While I would consider FarmVille as hardcore an experience as they come for dedication's sake, that's not what this study by Social Times Pro has in mind. All Facebook reports that the market for games like Kabam's Kingdom's of Camelot and Backyard Monsters by Casual Collective will increase five times in just the next two years. As of right now, the total hardcore social game player base is about 20 million--by 2013 that number could soar to 100 million. And according to Casual Collective CEO Will Harbin, making it happen is as easy as making games that hardcore gamers want to play.
"[We] just need to make games they're not embarrassed to play," Harbin said to All Facebook. "As quality of the content increases... we'll see a lot of growth in the male gaming market." Ah-ha, so that's who you're looking at? If this is the case across the board, you can probably expect more stereotypically violent social games in the future. And while Harbin admits that these types of games have player bases that are dwarfed by the likes of FarmVille and CityVille, he claims that the hardcore audience is more likely to spend than your average digital farmer.
Social Times Pro study
According to All Facebook, Casual Collective's Backyard Monsters raked $30 thousand more a day after the company announced and released weapon upgrade. He expects that by 2013, 30 percent of the top monthly Facebook game charts will be male dominated games. That is entirely possible due to the expected increases in daily players, which would boost monthly numbers by default. But what's more interesting is Harbin's estimation that Zynga will not enter the hardcore social game market. You better hope that you're right about that, Harbin, because Zynga has quite a few studios with hardcore backgrounds, probably just waiting to make Facebook's proverbial StarCraft.
[Image Credits: Denuology and Social Times Pro]
Are you a hardcore social gamer? Do you see the sub genre growing by this much in just two years?
Thứ Sáu, 30 tháng 12, 2011
Fighting games are Facebook-bound, says Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono
The man behind Street Fighter 4 3D Edition for the Nintendo 3DS sees Facebook as the future home of fighting games, Siliconera reports. Finally, Facebook users can duke it out in a game rather than publicly through News Feeds. After a CVG reporter mentioned the lack of fighting games on Facebook to Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono, he replied, "I can't say much but I will say there will be. I can't say why - but I do think there will be." In other words, Ono knows something we don't.
According to Siliconera, Ono believes that Facebook and fighting games are a natural fit, thanks to the improved communications options through the 3DS version of the game and the reply modes on consoles. "I think the framework of social networking and fighting games, or the amalgamation of fighting games, have already started," Ono said. "So, when I say something will happen I'm just going to add a little bit more on top of the framework we have now and once that is done I think we will get there."
In short, it looks like Capcom is working on bringing fighting games to Facebook one way or another. Considering Capcom already has experience with Facebook-connected games like Smurf's Village, it's not exactly a leap to bring Street Fighter to Facebook. Come to think of it, a Street Fighter game on Facebook would likely not be short of ... awesome.
[Image Credit: Next Gadget]
Would you play a traditional fighting game on Facebook? How successful do you think they would be on Facebook?
According to Siliconera, Ono believes that Facebook and fighting games are a natural fit, thanks to the improved communications options through the 3DS version of the game and the reply modes on consoles. "I think the framework of social networking and fighting games, or the amalgamation of fighting games, have already started," Ono said. "So, when I say something will happen I'm just going to add a little bit more on top of the framework we have now and once that is done I think we will get there."
In short, it looks like Capcom is working on bringing fighting games to Facebook one way or another. Considering Capcom already has experience with Facebook-connected games like Smurf's Village, it's not exactly a leap to bring Street Fighter to Facebook. Come to think of it, a Street Fighter game on Facebook would likely not be short of ... awesome.
[Image Credit: Next Gadget]
Would you play a traditional fighting game on Facebook? How successful do you think they would be on Facebook?
PopCap co-founder says he's 'jealous' of Zynga
In case you haven't heard the news before now, Bejeweled creator PopCap is planning to go public sometime this year. Games.com -The Blog! met up with company co-founder Jon Vechey (pictured above) and CEO Dave Roberts during a NYC media tour where they've been outlining their plans to make a splash on the stock market.
Even in the middle of all of this big news, Vechey -- during a larger conversation about social gaming -- tells me he's a little jealous of FarmVille-maker Zynga's overnight success, and the fact that they've managed to reach millions of players who have previously been untouchable.
"[PopCap] has benefited from Zynga's success," he adds, meaning less that they've been able to transform FarmVille players into Bejeweled Blitz players, but have been able to access new players via Facebook and been able to successfully turn their social version of Bejeweled into a money making machine. Bejeweled Blitz earned over a million dollars in the past few weeks, he says. Not bad, considering a year ago the game wasn't making anything.
popcap plants vs zombies drop7Last year, CEO Roberts was quoted talking about Zynga's ability to buy customers and, then added in a dig about how good content will win out in the end. Vechey still backs up that notion, but says that Zynga has apparently grown aware of this and is now doubling down on creating more sophisticated game experiences by acquiring 'real' game companies like Words with Friends developer Newtoy and, more recently, Drop7 creators Area/Code. (As a side note, Vechey is a big Drop7 fan, and even pulled out his iPhone to give me an impromptu demo on how to play it).
"Before if you asked me if Zynga would be around in five years, I would have said no. Now I can see Zynga being around -- the question is whether it will be relevant or not."
Speaking of relevant, Vechey says that he doesn't expect casual downloadable PC games to be relevant for much longer, and he blames game portals, like Yahoo, MSN (and our very own AOL Games) who -- for years -- demanded a 70% cut to to distribute those games. Now you can work with Apple who just takes a 30% cut and doesn't have a problem promoting other companies, he says.
As for the topic of the day -- PopCap going public -- Roberts seems cautiously optimistic about making the jump. PopCap, as a company, tries to protect developer's creativity, and if going public jeopardizes that, he says, "We won't do it."
popcap offshoot 4th & battery's unpleasant horse
Creativity seems to be king at PopCap's new 4th & Battery game studio, which will soon launch its first game Unpleasant Horse for iPhone (pictured above). This mobile game is far from your standard family friendly PopCap fare, where you control a flying horse that destroys birds and sends other horses to their demise (by shoving them into a meat grinder).
"People are making way too big a deal of this new company," says Roberts. PopCap created this offshoot, he says, to help the developers blow off creative steam and come up with new ideas that can be executed faster than say, the next Bejeweled or Plants vs. Zombies game. However, if these one-off games strike a chord with the public, he says, then they might be considered for re-release under the official PopCap label.
These experimental games are brewed during week-long PopCamp sessions, where groups of in-house developers come up with and execute on ideas that might be the next big game. Unpleasant Horse was the product of the first PopCamp and the second PopCamp is happening this week, where -- who knows -- the next Bejeweled or Plants vs. Zombies just might be in the works.
Even in the middle of all of this big news, Vechey -- during a larger conversation about social gaming -- tells me he's a little jealous of FarmVille-maker Zynga's overnight success, and the fact that they've managed to reach millions of players who have previously been untouchable.
"[PopCap] has benefited from Zynga's success," he adds, meaning less that they've been able to transform FarmVille players into Bejeweled Blitz players, but have been able to access new players via Facebook and been able to successfully turn their social version of Bejeweled into a money making machine. Bejeweled Blitz earned over a million dollars in the past few weeks, he says. Not bad, considering a year ago the game wasn't making anything.
popcap plants vs zombies drop7Last year, CEO Roberts was quoted talking about Zynga's ability to buy customers and, then added in a dig about how good content will win out in the end. Vechey still backs up that notion, but says that Zynga has apparently grown aware of this and is now doubling down on creating more sophisticated game experiences by acquiring 'real' game companies like Words with Friends developer Newtoy and, more recently, Drop7 creators Area/Code. (As a side note, Vechey is a big Drop7 fan, and even pulled out his iPhone to give me an impromptu demo on how to play it).
"Before if you asked me if Zynga would be around in five years, I would have said no. Now I can see Zynga being around -- the question is whether it will be relevant or not."
Speaking of relevant, Vechey says that he doesn't expect casual downloadable PC games to be relevant for much longer, and he blames game portals, like Yahoo, MSN (and our very own AOL Games) who -- for years -- demanded a 70% cut to to distribute those games. Now you can work with Apple who just takes a 30% cut and doesn't have a problem promoting other companies, he says.
As for the topic of the day -- PopCap going public -- Roberts seems cautiously optimistic about making the jump. PopCap, as a company, tries to protect developer's creativity, and if going public jeopardizes that, he says, "We won't do it."
popcap offshoot 4th & battery's unpleasant horse
Creativity seems to be king at PopCap's new 4th & Battery game studio, which will soon launch its first game Unpleasant Horse for iPhone (pictured above). This mobile game is far from your standard family friendly PopCap fare, where you control a flying horse that destroys birds and sends other horses to their demise (by shoving them into a meat grinder).
"People are making way too big a deal of this new company," says Roberts. PopCap created this offshoot, he says, to help the developers blow off creative steam and come up with new ideas that can be executed faster than say, the next Bejeweled or Plants vs. Zombies game. However, if these one-off games strike a chord with the public, he says, then they might be considered for re-release under the official PopCap label.
These experimental games are brewed during week-long PopCamp sessions, where groups of in-house developers come up with and execute on ideas that might be the next big game. Unpleasant Horse was the product of the first PopCamp and the second PopCamp is happening this week, where -- who knows -- the next Bejeweled or Plants vs. Zombies just might be in the works.
Toyota Prius parks in EA's Monopoly Millionaires for one year
Toyota Prius Monopoly Millionaires
Your next free gift in Monopoly Millionaires could be ... a new car! More specifically, a digital Toyota Prius thanks a 12-month partnership between Toyota, EA and the game's developer, Playfish. Both the ubiquitous green car and the Toyota Prius Eco-Greenhouse, re-imaginations of two original Monopoly pieces, will be available as free gifts in Monopoly Millionaires for the next year. Players can then use these items on their own game boards.
"Monoply and Toyota are two iconic brands and I'm delighted to help bring them together," said Joy Taylor, EA's Global Director of Marketing Solutions. "Toyota, and Prius in particular, has a huge, devoted following that will get genuine value out of this partnership. We're connecting one of the world's most loved cars, with one of the world's most loved games, on the world's largest social media platform. It's very exciting."
They sure got the huge following thing right. The Prius is arguably the most popular hybrid out there and has been featured in every TV show imaginable, including South Park with its scathing if lude wit. Well, enjoy being eco-conscious for the next 12 months. This promotion might not make players rush out to buy the $23 thousand car, but maybe it will remind you to turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or turn off a light every once in a while.
Have you decorated your game board in eco-friendly items yet? What do you think of this in-game promotion lasting for 12 months?
Your next free gift in Monopoly Millionaires could be ... a new car! More specifically, a digital Toyota Prius thanks a 12-month partnership between Toyota, EA and the game's developer, Playfish. Both the ubiquitous green car and the Toyota Prius Eco-Greenhouse, re-imaginations of two original Monopoly pieces, will be available as free gifts in Monopoly Millionaires for the next year. Players can then use these items on their own game boards.
"Monoply and Toyota are two iconic brands and I'm delighted to help bring them together," said Joy Taylor, EA's Global Director of Marketing Solutions. "Toyota, and Prius in particular, has a huge, devoted following that will get genuine value out of this partnership. We're connecting one of the world's most loved cars, with one of the world's most loved games, on the world's largest social media platform. It's very exciting."
They sure got the huge following thing right. The Prius is arguably the most popular hybrid out there and has been featured in every TV show imaginable, including South Park with its scathing if lude wit. Well, enjoy being eco-conscious for the next 12 months. This promotion might not make players rush out to buy the $23 thousand car, but maybe it will remind you to turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or turn off a light every once in a while.
Have you decorated your game board in eco-friendly items yet? What do you think of this in-game promotion lasting for 12 months?
FarmVille for iPhone is faster than ever, but misses the point
Until recently, iOS has been a thorn in Zynga's side since it launched FarmVille on Apple's iPhone in June 2010. It was a brilliant concept at launch, but the game was nearly unplayable until the company finally released Version 2.0 this past March. Admittedly, it's still littered with loading bugs and out-of-sync errors are almost expected upon planting too many crops at once. But for every improvement and every glitch, Zynga is missing a golden opportunity with FarmVille for iOS.
For all intents and purposes, FarmVille for iPhone is a way to play the game when you're not in front of the computer screen. Unfortunately, what functionality the game does serve stops there. (Considering the amount of limitations dropped on you when playing on iPhone.) But even if Zynga were to introduce the ability to visit friends who don't play FarmVille on iOS, it still wouldn't be enough. Simply put, FarmVille for iOS, for being a social game, takes no advantages of being on a mobile device.
iPhone gamingThis is where Zynga would do well to take a cue from Nintendo and its 3DS, which through SpotPass and StreetPass can play games with nearby handhelds. The iPhone--and most smartphones, for that matter--have two unique advantages over standard PCs: being extremely mobile and aware of their surroundings. The latter means that through technologies like geo-location or even Bluetooth, devices like the iPhone can recognize and report their exact location in reference to their surroundings, most notably other phones. Just look at iPhone apps like Bump, which uses Bluetooth to find other devices nearby and shares contact information. Is there any reason why FarmVille for iPhone couldn't use the same technology?
Of course it would be a difficult feat, but not really. A scenario: You're waiting in line at mall to buy that hot new shirt you just picked up on clearance. Like any self-respecting FarmVille fan, you pop out the iPhone and start playing only to be greeted with a pop-up that reads "There are three farmers near you right now. Would you like to become their friend?" You click "Accept" and then check off the names of those nearby to add them as Facebook friends. Seconds later, you're visiting their farm and fertilizing their crops before it's even your turn in line.
Better yet, you're on the train and, while playing FarmVille, you receive a pop-up message that reads, "Calling all nearby farmers! My Chickens need to be fed! Can you help me?" Mind you, this player in need isn't even your friend, but a nearby farmer used the Bluetooth or even 3G connection in their phone to broadcast a message to nearby FarmVille players. You can help them just that once and be done with it or it could spark a conversation, and hopefully a new friendship (beyond Facebook, of course). This was the original goal of PC-based social games, no?
FarmVille for iPad
Developers and players alike have been crying out for a more organically social experience through Facebook games. Well, here it is folks. Connecting with those immediately around you is about as organic as social gets, but this is impossible in not only FarmVille for iOS, but all Zynga games for mobile devices. So, what are we waiting for? Organic social connections through Facebook gaming simply isn't happening on a wide scale through standard PCs and browsers. What's worse is that it likely never will given the immense profits sucked from the current model. Mobile is where social games will truly become social, and Zynga better hop on it fast before the horde of developers (in a distant second place) do.
[Image Credits: UTNE and AppAdvice]
Are you satisfied with FarmVille for iOS as is? Would you want to play it more if features like these were introduced to the game?
For all intents and purposes, FarmVille for iPhone is a way to play the game when you're not in front of the computer screen. Unfortunately, what functionality the game does serve stops there. (Considering the amount of limitations dropped on you when playing on iPhone.) But even if Zynga were to introduce the ability to visit friends who don't play FarmVille on iOS, it still wouldn't be enough. Simply put, FarmVille for iOS, for being a social game, takes no advantages of being on a mobile device.
iPhone gamingThis is where Zynga would do well to take a cue from Nintendo and its 3DS, which through SpotPass and StreetPass can play games with nearby handhelds. The iPhone--and most smartphones, for that matter--have two unique advantages over standard PCs: being extremely mobile and aware of their surroundings. The latter means that through technologies like geo-location or even Bluetooth, devices like the iPhone can recognize and report their exact location in reference to their surroundings, most notably other phones. Just look at iPhone apps like Bump, which uses Bluetooth to find other devices nearby and shares contact information. Is there any reason why FarmVille for iPhone couldn't use the same technology?
Of course it would be a difficult feat, but not really. A scenario: You're waiting in line at mall to buy that hot new shirt you just picked up on clearance. Like any self-respecting FarmVille fan, you pop out the iPhone and start playing only to be greeted with a pop-up that reads "There are three farmers near you right now. Would you like to become their friend?" You click "Accept" and then check off the names of those nearby to add them as Facebook friends. Seconds later, you're visiting their farm and fertilizing their crops before it's even your turn in line.
Better yet, you're on the train and, while playing FarmVille, you receive a pop-up message that reads, "Calling all nearby farmers! My Chickens need to be fed! Can you help me?" Mind you, this player in need isn't even your friend, but a nearby farmer used the Bluetooth or even 3G connection in their phone to broadcast a message to nearby FarmVille players. You can help them just that once and be done with it or it could spark a conversation, and hopefully a new friendship (beyond Facebook, of course). This was the original goal of PC-based social games, no?
FarmVille for iPad
Developers and players alike have been crying out for a more organically social experience through Facebook games. Well, here it is folks. Connecting with those immediately around you is about as organic as social gets, but this is impossible in not only FarmVille for iOS, but all Zynga games for mobile devices. So, what are we waiting for? Organic social connections through Facebook gaming simply isn't happening on a wide scale through standard PCs and browsers. What's worse is that it likely never will given the immense profits sucked from the current model. Mobile is where social games will truly become social, and Zynga better hop on it fast before the horde of developers (in a distant second place) do.
[Image Credits: UTNE and AppAdvice]
Are you satisfied with FarmVille for iOS as is? Would you want to play it more if features like these were introduced to the game?
Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 12, 2011
Is EA bringing Need for Speed to Facebook?
EA reported recently in an earnings call to investors that its 'digital service' games revenue skyrocketed 46 percent to $211 million and its net income boosted fivefold from $30 million to a whopping $151 million compared to last year. However, as Inside Social Games reports, "digital service" games covers a swathe of properties--not just its Facebook games. Regardless, the company teased that it has 15 more "digital service" games in beta testing, which includes a potential social adaptation of its hit racing franchise, Need for Speed.
As for the other 14 mysterious games, not all of them necessarily have to be on Facebook, as EA's use of the phrase "digital service" games covers its 3D browser adaptations of franchises like PGA Golf and FIFA Soccer. But according to the company, the FIFA franchise alone raised a sweet $100 million in revenue, though how much of that is thanks to FIFA Superstars for Facebook isn't clear.
Speaking of which, just how well is EA doing on Facebook? Well, the company still sits in third place behind Badoo (a dating app) and the immovable Zynga with 34.5 million monthly players across all of its social games, according to AppData. That's only a hair above CrowdStar's 31 million, but miles ahead of Playdom's paltry 21.7 million. However, that number is boosted by 27 games that don't even reach 1 million monthly players, with Playfish's Pet Society sitting pretty at number one with 9.5 million players.
In comparison to those below it, EA and Playfish seem to be doing just fine, and they're not far from claiming the coveted second place slot. (Though, in the social games space, they're already there.) It sure is enough to keep Playfish afloat, who drives most of EA's revenue, so don't worry about Pet Society going anywhere. What we should worry about, however, are these 14 other games that EA is waving in our faces.
Considering EA's recent partnership with Hasbro to bring Monopoly Millionaires to Facebook, we could very well see more games come of that. Board game adaptations seem to do well on Facebook, so why not bring in even deeper games like Risk or Trivial Pursuit? How about Twister?
Would you play Need for Speed on Facebook? What other games do you think EA is brewing up on the platform?
As for the other 14 mysterious games, not all of them necessarily have to be on Facebook, as EA's use of the phrase "digital service" games covers its 3D browser adaptations of franchises like PGA Golf and FIFA Soccer. But according to the company, the FIFA franchise alone raised a sweet $100 million in revenue, though how much of that is thanks to FIFA Superstars for Facebook isn't clear.
Speaking of which, just how well is EA doing on Facebook? Well, the company still sits in third place behind Badoo (a dating app) and the immovable Zynga with 34.5 million monthly players across all of its social games, according to AppData. That's only a hair above CrowdStar's 31 million, but miles ahead of Playdom's paltry 21.7 million. However, that number is boosted by 27 games that don't even reach 1 million monthly players, with Playfish's Pet Society sitting pretty at number one with 9.5 million players.
In comparison to those below it, EA and Playfish seem to be doing just fine, and they're not far from claiming the coveted second place slot. (Though, in the social games space, they're already there.) It sure is enough to keep Playfish afloat, who drives most of EA's revenue, so don't worry about Pet Society going anywhere. What we should worry about, however, are these 14 other games that EA is waving in our faces.
Considering EA's recent partnership with Hasbro to bring Monopoly Millionaires to Facebook, we could very well see more games come of that. Board game adaptations seem to do well on Facebook, so why not bring in even deeper games like Risk or Trivial Pursuit? How about Twister?
Would you play Need for Speed on Facebook? What other games do you think EA is brewing up on the platform?
CityVille Cinco de Mayo Goals: Everything you need to know
While some would call today "Revenge of the 5th (The sequel to May the 4th Be With You)," it's also Cinco de Mayo. And the worldly developer we all know as Zynga has kick started its celebrations in CityVille. Two festive Goals have appeared in the game to honor the Mexican army's defeat of France during the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 in the middle of the Civil War. And what better way to celebrate that legendary victory than gathering Maracas and harvesting corn?
1. Cinco de Mayo:
Have or place one Mexican Taqueria
Collect 3 Maracas
Harvest 30 Corn
The Mexican Taqueria is a new business in CityVille that costs 2,500 coins and earns 330 coins for every 75 Goods consumed. To find the Maracas, just ask your friends for them through the Goal menu. All the while, harvesting 30 Corn will cost 1,860 coins total and take at least one day to harvest, if you plant them all at once.
CityVille Cinco de Mayo
2. Ready to Party:
Have a Mariachi Band in your City
Have 3 Mexican Flag Poles
Send 3 Tour Buses to Neighbors Taqueria Restaurants
This second Goal is slightly more difficult in that it relies on your friends actually attempting the new Goals. First, we imagine the Mariachi Band is a quest reward for completing the first, as it's unavailable in the Market. Mexican Flag Poles are available in the market for 200 coins, but sending three Tour Buses to neighboring cities will be the tough part. Try collaborating with your friends through walls posts, messages or chat to make sure you can send all three before Cinco de Mayo becomes but a memory.
[Source: CityVille Info]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you seen or completed the new Cinco de Mayo Goals? How else do you plan to celebrate the holiday?
1. Cinco de Mayo:
Have or place one Mexican Taqueria
Collect 3 Maracas
Harvest 30 Corn
The Mexican Taqueria is a new business in CityVille that costs 2,500 coins and earns 330 coins for every 75 Goods consumed. To find the Maracas, just ask your friends for them through the Goal menu. All the while, harvesting 30 Corn will cost 1,860 coins total and take at least one day to harvest, if you plant them all at once.
CityVille Cinco de Mayo
2. Ready to Party:
Have a Mariachi Band in your City
Have 3 Mexican Flag Poles
Send 3 Tour Buses to Neighbors Taqueria Restaurants
This second Goal is slightly more difficult in that it relies on your friends actually attempting the new Goals. First, we imagine the Mariachi Band is a quest reward for completing the first, as it's unavailable in the Market. Mexican Flag Poles are available in the market for 200 coins, but sending three Tour Buses to neighboring cities will be the tough part. Try collaborating with your friends through walls posts, messages or chat to make sure you can send all three before Cinco de Mayo becomes but a memory.
[Source: CityVille Info]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you seen or completed the new Cinco de Mayo Goals? How else do you plan to celebrate the holiday?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Badger Ewe, Welsh Animals, and Cherry Trees
In case you hadn't noticed, Zynga has been pushing out FarmVille updates faster than you can say, "Where the heck did my Farm Cash go?" And, according to FarmVille Feed, more is on the way. First are these two brand new Trees, the Bird Cherry and Wild Cherry Trees, whose artwork appears to be unfinished. Either way, expect these two fruit-bearers to pop up in Mystery Seedlings soon enough. But wait, there's more--the fan site has spied a brand new Sheep pattern and two new animals to look forward to.
You can already imagine that the Welsh Cow and Welsh Pony will appear in the English Countryside, given their origins. FarmVille Feed estimates that this black bovine will cost between 24 and 26 Farm Cash, and should be coming soon considering Zynga already created an animation for them.
The Welsh Pony is expected to run for the same amount of Farm Cash, and it too has a completed animation, meaning it should hit the Market sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that it's entirely possible for these Animals to be released through the Mystery Game or other means.
Finally, the Badger Ewe, a brand new Sheep pattern, might soon be released to the Market. FarmVille Feed estimates that this pattern is Zynga's official response to the "Masked Sheep" that was bred illegally before. Unfortunately, this means the do-gooders will have to pay up in Farm Cash. Ultimately, the release of all three animals raises an important question: Will they ever stop chewing?
You can already imagine that the Welsh Cow and Welsh Pony will appear in the English Countryside, given their origins. FarmVille Feed estimates that this black bovine will cost between 24 and 26 Farm Cash, and should be coming soon considering Zynga already created an animation for them.
The Welsh Pony is expected to run for the same amount of Farm Cash, and it too has a completed animation, meaning it should hit the Market sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that it's entirely possible for these Animals to be released through the Mystery Game or other means.
Finally, the Badger Ewe, a brand new Sheep pattern, might soon be released to the Market. FarmVille Feed estimates that this pattern is Zynga's official response to the "Masked Sheep" that was bred illegally before. Unfortunately, this means the do-gooders will have to pay up in Farm Cash. Ultimately, the release of all three animals raises an important question: Will they ever stop chewing?
CityVille: Collect from Houses, get random population boosts
CityVille Population
Sick of adding variety or flavor to your cities with new houses to increase population? (Who needs 'em!) Zynga has introduced an interesting update to CityVille that, when players collect from Homes, will randomly drop population increases. Remember that strange little phrase many of you found next to building information in the Market? You're looking at it.
Whenever you collect from a Residence, there is now a small chance that, in addition to coins and XP, a small moving van icon will appear. Click on it and you'll receive a small overall Population boost in proportion to the Residence you collected from. However, each House you own has a cap for how much it increase your population by, again in proportion to the home's original. So, this is a temporary fix to a growing problem: space.
[Source: CityVille Info]
Have you seen this new feature in your city? For how long do you think this will alleviate the growing population versus space problem in CityVille?
Sick of adding variety or flavor to your cities with new houses to increase population? (Who needs 'em!) Zynga has introduced an interesting update to CityVille that, when players collect from Homes, will randomly drop population increases. Remember that strange little phrase many of you found next to building information in the Market? You're looking at it.
Whenever you collect from a Residence, there is now a small chance that, in addition to coins and XP, a small moving van icon will appear. Click on it and you'll receive a small overall Population boost in proportion to the Residence you collected from. However, each House you own has a cap for how much it increase your population by, again in proportion to the home's original. So, this is a temporary fix to a growing problem: space.
[Source: CityVille Info]
Have you seen this new feature in your city? For how long do you think this will alleviate the growing population versus space problem in CityVille?
Global Warfare on Facebook: Is Kabam's latest a 'real game for real gamers?'
There's an interesting new trend developing in Facebook games. While we've all spent the last two years bombarded with me-too games about farming or tending to virtual pets/stores/cities, several companies are starting to reach out to a new type of social gamer -- the hardcore strategy gamer.
These PC-centric strategists make up a small but extremely passionate portion of the game-playing public, and instead of perfecting headshots in games like Halo or Gears of War, they prefer to take down enemies with a series of well-thought-out military style maneuvers (and a little resource management on the side) in games like Command & Conquer or StarCraft.
2KGames is planning to release a rendition of the classic game Civilization for Facebook and Kixeye (formerly Casual Collective) recently rolled out Battle Pirates with plans to create more of the same. Social gaming publisher Kabam, however, has been leading the charge with bringing serious strategy games to Facebook, with the release of Kingdoms of Camelot, Dragons of Atlantis and now, a new modern military-themed strategy game called Global Warfare.
global warfare on facebookThe game is set in a "near future" world where goverments have been disbanded and replaced with a series of warring territories. Players band together to take on other states or dominate using less direct methods, like controlling resources such as titanium or crafting items using collected artifacts.
"We're focused on building real games for real gamers...," says Kabam General Manager Bryan Bennett. "We wanted someone to come into the game and immediately notice that this is different; this is not a typical Facebook game."
To do that, Bennett and crew added a handful of features ripped from classic real-time strategy games, such as crafting -- players can collect artifacts and use them to drive research and development for their societies. Resource collection is another new feature this game. Resources are scarce and in remote areas, designed that way to get players who like to "turtle up," out of their shells and interacting with other players. Bennett says they also played close attention to the game's user interface (which was inspired by StarCraft, btw) and the overall art style.
While this is a tried-and-true strategy game -- Global Warfare is also a social game, though not in the same way that, say, FarmVille is a social game. While there is some light gifting included in the game, GW's social elements work more like those in big online MMOs such as World of Warcraft -- where players form groups, called Alliances ("if you're not in an alliance you're going to get crushed," says Bennett) and then work together in real time to come up with a plan for domination. An in-game chat system helps facilitate all of the required planning.
Soon, Bennett says, Alliances will be able to go to war with each other (right now the game only supports player vs. player combat) and there will be Alliance-wide crafting that will give the entire group a combat bonus.
The game will be refreshed with new content regularly -- one big release per month -- and the next big thing to roll out in game is the ability to build a third city (right now you can access two cities), along with a new type of special troops and other bonuses.
Gallery: Global Warfare on Facebook
Oh yeah, like most other Facebook games, Global Warfare is free to play with the option to spend cash if you want to get ahead faster or score a few rare items. Some things you can spend your hard-earned gelt on includes speeding up how long it takes to train troops and build resources, and -- for those of you who like surprises -- you can spend cash to buy mystery crates with the chance to win a rare item inside.
For now, Global Warfare is only available on Facebook and both Bennett and Kabam VP Brand & Marketing Ted Simon says were tight-lipped on plans to move on other platforms.
"We believe that the game industry is at an inflection point -- current console games are fairly stagnant and growth is primarily happening online," Simon says. "As mobile platforms become more sophisticated, there will be a little shifting taking place.. we'll keep moving where our players are, but that's where we see the opportunities. We think we've got a bit of a jump on other folks."
These PC-centric strategists make up a small but extremely passionate portion of the game-playing public, and instead of perfecting headshots in games like Halo or Gears of War, they prefer to take down enemies with a series of well-thought-out military style maneuvers (and a little resource management on the side) in games like Command & Conquer or StarCraft.
2KGames is planning to release a rendition of the classic game Civilization for Facebook and Kixeye (formerly Casual Collective) recently rolled out Battle Pirates with plans to create more of the same. Social gaming publisher Kabam, however, has been leading the charge with bringing serious strategy games to Facebook, with the release of Kingdoms of Camelot, Dragons of Atlantis and now, a new modern military-themed strategy game called Global Warfare.
global warfare on facebookThe game is set in a "near future" world where goverments have been disbanded and replaced with a series of warring territories. Players band together to take on other states or dominate using less direct methods, like controlling resources such as titanium or crafting items using collected artifacts.
"We're focused on building real games for real gamers...," says Kabam General Manager Bryan Bennett. "We wanted someone to come into the game and immediately notice that this is different; this is not a typical Facebook game."
To do that, Bennett and crew added a handful of features ripped from classic real-time strategy games, such as crafting -- players can collect artifacts and use them to drive research and development for their societies. Resource collection is another new feature this game. Resources are scarce and in remote areas, designed that way to get players who like to "turtle up," out of their shells and interacting with other players. Bennett says they also played close attention to the game's user interface (which was inspired by StarCraft, btw) and the overall art style.
While this is a tried-and-true strategy game -- Global Warfare is also a social game, though not in the same way that, say, FarmVille is a social game. While there is some light gifting included in the game, GW's social elements work more like those in big online MMOs such as World of Warcraft -- where players form groups, called Alliances ("if you're not in an alliance you're going to get crushed," says Bennett) and then work together in real time to come up with a plan for domination. An in-game chat system helps facilitate all of the required planning.
Soon, Bennett says, Alliances will be able to go to war with each other (right now the game only supports player vs. player combat) and there will be Alliance-wide crafting that will give the entire group a combat bonus.
The game will be refreshed with new content regularly -- one big release per month -- and the next big thing to roll out in game is the ability to build a third city (right now you can access two cities), along with a new type of special troops and other bonuses.
Gallery: Global Warfare on Facebook
Oh yeah, like most other Facebook games, Global Warfare is free to play with the option to spend cash if you want to get ahead faster or score a few rare items. Some things you can spend your hard-earned gelt on includes speeding up how long it takes to train troops and build resources, and -- for those of you who like surprises -- you can spend cash to buy mystery crates with the chance to win a rare item inside.
For now, Global Warfare is only available on Facebook and both Bennett and Kabam VP Brand & Marketing Ted Simon says were tight-lipped on plans to move on other platforms.
"We believe that the game industry is at an inflection point -- current console games are fairly stagnant and growth is primarily happening online," Simon says. "As mobile platforms become more sophisticated, there will be a little shifting taking place.. we'll keep moving where our players are, but that's where we see the opportunities. We think we've got a bit of a jump on other folks."
Chủ Nhật, 25 tháng 12, 2011
E3 2011: Halfbrick's Machine Gun Jetpack sends Barry Steakfries to new heights
Next to Ninja Frenzy's Sensei, Barry Steakfries has become Halfbrick's unofficial official mascot, appearing in games like Monster Dash and Age of Zombies. Now, at this year's E3, we had a chance to hands-on with Barry's newest adventure - Machine Gun Jetpack.
Like Monster Dash, Machine Gun Jetpack is a "survival" game, asking you to continue towards the right side of the screen, earning points on a never-ending path until something eventually stops you (whether it be an actual enemy, a laser beam divider, etc.). Here, Barry is equipped with a jetpack, allowing you to tap on the screen and cause Barry to float into the air, shooting bullets as he flies. The longer you hold your finger on the screen, the higher Barry flies until you eventually reach the top of your particular screen, whether that be on the iPad or iPhone. It should be noted that the entirety of gameplay is accomplished via a single tapping motion on the screen, but don't for a second think that this makes Machine Gun Jetpack overly simplistic. Meet us behind the break to see what I mean.
There are multiple enemies and obstacles to avoid, like laser beams that either sit on the ground of float in mid-air or robots. As you play, you'll come across multiple power-ups like mech suits, vehicles and other goodies. These not only make you a stronger character in terms of the damage you can do to your opponents, but they also give you an extra "hit" before you die. That is, as in other games, Machine Gun Jetpack is essentially a "one hit and you're done" experience, but now, each gameplay session has a chance of becoming incredibly lengthy as you can simply keep finding vehicles and other power-ups that will require you to be hit twice instead.
Gallery: Machine Gun Jetpack E3 2011
While you play you'll undoubtedly collect a treasure trove of coins, which can be used to buy new weapons and armor upgrades for poor Barry Steakfries. Plus, as you complete games, you'll be able to take advantage of the game's social integration, by posting your scores to Twitter or Facebook.
If you're interested in trying Machine Gun Jetpack yourself, look out for the app to cost $0.99 when it launches on iOS soon.
Have you tried any of Halfbrick's other games? Are you a fan of survival games in general, or do you like games with more predictability?
Like Monster Dash, Machine Gun Jetpack is a "survival" game, asking you to continue towards the right side of the screen, earning points on a never-ending path until something eventually stops you (whether it be an actual enemy, a laser beam divider, etc.). Here, Barry is equipped with a jetpack, allowing you to tap on the screen and cause Barry to float into the air, shooting bullets as he flies. The longer you hold your finger on the screen, the higher Barry flies until you eventually reach the top of your particular screen, whether that be on the iPad or iPhone. It should be noted that the entirety of gameplay is accomplished via a single tapping motion on the screen, but don't for a second think that this makes Machine Gun Jetpack overly simplistic. Meet us behind the break to see what I mean.
There are multiple enemies and obstacles to avoid, like laser beams that either sit on the ground of float in mid-air or robots. As you play, you'll come across multiple power-ups like mech suits, vehicles and other goodies. These not only make you a stronger character in terms of the damage you can do to your opponents, but they also give you an extra "hit" before you die. That is, as in other games, Machine Gun Jetpack is essentially a "one hit and you're done" experience, but now, each gameplay session has a chance of becoming incredibly lengthy as you can simply keep finding vehicles and other power-ups that will require you to be hit twice instead.
Gallery: Machine Gun Jetpack E3 2011
While you play you'll undoubtedly collect a treasure trove of coins, which can be used to buy new weapons and armor upgrades for poor Barry Steakfries. Plus, as you complete games, you'll be able to take advantage of the game's social integration, by posting your scores to Twitter or Facebook.
If you're interested in trying Machine Gun Jetpack yourself, look out for the app to cost $0.99 when it launches on iOS soon.
Have you tried any of Halfbrick's other games? Are you a fan of survival games in general, or do you like games with more predictability?
CityVille: Zynga ups storage to 26 items, but only for certain players
Apparently, a fairly large set of issues has been put to rest in CityVille concerning the Warehouse and storage features. For users that had two Warehouses, that second Warehouse has now been removed from your town, as it was the culprit behind "multiple technical issues." Additionally, Zynga has granted two extra slots of storage to players who were affected.
Let's reiterate that once more - two additional storage slots will bring the total up to 26 spots of storage at maximum. Only if you were affected by these issues will you receive those bonuses, however. Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be a requirement for how often you used your Warehouse before the glitch, as the most early of original Warehouses in the game will automatically receive the capacity boost as well.
Will two free spaces ultimately cause a riot with users in CityVille? With the fact that free space is such a commodity in the game, I'd have to say I wouldn't be surprised if this hurt Zynga more than it helped them in the end.
Was your CityVille town under the Warehouse glitch? Are you happy that Zynga has offered you additional storage because of it, or should the upgrade go to every person that plays the game instead?
Let's reiterate that once more - two additional storage slots will bring the total up to 26 spots of storage at maximum. Only if you were affected by these issues will you receive those bonuses, however. Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be a requirement for how often you used your Warehouse before the glitch, as the most early of original Warehouses in the game will automatically receive the capacity boost as well.
Will two free spaces ultimately cause a riot with users in CityVille? With the fact that free space is such a commodity in the game, I'd have to say I wouldn't be surprised if this hurt Zynga more than it helped them in the end.
Was your CityVille town under the Warehouse glitch? Are you happy that Zynga has offered you additional storage because of it, or should the upgrade go to every person that plays the game instead?
FarmVille Duck Pond gets quacktastic with Red and Blue Ducklings
New Ducklings!
If Billy Madison Adam Sandler plays FarmVille, Zynga just made his day. Zynga has introduced Red and Blue Ducklings to the game through the Duck Pond, granting players either a Red or Blue Duckling for free. Better yet, each Duckling has a chance to grow into a Red or Blue Swan, but you'll need the help of seven friends to make it happen.
Upon logging into the game, you will see a message declaring the oddly-colored--but don't tell Billy that--Ducklings are now available. You'll then be automatically thrown into placement mode with a free Red Duckling. You can either place the Duckling in the Duck Pond or any old place, after which the familiar Duckling window will appear. After that, it's up to you to find seven friends willing to help you out, but that's as easy as clicking the "Ask for Help" button.
Duckling Menu
That will take you to the familiar friend request screen as any event or new building would. But more importantly, a few new Duck rewards were ushered in with these new Ducklings. The Red and Blue Ducklings can grow into the Gadwell Duck and the Fulvous Whistling Duck. However, only the Red Duckling can grow into the Rainbow Duck and the Ruddy Duck. This update just might be better than simply "quacktastic"--this is quacktacluar! I could come up with these all day, so I'll stop now.
Have you already received your Red Duckling? How close are you to acquiring all six new Duck varieties?
If Billy Madison Adam Sandler plays FarmVille, Zynga just made his day. Zynga has introduced Red and Blue Ducklings to the game through the Duck Pond, granting players either a Red or Blue Duckling for free. Better yet, each Duckling has a chance to grow into a Red or Blue Swan, but you'll need the help of seven friends to make it happen.
Upon logging into the game, you will see a message declaring the oddly-colored--but don't tell Billy that--Ducklings are now available. You'll then be automatically thrown into placement mode with a free Red Duckling. You can either place the Duckling in the Duck Pond or any old place, after which the familiar Duckling window will appear. After that, it's up to you to find seven friends willing to help you out, but that's as easy as clicking the "Ask for Help" button.
Duckling Menu
That will take you to the familiar friend request screen as any event or new building would. But more importantly, a few new Duck rewards were ushered in with these new Ducklings. The Red and Blue Ducklings can grow into the Gadwell Duck and the Fulvous Whistling Duck. However, only the Red Duckling can grow into the Rainbow Duck and the Ruddy Duck. This update just might be better than simply "quacktastic"--this is quacktacluar! I could come up with these all day, so I'll stop now.
Have you already received your Red Duckling? How close are you to acquiring all six new Duck varieties?
Slainte! FarmVille-maker Zynga opens Dublin office [Updated]
Raise your stouts, because Zynga has officially landed on the Emerald Isle. The monolithic social games studio has opened its Dublin, Ireland office, and Irish Times reports that it will soon become the company's largest European office. Zynga announced that it was expanding into the land of green rolling hills and dark frothy brews in October of last year. Zynga Dublin joins the recently established Zynga Mobile UK--formerly known as Wonderland--and Zynga Germany.
Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said that Ireland could become a world leader in online gaming, but it's going to take smart policies, according to the Irish Times. While Bruton shows caution in Ireland's increasingly digital future, IDA chief executive Barry O'Leary is openly optimistic.
"Zynga is a very welcome addition to the digital media industry cluster in Ireland with many of the world's leading 'born on the internet' companies having established significant operations here," O'Leary told the Irish Times. "With an ever increasing number of such companies locating in Ireland, we are well established as the internet capital of Europe."
What exactly Zynga Dublin will be up to, such as making new games, is unknown at this point. But judging from the job openings in Dublin on Zynga's job board, it looks like it will be a customer and networking support office. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
Update: IDA Ireland released a statement regarding the new office, and shed some light on exactly what's to go down there. "The office encompasses customer support, community management, and support functions such as IT, human resources, business intelligence, and CS content management in languages including French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian and Korean," IDA Ireland said. It looks as if the name of Zynga Dublin's game is localization, which makes sense considering the company is reportedly approaching IPO. Zynga COO of Game Studios added, "We are excited to officially launch our office in Dublin to service our international players with customer care and community management in multiple languages."
[Image Credit: Develop]
Do you think Zynga was smart to open an office in Dublin? How do you think this will affect Zynga's presence in Europe?
Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said that Ireland could become a world leader in online gaming, but it's going to take smart policies, according to the Irish Times. While Bruton shows caution in Ireland's increasingly digital future, IDA chief executive Barry O'Leary is openly optimistic.
"Zynga is a very welcome addition to the digital media industry cluster in Ireland with many of the world's leading 'born on the internet' companies having established significant operations here," O'Leary told the Irish Times. "With an ever increasing number of such companies locating in Ireland, we are well established as the internet capital of Europe."
What exactly Zynga Dublin will be up to, such as making new games, is unknown at this point. But judging from the job openings in Dublin on Zynga's job board, it looks like it will be a customer and networking support office. We've contacted Zynga for comment.
Update: IDA Ireland released a statement regarding the new office, and shed some light on exactly what's to go down there. "The office encompasses customer support, community management, and support functions such as IT, human resources, business intelligence, and CS content management in languages including French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Indonesian and Korean," IDA Ireland said. It looks as if the name of Zynga Dublin's game is localization, which makes sense considering the company is reportedly approaching IPO. Zynga COO of Game Studios added, "We are excited to officially launch our office in Dublin to service our international players with customer care and community management in multiple languages."
[Image Credit: Develop]
Do you think Zynga was smart to open an office in Dublin? How do you think this will affect Zynga's presence in Europe?
E3 2011: Pet Zombies combines Facebook pet sim with Angry Birds
By this point, most Facebook gamers are used to the concept of pet simulation titles - those games like Pet Society and PetVille that allow you to care for a pet of your own creation. Majesco is looking to capitalize on those games' success with the release of Pet Zombies on Nintendo's 3DS handheld console.
Pet Zombies calls itself a spoof on the pet sim genre, and allows you to actually harm your zombie, along with taking care of it. As your pet zombies are already dead, they can't "die" again, so you can torment them instead for your own amusement. Set them on fire and they'll jump shamble around the screen madly until the fire burns out (that's just one example). Zombies, like pets, do have their own special... dietary needs, and you'll need to feed and otherwise care for your zombie if you'd like their bodies to be maintained as long as possible (don't worry - the decay and graphics look more cartoon-inspired than graphic). While you can use toys to play with your zombies, you can also take your zombie and turn him into an air born object via the inclusion of an Angry Birds inspired mini-game called Zombie Launch. You can place your zombie inside a slingshot only to fling him into the air, where he'll run into and gather various bonus objects as he flies. As all things that go up must come back down, you'll luckily be able to extend each gameplay session via the simple fact that Zombies apparently bounce when hitting the land at a high speed. Adding to your own control of the mini-game, there's a magnet button that you can press to temporarily suck in all bonus objects around your zombie, increasing your score.
Other game features include the addition of other mini-games, the ability to move your zombies through various locations like a city street or rundown mall, zombie customization in terms of clothing and decay (among other options), customizable environments (with decorations), and a set of badges that reward you for completing certain tasks within the game.
Gallery: Pet Zombies E3 2011
During my short time with Pet Zombies at this year's E3, I have to admit that the game looked like a bit of a mixed bag. The game seems like it would be perfect for the iOS or Facebook gaming platforms, but it will be interesting to see if Nintendo 3DS fans and owners will pay out up to $40 for the experience simply because it's in 3D. We'll find out when the game shambles to store shelves this September.
Do you own a Nintendo 3DS? Would you like to see other pet simulation games added to the platform, or do you prefer to see that sort of gameplay on mobile devices or even Facebook?
Pet Zombies calls itself a spoof on the pet sim genre, and allows you to actually harm your zombie, along with taking care of it. As your pet zombies are already dead, they can't "die" again, so you can torment them instead for your own amusement. Set them on fire and they'll jump shamble around the screen madly until the fire burns out (that's just one example). Zombies, like pets, do have their own special... dietary needs, and you'll need to feed and otherwise care for your zombie if you'd like their bodies to be maintained as long as possible (don't worry - the decay and graphics look more cartoon-inspired than graphic). While you can use toys to play with your zombies, you can also take your zombie and turn him into an air born object via the inclusion of an Angry Birds inspired mini-game called Zombie Launch. You can place your zombie inside a slingshot only to fling him into the air, where he'll run into and gather various bonus objects as he flies. As all things that go up must come back down, you'll luckily be able to extend each gameplay session via the simple fact that Zombies apparently bounce when hitting the land at a high speed. Adding to your own control of the mini-game, there's a magnet button that you can press to temporarily suck in all bonus objects around your zombie, increasing your score.
Other game features include the addition of other mini-games, the ability to move your zombies through various locations like a city street or rundown mall, zombie customization in terms of clothing and decay (among other options), customizable environments (with decorations), and a set of badges that reward you for completing certain tasks within the game.
Gallery: Pet Zombies E3 2011
During my short time with Pet Zombies at this year's E3, I have to admit that the game looked like a bit of a mixed bag. The game seems like it would be perfect for the iOS or Facebook gaming platforms, but it will be interesting to see if Nintendo 3DS fans and owners will pay out up to $40 for the experience simply because it's in 3D. We'll find out when the game shambles to store shelves this September.
Do you own a Nintendo 3DS? Would you like to see other pet simulation games added to the platform, or do you prefer to see that sort of gameplay on mobile devices or even Facebook?
E3 2011: The Sims: Medieval on iPhone wants you to party like its 1399
Forget 1999 (sorry Prince), the new hotness is the Medieval era, and EA Interactive is going to take you there in the Sims Medieval. This Sims game is really like no other, as it plays more like a linear RPG than a free-roaming life simulation. You'll create a "hero," via the expected multiple customization options (available in both the iOS and PC versions) and you'll then take that hero on a fairly straightforward journey from a small hovel all of the way to fame, fortune and a castle to call home.
Unlike in other Sims titles, where wishes or desires will simply come to your Sim over time via their own AI and personalities, here, you have to interact with other Sims to receive quests. You'll need to talk to the Sims to discover their likes and dislikes and then use those to your advantage to gain more information. For instance, in our demo period with the iPhone version of the game, we were introduced to a military man who loved speaking of war. After learning this and continuing to amuse him in conversation, he became our acquaintance and gave us a task.
The Sims Medieval also introduces combat to the game, which gives the game a dangerous streak. Your Sims can and possibly will die if you don't succeed in battles or in quests, or you mail fail quests outright if they have time limits and you don't address them in time. There are also environmental hazards to be aware of, in the form of plagues, duels and other themed dangers that really would have been causes for concern in the real world time frame.
As for your free time, it's still there on the side, allowing you to feed your hero (cooking takes place in a cauldron, appropriately enough), and explore your home and surrounding areas. Like in other Sims titles, you won't lose out on the romance in the Sims Medieval either, along with other side-activities, but things have simply been appropriately themed to appear and play as though you've truly stepped back in time to the Middle Ages. The user interface is simplistic, yet still offers all of the expected controls as well - rotating the camera angle around your Sim, zooming in and out on the landscape, controlling the speed of the flow of time and so on.
Gallery: Sims Medieval iPhone E3 2011
Even with your limited freedom, the Sims Medieval has a definite beginning and end, due to this RPG and quest-based structure. It's all in whether or not your Sims can actually survive until the end that will separate the peasants from those bound for greatness. There's no official release date for the Sims Medieval on iPhone, but we'll make sure to bring you more information about this mobile version as it becomes available.
Will you be interested in trying the Sims Medieval on your iPhone? Do you like the idea of a linear Sims experience, or are you more interested in the traditional free-roaming version?
Unlike in other Sims titles, where wishes or desires will simply come to your Sim over time via their own AI and personalities, here, you have to interact with other Sims to receive quests. You'll need to talk to the Sims to discover their likes and dislikes and then use those to your advantage to gain more information. For instance, in our demo period with the iPhone version of the game, we were introduced to a military man who loved speaking of war. After learning this and continuing to amuse him in conversation, he became our acquaintance and gave us a task.
The Sims Medieval also introduces combat to the game, which gives the game a dangerous streak. Your Sims can and possibly will die if you don't succeed in battles or in quests, or you mail fail quests outright if they have time limits and you don't address them in time. There are also environmental hazards to be aware of, in the form of plagues, duels and other themed dangers that really would have been causes for concern in the real world time frame.
As for your free time, it's still there on the side, allowing you to feed your hero (cooking takes place in a cauldron, appropriately enough), and explore your home and surrounding areas. Like in other Sims titles, you won't lose out on the romance in the Sims Medieval either, along with other side-activities, but things have simply been appropriately themed to appear and play as though you've truly stepped back in time to the Middle Ages. The user interface is simplistic, yet still offers all of the expected controls as well - rotating the camera angle around your Sim, zooming in and out on the landscape, controlling the speed of the flow of time and so on.
Gallery: Sims Medieval iPhone E3 2011
Even with your limited freedom, the Sims Medieval has a definite beginning and end, due to this RPG and quest-based structure. It's all in whether or not your Sims can actually survive until the end that will separate the peasants from those bound for greatness. There's no official release date for the Sims Medieval on iPhone, but we'll make sure to bring you more information about this mobile version as it becomes available.
Will you be interested in trying the Sims Medieval on your iPhone? Do you like the idea of a linear Sims experience, or are you more interested in the traditional free-roaming version?
Thứ Sáu, 23 tháng 12, 2011
FrontierVille: 41 x 41 land expansion goals on the move once again
After a long, and understandably frustrating process, Zynga has finally announced that the 41 x 41 land expansion goals in FrontierVille have started rolling back out to users. After being released to a small group last week, and then being delayed for the rest of the community (due to various issues), Community Manager Stumpgrinder has stated that the goals have started tolling out to a "much wider audience," which very well might include you.
Upon logging into your game, you'll be given a pop-up allowing you to purchase the expansion goals, so you'll know almost instantly if you've finally been given the goals. If not, it does finally seem as though these goals are on a regular roll-out, so you should be able to have them within hours, or at least the next day.
If you've been so caught up in not having these goals on your Homestead that you've forgotten what they actually entail, make sure to check out our guide so you can get right to expanding your land! They're not easy, but with a little perseverance (and the ability to actually work on them), a bigger Homestead may finally be within your reach!
Have you finally received the 41 x 41 land expansion goals in FrontierVille? Did you harvest any of your saved crops because you were tired of waiting for the goals to arrive?
Upon logging into your game, you'll be given a pop-up allowing you to purchase the expansion goals, so you'll know almost instantly if you've finally been given the goals. If not, it does finally seem as though these goals are on a regular roll-out, so you should be able to have them within hours, or at least the next day.
If you've been so caught up in not having these goals on your Homestead that you've forgotten what they actually entail, make sure to check out our guide so you can get right to expanding your land! They're not easy, but with a little perseverance (and the ability to actually work on them), a bigger Homestead may finally be within your reach!
Have you finally received the 41 x 41 land expansion goals in FrontierVille? Did you harvest any of your saved crops because you were tired of waiting for the goals to arrive?
Facebook How-To: Play your games in peace by deactivating Facebook Chat
If you're an active Facebook gamer, or just an active Facebook user, you've likely been greeted by the new Facebook Chat setup, that sees an incredibly large window popping up at will (spanning the vertical height of the entire browser window in some cases), almost each and every time you navigate to a new page (or, say, a new Facebook game). Needless to say, this can get quite annoying very quickly, especially if you're not a fan of the Facebook chat service in the first place, or you'd just like to have some peace and quiet away from the chat requests and "online" status.
Luckily, there is a way to shut Facebook Chat up, and while it's not a permanent solution (allowing you to switch back and forth at your leisure), it will make your life a heck of a lot easier in the future. Please note that the Facebook Chat window has changed in design over the original chat, so the steps for turning it off have also changed. First, the next time the new chat window appears in your way, click on the small gear in the top right corner of the Chat menu, as seen below.
Here, you'll see two options: "Available to Chat," and "Chat Sounds." Unfortunately, both of these are active by default, but while they may not appear to be actual buttons, you can toggle each by simply clicking on them. Say you'd rather be invisible to your currently online friends. Just remove the check next to "Available to Chat," and you'll be sent offline. That's right - no more automatically refreshing friends list, no more chat sounds, and no more annoying window popping up in your face every five seconds (that one's the kicker).
If you would like to hide your online presence to only a specific portion of your Facebook friends list, you can also click on the "Limit Availability" option to see a menu where you can "hide" yourself from particular groups of friends (based on the groups that you've manually created).
After going offline, your games should play as normal, without the possibility for accidentally clicking on a friend to start a chat because it has popped up in your way. The entire chat menu will minimize, giving you peace and quiet at last. Any time you'd like to go back online, just click on the "Chat (Offline)" text in the bottom right corner (where your chat menu is minimized) and you'll automatically go "online" to chat with any of your available friends.
For now, there doesn't seem to be a way to entirely remove the Facebook Chat menu from your account, but at least with these steps, you'll be able to play your games privately, without the sometimes unwanted interference of friends.
[Image Credit: Yoga.am]
Have you been having trouble with the new Facebook Chat? Does the window pop-up on its own when you're online, or have you already set yourself to be offline to avoid any possible annoyances?
Luckily, there is a way to shut Facebook Chat up, and while it's not a permanent solution (allowing you to switch back and forth at your leisure), it will make your life a heck of a lot easier in the future. Please note that the Facebook Chat window has changed in design over the original chat, so the steps for turning it off have also changed. First, the next time the new chat window appears in your way, click on the small gear in the top right corner of the Chat menu, as seen below.
Here, you'll see two options: "Available to Chat," and "Chat Sounds." Unfortunately, both of these are active by default, but while they may not appear to be actual buttons, you can toggle each by simply clicking on them. Say you'd rather be invisible to your currently online friends. Just remove the check next to "Available to Chat," and you'll be sent offline. That's right - no more automatically refreshing friends list, no more chat sounds, and no more annoying window popping up in your face every five seconds (that one's the kicker).
If you would like to hide your online presence to only a specific portion of your Facebook friends list, you can also click on the "Limit Availability" option to see a menu where you can "hide" yourself from particular groups of friends (based on the groups that you've manually created).
After going offline, your games should play as normal, without the possibility for accidentally clicking on a friend to start a chat because it has popped up in your way. The entire chat menu will minimize, giving you peace and quiet at last. Any time you'd like to go back online, just click on the "Chat (Offline)" text in the bottom right corner (where your chat menu is minimized) and you'll automatically go "online" to chat with any of your available friends.
For now, there doesn't seem to be a way to entirely remove the Facebook Chat menu from your account, but at least with these steps, you'll be able to play your games privately, without the sometimes unwanted interference of friends.
[Image Credit: Yoga.am]
Have you been having trouble with the new Facebook Chat? Does the window pop-up on its own when you're online, or have you already set yourself to be offline to avoid any possible annoyances?
CityVille down? Here are some games you can check out while you wait
Today just hasn't been Zynga's day, at least where CityVille is concerned. The game has been suffering from massive loading issues today, starting with users becoming stuck at the 93% portion of the game's loading screen. Personally, I faced this earlier today, but after a few refreshes, I was supplying my businesses as normal. Things only went downhill though, as the game is now entirely unavailable to play, as of this writing. No really, go try it. Did you get a white screen? Did the game freeze at the loading screen? For most of you (that is, unless you're lucky), the answer to one or both of those questions will be yes. Never fret, though, mayors. All is not lost, and your cities will be retained for when the game is working again (according to the forums, there is no exact ETA).
In the meantime, though, why not take a look at some other interesting Facebook games that you can try out while you wait for CityVille to come back online? Each summary below links to our full preview/hands-on take of each game, so why not check them out?
Pig Up! - PopCap's newest game is available for a limited time, and sees you controlling a pig, with wings! This seemingly simplistic game asks you to click on the screen to send the pig higher and higher while collecting green apple "Flapples." You only have so many flaps of your wooden wings before falling back down to earth, but the game can last just as long as you can, with no time limit. Earn the highest score and you'll climb your friends leaderboard, all of the way to the top. And they said pigs couldn't fly...
Pet Tales - Adopt adorable fluffy kittens and puppies and create a peaceful sanctuary in a park for them to play. You'll have two major goals: to keep your pets happy by feeding and playing with them, and to decorate your park with enough toys and landscaping to draw in other critters with which your own pets can play. Similar to Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS, Pet Tales allows you to get up close and personal with your pets, and has realistic, charming graphics to back it up.
My Country - A city-builder with a twist, My Country allows you to go in-depth on the construction and design of your buildings, as you must not only purchase their bases, but also hire the individual staff members that will work there. You can paint your buildings different colors, and then sit back and watch the many animated vehicles drive through your streets. Who knows, maybe My Country will give you plenty to look forward to in the future, for when / if CityVille ever goes down like this again.
Three games from three entirely different genres - hopefully you'll be able to find one that you like enough to last us until CityVille is back up and running at full speed.
Have you been able to get into your CityVille recently? Will you try any of these games to get you through until the game is back up and running?
In the meantime, though, why not take a look at some other interesting Facebook games that you can try out while you wait for CityVille to come back online? Each summary below links to our full preview/hands-on take of each game, so why not check them out?
Pig Up! - PopCap's newest game is available for a limited time, and sees you controlling a pig, with wings! This seemingly simplistic game asks you to click on the screen to send the pig higher and higher while collecting green apple "Flapples." You only have so many flaps of your wooden wings before falling back down to earth, but the game can last just as long as you can, with no time limit. Earn the highest score and you'll climb your friends leaderboard, all of the way to the top. And they said pigs couldn't fly...
Pet Tales - Adopt adorable fluffy kittens and puppies and create a peaceful sanctuary in a park for them to play. You'll have two major goals: to keep your pets happy by feeding and playing with them, and to decorate your park with enough toys and landscaping to draw in other critters with which your own pets can play. Similar to Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS, Pet Tales allows you to get up close and personal with your pets, and has realistic, charming graphics to back it up.
My Country - A city-builder with a twist, My Country allows you to go in-depth on the construction and design of your buildings, as you must not only purchase their bases, but also hire the individual staff members that will work there. You can paint your buildings different colors, and then sit back and watch the many animated vehicles drive through your streets. Who knows, maybe My Country will give you plenty to look forward to in the future, for when / if CityVille ever goes down like this again.
Three games from three entirely different genres - hopefully you'll be able to find one that you like enough to last us until CityVille is back up and running at full speed.
Have you been able to get into your CityVille recently? Will you try any of these games to get you through until the game is back up and running?
FrontierVille: 50% off Horseshoe sale for one hour only, finally Horseshoes are affordable
You've got one hour, pioneers. One hour? One hour for what? For 50% off all Horseshoe packages in FrontierVille, that's what! Sure, we're all used to seeing the "sale" pop-up each time we login, that advertizes Horseshoes as being one sale for something around 35% off, but this is a full 50% off sale that is legitimately a sale!
Head to the game's "Get Horseshoes" tab, located above the gameplay area, and you'll see that the prices of all five packages of Horseshoes have been sliced in half. For just $5.41, you can have 75 Horseshoes, with the final package costing a still whopping $108.20 for 2,100 Horseshoes. With quite a few packages to choose from, you should be able to find one or more that fit your budget, but remember, you can always buy separate packages that cost different amounts to add up to something more in the end. Say, for instance, you wanted to spend $15. Even though there's no $15 package, you could just purchase a $5 and $10 package separately to end up with plenty of Horseshoes while still holding onto your budget.
If you're low on coins, you can also purchase coins packages for 50% off, but just remember that this is far less economical in the end, as you'd be able to earn coins faster than Horseshoes, making the deal basically worthless.
Remember, this sale is happening right now, but only for one hour (give or take, whenever Zynga finally decides to hit the "off" switch). If you've ever contemplated purchasing Horseshoes before, but didn't because of their price, make sure to hit this sale while you still can!
Will you purchase Horseshoes in this 50% off sale? What will you use your new Horseshoes on? Will you save them up for something grand, or will you spend them right away?
Head to the game's "Get Horseshoes" tab, located above the gameplay area, and you'll see that the prices of all five packages of Horseshoes have been sliced in half. For just $5.41, you can have 75 Horseshoes, with the final package costing a still whopping $108.20 for 2,100 Horseshoes. With quite a few packages to choose from, you should be able to find one or more that fit your budget, but remember, you can always buy separate packages that cost different amounts to add up to something more in the end. Say, for instance, you wanted to spend $15. Even though there's no $15 package, you could just purchase a $5 and $10 package separately to end up with plenty of Horseshoes while still holding onto your budget.
If you're low on coins, you can also purchase coins packages for 50% off, but just remember that this is far less economical in the end, as you'd be able to earn coins faster than Horseshoes, making the deal basically worthless.
Remember, this sale is happening right now, but only for one hour (give or take, whenever Zynga finally decides to hit the "off" switch). If you've ever contemplated purchasing Horseshoes before, but didn't because of their price, make sure to hit this sale while you still can!
Will you purchase Horseshoes in this 50% off sale? What will you use your new Horseshoes on? Will you save them up for something grand, or will you spend them right away?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Turtle Racing coming soon [UPDATE]
UPDATE: So, it looks like Zynga has jumped the gun and actually released these animals this evening! How convenient! Each turtle can be purchased from the store for 14 Farm Cash, while the actual racing feature is (as of this writing) still unreleased.
Well, this is different. It looks like a whole system of turtles and turtle racing will be coming to FarmVille sometime in the future. Via the folks at FVNation, we can see that there will be at least six different colors of turtles: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange and Purple. Through a still-unknown process, it looks like we'll be able to race these turtles, as there's a whole flash movie detailing the ending of a Turtle Race that's also available to view below.
With features such as these, where there's so much left up in the air, all we can do is speculate. Will this be a social feature, allowing us to gather five friends and race our own specific color of turtle against one another? Will this see the many characters in the English Countryside being our opponents instead? Will there be prizes other than the trophy seen in the movie? I don't know about you, farmers, but I'm incredibly excited to see what all of this develops into. You can be sure we'll let you know when and if these cute little turtles officially make an appearance on farms everywhere, so keep checking back.
[Image Credit: FVNation]
What do you think of this supposed Turtle Racing feature? Which of these turtles is your favorite? Would you like to see other animals given the ability to race around your farm?
Well, this is different. It looks like a whole system of turtles and turtle racing will be coming to FarmVille sometime in the future. Via the folks at FVNation, we can see that there will be at least six different colors of turtles: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange and Purple. Through a still-unknown process, it looks like we'll be able to race these turtles, as there's a whole flash movie detailing the ending of a Turtle Race that's also available to view below.
With features such as these, where there's so much left up in the air, all we can do is speculate. Will this be a social feature, allowing us to gather five friends and race our own specific color of turtle against one another? Will this see the many characters in the English Countryside being our opponents instead? Will there be prizes other than the trophy seen in the movie? I don't know about you, farmers, but I'm incredibly excited to see what all of this develops into. You can be sure we'll let you know when and if these cute little turtles officially make an appearance on farms everywhere, so keep checking back.
[Image Credit: FVNation]
What do you think of this supposed Turtle Racing feature? Which of these turtles is your favorite? Would you like to see other animals given the ability to race around your farm?
Thứ Ba, 20 tháng 12, 2011
Kinect Sports: Season Two ready to win big this holiday season
Last year's enjoyable launch game, Kinect Sports, was a critically acclaimed showpiece for Microsoft's motion sensing camera. It was so good, that consumers snatched up over three million copies, prompting the billion dollar company to green light a sequel.
The result, Kinect Sports: Season Two, appears to be every bit as good as its predecessor.
Rare's latest features six new sports to enjoy, each one more addictive than the last.
The game's most impressive activity, Darts, almost perfectly mimics the real deal, minus the occasional finger prick and the numerous holes in the wall.
Players stand in front of their televisions, hold an imaginary dart and watch as an on-screen hand appears. From there, it's as simple as making a throwing motion to send that dart to its intended location.
Matches support up to four players offline and one-versus-one via Xbox Live. From there, everyone competes to reduce their individual scores from 501 to zero.
More interesting, though, is Pop Darts, one of Season Two's three Challenge Play Modes that let users send high scores to friends via Xbox Live. Here, the object is to pop as many balloons as possible before time expires, where destroying said balloons adds precious seconds to the clock.
Another sport, Skiing, provides a more intense workout, as players pull into a tuck position and lean right or left to pass through gates. Similarly, they can fire up this event's Challenge Mode, Downhill Dodge, and tackle progressively difficult courses, jumping and ducking over obstacles to outscore their opponents.
Baseball, meanwhile, has a Challenge Mode all its own in the form of Homerun Hero, allowing gamers to blast pitches out of the park. On top of that, they can compete against the computer/other players in a more traditional three-inning game.
As for Golf, players should expect to retire their Wii Remotes, as the Kinect Sports: Season Two iteration is without question superior. Up to four players can hit the links, choosing between different clubs and taking practice swings before sending their golf balls into orbit.
The coolest feature is the ability to place one's hand over his or her eyes, prompting the game to offer a bird's eye view of the course.
Rare also put Nintendo's Wii Tennis to shame with a more advanced offering, where wannabe stars step into balls (on offense and defense) before hitting them with imaginary rackets, instead of just standing still the whole time.
Finally, there's American football. Although we don't expect it to replace Electronic Arts' Madden NFL anytime soon, Rare has done a great job capturing the thrill of being a quarterback and throwing a long bomb to a wide open receiver, or running in place to take the ball 100 yards to pay dirt. Quarters end too quickly, but at the very least, it's cool kicking field goals and dodging defensemen.
To compliment this impressive package, Rare included more mascots as well as 300 plus voice commands that put further distance between players and those plastic controllers. In fact, they can control much of the experience without pressing a single button.
Although there's still work to do (we encountered a couple minor glitches), Kinect Sports: Season Two should not only compliment its prequel, but surpass it. Most importantly, the game's a lot of fun, and further proof that Microsoft's Kinect has a bright future.
Gallery: Kinect Sports: Season Two (Xbox 360)
The result, Kinect Sports: Season Two, appears to be every bit as good as its predecessor.
Rare's latest features six new sports to enjoy, each one more addictive than the last.
The game's most impressive activity, Darts, almost perfectly mimics the real deal, minus the occasional finger prick and the numerous holes in the wall.
Players stand in front of their televisions, hold an imaginary dart and watch as an on-screen hand appears. From there, it's as simple as making a throwing motion to send that dart to its intended location.
Matches support up to four players offline and one-versus-one via Xbox Live. From there, everyone competes to reduce their individual scores from 501 to zero.
More interesting, though, is Pop Darts, one of Season Two's three Challenge Play Modes that let users send high scores to friends via Xbox Live. Here, the object is to pop as many balloons as possible before time expires, where destroying said balloons adds precious seconds to the clock.
Another sport, Skiing, provides a more intense workout, as players pull into a tuck position and lean right or left to pass through gates. Similarly, they can fire up this event's Challenge Mode, Downhill Dodge, and tackle progressively difficult courses, jumping and ducking over obstacles to outscore their opponents.
Baseball, meanwhile, has a Challenge Mode all its own in the form of Homerun Hero, allowing gamers to blast pitches out of the park. On top of that, they can compete against the computer/other players in a more traditional three-inning game.
As for Golf, players should expect to retire their Wii Remotes, as the Kinect Sports: Season Two iteration is without question superior. Up to four players can hit the links, choosing between different clubs and taking practice swings before sending their golf balls into orbit.
The coolest feature is the ability to place one's hand over his or her eyes, prompting the game to offer a bird's eye view of the course.
Rare also put Nintendo's Wii Tennis to shame with a more advanced offering, where wannabe stars step into balls (on offense and defense) before hitting them with imaginary rackets, instead of just standing still the whole time.
Finally, there's American football. Although we don't expect it to replace Electronic Arts' Madden NFL anytime soon, Rare has done a great job capturing the thrill of being a quarterback and throwing a long bomb to a wide open receiver, or running in place to take the ball 100 yards to pay dirt. Quarters end too quickly, but at the very least, it's cool kicking field goals and dodging defensemen.
To compliment this impressive package, Rare included more mascots as well as 300 plus voice commands that put further distance between players and those plastic controllers. In fact, they can control much of the experience without pressing a single button.
Although there's still work to do (we encountered a couple minor glitches), Kinect Sports: Season Two should not only compliment its prequel, but surpass it. Most importantly, the game's a lot of fun, and further proof that Microsoft's Kinect has a bright future.
Gallery: Kinect Sports: Season Two (Xbox 360)
Kabam on Edgeworld's release and what battles lie ahead [Interview]
Even at first glance of its war-torn landscape filled with futuristic buildings blasted to bits by the laser weapons of alien and mechanized armies, it's clear that Edgeworld is San Francisco-based developer Kabam's most ambitious project yet. Formerly known as Watercooler, the studio and publisher is filled with fans of traditional strategy PC games. Even CEO Kevin Chou was a world-ranked StarCraft player back in the day.
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
[Image Credit: Kabam]
What are you impressions of Edgeworld so far? Are you excited about the upcoming Territories feature coming to the game, and what else do you hope to see from developers like Kabam?
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
[Image Credit: Kabam]
What are you impressions of Edgeworld so far? Are you excited about the upcoming Territories feature coming to the game, and what else do you hope to see from developers like Kabam?
CityVille Doggie Daycare Upgrades: Everything you need to know
Sometimes, we forget about the citizens of CityVille that aren't the people. And that's OK, because they don't really matter Zynga looks to remind us with the next big Community Building upgrade: the Doggie Daycare. This Community Building, released back in April, will grant you a boost in population and don a palette swap once upgraded.
However, you must be at least Level 18 to access the new Doggie Daycare. Once you reach that point, you'll notice that the building has a green arrow floating above it. Click on the Doggie Daycare to open its upgrade page. Here are all the items you'll need to upgrade the Doggie Daycare:
Ugrade Doggie Daycare
Doggie Daycare UpgradedUnfortunately, it looks like you'll have to ask you friends for each and every one of these items. Zynga claims you can also post the requests to your News Feed. Once you receive one of each item, we imagine you can also post the items to your Wish List. Once you acquire all 25 items, you can click "Finish Building" to boost the Doggie Daycare's allowed population to 540.
For the Level 3 Doggie Daycare, you'll need to ask for the same items using the same process. But this time, you will need eight of each item for a total of 40. This will boost the building's total allowed population to 1,080, and give it a fresh look. Now, you can forget all about the puppies of CityVille all over again--we kid ... sort of. Poor guys.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started upgrading the Doggie Daycare yet? What do you think of how Zynga handles building upgrades in CityVille?
However, you must be at least Level 18 to access the new Doggie Daycare. Once you reach that point, you'll notice that the building has a green arrow floating above it. Click on the Doggie Daycare to open its upgrade page. Here are all the items you'll need to upgrade the Doggie Daycare:
Ugrade Doggie Daycare
Doggie Daycare UpgradedUnfortunately, it looks like you'll have to ask you friends for each and every one of these items. Zynga claims you can also post the requests to your News Feed. Once you receive one of each item, we imagine you can also post the items to your Wish List. Once you acquire all 25 items, you can click "Finish Building" to boost the Doggie Daycare's allowed population to 540.
For the Level 3 Doggie Daycare, you'll need to ask for the same items using the same process. But this time, you will need eight of each item for a total of 40. This will boost the building's total allowed population to 1,080, and give it a fresh look. Now, you can forget all about the puppies of CityVille all over again--we kid ... sort of. Poor guys.
[Source and Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you started upgrading the Doggie Daycare yet? What do you think of how Zynga handles building upgrades in CityVille?
Adventure World Safari Showdown Expedition: Everything you need to know
By the time you reach Level 10 in Adventure World, you will have unlocked the first five Expeditions in the game, with this fifth Expedition being called Safari Showdown. This one comes with the tagline: "Face off with Queen Coral and move her nest to safety." While that may not do much to describe exactly what you'll be facing, you are told a few details about what to expect from the technical side of the things.
You'll need to have 450 Supplies to spare, along with two units each of Food, Fuel and Water. In terms of a time limit, you're limited to finishing this entire Expedition in a single 24 hour period. Your maximum rewards are 2,350 coins and 3 Food, on top of the XP and coins (among other items) you'll earn from simply completing the Quests therein. Here's a complete guide to finishing Safari Showdown from start to finish.
Stop Queen Coral!
Defeat the Queen Coral
Get Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest
Place Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest across the river
Apparently, a mama coral snake has formed a nest too close to a small village, and she's scaring the children. In this Expedition, your overall goal is to eliminate her from the area and move her next across the river where it can remain undisturbed and the children can go back to playing. Queen Coral's next is located in a fairly secure location, surrounded by shrubs and thorns. There are traps between you and she, and the snake itself has 12 hit points. Once you defeat the snake, you'll see the nest sitting nearby. It has three "points," so you'll need to eliminate those before you can pick it up. Finally, the bridge across the river is blocked by a boulder, requiring dynamite to remove. Dynamite costs 1,000 coins to purchase in the Tool Shop back in your Base Camp.
Find Them a New Home
Collect 5 Bundles of Grass
Plant 5 Bundles of Grass around the snake's new home
Since your ultimate goal is to remove the threat to the village by moving the nest across the river, you'll need to create a new home for the Queen Coral's nest by collecting and planting Bundles of Grass on this map. The bundles of grass can easily be mistaken for shrubs, so make sure to look for them at every corner. Meanwhile, the Bundles of Grass can be planted on the far side of the river, in the area clearly set aside as their new home.
Build Them a Sanctuary!
Collect 10 Cotton
Collect 4 Hardened Vines
Use 10 Soils Piles to build a fence around the snakes' new home
Of course, you're going to "remove" the snake and nest as harmlessly as possible, so you'll need to first make sure that the new home for these snakes is as comfortable as possible. After all, you wouldn't want the snakes to get bored and head back into the village, now would you? Vines themselves come from clearing out thorns (you tend to get around four hardened vines per thorn removed), while cotton is found in the far right side of the map, growing in a make-shift farm setup (apparently) by the villagers. I'm sure they won't mind you taking some of that cotton to build this new home, so long as it means they're free of the snakes. Finally, the Soil Piles are found around the outside edge of the marked area above. Here are some pictures of what you're looking for in this quest.
Once you finish these three tasks, you will have finished the fifth Expedition in Adventure World, and will be one step closer to fame and fortune within the Adventure Society. Good luck!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What did you think of this Expedition? Which of the game's Expeditions has been your favorite thus far?
You'll need to have 450 Supplies to spare, along with two units each of Food, Fuel and Water. In terms of a time limit, you're limited to finishing this entire Expedition in a single 24 hour period. Your maximum rewards are 2,350 coins and 3 Food, on top of the XP and coins (among other items) you'll earn from simply completing the Quests therein. Here's a complete guide to finishing Safari Showdown from start to finish.
Stop Queen Coral!
Defeat the Queen Coral
Get Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest
Place Queen Coral's Eggs and Nest across the river
Apparently, a mama coral snake has formed a nest too close to a small village, and she's scaring the children. In this Expedition, your overall goal is to eliminate her from the area and move her next across the river where it can remain undisturbed and the children can go back to playing. Queen Coral's next is located in a fairly secure location, surrounded by shrubs and thorns. There are traps between you and she, and the snake itself has 12 hit points. Once you defeat the snake, you'll see the nest sitting nearby. It has three "points," so you'll need to eliminate those before you can pick it up. Finally, the bridge across the river is blocked by a boulder, requiring dynamite to remove. Dynamite costs 1,000 coins to purchase in the Tool Shop back in your Base Camp.
Find Them a New Home
Collect 5 Bundles of Grass
Plant 5 Bundles of Grass around the snake's new home
Since your ultimate goal is to remove the threat to the village by moving the nest across the river, you'll need to create a new home for the Queen Coral's nest by collecting and planting Bundles of Grass on this map. The bundles of grass can easily be mistaken for shrubs, so make sure to look for them at every corner. Meanwhile, the Bundles of Grass can be planted on the far side of the river, in the area clearly set aside as their new home.
Build Them a Sanctuary!
Collect 10 Cotton
Collect 4 Hardened Vines
Use 10 Soils Piles to build a fence around the snakes' new home
Of course, you're going to "remove" the snake and nest as harmlessly as possible, so you'll need to first make sure that the new home for these snakes is as comfortable as possible. After all, you wouldn't want the snakes to get bored and head back into the village, now would you? Vines themselves come from clearing out thorns (you tend to get around four hardened vines per thorn removed), while cotton is found in the far right side of the map, growing in a make-shift farm setup (apparently) by the villagers. I'm sure they won't mind you taking some of that cotton to build this new home, so long as it means they're free of the snakes. Finally, the Soil Piles are found around the outside edge of the marked area above. Here are some pictures of what you're looking for in this quest.
Once you finish these three tasks, you will have finished the fifth Expedition in Adventure World, and will be one step closer to fame and fortune within the Adventure Society. Good luck!
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What did you think of this Expedition? Which of the game's Expeditions has been your favorite thus far?
Zynga, Playdom, EA and Bioware vets cause a Rumble with new freemium studio
While many a story has come to light recently, detailing high-level game designers jumping ship to Zynga, here's one where a fairly big gun under the big Z's umbrella has left for new pastures. To be specific, John Yoo, lead designer on CityVille, is one of a few industry veterans that have joined with Greg Richardson [pictured], of former BioWare/Pandemic fame, in the creation of a new freemium (free-to-play) game studio by the name of Rumble.
After speaking with Rick Thompson, the founder of another major social games company - Playdom - the two partnered to form Rumble. Rounding out this new package are former EA employees Mark Spenner and David O'Connor. With these big names in their camp, Richardson's goal with Rumble is to create games that are free to play (supported with paid add-ons), but lie somewhere in between the expensive world of high-end PC games and the extremely casual games represented by many Facebook titles.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has faith that this middle ground holds a lot of merit. "We saw this third hill, and we think it's the biggest of the three hills," he says. This isn't to say, though, that Facebook games are out of the picture, as Richardson confirmed that they will use the social service, but will also focus on mobile devices and PCs through the browser.
In addition to developing its own games, Rumble will publish other developer's titles. While no specific details were announced about any of Rumble's specific games (we can expect the first sometime early next year), Richardson did list many of the company's areas of inspiration, which lie anywhere from Zelda and Super Smash Bros. to Diablo and Civilization. Regardless of the game in question, he says that Rumble looks to avoid overly complex gameplay. With this many areas of inspiration, we're definitely interested in seeing what Rumble comes up with, but for now - the possibilities are endless.
Are you excited in trying out this apparent middle-ground of freemium games that aren't too challenging, but aren't too basic either?
After speaking with Rick Thompson, the founder of another major social games company - Playdom - the two partnered to form Rumble. Rounding out this new package are former EA employees Mark Spenner and David O'Connor. With these big names in their camp, Richardson's goal with Rumble is to create games that are free to play (supported with paid add-ons), but lie somewhere in between the expensive world of high-end PC games and the extremely casual games represented by many Facebook titles.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has faith that this middle ground holds a lot of merit. "We saw this third hill, and we think it's the biggest of the three hills," he says. This isn't to say, though, that Facebook games are out of the picture, as Richardson confirmed that they will use the social service, but will also focus on mobile devices and PCs through the browser.
In addition to developing its own games, Rumble will publish other developer's titles. While no specific details were announced about any of Rumble's specific games (we can expect the first sometime early next year), Richardson did list many of the company's areas of inspiration, which lie anywhere from Zelda and Super Smash Bros. to Diablo and Civilization. Regardless of the game in question, he says that Rumble looks to avoid overly complex gameplay. With this many areas of inspiration, we're definitely interested in seeing what Rumble comes up with, but for now - the possibilities are endless.
Are you excited in trying out this apparent middle-ground of freemium games that aren't too challenging, but aren't too basic either?
FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Trees: Sugar Maple Tree, Painted Bamboo Tree and more
With tonight's update, we see a ton of new trees being released in FarmVille, in both the Animal Sanctuary theme, and in the new Lighthouse Cove limited edition themes. That's right - a Lighthouse Cove theme has launched in the store, full of items that can be purchased for other farms, or for your Lighthouse Cove if you so choose (that is, if you choose to pay to get in this early). Here's a full rundown of these trees.
Lighthouse Cove
Sugar Maple Tree - 7 Farm Cash
Japanese Maple Tree - 15 Farm Cash
Bur Oak Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Pin Oak Tree - 12 Farm Cash
Here's a case where I think some price testing might be taking place. The 8 and 12 Farm Cash prices seem incredibly out of place, so if they happen to be different in your own store, that would be why. As for Mystery Seedlings, you can purchase just the Bur Oak and Sugar Maple Trees, and will (hopefully) receive the other two through mystery seedlings.
Animal Sanctuary
Painted Bamboo - 5 Farm Cash
Umbrella Bamboo - 15 Farm Cash
Again, these prices seem incredibly strange, so don't be alarmed if they're different (even potentially costing less) in your own game when you happen to check. It's a (now) normal Zynga practice to see which prices uses respond to with purchases, and we unfortunately can't prevent it from happening. Of course, the Painted Bamboo is the Level 1 tree here, while you can receive the Umbrella Bamboo from Mystery Seedlings.
Overall, the Sugar Maple and Japanese Maple Trees will be in the game for the next 11 days, while the other four trees will be around for two weeks. Keep those time limits in mind if you don't have the Farm Cash on hand to shop just yet - they won't be around forever.
What do you think of these two themes of trees?
Lighthouse Cove
Sugar Maple Tree - 7 Farm Cash
Japanese Maple Tree - 15 Farm Cash
Bur Oak Tree - 8 Farm Cash
Pin Oak Tree - 12 Farm Cash
Here's a case where I think some price testing might be taking place. The 8 and 12 Farm Cash prices seem incredibly out of place, so if they happen to be different in your own store, that would be why. As for Mystery Seedlings, you can purchase just the Bur Oak and Sugar Maple Trees, and will (hopefully) receive the other two through mystery seedlings.
Animal Sanctuary
Painted Bamboo - 5 Farm Cash
Umbrella Bamboo - 15 Farm Cash
Again, these prices seem incredibly strange, so don't be alarmed if they're different (even potentially costing less) in your own game when you happen to check. It's a (now) normal Zynga practice to see which prices uses respond to with purchases, and we unfortunately can't prevent it from happening. Of course, the Painted Bamboo is the Level 1 tree here, while you can receive the Umbrella Bamboo from Mystery Seedlings.
Overall, the Sugar Maple and Japanese Maple Trees will be in the game for the next 11 days, while the other four trees will be around for two weeks. Keep those time limits in mind if you don't have the Farm Cash on hand to shop just yet - they won't be around forever.
What do you think of these two themes of trees?
FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Animals: Canada Lynx, Morgan Stallion and more
As was the case with trees this evening, tonight's FarmVille update has seen the launch of not only new Animal Sanctuary items, but also animals in the Lighthouse Cove limited edition theme. These Lighthouse Cove items can be purchased for other farms, not just your Lighthouse Cove farm, if you wish to carry the theme throughout your properties. This is also a great way for those who choose not to pay to get into Lighthouse Cove early to add to their animal collections while they wait.
Lighthouse Cove
Canada Lynx - 12 Farm Cash
Standardbred Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Bufflehead Duck - 18 Farm Cash
Morgan Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
With these animals, we see two horses for collectors that cost the expected high numbers, and reward appropriate XP in exchange: 2,600 for the Standardbred and 3,500 for the Morgan Stallion. The Canada Lynx and Standardbred Horse will only be in the game's store for the next 11 days, while the other two animals will be around for a full two weeks, to give you an idea of when you really need to shop.
Animal Sanctuary
Clouded Leopard - 15 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, that's the only animal released in the theme this evening, but at least it isn't so expensive that it's guaranteed to break the bank. For purchasing this little fella, you'll receive 1,500 experience points, and will be able to harvest him every two days. He'll be available in the game's store for the next two weeks.
Regardless of which animal you choose, remember that (again), these Lighthouse Cove animals can be placed in other farms, so if you'd like to place them inside your Horse Stables and the like (where applicable), go right ahead and do that. Just make sure to not let these guys expire from the store before you have a chance to shop.
Which of these animals is your favorite? What do you think of the Lighthouse Cove theme of items so far?
Lighthouse Cove
Canada Lynx - 12 Farm Cash
Standardbred Horse - 26 Farm Cash
Bufflehead Duck - 18 Farm Cash
Morgan Stallion - 35 Farm Cash
With these animals, we see two horses for collectors that cost the expected high numbers, and reward appropriate XP in exchange: 2,600 for the Standardbred and 3,500 for the Morgan Stallion. The Canada Lynx and Standardbred Horse will only be in the game's store for the next 11 days, while the other two animals will be around for a full two weeks, to give you an idea of when you really need to shop.
Animal Sanctuary
Clouded Leopard - 15 Farm Cash
Unfortunately, that's the only animal released in the theme this evening, but at least it isn't so expensive that it's guaranteed to break the bank. For purchasing this little fella, you'll receive 1,500 experience points, and will be able to harvest him every two days. He'll be available in the game's store for the next two weeks.
Regardless of which animal you choose, remember that (again), these Lighthouse Cove animals can be placed in other farms, so if you'd like to place them inside your Horse Stables and the like (where applicable), go right ahead and do that. Just make sure to not let these guys expire from the store before you have a chance to shop.
Which of these animals is your favorite? What do you think of the Lighthouse Cove theme of items so far?
FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Buildings: Asian Gazebo, Seaside Cottage and more
Continuing in the double-item update in FarmVille, tonight's release brought us new buildings not only in the previous Animal Sanctuary item theme, but also in the Lighthouse Cove theme. These Lighthouse Cove items are available to purchase in other farms, so keep an eye out for them in the store when hanging out at Home or in the English Countryside as well.
Lighthouse Cove
Seaside Cottage - 25 Farm Cash
Village Store - 25 Farm Cash
Coastal Farmhouse - 25 Farm Cash
Coastal Restaurant - 30 Farm Cash
As usual, buildings in FarmVille are some of the most expensive things you can purchase, and these are no exception to that rule. The Seaside Cottage and Village Store have shorter time limits at 11 days, while the Coastal Farmhouse and Coastal Restaurant (not to be confused with the Restaurant Crafting Cottage you can purchase on your new farm for coins) will be around for the next two week.
Animal Sanctuary
Asian Gazebo - 10 Farm Cash
This building is fairly small, looking more like a lawn ornament than a full sized building, but I suppose that helps explain the cheaper price tag. If you're interested in purchasing this one, you'll need to do so within the next two weeks, before it expires form the store.
Will we see these items again after they expire? It's likely, but in the off chance that they don't, make sure to purchase any you feel you just can't live without during this first release.
Which of these new buildings is your favorite? Are you more of a fan of the Lighthouse Cove theme or the pre-existing Animal Sanctuary theme?
Lighthouse Cove
Seaside Cottage - 25 Farm Cash
Village Store - 25 Farm Cash
Coastal Farmhouse - 25 Farm Cash
Coastal Restaurant - 30 Farm Cash
As usual, buildings in FarmVille are some of the most expensive things you can purchase, and these are no exception to that rule. The Seaside Cottage and Village Store have shorter time limits at 11 days, while the Coastal Farmhouse and Coastal Restaurant (not to be confused with the Restaurant Crafting Cottage you can purchase on your new farm for coins) will be around for the next two week.
Animal Sanctuary
Asian Gazebo - 10 Farm Cash
This building is fairly small, looking more like a lawn ornament than a full sized building, but I suppose that helps explain the cheaper price tag. If you're interested in purchasing this one, you'll need to do so within the next two weeks, before it expires form the store.
Will we see these items again after they expire? It's likely, but in the off chance that they don't, make sure to purchase any you feel you just can't live without during this first release.
Which of these new buildings is your favorite? Are you more of a fan of the Lighthouse Cove theme or the pre-existing Animal Sanctuary theme?
FarmVille Animal Sanctuary & Lighthouse Cove Decorations: Sea Lavender, Panda Arch and more
While decorations may be the last items we've discussed in tonight's FarmVille update, that doesn't mean they're the least important. These decorative items come from both the Animal Sanctuary and Lighthouse Cove themes, and there are actually quite a few coin items in this set for those shopping on a budget. As a note, these Lighthouse Cove items are available not just in your Lighthouse Cove farm, so if you chose not to buy your way in, you don't have to worry about missing out (on these items, anyway).
Lighthouse Cove
Beach Tent - 2 Farm Cash
Beach Grass - 4,000 coins
Beach Chair Set - 20,000 coins
Coastal Planter - 8,000 coins
Dark Wood Fence - 5,000 coins
Field Stone Bridge - 15 Farm Cash
Nelly Moser - 50,000 coins
Boreal Owl - 18 Farm Cash
Sea Lavender - 5,000 coins
Maple Leaf Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
You'll need to pay special attention to these items in the store, as some of them expire in 11 days, while others are around for two weeks. Overall, there are a surprisingly large amount of coin-only items here, so if you've already spent all of your Farm Cash in simply getting into Lighthouse Cove, you'll receive a break there.
Animal Sanctuary
Panda Arch - 2 Farm Cash
Cockatiel - 10 Farm Cash
As you can see, the Lighthouse Cove side of the store definitely has more items, but you can still splurge a bit of Farm Cash on these two items if you choose. They'll both be available in the store for the next two weeks.
What do you think of this pile of new items? Have you already created a retreat on your farm with these Lighthouse Cove items, or are you just starting to decorate with them this evening?
Lighthouse Cove
Beach Tent - 2 Farm Cash
Beach Grass - 4,000 coins
Beach Chair Set - 20,000 coins
Coastal Planter - 8,000 coins
Dark Wood Fence - 5,000 coins
Field Stone Bridge - 15 Farm Cash
Nelly Moser - 50,000 coins
Boreal Owl - 18 Farm Cash
Sea Lavender - 5,000 coins
Maple Leaf Gnome - 15 Farm Cash
You'll need to pay special attention to these items in the store, as some of them expire in 11 days, while others are around for two weeks. Overall, there are a surprisingly large amount of coin-only items here, so if you've already spent all of your Farm Cash in simply getting into Lighthouse Cove, you'll receive a break there.
Animal Sanctuary
Panda Arch - 2 Farm Cash
Cockatiel - 10 Farm Cash
As you can see, the Lighthouse Cove side of the store definitely has more items, but you can still splurge a bit of Farm Cash on these two items if you choose. They'll both be available in the store for the next two weeks.
What do you think of this pile of new items? Have you already created a retreat on your farm with these Lighthouse Cove items, or are you just starting to decorate with them this evening?
Bubble Witch Saga pops on Facebook, King.com hits 900M gameplays
If games like Bubble Bobble have taught us anything, it's that sometimes there's nothing more relaxing than popping bubbles. Casual and social game developer King.com knows this all too well, and has released its second bubble-bursting game on Facebook, Bubble Witch Saga. This new game is a socially-enhanced port of one of the top five most popular games ever on King.com (the casual games website of the same name), King.com Director of Product Performance, Social and Mobile, Lars Jornow told us.
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games?
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games?
Thứ Tư, 14 tháng 12, 2011
Planet Cazmo: Monster Battles enters MocoSpace's orbit on HTML5
HTML5 gaming is about to (hopefully) nail yet another landing. Boston, Mass.-based social game platform MocoSpace announced that developer Planet Cazmo will release its first HTML5-based social game, Monster Battles, this December. The game will debut to the 22 million gamers on the MocoSpace games platform with a bevy of unique creatures to enter the ring.
In Planet Cazmo: Monster Battles, players will capture, collect, trade and, most importantly, pit different creatures against one another in brutal (but probably adorable) combat with flashy powers. "We are thrilled to be working with MocoSpace and creating a new HTML5 mobile game title especially for their users," Planet Cazmo CEO Michael Levine said in a release."We believe that HTML5 is a great way to reach large numbers of gamers."
Of course, Planet Cazmo is far from alone. Zynga just made a big bet on HTML5-based social games with mobile web versions of FarmVille, Words With Friends and Zynga Poker. CrowdStar CEO Peter Relan made clear his goal of launching the first game to reach 1 billion players through the mobile web, and Wooga released an HTML5 version of its new Magic Land.
Mobile gaming is undoubtedly huge, but HTML5 games in mobile browsers have yet to reach the caliber of native mobile games. MocoSpace's confidence in Planet Cazmo's ability to put out a graphically-rich HTML5 is promising. But really, we just want to see the flashy powers in action.
What do you think of HTML5 social games in the mobile browser so far? Will HTML5 social games catch up with their superior native game counterparts?
In Planet Cazmo: Monster Battles, players will capture, collect, trade and, most importantly, pit different creatures against one another in brutal (but probably adorable) combat with flashy powers. "We are thrilled to be working with MocoSpace and creating a new HTML5 mobile game title especially for their users," Planet Cazmo CEO Michael Levine said in a release."We believe that HTML5 is a great way to reach large numbers of gamers."
Of course, Planet Cazmo is far from alone. Zynga just made a big bet on HTML5-based social games with mobile web versions of FarmVille, Words With Friends and Zynga Poker. CrowdStar CEO Peter Relan made clear his goal of launching the first game to reach 1 billion players through the mobile web, and Wooga released an HTML5 version of its new Magic Land.
Mobile gaming is undoubtedly huge, but HTML5 games in mobile browsers have yet to reach the caliber of native mobile games. MocoSpace's confidence in Planet Cazmo's ability to put out a graphically-rich HTML5 is promising. But really, we just want to see the flashy powers in action.
What do you think of HTML5 social games in the mobile browser so far? Will HTML5 social games catch up with their superior native game counterparts?
The Top 10 Most Influential People in Facebook and Social Games
Facebook games have attracted some of the most popular figures in the game industry since their dawn about four years ago. The past two years alone saw more video game veterans than we care to count leave the world of shooters and strategy games behind for Facebook. That said, we decided it was about time to see how these game design and business juggernauts sized up against one another after PeekYou approached us with a way to do so.
PeekYou, a search company focused on indexing the web around people, also runs PeekScore. This service ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their influence across the Internet. The score takes active and passive content creation into account, the former being social media use and blogging, and the latter being mentions in online news outlets, archives and databases.
However, we had to populate the list with 10 names. In an attempt at fairness, we took to AppData's developer leaderboard, but also peppered the list with industry transplants of note. We're certain we've glossed over some video game veterans, but did you really want a list of 30 people? So, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments. (We've put on our flame-retardant suits already.) Here are the top 10 most influential people in Facebook and social games:
PeekYou, a search company focused on indexing the web around people, also runs PeekScore. This service ranks people on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their influence across the Internet. The score takes active and passive content creation into account, the former being social media use and blogging, and the latter being mentions in online news outlets, archives and databases.
However, we had to populate the list with 10 names. In an attempt at fairness, we took to AppData's developer leaderboard, but also peppered the list with industry transplants of note. We're certain we've glossed over some video game veterans, but did you really want a list of 30 people? So, feel free to give us your two cents in the comments. (We've put on our flame-retardant suits already.) Here are the top 10 most influential people in Facebook and social games:
Q-Games to tower over Facebook with PixelJunk Monsters Online
Whenever traditional console developers announce Facebook games, they're normally completely different experiences. (Alright, we were just being nice--they're usually nothing more than buzz-builders.) But GameZebo reports that developer Q-Games will launch its hit PS3 tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters, on Facebook with "Online" following its title.
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
Q-Games to tower over Facebook with PixelJunk Monsters Online
Whenever traditional console developers announce Facebook games, they're normally completely different experiences. (Alright, we were just being nice--they're usually nothing more than buzz-builders.) But GameZebo reports that developer Q-Games will launch its hit PS3 tower defense game, PixelJunk Monsters, on Facebook with "Online" following its title.
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
[Via GamePro]
Are you excited to see PixelJunk Monsters hit Facebook? What other console game franchises do you think would be a fit on Facebook?
While its title certainly isn't original, this social version of PixelJunk Monsters is anything but a buzz-builder. According to an early look by GameZebo, the game is in "an early alpha state," and is scheduled to launch in full on Facebook this year. However, it appears that PixelJunk Monsters Online is available to all at the moment, and has about 2,000 monthly players.
Despite that, the game is far from feature-complete, and thankfully the in-game item shop has yet to be open for business. As far as we know, PixelJunk Monsters Online is under development by Q-Games. The basic gameplay of PixelJunk Monsters remains intact: Players create armed towers on top of existing trees to automatically fend off encroaching if adorable enemies.
However, there aren't many types of towers or enemies in the game yet. Q-Games was apparently more worried about laying on the old PixelJunk charm with impressive pseudo-3D visuals with a Candy Land style and a lovely tune. While the game has yet to officially launch on Facebook, you can play it right here to get a taste of what's to come. And what great timing you have, Q-Games: There aren't many tower defense games on Facebook, and yours is one of the best around, we hear.
[Via GamePro]
Are you excited to see PixelJunk Monsters hit Facebook? What other console game franchises do you think would be a fit on Facebook?
PapayaMobile's mobile social game network gets friendly with iOS
OpenFeint and Mobage might want to watch out ... or get a delicious fruit in their logo somehow. Beijing-based PapayaMobile announced that it has expanded its mobile social game network from Android to iOS devices. iPhone and iPad game developers can now incorporate PapayaMobile into their game much like they would OpenFeint or Apple's Game Center.
But not only that, developers can create their own social games from scratch through PapayaMobile's Social Game Engine, and launch said games across both iOS and Android devices at once. PapayaMobile's social game network works across both iOS and Android. This means that if a mobile game uses PapayaMobile on both its iOS and Android versions, players can issue challenges, send game invitations, view leaderboards and more between both versions of the game.
PapayaMobile's main goal is to connect both Android and iOS gamers through a single network, something that can't be said for most mobile social game networks (well, aside from OpenFeint). Surely PapayaMobile hopes this cross-platform move will boost its player base of over 30 million. It looks like the mobile social games arena just met a new challenger.
Well, make that a few new challengers. The first games to hit iOS with PapayaMobile include X-City by Aidi Game, Contagion by 2Clams, and Burger Joint by Arctic Empire. Something tells us Facebook missed a golden opportunity with Connect.
Do you think there's room for another mobile social games network? Which network do you prefer using right now with your mobile games?
But not only that, developers can create their own social games from scratch through PapayaMobile's Social Game Engine, and launch said games across both iOS and Android devices at once. PapayaMobile's social game network works across both iOS and Android. This means that if a mobile game uses PapayaMobile on both its iOS and Android versions, players can issue challenges, send game invitations, view leaderboards and more between both versions of the game.
PapayaMobile's main goal is to connect both Android and iOS gamers through a single network, something that can't be said for most mobile social game networks (well, aside from OpenFeint). Surely PapayaMobile hopes this cross-platform move will boost its player base of over 30 million. It looks like the mobile social games arena just met a new challenger.
Well, make that a few new challengers. The first games to hit iOS with PapayaMobile include X-City by Aidi Game, Contagion by 2Clams, and Burger Joint by Arctic Empire. Something tells us Facebook missed a golden opportunity with Connect.
Do you think there's room for another mobile social games network? Which network do you prefer using right now with your mobile games?
Nexon's next social game, Zombie Misfits, looks for brains on Facebook
Alright, we thought it too: "Another zombie game?" But hold on just a second there, naysayers. Nexon's new Facebook game, Zombie Misfits, takes the whole zombie craze in a decidedly different direction. Co-developed by Canadian studio Antic Entertainment, this social take on what's quickly becoming a tired trend turns is a side-scrolling tower defense game.
Wait, according to a release, it's a "cartoon-style apocalyptic tower defense game with an RPG flare." Does that sound different enough for you? And if you ask us, the game's art style looks like something you'd easily find on Cartoon Network.
Ever since Nexon struck gold with MapleStory Adventures, the company has been bullish on Facebook games, but has taken its sweet time. (The publisher likely could have thrown its name on a number of Facebook games this year, but didn't.)
But back to the brain bustin'. Zombie Misfits has players defend survivors of the zombie apocalypse in two-dimensional zones against wave after wave of walking cadavers. To do so, you must place Defenders in key, predefined points in each level to kill off the walkers (thanks, The Walking Dead) before they reach the hovel of "breathers", as tutorial character Slim calls them.
The game features a number of different defenders like the Biker, a club-wielding badass type, and the pistol-toting Trooper--all of which can be modified and upgraded. Of course, you'll need to strategize which Defenders to place as you unlock them to fight the numerous types of zombies. And players can enlist the help of their friends, as per usual. But really, nothing beats the feeling of taking a giant chain saw to a morose mob of undead mouth-breathers.
Click here to play Zombie Misfits on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.
Do you think there's room for another zombie game on Facebook? What do you think of the zombie craze overall--is it just a fad?
Wait, according to a release, it's a "cartoon-style apocalyptic tower defense game with an RPG flare." Does that sound different enough for you? And if you ask us, the game's art style looks like something you'd easily find on Cartoon Network.
Ever since Nexon struck gold with MapleStory Adventures, the company has been bullish on Facebook games, but has taken its sweet time. (The publisher likely could have thrown its name on a number of Facebook games this year, but didn't.)
But back to the brain bustin'. Zombie Misfits has players defend survivors of the zombie apocalypse in two-dimensional zones against wave after wave of walking cadavers. To do so, you must place Defenders in key, predefined points in each level to kill off the walkers (thanks, The Walking Dead) before they reach the hovel of "breathers", as tutorial character Slim calls them.
The game features a number of different defenders like the Biker, a club-wielding badass type, and the pistol-toting Trooper--all of which can be modified and upgraded. Of course, you'll need to strategize which Defenders to place as you unlock them to fight the numerous types of zombies. And players can enlist the help of their friends, as per usual. But really, nothing beats the feeling of taking a giant chain saw to a morose mob of undead mouth-breathers.
Click here to play Zombie Misfits on Facebook Now >
Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.
Do you think there's room for another zombie game on Facebook? What do you think of the zombie craze overall--is it just a fad?
Compare (hilarious) Apples to Apples on Facebook, mobile this winter
Look, if you've never played Apples to Apples before, just go out to Walmart or something and fork up the 20 bucks. Play the game with a few friends, come back to read this news and you'll understand why we're excited. (Just trust us on this one, OK?) THQ and Mattel have announced that they're working to bring the awesome board game to Facebook and mobile this winter.
Better yet, like Zynga's Words With Friends, the game will be playable across platforms. This means players can challenge their friends in games of goofy comparisons from either Facebook or their mobile device (likely iOS and Android), and their friends can respond from either device. The game is quite simple: One player chooses a card from a deck with an adjective, while the other players choose one card from their hand with a person, place or thing of note. The former then chooses which card they think fits bests, generally based on whether it's funny ... which is almost always the case.
On Facebook and mobile, players will be able to create their own games with their friends or jump into existing games with random players. Through playing Apples to Apples, you'll earn Apple Coins, Apple Cash and Apple Achievements to unlock additional avatars, playing cards and themed backgrounds, according to a release.
THQ and Mattel are also releasing the game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for $10, but we imagine the Facebook and mobile versions will be free. We also imagine that Apples to Apples will create awkward situations when players inexplicably laugh to themselves in public.
Have you ever played the original Apples to Apples card game? Will a game like this become a worthy competitor for the mighty Words With Friends?
Better yet, like Zynga's Words With Friends, the game will be playable across platforms. This means players can challenge their friends in games of goofy comparisons from either Facebook or their mobile device (likely iOS and Android), and their friends can respond from either device. The game is quite simple: One player chooses a card from a deck with an adjective, while the other players choose one card from their hand with a person, place or thing of note. The former then chooses which card they think fits bests, generally based on whether it's funny ... which is almost always the case.
On Facebook and mobile, players will be able to create their own games with their friends or jump into existing games with random players. Through playing Apples to Apples, you'll earn Apple Coins, Apple Cash and Apple Achievements to unlock additional avatars, playing cards and themed backgrounds, according to a release.
THQ and Mattel are also releasing the game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for $10, but we imagine the Facebook and mobile versions will be free. We also imagine that Apples to Apples will create awkward situations when players inexplicably laugh to themselves in public.
Have you ever played the original Apples to Apples card game? Will a game like this become a worthy competitor for the mighty Words With Friends?
Scam Alert: Mario Kart does not exist on Facebook, and likely never will
Nintendo has already established--rather firmly, actually--that its games will never leave Nintendo hardware. Alas, here we are, with yet another attempt at your account information to spread a dastardly scam. According to Internet security firm Sophos's Naked Security blog, a scam that claims Nintendo's popular racer Mario Kart is available for Facebook is circulating.
But it's not just circulating through News Feed posts, but through private messages between Facebook users. If you happen to click on the link that's spreading the fake news, you will arrive at what appears to be a launch page for the game. You absolutely should not click on it, but doing so takes you to an online survey rather than a thrilling race with Mario and friends.
Some users have even told Naked Security that clicking on the link attempts to install a browser extension on their computers. It should go without saying that you should under no circumstances accept the installation, but we're saying it anyway. If you were so unfortunate as to click on it, be quick to delete any News Feed or private messages sent inadvertently by you.
Mario Kart Facebook scam News Feed
And, if you did happen to install anything offered from the scam, be sure to can your computer immediately. Oh, and would you be so kind as to remind your friends that this is a scam? Sure, you'll be a dream crusher, but a computer-saving dream crusher.
[Via Kotaku]
Have you ever unfortunately fell prey to a Facebook game scam? What steps did you take to alleviate the situation, and what tips do you have for your fellow social gamers?
But it's not just circulating through News Feed posts, but through private messages between Facebook users. If you happen to click on the link that's spreading the fake news, you will arrive at what appears to be a launch page for the game. You absolutely should not click on it, but doing so takes you to an online survey rather than a thrilling race with Mario and friends.
Some users have even told Naked Security that clicking on the link attempts to install a browser extension on their computers. It should go without saying that you should under no circumstances accept the installation, but we're saying it anyway. If you were so unfortunate as to click on it, be quick to delete any News Feed or private messages sent inadvertently by you.
Mario Kart Facebook scam News Feed
And, if you did happen to install anything offered from the scam, be sure to can your computer immediately. Oh, and would you be so kind as to remind your friends that this is a scam? Sure, you'll be a dream crusher, but a computer-saving dream crusher.
[Via Kotaku]
Have you ever unfortunately fell prey to a Facebook game scam? What steps did you take to alleviate the situation, and what tips do you have for your fellow social gamers?
Fox ladies, karate masters and robot men will do battle in Prime World
Don't worry, we're a little confused, too. Nival, the Russian social game studio behind King's Bounty: Legions, has released some new images of Prime World. The screen shots reveal a bit more of what's about to go on your PC or Mac (or Android phone and iPhone) in this downloadable strategy game that's said to have deep Facebook Connect support.
For one, the game looks pretty gorgeous, especially the spell effects like fire and what appear to be laser weapons. (Yeah, we have no idea what type of setting Nival is going for at this point.) More important are the characters within the images that are duking it out: You'll see a woman with a fox tail, a necromancer of sorts, a karate master amongst giant robot war machines. Oh, and let's not forget the giant towers and other various defensive structures.
We scored an early look at the game during this year's E3, and game looks to tread on dynamic territory. Actually, that could be said of the simple fact that this is a downloadable, apparently hardcore strategy game that uses Facebook Connect. According to a release, Prime World uses the Unity 3D engine to create its flashy graphics.
Gallery: Prime World (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)
But we think the goofy mash-up of characters is all Nival's doing. Prime World still has not been given a release date, but you can bet we'll follow the trail this game is blazing. You know, if only to see who would win in a fight: a fox lady or a robot with spiked clubs for hands?
What do you think of Prime World so far, based on our preview and these new screens? Will Facebook Connect drive the game to success?
For one, the game looks pretty gorgeous, especially the spell effects like fire and what appear to be laser weapons. (Yeah, we have no idea what type of setting Nival is going for at this point.) More important are the characters within the images that are duking it out: You'll see a woman with a fox tail, a necromancer of sorts, a karate master amongst giant robot war machines. Oh, and let's not forget the giant towers and other various defensive structures.
We scored an early look at the game during this year's E3, and game looks to tread on dynamic territory. Actually, that could be said of the simple fact that this is a downloadable, apparently hardcore strategy game that uses Facebook Connect. According to a release, Prime World uses the Unity 3D engine to create its flashy graphics.
Gallery: Prime World (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)
But we think the goofy mash-up of characters is all Nival's doing. Prime World still has not been given a release date, but you can bet we'll follow the trail this game is blazing. You know, if only to see who would win in a fight: a fox lady or a robot with spiked clubs for hands?
What do you think of Prime World so far, based on our preview and these new screens? Will Facebook Connect drive the game to success?
OpenFeint powers Chinese mobile social game network Game Zone
Google and the Chinese government have a ... tenuous relationship. And mobile social gaming, namely Android gaming, has suffered as a result. Amidst frequent shutouts of the official Android Market in China, Chinese game company The9 has announced Game Zone, an OpenFeint-powered mobile social game network and distribution channel.
Through Game Zone, Western mobile social game makers can hit Chinese mobile game audiences across 30 Android app stores other than the Android Market. The service was made possible by deals The9 made with all three major Chinese mobile carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. The deals also allow Game Zone to be preinstalled on Lenovo, HTC, and Motorola Android phones.
While The9 will fund smaller American and European Android game creators through the $100 million-strong Fund9, it's the big league creators that might benefit most from this. PopCap recently announced that Plants vs Zombies will shuffle toward Chinese audiences, which is joined by Rovio's Angry Birds. Several Zynga games have launched in China, and perhaps this opportunity will nudge similar moves by the social game giant on Android.
We often talk about how Japan's mobile social game companies are encroaching upon Western audiences. It looks like the inverse is happening in China, where Western mobile and social game makers are looking to tap into their audience. It makes you wonder why Chinese game companies have yet to try the same at such a scale.
Would Western game companies be smart to enter China through products like Game Zone? When, if ever, will Chinese social game companies push as hard into the West as Japanese companies?
Through Game Zone, Western mobile social game makers can hit Chinese mobile game audiences across 30 Android app stores other than the Android Market. The service was made possible by deals The9 made with all three major Chinese mobile carriers: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. The deals also allow Game Zone to be preinstalled on Lenovo, HTC, and Motorola Android phones.
While The9 will fund smaller American and European Android game creators through the $100 million-strong Fund9, it's the big league creators that might benefit most from this. PopCap recently announced that Plants vs Zombies will shuffle toward Chinese audiences, which is joined by Rovio's Angry Birds. Several Zynga games have launched in China, and perhaps this opportunity will nudge similar moves by the social game giant on Android.
We often talk about how Japan's mobile social game companies are encroaching upon Western audiences. It looks like the inverse is happening in China, where Western mobile and social game makers are looking to tap into their audience. It makes you wonder why Chinese game companies have yet to try the same at such a scale.
Would Western game companies be smart to enter China through products like Game Zone? When, if ever, will Chinese social game companies push as hard into the West as Japanese companies?
Final Fantasy's big hair and bigger swords go mobile, social on Mobage
We just hope it'll all fit into a 3-inch screen. Japanese game companies Square Enix and DeNA have announced that they're working on the first Final Fantasy social game to launch on Mobage, DeNA's mobile social game network, Gamasutra reports. That is, the first social game to directly revolve around the 24-year-old Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.
You might remember Square Enix released two Facebook games last year that were loosely based on the Final Fantasy series, Knights of the Crystal and Chocobo's Crystal Tower. According to Gamasutra, the game will be developed in-house at DeNA, and will use familiar characters from the franchise. (We imagine those will come from the 13 numbered Final Fantasy games.)
There's no word on whether the game will hit the Western, Android version of Mobage, but Japanese Final Fantasy fans can already pre-register for the game. As an added incentive, those who buy the brand new Final Fantasy Type-0 (pictured) for the PSP will receive special benefits in the Final Fantasy game for Mobage when it releases. Gamasutra's Kyle Orland (humorously) recalls that, during an interview with Gamasutra earlier this summer, Square Enix CEO Mike Fischer scoffed at social games.
Final Fantasy Mobage
Keep in mind, Fischer dismissed social games even after the company released two Facebook games. Look, if games based on Gundam and The Smurfs from Japanese companies can reel it in, a Final Fantasy social game is going to do just fine.
Do you think a Final Fantasy mobile social game would do well outside of Japan? Are you hopeful that Square Enix and DeNA will release the game in the West?
You might remember Square Enix released two Facebook games last year that were loosely based on the Final Fantasy series, Knights of the Crystal and Chocobo's Crystal Tower. According to Gamasutra, the game will be developed in-house at DeNA, and will use familiar characters from the franchise. (We imagine those will come from the 13 numbered Final Fantasy games.)
There's no word on whether the game will hit the Western, Android version of Mobage, but Japanese Final Fantasy fans can already pre-register for the game. As an added incentive, those who buy the brand new Final Fantasy Type-0 (pictured) for the PSP will receive special benefits in the Final Fantasy game for Mobage when it releases. Gamasutra's Kyle Orland (humorously) recalls that, during an interview with Gamasutra earlier this summer, Square Enix CEO Mike Fischer scoffed at social games.
Final Fantasy Mobage
Keep in mind, Fischer dismissed social games even after the company released two Facebook games. Look, if games based on Gundam and The Smurfs from Japanese companies can reel it in, a Final Fantasy social game is going to do just fine.
Do you think a Final Fantasy mobile social game would do well outside of Japan? Are you hopeful that Square Enix and DeNA will release the game in the West?
Conquer Online MMO rides from China onto Facebook and iPad
Made by Chinese developer NetDragon Websoft Inc. and published by TQ Digital, Conquer Online is a free-to-play, MMO (massively multiplayer online) game for PC that's been around since 2003 and boasts 10 million players worldwide. Earlier this year, NetDragon partnered with a major Japanese mobile network and developer, DeNA, and then unveiled both Facebook and iPad beta versions of its MMO at GamesCom in August.
The Facebook version of Conquer Online launched two weeks ago, but unfortunately has been plagued by lag, log-in issues and strange bugs. (For instance, setting my character on auto-path caused her to bare her arms in a spread-eagle sprint.) The official YouTube trailer also tries so groan-inducingly hard to appeal to Western audiences (music that sounds like the TV opening to Roseanne should not be scored with a game set in ancient China, people!), paying attention to it hurts my brain.
If you do manage to get in, things don't fare any better. Like most Chinese MMOs, you're presented with (at best) passable graphics, music, user interface, and the gameplay is always ridiculously heavy on the grind. There's also something very amateurish about this kind of game. What they lack in finesse and cohesion, they compensate with an aggressive, workman-like execution and gorgeous still art--in this case, the kind of style you'll find in Chinese wuxia comics.
Conquer Online Facebook
This thing might be on Facebook, but no changes have been made to accommodate Facebook gamers. Nexon's MapleStory Adventures does a much better (and certainly fantastic) job of making itself accessible to newcomers. And not just through gameplay, but aesthetics, too. To hammer home the unfriendly nature of this game, a more optimistic reviewer noted Conquer Online is an open PVP (player vs player) environment. This means that random players can come along and just kill you in-game, if you're not careful. On the upside, if you've never played Conquer Online, you can now save yourself the trouble of downloading a several hundred megabyte file and just run the game on Facebook in mere minutes (though it will prompt you to install Kalydo before you can begin).
Click here to play Conquer Online on Facebook now >
How many MMOs have you ever played? Do you think I'm being too harsh on Conquer Online?
The Facebook version of Conquer Online launched two weeks ago, but unfortunately has been plagued by lag, log-in issues and strange bugs. (For instance, setting my character on auto-path caused her to bare her arms in a spread-eagle sprint.) The official YouTube trailer also tries so groan-inducingly hard to appeal to Western audiences (music that sounds like the TV opening to Roseanne should not be scored with a game set in ancient China, people!), paying attention to it hurts my brain.
If you do manage to get in, things don't fare any better. Like most Chinese MMOs, you're presented with (at best) passable graphics, music, user interface, and the gameplay is always ridiculously heavy on the grind. There's also something very amateurish about this kind of game. What they lack in finesse and cohesion, they compensate with an aggressive, workman-like execution and gorgeous still art--in this case, the kind of style you'll find in Chinese wuxia comics.
Conquer Online Facebook
This thing might be on Facebook, but no changes have been made to accommodate Facebook gamers. Nexon's MapleStory Adventures does a much better (and certainly fantastic) job of making itself accessible to newcomers. And not just through gameplay, but aesthetics, too. To hammer home the unfriendly nature of this game, a more optimistic reviewer noted Conquer Online is an open PVP (player vs player) environment. This means that random players can come along and just kill you in-game, if you're not careful. On the upside, if you've never played Conquer Online, you can now save yourself the trouble of downloading a several hundred megabyte file and just run the game on Facebook in mere minutes (though it will prompt you to install Kalydo before you can begin).
Click here to play Conquer Online on Facebook now >
How many MMOs have you ever played? Do you think I'm being too harsh on Conquer Online?
House, CSI: Miami and NCIS games to air on Facebook this winter
Social gamers are naturally very meta people. Come one, who else would watch an episode of CSI, only to play an episode of CSI: Crime City either during the show or afterward? Ubisoft seems to have struck gold with Facebook games based on TV properties, so the company has announced three more: CSI: Miami, House, M.D.: Critical Cases and NCIS: Major Crimes.
Inside Social Games reports that the games will launch either at the end of this year or early in 2012. In other words, they're coming this winter. The games will play out procedurally, like episodes of their television inspirations. Players will search for clues after identifying victims, patients or suspects and solve cases with the help of friends and non-player characters.
The French game publisher also announced a deal with Loot Drop, designer John Romero's studio that has yet to release its first game, Cloudforest Expedition. No details were given regarding the game, but this marks the third game set to come out of Loot Drop, its first two with publisher RockYou. Ubisoft will also release Ghost Recon Commander for Facebook.
The game will serve as a companion to the publisher's two upcoming Ghost Recon games: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for console and Ghost Recon: Online for PCs. According to ISG, players will be able to advance in either core game through the Facebook companion and vice versa. We've seen how high-profile companion games do already, but House is poised to be a winner--have you seen how many "Likes" it has on Facebook?
Are you excited by any of these announcements by Ubisoft? Which of these games do you think will do best on Facebook?
Inside Social Games reports that the games will launch either at the end of this year or early in 2012. In other words, they're coming this winter. The games will play out procedurally, like episodes of their television inspirations. Players will search for clues after identifying victims, patients or suspects and solve cases with the help of friends and non-player characters.
The French game publisher also announced a deal with Loot Drop, designer John Romero's studio that has yet to release its first game, Cloudforest Expedition. No details were given regarding the game, but this marks the third game set to come out of Loot Drop, its first two with publisher RockYou. Ubisoft will also release Ghost Recon Commander for Facebook.
The game will serve as a companion to the publisher's two upcoming Ghost Recon games: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for console and Ghost Recon: Online for PCs. According to ISG, players will be able to advance in either core game through the Facebook companion and vice versa. We've seen how high-profile companion games do already, but House is poised to be a winner--have you seen how many "Likes" it has on Facebook?
Are you excited by any of these announcements by Ubisoft? Which of these games do you think will do best on Facebook?
Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 12, 2011
BBCW launches CBeebies games app
Games based on popular CBeebies Games series Charlie & Lola, Teletubbies, 3rd & Bird and Numberjacks are available through a new app launched by BBC Worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
CBeebies On The Go is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad to pre-school children in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Korea.
Developed by Tag Apps, it includes matching pairs picture games for the Teletubbies and Charlie & Lola, a Kerwhizz jigsaw game and a 3rd & Bird tap-the-fruit challenge. It also holds a number of short video clips from popular shows.
Director of CBeebies investment at BBCW, Henrietta Hurford-Jones, said the team had “worked hard to build a product that upholds the core values of learning through play”.
She added: “This new kids’ app is a first for the Channels business, so the learnings from this pilot phase will help shape any future plans to roll CBeebies Games On The Go out to new territories and different devices.”
More than 53m homes have access to the CBeebies channel worldwide.
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