With the new year quickly approaching in FarmVille, and therefore the current Winter Holiday theme soon to come to an end, one of the big questions on my mind is "What will be the next limited edition theme in the game?" According to some recently leaked unreleased item images, we may have found our answer.
Two new animals will apparently be coming to the game sometime in the future, and they know how to get down and party. They are the Disco (Elvis?) Pony and the Disco Cow. As Zynga is always willing to add a bit of whimsy in with the realism, both of these animals are decked out and ready to party. The Disco Cow has a black afro wig, bellbottom hoof sleeves, and purple sunglasses, while the Disco Pony is wearing an outfit that looks like a toned-down version of an Elvis costume. And of course, there's a Disco Pony Foal to match.
While these items might very well be coming along with a new theme in the game, there is another possibility, in that these items could be a part of the upcoming New Year's celebration in the game. We already know that we'll be throwing a huge party out by a new barn, but could these be a few of the animal participants? Only time will tell at this point.
As usual, there is no guarantee that these items will actually make appearances in the game, so keep that in mind.
Thứ Hai, 30 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Candy Cane Chicken & Candy Cane Mystery Eggs
FarmVille has had a running theme this year of Candy Cane themed items being released to the game, and it looks like the FarmVille team at Zynga will be adding yet another before the current Winter Holiday theme ends.
The new animal is the Candy Cane Chicken, and, as you might have guessed, comes with a lovely red and white striped set of tail feathers, and a more solidly patterned red and white body. Along with this new chicken comes more evidence that the animal will in fact be released, as we've come across unreleased images of the Candy Cane Mystery Egg, that would be found at random when collecting from a Chicken Coop that holds a Candy Cane Chicken, and then shared with friends on your wall.
We're hoping that this animal will be released for coins, but considering that the other Winter Holiday animals have been available only for Farm Cash, we're not holding our breath.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
How much would you be willing to pay for a Candy Cane Chicken in FarmVille?
The new animal is the Candy Cane Chicken, and, as you might have guessed, comes with a lovely red and white striped set of tail feathers, and a more solidly patterned red and white body. Along with this new chicken comes more evidence that the animal will in fact be released, as we've come across unreleased images of the Candy Cane Mystery Egg, that would be found at random when collecting from a Chicken Coop that holds a Candy Cane Chicken, and then shared with friends on your wall.
We're hoping that this animal will be released for coins, but considering that the other Winter Holiday animals have been available only for Farm Cash, we're not holding our breath.
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
How much would you be willing to pay for a Candy Cane Chicken in FarmVille?
FarmVille Holiday Sneak Peek: Winter Castle, Kissing Ducks, Reindeer Balloon, Lighted Cactus & More
We've come across another round of unreleased FarmVille items, which look to offer a sneak peek of items that may or may not be released in the Winter Holiday theme before the theme leaves the game in a matter of days/weeks. These new items include decorative animals, a new building, and even a new tree, so keep reading to see what we expect to see released in the game soon.
The new decorative items are the Kissing Ducks (a pair of adorable ducks standing under mistletoe), a Reindeer Hot Air Balloon (similar to the Turkey hot air balloon released back at Thanksgiving), a Gold Nutcracker, a Lighted Cactus, and a string of Chili Lights. Those items can be seen at the top of this post.
As for the new building, it is the Winter Castle, and it looks to be quite the large building, as any castle should be. Finally, there is a new tree that will apparently be making an appearance, and it comes in the form of a Silver Holiday Tree. This tree looks to be masterable, as there is a leaked image of a Silver Holiday Tree Mastery Sign as well.
Remember, there is no guarantee that any of these items will actually be released in the game, and for what price, so keep that in mind. However, you'll be the first to know when and if these items do become available, so keep checking back!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these items would you most like to add to your farm this holiday season?
The new decorative items are the Kissing Ducks (a pair of adorable ducks standing under mistletoe), a Reindeer Hot Air Balloon (similar to the Turkey hot air balloon released back at Thanksgiving), a Gold Nutcracker, a Lighted Cactus, and a string of Chili Lights. Those items can be seen at the top of this post.
As for the new building, it is the Winter Castle, and it looks to be quite the large building, as any castle should be. Finally, there is a new tree that will apparently be making an appearance, and it comes in the form of a Silver Holiday Tree. This tree looks to be masterable, as there is a leaked image of a Silver Holiday Tree Mastery Sign as well.
Remember, there is no guarantee that any of these items will actually be released in the game, and for what price, so keep that in mind. However, you'll be the first to know when and if these items do become available, so keep checking back!
Check out the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Which of these items would you most like to add to your farm this holiday season?
Pocket God iPhone game makes its way to Facebook with female Pygmies, brand new powers
Bolt Creative has brought their hit iPhone game Pocket God to Facebook, with an all-new Facebook game of the same name, complete with Facebook exclusive features to give those non-believers a reason to convert. For those unfamiliar with the iPhone game, you're asked simply "What kind of God would you be?" If given the chance, would you be a loving, understanding God, or would you sacrifice all of your followers just to prove a point?
In Pocket God on Facebook, you get to answer that question (more of the latter), by spawning Pygmies and then sacrificing them just as quickly in a variety of zany, clever ways. Pygmies live on islands, and the more you play, the larger the island you will have control over. The larger the island, the more Pygmies it can hold, and the more Pygmies you can sacrifice as a result, completing quests along the way.
Want to see what else makes Pocket God on Facebook tick? Meet us behind the break for all of the details.
After the tutorial, the biggest portion of gameplay in Pocket God will be the sacrificing of Pygmies. You'll do this in a manner of ways, with new powers being available to purchase from the store. To start, you'll be able to pick up Pygmies and drop them into the water, drowning them, or clicking and holding on the bottom of a Pygmy and dragging a trajectory to launch them through a makeshift slingshot mechanic into the sky.
Your first actual powers will be those over Gravity and those over Lightning. You'll need to activate your Gravity power from the menu, at which point you can click and drag in a circular motion to send the entire game world spinning. Your Pygmies will hold onto the ground for dear life (literally), at which point you can click on them to make them lose their grip. As for Lightning, you'll need to replace the lovely white fluffy clouds with dark black menacing clouds, which can also be done through the menu. Afterwards, you can click on the dark cloud and drag your mouse to a Pygmy to turn them into a pile of black dust.
Other powers are available as you play the game, like a tornado that can be summoned when the dark clouds are present, the ability to change the cycles of the moon, the power to bring down a massive hailstorm, and even a silly power that summons a drum, causing your Pygmies to dance.
Why kill all of these Pygmies? For one, you'll need to do so (using a variety of your powers) to complete quests, which reward you with experience points and Sacrifice Points (the game's main currency), but even more so, you'll need to sacrifice these Pygmies in order to simply advance in the game. You have a Devotion Statue on your island that can be turned on with a click. Using Devotion Points (Energy Points), you can sacrifice your Pygmies while the statue is turned on to earn experience points and more Sacrifice Points, which must be spent, one point at a time, to summon new Pygmies.
As you go along, you'll be able to decorate your island with coconut trees, a Venus Fly-trap that eats Pygmies, and cactuses that bear explosive fruits. You can purchase a shark that eats Pygmies in the water, and various Idols that reward you with more points per sacrifice.
The entire game is a cycle of death and rebirth for your poor Pygmies, just like in the iPhone game, but the Facebook version of the game features exclusive powers not found in the iPhone version, along with female Pygmies. In addition, the social elements here allow you to sacrifice your own friends, if you'd like to prove a point or just be a bit naughty.
It should be noted that when you first play the game, Pocket God is one that requires you to allow automatic wall posting in order to actually install the game. This can be turned off however via your Privacy Settings page, if you'd prefer not to see an infinite number of Pocket God related posts appear on your wall without your knowledge.
If you'd like to put these adorable, yet helpless little Pygmies through some amusing deaths, or even put your friends on the proverbial chopping block (all in good fun of course), give this one a try.
Play Pocket God on Facebook -->
Have you played Pocket God on the iPhone or Facebook? How do you think this Facebook version stands up to the original?
In Pocket God on Facebook, you get to answer that question (more of the latter), by spawning Pygmies and then sacrificing them just as quickly in a variety of zany, clever ways. Pygmies live on islands, and the more you play, the larger the island you will have control over. The larger the island, the more Pygmies it can hold, and the more Pygmies you can sacrifice as a result, completing quests along the way.
Want to see what else makes Pocket God on Facebook tick? Meet us behind the break for all of the details.
After the tutorial, the biggest portion of gameplay in Pocket God will be the sacrificing of Pygmies. You'll do this in a manner of ways, with new powers being available to purchase from the store. To start, you'll be able to pick up Pygmies and drop them into the water, drowning them, or clicking and holding on the bottom of a Pygmy and dragging a trajectory to launch them through a makeshift slingshot mechanic into the sky.
Your first actual powers will be those over Gravity and those over Lightning. You'll need to activate your Gravity power from the menu, at which point you can click and drag in a circular motion to send the entire game world spinning. Your Pygmies will hold onto the ground for dear life (literally), at which point you can click on them to make them lose their grip. As for Lightning, you'll need to replace the lovely white fluffy clouds with dark black menacing clouds, which can also be done through the menu. Afterwards, you can click on the dark cloud and drag your mouse to a Pygmy to turn them into a pile of black dust.
Other powers are available as you play the game, like a tornado that can be summoned when the dark clouds are present, the ability to change the cycles of the moon, the power to bring down a massive hailstorm, and even a silly power that summons a drum, causing your Pygmies to dance.
Why kill all of these Pygmies? For one, you'll need to do so (using a variety of your powers) to complete quests, which reward you with experience points and Sacrifice Points (the game's main currency), but even more so, you'll need to sacrifice these Pygmies in order to simply advance in the game. You have a Devotion Statue on your island that can be turned on with a click. Using Devotion Points (Energy Points), you can sacrifice your Pygmies while the statue is turned on to earn experience points and more Sacrifice Points, which must be spent, one point at a time, to summon new Pygmies.
As you go along, you'll be able to decorate your island with coconut trees, a Venus Fly-trap that eats Pygmies, and cactuses that bear explosive fruits. You can purchase a shark that eats Pygmies in the water, and various Idols that reward you with more points per sacrifice.
The entire game is a cycle of death and rebirth for your poor Pygmies, just like in the iPhone game, but the Facebook version of the game features exclusive powers not found in the iPhone version, along with female Pygmies. In addition, the social elements here allow you to sacrifice your own friends, if you'd like to prove a point or just be a bit naughty.
It should be noted that when you first play the game, Pocket God is one that requires you to allow automatic wall posting in order to actually install the game. This can be turned off however via your Privacy Settings page, if you'd prefer not to see an infinite number of Pocket God related posts appear on your wall without your knowledge.
If you'd like to put these adorable, yet helpless little Pygmies through some amusing deaths, or even put your friends on the proverbial chopping block (all in good fun of course), give this one a try.
Play Pocket God on Facebook -->
Have you played Pocket God on the iPhone or Facebook? How do you think this Facebook version stands up to the original?
CityVille Holiday Decorations still without payout increases
While you're building that massive Holiday Tree for your city in CityVille, why not add some places for your citizens to finish that last minute shopping? In a recent update the game, Zynga added a few new Businesses to the game in addition to some decorations, but they still have no stats attached to them. Check it out:
Gingerbread Man (2 City Cash)
Saint Bernard (5 City Cash)
Lawn Carolers (10 City Cash)
Mall Santa (30 City Cash)
In what we hope is a bug, those four decorations have zero payout increases attached to them. A word to the wise, avoid these decorations until an official statement has been made by Zynga in the forums or the developer stealthily changes them. Until then, enjoy some new Businesses to prep your people for the big day.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have you purchased any of these decorations yet? Would you buy those decorations regardless of what we hope is a bug?
Gingerbread Man (2 City Cash)
Saint Bernard (5 City Cash)
Lawn Carolers (10 City Cash)
Mall Santa (30 City Cash)
In what we hope is a bug, those four decorations have zero payout increases attached to them. A word to the wise, avoid these decorations until an official statement has been made by Zynga in the forums or the developer stealthily changes them. Until then, enjoy some new Businesses to prep your people for the big day.
Find the rest of our Holiday 2010 coverage right here.
Have you purchased any of these decorations yet? Would you buy those decorations regardless of what we hope is a bug?
Thứ Năm, 12 tháng 1, 2012
FishVille Game Suffers a Case of the 'Blah's Over First Weekend
FishVille, the Facebook game that tasks players with raising and selling fish while maintaining several virtual aquariums, is off to a rocky start on its first weekend. The game, which launched last week, has suffered a temporary case of the blahs (as in all of the popup text in the game simply said 'blah, blah" rather than actual words).
FishVille gets a case of the blahs
On Sunday morning, we logged in to find a notification that FishVille was "not available due to problems with a third-party developer." FishVille community manager Parizad says that the hiccup is "temporary" but there's no ETA when the game will return (and if the fish you've bought will still be alive).
fishville-unavailable
This naturally brings up the larger topic: how resilient are players to games that launch in an incomplete state? So far it largely seems to depend on the game. For games with more universal appeal, i.e. Cafe World and FarmVille, it doesn't seem to be a problem. Is FishVille a compelling enough game to keep people hooked during the debugging phase? We'll see in the next few weeks.
Related Stories:
- FishVille or FarmVille: Which Will You Play?
- FishVille - First Look Video!
- FishVille Bubbles Up on Facebook
FishVille gets a case of the blahs
On Sunday morning, we logged in to find a notification that FishVille was "not available due to problems with a third-party developer." FishVille community manager Parizad says that the hiccup is "temporary" but there's no ETA when the game will return (and if the fish you've bought will still be alive).
fishville-unavailable
This naturally brings up the larger topic: how resilient are players to games that launch in an incomplete state? So far it largely seems to depend on the game. For games with more universal appeal, i.e. Cafe World and FarmVille, it doesn't seem to be a problem. Is FishVille a compelling enough game to keep people hooked during the debugging phase? We'll see in the next few weeks.
Related Stories:
- FishVille or FarmVille: Which Will You Play?
- FishVille - First Look Video!
- FishVille Bubbles Up on Facebook
Playfish Boss Explains EA Buyout: Exclusive Interview!
Following this morning's dramatic announcement that game giant Electronic Arts is buying casual gamer maker Playfish for a reported $400 million, Playfish COO Sebastien de Halleux talked to Games.com first about the implications for the social gaming industry, and for hit games such as Pet Society and Restaurant City.
"The basics is that this is not going to change anything much for users, specifically -- only that some of the franchises in the hardcore space will be looked at more seriously [in terms of social gaming]," de Halleux says.
de Halleux hesitated to tell us any specific EA franchises (like Madden, Burnout, Tiger Woods) that he'd like to turn into social games ("I'd like to turn that question back to you," he says), but he did namecheck Scrabble and Spore specifically during the conversation.
Even though Playfish will be working closely with EA to bring some of its 'hardcore' games to the social gaming world, Playfish will still operate independently (for now) and de Halleux and the other founders will stay with the company post-sale.
"When we started two years ago in a small room in London, we never imagined that this would go so quickly," he says.
As for Electronic Arts tolerance on upselling offers (some considered 'scammy') to consumers in exchange for free virtual currency, de Halleux says the transactions in Pet Society, et al will move forward status quo. "There's no plan to change any of the games or any motivation or techniques that we use, which are all very respectful of the users," he says, adding that a small portion of Playfish's total revenue comes from these offers.
"We are strong believers that the game industry is changing," he says, "and now [with EA behind them] we will be able to affect that change faster than before."
"The basics is that this is not going to change anything much for users, specifically -- only that some of the franchises in the hardcore space will be looked at more seriously [in terms of social gaming]," de Halleux says.
de Halleux hesitated to tell us any specific EA franchises (like Madden, Burnout, Tiger Woods) that he'd like to turn into social games ("I'd like to turn that question back to you," he says), but he did namecheck Scrabble and Spore specifically during the conversation.
Even though Playfish will be working closely with EA to bring some of its 'hardcore' games to the social gaming world, Playfish will still operate independently (for now) and de Halleux and the other founders will stay with the company post-sale.
"When we started two years ago in a small room in London, we never imagined that this would go so quickly," he says.
As for Electronic Arts tolerance on upselling offers (some considered 'scammy') to consumers in exchange for free virtual currency, de Halleux says the transactions in Pet Society, et al will move forward status quo. "There's no plan to change any of the games or any motivation or techniques that we use, which are all very respectful of the users," he says, adding that a small portion of Playfish's total revenue comes from these offers.
"We are strong believers that the game industry is changing," he says, "and now [with EA behind them] we will be able to affect that change faster than before."
Zynga Pulls Controversial 'Offers' from FarmVille, Other Games
After week-long media coverage of scammy offers on FarmVille and other Zynga games which offer free in-game currency in exchange for signing up for subscriptions (some legit, some not) -- the company has pulled the offers from all of its games.
zynga pulls offers
"Zynga has not been able to control the ad content as it is managed by the offer companies we work with," Zynga CEO Mark Pincus says on his blog, "there fore we are removing all CPA offers across Zynga games until we can control their inclusion and presentation ourselves."
This statement is a big deal, considering that these offers purportedly account for 30% of Zynga's revenue. This is all on the heels of being called out for offering customers deals with scammy advertisers, which was followed by an outburst and outing of a CEO from one of the companies that serves these ads to Zynga and many other social gaming companies.
zynga pulls offers
"Zynga has not been able to control the ad content as it is managed by the offer companies we work with," Zynga CEO Mark Pincus says on his blog, "there fore we are removing all CPA offers across Zynga games until we can control their inclusion and presentation ourselves."
This statement is a big deal, considering that these offers purportedly account for 30% of Zynga's revenue. This is all on the heels of being called out for offering customers deals with scammy advertisers, which was followed by an outburst and outing of a CEO from one of the companies that serves these ads to Zynga and many other social gaming companies.
Horror Flick or Mystery Case Files Game Trailer? You Decide
The trailer for the brand new Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove game (launch date TBD, sometime this year) has arrived, and it looks like the latest in the popular hidden object game series is cribbing from horror flicks like Paranormal Activity and the Blair Witch Project. Based on the trailer, it also looks like the new hidden object game will include full-motion video. Will we find objects and then cut to a movie-like cutscene and then back again? Or, will videos be part of the clues we find in each setting?
Big Fish is mum on the details at the moment, but have to admit -- we never expected a so-called "casual" game to have a trailer this compelling (or creepy).
Never played Mystery Case Files? Try them on Games.com now.
- Mystery Case Files: Huntsville
- Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
- Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
- More Mystery Case Files
Big Fish is mum on the details at the moment, but have to admit -- we never expected a so-called "casual" game to have a trailer this compelling (or creepy).
Never played Mystery Case Files? Try them on Games.com now.
- Mystery Case Files: Huntsville
- Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
- Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
- More Mystery Case Files
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Coming November 25
Tap into your inner gumshoe to crack the case behind four missing college students in this new hidden object game -- Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove. A special edition version of the new hidden object game from Big Fish will be ready for download starting November 25. In addition to the game, you'll get access to hidden content, bonus puzzles, a strategy guide and early access to the game (the regular version of the game will arrive in early December).
mystery case files: dire grove
Like the rest of the popular Mystery Case Files games, players must solve puzzles, which unlock clues used to solve the case. Dire Grove dials up the tension by incorporating Blair Witch Project style shaky cam segments into the game, and -- from what we've seen so far -- give you that feeling of dread right in the stomach.
The Collector's Edition costs $19.99 and is only available to Big Fish Game Club members. The standard version will have a free trial and will cost $6.99.
Related:
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Launch Trailer
Never played Mystery Case Files? Try them on Games.com now.
- Mystery Case Files: Huntsville
- Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
- Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
- More Mystery Case Files
mystery case files: dire grove
Like the rest of the popular Mystery Case Files games, players must solve puzzles, which unlock clues used to solve the case. Dire Grove dials up the tension by incorporating Blair Witch Project style shaky cam segments into the game, and -- from what we've seen so far -- give you that feeling of dread right in the stomach.
The Collector's Edition costs $19.99 and is only available to Big Fish Game Club members. The standard version will have a free trial and will cost $6.99.
Related:
Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove Launch Trailer
Never played Mystery Case Files? Try them on Games.com now.
- Mystery Case Files: Huntsville
- Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
- Mystery Case Files: Prime Suspects
- More Mystery Case Files
Thứ Ba, 10 tháng 1, 2012
Zynga co-founder places bets on Kixeye; is hardcore where it's at?
Zynga co-founder Andrew Trader (pictured) has traded in his plow for a panzer tank. Information Week reports that the other half to Zynga's hugely-successful whole has taken a seat on Backyard Monsters creator Kixeye's board.
"KIXEYE has emerged as the leading innovator of social games for core gamers," the former VP of sales and business development for the FarmVille maker said in a statement. "Gamers want great games, not re-skinned versions of the same thing." (Whoa, was that a left hook I just saw or an uppercut?)
Perhaps this is a reaction to the number of infringement lawsuits filed against his alma mater in the past few months alone from companies like The Learning Company, SocialApps and most recently Brazilian developer Vostu. It's even more interesting that Trader, who left Zynga last year, says this considering hardcore developers like Kabam have come under fire from Kixeye for that very issue. If Trader was looking to get away from the copycat wars between Facebook game developers, he certainly didn't travel far enough.
However, it's worth asking whether hardcore is the future on Facebook when the co-founder of arguably the most valuable gaming company ever has taken deep enough interest in a social game developer for the hardcore niche. (It's strange to call hardcore gaming a "niche" on Facebook, considering it has dominated elsewhere for 30 years.) Maybe Trader is right: There are nearly 80 million Facebook gamers playing these hardcore-style strategy games on Facebook, after all. And if there's anyone with the foresight to point out the next big thing on Facebook, it's the guy who planted seeds that grew into a $20 billion company.
"KIXEYE has emerged as the leading innovator of social games for core gamers," the former VP of sales and business development for the FarmVille maker said in a statement. "Gamers want great games, not re-skinned versions of the same thing." (Whoa, was that a left hook I just saw or an uppercut?)
Perhaps this is a reaction to the number of infringement lawsuits filed against his alma mater in the past few months alone from companies like The Learning Company, SocialApps and most recently Brazilian developer Vostu. It's even more interesting that Trader, who left Zynga last year, says this considering hardcore developers like Kabam have come under fire from Kixeye for that very issue. If Trader was looking to get away from the copycat wars between Facebook game developers, he certainly didn't travel far enough.
However, it's worth asking whether hardcore is the future on Facebook when the co-founder of arguably the most valuable gaming company ever has taken deep enough interest in a social game developer for the hardcore niche. (It's strange to call hardcore gaming a "niche" on Facebook, considering it has dominated elsewhere for 30 years.) Maybe Trader is right: There are nearly 80 million Facebook gamers playing these hardcore-style strategy games on Facebook, after all. And if there's anyone with the foresight to point out the next big thing on Facebook, it's the guy who planted seeds that grew into a $20 billion company.
Words with Friends is live on Facebook; can you spell 'H-O-O-K-E-D?'
We sure hope so, because that's what you'll be this weekend on Facebook. Zynga has officially released Words with Friends to Facebook, and it's basically what millions already love about the mobile game on, well, Facebook. And we say that it's no different because the game will literally import your existing Words with Friends games from your iOS or Android device.
From there, you can pick up and play games from either Facebook or your mobile device and back again.In other words, you officially have no reason to ignore your friends' game requests. Yes, even if you're scared of losing miserably to that one literati friend that preys on your sub-200 scores.
The game brings in a number of new features as well, namely Brag Feeds. These allow players to call out their friends publicly on their News Feed for owning them with that nasty triple word score. And, just like on your iPhone, Words with Friends for Facebook will send your opponent notifications of their turn through requests.
Words with Friends Facebook in action
Finally, you can challenge your friends directly through the News Feed to new games, which of course can be picked up on your iOS or Android device. And keep in mind, this is a first for Zynga, as never before has the company ported one of its mobile games to Facebook. (It's usually the other way around.) Though, this game originally is Newtoy's creation, the developer Zynga purchased this year to create one of its mobile studios, Zynga with Friends. Original game or not, we know exactly where you'll be this weekend. Don't worry, we'll be right there with you, racking up awesome triple word scores as all get out.
From there, you can pick up and play games from either Facebook or your mobile device and back again.In other words, you officially have no reason to ignore your friends' game requests. Yes, even if you're scared of losing miserably to that one literati friend that preys on your sub-200 scores.
The game brings in a number of new features as well, namely Brag Feeds. These allow players to call out their friends publicly on their News Feed for owning them with that nasty triple word score. And, just like on your iPhone, Words with Friends for Facebook will send your opponent notifications of their turn through requests.
Words with Friends Facebook in action
Finally, you can challenge your friends directly through the News Feed to new games, which of course can be picked up on your iOS or Android device. And keep in mind, this is a first for Zynga, as never before has the company ported one of its mobile games to Facebook. (It's usually the other way around.) Though, this game originally is Newtoy's creation, the developer Zynga purchased this year to create one of its mobile studios, Zynga with Friends. Original game or not, we know exactly where you'll be this weekend. Don't worry, we'll be right there with you, racking up awesome triple word scores as all get out.
Saved By The Bell YouTube game revisits Saturday mornings of old
Remember when you used to wake up on Saturday mornings before noon? It was to watch Saved By The Bell, wasn't it? The Fine Brothers, a YouTube video troupe, have launched an interactive YouTube game surrounding your favorite kids show. (And don't try to say it wasn't--everyone loved that show.)
The game pits you in three classic scenarios from the short-lived morning show that unfortunately shaped nearly every actors' career who starred in it. (Honesty, did you know really know Slater as Mario Lopez before he hosted Extra?) Better yet, it's presented exactly how video games were at the time: in beautiful 16-bit, Super Nintendo-style graphics and music.
Whenever the Saved By The Bell theme enters your head, it'll probably be in MIDI form from now on. Of course, the gameplay doesn't reach farther than, "Click this button before something bad happens!" But that doesn't detract from The Fine Brothers' spot-on humor nor the game's undeniable nostalgia level.
Seriously, these guys bring up things from the show that will have you laughing out loud in your cubicle. Get started with the game below, and the links will take you through a series of separate mini videos. Say goodbye to the next 10 minutes of your Friday. You're welcome.
The game pits you in three classic scenarios from the short-lived morning show that unfortunately shaped nearly every actors' career who starred in it. (Honesty, did you know really know Slater as Mario Lopez before he hosted Extra?) Better yet, it's presented exactly how video games were at the time: in beautiful 16-bit, Super Nintendo-style graphics and music.
Whenever the Saved By The Bell theme enters your head, it'll probably be in MIDI form from now on. Of course, the gameplay doesn't reach farther than, "Click this button before something bad happens!" But that doesn't detract from The Fine Brothers' spot-on humor nor the game's undeniable nostalgia level.
Seriously, these guys bring up things from the show that will have you laughing out loud in your cubicle. Get started with the game below, and the links will take you through a series of separate mini videos. Say goodbye to the next 10 minutes of your Friday. You're welcome.
Dragon Age: Legends dev becomes BioWare San Francisco; could a Mass Effect Facebook game be on the way?
EA2D may not be a readily familiar name in the social gaming space, but I bet many of you have heard of their popular Facebook game - a tie-in to the popular console game Dragon Age called Dragon Age: Legends. This past week, EA underwent some corporate changes, and a very big change has occurred with EA2D in the process: They've been absorbed into the BioWare developer group, and will be renamed BioWare San Francisco.
While no other details about the company's future games have been released, let's speculate a bit. Since Dragon Age: Legends on Facebook launched at around the same time as Dragon Age 2 on consoles, does this transition to a true BioWare development studio mean that we'll see other Facebook games based on BioWare's hugely successful console properties? With Mass Effect 3 launching next year, will we see a Facebook game tie-in that will allow users to earn rewards for the console game by playing (as was the case with Dragon Age: Legends)? As a huge Mass Effect fan, my brain is drooling at the thought of free, exclusive goodies for my console character, so if this does turn out to be the start of another tie-in (or 12) with BioWare's games on Facebook, we'll make sure to let you know.
While no other details about the company's future games have been released, let's speculate a bit. Since Dragon Age: Legends on Facebook launched at around the same time as Dragon Age 2 on consoles, does this transition to a true BioWare development studio mean that we'll see other Facebook games based on BioWare's hugely successful console properties? With Mass Effect 3 launching next year, will we see a Facebook game tie-in that will allow users to earn rewards for the console game by playing (as was the case with Dragon Age: Legends)? As a huge Mass Effect fan, my brain is drooling at the thought of free, exclusive goodies for my console character, so if this does turn out to be the start of another tie-in (or 12) with BioWare's games on Facebook, we'll make sure to let you know.
The Domino's Noid triumphantly returns in ... a Facebook advergame
I've been waiting years, people, years for the Noid to return in something more than a t-shirt. And now, the infamous Domino's Pizza mascot has made his re-entry into the minds of children of the '80s and '90s with ... a Facebook advergame? You know what, after this long since a real Noid video game, I'll take it. Titled "Noid's Super Pizza Shootout," the game looks and plays just like the arcade light gun games of the '90s, and was released to honor the weird bunny suit-wearing toon's 25th anniversary.
The game essentially amounts to a shooting gallery of pizza, tomatoes and Noid. Lots of Noid, and I love it. (I know, I know, it's an advergame. But it's a dang fun one.) Players must use the mouse to aim and shoot at as many pizza pies as possible while Noid throws tomatoes at you for extra points. Shooting a sign with Noid's face on it--or Noid himself as he is so wont to swoop in unannounced--will deduct points from your score.
Perhaps it's an uncontrollable nostalgia for all things retro, or maybe I'm just craving pizza at 10 a.m., but Noid's Super Pizza Shootout is a fun distraction for a few minutes. It's certainly not something you'll revisit over and over again--unless, of course, you really want one of those free pizza coupons at stake. Of course, you need to "Like" the Domino's Facebook page to play, but you could always remove that from your profile later if you're not to keen on associating yourself with it since ... you know.
Domino's Noid Facebook game
The game essentially amounts to a shooting gallery of pizza, tomatoes and Noid. Lots of Noid, and I love it. (I know, I know, it's an advergame. But it's a dang fun one.) Players must use the mouse to aim and shoot at as many pizza pies as possible while Noid throws tomatoes at you for extra points. Shooting a sign with Noid's face on it--or Noid himself as he is so wont to swoop in unannounced--will deduct points from your score.
Perhaps it's an uncontrollable nostalgia for all things retro, or maybe I'm just craving pizza at 10 a.m., but Noid's Super Pizza Shootout is a fun distraction for a few minutes. It's certainly not something you'll revisit over and over again--unless, of course, you really want one of those free pizza coupons at stake. Of course, you need to "Like" the Domino's Facebook page to play, but you could always remove that from your profile later if you're not to keen on associating yourself with it since ... you know.
Domino's Noid Facebook game
Thứ Hai, 9 tháng 1, 2012
Facebook games partnerships gig given to former LiveJournal CEO
Sean Ryan (pictured), who previously worked for News Corp. creating an online games division, is now director of games partnerships at Facebook, VentureBeat reports. The position had been open since August before the decision was finally made to take Ryan on, who also previously served as CEO for Meez, a virtual world for teenagers and LiveJournal, a once popular blogging service before the turn of the decade.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Now, don't get too excited--Facebook will not be making its own games anytime soon if ever. Ryan will purely foster the social network's relationships with developers like Zynga, Playdom, Playfish and more. In other words, it's this guy's job to keep dudes like Zynga CEO Mark Pincus peachy keen.
This is a smart move by Facebook, which hasn't had a stellar track record of catering both to gamers and non-gamers alike. Though, the company did recently create a new development division solely for improving the gaming experience on the site. It seems as if Facebook is finally serious about the half of its users that enjoy these games, which aren't going away anytime soon.
Starz sending Spartacus Facebook game into the arena this month
Forget Mafia Wars, real warriors fight with sword and shield in hand, nothing but a loin cloth protecting their bodies. No? Well, Starz seems to think so as the network will soon launch a Facebook game surrounding its hit series, Spartacus. Fox News reports that the game, officially titled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and published by 6waves (the same folks working on that mysterious Kobe Bryant game), will be available come Jan. 20. Just in time for the show's six-episode mini-series coming Jan. 21, this will be one of the first TV shows to get its own social game, according to Fox News. Well, unless you count that weird soap opera game in the U.K.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
"Given its powerful characters and larger-than-life story lines, few television properties have as much potential for innovative social game play as does 'Spartacus," Marc DeBevoise, SVP of digital media and business development strategy for Starz Media, told Fox News. "We are excited to make our social media gaming debut and be one of the early networks to bring a branded TV property to the social gaming universe."
Unsurprisingly, the game will be similar to Mafia Wars in that it will allow players to run their own gladiator school and partake in Roman role play, according to Fox News. We almost don't want to know what that last part means. Stay tuned for a preview when the game finally launches sometime this month, because now we just gotta' know what this "Roman role play" nonsense is all about.
CityVille Franchise update patches issue with deleting HQ
Franchise Deleting Confirmation
You can lift your fingers from that big red button now, mayors. Zynga introduced a small update to CityVille yesterday that, when opting to delete a Franchise Headquarters, causes a pop up confirmation message to appear. The message, pictured above, asks players to confirm whether they would like the HQ to be sent to their inventory, which is somewhat old news.
Before this change, all deleting a Franchise HQ did was send it to your inventory. This change, well, informs you of that, giving you a chance to stop it. This must have been a pretty major issue to warrant what appears to be a reactive update. This change comes after several recent tweaks to the game's interface, optimizing several aspects of gameplay that before took several actions to perform. Considering the game is little more than a month old, we doubt this marks the end of game fixes and changes.
You can lift your fingers from that big red button now, mayors. Zynga introduced a small update to CityVille yesterday that, when opting to delete a Franchise Headquarters, causes a pop up confirmation message to appear. The message, pictured above, asks players to confirm whether they would like the HQ to be sent to their inventory, which is somewhat old news.
Before this change, all deleting a Franchise HQ did was send it to your inventory. This change, well, informs you of that, giving you a chance to stop it. This must have been a pretty major issue to warrant what appears to be a reactive update. This change comes after several recent tweaks to the game's interface, optimizing several aspects of gameplay that before took several actions to perform. Considering the game is little more than a month old, we doubt this marks the end of game fixes and changes.
Wishful Features: A FrontierVille animations toggle button
FrontierVille is intense
Ever visit that one Neighbor in FrontierVille who happens to be somewhat of an overachiever? You know who I'm talking about. Almost everyone has that one friend who is Level 150 with the biggest homestead available, every animated decoration out there and his legion of Chickens (see above) for all to see. Did I say "for all to see?" Sorry, what I meant to say was, "for all to cringe in horror as their browsers freeze and processors melt through the surface of their four-year-old laptops."
At least the first part of that vision should be familiar with a good lot of you. And it isn't just the sharp visuals in FrontierVille that are to blame. It's the animations. If you haven't noticed, just about every animal, building and holiday item slash decoration has an animation attached. Sure, most animations are simple one-second-long loops, but multiply that by the amount of items that litter most veteran players' homesteads and it's enough to send the average computer into hiding.
Sure, that Graphics Quality toggle helps a bit, but for those who have yet to--bear with me here--upgrade their primary Facebook-gaming machine in the past few years, Flash-based games (i.e. almost all Facebook games) are going to punish the average computer. It might sound ridiculous that we're talking about computer upgrades on Games.com, but rest assured this is all coming from someone who easily falls into the camp of "average computer" face first with a three-year-old HP Pavilion laptop. I will be the first to tell you that computers do not age like sharp cheese or fine wine, but more like mold on bread or Keith Richards.
With 250 million players, it should be safe to assume that the majority of social gamers are probably in the same boat. So, Zynga, why not add a similar option to the Graphics Quality toggle in FrontierVille? Make it so that players with less-than-favorable computing situations can actually pay their more technologically advanced friends a visit every once in a while. If players are already making liberal use of the Graphics Quality toggle in nearly every game they play (at least I need to), then turning off a few idle character animations isn't going to make the visual FrontierVille experience that much worse. Your fellow pioneers seem to agree.
Ever visit that one Neighbor in FrontierVille who happens to be somewhat of an overachiever? You know who I'm talking about. Almost everyone has that one friend who is Level 150 with the biggest homestead available, every animated decoration out there and his legion of Chickens (see above) for all to see. Did I say "for all to see?" Sorry, what I meant to say was, "for all to cringe in horror as their browsers freeze and processors melt through the surface of their four-year-old laptops."
At least the first part of that vision should be familiar with a good lot of you. And it isn't just the sharp visuals in FrontierVille that are to blame. It's the animations. If you haven't noticed, just about every animal, building and holiday item slash decoration has an animation attached. Sure, most animations are simple one-second-long loops, but multiply that by the amount of items that litter most veteran players' homesteads and it's enough to send the average computer into hiding.
Sure, that Graphics Quality toggle helps a bit, but for those who have yet to--bear with me here--upgrade their primary Facebook-gaming machine in the past few years, Flash-based games (i.e. almost all Facebook games) are going to punish the average computer. It might sound ridiculous that we're talking about computer upgrades on Games.com, but rest assured this is all coming from someone who easily falls into the camp of "average computer" face first with a three-year-old HP Pavilion laptop. I will be the first to tell you that computers do not age like sharp cheese or fine wine, but more like mold on bread or Keith Richards.
With 250 million players, it should be safe to assume that the majority of social gamers are probably in the same boat. So, Zynga, why not add a similar option to the Graphics Quality toggle in FrontierVille? Make it so that players with less-than-favorable computing situations can actually pay their more technologically advanced friends a visit every once in a while. If players are already making liberal use of the Graphics Quality toggle in nearly every game they play (at least I need to), then turning off a few idle character animations isn't going to make the visual FrontierVille experience that much worse. Your fellow pioneers seem to agree.
FrontierVille Playtime II Timed Mission now available
Way back on the 17 of December, we brought you a sneak peek of a then unreleased time mission in FrontierVille that we believed would be coming to the game in the future. Well, the future is now, as the Playtime II Timed Mission is now available to complete for a limited time.
As we told you last month, you'll have just two days after accepting this mission to complete it on your Frontier. the mission requires three tasks to be completed:
Craft 20 Planks
Collect 10 Metal Bars
Collect 10 Wood Rasps
You must accept this mission by January 14 in order to be able to complete it in your game, and you'll receive a See-Saw decorative item, 250 XP, and 1,000 coins for completing the mission before your two days are over.
You'll of course need to have plenty of help from friends in order to finish this mission on time, but it definitely isn't impossible. Happy gaming!
As we told you last month, you'll have just two days after accepting this mission to complete it on your Frontier. the mission requires three tasks to be completed:
Craft 20 Planks
Collect 10 Metal Bars
Collect 10 Wood Rasps
You must accept this mission by January 14 in order to be able to complete it in your game, and you'll receive a See-Saw decorative item, 250 XP, and 1,000 coins for completing the mission before your two days are over.
You'll of course need to have plenty of help from friends in order to finish this mission on time, but it definitely isn't impossible. Happy gaming!
Thứ Bảy, 7 tháng 1, 2012
FarmVille encourages meetups in 250+ cities on February 27
Zynga has just announced a brand new meetup, and it's happening in the city near you. FarmVille is utilizing Meetup.com in order to connect players with each other for a real world meetup on February 27th. To participate, you simply need to visit this site to find the meetup that is closest to you. If you can find one, you can signup as an attendee so that others know you are coming. If you don't find a meetup in your area, you can start one and signup as the organizer for the group.
So far there are 250 meetups ranging from 1 attendee up to 8 attendees, however this was just announced and things are just getting started. There are meetups in large cities such as New York City and Las Vegas and smaller cities like Kenosha, WI. There are also meetups being formed outside the United States, such as Cairo and Sydney.
We're not exactly sure why February 27th was the chosen date, but it is a Sunday and is a few short weeks from now. For more information, view the official FarmVille blog.
Will you be attending a FarmVille meetup?
So far there are 250 meetups ranging from 1 attendee up to 8 attendees, however this was just announced and things are just getting started. There are meetups in large cities such as New York City and Las Vegas and smaller cities like Kenosha, WI. There are also meetups being formed outside the United States, such as Cairo and Sydney.
We're not exactly sure why February 27th was the chosen date, but it is a Sunday and is a few short weeks from now. For more information, view the official FarmVille blog.
Will you be attending a FarmVille meetup?
Win Farm Cash in the official FarmVille Valentine's Contest
Farmville valentines contest
You didn't think a holiday would go by without a FarmVille farm decorating contest, did you? Today, Zynga have announced their newest contest and it's bound to be romantic. All you have to do is submit a screenshot of your farm all decked out in Valentine's Day decorations to be eligible. Of course, with entries like the one above from MRWright1982, the competition seems to be pretty stiff.
The top 10 farms as chosen by Zynga will win 500 Farm Cash and 500,000 coins. Entries will be accepted until February 14th at 6:00pm PST, and the winners will be announced on February 15th. The farms will be judged on originality, effort, and presentation - however no Photoshopped entries will be allowed.
If you'd like to participate, head on over to the official Valentine's Day contest thread and reply with your entry! There is no harm in trying, and the winner gets their farm picture shared to millions of people on the FarmVille wall. Can't beat that!
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
You didn't think a holiday would go by without a FarmVille farm decorating contest, did you? Today, Zynga have announced their newest contest and it's bound to be romantic. All you have to do is submit a screenshot of your farm all decked out in Valentine's Day decorations to be eligible. Of course, with entries like the one above from MRWright1982, the competition seems to be pretty stiff.
The top 10 farms as chosen by Zynga will win 500 Farm Cash and 500,000 coins. Entries will be accepted until February 14th at 6:00pm PST, and the winners will be announced on February 15th. The farms will be judged on originality, effort, and presentation - however no Photoshopped entries will be allowed.
If you'd like to participate, head on over to the official Valentine's Day contest thread and reply with your entry! There is no harm in trying, and the winner gets their farm picture shared to millions of people on the FarmVille wall. Can't beat that!
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Game of the Day: Virtual Villagers
The game of the day pays homage to humans early days. Virtual Villagers is an an online game classic. Manage the lives of your tiny village and help them grow. Control village resources, harvest foods and even grow virtual village families! In Virtual Villagers you have to guide them in learning how to survive in this real-time simulation game.
Click here to play Virtual Villagers
Click here to play Virtual Villagers
Carmen Sandiego on Facebook: Promote this gem to comissioner
Carmen Sandiego City Screen
Remember bringing an encyclopedia to school on computer class day just to increase your chances at bringing Carmen Sandiego to justice? Alright, maybe I was the only kid who was that devoted, but Oregon Trail creator Blue Fang and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's The Learning Company understand. Both based in Massachusetts, the two companies joined forces to bring the international detective series into the social age of gaming. Players assume the role of an international detective, following clues across the globe with the help of their friends and eventually locking up suspects. They will increase in level and gain promotions with friend recommendations, which will open more cases and ultimately lead to hunting down the elusive Carmen Sandiego.
"When we approached [Carmen Sandiego], we wanted to make the best Carmen Sandiego experience period," says Blue Fang studio director Eduardo Baraf. "It wasn't about necessarily about building it to the definitions of the Facebook platform." And after a detailed preview with Laura Rapalski, the game's producer, it's hard to not feel at least optimistic.
Case Select Screen
It's immediately noticeable upon entering the game that Blue Fang was faithful to the source material. While this edition of Carmen Sandiego takes on a more modern look than its predecessors, its influences are apparent through both the game's layout and presentation. It's refreshing to see how faithful Blue Fang remained to the locations in the game as well, displaying the signs of buildings in a country's native language. (Remember, Carmen Sandiego is an educational game.) Just like the original you will take on cases, find clues narrowing down the potential suspect, issue a warrant and make the arrest.
Not much has changed when it comes to this core (if repetitive) play style, but it's the enhanced social interaction and how the game takes advantage of the Facebook platform that make it unique. While on your travels, every stop made internationally consumes time. Each case can only be solved in a certain amount of time, so paying attention to the clues carefully pays off. But think of the time you have as if it were Energy in another social game; players can pay up in Facebook Credits or tap their friends to save travel time. But that still doesn't save you from figuring out the clues and using them effectively.
Luckily you have your Facebook friends to help you. Players can ping one another for help with clues via News Feed posts. This clever feature isn't linear in that a friend responds to the request by pressing a button-they'll have to answer as best they can naturally. "The effect with some of the questions is that's how people end up having a conversation about the cities and where they've been," Baraf says. "Ultimately, starting the dialog and having these exchanges will be rewarding as well because Carmen Sandiego has always been an international product."
Received a Clue
It looks like this will promote brainstorming and critical thinking as well, but there's always Google. In fact, the team even expects you to use search engines in replace of the encyclopedia we all had at our side while playing as kids. Once a case is solved, it's essentially rinse and repeat. But finding Ms. Sandiego will later become much more dangerous.
While your friends can help you during cases in many ways, that might not be their purpose forever. Blue Fang hinted that players can define their own features through a character sheet as if they were suspects. Currently, this is just for show, but as the game progresses this information will become extremely important. Again, it's clear why Blue Fang was chosen to take on this series. Regardless of whether Blue Fang can pull off a smooth launch, Carmen Sandiego for Facebook looks like more than just a social adaptation of the original games. This is the next step for the franchise.
Remember bringing an encyclopedia to school on computer class day just to increase your chances at bringing Carmen Sandiego to justice? Alright, maybe I was the only kid who was that devoted, but Oregon Trail creator Blue Fang and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's The Learning Company understand. Both based in Massachusetts, the two companies joined forces to bring the international detective series into the social age of gaming. Players assume the role of an international detective, following clues across the globe with the help of their friends and eventually locking up suspects. They will increase in level and gain promotions with friend recommendations, which will open more cases and ultimately lead to hunting down the elusive Carmen Sandiego.
"When we approached [Carmen Sandiego], we wanted to make the best Carmen Sandiego experience period," says Blue Fang studio director Eduardo Baraf. "It wasn't about necessarily about building it to the definitions of the Facebook platform." And after a detailed preview with Laura Rapalski, the game's producer, it's hard to not feel at least optimistic.
Case Select Screen
It's immediately noticeable upon entering the game that Blue Fang was faithful to the source material. While this edition of Carmen Sandiego takes on a more modern look than its predecessors, its influences are apparent through both the game's layout and presentation. It's refreshing to see how faithful Blue Fang remained to the locations in the game as well, displaying the signs of buildings in a country's native language. (Remember, Carmen Sandiego is an educational game.) Just like the original you will take on cases, find clues narrowing down the potential suspect, issue a warrant and make the arrest.
Not much has changed when it comes to this core (if repetitive) play style, but it's the enhanced social interaction and how the game takes advantage of the Facebook platform that make it unique. While on your travels, every stop made internationally consumes time. Each case can only be solved in a certain amount of time, so paying attention to the clues carefully pays off. But think of the time you have as if it were Energy in another social game; players can pay up in Facebook Credits or tap their friends to save travel time. But that still doesn't save you from figuring out the clues and using them effectively.
Luckily you have your Facebook friends to help you. Players can ping one another for help with clues via News Feed posts. This clever feature isn't linear in that a friend responds to the request by pressing a button-they'll have to answer as best they can naturally. "The effect with some of the questions is that's how people end up having a conversation about the cities and where they've been," Baraf says. "Ultimately, starting the dialog and having these exchanges will be rewarding as well because Carmen Sandiego has always been an international product."
Received a Clue
It looks like this will promote brainstorming and critical thinking as well, but there's always Google. In fact, the team even expects you to use search engines in replace of the encyclopedia we all had at our side while playing as kids. Once a case is solved, it's essentially rinse and repeat. But finding Ms. Sandiego will later become much more dangerous.
While your friends can help you during cases in many ways, that might not be their purpose forever. Blue Fang hinted that players can define their own features through a character sheet as if they were suspects. Currently, this is just for show, but as the game progresses this information will become extremely important. Again, it's clear why Blue Fang was chosen to take on this series. Regardless of whether Blue Fang can pull off a smooth launch, Carmen Sandiego for Facebook looks like more than just a social adaptation of the original games. This is the next step for the franchise.
FrontierVille Valentine's Day Card made lovingly with (virtual) Roses
It was only a matter of time before someone put FrontierVille's Rose crops to good use. Pioneer and FrontierVille Info reader Alpha 595 has created likely the cutest gesture ever to spawn from a Facebook game. He crafted a Valentine's Day e-card by meticulously planting White and Red Roses to spell his girlfriend's name, Sami, and draw a heart. Throw in some crafty PhotoShop work and--voila--a Valentine's Card brimming with cute. You know you guys out there almost man-teared when looking at this (was it just me?). We just hope the lucky lady is also a FrontierVille player or this likely won't get the same heartfelt reception.
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Have you made any lovely Valentine's gestures via social games? What's your preferred method of saying "I love you" on that special day?
[Image Credit: FrontierVille Info]
Check out the rest of our Valentine's Day 2011 coverage right here.
Have you made any lovely Valentine's gestures via social games? What's your preferred method of saying "I love you" on that special day?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Poll: Should FarmVille, Zynga in-game ad promotions be global?
McDonalds
Zynga recently released its Stouffer's frozen foods in-game promotion in FarmVille. All players were given a free Mac & Cheese tree as well as a free Instant Grow for their crops. Well, we shouldn't say "all" players as the promotion is only available for FarmVille players in the US. Of course, this mad several farmers in our comments sections furious, and rightfully so.
However, is it even in Zynga's best interest to make its advertising campaigns universal? For instance, Stouffer's frozen dinners aren't available all over the world. (Though, they are available in Canada, which did not receive the promotion.) Or remember way back to what was supposed to be the first ever sponsored crop, peanuts? Yet at the last minute, either Israeli sponsor Saatchi and Saatchi pulled out or Zynga deemed them unfit for a US promotion. So with all that said:
Should Zynga's in-game ad promotions be global?
Of course! How are they going to forget such a big audience?No. Not if the product isn't sold in those markets.Yes, but Zynga should stick with global brands in that case.I live in the US, so I don't really care.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Zynga recently released its Stouffer's frozen foods in-game promotion in FarmVille. All players were given a free Mac & Cheese tree as well as a free Instant Grow for their crops. Well, we shouldn't say "all" players as the promotion is only available for FarmVille players in the US. Of course, this mad several farmers in our comments sections furious, and rightfully so.
However, is it even in Zynga's best interest to make its advertising campaigns universal? For instance, Stouffer's frozen dinners aren't available all over the world. (Though, they are available in Canada, which did not receive the promotion.) Or remember way back to what was supposed to be the first ever sponsored crop, peanuts? Yet at the last minute, either Israeli sponsor Saatchi and Saatchi pulled out or Zynga deemed them unfit for a US promotion. So with all that said:
Should Zynga's in-game ad promotions be global?
Of course! How are they going to forget such a big audience?No. Not if the product isn't sold in those markets.Yes, but Zynga should stick with global brands in that case.I live in the US, so I don't really care.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
FrontierVille 'Purple Dog' glitch stumps players, forum moderators
Have any of you seen that purple doggie on the FrontierVille homestead? You know, the one with the waggly tail ... and the word "Temp" painted on its body? Unfortunately, it appears that this purple pup is not for sale, but a coding glitch that appeared around the same time the Injured Critter Goals were introduced. Several players on the forums report seeing this Purple Dog and have been asking why, but the moderators' guess is as good as ours.
"This has been discussed a few times now, Mizz Faith said, a FrontierVille forums Super Moderator. "The overall consensus is, we're baffled. I'm gonna ask again and see if it was ever figured out. It's quite a creepy looking little thing!" So if the moderators don't know a thing, it's likely that we won't either. My best guess is that this little scrapper is a placeholder for future items or animals. Perhaps it's used in testing new features before the artwork for items and animals is finalized. That said, it's just as likely that we'll never know and all we'll have to work with are screen shots. So, if you see the Purple Dog, be sure to snap a picture of it as you might never see this elusive creature again.
[Image Credit: iRonX]
Have you seen the Purple Dog on your homestead? What do you think it represents to the FrontierVille studios?
"This has been discussed a few times now, Mizz Faith said, a FrontierVille forums Super Moderator. "The overall consensus is, we're baffled. I'm gonna ask again and see if it was ever figured out. It's quite a creepy looking little thing!" So if the moderators don't know a thing, it's likely that we won't either. My best guess is that this little scrapper is a placeholder for future items or animals. Perhaps it's used in testing new features before the artwork for items and animals is finalized. That said, it's just as likely that we'll never know and all we'll have to work with are screen shots. So, if you see the Purple Dog, be sure to snap a picture of it as you might never see this elusive creature again.
[Image Credit: iRonX]
Have you seen the Purple Dog on your homestead? What do you think it represents to the FrontierVille studios?
Aliens vs. Predator developer Rebellion opens social games division
Unfortunately, this does not necessarily mean that AvP is coming to Facebook. Develop reports that Rebellion, the UK-based studio behind the Aliens vs. Predator games, has opened a social gaming division. This internal team will focus on Facebook games after having recently released Evil Genius, its first social game. Rebellion will still focus on creating high-profile games with high production values, but after seeing its first social game leave the nest, Rebellion appears hungry for more.
"The release of Evil Genius has given us an appetite to look at other opportunities in the area," said Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley. "One thing that has become increasingly apparent over the last few years is that gamers can't be defined as just people who own consoles – people who use social media like Facebook or use smart phones all play games and this is an exciting new opportunity that we want to explore."
Rebellion follows several traditional gaming companies into the Facebook scene like EA, Konami, Sega and Ubisoft. If anything, this move is yet another example of massive shifts in the gaming industry. In other words, expect to see more (and even bigger) companies follow suit in 2011.
[Via Shacknews]
[Image Credit: Squidoo]
How do you think Rebellion will fare in the social games space? Do you think it's to traditional developers' benefit that they focus at least some talent toward Facebook?
"The release of Evil Genius has given us an appetite to look at other opportunities in the area," said Rebellion co-founder Jason Kingsley. "One thing that has become increasingly apparent over the last few years is that gamers can't be defined as just people who own consoles – people who use social media like Facebook or use smart phones all play games and this is an exciting new opportunity that we want to explore."
Rebellion follows several traditional gaming companies into the Facebook scene like EA, Konami, Sega and Ubisoft. If anything, this move is yet another example of massive shifts in the gaming industry. In other words, expect to see more (and even bigger) companies follow suit in 2011.
[Via Shacknews]
[Image Credit: Squidoo]
How do you think Rebellion will fare in the social games space? Do you think it's to traditional developers' benefit that they focus at least some talent toward Facebook?
CityVille: Energy supplies now limited via Inventory Cap
If you're a CityVille player that has yet to take advantage of the stockpiling energy strategy to complete your tasks in CityVille; that is, if you don't already have dozens or even hundreds of Batteries in your inventory, I'm sorry to say that you won't be able to in the future either, as Zynga has introduced a seemingly small, but actually huge alteration to the way inventory works in the game.
First and foremost, all items currently in your inventory are unaffected, and you will not lose anything that you have. However, a new energy (Battery) limit has been introduced that will all you to only have 15 of each kind of Battery (+1, +2, or +3 energy) in your inventory at once. Again, if you have more than this number, you will not lose these items, but you will also be unable to add anymore to your inventory until the number drops back down below 15.
So much for a never-ending supply of energy. Zynga says that this previous stockpiling issue has negatively impacted the game's balance, and that they would like users to be strategic with their energy use, just as they encourage strategy with building new businesses or expanding your land. It's possible that this limit might change in the future, based on user feedback, so if you'd like to share yours, make sure to give it to Zynga in the appropriate thread.
What do you think of this new change? Will this make the game more fair for users that didn't have enough friends available to send them mass amounts of energy, or should users be able to accumulate as many energy points as possible?
First and foremost, all items currently in your inventory are unaffected, and you will not lose anything that you have. However, a new energy (Battery) limit has been introduced that will all you to only have 15 of each kind of Battery (+1, +2, or +3 energy) in your inventory at once. Again, if you have more than this number, you will not lose these items, but you will also be unable to add anymore to your inventory until the number drops back down below 15.
So much for a never-ending supply of energy. Zynga says that this previous stockpiling issue has negatively impacted the game's balance, and that they would like users to be strategic with their energy use, just as they encourage strategy with building new businesses or expanding your land. It's possible that this limit might change in the future, based on user feedback, so if you'd like to share yours, make sure to give it to Zynga in the appropriate thread.
What do you think of this new change? Will this make the game more fair for users that didn't have enough friends available to send them mass amounts of energy, or should users be able to accumulate as many energy points as possible?
CityVille: Sweeping inventory changes have users ready to quit
Zynga has made some... questionable changes to CityVille this week, that has many users virtually screaming at the developer, and quitting the game altogether. In addition to the new Energy cap that allows users to only hold 15 of each variety of Battery in their inventory, Zynga has also capped a number of other items to, as Zynga says, help the game's balance and introduce another element of strategy to the game.
The new caps concern items that are used most frequently in the game, so I suppose I can understand why users are crying foul.
Zoning Permits are now capped at 60, while Marble, City Seals, Building Grants, Gold Plating, and Ribbons are capped at 25. If you have more than this number of items in your inventory, you won't lose the extras, but you also won't be able to add anymore to your account until the number drops back below 25, or 60, depending on the item.
Another change worth noting is that you are now unable to user batteries from your inventory if your energy is at its maximum - it looks like energy stockpiling has been squashed in all forms, I'm afraid. If you try to accept a free gift from your friends, offering you one of these items, you will simply be told that you have too many, and that the item has not been added to your inventory.
This was enough to have users swamping the Feedback thread for this release over on the game's official forums, which has reached a whopping 173 pages in less than 24 hours.
Most users' posts are those like this of claymore1977's, who says:
Yep, that's the last nail in the coffin. ....or the straw that will break the back of the players. I was actually enjoying Cityville 10x better than all your other games and *almost* got myself to the point where I was going to start putting money into it. I'm a believer in free software, but I also believe in paying for a good game. Good thing you all made this change *before* i started shelling out my hard earned money.
Another player, bashlee, sums up the fear that even I have due to this change. That the game's userbase is going to drop... and fast.
This is the most horrible thing you have done with the game yet. Wth can i do with 15 +3 energies?? That doesn't even cover everything in my city. This was a stupid decision on your part zynga. And your popular game is going to lose a ton of players because of this nonsense.
It will be interesting to see how Zynga responds to this overwhelming cry from users. Ultimately, it's unlikely that the almost 93 million current players will all stop and leave the game at once, but I can definitely see many of these upset users keeping true to their word of not playing, or at least not putting anymore money into the game until Zynga can "see the light."
While having a large player base is one thing, Zynga needs to make sure that those users are happy enough to spend money on the product (it is a business after all), and it looks like they might have just really hurt themselves, and the game's money-making potential, with this one.
We'll make sure to let you know if Zynga goes back on any of these changes, or at least alters the caps to something more "reasonable." Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of these game-changing updates? Do you stockpile energy, or will these changes not affect the way you play the game?
The new caps concern items that are used most frequently in the game, so I suppose I can understand why users are crying foul.
Zoning Permits are now capped at 60, while Marble, City Seals, Building Grants, Gold Plating, and Ribbons are capped at 25. If you have more than this number of items in your inventory, you won't lose the extras, but you also won't be able to add anymore to your account until the number drops back below 25, or 60, depending on the item.
Another change worth noting is that you are now unable to user batteries from your inventory if your energy is at its maximum - it looks like energy stockpiling has been squashed in all forms, I'm afraid. If you try to accept a free gift from your friends, offering you one of these items, you will simply be told that you have too many, and that the item has not been added to your inventory.
This was enough to have users swamping the Feedback thread for this release over on the game's official forums, which has reached a whopping 173 pages in less than 24 hours.
Most users' posts are those like this of claymore1977's, who says:
Yep, that's the last nail in the coffin. ....or the straw that will break the back of the players. I was actually enjoying Cityville 10x better than all your other games and *almost* got myself to the point where I was going to start putting money into it. I'm a believer in free software, but I also believe in paying for a good game. Good thing you all made this change *before* i started shelling out my hard earned money.
Another player, bashlee, sums up the fear that even I have due to this change. That the game's userbase is going to drop... and fast.
This is the most horrible thing you have done with the game yet. Wth can i do with 15 +3 energies?? That doesn't even cover everything in my city. This was a stupid decision on your part zynga. And your popular game is going to lose a ton of players because of this nonsense.
It will be interesting to see how Zynga responds to this overwhelming cry from users. Ultimately, it's unlikely that the almost 93 million current players will all stop and leave the game at once, but I can definitely see many of these upset users keeping true to their word of not playing, or at least not putting anymore money into the game until Zynga can "see the light."
While having a large player base is one thing, Zynga needs to make sure that those users are happy enough to spend money on the product (it is a business after all), and it looks like they might have just really hurt themselves, and the game's money-making potential, with this one.
We'll make sure to let you know if Zynga goes back on any of these changes, or at least alters the caps to something more "reasonable." Keep checking back with us for more.
What do you think of these game-changing updates? Do you stockpile energy, or will these changes not affect the way you play the game?
Thứ Tư, 4 tháng 1, 2012
MapleStory takes another stab at iPhone, iPad in Cave Crawlers
MapleStory creator Nexon has been a bunch of busy bees lately, what with going public and selling more digital pets than some of us will make in dollars in decades. Now, the pioneer of free-to-play gaming is looking to try its hands at mobile again, but in a very not free way. Nexon released MapleStory: Cave Crawlers for the iPhone and iPad for $2.99. That's not free at all.
A far departure from previous effort Cygnus Knights, Cave Crawlers sends players into dungeons in a first-person, retro-themed play experience with many of the familiar tropes and characters from the series. Players can choose to embark on these adventures as either a brawny Fighter or a sneaky, stabby Thief. (What, no flashy magic love?)
The game only offers five randomized dungeons to play kill monsters and collect loot in, but Nexon promises that more content is on the way. Hopefully that means some more characters classes are incoming, too. (Guy's gotta' have his fireballs.) Nexon has yet to replicate the same wild success it's had on the web in the mobile arena. Frankly, we're surprised these games have yet to take on the "freemium" approach to distribution that it's web counterparts popularized.
That's especially considering how widespread free-to-play has already become in iPhone and Android games. At any rate, MapleStory fans will be happy to know that this take on the game is decidedly different from its predecessors, even at first glance.
Click here to download MapleStory: Cave Crawlers Now >
Are you a MapleStory fan? Where do you prefer to get your fix: The web, Facebook or mobile?
A far departure from previous effort Cygnus Knights, Cave Crawlers sends players into dungeons in a first-person, retro-themed play experience with many of the familiar tropes and characters from the series. Players can choose to embark on these adventures as either a brawny Fighter or a sneaky, stabby Thief. (What, no flashy magic love?)
The game only offers five randomized dungeons to play kill monsters and collect loot in, but Nexon promises that more content is on the way. Hopefully that means some more characters classes are incoming, too. (Guy's gotta' have his fireballs.) Nexon has yet to replicate the same wild success it's had on the web in the mobile arena. Frankly, we're surprised these games have yet to take on the "freemium" approach to distribution that it's web counterparts popularized.
That's especially considering how widespread free-to-play has already become in iPhone and Android games. At any rate, MapleStory fans will be happy to know that this take on the game is decidedly different from its predecessors, even at first glance.
Click here to download MapleStory: Cave Crawlers Now >
Are you a MapleStory fan? Where do you prefer to get your fix: The web, Facebook or mobile?
Zynga stock market debut lags behind expectations at $9.50 a share
It's now the end of the business day (and week, phew), and more importantly the end of the Zynga's first day on the Nasdaq. Well, how did it do? As it turns out, not so hot. When the company hit the market this morning, it was asking for an even $10 a share, but now its public stock sits at $9.50 a share, a 5 percent dip from asking price.
It turns out we were right in asking whether the Nexon initial public offering (IPO) spelled bad news for Zynga, and the MapleStory maker only suffered a 2 percent drop on its opening day. Still, the company earned $1 billion today at a $8.9 billion valuation. Because Zynga still came out on top of direct competitor EA, which is worth just $6.7 billion, many are still excited about the results of the IPO.
However, with a 5 percent loss on the first day out, it's unclear whether the CityVille maker can sustain on the market. Does this mean it can only go down from here? Not necessarily, but something drastic and inspiring would have to occur, as potential investors may already be set in their ways as to how much Zynga is worth.
Believe or not, but a lot rides on this offering beyond just a company making a lot of money. This IPO, if successful, serves to validate the business of easily-accessible, free-to-play games for a mass audience. (If not, well, the free-to-play market might start to lose its luster.) However, also if a money-maker, it could validate the worst of criticisms lobbed at social games: That only the status quo makes for a lucrative, popular--and thus an existing--social game.
What do you think of Zynga's performance on the stock market today? Do you think this means anything for the games industry?
It turns out we were right in asking whether the Nexon initial public offering (IPO) spelled bad news for Zynga, and the MapleStory maker only suffered a 2 percent drop on its opening day. Still, the company earned $1 billion today at a $8.9 billion valuation. Because Zynga still came out on top of direct competitor EA, which is worth just $6.7 billion, many are still excited about the results of the IPO.
However, with a 5 percent loss on the first day out, it's unclear whether the CityVille maker can sustain on the market. Does this mean it can only go down from here? Not necessarily, but something drastic and inspiring would have to occur, as potential investors may already be set in their ways as to how much Zynga is worth.
Believe or not, but a lot rides on this offering beyond just a company making a lot of money. This IPO, if successful, serves to validate the business of easily-accessible, free-to-play games for a mass audience. (If not, well, the free-to-play market might start to lose its luster.) However, also if a money-maker, it could validate the worst of criticisms lobbed at social games: That only the status quo makes for a lucrative, popular--and thus an existing--social game.
What do you think of Zynga's performance on the stock market today? Do you think this means anything for the games industry?
Woman embezzles $166,000 ... and spends a bit of it on Mafia Wars
Believe it or not, but social games have driven people to do crazier things. Nevertheless, 54-year-old Augusta, Maine woman Bettysue Higgins pleaded guilty in court to embezzling $166,000 from Maine Trial Lawyers where she was an administrative assistant. According to Kennebec Journal, Kennebec County Superior Court prosecutor claimed much of it was spent on social games.
Namely Mafia Wars and YoVille, the prosecutor found. In addition to 220 checks written out in Higgins's name since 2006, the former assistant wrote 78 checks in her name between January 2010 and Sept. 10, 2010. The funds from all 78 checks deposited into her account went directly to Zynga's games. Defense attorney Ronald Bourget said that, according to her bank account statement for February 2010, Higgins had spent $4,000 on the games. Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said, "Apparently she was buying virtual coins for virtual property in a virtual world."
Higgins covered her tracks by doctoring accounting records, but the company's executive director, David Prince, found out about the embezzlement when a check he wrote for $5,500 had bounced. Now, the woman faces six years in prison and three years of probation, but only if she pays up to $700 more than what she stole. Considering her home is in foreclosure, that's unlikely.
Crime and social games is nothing new: Men have stolen from the elderly for game cash, and women have all but neglected their children to get more time with their digital poison of choice. But elaborate embezzlement schemes to fuel said addictions sounds like a new approach.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of this case as it relates to getting hooked on social games? What's the craziest thing you've done to get in some game time or even buy some in-game cash?
Namely Mafia Wars and YoVille, the prosecutor found. In addition to 220 checks written out in Higgins's name since 2006, the former assistant wrote 78 checks in her name between January 2010 and Sept. 10, 2010. The funds from all 78 checks deposited into her account went directly to Zynga's games. Defense attorney Ronald Bourget said that, according to her bank account statement for February 2010, Higgins had spent $4,000 on the games. Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin said, "Apparently she was buying virtual coins for virtual property in a virtual world."
Higgins covered her tracks by doctoring accounting records, but the company's executive director, David Prince, found out about the embezzlement when a check he wrote for $5,500 had bounced. Now, the woman faces six years in prison and three years of probation, but only if she pays up to $700 more than what she stole. Considering her home is in foreclosure, that's unlikely.
Crime and social games is nothing new: Men have stolen from the elderly for game cash, and women have all but neglected their children to get more time with their digital poison of choice. But elaborate embezzlement schemes to fuel said addictions sounds like a new approach.
[Via Kotaku]
What do you think of this case as it relates to getting hooked on social games? What's the craziest thing you've done to get in some game time or even buy some in-game cash?
FarmVille maker CEO: 'Our employees have a real love for Zynga'
Zynga went public this past Friday, and the results were ... less than favorable. But on top of a slipping stock price, investors and recruiters alike have voiced concerns that the company's offering will inspire staffers to cash out, or sell their stock in the company and abandon ship. Not according to what CEO and founder of the FarmVille creator, Mark Pincus, told Fortune.
"I'm not sure why there's been all that speculation other than that we've been in a quiet period," Pincus told Fortune. "Our company has historically had very low attrition, much lower than other public or private companies in Silicon Valley. I know that hasn't been reported on, but it's true. We also continue to have an amazing inflow of resumes and talent."
The man behind CityVille was referring to suspicions sparked by a scathing New York Times report in which an EA recruiter said that Zynga's intense culture might drive employees to sell their shares and join other companies. (In this recruiter's case, hopefully EA.) "Our employees have a real love for Zynga and real pride," Pincus told Fortune. "We've asked them not to go out and defend us in the press or blogs, so I don't think that's come through publicly yet."
However, even before Zynga filed to go public, employees have spoken out on the company's culture and Pincus's approach to the business of making games. As of this writing, Zynga shares hover around $8.80--over a dollar less than the company's initial $10 asking price. If Zynga employees are going to sell, now's the time to do it.
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Do you think the Zynga IPO could result in an employee exodus? Would you leave the company now if you had enough shares in it?
"I'm not sure why there's been all that speculation other than that we've been in a quiet period," Pincus told Fortune. "Our company has historically had very low attrition, much lower than other public or private companies in Silicon Valley. I know that hasn't been reported on, but it's true. We also continue to have an amazing inflow of resumes and talent."
The man behind CityVille was referring to suspicions sparked by a scathing New York Times report in which an EA recruiter said that Zynga's intense culture might drive employees to sell their shares and join other companies. (In this recruiter's case, hopefully EA.) "Our employees have a real love for Zynga and real pride," Pincus told Fortune. "We've asked them not to go out and defend us in the press or blogs, so I don't think that's come through publicly yet."
However, even before Zynga filed to go public, employees have spoken out on the company's culture and Pincus's approach to the business of making games. As of this writing, Zynga shares hover around $8.80--over a dollar less than the company's initial $10 asking price. If Zynga employees are going to sell, now's the time to do it.
[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
Do you think the Zynga IPO could result in an employee exodus? Would you leave the company now if you had enough shares in it?
Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail on Facebook will be no more next year
It's a sad state of affairs for games that try something different these days, it seems. Both Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail on Facebook will shut their doors for good come Jan. 6, 2012. While we pretty much knew this one was coming since Mass.-based Blue Fang Games shut down over the summer, the news still comes with that pang of mild depression.
The Learning Company, which holds licenses for both games, delivered the somber news via in-game messages within both games before players enter. Unfortunately, it is not offering any compensation for existing players.
That pang is probably more like a flare of rage for those that spent money in either game. That said, the fact that these two social games will shut down is a bummer for a far more important reason. Both Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail were visibly different than your average Facebook game. Each game touted refreshing play hooks in its own right, and some of the most vibrant art styles filled with character we've seen even by year's end.
The games also approached social gaming mechanics in unprecedented ways, so much so that one appeared to be quite the inspiration for a release by a far more popular and powerful social game maker. You'd think that such recognizable brands like The Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego would be enough to drive millions to play. Sadly, it seems as if that wasn't the case. Well, cheers to Blue Fang Games for attempting to innovate and bring childhood classics to the forefront once again.
Are you bummed that both of these games are shutting down? What do you think contributed most to their closures?
The Learning Company, which holds licenses for both games, delivered the somber news via in-game messages within both games before players enter. Unfortunately, it is not offering any compensation for existing players.
That pang is probably more like a flare of rage for those that spent money in either game. That said, the fact that these two social games will shut down is a bummer for a far more important reason. Both Carmen Sandiego and The Oregon Trail were visibly different than your average Facebook game. Each game touted refreshing play hooks in its own right, and some of the most vibrant art styles filled with character we've seen even by year's end.
The games also approached social gaming mechanics in unprecedented ways, so much so that one appeared to be quite the inspiration for a release by a far more popular and powerful social game maker. You'd think that such recognizable brands like The Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego would be enough to drive millions to play. Sadly, it seems as if that wasn't the case. Well, cheers to Blue Fang Games for attempting to innovate and bring childhood classics to the forefront once again.
Are you bummed that both of these games are shutting down? What do you think contributed most to their closures?
Zynga CEO Mark Pincus doesn't like it when fans play for too long
Right. During an interview with MIT's Technology Review, FarmVille creator Zynga's CEO Mark Pincus said, "I don't like it when I find out that people are averaging long session times in any of our games. All of the newer games that we bring out are trying to reduce those session times. Because one of the biggest reasons people don't play games is they say that they don't have the time."
According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.
Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.
Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?
According to Technology Review, this comment was made before the CityVille maker agreed to a quiet period prior to its upcoming initial public offering (IPO). The butt of that quote may be true, but Pincus's words strike us as odd. They're especially odd considering the not-so-tiny 5 percent of paying players--about 54 million people--is likely the crop of players that spend the most time in games like Adventure World and CastleVille.
Technology Review says that the burst-style gameplay of its games can spur players to eventually pay up, quoting one player in particular that plays up to four hours daily in short 15-minute spurts. "You start spending time playing a game, and you find that you care about it for any host of reasons, if we [design] it well," Pincus told Technology Review, "and at some point you may see that by spending some money you can save yourself a bunch of time [or] get something that has status or changes your friends' view of you."
Sure, these in-game boosts can save players time, but they can also serve to keep players in-game for longer. The more virtual items bought outright, the less energy spent on procuring them, and thus more time spent doing other things in the game. This writer is willing to bet that the average whale, a casino term used to describe social gamers that spend large amounts of money, spends way more time than the average player that throws up maybe a few bucks a week. And we're sure Zynga likes them just teeny, tiny bit more.
Would you consider yourself a "whale" or know someone that might be a whale? How much time do you or they spend playing Facebook games daily?
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