Looking to add a bit of a festive touch to your animal pens in FarmVille this holiday season? Then why not add one of the game's two newest themed animals to your herd?
The two new animals come in the form of a Mistletoe Donkey (what appears to be a regular donkey, outfitted with a red and white scarf and a sprig of mistletoe hanging from his head) and a Winter Goat (a regular brown goat with a green scarf and earmuffs). You might recognize this Winter Goat from the FarmVille Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 video (what a mouthful!) that was released on Monday.
Both of these animals cost Farm Cash, with the Mistletoe being the more expensive of the two, at 18 Farm Cash. The Winter Goat, then, costs 14 Farm Cash. The Donkey can be harvested from everyday, while the Winter Goat is a two-day harvest animal. The Donkey's higher price tag is further explained by the fact that you'll earn 100 coins from harvesting it, while the Goat only offers 54 coins at each harvest.
Sure, neither of these animals are going to help you quickly earn a mountain of in-game riches, but we all know that you're not spending 18 (or even 14) Farm Cash on an animal because of its possibility for profitability.
Both of these animals will be available in the game for the next 16 days, and remember, you can easily send these items to friends as an in-game gift by just clicking on the "Send" button and choosing a friend, instead of clicking on "Buy" to add these animals to your own farm.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
What do you think of these two new animals? Which other animal do you want Zynga to give a holiday spin to this year?
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
FarmVille Winter Holiday Decorations: Winter Manor, Ornaments, Lighted Fence & More
In tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of seven new items in the Winter Holiday theme of items. Some of these items were revealed in the Holiday Limited Edition Showcase 2 video that Zynga released earlier this week, with the new selection of items including both new buildings and new decorative items, like ornaments.
Meet us behind the break for a full look at these new items, including their prices.
To start, there are two new buildings available to add to your farm that are sure to give it the "Holiday Village" look you might be going for. The first is the Winter Cottage, available for 350,000 coins. You'll receive a 3500 experience point boost for making the splurge, and if you'd like to sell the item at the end of the season, you can do so for 17,500 coin - not a great return, but a return nonetheless.
The only building is the Winter Manor, which we first saw in the Holiday Showcase video I mentioned earlier. This building costs Farm Cash - 42 to be exact. You'll receive 4,000 experience points if you purchase the manor, and you can then sell it at the end of the season (or whenever you'd like, really) for 20,000 coins.
As for the decorations, there are five to choose from, with three of these being available for nothing but regular coins. First though, let's take a look at the two premium Farm Cash items. The first is the Bunny Slope, an animated sledding slope that has a bunny literally sledding down a snowy hill. There are red and green flags that blow in the wind, and the bunny will hop back up to the top of the slope after it has slid down. It costs 28 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and rewards you with 2,800 experience points for your purchase.
The other premium item is the Polar Bear Globe, which is available for 25 Farm Cash. Another animated item, this one was also seen in the Holiday Showcase vide from this week, and it has what appears to be a mother and baby polar bear walking alongside an igloo inside a snow globe. The Polar Bears themselves do not move; rather, the snow inside the ball moves around as though you had just picked the globe up and given it a good shake.
The three coin items are less extravagant, but are still very cool in their own way. The Lighted Fence is available to purchase for 5,000 coins per one section of fencing. This fencing stays true to its name, as its yellow lights offer a permanent glow once it has been placed on your land.
The other two items are large singular ornaments that come in two shapes, and are each about the size of your in-game avatar (meaning that they're pretty large). They are the Heart Ornament and the Pointed Ornament, and both come with the exact same in-game stats, so your only choice will be between shapes, if you choose to only purchase one. Both ornaments cost 10,000 coins to add to your farm, and will grant you with 100 experience points as a bonus. You can sell either for 500 coins.
All told, these items will be available to purchase in the store for the next 16 days, giving you plenty of time to do some rearranging, if you're having trouble fitting all of these new items on your farm (or is that just me?).
Meet us behind the break for a full look at these new items, including their prices.
To start, there are two new buildings available to add to your farm that are sure to give it the "Holiday Village" look you might be going for. The first is the Winter Cottage, available for 350,000 coins. You'll receive a 3500 experience point boost for making the splurge, and if you'd like to sell the item at the end of the season, you can do so for 17,500 coin - not a great return, but a return nonetheless.
The only building is the Winter Manor, which we first saw in the Holiday Showcase video I mentioned earlier. This building costs Farm Cash - 42 to be exact. You'll receive 4,000 experience points if you purchase the manor, and you can then sell it at the end of the season (or whenever you'd like, really) for 20,000 coins.
As for the decorations, there are five to choose from, with three of these being available for nothing but regular coins. First though, let's take a look at the two premium Farm Cash items. The first is the Bunny Slope, an animated sledding slope that has a bunny literally sledding down a snowy hill. There are red and green flags that blow in the wind, and the bunny will hop back up to the top of the slope after it has slid down. It costs 28 Farm Cash to add to your farm, and rewards you with 2,800 experience points for your purchase.
The other premium item is the Polar Bear Globe, which is available for 25 Farm Cash. Another animated item, this one was also seen in the Holiday Showcase vide from this week, and it has what appears to be a mother and baby polar bear walking alongside an igloo inside a snow globe. The Polar Bears themselves do not move; rather, the snow inside the ball moves around as though you had just picked the globe up and given it a good shake.
The three coin items are less extravagant, but are still very cool in their own way. The Lighted Fence is available to purchase for 5,000 coins per one section of fencing. This fencing stays true to its name, as its yellow lights offer a permanent glow once it has been placed on your land.
The other two items are large singular ornaments that come in two shapes, and are each about the size of your in-game avatar (meaning that they're pretty large). They are the Heart Ornament and the Pointed Ornament, and both come with the exact same in-game stats, so your only choice will be between shapes, if you choose to only purchase one. Both ornaments cost 10,000 coins to add to your farm, and will grant you with 100 experience points as a bonus. You can sell either for 500 coins.
All told, these items will be available to purchase in the store for the next 16 days, giving you plenty of time to do some rearranging, if you're having trouble fitting all of these new items on your farm (or is that just me?).
LOLapps reveals secrets to Ravenwood Fair success
Ravenwood Fair Stats
In just the two short months that LOLapps' Ravenwood Fair has been in town it's garnered 4.7 million monthly players, according to AppData's findings. And for a company to round up and maintain this many users in the midst of a Facebook privacy crisis that crippled the game for days is certainly impressive. So, how did they do it? LOLapps recently released a cutesy yet informative set of graphs and pie charts breaking down not only exactly how they approach players like you and I, but how they keep us coming back for more carnie craziness.
While we won't bore you with too many specifics, there are some interesting facts here. For example, LOLapps relies heavily on cross promotion (60 percent)--much like the recent CityVille sign that's plopped itself in your farms--and far less on ads (eight percent) and 32 percent viral promotion (i.e. lots of News Feed messages making their way into your Feed and more) in its first phase. But then something changes in their strategy, which is when you'll see plenty more advertisements on your Facebook pages as they jump to 30 percent while cross promos and viral marketing level out.
Find the full chart and even more interesting (and hilarious) statistics behind the break.
What's most interesting is LOLapps' gender breakdown. According to the company, 60 percent of Facebook gamers are women, beating out men in every age bracket by huge margins. So, thank you, ladies, for keeping the genre alive. But don't think that the recent privacy incident didn't effect Ravenwood Fair at least a little bit. You'll see a significant drop in the game's player base right around the end of October into the beginning of November, but luckily it bounced right back and it appears even more gamers are enjoying building their own spooky carnivals today.
It's rare that a social game developer is this open about its numbers and reach, so gobble this info up while you still can. Not to mention that a lot of this information could be indicative of how other social game developers handle bringing in new users and keeping them there.
Now, 4.4 million players sure is a lot, but what does mean for the citizens Ravenwood Fair specifically? It means 15 million hot dogs eaten, 10 million spooked guests, 6.5 million trees chopped and, as LOLapps puts it so quaintly, "5 million NPCs who took a crap in the thunderbox." And with no signs of Ravenwood Fair stopping, it might be time to build some more outhou--er, we mean thunderboxes.
Expanding Boundaries of Facebook Games.
What do you think of LOLapps suddenly revealing many of their secrets? Is it time that more social game developers do the same?
In just the two short months that LOLapps' Ravenwood Fair has been in town it's garnered 4.7 million monthly players, according to AppData's findings. And for a company to round up and maintain this many users in the midst of a Facebook privacy crisis that crippled the game for days is certainly impressive. So, how did they do it? LOLapps recently released a cutesy yet informative set of graphs and pie charts breaking down not only exactly how they approach players like you and I, but how they keep us coming back for more carnie craziness.
While we won't bore you with too many specifics, there are some interesting facts here. For example, LOLapps relies heavily on cross promotion (60 percent)--much like the recent CityVille sign that's plopped itself in your farms--and far less on ads (eight percent) and 32 percent viral promotion (i.e. lots of News Feed messages making their way into your Feed and more) in its first phase. But then something changes in their strategy, which is when you'll see plenty more advertisements on your Facebook pages as they jump to 30 percent while cross promos and viral marketing level out.
Find the full chart and even more interesting (and hilarious) statistics behind the break.
What's most interesting is LOLapps' gender breakdown. According to the company, 60 percent of Facebook gamers are women, beating out men in every age bracket by huge margins. So, thank you, ladies, for keeping the genre alive. But don't think that the recent privacy incident didn't effect Ravenwood Fair at least a little bit. You'll see a significant drop in the game's player base right around the end of October into the beginning of November, but luckily it bounced right back and it appears even more gamers are enjoying building their own spooky carnivals today.
It's rare that a social game developer is this open about its numbers and reach, so gobble this info up while you still can. Not to mention that a lot of this information could be indicative of how other social game developers handle bringing in new users and keeping them there.
Now, 4.4 million players sure is a lot, but what does mean for the citizens Ravenwood Fair specifically? It means 15 million hot dogs eaten, 10 million spooked guests, 6.5 million trees chopped and, as LOLapps puts it so quaintly, "5 million NPCs who took a crap in the thunderbox." And with no signs of Ravenwood Fair stopping, it might be time to build some more outhou--er, we mean thunderboxes.
Expanding Boundaries of Facebook Games.
What do you think of LOLapps suddenly revealing many of their secrets? Is it time that more social game developers do the same?
CityVille Update: Much needed storage, decorations, homes and crops
Not even a week in and we're already seeing bug fixes and now content updates to the next big city builder, CityVille. This week, Zynga has introduced not only decorations, but a a good amount of items that will contribute more than just Happiness for our beloved, random citizens.
Flower Pot: 100 coins, 1% payout
Fall Tree: 2 City Cash, 1% payout
Sturdy Fence: 75 coins, 1% payout
Cranberries: 49 coins, 80 Goods in 12 hours
Lake House: 10 City Cash, 90 Population, 180 coins every 2 hours
Cargo Shed: 20 City Cash, 1,000 Storage
Finally, a new storage option. While it does a good amount of City Cash, this item may actually be worth the cost--1,000 Storage will keep you set for a long time. Cranberries are a good, high-yield crop that will perfect for players to plant before they go to sleep or early on the morning the harvest when they come back home from a long day at work. With the Holidays soon upon us, we'll see if the CityVille team can come up with some wintry items in time for the big events.
How do you like these brand new items in CityVille? Would you pay up 10 City Cash for that crazy amount of storage?
Flower Pot: 100 coins, 1% payout
Fall Tree: 2 City Cash, 1% payout
Sturdy Fence: 75 coins, 1% payout
Cranberries: 49 coins, 80 Goods in 12 hours
Lake House: 10 City Cash, 90 Population, 180 coins every 2 hours
Cargo Shed: 20 City Cash, 1,000 Storage
Finally, a new storage option. While it does a good amount of City Cash, this item may actually be worth the cost--1,000 Storage will keep you set for a long time. Cranberries are a good, high-yield crop that will perfect for players to plant before they go to sleep or early on the morning the harvest when they come back home from a long day at work. With the Holidays soon upon us, we'll see if the CityVille team can come up with some wintry items in time for the big events.
How do you like these brand new items in CityVille? Would you pay up 10 City Cash for that crazy amount of storage?
FarmVille Bunny Slope: Best item ever?
Released last night alongside other Holiday items, was the FarmVille Bunny Slope. Many immediately passed the Bunny Slope off as merely another boring Farm Cash item. However, not only is the Bunny Slope a clever joke (because a bunny is riding the Bunny Slope), it is also potentially the best FarmVille item ever (in my opinion of course).
farmville bunny slope
farmville bunny slope best itemOnce placed on your farm, a bunny rabbit with an orange sled continually climbs up the Bunny Slope and then slides back down. Could it get any cuter? Many FarmVille players don't think so. Some have even lined up their other cute animals at the bottom of the hill, waiting their turn to ride the FarmVille Bunny Slope (though of course, they can't actually ride it). I might even keep my farm holiday themed all year around, just so I can display my favorite FarmVille item: the Bunny Slope.
Unfortunately, the FarmVille Bunny Slope costs a massive 28 Farm Cash. But for one of the best FarmVille items ever, it might be worth it.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
What is your favorite FarmVille item? What item are you most proud of?
farmville bunny slope
farmville bunny slope best itemOnce placed on your farm, a bunny rabbit with an orange sled continually climbs up the Bunny Slope and then slides back down. Could it get any cuter? Many FarmVille players don't think so. Some have even lined up their other cute animals at the bottom of the hill, waiting their turn to ride the FarmVille Bunny Slope (though of course, they can't actually ride it). I might even keep my farm holiday themed all year around, just so I can display my favorite FarmVille item: the Bunny Slope.
Unfortunately, the FarmVille Bunny Slope costs a massive 28 Farm Cash. But for one of the best FarmVille items ever, it might be worth it.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
What is your favorite FarmVille item? What item are you most proud of?
Friday, January 13, 2012
PlayFirst offering $2.99 "Dash" games in Holiday Sale - last minute gift shopping go!
While Facebook games are a fantastic way to spend some time each day, playing with friends, sometimes you may want to get in a little casual gaming by your lonesome. For those that fall into this category, PlayFirst (the developer made famous for its many "Dash" game series) is offering a fantastic sale on said Dash time-management games, just in time for some last-minute holiday shopping.
Looking for a quick virtual stocking stuffer, or simple (yet addictive, and fun) last-minute gift idea? PlayFirst has five different games on sale, all for the low, low price of $2.99. The games are:
Doggie Dash
Diaper Dash
Dairy Dash
Fitness Dash
Parking Dash
While there aren't any Diner or Wedding Dash games included in this sale, if you're looking for a new, or at least unique spin on the now classic time-management gameplay ideology, you'll want to check these games out for sure. What's more - each game is available to download on both Windows PC or Mac, so all of your friends and family can be accounted for when purchasing these games as quick gifts. Just use the code DASHPAC at checkout to make sure you receive your game for the discounted price.
With most stores now closed for the holidays, your chances for picking up Christmas gifts is now virtually gone, and at least by taking advantage of this deal, any wait for shipping is nonexistent! It doesn't get much better than that, if you as me.
Looking for a quick virtual stocking stuffer, or simple (yet addictive, and fun) last-minute gift idea? PlayFirst has five different games on sale, all for the low, low price of $2.99. The games are:
Doggie Dash
Diaper Dash
Dairy Dash
Fitness Dash
Parking Dash
While there aren't any Diner or Wedding Dash games included in this sale, if you're looking for a new, or at least unique spin on the now classic time-management gameplay ideology, you'll want to check these games out for sure. What's more - each game is available to download on both Windows PC or Mac, so all of your friends and family can be accounted for when purchasing these games as quick gifts. Just use the code DASHPAC at checkout to make sure you receive your game for the discounted price.
With most stores now closed for the holidays, your chances for picking up Christmas gifts is now virtually gone, and at least by taking advantage of this deal, any wait for shipping is nonexistent! It doesn't get much better than that, if you as me.
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Missions: Everything you need to know for Day 7
Merry Christmas (to all those that celebrate) - if you've got a few moments this holiday, remember that a new daily mission has been released in FrontierVille as part of the 12 Days of Christmas mission event.
For the VII mission, you'll need to complete three tasks - visit 7 neighbors, eat 7 Fruitcakes, and collect 10 Dried Fruit. For visiting neighbors, you won't have to actually do anything once you get there - just visit. Fruitcakes can be received as free gifts from friends, and Dried Fruit can be collected from friends. These jars will be consumed once you finish the mission.
You can unlock any of these tasks with Horseshoes if you'd like to skip them - perhaps if you don't want to wait for your friends to help you collect Dried Fruit, since they will probably be busy with their own family celebrations today, as an example.
As a reward for completing the mission, you'll earn 700 experience points and 7 Sheep. You'll be able to share a single Fruitcake with your friends as a wall post as well. This fruitcake will help them finish their own mission, so be sure share one with them.
For the VII mission, you'll need to complete three tasks - visit 7 neighbors, eat 7 Fruitcakes, and collect 10 Dried Fruit. For visiting neighbors, you won't have to actually do anything once you get there - just visit. Fruitcakes can be received as free gifts from friends, and Dried Fruit can be collected from friends. These jars will be consumed once you finish the mission.
You can unlock any of these tasks with Horseshoes if you'd like to skip them - perhaps if you don't want to wait for your friends to help you collect Dried Fruit, since they will probably be busy with their own family celebrations today, as an example.
As a reward for completing the mission, you'll earn 700 experience points and 7 Sheep. You'll be able to share a single Fruitcake with your friends as a wall post as well. This fruitcake will help them finish their own mission, so be sure share one with them.
FarmVille: Holiday Cow appears - remember to open your Christmas presents!
Merry Christmas farmers! While you're busy opening presents in the real world with friends and family, remember that Zynga has given all players a free gift inside your Holiday Tree in FarmVille! As we predicted earlier this month, the prize is the Holiday Cow, and you'll find it by clicking on the Holiday Tree, clicking on "Look Inside" and then opening the present you've been given by Zynga.
Additionally, any gifts that you've been given by friends (by those friends that redeemed some of their collected gifts, and then shared extras on their wall) are now also available to be opened. Remember to check inside your tree to see if you received any free Winter Whimsy gift boxes, Ice Homes, and the like - you wouldn't want to miss out on receiving these free items, now would you?
Any item that you receive, including the Holiday Cow, will go straight into your inventory, so make sure you have less than the 500 item limit in your inventory to be able to open them.
Happy Holidays!
Additionally, any gifts that you've been given by friends (by those friends that redeemed some of their collected gifts, and then shared extras on their wall) are now also available to be opened. Remember to check inside your tree to see if you received any free Winter Whimsy gift boxes, Ice Homes, and the like - you wouldn't want to miss out on receiving these free items, now would you?
Any item that you receive, including the Holiday Cow, will go straight into your inventory, so make sure you have less than the 500 item limit in your inventory to be able to open them.
Happy Holidays!
FarmVille: Free 20% extra Farm Cash with Game Card redemption
Did you receive a FarmVille Game Card for Christmas this year? Luckily, and generously, Zynga has made that Game Card worth even more, if you make sure to redeem it before the end of December 26. From now until the end of tomorrow, you'll receive a free 20% extra Farm Cash for any Game Card renewed.
For example, if you redeem a $20 FarmVille Game Card, you'll receive an extra 20% cash value - $4.00 in this particular example. With the current rate of exchange on purchasing Farm Cash outright, this will turn into around 20 extra Farm Cash that you'll be able to use on all sorts of premium goodies in the game, whether it be a decoration, instant grow on crops or trees, animals, or even some of the Holiday trees that have been released over the past month.
While stores might be closed today, if you don't yet have a Game Card, but want to get in on this bonus Farm Cash, head out to your local shopping centers tomorrow to find a Card in order to not miss out.
For example, if you redeem a $20 FarmVille Game Card, you'll receive an extra 20% cash value - $4.00 in this particular example. With the current rate of exchange on purchasing Farm Cash outright, this will turn into around 20 extra Farm Cash that you'll be able to use on all sorts of premium goodies in the game, whether it be a decoration, instant grow on crops or trees, animals, or even some of the Holiday trees that have been released over the past month.
While stores might be closed today, if you don't yet have a Game Card, but want to get in on this bonus Farm Cash, head out to your local shopping centers tomorrow to find a Card in order to not miss out.
FrontierVille 12 Days of Christmas Missions: Everything you need to know for day 6
If you've been able to regain enough energy from the festivities of yesterday, make sure to head into FrontierVille for a few moments to tackle today's newest mission in the ongoing 12 Days of Christmas event.
On the Sixth Day O' Christmas asks players to complete three tasks:
Tend two neighbor horses
Have one Mule Feedbag
Craft Six Presents
These first two tasks are fairly simple - simply find two friends that have a single horse, or a single friend that has more than one horse and then tend to those horses. It doesn't matter if you end up feeding or grooming the horses, as these both count as "tend" actions. As a reminder, Neighbor Jack has a Horse, if you can't find any on your friends' homesteads.
The Mule Feedbag is a part of the Mule Collection, and if you don't have one, you can always place the item on your wishlist and hope a friend has an extra to spare. Finally, crafting Presents can be done inside the general store - each Present requires 2 Ribbon and 5 pieces of Cloth to create (for a total of 12 Ribbon and 30 Cloth needed to finish this portion of the quest, if you don't already have any Presents on-hand).
The rewards for completing this mission are a free Mule and 600 Coins. You'll be able to share a Fruitcake with friends once you've completed it.
Make sure to check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at Day 5's mission!
On the Sixth Day O' Christmas asks players to complete three tasks:
Tend two neighbor horses
Have one Mule Feedbag
Craft Six Presents
These first two tasks are fairly simple - simply find two friends that have a single horse, or a single friend that has more than one horse and then tend to those horses. It doesn't matter if you end up feeding or grooming the horses, as these both count as "tend" actions. As a reminder, Neighbor Jack has a Horse, if you can't find any on your friends' homesteads.
The Mule Feedbag is a part of the Mule Collection, and if you don't have one, you can always place the item on your wishlist and hope a friend has an extra to spare. Finally, crafting Presents can be done inside the general store - each Present requires 2 Ribbon and 5 pieces of Cloth to create (for a total of 12 Ribbon and 30 Cloth needed to finish this portion of the quest, if you don't already have any Presents on-hand).
The rewards for completing this mission are a free Mule and 600 Coins. You'll be able to share a Fruitcake with friends once you've completed it.
Make sure to check back with us tomorrow as we take a look at Day 5's mission!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
PopCap chills out, brings the zen to Xbox Live Arcade in Bejeweled 3
Say it with me, people: "Om". PopCap has announced that Bejeweled 3 is now available for Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) , Zen Mode and all. The Seattle, Wash.-based developer's hit puzzler is ready for download now for 1,200 Microsoft Points, or $15. Sure, that might sound a little steep compared to how much it costs on iPhone, not to mention that it's (kind of) playable for free online.
But hey, it's definitely cheaper than when the game first released to PC and Mac last year, and consider what you're getting in that (digital) package. Bejeweled 3 sports twice the game modes as Bejeweled 2, and comes packed with "leaderboards for Classic, Lightning, Poker, Butterflies, Ice Storm and Diamond Mine, plus four special gems, five elite badges, and 15 achievements," according to PopCap.
The third numbered release of Bejeweled will hit retail shelves for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS on Nov. 15, but this is far from the first time a console has seen the exploding gems, lightning bolts and trippy level transitions. PopCap released an Xbox Live-optimized version of Bejeweled Blitz, called Bejeweled Blitz LIVE, to XBLA earlier this year.
According to the company, about 9 billion hours have been spent collectively playing Bejeweled. Aside from the numbers, PopCap has been on a roll lately. The casual game creator just announced Popcorn Dragon for iPhone, its first mobile game surrounding a new property since the company was acquired by EA earlier this year. Soon, we expect to see PopCap's take on the growing casino genre on Facebook, but not before Zynga tries to beat it to the punch. Until then, let's wait and see if the studio can finally chill out the trigger-happy Call of Duty fans.
But hey, it's definitely cheaper than when the game first released to PC and Mac last year, and consider what you're getting in that (digital) package. Bejeweled 3 sports twice the game modes as Bejeweled 2, and comes packed with "leaderboards for Classic, Lightning, Poker, Butterflies, Ice Storm and Diamond Mine, plus four special gems, five elite badges, and 15 achievements," according to PopCap.
The third numbered release of Bejeweled will hit retail shelves for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS on Nov. 15, but this is far from the first time a console has seen the exploding gems, lightning bolts and trippy level transitions. PopCap released an Xbox Live-optimized version of Bejeweled Blitz, called Bejeweled Blitz LIVE, to XBLA earlier this year.
According to the company, about 9 billion hours have been spent collectively playing Bejeweled. Aside from the numbers, PopCap has been on a roll lately. The casual game creator just announced Popcorn Dragon for iPhone, its first mobile game surrounding a new property since the company was acquired by EA earlier this year. Soon, we expect to see PopCap's take on the growing casino genre on Facebook, but not before Zynga tries to beat it to the punch. Until then, let's wait and see if the studio can finally chill out the trigger-happy Call of Duty fans.
PS Vita to usher the 'social gaming revolution' stateside next February
Prepare to be revolutionized ... or something like that. Sony's American CEO Jack Tretton announced at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco on Tuesday that the PlayStation Vita will hit the U.S. on Feb. 22. Sony's third handheld gaming console will go for $249, and Tretton wrote in a blog post yesterday, "I can't wait for you to experience this revolutionary handheld system."
Of course, the PS Vita will launch in Canada, Latin America, and Europe on the same day. Games that are in development for the "revolutionary" console include Sony properties like Resistance: Burning Skies and Uncharted Golden Abyss. Those are joined by Capcom's Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, EA Sports' FIFA, Activision's Call of Duty and more, Tretton wrote.
Sony has played up the console's social features more than its powerful hardware, which, of course, has piqued our interest. The company seems to consider the PS Vita's social gaming features "revolutionary". While some of us may not buy it, the most notable of which is Near, a feature that allows the system to communicate with nearby PS Vita consoles. Through this, players can compete in local multiplayer matches, share in-game gifts (like on Facebook?) and compare players statistics.
We'll see just how revolutionary the PS Vita turns out to be for social gaming this coming February. (You know, just after everyone and their mother dropped serious green on Christmas?) Considering Nintendo was all but forced to slash the price of its brand new 3DS from $250 to coax consumers, we wonder how gamers will react to the $250 price tag.
Of course, the PS Vita will launch in Canada, Latin America, and Europe on the same day. Games that are in development for the "revolutionary" console include Sony properties like Resistance: Burning Skies and Uncharted Golden Abyss. Those are joined by Capcom's Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, EA Sports' FIFA, Activision's Call of Duty and more, Tretton wrote.
Sony has played up the console's social features more than its powerful hardware, which, of course, has piqued our interest. The company seems to consider the PS Vita's social gaming features "revolutionary". While some of us may not buy it, the most notable of which is Near, a feature that allows the system to communicate with nearby PS Vita consoles. Through this, players can compete in local multiplayer matches, share in-game gifts (like on Facebook?) and compare players statistics.
We'll see just how revolutionary the PS Vita turns out to be for social gaming this coming February. (You know, just after everyone and their mother dropped serious green on Christmas?) Considering Nintendo was all but forced to slash the price of its brand new 3DS from $250 to coax consumers, we wonder how gamers will react to the $250 price tag.
Order & Chaos Online accounts hacked on both Facebook and mobile
"The Gameloft Live web version has suffered from a security issue, and about 100 users saw their accounts impacted by this problem. Among those were players of Order & Chaos Online, whose accounts have been affected. All users who have contacted us have seen their account situation restored."
"As less than 1 % of Gameloft Live users access Gameloft Live through the web version, we have decided to close the web version of Gameloft Live. We are taking this situation very seriously, and it is a priority for us to keep players' data protected."
Here we go again. Pocket Gamer reports that French mobile and social game company Gameloft has confirmed that a number of Order & Chaos Online players on both Facebook and mobile devices have had their accounts hacked. Gameloft digital marketing and community manager Callum Rowley told Pocket Gamer that Gameloft is investigating the breach.
The exact number of compromised accounts is unknown as of this writing, but the Gameloft forums are filled with player complaints that urge the company to shut down the game entirely while it resolves the situation. According to Pocket Gamer, the most popular theory for how the hack--which appears to be exclusive to Order & Chaos Online--was possible is that someone used a "sniffer", or a snippet of code that intercepts data sent to a device or network between players.
This way, the hacker can easily read the log-in information of the player with whom he or she chatted or traded with, the direct communications necessary to "sniff out" the personal data. However, this has yet to be confirmed by Gameloft, and is merely a popular theory spreading on the game's forums. As far as we know, up to 50,000 Order & Chaos player accounts could have been compromised on Facebook, as that's what AppData reports is the game's monthly active player base.
"As less than 1 % of Gameloft Live users access Gameloft Live through the web version, we have decided to close the web version of Gameloft Live. We are taking this situation very seriously, and it is a priority for us to keep players' data protected."
Here we go again. Pocket Gamer reports that French mobile and social game company Gameloft has confirmed that a number of Order & Chaos Online players on both Facebook and mobile devices have had their accounts hacked. Gameloft digital marketing and community manager Callum Rowley told Pocket Gamer that Gameloft is investigating the breach.
The exact number of compromised accounts is unknown as of this writing, but the Gameloft forums are filled with player complaints that urge the company to shut down the game entirely while it resolves the situation. According to Pocket Gamer, the most popular theory for how the hack--which appears to be exclusive to Order & Chaos Online--was possible is that someone used a "sniffer", or a snippet of code that intercepts data sent to a device or network between players.
This way, the hacker can easily read the log-in information of the player with whom he or she chatted or traded with, the direct communications necessary to "sniff out" the personal data. However, this has yet to be confirmed by Gameloft, and is merely a popular theory spreading on the game's forums. As far as we know, up to 50,000 Order & Chaos player accounts could have been compromised on Facebook, as that's what AppData reports is the game's monthly active player base.
If DeNA's Kaito Royale got a TV series, could a FarmVille movie work?
Maybe a straight-to-DVD flick? DeNA's 10 million player-strong Kaito Royale on its Mobage network will be brought to life in an upcoming television series, Kotaku reports. The game focuses around "gentlemanly thieves," which is what "kaito" translates to roughly, that act as vigilantes to rid the evils of society. Think of Mafia Wars-meets-Robin Hood, and you're about there.
Throughout the game, players must battle each other for supremacy in a rock, paper, scissors-style combat system and steal goods from the competition. More importantly, players will face the bosses of the criminal underworld, one of which is known as Sister Snake. Japanese fashion model Nozomi Sasaki (pictured) will star in the Kaito Royale series as Sister Snake, complete with habit and machine gun, according to Oricon.
Of course, we can't help but wonder what this means for future films and TV shows based on casual or social game products. The Angry Birds movie is very real, and set to land in 2014, while a FarmVille flick is at least in talks right now. But because of how early the supposed FarmVille movie is in its creation, that could go either way at this point.
As much as we hate to admit it, if a mobile social game with 10 million players can get a TV series, then a social game with 28 million players can probably seal a film deal. Then again, there are a lot of places that a TV show based on righteous thieves can go, and that's not really the case for FarmVille. Unless, of course, it goes the parody route.
Throughout the game, players must battle each other for supremacy in a rock, paper, scissors-style combat system and steal goods from the competition. More importantly, players will face the bosses of the criminal underworld, one of which is known as Sister Snake. Japanese fashion model Nozomi Sasaki (pictured) will star in the Kaito Royale series as Sister Snake, complete with habit and machine gun, according to Oricon.
Of course, we can't help but wonder what this means for future films and TV shows based on casual or social game products. The Angry Birds movie is very real, and set to land in 2014, while a FarmVille flick is at least in talks right now. But because of how early the supposed FarmVille movie is in its creation, that could go either way at this point.
As much as we hate to admit it, if a mobile social game with 10 million players can get a TV series, then a social game with 28 million players can probably seal a film deal. Then again, there are a lot of places that a TV show based on righteous thieves can go, and that's not really the case for FarmVille. Unless, of course, it goes the parody route.
Nordeus passes Top Eleven's stat-crunching soccer to Android devices
Before you get into a tizzy, it was for the sake of the headline--we all know it's known as "football" everywhere else in the world. Serbian social game creator Nordeus announced that its hit football simulator game Top Eleven has launched for Android phones. Of course, the game is 100 percent free to download right here. But more importantly, the game allows for cross-platform play.
This means that, if you started something with Top Eleven on Facebook, you can easily pick it back up on Top Eleven for your Android phone later. For all intents and purposes, the game is essentially the same as it is on Facebook, which currently caters to 3.1 million monthly players, according to AppData. However, there are certain advantages that Android users might have over the non-mobile competition.
Top Eleven for Android takes advantage of push notifications, "reminding [players] to bid on the best strikers and hiring medics to overcome player injuries," according to a release. This way, Android players have no excuse to miss lucrative player transfers or training timers that keep their teams in tip-top shape.
This new version of the game comes just after Nordeus updated Top Eleven on Facebook to Version 2.0. Top Eleven for Android marks Nordeus's new motto: "Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms," as company CEO Branko Milutinović told us recently.
"Top Eleven on Android allows you to never miss the big match and discreetly access and manage your team at critical moments, so that you can win the league even if in real life you're stuck in a boring business meeting," Milutinović said in a release. Aha! We think your staff might be onto you, Branko.
This means that, if you started something with Top Eleven on Facebook, you can easily pick it back up on Top Eleven for your Android phone later. For all intents and purposes, the game is essentially the same as it is on Facebook, which currently caters to 3.1 million monthly players, according to AppData. However, there are certain advantages that Android users might have over the non-mobile competition.
Top Eleven for Android takes advantage of push notifications, "reminding [players] to bid on the best strikers and hiring medics to overcome player injuries," according to a release. This way, Android players have no excuse to miss lucrative player transfers or training timers that keep their teams in tip-top shape.
This new version of the game comes just after Nordeus updated Top Eleven on Facebook to Version 2.0. Top Eleven for Android marks Nordeus's new motto: "Unifying gaming experiences throughout devices and platforms," as company CEO Branko Milutinović told us recently.
"Top Eleven on Android allows you to never miss the big match and discreetly access and manage your team at critical moments, so that you can win the league even if in real life you're stuck in a boring business meeting," Milutinović said in a release. Aha! We think your staff might be onto you, Branko.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
FrontierVille: Trap Groundhogs for a new set of Badges
If you're a Badge (achievement) collector in FrontierVille, you'll be happy to know that with the launch of the Groundhog Day missions this afternoon came the ability to unlock an entirely new badge series based on trapping Groundhogs. Of course, the Badge's four different levels are earned based on the number of Groundhogs you trap over time, with each level offering heftier prizes, but being harder to earn in the process.
Here's the complete rundown of stats about these four new Badges:
Groundhog Menace - Trap 10 Groundhogs - Rewards 500 XP and 50 Food
Groundhog Slayer - Trap 50 Groundhogs - Rewards 2,500 XP and 250 Food
Groundhog Bane - Trap 100 Groundhogs - Rewards 5,000 XP and 500 Food
Groundhog Conquerer - Trap 250 Groundhogs - Rewards 10,000 XP and 800 Food
As you can see, it will likely take you quite a bit of time to earn the highest levels of this new Badge, but the rewards for finally doing so seem to make the entire process worth it. Besides, if you already plan on trapping Groundhogs just for the fun of it, at least now you'll receive some extra bonuses along the way.
What do you think of this new Badge in FrontierVille? Are the requirements for each level too strict, or do you think you can earn this Badge with ease?
Here's the complete rundown of stats about these four new Badges:
Groundhog Menace - Trap 10 Groundhogs - Rewards 500 XP and 50 Food
Groundhog Slayer - Trap 50 Groundhogs - Rewards 2,500 XP and 250 Food
Groundhog Bane - Trap 100 Groundhogs - Rewards 5,000 XP and 500 Food
Groundhog Conquerer - Trap 250 Groundhogs - Rewards 10,000 XP and 800 Food
As you can see, it will likely take you quite a bit of time to earn the highest levels of this new Badge, but the rewards for finally doing so seem to make the entire process worth it. Besides, if you already plan on trapping Groundhogs just for the fun of it, at least now you'll receive some extra bonuses along the way.
What do you think of this new Badge in FrontierVille? Are the requirements for each level too strict, or do you think you can earn this Badge with ease?
FarmVille Valentine Trees: Cinnamon Heart and Heart Candy Trees
As we told you yesterday, Zynga has been hard at work on another set of Valentine's Day themed trees in FarmVille, and in tonight's update, we see the release of two more trees to the market - the Cinnamon Heart Tree and the Heart Candy Tree.
As the names suggest, both of these trees are associated with two themed candies (the candy hearts that have messages on them, and the red cinnamon candies that are shaped like hearts), so they fit into the more whimsical variety of trees released in FarmVIlle recently. If you're ok with accepting a bit of fantasy on your farm, rather than straight realism, you can purchase either of these trees from the store for a limited time.
The Cinnamon Heart Tree costs 5 Farm Cash, while the Heart Candy Tree costs 15 Farm Cash. Fortunately, neither one of these is too grand a price (trees can easily cost 30 Farm Cash or more), but remember, if you want to save your Farm Cash entirely, make sure to look for Mystery Seedling posts that your FarmVille neighbors share on their news feed - you never know what those trees might grow into, but we can confirm that Heart Candy Trees are now circulating as Mystery Seedlings.
Both of these trees can be mastered, with the first star of mastery for both trees being earned at 75 harvests each.
For the hardcore tree collector, you have the next 18 days to decide whether or not these trees are worth the purchase. After that, they'll expire from the store, so shop fast.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Which of these two trees is your favorite? Do you like the various fictional trees that Zynga has released in FarmVille, or would you rather the game stick to a realistic approach?
As the names suggest, both of these trees are associated with two themed candies (the candy hearts that have messages on them, and the red cinnamon candies that are shaped like hearts), so they fit into the more whimsical variety of trees released in FarmVIlle recently. If you're ok with accepting a bit of fantasy on your farm, rather than straight realism, you can purchase either of these trees from the store for a limited time.
The Cinnamon Heart Tree costs 5 Farm Cash, while the Heart Candy Tree costs 15 Farm Cash. Fortunately, neither one of these is too grand a price (trees can easily cost 30 Farm Cash or more), but remember, if you want to save your Farm Cash entirely, make sure to look for Mystery Seedling posts that your FarmVille neighbors share on their news feed - you never know what those trees might grow into, but we can confirm that Heart Candy Trees are now circulating as Mystery Seedlings.
Both of these trees can be mastered, with the first star of mastery for both trees being earned at 75 harvests each.
For the hardcore tree collector, you have the next 18 days to decide whether or not these trees are worth the purchase. After that, they'll expire from the store, so shop fast.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Which of these two trees is your favorite? Do you like the various fictional trees that Zynga has released in FarmVille, or would you rather the game stick to a realistic approach?
FarmVille Valentine Animals: Valentine Mini Pony and Heart Rabbit
FarmVille has really started feeling the love this week, as tonight's game update sees the release of two new pink animals in the limited edition Valentine's Day theme. The two animals are the Valentine Mini Pony and the Heart Rabbit.
Both of these animals, as you might have already guessed, are not only limited edition items, but are also premium (only available for Farm Cash). The Valentine Mini Pony (which is so cute, by the way, that I can hardly stand it) costs 26 Farm Cash, while the Heart Rabbit costs 12 Farm Cash. For those looking for a cute animal on a budget, it should be noted that the Heart Rabbit is the cheapest Valentine's Day-themed animal released thus far in the game.
The Valentine Mini Pony can be placed in your Horse Stable, and will produce a Mini Foal, as we told you in a Sneak Peek last week. If you choose to leave it out of your stable, though, you'll be able to harvest it once every three days to receive 84 coins each time. The Heart Rabbit, meanwhile, can be harvested every two days, and you'll earn 100 coins each time you collect your profits.
Both of these animals will be available to purchase in the marketplace for the next 18 days, giving Zynga plenty of time between now and their expiration date to add even more themed items to the store that fit in this lovey-dovey theme. We'll be sure to let you know if they decide to take advantage of that extra time.
Both of these animals, as you might have already guessed, are not only limited edition items, but are also premium (only available for Farm Cash). The Valentine Mini Pony (which is so cute, by the way, that I can hardly stand it) costs 26 Farm Cash, while the Heart Rabbit costs 12 Farm Cash. For those looking for a cute animal on a budget, it should be noted that the Heart Rabbit is the cheapest Valentine's Day-themed animal released thus far in the game.
The Valentine Mini Pony can be placed in your Horse Stable, and will produce a Mini Foal, as we told you in a Sneak Peek last week. If you choose to leave it out of your stable, though, you'll be able to harvest it once every three days to receive 84 coins each time. The Heart Rabbit, meanwhile, can be harvested every two days, and you'll earn 100 coins each time you collect your profits.
Both of these animals will be available to purchase in the marketplace for the next 18 days, giving Zynga plenty of time between now and their expiration date to add even more themed items to the store that fit in this lovey-dovey theme. We'll be sure to let you know if they decide to take advantage of that extra time.
FarmVille Valentine Buildings: Romantic Gazebo and Love Shack
In tonight's FarmVille update, we see the release of two new buildings in the limited edition Valentine's Day theme. Even though February hasn't even started, that hasn't stopped Zynga from causing the store to practically overflow with all manner of pink, purple, and red goodies, and when it comes to new Buildings, you now have two more to choose from.
Luckily, there's something here for both users that like to spend coins, and those that aren't afraid to spend some Farm Cash. For the latter group, you'll find that the Love Shack can be purchased for 20 Farm Cash, offering you 2,000 experience points as a bonus for your purchase. The building is purely decorative, but can be covered in snow and lights, if you unlocked the unlimited installations of those two decorative abilities back in the Winter Holiday season. However, if you're like me, you won't want to cover the item in snow, as it would then cover up the intricate tile-work and heart-shaped skylight that make up the roof.
Either way, if you're looking to instead save your Farm Cash, you can spend 200,000 coins on a new Romantic Gazebo. This Gazebo is a fairly small item, for those decorating only a small space, and it will reward you with 2,000 experience points for purchasing it. Also, while technically called a building, you can't decorate this one with snow and lights, so keep that in mind if it would affect your purchase decision.
Either way, you'll need to make up your mind about purchasing these items within the next 18 days, as they will expire and leave the store after that point. If you're like me though, you probably already have both sitting on your farm - they're that cute!
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Which of these two buildings do you prefer, or will you purchase them both?
Luckily, there's something here for both users that like to spend coins, and those that aren't afraid to spend some Farm Cash. For the latter group, you'll find that the Love Shack can be purchased for 20 Farm Cash, offering you 2,000 experience points as a bonus for your purchase. The building is purely decorative, but can be covered in snow and lights, if you unlocked the unlimited installations of those two decorative abilities back in the Winter Holiday season. However, if you're like me, you won't want to cover the item in snow, as it would then cover up the intricate tile-work and heart-shaped skylight that make up the roof.
Either way, if you're looking to instead save your Farm Cash, you can spend 200,000 coins on a new Romantic Gazebo. This Gazebo is a fairly small item, for those decorating only a small space, and it will reward you with 2,000 experience points for purchasing it. Also, while technically called a building, you can't decorate this one with snow and lights, so keep that in mind if it would affect your purchase decision.
Either way, you'll need to make up your mind about purchasing these items within the next 18 days, as they will expire and leave the store after that point. If you're like me though, you probably already have both sitting on your farm - they're that cute!
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day coverage right here.
Which of these two buildings do you prefer, or will you purchase them both?
FarmVille Valentine Decorations: Valentine Snowman, Valentine Teddy, Venus Gnome & More
Whether you love or hate Zynga, no one can say that the developer isn't offering ample opportunity for players to celebrate Valentine's Day in FarmVille. Not only has the store already started to shine with all shades of pink, purple, and red, but even more new items in the limited edition Valentine's Day theme have been released this evening - this time in the form of four new decorative items.
I have some good news and some bad news however. The good news is that users who only like to spend coins will have something to purchase, but the bad news is that it's only one item out of these four, as the other three are premium (read: Farm Cash only). The coin-only item is the Valentine Teddy, a large white teddy bear wearing a top hat and holding a rose. The Valentine Teddy costs 50,000 coins, and will reward you with 500 experience points for purchasing him.
Meanwhile, the Farm Cash items are those that we gave you a sneak peek of just a few days ago. They are the Romantic Coach (a horse-drawn carriage), the Valentine Snowman, and the Venus Gnome. At the time of our sneak peek, we didn't know how much these items would cost if they were ultimately released in the store (as they of course have been), but we now know that the Romantic Coach will set you back 18 Farm Cash, the Valentine Snowman costs 20 Farm Cash, and the Venus Gnome costs 12 Farm Cash.
All of these items offer an equivalent number of experience points based on the purchase price. That is, the Venus Gnome rewards 1200 experience points, as it costs 12 Farm Cash, and so on. Also, it should be noted that when you purchase the Valentine Snowman from the store, you are purchasing a complete, pink, male snowman. You won't need to built it from scratch like with the original white snowman - you'll simply receive this very festive, dancing snowman in one piece to add to your farm.
All of these limited edition decorations will be available in the game for the next 18 days. In that time, it's likely that Zynga will release even more themed items into the game, and you'll be the first to know if and when they do.
I have some good news and some bad news however. The good news is that users who only like to spend coins will have something to purchase, but the bad news is that it's only one item out of these four, as the other three are premium (read: Farm Cash only). The coin-only item is the Valentine Teddy, a large white teddy bear wearing a top hat and holding a rose. The Valentine Teddy costs 50,000 coins, and will reward you with 500 experience points for purchasing him.
Meanwhile, the Farm Cash items are those that we gave you a sneak peek of just a few days ago. They are the Romantic Coach (a horse-drawn carriage), the Valentine Snowman, and the Venus Gnome. At the time of our sneak peek, we didn't know how much these items would cost if they were ultimately released in the store (as they of course have been), but we now know that the Romantic Coach will set you back 18 Farm Cash, the Valentine Snowman costs 20 Farm Cash, and the Venus Gnome costs 12 Farm Cash.
All of these items offer an equivalent number of experience points based on the purchase price. That is, the Venus Gnome rewards 1200 experience points, as it costs 12 Farm Cash, and so on. Also, it should be noted that when you purchase the Valentine Snowman from the store, you are purchasing a complete, pink, male snowman. You won't need to built it from scratch like with the original white snowman - you'll simply receive this very festive, dancing snowman in one piece to add to your farm.
All of these limited edition decorations will be available in the game for the next 18 days. In that time, it's likely that Zynga will release even more themed items into the game, and you'll be the first to know if and when they do.
Friday, January 6, 2012
FrontierVille Same Procedure as Every Year Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
A new timed mission has been released in FrontierVille this evening, entitled "The Same Procedure as Every Year!" This mission will have you growing some crops and pigs to serve a welcoming dinner to one of your friends from the "Old Country." You must accept this mission on your land before March 21 or else you'll lose out on the 400 XP reward, and the Roast Pig decorative item.
You'll have a full week (that's seven full days) to complete this mission, which requires you to perform three tasks:
Sell 20 Adult Pigs
Harvest 40 Cabbages on your Homestead
Get 10 Dinner Bibs
As for the pigs, this is a fairly standard procedure - you'll have a week to either purchase enough baby pigs and then feed them until they are adults, or simply sell your already adult pigs outright. Cabbage, meanwhile, can be harvested after 16 hours, and finally, the Dinner Bibs can be gathered by asking your friends via a general wall post. This is a "give one, get one" scenario, so make sure to claim any Bibs that your friends post to speed up the process.
Again, if you can finish these three tasks in less than seven days from accepting the mission, you'll receive the 400 XP and the Roast Pig decorative item.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
You'll have a full week (that's seven full days) to complete this mission, which requires you to perform three tasks:
Sell 20 Adult Pigs
Harvest 40 Cabbages on your Homestead
Get 10 Dinner Bibs
As for the pigs, this is a fairly standard procedure - you'll have a week to either purchase enough baby pigs and then feed them until they are adults, or simply sell your already adult pigs outright. Cabbage, meanwhile, can be harvested after 16 hours, and finally, the Dinner Bibs can be gathered by asking your friends via a general wall post. This is a "give one, get one" scenario, so make sure to claim any Bibs that your friends post to speed up the process.
Again, if you can finish these three tasks in less than seven days from accepting the mission, you'll receive the 400 XP and the Roast Pig decorative item.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Game of the Day: Jewel Quest II
The Game of the Day wants you to get your adventure hat on . Jewel Quest II: Join Professor Pack on the ultimate jewel matching adventure across the world's richest continent. Rearrange precious relics to turn tiles into gold as you advance through relentlessly challenging puzzles. The wilds of the safari, the history of the Zimbabwe ruins, and the majesty of Victoria Falls await your discovery, filled with puzzles of skill, treasure, and twists.
Click --> play Jewel Quest II
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> play Jewel Quest II
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
CityVille Out of Town Birds Quest: Everything you need to know
Sneaky Zynga... While they announced that there were only two new buildings to unlock in the new Edgar and Ruth retail quests in CityVille, which also made it seem like there were only two new quests in total, it turns out the quest series lives on. Part III is called Out of Town Birds. While the first two quests saw you making helping Edgar and Ruth with dinner, and the second saw you helping Edgar find parking for an expensive car, this quest goes back to the birds (Ruth's birds), asking you to help them have some fun by exploring some of your neighbors' cities atop tour buses.
There are three fairly simple tasks to complete for this one, one being to collect a Shopping Cart collectible item. The Shopping Cart is part of the new Retail Collection, and can be earned by collecting from the new Tofu Burger and City Supermarket buildings. Don't worry if you have yet to start this quest set and don't own these buildings - you'll need to have them in your city just to complete the first quest in this now trio.
Another task in this quest asks you to supply your franchises three times. It doesn't matter which franchise you supply, or how many goods it takes to supply that franchise - simply supply three of your franchies in your friends' towns and this step will be complete.
The final part of this mission is the most time consuming, asking you to send 20 of your tour buses to your friends' businesses. To put it simply, you'll need to visit at least four of your neighbors and click on five of their businesses each to send tour buses there. You'll of course earn Reputation hearts and coins for doing so, so this seems to be a win-win situation for you - boost your Reputation while completing a quest. Not a bad setup right there.
Oddly enough, completing this quest says that you'll unlock the TV Terrace building, but this is a duplicate reward from the previous quest in this series. It's possible that we've completed the quests in a time when Zynga still wasn't sure what the rewards should be, and if they change them to be individual, we'll be sure to let you know.
As usual, we'll continue to let you know if and when more quests are added in this... interesting mission series, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
There are three fairly simple tasks to complete for this one, one being to collect a Shopping Cart collectible item. The Shopping Cart is part of the new Retail Collection, and can be earned by collecting from the new Tofu Burger and City Supermarket buildings. Don't worry if you have yet to start this quest set and don't own these buildings - you'll need to have them in your city just to complete the first quest in this now trio.
Another task in this quest asks you to supply your franchises three times. It doesn't matter which franchise you supply, or how many goods it takes to supply that franchise - simply supply three of your franchies in your friends' towns and this step will be complete.
The final part of this mission is the most time consuming, asking you to send 20 of your tour buses to your friends' businesses. To put it simply, you'll need to visit at least four of your neighbors and click on five of their businesses each to send tour buses there. You'll of course earn Reputation hearts and coins for doing so, so this seems to be a win-win situation for you - boost your Reputation while completing a quest. Not a bad setup right there.
Oddly enough, completing this quest says that you'll unlock the TV Terrace building, but this is a duplicate reward from the previous quest in this series. It's possible that we've completed the quests in a time when Zynga still wasn't sure what the rewards should be, and if they change them to be individual, we'll be sure to let you know.
As usual, we'll continue to let you know if and when more quests are added in this... interesting mission series, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
CityVille Factories: Everything you need to know
Back at the beginning of February, we brought you a sneak peek of a "new way to play" in CityVille, concerning the eventual release of Factories in the game. While we didn't know when Factories would officially launch in the game, it turns out that that time is now, as you'll receive a Factory for free the next time you login to the game. Note: You must be at least level 13 to access the Factories feature.
This free factory comes by way of a new quest set called "City of Industry." Again, you will receive your factory for free, but a word of warning - this building is massive, taking up a very large portion of a single expansion in your town. You'll need to spend 10 energy to get the base of the Factory into your town, and afterwards will have to gather a variety of new items to actually make it operational.
Meet us behind the break for more on factories, and the quests that accompany them. The first quest in the City of Industry line has you simply placing and building your Factory from your inventory. Again, you'll need to whack the frame ten times to build the Factory building, and then you'll need to collect a whopping 50 items with the help of friends - all of which are new to the game.
These 50 items come in five different varieties - 10 each of Hard Hats, Lunch Boxes, Robotic Arms, Safety Goggles, and Work Uniforms. You'll be able to purchase a single item for 2 City Cash, or click on the "Ask Friends" button to send individual gift requests to your CityVille neighbors in the hopes that they'll send you these items.
Once built, you'll unlock the second quest, called "Get Things Rolling." You'll need to supply a business with Premium Goods (created in the Factory), and then collect Premium Goods from your Factory. Premium Goods themselves are, of course, created in the factory, and once you complete its construction, you'll see that your Goods bar will change from one single bar to two - one representing the normal Goods, the other representing Premium Goods.
When you click on your factory, you'll be able to schedule jobs just as you schedule shipments down at the dock, by choosing from a series of templates. Different jobs cost different amounts of coins, and take longer to complete, but produce more Goods in the process.
Each job has a minimum amount of Premium Goods that can be produced, however, you can increase this number greatly by hiring workers for a shift in your Factory. You can only hire each friend once per day, by clicking on the "Hire Friends" button and then inviting your friends to come help you. In the case of the "Chill Charles" job, for instance (pictured), you can invite six friends to help you, each of which adds 25 Premium Goods to the production total. If you choose not to invite friends, you'll still produce the guaranteed minimum of 25 Premium Goods. Goods will luckily never spoil, no matter how long it takes you to come back to collect them.
When you have both kinds of Goods in your possession, and you stock Businesses, your Premium Goods will automatically be used first, resulting in a higher payout for that Business the next time you collect from it. After that, regular Goods will be used as normal. Don't worry about wasting these Premium Goods either, as you'll only use regular Goods when supplying franchises and sending trains - those two features remain unchanged.
As of this writing, there is no way to expand the amount of Premium Goods you can store, and if you delete your Factory from your town, it will pop back into your inventory. However, replacing the Factory in your town will result in your having to build it all over again, so only store this building if absolutely necessary.
This is a pretty hefty new feature in the game, and we wouldn't be surprised if Zynga had to tweak things along the way, but for now, make sure to head into your town soon to start taking advantage of your new money-making potential.
This free factory comes by way of a new quest set called "City of Industry." Again, you will receive your factory for free, but a word of warning - this building is massive, taking up a very large portion of a single expansion in your town. You'll need to spend 10 energy to get the base of the Factory into your town, and afterwards will have to gather a variety of new items to actually make it operational.
Meet us behind the break for more on factories, and the quests that accompany them. The first quest in the City of Industry line has you simply placing and building your Factory from your inventory. Again, you'll need to whack the frame ten times to build the Factory building, and then you'll need to collect a whopping 50 items with the help of friends - all of which are new to the game.
These 50 items come in five different varieties - 10 each of Hard Hats, Lunch Boxes, Robotic Arms, Safety Goggles, and Work Uniforms. You'll be able to purchase a single item for 2 City Cash, or click on the "Ask Friends" button to send individual gift requests to your CityVille neighbors in the hopes that they'll send you these items.
Once built, you'll unlock the second quest, called "Get Things Rolling." You'll need to supply a business with Premium Goods (created in the Factory), and then collect Premium Goods from your Factory. Premium Goods themselves are, of course, created in the factory, and once you complete its construction, you'll see that your Goods bar will change from one single bar to two - one representing the normal Goods, the other representing Premium Goods.
When you click on your factory, you'll be able to schedule jobs just as you schedule shipments down at the dock, by choosing from a series of templates. Different jobs cost different amounts of coins, and take longer to complete, but produce more Goods in the process.
Each job has a minimum amount of Premium Goods that can be produced, however, you can increase this number greatly by hiring workers for a shift in your Factory. You can only hire each friend once per day, by clicking on the "Hire Friends" button and then inviting your friends to come help you. In the case of the "Chill Charles" job, for instance (pictured), you can invite six friends to help you, each of which adds 25 Premium Goods to the production total. If you choose not to invite friends, you'll still produce the guaranteed minimum of 25 Premium Goods. Goods will luckily never spoil, no matter how long it takes you to come back to collect them.
When you have both kinds of Goods in your possession, and you stock Businesses, your Premium Goods will automatically be used first, resulting in a higher payout for that Business the next time you collect from it. After that, regular Goods will be used as normal. Don't worry about wasting these Premium Goods either, as you'll only use regular Goods when supplying franchises and sending trains - those two features remain unchanged.
As of this writing, there is no way to expand the amount of Premium Goods you can store, and if you delete your Factory from your town, it will pop back into your inventory. However, replacing the Factory in your town will result in your having to build it all over again, so only store this building if absolutely necessary.
This is a pretty hefty new feature in the game, and we wouldn't be surprised if Zynga had to tweak things along the way, but for now, make sure to head into your town soon to start taking advantage of your new money-making potential.
FarmVille Fairy Tale Theme Showcase 2 [Video]
While the first FarmVille Fairy Tale Showcase video did little to blow us away, Zynga's second video in the Fairy Tale showcase theme comes across a bit better, with many new items that we haven't seen before - not even in sneak peeks! As you can see in the video above, we have what looks to be a flying pig fountain, a magical mirror that floats above the ground, the Knight Gnome (which we have seen before), the Black Beauty Horse, a large tree (looks like it might be some kind of Willow tree), a lovely cottage with multi-colored trees, and more!
Maybe I'm just easily amused, but this looks like a great set of items, and I personally can't wait to add some of them to my farm. If you'd like to take a look at these items in action (items like the mirror and fountain do animate), be sure to check out the complete (but short) video above. We expect some of these items to release in the game as early as tomorrow, so keep checking back for that, as we'll make sure you're the first to know.
Maybe I'm just easily amused, but this looks like a great set of items, and I personally can't wait to add some of them to my farm. If you'd like to take a look at these items in action (items like the mirror and fountain do animate), be sure to check out the complete (but short) video above. We expect some of these items to release in the game as early as tomorrow, so keep checking back for that, as we'll make sure you're the first to know.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
FarmVille English Countryside: Repair and expand the Horse Stable
As you make your way to your second farm in the FarmVille English Countryside, having made your way past Duke's Bon Voyage Party, one of the first things you'll notice on your new land is the rundown Horse Stable. While it's great that Zynga has given us the frame of the building for free, it is entirely useless in its current state, and you'll need to repair it if you want to actually store Horses in it.
This will take up just a few of your saved building parts, or Special Delivery Boxes that you might have been saving in preparation for the launch of the English Countryside, but don't worry, we'll find a place to put those extra parts in just a minute.
Meet us behind the break for more on how to repair this Horse Stable.
Luckily, you won't have to do much to complete the repairs on your Horse Stable (I guess Zynga was telling the truth when they said they wanted the expansion to be new-user friendly). You'll need just 10 Nails to finish the repair process, as you'll see that Zynga has already added the other 40 ingredients to the Horse Stable for you.
Once the Horse Stable has been completed, you'll be able to share a free Gray Horse with your friends, and you'll receive one of your own, so that you Horse Stable never has to sit empty. Its staring capacity is just 20 Horses, but as with the Horse Stable back on your Home Farm, this can be expanded. In this is where your excess building materials will come into play. Note: Expanding is entirely voluntary, so save your building parts if you wish to build other structures, like the Garage, first.
The first expansion will require a full 50 parts to complete: 10 each of Bricks, Harnesses, Horseshoes, Nails, and Wooden Boards. This is the exact same setup as the Horse Stable expansions back on your Home Farm, as you will need to, more or less, collect enough building ingredients to build a Horse Stable from scratch just to expand. You'll be able to store 10 more Horses when this is done. It's presumable that a second expansion will be available after the first, containing the same requirements, and adding another 10 spots of inventory to your Horse Stable, just as with the original Horse Stable on your Home Farm.
Here's a rundown of ways to get more of these ingredients, if you don't have any saved in your inventory:
- Click on the "Ask for More" button under each ingredient and send individual requests for items to friends
- Purchase these ingredients for 1 Farm Cash each
- Use Special Delivery Boxes which will reward you with the parts you need
- Have friends send these to you from the free gifts page
- Look for wall posts giving away excess parts as your friends complete building projects on their own farms
If you'd like to quickly stock your Horse Stable with new Horses, remember that your gift box can be used on both your Home Farm and your English Farm. If you collect from the Nursery Barn on your Home Farm, as an example, and one of your foals grows into a Horse, you can take that Horse with you to England and place it in this Horse Stable. You can also purchase some Horses (even some English Horses) from the store. Your Horse Stable can be harvested once per day.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you completed the repairs to your Horse Stable on your second farm, or are you still waiting for the update to roll around to your account?
This will take up just a few of your saved building parts, or Special Delivery Boxes that you might have been saving in preparation for the launch of the English Countryside, but don't worry, we'll find a place to put those extra parts in just a minute.
Meet us behind the break for more on how to repair this Horse Stable.
Luckily, you won't have to do much to complete the repairs on your Horse Stable (I guess Zynga was telling the truth when they said they wanted the expansion to be new-user friendly). You'll need just 10 Nails to finish the repair process, as you'll see that Zynga has already added the other 40 ingredients to the Horse Stable for you.
Once the Horse Stable has been completed, you'll be able to share a free Gray Horse with your friends, and you'll receive one of your own, so that you Horse Stable never has to sit empty. Its staring capacity is just 20 Horses, but as with the Horse Stable back on your Home Farm, this can be expanded. In this is where your excess building materials will come into play. Note: Expanding is entirely voluntary, so save your building parts if you wish to build other structures, like the Garage, first.
The first expansion will require a full 50 parts to complete: 10 each of Bricks, Harnesses, Horseshoes, Nails, and Wooden Boards. This is the exact same setup as the Horse Stable expansions back on your Home Farm, as you will need to, more or less, collect enough building ingredients to build a Horse Stable from scratch just to expand. You'll be able to store 10 more Horses when this is done. It's presumable that a second expansion will be available after the first, containing the same requirements, and adding another 10 spots of inventory to your Horse Stable, just as with the original Horse Stable on your Home Farm.
Here's a rundown of ways to get more of these ingredients, if you don't have any saved in your inventory:
- Click on the "Ask for More" button under each ingredient and send individual requests for items to friends
- Purchase these ingredients for 1 Farm Cash each
- Use Special Delivery Boxes which will reward you with the parts you need
- Have friends send these to you from the free gifts page
- Look for wall posts giving away excess parts as your friends complete building projects on their own farms
If you'd like to quickly stock your Horse Stable with new Horses, remember that your gift box can be used on both your Home Farm and your English Farm. If you collect from the Nursery Barn on your Home Farm, as an example, and one of your foals grows into a Horse, you can take that Horse with you to England and place it in this Horse Stable. You can also purchase some Horses (even some English Horses) from the store. Your Horse Stable can be harvested once per day.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you completed the repairs to your Horse Stable on your second farm, or are you still waiting for the update to roll around to your account?
FarmVille English Countryside: Build and expand the Sheep Pen
One of the most hotly anticipated new features in the English Countryside expansion in FarmVille is the ability to breed sheep. You'll receive two free, plain white sheep (not specifically Ewes or Rams) for free when you start working on your second farm, but if you'd like to jump into Sheep Breeding itself, you'll first need to build the Sheep Pen in which to house them.
The Sheep Pen is available to purchase from the store for 5,000 coins. For that price, you'll receive just the frame, which must be built up with building materials: 10 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. Most of you will have saved up more than enough of these materials in preparation for your trip to England, but if not, you can meet us behind the break for a guide on how to earn more building ingredients, and how to continue your work on building the Sheep Pen.
Once you build the Sheep Pen, you'll have a new building that can hold 20 Sheep, Ewes, or Rams by default. This building can be expanded twice, adding 10 more storage slots with each expansion, to a total capacity of 40 sheep. Both of these expansion require more building ingredients for the last, but remember, expanding right now is an entirely voluntary process. Once you have room to store 20 sheep, you can freely use those extra building ingredients to build things like the Horse Stable or Garage.
If you choose to expand, your first expansion of the Sheep Pen requires 15 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks, while the second (and final expansion as of this writing) requires 20 of each part.
Here's a rundown of where to get extra building ingredients, should you not have enough on hand (or have used them elsewhere):
- Purchase them for 1 Farm Cash each
- Click on the "Ask for Part" button and send individual requests to friends for ingredients
- Open Special Delivery Boxes which can contain the parts you need
- Look out for wall posts from your friends that share excess building parts as they complete their own buildings on their farm(s)
- Have friends send you these ingredients from the free gifts page
While you can use your Sheep Pen just a storage building, remember that you can also use it to breed sheep. We'll have a full guide on that feature for you in the near future, so keep checking back. Check our full guide to Sheep Breeding right here.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Will you build the Sheep Pen in your English Countryside, or would you rather have a similar animal building on your Home Farm?
The Sheep Pen is available to purchase from the store for 5,000 coins. For that price, you'll receive just the frame, which must be built up with building materials: 10 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. Most of you will have saved up more than enough of these materials in preparation for your trip to England, but if not, you can meet us behind the break for a guide on how to earn more building ingredients, and how to continue your work on building the Sheep Pen.
Once you build the Sheep Pen, you'll have a new building that can hold 20 Sheep, Ewes, or Rams by default. This building can be expanded twice, adding 10 more storage slots with each expansion, to a total capacity of 40 sheep. Both of these expansion require more building ingredients for the last, but remember, expanding right now is an entirely voluntary process. Once you have room to store 20 sheep, you can freely use those extra building ingredients to build things like the Horse Stable or Garage.
If you choose to expand, your first expansion of the Sheep Pen requires 15 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks, while the second (and final expansion as of this writing) requires 20 of each part.
Here's a rundown of where to get extra building ingredients, should you not have enough on hand (or have used them elsewhere):
- Purchase them for 1 Farm Cash each
- Click on the "Ask for Part" button and send individual requests to friends for ingredients
- Open Special Delivery Boxes which can contain the parts you need
- Look out for wall posts from your friends that share excess building parts as they complete their own buildings on their farm(s)
- Have friends send you these ingredients from the free gifts page
While you can use your Sheep Pen just a storage building, remember that you can also use it to breed sheep. We'll have a full guide on that feature for you in the near future, so keep checking back. Check our full guide to Sheep Breeding right here.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Will you build the Sheep Pen in your English Countryside, or would you rather have a similar animal building on your Home Farm?
FarmVille English Countryside: Sheep Breeding Guide
Once you build your FarmVille Sheep Pen in your second farm in the English Countryside, you'll likely want to go to work breeding sheep within it (as that has been one of the most heavily publicized features of the entire expansion). To do this, you'll first need to build a Sheep Pen, which is available to purchase from the market for 5,000 coins. Check out our guide to not only building the Sheep Pen from scratch, but also expanding it to its full capacity of 40 Sheep.
Once that's done, you'll be shown a detailed overview of what to expect from the Sheep Breeding process, which you can see at the top of this post. First and foremost, you'll of course need to first have Sheep inside the Sheep Pen so that you can breed them. From there, the process becomes a bit complicated, with some light genetics coming into play, as you'll be able to greatly influence what your Lambs will look like once they are born.
Meet us behind the break for a more detailed look at this new feature.
As of this very early release, it looks as though the easiest way to add Ewes and Rams to your Sheep Pen is to purchase them for the store (they will also be rewarded by completing quests on your English farm). Right now, there are two Ewes (Navy and Pastel Pink) to choose from, and a single Ram (Purple Dots). As you can see, the Ram is the item with the interesting pattern, while the two Ewes are simply a single color (no matter how outlandish that might be). This is important to note as this is the main way you'll be able to tell what your Lams will look like.
No matter what color the Ram's body might be, any Lamb that you create will grow to have their mother's (the Ewe or Sheep you used) color. The sheep, once grown, will have the father's wool pattern. That being the case, let's say you took a Navy Ewe and the Purple Dots Ram from the store and bred them. You'd then end up with a Lamb that would mostly likely grow into a Navy Sheep with Purple Dots. We say most likely as there is apparently a small chance for slight variations in the resulting lambs, which can't be guaranteed or predicted.
To actually breed two sheep, you'll need to place them in your Sheep Pen, and then click on one that you'd like to breed. These can either be Ewes or simply "Sheep," which appear to all be technically female. You'll be able to click on the "Breed" button to see which Rams that Ewe or Sheep is compatible with. Click on the its mate and click "Breed" again to start the process.
From there, you'll have a new window, which shows you that the time to breed a new lamb is 24 hours. Each attempt at breeding only comes with a 50% success rate, but you can increase the chance for success by adding Love Potions to the equation. You'll be able to ask your friends to send you potions by clicking on the "Ask for Potions" button in the lower left corner of the Sheep Pen's menu. This is achieved via a general wall post, rather than individual requests. You can also purchase Love Potions in packs of 5 for 5 Farm Cash.
Each Love Potion used creates a higher chance of successful breeding, and lowers the time required to wait for the sheep to breed. Here's a rundown:
- 1 Love Potion: 60% success rate; breeding completed in 12 hours
- 2 Love Potions: 70% success rate; breeding completed in 6 hours
- 3 Love Potions: 80% success rate; breeding completed in 3 hours
- 4 Love Potions: 90% success rate; breeding completed in 1 hour
- 5 Love Potions: 100% success rate; breeding completes instantly
Your two chosen animals will then go into one of the three breeding stalls in your Sheep Pen, where they will "do their business" until the timer is up. You'll need to apply all or none of your Love Potions before setting the two animals to breed, as you can't interrupt them in the middle.
If your breeding attempt is successful, you'll be told that you've received either a boy or a girl Lamb. You'll be able to name each Lamb you successfully receive, and will need to feed the Lamb 10 Baby Bottles to grow it into an adult. Placing the Lamb on your land will allow you to click on the Lamb and choose "Ask for Bottles" from the drop down menu, allowing you to collect the Bottles you need from friends.
Here are other methods of collecting Bottles:
- Purchase Bottles for 1 Farm Cash each
- Ask friends to send you Bottles from the game's free gifts page
Once fully fed, your Lamb will grow into either a full Ram or Sheep, showing off its new color and wool pattern. It should be noted that you can either keep the Lamb or Give it Away if you'd rather not grow it at all, or know a friend that would like a particular color of Lamb but can't breed it themselves.
Right now, you'll have to keep track of your own color combinations, noting which ones you've used and what the resulting Lambs looked like, but a "Family Tree" feature is coming soon that will allow you track the Genealogy of your Sheep on your land. There are apparently prizes for those that become "Master Sheep Breeders," so keep that in mind if you're questioning whether or not this feature is worthwhile to you.
[Final Two Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you started breeding sheep in your English Countryside farm? Will you use this feature, or will you just use the building as storage for your Sheep?
Once that's done, you'll be shown a detailed overview of what to expect from the Sheep Breeding process, which you can see at the top of this post. First and foremost, you'll of course need to first have Sheep inside the Sheep Pen so that you can breed them. From there, the process becomes a bit complicated, with some light genetics coming into play, as you'll be able to greatly influence what your Lambs will look like once they are born.
Meet us behind the break for a more detailed look at this new feature.
As of this very early release, it looks as though the easiest way to add Ewes and Rams to your Sheep Pen is to purchase them for the store (they will also be rewarded by completing quests on your English farm). Right now, there are two Ewes (Navy and Pastel Pink) to choose from, and a single Ram (Purple Dots). As you can see, the Ram is the item with the interesting pattern, while the two Ewes are simply a single color (no matter how outlandish that might be). This is important to note as this is the main way you'll be able to tell what your Lams will look like.
No matter what color the Ram's body might be, any Lamb that you create will grow to have their mother's (the Ewe or Sheep you used) color. The sheep, once grown, will have the father's wool pattern. That being the case, let's say you took a Navy Ewe and the Purple Dots Ram from the store and bred them. You'd then end up with a Lamb that would mostly likely grow into a Navy Sheep with Purple Dots. We say most likely as there is apparently a small chance for slight variations in the resulting lambs, which can't be guaranteed or predicted.
To actually breed two sheep, you'll need to place them in your Sheep Pen, and then click on one that you'd like to breed. These can either be Ewes or simply "Sheep," which appear to all be technically female. You'll be able to click on the "Breed" button to see which Rams that Ewe or Sheep is compatible with. Click on the its mate and click "Breed" again to start the process.
From there, you'll have a new window, which shows you that the time to breed a new lamb is 24 hours. Each attempt at breeding only comes with a 50% success rate, but you can increase the chance for success by adding Love Potions to the equation. You'll be able to ask your friends to send you potions by clicking on the "Ask for Potions" button in the lower left corner of the Sheep Pen's menu. This is achieved via a general wall post, rather than individual requests. You can also purchase Love Potions in packs of 5 for 5 Farm Cash.
Each Love Potion used creates a higher chance of successful breeding, and lowers the time required to wait for the sheep to breed. Here's a rundown:
- 1 Love Potion: 60% success rate; breeding completed in 12 hours
- 2 Love Potions: 70% success rate; breeding completed in 6 hours
- 3 Love Potions: 80% success rate; breeding completed in 3 hours
- 4 Love Potions: 90% success rate; breeding completed in 1 hour
- 5 Love Potions: 100% success rate; breeding completes instantly
Your two chosen animals will then go into one of the three breeding stalls in your Sheep Pen, where they will "do their business" until the timer is up. You'll need to apply all or none of your Love Potions before setting the two animals to breed, as you can't interrupt them in the middle.
If your breeding attempt is successful, you'll be told that you've received either a boy or a girl Lamb. You'll be able to name each Lamb you successfully receive, and will need to feed the Lamb 10 Baby Bottles to grow it into an adult. Placing the Lamb on your land will allow you to click on the Lamb and choose "Ask for Bottles" from the drop down menu, allowing you to collect the Bottles you need from friends.
Here are other methods of collecting Bottles:
- Purchase Bottles for 1 Farm Cash each
- Ask friends to send you Bottles from the game's free gifts page
Once fully fed, your Lamb will grow into either a full Ram or Sheep, showing off its new color and wool pattern. It should be noted that you can either keep the Lamb or Give it Away if you'd rather not grow it at all, or know a friend that would like a particular color of Lamb but can't breed it themselves.
Right now, you'll have to keep track of your own color combinations, noting which ones you've used and what the resulting Lambs looked like, but a "Family Tree" feature is coming soon that will allow you track the Genealogy of your Sheep on your land. There are apparently prizes for those that become "Master Sheep Breeders," so keep that in mind if you're questioning whether or not this feature is worthwhile to you.
[Final Two Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you started breeding sheep in your English Countryside farm? Will you use this feature, or will you just use the building as storage for your Sheep?
FarmVille English Countryside: Dairy Farm and Chicken Coop
FarmVille English Countryside: Dairy Farm and Chicken Coop
by Brandy Shaul, Posted Mar 23rd 2011 2:22PM
After you've likely spent all of your reserves of FarmVille building ingredients working on the Sheep Pen, Horse Stable, and Garage in the English Countryside, you'll be happy to know that two other animal buildings require no building materials whatsoever, giving you a break from the "building," as it were.
These two buildings are the Dairy Farm and the Chicken Coop, which are available to purchase in their completed forms from the English Countryside Marketplace. The Chicken Coop is the cheaper of the two buildings, costing 5,000 coins to purchase. It is limited to one Chicken Coop per user, meaning that in total, across both farms, you'll only be able to own two Chicken Coops - one on your Home Farm, and one in England.
Meet us behind the break for a further look at the Chicken Coop, and all of the details you need to know about the Dairy Farm.
The Chicken Coop comes with a Level 1, regular white Chicken when you purchase it, and has a total capacity of 20 Chickens by default. This can be expanded by clicking on the Chicken Coop, clicking on "Expand Storage," and then waiting for that familiar Storage Menu to appear on your screen.
From there, click on "Expand," and you'll post a news item to your wall, asking your friends to help you with your Barn Raising - you'll need 10 friends to help in a three day time period to expand the Chicken Coop from 20 to 40 Chickens in capacity. A second expansion is possible, taking the Chicken Coop to 60 Chickens in total.
The same expansion technique works for the Dairy Barn, but of course you'll have to purchase it first. This can be done in the game's store for 10,000 coins. As with Dairy Farms on your Home Farm, you aren't limited to just one Dairy Barn here, and can purchase more, if you feel the need to house more than the default of 20 Cows on your farm.
Unfortunately, the Dairy Farm does not come with an inhabitant for the purchase price, but there are some Cows available in the game's store right now - even some in the current English Countryside theme. Each time you expand the Dairy Barn, you'll be able to add 10 spaces for Cows in a single Dairy Farm, until you reach the maximum of 40.
Remember to keep a lookout for Mystery Eggs on your news feed to potentially receive free Chickens, and keep your Nursery Barn stocked with Calves to increase your chances of receiving Cows when they grow. Even if you receive Chickens and Cows on your Home Farm, they will go into your Gift Box and can easily be transferred to your English Countryside, and these new animals buildings.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you purchased both of these buildings for your English farm, or are you saving all of your animals for your Home Farm?
by Brandy Shaul, Posted Mar 23rd 2011 2:22PM
After you've likely spent all of your reserves of FarmVille building ingredients working on the Sheep Pen, Horse Stable, and Garage in the English Countryside, you'll be happy to know that two other animal buildings require no building materials whatsoever, giving you a break from the "building," as it were.
These two buildings are the Dairy Farm and the Chicken Coop, which are available to purchase in their completed forms from the English Countryside Marketplace. The Chicken Coop is the cheaper of the two buildings, costing 5,000 coins to purchase. It is limited to one Chicken Coop per user, meaning that in total, across both farms, you'll only be able to own two Chicken Coops - one on your Home Farm, and one in England.
Meet us behind the break for a further look at the Chicken Coop, and all of the details you need to know about the Dairy Farm.
The Chicken Coop comes with a Level 1, regular white Chicken when you purchase it, and has a total capacity of 20 Chickens by default. This can be expanded by clicking on the Chicken Coop, clicking on "Expand Storage," and then waiting for that familiar Storage Menu to appear on your screen.
From there, click on "Expand," and you'll post a news item to your wall, asking your friends to help you with your Barn Raising - you'll need 10 friends to help in a three day time period to expand the Chicken Coop from 20 to 40 Chickens in capacity. A second expansion is possible, taking the Chicken Coop to 60 Chickens in total.
The same expansion technique works for the Dairy Barn, but of course you'll have to purchase it first. This can be done in the game's store for 10,000 coins. As with Dairy Farms on your Home Farm, you aren't limited to just one Dairy Barn here, and can purchase more, if you feel the need to house more than the default of 20 Cows on your farm.
Unfortunately, the Dairy Farm does not come with an inhabitant for the purchase price, but there are some Cows available in the game's store right now - even some in the current English Countryside theme. Each time you expand the Dairy Barn, you'll be able to add 10 spaces for Cows in a single Dairy Farm, until you reach the maximum of 40.
Remember to keep a lookout for Mystery Eggs on your news feed to potentially receive free Chickens, and keep your Nursery Barn stocked with Calves to increase your chances of receiving Cows when they grow. Even if you receive Chickens and Cows on your Home Farm, they will go into your Gift Box and can easily be transferred to your English Countryside, and these new animals buildings.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you purchased both of these buildings for your English farm, or are you saving all of your animals for your Home Farm?
FarmVille English Countryside Make it Your Own Quest: Everything you need to know
Once you land in the English Countryside in FarmVille, you'll be asked to help repair this once bustling farm, which has fallen into a horrible state of disrepair. Crops have withered, the Horse Stable is barely standing, and the place has definitely seen better days. Your first official quest on your new farm is called "Make it Your Own," and will see you completing just two tasks.
Get 6 Postcards
Plow 10 Plots
It doesn't matter how you plow these plots - you could plow over the withered crops that you've been given from the start, plow over the fallow land that dots your farm, or plow ten entirely new plots of land. All will work to complete this quest. As for the Postcards, you'll need to post a general request to your wall asking your friends to send you some. You can skip this step for 7 Farm Cash, if you didn't spend all of your Farm Cash traveling to the English Countryside in the first place.
Your rewards for finishing this first quest are 100 XP, 1,500 coins, and a Dorking Chicken. The Chicken can be placed inside your Chicken Coop, should you have purchased one for your land already.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you finished this quest in the English Countryside?
Get 6 Postcards
Plow 10 Plots
It doesn't matter how you plow these plots - you could plow over the withered crops that you've been given from the start, plow over the fallow land that dots your farm, or plow ten entirely new plots of land. All will work to complete this quest. As for the Postcards, you'll need to post a general request to your wall asking your friends to send you some. You can skip this step for 7 Farm Cash, if you didn't spend all of your Farm Cash traveling to the English Countryside in the first place.
Your rewards for finishing this first quest are 100 XP, 1,500 coins, and a Dorking Chicken. The Chicken can be placed inside your Chicken Coop, should you have purchased one for your land already.
Check out the rest of our English Countryside coverage right here.
Have you finished this quest in the English Countryside?
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