At long last, Treasure Isle introduces treasure mastery + rewards

At long last, Treasure Isle on Facebook introduces Treasure Mastery -- which can be viewed in the newly revamped Treasures collection in the game. Now, when you complete a collection, you'll be able to trade it in for a reward, which generally includes a bunch of XP points and gold or a rare item.

To view your Mastery for a collection, look at the row of four stars at the top of the collection (as seen in the pic below). Right now, it doesn't look like the number of stars will have any impact on your reward -- you will get the same bonus no matter what level you are. Double checking on this new, and will report back.


treasure isle mastery

Once you trade in a collection, you will be able to brag about your achievement (and share coins) by posting a message on your Facebook Wall.

treasure isle treasure mastery rewards

What do you think of the new Treasure Isle mastery?

FrontierVille may soon have a new official home -- FrontierVille.com

FrontierVille might soon have a new official home -- other than Facebook. In our daily browsing, we ran across FrontierVille.com, which -- for now -- simply has a link to the current game (and the Facebook logo). Considering that Mafia Wars and FarmVille both also live on their own dot-coms (FarmVille.com, MafiaWars.com) -- we'll bet our Snake Cannon that we'll soon be able to tend to our virtual piece of the Wild West without the added step of going to Facebook first.

Zynga's Brian Reynolds explains why console developers fail on Facebook

Brian Reynolds, Zynga's chief games designer, sure seems to have an opinion on everything, and Industry Gamers has been there to hear every bit of it. His most recent take on the social games industry offers up his opinions on triple-a game designers - like those responsible for Call of Duty, or other major console games - and why they fail when it comes to making social games.

According to Reynolds, console game developers that decide to jump into the Facebook arena do so in a backwards fashion.

"You can't just go write... Call of Duty and add Facebook functionality. You've got to make a game that's about socializing, make social the core of what you're inventing, and then build the game around that. Mostly where I see triple-A people or developers trying to get into social and then failing is where they say, 'We're just going to take game X and kind of give it a little bit of Facebook plumbing and that'll be great.'"

He goes on to explain that in order to be successful, game designers need to forget about the "triple-A" game factors, and build a social game, with core social mechanics, before they ever add in the elements that make for a great experience. He says that in order to succeed, developers need to "come in and really learn social qua social and bring their immense decades of experience to improve it from there."

It's true that many console developers have failed when it comes to creating games for the social sphere, but with games like Dragon Age: Legends, could we finally be turning a corner for good?

[Image Credit: IGN]

What do you think of Reynolds ideas? Should console developers, looking to get into the social space, work first on their games' social game mechanics before ever giving them a story?

IndyCar Series signs partnership with Cie Games for new Car Town content

Earlier this month, Cie Games launched a partnership with Universal Pictures in their popular Facebook game Car Town, bringing the upcoming film Fast Five (of the Fast and the Furious franchise) to life, at least virtually, with new in-game environments and items. Now, not even a month later, a new cross-promotion has been announced in the game, with the Indianapolis Business Journal reporting that the IndyCar Series (as in IndyCar Racing Series) has also signed a deal with the developer to bring Indy cars and real-world drivers to the game.

While this deal is exciting enough on its own (as it's set to increase the variety of cars each user could interact with substantially), this also further proves that Car Town and Cie Games are now true, admirable forces in the Facebook gaming world. With Car Town pulling in over eight million players a month, this IndyCar promotion could lead to much bigger things - even partnerships with those real-world sponsors of drivers that have been added to the game.
As for the in-game features currently in place / in the works, players can now enter a new environment - Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Gasoline Alley, and complete challenges like the Indy 500 Challenge that includes a pit crew (comprised of Facebook friends). Players can race against others on the track, compete against other pit crews, and climb the leaderboards.

The game will see the addition of 13 different IndyCars, representing drivers like Danica Patrick, Dario Franchitti, Marco Andretti and more. Other IndyCar features will come online later in the year, so this looks like just the first of many updates that will see Car Town branching out even further into the advertising space. We look forward to seeing what the future brings, and we'll make sure to let you know when and if other sponsors join the pack.

Are you a fan of Car Town? Will you play the game more now that IndyCars are going to be a part of the day-to-day gameplay

LootDrop's first social game, Cloudforest Expedition, soars this summer

This summer, it'll be OK to have your head in the clouds. LootDrop, John Romero and Brenda Brathwaite's brand new social game studio, and publisher RockYou will launch CloudForest Expedition this summer. This is a story-driven exploration game on Facebook that will let you become the next great explorer. Unfortunately, no other details have been revealed at this time, but we can imagine the game will be as goofy and charming as Romero's first social game, LOLapps' Ravenwood Fair.

And LootDrop has already hit the drawing board on their second game, as RockYou has signed a second publishing deal with the studio. As you can see in the image above, all parties appear very happy, and we've boiled that down to two reasons. First, Romero and Brathwaite (far left and far right, respectively) are probably just plain excited to have not one, but two brand new projects in the cards for them. Second, there are likely lots of zeros somewhere on that contract. Hey, if you scored a budget for something you found fun, you'd be saying "cheese" too.

"They really zeroed in on the exploration, adventure genre with a clearing and discovery mechanic at its core, and they're just layering innovation on top of that," RockYou SVP Jonathan Knight told us. "That's what we can expect from this title and the second one." Knight went on to mention that Loot Drop's second game is still in the concept phase, and that the company signed the papers based on both that concept and that it has been "blown away" by Cloudforest Expedition. So, are we looking at an improved adaptation of games like Zynga's Treasure Isle? The game entered alpha testing last week, so we'll have to wait and see this summer.

Are you excited to see what Romero, Brathwaite and crew think up next? Given his experience with LOLapps, how do you think CloudForest Expedition might do against the competition?

Frogger is 30 years old, still bouncin' in Frogger Pinball on Facebook

Alright, so 30 is far from old, but that's ancient in frog years. Konami celebrates the 30th anniversary of gaming's favorite jaywalker with Frogger Pinball on Facebook. The game, created by Silverball Studios, is definitely a departure for Frogger, having the little green guy save his Lily from the clutches of the evil RoboCroc ... as a pinball. We at least hope the villain drives a red sedan.

Frogger Pinball takes cues from games like Bejeweled Blitz with its weekly leaderboards and tournaments, but attempts to add a light storyline to its naturally twitch-reflex play style. Come on, did you expect anything less from a Frogger game, and a pinball-themed one at that? The game's story mode spans three different tables: the Swamp, City and Space Station.

Players can unlock special characters from there to compete with their friends for the high score in Challenge Mode. Of course, unique power-ups and bonuses are rewarded throughout for leveling up, hitting targets and completing loops. We're sure each pinball table features unique obstacles, and you'll have to complete them with both Frogger and Lily to play Challenge Mode with all three characters.
Frogger Pinball in action
Konami has been no slouch when it comes to social gaming, either. The company has already released a few Facebook games, including an original in Viva! Mall. While that game has since shut down, the company has reported that social games helped the company double its profits year-over-year, according to Joystiq. That said, expect way--and we mean way--more where Frogger came from.

Click here to play Frogger Pinball on Facebook Now >

Are you still a Frogger fan after all of these years? Do you think Konami can bring its classic franchises back to life through Facebook?

Webcams + Facebook games = what looks like fun, thanks to Rounds

Rounds Bubblins
Some social gamers have long awaited real-time gaming on Facebook. And while some game makers have met that challenge well, perhaps you had something different in mind. Rounds, the self-proclaimed first "communitainment platform" on Facebook, is banking on that with a brand new selection of nine real-time social games for friends to play with as they chat over webcam.

The Israeli company, founded in 2008, made the new games for its nearly 1 million monthly users thanks to $3 million in funding. "Rounds users can expect to get hooked to these new activities like they have with our activities and games already on the site--and probably more so," Rounds CEO and co-founder Dany Fishel said in a release. "As Rounds continues to grow, the offerings are only going to get better and more addicting than they already are."
Gallery: Rounds on Facebook
The new games are designed to simulate a real-world game room, but we wouldn't go that far. However, based on these first screens, they sure do look to make webcam chat a helluva lot more fun. Here's Round's take on all nine games:

    Bubblins: A solo or multi-player game in which you match Bubblins to decrease your opponent's life while increasing your own.
    Charades: The online version of the classic game lets you act out a word or phrase as your opponent tries to guess who or what you are depicting.
    Faces iMake: Create your own crazy face using everyday objects in new and innovative ways.
    Gluey: Combine blobs of the same color and use special items to rack up points and best your opponent's score.
    Mad Pet: Race your skateboarding dog, do tricks and avoid holes along the way to accumulate more points than your friend's skateboarding canine.
    Space Purge: Save Planet Earth by destroying incoming asteroids and rogue satellites, and gain special power ups to score the most points before your three lives are up.
    Super Drift 3D: Pick your favorite car and favorite course and race against friends in a one of a kind 3D speed-racing game.
    Whack-a-Friend: Whack your friend while you Video Chat Rounds before they whack you.
    Wonder Putt: Mini-golf on steroids adventure throws cows, torpedoes, ski slopes and alien abductions your way as you try to shoot par.


Many of the games in this suite are available to play now through Rounds, including Space Purge, Bubblins, Super Drift 3D and MadPet. The rest of the games are said to hit Rounds by early 2012. Now, good luck with coordinating some play time with your friends, because who wants to show their ugly mug to a bunch a strangers?

Click here to try out Rounds on Facebook Now >

Are you a fan of using webcams to chat? Do you think webcams could add anything special to the social game experience?

Scott Steinberg: Facebook could be in music games' future [Interview]

"It was too many games in too short a time, playing to too niche of an audience at too high a price--in the middle of the worst recession possible." According to technology analyst and public speaker Scott Steinberg, this was what essentially killed the enormous music gaming franchises, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The age of sitting around your living room with three friends, plucking and fiddling with plastic instruments to Rush's Tom Sawyer is all but over ... for now.

Well, at least those exorbitant pieces of plastic are through. Steinberg details the rise, fall, and imminent resurrection of music-based video games in his new novel, "Music Games Rock: Rhythm Gaming's Greatest Hits of All Time," which you can read for free right here. (If you're so inclined to support the guy, it's also available on iBooks, Kindle and in paperback.)

According to Steinberg, music games inspired by Guitar Hero and Rock Band's wild success will get their second shot in the limelight on Facebook and in your smartphones. We recently sat down with Steinberg to hear his thoughts on just how Facebook games can take advantage of this golden opportunity, why it hasn't happened just yet and what the killer Facebook music game might be like.

What advantages would you say social games have to capitalize on the downfall of music games?

There's a number of advantages, right? Free-to-play and incredibly low barriers to entry. You certainly don't have high-end system requirements, and you don't have to buy pricey plastic peripherals. They can tap into your existing music collection or stream it live, and you have millions of players connected to a platform that's uniform.

You don't have to worry, for the most part, about bugs or errors, because everybody is playing the same thing at the same time. So, what you have is a ready made audience, say, on Facebook alone of 800 million people who are incredibly connected. [They] used to playing with one another and are taking part in a platform that's uniquely tailor-made to take advantage of digital music--and oh, by the way, it's completely free to play.

When you take it in this context, coupled with the fact that every human being on this planet is hardwired to enjoy music, that really is the common unifier. Social games really are uniquely poised to take the genre to the next level.

Music Games RockIn your book, you mention that the music genre has enjoyed a revival on social networks through Facebook games like Nightclub City and Dirty Dancing--largely simulator games. But what about games that more closely resemble the now-defunct rhythm games like Pump It? Which of the two do you think has a better chance at thriving on Facebook?

Actually, I would argue that some of the better ones that have a chance of surviving may not even be traditional games at all. Look at a service like Turntable.fm: Wouldn't consider it a game per se, except it's powered completely by gamification elements. You're creating custom play lists, you're interacting with other players in a social environment and ultimately you're competing for the approval of other users by liking the songs.

Or, if you look at other games like YooStar Playground or apps like VidRhythm--these are the titles that are to do particularly well. That said, simulation titles [have a] strong audience for them and proven capability, and certainly because that's where so many games got their roots [on Facebook]. There's likely to be a lot of people interested. I've even seen a number of unreleased games that are in prototype that essentially allow you to take on the role of managing or performing in a rock band--I think they're uniquely well-suited.

I think what's not going to translate over well is simply the standard tap in time with the on-screen indicator type games. Though, these can continue to succeed on mobile platforms, because in the mobile context you're typically looking to play maybe with one hand in a span of five or six minutes. Whereas social games may only be a 15-minute spurt, you're sitting down in front of a PC and you're typically more engaged.

There are some music creation social games on the fringe already, like BreakOutBand, that rely on players to share content to succeed. How important would that be in a social game centered around music?

I think user-created content, as it relates to social games, is massively important, because at the end of the day the developers can only take a game so far. And it's the players' ability to interact with and reshape that music or related content that really creates a sense of community, and allows a title to constantly keep feeling fresh and people coming back for more.

It's essentially a win-win, because for the developer it's a very affordable way to keep adding content to the game and keep people talking about it, and coming back after weeks and weeks. Players aren't constrained by office politics, licensing issues, and--to be frank--everybody loves to mix and mash creations.

But how much of that is going to be super-high quality, or chart-topping hits shall we say, versus underground little diddies? This is social interaction at its core, right? So, if you don't have that level of user interactivity, at the end of the day what you have is essentially a game with a bunch of canned content. And not much reason--unless it's saying you need to recruit other players to earn money for your band or unlock new stuff--there's not much incentive to pass it along.

A good amount of music games already exist on Facebook, but none are taking off like music games did before the turn of the decade. What do you think it would take for a music-based social game to enjoy success and notoriety like Guitar Hero?

You need to have a concept with extremely wide appeal that allows players to enjoy rock star wish fulfillment in a matter of minutes without the painful side effects. What also is important is to have recognizable band scenarios, you know, licensed music. But also the ability for players to put their own spin on it and a reason for them to engage with one another.

The problem is, to succeed on social networks where you literally have thousands of titles competing, dozens of them coming out every single week--all of which are completely free to play versus Guitar Hero, which was completely brand new. To have that success on Facebook or another social network, I almost think what you're going to see is a title that's going to have to align itself with Spotify or another one of these streaming services to tap into a massive database of real-world artists and then finds new ways for you to interact with that music.
Dirty Dancing Facebook game
Back to the branded music games like Dirty Dancing (pictured). As you know, they're reaching critical mass, so what do you think is the likelihood of a monster brand like Guitar Hero or Rock Band appearing on Facebook?

Oh, it's a certainty. It's not a question of 'if,' but just a question of 'when.' I think a lot of that is because the game makers aren't unawares. Activision, Harmonix, Mad Catz: They understand the power of social networks as a platform. The problem is that their business has been thus far founded in either selling peripherals--good mark up on those plastic guitars--or selling software for 60 bucks a pop.

They haven't had as much incentive to scurry and think, 'How do we make a free-to-play platform where we're probably going to make a lot less money in the immediate?' But slowly and surely, as so many game players are migrating to these platforms, convenience is winning. It's almost as if they're being forced to acknowledge it. It's a completely new approach to game design--Wal-Mart's not going to order a million units. They'll embrace it; it's just a question of 'when.'

Try to describe your dream music-based Facebook game to me. In other words, what do you think would be the ultimate approach to a music game on Facebook?

The ultimate Facebook music game would not only be able to tap into your full library of digital music, but also stream millions of songs on demand. [It would] allow you to set up on stage custom concerts for your friends, featuring this music or original music you created. [You would] style your avatars, build your own bands, create your own followings, sell your own virtual merchandise and connect over shared love of music with millions of players across the world.

It would effectively recreate the rock and recording industry experience, only in a virtual setting. What I mean is a combo listening service, social network, slash simulation game that effectively allows you to build a rock band and recording industry career from the ground up. I don't see any reason why you couldn't create avatars for your band--it's own look, logo, virtual stickers, t-shirts. You could buy branded gear like Gibson's or Marshall's, earn cash from touring, build your own virtual labels. I don't see any reason why a platform wouldn't be able to break new artists.

Wow, I think it's time for you to call the patent office. Thanks for taking the time to chat, Scott.

What do you think of the prospects of a wildly successful music game hitting Facebook? Who do you think could be the first to create the ultimate music game on Facebook? Share with us in the comments. 1 Comment

Baseball Superstars: The League goes for a grand slam on Facebook

Just in time for the playoff season in the states (Philadelphia NL East Champs! ... sorry), Gamevil has released its very own baseball simulator on Facebook, Baseball Superstars: The League. The Korean and Los Angeles-based developer best known for the Zenonia series of RPGs (role-playing games) on the iPhone released this social version of its hit baseball sims on iOS.

Of course, EA Sports and Playfish have already staked their claim to the sub genre on Facebook with World Series Superstars, but already Gamevil has one thing going for it: global multiplayer. That's right, once you choose your team's name, logo and specialty between Power, Accuracy and Speed, you can jump into games immediately with anyone playing the game.

While you will certainly need Facebook friends to play in Exhibition games, those looking for a fast and easy Quick Play game, the world's digital baseball managers await you. There's also a Home Run Derby mode as well as full-blown tournaments, which are coming soon. And the gameplay is surprisingly interactive, having players actually swing at pitches with clicks.
Baseball Superstars Logo
Baseball Superstars features a full-blown pitching system as well, in which players select from a variety of pitches and choose exactly where they land in or around the strike zone. There are also a number of commands you can give to base runners to attempt to steal bases. All in all, this looks like an impressively full-featured baseball game on Facebook at launch.
While much of the game has players tweaking their stadiums like most sports games on Facebook, it's the actually Quick Plays and Exhibition games that are the meat and potatoes of Baseball Superstars, and what could make this game a competitor to existing social sports games. "It builds upon our years of strategic advances in the global games market, and shows that we can adapt and offer a unique yet competitive social games experience," VP and head of Gamevil USA Kyu Lee said in a release.
Baseball Superstars gameplay
Baseball Superstars is just Gamevil's second release on Facebook after Train City, which didn't do so hot, according to AppData. Considering the hype train that is US baseball in September and October, baseball fans (the closet Facebook game-loving ones, at least) are going to be on the hunt for a new experience on Facebook.

And it looks like Gamevil will be there to meet them with a Facebook game that actually focuses on, you know, the baseball? Hey, the second time can still be a charm, too, right?

Click here to play Baseball Superstars: The League on Facebook Now >

Have you tried this new baseball Facebook game yet? What do you think of Gamevil's second entry into the Facebook game space, and what about their existing iOS games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment

NHL Superstars coming to Facebook in October

Adding to its popular brand of "Superstars" titles on Facebook, Electronic Arts has announced the production of NHL Superstars for Facebook. This new game, as reported by ShackNews, comes on the heels of EA's NHL 12 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 breaking franchise records for the biggest launch week in the franchise's history.

As for the franchise's jump onto the Facebook ice, we're told this: "NHL Superstars will bring an all-new NHL experience to millions of hockey fans by enabling players to build and manage their ultimate team of professional hockey players. With dynamic and accessible gameplay, fans can compete head-to-head in games against their Facebook friends from around the world."

While specific details are still lacking as to what we can exactly expect from NHL Superstars, we can't imagine EA / Playfish breaking the mold. We'll likely be able to collect cards that contain professional hockey players, and then trade those cards out to create the best team possible. Each player will likely have stats, and we'll be able to use those players in virtual hockey games against others for supremacy.

We don't have a specific release date for NHL Superstars, although the game is set to take to the ice sometime in October. We'll make sure to give you a complete look at the game when we know more.

Are you excited to see NHL Superstars come to Facebook? Which players will you look for to create your perfect team? Sound off in the comments.