Pet Society Artists
Pets, meet your makers. These are the artists who have created your world in Pet Society. Every day, their irresistible drawings of what I like to think of as the four Fs-food, fashion, flowers and furniture-make us go "Awww..." and make us give up our coins.
You can thank Michelle Chuang for setting the look of Pet Society. She was the sole illustrator working on the game when it was first released in 2008. Flavia came on board in 2009 and has taken over the reigns as Pet Society's lead artist. Antonella and Maggie round out the team.
It was a real treat for me to meet the people behind the best game on Facebook. Here are some of the impressions I got of the artists and the Playfish London office in general.
They are an international bunch. I had lunch with seven people, and only two were from England.
Michelle is from Taiwan. Maggie is from Hong Kong. Flavia and Antonella are from Italy. Catharina, the Product Manager who was interviewed previously, is Swedish-American.
The artists all seem to love Japan, or the idea of Japan. At least three of them said that they enjoyed Japan Week the most.
Flavia said that Japan Week felt too short and unfinished. This probably means that we'll be seeing more Japanese items in the game.
Pet Society Japan
Flavia also looks up to Disney art for inspiration.
Many of them seem to love the game. As Chorna Harun, the office manager said, "Before I started working here, I was playing Pet Society. And I thought to myself, I have to work for this company."
They are often surprised by how some of the items are used in the game. For example, one of Flavia's friends used the Volcano Mask in conjunction with a bird's nest. The bird was singing happily as the volcano erupted.
The artists are influenced by everything around them. During lunch, Maggie snapped a picture of a flower pot at the table. Maybe we'll see it in the game soon.
They are surrounded by their work. Not only do they have the joy of seeing their art in the game, but their offices are covered with their drawings.
Pictures of Playfish London:
Pet Society Mayor in Playfish London office
Pet Society fish decorates Playfish London office conference room
Country Story Playfish London office entrance
Pet Society mural in the Playfish London office
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille: Unreleased Purple Birthday Basket, Blue Birthday Basket, Red Birthday Basket & Balloon Arch
Could some special Birthday items and events be in store for a very special birthday celebration? Our favorite game, FarmVille, will be turning one year old soon! Can we expect to see some birthday themed items like the unreleased items below coming soon?
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan and Martijn for finding these unreleased FarmVille Purple Birthday Basket & Balloon Arch.
FarmVille Balloon Arch and Birthday Baskets
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
Source:
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Purple Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Blue Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Red Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan and Martijn for finding these unreleased FarmVille Purple Birthday Basket & Balloon Arch.
FarmVille Balloon Arch and Birthday Baskets
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Zynga is the sole owner of all their copyrighted images.
Source:
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Purple Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Blue Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Freak Unreleased Red Birthday Basket – Zynga FarmVille
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille: Unreleased Blue Balloon Arch & Pink Balloon Arch
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Farhan for finding these two unreleased FarmVille Blue Birthday Arch & Pink Birthday Arch.
FarmVille Blue and Pink Balloon Arches
Sources:
FarmVille Unreleased Blue Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Unreleased Pink Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Blue and Pink Balloon Arches
Sources:
FarmVille Unreleased Blue Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
FarmVille Unreleased Pink Balloon Arch – Zynga FarmVille
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Tips for Leveling Up the Fastest and Reaching Level 70
Many farmers ask, "What is the quickest way to level up and reach Level 70?". While the coveted Level 70 can be hard to reach for some, diligence proves necessary to reach higher levels, so just keep farming! FarmVille Freak Randy, put together his own guide of useful tips for farmers hoping to reach Level 70. To some veteran farmers these tips may seem elementary, but then again you are probably already a Level 70 farmer. These tips are most useful for those newbies and mid-level farmers that are struggling to level up.
Here is some background information about FarmVille Freak Randy's farming experience:
"My girlfriend got me started on Farmville because she had been playing since August of 2009. Eventually, I gave in to her FarmVille invitations and joined in October 2009. Some of my neighbors and my girlfriend were at around Level 30. I was only looking for fun but when I saw my Level increase so quickly through the lower Levels, I started getting into it. In time, I decided I would try to overcome my neighbors that were 30 levels (so about 50,000 points) ahead of me. Now I am the first of my neighbors to reach Level 70. My closest competitor (my girlfriend) is at Level 68. The next highest neighbor is at Level 51 200,000 points behind me. How did I do it? Read my tips below." -FarmVille Freak Randy
FarmVille Freak Randy's Strategies Found Useful & to Keep Interest on Way to Level 70:
Says FarmVille Freak Randy, "However, this is only important if you want to reach Level 70. If you're more interested in playing the game for decorations, that is also a legitimate reason to play. But if you're looking to compete with your neighbors, you may find these or other strategies helpful. Be forewarned: If you're not interested in anything else but leveling up, Level 70 will be very bittersweet for you. My interest has waned, but I'm still trying to master every crop available.
If you're already at Level 70 or speeding your way towards it, these tips may seem elementary. However, they may not come as easily to every farmer. So these tips are especially designed to help out farmers who are struggling to get to Level 70."
The Most Important Point: Planting 4 Hour Berries
The marginal benefit (for points-not coins) is highest for the four hour crops. It seems obvious, but none of my neighbors have considered it. Even if you plant Peas and get 3 XP + 1 XP for plowing per plot, in the same amount of time you could plant 4 rounds (in 16 hours if you have the free time, 6 rounds if you are an insomniac) of Strawberries and receive more points.
If you plant four rounds of Strawberries in sixteen hours, you will get 4 XP + 4 XP for plowing= 8 XP per plot. If you have a field of 450 plots, that adds up to 3,600 XP in one day or 25,200 XP in a week.
Thinking this way, the fastest way to Level 70 (without spending your way there) is to constantly plant Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and/or Blackberries.
Yes, even Raspberries. Though you don't get any points for planting the crop, you will still get 1 XP per plot for plowing, which leads to 2 XP per plot every 4 hours which is the same amount of points that you get from the 4 hour berries.
Plowing most of your farm
I have the largest size farm available and at one time had all but one row plowed. The more plots, the more points per planting and plowing.
Mastering Crops
It brings in a decent amount of XP points and coins and it kept my interest. I made a fence out of my mastery signs. I have 38 of them now.
The Ribbons
The reasonable ones, at least kept me interested.
Close competition
Several times my girlfriend passed me and our friendly competition kept me interested in the game.
If you are in close competition with one of your neighbors, buying decorations may give you an edge. I usually chose to buy windmills (100,000 coins, 1,000 XP points). However, my girlfriend took this strategy too far. When I reached Level 70, I had about 5 million coins. She is at Level 69 and only has 160,000 coins. When she reaches Level 70, she won't have enough money to buy a Villa or any other buildings or decorations.
Blocking your Farmer Avatar
Setting up a farmer block to trap your farmer saves so much time and keep your neighbors happy when they come to visit. –> Read more about Blocking your farmer here.
Things I found unhelpful on my way to Level 70:
Neighbors
I only have 35 neighbors and only 5 of them are active. They were, however, useful for the Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter events. You only need the pre-requisite amount to be able to expand your farm and buy certain items (For example, with 35 neighbors I can't buy a second Market Stall with coins).
Decorating
It wastes valuable space that could be used for planting.
Spending real money on Farmville Cash
I didn't spend any real money on Farmville Cash on my way to Level 70.
The only Farmville Cash I spent (that was earned from leveling up) was to expand my farm when I was in the low levels and for one of the Seeds for Haiti events. I now have 49 Farm Cash and can't find anything I want to buy.
Note: Purchasing items that are farm cash only tend to yield higher amounts of XP based on the farm cash purchase and exclusivity.
Animals
They don't give much money and don't give any points
Golden Chickens and the three new chickens are the exception because they bring in a lot of money-but still no XP points. I have a Huge Coop full of Golden Chickens and a few of the new Chickens that brings in 3,840 coins a day.
Source: (FarmVille Freak Randy)
♣
Thanks again for sharing your tips with everyone FarmVille Freak Randy! FarmVille will be celebrating its very first birthday soon when it turns one on June 19th 2010. Within this year many farmers have already reached Level 70 and are anxious for more levels and more challenges. Upon reaching Level 70 there is no special celebration or reward. After all that clicking, plowing, planting, harvesting and thousands of XP later the event proves to be under-whelming and slightly disappointing. There are no new items to unlock, no more new levels (yet), and no more 1 free farm cash for leveling up.
Has Zynga forgotten about their most prized players? No, we already know that they have intentions of adding more levels in the future, but exactly when is unknown. FarmVille Freak supports the introduction of new levels and all the Level 70 farmers out there still waiting. As their XP continues to accumulate, reaching way beyond the minimum for Level 70, we can only hope that when new levels come out they will automatically level up based on the obtained XP that is quietly waiting to be counted.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Here is some background information about FarmVille Freak Randy's farming experience:
"My girlfriend got me started on Farmville because she had been playing since August of 2009. Eventually, I gave in to her FarmVille invitations and joined in October 2009. Some of my neighbors and my girlfriend were at around Level 30. I was only looking for fun but when I saw my Level increase so quickly through the lower Levels, I started getting into it. In time, I decided I would try to overcome my neighbors that were 30 levels (so about 50,000 points) ahead of me. Now I am the first of my neighbors to reach Level 70. My closest competitor (my girlfriend) is at Level 68. The next highest neighbor is at Level 51 200,000 points behind me. How did I do it? Read my tips below." -FarmVille Freak Randy
FarmVille Freak Randy's Strategies Found Useful & to Keep Interest on Way to Level 70:
Says FarmVille Freak Randy, "However, this is only important if you want to reach Level 70. If you're more interested in playing the game for decorations, that is also a legitimate reason to play. But if you're looking to compete with your neighbors, you may find these or other strategies helpful. Be forewarned: If you're not interested in anything else but leveling up, Level 70 will be very bittersweet for you. My interest has waned, but I'm still trying to master every crop available.
If you're already at Level 70 or speeding your way towards it, these tips may seem elementary. However, they may not come as easily to every farmer. So these tips are especially designed to help out farmers who are struggling to get to Level 70."
The Most Important Point: Planting 4 Hour Berries
The marginal benefit (for points-not coins) is highest for the four hour crops. It seems obvious, but none of my neighbors have considered it. Even if you plant Peas and get 3 XP + 1 XP for plowing per plot, in the same amount of time you could plant 4 rounds (in 16 hours if you have the free time, 6 rounds if you are an insomniac) of Strawberries and receive more points.
If you plant four rounds of Strawberries in sixteen hours, you will get 4 XP + 4 XP for plowing= 8 XP per plot. If you have a field of 450 plots, that adds up to 3,600 XP in one day or 25,200 XP in a week.
Thinking this way, the fastest way to Level 70 (without spending your way there) is to constantly plant Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, and/or Blackberries.
Yes, even Raspberries. Though you don't get any points for planting the crop, you will still get 1 XP per plot for plowing, which leads to 2 XP per plot every 4 hours which is the same amount of points that you get from the 4 hour berries.
Plowing most of your farm
I have the largest size farm available and at one time had all but one row plowed. The more plots, the more points per planting and plowing.
Mastering Crops
It brings in a decent amount of XP points and coins and it kept my interest. I made a fence out of my mastery signs. I have 38 of them now.
The Ribbons
The reasonable ones, at least kept me interested.
Close competition
Several times my girlfriend passed me and our friendly competition kept me interested in the game.
If you are in close competition with one of your neighbors, buying decorations may give you an edge. I usually chose to buy windmills (100,000 coins, 1,000 XP points). However, my girlfriend took this strategy too far. When I reached Level 70, I had about 5 million coins. She is at Level 69 and only has 160,000 coins. When she reaches Level 70, she won't have enough money to buy a Villa or any other buildings or decorations.
Blocking your Farmer Avatar
Setting up a farmer block to trap your farmer saves so much time and keep your neighbors happy when they come to visit. –> Read more about Blocking your farmer here.
Things I found unhelpful on my way to Level 70:
Neighbors
I only have 35 neighbors and only 5 of them are active. They were, however, useful for the Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter events. You only need the pre-requisite amount to be able to expand your farm and buy certain items (For example, with 35 neighbors I can't buy a second Market Stall with coins).
Decorating
It wastes valuable space that could be used for planting.
Spending real money on Farmville Cash
I didn't spend any real money on Farmville Cash on my way to Level 70.
The only Farmville Cash I spent (that was earned from leveling up) was to expand my farm when I was in the low levels and for one of the Seeds for Haiti events. I now have 49 Farm Cash and can't find anything I want to buy.
Note: Purchasing items that are farm cash only tend to yield higher amounts of XP based on the farm cash purchase and exclusivity.
Animals
They don't give much money and don't give any points
Golden Chickens and the three new chickens are the exception because they bring in a lot of money-but still no XP points. I have a Huge Coop full of Golden Chickens and a few of the new Chickens that brings in 3,840 coins a day.
Source: (FarmVille Freak Randy)
♣
Thanks again for sharing your tips with everyone FarmVille Freak Randy! FarmVille will be celebrating its very first birthday soon when it turns one on June 19th 2010. Within this year many farmers have already reached Level 70 and are anxious for more levels and more challenges. Upon reaching Level 70 there is no special celebration or reward. After all that clicking, plowing, planting, harvesting and thousands of XP later the event proves to be under-whelming and slightly disappointing. There are no new items to unlock, no more new levels (yet), and no more 1 free farm cash for leveling up.
Has Zynga forgotten about their most prized players? No, we already know that they have intentions of adding more levels in the future, but exactly when is unknown. FarmVille Freak supports the introduction of new levels and all the Level 70 farmers out there still waiting. As their XP continues to accumulate, reaching way beyond the minimum for Level 70, we can only hope that when new levels come out they will automatically level up based on the obtained XP that is quietly waiting to be counted.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Cafe World to Disable Accounts Using Bots and Illegal Programs, is FarmVille Next?
While browsing the Cafe World Forum, FarmVille Freak moderator Dark Farmer stumbled upon some interesting news. Another Zynga game, Cafe World, announced via their official forum that they have detected users using illegal programs to enhance game play and are planning to disable accounts using such programs. These programs include: modifiers, bots, cheats, and hacks which violate Zynga's Terms of Service and are affecting the ability to connect to servers for some players.
They have developed a code to detect players using these illegal programs and will disable their accounts. Once your account has been disabled, you will have to contact customer service to resume game play. Some accounts may be reset to "normal" and be further suspended. Their goal is to enhance game play for all users and increase the accessibility and decrease in-game errors.
What does this mean for FarmVille? Could this be a future step for FarmVille as well?
Read excerpt from Official Cafe World Forum below:
"Hiya chefs,
In an effort to clean up some issues affecting the performance of our game servers we detected several programs or sources trying to access the application to change the normal game play experience. These programs, modifiers, bots, cheats, hacks, etc. are a violation to Zynga's Terms of Service, see Usage Rules, and have been affecting all users ability to connect to our servers.
We have implemented code to detect users enhancing their game experience by using programs of this type. Once an account has been detected it will be disabled until the end user contacts our Customer Support team. Accounts disabled may be reset to "normal" game play conditions and be noted for potential suspension if other violations occur.
Our intention is to keep our game world clean of modifiers and enhancement programs as well as optimize the performance for all of our café owners. If you experience any trouble with your Café World account and need assistance please contact our Customer Support team.
Our desire is that everyone that plays Café World have an enjoyable experience and we thank you for your continued support.
The Café World Team" (Source: Official Cafe World Forum)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
They have developed a code to detect players using these illegal programs and will disable their accounts. Once your account has been disabled, you will have to contact customer service to resume game play. Some accounts may be reset to "normal" and be further suspended. Their goal is to enhance game play for all users and increase the accessibility and decrease in-game errors.
What does this mean for FarmVille? Could this be a future step for FarmVille as well?
Read excerpt from Official Cafe World Forum below:
"Hiya chefs,
In an effort to clean up some issues affecting the performance of our game servers we detected several programs or sources trying to access the application to change the normal game play experience. These programs, modifiers, bots, cheats, hacks, etc. are a violation to Zynga's Terms of Service, see Usage Rules, and have been affecting all users ability to connect to our servers.
We have implemented code to detect users enhancing their game experience by using programs of this type. Once an account has been detected it will be disabled until the end user contacts our Customer Support team. Accounts disabled may be reset to "normal" game play conditions and be noted for potential suspension if other violations occur.
Our intention is to keep our game world clean of modifiers and enhancement programs as well as optimize the performance for all of our café owners. If you experience any trouble with your Café World account and need assistance please contact our Customer Support team.
Our desire is that everyone that plays Café World have an enjoyable experience and we thank you for your continued support.
The Café World Team" (Source: Official Cafe World Forum)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille Fourth of July Items coming soon
yoville fourth of july
With July 4th approaching get ready for some awesome items to decorate and celebrate with that are on their way to YoVille! Expect to see some fireworks, patio furniture, decorations and more!! We'll be releasing these items very soon so you can get your house all decked out and ready for you to celebrate this upcoming holiday. Throw a party or BBQ at your place and show off all of the Red, White and Blue Don't forget to get to light off those fireworks and watch them go!! Above is a little sneak peek at some of these items that are coming soon to YoVille!
Well folks that's about all so keep your eyes out for these awesome items in store very very soon. Stay tuned and have fun!
- Platinum Ninja
This is an official post by Zynga's Platinum Ninja.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
With July 4th approaching get ready for some awesome items to decorate and celebrate with that are on their way to YoVille! Expect to see some fireworks, patio furniture, decorations and more!! We'll be releasing these items very soon so you can get your house all decked out and ready for you to celebrate this upcoming holiday. Throw a party or BBQ at your place and show off all of the Red, White and Blue Don't forget to get to light off those fireworks and watch them go!! Above is a little sneak peek at some of these items that are coming soon to YoVille!
Well folks that's about all so keep your eyes out for these awesome items in store very very soon. Stay tuned and have fun!
- Platinum Ninja
This is an official post by Zynga's Platinum Ninja.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Earn Cafe World incentives for playing FarmVille
farmville cafe world free spices
Still playing Cafe World? If you are still cooking and maintaining your farm, you can now earn incentives in Cafe World just for playing FarmVille.
By completing some common tasks in FarmVille such as harvesting your crops, you can earn items in Cafe World like the Premium Spices or parts for your Spice Rack.
FarmVille Freak Craig Horikawa experienced the following notice in Cafe World.
farmville cafe world
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Still playing Cafe World? If you are still cooking and maintaining your farm, you can now earn incentives in Cafe World just for playing FarmVille.
By completing some common tasks in FarmVille such as harvesting your crops, you can earn items in Cafe World like the Premium Spices or parts for your Spice Rack.
FarmVille Freak Craig Horikawa experienced the following notice in Cafe World.
farmville cafe world
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Pet Society: The Power of Pink in Pet Society and Beyond
pet society pink
Pink used to be my favorite color when I was like, seven. It probably came from my mother's influence. She liked feminine, flirty things and dressed me up in all shades of pink-creamy pink, rosy pink, hot neon pink. The carpet in my childhood room was a cotton candy pink.
By the time I was in college, I had abandoned pink in favor of dark, moody colors. Every time I visited my mother, I couldn't stand going into my old room, let alone sleep in it. The carpet had taken on a grayish tone, and reminded me of a pig's intestines. I didn't wear pink for many, many years.
pet society pink
Now, I am finding myself slowly returning to pink. This past winter, I kept warm in a fuschia cap (see the About page). In the spring, I bought a fitted shirt from Banana Republic in a very light pink. It's the standard white business shirt, except it's not white. Banana calls the color "Blissful Lavendar." It's barely pink; it whispers pink.
I love this. It's become my go-to shirt for days when I have an important meeting and I need to impress. I want to buy six more of these and wear them every day... that's how much I love this shirt.
My Pet Society pet Sushi, however, still reflects my teenage rebellion stage. He looks best in blue or black. He is not built for pink. He hates pink and thinks these new items he dug out of the Enchanted Forest make him look like a third-rate drag queen trying to be Marie Antoinette. And he is so above that. He deserves better.
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Pink used to be my favorite color when I was like, seven. It probably came from my mother's influence. She liked feminine, flirty things and dressed me up in all shades of pink-creamy pink, rosy pink, hot neon pink. The carpet in my childhood room was a cotton candy pink.
By the time I was in college, I had abandoned pink in favor of dark, moody colors. Every time I visited my mother, I couldn't stand going into my old room, let alone sleep in it. The carpet had taken on a grayish tone, and reminded me of a pig's intestines. I didn't wear pink for many, many years.
pet society pink
Now, I am finding myself slowly returning to pink. This past winter, I kept warm in a fuschia cap (see the About page). In the spring, I bought a fitted shirt from Banana Republic in a very light pink. It's the standard white business shirt, except it's not white. Banana calls the color "Blissful Lavendar." It's barely pink; it whispers pink.
I love this. It's become my go-to shirt for days when I have an important meeting and I need to impress. I want to buy six more of these and wear them every day... that's how much I love this shirt.
My Pet Society pet Sushi, however, still reflects my teenage rebellion stage. He looks best in blue or black. He is not built for pink. He hates pink and thinks these new items he dug out of the Enchanted Forest make him look like a third-rate drag queen trying to be Marie Antoinette. And he is so above that. He deserves better.
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Michael Jackson remembered by Pet Society players
"Hey, look! It's Michael Jackson! No, wait, it's my Pet Society pet, Richard Jackson!" writes Anza. This is such a great picture and a nice way to commemorate Michael Jackson, who died a year ago today. I wish Playfish had released a sparkly white glove for this week!
If you're a fan of Michael, CNN.com has a great site about him. Netflix also released the movie, "This is It." It's available on Instant Play.
I admit, I wasn't a big fan of Michael when he was alive. His various scandals and weird facial transformations made it embarrassing to admit that you were a fan. But after he died, and radio stations played his music over and over, I found myself singing along. It made me realize how important his work had been.
When you had something to celebrate, Michael Jackson was most likely there. He was there with you during birthday parties, wedding receptions, and those nights at a club when you were trying to meet someone cute. Whether you realized it or not, he was there for so many moments of your life. And even if you didn't meet anyone cute at the club, you still had a pretty good time dancing to "Thriller."
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
If you're a fan of Michael, CNN.com has a great site about him. Netflix also released the movie, "This is It." It's available on Instant Play.
I admit, I wasn't a big fan of Michael when he was alive. His various scandals and weird facial transformations made it embarrassing to admit that you were a fan. But after he died, and radio stations played his music over and over, I found myself singing along. It made me realize how important his work had been.
When you had something to celebrate, Michael Jackson was most likely there. He was there with you during birthday parties, wedding receptions, and those nights at a club when you were trying to meet someone cute. Whether you realized it or not, he was there for so many moments of your life. And even if you didn't meet anyone cute at the club, you still had a pretty good time dancing to "Thriller."
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Pet Society Enchanted Forest
pet society enchanted forest
This gorgeous scene comes from Ivy, who says that she loves digging in Pet Society's Enchanted Forest. She's finished getting the Enchanted Fountain and a pair of pink wings. She reports that the fountain sparkles and that the wings can flap. We think the wings, white dress and dyed Anime wig make a stunning combo.
Below are some more Enchanted Forest items from my own digs: the Hot Air Balloon, Mushrooms (the ones on the right), and Pixie Forest floor. After I saw that most of these items were in shades of pink and purple, I made a special psychedelic room for everything that I owned in these colors.
pet society anonymous
The Romantic Pixie wig, Pixie dress, and Pixie shoes are also from the Enchanted Forest. I know that they look awful on Sushi, but sometimes I like to torture him with these ridiculous outfits. It's not easy being a model!
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
This gorgeous scene comes from Ivy, who says that she loves digging in Pet Society's Enchanted Forest. She's finished getting the Enchanted Fountain and a pair of pink wings. She reports that the fountain sparkles and that the wings can flap. We think the wings, white dress and dyed Anime wig make a stunning combo.
Below are some more Enchanted Forest items from my own digs: the Hot Air Balloon, Mushrooms (the ones on the right), and Pixie Forest floor. After I saw that most of these items were in shades of pink and purple, I made a special psychedelic room for everything that I owned in these colors.
pet society anonymous
The Romantic Pixie wig, Pixie dress, and Pixie shoes are also from the Enchanted Forest. I know that they look awful on Sushi, but sometimes I like to torture him with these ridiculous outfits. It's not easy being a model!
This article originally appeared on Pet Society Anonymous.
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille: Twelve new free skin colors added
YoVille avatar skin colors
The new skins we previously told you about are now here. YoVille players now have the chance to enjoy 12 skin colors for free. To change your skin, click on Edit Appearance icon and then choose the Skin category.
Keep reading for more pictures of our Spiralda modeling the 12 tones!
YoVille skin colors
YoVille heads of all 12 skin colors
Which is your favorite color?
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
The new skins we previously told you about are now here. YoVille players now have the chance to enjoy 12 skin colors for free. To change your skin, click on Edit Appearance icon and then choose the Skin category.
Keep reading for more pictures of our Spiralda modeling the 12 tones!
YoVille skin colors
YoVille heads of all 12 skin colors
Which is your favorite color?
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
FarmVille Unreleased Red Foal & Red Calf
FarmVille may have begun to release these unreleased FarmVille Red Foals and FarmVille Red Calves to the masses by being able to adopt them.
FarmVille Unreleased Red Foal and Red Calf
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
FarmVille Unreleased Red Foal and Red Calf
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
FarmVille 'Publish this story to your Facebook Wall' Glitch
FarmVille Publish Story your Facebook Wall Glitch
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Ron for bringing this newest glitch to our attention. It seems that several FarmVille Freaks have reported issues that when they try to "Publish this story to your FaceBook Wall and your friends' home pages?" it does not load properly preventing them from being able to click the publish button.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Ron for bringing this newest glitch to our attention. It seems that several FarmVille Freaks have reported issues that when they try to "Publish this story to your FaceBook Wall and your friends' home pages?" it does not load properly preventing them from being able to click the publish button.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Happy Pets: Toy Story micropets get a store sequel and a sales discount
Happy Pets Toy Story pets return to store
Happy Pets Space Ranger CatToy Story pets are back! Happy Pets have brought back the entire set that first debuted this June, which appeared a week right before Toy Store 3 came out in American theaters.
For those who missed it the first time, you've got a second chance. Not only that, but this time, they're cheaper! Let's look at the original prices compared to the new ones: Cowboy Cat and Space Ranger Cat were 90 Facebook Credits ($9 USD), now they're 70 FB Credits ($7 USD). Alien Guinea Pig dropped from 90 FB Credits to 64 FB Credits ($6.40 USD). Cowboy Horse went from 80 to 62 ($6.20 USD). Spring Dog dropped from 80 to 50. And Bacon Pig fell from 70 to 50.
Right now, it seems everyone's in love with Bacon Pig since that's selling the strongest. As a reminder, the special thing about these pets is that they're smaller than normal. This means that they're roughly the same size as the Microcat, and if you breed them, the offspring might inherit the 'micro' gene. You can check out the bottom of the Catzilla blog post for a size comparison.
Happy Pets Space Ranger CatToy Story pets are back! Happy Pets have brought back the entire set that first debuted this June, which appeared a week right before Toy Store 3 came out in American theaters.
For those who missed it the first time, you've got a second chance. Not only that, but this time, they're cheaper! Let's look at the original prices compared to the new ones: Cowboy Cat and Space Ranger Cat were 90 Facebook Credits ($9 USD), now they're 70 FB Credits ($7 USD). Alien Guinea Pig dropped from 90 FB Credits to 64 FB Credits ($6.40 USD). Cowboy Horse went from 80 to 62 ($6.20 USD). Spring Dog dropped from 80 to 50. And Bacon Pig fell from 70 to 50.
Right now, it seems everyone's in love with Bacon Pig since that's selling the strongest. As a reminder, the special thing about these pets is that they're smaller than normal. This means that they're roughly the same size as the Microcat, and if you breed them, the offspring might inherit the 'micro' gene. You can check out the bottom of the Catzilla blog post for a size comparison.
Social City Drive-in theater -- you asked for it, you got it
social city drive-in theater
Social City recently held a contest on what type of leisure building you'd like to have most, and the winner -- a Drive-in theater -- has now made its way into the game. This theater will add 62,000 happiness points to the game, and 795 experience points, but it'll cost you big to get all of those big bonuses. The limited edition building costs 59 City Bucks, which is just over $10 in real-life cash.
drive in theater
Do you think the new Drive-In Theater is worth the City Bucks?
Social City recently held a contest on what type of leisure building you'd like to have most, and the winner -- a Drive-in theater -- has now made its way into the game. This theater will add 62,000 happiness points to the game, and 795 experience points, but it'll cost you big to get all of those big bonuses. The limited edition building costs 59 City Bucks, which is just over $10 in real-life cash.
drive in theater
Do you think the new Drive-In Theater is worth the City Bucks?
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Quote of the Moment: Zynga Envy
"I think that Zynga is a fundamentally different type of company than we are. And I don't mean that in a bad way. But they are about marketing and selling and distributing. We are about making games. There are few notable great companies that got created in the last few years -- these kind of overnight sensations.
"There's always professional jealousy of 'Wow, how did they do that?' But we were never trying to burn bright, burn big. That's a Silicon Valley way of life. And its a venture capital-based way of life that creates a certain kind of company. They want their companies to fail fast or to succeed fast. That's the business model.
When you are in the Valley, you sort of get in the middle of all of that talk. Having lived down there for a while, you remember what that sort of frenzy is like. Everyone is chasing whatever the hottest, latest thing is. And people just fry themselves on it overnight, and if they don't succeed they move on to the next hottest thing. So, the bright, shiny object problem is not something that we've been in the midst of -- partly because of our geography -- but also just because of the way we are. We are more about, let's build a good business....
"I think you create a different kind of value, and it is a little slower to get there. But we are pretty happy. We have never had to compromise anything about what we believe in for great products. And Zynga actually is blazing some great trails for us. With hundreds of millions of people -- who now because of FarmVille -- say 'Hey, I can play games again.' ...
"So, yeah, there's always a little bit of jealousy that a company can be worth billions of dollars in two years. But, it ain't over til it's over. And I think we are going to continue to build some awesome value here, and people love the games. And we are going to keep making great games."
-Popcap CEO Dave Roberts talks to TechFlash about why he's not exactly jealous of Zynga's success in social gaming
Source
"There's always professional jealousy of 'Wow, how did they do that?' But we were never trying to burn bright, burn big. That's a Silicon Valley way of life. And its a venture capital-based way of life that creates a certain kind of company. They want their companies to fail fast or to succeed fast. That's the business model.
When you are in the Valley, you sort of get in the middle of all of that talk. Having lived down there for a while, you remember what that sort of frenzy is like. Everyone is chasing whatever the hottest, latest thing is. And people just fry themselves on it overnight, and if they don't succeed they move on to the next hottest thing. So, the bright, shiny object problem is not something that we've been in the midst of -- partly because of our geography -- but also just because of the way we are. We are more about, let's build a good business....
"I think you create a different kind of value, and it is a little slower to get there. But we are pretty happy. We have never had to compromise anything about what we believe in for great products. And Zynga actually is blazing some great trails for us. With hundreds of millions of people -- who now because of FarmVille -- say 'Hey, I can play games again.' ...
"So, yeah, there's always a little bit of jealousy that a company can be worth billions of dollars in two years. But, it ain't over til it's over. And I think we are going to continue to build some awesome value here, and people love the games. And we are going to keep making great games."
-Popcap CEO Dave Roberts talks to TechFlash about why he's not exactly jealous of Zynga's success in social gaming
Source
FarmVille Unreleased Mini Appaloosa Horse, Mini Appaloosa Foal, Horny Toad, & Guineapig
farmville mini appaloosa horse farmville mini appaloosa foal farmville horny toad
Beware of the cuteness above! There is a new FarmVIlle Mini Foal coming to a farm near you as well as some adorable still unreleased animals that seem to be good candidates for the Wild West limited edition theme.
Note, unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market and are subject to change without notice.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased Mini Appaloosa Horse, Mini Appaloosa Foal, Horny Toad, & Guineapig Animals!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Beware of the cuteness above! There is a new FarmVIlle Mini Foal coming to a farm near you as well as some adorable still unreleased animals that seem to be good candidates for the Wild West limited edition theme.
Note, unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market and are subject to change without notice.
Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased Mini Appaloosa Horse, Mini Appaloosa Foal, Horny Toad, & Guineapig Animals!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Cheats & Tips: FarmVille Toy Collection Quick Links
Hello Farmfolks, It's Mr. Cheats here with the down-low on the things you shouldn't know. Today's links are for the new FarmVille Toy Collection released this morning. Completing the collection will earn you a valuable (and cute) prize and all you need is a little help from your friends. Use the quick FarmVille Toy Collection links below to send out the various collectible gifts. To complete your own FarmVille Toy Collection, you will need the following:
farmville toy collection quick links farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links
farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links
Click on the images to send them out to your friends.
Have any tips on how to complete this FarmVille Toy Collection?
farmville toy collection quick links farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links
farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links farmville toy collection links
Click on the images to send them out to your friends.
Have any tips on how to complete this FarmVille Toy Collection?
FrontierVille's 'Back To School' Missions keep you learnin' until Friday
FarmVille Back to School missions extended
The incredibly popular "Back to School" missions in FrontierVille will be around for another three days as the "Back to School Party." This means you have another three days to purchase these limited edition missions and get the special dunce cap accessory.
Considering each mission requirement involves quite a bit a work, this might be a blessing for those who were too busy partying this weekend to get in on any of the action on their homestead. You can find the "Back To School" and "School's Open" mission packs in the Market under the "Special" tab. Take a look after the break for a list of what you'll find in the new Labor Day Collection including five new Schoolhouse lessons. While visiting your friends' homesteads you might find some of these limited edition items as part of the Labor Day Extravaganza. Take a look at each rare item and how to find them:
FrontierVille Back to School Wagon
Book Strap: Harvesting Clovers anywhere
School Bell: Tending to a neighbor's potatoes
Paddle: Tending to a neighbor's tomatoes
Wormy Apple: Harvesting Apple Trees (part of the "Back to School" missions)
Globe: Tending to a neighbor's corn
School Wagon: Trade in the above items
Here's a look at the new lessons you'll find in the Schoolhouse as part of the extended Labor Day Extravaganza, some of which are only available during this extended event:
Canning (Limited Edition)
Early to Bed (Limited Edition)
Health Education (Limited Edition)
Hunting
Writing
The incredibly popular "Back to School" missions in FrontierVille will be around for another three days as the "Back to School Party." This means you have another three days to purchase these limited edition missions and get the special dunce cap accessory.
Considering each mission requirement involves quite a bit a work, this might be a blessing for those who were too busy partying this weekend to get in on any of the action on their homestead. You can find the "Back To School" and "School's Open" mission packs in the Market under the "Special" tab. Take a look after the break for a list of what you'll find in the new Labor Day Collection including five new Schoolhouse lessons. While visiting your friends' homesteads you might find some of these limited edition items as part of the Labor Day Extravaganza. Take a look at each rare item and how to find them:
FrontierVille Back to School Wagon
Book Strap: Harvesting Clovers anywhere
School Bell: Tending to a neighbor's potatoes
Paddle: Tending to a neighbor's tomatoes
Wormy Apple: Harvesting Apple Trees (part of the "Back to School" missions)
Globe: Tending to a neighbor's corn
School Wagon: Trade in the above items
Here's a look at the new lessons you'll find in the Schoolhouse as part of the extended Labor Day Extravaganza, some of which are only available during this extended event:
Canning (Limited Edition)
Early to Bed (Limited Edition)
Health Education (Limited Edition)
Hunting
Writing
FarmVille Unreleased Wild West Theme: Train Engine, Passenger Car, Caboose, Train Station & more
farmville caboose farmville passenger car farmville train engine
farmville wild west train stationAre trains coming to FarmVille? We all saw a Train featured on a Wild West loading screen teaser, but now there are actual passenger carts, a Train Station and even a Caboose. Last week we came across train tracks in our search for unreleased items. So it looks like we can expect a full fledged train feature coming soon.
Remember, that these are unreleased items and they have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Thank you to FarmVille player Teresa for finding these unreleased FarmVille Wild West Themed items!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
farmville wild west train stationAre trains coming to FarmVille? We all saw a Train featured on a Wild West loading screen teaser, but now there are actual passenger carts, a Train Station and even a Caboose. Last week we came across train tracks in our search for unreleased items. So it looks like we can expect a full fledged train feature coming soon.
Remember, that these are unreleased items and they have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market. Thank you to FarmVille player Teresa for finding these unreleased FarmVille Wild West Themed items!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
Treasure Isle Backpack Expansion: More space for more shinies
Treasure Isle Backpack Expansion
With the amount of junk treasure players collect in Treasure Isle, inventory management was becoming a game in itself within Zynga's relic recovery Facebook game, so the developer has finally expanded backpack space up to 100 more slots. By either paying up in Island Cash or adding more friends, you can travel even longer without having to return home to stow away your discoveries.
Just go to the Store and within the "Tools" tab you'll find the new Backpack section. There you'll be greeted by potential increases in backpack storage to the order of:
5 extra slots for 5 Treasure Isle Cash
25 extra slots for 20 Treasure Isle Cash
100 extra slots for 50 Treasure Isle Cash
1 new Neighbor for 5 extra slots
3 new Neighbors for 25 extra slots
5 new Neighbors for 100 extra slots
Obviously, this is a welcome change for Treasure Isle newbies and veterans alike. And when just five new Neighbors can get you another 100 spaces worth of room for your reclaimed artifacts, who would pay up for this? Unless you're just antisocial, which wouldn't make much sense considering you're playing a social game. Get out there and mingle, will ya?
With the amount of junk treasure players collect in Treasure Isle, inventory management was becoming a game in itself within Zynga's relic recovery Facebook game, so the developer has finally expanded backpack space up to 100 more slots. By either paying up in Island Cash or adding more friends, you can travel even longer without having to return home to stow away your discoveries.
Just go to the Store and within the "Tools" tab you'll find the new Backpack section. There you'll be greeted by potential increases in backpack storage to the order of:
5 extra slots for 5 Treasure Isle Cash
25 extra slots for 20 Treasure Isle Cash
100 extra slots for 50 Treasure Isle Cash
1 new Neighbor for 5 extra slots
3 new Neighbors for 25 extra slots
5 new Neighbors for 100 extra slots
Obviously, this is a welcome change for Treasure Isle newbies and veterans alike. And when just five new Neighbors can get you another 100 spaces worth of room for your reclaimed artifacts, who would pay up for this? Unless you're just antisocial, which wouldn't make much sense considering you're playing a social game. Get out there and mingle, will ya?
Social City: Free Honda dealership when you watch a Honda Odyssey commercial
Social City 2011 Honda Odyssey
For a limited time, you can get a free Honda car dealership for your virtual city in Playdom's Social City by watching a 2011 Honda Odyssey commercial, and I must say, the commercial itself is pretty kickass. It's got loud music, pyrotechnics, and at some point, they even lightning flash a black panther at you.
As for the virtual dealership's stats, it's a Leisure-type that offers no XP, but will give your town +10,000 Happiness Points.
To take advantage of this offer, open up your game and view "Page A" of your in-game gazette. If the gazette doesn't appear immediately, then click on the "News" icon in the control bar. The advertisement should be on the gazette's front page.
For a limited time, you can get a free Honda car dealership for your virtual city in Playdom's Social City by watching a 2011 Honda Odyssey commercial, and I must say, the commercial itself is pretty kickass. It's got loud music, pyrotechnics, and at some point, they even lightning flash a black panther at you.
As for the virtual dealership's stats, it's a Leisure-type that offers no XP, but will give your town +10,000 Happiness Points.
To take advantage of this offer, open up your game and view "Page A" of your in-game gazette. If the gazette doesn't appear immediately, then click on the "News" icon in the control bar. The advertisement should be on the gazette's front page.
Is Apple's Game Center killing your social/mobile game experience?
Apple's Game Center service launched quietly in August, a change of pace from the usual excitement surrounding an Apple product launch. The social gaming service, designed to be a kind of Xbox Live for iOS games, clearly has limitations in its current form. While giving players a single identity across multiple games, it only supports a handful of games, cannot be loaded onto older iPhones, and doesn't yet work with games on the iPad. In short, its not yet the consolidating force it might someday be.
Even though Apple's social gaming service has yet be fully realized, you can already see the fallout happening in the rest of the mobile/social gaming industry, specifically with existing social gaming services for iPhone, such as Open Feint and Plus+. At GDC Online Austin, Aurora Feint CEO Eros Resmini says they've been making moves both to migrate to Android and other mobile platforms, as well as hedging their bets by looking for ways to make their software compatible with Game Center for iOS devices.
"If you're not thinking about other platforms today, you will be behind... I see lots and lots of iOS developers competing for the same space in the app store, and it's difficult. Android, Palm and Windows -- these other platforms are green fields."
So how is Game Center causing fear in mobile game makers? Apple's attempt to monopolize the social gaming space on the very popular iOS platform is forcing them to step away from the relatively safe confines of the Apple App Store to look toward pastures that are potentially greener, but also smaller and riskier. At the same time, current iPhone gamers that use Game Center are stuck with a lackluster social gaming service that may keep them from spending more time downloading and playing games. Or even worse, to play Open Feint or Plus+ games, consumers are forced to create multiple accounts on multiple social gaming networks and confusion ensues.
Apple should be driving a social gaming platform for the iPhone, iPod and iPad, but it needs to step up its game to make it more accessible to the mobile gaming masses, as well as find a way to work with the myriad of splinter social gaming services.
Even though Apple's social gaming service has yet be fully realized, you can already see the fallout happening in the rest of the mobile/social gaming industry, specifically with existing social gaming services for iPhone, such as Open Feint and Plus+. At GDC Online Austin, Aurora Feint CEO Eros Resmini says they've been making moves both to migrate to Android and other mobile platforms, as well as hedging their bets by looking for ways to make their software compatible with Game Center for iOS devices.
"If you're not thinking about other platforms today, you will be behind... I see lots and lots of iOS developers competing for the same space in the app store, and it's difficult. Android, Palm and Windows -- these other platforms are green fields."
So how is Game Center causing fear in mobile game makers? Apple's attempt to monopolize the social gaming space on the very popular iOS platform is forcing them to step away from the relatively safe confines of the Apple App Store to look toward pastures that are potentially greener, but also smaller and riskier. At the same time, current iPhone gamers that use Game Center are stuck with a lackluster social gaming service that may keep them from spending more time downloading and playing games. Or even worse, to play Open Feint or Plus+ games, consumers are forced to create multiple accounts on multiple social gaming networks and confusion ensues.
Apple should be driving a social gaming platform for the iPhone, iPod and iPad, but it needs to step up its game to make it more accessible to the mobile gaming masses, as well as find a way to work with the myriad of splinter social gaming services.
Treasure Isle Hot Spring heats up Home Island with an Energy bonus
Log into Treasure Isle today and you'll find more than just increased backpack space. You'll be greeted by a pop-up asking whether you'd like to begin building your Hot Spring relic. Should you accept this simple task (trust us), just place it on any open space in your Home Island and click on the hole in the ground to start building. And if games by Zynga have taught us anything, the word "build" is synonymous with berating your friends for seemingly random items that when brought together will magically create a cool item. This time around you'll be asking for a total of ten of each of these items in its four phases:
Rock
Aqua Vitae
Fire
Glue
Marble
Each phase after the first will require one more of each item with the final phase calling for four of each material, resulting in the final cost of 10 per item. Well, that's the first Hot Spring I've ever seen held together by a couple of pebbles, some magical water and glue. Anyway, finish each of the relics' four phases to finish your Hot Spring and be rewarded +3 maximum Energy points permanently. You can also buy these items for Island Cash, but isn't this just too easy?
Rock
Aqua Vitae
Fire
Glue
Marble
Each phase after the first will require one more of each item with the final phase calling for four of each material, resulting in the final cost of 10 per item. Well, that's the first Hot Spring I've ever seen held together by a couple of pebbles, some magical water and glue. Anyway, finish each of the relics' four phases to finish your Hot Spring and be rewarded +3 maximum Energy points permanently. You can also buy these items for Island Cash, but isn't this just too easy?
Is Playfish's latest 'player research session' a play-phishing scam?
Playfish Amazon voucher interview offer
It might be too good to be true, but today, it seems that Playfish, the maker of popular games such as Restaurant City, Pet Society, and Hotel City -- sent out an announcement to players that says it's offering $80 USD per person, in the form of an Amazon Gift voucher, to participate in a "player research session!"
All it wants from you is to make an appointment to talk to them over the phone, for one hour, while you play their games on Facebook. In exchange, they want your name, age, phone number, and time preferences. That sounds like phishing doesn't it? To top it off, they already have your email, and if you respond, you're confirming that it's yours. So normally, an offer like this reeks of scammy spam, and if you're smart, you'll delete it and move on. But this one looks too perfect to be fake; it even includes links to Electronic Arts' (which bought Playfish last November) Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Electronic Arts and Playfish: Play Games, Give Feedback
Players who got this notice are folks who signed up for an email subscription to the official Playfish newsletter, and this offer isn't limited to the United States either. A different version of the letter was posted in the forums by a concerned player, and that one is offering to pay with an £80 Amazon Gift voucher. £80 converts to $127 USD, which is way more than the offer I got. The discrepancy is enough to make me suspicious, but I did sign up for it. If anyone has any of these emails, I encourage you to share them. Other than that, we must wait for Playfish to confirm if these emails are genuine.
The person who posted her letter to the forum has caught the attention of a moderator, so I recommend checking in on this thread.
UPDATE (7 PM): A Playfish rep confirms that this offer is not spam and is, indeed, legit.
"This is a legitimate offer that we sent to a random selection of players from throughout the Playfish community. Since Playfish was founded in 2007, we've continually sought feedback and advice from our worldwide player community to help make our games as fun and compelling as they can be.
This particular survey is seeking similar player input but since it requires more time of players we felt it was appropriate to reward them for their assistance."
So, if you get an email with this offer, you can feel free to take this survey and in return, you will be compensated with an $80 Amazon credit.
It might be too good to be true, but today, it seems that Playfish, the maker of popular games such as Restaurant City, Pet Society, and Hotel City -- sent out an announcement to players that says it's offering $80 USD per person, in the form of an Amazon Gift voucher, to participate in a "player research session!"
All it wants from you is to make an appointment to talk to them over the phone, for one hour, while you play their games on Facebook. In exchange, they want your name, age, phone number, and time preferences. That sounds like phishing doesn't it? To top it off, they already have your email, and if you respond, you're confirming that it's yours. So normally, an offer like this reeks of scammy spam, and if you're smart, you'll delete it and move on. But this one looks too perfect to be fake; it even includes links to Electronic Arts' (which bought Playfish last November) Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Electronic Arts and Playfish: Play Games, Give Feedback
Players who got this notice are folks who signed up for an email subscription to the official Playfish newsletter, and this offer isn't limited to the United States either. A different version of the letter was posted in the forums by a concerned player, and that one is offering to pay with an £80 Amazon Gift voucher. £80 converts to $127 USD, which is way more than the offer I got. The discrepancy is enough to make me suspicious, but I did sign up for it. If anyone has any of these emails, I encourage you to share them. Other than that, we must wait for Playfish to confirm if these emails are genuine.
The person who posted her letter to the forum has caught the attention of a moderator, so I recommend checking in on this thread.
UPDATE (7 PM): A Playfish rep confirms that this offer is not spam and is, indeed, legit.
"This is a legitimate offer that we sent to a random selection of players from throughout the Playfish community. Since Playfish was founded in 2007, we've continually sought feedback and advice from our worldwide player community to help make our games as fun and compelling as they can be.
This particular survey is seeking similar player input but since it requires more time of players we felt it was appropriate to reward them for their assistance."
So, if you get an email with this offer, you can feel free to take this survey and in return, you will be compensated with an $80 Amazon credit.
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille: Halloween half-off discount sale ends tomorrow
FarmVille Halloween 50% discount sale
All of FarmVille's twenty-six Halloween costumes and thirty-eight decorations are expiring from the market in two days, and were being sold at 50% off since the holiday began. Players who bought these special Limited Edition items before the sale started are, understandably, a bit pissed off about this, but there's also players who are glad there's a sale, considering that "FarmVille normally isn't too lean with Farm Cash giveaways or cut-downs."
Since a lot of folks spent the holiday weekend away from their computers, Zynga's decision to keep the items in the stores for two more days after Halloween, and at a 50% discount, is a pretty good move on their part. Players will have until tomorrow night to take advantage of this offer.
The FarmVille Mystery Game, which was updated with Gothic items last week, is also set to leave the store after this sale is over. However, two of the new Halloween crops, Black Roses and Candy Corn, remain available with no expiration time attached. The Candy Corn is still selling for 20 Coins, while the Black Roses remain at 2 Farm Cash for a pack of 20 seeds.
All of FarmVille's twenty-six Halloween costumes and thirty-eight decorations are expiring from the market in two days, and were being sold at 50% off since the holiday began. Players who bought these special Limited Edition items before the sale started are, understandably, a bit pissed off about this, but there's also players who are glad there's a sale, considering that "FarmVille normally isn't too lean with Farm Cash giveaways or cut-downs."
Since a lot of folks spent the holiday weekend away from their computers, Zynga's decision to keep the items in the stores for two more days after Halloween, and at a 50% discount, is a pretty good move on their part. Players will have until tomorrow night to take advantage of this offer.
The FarmVille Mystery Game, which was updated with Gothic items last week, is also set to leave the store after this sale is over. However, two of the new Halloween crops, Black Roses and Candy Corn, remain available with no expiration time attached. The Candy Corn is still selling for 20 Coins, while the Black Roses remain at 2 Farm Cash for a pack of 20 seeds.
FrontierVille's It's Canning Time Goal puts you on the stopwatch... Go!
For the real hardcore pioneers out there, Zynga has added a timed Goal to FrontierVille titled "It's Canning Time." Players only have two days to complete this Goal, which you could think of a Cafe World Catering Order... except without the friends, cooking or fancy chef hats. Alright, it was a bit of a stretch, but either way you'll only have 48 hours to complete the three requirements and the Goal will expire for everyone on Nov. 8.
SundialHarvesting the 100 Tomato plants is fairly simple considering they ripen in just 15 minutes, but the 20 Cherry Trees will take some finesse as they take four eight-minute stages before they're ready for harvest. Not to mention that they can only be harvested every eight minutes after the fact. All the while, you'll need to ask your friends for 10 Canning Jars. In other words, this will not be an easy feat for the average pioneer, so--I can't believe I'm saying this--casual players need not apply.
For tackling and accomplishing this daunting task, you will be rewarded one Sundial decoration. "Wait, you mean to say 'no XP'?" Yes, my fellow trailblazers, only a mere sundial awaits you for all of your hard work. But it is a limited edition item that we probably won't see again--so let that comfort you after slaving over multitudes of tomatoes and cherries.
SundialHarvesting the 100 Tomato plants is fairly simple considering they ripen in just 15 minutes, but the 20 Cherry Trees will take some finesse as they take four eight-minute stages before they're ready for harvest. Not to mention that they can only be harvested every eight minutes after the fact. All the while, you'll need to ask your friends for 10 Canning Jars. In other words, this will not be an easy feat for the average pioneer, so--I can't believe I'm saying this--casual players need not apply.
For tackling and accomplishing this daunting task, you will be rewarded one Sundial decoration. "Wait, you mean to say 'no XP'?" Yes, my fellow trailblazers, only a mere sundial awaits you for all of your hard work. But it is a limited edition item that we probably won't see again--so let that comfort you after slaving over multitudes of tomatoes and cherries.
Zynga boosts FrontierVille performance for crazy fast load times
FrontierVille Boosts
Goals, rewards and items are always fun, but this is the update everyone has been waiting for. FrontierVille Info reports that that FrontierVille has been launched into hyper speed thanks to a supposed performance update by Zynga. We've tried it out ourselves and holy harvest is the game fast. The game loads for us in under 30 seconds while visits to other homesteads are nearly instantaneous.
While Zynga has been promising improvements for the past few days after the recent horrors players experienced during the Halloween festivities, these lightning-fast load times have yet to be officially announced. That being said, the game is considerably faster for at least a few lucky pioneers. Hopefully this trend continues across all of Zynga's games into the future. Without an official confirmation, it can't be said whether improvements were made considering almost everyone has a different computer configuration in their home.
Goals, rewards and items are always fun, but this is the update everyone has been waiting for. FrontierVille Info reports that that FrontierVille has been launched into hyper speed thanks to a supposed performance update by Zynga. We've tried it out ourselves and holy harvest is the game fast. The game loads for us in under 30 seconds while visits to other homesteads are nearly instantaneous.
While Zynga has been promising improvements for the past few days after the recent horrors players experienced during the Halloween festivities, these lightning-fast load times have yet to be officially announced. That being said, the game is considerably faster for at least a few lucky pioneers. Hopefully this trend continues across all of Zynga's games into the future. Without an official confirmation, it can't be said whether improvements were made considering almost everyone has a different computer configuration in their home.
Restaurant City brings back the bats with Bleu Vampire Steak
Halloween may be over in the real world, but in Restaurant City, folks are still zapping ghouls (today's Gold Prize is the "Fettucini Mummy (special version)" which sells for 2,666 Coins), the Halloween Mystery Box remains on sale, and there's still six days to master the special Limited Edition Halloween recipes from Playfish's official Boo-licious Cook-Off contest.
But the most special Halloween recipe is the Bleu Vampire Steak, which turns your customers into bats after they've eaten. This recipe has been extended for one more week. Mastering it requires 10 Tomatoes, 10 Potatoes, and 20 Steaks. Playfish is giving away one free tomato on the game's official Facebook fanpage to help players along.
This recipe will certainly help some of you keep up your Dracula or Batman (or even vampire Batman) themes for the rest of the year. Oh, and while you're grabbing that free tomato, here's a link to free 2,000 Coins for the hell of it. (But don't thank me, it's from Playfish. I'm just passin' it on.)
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
But the most special Halloween recipe is the Bleu Vampire Steak, which turns your customers into bats after they've eaten. This recipe has been extended for one more week. Mastering it requires 10 Tomatoes, 10 Potatoes, and 20 Steaks. Playfish is giving away one free tomato on the game's official Facebook fanpage to help players along.
This recipe will certainly help some of you keep up your Dracula or Batman (or even vampire Batman) themes for the rest of the year. Oh, and while you're grabbing that free tomato, here's a link to free 2,000 Coins for the hell of it. (But don't thank me, it's from Playfish. I'm just passin' it on.)
Check out the rest of our Halloween 2010 coverage right here.
Facebook shutters LOLapps games from requests, Ravenwood Fair lives on
Critter Island Request Fail
Since the recent LOLapps debacle on Facebook after the Wall Street Journal's investigative report, the company seemed to be in good shape, but today it was discovered by Inside Social Games that something has changed for the worse about LOLapps' games. As it turns out, every one of the developer's games aside from Ravenwood Fair is no longer able to process Facebook Requests of any kind.
Because LOLapps appears to be one of the few app developers that Facebook has suspended from viral channels for the next sixth months, according to Inside Social Games, players of games like Critter Island will not be able to send each other gifts or request new friends for quite some time. However, Ravenwood Fair, LOLapps' brand new game co-developed by Doom-creator John Romero, is still up and running on all cylinders. This is most likely because the game released after the whole sordid affair, not to mention it's already the company's fourth most popular game in less than a month with over 1.7 million players monthly, according to AppData.
It seems that Facebook is less interested in killing off LOLapps than in teaching the studio a lesson in fair business. Unfortunately for fans of LOLapps legacy games, their experience will be severely hindered considering sharing is a vital feature to almost all social games. Worse even is the developer's ability to grow these games virally through friend requests and Discovery Stories, which will be all but nonexistent for a long time. In other words, expect to find quite a lot of friends in Ravenwood Fair in the near future (i.e. now).
Since the recent LOLapps debacle on Facebook after the Wall Street Journal's investigative report, the company seemed to be in good shape, but today it was discovered by Inside Social Games that something has changed for the worse about LOLapps' games. As it turns out, every one of the developer's games aside from Ravenwood Fair is no longer able to process Facebook Requests of any kind.
Because LOLapps appears to be one of the few app developers that Facebook has suspended from viral channels for the next sixth months, according to Inside Social Games, players of games like Critter Island will not be able to send each other gifts or request new friends for quite some time. However, Ravenwood Fair, LOLapps' brand new game co-developed by Doom-creator John Romero, is still up and running on all cylinders. This is most likely because the game released after the whole sordid affair, not to mention it's already the company's fourth most popular game in less than a month with over 1.7 million players monthly, according to AppData.
It seems that Facebook is less interested in killing off LOLapps than in teaching the studio a lesson in fair business. Unfortunately for fans of LOLapps legacy games, their experience will be severely hindered considering sharing is a vital feature to almost all social games. Worse even is the developer's ability to grow these games virally through friend requests and Discovery Stories, which will be all but nonexistent for a long time. In other words, expect to find quite a lot of friends in Ravenwood Fair in the near future (i.e. now).
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Cafe World Thanksgiving Mystery Crate holds animated items inside
Thanksgiving Mystery Crate
While Zynga has already released its round of Thanksgiving items in Cafe World, the team has released a convenient albeit risky way of getting some of the best in this year's collection. For a limited time, players can get their hands on one of five animated Thanksgiving items through the Thanksgiving Mystery Crate.
For 10 Cafe Cash, or about $2, players will have a chance at items like the Happy Scarecrow, which normally costs 13 Cafe Cash (about $2.50),and Thanksgiving Dinner, a 15 Cafe Cash item (around $3). While Zynga didn't ruin the whole surprise, we can imagine the other three animated items inside will also go for Cafe Cash. So, that leaves the Crazy Turkey, Pile of Leaves and Squirrel Autumn Tree as possible items that are hidden inside, which normally cost 14 and 15 Cafe Cash, respectively. Not too shabby for an item that only costs $2. Not to mention that you're bound to get an interesting item. So, if you're feeling lucky, take a stab at one of these five animated Thanksgiving items. Preferably the turkey, because they're delicious.
While Zynga has already released its round of Thanksgiving items in Cafe World, the team has released a convenient albeit risky way of getting some of the best in this year's collection. For a limited time, players can get their hands on one of five animated Thanksgiving items through the Thanksgiving Mystery Crate.
For 10 Cafe Cash, or about $2, players will have a chance at items like the Happy Scarecrow, which normally costs 13 Cafe Cash (about $2.50),and Thanksgiving Dinner, a 15 Cafe Cash item (around $3). While Zynga didn't ruin the whole surprise, we can imagine the other three animated items inside will also go for Cafe Cash. So, that leaves the Crazy Turkey, Pile of Leaves and Squirrel Autumn Tree as possible items that are hidden inside, which normally cost 14 and 15 Cafe Cash, respectively. Not too shabby for an item that only costs $2. Not to mention that you're bound to get an interesting item. So, if you're feeling lucky, take a stab at one of these five animated Thanksgiving items. Preferably the turkey, because they're delicious.
FrontierVille: Serve your neighbors a feast for free Thanksgiving dishes
As most of us have come to learn by now, the final level of the Thanksgiving Feast missions in FrontierVille asks us to collect a whopping 40 of each food item associated with the event, those being Cranberry Sauce, Roast Turkeys, Sweet Potatoes, and Delicious Pies.
And while we all might be used to posting item requests on our walls and receiving help from friends, did you also know that you can gather some of your own ingredients, just by visiting friends? It's true, as we've come to learn that by simply visiting neighbors, and using one of your five daily actions to "Serve the Feast" at a neighbor's Thanksgiving table, you have a chance to earn one of the four main food items for yourself.
To be clear, this isn't a guaranteed opportunity, as you can also walk away with a small bundle of food, a single reputation point and an experience point. While you may not be guaranteed to receive a food item, if you're already visiting your friends as part of your daily routine or to complete an entirely separate quest, why not take a few seconds to see if you can spawn a free Thanksgiving dish while you're there? Even if just four or five friends' tables give you food items, that's four or five less items you have to wait for your friends to send.
And while we all might be used to posting item requests on our walls and receiving help from friends, did you also know that you can gather some of your own ingredients, just by visiting friends? It's true, as we've come to learn that by simply visiting neighbors, and using one of your five daily actions to "Serve the Feast" at a neighbor's Thanksgiving table, you have a chance to earn one of the four main food items for yourself.
To be clear, this isn't a guaranteed opportunity, as you can also walk away with a small bundle of food, a single reputation point and an experience point. While you may not be guaranteed to receive a food item, if you're already visiting your friends as part of your daily routine or to complete an entirely separate quest, why not take a few seconds to see if you can spawn a free Thanksgiving dish while you're there? Even if just four or five friends' tables give you food items, that's four or five less items you have to wait for your friends to send.
FarmVille Baby Dragon now available in store
In a quiet update, Zynga has added yet another item to the Agricultural Alchemy theme in FarmVille, and this is an item we've known was coming for some time.
The item is the Baby Dragon, which we looked at alongside the Griffin (and other animals) on the 16th of this month. Now, the Baby Dragon is available to purchase from the game's store for 20 Farm Cash (or you can gift one to a friend if you feel so inclined). The Baby Dragon can be harvested from every two days.
As this item was released separately from the other Agricultural Alchemy items, its time limit in the store is also different from the rest of the theme. The original release of AA items will only be available for the next 8 days, but you can pick up this Baby Dragon for the next 18 days.
It's not very often that Zynga releases a new item outside of the regular update window (that being Tuesdays and Thursdays), and we'll be sure to let you know if and when they do it again.
The item is the Baby Dragon, which we looked at alongside the Griffin (and other animals) on the 16th of this month. Now, the Baby Dragon is available to purchase from the game's store for 20 Farm Cash (or you can gift one to a friend if you feel so inclined). The Baby Dragon can be harvested from every two days.
As this item was released separately from the other Agricultural Alchemy items, its time limit in the store is also different from the rest of the theme. The original release of AA items will only be available for the next 8 days, but you can pick up this Baby Dragon for the next 18 days.
It's not very often that Zynga releases a new item outside of the regular update window (that being Tuesdays and Thursdays), and we'll be sure to let you know if and when they do it again.
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Windows Phone promotion
Just as Zynga is cross-promoting Windows Phones in Mafia Wars, so too has the company launched an activity in FarmVille that will allow users the chance to earn 2 free Farm Cash just for participating.
If you were with us for the Mafia Wars promotion, you'll know how this works. You'll simply click on the "Sponsored Link" button (as seen at right) which resides below the FarmVille gameplay area to launch the activity in a new window. From there, you'll need to vote for your favorite from a selection of videos, at which point you'll see that you've earned you free Farm Cash thanks to a note in the top right corner of the activity window.
Simply close this window, refresh FarmVille, and voila! You will see your Farm Cash total raised by two, and for only a few minutes of your time.
If you were with us for the Mafia Wars promotion, you'll know how this works. You'll simply click on the "Sponsored Link" button (as seen at right) which resides below the FarmVille gameplay area to launch the activity in a new window. From there, you'll need to vote for your favorite from a selection of videos, at which point you'll see that you've earned you free Farm Cash thanks to a note in the top right corner of the activity window.
Simply close this window, refresh FarmVille, and voila! You will see your Farm Cash total raised by two, and for only a few minutes of your time.
Send Thanksgiving Flowers, earn 100 free Cafe World Cafe Cash
While we all know how much family means at a time like Thanksgiving, what if you couldn't make it home to celebrate the holiday with your loved ones? You'd still want to show them that you were thinking of them, right? Zynga is hoping that "flowers" would be the way you'd show you care, as they are offering a new cross-promotion in Cafe World, offering players 100 free Cafe Cash just for sending Thanksgiving Flowers from ProFlowers.
You'll find this offer below the Cafe World gameplay area, as seen at right. Clicking on it opens up a new window, where you'll earn that you can save up to 50% by ordering from ProFlowers via this offer. Once you complete your purchase on ProFlowers, you'll be able to refresh your Cafe World game page and will see your Cafe Cash balance boosted by a whopping 100 points.
This can apparently be done on the same account more than once, as all you'd need to do is simply close out the window and begin again on a second order, presumably to receive your second batch of Cafe Cash, and so on, until you've had your fill.
While flowers may not be the first thing one thinks of when talking about Thanksgiving, this might be an offer that's too good to refuse.
You'll find this offer below the Cafe World gameplay area, as seen at right. Clicking on it opens up a new window, where you'll earn that you can save up to 50% by ordering from ProFlowers via this offer. Once you complete your purchase on ProFlowers, you'll be able to refresh your Cafe World game page and will see your Cafe Cash balance boosted by a whopping 100 points.
This can apparently be done on the same account more than once, as all you'd need to do is simply close out the window and begin again on a second order, presumably to receive your second batch of Cafe Cash, and so on, until you've had your fill.
While flowers may not be the first thing one thinks of when talking about Thanksgiving, this might be an offer that's too good to refuse.
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