just reached 1 million fans, and as promised, the FarmVille Festive Cow will make an appearance on our farm in the not-too-distant future. There's no word yet on when this wreathed cow will appear and how it will appear -- the hint we've heard so far is that "this special present is under your Holiday tree in FarmVille." Stay tuned.
Game of the Day: WikiLeaks: The Game
Today's game of the day is a bit of a departure for us -- something with fewer cats and more of a political slant.
In WikiLeaks: The Game, you play Julian Assange, and his mission is to steal information from President Obama's laptop. How do you do that? Wait until President Obama falls asleep and then reach over his desk to plug in your USB key and start downloading information. If the President wakes up and catches you in the act, it's game over.
Can you steal all 300,000 secret files from the President without getting busted?
Click here to play WikiLeaks: The Game
In WikiLeaks: The Game, you play Julian Assange, and his mission is to steal information from President Obama's laptop. How do you do that? Wait until President Obama falls asleep and then reach over his desk to plug in your USB key and start downloading information. If the President wakes up and catches you in the act, it's game over.
Can you steal all 300,000 secret files from the President without getting busted?
Click here to play WikiLeaks: The Game
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Create new plants, and sell your creations in Secret Plant Society on Facebook
I know what you might be thinking - "Please tell me this isn't another game where we're forced to grow things." Unfortunately, it is. However, this definitely isn't your average "farming" game on Facebook; in fact, it doesn't take place on a farm at all. Gamehouse's Secret Plant Society gives each user their own greenhouse, a set of pots and seeds, and then sends users on their way to create, grow, harvest and sell a wide variety of plants, mostly created by the user themselves.
The game's focus on hybridizing your plants to create new varieties is an unexpected, but definitely appreciated twist in the "agricultural" genre of games on Facebook, and it seems to offer a real hook for those that like to "collect everything" in their games.
You'll start with a series of just three kinds of seeds - what you do with those seeds is up to you. You can either try to create new plants, expanding your library and growing your green house to new sizes, or you can specialize in a particular variety of plant, slowing down your progress but letting you customize the game in just the way you'd like to experience it.
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at what makes Secret Plant Society different from the average Facebook game.
The game begins by offering you six starter plants, which you'll learn to take care of through the game's tutorial. The basics here are what you'd expect - you'll plant various flower or plant seeds, wait for them to grow (different plants require a different amount of time to grow), and you can then harvest them for coins once they've matured. However, the gameplay takes on a twist, as you are allowed to hybridize your plants to create new varieties.
For example, your six starter plants are regular Clover Plants. Hybridizing them by allowing Clover to grow side by side can produce a Mystery Seed. Growing this Mystery Seed to maturity (in the same way that you'd grow any other plant), will reveal its nature to you. In our case, this new plant is the Vigorous Clover, which has more than one "flower," if you will, for each plant that is grown. These hybrid plants tend to be worth more coins when sold, so it's worth growing them.
You'll be able to keep track of the many plant types you unlock via the in-game almanac, which shows you detailed information about each plant that you've researched. You'll see how long each kind of plant takes to mature, how many coins it costs to plant them, and how many coins the plant will sell for, along with the experience points that you'll gain for growing it. Plants can be mastered, but depending on the rarity, price, etc. of the plant, the amount of individual plants that you'll need to harvest of each kind varies.
As the real draw of the game seems to be the creation of new plant types, luckily, the Almanac also shows you how many different hybrids you'll be able to create with an individual plant. In this way, after you've filled in all of the blank spots that are shown to you in the almanac, you won't waste time trying to make other hybrids, since you'll know they don't exist, at least within the game.
As for other gameplay elements, you'll be able to decorate your greenhouse, and customize it by expanding it to larger sizes, purchasing storage chests to hold excess decorations (like the recently released Christmas decorations, as an example), adding upgraded Pots to grow flowers, and so on. These pots will hold more water than your standard "Starter Pot," which only holds three hours' worth of water. If you let a plant wilt once it has been grown, you can bring it back to life by using the watering can in the game's menu.
In terms of social elements, you'll be able to visit your friends' green houses, and send them free gifts, which, as of this writing, consist solely of "stake" decorations, so that you can make each individual pot have its own decoration, if you so choose.
The game contains the standard currency of coins, but also allows you to spend Green Bucks, the premium currency, on items like Fertilizer, which speeds up the growth time of plants by a variety of times, ranging from 1 hour to 1 day. Of course, the more time the fertilizer takes off of a plant's growth time, the more it costs, and vice versa. You'll be able to earn more fertilizer, along with coin and experience point rewards by completing a light series of quests, asking to plant certain seeds, purchase specific decorations, and so on.
The game's focus on hybridizing your plants to create new varieties is an unexpected, but definitely appreciated twist in the "agricultural" genre of games on Facebook, and it seems to offer a real hook for those that like to "collect everything" in their games.
You'll start with a series of just three kinds of seeds - what you do with those seeds is up to you. You can either try to create new plants, expanding your library and growing your green house to new sizes, or you can specialize in a particular variety of plant, slowing down your progress but letting you customize the game in just the way you'd like to experience it.
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at what makes Secret Plant Society different from the average Facebook game.
The game begins by offering you six starter plants, which you'll learn to take care of through the game's tutorial. The basics here are what you'd expect - you'll plant various flower or plant seeds, wait for them to grow (different plants require a different amount of time to grow), and you can then harvest them for coins once they've matured. However, the gameplay takes on a twist, as you are allowed to hybridize your plants to create new varieties.
For example, your six starter plants are regular Clover Plants. Hybridizing them by allowing Clover to grow side by side can produce a Mystery Seed. Growing this Mystery Seed to maturity (in the same way that you'd grow any other plant), will reveal its nature to you. In our case, this new plant is the Vigorous Clover, which has more than one "flower," if you will, for each plant that is grown. These hybrid plants tend to be worth more coins when sold, so it's worth growing them.
You'll be able to keep track of the many plant types you unlock via the in-game almanac, which shows you detailed information about each plant that you've researched. You'll see how long each kind of plant takes to mature, how many coins it costs to plant them, and how many coins the plant will sell for, along with the experience points that you'll gain for growing it. Plants can be mastered, but depending on the rarity, price, etc. of the plant, the amount of individual plants that you'll need to harvest of each kind varies.
As the real draw of the game seems to be the creation of new plant types, luckily, the Almanac also shows you how many different hybrids you'll be able to create with an individual plant. In this way, after you've filled in all of the blank spots that are shown to you in the almanac, you won't waste time trying to make other hybrids, since you'll know they don't exist, at least within the game.
As for other gameplay elements, you'll be able to decorate your greenhouse, and customize it by expanding it to larger sizes, purchasing storage chests to hold excess decorations (like the recently released Christmas decorations, as an example), adding upgraded Pots to grow flowers, and so on. These pots will hold more water than your standard "Starter Pot," which only holds three hours' worth of water. If you let a plant wilt once it has been grown, you can bring it back to life by using the watering can in the game's menu.
In terms of social elements, you'll be able to visit your friends' green houses, and send them free gifts, which, as of this writing, consist solely of "stake" decorations, so that you can make each individual pot have its own decoration, if you so choose.
The game contains the standard currency of coins, but also allows you to spend Green Bucks, the premium currency, on items like Fertilizer, which speeds up the growth time of plants by a variety of times, ranging from 1 hour to 1 day. Of course, the more time the fertilizer takes off of a plant's growth time, the more it costs, and vice versa. You'll be able to earn more fertilizer, along with coin and experience point rewards by completing a light series of quests, asking to plant certain seeds, purchase specific decorations, and so on.
Wishful Features: Buying Varmints in FrontierVille
Perhaps now, more than ever, our newest Wishful Feature holds a lot of weight. Being an avid FrontierVille player, who has gone through, and completed, all of the available missions in the game (save for one), I've had to experience my fair share of waiting times; that is, waiting for a Snake to appear while removing Skulls or Thorns, or waiting for a Groundhog to pop up while harvesting crops planted specifically to lure them out.
With the sudden disappearance of Bears in FrontierVille stopping most users' progress with the last 12 Days of Christmas mission, this brings about the wish for a new feature that would help in so many ways - the ability to purchase Varmints.
Now, I know that many might call such a thing "cheating," or at least an "exploit" of the system, since you could literally purchase a Varmint, place it on your land, scare it off (or whack it, as the case may be), and have that count for your current mission progress, but when taking a look at the current alternatives - that being to unlock tasks requiring Varmints with Horseshoes, isn't that essentially the same thing?
Why not give users the choice as to when and how Varmints will appear on their land? Sure, keep the randomly appearing Varmints, but if someone (ie: Those struggling with the "Scare a Bear" portion of the above mission) wants to spend a few thousand (or even tens of thousands) of coins to purchase a Bear in order to finish the mission before it expires, we should definitely be allowed to.
One could argue that the ability to purchase Skulls, full grown trees, and the like from the store equates to "purchasing a Varmint" but to that "one" I would remind them - there is no guarantee that you'll receive a Snake or a Bear from clearing these newly purchased debris or tree items. You could very well be wasting Horseshoes to receive absolutely nothing in return. The ability to purchase Varmints in the game would make it an absolute guarantee, which is something I think all users would appreciate right about now.
With the sudden disappearance of Bears in FrontierVille stopping most users' progress with the last 12 Days of Christmas mission, this brings about the wish for a new feature that would help in so many ways - the ability to purchase Varmints.
Now, I know that many might call such a thing "cheating," or at least an "exploit" of the system, since you could literally purchase a Varmint, place it on your land, scare it off (or whack it, as the case may be), and have that count for your current mission progress, but when taking a look at the current alternatives - that being to unlock tasks requiring Varmints with Horseshoes, isn't that essentially the same thing?
Why not give users the choice as to when and how Varmints will appear on their land? Sure, keep the randomly appearing Varmints, but if someone (ie: Those struggling with the "Scare a Bear" portion of the above mission) wants to spend a few thousand (or even tens of thousands) of coins to purchase a Bear in order to finish the mission before it expires, we should definitely be allowed to.
One could argue that the ability to purchase Skulls, full grown trees, and the like from the store equates to "purchasing a Varmint" but to that "one" I would remind them - there is no guarantee that you'll receive a Snake or a Bear from clearing these newly purchased debris or tree items. You could very well be wasting Horseshoes to receive absolutely nothing in return. The ability to purchase Varmints in the game would make it an absolute guarantee, which is something I think all users would appreciate right about now.
FarmVille: Could Chinese FarmVille exclusive crops and trees be coming to the original game?
At the end of December, we brought you the news that Zynga had launched a new version of FarmVille for Chinese players. While the game appears mostly identical (the games share the same basic gameplay functions, crop prices, and so on), there are actually a few differences to be found, especially where Chinese FarmVille's crops and trees are concerned.
While the standard version of FarmVille does have more items to offer overall, Chinese FarmVille has four exclusive crops, and one exclusive tree at the time of this writing. We've done a little bit of digging and have found out more about these exclusive crops and the exclusive tree, if you're interested in seeing what our Chinese-speaking friends are experiencing in their version of the game.
The image above displays the four crops and the one lone tree. The first crop is the Peony flower, which is the national flower of China, which obviously explains its presence in that version of the game. Based on our research, we believe the second crop to be Ginseng, an ingredient normally found in energy drinks or medicinal teas. The third crop is something called "dong chong xia cao," which literally translates to "winter worm, summer grass," but is more commonly known as Caterpillar Fungus. Finally, the mushroom crop is the Lingzhi, a medicinal herb found in health supplements. As for the tree, it is known as the Areca Nut Palm, which is found in Asia and the tropical Pacific regions.
Whether or not the original version of FarmVille will ever receive these items as well remains to be seen. However, even if standard FarmVille doesn't receive these items, it's still interesting to see what items are being offered for the Chinese-speaking crowd.
While the standard version of FarmVille does have more items to offer overall, Chinese FarmVille has four exclusive crops, and one exclusive tree at the time of this writing. We've done a little bit of digging and have found out more about these exclusive crops and the exclusive tree, if you're interested in seeing what our Chinese-speaking friends are experiencing in their version of the game.
The image above displays the four crops and the one lone tree. The first crop is the Peony flower, which is the national flower of China, which obviously explains its presence in that version of the game. Based on our research, we believe the second crop to be Ginseng, an ingredient normally found in energy drinks or medicinal teas. The third crop is something called "dong chong xia cao," which literally translates to "winter worm, summer grass," but is more commonly known as Caterpillar Fungus. Finally, the mushroom crop is the Lingzhi, a medicinal herb found in health supplements. As for the tree, it is known as the Areca Nut Palm, which is found in Asia and the tropical Pacific regions.
Whether or not the original version of FarmVille will ever receive these items as well remains to be seen. However, even if standard FarmVille doesn't receive these items, it's still interesting to see what items are being offered for the Chinese-speaking crowd.
CityVille Expansions: Are they worth it?
When you are first starting out in CityVille, one of the first quests that you are prompted to complete is expanding your city. While I was going through the intro quests, I was especially excited for this quest because I wanted the space to add on to my already packed city. When I went into the build menu to purchase the expansion, I was completely blown away by the cost. 20,000 coins to buy a 12x12 expansion? I found that absolutely ridiculous.
20,000 coins is a ton of coins at the level when you first receive the expansion quest. I had dozens of neighbors to visit to earn coins from and I had to wait several levels before I could save up the money to purchase the expansion. When I finally got to the milestone of 20,000 coins, purchased the expansion and went to place it, I noticed that it was tiny. If placed side-by-side, only 9 buildings would fit in this space. That's not really what I expected with such a hefty price tag.
When reading the CityVille forums, I noticed that I am not alone. Many players agree with me that the expansions are too small and the price is too high. Some people have issues when they place expansions to the left as well. So far, color me unimpressed with CityVille expansions.
20,000 coins is a ton of coins at the level when you first receive the expansion quest. I had dozens of neighbors to visit to earn coins from and I had to wait several levels before I could save up the money to purchase the expansion. When I finally got to the milestone of 20,000 coins, purchased the expansion and went to place it, I noticed that it was tiny. If placed side-by-side, only 9 buildings would fit in this space. That's not really what I expected with such a hefty price tag.
When reading the CityVille forums, I noticed that I am not alone. Many players agree with me that the expansions are too small and the price is too high. Some people have issues when they place expansions to the left as well. So far, color me unimpressed with CityVille expansions.
Create your own tropical aviary with Bird Oasis on Facebook
If you like the gameplay found in Facebook games like FishVille or Happy Aquarium, but want to raise and sell something other than fish, King.com and Playhopper hope that you'll choose their game Bird Oasis. Bird Oasis allows you to purchase, feed, train, and otherwise raise a wide variety of tropical birds in your own jungle aviary. Once your birds have grown to maturity, you'll be able to sell them, earning coins and experience points, and starting the cycle all over again.
The gameplay here also includes the ability to mate your birds, to produce offspring which can also be sold, among other timed features. Meet us behind the break for a full look at the gameplay of Bird Oasis.
Bird Oasis is one of the more simplistic titles on Facebook, from a pure gameplay standpoint. The graphics are quite cute, and there aren't very many birds to choose from yet (the game is still rather new, after all), but the gameplay is very simple to pick-up-and-play when you have a few minutes of spare time.
The basic gameplay method is as such: Use a small amount of coins to purchase a bird from the store. Birds come in varieties like Macaws, Whistlings, Herons, Tukans, and so on, and birds have different prices and different experience point rewards, based on their price or how long they take to grow. As your birds are growing to maturity, a food icon will appear above their head at routine intervals, and you'll to click on this icon whenever it appears to keep your birds well fed. Also while your birds are growing, you can "teach" them skills, or tricks, like ruffling their feathers. Once the bird is mature, a $ will appear above its head. Simply click on this button and you can sell your birds for a profit. Take this profit and purchase new birds, and you can begin the cycle all over again.
Of course, there's a bit more to gameplay than just those simple steps. Birds must be fed regularly, or else they'll become sick. Sick birds won't grow, and will need to be healed using First Aid. Also, you have a few choices for how you'd like to feed your birds. You can stick with the basic bird feed that is chosen automatically when clicking on a bird - this feed is free, but tends to last only a very short amount of time - or you can buy actual bird feed from the store (called Super Bird Seed) that will fill birds up for four times as long as the traditional food. You can also increase your birds' growth rate by purchasing Vitamins for the store, which make a bird grow up twice as fast. Luckily, all of these items (including First Aid kits) cost nothing but coins (150-250 coins), and not the game's premium currency (Bird Oasis Cash), so you'll be able to more freely use these items whenever you like.
You'll also be able to breed adult birds, by placing a Love Nest, and then moving a male and female of a particular species into the nest to mate. This results in a hatchling that can be raised and subsequently sold in the same way as those birds purchased from the store. In fact, the only real worthwhile aspect of breeding seems to be the fact that you'll receive a new bird to sell without having to pay for it first.
As you earn excess funds, you can customize your aviary, by not only purchasing size expansions (expansions simply allow you to keep more birds at once, but require neighbors to unlock, as well as coins), but also by purchasing a variety of decorative items - bushes, flowers, trees, torches, small buildings like huts, standing bird feeders, and so on. Most of these items will be unlocked as you level up, giving you more incentive to do so.
As we said above, as of this writing, there really isn't much to do in Bird Oasis other than the gameplay mentioned above. There are some slight social elements, like being able to send your friends free gifts, or visit their aviaries, but as of right now, the gameplay is mostly just about buying and raising birds only to sell them and start again. Still, this gameplay isn't new to the Facebook gaming scene - just look at our previous examples of FishVille and Happy Aquarium - so if you're looking for a different animal raising experience on Facebook, this wouldn't be a horrible place to start.
The gameplay here also includes the ability to mate your birds, to produce offspring which can also be sold, among other timed features. Meet us behind the break for a full look at the gameplay of Bird Oasis.
Bird Oasis is one of the more simplistic titles on Facebook, from a pure gameplay standpoint. The graphics are quite cute, and there aren't very many birds to choose from yet (the game is still rather new, after all), but the gameplay is very simple to pick-up-and-play when you have a few minutes of spare time.
The basic gameplay method is as such: Use a small amount of coins to purchase a bird from the store. Birds come in varieties like Macaws, Whistlings, Herons, Tukans, and so on, and birds have different prices and different experience point rewards, based on their price or how long they take to grow. As your birds are growing to maturity, a food icon will appear above their head at routine intervals, and you'll to click on this icon whenever it appears to keep your birds well fed. Also while your birds are growing, you can "teach" them skills, or tricks, like ruffling their feathers. Once the bird is mature, a $ will appear above its head. Simply click on this button and you can sell your birds for a profit. Take this profit and purchase new birds, and you can begin the cycle all over again.
Of course, there's a bit more to gameplay than just those simple steps. Birds must be fed regularly, or else they'll become sick. Sick birds won't grow, and will need to be healed using First Aid. Also, you have a few choices for how you'd like to feed your birds. You can stick with the basic bird feed that is chosen automatically when clicking on a bird - this feed is free, but tends to last only a very short amount of time - or you can buy actual bird feed from the store (called Super Bird Seed) that will fill birds up for four times as long as the traditional food. You can also increase your birds' growth rate by purchasing Vitamins for the store, which make a bird grow up twice as fast. Luckily, all of these items (including First Aid kits) cost nothing but coins (150-250 coins), and not the game's premium currency (Bird Oasis Cash), so you'll be able to more freely use these items whenever you like.
You'll also be able to breed adult birds, by placing a Love Nest, and then moving a male and female of a particular species into the nest to mate. This results in a hatchling that can be raised and subsequently sold in the same way as those birds purchased from the store. In fact, the only real worthwhile aspect of breeding seems to be the fact that you'll receive a new bird to sell without having to pay for it first.
As you earn excess funds, you can customize your aviary, by not only purchasing size expansions (expansions simply allow you to keep more birds at once, but require neighbors to unlock, as well as coins), but also by purchasing a variety of decorative items - bushes, flowers, trees, torches, small buildings like huts, standing bird feeders, and so on. Most of these items will be unlocked as you level up, giving you more incentive to do so.
As we said above, as of this writing, there really isn't much to do in Bird Oasis other than the gameplay mentioned above. There are some slight social elements, like being able to send your friends free gifts, or visit their aviaries, but as of right now, the gameplay is mostly just about buying and raising birds only to sell them and start again. Still, this gameplay isn't new to the Facebook gaming scene - just look at our previous examples of FishVille and Happy Aquarium - so if you're looking for a different animal raising experience on Facebook, this wouldn't be a horrible place to start.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Zynga really wants to see better HTML5 games, but it's a "pain machine'
Pong pain machine
It's like they say: "No pain, no gain." During the New Game Conference in San Francisco, Zynga Germany HTML5 guru Paul Bakaus urged game creators to work past the glaring shortcomings of HTML5 games, Gamasutra reports. You know, because HTML5 is the future of games, and all that jazz. Despite his love for the emergent platform, Bakaus was brutally honest.
"Audio is still broken -- and we need audio to create rich interactive games," Bakaus said. "In addition, there are all kinds of issues with certain devices,: Bakaus said. "For instance, the iPhone can only play one sound at a time." But that's not all: Game makers aren't exactly in love with WebGL, a 3D graphics creation tool compatible with HTML5.
"I have high hopes for WebGL, but if you look at the demo scene today, it reminds me of the Flash demos in the '90s," Bakaus said. "WebGL has another problem, and that problem applies to web developers, because you have to learn a new language, you can't just work with Javascript."
Bakaus then likened HTML5 game creation to a Pain Machine (pictured), an electrified Pong cabinet that shocks anyone that loses a match. But as much disdain Bakaus seems to have for HTML5 in its current state, he still believes it has potential. "What we need are AAA and social game makers to commit to making full scale and beautiful games in HTML5, and not just porting something over," Bakaus said.
"I think we're really getting closer to making HTML5 gaming a reality. I don't think were completely there yet, but we're really close," the designer concluded. And his parent company seems to agree. Just this month, Zynga released three HTML5 games for mobile browsers. With a guy like Bakaus in Zynga's ranks, there's likely more where that came from.
It's like they say: "No pain, no gain." During the New Game Conference in San Francisco, Zynga Germany HTML5 guru Paul Bakaus urged game creators to work past the glaring shortcomings of HTML5 games, Gamasutra reports. You know, because HTML5 is the future of games, and all that jazz. Despite his love for the emergent platform, Bakaus was brutally honest.
"Audio is still broken -- and we need audio to create rich interactive games," Bakaus said. "In addition, there are all kinds of issues with certain devices,: Bakaus said. "For instance, the iPhone can only play one sound at a time." But that's not all: Game makers aren't exactly in love with WebGL, a 3D graphics creation tool compatible with HTML5.
"I have high hopes for WebGL, but if you look at the demo scene today, it reminds me of the Flash demos in the '90s," Bakaus said. "WebGL has another problem, and that problem applies to web developers, because you have to learn a new language, you can't just work with Javascript."
Bakaus then likened HTML5 game creation to a Pain Machine (pictured), an electrified Pong cabinet that shocks anyone that loses a match. But as much disdain Bakaus seems to have for HTML5 in its current state, he still believes it has potential. "What we need are AAA and social game makers to commit to making full scale and beautiful games in HTML5, and not just porting something over," Bakaus said.
"I think we're really getting closer to making HTML5 gaming a reality. I don't think were completely there yet, but we're really close," the designer concluded. And his parent company seems to agree. Just this month, Zynga released three HTML5 games for mobile browsers. With a guy like Bakaus in Zynga's ranks, there's likely more where that came from.
Mafia Wars 2, Facebook's fastest growing app, gets some housekeeping
Selling drugs and killing thugs must be in style this week. Mafia Wars 2 isn't just the fastest growing game on Facebook this week, but the fastest growing app, meaning its 3.8 million new players beat all general apps on the platform, All Facebook reports. The sequel to one of Zynga's most popular game can likely chalk its success up to its recent deluge of cross-game promotions.
Well, that and the fact that the game's team of developers won't stop updating the dang thing. A new update was pushed to the game yesterday, which is rather minor. However, a number of new items have been added: New weapons are in the Boneyard Shop, some fresh ground, water, and air vehicles hit the Global Marketplace along with a few more Halloween items.
Probably the biggest change to the game sounds like the least significant. The Arena leaderboard will now reset monthly, rather than weekly. This gives players a lot more time to excel in the Arena maps and an even better chance at coming out on top. But for the top spot holders, it'll become even more challenging to remain king of the hill.
Zynga recently introduced the Armory to the game, which will be required for the upcoming 5-on-5 battles. This news in growth brings Mafia Wars 2 to 13.7 million monthly players, which for being out for nearly a month is rather slow when it comes to Zynga's games. The original game reached more than 25 million players, so MW2 has a ways to go.
Well, that and the fact that the game's team of developers won't stop updating the dang thing. A new update was pushed to the game yesterday, which is rather minor. However, a number of new items have been added: New weapons are in the Boneyard Shop, some fresh ground, water, and air vehicles hit the Global Marketplace along with a few more Halloween items.
Probably the biggest change to the game sounds like the least significant. The Arena leaderboard will now reset monthly, rather than weekly. This gives players a lot more time to excel in the Arena maps and an even better chance at coming out on top. But for the top spot holders, it'll become even more challenging to remain king of the hill.
Zynga recently introduced the Armory to the game, which will be required for the upcoming 5-on-5 battles. This news in growth brings Mafia Wars 2 to 13.7 million monthly players, which for being out for nearly a month is rather slow when it comes to Zynga's games. The original game reached more than 25 million players, so MW2 has a ways to go.
MyTown 2 will (finally) get friendly, with new check-in and social features
In our preview of Booyah's brand new MyTown 2, we pointed out that the game lacked the social features of its competitors. Well, apparently Booyah was listening (or already had this stuff planned), as Pocket Gamer reports that changes are incoming. The developer will soon add social features to the game that allow players to interact with their friends to expand their cities.
"We're wrapping up the first update to the game that will add social features," MyTown 2 executive producer Seung Won Park told Pocket Gamer. "We'll be incorporating interacting directly with your friends, which will allow you to purchase and access business that you may not otherwise be able to reach."
This sounds like a much-welcome change considering the new iPhone game is played all by your lonesome at the moment. However, if we're to rely on our friends to access new places to throw into our digital cities, doesn't that undermine the location-based hook of the game even further? We'll see soon enough, but this sounds like an excuse not to see my friends in person.
Park also revealed to Pocket Gamer that tablet, meaning Android and iPad, versions of the game are under consideration. Well, bigger screens are always nice, and it's not like we need the MyTown 2 to be anymore mobile than it already is. (Zing!)
"We're wrapping up the first update to the game that will add social features," MyTown 2 executive producer Seung Won Park told Pocket Gamer. "We'll be incorporating interacting directly with your friends, which will allow you to purchase and access business that you may not otherwise be able to reach."
This sounds like a much-welcome change considering the new iPhone game is played all by your lonesome at the moment. However, if we're to rely on our friends to access new places to throw into our digital cities, doesn't that undermine the location-based hook of the game even further? We'll see soon enough, but this sounds like an excuse not to see my friends in person.
Park also revealed to Pocket Gamer that tablet, meaning Android and iPad, versions of the game are under consideration. Well, bigger screens are always nice, and it's not like we need the MyTown 2 to be anymore mobile than it already is. (Zing!)
The mad science behind a Facebook game's success
Before making the decision to invest your valuable time and money on a Facebook game, you might want to take a moment to stop and think, "Just how long is this game going to be around?"
If you've played a lot of Facebook games, you can often go with your gut. For instance, if it's made by Zynga, it will most likely have a longer shelf life than a game from a smaller company for several reasons: Zynga spends a buttload of money advertising its games and it has the most powerful weapon of all -- a loyal group of players who are willing, dying really, to try the company's next big game.
Inside Social Games has published an in-depth piece on how to predict a Facebook game's success that essentially boils down to this: If the game is still attracting new players after three months, it has got a chance in hell of sticking around.
Case in point: Kixeye's underrated Backyard Monsters. The tower defense game is not the most well-known game on Facebook, but in the context of the ISG formula, it's one game that might be worth playing if you're looking for something new to add to your social gaming repertoire.
If you've played a lot of Facebook games, you can often go with your gut. For instance, if it's made by Zynga, it will most likely have a longer shelf life than a game from a smaller company for several reasons: Zynga spends a buttload of money advertising its games and it has the most powerful weapon of all -- a loyal group of players who are willing, dying really, to try the company's next big game.
Inside Social Games has published an in-depth piece on how to predict a Facebook game's success that essentially boils down to this: If the game is still attracting new players after three months, it has got a chance in hell of sticking around.
Case in point: Kixeye's underrated Backyard Monsters. The tower defense game is not the most well-known game on Facebook, but in the context of the ISG formula, it's one game that might be worth playing if you're looking for something new to add to your social gaming repertoire.
It's the end of the LEGO Universe as we know it, and we don't feel fine
Really, it's a total bummer. The LEGO Universe team announced on the game's message boards that the recently free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) will close its colorful, plastic doors on Jan. 31, 2012.
The game launched to fanfare just over a year ago, because, you know, it's LEGO. Unfortunately, even going free-to-play this summer couldn't keep the dream alive.
The LEGO Group chalks the game's death sentence up to something terribly simple: a lack of players to support its new found free-to-play model. Even a game that's free to play needs healthy percentage of players to pay up--just look at how Facebook games survive.
As a thank you to its dedicated fans, The LEGO Group will provide players that subscribe as of Dec. 31 the full game's final month for free. Here's the full statement from The LEGO Universe team:
Hello Adventurer, today we are very sad to announce that LEGO Universe will be closing on Janurary 31, 2012. This was a very difficult decision to make, but unfortunately LEGO Universe has not been able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.
We are thankful to have had the opportunity to share this adventure wiith an amazing community of players. We hope you will continue to enjoy LEGO Universe for the last few months. As a thank you, if you are a paying subscriber on December 31, 2011, we will provide you the full game for the final month for free.
Again, we want to thank the fantastic community of players who made LEGO Universe such a vibrant, fun and creative experience.
Sincerely,
The LEGO Universe Team
It's always a shame to see an online game be forced to shut its doors, but especially so in this case. LEGO made for some fond and uniquely elaborate childhood memories. Come one, with what other single brand of toys could you make space rangers storm a medieval castle protected by dinosaurs? Don't you even dare say "Mega Bloks."
The game launched to fanfare just over a year ago, because, you know, it's LEGO. Unfortunately, even going free-to-play this summer couldn't keep the dream alive.
The LEGO Group chalks the game's death sentence up to something terribly simple: a lack of players to support its new found free-to-play model. Even a game that's free to play needs healthy percentage of players to pay up--just look at how Facebook games survive.
As a thank you to its dedicated fans, The LEGO Group will provide players that subscribe as of Dec. 31 the full game's final month for free. Here's the full statement from The LEGO Universe team:
Hello Adventurer, today we are very sad to announce that LEGO Universe will be closing on Janurary 31, 2012. This was a very difficult decision to make, but unfortunately LEGO Universe has not been able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.
We are thankful to have had the opportunity to share this adventure wiith an amazing community of players. We hope you will continue to enjoy LEGO Universe for the last few months. As a thank you, if you are a paying subscriber on December 31, 2011, we will provide you the full game for the final month for free.
Again, we want to thank the fantastic community of players who made LEGO Universe such a vibrant, fun and creative experience.
Sincerely,
The LEGO Universe Team
It's always a shame to see an online game be forced to shut its doors, but especially so in this case. LEGO made for some fond and uniquely elaborate childhood memories. Come one, with what other single brand of toys could you make space rangers storm a medieval castle protected by dinosaurs? Don't you even dare say "Mega Bloks."
Sunday, January 8, 2012
PopCap's first Zuma Blitz Tiki Talk demystifies the Chain Bonus
Remember when we said that there would likely be more video content from PopCap for Zuma Blitz? Here's just that with the first edition of Tiki Talk from PopCap's Scott Willoughby. From here on out, Tiki Talk be a weekly look into new features, strategies and boards within Zuma Blitz. Scott wastes no time, getting into the nitty gritty in this first episode addressing the new "More Stats" screen, which gives players detailed information of their performance after each session.
Scott focuses mostly on a reliable way to rack up the points: the Chain Bonus. By consecutively making successful matches, players can multiply their score rapidly and be rewarded handsomely for accuracy. He then goes into how to tackle this week's board, a rehash of one we saw in Dec. 2010 that features two winding rows of balls and two skulls. His best hint? Use the explosive powers to knock out clustered areas of balls for big points. All in all, the video is well-produced (a major improvement over the first Zuma Blitz video) and highly informative for those who are serious about improving their Zuma game.
Scott focuses mostly on a reliable way to rack up the points: the Chain Bonus. By consecutively making successful matches, players can multiply their score rapidly and be rewarded handsomely for accuracy. He then goes into how to tackle this week's board, a rehash of one we saw in Dec. 2010 that features two winding rows of balls and two skulls. His best hint? Use the explosive powers to knock out clustered areas of balls for big points. All in all, the video is well-produced (a major improvement over the first Zuma Blitz video) and highly informative for those who are serious about improving their Zuma game.
Zynga, LOLapps, TrialPay to make earning Facebook Credits simple
TrialPay has been around for some time. You may have noticed it before when buying Farm Cash from Zynga's FarmVIlle or currency from another game as an alternative to paying up. But now, TrialPay has worked with both the number one developer and up-and-coming LOLapps to make earning Facebook Credits easier for players, Inside Social Games reports. No longer is the option to try out products for Credits buried beneath the direct payment options, but in a tab just above CityVille or beneath the game window of Ravenwood Fair.
Ravenwood Fair Frictionless
Players can simply click on the link or tab and be taken to a list of offers with the amount of virtual cash at stake plainly displayed. While CityVille and Ravenwood Fair are two of the first games to introduce this option, there will likely be more if it takes off. And with Facebook Credits becoming mandatory in July, you better believe that this will become more popular. Another feature that LOLapps is taking on with its RavenWood Fair is Frictionless Credits. This allows you to spend a small amount of your Facebook Credits without seeing any confirmation. Sound shady? That's because it is, but LOLapps CEO Arjun Sethi claims, "We thought a lot of people might do it by accident, but no one's had any issues with it," according to Inside Social Games.
Alright, so maybe these are ploys to get you to inadvertently spend money on virtual goods. But wouldn't you rather buy a subscription to People magazine and get 176 City Cash (or soon Facebook Credits) rather than just pay for 176 City Cash? We thought so. Just remember to keep track of those subscriptions--they're known to get out of hand.
Ravenwood Fair Frictionless
Players can simply click on the link or tab and be taken to a list of offers with the amount of virtual cash at stake plainly displayed. While CityVille and Ravenwood Fair are two of the first games to introduce this option, there will likely be more if it takes off. And with Facebook Credits becoming mandatory in July, you better believe that this will become more popular. Another feature that LOLapps is taking on with its RavenWood Fair is Frictionless Credits. This allows you to spend a small amount of your Facebook Credits without seeing any confirmation. Sound shady? That's because it is, but LOLapps CEO Arjun Sethi claims, "We thought a lot of people might do it by accident, but no one's had any issues with it," according to Inside Social Games.
Alright, so maybe these are ploys to get you to inadvertently spend money on virtual goods. But wouldn't you rather buy a subscription to People magazine and get 176 City Cash (or soon Facebook Credits) rather than just pay for 176 City Cash? We thought so. Just remember to keep track of those subscriptions--they're known to get out of hand.
Zynga livens up newsfeed spam with double entendres
It seems that someone at Zynga has been making out with the Blarney Stone since last summer, turning the much-hated and normally insipid Facebook wall posts into fun-loving blurbs of witty puns and double entendres. FrontierVille, especially, loves to talk dirty to players. This is followed closely by Treasure Isle, which sometimes says the darndest things.
Libe's overstuffed chest
We've rounded up all the Zynga newsfeed amusements we could find for your viewing pleasure, so even those of you who don't play the games can judge for yourselves. See some of the most LOL-worthy (and groan-inducing) ones below:
FrontierVille huge taters and udders
Huge taters and excellent udders? Zynga sure knows how to compliment a pioneering gal!
FrontierVille Cowgirl Bess
As part of the "Sure Beats Wrasslin' Steers fer a Livin'" goals, dear ol' Frontier Jack is letting his niece Bess work on your farm. So what do you know about her? She's a redheaded, broken-hearted cowgirl who might have her eyes on Hank while she's shacking up in your barn. Oh, and apparently, she's "Udderly Fantastic!" (there goes that word again...), which I guess, means she's, well, really fantastic...
FrontierVille got wood from neighbors
Isn't that illegal in most states?
FrontierVille Hank has two mighty sacks
Hey look -- those sacks sparkle in the sunlight!
FrontierVille big suds
All the better to shave Hank's Mighty Sacks with.
FrontierVille hard wood
C'mon -- she needs it to finish the dance floor. Perv.
FrontierVille getting business with cousin
It's time for business cuz it's business time.
FrontierVille inseam
Yeah, Monique says you've got a great ... inseam.
FrontierVille wet and wild
Monique must've tried to swim in the water tower again. I mean, what other explanation is there?
FrontierVille pumpkins going soft
Monique needs some help, stat!
FrontierVille pelt you with beaver
If you are offended by animal cruelty, there is a different way to look at this. And on a related note...
FrontierVille shake hands with beef
...this handshake scenario probably has nothing to do with cattle.
Here are some honorable mentions from other Zynga games:
Cafe World filling his drawers
From Cafe World, which says David needs a bit of help in the sizing department.
Treasure Isle snow ball in the face
From Treasure Isle, and if you get it, congrats, you win our 'Dirty Mind' award. If you don't get it, consult Google.
Isn't it great that instead of playing dirty and talking nice, Zynga now plays nice and talks dirty? Next up! Pin-ups of FrontierVille's Miss Fanny Wildcat. RAWR! Who has the hots for teach? Ok, I kid. I kid.
FrontierVille Miss Fanny Wildcat
Libe's overstuffed chest
We've rounded up all the Zynga newsfeed amusements we could find for your viewing pleasure, so even those of you who don't play the games can judge for yourselves. See some of the most LOL-worthy (and groan-inducing) ones below:
FrontierVille huge taters and udders
Huge taters and excellent udders? Zynga sure knows how to compliment a pioneering gal!
FrontierVille Cowgirl Bess
As part of the "Sure Beats Wrasslin' Steers fer a Livin'" goals, dear ol' Frontier Jack is letting his niece Bess work on your farm. So what do you know about her? She's a redheaded, broken-hearted cowgirl who might have her eyes on Hank while she's shacking up in your barn. Oh, and apparently, she's "Udderly Fantastic!" (there goes that word again...), which I guess, means she's, well, really fantastic...
FrontierVille got wood from neighbors
Isn't that illegal in most states?
FrontierVille Hank has two mighty sacks
Hey look -- those sacks sparkle in the sunlight!
FrontierVille big suds
All the better to shave Hank's Mighty Sacks with.
FrontierVille hard wood
C'mon -- she needs it to finish the dance floor. Perv.
FrontierVille getting business with cousin
It's time for business cuz it's business time.
FrontierVille inseam
Yeah, Monique says you've got a great ... inseam.
FrontierVille wet and wild
Monique must've tried to swim in the water tower again. I mean, what other explanation is there?
FrontierVille pumpkins going soft
Monique needs some help, stat!
FrontierVille pelt you with beaver
If you are offended by animal cruelty, there is a different way to look at this. And on a related note...
FrontierVille shake hands with beef
...this handshake scenario probably has nothing to do with cattle.
Here are some honorable mentions from other Zynga games:
Cafe World filling his drawers
From Cafe World, which says David needs a bit of help in the sizing department.
Treasure Isle snow ball in the face
From Treasure Isle, and if you get it, congrats, you win our 'Dirty Mind' award. If you don't get it, consult Google.
Isn't it great that instead of playing dirty and talking nice, Zynga now plays nice and talks dirty? Next up! Pin-ups of FrontierVille's Miss Fanny Wildcat. RAWR! Who has the hots for teach? Ok, I kid. I kid.
FrontierVille Miss Fanny Wildcat
Top 25 Facebook games - Feb. 2011
The numbers are in from Inside Social Game's Top 25 Facebook games for Feb. 2011 and--gasp--Zynga is on top with CityVille (but likely not for much longer). In fact, the massive social game developer holds the top seven spots with only Digital Chocolate's Millionaire City breaking its streak in the number 8 spot. Playfish and PopCap round out the top ten with Pet Society and Bejeweled Blitz, respectively. Overall, a majority of this month's top games have inexplicably suffered declines in monthly players.
Some games have downright dropped from the list like PopCap's Zuma Blitz, Kingdoms of Camelot by Kabam and CrowdStar's Happy Pets. In light of the sad news, a few newcomers arrive to revel in the limelight. LOLapps and Ravenwood Fair take the 18 spot while Playdom's City of Wonder and Wooga's Bubble Island nab 23rd and 25th place, respectively.
Some takeaways from this month should be that while CityVille is currently dominating, it might not be for long given recent numbers. Overall, it appears that people are playing fewer Facebook games, which could have something to do with lingering New Years resolutions to do more work in the old cubicle. Either that or players are getting tired of asynchronous simulation games like CityVille and FarmVille. Finally, the battle for second place has a few new contenders aside from Playfish and Playdom in Digital Chocolate and PopCap. And given recent results, this battle won't be decided anytime soon.
Some games have downright dropped from the list like PopCap's Zuma Blitz, Kingdoms of Camelot by Kabam and CrowdStar's Happy Pets. In light of the sad news, a few newcomers arrive to revel in the limelight. LOLapps and Ravenwood Fair take the 18 spot while Playdom's City of Wonder and Wooga's Bubble Island nab 23rd and 25th place, respectively.
Some takeaways from this month should be that while CityVille is currently dominating, it might not be for long given recent numbers. Overall, it appears that people are playing fewer Facebook games, which could have something to do with lingering New Years resolutions to do more work in the old cubicle. Either that or players are getting tired of asynchronous simulation games like CityVille and FarmVille. Finally, the battle for second place has a few new contenders aside from Playfish and Playdom in Digital Chocolate and PopCap. And given recent results, this battle won't be decided anytime soon.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Fire Peppers, Double Grain and Jalapenos
Double Grain Jalapeno
Three new crops will soon be firing up the farm, FarmVille Feed reports. Fire Peppers, Double Grain and Jalapenos are on their way into FarmVille. According to the official fan site, these new crops are three of the possibilities from using the upcoming Greenhouse feature. It's now confirmed that the building will, in fact, allow players to create their own crops and master them.
The Greenhouse will contain three building stages with each level unlocking more breeding trays for more crop amalgamations like the Fire Peppers. It's unknown exactly when this features will be released, but with Zynga creating so much buzz you can bet it will be soon.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What else do you think we'll be able to make with the new Greenhouse? When do you guess it will be released?
Three new crops will soon be firing up the farm, FarmVille Feed reports. Fire Peppers, Double Grain and Jalapenos are on their way into FarmVille. According to the official fan site, these new crops are three of the possibilities from using the upcoming Greenhouse feature. It's now confirmed that the building will, in fact, allow players to create their own crops and master them.
The Greenhouse will contain three building stages with each level unlocking more breeding trays for more crop amalgamations like the Fire Peppers. It's unknown exactly when this features will be released, but with Zynga creating so much buzz you can bet it will be soon.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]
What else do you think we'll be able to make with the new Greenhouse? When do you guess it will be released?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Disney acquires Warimals maker Rocket Pack
Disney is apparently hoping to conquer the social gaming space outside of their acquisition of Playdom last summer, as they have picked up another social gaming company in the form of Rocket Pack. According to Games Beat, Rocket Pack is a specialist in games that use HTML5, as their already released Facebook game Warimals was the first HTML5 game to be released on the developer's Rocket game engine.
We brought you an in-depth look at Warimals last December, and showed you that the game is a tower defense title about the everlasting battle for dominance between cats and dogs. The game currently has just over 50,000 monthly active users, and is still playable as of this writing. It is unknown as to whether or not Disney plans to close the game, or simply carry on as it stands.
With this acquisition, Disney will be able to further make up for its console-based interactive division, which has suffered hundreds of millions in losses over the last fiscal year. With Playdom's games losing players by the millions (the company now sits at #7 on App Data's developer leaderboard with 23 million monthly active players across all games), could this be what helps Disney turns things around for the good?
We'll make sure to let you know what comes of this new acquisition in the coming weeks and months.
For now, let us know your thoughts on this purchase. Have you played Warimals on Facebook? Which company do you think Disney should look at acquiring next, if any?
We brought you an in-depth look at Warimals last December, and showed you that the game is a tower defense title about the everlasting battle for dominance between cats and dogs. The game currently has just over 50,000 monthly active users, and is still playable as of this writing. It is unknown as to whether or not Disney plans to close the game, or simply carry on as it stands.
With this acquisition, Disney will be able to further make up for its console-based interactive division, which has suffered hundreds of millions in losses over the last fiscal year. With Playdom's games losing players by the millions (the company now sits at #7 on App Data's developer leaderboard with 23 million monthly active players across all games), could this be what helps Disney turns things around for the good?
We'll make sure to let you know what comes of this new acquisition in the coming weeks and months.
For now, let us know your thoughts on this purchase. Have you played Warimals on Facebook? Which company do you think Disney should look at acquiring next, if any?
Zombie Lane: Battle the shuffling undead masses on Facebook
If there's one undead creature that always seems to be en vogue, it has to be the slow, but persistent zombie. These slack-jawed, shuffle-footed flesh eaters lost out to vampires briefly during 'Twilight' mania, but quickly took the spotlight back after AMC's excellent 'Walking Dead' series held audiences captive in Fall 2010.
So the idea that Digital Chocolate, the company responsible for Millionaire City on Facebook, will be bringing a zombie game to Facebook should be at exciting as running across a munitions stockpile during an undead apocalypse. In theory, at least.
Zombie Lane, according to the Facebook fan page, starts with creating an avatar that will take up arms (whether it be a shovel, shotgun, or super weapons crafted from collected materials) and keep your virtual neighborhood zombie free. As you whack zombies left and right, you'll be rewarded with items and achievements and you'll be able to call on friends to help you keep the undead scourge at bay. You will also be able to visit neighbors' homesteads and gift each other coins and other virtual gifts.
Gallery: Zombie Lane on Facebook
While you might expect a big gore-fest from a zombie game -- don't. If you take a look at the brand new screenshots from the game above, you'll see that everything is colorful, cartoony and sans bloodshed, clearly designed to appeal to the more 'casual' Facebook gaming crowd.
Zombie Lane has not officially launched yet (though if you go to to the Zombie Lane game page, you can sign up to be notified when it launches), but when it does, I'll be curious to see if Facebook gamers, largely dominated by FarmVille and CityVille devotees, will have an appetite for zombie destruction. Stay tuned.
Looking for friends to play Zombie Lane with when it launches?
So the idea that Digital Chocolate, the company responsible for Millionaire City on Facebook, will be bringing a zombie game to Facebook should be at exciting as running across a munitions stockpile during an undead apocalypse. In theory, at least.
Zombie Lane, according to the Facebook fan page, starts with creating an avatar that will take up arms (whether it be a shovel, shotgun, or super weapons crafted from collected materials) and keep your virtual neighborhood zombie free. As you whack zombies left and right, you'll be rewarded with items and achievements and you'll be able to call on friends to help you keep the undead scourge at bay. You will also be able to visit neighbors' homesteads and gift each other coins and other virtual gifts.
Gallery: Zombie Lane on Facebook
While you might expect a big gore-fest from a zombie game -- don't. If you take a look at the brand new screenshots from the game above, you'll see that everything is colorful, cartoony and sans bloodshed, clearly designed to appeal to the more 'casual' Facebook gaming crowd.
Zombie Lane has not officially launched yet (though if you go to to the Zombie Lane game page, you can sign up to be notified when it launches), but when it does, I'll be curious to see if Facebook gamers, largely dominated by FarmVille and CityVille devotees, will have an appetite for zombie destruction. Stay tuned.
Looking for friends to play Zombie Lane with when it launches?
CityVille Franchises getting a (much needed) update, Zynga says
Ask and you shall receive. Remember when we ranted a little bit over how CityVille Franchises need an update? Well, Zynga just posted this message on the CityVille Twitter feed: "Keep your eye out for new changes coming soon to help you grow your franchises. Stay tuned!" Vague, yes, but filling us up with wild hopes and dreams nonetheless. Could Zynga be granting us the enhanced control we desire? Will Franchises receive extra income for supplying with Premium Goods? Who knows, but you better bet we'll be all over it when the change comes.
What do you think Zynga is referring to specifically about Franchises? What else about Franchises do you think needs fixing?
What do you think Zynga is referring to specifically about Franchises? What else about Franchises do you think needs fixing?
Lunchtime Poll: Make any FarmVille English Countryside preparations?
The time to journey across the pond with Duke to the English Countryside is almost upon us. FarmVille forum contributor Karen Gory asks, "How many Special Delivery boxes have you saved for England?" Several players responded with numbers in the hundreds, but there are other ways to prepare, no? How about saving those coins, or mastering what you still can in order to focus completely on the expansion? What else are you packing, so to speak, for your trip to England?
What are your preparations for the English Countryside?
I've saved a metric ton of Special Deliveries.I'm stocking up on coins and free Farm Cash.I want to master those new crops ASAP, so plenty of Fertilize Alls.I've just been working on my accent. You need to fit in, right?
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What are your preparations for the English Countryside?
I've saved a metric ton of Special Deliveries.I'm stocking up on coins and free Farm Cash.I want to master those new crops ASAP, so plenty of Fertilize Alls.I've just been working on my accent. You need to fit in, right?
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Angry Birds lands on Facebook in one month, Rovio gives more details
Angry Birds is coming to Facebook, and no, Rovio was not joking. In fact, All Facebook reports that the Finnish company has revealed a few more details as to how Angry Birds will go down on Facebook. First, it will be released one month from now on the platform (mark your calendars!). If you "Like" the fan page, Rovio will remind you the day it launches. According to All Facebook, Rovio dropped a few more hints recently.
Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said, "there will be completely new aspects to it that just haven't been experienced in any other platform," and "the pigs will have a more prominent role." Does this mean players will be able to play as the pigs or build their own pig fortresses? Surely, the game will have some competitive aspect beyond leader boards, but we'll see when the game launches next month.
Are you psyched for Angry Birds on Facebook? How do you think the game will take advantage of being on Facebook?
Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said, "there will be completely new aspects to it that just haven't been experienced in any other platform," and "the pigs will have a more prominent role." Does this mean players will be able to play as the pigs or build their own pig fortresses? Surely, the game will have some competitive aspect beyond leader boards, but we'll see when the game launches next month.
Are you psyched for Angry Birds on Facebook? How do you think the game will take advantage of being on Facebook?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
FarmVille LE English Countryside Buildings: Garden Gazebo, Tudor Cottage & Oast House
Earlier today, we brought you a FarmVille sneak peek over three new limited edition English Countryside buildings, and tonight that trio has been released for purchase in the game's store. The three buildings are the Garden Gazebo, the Tudor Cottage, and the Oast House.
While the Garden Gazebo is a coin-item, being available for 150,000 coins, the other two buildings - the Oast House and the Tudor Cottage - are premium, going for 30 and 20 Farm Cash, respectively. The Oast House might look a bit unusual, and even come with an unusual name, but this is in fact a building that exists in the real world, as it has been specifically designed for drying out Hops.
While you can place all three of these items on your Home Farm, the Oast House, perhaps more than the other two items, looks to really deserve a spot on your English Countryside farm, standing right next to the Pub, as you can find themed beverages to craft inside. Also, if you do choose to have any of these items on both farms, you will have to purchase them twice.
All of these buildings will be available in the game for the next two weeks, giving you plenty of time to gather the coins or Farm Cash necessary to purchase them, if you're interested in doing so.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Which of these buildings is your favorite, or do you plan on purchasing all three for your farms?
While the Garden Gazebo is a coin-item, being available for 150,000 coins, the other two buildings - the Oast House and the Tudor Cottage - are premium, going for 30 and 20 Farm Cash, respectively. The Oast House might look a bit unusual, and even come with an unusual name, but this is in fact a building that exists in the real world, as it has been specifically designed for drying out Hops.
While you can place all three of these items on your Home Farm, the Oast House, perhaps more than the other two items, looks to really deserve a spot on your English Countryside farm, standing right next to the Pub, as you can find themed beverages to craft inside. Also, if you do choose to have any of these items on both farms, you will have to purchase them twice.
All of these buildings will be available in the game for the next two weeks, giving you plenty of time to gather the coins or Farm Cash necessary to purchase them, if you're interested in doing so.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Which of these buildings is your favorite, or do you plan on purchasing all three for your farms?
FarmVille LE English Countryside Decorations: Rose Iron Fence, Garden Picnic & More
If you don't have a lot of Farm Cash saved up to spend on English Countryside decorations in FarmVille, you'll be happy to know that in tonight's update, three of the four newly released decorative items are available for coins, rather than Farm Cash.
These three items are the Rose Iron Fence, the Garden Picnic (which instantly reminded me of the Mad Hatter's tea-party, what with the different types of chairs and seeming disorganization of it all), and the Secluded Hideaway, which is swinging bench that has been overgrown with ivy. These three items cost 7,000 coins, 150,000 coins and 100,000 coins, respectively. As usual, the more the item costs, the more experience points you'll receive as your purchase reward.
For the one Farm Cash item, it comes in the form of an English Carriage, being pulled by two horses. The English Carriage costs 16 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and you'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing it.
All four of these items will be available for the next two weeks, and all four are also able to be placed on either your Home Farm or your English Countryside farm, but remember, if you want the same item on both farms, you will have to purchase it twice.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Which of these new decorative items are your favorite? Will you take advantage of the ability to spend more coins than Farm Cash with this update?
These three items are the Rose Iron Fence, the Garden Picnic (which instantly reminded me of the Mad Hatter's tea-party, what with the different types of chairs and seeming disorganization of it all), and the Secluded Hideaway, which is swinging bench that has been overgrown with ivy. These three items cost 7,000 coins, 150,000 coins and 100,000 coins, respectively. As usual, the more the item costs, the more experience points you'll receive as your purchase reward.
For the one Farm Cash item, it comes in the form of an English Carriage, being pulled by two horses. The English Carriage costs 16 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and you'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing it.
All four of these items will be available for the next two weeks, and all four are also able to be placed on either your Home Farm or your English Countryside farm, but remember, if you want the same item on both farms, you will have to purchase it twice.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Which of these new decorative items are your favorite? Will you take advantage of the ability to spend more coins than Farm Cash with this update?
CityVille: Police Helicopter, new Bandits to lock up coming soon
Zynga recently hinted that a Police Helicopter and new Bandits are coming to CityVille. However, it begs the question: Do we really need a chopper to catch a guy who stole a few donuts? Then again, these are the cops of CityVille--donuts are apparently their lifeblood. While it's unsure when this extension to the Police Station will be released, but we can gather a few things from looking at the teaser image.
First of all, this is going to be the highest level of the Police Station, so upgrade yours quickly if you want to fly around the city. One of the new Bandits will obviously be a clown, while another will be a magician of sorts. The Couture Bandit might also make a return. It would be far more engaging if Zynga could create a small storyline out of this feature like it has with features in FrontierVille or English Countryside--we could have our very own Olivia and Elliot. Well, with less incredibly dark and disturbing sexual assault cases and more ... donuts.
When do you think this expansion of the Police Station will release? Do you think a storyline will spawn from this upgrade with the possible return of the Couture Bandit?
First of all, this is going to be the highest level of the Police Station, so upgrade yours quickly if you want to fly around the city. One of the new Bandits will obviously be a clown, while another will be a magician of sorts. The Couture Bandit might also make a return. It would be far more engaging if Zynga could create a small storyline out of this feature like it has with features in FrontierVille or English Countryside--we could have our very own Olivia and Elliot. Well, with less incredibly dark and disturbing sexual assault cases and more ... donuts.
When do you think this expansion of the Police Station will release? Do you think a storyline will spawn from this upgrade with the possible return of the Couture Bandit?
Game of the Day: TurboSpot
The Game of the Day is looking for eagle-eyes and quick hands. TurboSpot is a thrilling spot the difference, hidden object action game! Why action? Because you only have a short period of time to spot one difference out of three in each of 100 levels. There are also a lot of achievements to collect and another 50 levels to unlock!
Click --> Play TurboSpot
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Source
Click --> Play TurboSpot
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Source
Quote of the Moment: '[Zynga won] the first innings of social games'
First Inning victory?
First and foremost, we're not even playing the game in the first innings of the social games. Zynga won that one. They came in and established ways of doing things and kinds of games, and they built a hell of a great business. If we're going to come in and do what they did, I think that would be a losing proposition.
Vice president of Making Fun, John Welch, said this in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz recently. Making Fun, a social games publisher owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is headed for another direction in social games. Welch went on to say that Making Fun will leverage News Corp's channels across all forms of media to push its games, one of which could very well be the gaming news network IGN, according to a recent statement made by the corporation's digital group CEO Jonathan Miller. But if Zynga already won the first phase of the social gaming boom, why bother?
"Zynga isn't part of a major media company; they're again leader coming out of the first inning of the ball game, but I don't think anybody in their right mind thinks this game is anywhere near over," said Welch to Gamesindustry.biz. He goes on to make the point that games aren't going to become less widespread nor will mobile and social platforms become less sophisticated. Regardless, this still doesn't explain how Making Fun is going to beat Zynga to the next innovation in social games.
"Our first game out, which I can't say too much about, it's going to do something pretty revolutionary in the social games space: it has an ending. Name another social game that ends," Welch said. And he's got a point. No other details were given on how exactly this would work in a space that's dominated by persistent, evolving experiences, but he did give his reasoning. According to Welch, he doesn't want his customers to leave on a bad note after investing time (and hopefully money) in his social games because they simply grew bored of it.
So, let's get this straight: Welch's idea to beat Zynga to the punch is to make a compelling social game that's A. free to play; B. has an ending; and C. will involve micro-transactions somehow. I'm sure players are going to eat up his first two points, but will they want to invest their money in a game that ends when they've been trained to believe that their investments will last? We hope Making Fun is ready to rewire the brains of 250 million potential players.
[Image Credit: League Lineup]
What do you think of Making Fun's unique approach to social games? Would you be interested in playing a social game that ended at some point? Would you spend money on that?
First and foremost, we're not even playing the game in the first innings of the social games. Zynga won that one. They came in and established ways of doing things and kinds of games, and they built a hell of a great business. If we're going to come in and do what they did, I think that would be a losing proposition.
Vice president of Making Fun, John Welch, said this in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz recently. Making Fun, a social games publisher owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, is headed for another direction in social games. Welch went on to say that Making Fun will leverage News Corp's channels across all forms of media to push its games, one of which could very well be the gaming news network IGN, according to a recent statement made by the corporation's digital group CEO Jonathan Miller. But if Zynga already won the first phase of the social gaming boom, why bother?
"Zynga isn't part of a major media company; they're again leader coming out of the first inning of the ball game, but I don't think anybody in their right mind thinks this game is anywhere near over," said Welch to Gamesindustry.biz. He goes on to make the point that games aren't going to become less widespread nor will mobile and social platforms become less sophisticated. Regardless, this still doesn't explain how Making Fun is going to beat Zynga to the next innovation in social games.
"Our first game out, which I can't say too much about, it's going to do something pretty revolutionary in the social games space: it has an ending. Name another social game that ends," Welch said. And he's got a point. No other details were given on how exactly this would work in a space that's dominated by persistent, evolving experiences, but he did give his reasoning. According to Welch, he doesn't want his customers to leave on a bad note after investing time (and hopefully money) in his social games because they simply grew bored of it.
So, let's get this straight: Welch's idea to beat Zynga to the punch is to make a compelling social game that's A. free to play; B. has an ending; and C. will involve micro-transactions somehow. I'm sure players are going to eat up his first two points, but will they want to invest their money in a game that ends when they've been trained to believe that their investments will last? We hope Making Fun is ready to rewire the brains of 250 million potential players.
[Image Credit: League Lineup]
What do you think of Making Fun's unique approach to social games? Would you be interested in playing a social game that ended at some point? Would you spend money on that?
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