It looks like Zynga has decided to join in the reindeer games this holiday season by introducing the Reindeer Mystery Crate to FrontierVille for just the remainder of December. For only 15 more days, you'll be able to buy this limited edition Mystery Animal Crate for 30 Horseshoes, or about $4, with a chance at one of three different reindeer. Inside the most festive box will either be a Brown, Gray or White Reindeer equipped with bells, reins and ready to go.
Even the White Reindeer has a red nose, so let that serve as Rudolf's unofficial cameo on the homestead. Unfortunately, there's currently no option to buy a single reindeer like with most Mystery Animal Crates. So, act fast and do whatever luck-conjuring rituals you have up your sleeves to get the Mystery Reindeer you desire by Dec. 31 when these magical bucks are set to disappear for good.
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Price is Right Cheats & Tips Walkthrough
The Price is Right is a social game based on one of the longest running, most loved game shows in television history. Developed by Ludia, you can play your Favorite TPIR games along with friends and other TPIR enthusiasts from all over the World. Gamezebo's The Price is Right strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints and cheats on how to win.
Getting Started
To play The Price is Right you must be registered with a Facebook account in good standing. You can find the link to play the game at the bottom of this page.
Once you load the screen you will need to give the game permission to access your information and it will also bookmark the game which can be found in your bookmark area at Facebook.
You will start out with 10 coins the first time you play the game. Each day you receive a random number of free coins to play the game. 1-5 Coins You must pay 2 coins to play one 5 round game. (2 Coins equals 1 show) Once you run out of coins you have the option of purchasing more using a major credit card, Paypal, or several other methods. $5.00 will buy you 20 coins which is 10 games. Leveling up also earns you additional coins to play so the more you win in the game the more times you can play.
Note: There is a chat box at the bottom of the game screen that allows you to chat with all people in your game room. Please note that it has been said that certain profane words (even those considered "mild") will have you immediately kicked out of the game so be careful what you type in the chat box.
Note: You must have Adobe Flash player 10.1 to play this game. If you do not have the current version there is a prompt available for you to download it. If the game still does not work after you install it, restart your computer and it should work.
Getting into Contestant's Row
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Click on the green "Play Now" button at the bottom right corner of the screen. It will cost 2 coins to play each 5 round game. To see how many coins you have look up to the top left of the screen for your total.
Twelve people (which includes yourself) play in each show. If your Facebook friends are playing you may see them or other players you do not know may be in your game. Just like the television show you are a member of the audience and the other members are your friends and other Facebook players.
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Your first goal is to make it into one of the 4 seats called "Contestant's Row" and you will be given 5 rounds for every 2 coins you pay to play.
An item will be displayed on a small video screen (Clips from the actual television show) and a full description of that item will be given voice and in text at the bottom of the screen.
Note: The moment the description and video begins you can enter your bid and you will also see a green circular time keeper moving and once it turns red and completes the circle your time is up so have our bid in as fast as possible or your bid will be entered as "0000".
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Note: There are 4 digit place holders and if you place your cursor to the top of the "0" you will see an up arrow and if you move the cursor to the bottom of it you will see a down arrow. Place it where you feel most comfortable moving the numbers from 9 down or 0 up.
The four players closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over will be called to participate in Contestant's Row and will win cash bonuses based on who came the closest.
If you do not make it into contestant's row you will remain in the audience and round 2 will begin where you will continue to try and make it into Contestant's row and this will continue until your 5 sessions are over.
Contestant's Row
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If you are one of the lucky 4 people that make it into Contestant's row you will see your name tag and Facebook profile picture in one of the four seats along with the other 3 players that made it in.
Another item will be shown to you in video format (Clips from the television show) with a description read to you and with text at the bottom if you prefer to read it.
The game follows the Television show very well and you feel the pressure to put an answer in quickly in the same way. Watch for the green wheel turning and once it turns red you have just a couple of seconds to get your answer in and hit "Submit" .
The winner is the person that comes closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over.
You can as in the game show enter a bid of one dollar if you think your competition has overbid.
If everyone overbids the round will be replayed and instructed to bid lower than the lowest overbid.
If you guess the exact cost of the item you will win a cash bonus.
If you lose the round you will stay in contestant's row and the winner will move on to play a pricing game.
You do not see other players playing their pricing games you move on to the next round.
If you win while on Contestant's Row you will be taken to play the very first of whichever 9 pricing games you have unlocked the first one of which will be "Safe Cracker"
Any money you win in a pricing game will be added to your grand total which you can see in the list at the right of the screen.
If you lose the pricing game you are finished until it is time to spin the wheel at the end of the game to see if you qualify for the showcase.
Note: Based on your level you could be asked to play any pricing game that you have unlocked. The more you play and level up the more pricing games you will unlock increasing your chances of getting the one you are most proficient at.
Pricing Games
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Just as in the Television version there are pricing games available to play once you successfully bid on an item while on Contestant's row.
Note: On the Television show there are over 60 pricing games in rotation. In this game there are currently 9 but this could increase in the future.
As you win money in the game a cumulative total is kept as this determines your ranking in the game.
The more you play TPIR and the more money you win you will also level up. Leveling up unlocks certain pricing games for you to play and practice and you earn more points to play additional games with.
The pricing games follow this unlock order and are played just as the games on Television but with adaptations for computer play:
Safe Cracker - Unlocked at Start of Game.
Clock Game - Unlocks at Level 1
Bonkers - Unlocks at Level 5
Three Strikes - Unlocks at Level 10
Plinko - Unlocks at Level 15
Lucky Seven - Unlocks at Level 20
Hole in One - Unlocks at Level 25
Cliff Hangers - Unlocks at Level 30
Check Out - Unlocks at Level 35
Winning any of these pricing games adds to your grand total increasing your odds of winning the Showcase Showdown at the end of the game.
Spinning the Wheel
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The top 2 of the 12 players will move on to the Showcase Showdown and the other 10 players will spin the Wheel for bonus money. The 10 players will be allowed to spin the wheel and you will be able to see their results on the list at the right of the screen. The wheel is divided into 20 sections in increments of 5 cents to $1.00. Simply Click on the wheel to spin and it will spin downward.
Rules: The goal is to try to get as close to one dollar as possible without going over.
You are allowed 2 spins and you do not have to take the second spin if you do not want to in fear you may go over.
Pro Tip: If you look to the right you will see your ranking and what your other players have spun and this can help you decide if you want a second spin or not. If someone has already reached 3 high scores you might as well go for it.
The top 3 people to get closest to $1.00 without going over will win as follows:
First Place Wins - $20,000
Second Place Wins - $10,000
Third Place Wins - $ 5,000
If you did not make it to the showdown you will not see the actual showdown but you will see the results of it shown on the screen after a few moments.
Look at the very top of the list to your right to see which friends have won the most money and where your ranking is in the list of 12 players.
Note: Encourage your friends to play by sending them an invitation at the top right of the screen. The more friends that play the more money for all of you.
Showcase Showdown
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If you make it to the Showcase Showdown you will be playing against one other person as you two are the two top money earners out of the 12 players in the game.
You will each be shown a different showcase of prizes of which you must try to give your best estimate as to the retail value of all of it added together but you can not go over.
Note there is again a green wheel timer so be sure to enter your bid before this wheel has made one complete revolution.
The person with the highest ranking will see their showcase first and can either bid or pass it to the second highest ranking person.
If you are able to come within 500 dollars of the total retail value of your showcase then you will win both showcases.
The grand total of all money earned will be listed and you will be placed in a ranking order found on the right side of the screen.
Note: Your winnings are cumulative and the more you play the faster you will level up unlocking pricing games and earning bonus cash.
Getting Started
To play The Price is Right you must be registered with a Facebook account in good standing. You can find the link to play the game at the bottom of this page.
Once you load the screen you will need to give the game permission to access your information and it will also bookmark the game which can be found in your bookmark area at Facebook.
You will start out with 10 coins the first time you play the game. Each day you receive a random number of free coins to play the game. 1-5 Coins You must pay 2 coins to play one 5 round game. (2 Coins equals 1 show) Once you run out of coins you have the option of purchasing more using a major credit card, Paypal, or several other methods. $5.00 will buy you 20 coins which is 10 games. Leveling up also earns you additional coins to play so the more you win in the game the more times you can play.
Note: There is a chat box at the bottom of the game screen that allows you to chat with all people in your game room. Please note that it has been said that certain profane words (even those considered "mild") will have you immediately kicked out of the game so be careful what you type in the chat box.
Note: You must have Adobe Flash player 10.1 to play this game. If you do not have the current version there is a prompt available for you to download it. If the game still does not work after you install it, restart your computer and it should work.
Getting into Contestant's Row
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Click on the green "Play Now" button at the bottom right corner of the screen. It will cost 2 coins to play each 5 round game. To see how many coins you have look up to the top left of the screen for your total.
Twelve people (which includes yourself) play in each show. If your Facebook friends are playing you may see them or other players you do not know may be in your game. Just like the television show you are a member of the audience and the other members are your friends and other Facebook players.
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Your first goal is to make it into one of the 4 seats called "Contestant's Row" and you will be given 5 rounds for every 2 coins you pay to play.
An item will be displayed on a small video screen (Clips from the actual television show) and a full description of that item will be given voice and in text at the bottom of the screen.
Note: The moment the description and video begins you can enter your bid and you will also see a green circular time keeper moving and once it turns red and completes the circle your time is up so have our bid in as fast as possible or your bid will be entered as "0000".
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Note: There are 4 digit place holders and if you place your cursor to the top of the "0" you will see an up arrow and if you move the cursor to the bottom of it you will see a down arrow. Place it where you feel most comfortable moving the numbers from 9 down or 0 up.
The four players closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over will be called to participate in Contestant's Row and will win cash bonuses based on who came the closest.
If you do not make it into contestant's row you will remain in the audience and round 2 will begin where you will continue to try and make it into Contestant's row and this will continue until your 5 sessions are over.
Contestant's Row
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If you are one of the lucky 4 people that make it into Contestant's row you will see your name tag and Facebook profile picture in one of the four seats along with the other 3 players that made it in.
Another item will be shown to you in video format (Clips from the television show) with a description read to you and with text at the bottom if you prefer to read it.
The game follows the Television show very well and you feel the pressure to put an answer in quickly in the same way. Watch for the green wheel turning and once it turns red you have just a couple of seconds to get your answer in and hit "Submit" .
The winner is the person that comes closest to the actual retail price of the item without going over.
You can as in the game show enter a bid of one dollar if you think your competition has overbid.
If everyone overbids the round will be replayed and instructed to bid lower than the lowest overbid.
If you guess the exact cost of the item you will win a cash bonus.
If you lose the round you will stay in contestant's row and the winner will move on to play a pricing game.
You do not see other players playing their pricing games you move on to the next round.
If you win while on Contestant's Row you will be taken to play the very first of whichever 9 pricing games you have unlocked the first one of which will be "Safe Cracker"
Any money you win in a pricing game will be added to your grand total which you can see in the list at the right of the screen.
If you lose the pricing game you are finished until it is time to spin the wheel at the end of the game to see if you qualify for the showcase.
Note: Based on your level you could be asked to play any pricing game that you have unlocked. The more you play and level up the more pricing games you will unlock increasing your chances of getting the one you are most proficient at.
Pricing Games
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Just as in the Television version there are pricing games available to play once you successfully bid on an item while on Contestant's row.
Note: On the Television show there are over 60 pricing games in rotation. In this game there are currently 9 but this could increase in the future.
As you win money in the game a cumulative total is kept as this determines your ranking in the game.
The more you play TPIR and the more money you win you will also level up. Leveling up unlocks certain pricing games for you to play and practice and you earn more points to play additional games with.
The pricing games follow this unlock order and are played just as the games on Television but with adaptations for computer play:
Safe Cracker - Unlocked at Start of Game.
Clock Game - Unlocks at Level 1
Bonkers - Unlocks at Level 5
Three Strikes - Unlocks at Level 10
Plinko - Unlocks at Level 15
Lucky Seven - Unlocks at Level 20
Hole in One - Unlocks at Level 25
Cliff Hangers - Unlocks at Level 30
Check Out - Unlocks at Level 35
Winning any of these pricing games adds to your grand total increasing your odds of winning the Showcase Showdown at the end of the game.
Spinning the Wheel
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The top 2 of the 12 players will move on to the Showcase Showdown and the other 10 players will spin the Wheel for bonus money. The 10 players will be allowed to spin the wheel and you will be able to see their results on the list at the right of the screen. The wheel is divided into 20 sections in increments of 5 cents to $1.00. Simply Click on the wheel to spin and it will spin downward.
Rules: The goal is to try to get as close to one dollar as possible without going over.
You are allowed 2 spins and you do not have to take the second spin if you do not want to in fear you may go over.
Pro Tip: If you look to the right you will see your ranking and what your other players have spun and this can help you decide if you want a second spin or not. If someone has already reached 3 high scores you might as well go for it.
The top 3 people to get closest to $1.00 without going over will win as follows:
First Place Wins - $20,000
Second Place Wins - $10,000
Third Place Wins - $ 5,000
If you did not make it to the showdown you will not see the actual showdown but you will see the results of it shown on the screen after a few moments.
Look at the very top of the list to your right to see which friends have won the most money and where your ranking is in the list of 12 players.
Note: Encourage your friends to play by sending them an invitation at the top right of the screen. The more friends that play the more money for all of you.
Showcase Showdown
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If you make it to the Showcase Showdown you will be playing against one other person as you two are the two top money earners out of the 12 players in the game.
You will each be shown a different showcase of prizes of which you must try to give your best estimate as to the retail value of all of it added together but you can not go over.
Note there is again a green wheel timer so be sure to enter your bid before this wheel has made one complete revolution.
The person with the highest ranking will see their showcase first and can either bid or pass it to the second highest ranking person.
If you are able to come within 500 dollars of the total retail value of your showcase then you will win both showcases.
The grand total of all money earned will be listed and you will be placed in a ranking order found on the right side of the screen.
Note: Your winnings are cumulative and the more you play the faster you will level up unlocking pricing games and earning bonus cash.
Nominate Zynga's FarmVille and FrontierVille in 2010 Crunchies Awards
Feeling down in the dumps that neither Treasure Isle nor even FarmVille were awarded Social Game of the Year in this year's Game Developer's Choice Online Awards? Well, Zynga wants to save some face in 2010 by rallying the masses to nominate both FrontierVille and FarmVille in the 2010 Crunchies Awards put together by Tech Crunch. A community driven award show that honors achievements in the technology world from Best Venture Capitalist to Best Time Sink Application.
This is where you come in. In the preliminary nominations period, going on now through Dec. 24, anyone can nominate anything for any award. While this leaves things open for potential sabotage--I'm looking at you, Anonymous--it also leaves it open for FarmVille and FrontierVille players like you and I to throw in a vote. Zynga is currently asking its fans to choose FarmVille as The Best Time Sink Application of 2010 while asking FrontierVille players to nominate its Wild West Facebook game as the Best Social Application of 2010.
The top nominees in each category will be selected by Tech Crunch as Crunchies Finalists. Voting on the finalists will then begin in January 2011. If you live in or near San Francisco or truly love tech enough to travel and attend the ceremony on Jan. 21 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, extremely limited general admission tickets will go on sale soon. But even if you can't make it, be sure to vote for your favorite social game in the 2010 Crunchies even if it isn't a Zynga game, because, hey, it's a free country.
This is where you come in. In the preliminary nominations period, going on now through Dec. 24, anyone can nominate anything for any award. While this leaves things open for potential sabotage--I'm looking at you, Anonymous--it also leaves it open for FarmVille and FrontierVille players like you and I to throw in a vote. Zynga is currently asking its fans to choose FarmVille as The Best Time Sink Application of 2010 while asking FrontierVille players to nominate its Wild West Facebook game as the Best Social Application of 2010.
The top nominees in each category will be selected by Tech Crunch as Crunchies Finalists. Voting on the finalists will then begin in January 2011. If you live in or near San Francisco or truly love tech enough to travel and attend the ceremony on Jan. 21 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, extremely limited general admission tickets will go on sale soon. But even if you can't make it, be sure to vote for your favorite social game in the 2010 Crunchies even if it isn't a Zynga game, because, hey, it's a free country.
It Girl Cheats & Tips Walkthrough
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It Girl is a simulation game developed by CrowdStar and played on Facebook where you can make yourself into the ultimate "It Girl" The "It Girl" is beautiful, Stylish, Trendy and attends all the hot spots, and major venues.
She starts out as a City girl but is soon jet setting all over the world. Update her look at the salon and purchase clothes from the trendiest stores to increase her overall hotness level. When you attend parties or even walking down the street challenge other girls to a showdown to see who is the ultimate "It Girl!" If people give you compliments your confidence increases, and as you fill your closet with trendy clothing your social status rises. Your Facebook friends are considered part of your clique and the more friends you have the more popular you are. Gamezebo's "It Girl" strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints and cheats on how to do your best at "it Girl".
Getting Started
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You must have a current Facebook account to play "It Girl". If you don't have one you can register here http://www.facebook.com.
A link to the game is found at the bottom of this page.
You will need to give permissions to the game so click on "Accept" and then you are ready to play, invite Facebook friends to join your Clique and you will find the game bookmarked in the home area at Facebook..
At first you will see a screen where you can build your character. You can choose things such as skin color, eyes, hair, and even eyeshadow color. Once finished hit "Done" and a brief game tutorial will begin.
Need more Neighbors for your Clique? Invite them by clicking on the "Invite Friends" tab at the top of the page or you can visit this official site to add new friends to your Clique in the Crowdstar forum - http://apps.facebook.com/forum-it-girl/viewforum.php?f=1
The game is still pretty new and new features will be added all the time. Be sure to check back here at Gamezebo where this guide will be updated as new elements are added to the game. This quick start guide should give you a good idea how the game works and how to get off to a great start.
Game Elements
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Here you will see the elements to the game screen for "It Girl"
A. Level Indicator - In the star to the left of the game screen you will see your current game level, location and level name.
B. Currency Indicator - This is the amount of Cash you have on hand to spend while shopping. Clothing can be sold back from your closet if you no longer want it.
C. Confidence Indicator - (Heart meter) This meter shows how much confidence you have out of a maximum of 100. Each time you battle another girl even if you win you will both lose confidence points. Whoever loses the least amount of confidence points during a battle is the winner of the showdown. NOTE - Confidence regenerates every few minutes on its own if you place your cursor over the indicator it will tell you how much time must go by before you can earn more.
D. Energy/Stamina Level - (Coffee Cup Meter) This meter shows how much energy you have for shopping and attending parties and other social events. You can purchase more Stamina in the Coffee Shop using Facebook Credits. Note - Energy regenerates every few minutes as well. Place your cursor over the indicator to see how much time until you earn more stamina or energy which will help you shop.
E. Your Avatar - This is you in the game. If you don't like how you look visit the Spa. Here you can Tan, have your hair cut and colored, and even have your make up applied to make you even hotter than ever.
F. Help - Click here to visit the "It Girl" Forums. This will lead you pages that will help you find other girls to join your clique.
G. Go Inside store - This is the first store you will go into. (See Shopping below for more details)
H. My Clique - Click here to see how many Facebook friends have joined your Clique. The more friends you have the more likely it is you will win when you showdown against other girls for the title of "It Girl"
I. Free Gifts - Click here and you can send 1 free gift to each girl in your Clique once very 24 hours. They can also send free gifts to you. These gifts will be found in your closet or purse/Inventory areas.
J. Invite Friends - Click here to directly invite friends that are already on your Facebook friend list. You can visit "It Girl" add me sites all over the web to find friends to join your clique but I would recommend the forum at Crowdstar at the top right of the game screen.
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K. L. and M - Quests - These are Quests you can perform to earn big money. The Envelope (K.) gives you a quest of attending a party and winning a certain number of showdowns. The Bag Quest (L.) asks you to find a particular outfit in a store. The final Quest (M.) asks you to show off an outfit at a particular party or area a certain number of times. Finishing these quests will earn you a lot of money and new quests will appear when you complete them.
N. Your Location - This is your Current Location.
O. Game Settings - Here you can toggle the game's music, sound effects, screen Quality and make it fulls screen if you wish. Click on the first tab with the arrow to open the menu.
P. Dressing your Friends - Click on this hanger to dress your friends in items from your Closet. You can let them borrow the item but it will still be in your Closet when you return for it.
Q. My Clique - These are your best girl friends in your Clique. The larger your Clique the more showdowns you can win and more clothes you can borrow from them.
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R. My Parties - Click here to see which parties you have unlocked and can currently attend. Be sure to check the dress code of the party and make sure you are dressed appropriately. Once at the party you will be asked to beat at least 3 other girls in a showdown and higher numbers in higher levels of the game.
S. Inventory - Closet and Purse - Click on the hanger to expand the menu to see the purse. Here you will find all of the clothing you have purchased as well as access items in your purse.
T. Maps/Transportation - Click on the Taxi to expand the tab of the Airplane. Click on these tabs to see the City map and World Map. These only become available once you have unlocked enough levels to leave the city you are in.
U. Catalogue Shopping - Click here to shop in an Catalog.
Note: When you begin the game you will be given 150 dollars in spending money and will have a maximum of 15 Stamina and 100 Confidence. Keep an eye on these levels at all times especially before a showdown.
Ways of Earning Money in the Game
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You can earn money in the game over time and it is like an allowance that you earn.
The more you level up the more money you earn and the more frequently you earn it.
Also, winning Showdowns can earn you money as well as finding special items in stores.
Always click on dollar bills if you see them on the floor next to your Avatar.
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You also get a daily bonus once every 24 hours at the Newsstand. Be sure to click on the newsstand once a day to collect your Daily Bonus.
If you wish to purchase additional energy to shop with go into the Coffee shop and use your Facebook Credits to purchase these items. Facebook credits can also help you level up in the game faster.
How to Move around the game Screen
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To move around the game screen place your cursor near the girl and then while holding the left mouse button down drag the cursor to the area you wish for her to walk and when you let go of the left mouse button she will walk there.
Note: When in a store look for the pink arrow and click on it to move out of a store and back onto the street.
Note: When you want to go into a store simply click on the door and if the store is unlocked for you then your character will walk inside. If the door is locked you must wait until you reach a certain level in the game to unlock it.
What is a Showdown and how do you Win?
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A showdown is what you will initiate between you and another girl in the game.
If you place your cursor on another girl a menu will appear above her head as shown above.
You can either chat with her (Compliments earn you confidence points), check her details to see how confident she is and how likely it is she could beat you in a showdown.
If you want to showdown with that girl click on "Showdown" at the top.
In a few seconds you will see a "-??" which is the number of confidence points that girl has lost in the showdown. Whomever loses the least amount is the winner of the showdown and will earn some money which you must click on when it is on the ground.
Showdowns are an important way to win money and confidence points as well as completing quests. The more outfits in your closet and the more friends in your Clique the more likely you will win these showdowns.
Shopping for Clothing and Accessories
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Shopping for clothing and accessories is an important part of the game. The clothing you buy can add to your overall hotness score and help you win showdowns against other girls.
To go inside a store click on the door of the store and your character will walk in.
Note: You must reach certain levels before you can go into certain stores. You also can not take a cab or plane until you reach certain levels in the game.
Once you are inside mouse over the different racks and tables of clothing and accessories in the store.
Click on the the rack and you will lose 1 Stamina/energy point for searching. If you find a great item you have the option of trying it on and then purchasing it. If you purchase it you have the option of putting it on right then and there or placing it in your closet.
Note: If you see money or coffee cups fall to the ground after finding special items be sure to click on them as these are bonuses for finding special items.
Once you leave a store you may find you can't get into the next one. This is because you must reach certain levels to go into certain stores.
At the top of the screen toward the center you will see how many hidden items are in the store. If you have enough energy to search for all of them you will eventually find special items which earn you bonuses and you will find special items to wear to parties.
Once you have the right outfit be sure to check your invitations and see if you can attend a party and complete a quest.
Attending Parties, Nightclubs, Casual Events
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To become invited to parties, Nightclubs, Casual Events or Black Tie affairs you can read Magazines at the Newsstand on the street once per day or you can read various billboards around the city.
Once you have unlocked an event be sure to note what kind of event it is and then make sure you are dresses appropriately for it. (See Key in image above)
You can also click on your Quests at the upper left side of the screen.
If you are not dresses appropriately you will not win showdowns.
Look near the top of the screen and you will see how much energy you have as well as confidence and place your cursor on other girls to get details about them. If you think you can beat them in a showdown then click on "Showdown" You will be notified right away if you have won or lost. Either way you will lose confidence points and will need to replenish them.
Visiting the Salon to Change your Appearance
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If you feel like you aren't winning enough showdowns try visiting the Salon shown pictured above.
You can tan, change your hairstyle and color as well as make up.
This can increase your hotness score and help you win more showdowns but it will cost money so make sure you have enough.
Visiting your Friends in your Clique!
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Look at the bottom of the game screen to see the friends in your Clique or click on the link at the top of the game screen.
You have the option to call, dress up, or send a gift to your friend.
When you place your mouse over their avatar you will see these options appear from the top.
Click on what you want to do and you can earn extra money and energy points for helping out a friend.
If you call a friend she will say something to you that increases your confidence level.
If you dress her up and send her a picture it will increase her confidence level.
If you send a gift it can only be done once every 24 hours per friend and as you level up there will be more gifts available to choose from to send. This gift could be something such as an invitation to a party or an energy bar to give them more shopping energy.
Congratulations!
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You have completed the basic game play guide for It Girl from CrowdStar Games at Facebook. Be sure to check back often for game updates, Staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments and much more.
It Girl is a simulation game developed by CrowdStar and played on Facebook where you can make yourself into the ultimate "It Girl" The "It Girl" is beautiful, Stylish, Trendy and attends all the hot spots, and major venues.
She starts out as a City girl but is soon jet setting all over the world. Update her look at the salon and purchase clothes from the trendiest stores to increase her overall hotness level. When you attend parties or even walking down the street challenge other girls to a showdown to see who is the ultimate "It Girl!" If people give you compliments your confidence increases, and as you fill your closet with trendy clothing your social status rises. Your Facebook friends are considered part of your clique and the more friends you have the more popular you are. Gamezebo's "It Girl" strategy guide and walkthrough will provide you with a quick start guide, tips and tricks, hints and cheats on how to do your best at "it Girl".
Getting Started
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You must have a current Facebook account to play "It Girl". If you don't have one you can register here http://www.facebook.com.
A link to the game is found at the bottom of this page.
You will need to give permissions to the game so click on "Accept" and then you are ready to play, invite Facebook friends to join your Clique and you will find the game bookmarked in the home area at Facebook..
At first you will see a screen where you can build your character. You can choose things such as skin color, eyes, hair, and even eyeshadow color. Once finished hit "Done" and a brief game tutorial will begin.
Need more Neighbors for your Clique? Invite them by clicking on the "Invite Friends" tab at the top of the page or you can visit this official site to add new friends to your Clique in the Crowdstar forum - http://apps.facebook.com/forum-it-girl/viewforum.php?f=1
The game is still pretty new and new features will be added all the time. Be sure to check back here at Gamezebo where this guide will be updated as new elements are added to the game. This quick start guide should give you a good idea how the game works and how to get off to a great start.
Game Elements
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Here you will see the elements to the game screen for "It Girl"
A. Level Indicator - In the star to the left of the game screen you will see your current game level, location and level name.
B. Currency Indicator - This is the amount of Cash you have on hand to spend while shopping. Clothing can be sold back from your closet if you no longer want it.
C. Confidence Indicator - (Heart meter) This meter shows how much confidence you have out of a maximum of 100. Each time you battle another girl even if you win you will both lose confidence points. Whoever loses the least amount of confidence points during a battle is the winner of the showdown. NOTE - Confidence regenerates every few minutes on its own if you place your cursor over the indicator it will tell you how much time must go by before you can earn more.
D. Energy/Stamina Level - (Coffee Cup Meter) This meter shows how much energy you have for shopping and attending parties and other social events. You can purchase more Stamina in the Coffee Shop using Facebook Credits. Note - Energy regenerates every few minutes as well. Place your cursor over the indicator to see how much time until you earn more stamina or energy which will help you shop.
E. Your Avatar - This is you in the game. If you don't like how you look visit the Spa. Here you can Tan, have your hair cut and colored, and even have your make up applied to make you even hotter than ever.
F. Help - Click here to visit the "It Girl" Forums. This will lead you pages that will help you find other girls to join your clique.
G. Go Inside store - This is the first store you will go into. (See Shopping below for more details)
H. My Clique - Click here to see how many Facebook friends have joined your Clique. The more friends you have the more likely it is you will win when you showdown against other girls for the title of "It Girl"
I. Free Gifts - Click here and you can send 1 free gift to each girl in your Clique once very 24 hours. They can also send free gifts to you. These gifts will be found in your closet or purse/Inventory areas.
J. Invite Friends - Click here to directly invite friends that are already on your Facebook friend list. You can visit "It Girl" add me sites all over the web to find friends to join your clique but I would recommend the forum at Crowdstar at the top right of the game screen.
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K. L. and M - Quests - These are Quests you can perform to earn big money. The Envelope (K.) gives you a quest of attending a party and winning a certain number of showdowns. The Bag Quest (L.) asks you to find a particular outfit in a store. The final Quest (M.) asks you to show off an outfit at a particular party or area a certain number of times. Finishing these quests will earn you a lot of money and new quests will appear when you complete them.
N. Your Location - This is your Current Location.
O. Game Settings - Here you can toggle the game's music, sound effects, screen Quality and make it fulls screen if you wish. Click on the first tab with the arrow to open the menu.
P. Dressing your Friends - Click on this hanger to dress your friends in items from your Closet. You can let them borrow the item but it will still be in your Closet when you return for it.
Q. My Clique - These are your best girl friends in your Clique. The larger your Clique the more showdowns you can win and more clothes you can borrow from them.
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R. My Parties - Click here to see which parties you have unlocked and can currently attend. Be sure to check the dress code of the party and make sure you are dressed appropriately. Once at the party you will be asked to beat at least 3 other girls in a showdown and higher numbers in higher levels of the game.
S. Inventory - Closet and Purse - Click on the hanger to expand the menu to see the purse. Here you will find all of the clothing you have purchased as well as access items in your purse.
T. Maps/Transportation - Click on the Taxi to expand the tab of the Airplane. Click on these tabs to see the City map and World Map. These only become available once you have unlocked enough levels to leave the city you are in.
U. Catalogue Shopping - Click here to shop in an Catalog.
Note: When you begin the game you will be given 150 dollars in spending money and will have a maximum of 15 Stamina and 100 Confidence. Keep an eye on these levels at all times especially before a showdown.
Ways of Earning Money in the Game
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You can earn money in the game over time and it is like an allowance that you earn.
The more you level up the more money you earn and the more frequently you earn it.
Also, winning Showdowns can earn you money as well as finding special items in stores.
Always click on dollar bills if you see them on the floor next to your Avatar.
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You also get a daily bonus once every 24 hours at the Newsstand. Be sure to click on the newsstand once a day to collect your Daily Bonus.
If you wish to purchase additional energy to shop with go into the Coffee shop and use your Facebook Credits to purchase these items. Facebook credits can also help you level up in the game faster.
How to Move around the game Screen
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To move around the game screen place your cursor near the girl and then while holding the left mouse button down drag the cursor to the area you wish for her to walk and when you let go of the left mouse button she will walk there.
Note: When in a store look for the pink arrow and click on it to move out of a store and back onto the street.
Note: When you want to go into a store simply click on the door and if the store is unlocked for you then your character will walk inside. If the door is locked you must wait until you reach a certain level in the game to unlock it.
What is a Showdown and how do you Win?
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A showdown is what you will initiate between you and another girl in the game.
If you place your cursor on another girl a menu will appear above her head as shown above.
You can either chat with her (Compliments earn you confidence points), check her details to see how confident she is and how likely it is she could beat you in a showdown.
If you want to showdown with that girl click on "Showdown" at the top.
In a few seconds you will see a "-??" which is the number of confidence points that girl has lost in the showdown. Whomever loses the least amount is the winner of the showdown and will earn some money which you must click on when it is on the ground.
Showdowns are an important way to win money and confidence points as well as completing quests. The more outfits in your closet and the more friends in your Clique the more likely you will win these showdowns.
Shopping for Clothing and Accessories
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Shopping for clothing and accessories is an important part of the game. The clothing you buy can add to your overall hotness score and help you win showdowns against other girls.
To go inside a store click on the door of the store and your character will walk in.
Note: You must reach certain levels before you can go into certain stores. You also can not take a cab or plane until you reach certain levels in the game.
Once you are inside mouse over the different racks and tables of clothing and accessories in the store.
Click on the the rack and you will lose 1 Stamina/energy point for searching. If you find a great item you have the option of trying it on and then purchasing it. If you purchase it you have the option of putting it on right then and there or placing it in your closet.
Note: If you see money or coffee cups fall to the ground after finding special items be sure to click on them as these are bonuses for finding special items.
Once you leave a store you may find you can't get into the next one. This is because you must reach certain levels to go into certain stores.
At the top of the screen toward the center you will see how many hidden items are in the store. If you have enough energy to search for all of them you will eventually find special items which earn you bonuses and you will find special items to wear to parties.
Once you have the right outfit be sure to check your invitations and see if you can attend a party and complete a quest.
Attending Parties, Nightclubs, Casual Events
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To become invited to parties, Nightclubs, Casual Events or Black Tie affairs you can read Magazines at the Newsstand on the street once per day or you can read various billboards around the city.
Once you have unlocked an event be sure to note what kind of event it is and then make sure you are dresses appropriately for it. (See Key in image above)
You can also click on your Quests at the upper left side of the screen.
If you are not dresses appropriately you will not win showdowns.
Look near the top of the screen and you will see how much energy you have as well as confidence and place your cursor on other girls to get details about them. If you think you can beat them in a showdown then click on "Showdown" You will be notified right away if you have won or lost. Either way you will lose confidence points and will need to replenish them.
Visiting the Salon to Change your Appearance
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If you feel like you aren't winning enough showdowns try visiting the Salon shown pictured above.
You can tan, change your hairstyle and color as well as make up.
This can increase your hotness score and help you win more showdowns but it will cost money so make sure you have enough.
Visiting your Friends in your Clique!
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Look at the bottom of the game screen to see the friends in your Clique or click on the link at the top of the game screen.
You have the option to call, dress up, or send a gift to your friend.
When you place your mouse over their avatar you will see these options appear from the top.
Click on what you want to do and you can earn extra money and energy points for helping out a friend.
If you call a friend she will say something to you that increases your confidence level.
If you dress her up and send her a picture it will increase her confidence level.
If you send a gift it can only be done once every 24 hours per friend and as you level up there will be more gifts available to choose from to send. This gift could be something such as an invitation to a party or an energy bar to give them more shopping energy.
Congratulations!
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You have completed the basic game play guide for It Girl from CrowdStar Games at Facebook. Be sure to check back often for game updates, Staff and user reviews, user tips, forum comments and much more.
Kobe Bryant is making a Facebook game?
When Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant isn't on the court, appearing in explosive TV ads or running his own web show he's making... Facebook games? No, your eyes do not deceive you--Kobe Bryant is teaming up with Endemol USA, a production company specializing in entertainment programming and behind his recent web show Dream Makers: Kobe Bryant, to break into the world of Facebook gaming.
Kobe Bryant, who will play a key role in development of the game, says, "I'm excited to partner with Endemol USA and 6waves to bring unprecedented entertainment to gaming fans worldwide."
The game will be published by 6waves, known for recent Facebook hits like Ravenwood Fair and Big Business, and will give players the opportunity to win real prizes like memorabilia signed by Bryant himself and tickets to a Lakers game. According to Endemol, the game may also feature elements from Dream Makers, making what it calls "a ground-breaking multi-media social game." Other than that, details are scarce on how exactly the game will play or what it will be titled. Just know that Kobe Bryant is treading new ground as the first athlete to have a Facebook game be all about him. And would a star like Bryant have it any other way?
Kobe Bryant, who will play a key role in development of the game, says, "I'm excited to partner with Endemol USA and 6waves to bring unprecedented entertainment to gaming fans worldwide."
The game will be published by 6waves, known for recent Facebook hits like Ravenwood Fair and Big Business, and will give players the opportunity to win real prizes like memorabilia signed by Bryant himself and tickets to a Lakers game. According to Endemol, the game may also feature elements from Dream Makers, making what it calls "a ground-breaking multi-media social game." Other than that, details are scarce on how exactly the game will play or what it will be titled. Just know that Kobe Bryant is treading new ground as the first athlete to have a Facebook game be all about him. And would a star like Bryant have it any other way?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Finally, hang out with your Android buddies in Hanging With Friends
It looks like Tuesday is unofficially Zynga Game Day, as the company just announced that Hanging With Friends is now available for free on the Android Market. Keep in mind, this comes just minutes after the company revealed Mafia Wars 2. Even better news than the fact that Android players can get in on Zynga With Friends's second mobile game is that it's now cross-platform ready.
Yes, now you can play both your iPhone-toting friends and your best Android-owning enemies buds in this crazy take on the classic pen and paper game of Hangman. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanging With Friends takes the popular turn-based exchange of the wildly popular Words With Friends and applies that to a wacky game of Hangman, but with some twists.
For one, players who choose their word for an opponent are limited by the letters provided to them. Then, that challenge is sent to a player who must guess the word with a limited amount of guesses. This exchange of posing challenges and guesses continues asynchronously until one player loses all of their balloons and falls into a pit of lava or other various deathtraps.
Luckily, you have a series of power-ups at your disposal that can restore some of your guesses or reveal letters that may or may not be part of the word your friend chose in secret. Of course, these boosts cost Coins, which you can accumulate over time by winning Hanging With Friends matches or purchasing them outright in-game.
Gallery: Hanging With Friends on Android
Of course, the Android version contains all of the features that its iOS counterpart sports, like the ability to play up to 20 games at a time, in-game chat and push notifications. Finally, you can add friends via your existing With Friends account, or just connect to Facebook (like everyone else) to find more folks to crush with your wordsmithery. Have at thee, Fandroids.
Yes, now you can play both your iPhone-toting friends and your best Android-owning enemies buds in this crazy take on the classic pen and paper game of Hangman. In case you're unfamiliar, Hanging With Friends takes the popular turn-based exchange of the wildly popular Words With Friends and applies that to a wacky game of Hangman, but with some twists.
For one, players who choose their word for an opponent are limited by the letters provided to them. Then, that challenge is sent to a player who must guess the word with a limited amount of guesses. This exchange of posing challenges and guesses continues asynchronously until one player loses all of their balloons and falls into a pit of lava or other various deathtraps.
Luckily, you have a series of power-ups at your disposal that can restore some of your guesses or reveal letters that may or may not be part of the word your friend chose in secret. Of course, these boosts cost Coins, which you can accumulate over time by winning Hanging With Friends matches or purchasing them outright in-game.
Gallery: Hanging With Friends on Android
Of course, the Android version contains all of the features that its iOS counterpart sports, like the ability to play up to 20 games at a time, in-game chat and push notifications. Finally, you can add friends via your existing With Friends account, or just connect to Facebook (like everyone else) to find more folks to crush with your wordsmithery. Have at thee, Fandroids.
Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski is awfully addicted to Angry Birds
Another falls to the power of casual games. Just as actress Emma Stone had to go cold turkey on FarmVille, Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski has admitted to Collider an acute Angry Birds addiction. The actress (and voice of Miranda Lawson in Bioware's Mass Effect series) told the website she's not just hopelessly addicted to the game, but has some serious bird-slinging game.
"I don't know if this classifies as a video game, but I have a terrible obsession with Angry Birds," Strahovski admitted to Collider. "I have 3 stared every single level that has ever come out ever except for this one in this moon thing that just came out." Well, she already has me beat, it seems, and likely many of you.
When asked whether she used YouTube or something else to cheat, the Australian starlet replied, "No. I am legitimate. The only thing I looked up is that I could't find the last two golden watermelons in the Rio version. I could't find them. I was like, 'Where are the watermelons?!' So I had to go online and find out where they were." Alright, we get it, so you know your stuff.
Her next mission? Clear every level in the game with 100 percent using the Mighty Eagle. Well, I guess that's about the only challenge she has left, considering she's obliterated every last level. After that, maybe she might consider voice over work for the upcoming Angry Birds movie when it goes into production in oh, I don't know, two years? And who knows, maybe you'll catch her in a Starbucks, flicking away to destroy your high score sometime soon.
"I don't know if this classifies as a video game, but I have a terrible obsession with Angry Birds," Strahovski admitted to Collider. "I have 3 stared every single level that has ever come out ever except for this one in this moon thing that just came out." Well, she already has me beat, it seems, and likely many of you.
When asked whether she used YouTube or something else to cheat, the Australian starlet replied, "No. I am legitimate. The only thing I looked up is that I could't find the last two golden watermelons in the Rio version. I could't find them. I was like, 'Where are the watermelons?!' So I had to go online and find out where they were." Alright, we get it, so you know your stuff.
Her next mission? Clear every level in the game with 100 percent using the Mighty Eagle. Well, I guess that's about the only challenge she has left, considering she's obliterated every last level. After that, maybe she might consider voice over work for the upcoming Angry Birds movie when it goes into production in oh, I don't know, two years? And who knows, maybe you'll catch her in a Starbucks, flicking away to destroy your high score sometime soon.
Google+ opens its doors to all, but (hopefully) mostly social gamers
The proverbial veil has been lifted, everyone. Google+ is finally open to the public, meaning anyone can join Google's social network regardless of whether they've been invited through a friend. More importantly, this means the service, which soft-launched back in August to a controlled amount of users through invites, is open to even more social gamers than before.
Granted, there are only 16 games so far on Google+ Games. But surely the company hopes, that with an influx of potential players, that developers will become even more interested in Google as a social gaming destination. However, there are several arguably basic social features that aren't yet a part of the Google+ developer API, or application programming interface.
Namely, the posts that players can push through to the Games Stream from a Google+ game are not interactive. This means that the viral nature of social gaming is severely hindered on the network--players cannot directly help one another through the Games Stream like the can through the Facebook News Feed. This essentially thwarts what is popularly believed to give social games their name.
At the moment, players can only post general updates such as, "I scored 5 bajillion points in Bejeweled Blitz!" However, Rovio played somewhat of a smarter game with Angry Birds on Google+ Games, and introduced a friend gate to most of its content, meaning players have to add so many friends to access new levels. Luckily, Google has already stated that it's working to introduce more robust features over time.
Regardless, omissions like this serve as proof that Google+ Games, while impressive in its scope, ambition and support, is still a nascent gaming platform when put up against competitors like Facebook. With this news, perhaps the race Google+ is running has changed track to whether Google+ Games can keep up with the demands and needs of its players, rather than its competitors.
Granted, there are only 16 games so far on Google+ Games. But surely the company hopes, that with an influx of potential players, that developers will become even more interested in Google as a social gaming destination. However, there are several arguably basic social features that aren't yet a part of the Google+ developer API, or application programming interface.
Namely, the posts that players can push through to the Games Stream from a Google+ game are not interactive. This means that the viral nature of social gaming is severely hindered on the network--players cannot directly help one another through the Games Stream like the can through the Facebook News Feed. This essentially thwarts what is popularly believed to give social games their name.
At the moment, players can only post general updates such as, "I scored 5 bajillion points in Bejeweled Blitz!" However, Rovio played somewhat of a smarter game with Angry Birds on Google+ Games, and introduced a friend gate to most of its content, meaning players have to add so many friends to access new levels. Luckily, Google has already stated that it's working to introduce more robust features over time.
Regardless, omissions like this serve as proof that Google+ Games, while impressive in its scope, ambition and support, is still a nascent gaming platform when put up against competitors like Facebook. With this news, perhaps the race Google+ is running has changed track to whether Google+ Games can keep up with the demands and needs of its players, rather than its competitors.
Mobile social game taps into 700K player base for children's charity
Parallel Kingdom 700,000K players
What do you do when you're a well-respected mobile game with 700K players worldwide? You design a virtual soup can helmet and sell it to your players for charity! At least, that's what Per Blue's Parallel Kingdom is doing (with Playmob) for the SOS Children relief in North Kenya.
SOS Children's Villages is an independently operated, international organization that's been saving kids since 1949. Currently, funds are needed for emergency food and medical aid due to a severe drought in the area. Soup Can Helmets cost 550 Food each (the virtual currency of Parallel Kingdom), which is the equivalent of $5.50 USD and enough to feed three children. Since the helmet is priced with Food, it's possible for you to not spend any real money on the helmet for it to still count. (In fact, for those of you who haven't liked the game's Facebook page yet, there's a free 100 Food offer that you can use towards a helmet purchase.)
According to Per Blue, this charity drive is at its halfway point with only a week left to go. So far, 550 Soup Can Helmets have been sold, which means 1,650 children have been cared for. If you play the game, you can buy the Soup Can Helmet in the PK Swag section of your local Trade Post until September 29.
Parallel Kingdom Donate Food
If you're new to the game and feeling adventurous, then after the tutorial stage, click on the Food tab on the bottom of your game screen to reach the Get Food menu. You'll see the Donate Food option, but it's really just a notice for the charity drive. Instead, you need to go to Travel, click on a Trade Hub (the one in Madison, WI is one of the two biggest ones), and locate your Local Trade Post, which should be a white building with a red roof buried under a dozen other players who are represented as little heads. Finally, you need to be at Level 2 to be allowed to purchase the helmet. (If you get lost, fire up the in-game chat. Special thanks goes to MisMoon, MoldyBanana, and ZeroGr@vity for their help.)
Parallel Kingdom Trade Post
Parallel Kingdom is best described as FourSquare meets a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game). It surpassed a half million players in June, was voted 2009 Best Augmented Reality App Second Place (first place went to XMG Studio Inc.'s Pandemica) and 2009 Best MMO Game Third Place (beaten by ngmoco's Eliminate Pro, with Miraphonic's Epic Pet Wars in first place). Although Parallel Kingdom is not a true Facebook game (its Facebook game app simply links you to register on the website), it does possess Facebook Connect and can be played on your PC with a web browser.
What do you do when you're a well-respected mobile game with 700K players worldwide? You design a virtual soup can helmet and sell it to your players for charity! At least, that's what Per Blue's Parallel Kingdom is doing (with Playmob) for the SOS Children relief in North Kenya.
SOS Children's Villages is an independently operated, international organization that's been saving kids since 1949. Currently, funds are needed for emergency food and medical aid due to a severe drought in the area. Soup Can Helmets cost 550 Food each (the virtual currency of Parallel Kingdom), which is the equivalent of $5.50 USD and enough to feed three children. Since the helmet is priced with Food, it's possible for you to not spend any real money on the helmet for it to still count. (In fact, for those of you who haven't liked the game's Facebook page yet, there's a free 100 Food offer that you can use towards a helmet purchase.)
According to Per Blue, this charity drive is at its halfway point with only a week left to go. So far, 550 Soup Can Helmets have been sold, which means 1,650 children have been cared for. If you play the game, you can buy the Soup Can Helmet in the PK Swag section of your local Trade Post until September 29.
Parallel Kingdom Donate Food
If you're new to the game and feeling adventurous, then after the tutorial stage, click on the Food tab on the bottom of your game screen to reach the Get Food menu. You'll see the Donate Food option, but it's really just a notice for the charity drive. Instead, you need to go to Travel, click on a Trade Hub (the one in Madison, WI is one of the two biggest ones), and locate your Local Trade Post, which should be a white building with a red roof buried under a dozen other players who are represented as little heads. Finally, you need to be at Level 2 to be allowed to purchase the helmet. (If you get lost, fire up the in-game chat. Special thanks goes to MisMoon, MoldyBanana, and ZeroGr@vity for their help.)
Parallel Kingdom Trade Post
Parallel Kingdom is best described as FourSquare meets a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game). It surpassed a half million players in June, was voted 2009 Best Augmented Reality App Second Place (first place went to XMG Studio Inc.'s Pandemica) and 2009 Best MMO Game Third Place (beaten by ngmoco's Eliminate Pro, with Miraphonic's Epic Pet Wars in first place). Although Parallel Kingdom is not a true Facebook game (its Facebook game app simply links you to register on the website), it does possess Facebook Connect and can be played on your PC with a web browser.
Putting the 'face' in Facebook games: Arkadium and Image Metrics
Arkadium is likely best known on Facebook for games like Mahjongg Dimensions and Cooking Mama, but that's about to change. Thanks to a brand new partnership with Image Metrics, an animation studio best known for the facial capture technology it provides to traditional game developers, your own face could be the star of Arkadium's next Facebook game.
During an interview with Gamasutra, the new found duo revealed Portable You, a new toolset for Facebook game developers--starting with New York City-based Arkadium--to allow players to include their own face as the centerpiece of their avatars. Using a simple webcam, Portable You, embedded in any given Facebook, could create a 3D rendering of your head and face.
By the way, that picture to the right is a 3D reproduction of an actress's face done by Image Metrics--it's not real. But we doubt Portable You will be as powerful. This is especially considering the technology was bought through an acquisition of Big Stage earlier this year.
"Mostly we've been the user of our own technologies," Image Metrics CEO Robert Gehorsam said to Gamasutra. "But we've also really come to realize and believe there's a major shift going on in how people want to represent themselves, express themselves and communicate online, starting with creating your own character in a game."
"We work directly from video; we don't require any kind of markers, or the special makeup," Gehorsam told Gamasutra. "We can go directly from a video screen or from a single image to 3D animation... through a whole bunch of equations that recognize the face in a 2D context. It's not a photo; it's really 3D."
Sure, this has the potential to introduce a never-before-seen level of immersion to Facebook games. The idea of representing or expressing yourself more accurately than ever has plenty of charm. But the more pressing question I have for Image Metrics is: How well does Portable You render beards?
During an interview with Gamasutra, the new found duo revealed Portable You, a new toolset for Facebook game developers--starting with New York City-based Arkadium--to allow players to include their own face as the centerpiece of their avatars. Using a simple webcam, Portable You, embedded in any given Facebook, could create a 3D rendering of your head and face.
By the way, that picture to the right is a 3D reproduction of an actress's face done by Image Metrics--it's not real. But we doubt Portable You will be as powerful. This is especially considering the technology was bought through an acquisition of Big Stage earlier this year.
"Mostly we've been the user of our own technologies," Image Metrics CEO Robert Gehorsam said to Gamasutra. "But we've also really come to realize and believe there's a major shift going on in how people want to represent themselves, express themselves and communicate online, starting with creating your own character in a game."
"We work directly from video; we don't require any kind of markers, or the special makeup," Gehorsam told Gamasutra. "We can go directly from a video screen or from a single image to 3D animation... through a whole bunch of equations that recognize the face in a 2D context. It's not a photo; it's really 3D."
Sure, this has the potential to introduce a never-before-seen level of immersion to Facebook games. The idea of representing or expressing yourself more accurately than ever has plenty of charm. But the more pressing question I have for Image Metrics is: How well does Portable You render beards?
Monday, January 9, 2012
Bejeweled Blitz Live for Xbox thrives on speed & competiton
PopCap's Facebook game Bejeweled Blitz is headed to Xbox Live in the next few months. The game, called Bejeweled Blitz Live, is largely similar to the Facebook version, the goal is to match three or more of the same colored gems as possible in 60 seconds, and see how your score stacks up against friends in an in-game leaderboard.
There is absolutely no connection between the Facebook game and this new version (the two games, say, don't share a leaderboard), sand there are a few other key differences -- including an epic-sounding 16-player Party mode, as in, 16 people can play the game at the same time over Xbox Live, competing for a top spot in an in-game leaderboard. You will also be able to go head-to-head against friends over Live or just play against other people in your own living room.
PopCap rolled by the Games.com HQ today and gave us a sneak peek at the Bejeweled Blitz Live. Unfortunately the 16-player Party mode was unavailable, so me and my esteemed colleague Laurent tried the two modes in the game that don't require an online connection -- two-player split screen mode. First, we tried the the Classic mode (which is just straight up Bejeweled Blitz) and then went head-to-head in the Twist mode, where you twist sets of gems clockwise/counterclockwise to make a match. If you played Bejeweled Twist on PC, this is pretty much the same thing, except you can twist gems both ways. (Laurent smoked me in the Classic mode, and I returned the favor in Twist.)
bejeweled blitz live twist
Like all Bejeweled games, Bejeweled Blitz Live has that same addictive quality, and once you finish a one-minute round (which ends all too quickly), it'll be hard to resist playing again and again until you beat your friends and see your name move to the top of the leaderboard.
Seasoned Bejeweled players, however, will have to get used to using an Xbox Live controller to match gems instead of a keyboard and mouse. To move gems, you use the left thumb stick to select a game and then use the four colored buttons on the controller to determine which way the gem will move (up, down, left, right). It feels a little strange at first, but after a while you'll get the hang of it -- though I don't think it will ever match the precision of the PC controls. That might be a turn-off for fans who play Bejeweled on PC, but then again, not sure how many typical Bejeweled players (female, casual gamer-types) will really be playing an Xbox version of their favorite game. This game is clearly marketed to the 'core' Xbox gamer (and maybe maybe moms / girlfriends / wives of Xbox gamers) more than anyone else.
Since this is an Xbox Live game, achievements will be built in (no details on what these are just yet) and, of course, playing will add to your overall Gamerscore. The price of Bejeweled Blitz is still TBD, but considering PopCap's other big Xbox Live game Plants vs. Zombies is available for 1200 Microsoft Points (roughly $15), I'd guess it'll be somewhere in the same ballpark.
There is absolutely no connection between the Facebook game and this new version (the two games, say, don't share a leaderboard), sand there are a few other key differences -- including an epic-sounding 16-player Party mode, as in, 16 people can play the game at the same time over Xbox Live, competing for a top spot in an in-game leaderboard. You will also be able to go head-to-head against friends over Live or just play against other people in your own living room.
PopCap rolled by the Games.com HQ today and gave us a sneak peek at the Bejeweled Blitz Live. Unfortunately the 16-player Party mode was unavailable, so me and my esteemed colleague Laurent tried the two modes in the game that don't require an online connection -- two-player split screen mode. First, we tried the the Classic mode (which is just straight up Bejeweled Blitz) and then went head-to-head in the Twist mode, where you twist sets of gems clockwise/counterclockwise to make a match. If you played Bejeweled Twist on PC, this is pretty much the same thing, except you can twist gems both ways. (Laurent smoked me in the Classic mode, and I returned the favor in Twist.)
bejeweled blitz live twist
Like all Bejeweled games, Bejeweled Blitz Live has that same addictive quality, and once you finish a one-minute round (which ends all too quickly), it'll be hard to resist playing again and again until you beat your friends and see your name move to the top of the leaderboard.
Seasoned Bejeweled players, however, will have to get used to using an Xbox Live controller to match gems instead of a keyboard and mouse. To move gems, you use the left thumb stick to select a game and then use the four colored buttons on the controller to determine which way the gem will move (up, down, left, right). It feels a little strange at first, but after a while you'll get the hang of it -- though I don't think it will ever match the precision of the PC controls. That might be a turn-off for fans who play Bejeweled on PC, but then again, not sure how many typical Bejeweled players (female, casual gamer-types) will really be playing an Xbox version of their favorite game. This game is clearly marketed to the 'core' Xbox gamer (and maybe maybe moms / girlfriends / wives of Xbox gamers) more than anyone else.
Since this is an Xbox Live game, achievements will be built in (no details on what these are just yet) and, of course, playing will add to your overall Gamerscore. The price of Bejeweled Blitz is still TBD, but considering PopCap's other big Xbox Live game Plants vs. Zombies is available for 1200 Microsoft Points (roughly $15), I'd guess it'll be somewhere in the same ballpark.
FarmVille Winter Countdown ends tomorrow, last chance at Disco Cow
Here's your last shot at that groovy Disco Cow. Zynga has announced on the FarmVille Blog that the Winter Countdown event in FarmVille will end tomorrow, Jan. 19, at 9 a.m. PST. If you haven't collected all 12 rewards from the event, you better get to it ASAP if you want the fro-rocking bovine.
For the uninitiated, check out our full guide on how the Winter Countdown works and how to best tackle it. Also, take a look at each of the event's 12 items for a sneak peek at what you're about to be doing for the next, say, couple hours. Good luck and if you manage to accomplish a 12-day-long feat in just over 12 hours, enjoy your Disco Cow and a much-deserved day's sleep.
For the uninitiated, check out our full guide on how the Winter Countdown works and how to best tackle it. Also, take a look at each of the event's 12 items for a sneak peek at what you're about to be doing for the next, say, couple hours. Good luck and if you manage to accomplish a 12-day-long feat in just over 12 hours, enjoy your Disco Cow and a much-deserved day's sleep.
FarmVille brings you the death of the American farm(er)
David Thier delivered the most grandiose proclamation ever seen for a social game in The Atlantic today, writing that "Farmville is a savage metaphor for the death of the small family farm to the grinding wheels of mechanized capitalism." And you know it's not just big talk, since Thier spent over a year to reach this shining truth, having realized the parallels from writing an earlier piece, The Strange Appeal of Virtual Farming:
When you log into the game, Farmville shows you a random picture of one idyllic farm or another--a bountiful field of pineapples, flowers, and wheat next to a little cottage, maybe, or perhaps an autumn scene of maple syrup and bright red trees. The reality, however, is that in order to afford such decorations you must either pay US dollars or plant endless fields of cash crops. Maybe I'm thinking about this too much, but for a simplistic videogame, Farmville offers a curious model for juxtaposing pastoral fantasy with the industrial realities of modern farming. The parallel isn't perfect: I'm pretty sure an alien cow on a real farm would fetch way more than 120 coins.
Now, he riffs this realization into a beautiful story of him being a FarmVille farmer that is cheeky in its pretension, but elegiac and entirely surreal:
It became too much. I let the fields go fallow and began playing another Zynga game, CityVille. I see those other farmers still on their land, planted hedgerow to hedgerow, scouring their coops in hopes of golden eggs and waiting for the fat cats at Zynga to bless them with some new piece of machinery so they can click their lives away just to scrounge together enough coins to eke a few more levels toward what I assume is the American Dream. Poor bastards.
Thier isn't exactly John Steinbeck, but if you've been hankering for some The Grapes of Wrath à la FarmVille, this is as close as it gets. The only thing that can get even closer is if this proposal of FarmVille subsidies comes to pass.
FarmVille grapes
When you log into the game, Farmville shows you a random picture of one idyllic farm or another--a bountiful field of pineapples, flowers, and wheat next to a little cottage, maybe, or perhaps an autumn scene of maple syrup and bright red trees. The reality, however, is that in order to afford such decorations you must either pay US dollars or plant endless fields of cash crops. Maybe I'm thinking about this too much, but for a simplistic videogame, Farmville offers a curious model for juxtaposing pastoral fantasy with the industrial realities of modern farming. The parallel isn't perfect: I'm pretty sure an alien cow on a real farm would fetch way more than 120 coins.
Now, he riffs this realization into a beautiful story of him being a FarmVille farmer that is cheeky in its pretension, but elegiac and entirely surreal:
It became too much. I let the fields go fallow and began playing another Zynga game, CityVille. I see those other farmers still on their land, planted hedgerow to hedgerow, scouring their coops in hopes of golden eggs and waiting for the fat cats at Zynga to bless them with some new piece of machinery so they can click their lives away just to scrounge together enough coins to eke a few more levels toward what I assume is the American Dream. Poor bastards.
Thier isn't exactly John Steinbeck, but if you've been hankering for some The Grapes of Wrath à la FarmVille, this is as close as it gets. The only thing that can get even closer is if this proposal of FarmVille subsidies comes to pass.
FarmVille grapes
FrontierVille: Does Hank need a makeover? Help Zynga decide in new poll
Back in November, FrontierVille players were given the opportunity to upgrade their General Stores, and hire a new in-game character to work at that store. The character's name is Hank [pictured], and while he offers up the occasional corny joke, and makes appearances at in-game celebrations (Thanksgiving Dinner or the New Years party, as examples), he doesn't really serve any other purpose in the game.
However, it looks as though Zynga might be hoping to change that, as they have launched a new poll on the official FrontierVille forums asking a single, simple question: "Would you give Hank a makeover?" The poll has two answers - yes or no - and you are more than welcome to add your own thoughts and comments to the discussion in the thread.
The poll here isn't necessarily the big news though - it's why Zynga is taking the time to focus on this NPC in the first place. When Bess was introduced to the game, it was hinted that perhaps she might take an interest in Hank, but during the New Years Party celebration, we also heard Miss Fanny Wildcat (the in-game schoolteacher) proclaim her affections for good ole Hank as well. Could this makeover be in anticipation of some romantic happenings in the game come Valentine's Day (which is next month)?
Perhaps we'll see a goal series where we have to choose which lady friend Hank will call his own in this love triangle. It would certainly be an entirely unique aspect to the game (as I wouldn't consider the creation of your own spouse in the game to be a real "love-filled" moment), and I would personally be interested in watching it play out. Or... perhaps this poll is just that - a poll to get users talking about the non-playable characters in the game. But hey, one can always dream for something more grand... can't I?
However, it looks as though Zynga might be hoping to change that, as they have launched a new poll on the official FrontierVille forums asking a single, simple question: "Would you give Hank a makeover?" The poll has two answers - yes or no - and you are more than welcome to add your own thoughts and comments to the discussion in the thread.
The poll here isn't necessarily the big news though - it's why Zynga is taking the time to focus on this NPC in the first place. When Bess was introduced to the game, it was hinted that perhaps she might take an interest in Hank, but during the New Years Party celebration, we also heard Miss Fanny Wildcat (the in-game schoolteacher) proclaim her affections for good ole Hank as well. Could this makeover be in anticipation of some romantic happenings in the game come Valentine's Day (which is next month)?
Perhaps we'll see a goal series where we have to choose which lady friend Hank will call his own in this love triangle. It would certainly be an entirely unique aspect to the game (as I wouldn't consider the creation of your own spouse in the game to be a real "love-filled" moment), and I would personally be interested in watching it play out. Or... perhaps this poll is just that - a poll to get users talking about the non-playable characters in the game. But hey, one can always dream for something more grand... can't I?
Sling a few pies in Pizza World on Facebook
While there are plenty of restaurant-themed games on Facebook, and even a few that offer specialty cooking (like Baking Life), it's not everyday that you come across a game focused solely on pizzas. Pizza World caught our eye, and while the game is far from perfect, it does seem to have a solid enough gameplay scheme to bring in those players who want another game allowing them to spend some time in a virtual kitchen.
Pizza World begins with a basic tutorial, where you'll learn that the "World" in Pizza World really means something - you'll be placed in control of multiple pizzerias, located in different countries all over the world. While you'll eventually be able to claim land in all of these spots, your first pizzeria is placed in your choice of: New York City, Paris, Tokyo, or Cairo. You'll unlock the rest of these locations, along with a few others in Asia, Africa, and even in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a ship!
Depending on where your pizza shop is located, you'll have access to a variety of themed decorations with which to outfit your cafe, but the main gameplay mechanics remain unchanged regardless of your location. You'll be able to make different varieties of pizzas, serve them to your customers for profit and then continue the cycle, as you'd expect from any Facebook game. Meet us behind the break for how the rest of Pizza World stacks up.
The main business mechanic in Pizza World is very similar to that of Restaurant City - your pizza shops will only be open so long as you want them to be. You must pay a particular amount of coins to open the shop (with shifts being available for just a few minutes, or even a matter of a few hours or more). The longer your shops stay open, obviously the more profit you'll be able to earn.
You'll start with a single variety of pizza - the Veggie Pizza, but you'll be able to add more varieties to your menu as you play the game, using ingredients that your friends can send you. Bacon and Cheese, for instance, would unlock the "Bacon Pizza," that you can create and then add to your menu. You'll even be able to create your own kinds of pizza, using a variety of free, standard ingredients placed along the edges of this "pizza creation" screen. Unfortunately, these pizzas can only be shared with your friends, which is an odd choice. Of course, you can always work around this if you're willing to ask your friends to create a very specific kind of pizza that you'd like to have on your own menu and then have them send it to you.
And what's a great pizza shop without a delivery service? You'll be able to purchase vehicles (starting with a bicycle), and you'll be able to fulfill guest delivery orders by clicking on the vehicle, and then clicking on the particular pizza that they ordered This will take you back to the pizza creation screen, where you will manually have to create the matching pizza (using a picture as a reference) in order to deliver it to the hungry customer. You're timed as you create the pizza, and are later given a tip (in coins) based on how accurate your were with your copy of the picture.
As you have more friends playing the game with you, you can hire these friends to be your staff - your janitor, chef and so on. This reduces the cost of starting a shift at your pizzeria(s). You can also customize each individual pizza shop with different items that can either be purchased from the store for coins, or built using a variety of building materials (these building materials can either be purchase in-game for Facebook Credits, or sent between friends for free as free gifts). The first item you'll create, for example, is the Water Dispenser. These kinds of items collect coins overtime that add slightly to your overall profit. More intricate items like a Slot Machine are also available, with said slot machine actually allowing you to gamble some of your in-game coins in a true-to-life slot machine mini-game of sorts.
After you've completed a certain number of in-game tasks, you'll start to unlock trophies, or achievements, representing your accomplishments. However, these trophies aren't necessarily described in the greatest way, so it might be a bit confusing as to how to earn them. Additionally, the entire game suffers from some slight English translation issues, so keep that in mind / be prepared for it.
Pizza World isn't your perfect Facebook game by any stretch, but I can definitely see the appeal to those diehard pizza fans out there. It might even make you hungry to go grab a slice of your own.
Pizza World begins with a basic tutorial, where you'll learn that the "World" in Pizza World really means something - you'll be placed in control of multiple pizzerias, located in different countries all over the world. While you'll eventually be able to claim land in all of these spots, your first pizzeria is placed in your choice of: New York City, Paris, Tokyo, or Cairo. You'll unlock the rest of these locations, along with a few others in Asia, Africa, and even in the middle of the Indian Ocean on a ship!
Depending on where your pizza shop is located, you'll have access to a variety of themed decorations with which to outfit your cafe, but the main gameplay mechanics remain unchanged regardless of your location. You'll be able to make different varieties of pizzas, serve them to your customers for profit and then continue the cycle, as you'd expect from any Facebook game. Meet us behind the break for how the rest of Pizza World stacks up.
The main business mechanic in Pizza World is very similar to that of Restaurant City - your pizza shops will only be open so long as you want them to be. You must pay a particular amount of coins to open the shop (with shifts being available for just a few minutes, or even a matter of a few hours or more). The longer your shops stay open, obviously the more profit you'll be able to earn.
You'll start with a single variety of pizza - the Veggie Pizza, but you'll be able to add more varieties to your menu as you play the game, using ingredients that your friends can send you. Bacon and Cheese, for instance, would unlock the "Bacon Pizza," that you can create and then add to your menu. You'll even be able to create your own kinds of pizza, using a variety of free, standard ingredients placed along the edges of this "pizza creation" screen. Unfortunately, these pizzas can only be shared with your friends, which is an odd choice. Of course, you can always work around this if you're willing to ask your friends to create a very specific kind of pizza that you'd like to have on your own menu and then have them send it to you.
And what's a great pizza shop without a delivery service? You'll be able to purchase vehicles (starting with a bicycle), and you'll be able to fulfill guest delivery orders by clicking on the vehicle, and then clicking on the particular pizza that they ordered This will take you back to the pizza creation screen, where you will manually have to create the matching pizza (using a picture as a reference) in order to deliver it to the hungry customer. You're timed as you create the pizza, and are later given a tip (in coins) based on how accurate your were with your copy of the picture.
As you have more friends playing the game with you, you can hire these friends to be your staff - your janitor, chef and so on. This reduces the cost of starting a shift at your pizzeria(s). You can also customize each individual pizza shop with different items that can either be purchased from the store for coins, or built using a variety of building materials (these building materials can either be purchase in-game for Facebook Credits, or sent between friends for free as free gifts). The first item you'll create, for example, is the Water Dispenser. These kinds of items collect coins overtime that add slightly to your overall profit. More intricate items like a Slot Machine are also available, with said slot machine actually allowing you to gamble some of your in-game coins in a true-to-life slot machine mini-game of sorts.
After you've completed a certain number of in-game tasks, you'll start to unlock trophies, or achievements, representing your accomplishments. However, these trophies aren't necessarily described in the greatest way, so it might be a bit confusing as to how to earn them. Additionally, the entire game suffers from some slight English translation issues, so keep that in mind / be prepared for it.
Pizza World isn't your perfect Facebook game by any stretch, but I can definitely see the appeal to those diehard pizza fans out there. It might even make you hungry to go grab a slice of your own.
Friday, January 6, 2012
How Facebook games can be deeper by design
We've all heard the claims leveraged against social games that they are barely games. And let's face it, those accusations ring true even when looking at some of the major league Facebook games. But it doesn't have to be this way--Designer Henric Suuronen has his own methods of adding layers of depth to social games in a way that doesn't bog them down in complexity. Coined "Smart Depth Theory," Suuronen provides five tips on how Facebook games could be more game-like.
While these tips are geared toward designers, we can learn a lot about the games we play from what's going on in designers' heads. Here's what Suuronen had to say about his theory:
a. Novice or beginner players should not need to consciously think about the feature until they figure it out or realize it on their own accord.
b. It should not require dexterity or hand-eye-coordination. Strategic thinking with variable solutions and outcomes is best. Compare Tower Bloxx, which requires users to time clicks in rapid progression to score higher, to a game like Angry Birds which has strategic elements but requires less coordination.
c. It should add a new "layer" on the existing game loop not create a separate one.
d. Players should be able to do it on a basic level almost by accident and feel smart for completing or solving the problem.
e. After doing it once and gaining the rewards players will carry on trying to find an even better solution. It is here the greatest retention effects are achieved.
Basically, Suuronen claims that social game design should be sneaky. We shouldn't be aware of the features until we happen upon them. They shouldn't have to be explained in some lengthy tutorial, but learned and mastered through just playing the game. For instance, the Bonus Bar in several Zynga games like FrontierVille is never explained, because its a self-explanatory feature--the faster you pick up Food, Energy and XP, the more coins you're rewarded as the meter fills.
Business bonuses
In fact, all of these tips point to features like the Bonus Bar, but Suuronen points out another design trope in Facebook games that briefly follows this theme: building bonuses. Just look at the amount of strategy that goes into maximizing Business payout in CityVille through decorations. That feature was briefly explained in a short Goal and now has become one of the game's major hooks. According to his feature, Suuronen appears more interested in these types of strategic layers of game depth, but I'd say ones that are more action-packed are far more interesting.
It's times when you're clicking frantically to keep that Bonus Bar going or shooting balls at rapid speed in Zuma Blitz to rack up the high score that you forget it was all intentional. And is that not the Goal of good game design--to cover up that fourth wall as much as possible? The more within a game that comes as second nature, the more time can be focused on just playing the game and moving on. This is why games that are bogged down in features, statistics and tutorials explaining all those unnecessary layers generally don't do well.
Blazing Speed
Yet that doesn't mean that the best social games have to be dumbed down. When you're maximizing Business payout in CityVille, aren't you thinking critically about space constraints, the right decorations (and the right Businesses)? Or how about when you're in the heat of the moment during Bejeweled Blitz, accurately switching gems at breakneck speed. Something has to be firing off in that gray mass inside your skull. Yet it almost comes as second nature at this point. Now it's not as if Facebook games don't have more work to do in the design department. But if developers keep this up, we're in for far more entertaining experiences in the future.
While these tips are geared toward designers, we can learn a lot about the games we play from what's going on in designers' heads. Here's what Suuronen had to say about his theory:
a. Novice or beginner players should not need to consciously think about the feature until they figure it out or realize it on their own accord.
b. It should not require dexterity or hand-eye-coordination. Strategic thinking with variable solutions and outcomes is best. Compare Tower Bloxx, which requires users to time clicks in rapid progression to score higher, to a game like Angry Birds which has strategic elements but requires less coordination.
c. It should add a new "layer" on the existing game loop not create a separate one.
d. Players should be able to do it on a basic level almost by accident and feel smart for completing or solving the problem.
e. After doing it once and gaining the rewards players will carry on trying to find an even better solution. It is here the greatest retention effects are achieved.
Basically, Suuronen claims that social game design should be sneaky. We shouldn't be aware of the features until we happen upon them. They shouldn't have to be explained in some lengthy tutorial, but learned and mastered through just playing the game. For instance, the Bonus Bar in several Zynga games like FrontierVille is never explained, because its a self-explanatory feature--the faster you pick up Food, Energy and XP, the more coins you're rewarded as the meter fills.
Business bonuses
In fact, all of these tips point to features like the Bonus Bar, but Suuronen points out another design trope in Facebook games that briefly follows this theme: building bonuses. Just look at the amount of strategy that goes into maximizing Business payout in CityVille through decorations. That feature was briefly explained in a short Goal and now has become one of the game's major hooks. According to his feature, Suuronen appears more interested in these types of strategic layers of game depth, but I'd say ones that are more action-packed are far more interesting.
It's times when you're clicking frantically to keep that Bonus Bar going or shooting balls at rapid speed in Zuma Blitz to rack up the high score that you forget it was all intentional. And is that not the Goal of good game design--to cover up that fourth wall as much as possible? The more within a game that comes as second nature, the more time can be focused on just playing the game and moving on. This is why games that are bogged down in features, statistics and tutorials explaining all those unnecessary layers generally don't do well.
Blazing Speed
Yet that doesn't mean that the best social games have to be dumbed down. When you're maximizing Business payout in CityVille, aren't you thinking critically about space constraints, the right decorations (and the right Businesses)? Or how about when you're in the heat of the moment during Bejeweled Blitz, accurately switching gems at breakneck speed. Something has to be firing off in that gray mass inside your skull. Yet it almost comes as second nature at this point. Now it's not as if Facebook games don't have more work to do in the design department. But if developers keep this up, we're in for far more entertaining experiences in the future.
FarmVille Fairy Tale Theme Showcase is ... kind of boring
Usually, Zynga's FarmVille theme showcases are an exciting sneak peek at upcoming items or existing rare ones in limited edition themes. However, the company just released its Fairy Tale Theme Showcase, and it's pretty dry. Sure, there are plenty of new animals and nifty Bean Stalks to gawk at. But where's the action, the movement, the excitement? All I see are some mushrooms, a Bean Stalk and five or so animals standing in single file. Worse even is only of which, the Red Riding Sheep, is from a fairytale. Give a glimpse, but don't expect giant towers or badass armored horses.
[Via FarmVille Blog]
What do you think of this edition of the FarmVille Showcase? What could have been added to make it more exciting?
[Via FarmVille Blog]
What do you think of this edition of the FarmVille Showcase? What could have been added to make it more exciting?
FrontierVille Doctor's Office: Everything you need to know
Apparently, the cold winter weather out on the frontier has given your homestead's villagers a need for a new Doctor's Office in FrontierVille, as that's the exact building that Zynga has released into the game this afternoon. To be specific, a case of Prairie Pox has been spreading through your land like wild-fire, and you'll need to build the Doctor's Office to help fight off the plague.
The Doctor's Office is now available to purchase from the market for 1,000 coins and 20 Wood. You'll need to whack the base eight times, with each whack costing 10 wood, in order to complete its frame. From there, you'll need to collect six new items to complete the construction of the Doctor's Office in full. Meet us behind the break to find out what those six items are, and how to gather them on your homestead.
The six items needed to complete the Doctor's Office are Clothes, Painkillers, Rubber Gloves, Hospital Beds, Antiseptics, and Masks. You'll need to collect 10 of each, but luckily, you can automatically earn ten of these items yourself. You see, the Clothes are items that you can craft on your own Homestead by heading into the Cabin and spending 6 Cloth and 500 coins on each Clothes you need to create.
Otherwise, the Hospital Beds, Antiseptics and Masks are earned by posting a general request to the news feed asking all of your neighbors to help. The Painkillers and Rubber Gloves, meanwhile, are earned via individual requests sent to your friends. Luckily, the three wall post items are "give one, get one" situations, meaning that you'll receive a free like-item when helping friends on your own wall. With the limit on how many wall posts you can add to the feed every few hours, you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for these bonus items while you wait.
Building the Doctor's Office to completion will allow you to craft medicine and help your fellow frontier pioneers, as well as allow you to speak to the game's newest character - Doc Auburn. There are also a few quests that go along with the release of the Doctor's Office, so keep checking back here for a full guide coming very, very soon so check out our complete guide to completing those quests right here.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Doctor's Office in FrontierVille? Is it period-specific enough for it to be a believable building in the game?
The Doctor's Office is now available to purchase from the market for 1,000 coins and 20 Wood. You'll need to whack the base eight times, with each whack costing 10 wood, in order to complete its frame. From there, you'll need to collect six new items to complete the construction of the Doctor's Office in full. Meet us behind the break to find out what those six items are, and how to gather them on your homestead.
The six items needed to complete the Doctor's Office are Clothes, Painkillers, Rubber Gloves, Hospital Beds, Antiseptics, and Masks. You'll need to collect 10 of each, but luckily, you can automatically earn ten of these items yourself. You see, the Clothes are items that you can craft on your own Homestead by heading into the Cabin and spending 6 Cloth and 500 coins on each Clothes you need to create.
Otherwise, the Hospital Beds, Antiseptics and Masks are earned by posting a general request to the news feed asking all of your neighbors to help. The Painkillers and Rubber Gloves, meanwhile, are earned via individual requests sent to your friends. Luckily, the three wall post items are "give one, get one" situations, meaning that you'll receive a free like-item when helping friends on your own wall. With the limit on how many wall posts you can add to the feed every few hours, you'll definitely want to keep an eye out for these bonus items while you wait.
Building the Doctor's Office to completion will allow you to craft medicine and help your fellow frontier pioneers, as well as allow you to speak to the game's newest character - Doc Auburn. There are also a few quests that go along with the release of the Doctor's Office, so keep checking back here for a full guide coming very, very soon so check out our complete guide to completing those quests right here.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Doctor's Office in FrontierVille? Is it period-specific enough for it to be a believable building in the game?
FrontierVille Prairie Pox Quests: Everything you need to know
Hey there partners! You might have noticed that a new building has launched in FrontierVille in the form of a Doctor's Office, but for some of you, it may not appear to be a necessary item to build. However, this is simply because you haven't received a visit from a new character in the game - a wandering traveler, if you will. This traveler will bring with him a mission series associated with the new Doctor's Office, and will give you an opportunity to tackle the case of Prairie Pox that is now spreading around your land.
The traveler himself has a single quest, before the actually Prairie Pox quest line begins. Keep in mind that all of this information is subject to change at any time, as Zynga decides to roll this quest out to more and more players. That being said, this traveler requires you to fulfill three tasks in the game:
Harvest 10 Apple Trees
Have 3 Chicken Broth
Purchase one Bed of Flowers
The Chicken Broth is part of the Chicken collection, while the Bed of Flowers can be purchased from the store for 14,500 coins. There are rumors that you might be able to buy or place another kind of Flower Bed (ie: one that's cheaper) for this task to complete, but we can't confirm that at this time. Your rewards for helping the traveler feel more comfortable on your homestead are 500 coins, 1 Prescription, and 1 Glass Vial.
This then unlocks a series of four Prairie Pox quests that will see you battling the sickness head on. Meet us behind the break for a look at those missions.
Part I of IV of the Prairie Pox quests ask you to complete three tasks, that require you to build the new Doctor's Office in your town.
Visit 10 Neighbors
Have 10 Fire
Collect one Doctor's Office Bonus
For a complete look at what it takes to build the Doctor's Office, check out our guide. You can collect a bonus from the office once everyday. Fire, meanwhile, can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon for 5 Cloth and 7 Pieces of Wood each. Your rewards for completing this quest are 200 XP and 500 coins.
Part II of IV has you once again visiting your friends' homesteads, but hopefully you won't help spread the plague to their land.
Tend 20 Neighbor Crops
Collect 10 Glass Vials
Talk to Doc Auburn
Doc Auburn can be found working in your completed Doctor's Office - simply talk to him and you will finish this step. Meanwhile, remember the Glass Vial that you received for helping the traveler? You'll need to collect ten more of them by asking your friends to send them to you. You'll receive 300 XP and 50 Food for finishing this quest.
Part III of IV asks you to grow some of the game's newest plants, which has long been considered helpful in sickness remedies - Peppermint.
Tend 10 Peppermint Plants
Feed 25 Neighbor Chickens
Collect one Syringe
The Peppermint Plants can be purchased form the store and need watering after four hours. These tiny seedlings will then grow into full-grown Peppermint bushes if you care for them, just like trees. Check out our info on growing them right here. Meanwhile, the Syringe is part of the new Doctor's Office collection, and can be received at random by collecting the Daily Bonus from your Doctor's Office. Your rewards before the finale of this mission set are 500 XP and 5 Energy.
Finally, Part IV of IV sees you ending this mission series by finally curing the Pox Infection on your land.
Feed 10 Neighbor Cows
Collect 10 Prescriptions
Collect 10 Medicinal Elixirs
You'll need to ask your friends for help in collecting both the Prescriptions and the Elixirs. At this time, we believe that at lease the Prescriptions will be earned through general news feed posts, but it is likely that this will be the case for both items.
Those tasks completed, you'll receive 150 XP from simply finishing this mission, and you'll also apparently receive 1,000 XP for curing the plague on your land - not bad for what seems to be a fairly simple missions series, all things considered.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this missions series? Do you think another sickness will ever come to FrontierVille, or will this be the only time we use this building in our game?
The traveler himself has a single quest, before the actually Prairie Pox quest line begins. Keep in mind that all of this information is subject to change at any time, as Zynga decides to roll this quest out to more and more players. That being said, this traveler requires you to fulfill three tasks in the game:
Harvest 10 Apple Trees
Have 3 Chicken Broth
Purchase one Bed of Flowers
The Chicken Broth is part of the Chicken collection, while the Bed of Flowers can be purchased from the store for 14,500 coins. There are rumors that you might be able to buy or place another kind of Flower Bed (ie: one that's cheaper) for this task to complete, but we can't confirm that at this time. Your rewards for helping the traveler feel more comfortable on your homestead are 500 coins, 1 Prescription, and 1 Glass Vial.
This then unlocks a series of four Prairie Pox quests that will see you battling the sickness head on. Meet us behind the break for a look at those missions.
Part I of IV of the Prairie Pox quests ask you to complete three tasks, that require you to build the new Doctor's Office in your town.
Visit 10 Neighbors
Have 10 Fire
Collect one Doctor's Office Bonus
For a complete look at what it takes to build the Doctor's Office, check out our guide. You can collect a bonus from the office once everyday. Fire, meanwhile, can be crafted inside the Covered Wagon for 5 Cloth and 7 Pieces of Wood each. Your rewards for completing this quest are 200 XP and 500 coins.
Part II of IV has you once again visiting your friends' homesteads, but hopefully you won't help spread the plague to their land.
Tend 20 Neighbor Crops
Collect 10 Glass Vials
Talk to Doc Auburn
Doc Auburn can be found working in your completed Doctor's Office - simply talk to him and you will finish this step. Meanwhile, remember the Glass Vial that you received for helping the traveler? You'll need to collect ten more of them by asking your friends to send them to you. You'll receive 300 XP and 50 Food for finishing this quest.
Part III of IV asks you to grow some of the game's newest plants, which has long been considered helpful in sickness remedies - Peppermint.
Tend 10 Peppermint Plants
Feed 25 Neighbor Chickens
Collect one Syringe
The Peppermint Plants can be purchased form the store and need watering after four hours. These tiny seedlings will then grow into full-grown Peppermint bushes if you care for them, just like trees. Check out our info on growing them right here. Meanwhile, the Syringe is part of the new Doctor's Office collection, and can be received at random by collecting the Daily Bonus from your Doctor's Office. Your rewards before the finale of this mission set are 500 XP and 5 Energy.
Finally, Part IV of IV sees you ending this mission series by finally curing the Pox Infection on your land.
Feed 10 Neighbor Cows
Collect 10 Prescriptions
Collect 10 Medicinal Elixirs
You'll need to ask your friends for help in collecting both the Prescriptions and the Elixirs. At this time, we believe that at lease the Prescriptions will be earned through general news feed posts, but it is likely that this will be the case for both items.
Those tasks completed, you'll receive 150 XP from simply finishing this mission, and you'll also apparently receive 1,000 XP for curing the plague on your land - not bad for what seems to be a fairly simple missions series, all things considered.
Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this missions series? Do you think another sickness will ever come to FrontierVille, or will this be the only time we use this building in our game?
FrontierVille: Peppermint available to grow; collection now available
To go along with the release of the Doctor's Office and Prairie Pox quests in FrontierVille, Zynga has also released a new crop --err, bush to the game. This plant is Peppermint, which has long been used in the medicinal field to help those with various illnesses. Now, you can grow some on your frontier as well.
Peppermint is similar to trees in that it must be watered multiple times before becoming a fully grown bush capable of being harvested. However, it is similar to a crop in terms of its size, as a fully grown peppermint really only grows to the size of say, Wheat or Sunflowers. Peppermint can be purchased from the store for 200 coins for a single bush (or 190 coins, if you have the store discount active in your game, as seen at right). This is planted in a very small circular plot of land, similar to a tree.
You'll need to come back and water the Peppermint every four hours to help it grow. A single watering costs a single energy, and you'll gain experience points (or perhaps coins, if you're lucky) for watering the bush. Once it has grown to full size, you'll be able to harvest it for "fruit," with fruit being produced every four hours.
When harvesting or tending your Peppermint plants, you'll have a chance to come across items in the Peppermint Collection, which asks you to find five new items:
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint Oil
Minty Toothpaste
Peppermint Candy
Peppermint Gum
Turning in this collection rewards you with a Peppermint Extract item and 100 XP.
You'll need to tend to some Peppermint plants when completing the Prairie Pox quests, so it might be smart to purchase some of these plants for your homestead now, so that you can water/harvest them immediately when you get to that step.
It's great to see new plants being added to FrontierVille, and we'll be sure to let you know if Zynga keeps it up with other new crops/plants in the future.
What do you think of the Peppermint plant in FrontierVille? Will you replace any of your trees with these smaller bushes?
Peppermint is similar to trees in that it must be watered multiple times before becoming a fully grown bush capable of being harvested. However, it is similar to a crop in terms of its size, as a fully grown peppermint really only grows to the size of say, Wheat or Sunflowers. Peppermint can be purchased from the store for 200 coins for a single bush (or 190 coins, if you have the store discount active in your game, as seen at right). This is planted in a very small circular plot of land, similar to a tree.
You'll need to come back and water the Peppermint every four hours to help it grow. A single watering costs a single energy, and you'll gain experience points (or perhaps coins, if you're lucky) for watering the bush. Once it has grown to full size, you'll be able to harvest it for "fruit," with fruit being produced every four hours.
When harvesting or tending your Peppermint plants, you'll have a chance to come across items in the Peppermint Collection, which asks you to find five new items:
Peppermint Tea
Peppermint Oil
Minty Toothpaste
Peppermint Candy
Peppermint Gum
Turning in this collection rewards you with a Peppermint Extract item and 100 XP.
You'll need to tend to some Peppermint plants when completing the Prairie Pox quests, so it might be smart to purchase some of these plants for your homestead now, so that you can water/harvest them immediately when you get to that step.
It's great to see new plants being added to FrontierVille, and we'll be sure to let you know if Zynga keeps it up with other new crops/plants in the future.
What do you think of the Peppermint plant in FrontierVille? Will you replace any of your trees with these smaller bushes?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
CityVille: Daily bonus now offers energy instead of coins
It seems that Zynga is looking to stick with their new energy policy in CityVille, as they have added yet another change to the game that will help users get a bit of extra energy when they play the game, without actually changing the new energy caps that have been put in place.
From this point on, the Daily Bonus reward (received for logging in daily without missing a day) will reward you with energy, rather than coins. For the first day you login, you'll receive a single extra energy, that will be added to your current energy bar, regardless of its current total. For the second day, you'll receive two free energy and so on, until the fifth consecutive day that you play, which results in the maximum reward of five energy points.
The other features of the Daily Bonus system haven't been changed - the counter still resets every five days, and you'll still have the same percent chance of receiving the Penthouse Tower on your fifth day as you did before.
Does this really help matters? For once, opinions over on the game's official forums seem to be mixed. While many users are claiming to appreciate the added energy, some are still upset by this meager offering. Take, for instance, user alterdstate, who seems to sum up the negative opinions fairly well.
They need to get rid of the really low energy limits before I will come back period. 1-5 extra energy a day DOES NOTHING when I have over 50 businesses, several houses and tons of ship and farmland.
We'll continue to bring you all of the news surrounding these changes if and when Zynga once again tweaks the energy system in CityVille in the future. It looks like the developer has a lot of work cut out for them, to convince upset users that their changes are worthwhile, and not lose them forever.
As always, we'd love to know what you think of these continuing changes in the game. Have you already quit playing CityVille due to the "death" of energy stockpiling, or was that never your method of play to begin with?
From this point on, the Daily Bonus reward (received for logging in daily without missing a day) will reward you with energy, rather than coins. For the first day you login, you'll receive a single extra energy, that will be added to your current energy bar, regardless of its current total. For the second day, you'll receive two free energy and so on, until the fifth consecutive day that you play, which results in the maximum reward of five energy points.
The other features of the Daily Bonus system haven't been changed - the counter still resets every five days, and you'll still have the same percent chance of receiving the Penthouse Tower on your fifth day as you did before.
Does this really help matters? For once, opinions over on the game's official forums seem to be mixed. While many users are claiming to appreciate the added energy, some are still upset by this meager offering. Take, for instance, user alterdstate, who seems to sum up the negative opinions fairly well.
They need to get rid of the really low energy limits before I will come back period. 1-5 extra energy a day DOES NOTHING when I have over 50 businesses, several houses and tons of ship and farmland.
We'll continue to bring you all of the news surrounding these changes if and when Zynga once again tweaks the energy system in CityVille in the future. It looks like the developer has a lot of work cut out for them, to convince upset users that their changes are worthwhile, and not lose them forever.
As always, we'd love to know what you think of these continuing changes in the game. Have you already quit playing CityVille due to the "death" of energy stockpiling, or was that never your method of play to begin with?
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Spring Garden building ingredients
Back on the official FarmVille podcast dated March 4th, 2011, FarmVille Community Manager Lexilicious gave us a sneak peek to something called the Spring Garden, which looks to be the equivalent of the Leprechaun's Cottage for the upcoming Easter or "Spring Basket" event that we expect to launch in the game in the coming weeks. That is, we know that we'll be able to collect "eggs and flowers" from the garden, which can be redeemed for special prizes, just as you can collect Gold from the Leprechaun's Cottage.
We were told that this new structure will be constructed via the help of friends, and we've now found images that represent the three building materials (at least) that we'll need to put it together - those being the standard Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. The news here though is in the tiny image of the Spring Garden itself that you can see in each of the above images. It looks as though Lexi will have been proven right - this does look like an elaborate decorative item, and we can't wait to learn more.
We'll make sure to bring you all of the news concerning this building as they become available, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the Spring Garden? Would you prefer the item look more structured and not so (presumably) large?
We were told that this new structure will be constructed via the help of friends, and we've now found images that represent the three building materials (at least) that we'll need to put it together - those being the standard Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. The news here though is in the tiny image of the Spring Garden itself that you can see in each of the above images. It looks as though Lexi will have been proven right - this does look like an elaborate decorative item, and we can't wait to learn more.
We'll make sure to bring you all of the news concerning this building as they become available, so keep checking back.
What do you think of the Spring Garden? Would you prefer the item look more structured and not so (presumably) large?
FrontierVille St. Patrick's Day Celebration Goals: Everything you need to know
Along with the two new missions in FrontierVille that will have you hunting Leprechauns, the game has also seen the release of a five-part mission series called "St. Patrick's Day Celebration." The first goal in this mission set asks you to harvest both Cabbage and Potatoes, so if you tackle this mission along with the first mission of the Leprechaun goals, you can actually complete a bit of this quest in the same step, saving some time.
Tend 25 Cows
Harvest 30 Cabbage
Harvest 50 Potatoes
Luckily, these Cows really do only need to be tended; you don't have to sell them. As for the cabbage, it can be harvested after 16 hours, while the potatoes take just four. Remember, if you have a lot of neighbors that have yet to visit your land, you can simply ask them to come over and water these crops, as that will count as harvesting back in your own game, and it can save you a lot of time (especially with the cabbage). Completing this mission rewards you with 50 Food, 300 coins and 50 XP.
Part II of V will require you to actually sell some animals, so I hope you've been stocking up on adult goats.
Sell 30 Adult Goats
Chop Trees 100 times
Collect 15 Uilleanns
Uilleanns are the national bagpipe of Ireland, and you'll need to ask your friends to send you these items. Meanwhile, feel free to purchase some saplings from the store if you don't have grown trees on your land to chop down. For finishing this quest, you'll receive 5 Tools, 200 coins, and 200 XP.
Part III of V has you harvesting quite a few crops, but luckily they don't take very long to grow.
Tend 20 Wheat on Neighbors' Homesteads
Harvest 80 Clover
Have 3 Apple Cider
Clovers take only five minutes to grow, so hopefully, while you're waiting that short time to harvest your Clover, you can head over to four neighbor homesteads (at least) and help them with their Wheat. Apple Cider, meanwhile, is a part of the Apple Tree collection. As this isn't a frequently needed item in the game (but harvesting Apple Trees is) you'll likely have plenty of these on hand to spare. Finishing this quest gives you 175 XP and 500 coins.
Part IV of V has you collecting another type of collectible item, and this one should be just as easy to earn.
Have one Four Leaf Clover
Clear 2 Rocks
Collect 10 St. Patrick's Day Decorations
The Four Leaf Clover is part of the Clover Collection, so if you don't have one on hand before starting this mission series, you will likely earn one when you harvest the 80 Clover needed above. Meanwhile, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the St. Patrick's Day Decorations to finish this quest. Doing so will reward you with 100 XP and one Keg of Green Liquid, a themed decorative item.
Finally, Part V of V has you going back to the original purpose of these St. Patrick's Day goals - that being to introduce the Leprechaun "varmint" on your land.
Hire Four Neighbors
Visit 30 Neighbors
Chase 3 Leprechauns
If you don't have 30 neighbors on your account, simply wait another day until your visiting counter resets, and you should be able to finish this step with ease. Meanwhile, planting Clover is a quick way to bring out Leprechauns, as it can be harvested in just five minutes, and you may even receive all three Leprechauns in a single harvest, if you planted enough Clover at one time. Finishing this final mission rewards you with 300 XP, a Rainbow decorative item, and one Pot of Gold - an item that also happens to be the prize for turning in the new St. Patrick's Day collection.
And there you have it - a goal series that isn't as difficult as many of the others in the game, but should provide you with plenty of entertainment, even if it only comes in the end as you're chasing Leprechauns from your land (c'mon, I can't be the only one that finds it funny... am I?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these St. Patrick's Day goals in FrontierVille? Do you enjoy planting and harvesting this much clover, as opposed to other crops?
Tend 25 Cows
Harvest 30 Cabbage
Harvest 50 Potatoes
Luckily, these Cows really do only need to be tended; you don't have to sell them. As for the cabbage, it can be harvested after 16 hours, while the potatoes take just four. Remember, if you have a lot of neighbors that have yet to visit your land, you can simply ask them to come over and water these crops, as that will count as harvesting back in your own game, and it can save you a lot of time (especially with the cabbage). Completing this mission rewards you with 50 Food, 300 coins and 50 XP.
Part II of V will require you to actually sell some animals, so I hope you've been stocking up on adult goats.
Sell 30 Adult Goats
Chop Trees 100 times
Collect 15 Uilleanns
Uilleanns are the national bagpipe of Ireland, and you'll need to ask your friends to send you these items. Meanwhile, feel free to purchase some saplings from the store if you don't have grown trees on your land to chop down. For finishing this quest, you'll receive 5 Tools, 200 coins, and 200 XP.
Part III of V has you harvesting quite a few crops, but luckily they don't take very long to grow.
Tend 20 Wheat on Neighbors' Homesteads
Harvest 80 Clover
Have 3 Apple Cider
Clovers take only five minutes to grow, so hopefully, while you're waiting that short time to harvest your Clover, you can head over to four neighbor homesteads (at least) and help them with their Wheat. Apple Cider, meanwhile, is a part of the Apple Tree collection. As this isn't a frequently needed item in the game (but harvesting Apple Trees is) you'll likely have plenty of these on hand to spare. Finishing this quest gives you 175 XP and 500 coins.
Part IV of V has you collecting another type of collectible item, and this one should be just as easy to earn.
Have one Four Leaf Clover
Clear 2 Rocks
Collect 10 St. Patrick's Day Decorations
The Four Leaf Clover is part of the Clover Collection, so if you don't have one on hand before starting this mission series, you will likely earn one when you harvest the 80 Clover needed above. Meanwhile, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the St. Patrick's Day Decorations to finish this quest. Doing so will reward you with 100 XP and one Keg of Green Liquid, a themed decorative item.
Finally, Part V of V has you going back to the original purpose of these St. Patrick's Day goals - that being to introduce the Leprechaun "varmint" on your land.
Hire Four Neighbors
Visit 30 Neighbors
Chase 3 Leprechauns
If you don't have 30 neighbors on your account, simply wait another day until your visiting counter resets, and you should be able to finish this step with ease. Meanwhile, planting Clover is a quick way to bring out Leprechauns, as it can be harvested in just five minutes, and you may even receive all three Leprechauns in a single harvest, if you planted enough Clover at one time. Finishing this final mission rewards you with 300 XP, a Rainbow decorative item, and one Pot of Gold - an item that also happens to be the prize for turning in the new St. Patrick's Day collection.
And there you have it - a goal series that isn't as difficult as many of the others in the game, but should provide you with plenty of entertainment, even if it only comes in the end as you're chasing Leprechauns from your land (c'mon, I can't be the only one that finds it funny... am I?).
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of these St. Patrick's Day goals in FrontierVille? Do you enjoy planting and harvesting this much clover, as opposed to other crops?
FrontierVille: Badges now available for catching Leprechauns
Along with today's release of the Leprechaun Hunting goals in FrontierVille, that see you, as the name suggests, catching Leprechauns (a new type of varmint in the game that appears when harvesting Clover, Cabbage, or Potatoes), there is also a new quarter of badges up for grabs for doing just that.
The first stage in this badge is called "Hearts Over Yellow Moons" and it requires you to catch just 3 Leprechauns. According to FrontierVille Legend, you'll receive 300 XP and 70 coins for earning this first badge.
The other three badges are listed as follows:
Orange Stars in Clover: 10 Leprechauns - Rewards 1,000 XP and 300 coins
Horseshoes for Diamonds: 25 Leprechauns - Rewards 2,500 XP and 3,700 coins
Red Balloons and a Pot of Gold: 50 Leprechauns - Rewards 5,000 XP and 7,337 coins
While that is an interesting coin reward for the final badge, I think we can all agree that the main reason for completing badges is for the massive XP prizes, and not the coins. Whatever the case, these badges don't have a time limit listed next to them, so you shouldn't have to worry about hunting that many leprechauns too quickly. We'll make sure to let you know if that changes in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day coverage right here.
What do you think of the new Leprechaun "varmint?" Will these badges give you more incentive to plant the three crops that can bring them out, or will you actually avoid planting them to avoid receiving Leprechauns on your land?
The first stage in this badge is called "Hearts Over Yellow Moons" and it requires you to catch just 3 Leprechauns. According to FrontierVille Legend, you'll receive 300 XP and 70 coins for earning this first badge.
The other three badges are listed as follows:
Orange Stars in Clover: 10 Leprechauns - Rewards 1,000 XP and 300 coins
Horseshoes for Diamonds: 25 Leprechauns - Rewards 2,500 XP and 3,700 coins
Red Balloons and a Pot of Gold: 50 Leprechauns - Rewards 5,000 XP and 7,337 coins
While that is an interesting coin reward for the final badge, I think we can all agree that the main reason for completing badges is for the massive XP prizes, and not the coins. Whatever the case, these badges don't have a time limit listed next to them, so you shouldn't have to worry about hunting that many leprechauns too quickly. We'll make sure to let you know if that changes in the future.
Check out the rest of our St. Patrick's Day coverage right here.
What do you think of the new Leprechaun "varmint?" Will these badges give you more incentive to plant the three crops that can bring them out, or will you actually avoid planting them to avoid receiving Leprechauns on your land?
Digital Chocolate officially launches Zombie Lane on Facebook
Digital Chocolate has broken into the world of Zombie-themed games on Facebook with the release of Zombie Lane. We brought you a preview of Zombie Lane earlier this month, but the game is now officially available to play on the platform. The game will have you creating your own avatar that you will represent you as you fight the undead scourge, and help create a safe zone in your own backyard.
Zombie Lane is called a "survival" game in that you must do everything in your power to survive. You'll find new weapons (or will be given them) at various intervals (you start with a shovel, but are quickly upgraded to a shotgun, for instance), and you'll then use these weapons to attack the zombies that are forever rising from the ground around your yard. Your yard is fenced in, but zombies will try to break the fencing and come after your brains, as zombies most often do.
While the game may be fairly original in its design, Zombie Lane does take a few gameplay elements from other established Facebook games (like FrontierVille). You'll have an energy system that will only allow you to kill so many zombies at once, and you'll receive bonus coins, experience points, and energy as drops from completed tasks. Picking up these bonus items in rapid succession goes to build a combo meter (think bonus bar), which, when filled, rewards you with even more coins.
As your starting yard looks as though it has been hit by a tornado, you'll receive a series of missions that take you through a fairly basic story in the game, introducing you to other characters, and seeing you repair your home and fence to actually withstand stronger attacks from the undead. You'll need to clear piles of rubble to gather bricks to rebuild the house, for instance. As you complete tasks, you'll become closer and closer to the state when you can bring your spouse into the game with you, which is as much of a nod to FrontierVille as I've ever seen in a game.
While you're trying to accomplish these construction tasks, it's likely that zombies will be trying to make you their lunch, so you can use your coins to purchase ammo refills for your shotgun, or use items like energy boosts from your inventory (they can also be purchased with Food - yes, there is time to farm while the zombie apocalypse is nigh). The game's premium currency is straight Facebook Credits, and these can be used to purchase permanent boosts to your total energy, decorations (as what's a restored neighborhood without bushes and Adirondack chairs on the porch?) and other items.
There are collection items to earn here (which also drop from defeated enemies), which earn you various amounts of coins and XP, and the game also comes with an achievement set, but you must level up to receive it.
All told, this isn't the first zombie themed Facebook game we've seen released, and we doubt it will be the last, but Digital Chocolate does seem to offer a sense of polish with this game as they do on all of their others. I'll likely be sticking with this one for a while, and you're more than welcome to join me.
Play Zombie Lane on Facebook -->
Have you played Zombie Lane on Facebook? What do you think of this new zombie-themed game? Do you think there are too many games in this genre, or can you never have enough of the theme?
Zombie Lane is called a "survival" game in that you must do everything in your power to survive. You'll find new weapons (or will be given them) at various intervals (you start with a shovel, but are quickly upgraded to a shotgun, for instance), and you'll then use these weapons to attack the zombies that are forever rising from the ground around your yard. Your yard is fenced in, but zombies will try to break the fencing and come after your brains, as zombies most often do.
While the game may be fairly original in its design, Zombie Lane does take a few gameplay elements from other established Facebook games (like FrontierVille). You'll have an energy system that will only allow you to kill so many zombies at once, and you'll receive bonus coins, experience points, and energy as drops from completed tasks. Picking up these bonus items in rapid succession goes to build a combo meter (think bonus bar), which, when filled, rewards you with even more coins.
As your starting yard looks as though it has been hit by a tornado, you'll receive a series of missions that take you through a fairly basic story in the game, introducing you to other characters, and seeing you repair your home and fence to actually withstand stronger attacks from the undead. You'll need to clear piles of rubble to gather bricks to rebuild the house, for instance. As you complete tasks, you'll become closer and closer to the state when you can bring your spouse into the game with you, which is as much of a nod to FrontierVille as I've ever seen in a game.
While you're trying to accomplish these construction tasks, it's likely that zombies will be trying to make you their lunch, so you can use your coins to purchase ammo refills for your shotgun, or use items like energy boosts from your inventory (they can also be purchased with Food - yes, there is time to farm while the zombie apocalypse is nigh). The game's premium currency is straight Facebook Credits, and these can be used to purchase permanent boosts to your total energy, decorations (as what's a restored neighborhood without bushes and Adirondack chairs on the porch?) and other items.
There are collection items to earn here (which also drop from defeated enemies), which earn you various amounts of coins and XP, and the game also comes with an achievement set, but you must level up to receive it.
All told, this isn't the first zombie themed Facebook game we've seen released, and we doubt it will be the last, but Digital Chocolate does seem to offer a sense of polish with this game as they do on all of their others. I'll likely be sticking with this one for a while, and you're more than welcome to join me.
Play Zombie Lane on Facebook -->
Have you played Zombie Lane on Facebook? What do you think of this new zombie-themed game? Do you think there are too many games in this genre, or can you never have enough of the theme?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Sims Social Haunted House Week items punish friends' pranks
We know, you're sick and tired of your arch nemesis in The Sims Social sabotaging everything you do. From peeing on your azaleas to hacking into your computer and breaking your appliances you've about had it. Luckily for you, EA and Playfish recently brought Haunted House Week to The Sims Social. Of course, that means a long list of new items are up for grabs.
From interesting, bovine-headed plants to spooky couches and infernal organs, you're just about covered for scaring the bejeezus out of your friends' avatars. Let's not delay this any further. Here are all the decorations (that matter) from the Haunted House Week in The Sims Social:
Trans-Van Furnace
Costs: 45 SimCash
House Value: 6,650
Trans-Van Turn
Costs: 2,000 Social Points
House Value: 5,350
Boosts Sleep
Haunted Organ
Requires 15 Music Skill
House Value: 5,200
Boosts Fun
Trans-Van Candle
Costs: 3 SimCash
House Value: 450
Toasting Drinks
Costs: 50 Social Points
House Value: 100
Boosts Funs and Social
Candelabra of Calamity
Costs: 4 SimCash
House Value: 600
Boosts Fun and Social
Trans-Van Buttress
Costs: 350 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Sullen Ancestral Skull
Costs: 350 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Boosts Fun and Social
Light in Despair
Costs: 12 SimCash
House Value: 1,750
TrueReflection Afterlife
Costs: 200 Social Points
House Value: 400
Infernal Organ L. Simnivorii Light in Despair
Undying Classics Side
Costs: 400 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Vlad's Dog
Costs: 14 SimCash
House Value: 2,050
Trans-Van Mort
Costs: 500 Simoleons
House Value: 350
Trans-Van Compact
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
Trans-Van Throne
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
Trans-Van Boss
Costs: 24 SimCash
House Value: 3,550
Gargle Goyle
Costs: 29 SimCash
House Value: 4,300
Boosts Fun and Social
UndyingClassics Desk
Costs: 1,000 Simoleons
House Value: 950
Furnace Trans-Van Pew TrueReflection Mirror
L. Simnovorii
Costs: 500 Social Points
House Value: 1,150
Boosts Fun and Social
UndyingClassics Chest
Costs: 600 Social Points
House Value: 1,450
Trans-Van Dining Table
Costs: 39 SimCash
House Value: 5,750
Trans-Van Pallid
Costs: 700 Social Points
House Value: 1,750
Boosts Sleep
Cuckcoo Clock
Requires Quest Unlock
House Value: 1,900
Boosts Fun and Social
Trans-Van Pew
Costs: 800 Social Points
House Value: 2,050
Boosts Sleep
UndyingClassics Shelf
Costs: 1,000 Social Points
House Value: 2,750
Boosts Fun
Trans-Van Bloodcold and/or Spinechill
Cost: 2,500 Simoleons
House Value: 2,000
Boost Happiness and Food
EA and Playfish threw in a number of new floor tiles, wallpapers and windows for players to use to fill out that haunted house feel. While a good amount of the cooler items in this collect go for SimCash, as one would expect, there are quite a few decorations like the L. Simnovorii and the Trans-Van fridges that at least go for Social Points. Don't worry, you'll get some good scares for your friends on the cheap this Halloween. Well, at least in Littlehaven--have you been to a costume shop?
Have you picked up any of the new Haunted House items in The Sims Social this week? How do you normally celebrate Halloween outside Facebook?
From interesting, bovine-headed plants to spooky couches and infernal organs, you're just about covered for scaring the bejeezus out of your friends' avatars. Let's not delay this any further. Here are all the decorations (that matter) from the Haunted House Week in The Sims Social:
Trans-Van Furnace
Costs: 45 SimCash
House Value: 6,650
Trans-Van Turn
Costs: 2,000 Social Points
House Value: 5,350
Boosts Sleep
Haunted Organ
Requires 15 Music Skill
House Value: 5,200
Boosts Fun
Trans-Van Candle
Costs: 3 SimCash
House Value: 450
Toasting Drinks
Costs: 50 Social Points
House Value: 100
Boosts Funs and Social
Candelabra of Calamity
Costs: 4 SimCash
House Value: 600
Boosts Fun and Social
Trans-Van Buttress
Costs: 350 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Sullen Ancestral Skull
Costs: 350 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Boosts Fun and Social
Light in Despair
Costs: 12 SimCash
House Value: 1,750
TrueReflection Afterlife
Costs: 200 Social Points
House Value: 400
Infernal Organ L. Simnivorii Light in Despair
Undying Classics Side
Costs: 400 Simoleons
House Value: 250
Vlad's Dog
Costs: 14 SimCash
House Value: 2,050
Trans-Van Mort
Costs: 500 Simoleons
House Value: 350
Trans-Van Compact
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
Trans-Van Throne
Costs: 600 Simoleons
House Value: 450
Trans-Van Boss
Costs: 24 SimCash
House Value: 3,550
Gargle Goyle
Costs: 29 SimCash
House Value: 4,300
Boosts Fun and Social
UndyingClassics Desk
Costs: 1,000 Simoleons
House Value: 950
Furnace Trans-Van Pew TrueReflection Mirror
L. Simnovorii
Costs: 500 Social Points
House Value: 1,150
Boosts Fun and Social
UndyingClassics Chest
Costs: 600 Social Points
House Value: 1,450
Trans-Van Dining Table
Costs: 39 SimCash
House Value: 5,750
Trans-Van Pallid
Costs: 700 Social Points
House Value: 1,750
Boosts Sleep
Cuckcoo Clock
Requires Quest Unlock
House Value: 1,900
Boosts Fun and Social
Trans-Van Pew
Costs: 800 Social Points
House Value: 2,050
Boosts Sleep
UndyingClassics Shelf
Costs: 1,000 Social Points
House Value: 2,750
Boosts Fun
Trans-Van Bloodcold and/or Spinechill
Cost: 2,500 Simoleons
House Value: 2,000
Boost Happiness and Food
EA and Playfish threw in a number of new floor tiles, wallpapers and windows for players to use to fill out that haunted house feel. While a good amount of the cooler items in this collect go for SimCash, as one would expect, there are quite a few decorations like the L. Simnovorii and the Trans-Van fridges that at least go for Social Points. Don't worry, you'll get some good scares for your friends on the cheap this Halloween. Well, at least in Littlehaven--have you been to a costume shop?
Have you picked up any of the new Haunted House items in The Sims Social this week? How do you normally celebrate Halloween outside Facebook?
The Sims Social sets a spine-chilling scene with new Halloween images
Seriously, this is just downright creepy ... for a Facebook game. EA and Playfish have provided us with some images featuring some of the new Halloween items you can pick up in The Sims Social right now. This week's theme appears to have lots to do with throwing a Halloween bash, but with a deathly dash of Halloween movie allusions thrown in.
Namely, allusions to some of the creepiest flicks around like The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street and The Ring. Sure, the launch trailer for The Sims Social was arguably creepy on one level, but this image is another level of disturbing entirely. The other screen shots EA shared with us are decidedly more tame, thankfully.
The below screen shot features a brand new item, the Witch's Broomstick. This new accessory costs just 1,750 Simoleons and is said to grant players with some new animations to enjoy. It can also boost Hygiene and Fun stats, though it requires building. That lucky girl flying away on the Broomstick is surrounded by numerous items found under the "Special" tab in the shop now.
The Sims Social Witch's Broomstick
Finally, this last image of Sims throwing a Halloween party is certainly the most tame. Well, aside from the dude in that skeleton costume--who wears those anymore? The various decorations can also be found under the "Special" tab. More important, however, is that glowing cauldron. It's called the Haunted Cauldron, and players can pick this bad boy up for serious cash: 59 SimCash, to be exact. Mastering cooking skills on this ... appliance will reward you with a Golden Cauldron.
The Sims Social Halloween Bash
What do you think of the various Halloween updates in The Sims Social so far? Which of the items or avatar costumes do you want the most for your Sim?
Namely, allusions to some of the creepiest flicks around like The Shining, Nightmare on Elm Street and The Ring. Sure, the launch trailer for The Sims Social was arguably creepy on one level, but this image is another level of disturbing entirely. The other screen shots EA shared with us are decidedly more tame, thankfully.
The below screen shot features a brand new item, the Witch's Broomstick. This new accessory costs just 1,750 Simoleons and is said to grant players with some new animations to enjoy. It can also boost Hygiene and Fun stats, though it requires building. That lucky girl flying away on the Broomstick is surrounded by numerous items found under the "Special" tab in the shop now.
The Sims Social Witch's Broomstick
Finally, this last image of Sims throwing a Halloween party is certainly the most tame. Well, aside from the dude in that skeleton costume--who wears those anymore? The various decorations can also be found under the "Special" tab. More important, however, is that glowing cauldron. It's called the Haunted Cauldron, and players can pick this bad boy up for serious cash: 59 SimCash, to be exact. Mastering cooking skills on this ... appliance will reward you with a Golden Cauldron.
The Sims Social Halloween Bash
What do you think of the various Halloween updates in The Sims Social so far? Which of the items or avatar costumes do you want the most for your Sim?
The Sims Social: Links to 1K Simoleons and other fan freebies
Playfish and EA knows, and we know that those free fan gifts just keeps us coming back for more, so they've answered the call. The biggest free fan gift so far emerged today -- 1,000 Simoleons for the taking. They also gave out 200 Social Points, 200 Simoleons, and 3 Energy last week, which are still available.
Anyway, these gifts were released one at a time, spaced over several consecutive days, so to make it easier for you guys, we've rounded up the links in one post.
Here's what you need to do:
Step 1: Log into Facebook.
Step 2: You still have to 'Like' the official fan page in order for these to work.
Step 3: Click on the items you want below. (Note: Each link will open a new window.)
Oct. 26th - 200 Social Points
Oct. 30th - 200 Simoleon
Oct. 31st - 3 Energy
Nov. 1st - 1,000 Simoleons
Do you want Playfish and EA to give out free in-game items or coins and points instead?
Anyway, these gifts were released one at a time, spaced over several consecutive days, so to make it easier for you guys, we've rounded up the links in one post.
Here's what you need to do:
Step 1: Log into Facebook.
Step 2: You still have to 'Like' the official fan page in order for these to work.
Step 3: Click on the items you want below. (Note: Each link will open a new window.)
Oct. 26th - 200 Social Points
Oct. 30th - 200 Simoleon
Oct. 31st - 3 Energy
Nov. 1st - 1,000 Simoleons
Do you want Playfish and EA to give out free in-game items or coins and points instead?
If real life was like The Sims Social...
Much like the Xbox 360's notorious red ring of death (RROD) from several years back, The Sims Social on Facebook seems to be plagued by what I'm calling the Blue Ring of Death (BROD). Yup, if you've played Sims Social lately, it's likely you've witnessed your fair share of these blue rings, which indicate that an item is loading onscreen. Lately they seem to stick around longer than ever, and you just have to wait until they disappear, since an item can't be used until it fully appears on screen.
A few vocal Sims Social players have, half jokingly, decided to start a Blue Circle Club in order to complain about this problem (and air whatever other gripes they have with the game), and one of them Photoshopped the image above. As someone who's seen a few too many blue rings lately, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Image credit: Barnabus Bathory/Sims Social official forums
A few vocal Sims Social players have, half jokingly, decided to start a Blue Circle Club in order to complain about this problem (and air whatever other gripes they have with the game), and one of them Photoshopped the image above. As someone who's seen a few too many blue rings lately, I couldn't help but chuckle.
Image credit: Barnabus Bathory/Sims Social official forums
The Sims Social Sneak Peek: Bella heads to Japan with new items
After nearly a month of celebrating the awesome holiday that doesn't get the recognition (or day off) it deserves, EA and Playfish might look to travel a bit. Well, more like halfway across the world. A Japanese item them could be coming to The Sims Social. The Sims Social Fansite reports that it has uncovered three unreleased items from the game, and they look the part.
The fansite has found an ocean painting reminiscent of Hokusai's "The Great Wave," what looks like a cherry blossom tree and a mounted katana, or samurai sword. The items have yet to arrive in the game, but mark an upcoming theme that will certainly add a new flavor to the game. We figure that, since The Sims Social is such a down-to-earth game, that more worldly themes will naturally come about.
Unfortunately, the game is in clear decline, and Playfish is doing everything in its power to maintain that number two spot beneath CityVille. While giving players free resources and other goodies within the game will certainly stem that decline, our guess is that it's going to take some drastic measures like whole new features to keep players coming back. And perhaps we'll see that happen as Bella hits up the Far East.
The Sims Social Japan items
Are you still digging The Sims Social since its release this summer? What do you think it will take for the game to lure in new players?
The fansite has found an ocean painting reminiscent of Hokusai's "The Great Wave," what looks like a cherry blossom tree and a mounted katana, or samurai sword. The items have yet to arrive in the game, but mark an upcoming theme that will certainly add a new flavor to the game. We figure that, since The Sims Social is such a down-to-earth game, that more worldly themes will naturally come about.
Unfortunately, the game is in clear decline, and Playfish is doing everything in its power to maintain that number two spot beneath CityVille. While giving players free resources and other goodies within the game will certainly stem that decline, our guess is that it's going to take some drastic measures like whole new features to keep players coming back. And perhaps we'll see that happen as Bella hits up the Far East.
The Sims Social Japan items
Are you still digging The Sims Social since its release this summer? What do you think it will take for the game to lure in new players?
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