When FarmVille-maker Zynga bought NewToy, the creator of the Scrabble-like game Words with Friends last year -- it seemed like quite a coup. Not only had one of the biggest social gaming companies bought one of the coolest (IMHO) mobile games, but it also gave social gamers hope that other Zynga games on Facebook would soon be getting better mobile counterparts.
While we have yet to see Zynga Facebook gaming hits like FrontierVille roll out on mobile, word junkies will be happy to learn that Words with Friends will be headed to Android phones and tablets later this month. The game will also work across platforms, so you will be able to play the game with friends who have the game on iPhones (or other iOS devices) and vice versa.
Zynga says it plans to offer a premium version of the game (i.e. meaning you that will be ad-free later on this year. As for more Zynga games going mobile, we'll just have to wait and see.
Gallery: Words with Friends on Android
Image courtesy of the Word with Friends Facebook fan page
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
Earn 100 free FarmVille Farm Cash when you order from Pro Flowers
Why not kill two birds with one web order this Valentine's Day? The most recent FarmVille Sponsored Link lets you do just that. Just click on the link below the FarmVille game screen that reads, "Send Valentine's Flowers, get 100 Free Farm Cash!" From there accept the pop-up window and start ordering.
There's no mention of a minimum amount spent, so feel free to spend as little or as much as you want for the lovely missus. But don't skimp out too much--I'm sure she deserves something nice for putting up with your rampant digital farming. Once you're done making the order, give it a half hour before the 100 big ones post to your FarmVille account. Believe me, she's going to be much more impressed by this than that Unwither Ring you were mulling over.
There's no mention of a minimum amount spent, so feel free to spend as little or as much as you want for the lovely missus. But don't skimp out too much--I'm sure she deserves something nice for putting up with your rampant digital farming. Once you're done making the order, give it a half hour before the 100 big ones post to your FarmVille account. Believe me, she's going to be much more impressed by this than that Unwither Ring you were mulling over.
FarmVille Valentine's Day redeemable prizes get a refresh
Just when I was starting to think about how umimpressed I was with the FarmVille Valentine's redeemable prizes (seriously, that Valentine's goat was cute, but just how many am I going to buy?), a new batch of prizes make an appearance in the game. So for those of you who've stuffed your Mailbox full of Valentines, you can also redeem them for the following:
farmville valentine gifts updated
Pecking Ducks- 75 Valentines
Pigs in Love - 100 Valentines
3 Hearts Fountain - 125 Valentines
Pink Patch Cow - 150 Valentines
Chocolate Fountain - 200 Valentines
Eiffel Tower - 275 Valentines
And, as an added bonus. once you hit 500 Valentines, you'll be able to add this fetching hot pink swan to your farm.
farmville pink swan
farmville valentine gifts updated
Pecking Ducks- 75 Valentines
Pigs in Love - 100 Valentines
3 Hearts Fountain - 125 Valentines
Pink Patch Cow - 150 Valentines
Chocolate Fountain - 200 Valentines
Eiffel Tower - 275 Valentines
And, as an added bonus. once you hit 500 Valentines, you'll be able to add this fetching hot pink swan to your farm.
farmville pink swan
FrontierVille Pony Express: Everything you need to know
Ever since FrontierVille first launched last year, Frontier Jack has been reminding us of the existence of the Pony Express, which has been responsible for delivering your mail in the game. Now, though, it seems like we'll finally be able to meet these dedicated riders in the flesh (or, the virtual flesh, that is), as we can now build our very own Pony Express building in the game.
This new building is hitting users' accounts on what seems to be a very slow rollout, so if you don't have the building upon reading this, be patient! We're sure it will be released into your own game in the very near future. Once you are able to access the Pony Express, you'll need to purchase it from the market for 665 coins and 8 Wood.
After placing the base on your land, you'll need to whack the building 16 times to complete the frame, with each whack costing 4 Wood. Of course, this is only part one of the building's construction - meet us behind the break for the rest of the requirements for building the Pony Express.
Once you have completed the frame of the Pony Express, you'll need to go about the process of asking your friends to help you gather a total of 66 building materials - 10 each of Bags of Gravel, Moldings, and Whitewashes, and 12 each of Paintbrushes, Wax Seals, and Pony Express Plans.
As usual, these six items are split evenly between those that you'll need to request from individual players, and those that can be earned through general news feed posts. In this case, the Bags of Gravel, Whitewashes, and Moldings can be received by clicking on the Ask button and then sending out individual gift requests to those neighbors that you think will help you, while the other three items (Paintbrushes, Wax Seals, and Pony Express Plans) are earned through general news feed posts that any friend can click on. Unfortunately, you'll only be able to post one of these general wall posts every few hours, so be sure to be on the lookout for your friends' posts, so that you can earn some bonus items while you are waiting for the ability to post again.
So what's the point of building the Pony Express? It's actually a fairly complex reason. To put it as simply as possible, each day, you'll be able to collect a Daily Bonus from the Pony Express building, just as you can any other building in the game. Doing this gives you a chance to earn a "Special Delivery" package from a traveling Pony Express Rider. This rider will drop off satchels that can be opened to receive prizes (we'll bring you more on these prizes when we've learned more).
You can also trigger an additional Special Delivery each day, by clicking on Bonus items (coins, experience points, food, wood, etc.) in a fast enough succession to reach the "Insane" level in the Bonus Bar. Again, you can only receive a Special Delivery through this method once per day.
We'll make sure to bring you images and more information about the Pony Express as soon as we have them. In the meantime, while you're building the Pony Express building, why not also take a look at the equally new Pony Express Goals that were also released in FrontierVille, via our new guide.
This new building is hitting users' accounts on what seems to be a very slow rollout, so if you don't have the building upon reading this, be patient! We're sure it will be released into your own game in the very near future. Once you are able to access the Pony Express, you'll need to purchase it from the market for 665 coins and 8 Wood.
After placing the base on your land, you'll need to whack the building 16 times to complete the frame, with each whack costing 4 Wood. Of course, this is only part one of the building's construction - meet us behind the break for the rest of the requirements for building the Pony Express.
Once you have completed the frame of the Pony Express, you'll need to go about the process of asking your friends to help you gather a total of 66 building materials - 10 each of Bags of Gravel, Moldings, and Whitewashes, and 12 each of Paintbrushes, Wax Seals, and Pony Express Plans.
As usual, these six items are split evenly between those that you'll need to request from individual players, and those that can be earned through general news feed posts. In this case, the Bags of Gravel, Whitewashes, and Moldings can be received by clicking on the Ask button and then sending out individual gift requests to those neighbors that you think will help you, while the other three items (Paintbrushes, Wax Seals, and Pony Express Plans) are earned through general news feed posts that any friend can click on. Unfortunately, you'll only be able to post one of these general wall posts every few hours, so be sure to be on the lookout for your friends' posts, so that you can earn some bonus items while you are waiting for the ability to post again.
So what's the point of building the Pony Express? It's actually a fairly complex reason. To put it as simply as possible, each day, you'll be able to collect a Daily Bonus from the Pony Express building, just as you can any other building in the game. Doing this gives you a chance to earn a "Special Delivery" package from a traveling Pony Express Rider. This rider will drop off satchels that can be opened to receive prizes (we'll bring you more on these prizes when we've learned more).
You can also trigger an additional Special Delivery each day, by clicking on Bonus items (coins, experience points, food, wood, etc.) in a fast enough succession to reach the "Insane" level in the Bonus Bar. Again, you can only receive a Special Delivery through this method once per day.
We'll make sure to bring you images and more information about the Pony Express as soon as we have them. In the meantime, while you're building the Pony Express building, why not also take a look at the equally new Pony Express Goals that were also released in FrontierVille, via our new guide.
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Today is Defriend Day: Do Facebook game friends count too?
If you were to ask author and political activist Mark Dice, yes, your fellow FarmVille friends probably count. In promotion of his new book, "Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True," Dice has called for everyone on Facebook to prune their friends list of people they don't even know. (If you remember, Jimmy Kimmel called for something similar recently.) And Facebook gamers are arguably the largest culprit of adding otherwise anonymous people to their friends list. Not to mention, what if that is your personal account as well? Have you considered these things before aimlessly accepting friend quests for yet another "neighbor?"
Sure, some social gamers play on designated accounts that are essentially on privacy lock down for this very reason, but I'm willing to bet a majority of you game on your personal account. There's no need to put on your tin-foil hats--Dice does enough of that in his new novel. However, the guy has a brilliant point. It's interesting how social gamers are willing to welcome complete strangers into their digital lives.
Think about it: How many of those miscellaneous friends have you come to know on a personal level? Probably little to none, but they might know everything about you. Of course, this depends on how much you share, but considering the amount of data Facebook processes daily I'd imagine you share just as much as I do: a lot. You never know who is looking at your profile. (We're all guilty of Facebook stalking, regardless of how harmless.)
When you think of the amount of estranged Facebook friends you game with, which for some is likely in the hundreds, how does it feel to know they're part of the digital audience of your life? Now, don't freak out and go defriend every unknown person attached to your account. Just think about these things the next time you add a friend to game with or share something on your profile. There are many things in the digital age that are permanent, but gaming buddies don't necessarily have to be. Especially those you don't even know.
[Image Credit: Intermediate 2]
Have you ever considered the friends you add to game with on Facebook? Would you ever prune your friends of those you didn't know?
Sure, some social gamers play on designated accounts that are essentially on privacy lock down for this very reason, but I'm willing to bet a majority of you game on your personal account. There's no need to put on your tin-foil hats--Dice does enough of that in his new novel. However, the guy has a brilliant point. It's interesting how social gamers are willing to welcome complete strangers into their digital lives.
Think about it: How many of those miscellaneous friends have you come to know on a personal level? Probably little to none, but they might know everything about you. Of course, this depends on how much you share, but considering the amount of data Facebook processes daily I'd imagine you share just as much as I do: a lot. You never know who is looking at your profile. (We're all guilty of Facebook stalking, regardless of how harmless.)
When you think of the amount of estranged Facebook friends you game with, which for some is likely in the hundreds, how does it feel to know they're part of the digital audience of your life? Now, don't freak out and go defriend every unknown person attached to your account. Just think about these things the next time you add a friend to game with or share something on your profile. There are many things in the digital age that are permanent, but gaming buddies don't necessarily have to be. Especially those you don't even know.
[Image Credit: Intermediate 2]
Have you ever considered the friends you add to game with on Facebook? Would you ever prune your friends of those you didn't know?
FrontierVille Makin' Room Storage Expansion Missions: Everything you need to know
While we've been able to expand both our land and our Storage Shed in FrontierVille in the past, in an effort to de-clutter our homesteads, with Zynga releasing so many new buildings, and so many new decorations, the current limit of 35 items in storage simply wasn't cutting it. Luckily, Zynga has addressed this issue in a big, big way, with the release of repeatable Mega Storage Missions in the game (as Zynga is lovingly calling them).
When the update hits your game, you'll see a pop-up like the one above, introducing you to these new, repeatable, missions. These repeatable missions (did I mention they were repeatable?) will allow you to add 15 spaces of storage each time you complete them, and there currently doesn't appear to be a limit on how big your Storage Shed can get (either that or even Zynga hasn't decided what it should be yet). Do you know what this means pioneers?! It means that we're potentially looking at unlimited storage in FrontierVille, with a couple of catches.
First, these missions will take quite a bit of time and materials on your part (I hope you've been saving up coins and wood). Secondly, you'll be subject to a "Storage Expansion Timer," which will only allow you to move onto your next expansion once every four days. You can, of course, pay Horseshoes to unlock a new set of missions earlier, if you wish.
So what exactly does it take to expand your Storage Shed into the "mega" storage range? Meet us behind the break for all of the details.
The Storage Expansion Mission has three parts. Part I of III is called Stacking Wood, and it has you chopping down trees on your own Homestead, and while it might seem like a tedious task, believe me - you'll need the wood you receive from doing so.
Chop Trees 50 Times on your Homestead
Visit 25 Neighbors
Have 25 Cloth
You don't have to actually do anything at your neighbors' homesteads, luckily enough, so just visit and move onto the next. As for the trees, each individual chop on a tree counts, so if you have full-grown trees, these can of course count for more than one chop if you entirely remove them. If you're a stickler for a clear homestead, though, remember that you can receive free trees for turning in either the Pine Tree or the Oak Tree collection, or you can simply purchase the saplings in the market. Your rewards for finishing this first mission are 300 XP and 100 Food. You'll be able to share some Cloth with your neighbors.
Part II of III will take you some time, as, even if you complete two of the steps, you physically can't complete the third in a single day (without the aid of Horseshoes). This mission, called Mortise and Tenon, requires the following three tasks be completed:
Have or Craft 100 Planks
Have 16 Tools
Collect Two Storage Shed Bonuses
The Storage Shed Bonus can only be collected once every day, and if you've already collected it before starting this mission, you'll be put even further behind. As for the Planks, they can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon for 7 wood and 250 coins each. That's 700 wood, if you currently own zero planks - hence my saying I hope you've been saving up. As for the Tools, you'll be able to earn these from your friends if they hire you, or visit you and happen to receive that as the random bonus they can leave behind. Finishing this second quest rewards you with 400 XP and 800 coins. You'll be able to share Tools with your friends.
This brings us to the final part of the Mission portion of Storage Shed expansion (oh yes, there's more). Part III asks you to complete three more steps:
Clear 15 Debris on your Homestead
Craft 8 Sawhorses
Expand your Storage Shed
Sawhorses can be crafted inside the Barn using, wait for it, more Planks. I suppose this is why Zynga only takes 50 of your 100 Planks when completing the last mission. You'll also need to use up the Tools you just gathered from the previous mission, as Sawhorses take 5 Planks and 2 Tools each to craft.
As for the actual expansion of your Storage Shed, you'll need to gather six construction materials, in a same fashion as when you first build the average building in FrontierVille. To start, you'll need to gather 10 Shelves, 10 Bins, and 10 Padlocks by sending out individual requests to your friends. Three more items are 5 Elbow Grease, 5 Cement and 5 Carpenter Pencils, all of which can be asked for in a general news item on your feed.
Here's where things get tricky. The first time you complete these three missions, and collect all of the construction materials to physically expand, you will receive 15 extra storage spaces inside the Storage Shed. That's all well and good, but when four days have passed and you go to work on another expansion, this final building step will have changed, becoming incrementally more difficult each time you complete it. This is due to the fact that each of the six construction materials will be required in quantities that are two units higher than previously.
As an example, since you only needed to collect 10 and 5 of each ingredient the first time, when it comes time to expand again, you'll need to gather 12 Shelves, Bins, and Padlocks, and 7 each of Elbow Grease, Cement and Carpenter Pencils. On your third expansion, you'll need 14 and 9 of each, and so on.
As you can see, expanding your Storage Shed to any great number will likely take you quite a bit of time, as you'll need to gather the wood and tools necessary to create Planks and Sawhorses, not to mention the time it will take to request more and more collectible items from friends. We can't really complain though - we'd much rather be spending time completing these missions than trying to find places to "hide" seasonal decorations because we don't want to sell them.
What do you think of this new storage shed expansion ability? Are the quests too demanding, or are you willing to do whatever it takes to receive more room on your homestead?
When the update hits your game, you'll see a pop-up like the one above, introducing you to these new, repeatable, missions. These repeatable missions (did I mention they were repeatable?) will allow you to add 15 spaces of storage each time you complete them, and there currently doesn't appear to be a limit on how big your Storage Shed can get (either that or even Zynga hasn't decided what it should be yet). Do you know what this means pioneers?! It means that we're potentially looking at unlimited storage in FrontierVille, with a couple of catches.
First, these missions will take quite a bit of time and materials on your part (I hope you've been saving up coins and wood). Secondly, you'll be subject to a "Storage Expansion Timer," which will only allow you to move onto your next expansion once every four days. You can, of course, pay Horseshoes to unlock a new set of missions earlier, if you wish.
So what exactly does it take to expand your Storage Shed into the "mega" storage range? Meet us behind the break for all of the details.
The Storage Expansion Mission has three parts. Part I of III is called Stacking Wood, and it has you chopping down trees on your own Homestead, and while it might seem like a tedious task, believe me - you'll need the wood you receive from doing so.
Chop Trees 50 Times on your Homestead
Visit 25 Neighbors
Have 25 Cloth
You don't have to actually do anything at your neighbors' homesteads, luckily enough, so just visit and move onto the next. As for the trees, each individual chop on a tree counts, so if you have full-grown trees, these can of course count for more than one chop if you entirely remove them. If you're a stickler for a clear homestead, though, remember that you can receive free trees for turning in either the Pine Tree or the Oak Tree collection, or you can simply purchase the saplings in the market. Your rewards for finishing this first mission are 300 XP and 100 Food. You'll be able to share some Cloth with your neighbors.
Part II of III will take you some time, as, even if you complete two of the steps, you physically can't complete the third in a single day (without the aid of Horseshoes). This mission, called Mortise and Tenon, requires the following three tasks be completed:
Have or Craft 100 Planks
Have 16 Tools
Collect Two Storage Shed Bonuses
The Storage Shed Bonus can only be collected once every day, and if you've already collected it before starting this mission, you'll be put even further behind. As for the Planks, they can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon for 7 wood and 250 coins each. That's 700 wood, if you currently own zero planks - hence my saying I hope you've been saving up. As for the Tools, you'll be able to earn these from your friends if they hire you, or visit you and happen to receive that as the random bonus they can leave behind. Finishing this second quest rewards you with 400 XP and 800 coins. You'll be able to share Tools with your friends.
This brings us to the final part of the Mission portion of Storage Shed expansion (oh yes, there's more). Part III asks you to complete three more steps:
Clear 15 Debris on your Homestead
Craft 8 Sawhorses
Expand your Storage Shed
Sawhorses can be crafted inside the Barn using, wait for it, more Planks. I suppose this is why Zynga only takes 50 of your 100 Planks when completing the last mission. You'll also need to use up the Tools you just gathered from the previous mission, as Sawhorses take 5 Planks and 2 Tools each to craft.
As for the actual expansion of your Storage Shed, you'll need to gather six construction materials, in a same fashion as when you first build the average building in FrontierVille. To start, you'll need to gather 10 Shelves, 10 Bins, and 10 Padlocks by sending out individual requests to your friends. Three more items are 5 Elbow Grease, 5 Cement and 5 Carpenter Pencils, all of which can be asked for in a general news item on your feed.
Here's where things get tricky. The first time you complete these three missions, and collect all of the construction materials to physically expand, you will receive 15 extra storage spaces inside the Storage Shed. That's all well and good, but when four days have passed and you go to work on another expansion, this final building step will have changed, becoming incrementally more difficult each time you complete it. This is due to the fact that each of the six construction materials will be required in quantities that are two units higher than previously.
As an example, since you only needed to collect 10 and 5 of each ingredient the first time, when it comes time to expand again, you'll need to gather 12 Shelves, Bins, and Padlocks, and 7 each of Elbow Grease, Cement and Carpenter Pencils. On your third expansion, you'll need 14 and 9 of each, and so on.
As you can see, expanding your Storage Shed to any great number will likely take you quite a bit of time, as you'll need to gather the wood and tools necessary to create Planks and Sawhorses, not to mention the time it will take to request more and more collectible items from friends. We can't really complain though - we'd much rather be spending time completing these missions than trying to find places to "hide" seasonal decorations because we don't want to sell them.
What do you think of this new storage shed expansion ability? Are the quests too demanding, or are you willing to do whatever it takes to receive more room on your homestead?
FrontierVille: Syringe now available as a free gift
With the release of the Doctor's Office in FrontierVille, many players were left at a standstill as to how to go about earning a Syringe to complete one of the accompanying missions. It's not that the physical acts in the game were difficult to complete (you'd earn a Syringe, supposedly, through collecting the Doctor's Office daily bonus or whacking its frame during construction), but actually getting a Syringe to appear in-game seemed downright impossible.
We brought you a detailed tips and tricks guide on how to try and force a Syringe to load in your game, but Zynga has gone a step further, answering user complaints once and for all by doing what was previously unthinkable - they have added the Syringe to the free gifts page.
By this point, you've likely already received a Syringe through some other method (a friend gifting an extra via your wishlist, or simply receiving it in what appears to be a more frequent drop rate as a Daily Bonus), but if you're still struggling, your virtual prayers have been answered. Simply let your friends know that you still need a Syringe, and you'll likely receive half a dozen or more from its new appearance on the free gifts page. Now why can't receiving all items be as easy as sending a free gift?
Were you still looking for a Syringe in FrontierVille, or have you now been swamped with unneeded Syringes by well-meaning friends?
We brought you a detailed tips and tricks guide on how to try and force a Syringe to load in your game, but Zynga has gone a step further, answering user complaints once and for all by doing what was previously unthinkable - they have added the Syringe to the free gifts page.
By this point, you've likely already received a Syringe through some other method (a friend gifting an extra via your wishlist, or simply receiving it in what appears to be a more frequent drop rate as a Daily Bonus), but if you're still struggling, your virtual prayers have been answered. Simply let your friends know that you still need a Syringe, and you'll likely receive half a dozen or more from its new appearance on the free gifts page. Now why can't receiving all items be as easy as sending a free gift?
Were you still looking for a Syringe in FrontierVille, or have you now been swamped with unneeded Syringes by well-meaning friends?
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