So, that's what happened to Mafia Wars 2, eh? Let's not jump ahead of ourselves, but that's what Zynga COO John Schappert is telling potential investors as the company begins its IPO (initial public offering) road show. The company posted a video of the same presentation it is putting on for investors across the country--all 30 minutes of 51 mind-numbingly boring slides.
But there are some juicy bits to the talk provided by Zynga CEO Mark Pincus, Schappert and CFO David Wehner. (The video, which you can find here, is worth watching to see Mark Pincus talking to a teleprompter alone.) For one, five of the FarmVille maker's top executives come from second place competitor EA. And that doesn't even include former EA CCO Bing Gordon, who now serves on the social game giant's board.
After Pincus talked up his company's top games, Schappert took the stage and revealed that Zynga's games are only about one-quarter finished before they launch. This may be common knowledge to some players (ahem, FarmVille's beta period), but to hear that releasing technically unfinished games is part of the developer's core strategy is nevertheless surprising.
Later, Schappert dropped this bomb: The company has more people working on new games than existing ones. In other words, the developer has more staff focusing on games like CastleVille and upcoming games like Zynga Casino and Hidden Chronicles than, say, FarmVille and Mafia Wars and Zynga Poker.
Zynga execs
Granted, the company has nearly 3,000 employees, but it's odd to hear that the company is more worried about its new games than it is the games that have historically made it the most money--$1.5 billion in revenue in the past four years, to be exact. With games like Pioneer Trail and Mafia Wars 2 in decline, it makes one wonder exactly where the line between "new game" and "existing game" is drawn within Zynga.
Do you think this is where Zynga should be focusing the majority of its attention? Could this be the reason why games like Pioneer Trail are suffering?
Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 3, 2012
Pocket God players have sacrificed 129,770,223 pygmies on Facebook
To put that into perspective, that's over a third of the population of the United States. Pocket God has welcomed its 1 millionth player, and Canadian social game developer Frima Studio has decided to celebrate by putting together an infographic displaying the game's quirkier milestones. (Though, we're sure the team had a party.) What did you expect from a developer that throws a unicorn that farts destructive rainbows into its game?
Since the game's release around this time last year, one third of all sacrifices in the game ended up with pygmies drowning, while lightning has struck 12,963,796 pygmies. The volcano, however, has only erupted about 3 million times. Considering how fun it is to launch pygmies to their certain, fiery death, we thought that figure would be much larger. At any rate, you people have killed a lot of pygmies.
And the majority of you hail from the good ol' US of A, according to Frima Studio. While the game has opened its realm of pygmy-pulverizing possibilities to 1 million players, Pocket God has just 180,000 monthly players. It strikes us as odd (and infuriating, really), because Frima Studio's take on the hit iOS game is one of the more inventive Facebook games out there. So, to you 20,000 some daily players: Keep on doing what you do, and check out your accomplishments below.
Are you still digging Pocket God a year later? Do you think the game deserves to serve, say, 1 million daily players?
Since the game's release around this time last year, one third of all sacrifices in the game ended up with pygmies drowning, while lightning has struck 12,963,796 pygmies. The volcano, however, has only erupted about 3 million times. Considering how fun it is to launch pygmies to their certain, fiery death, we thought that figure would be much larger. At any rate, you people have killed a lot of pygmies.
And the majority of you hail from the good ol' US of A, according to Frima Studio. While the game has opened its realm of pygmy-pulverizing possibilities to 1 million players, Pocket God has just 180,000 monthly players. It strikes us as odd (and infuriating, really), because Frima Studio's take on the hit iOS game is one of the more inventive Facebook games out there. So, to you 20,000 some daily players: Keep on doing what you do, and check out your accomplishments below.
Are you still digging Pocket God a year later? Do you think the game deserves to serve, say, 1 million daily players?
Sims Medieval for iPhone: Now available for the low price of free
It's time get Medieval, Sims-style, and, today, you can do it for free. The Sims Medieval for iPhone lets you create a virtual hero and then take on a series of medieval era quests, like dueling or... wizardry! The game normally costs $4.99 and until midnight (EST) tonight, you can snag it for free. As in nada, zilch, zip.
This deal is the first of many EA Mobile's new Daily Deals program, which kicks off today through January 2, and iOS and Android games will be offered for free or at a steep discount. Deals change daily and run from 9 a.m. PST 12 p.m. EST, and you can check EA's Daily Deals site, well, daily to see what other deep discounts await.
In addition to this Sims game aimed at renaissance fair regulars, the driving game Shift 2 Unleashed for iPhone and iPad are also free today. Battlefield Bad Company 2 for iPad is 50% off and NBA Jam for iPad is 60% off. It's not a bad way to build your mobile phone gaming library without breaking the bank.
Watch your back, Nintendo: GREE doesn't want just a piece of your pie
The Japan-based mobile social games company wants all of it. That's essentially what the company's founder and CEO, Yoshikazu Tanaka, told TechCrunch during its Disrupt event in Tokyo recently. The GREE chief told TechCrunch that most of the company's revenue comes from its Japanese audience, but that it hopes to follow Nintendo's example in creating a massive global audience.
But Tanaka isn't happy with just following Nintendo, he looks to displace the veteran games maker. He told the news outlet that he wouldn't surprised to see GREE's revenue in the West jump to four to five times of what it is in Asian within the next five years. "We definitely feel positive, and our goal is to make sure our brand is just as successful, if not better than Nintendo."
Nintendo is infamous for its unwillingness to enter the mobile games market through iOS or Android. While the company does plan to release an iOS version of its eShop (the downloadable games store on the 3DS), it simply refuses to create games for mobile phones. This is despite numerous studies suggesting otherwise and even investors clamoring for Nintendo games on iPhone.
Nintendo did, however, manage to sell more 3DS consoles in its first eight months on the market than the original DS system sold in one year. Perhaps there's still interest in a handheld device dedicated to gaming, but you could also chalk these immense sales up to the devices' price cut over the summer and a terribly strong Black Friday. Regardless, the mobile gaming world is after Nintendo, which leaves us wondering whether its stern strategy can withstand the onslaught.
Could GREE eventually overtake Nintendo through its mobile social games network? Can Nintendo continue to dominate the mobile gaming space with its current strategy?
But Tanaka isn't happy with just following Nintendo, he looks to displace the veteran games maker. He told the news outlet that he wouldn't surprised to see GREE's revenue in the West jump to four to five times of what it is in Asian within the next five years. "We definitely feel positive, and our goal is to make sure our brand is just as successful, if not better than Nintendo."
Nintendo is infamous for its unwillingness to enter the mobile games market through iOS or Android. While the company does plan to release an iOS version of its eShop (the downloadable games store on the 3DS), it simply refuses to create games for mobile phones. This is despite numerous studies suggesting otherwise and even investors clamoring for Nintendo games on iPhone.
Nintendo did, however, manage to sell more 3DS consoles in its first eight months on the market than the original DS system sold in one year. Perhaps there's still interest in a handheld device dedicated to gaming, but you could also chalk these immense sales up to the devices' price cut over the summer and a terribly strong Black Friday. Regardless, the mobile gaming world is after Nintendo, which leaves us wondering whether its stern strategy can withstand the onslaught.
Could GREE eventually overtake Nintendo through its mobile social games network? Can Nintendo continue to dominate the mobile gaming space with its current strategy?
Poll: Would you pay a subscription fee to boost your Tetris game?
EA seems to have done the impossible: make Tetris, one of the most iconic, beautifully simple games of all time, better. It's true--at least according to some news outlets, like TouchArcade--but could the publisher have just taken two steps back? The brand new Tetris is available now on the App Store, and despite costing players a buck, EA wants to milk Tetris for all it's worth.
Within the game, players will find the option to subscribe to a service known as "T-Club". For either a silly $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, players will earn 15 percent more T-Coins to buy power-ups with when they play and gain access to vague "exclusive discounts and content," according to EA. Of course, players can also buy more T-Coins directly for $.99 to $99.99.
This type of money-making scheme is common in free-to-play iPhone and Android games, but for a game that already costs money to download it's a little more bold rare. TouchArcade seems to have a problem with the mere fact that things like "T-Coins" and "leveling up" exist in this take on the classic game.
While that seems a bit "get off my lawn," it's easy to see the point. Our only question is: How could a game as beautifully simple as Tetris benefit from a subscription service? Would even the most hardcore of Tetris fan benefit from such a thing? Well, tell us what you think:
Would you subscribe to boost your Tetris game?
If it means more Tetris stuff, then count me in!What could this possibly bring to the table? Never!It depends on what that "content" is exactly.I'm still baffled by the thought of "T-Coins".
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Within the game, players will find the option to subscribe to a service known as "T-Club". For either a silly $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, players will earn 15 percent more T-Coins to buy power-ups with when they play and gain access to vague "exclusive discounts and content," according to EA. Of course, players can also buy more T-Coins directly for $.99 to $99.99.
This type of money-making scheme is common in free-to-play iPhone and Android games, but for a game that already costs money to download it's a little more bold rare. TouchArcade seems to have a problem with the mere fact that things like "T-Coins" and "leveling up" exist in this take on the classic game.
While that seems a bit "get off my lawn," it's easy to see the point. Our only question is: How could a game as beautifully simple as Tetris benefit from a subscription service? Would even the most hardcore of Tetris fan benefit from such a thing? Well, tell us what you think:
Would you subscribe to boost your Tetris game?
If it means more Tetris stuff, then count me in!What could this possibly bring to the table? Never!It depends on what that "content" is exactly.I'm still baffled by the thought of "T-Coins".
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Have something unique to add to the discussion?
Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 3, 2012
Humane Society enlists Fluff Friends on the iOS to save real pets
Back in 2008, Mike Sego's Fluff Friends was one of the most popular games on Facebook. It changed hands several times, passing to Social Gaming Network, and then Mindjolt when the latter acquired SGN last April. It was Mindjolt SGN's decision to finally close Fluff Friends last month, citing technical issues with Facebook code changes that made it impossible for the game to run without "an entire rebuild from the ground up."
Before they shut it down, however, Inside Social Games reported that Mindjolt SGN planned to port Fluff Friends to the iOS. Now the popular Facebook game is back from the dead, but with a makeover and a new purpose -- to aid the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in their fight for animal welfare as "Fluff Friends Rescue".
This isn't the first time an animal advocacy group is enabling charity with a social game. Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) commissioned a game called RSPCA Animal Shelter last May with a very similar concept. In Fluff Friends Rescue, if you buy a HSUS-branded item with real money, you can guarantee that all of it will go towards HSUS' Animal Rescue Team.
You can grab Fluff Friends Rescue for free at the App Store, and according to AppAdvice, it's a lot of fun. (The only downside is there's a major bug that can cause the game to crash every 30 seconds for the 4th generation iPod Touch.) Mindjolt SGN also plans to make the game available on the Android and other social networks, which means Fluff Friends Rescue might just appear on Facebook. Final plans for the game will include Petfinder, a feature that will allow players to search for pet adoptions and buy real world pet merchandise.
Are you one of hundreds mad that Mindjolt SGN gave up on Fluff Friends on Facebook to focus on an iOS version? Does it make you feel better to hear that this new iOS game promotes a good cause?
Before they shut it down, however, Inside Social Games reported that Mindjolt SGN planned to port Fluff Friends to the iOS. Now the popular Facebook game is back from the dead, but with a makeover and a new purpose -- to aid the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in their fight for animal welfare as "Fluff Friends Rescue".
This isn't the first time an animal advocacy group is enabling charity with a social game. Australia's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) commissioned a game called RSPCA Animal Shelter last May with a very similar concept. In Fluff Friends Rescue, if you buy a HSUS-branded item with real money, you can guarantee that all of it will go towards HSUS' Animal Rescue Team.
You can grab Fluff Friends Rescue for free at the App Store, and according to AppAdvice, it's a lot of fun. (The only downside is there's a major bug that can cause the game to crash every 30 seconds for the 4th generation iPod Touch.) Mindjolt SGN also plans to make the game available on the Android and other social networks, which means Fluff Friends Rescue might just appear on Facebook. Final plans for the game will include Petfinder, a feature that will allow players to search for pet adoptions and buy real world pet merchandise.
Are you one of hundreds mad that Mindjolt SGN gave up on Fluff Friends on Facebook to focus on an iOS version? Does it make you feel better to hear that this new iOS game promotes a good cause?
Will copycats run the Facebook games industry into the ground?
We sure as hell hope not. (We like having a job, thank you very much.) It's a common complaint lobbed at the social games industry: It's all the same games. If you ask this writer, the complaint isn't entirely unfounded, but does it spell the end of what would be a short-lived genre? Gamasutra posed that question to a few notables in the social games world recently.
"Part of why we're not attracting the hearts and minds of the core gamer on Facebook is that a lot of these games are kind of the same," Kixeye founder and CEO Will Harbin told Gamasutra. "There are a ton of strategy games, there are a lot of city building games, there are now a ton of mafia games again. It's just kind of more and more of the same."
Harbin recently defended his company from accusations by new studio Rumble Games that all of Kixeye's games are the same as well as Kabam and Zynga's. "You criticize us for that, then you can criticize EA, Blizzard, Activision and all of the guys for the same thing," Harbin told us. "There are only so many genres that have proven to work time and time again, and it's based on what consumers want."
Other executives echoed Harbin's sentiments, like Pocket Gems COO Ben Liu, but said that there's only one way to prevent copycatting from effectively destroying the industry. "Emotionally it bothers us [when we see copycats] but we feel like our best defense is to continue to be innovative," Liu said to Gamasutra.
A number of start-ups have promised a new era, a renaissance of Facebook games in 2012 that will not only bring new types of games to the social network, but new types of gamers, to boot. The question is, however, when the most guilty culprits are those with the most pull, how much good will that do? Check out the in-depth feature in full right here.
Are you tired of seeing copycat social games on Facebook and elsewhere? Do you think, if it continues, that it could mean the end for the industry?
"Part of why we're not attracting the hearts and minds of the core gamer on Facebook is that a lot of these games are kind of the same," Kixeye founder and CEO Will Harbin told Gamasutra. "There are a ton of strategy games, there are a lot of city building games, there are now a ton of mafia games again. It's just kind of more and more of the same."
Harbin recently defended his company from accusations by new studio Rumble Games that all of Kixeye's games are the same as well as Kabam and Zynga's. "You criticize us for that, then you can criticize EA, Blizzard, Activision and all of the guys for the same thing," Harbin told us. "There are only so many genres that have proven to work time and time again, and it's based on what consumers want."
Other executives echoed Harbin's sentiments, like Pocket Gems COO Ben Liu, but said that there's only one way to prevent copycatting from effectively destroying the industry. "Emotionally it bothers us [when we see copycats] but we feel like our best defense is to continue to be innovative," Liu said to Gamasutra.
A number of start-ups have promised a new era, a renaissance of Facebook games in 2012 that will not only bring new types of games to the social network, but new types of gamers, to boot. The question is, however, when the most guilty culprits are those with the most pull, how much good will that do? Check out the in-depth feature in full right here.
Are you tired of seeing copycat social games on Facebook and elsewhere? Do you think, if it continues, that it could mean the end for the industry?
Hidden Chronicles Paris Bistro: Our guide to finding every item
As you make your way through Zynga's newest Facebook game Hidden Chronicles, the second scene you'll come across in the Library chapter (the first chapter in the game) is called Paris Bistro. This one is set outside a lovely Parisian cafe, but it looks as though a tornado has come through and scattered all manner of items around the tables. You'll need eight energy points each time you wish to play this scene.
We're here with a guide showing you where to find the scene's many items, so if you're working on building up your combo points or just on the scene's individual mastery scale, make sure to check out our images below! Note: The items you'll receive will just be a selection of all of those pictured below.
If you're looking to find a particular item: Hit Ctrl +F (or Command + F if on a Mac) and type in the name of the object you're looking for. This will take you directly to its image.
Set 1:
Light the Candle (drag candle to the candlestick)
Suitcase
Ladder
Gramophone
Coffee Cup
Record
Set 2:
Ice Skate (now white)
Menu
Chest
Frog
Blue Ribbon
Set 3:
Broom
Croissant
Bicycle (now further to the left)
Picnic Basket
Scarf
Watering Can
Set 4:
Pitcher
Russel Terrier
Boot
Hawk
Manhole
Wineglass
Set 5:
Woman
Poodle
Umbrella
Set 6:
Kiss (now on right side of chalkboard)
Coins
Caterpillar
Set 7:
Jade Button
Champagne
Egg
Crayfish
Set 8:
Skis
Stiletto Shoe
Measuring Tape
Butterfly
Thread
Set 9:
Roses
Creme Brulee
Shopping Bags
Set 10:
Star
Cigarette
Mannequin
Set 11:
Bell
Sunglasses
Binoculars
Set 12:
Heart
Folding Fan
Set 13:
Coin Purse
Beret
Baguette
There are a handful of items not pictured above, as the game generates each set of items randomly. When we come across those missing items, we'll make sure to update this space with how you too can find them. In the meantime, feel free to start decorating your Manor and working on building up your own mastery of this scene or any other in the game!
Check out the rest of our Hidden Chronicles Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you completely mastered the Paris Bistro scene in Hidden Chronicles? Can't find a particular item?
Hidden Chronicles Thief's Lair: Our guide to finding every item
As you make your way through Zynga's newest Facebook game Hidden Chronicles, the third scene you'll come across in the Library chapter (the first chapter in the game) is called Thief's Lair. This one is set inside what looks to be an old, abandoned shed where a thief keeps all of their stolen goods. You'll need eight energy points each time you wish to play this scene.
We're here with a guide showing you where to find the scene's many items, so if you're working on building up your combo points or just on the scene's individual mastery scale, make sure to check out our images below! Note: The items you'll receive will just be a selection of all of those pictured below.
If you're looking to find a particular item: Hit Ctrl +F (or Command + F if on a Mac) and type in the name of the object you're looking for. This will take you directly to its image.
Super Clue:
Level the Scale (drag the three weights to the scale in the image)
Set 1:
Camera
Piggy Bank
World Map
Knife
Axe
Set 2:
Chisel
Record
Magazine
Pistol
Binoculars
Magazine
Military Boots
Set 3:
Tweezers
Bandit Mask
Drill
Ashtray
Wanted Poster
Pigeon
Set 4:
Bullets
Leather Jacket
Drill Bit
Hacksaw
Duffel Bag
Set 5:
Bow Tie
Crumb Brush
Cane
Set 6:
Pen
Roll of Tape
Tape Recorder
Set 7:
Chalk
Mustache
Bomb
There are a handful of items not pictured above, as the game generates each set of items randomly. When we come across those missing items, we'll make sure to update this space with how you too can find them. In the meantime, feel free to start decorating your Manor and working on building up your own mastery of this scene or any other in the game!
Check out the rest of our Hidden Chronicles Cheats & Tips right here.
Have you finished every trophy of mastery for this Thief's Lair scene? What do you think of Zynga's take on the hidden object genre thus far?
Building the Cafe World Dutch Oven: Everything you need to know
While Cafe World has never been at a loss for cooking appliances, we've received yet another option to add to our cafes this week: The Dutch Oven. While it may not traditionally be a good idea to have a massive, open flame in your restaurant, here you're encouraged to do so, as you can use it to cook new recipes - Wild Game recipes, to be specific - once you've actually completed its construction.
To build the Dutch Oven, you'll need to collect four groups of building materials:
7 Firewood
7 Charcoal
8 Cooking Tools
8 Cast Iron Pans
The Firewood and Cooking Tools are earned through general news items you'll place on your wall, while the Charcoal and Cast Iron Pans are earned through individual requests sent out to neighbors.
Completing the Dutch Oven is part of the new Dutch Oven goal series, which contains 13 different goals for you to complete, as of this writing. You can only have one Dutch Oven in your cafe for right now (although that might change in the future), and unfortunately, you won't be able to earn parts to build the Dutch Oven from Special Delivery Boxes (again, this might change). You can only cook dishes unlocked through the Wild Game goal series, so make sure you start on those as soon as you can to actually give your Dutch Oven a purpose! Good luck!
Are you excited to get started building your Dutch Oven in Cafe World? What other appliances or cooking tools is the game still missing that you would like to see added?
To build the Dutch Oven, you'll need to collect four groups of building materials:
7 Firewood
7 Charcoal
8 Cooking Tools
8 Cast Iron Pans
The Firewood and Cooking Tools are earned through general news items you'll place on your wall, while the Charcoal and Cast Iron Pans are earned through individual requests sent out to neighbors.
Completing the Dutch Oven is part of the new Dutch Oven goal series, which contains 13 different goals for you to complete, as of this writing. You can only have one Dutch Oven in your cafe for right now (although that might change in the future), and unfortunately, you won't be able to earn parts to build the Dutch Oven from Special Delivery Boxes (again, this might change). You can only cook dishes unlocked through the Wild Game goal series, so make sure you start on those as soon as you can to actually give your Dutch Oven a purpose! Good luck!
Are you excited to get started building your Dutch Oven in Cafe World? What other appliances or cooking tools is the game still missing that you would like to see added?
CityVille New Year's Resolutions: Everything you need to know
While we've reached the point in the new year where many folks have already given up on their New Year's Resolutions, your citizens in CityVille are just now getting around to making some. For roughly the next two months, you'll have the opportunity to complete three sets of resolutions goals in the game, surrounding common themes (losing weight or going green, for instance). This feature has a setup similar to that of the Halloween Monsters or Save the Holiday events, in that each set of resolutions constitutes an "act," with each act having three goals.
Resolution 1: To Help Others
This resolution features the Boys and Girls Center community building, but you must complete the three goals one at a time.
Kids' Fun
Place Boys and Girls Center
Complete Boys and Girls Center
Ask for 6 Hammers
The Hammers come from a general news item on your wall. The Boys and Girls Center requires 12 energy to complete the frame, and from there you'll need to collect buildings ingredients to finish it off. You'll need four each of Activity Schedules, Colored Fencing, Rope Ladders, Tire Swings and Pet Rabbits, with all of these items being available through either general news items on your wall, or through individual requests sent to friends.
When you finish this community building, you town's maximum population allowance will increase by 4,500, but it can be upgraded from there. For finishing the overall Kids' Fun goal, you'll receive the ability to upgrade your Boys and Girls Center to Level 2 by simply clicking on it.
Help Your Neighbors!
Send 40 Tour Buses to Neighbors' Businesses
Collect Rent from 40 Neighbor Houses
Ask for 12 Power Drills
You'll need to visit at least 16 neighbors to finish off these two tasks, but the only thing stopping you from doing that in a single day is whether or not you actually have that many neighbors. When you finish this goal - no matter how long it takes you - you'll receive an upgrade taking your Boys and Girls Center to Level 3.
Help Wanted!
Harvest Goods 15 Times in Neighbor Cities
Revive or Water 15 Neighbor Crops
Ask for 20 Paint Rollers
The Harvesting Goods task counts for harvesting both crops or unloading your friends' ships. For finishing this final goal in the Helping Others resolution set, you'll receive the final upgrade to the Boys and Girls Center, taking it to Level 4.
Resolution 2: To Live Healthier
This resolution features the Health Complex, a business that can be upgraded.
Let's Live Healthier!
Place Health Complex
Complete Health Complex
Ask for 6 Exercise Bikes
You'll need to earn the Exercise Bikes from friends. Meanwhile, the Health Complex is a large business with a frame that takes eight energy to construct. You'll need to collect parts to completely finish this one: four each of Climbing Harnesses, Trampolines, Jump Ropes, Medicine Balls and Pool Filters.
When the Health Complex is done, you'll be able to operate the business for 500 Goods (to receive a minimum of 2,500 coins each time those Goods are used). When you complete this overall goal, you'll need to make sure your Health Complex is currently supplied, and can then click on the building to upgrade it to Level 2 as your reward.
Improve Your Diet
Harvest 40 Cranberries
Harvest 40 Carrots
Ask for 12 Swim Goggles
Again, the reward for finishing this goal is another automatic upgrade of the Health Complex (this time to Level 3). You'll need to make sure your business is currently operating and can then click on the building to upgrade it.
Get Some Rest
Collect from 60 Residences
Collect from 60 Businesses
Ask for 20 Tennis Balls
These can be any kind of home or business, so feel free to collect from those that generate rent or profits quicker than others if you'd like to finish this goal sooner, rather than later. When you do finally finish this goal (and the entire "Live Healthier" resolution line), you'll receive the final upgrade to your Health Complex, bringing it to a Level 4 business.
Resolution 3: Let's Go Green
This final resolution deals with lessening your citizens' impact on their virtual environment, and introduces the Common Green community building to the game.
Let's Go Green
Place Common Green
Complete Common Green
Ask for 6 Swings
The Common Green is a community building with a base that takes 12 energy to construct. You'll need to collect building materials to finish it off: four each of Plumbing Pipes, Gazebo Roofs, Lawn Mowers, Park Tiles and Butterfly Feeders.
As with the other two buildings, these come from your friends (either through individual gift requests or general news items on your wall. When you finish the Common Green, your maximum population cap will go up by 4,500 citizens. For finishing this entire goal, you'll automatically earn an upgrade to Level 2 of the community building.
Take Out the Trash
Collect 20 Scraps of Paper
Collect 10 Empty Cans
Ask for 12 Park Benches
The Scraps of Paper can be earned at random when collecting from businesses, while the Empty Cans can be earned randomly when collecting profits from community buildings. The Park Benches can be earned from friends. Finishing this goal gives you the upgrade to a Level 3 Common Green item.
Put Down Roots
Collect 30 Bags of Soil
Collect 30 Piles of Compost
Ask for 20 Seedlings
The Seedlings come from friends, while the Bags of Soil and Piles of Compost can be earned at random from either harvesting crops or collecting rent from residences (respectively). Finishing this final goal in the Go Green resolution series pushes your Common Green to the Level 4 upgrade.
Again, these goals will only be available in the game until the end of February. That should give you plenty of time to complete all nine, but if not, keep in mind that there is no overall reward for finishing all three sets. Unless you're concerned with upgrading each of the three buildings to Level 4, don't feel the need to overwhelm yourself in order to get it done in time.
[Via: CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of these New Year's Resolutions goals in CityVille? Will you work on completing all three, or will you only finish one or two sets instead?
Resolution 1: To Help Others
This resolution features the Boys and Girls Center community building, but you must complete the three goals one at a time.
Kids' Fun
Place Boys and Girls Center
Complete Boys and Girls Center
Ask for 6 Hammers
The Hammers come from a general news item on your wall. The Boys and Girls Center requires 12 energy to complete the frame, and from there you'll need to collect buildings ingredients to finish it off. You'll need four each of Activity Schedules, Colored Fencing, Rope Ladders, Tire Swings and Pet Rabbits, with all of these items being available through either general news items on your wall, or through individual requests sent to friends.
When you finish this community building, you town's maximum population allowance will increase by 4,500, but it can be upgraded from there. For finishing the overall Kids' Fun goal, you'll receive the ability to upgrade your Boys and Girls Center to Level 2 by simply clicking on it.
Help Your Neighbors!
Send 40 Tour Buses to Neighbors' Businesses
Collect Rent from 40 Neighbor Houses
Ask for 12 Power Drills
You'll need to visit at least 16 neighbors to finish off these two tasks, but the only thing stopping you from doing that in a single day is whether or not you actually have that many neighbors. When you finish this goal - no matter how long it takes you - you'll receive an upgrade taking your Boys and Girls Center to Level 3.
Help Wanted!
Harvest Goods 15 Times in Neighbor Cities
Revive or Water 15 Neighbor Crops
Ask for 20 Paint Rollers
The Harvesting Goods task counts for harvesting both crops or unloading your friends' ships. For finishing this final goal in the Helping Others resolution set, you'll receive the final upgrade to the Boys and Girls Center, taking it to Level 4.
Resolution 2: To Live Healthier
This resolution features the Health Complex, a business that can be upgraded.
Let's Live Healthier!
Place Health Complex
Complete Health Complex
Ask for 6 Exercise Bikes
You'll need to earn the Exercise Bikes from friends. Meanwhile, the Health Complex is a large business with a frame that takes eight energy to construct. You'll need to collect parts to completely finish this one: four each of Climbing Harnesses, Trampolines, Jump Ropes, Medicine Balls and Pool Filters.
When the Health Complex is done, you'll be able to operate the business for 500 Goods (to receive a minimum of 2,500 coins each time those Goods are used). When you complete this overall goal, you'll need to make sure your Health Complex is currently supplied, and can then click on the building to upgrade it to Level 2 as your reward.
Improve Your Diet
Harvest 40 Cranberries
Harvest 40 Carrots
Ask for 12 Swim Goggles
Again, the reward for finishing this goal is another automatic upgrade of the Health Complex (this time to Level 3). You'll need to make sure your business is currently operating and can then click on the building to upgrade it.
Get Some Rest
Collect from 60 Residences
Collect from 60 Businesses
Ask for 20 Tennis Balls
These can be any kind of home or business, so feel free to collect from those that generate rent or profits quicker than others if you'd like to finish this goal sooner, rather than later. When you do finally finish this goal (and the entire "Live Healthier" resolution line), you'll receive the final upgrade to your Health Complex, bringing it to a Level 4 business.
Resolution 3: Let's Go Green
This final resolution deals with lessening your citizens' impact on their virtual environment, and introduces the Common Green community building to the game.
Let's Go Green
Place Common Green
Complete Common Green
Ask for 6 Swings
The Common Green is a community building with a base that takes 12 energy to construct. You'll need to collect building materials to finish it off: four each of Plumbing Pipes, Gazebo Roofs, Lawn Mowers, Park Tiles and Butterfly Feeders.
As with the other two buildings, these come from your friends (either through individual gift requests or general news items on your wall. When you finish the Common Green, your maximum population cap will go up by 4,500 citizens. For finishing this entire goal, you'll automatically earn an upgrade to Level 2 of the community building.
Take Out the Trash
Collect 20 Scraps of Paper
Collect 10 Empty Cans
Ask for 12 Park Benches
The Scraps of Paper can be earned at random when collecting from businesses, while the Empty Cans can be earned randomly when collecting profits from community buildings. The Park Benches can be earned from friends. Finishing this goal gives you the upgrade to a Level 3 Common Green item.
Put Down Roots
Collect 30 Bags of Soil
Collect 30 Piles of Compost
Ask for 20 Seedlings
The Seedlings come from friends, while the Bags of Soil and Piles of Compost can be earned at random from either harvesting crops or collecting rent from residences (respectively). Finishing this final goal in the Go Green resolution series pushes your Common Green to the Level 4 upgrade.
Again, these goals will only be available in the game until the end of February. That should give you plenty of time to complete all nine, but if not, keep in mind that there is no overall reward for finishing all three sets. Unless you're concerned with upgrading each of the three buildings to Level 4, don't feel the need to overwhelm yourself in order to get it done in time.
[Via: CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of these New Year's Resolutions goals in CityVille? Will you work on completing all three, or will you only finish one or two sets instead?
Pioneer Trail: Start the new year with promises of change from Zynga
As we start a new year both in the real world and in Pioneer Trail on Facebook, we've received some reassurance from Zynga about how the game will continue to grow and even improve this year. The news comes by way of a letter posted by Pioneer Trail Community Manager Stumpgrinder on the game's official forums.
The letter is a bit lengthy, so we'll give you the most important bits here:
Starting today, Gears in Holiday Hollow should be much easier to earn
New items are being given away on the game's Facebook fan page, and that will soon include free Gears
The maps to Fort Courage will remain open until the end of January, giving users a bit of an extension
Hank and Fanny will return in a "big" way with new goals involving the Newlyweds
Monumental Homestead goals are coming soon
In addition to these tidbits, we've learned that Homestead space (or a lack thereof) won't be as large of a concern in the coming months, thanks to another building that is being released in the game. We're being assured that this building is worth constructing, as you'll be able to store your other buildings inside it. Here's the full explanation:
"Before you start groaning about yet another new building, let me explain: it'll let you store certain kinds of buildings inside of it--many of which you weren't able to store before. In addition, you can interact with those buildings inside of this new building. Crafting menus, bonus collection, etc. It'll all be available for you, stored away inside the new building."
In other words, it sounds like this will simply give us a way to free up space on our homesteads without having to drag buildings back out of storage to actually interact with them. That's a pretty big convenience, so I wouldn't expect it to be the easiest building to complete, but we'll look out for it all the same.
Are you excited by the announcements made by Zynga this week, or is this all too little, too late in your opinion? Have you stuck with the game through all of its ups and downs, or did you quit playing the game a long time ago?
The letter is a bit lengthy, so we'll give you the most important bits here:
Starting today, Gears in Holiday Hollow should be much easier to earn
New items are being given away on the game's Facebook fan page, and that will soon include free Gears
The maps to Fort Courage will remain open until the end of January, giving users a bit of an extension
Hank and Fanny will return in a "big" way with new goals involving the Newlyweds
Monumental Homestead goals are coming soon
In addition to these tidbits, we've learned that Homestead space (or a lack thereof) won't be as large of a concern in the coming months, thanks to another building that is being released in the game. We're being assured that this building is worth constructing, as you'll be able to store your other buildings inside it. Here's the full explanation:
"Before you start groaning about yet another new building, let me explain: it'll let you store certain kinds of buildings inside of it--many of which you weren't able to store before. In addition, you can interact with those buildings inside of this new building. Crafting menus, bonus collection, etc. It'll all be available for you, stored away inside the new building."
In other words, it sounds like this will simply give us a way to free up space on our homesteads without having to drag buildings back out of storage to actually interact with them. That's a pretty big convenience, so I wouldn't expect it to be the easiest building to complete, but we'll look out for it all the same.
Are you excited by the announcements made by Zynga this week, or is this all too little, too late in your opinion? Have you stuck with the game through all of its ups and downs, or did you quit playing the game a long time ago?
Thứ Năm, 8 tháng 3, 2012
The Sims Social: EA, Tencent will make a Littlehaven in China
The Sims Social China
Playfish's number one social game on Facebook, The Sims Social, is headed east ... far east. Lame jokes aside, EA has signed an agreement with Chinese social network Tencent to release The Sims Social to Chinese audiences. Tencent is the leading social network in China, and The Sims Social will be known as Mo Ni Shi Guang on the network.
The Sims Social is currently the sixth most popular Facebook game, trailing behind five Zynga games with just under 21 million monthly players, according to AppData. EA's idea with this move is obviously increasing the game's overall audience, and thus revenue. And what better place than one of the most densely-populated countries in the world? That could do the trick.
This news follows The Sims Social receiving the 2011 Interactive Achievement Award for Best Social Game amidst steep declines in player numbers since its release in August. This move will certainly help its audience grow, but The Sims Social could be improved upon a lot, if you ask COO Peter Moore.
[Via All Things D]
Are you surprised that EA would launch in China in such a big way? What do you think the game needs domestically, so to speak, to survive?
Playfish's number one social game on Facebook, The Sims Social, is headed east ... far east. Lame jokes aside, EA has signed an agreement with Chinese social network Tencent to release The Sims Social to Chinese audiences. Tencent is the leading social network in China, and The Sims Social will be known as Mo Ni Shi Guang on the network.
The Sims Social is currently the sixth most popular Facebook game, trailing behind five Zynga games with just under 21 million monthly players, according to AppData. EA's idea with this move is obviously increasing the game's overall audience, and thus revenue. And what better place than one of the most densely-populated countries in the world? That could do the trick.
This news follows The Sims Social receiving the 2011 Interactive Achievement Award for Best Social Game amidst steep declines in player numbers since its release in August. This move will certainly help its audience grow, but The Sims Social could be improved upon a lot, if you ask COO Peter Moore.
[Via All Things D]
Are you surprised that EA would launch in China in such a big way? What do you think the game needs domestically, so to speak, to survive?
Game of the Day: Poker - Five Card Draw
five card draw game of the day
Today's Game of the Day is the classic game of Poker: Five Card Draw. Five Card Draw Poker is a game of betting. You'll place bets, call, check, and bluff your way to a tall stack of chips. Once you begin betting, you'll be dealt five cards and have one opportunity to swap out up to three of them. With your five cards, you'll have to create hands that beat your opponents' and earn your chips.
Poker: Five Card Draw is one of those Games.com gems. Like our other Poker games, Five Card Draw uses the same avatar and chat system that makes playing with strangers way more fun. Be sure to participate in the chat and make some friends. So if you're in the mood to win (or lose) some quick cash and have a great time doing it, check out Poker: Five Card Draw below.
Today's Game of the Day is the classic game of Poker: Five Card Draw. Five Card Draw Poker is a game of betting. You'll place bets, call, check, and bluff your way to a tall stack of chips. Once you begin betting, you'll be dealt five cards and have one opportunity to swap out up to three of them. With your five cards, you'll have to create hands that beat your opponents' and earn your chips.
Poker: Five Card Draw is one of those Games.com gems. Like our other Poker games, Five Card Draw uses the same avatar and chat system that makes playing with strangers way more fun. Be sure to participate in the chat and make some friends. So if you're in the mood to win (or lose) some quick cash and have a great time doing it, check out Poker: Five Card Draw below.
This Valentine's Day: Would you choose sex or social media?
A new survey says that moms would rather give up .... wait for it ... Facebook for Valentine's Day. Seventy-six percent of the roughly 800 respondents to a Socialmoms.com poll say they'd rather get cozy in the bedroom than make connections over social media.
That's just a fictional scenario, of course, and survey participants say they still plan to use social media to wish friends and family a Happy V-Day on Facebook and Twitter (37 %), mention the holiday in a blog post or status update (28%) and check out Pinterest for romantic inspiration and ideas (20%).
Another fun, but not too surprising, finding culled from the survey: A majority of the respondents wanted a romantic night on the town with their partners (57%), rather than a Apple iPad (28%) or Kindle Fire (12%).
Just goes to show -- as popular as socializing over Facebook, Twitter and other outlets might be -- there's still nothing quite like the real thing.
> Social Media Moms Choose Sex Over Facebook This Valentine's Day [Yahoo! Finance]
Image credit: Someecards
Hidden Haunts goes hunting for hidden objects on Facebook
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is in the social games war now, didn't you hear? Anyway, the company's gaming division, Making Fun, has launched its first Facebook game today, Hidden Haunts. It looks about what you'd expect from a hidden object game. Well, aside from the characters with abnormally large heads and and equally large eyes.
"These games have been successful and confirmed our thesis," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "We knew we had to get to market quickly or else there would be 20 of these games out there." So, Hidden Haunts is Making Fun's answer to the trend, a hidden-object game with enhanced, photo-realistic scenes. That's what Making Fun hopes will differentiate Hidden Haunts from other hidden-object games.
"We shot the photographs on location and added about a third of the objects in post production," Welch told VentureBeat. "In one scene with a kitchen, there was a real turkey. After taking the photo, the team ate the turkey. We get a better sense of realism that balances lighting and place. It looks more natural. It's a very complicated process, but one that results in higher quality. It's like watching sports in high definition. Once you see this, you can't go back."
Hidden Haunts is firmly situated to compete with the likes of Hidden Chronicles and Gardens of Time, both of which welcome millions of daily players. Is there room for another in the ring, enhanced environments or not? See for yourself in the game now.
Click here to play Hidden Haunts on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to see another hidden-object game on Facebook? Do you think the sub genre is over-saturated on Facebook already?
"These games have been successful and confirmed our thesis," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "We knew we had to get to market quickly or else there would be 20 of these games out there." So, Hidden Haunts is Making Fun's answer to the trend, a hidden-object game with enhanced, photo-realistic scenes. That's what Making Fun hopes will differentiate Hidden Haunts from other hidden-object games.
"We shot the photographs on location and added about a third of the objects in post production," Welch told VentureBeat. "In one scene with a kitchen, there was a real turkey. After taking the photo, the team ate the turkey. We get a better sense of realism that balances lighting and place. It looks more natural. It's a very complicated process, but one that results in higher quality. It's like watching sports in high definition. Once you see this, you can't go back."
Hidden Haunts is firmly situated to compete with the likes of Hidden Chronicles and Gardens of Time, both of which welcome millions of daily players. Is there room for another in the ring, enhanced environments or not? See for yourself in the game now.
Click here to play Hidden Haunts on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to see another hidden-object game on Facebook? Do you think the sub genre is over-saturated on Facebook already?
Dream Heights takes on Tiny Tower on iPhone in the U.S. App Store
Not deliberately, of course. We sure know of at least two folks that aren't terribly thrilled about this news. Amidst claims of copycatting, cloning, what have you, Dream Heights has made it to the U.S. iOS App Store. And according Zynga, it's certainly not the first game in its category, but it's most definitely the most social.
Whether that makes it cool or not depends on who you ask. While East Side Games' Jason Bailey thinks "cloning" is a natural thing to entertainment, Double Fine's Tim Schafer thinks people who say that are liars. (So, take your side already, eh?) At any rate, the game allows players to socialize via a Sky Bridge to visit friends and shop in their towers.
Players can out-build real-life monuments while mixing and matching up to 50 different stores. We had a look at Dream Heights when it landed on the Canadian App Store a few weeks back, and this release looks largely the same. To check out our full impressions of Dream Heights, click here. If you're ready to give it a go when it launches, click on the link below:
Click here to play Dream Heights on iPhone, iPad for Free Now >
Are you interested in Dream Heights given the recent claims by NimbleBit? Thoughts on the whole copycatting issue in Facebook and mobile games?
Whether that makes it cool or not depends on who you ask. While East Side Games' Jason Bailey thinks "cloning" is a natural thing to entertainment, Double Fine's Tim Schafer thinks people who say that are liars. (So, take your side already, eh?) At any rate, the game allows players to socialize via a Sky Bridge to visit friends and shop in their towers.
Players can out-build real-life monuments while mixing and matching up to 50 different stores. We had a look at Dream Heights when it landed on the Canadian App Store a few weeks back, and this release looks largely the same. To check out our full impressions of Dream Heights, click here. If you're ready to give it a go when it launches, click on the link below:
Click here to play Dream Heights on iPhone, iPad for Free Now >
Are you interested in Dream Heights given the recent claims by NimbleBit? Thoughts on the whole copycatting issue in Facebook and mobile games?
FarmVille Pic of the Day: If Georgia O'Keeffe played FarmVille...
...her FarmVille farm would probably look like Siren465's (a 5-year player at Level 143 and counting). For an art history refresher, Georgia O'Keeffe is a famous American artist from the early 20th century whose paintings, mostly the ones of flowers, often made people think of things other than flowers. She always denied that this was intentional and it's easy to believe that this upset her because she refused to work with people who promoted her work that way. But her paintings had a very sensual quality, so most people found it impossible not to go Freudian over them.
Georgia O'Keeffe
I'm not sure what you're seeing, but this Valentine's Day farm -- with its rolling hills, soft dips, curves and crannies -- totally has me seeing pink. But that might also be due to all the English poetry I was forced to read in high school. Pastoral poetry was insanely popular in the olden days, and the ones that waxed romantic had a tendency to compare women to farmland and men as the happy deer frolicking across it.
Don't believe me? Have some Shakespeare:
I'll be a park, and thou shalt be my deer;
Feed where thou wilt, on mountain or in dale:
Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry,
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.
Can you say "sexy time"? If you think FarmVille is big now, I'm scared to say how popular it would've been in 15th and 16th centuries.
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2012 coverage here.
If your favorite artist played FarmVille, what kind of farm would it look like? Do you see flowers or... something else when you look at O'Keeffe's flower paintings?
Go Fishing (not the card game) on the iPad today, thanks to Go Games
Though, if it were the card game, we might have been more excited. Alas, Go Games has unleashed Go Fishing, its fishing Facebook game of the same name, on iPad today. The game allows players to experience whatever thrill there is in fishing right within their iPad. Players will digitally fish in the best spots around the globe and complete multi-level quests to improve.
Go Fishing touts realistic graphics, animations and sounds to create a "real fishing ambiance," according to a release. The game will also offer real-time multiplayer tournaments as well as leaderboards for the competitive players. Of course, Go Fishing has Facebook Connect loaded in, as well as hundreds of fish, tackle and bait options.
If you're one of those guys or gals that covers their 6-foot pickup truck with fishing stickers, then this free-to-play game is certainly worth a shot. Judging by how early screen shots look and how its descriptions sound, the mobile version of Go Fishing doesn't seem terribly different from its predecessor, and most social fishing games around, at that. But if you're looking for a new scratch for that fishing itch however brief, this looks like a fine alternative.
Click here to download Go Fishing on iPad for Free Now >
Are you psyched for a new fishing game on iPad? What do you think of fishing games as a genre?
Go Fishing touts realistic graphics, animations and sounds to create a "real fishing ambiance," according to a release. The game will also offer real-time multiplayer tournaments as well as leaderboards for the competitive players. Of course, Go Fishing has Facebook Connect loaded in, as well as hundreds of fish, tackle and bait options.
If you're one of those guys or gals that covers their 6-foot pickup truck with fishing stickers, then this free-to-play game is certainly worth a shot. Judging by how early screen shots look and how its descriptions sound, the mobile version of Go Fishing doesn't seem terribly different from its predecessor, and most social fishing games around, at that. But if you're looking for a new scratch for that fishing itch however brief, this looks like a fine alternative.
Click here to download Go Fishing on iPad for Free Now >
Are you psyched for a new fishing game on iPad? What do you think of fishing games as a genre?
Thứ Bảy, 3 tháng 3, 2012
Adventure World rockets to over 9 million players, thanks to promotions
And it did so in just under five days. According to Appdata, Zynga's newest release, Adventure World, has finally found its second wind, gaining over 8 million players in almost five days. If you remember, Zynga Boston's debut game sat stagnant at under 500,000 players for over a week after its release. This wild growth is likely thanks to one thing: cross promotions.
Zynga has finally taken advantage of (some of) its 267 million players to give Adventure World some much needed exposure. During its first week on Facebook, the game enjoyed little to no cross promotion between the company's existing games aside from banner ads and the like. But now, Adventure World can be found in games like Mafia Wars through special promotions.
In this particular case, Mafia Wars players have until Sept. 30 to reach Level 5 in Adventure World and receive a special item for their digital mafia don, an Ancient Hammer. While the item won't exactly wow veteran Mafia Wars players, it at least has value to collectors. Before that, we saw hints of Adventure World being advertised within FarmVille, which has yet to happen.
So, you can only imagine how far Adventure World would go if such involved promotions were featured in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. However, we were under the impression that this type of cross promotion was through with the release of RewardVille, Zynga's cross-game achievement system that rewards players for using all of its games daily.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the developer can't avoid such arguably invasive practices if it wants all of its games to succeed. And that could ultimately rekindle the ire of its players, many of which are already fed up with resurgent demands to enter new games for items within their favorite games. (Hence the creation of RewardVille.)
Zynga looks like it's more dependent than ever on its swath of existing players, but the developer might want to cook up a more elegant solution of getting those players to play its new games. If not, Zynga might run the risk of losing its most powerful method of growth: the players it already has.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think players would up and leave if Zynga turned up the heat on its in-game cross promotions once again?
Zynga has finally taken advantage of (some of) its 267 million players to give Adventure World some much needed exposure. During its first week on Facebook, the game enjoyed little to no cross promotion between the company's existing games aside from banner ads and the like. But now, Adventure World can be found in games like Mafia Wars through special promotions.
In this particular case, Mafia Wars players have until Sept. 30 to reach Level 5 in Adventure World and receive a special item for their digital mafia don, an Ancient Hammer. While the item won't exactly wow veteran Mafia Wars players, it at least has value to collectors. Before that, we saw hints of Adventure World being advertised within FarmVille, which has yet to happen.
So, you can only imagine how far Adventure World would go if such involved promotions were featured in FarmVille, CityVille, Pioneer Trail and Empires & Allies. However, we were under the impression that this type of cross promotion was through with the release of RewardVille, Zynga's cross-game achievement system that rewards players for using all of its games daily.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the developer can't avoid such arguably invasive practices if it wants all of its games to succeed. And that could ultimately rekindle the ire of its players, many of which are already fed up with resurgent demands to enter new games for items within their favorite games. (Hence the creation of RewardVille.)
Zynga looks like it's more dependent than ever on its swath of existing players, but the developer might want to cook up a more elegant solution of getting those players to play its new games. If not, Zynga might run the risk of losing its most powerful method of growth: the players it already has.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? Do you think players would up and leave if Zynga turned up the heat on its in-game cross promotions once again?
f8 Developers Conference: Facebook game shares move to the Ticker
You know those annoying pop-ups Facebook displays whenever you try to share something in FarmVille or what have you? Soon, those might be a thing of the past, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook boss announced the change in brief during the f8 Facebook Developers Conference, referring to a particularly hilarious Internet meme.
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker?
This change applies to Facebook apps across the board, but, of course, we're concerned with the games. According to Zuckerberg, sharing activity will be directly and automatically published to the News Feed or the Games Ticker, depending on what exactly it is you're sharing. And with that comes the privacy concerns.
Judging from Zuckerberg's brief mention of the change, this would cause apps to inform users upon installation exactly what activity they will automatically share. This information is extremely early, but we imagine that, if developers like Zynga were to implement this change, that players would have the be informed of those changes.
Later in the presentation, Zuckerberg mentioned that games will take even more advantage of the Games Ticker, which launched earlier this summer. The Facebook chief showed an instance in which a friend played the word "TEXT" against another in Words With Friends, which was displayed on the Games Ticker. He then proceeded to mouse over that Ticker notification, and it displayed a snapshot of the game board.
Words with Friends Share
Of course, you could then jump into the game and start a match with either player. In short, the day of the game-stopping share notification will soon be over. In its place, much of the viral sharing in Facebook games seems as if it will take place in the Games Ticker. It appears that these changes have already taken place in Words With Friends.
When these specific changes will take place has yet to be announced, though we imagine much of them will be up to the developers. And if FarmVille players' reactions to when Zynga made similar changes to its flagship game is any indication, we're opinons will be ... mixed. We'll keep you posted.
What do you think of Facebook doing away with the game share notifications, automating them and moving them into the Games Ticker?
Stadiums full of people become Angry Birds players with Uplause
Could the Angry Birds replace the proverbial demands of "Make Some Noise" at your next baseball game? Maybe not your next one, but soon you could be cheering to fling the irate winged beasts into their plump green enemies. Pocket Gamer reports that Uplause, a Finnish developer of crowd-based games, has rebuilt Angry Birds with its creator, Rovio, into a version controlled by noise.
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach?
The self-proclaimed "social game maker for big crowds" has created similar games for use in stadiums for ice hockey games, soccer matches and even music festivals. Over the past summer, Uplause worked with Rovio to create a version of Angry Birds that is controlled using noise as an input device. (Namely, cheering, clapping, stomping and perhaps even booing, we assume.)
"As in the original, there's about a four second period before firing," Uplause CEO Veli-Pekka Marin explained to Pocket Gamer. "For live events, we'd expect each gaming session to take a few minutes." But in that time, thousands of folks will play at the same time. If anything, it's terribly efficient.
While all we know about this seriously social version of Angry Birds is that noise generates power for the game's slingshot, Pocket Gamer guesses that aiming is done automatically. Rovio and Uplause will first test this massive version of Angry Birds at a Formula 1 race taking place in Singapore this weekend, and the company's CMO Peter Vesterbacka sounds excited for its imminent global expansion.
"Through social participation, our fans will get to interact with the Angry Birds in an entirely new way," Vesterbacka said to Pocket Gamer. "We think this new form of gaming will give fans a great opportunity to form a strong emotional connection with the characters." I think Vesterbacka is confusing "emotional connection" with "drunken, crowd-fueled stupor." Check out the video below to get an idea of how it might work. Who knows you might be doing the same thing at the next World Series.
What do you imagine a noise-controlled version of Angry Birds would be like? What other games come to mind when you think of this approach?
Bravo gifts turtle with instant cable TV fame and a Facebook game
Andy Cohen Watch What Happens Live turtle mascot eating
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet?
Just when we thought we've seen everything, US cable TV network Bravo is launching a Facebook game where you get to dress up their latest celebrity -- she's a turtle. I don't mean she's reclusive or anything. I mean that literally: She is a turtle, but she's not just any turtle. This is a turtle that caught the eye of Bravo's Executive Vice President of Original Programming, also known as Andy Cohen, and host of Bravo TV's Watch What Happens: Live.
The turle has been selected as the show's new mascot and will make her first appearance on Sept. 25. Her Facebook game will be called "Turtle Time", named after a TV episode of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York, where one of the drunk stars made a toast at "Fat Turtle", a bar and dance club in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
The Facebook game's objective is to design the turtle's tank and dress her up each week. There will be options to gift decorations to friends in the game, or to use Facebook Credits to buy special items. Results will be posted online, voting will commence, winners will be chosen and live versions of these designs will then be used on the show. Finally, when the season ends in December, Cohen will choose a past winner to fly to New York for a live taping and chance to meet the turtle.
What does the turtle have to say about all this? Here's a quote from Bravo's cheeky press release:
"Ever since I landed on the shores of Sag Harbor, I have been searching for my big break in show biz. When Andy Cohen came walking down those golden sands, I knew my dreams were coming true," Divulged Yet-To-Be-Named Turtle. "I can't wait to move into the Bravo Clubhouse and to be dressed in the latest fashions."
Oh, and before anyone runs to the nearest phone to alert PETA, Bravo has contacted the American Humane Association for an animal safety monitor who'll oversee the tapings according to the Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals In Filmed Media. There's no word if there's someone to monitor the turtle's dignity, but I think that's irretrievable at this point.
[Hat-tip: The Hollywood Reporter]
Is this cruel and/or unusual treatment of animals? Or just some harmless and wacky fun? Have you lost your faith in humanity yet?
Zynga profits plummet 90 percent, raises questions about imminent IPO
Will the big show still go on? That's what many wonder, as Zynga just revealed in an updated regulatory filing that its profits dipped by 90 percent in the June quarter, thanks to increased spending and a lack of major game releases earlier this year, Reuters reports. According to the news service, this raises questions as to whether the company can sustain growth ahead of its long-awaited IPO (initial public offering).
Zynga's net income took a nose dive to $1.4 million from $14 million a year earlier, and its net profit plummeted over 90 percent in three months from $16.8 million in March of this year. Reuters chalks this up to the fact that the filing shows that the FarmVille maker's expenses rose $149 million compared to a year earlier, and $59 million alone from the previous financial quarter.
We'd imagine a major chunk of those expenses are thanks to the 14 companies Zynga gobbled up in the past year. It's also worth noting that the developer didn't really release any major Facebook games in 2011 prior to Empires & Allies. (And no, we're not counting FarmVille English Countryside.) Since then, however, the company has been on a frenzy, launching three more Facebook games this summer: Words With Friends, Pioneer Trail and recently Adventure World.
This news speaks volumes to the fact that Zynga has reached a point where it constantly needs to produce in order to sustain its meteoric growth, and more importantly for them right now, the faith of investors. Since the company's last filing, Zynga conducted a third-party analysis that estimated the probability of an IPO at 75 percent. This is down from the 80 percent probability reported in Zynga's previous filing.
In other words, it looks like the anticipated Zynga IPO could be delayed, just as previous reports suggested, to wait for improved market conditions. However, EA is gaining on the company with The Sims Social, and fast. According to AppData, EA and Playfish's game has just about 1.6 million fewer daily players than CityVille's 12.9 million.
Do you think Zynga has anything to worry about, given the news? Would you ever invest in Zynga if given the chance?
Zynga's net income took a nose dive to $1.4 million from $14 million a year earlier, and its net profit plummeted over 90 percent in three months from $16.8 million in March of this year. Reuters chalks this up to the fact that the filing shows that the FarmVille maker's expenses rose $149 million compared to a year earlier, and $59 million alone from the previous financial quarter.
We'd imagine a major chunk of those expenses are thanks to the 14 companies Zynga gobbled up in the past year. It's also worth noting that the developer didn't really release any major Facebook games in 2011 prior to Empires & Allies. (And no, we're not counting FarmVille English Countryside.) Since then, however, the company has been on a frenzy, launching three more Facebook games this summer: Words With Friends, Pioneer Trail and recently Adventure World.
This news speaks volumes to the fact that Zynga has reached a point where it constantly needs to produce in order to sustain its meteoric growth, and more importantly for them right now, the faith of investors. Since the company's last filing, Zynga conducted a third-party analysis that estimated the probability of an IPO at 75 percent. This is down from the 80 percent probability reported in Zynga's previous filing.
In other words, it looks like the anticipated Zynga IPO could be delayed, just as previous reports suggested, to wait for improved market conditions. However, EA is gaining on the company with The Sims Social, and fast. According to AppData, EA and Playfish's game has just about 1.6 million fewer daily players than CityVille's 12.9 million.
Do you think Zynga has anything to worry about, given the news? Would you ever invest in Zynga if given the chance?
Clarins looks to beautify Facebook with Spa Life, its first social game
Is it only a matter time now before mom pants get their own Facebook game? Clarins, a well-known French brand of beauty products, recently released its own Facebook game, Spa Life. The game doesn't stray far away from games like Cafe World or Restaurant City, but applies the same principles to managing a spa rather than an eatery. Developed by Freshplanet, Spa Life has players managing an influx of customers looking for everything from a "mani-pedi" to facials and more.
Of course, just like its inspirations, players can decorate, upgrade and add new services to their spa. But players can only do this if they serve their terribly impatient customers in time to make the most cash from them. And in true Facebook game fashion, players can always buy their way out of waiting for the next upgrade with Facebook Credits.
According to Mashable, Clarins's North American CEO Jonathan Zrihen saw Facebook as a golden opportunity to reach its audience. And considering we all know by now that the average Facebook gamer is a middle-aged mother, he's probably right on the money. "I knew about the craziness of Zynga games, but I didn't realize the demographic was so much in line with the demographics of our products," Zrihen told Mashable. "I was also impressed by the level of engagement these games create."
Yes, this is yet another branded game, though it's odd that players aren't inundated with the brand until much later in the game. Another interesting nod is that Spa Life attempts to use your friends' names as customers to add more social awareness to the game. Building off of that, you'll need plenty more friends to run your various services, just like you need them to staff buildings in CityVille.
Spa Life in action
Branded games are exploding on Facebook. In fact, studios like Ecko|Code are focusing all of their efforts on creating games for brands such as Showtime shows like Weeds and Dexter. Facebook game developers like Zynga and Playdom have integrated brands into their games for awhile through promotions, it's only recently that they've begun to build games around a single brand.
For instance, it looks as if Adventure World will become Zynga's first game to completely embrace a brand. In October, the game will become "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game" with the help of Lucasfilm. Sure, original games will continue to release, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see less of them moving forward.
Click here to Play Spa Life on Facebook Now >
Are you a Clarins fan--enough to check out this Facebook game? What do you think of branded games on Facebook and the fact that they're growing?
Of course, just like its inspirations, players can decorate, upgrade and add new services to their spa. But players can only do this if they serve their terribly impatient customers in time to make the most cash from them. And in true Facebook game fashion, players can always buy their way out of waiting for the next upgrade with Facebook Credits.
According to Mashable, Clarins's North American CEO Jonathan Zrihen saw Facebook as a golden opportunity to reach its audience. And considering we all know by now that the average Facebook gamer is a middle-aged mother, he's probably right on the money. "I knew about the craziness of Zynga games, but I didn't realize the demographic was so much in line with the demographics of our products," Zrihen told Mashable. "I was also impressed by the level of engagement these games create."
Yes, this is yet another branded game, though it's odd that players aren't inundated with the brand until much later in the game. Another interesting nod is that Spa Life attempts to use your friends' names as customers to add more social awareness to the game. Building off of that, you'll need plenty more friends to run your various services, just like you need them to staff buildings in CityVille.
Spa Life in action
Branded games are exploding on Facebook. In fact, studios like Ecko|Code are focusing all of their efforts on creating games for brands such as Showtime shows like Weeds and Dexter. Facebook game developers like Zynga and Playdom have integrated brands into their games for awhile through promotions, it's only recently that they've begun to build games around a single brand.
For instance, it looks as if Adventure World will become Zynga's first game to completely embrace a brand. In October, the game will become "Adventure World: An Indiana Jones Game" with the help of Lucasfilm. Sure, original games will continue to release, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see less of them moving forward.
Click here to Play Spa Life on Facebook Now >
Are you a Clarins fan--enough to check out this Facebook game? What do you think of branded games on Facebook and the fact that they're growing?
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