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?

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?