Hello City Facebook Credits
Facebook defines Facebook Credits as "a virtual currency you can use to buy gifts, and virtual goods in many games and applications on the Facebook platform." What this definition doesn't point out is that FB Credits cost real world money.
In the social gaming world, real money gets converted into FB Credits to help pay for "premium" goods, such as exclusive items or to facilitate in-game virtual donations. But the special thing about FB Credits is that, normally, all social games use their own kind of premium currency that locks you out from spending in other games. Using FB Credits means that Credits you've earn in one game won't be limited to that game, and can be used for a wider variety of games and services on Facebook.
CrowdStar's Hello City, a new city-building sim on Facebook, is looking to promote itself by offering 5 free FB Credits to all players of the game. This is akin to getting $0.50 USD for free, which isn't much, but 5 FB Credits will pay for some nifty premium in-game items or even a Facebook gift for a friend's profile.
So click here to launch Hello City and grab your free cash today!
A World of Trust for MMO
Monday, February 13, 2012
FrontierVille offers free horse in exchange for email
FrontierVille -- if you give a little, you get a little. In this case, that means if you're willing to give up a little privacy by allowing the new pioneer-themed Facebook game send you emails, you'll get a free horse for your land.
If you want the free pony (and who doesn't want a pony?) -- here's what you gotta do. When you load the game, keep an eye out for a pop-up notice from Pioneer Jack asking for your email. If you agree, you will receive an email with a link that will give you a new horse. The email came right away and looks like this (see image below).
frontierville horse unlock
Many have complained that they signed up to receive FrontierVille emails and did not receive the horse. If that's the case, you should try signing up for email again or, alternately, try your luck at clicking the following link.
http://apps.facebook.com/frontierville/unlock.php?src=email&crt=horse&feature=horse
NOTE: We have not confirmed that this works, AND you are not able to collect more than one free horse.
Once you load the game, you'll receive the following message. Click 'Yes' to accept the horse.
frontierville horse accept
Then open your gift box (the gift box is located in the My Stuff Menu), and you'll see that Frontier Jack has sent you a gift -- a light brown horse.
frontierjack gift horse
Click use to move the horse to your farm, then place it where you like. Like the other animals, your horse starts out as a mere pony, but after feeding it a few times, you'll have a full-grown horsey to add to your menagerie.
frontierville horse on farm
If you want the free pony (and who doesn't want a pony?) -- here's what you gotta do. When you load the game, keep an eye out for a pop-up notice from Pioneer Jack asking for your email. If you agree, you will receive an email with a link that will give you a new horse. The email came right away and looks like this (see image below).
frontierville horse unlock
Many have complained that they signed up to receive FrontierVille emails and did not receive the horse. If that's the case, you should try signing up for email again or, alternately, try your luck at clicking the following link.
http://apps.facebook.com/frontierville/unlock.php?src=email&crt=horse&feature=horse
NOTE: We have not confirmed that this works, AND you are not able to collect more than one free horse.
Once you load the game, you'll receive the following message. Click 'Yes' to accept the horse.
frontierville horse accept
Then open your gift box (the gift box is located in the My Stuff Menu), and you'll see that Frontier Jack has sent you a gift -- a light brown horse.
frontierjack gift horse
Click use to move the horse to your farm, then place it where you like. Like the other animals, your horse starts out as a mere pony, but after feeding it a few times, you'll have a full-grown horsey to add to your menagerie.
frontierville horse on farm
Mafia Wars London: A mere 48 hours left to steal the Crown Jewels
Heads up! If your mafia went on vacation and forgot about the Mafia Wars London Crown Jewel heist -- here's the official two-day warning. You only have 48 more hours to wrangle up as many British Passports as possible, finish missions and nab that oh-so-precious royal jewelry. Do you have what it takes to finish the big job? (Confession time: I am so NOT going to finish London -- I blame FrontierVille).
Mafia Wars London: Are you going to finish the job?
Mafia Wars London: Are you going to finish the job?
FrontierVille tries to solve the case of the disappearing bonus items
One of my biggest beefs with FrontierVille (aside from it sucking away any semblance of a social life these past few days/weeks) is that when your virtual pioneer performs any task, bonuses will appear and must be clicked before they disappear. Once they're gone, they're gone forever. However, you may have noticed that -- while frantically clicking and trying to collect all of the bonuses -- a pop-up window will sometimes appear, which impedes the whole bonus collection process.
Apparently, the people behind the scenes are working on fixing that problem, says FrontierVille moderator Sugar Monkey:
The developers have put in place a pause on the bonus timer when a pop up is active. However, they are aware of the disappearing bonuses as soon as the pop up is closed.
So, we have a timer, but the devs are still working on making sure the bonus items do not disappear as fast when sharing/closing the pop-up.
I thought I noticed that it was easier to snag all of my bonuses today, but I'd rather just skip the whole pop-up thing altogether. Maybe there's another way to send friends all of those extra tools. Don't mess with mama's bonuses, you wouldn't like to see mama angry.
Apparently, the people behind the scenes are working on fixing that problem, says FrontierVille moderator Sugar Monkey:
The developers have put in place a pause on the bonus timer when a pop up is active. However, they are aware of the disappearing bonuses as soon as the pop up is closed.
So, we have a timer, but the devs are still working on making sure the bonus items do not disappear as fast when sharing/closing the pop-up.
I thought I noticed that it was easier to snag all of my bonuses today, but I'd rather just skip the whole pop-up thing altogether. Maybe there's another way to send friends all of those extra tools. Don't mess with mama's bonuses, you wouldn't like to see mama angry.
Replay maps in Treasure Isle for less with new discounted fragments
Treasure Isle map fragments sale
Map fragments were released over a month ago in Treasure Isle, allowing players to extend their gameplay by purchasing fragments that allow you to replay maps. Currently, map fragments are on sale for 80% off the original price. That is a HUGE discount, and we can only imagine it's because these fragments aren't selling well. You can now buy 10 map fragments for 1 Island Cash (was formerly 5 Island Cash) and 40 map fragments for 3 Island Cash (was 18 Island Cash). If you have been debating buying these fragments to give you more time to discover treasure that you might need to complete your collection, now is the time.
It's unclear how long this deal will last, but they are calling it a "sale" so it doesn't seem like a permanent price decrease. We weren't too sure about this feature, because it seemed like a lazy way for Zynga to make more content for the game. Perhaps the players are feeling the same and haven't been buying these fragments?
Map fragments were released over a month ago in Treasure Isle, allowing players to extend their gameplay by purchasing fragments that allow you to replay maps. Currently, map fragments are on sale for 80% off the original price. That is a HUGE discount, and we can only imagine it's because these fragments aren't selling well. You can now buy 10 map fragments for 1 Island Cash (was formerly 5 Island Cash) and 40 map fragments for 3 Island Cash (was 18 Island Cash). If you have been debating buying these fragments to give you more time to discover treasure that you might need to complete your collection, now is the time.
It's unclear how long this deal will last, but they are calling it a "sale" so it doesn't seem like a permanent price decrease. We weren't too sure about this feature, because it seemed like a lazy way for Zynga to make more content for the game. Perhaps the players are feeling the same and haven't been buying these fragments?
Friday, February 10, 2012
FarmVille New England Animal: Black Bear Cub & Gray Fox
farmville gray fox
There are two additional limited edition New England animals that debuted in FarmVille tonight.
Both the Black Bear Cub and. Gray Fox can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only and can be purchased with farm cash only.
farmville black bear cub farmville gray fox kit
FarmVille New England Animals (Released July 22, 2010):
Black Bear Cub – 22 FV$
Gray Fox – 20 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
There are two additional limited edition New England animals that debuted in FarmVille tonight.
Both the Black Bear Cub and. Gray Fox can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 12 days only and can be purchased with farm cash only.
farmville black bear cub farmville gray fox kit
FarmVille New England Animals (Released July 22, 2010):
Black Bear Cub – 22 FV$
Gray Fox – 20 FV$
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Wiggin' Out in Pet Society
Recently, Sushi gave his friend Jossie a Cleopatra wig from the Ancient Egyptian Treasure Hunt in Pet Society. Jossie replied with this funny note (above).
This inspired Sushi to try on the Cleopatra wig himself. (Note to new readers: Sushi is a boy, but he cross-dresses and acts like a girl sometimes.) He wasn't sure if the glossy black wig suited him, but he had fun trying on some other wigs as well.
Which one do you think suits him best?
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
This inspired Sushi to try on the Cleopatra wig himself. (Note to new readers: Sushi is a boy, but he cross-dresses and acts like a girl sometimes.) He wasn't sure if the glossy black wig suited him, but he had fun trying on some other wigs as well.
Which one do you think suits him best?
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
YoVille newly released Moroccan Bathroom furniture
New Moroccan Bathroom Items have been added to the YoVille Furniture Store. Items include Moroccan Bath Tub (9 YoCash), Sconces (2 YoCash), Bathmats (300 Coins), Tissue Boxes (200 Coins), Toilet Paper Holder (200 Coins), Bath Cabinets (850 Coins), Standing Sinks (4 YoCash), and much much more! Head on down to the Furniture Store and create yourself a Wellness Bathroom Suite Moroccan style!
Take a look at the complete selection after the jump.
yoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furniture
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Take a look at the complete selection after the jump.
yoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furnitureyoville moroccan bathroom furniture
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille summer outfit designs and Moroccan Clothing arrive
New Moroccan Items have arrived in YoVille along with Summer Outfit Designs by Angela_tiredmom76 and PMTown in the Fashion Store. Beaded Tops, Skirts, and Sandals to name a few for the Gals, and Jeweled Hats, Capes, and Gold Trimmed Outfits for the Guys. Head on down to the Fashion Store to spice up your look and add to your wardrobe!
Take a look at the full array of items after the jump.
yoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothing
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Take a look at the full array of items after the jump.
yoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothingyoville moroccan clothing
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
New YoVille Rares in Mystery Packs
Feeling lucky today? Head to the YoVille Furniture Store and get a couple of mystery packs. Both coins and YoCash packs were updated with new rares. The 4 YoCash pack now has a golden piano while the 2500 coin pack has a magic crystal ball. Remember that opening a mystery pack doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to get a rare item. Go ahead and tell us what you got from your pack.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
FarmVille pigpens slowly starting to roll out to players
FarmVille pigpens are starting to arrive on farms as you read this. I've already started getting requests from materials from my neighbors on my Facebook wall.
Here's what we've learned about the pigpens so far:
Like the chicken coops, you can only have one per farm
Pigpens can be harvested every 24 hours
When you harvest, you have a 15% chance of acquiring an item
Pigpen takes 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails and 8 Brick to build
The pigpen holds 20 pigs
The pigpen is 7x6 or 42 squares
Read more: FarmVille Pigpens: Everything You Need to Know
Here's what we've learned about the pigpens so far:
Like the chicken coops, you can only have one per farm
Pigpens can be harvested every 24 hours
When you harvest, you have a 15% chance of acquiring an item
Pigpen takes 8 Wooden Boards, 8 Nails and 8 Brick to build
The pigpen holds 20 pigs
The pigpen is 7x6 or 42 squares
Read more: FarmVille Pigpens: Everything You Need to Know
Social City: Reach Level 5 in City of Wonder for a free Ancient Colosseum
Playdom has been promoting its newest game, City of Wonder, most noticeably in Social City. So it's no surprise that City of Wonder has been on a remarkable uphill climb this week, where it's likely to hit the one million mark for Monthly Active Users. Market Street has already surpassed that count, and had also enjoyed a similar promotional effort on the part of Playdom.
Social City Ancient Colosseum
Players who get to Level 5 in City of Wonder will get a free Ancient Colosseum. This massive structure takes up a 9x9 space on your city grid and brings in +7,500 Happiness Points, which is identical to the stats for the Market Street Shopping District.
Social City Ancient Colosseum
Players who get to Level 5 in City of Wonder will get a free Ancient Colosseum. This massive structure takes up a 9x9 space on your city grid and brings in +7,500 Happiness Points, which is identical to the stats for the Market Street Shopping District.
Critter Island: LOLapps launches island management game
LOLapps is a large application developer, but they haven't had a breakout hit game -- yet. They're looking to change that with its new island resort management game, Critter Island. This game takes some of the best mechanics from similar games and combines them to make something that is a fresh take on an old theme.
In Critter Island, the main goal is to keep an island resort chock full of happy tourists, grow the resort population, and decorate to your heart's content. In that regard, it's similar in objective to Crowdstar's Happy Island and a few other island games out there. Here's how Critter Island sets itself from the masses -- Each tourist has a personality - if you click on them you can see their name and a clever and whimsical little quote. In order to make money in Critter Island, players have to have the right kind of entertainment and amusement buildings to keep the tourists happy. Happy tourists will pay tips to your buildings and give you an income that allows you to do things such as buy bigger and better entertainment.
Critter Island
The best way to maximize income on Critter Island is by using the star system. In Critter Island, tourists will drop stars on the ground when they are entertained. Similar to FrontierVille, these stars must be clicked on. These stars add up in a collective star meter that requires you to fill up all 5 stars to earn a 300% tip bonus. The stars have to be filled up once per day in order to earn the maximum income. This is a good appointment-setting technique because it will require players to log in every day to fill up their star meter, or lose precious potential tips.
Another fresh mechanic in Critter Island is the concept of restocking the buildings. Much like Nightclub City which requires the bar to be restocked in order to continue to serve customers, Critter Island requires you to restock buildings to keep serving the tourists. Restocking a building is as simple as clicking on it a few times until the restocking meter is full.
When visiting a neighbor's island, players can put up to three leis on your friend's tourists. This is a fun way to help out your friends by giving a few of their tourists the ability to tip more. You can also restock your friend's buildings, which is a nice way to help them if they can't log in that day.
So far, Critter Island is a very solid game. There are more features in the works, such as the ability to have multiple islands and increase the size of your island. The game is cute, and offers some synchronous fun that allows you to extend your play session. However, once you've filled your star meter for the day, you do run out of things to do other than watch your buildings and collect the money from them now and then. We found leveling to be fast, and at the end of our first session we were level 6. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on!
Play Critter Island on Facebook >
In Critter Island, the main goal is to keep an island resort chock full of happy tourists, grow the resort population, and decorate to your heart's content. In that regard, it's similar in objective to Crowdstar's Happy Island and a few other island games out there. Here's how Critter Island sets itself from the masses -- Each tourist has a personality - if you click on them you can see their name and a clever and whimsical little quote. In order to make money in Critter Island, players have to have the right kind of entertainment and amusement buildings to keep the tourists happy. Happy tourists will pay tips to your buildings and give you an income that allows you to do things such as buy bigger and better entertainment.
Critter Island
The best way to maximize income on Critter Island is by using the star system. In Critter Island, tourists will drop stars on the ground when they are entertained. Similar to FrontierVille, these stars must be clicked on. These stars add up in a collective star meter that requires you to fill up all 5 stars to earn a 300% tip bonus. The stars have to be filled up once per day in order to earn the maximum income. This is a good appointment-setting technique because it will require players to log in every day to fill up their star meter, or lose precious potential tips.
Another fresh mechanic in Critter Island is the concept of restocking the buildings. Much like Nightclub City which requires the bar to be restocked in order to continue to serve customers, Critter Island requires you to restock buildings to keep serving the tourists. Restocking a building is as simple as clicking on it a few times until the restocking meter is full.
When visiting a neighbor's island, players can put up to three leis on your friend's tourists. This is a fun way to help out your friends by giving a few of their tourists the ability to tip more. You can also restock your friend's buildings, which is a nice way to help them if they can't log in that day.
So far, Critter Island is a very solid game. There are more features in the works, such as the ability to have multiple islands and increase the size of your island. The game is cute, and offers some synchronous fun that allows you to extend your play session. However, once you've filled your star meter for the day, you do run out of things to do other than watch your buildings and collect the money from them now and then. We found leveling to be fast, and at the end of our first session we were level 6. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on!
Play Critter Island on Facebook >
FarmVille Pigpens: Everything you need to know
After several weeks of teasing, FarmVille pigpens have finally arrived. Sooey! The pigpens will hold up to 20 lil' porkers at a time and can be harvested once a day for a bonus.
Farmers can only own one pigpen at a time, and if you don't have one yet -- don't fret. These new buildings are rolling out slowly to everyone. You'll know if the pigpen is available, when you log in to the game and see the following message:
Once you click 'OK,' head to the gift box to find your pigpen frame (yes, you have to build out your pigpen).
farmville pigpen
Click 'Use' and then place the frame on your farm, and it will look like the picture below. The pigpen frame is a little on the large side (it's 7x6 or 42 squares), so be sure you have a decent amount of space free before you try to place it.
Once the pigpen is placed -- it's time to get building. Start by letting your neighbors know that you're starting to build a pigpen; post a note the Facebook Wall asking for help.
farmville pigpen
You will need eight bricks, eight nails and eight wooden boards to build out your pen. Like most other buildables in FarmVille -- there are several ways to get all of the materials you need to get the job done.
farmville pigpen
1. Ask your friends for materials from the Pigpen menu by clicking the 'Ask for more' button under the desired item. Once you click that, you'll be asked to select friends to whom you want to send a request.
2. You can complete the pigpen by clicking on the 'Buy' button to get all of the materials for 24 Farm Cash. If you've already collected a few of the items, you can click the 'Complete Now' button, and pay the discounted price to finish your pigpen.
3. You can also randomly receive these items as a free gift from friends. Each player will have two of the three materials available to send at a time, so different players will be able to send different materials.
As you get more materials the pigpen's physical appearance will begin to change:
After you snag 12 materials, you'll be able to post a message to you Facebook wall, and the first 10 people who click will receive a random building component for their pigpen. When you finish you Pigpen, you will be able to broadcast it on your Facebook wall, and the first 10 neighbors who who click on that notification will also get a random building component for their pigpens.
pigpen inside
farmville pigpehn truffles
Also, once the pigpen is complete, your pigs will be able to hunt for rare truffles on friends' farms -- though it doesn't look like this feature is available just yet. In the FarmVille podcast last week, we also learned that you will need to feed pigs slop (made from bushels) to send them a-huntin,' and truffles can be traded in for prizes, including new (and I presume, rare) breeds of pigs, like, perhaps, the Pink Potbelly Pig in the picture below.
farmville pig hunting for truffles
We'll add more info on this as soon as we have it. In the meantime, happy building!
Farmers can only own one pigpen at a time, and if you don't have one yet -- don't fret. These new buildings are rolling out slowly to everyone. You'll know if the pigpen is available, when you log in to the game and see the following message:
Once you click 'OK,' head to the gift box to find your pigpen frame (yes, you have to build out your pigpen).
farmville pigpen
Click 'Use' and then place the frame on your farm, and it will look like the picture below. The pigpen frame is a little on the large side (it's 7x6 or 42 squares), so be sure you have a decent amount of space free before you try to place it.
Once the pigpen is placed -- it's time to get building. Start by letting your neighbors know that you're starting to build a pigpen; post a note the Facebook Wall asking for help.
farmville pigpen
You will need eight bricks, eight nails and eight wooden boards to build out your pen. Like most other buildables in FarmVille -- there are several ways to get all of the materials you need to get the job done.
farmville pigpen
1. Ask your friends for materials from the Pigpen menu by clicking the 'Ask for more' button under the desired item. Once you click that, you'll be asked to select friends to whom you want to send a request.
2. You can complete the pigpen by clicking on the 'Buy' button to get all of the materials for 24 Farm Cash. If you've already collected a few of the items, you can click the 'Complete Now' button, and pay the discounted price to finish your pigpen.
3. You can also randomly receive these items as a free gift from friends. Each player will have two of the three materials available to send at a time, so different players will be able to send different materials.
As you get more materials the pigpen's physical appearance will begin to change:
After you snag 12 materials, you'll be able to post a message to you Facebook wall, and the first 10 people who click will receive a random building component for their pigpen. When you finish you Pigpen, you will be able to broadcast it on your Facebook wall, and the first 10 neighbors who who click on that notification will also get a random building component for their pigpens.
pigpen inside
farmville pigpehn truffles
Also, once the pigpen is complete, your pigs will be able to hunt for rare truffles on friends' farms -- though it doesn't look like this feature is available just yet. In the FarmVille podcast last week, we also learned that you will need to feed pigs slop (made from bushels) to send them a-huntin,' and truffles can be traded in for prizes, including new (and I presume, rare) breeds of pigs, like, perhaps, the Pink Potbelly Pig in the picture below.
farmville pig hunting for truffles
We'll add more info on this as soon as we have it. In the meantime, happy building!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
FarmVille iPhone App Update v. 1.07 to fix stabiility issues
Zynga has pushed yet another update to its infamous FarmVille iPhone app. This time around, in Version 1.07 (much smaller than before), the only changes made were, "Bug fixes to improve loading and resolve crashes," according to the iTunes page. As always, the update is free, but does it really improve anything?
In my experience since the update, loading times are still excruciatingly slow (even on WiFi) and, most importantly, push notifications still refuse to work. Is that not the number one reason players use the iPhone app?
What are your experiences with the FarmVille iPhone app since 1.07 was pushed out? Are you satisfied with the improvements Zynga claims it has made to the app?
In my experience since the update, loading times are still excruciatingly slow (even on WiFi) and, most importantly, push notifications still refuse to work. Is that not the number one reason players use the iPhone app?
What are your experiences with the FarmVille iPhone app since 1.07 was pushed out? Are you satisfied with the improvements Zynga claims it has made to the app?
A Mafia Wars Wedding: John Sweeney and Joanne Doane find love in their favorite game [Interview]
Love can be found in the most unexpected of places. For John Sweeney and Joanne Doane, it was in the type of place most go to escape from everyday life, but within Zynga's Mafia Wars the two found themselves in a relationship that went above and beyond digital clan wars and leveling up. These lovestruck gamers from two opposite ends of a state soon united and on September 17 at Central Station in Treasure Isle, Florida, it was official -- John and Joan became the first husband and wife who met in Mafia Wars.
So, what's it like finding love in your favorite social game and running both a clan and a podcast together? More importantly, how does it all change the way you play? As it turns out for these mafia dons-turned-mafia lovers, not much.
I think this is the first question on a lot of peoples' minds: Where are you going for your honeymoon?
We are thinking of either going to New York as we have family there or maybe just a nice relaxing trip to Hawaii.
Aside from your mob-themed cake, what other elements of Mafia Wars made their way into the ceremony?
We gave everyone toy water guns and knives and everyone had fun attacking each other. They even attacked the bad karaoke singers as that was the going. All in all, good clean fun.
Mafia Wars Wedding Cake
John, at what moment playing Mafia Wars with Joanne did you know that you wanted to marry her?
I knew we were becoming great friends as we played together. It wasn't until I finally met her and looked into her eyes that I knew she was the one I was looking for to complete my life.
How about you, Joanne? I think everyone in a long-distance relationship would like to know, how did you two work it out before making the big move?
I think biggest thing about long distance relationships is to find other things you have in common to talk about and that you become friends first or it wont work. While we both love Mafia Wars we also found we love a lot of other things together. And it is hard because as you become closer and your feelings grow for each other you must have patience and a strong faith that the relationship can work out.
For the rest of the social gamers out there looking for love--how can they use these games to meet someone?
Well, to be honest we weren't looking for love, that just happened. Social games and social sites are a better way to meet than a dating site as you have the opportunity to interact more and get to know each other first. In order for a relationship to work you must first become friends, then find other things in common besides the games and then you just have to communicate well to each other and let love take you where it may.
Now that the two of you are finally together and made your "Mafia Wars Love Connection" complete, how have your playing habits changed?
They haven't changed one bit. We are still doing the same thing we always did only now we do it as husband and wife.
How do you manage running your own Mafia Wars clan, Mafia Wars True Alliance, together?
We seem to find a good balance as we each take responsibility and realize it it not just about us, but it is about the thousands of members and making sure they have fun and are safe. Over all we have a good staff and everyone works well together and our almost 8000 members seems to be happy as well as our allies so we must be doing something right.
John Sweeney and Joanne Doane's wedding
How often do you play the game as a result and how do you manage that along with the rest of your activities like the The Facebook & Zynga Podcast?
We play every day for hours on end; we just space it out so we can get everything in. Sometimes it can get hectic when there is a lot of news we have to prepare for the show. But we manage and to be honest we like chaos we seem to do our best work that way. The only time we don't like the chaos is when we have to do an obituary for a fallen Mafia Wars player -- that is the worst time we ever have.
What has it been like hosting a podcast together?
So far so good. It has been fun. "The Facebook & Zynga Podcast" on Blogtalkradio.com is great fun. We like our format as we talk about the various issues and things going on across Facebook & with Zynga games. We also love the fact that that our listeners have a chance to call in and get answers to their questions as we do the show live and you never know what will happen with a live show. So it has been fun.
Is this your first foray into internet radio and, either way, what can you say for those looking to start their own podcast?
I did a previous podcast with Evil Ed, and I went on to do our show, as we wanted to do something different. It is a lot of hard work and is not as easy as it looks. But to those who may want to do one we suggest you find a topic you are passionate about and just do it. You will have to work hard at it and you do need to be organized but it is great fun and don't get discouraged. If you have a passion you should at least give it a chance as you never know how your passion may turn into something very good for you.
Aside from finding each other, what do both of you love most about Mafia Wars and social games in general?
The main thing is the fact you can interact with each other. You meet people from all over the world and if you do become friends with most of the people you play with you can also learn a lot about the rest of the world as a whole. It makes the world a whole lot more manageable and you find a new found respect each other countries as there are no politics to interfere. Just people being people.
So, what's it like finding love in your favorite social game and running both a clan and a podcast together? More importantly, how does it all change the way you play? As it turns out for these mafia dons-turned-mafia lovers, not much.
I think this is the first question on a lot of peoples' minds: Where are you going for your honeymoon?
We are thinking of either going to New York as we have family there or maybe just a nice relaxing trip to Hawaii.
Aside from your mob-themed cake, what other elements of Mafia Wars made their way into the ceremony?
We gave everyone toy water guns and knives and everyone had fun attacking each other. They even attacked the bad karaoke singers as that was the going. All in all, good clean fun.
Mafia Wars Wedding Cake
John, at what moment playing Mafia Wars with Joanne did you know that you wanted to marry her?
I knew we were becoming great friends as we played together. It wasn't until I finally met her and looked into her eyes that I knew she was the one I was looking for to complete my life.
How about you, Joanne? I think everyone in a long-distance relationship would like to know, how did you two work it out before making the big move?
I think biggest thing about long distance relationships is to find other things you have in common to talk about and that you become friends first or it wont work. While we both love Mafia Wars we also found we love a lot of other things together. And it is hard because as you become closer and your feelings grow for each other you must have patience and a strong faith that the relationship can work out.
For the rest of the social gamers out there looking for love--how can they use these games to meet someone?
Well, to be honest we weren't looking for love, that just happened. Social games and social sites are a better way to meet than a dating site as you have the opportunity to interact more and get to know each other first. In order for a relationship to work you must first become friends, then find other things in common besides the games and then you just have to communicate well to each other and let love take you where it may.
Now that the two of you are finally together and made your "Mafia Wars Love Connection" complete, how have your playing habits changed?
They haven't changed one bit. We are still doing the same thing we always did only now we do it as husband and wife.
How do you manage running your own Mafia Wars clan, Mafia Wars True Alliance, together?
We seem to find a good balance as we each take responsibility and realize it it not just about us, but it is about the thousands of members and making sure they have fun and are safe. Over all we have a good staff and everyone works well together and our almost 8000 members seems to be happy as well as our allies so we must be doing something right.
John Sweeney and Joanne Doane's wedding
How often do you play the game as a result and how do you manage that along with the rest of your activities like the The Facebook & Zynga Podcast?
We play every day for hours on end; we just space it out so we can get everything in. Sometimes it can get hectic when there is a lot of news we have to prepare for the show. But we manage and to be honest we like chaos we seem to do our best work that way. The only time we don't like the chaos is when we have to do an obituary for a fallen Mafia Wars player -- that is the worst time we ever have.
What has it been like hosting a podcast together?
So far so good. It has been fun. "The Facebook & Zynga Podcast" on Blogtalkradio.com is great fun. We like our format as we talk about the various issues and things going on across Facebook & with Zynga games. We also love the fact that that our listeners have a chance to call in and get answers to their questions as we do the show live and you never know what will happen with a live show. So it has been fun.
Is this your first foray into internet radio and, either way, what can you say for those looking to start their own podcast?
I did a previous podcast with Evil Ed, and I went on to do our show, as we wanted to do something different. It is a lot of hard work and is not as easy as it looks. But to those who may want to do one we suggest you find a topic you are passionate about and just do it. You will have to work hard at it and you do need to be organized but it is great fun and don't get discouraged. If you have a passion you should at least give it a chance as you never know how your passion may turn into something very good for you.
Aside from finding each other, what do both of you love most about Mafia Wars and social games in general?
The main thing is the fact you can interact with each other. You meet people from all over the world and if you do become friends with most of the people you play with you can also learn a lot about the rest of the world as a whole. It makes the world a whole lot more manageable and you find a new found respect each other countries as there are no politics to interfere. Just people being people.
FarmVille German Animals and Buildings: Gelbvieh Cow, Mountain Tavern and more
Forest Waterfall Flower Bed Tree Arch
Joining the FarmVille German Theme are more animals, buildings and decorations than you can shake a hiking stick at. Zynga has introduced two new animals, two buildings and four decorations. Here's what was made available in the market recently:
Animals
Gelbvieh Cow: 22 Farm Cash, Harvest in 1 day
Lynx: 18 Farm Cash, Harvest in 2 days
Buildings
Mountain Tavern: 34 Farm Cash, 800 XP
Moss Cabin: 300,000 coins, 3,000 XP
Decorations
Forest Waterfall: 34 Farm Cash, 720 XP
Black Forest: 22 Farm Cash, 275 XP
Tree Arch: 10,000 coins, 100 XP
Flower Bed: 3,000 coins, 30 XP
All of these items will be gone in just 11 days and ask for a combined 130 Farm Cash, or just over $20 USD.
Joining the FarmVille German Theme are more animals, buildings and decorations than you can shake a hiking stick at. Zynga has introduced two new animals, two buildings and four decorations. Here's what was made available in the market recently:
Animals
Gelbvieh Cow: 22 Farm Cash, Harvest in 1 day
Lynx: 18 Farm Cash, Harvest in 2 days
Buildings
Mountain Tavern: 34 Farm Cash, 800 XP
Moss Cabin: 300,000 coins, 3,000 XP
Decorations
Forest Waterfall: 34 Farm Cash, 720 XP
Black Forest: 22 Farm Cash, 275 XP
Tree Arch: 10,000 coins, 100 XP
Flower Bed: 3,000 coins, 30 XP
All of these items will be gone in just 11 days and ask for a combined 130 Farm Cash, or just over $20 USD.
Pet Society Paw Paw Revolution Game: Build or buy your own dance machine
Playfish might be taking the hardcore game references a bit too far with Paw Paw Revolution, the newest decoration to grace Pet Society with its rhythmic presence. What's great about this decoration is that it gives you options.
If you want it right now, you can buy the whole darned thing outright for 26 Playfish Cash, or about $5 USD. However, patience is a virtue and for those of you who can 18 days, this dance machine will be yours to make a fool of your digital self with. Paw Paw Revolution, like the Space Rocket and Playhouse before it, can be built by asking friends for parts. The item requires 18 parts and players can only ask for one part daily, unfortunately. Can you resist the allure of instant gratification?
If you want it right now, you can buy the whole darned thing outright for 26 Playfish Cash, or about $5 USD. However, patience is a virtue and for those of you who can 18 days, this dance machine will be yours to make a fool of your digital self with. Paw Paw Revolution, like the Space Rocket and Playhouse before it, can be built by asking friends for parts. The item requires 18 parts and players can only ask for one part daily, unfortunately. Can you resist the allure of instant gratification?
PetVille Design-A-Pumpkin Contest: Carve your spookiest pumpkin for 100 Pet Cash
In PetVille, the Halloween festivities have officially begun with Zynga's Design-a-Pumpkin Contest. Running through October 10, players have been asked to design their own pumpkin to be included in the game as a giftable decoration that will be sold for coins in the PetVille store. Speaking of coinage, the three winners chosen by the Zynga community team--who will also receive the three winning designs--will be rewarded handsomely with a sweet 100 Pet Cash.
What's most interesting about this contest (yes, more interesting than free money) is that the team is accepting all designs, whether they be digital from a program like PhotoShop or, if you're an experienced carver, photos of your own work. How the PetVille designers will work that out is uncertain, but it'll be interesting to see the interpretive work they come up with. Check out the official rules over at the PetVille forums.
What's most interesting about this contest (yes, more interesting than free money) is that the team is accepting all designs, whether they be digital from a program like PhotoShop or, if you're an experienced carver, photos of your own work. How the PetVille designers will work that out is uncertain, but it'll be interesting to see the interpretive work they come up with. Check out the official rules over at the PetVille forums.
Friday, February 3, 2012
FrontierVille horrors: Headless Horseman rides away, game suffers massive slowdown
FrontierVille folks are in a tizzy because the Headless Horseman seems to have ridden off into the night and no one has spotted this creature on their Homestead -- or neighbors' Homesteads -- since Friday. In the meantime, FrontierVille has also been experience a serious slowdown, making it nearly impossible to play.
Zynga hasn't said a word about pulling the Headless Horseman or given any explanation as to why the game keeps crashing, though this could have something to do with the big Facebook outage yesterday. In the meantime, try to find comfort in the fact that you're not experiencing these FrontierVille horrors by your lonesome.
Zynga hasn't said a word about pulling the Headless Horseman or given any explanation as to why the game keeps crashing, though this could have something to do with the big Facebook outage yesterday. In the meantime, try to find comfort in the fact that you're not experiencing these FrontierVille horrors by your lonesome.
FarmVille Autumn Collection: Collect them all before they're gone forever
I hope you completed the Toy Collection in FarmVille while you had the chance, as a new Lightning Collection has taken over. This one is called the Autumn Collection, and just like its two predecessors (the Toy and Gemstone Collections), this set comes with six different items that must be collected en masse before receiving your prize.
Find out how to get these six new items after the jump. The six items in the Autumn Collection are the Acorn, Maple Leaf, Pumpkin, Cornucopia, Feather, and Moon Token. Each item comes with its own rarity, along with a specific requirement for how many must be collected to earn your prize. The list is as follows:
Acorn (common) - 10 needed
Maple Leaf (common) - 10 needed
Pumpkin (common) - 10 needed
Cornucopia (uncommon) - 7 needed
Feather (uncommon) - 7 needed
Moon Token (rare) - 3 needed
As usual, you can purchase a single unit of each item for 1 Farm Cash each, for a grand total of 47 Farm Cash.
These items are found by planting seeds on your land, and can be found either individually, or in "stashes" that can be posted to your wall in order to share some extras with friends, so keep an eye out for posts from your friends' offering these goodies!
According to the Examiner, the prize for collecting the required number of each item is a cute pile of leaves with a pig standing next to it.
Find out how to get these six new items after the jump. The six items in the Autumn Collection are the Acorn, Maple Leaf, Pumpkin, Cornucopia, Feather, and Moon Token. Each item comes with its own rarity, along with a specific requirement for how many must be collected to earn your prize. The list is as follows:
Acorn (common) - 10 needed
Maple Leaf (common) - 10 needed
Pumpkin (common) - 10 needed
Cornucopia (uncommon) - 7 needed
Feather (uncommon) - 7 needed
Moon Token (rare) - 3 needed
As usual, you can purchase a single unit of each item for 1 Farm Cash each, for a grand total of 47 Farm Cash.
These items are found by planting seeds on your land, and can be found either individually, or in "stashes" that can be posted to your wall in order to share some extras with friends, so keep an eye out for posts from your friends' offering these goodies!
According to the Examiner, the prize for collecting the required number of each item is a cute pile of leaves with a pig standing next to it.
Happy Pets' new Halloween items: Buy 'em or send 'em to friends
CrowdStar has upped the Halloween celebration in Happy Pets from more than just Vampire Pets, as they have started unveiling Halloween decorations for use in your home.
These items are available both as free gifts and as items available to purchase in the store for coins, so meet us after the break to see the full selection!
As of this writing, there are just four items available with which to decorate your home for Halloween, with the promise that more items will be coming soon (we're assuming that's very soon, since Halloween is now just days away).
There is but one item available to purchase in the game's store, in the form of a Human Skull decoration that can be purchased for 38,975 coins.
The other three items are free gifts, and are Tombstones 1, 2, and 3. Each one is displayed with a patch of dirt, grass, and other items from nature, so they'd be best suited to one of your yards if you are going for a look of realism.
Make sure to check back with us as Happy Pets' Halloween item selection expands.
These items are available both as free gifts and as items available to purchase in the store for coins, so meet us after the break to see the full selection!
As of this writing, there are just four items available with which to decorate your home for Halloween, with the promise that more items will be coming soon (we're assuming that's very soon, since Halloween is now just days away).
There is but one item available to purchase in the game's store, in the form of a Human Skull decoration that can be purchased for 38,975 coins.
The other three items are free gifts, and are Tombstones 1, 2, and 3. Each one is displayed with a patch of dirt, grass, and other items from nature, so they'd be best suited to one of your yards if you are going for a look of realism.
Make sure to check back with us as Happy Pets' Halloween item selection expands.
Bejeweled Blitz becomes BOOjeweled Blitz with new Halloween items
PopCap has given Bejeweled Blitz a complete makeover this week in honor of the quickly approaching Halloween holiday.
The next time you login, you'll find that the game has been re-skinned with a spooky Halloween background, and that the Star Medals (those medals received for reaching high scores - 175,000 points or 300,000 points, as examples) have also been changed, offering ghostly blue gems and jack-o-lantern orange gems, among others.
In addition, a new Halloween contest has been added to the game's "Earn Coins" area. This area allows you to fulfill offers from third-party businesses and websites, and be rewarded with in-game coins in return. From now through November 4, every offer you complete will net you a single entry into a massive coin contest, rewarding 20 million coins to the first prize winner - that's enough for tons of boosts that will send your score through the roof (and to the top of your friend leaderboard)!
Four other lucky players will also receive massive coin rewards, ranging from 4 million to 8 million coins. That's anywhere from a $100 to a $500 value, if you were to purchase the coins out of pocket. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you say?
The next time you login, you'll find that the game has been re-skinned with a spooky Halloween background, and that the Star Medals (those medals received for reaching high scores - 175,000 points or 300,000 points, as examples) have also been changed, offering ghostly blue gems and jack-o-lantern orange gems, among others.
In addition, a new Halloween contest has been added to the game's "Earn Coins" area. This area allows you to fulfill offers from third-party businesses and websites, and be rewarded with in-game coins in return. From now through November 4, every offer you complete will net you a single entry into a massive coin contest, rewarding 20 million coins to the first prize winner - that's enough for tons of boosts that will send your score through the roof (and to the top of your friend leaderboard)!
Four other lucky players will also receive massive coin rewards, ranging from 4 million to 8 million coins. That's anywhere from a $100 to a $500 value, if you were to purchase the coins out of pocket. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you say?
FarmVille glitch charges Farm Cash for Halloween tricks
I received this email notice about FarmVille charging me Farm Cash for Halloween tricks that neighbors played on my farm, and letting me know that the virtual cash has been restored to my account. I went to double check that that's the case and am happy to report that my Farm Cash was safe and sound.
So, if friends play tricks on your farm, and you notice that you're being charged Farm Cash for these hijinks -- it's a known glitch, and you will hopefully get an email like the one above. If not, you can contact Zynga customer service and/or leave a message about the bug in the official FarmVille forums.
So, if friends play tricks on your farm, and you notice that you're being charged Farm Cash for these hijinks -- it's a known glitch, and you will hopefully get an email like the one above. If not, you can contact Zynga customer service and/or leave a message about the bug in the official FarmVille forums.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
FishVille's Aqua Hoops Game dropped the ball
FishVille Aqua Hoops
FishVille's awaited Aqua Hoops game has debuted to all players today, and it's not the exciting game that players were hoping for. Aqua Hoops is basically a replica of FrontierVille's horseshoe toss game, which means that it's a lottery or slot machine concept for players who want to gamble instead of an actual interactive game.
The Aqua Hoops game can be accessed by clicking the sidebar icon on the side of your game. You get one free throw, and once you click you have absolutely no control of the ball that is being tossed towards a hoop. You gain points for missing and getting close, but the grand prize is won by landing the jackpot through getting the ball in the hoop. Of course, because there is no skill whatsoever to this game and players do not get to know the odds of winning, there is a darn good chance you won't win.
Some players are reporting that they have spent over 70 Sand Dollars in an attempt to score the jackpot to no avail. The forums are currently full of posts from players who feel cheated that this 'game' is simply a random chance lottery and the rewards are not good enough to justify the cost of playing. FishVille Community Manager BarryKash stated the following:
Folks, I'm really disappointed to hear that most of you don't like the mini-game. We were hoping to add new things that you would enjoy for the anniversary celebrations. We are trying to ensure that we come up with things that all of you ask for or things that excite you. We would like to have done better with Aqua Hoops. We will look into it & make an earnest effort to make our anniversary fun & rewarding for all.
So far, we definitely agree with players that this game feels like a cheap way to celebrate FishVille's one year anniversary. Players would much prefer some deeper features such as more fish to unlock through Fish Mastery.
FishVille's awaited Aqua Hoops game has debuted to all players today, and it's not the exciting game that players were hoping for. Aqua Hoops is basically a replica of FrontierVille's horseshoe toss game, which means that it's a lottery or slot machine concept for players who want to gamble instead of an actual interactive game.
The Aqua Hoops game can be accessed by clicking the sidebar icon on the side of your game. You get one free throw, and once you click you have absolutely no control of the ball that is being tossed towards a hoop. You gain points for missing and getting close, but the grand prize is won by landing the jackpot through getting the ball in the hoop. Of course, because there is no skill whatsoever to this game and players do not get to know the odds of winning, there is a darn good chance you won't win.
Some players are reporting that they have spent over 70 Sand Dollars in an attempt to score the jackpot to no avail. The forums are currently full of posts from players who feel cheated that this 'game' is simply a random chance lottery and the rewards are not good enough to justify the cost of playing. FishVille Community Manager BarryKash stated the following:
Folks, I'm really disappointed to hear that most of you don't like the mini-game. We were hoping to add new things that you would enjoy for the anniversary celebrations. We are trying to ensure that we come up with things that all of you ask for or things that excite you. We would like to have done better with Aqua Hoops. We will look into it & make an earnest effort to make our anniversary fun & rewarding for all.
So far, we definitely agree with players that this game feels like a cheap way to celebrate FishVille's one year anniversary. Players would much prefer some deeper features such as more fish to unlock through Fish Mastery.
FishVille releases underwater Turkey Day items
Thanksgiving in FishVille
You didn't think that fish would skip celebrating Thanksgiving did you? Well, you were right! FishVille has just released a small collection of new items for the Thanksgiving holiday and they will all be available until Turkey Day is over and we're all stuffed full of delicious dinner.
The items aren't particularly spectacular, and FishVille are expecting players to spend Sand Dollars on these rather mediocre items. Aside from a tank background and gravel, we're not too impressed with the selection. There is a Sheath of Wheat available for 5 Sand Dollars, which is kind of an odd decoration to have under the water. There is also a Corn Cob for 4 Sand Dollars and a Stuck Arrow for 2 Sand Dollars that is supposed to look like it is stabbing into something. We're not sure why that embodies Thanksgiving, but we'll take it. Lastly, there is a Plymouth Rock which is the only item available for coins - but it will cost you 12,000 of them if you want to own it in your fish tank.
You didn't think that fish would skip celebrating Thanksgiving did you? Well, you were right! FishVille has just released a small collection of new items for the Thanksgiving holiday and they will all be available until Turkey Day is over and we're all stuffed full of delicious dinner.
The items aren't particularly spectacular, and FishVille are expecting players to spend Sand Dollars on these rather mediocre items. Aside from a tank background and gravel, we're not too impressed with the selection. There is a Sheath of Wheat available for 5 Sand Dollars, which is kind of an odd decoration to have under the water. There is also a Corn Cob for 4 Sand Dollars and a Stuck Arrow for 2 Sand Dollars that is supposed to look like it is stabbing into something. We're not sure why that embodies Thanksgiving, but we'll take it. Lastly, there is a Plymouth Rock which is the only item available for coins - but it will cost you 12,000 of them if you want to own it in your fish tank.
BitRhymes launches Penguin World for winter treasure digging
Penguin World
Another day, another new Facebook game has launched to the public. Penguin World is a brand new treasure-seeking game in the veins of Treasure Madness and Treasure Isle, with a winter theme. Our first impression of the game is that it's quite a bit too reminiscent of Treasure Isle to really stand up as a unique and exciting new game. Overall though, it shows promise because it features a popular animal that tends to bring in a wide audience, has a few new components not present in Zynga's Treasure Isle, and looks and plays well.
Penguin World was developed by BitRhymes, the developers behind Wild Paradise (which peaked at a MAU of 340,000) and it appears that they have learned quite a bit about the space. This new title has all the basic components of a good social game, but probably has a huge hill to climb since it is competing head to head with Zynga, Playfish, and all the other developers who have released a digging-style game.
In Penguin World, you have your home island and it has a shell that contains your specified color. You can decorate this island and do with it as you please. You have a map that looks eerily similar to Treasure Isle's, which allows you to travel to new islands. On islands, you dig up squares and try to find treasure in the form of collections. Once you clear out one map, you move on to the other. You can visit neighbors (referred to as your 'rookery') and collect items from them, so nothing new and exciting there.
Where Penguin World does bring something relatively new to the table is through minigames. There are two minigames available when you interact with islands. You can jump into pools of water (shown above) and play a swimming game in which you dodge mean fish and try to pick up as much gold as you can. There are also enemies on islands, such as a polar bear, and to fight them you have to complete a snowball rolling game that is also present in Club Penguin. It should be noted that Treasure Madness also has small minigames, although they're not disguised as battles.
Overall, Penguin World is cute and whimsical and has a likeable feel to it. It's a higher production quality than Wild Paradise, but doesn't feel quite as polished as Treasure Isle. Time will tell on this game, but we're hoping that BitRhymes find success with their second title.
Play Penguin World on Facebook >
Another day, another new Facebook game has launched to the public. Penguin World is a brand new treasure-seeking game in the veins of Treasure Madness and Treasure Isle, with a winter theme. Our first impression of the game is that it's quite a bit too reminiscent of Treasure Isle to really stand up as a unique and exciting new game. Overall though, it shows promise because it features a popular animal that tends to bring in a wide audience, has a few new components not present in Zynga's Treasure Isle, and looks and plays well.
Penguin World was developed by BitRhymes, the developers behind Wild Paradise (which peaked at a MAU of 340,000) and it appears that they have learned quite a bit about the space. This new title has all the basic components of a good social game, but probably has a huge hill to climb since it is competing head to head with Zynga, Playfish, and all the other developers who have released a digging-style game.
In Penguin World, you have your home island and it has a shell that contains your specified color. You can decorate this island and do with it as you please. You have a map that looks eerily similar to Treasure Isle's, which allows you to travel to new islands. On islands, you dig up squares and try to find treasure in the form of collections. Once you clear out one map, you move on to the other. You can visit neighbors (referred to as your 'rookery') and collect items from them, so nothing new and exciting there.
Where Penguin World does bring something relatively new to the table is through minigames. There are two minigames available when you interact with islands. You can jump into pools of water (shown above) and play a swimming game in which you dodge mean fish and try to pick up as much gold as you can. There are also enemies on islands, such as a polar bear, and to fight them you have to complete a snowball rolling game that is also present in Club Penguin. It should be noted that Treasure Madness also has small minigames, although they're not disguised as battles.
Overall, Penguin World is cute and whimsical and has a likeable feel to it. It's a higher production quality than Wild Paradise, but doesn't feel quite as polished as Treasure Isle. Time will tell on this game, but we're hoping that BitRhymes find success with their second title.
Play Penguin World on Facebook >
Mafia Wars San Francisco Meet Up - Come meet the family
Do you live in San Francisco, California, or will you be in the area on December 4? If so, why not check out Zynga's official Mafia Wars - San Francisco Meetup?
The event will take place from 2-5 PM PST at Mighty (119 Utah Street) - you'll know you're in the right place when you see the Mafia Wars Armored Truck.
The event will allow fans of the game to meet members of the Mafia Wars development team, along with meeting other players of the game (and even add them to your mafia, if it still has room). There will be prizes given away, games to play, photo opportunities, free swag to those who attend, and more. Door prizes are also available.
This is a "ticketed" event, in that you must sign up for a ticket so that Zynga knows how many people plan on coming. Signups are free, and the ticket is free - these tickets seem to be just a formality to keep things organized. You must be 21 years old to sign up for, and attend the event, with a valid ID that must be shown at the door (there will be drink tickets passed out to the first 100 through the door).
This seems like the ultimate event for Mafia Wars fans, and if you live anywhere near the area, we'd highly suggest signing up for a ticket. How often do you get to meet the developers of one of your favorite games face to face? This could be the perfect opportunity to share your appreciation for the game with those who made it, or even share some ideas with the team.
The event will take place from 2-5 PM PST at Mighty (119 Utah Street) - you'll know you're in the right place when you see the Mafia Wars Armored Truck.
The event will allow fans of the game to meet members of the Mafia Wars development team, along with meeting other players of the game (and even add them to your mafia, if it still has room). There will be prizes given away, games to play, photo opportunities, free swag to those who attend, and more. Door prizes are also available.
This is a "ticketed" event, in that you must sign up for a ticket so that Zynga knows how many people plan on coming. Signups are free, and the ticket is free - these tickets seem to be just a formality to keep things organized. You must be 21 years old to sign up for, and attend the event, with a valid ID that must be shown at the door (there will be drink tickets passed out to the first 100 through the door).
This seems like the ultimate event for Mafia Wars fans, and if you live anywhere near the area, we'd highly suggest signing up for a ticket. How often do you get to meet the developers of one of your favorite games face to face? This could be the perfect opportunity to share your appreciation for the game with those who made it, or even share some ideas with the team.
Mafia Wars Rumble in Russia - Everything you need to know
A few days ago, we heard Zynga would soon be launching the Rumble in Russia boss event in Mafia Wars, and the time for that launch has come. Let the rumble begin!
This event is similar to other boss events, in that you'll have a limited amount of time to take down four bosses, earning mastery and special prizes as you defeat each boss.
The Mafia Wars Rumble in Russia will be familiar to veteran Mafia Wars players, as it isn't the first boss-fight event we've seen in the game. This time around, however, we take the fight to Russia, with characters Lenenov, Belikov, Osipov, and Bassinov available to pound on for prizes.
The way that this event works is quite simple. All users will start out on the first star of mastery, tackling boss Dmitri Lenenov. Once you activate the battle with the boss, you'll be on a time limit to defeat them. As you can see from my screen shot below, I'd have 12 hours to defeat Lenenov before the battle resets and I'd have to start all over. The same goes for all bosses, in that battling them will be on an individual time limit for that particular battle.
You can either Attack, Attack X5, or Ask for Help from your mafia family in defeating the boss (friends that help would receive a reward for doing so after the boss is defeated). You can also use any consumables that you may have saved up from your journey through the entire game in order to do instant damage, stun the boss, and so on.
Once you defeat this boss, you'll unlock the second boss. Beat him and you'll unlock the third and so on. Additionally, the very first time you beat each boss, you'll earn the Bronze star of mastery, and you'll receive a reward item. Here are the list of items, in the order that you receive them:
mafia wars russia rumble
Atlas Torso (armor) - 44 Attack and 31 Defense
Crushed Ice (tank) - 96 Attack and 59 Defense
Big Z (gun) - 72 Attack and 108 Defense
Civ-4 Carbine (gun) - 84 Attack and 113 Defense
Finally, if you beat all four bosses two more times (that is, earn the Silver and then Gold mastery stars on all four bosses), you'll receive the ultimate reward, the Ursa Major - a literal Bear that has 60 Attack and 115 Defense stats.
In addition to each battle being timed individually, there is an overall time limit for this event that now sits at 5 days, 18 hours. If you can't complete the event (that is, get to Gold mastery and earn the Ursa Major) in that time, the event will expire, and your chance at these prizes will vanish along with it. Battle fast and battle hard if you want a chance at collecting them all.
This event is similar to other boss events, in that you'll have a limited amount of time to take down four bosses, earning mastery and special prizes as you defeat each boss.
The Mafia Wars Rumble in Russia will be familiar to veteran Mafia Wars players, as it isn't the first boss-fight event we've seen in the game. This time around, however, we take the fight to Russia, with characters Lenenov, Belikov, Osipov, and Bassinov available to pound on for prizes.
The way that this event works is quite simple. All users will start out on the first star of mastery, tackling boss Dmitri Lenenov. Once you activate the battle with the boss, you'll be on a time limit to defeat them. As you can see from my screen shot below, I'd have 12 hours to defeat Lenenov before the battle resets and I'd have to start all over. The same goes for all bosses, in that battling them will be on an individual time limit for that particular battle.
You can either Attack, Attack X5, or Ask for Help from your mafia family in defeating the boss (friends that help would receive a reward for doing so after the boss is defeated). You can also use any consumables that you may have saved up from your journey through the entire game in order to do instant damage, stun the boss, and so on.
Once you defeat this boss, you'll unlock the second boss. Beat him and you'll unlock the third and so on. Additionally, the very first time you beat each boss, you'll earn the Bronze star of mastery, and you'll receive a reward item. Here are the list of items, in the order that you receive them:
mafia wars russia rumble
Atlas Torso (armor) - 44 Attack and 31 Defense
Crushed Ice (tank) - 96 Attack and 59 Defense
Big Z (gun) - 72 Attack and 108 Defense
Civ-4 Carbine (gun) - 84 Attack and 113 Defense
Finally, if you beat all four bosses two more times (that is, earn the Silver and then Gold mastery stars on all four bosses), you'll receive the ultimate reward, the Ursa Major - a literal Bear that has 60 Attack and 115 Defense stats.
In addition to each battle being timed individually, there is an overall time limit for this event that now sits at 5 days, 18 hours. If you can't complete the event (that is, get to Gold mastery and earn the Ursa Major) in that time, the event will expire, and your chance at these prizes will vanish along with it. Battle fast and battle hard if you want a chance at collecting them all.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FarmVille Holiday Snow & Lights now available in the market
If you don't want to make your way through the entirety of the FarmVille Winter Wonderland quest set, Zynga has been so kind as to offer the new Holiday Snow and Light packages in the game's store, with these items being available in multiple packages, depending on how many items you'd like to decorate, whether you'd like to decorate with just lights, just snow, or both, and on how much Farm Cash you'd like to spend to do so.
First and foremost, you can purchase an individual Snow or Light decoration. That is, if you want to decorate a single item with just snow, you can do so for a single Farm Cash. Likewise, if you'd like to decorate a single item with just lights, that will also cost you just 1 Farm Cash.
You can save yourself a bit of clicking by purchase a single "Snow & Lights" package for 2 Farm Cash, which, as you might have guessed, adds snow and lights to a single item on your farm.
If you'd like to have unlimited access to decorating your farm this holiday season, you can purchase the Unlimited Snow package for 20 Farm Cash, or the Unlimited Lights package for 20 Farm Cash. If you'd like to skip the individual decorating, you can purchase unlimited access to adding both Snow and Lights to your items for 30 Farm Cash. This package will allow you to add both snow & lights simultaneously to any tree, fence or building that Zynga has currently programmed to allow it.
Regardless of the package you would like to purchase, all of these options will be available in the store for the next 57 days, giving you plenty of time to choose whether or not to unlock the unlimited options available here.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Will you purchase unlimited lights or snow for use in decorating your farm this holiday?
First and foremost, you can purchase an individual Snow or Light decoration. That is, if you want to decorate a single item with just snow, you can do so for a single Farm Cash. Likewise, if you'd like to decorate a single item with just lights, that will also cost you just 1 Farm Cash.
You can save yourself a bit of clicking by purchase a single "Snow & Lights" package for 2 Farm Cash, which, as you might have guessed, adds snow and lights to a single item on your farm.
If you'd like to have unlimited access to decorating your farm this holiday season, you can purchase the Unlimited Snow package for 20 Farm Cash, or the Unlimited Lights package for 20 Farm Cash. If you'd like to skip the individual decorating, you can purchase unlimited access to adding both Snow and Lights to your items for 30 Farm Cash. This package will allow you to add both snow & lights simultaneously to any tree, fence or building that Zynga has currently programmed to allow it.
Regardless of the package you would like to purchase, all of these options will be available in the store for the next 57 days, giving you plenty of time to choose whether or not to unlock the unlimited options available here.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Will you purchase unlimited lights or snow for use in decorating your farm this holiday?
FarmVille Mystery Game (12/05/10): Lemmings, Stallions, & Rams, oh my!
As Zynga has transitioned from a traditional Tuesday / Thursday game update schedule in FarmVille to one that takes place on Wednesday and Sunday (a change for the holiday season), tonight's FarmVille update sees the launching of a new Mystery Game, complete with more new animals than you can shake a stick at.
This week's game is advertised as containing items from the Winter Wonderland theme, and it costs 20 Farm Cash per individual dart, if you'd like to play. We can confirm that the items inside are as follows:
Black Mini Stallion
Musk Ox
White Ram
White Ermelin
Snow Lemmings
Eider Duck
You'll probably recognize most of these animals from various FarmVille Sneak Peeks we've offered you over the past few weeks, it's just unfortunate that it turns out they'll cost Farm Cash to actually add to your farm.
This edition of the FarmVille Mystery Game will only be available for the next 6 days, so start shopping for those darts now if you want a chance at collecting all of these items.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these animals would you most like to win from the Mystery Game this week? Will you spend 20 Farm Cash to try your hand at this game?
This week's game is advertised as containing items from the Winter Wonderland theme, and it costs 20 Farm Cash per individual dart, if you'd like to play. We can confirm that the items inside are as follows:
Black Mini Stallion
Musk Ox
White Ram
White Ermelin
Snow Lemmings
Eider Duck
You'll probably recognize most of these animals from various FarmVille Sneak Peeks we've offered you over the past few weeks, it's just unfortunate that it turns out they'll cost Farm Cash to actually add to your farm.
This edition of the FarmVille Mystery Game will only be available for the next 6 days, so start shopping for those darts now if you want a chance at collecting all of these items.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these animals would you most like to win from the Mystery Game this week? Will you spend 20 Farm Cash to try your hand at this game?
New FarmVille Animals: Candy Cane Pony & Candy Cane Foal
As part of tonight's FarmVille update, Zynga has released a new set of Winter Holiday themed animals to the game. These are animals that we gave you a sneak peek of in the middle of November. While it's taken quite a while for Zynga to actually bring us these animals, we can all agree that it's better late than never.
What are the animals, you ask? They are the Candy Cane Pony, and the Candy Cane Foal. The Candy Cane Pony has a red and white striped tail and mane, as its name would suggest, and it costs 24 Farm Cash to add to your farm. It can be harvested from once every three days, but if you have room in your Horse Stable, it will gladly find a home within as well. Through this process, you'll be able to have a chance to breed the Candy Cane Foal, which will give you horse collectors out there something else to search for.
The Candy Cane Pony will be available for the next 19 days, so take your time in deciding if you'd like to splurge on this colorful new animal.
What are the animals, you ask? They are the Candy Cane Pony, and the Candy Cane Foal. The Candy Cane Pony has a red and white striped tail and mane, as its name would suggest, and it costs 24 Farm Cash to add to your farm. It can be harvested from once every three days, but if you have room in your Horse Stable, it will gladly find a home within as well. Through this process, you'll be able to have a chance to breed the Candy Cane Foal, which will give you horse collectors out there something else to search for.
The Candy Cane Pony will be available for the next 19 days, so take your time in deciding if you'd like to splurge on this colorful new animal.
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Tower, Gingerbread Arch, Glacier Falls & More
In tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of quite a few new decorative items in the game's store. These items are in the Winter Holiday theme of limited edition items, and contain items that we've given you a sneak peek of in the past, along with completely new items, like a Gingerbread Arch.
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at these new items.
First, there is one new building available to purchase - the Winter Tower. It costs 18 Farm Cash to purchase, but you'll earn 1800 experience points for making such a splurge.
The other items are strictly decorations, with a few fitting in more with an outdoor decoration theme rather than something purely "holiday." These are the Glacier Falls (a large white and blue mountain with a waterfall pouring out of the top), an Ice Fishing Lake, and a Snowy Forest. The Glacier Falls costs 20 Farm Cash, the Ice Fishing Lake is 15 Farm Cash, and the Snowy Forest costs 200,000 coins.
The other decorative items are a Gingerbread Arch, making a return from last year, which costs 5 Farm Cash, and a Nutcracker Gnome, which costs 18 Farm Cash.
Regardless of which item you choose to purchase, they will all be available in the game for the next 19 days. If you've yet to start decorating for the holiday in FarmVille, you now have tons of items to choose from, in addition to these newest releases, so I hope you've been saving up the coins and Farm Cash necessary to make your farm something to behold this winter!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these items are you going to purchase for your farm first? Have you splurged on any Farm Cash items from this theme, or are you sticking with those that just cost coins?
Meet us behind the break for a complete look at these new items.
First, there is one new building available to purchase - the Winter Tower. It costs 18 Farm Cash to purchase, but you'll earn 1800 experience points for making such a splurge.
The other items are strictly decorations, with a few fitting in more with an outdoor decoration theme rather than something purely "holiday." These are the Glacier Falls (a large white and blue mountain with a waterfall pouring out of the top), an Ice Fishing Lake, and a Snowy Forest. The Glacier Falls costs 20 Farm Cash, the Ice Fishing Lake is 15 Farm Cash, and the Snowy Forest costs 200,000 coins.
The other decorative items are a Gingerbread Arch, making a return from last year, which costs 5 Farm Cash, and a Nutcracker Gnome, which costs 18 Farm Cash.
Regardless of which item you choose to purchase, they will all be available in the game for the next 19 days. If you've yet to start decorating for the holiday in FarmVille, you now have tons of items to choose from, in addition to these newest releases, so I hope you've been saving up the coins and Farm Cash necessary to make your farm something to behold this winter!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these items are you going to purchase for your farm first? Have you splurged on any Farm Cash items from this theme, or are you sticking with those that just cost coins?
Pet Society Deck the Halls Theme adds a modern flair to the holidays
With a fresh coat of snow blanketing Pet Society, it's about time Playfish introduced its holiday-themed item set to match the recent Advent Calendars and WWF Carolers. In the game's new and shiny Deck the Halls theme, players will find a slew of items with a modern twist on this month's gift-giving days. To start, Pet Society has an all-new collaborative gift, the Giant Holiday Cake Table.
After finding it in the Pet Workshop through clicking on the hammer icon on the right hand side of the screen, you'll have the option of asking 20 of your friends to help build the massive dessert or paying up 40 Playfish Cash to finish it instantly. And for those who can only get so far with friends, the Playfish Cash price will reduce according to the amount of friends you enlist help from. Be sure to remind your friends that a coin reward is waiting for them if they decide to help--a little motivation goes a long way.
In just seven hours as of this writing, a limited edition Baby Reindeer will be on sale for just 2,500 coins. It's unsure how many will be made available, but you'll want to be online at 6 p.m. EST if you want a shot at nabbing this adorably white fawn. Aside from new limited edition items coming out almost daily, there is another interestingly lively item in town.
The Evolving Luminous Christmas Tree, for 11 Playfish Cash, will grow over time into a giant tree blinking and flashing with Christmas bulbs. There are also Christmas Tree Mystery Pots (pictured), which for 1,600 coins will grow into one of five colored trees: White, Gold, Green, Pink and Black (the most rare).
Players looking to dress the part will find two new Modern Holiday outfits for boys and girls that bring serious class to Christmas. And in the Mystery section, you can take your chances at the Luminous Christmas Tree Ornament Mystery Egg. For 500 coins for one, 2,000 coins for five or 5,000 coins for 13, you'll have a chance at completing a collection of 13 Christmas tree ornaments for the rare Shooting Star Ornament. With this many special items (and even more furniture to peruse through), there's a plethora of things to do in Pet Society this holiday season and it's not even here yet. For more information on the items you can find in this theme, check out the Pet Society Blog.
Find the rest of our Holiday coverage right here.
What are your thoughts on these brand new, interactive items in Pet Society? What else are you anticipating this Christmas from Playfish?
After finding it in the Pet Workshop through clicking on the hammer icon on the right hand side of the screen, you'll have the option of asking 20 of your friends to help build the massive dessert or paying up 40 Playfish Cash to finish it instantly. And for those who can only get so far with friends, the Playfish Cash price will reduce according to the amount of friends you enlist help from. Be sure to remind your friends that a coin reward is waiting for them if they decide to help--a little motivation goes a long way.
In just seven hours as of this writing, a limited edition Baby Reindeer will be on sale for just 2,500 coins. It's unsure how many will be made available, but you'll want to be online at 6 p.m. EST if you want a shot at nabbing this adorably white fawn. Aside from new limited edition items coming out almost daily, there is another interestingly lively item in town.
The Evolving Luminous Christmas Tree, for 11 Playfish Cash, will grow over time into a giant tree blinking and flashing with Christmas bulbs. There are also Christmas Tree Mystery Pots (pictured), which for 1,600 coins will grow into one of five colored trees: White, Gold, Green, Pink and Black (the most rare).
Players looking to dress the part will find two new Modern Holiday outfits for boys and girls that bring serious class to Christmas. And in the Mystery section, you can take your chances at the Luminous Christmas Tree Ornament Mystery Egg. For 500 coins for one, 2,000 coins for five or 5,000 coins for 13, you'll have a chance at completing a collection of 13 Christmas tree ornaments for the rare Shooting Star Ornament. With this many special items (and even more furniture to peruse through), there's a plethora of things to do in Pet Society this holiday season and it's not even here yet. For more information on the items you can find in this theme, check out the Pet Society Blog.
Find the rest of our Holiday coverage right here.
What are your thoughts on these brand new, interactive items in Pet Society? What else are you anticipating this Christmas from Playfish?
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