FarmVille Wild Mustang -- we hardly knew you. We might never get the chance, either, according to Community Manager Lexilicious, who says that the feature is gone and offers no explanation as to why and when (or if) it might be coming back.
"Hey Farmers,
The Wild Mustang feature has been disabled. If you were already in the process of wrangling a mustang, your Neighbors will still be able to help you complete it.
However, no new Wild Mustang pop-ups will appear for users.
Thanks everyone!"
[Via FarmVille official forums]
Did you ever get the chance to wrangle a mythical Wild Mustang?
Thứ Tư, 15 tháng 2, 2012
Zoo World: New buildable Rose Garden coming soon
Soon you'll be able to stop and smell the roses in Zoo World on Facebook. The game will soon be introducing a new buildable Rose Garden, where you'll have to rely on friends to get different colored roses for their gardens.
Players who are level 6 or above, will find a pop-up when they log into the game, which will ask if they want to place a new Rose Garden in their Zoo. Roses can be found a number of ways -- three basic roses (yellow, red and white) can be sent as free gifts from friends, a blue one will only be available through Facebook feed and lavender, pink orange and green can be collected from the garden daily, acquired from a friend's Facebook feed or by combining (or cross-breeding) roses to get the desired color.
The entire garden will level up as well -- going from Silver to adamantium -- and each level will unlock new flowers. A new trophy related to rose gardens will roll out with these new gardens, which will be soon, though the exact release date is still TBD.
Players who are level 6 or above, will find a pop-up when they log into the game, which will ask if they want to place a new Rose Garden in their Zoo. Roses can be found a number of ways -- three basic roses (yellow, red and white) can be sent as free gifts from friends, a blue one will only be available through Facebook feed and lavender, pink orange and green can be collected from the garden daily, acquired from a friend's Facebook feed or by combining (or cross-breeding) roses to get the desired color.
The entire garden will level up as well -- going from Silver to adamantium -- and each level will unlock new flowers. A new trophy related to rose gardens will roll out with these new gardens, which will be soon, though the exact release date is still TBD.
Mafia Wars London: Four ways to score more British passports
Mafia Wars London Challenge has arrived, and one of the key resources needed to get through the job is British Passports. Lots of them.
The standard way to get passports is by heading to the Mafia Wars London hub page, where you can pick up a bundle passports every 24 hours. Our best advice is to set a timer and make sure you check back every day -- on the dot. That's a slow way to get all of the passports you need, and if you're a little more enterprising, you can pick up some extras by doing the following:
1. Add new crew members to your Mafia
mafia wars new members
If you can find up to seven people to join your mafia, you'll be able to bring in a bunch of passports at once. If you're playing through Chapter 1, you'll be able to recruit three people, two people when Chapter 2 unlocks and two people when Chapter 3 unlocks. Each player you add will come with extra passports, making for a total of 252 passports. It might be annoying to go around and bug friends to join your crew, but it'll be worth it. You can also hit up the official Mafia Wars forums to find people to play with or, alternately, leave a note in the comments below that you're looking for a few new crew members.
2. Do jobs with low energy requirements
mafia wars complete jobs for passports
Another way to earn British passports is by doing jobs. However, since these passports drop randomly from jobs, it's a good idea to go back to a job that drops loot and doesn't require much energy to complete. Then, start clicking! We picked the Auto Theft job from New York, which only needs 3 Energy to complete and then started clicking. Not only will you pick up a few passports, but other loot items like auto and weapons parts. Don't get frustrated if you don't hit passport pay dirt -- remember that they're generally hard to come by and getting them by completing a job with a lower level energy requirement increases your chances.
3. Go on a robbing spree and complete the entire board
mafia wars robbing british passports
When you rob, your goal should be to rob all of the nine properties on the board. Once you're done, you'll receive additional experience points and a bonus item, which might be a British passport or two.
4. Fight (or don't)
Fighting will also drop passports, so keep putting your rival mafiosos to the test. So far, this has been the least effective way to get passports, so we suggest you save those stamina points for robbing instead.
Heard any other tips or tricks on ways to get more British Passports? Looking for new people to join your crew?
The standard way to get passports is by heading to the Mafia Wars London hub page, where you can pick up a bundle passports every 24 hours. Our best advice is to set a timer and make sure you check back every day -- on the dot. That's a slow way to get all of the passports you need, and if you're a little more enterprising, you can pick up some extras by doing the following:
1. Add new crew members to your Mafia
mafia wars new members
If you can find up to seven people to join your mafia, you'll be able to bring in a bunch of passports at once. If you're playing through Chapter 1, you'll be able to recruit three people, two people when Chapter 2 unlocks and two people when Chapter 3 unlocks. Each player you add will come with extra passports, making for a total of 252 passports. It might be annoying to go around and bug friends to join your crew, but it'll be worth it. You can also hit up the official Mafia Wars forums to find people to play with or, alternately, leave a note in the comments below that you're looking for a few new crew members.
2. Do jobs with low energy requirements
mafia wars complete jobs for passports
Another way to earn British passports is by doing jobs. However, since these passports drop randomly from jobs, it's a good idea to go back to a job that drops loot and doesn't require much energy to complete. Then, start clicking! We picked the Auto Theft job from New York, which only needs 3 Energy to complete and then started clicking. Not only will you pick up a few passports, but other loot items like auto and weapons parts. Don't get frustrated if you don't hit passport pay dirt -- remember that they're generally hard to come by and getting them by completing a job with a lower level energy requirement increases your chances.
3. Go on a robbing spree and complete the entire board
mafia wars robbing british passports
When you rob, your goal should be to rob all of the nine properties on the board. Once you're done, you'll receive additional experience points and a bonus item, which might be a British passport or two.
4. Fight (or don't)
Fighting will also drop passports, so keep putting your rival mafiosos to the test. So far, this has been the least effective way to get passports, so we suggest you save those stamina points for robbing instead.
Heard any other tips or tricks on ways to get more British Passports? Looking for new people to join your crew?
Cafe World turns up the heat with new Lightening Super Stoves
First there were Super Stoves, which made it easier to prepare a dish, now Cafe World introduces Lightening Super Stoves, which keeps the one-click cooking and makes the dish cook 5% faster. The stove can be purchased for 45 Cafe Cash (roughly $7), and for now, there's no other way to get one of these other than shelling out for them. We keep hearing that the Build a Super Stove feature will be going away soon, and maybe that's because it will be replaced with a special Build a Lightening Super Stove mini-game. The sooner we can turn up the heat on those recipes, the sooner we can master our favorite virtual dishes.
PetVille pays homage to Sex in the City with new mystery crate *spoiler*
PetVille pays homage to the new Sex and the City movie with a brand new mystery crate. For 25 Pet Cash a pop, you'll get the chance to score six 'Pet in the City' items, which includes a snazzy new car, a camel and pet parodies of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, all dressed in designer duds with Martini glasses in hand. Get these girls into your house and your pet can join in and tell them all of his/her dirty secrets, i.e. "I always leave half-eaten tacos and cereal boxes all over my living room floor."
What did you get in your Pet in the City mystery crate? Is it worth the Pet Cash?
What did you get in your Pet in the City mystery crate? Is it worth the Pet Cash?
Thứ Bảy, 11 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille Japanese Decorations: Garden Pond, Large Lamp, Cherrywood Gate, & Lilac Tree
Continuing with the Japanese theme, FarmVille released additional limited edition Japanese themed decorations.
These LE decorations can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 9 days only and after this time expires they will be retired items.
FarmVille Japanese Decorations (Released June 3oth 2010)
Garden Pond – 50,000 Coins
Large Lamp -40,000 Coins
Cherrywood Gate -10,000 Coins
Lilac Tree – 8,000 Coins *(Decorative Tree only, will not yield coins)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these decorations? Which one is your favorite? Be sure to send pics of your decorations, buildings, or animals or Japanese themed farm to editors@games.com and we may feature them here!
These LE decorations can be purchased in the FarmVille Market during the next 9 days only and after this time expires they will be retired items.
FarmVille Japanese Decorations (Released June 3oth 2010)
Garden Pond – 50,000 Coins
Large Lamp -40,000 Coins
Cherrywood Gate -10,000 Coins
Lilac Tree – 8,000 Coins *(Decorative Tree only, will not yield coins)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you purchase any of these decorations? Which one is your favorite? Be sure to send pics of your decorations, buildings, or animals or Japanese themed farm to editors@games.com and we may feature them here!
FarmVille Japanese Animal: Sika Deer
farmville sika deer
FarmVille released the Sika Deer as another Japanese themed animal with tonight's updates.
The Sika Deer is also known as the "Spotted Deer" or "Japanese Deer" and can be found throughout East Asia. Unlike other deer who lose their spots after reaching adulthood, the Sika Deer retains its spots for life.
The limited edition Sika Deer can be purchased in the FarmVille Market for 14 FV$ during the next 9 days only.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you buy a Sika Deer for your farm? Send pics of your Sika Deer to editors@games.com and we may feature them here.
FarmVille released the Sika Deer as another Japanese themed animal with tonight's updates.
The Sika Deer is also known as the "Spotted Deer" or "Japanese Deer" and can be found throughout East Asia. Unlike other deer who lose their spots after reaching adulthood, the Sika Deer retains its spots for life.
The limited edition Sika Deer can be purchased in the FarmVille Market for 14 FV$ during the next 9 days only.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Will you buy a Sika Deer for your farm? Send pics of your Sika Deer to editors@games.com and we may feature them here.
FarmVille Japanese Buildings: Tea House II
Continuing with the limited edition Japanese theme, FarmVille released the Tea House II building tonight.
The LE Tea House II building can be purchase for 27 FV$ in the FarmVille Market during the next 9 days only.
We can't wait to see all of your Japanese themed farms! Be sure to send pics of your Japanese inspired farm to editors@games.com and we will feature the best of the Japanese themed farms on The Blog!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
The LE Tea House II building can be purchase for 27 FV$ in the FarmVille Market during the next 9 days only.
We can't wait to see all of your Japanese themed farms! Be sure to send pics of your Japanese inspired farm to editors@games.com and we will feature the best of the Japanese themed farms on The Blog!
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Missing Animals!
After tonight's updates, many FarmVille Freaks are reporting that some of their beloved animals have gone missing!
Our very own FarmVille Freak blogger, CabbagePatchKid, lost six Horses including farm cash items like the Percheron Horse and limited edition White Stallion!
This is frustrating as many people have huge collections of animals and decorations, not to mention all those items in Storage. So, FarmVille Freak pack-rats, can you really keep track of all your FarmVille items? I admit, that all of this missing animals business kind of makes me want to create a spreadsheet of all my limited edition items.
Losing special items is never fun especially when you have paid farm cash for them. However, please remember that Zynga will replace farm cash items that are lost due to in-game technical glitches or errors. (See FarmVille Restoration Policy below)
If you have lost any of your animals due to technical glitches be sure to file your reports to Zynga's Customer Support.
Zynga Customer Support
Here is an excerpt from Zynga's FarmVille Restoration Policy:
"FarmVille Item Restoration Policy
Items Purchased with Farm Cash:
If an item purchased with Farm Cash is lost due to an in-game bug or issue, we will restore the item itself whenever possible. If for some reason we are unable to restore the item itself, then we will restore the equivalent amount of Farm Cash that was lost to your account.
Items Purchased with Farm Coins (that have been bought directly from Zynga):
If an item bought with Farm coins is lost due to an in-game bug or issue (provided the coins used to buy the item(s) were purchased directly from Zynga) we will restore the coins to your account, up to a maximum of the amount you have purchased from Zynga.
If a Limited Edition item that was purchased for coins is lost (provided the coins used to buy the item(s) were purchased directly from Zynga), we will restore the item itself whenever possible. If for some reason it is not possible to restore the item, we will credit you with coins in accordance with our restoration policy."
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What animals or other items have gone missing from your farm?
Our very own FarmVille Freak blogger, CabbagePatchKid, lost six Horses including farm cash items like the Percheron Horse and limited edition White Stallion!
This is frustrating as many people have huge collections of animals and decorations, not to mention all those items in Storage. So, FarmVille Freak pack-rats, can you really keep track of all your FarmVille items? I admit, that all of this missing animals business kind of makes me want to create a spreadsheet of all my limited edition items.
Losing special items is never fun especially when you have paid farm cash for them. However, please remember that Zynga will replace farm cash items that are lost due to in-game technical glitches or errors. (See FarmVille Restoration Policy below)
If you have lost any of your animals due to technical glitches be sure to file your reports to Zynga's Customer Support.
Zynga Customer Support
Here is an excerpt from Zynga's FarmVille Restoration Policy:
"FarmVille Item Restoration Policy
Items Purchased with Farm Cash:
If an item purchased with Farm Cash is lost due to an in-game bug or issue, we will restore the item itself whenever possible. If for some reason we are unable to restore the item itself, then we will restore the equivalent amount of Farm Cash that was lost to your account.
Items Purchased with Farm Coins (that have been bought directly from Zynga):
If an item bought with Farm coins is lost due to an in-game bug or issue (provided the coins used to buy the item(s) were purchased directly from Zynga) we will restore the coins to your account, up to a maximum of the amount you have purchased from Zynga.
If a Limited Edition item that was purchased for coins is lost (provided the coins used to buy the item(s) were purchased directly from Zynga), we will restore the item itself whenever possible. If for some reason it is not possible to restore the item, we will credit you with coins in accordance with our restoration policy."
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
What animals or other items have gone missing from your farm?
FarmVille Update: Missing Animals Being Returned?
Zynga gave sad farmers missing animals some hope this evening in a quick note above the FarmVille game screen.
[Update] We have made progress fixing issues with missing critters and pieces/parts. Still some work to be done, but we expect things to improve shortly.
Source: FarmVille, Zynga
Hopefully this means that missing cows, horses and other animals will soon be returned soon.
Image Source: Richard Masoner
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
When do you think players will be reunited with their beloved animals?
[Update] We have made progress fixing issues with missing critters and pieces/parts. Still some work to be done, but we expect things to improve shortly.
Source: FarmVille, Zynga
Hopefully this means that missing cows, horses and other animals will soon be returned soon.
Image Source: Richard Masoner
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
When do you think players will be reunited with their beloved animals?
Thứ Năm, 9 tháng 2, 2012
FarmVille California & Yukon Themed Items Return Today Only
FarmVille California and Yukon Limited Edition items
As part of a Limited edition Summer Sale event, FarmVille is offering some limited edition items from the California and Yukon theme. These items will only be available for sale in the FarmVille Market on Monday, August 9th 2010, for a 24 hour period.
Currently the icons listed above are the LE available for sale in the market.
Elk (animal)
Proud Goat (decorative animal, not harvestable, will not yield coins)
Golden Trout (decoration)
Mammoth Statue (decoration)
Petrified Wood (decoration)
Be sure to look for more limited edition items later this week. Each day introduces a different LE theme available for sale.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
As part of a Limited edition Summer Sale event, FarmVille is offering some limited edition items from the California and Yukon theme. These items will only be available for sale in the FarmVille Market on Monday, August 9th 2010, for a 24 hour period.
Currently the icons listed above are the LE available for sale in the market.
Elk (animal)
Proud Goat (decorative animal, not harvestable, will not yield coins)
Golden Trout (decoration)
Mammoth Statue (decoration)
Petrified Wood (decoration)
Be sure to look for more limited edition items later this week. Each day introduces a different LE theme available for sale.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
FarmVille Technical Issues for Tonight: No Posts Sharing
FarmVille Vehicle Plow Information
You may notice while farming that you do not receive any Bushels or Collections items. There is also a current inability to share posts via FaceBook newsfeed. (Click the image above to see the full FarmVille Vehicle Plow Information.)
FarmVille is aware of these technical issues and working on a fix.
In the meantime, you will still receive your rewards while farming, just without notification.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
You may notice while farming that you do not receive any Bushels or Collections items. There is also a current inability to share posts via FaceBook newsfeed. (Click the image above to see the full FarmVille Vehicle Plow Information.)
FarmVille is aware of these technical issues and working on a fix.
In the meantime, you will still receive your rewards while farming, just without notification.
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.
Bookmark this site!
YoVille: Alligator Pet Coming Next Week
YoVille released a picture of the the charity pet that you are all waiting for. This alligator will be arriving to our town next week. As all the previous pets it will cost you 30 YoCash and 50% of all proceeds will go to Audubon to help save the Gulf.
Right now, players can purchase a cute turtle and rally friends to get a cool turtle balloon.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
Right now, players can purchase a cute turtle and rally friends to get a cool turtle balloon.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
YoVille: Free Plushie and New Moroccan Mystery Box on Gifts Page
Two special items have been added to the YoVille free gifts page. A Sun Plushie is now available for you to gift to all your YoVille buddies for free! Plush toys in YoVille are usually sold for 8-9 YoCash.
A new Moroccan mystery box is also available. It has new items (e.g. hookahs and fabric bolts), coins, XP and who knows, maybe YoCash! The guys on the YoVille Lounge forum started making a list of what is in this mystery box.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
A new Moroccan mystery box is also available. It has new items (e.g. hookahs and fabric bolts), coins, XP and who knows, maybe YoCash! The guys on the YoVille Lounge forum started making a list of what is in this mystery box.
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille: Half-price sale on Classic Hollywood furniture
The Classic Hollywood theme will NOT be discontinued! All items have been reduced 50% until Monday night! Head on down to the Furniture Store to stock up on these lavish and glamorous furnishings. And, don't forget, Permanent Hair and Moroccan Collectibles will end in two days.
From Jade Ninja's original post on the Official YoVille Forum:
Hey guys,
Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate everyone here in our fabulous yoville community and to thank you for being so awesome, we are
having a sale on Classic Hollywood Furniture for 50% off!!!
This sale will conclude Monday evening and items WILL NOT be leaving the store after the offer expires.
And as always,there will be a timer on items so you know exactly how long those items will be on sale for
So if you were waiting for the opportunity to grab some pieces you otherwise couldn't afford at the time to finish decorating–now's your chance to get em while they're hot and CHEAP!
Have a great yo-day
Thanks
<3
-Jade Ninja
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
From Jade Ninja's original post on the Official YoVille Forum:
Hey guys,
Just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate everyone here in our fabulous yoville community and to thank you for being so awesome, we are
having a sale on Classic Hollywood Furniture for 50% off!!!
This sale will conclude Monday evening and items WILL NOT be leaving the store after the offer expires.
And as always,there will be a timer on items so you know exactly how long those items will be on sale for
So if you were waiting for the opportunity to grab some pieces you otherwise couldn't afford at the time to finish decorating–now's your chance to get em while they're hot and CHEAP!
Have a great yo-day
Thanks
<3
-Jade Ninja
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Bookmark this site!
Thứ Hai, 6 tháng 2, 2012
Happy Pets wants users to log in daily and get chilly with new Arctic Pets
Happy Pets Sparkling Arctic Dog Announcment
Expect to be rewarded handsomely for your dedication to Happy Pets shortly as Crowdstar is giving addicts frequent visitors brand new pets to play with (yes, the new pet invasion drudges on). The new Arctic Pet collection will only be available to users to log in for a certain consecutive amount of days. Happy Pets Sparkling Arctic Horse
Log in to Happy Pets for seven days in a row to receive the first pet, a Sparkling Arctic Dog. Visit the game for three more days to be rewarded the Sparkling Arctic Cat and come back for another three days to find yourself with a Sparkling Arctic Horse. Basically, all you need to do is log in daily for two weeks straight and you'll have all three Arctic Pets.
Thankfully, you'll be recognized for already logging in daily if you have been so loyal. Hey, you might already have all three fancy new Arctic Pets if you've been consistently addicted for the past two weeks. If you're not already logged in while reading this, give the game a visit (well, lots of them) if you want to win these literally shiny new pets.
Since these pets are attained in the same way the Pandora Pets were, it's possible that the Pandora collection of pets might be over and the Arctic Pets have replaced them. According to the Crowdstar forums, neither this collection nor the Pandora series have a time limit. Have any of you been able to still receive a Pandora pet?
Expect to be rewarded handsomely for your dedication to Happy Pets shortly as Crowdstar is giving addicts frequent visitors brand new pets to play with (yes, the new pet invasion drudges on). The new Arctic Pet collection will only be available to users to log in for a certain consecutive amount of days. Happy Pets Sparkling Arctic Horse
Log in to Happy Pets for seven days in a row to receive the first pet, a Sparkling Arctic Dog. Visit the game for three more days to be rewarded the Sparkling Arctic Cat and come back for another three days to find yourself with a Sparkling Arctic Horse. Basically, all you need to do is log in daily for two weeks straight and you'll have all three Arctic Pets.
Thankfully, you'll be recognized for already logging in daily if you have been so loyal. Hey, you might already have all three fancy new Arctic Pets if you've been consistently addicted for the past two weeks. If you're not already logged in while reading this, give the game a visit (well, lots of them) if you want to win these literally shiny new pets.
Since these pets are attained in the same way the Pandora Pets were, it's possible that the Pandora collection of pets might be over and the Arctic Pets have replaced them. According to the Crowdstar forums, neither this collection nor the Pandora series have a time limit. Have any of you been able to still receive a Pandora pet?
Doom co-creator Romero consulting on unnamed Facebook game
With gaming luminaries from Trip Hawkins and Richard Garriott to Sid Meier and Brian Reynolds jumping onto the social gaming bandwagon of late, perhaps it shouldn't surprise us that John Romero -- co-founder of id Software and one of the men behind Doom and Quake -- is apparently the latest storied old-school developer to dip his toes into the social arena.
But we were still a bit surprised when we read that VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi ran in to Romero during a trip to LOLApps San Francisco headquarters. Romero is reportedly working as a design consultant on an unnamed "cute" Facebook game while still working on more traditional hardcore titles for MMO company Gazillion.
"This is where the excitement is now," Romero told VentureBeat in explaining the move.
So who will be the next big-name classic game creator to throw his hat into the ring. We're relatively sure it won't be Shigeru Miyamoto, but other than that the field is wide open, say, what's Al Lowe been up to, lately?
But we were still a bit surprised when we read that VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi ran in to Romero during a trip to LOLApps San Francisco headquarters. Romero is reportedly working as a design consultant on an unnamed "cute" Facebook game while still working on more traditional hardcore titles for MMO company Gazillion.
"This is where the excitement is now," Romero told VentureBeat in explaining the move.
So who will be the next big-name classic game creator to throw his hat into the ring. We're relatively sure it won't be Shigeru Miyamoto, but other than that the field is wide open, say, what's Al Lowe been up to, lately?
PetVille Designer Dogs move from the gifts page to the game store
If your missing pups keep you from the picture perfect scene above, you can now buy any or all of PetVille's Designer Dogs Collection directly from the game. Each of the five dogs and the branded Deluxe Doggie Bed were first offered for free on the game's gifts page on specific days for 24-hr periods. Now, each pup can be bought for 20 Pet Cash, or you can buy the whole set (including the bed) for 96 Pet Cash at a 20% discount, which saves you 24 Pet Cash.
Mass Effect 2 developers borrowing social gaming's metrics-mining approach
Social game developers are often criticized for focusing on "player metrics" -- gameplay data culled from actual player experience that's used to guide frequent, carefully crafted updates. But a new interview with the creators of one of the biggest traditional game releases of the year shows that this metrics-based approach is starting to spread to all sorts of games
Talknig to IGN, BioWare Senior Producer Casey Hudson said the company is collecting massive amounts of anonymous gameplay data on players of January's Mass Effect 2. The company is capturing and analyzing data on everything from weapon use to skipped lines of dialogue, Hudson said, in an effort to determine what bits should be changed for eventual sequels and DLC.
"Sometimes you'll design something and think that it's going to be used in a certain way and people will use it in a completely different way," Hudson said. "And if you didn't know that, then you would just keep making that system the same as you did before. But once you know what players like and what they don't like, based on the way that they're playing it, then you can make more of the good stuff and less of the stuff they weren't interested in."
While Hudson doesn't see player data analysis as the be-all-end-all of game design, he does think it will help guide the company as it refines the game going forward. "Ultimately it doesn't always give you the answers, but it sometimes raises questions or gets you to ask the right questions," he said. "More people played the soldier class than all of the other classes combined. If you know that, then you can start thinking about future games. Is that good? Is that a problem? Should we look at the other classes and start thinking about ways to make them selected as often as soldier? As part of asking these questions, we can design games in the future a lot better."
Talknig to IGN, BioWare Senior Producer Casey Hudson said the company is collecting massive amounts of anonymous gameplay data on players of January's Mass Effect 2. The company is capturing and analyzing data on everything from weapon use to skipped lines of dialogue, Hudson said, in an effort to determine what bits should be changed for eventual sequels and DLC.
"Sometimes you'll design something and think that it's going to be used in a certain way and people will use it in a completely different way," Hudson said. "And if you didn't know that, then you would just keep making that system the same as you did before. But once you know what players like and what they don't like, based on the way that they're playing it, then you can make more of the good stuff and less of the stuff they weren't interested in."
While Hudson doesn't see player data analysis as the be-all-end-all of game design, he does think it will help guide the company as it refines the game going forward. "Ultimately it doesn't always give you the answers, but it sometimes raises questions or gets you to ask the right questions," he said. "More people played the soldier class than all of the other classes combined. If you know that, then you can start thinking about future games. Is that good? Is that a problem? Should we look at the other classes and start thinking about ways to make them selected as often as soldier? As part of asking these questions, we can design games in the future a lot better."
FrontierVille prizes are now available on Zynga Lotto
FrontierVille Zynga Lotto prizes
Today, Zynga Lotto has finally dropped the "Coming Soon" sign from the FrontierVille section and rolled in four fabulous new decor pieces for players. The much awaited prizes are a family of Pet Rocks, Crooked Target Fence for your bottle-shooting needs, a Buggy, and a golden Jack Statue with our man Jack standing over a whupped bear.
To grab this collection, you're going to need lots of luck and lots of tickets. We can't help you with the former, but you can learn how to get more tickets by clicking here.
Today, Zynga Lotto has finally dropped the "Coming Soon" sign from the FrontierVille section and rolled in four fabulous new decor pieces for players. The much awaited prizes are a family of Pet Rocks, Crooked Target Fence for your bottle-shooting needs, a Buggy, and a golden Jack Statue with our man Jack standing over a whupped bear.
To grab this collection, you're going to need lots of luck and lots of tickets. We can't help you with the former, but you can learn how to get more tickets by clicking here.
Thứ Bảy, 4 tháng 2, 2012
YoVille Halloween 2010 Items arrive
yoville halloween 2010 items
First batch of YoVille Halloween decorations and furniture is available in the Furniturestore! This release is divided in two categories, "Haunted Furniture" and "Haunted Castle", and is a great start in making those creepy hallways, dungeons and libraries.
Cool animations can be discovered from many of them! Fire Bookshelf has books flying out of it and bursting in to fire, haunted couches may suck you in, secret boulder and secret bookshelf can be used to cover doors, they will lift up when clicked and so on! Check the list of the items and prices both YoCash and Coins after the link and tell us what you discovered from these items in comments! yoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
First batch of YoVille Halloween decorations and furniture is available in the Furniturestore! This release is divided in two categories, "Haunted Furniture" and "Haunted Castle", and is a great start in making those creepy hallways, dungeons and libraries.
Cool animations can be discovered from many of them! Fire Bookshelf has books flying out of it and bursting in to fire, haunted couches may suck you in, secret boulder and secret bookshelf can be used to cover doors, they will lift up when clicked and so on! Check the list of the items and prices both YoCash and Coins after the link and tell us what you discovered from these items in comments! yoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 itemsyoville halloween 2010 items
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
YoVille Ten Coin Costumes let everyone dress up for Halloween
yoville ten coin halloween costume
No this is not a glitch! There is a new YoVille Halloween category, "10 Coin Costumes" in the Clothing store, and at the moment a 3-piece Dinosaur-costume is available, costing only 30 Coins in total. Timer is set for only 3 days so get your Halloween costume while you can!
The YoVille Halloween costume-parts are not tradeable or giftable, so remember to tell your friends to purchase theirs right away as well. We'll keep you updated if there are any changes!
yoville ten coin halloween costumes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Tell us what you think in comments!
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
No this is not a glitch! There is a new YoVille Halloween category, "10 Coin Costumes" in the Clothing store, and at the moment a 3-piece Dinosaur-costume is available, costing only 30 Coins in total. Timer is set for only 3 days so get your Halloween costume while you can!
The YoVille Halloween costume-parts are not tradeable or giftable, so remember to tell your friends to purchase theirs right away as well. We'll keep you updated if there are any changes!
yoville ten coin halloween costumes
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Tell us what you think in comments!
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
Play Treasure Isle and get an exclusive YoVille Lotus Pond
yoville treasure isle lotus pond yoville treasure isle lotus pond
Play Zynga's Treasure Isle Game in Facebook and get yourself a beautiful Lotus Pond in YoVille! When clicked, it will give you a handheld Lotus-flower to carry with you.
yoville treasure isle lotus pond
Check the blog post and pictures of the pond after the link!
oville treasure isle lotus pond
Ready to get your hands on an exclusive YoVille item? It's a beauty! You won't want to miss out on this chance to get your hands on this item! You'll even be able to wear it all over YoVille and show it off! So how do you get it you ask?
Play Treasure Isle and level up past Level 5! Go to the Treasure Isle Icon in YoVille and go start playing to Treasure Isle. Don't have a Treasure Isle account? Install it today!
Once you level up past Level 5 we will reward you with an exclusive handheld Lotus Flower! This gorgeous flower is a must have so don't miss out! Well that's about all folks! What are you waiting for? Go get your flower today!
Thanks,
Platinum Ninja
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Play Zynga's Treasure Isle Game in Facebook and get yourself a beautiful Lotus Pond in YoVille! When clicked, it will give you a handheld Lotus-flower to carry with you.
yoville treasure isle lotus pond
Check the blog post and pictures of the pond after the link!
oville treasure isle lotus pond
Ready to get your hands on an exclusive YoVille item? It's a beauty! You won't want to miss out on this chance to get your hands on this item! You'll even be able to wear it all over YoVille and show it off! So how do you get it you ask?
Play Treasure Isle and level up past Level 5! Go to the Treasure Isle Icon in YoVille and go start playing to Treasure Isle. Don't have a Treasure Isle account? Install it today!
Once you level up past Level 5 we will reward you with an exclusive handheld Lotus Flower! This gorgeous flower is a must have so don't miss out! Well that's about all folks! What are you waiting for? Go get your flower today!
Thanks,
Platinum Ninja
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
YoVille Haunted Mystery Box awards free Halloween gifts
yoville haunted mystery box halloween
YoVille's new Haunted Mystery box has been added to the Free Gifts page just in time for Halloween! Send it to your friends today to get some in return, since according to YoVille, this box is packed with tons of Halloween goodies. YVLounge's Angie posted couple of pics of them. Check them out after the link and share with us what you got in comments!
Thank you Angie!
yoville haunted mystery box halloweenyoville haunted mystery box halloweenyoville haunted mystery box halloween
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
YoVille's new Haunted Mystery box has been added to the Free Gifts page just in time for Halloween! Send it to your friends today to get some in return, since according to YoVille, this box is packed with tons of Halloween goodies. YVLounge's Angie posted couple of pics of them. Check them out after the link and share with us what you got in comments!
Thank you Angie!
yoville haunted mystery box halloweenyoville haunted mystery box halloweenyoville haunted mystery box halloween
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.
YoVille: Raise & train your own Bear Cub
yoville bear cub
yoville bear cubNow available to all YoVille citizens is a new pet Bear Cub. But unless you copious amounts of YoCash you're going to need a panel of experts to approve your bear license. All you have to do is rally your friends, have 15 of them co-sign, and the bear cub is yours for 20,000 Coins! Alternatively, it can be purchased for 30 YoCash, just click the Unicorn-icon on top right corner of the game-screen to get your own YoVille smart Bear Cub companion.
I must say, at first I was worried the bear cub had lost two of his legs! Then I realized they were just behind the other legs with the bear turning his head towards us. But still, a two legged bear, how frightening...
yoville bear cub
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
yoville bear cubNow available to all YoVille citizens is a new pet Bear Cub. But unless you copious amounts of YoCash you're going to need a panel of experts to approve your bear license. All you have to do is rally your friends, have 15 of them co-sign, and the bear cub is yours for 20,000 Coins! Alternatively, it can be purchased for 30 YoCash, just click the Unicorn-icon on top right corner of the game-screen to get your own YoVille smart Bear Cub companion.
I must say, at first I was worried the bear cub had lost two of his legs! Then I realized they were just behind the other legs with the bear turning his head towards us. But still, a two legged bear, how frightening...
yoville bear cub
This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.
Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 2, 2012
FrontierVille Cheats & Tips: Six easy ways to get ahead
Since FrontierVille on launched in June 2010, the Wild West game shot to the top of Facebook game charts and has been holding steady at #3 behind FarmVille and Zynga Poker. And while this game doesn't have the same number of players as FarmVille, I'd venture to say it takes the best of FarmVille -- tending crops and harvesting animals -- and wraps it in a more sophisticated game experience, complete with a charming pioneer theme with universal appeal, a endless series of goals to keep you busy, and in-game rewards that will keep you coming back for more.
When the game launched, Games.com blog created a comprehensive FrontierVille energy guide, and now we're back with another round of six tips (plus a bonus tip), cultivated from months turning our piece of the wilderness into a thriving pioneer town.
frontierville cheats and tips six easy1. Keep your varmints handy
One of the first things you'll learn while playing FrontierVille clobbering varmints – snakes, bears, groundhogs and foxes – is hard work and takes up a lot of your energy. Almost every time you dig up a skull, you'll find a snake, chop down a big tree a bear will appear. So, if you want varmints to make an appearance less often -- here's what you do. Get snakes or bears to spawn in an out-of-the-way place on your property. Or, if that's impossible, whack them a few times to move them out of the way. Then leave them there. Now, the next time you harvest a crop, or chop down a tree, no varmints will spawn because they're already on your property.
2. Don't cash in your Collections until you need 'em
As you play FrontierVille, you will constantly find items that will fill out your Collections. Once the Collections are complete you can turn them in for special items or bonuses. While you will be tempted to turn collections in upon completion – don't. There are many Goals where you will be required to turn in Collections and then use the resulting item to complete it.
3. Don't clear Thorns/Skulls/Big Trees right away
When you start FrontierVIlle, you might be tempted to clear out all of your land, including large trees, thorns and skulls. Don't. Why? You'll need those thorns and skulls for missions later in the game and if you waste all of your energy on chopping down trees, you won't have much left to do other things required to complete Goals.
4. Make your Neighbor Visits Worthwhile
Visiting your neighbor's properties in FrontierVille can help you earn extra energy, coins and cloth – but once you're there, you can take extra steps to get the most out of your neighbor visit. Basically, harvest crops and animals that will get you the most bang for your buck, e.g. peanuts, peas, adult Oxen and peach trees.
5. Use your Wishlist Wisely
Every pioneer has a Wishlist that they can fill with items that they want to request from friends. A few tips on that front – don't include items that are available as free gifts and you can increase your changes of completing Collections that are more common – Apple Tree, Chickens, etc – since they're 'common' more people probably have extras to pass along to you, and you can in-turn, use those items to complete Collections for a bonus or complete a Goal faster down the line.
6. Use your Bonus Meter Wisely
At the top of the screen is a Bonus Meter, and the more times you fill it up to the top (by collecting coins, loot, hearts, etc from harvesting) the more bonus coins you will earn. One of the easiest ways to make sure you maximize your bonus is by harvesting items that are close together, then pick things up quickly so you will fill up the meter. When the meter starts flashing red, that means you only have mere moments left to click on another dropped item to keep the meter going up. If you meter stops flashing red, then you'll have to start over from scratch.
frontierville badgesBonus Tip:
Badges: Make like a Boy Scout and Earn 'em
This recently launched feature is one of the easiest ways to get quick coin and other valuable loot in FrontierVille. You can find the badges in the menu or by clicking on your Jackalope Lodge. Earning these badges will often get you 25+ XP on completion.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
When the game launched, Games.com blog created a comprehensive FrontierVille energy guide, and now we're back with another round of six tips (plus a bonus tip), cultivated from months turning our piece of the wilderness into a thriving pioneer town.
frontierville cheats and tips six easy1. Keep your varmints handy
One of the first things you'll learn while playing FrontierVille clobbering varmints – snakes, bears, groundhogs and foxes – is hard work and takes up a lot of your energy. Almost every time you dig up a skull, you'll find a snake, chop down a big tree a bear will appear. So, if you want varmints to make an appearance less often -- here's what you do. Get snakes or bears to spawn in an out-of-the-way place on your property. Or, if that's impossible, whack them a few times to move them out of the way. Then leave them there. Now, the next time you harvest a crop, or chop down a tree, no varmints will spawn because they're already on your property.
2. Don't cash in your Collections until you need 'em
As you play FrontierVille, you will constantly find items that will fill out your Collections. Once the Collections are complete you can turn them in for special items or bonuses. While you will be tempted to turn collections in upon completion – don't. There are many Goals where you will be required to turn in Collections and then use the resulting item to complete it.
3. Don't clear Thorns/Skulls/Big Trees right away
When you start FrontierVIlle, you might be tempted to clear out all of your land, including large trees, thorns and skulls. Don't. Why? You'll need those thorns and skulls for missions later in the game and if you waste all of your energy on chopping down trees, you won't have much left to do other things required to complete Goals.
4. Make your Neighbor Visits Worthwhile
Visiting your neighbor's properties in FrontierVille can help you earn extra energy, coins and cloth – but once you're there, you can take extra steps to get the most out of your neighbor visit. Basically, harvest crops and animals that will get you the most bang for your buck, e.g. peanuts, peas, adult Oxen and peach trees.
5. Use your Wishlist Wisely
Every pioneer has a Wishlist that they can fill with items that they want to request from friends. A few tips on that front – don't include items that are available as free gifts and you can increase your changes of completing Collections that are more common – Apple Tree, Chickens, etc – since they're 'common' more people probably have extras to pass along to you, and you can in-turn, use those items to complete Collections for a bonus or complete a Goal faster down the line.
6. Use your Bonus Meter Wisely
At the top of the screen is a Bonus Meter, and the more times you fill it up to the top (by collecting coins, loot, hearts, etc from harvesting) the more bonus coins you will earn. One of the easiest ways to make sure you maximize your bonus is by harvesting items that are close together, then pick things up quickly so you will fill up the meter. When the meter starts flashing red, that means you only have mere moments left to click on another dropped item to keep the meter going up. If you meter stops flashing red, then you'll have to start over from scratch.
frontierville badgesBonus Tip:
Badges: Make like a Boy Scout and Earn 'em
This recently launched feature is one of the easiest ways to get quick coin and other valuable loot in FrontierVille. You can find the badges in the menu or by clicking on your Jackalope Lodge. Earning these badges will often get you 25+ XP on completion.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
Happy Pets' Ulysses and Morpho Butterflies are hugely affordable
Bigger Butterflies
If the Butterflies already in Happy Pets weren't big enough for you, check out these massive Ulysses and Morpho Butterflies available in the Store now. Added by CrowdStar in a recent update, these beautifully winged bugs go for 32 Facebook Credits a piece aside from the special Brown Ulysses, which Level 52 players can buy for $99,795 coins--though you can buy it outright for a whopping 1096 Facebook Credits, or $109.60. In other words, this bugger is 100 percent not worth it for lower-level players. Not to mention it's far uglier than the rest.
The immensely cheaper Butterflies come in these varieties: Purple, Blue and White Morpho as well as Pink and Red Ulysses. Each Butterflies eats every four hours and will be all grown up after 24 hours. That's pretty darn quick for some of the most stunning pets in the game. Now, if only CrowdStar would add some migrating Monarch Butterflies. Just how do they know?
If the Butterflies already in Happy Pets weren't big enough for you, check out these massive Ulysses and Morpho Butterflies available in the Store now. Added by CrowdStar in a recent update, these beautifully winged bugs go for 32 Facebook Credits a piece aside from the special Brown Ulysses, which Level 52 players can buy for $99,795 coins--though you can buy it outright for a whopping 1096 Facebook Credits, or $109.60. In other words, this bugger is 100 percent not worth it for lower-level players. Not to mention it's far uglier than the rest.
The immensely cheaper Butterflies come in these varieties: Purple, Blue and White Morpho as well as Pink and Red Ulysses. Each Butterflies eats every four hours and will be all grown up after 24 hours. That's pretty darn quick for some of the most stunning pets in the game. Now, if only CrowdStar would add some migrating Monarch Butterflies. Just how do they know?
Second Cute Game of the Day: Take a Walk
Take a Walk is a bit of a departure for our Second Cute game of the day. In Take a Walk, your job is to take a relaxing stroll while avoiding obstacles jumping to the music. Each levels music is just a bit different as to change the rhythm of the game. As you play through the game and let the soothing music play in the background you can earn beautiful doves to follow you on your travels. Talk a Walk is a relaxing little game that should put you in a zen mode for the evening.
Click here to play Take a Walk -->
Click here to play Take a Walk -->
Supreme Court favors the game industry; the future of social gaming [PM Linkage]
Supreme Court justices appear to favor video game industry in violence case [Venture Beat]
Casual Games Start-Up OMGPOP Raising a Serious Funding Round [AllThingsD]
Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2011 [Inside Social]
Amazon Now Allows You To Send Gift Cards To Friends On Facebook [TechCrunch]
Pure Bang Games: Baltimore startup targets Facebook gaming [Baltimore Sun]
Casual Games Start-Up OMGPOP Raising a Serious Funding Round [AllThingsD]
Inside Virtual Goods: The Future of Social Gaming 2011 [Inside Social]
Amazon Now Allows You To Send Gift Cards To Friends On Facebook [TechCrunch]
Pure Bang Games: Baltimore startup targets Facebook gaming [Baltimore Sun]
FarmVille Mystery Game restocked with red and orange theme
In keeping with the changing colors of the leaves outside, Zynga has restocked the FarmVille Mystery Game tonight with new items in an orange and red theme.
The items available include the Scarlet Ibis and Baby Giraffe that we brought you a sneak peek of yesterday, along with other items that will give your farm some exclusive (if a bit expensive) personality.
This week, each play of the Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash, but Zynga swears that it's better than the traditional Mystery Box, as you have a better chance of receiving what you want from the Game, as opposed to the Box, which could easily fill your farm with duplicate items.
Remember, these Mystery Games are only available for a limited time - in this case, just five days, so play fast if you want a chance at collecting all of the available items.
The items available include the Scarlet Ibis and Baby Giraffe that we brought you a sneak peek of yesterday, along with other items that will give your farm some exclusive (if a bit expensive) personality.
This week, each play of the Mystery Game costs 20 Farm Cash, but Zynga swears that it's better than the traditional Mystery Box, as you have a better chance of receiving what you want from the Game, as opposed to the Box, which could easily fill your farm with duplicate items.
Remember, these Mystery Games are only available for a limited time - in this case, just five days, so play fast if you want a chance at collecting all of the available items.
Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 2, 2012
Pet Society Holiday Competition: Dress up the Mayor for Playfish Cash
It's that time of year again for giving, good food and... heated competition. Knowing how to create a good challenge and even better stakes, Playfish is bringing back the Pet Society Holiday Competition, a contest to test the creativity of the Pet Society community. And this year, it's all about our favorite mustachioed Mayor.
This time around, you'll have to either write some funny dialog for a screen shot of the Mayor or design new outfits from him to wear. Oh, and 1,500 Playfish Cash is up for grabs, which is probably important. As for the phrases portion of the contest, players will have to write a short, festive phrase for the Mayor to say to all the boys and girls this Christmas. When 50 winners are chosen for this contest, each receiving 20 Playfish Cash, the Mayor will visit your houses with one of these 50 phrases to say.
As for the dress up portion of the contest, you will be required to design a seasonal outfit for the Mayor to wear this holiday season. One winning design will receive an immense 300 Playfish Cash while two runners up will win 100 each. Keep in mind, all of these submissions--both funny phrases and fancy designs--need to be focused on the holidays. Both parts of the competition close this Friday and voting begins on Dec. 3, so get to writing or designing if you want a piece of that 1,500 Playfish Cash. Be sure to check out the forum thread for more information.
This time around, you'll have to either write some funny dialog for a screen shot of the Mayor or design new outfits from him to wear. Oh, and 1,500 Playfish Cash is up for grabs, which is probably important. As for the phrases portion of the contest, players will have to write a short, festive phrase for the Mayor to say to all the boys and girls this Christmas. When 50 winners are chosen for this contest, each receiving 20 Playfish Cash, the Mayor will visit your houses with one of these 50 phrases to say.
As for the dress up portion of the contest, you will be required to design a seasonal outfit for the Mayor to wear this holiday season. One winning design will receive an immense 300 Playfish Cash while two runners up will win 100 each. Keep in mind, all of these submissions--both funny phrases and fancy designs--need to be focused on the holidays. Both parts of the competition close this Friday and voting begins on Dec. 3, so get to writing or designing if you want a piece of that 1,500 Playfish Cash. Be sure to check out the forum thread for more information.
Mafia Wars Dish it Out Contest: Cook up the meanest meal to win big
Think you'll still have a little left in you after slaving over Thanksgiving dinner? Then why not use up your last oomph of energy cooking something up to impress your mob? Zynga is holding a cook-off in Mafia Wars titled "Dish it Out." As a way of giving thanks to all the dastardly deeds and reaping of rewards, you've been challenged with cooking up a deviously delicious Mafia Wars dish.
All you need to do is cook the ultimate Mafia Wars-themed dish (though, the dish to the right might be considered offensive), take a picture of it, write up a short description and post it in the contest's forum thread by Nov. 27. Meet those requirements and you'll be entered for a chance at one of three prize packs including 1,000 Reward Points, 25,000 loyalty points and a Mafia Wars jacket. Now, that sounds like a deal just for throwing something together. (That's what they all say.)
The winners will be decided by a community vote on Nov. 28 after every entry is submitted by midnight on Nov. 27. Finally, the winners will be announced on Dec. 3. Check out the contest's official forum thread for more details and read carefully. We don't want to see anyone cook up a delicious dish only to be disqualified because they forgot to include a sign with their forum ID. Besides, it's going to take quite a meal to trump our Mafia Wars-branded Italian sausage links. Yeah, we forged a special brand just for this occasion, bring it.
All you need to do is cook the ultimate Mafia Wars-themed dish (though, the dish to the right might be considered offensive), take a picture of it, write up a short description and post it in the contest's forum thread by Nov. 27. Meet those requirements and you'll be entered for a chance at one of three prize packs including 1,000 Reward Points, 25,000 loyalty points and a Mafia Wars jacket. Now, that sounds like a deal just for throwing something together. (That's what they all say.)
The winners will be decided by a community vote on Nov. 28 after every entry is submitted by midnight on Nov. 27. Finally, the winners will be announced on Dec. 3. Check out the contest's official forum thread for more details and read carefully. We don't want to see anyone cook up a delicious dish only to be disqualified because they forgot to include a sign with their forum ID. Besides, it's going to take quite a meal to trump our Mafia Wars-branded Italian sausage links. Yeah, we forged a special brand just for this occasion, bring it.
FIFA Superstars' Tactical Joe hints at things to come, isn't real
Now I've seen everything. Promoting a product through fictional events like interactive stories and games is one thing, but Playfish decided to preview future changes in FIFA Superstars through a fictional character, Tactical Joe. This imaginary F.C. manager will be interviewed "every fortnight about game hints, current features and upcoming new FIFA Superstars additions" about future changes, according to the blog post.
As for news of recent changes from the world of animated community managers, there is no restriction on the 24-hour training sessions for players before Level 11. To further boost team rating, there is now a Personal Trainer in FIFA Superstars, ready to increase your team's rating by 10 with a training boost between matches.
In addition to new Superstars of the Week, new competitions and leagues are on the way, according to Tactical Joe. Not to mention that a new feature inspired by community feedback is coming soon. Because of players reaching out to the Playfish team, you'll soon be able to change your lineup in the middle of a game as player cards start to suffer injuries or penalty cards.
As for news of recent changes from the world of animated community managers, there is no restriction on the 24-hour training sessions for players before Level 11. To further boost team rating, there is now a Personal Trainer in FIFA Superstars, ready to increase your team's rating by 10 with a training boost between matches.
In addition to new Superstars of the Week, new competitions and leagues are on the way, according to Tactical Joe. Not to mention that a new feature inspired by community feedback is coming soon. Because of players reaching out to the Playfish team, you'll soon be able to change your lineup in the middle of a game as player cards start to suffer injuries or penalty cards.
Diversity through Facebook: USA Network's Social Circle promotes acceptance in gaming
Social Circle
Have you made with friends of all shapes, sizes and colors? USA Network wants to test that in its most recent Facebook game, Social Circle. Just one facet of the cable TV network's efforts to promote diversity and tolerance through its Characters Unite program, Social Circle aims to measure how diverse you are by asking you questions about your friends to see if you really know them. The idea behind Social Circle is simple: to hit home the message that diversity is important in our modern society and since we're only becoming more integrated, it's time we think about diversity differently.
According to USA Networks vice president of digital Jesse Redniss, "[Social Circle] is more of a thought catalyst, which is a little bit of a different approach to gaming. In gaming traditionally you're faced with a challenge, you complete the challenge and you get rewarded for it through points or virtual items." Redniss believes this game is more about using game mechanics to cause self-reflection and perspective on their diversity.
Find out more about USA's next Facebook game behind the break.
Social Circle Gameplay
In a way, Social Circle is like a slot machine for your Facebook friends, but with an interesting twist. The game begins with eight slots rolling through your litany of Facebook friends. It will eventually choose eight lucky friends (after a few more spins) who might carry some interesting facts about their ethnicity, culture or even orientation. To match those eight friends are eight extremely specific questions--your job is to figure out who owns which defining trait or background.
The more questions you match up with the correct friends (and one friend per question, folks), the higher your diversity percentage will rise. It's this number that you'll be showing off to your friends through post sharing and might inspire other friends to join in. This might sound like a good time, but I wouldn't take your diversity percentage as direct evidence or allow it to complete boil down to a number or an achievement. Redniss wants much more than that to come of Social Circle.
"I think the goal here is to raise more awareness," Redniss says. "[Social Circle] is really part of the bigger Characters Unite initiative in which we're looking to get everyone around the world to think about how they can push the boundaries of fighting against racism, sexism or really any other 'isms' out there. Rather than just pushing a PSA down their throat, we're utilizing the Facebook platform to attach a gaming element to this initiative."
Social Circle Diversity Score
While games for social change or those designed to inspire critical thought aren't uncommon, they are on Facebook's games platform. There are several places for users to gather and discuss issues over Facebook, but it's rarely been done in Facebook games. Considering this, it's understandable to doubt social games as a potential source for change, but here we are.
"When you think about gaming in general, it really all goes back to storytelling--they have great characters," Redniss says. "What we're looking to do is utilize your friends and their diversity to tell a story of who you are and how diverse you are. And it's on the Facebook platform so [this story] will easily, virally spread."
While Social Circle might not be your run-of-the-mill Facebook game, it's refreshing to see a game that literally tests your friendships rather than equate them to more free gifts. Perhaps if more social games included gameplay elements that helped players to foster their friendships rather than use them as a tool for success, we'd see more connection in the various social game fan pages other than the rabble of "Add me!" posts.
Play Social Circle on Facebook Now >
Have you made with friends of all shapes, sizes and colors? USA Network wants to test that in its most recent Facebook game, Social Circle. Just one facet of the cable TV network's efforts to promote diversity and tolerance through its Characters Unite program, Social Circle aims to measure how diverse you are by asking you questions about your friends to see if you really know them. The idea behind Social Circle is simple: to hit home the message that diversity is important in our modern society and since we're only becoming more integrated, it's time we think about diversity differently.
According to USA Networks vice president of digital Jesse Redniss, "[Social Circle] is more of a thought catalyst, which is a little bit of a different approach to gaming. In gaming traditionally you're faced with a challenge, you complete the challenge and you get rewarded for it through points or virtual items." Redniss believes this game is more about using game mechanics to cause self-reflection and perspective on their diversity.
Find out more about USA's next Facebook game behind the break.
Social Circle Gameplay
In a way, Social Circle is like a slot machine for your Facebook friends, but with an interesting twist. The game begins with eight slots rolling through your litany of Facebook friends. It will eventually choose eight lucky friends (after a few more spins) who might carry some interesting facts about their ethnicity, culture or even orientation. To match those eight friends are eight extremely specific questions--your job is to figure out who owns which defining trait or background.
The more questions you match up with the correct friends (and one friend per question, folks), the higher your diversity percentage will rise. It's this number that you'll be showing off to your friends through post sharing and might inspire other friends to join in. This might sound like a good time, but I wouldn't take your diversity percentage as direct evidence or allow it to complete boil down to a number or an achievement. Redniss wants much more than that to come of Social Circle.
"I think the goal here is to raise more awareness," Redniss says. "[Social Circle] is really part of the bigger Characters Unite initiative in which we're looking to get everyone around the world to think about how they can push the boundaries of fighting against racism, sexism or really any other 'isms' out there. Rather than just pushing a PSA down their throat, we're utilizing the Facebook platform to attach a gaming element to this initiative."
Social Circle Diversity Score
While games for social change or those designed to inspire critical thought aren't uncommon, they are on Facebook's games platform. There are several places for users to gather and discuss issues over Facebook, but it's rarely been done in Facebook games. Considering this, it's understandable to doubt social games as a potential source for change, but here we are.
"When you think about gaming in general, it really all goes back to storytelling--they have great characters," Redniss says. "What we're looking to do is utilize your friends and their diversity to tell a story of who you are and how diverse you are. And it's on the Facebook platform so [this story] will easily, virally spread."
While Social Circle might not be your run-of-the-mill Facebook game, it's refreshing to see a game that literally tests your friendships rather than equate them to more free gifts. Perhaps if more social games included gameplay elements that helped players to foster their friendships rather than use them as a tool for success, we'd see more connection in the various social game fan pages other than the rabble of "Add me!" posts.
Play Social Circle on Facebook Now >
Mafia Wars Stuff the Bird Secret Mission puts the 'give' in Thanksgiving
You've survived the Holiday Traffic and come out with some nice loot, but now it's time to get down to business. A second Thanksgiving-themed Secret Mission has appeared in Mafia Wars. But things are more intense than before with the task of literally stuffing an unsuspecting fellow with the contraband you've collected from the previous mission.
For this, you'll need three friends: an Inside Man, and Enforcer and a Hacker. Complete the mission and you'll be rewarded with even more underwhelming items like the 66 Attack, 42 Defense Spy and the bloody knife with 39 Attack and 63 Defense, Tetanus. Remember to choose your squad wisely as their attributes to affect the quality of their work in a given role. This Secret Mission will only be here for seven days, but if you choose to accept it you're given just three days to complete it.
Again, better items can be won in each tier of the Serial Assassins gifting event alone, but at least it's more content for this holiday season. If you're a completionist, go for it, but don't expect much in return than a good time with friends.
For this, you'll need three friends: an Inside Man, and Enforcer and a Hacker. Complete the mission and you'll be rewarded with even more underwhelming items like the 66 Attack, 42 Defense Spy and the bloody knife with 39 Attack and 63 Defense, Tetanus. Remember to choose your squad wisely as their attributes to affect the quality of their work in a given role. This Secret Mission will only be here for seven days, but if you choose to accept it you're given just three days to complete it.
Again, better items can be won in each tier of the Serial Assassins gifting event alone, but at least it's more content for this holiday season. If you're a completionist, go for it, but don't expect much in return than a good time with friends.
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