FarmVille Biplane Flight Cost Formula

This week the FarmVille Biplane was introduced. The Biplane can be purchased for 30,000 coins and will instantly fertilize your entire crop with Insta-Grow. While the first flight is free, additional flights will cost varying rates of farm cash depending on how much time is remaining until your crops are ready to harvest.

There is no set price as it dependent on several factors including what crop you are growing, the time remaining, and how many plots you have.

FarmVille Freak Ingeborg hypothesizes that there is a formula used to calculate the cost of Biplane flights. Here is her thoughtful explanation described below. Thank you for sharing with us FVFreak Ingeborg.

    Hi,

    I know the calculation for costs on the Biplane:

    * 2000 first hours = 1 FV$ (farm cash)
    * +1 FV$ for every additional 1000 hours.
    * Use 24 hours for 1 day, not the 23 hours Zynga usually uses.

    Example: 100 plots of watermelons =9600 hours= 9 FV$. If they are 50% ready it'll be 4800 hours= 4FV$

    It's a theory, but it works every time I checked! A lot of people keep asking on the forums how to calculate the costs and I can keep answering but i think it's more effective if FarmVille Freak makes a post about it!

    The exact formula will be : (X*H*P)/1000-1= # FV$ ( round up! )
    in which:
    X= Number of plots
    H= Grow time of the crop in hours (Carrots=12, Watermelons=96, Peas=24 etc.)
    P= (100-percentage of the crop)/100. This means: if a crop is 50% ready P= (100-50)/100=0.5
    If the crop is freshly planted P=1. If a crop is at 90% ready P=0,1

    Happy farming ;)
    FarmVille Freak Ingeborg

Did this Biplane Flight Formula work for you in calculating the cost of your flight?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille: Husband gifts Exclusive Button from 7-Eleven Clerk to Wife

FarmVille Freak Terri's FarmVille Button
Farmville Freak Terri sent us pics of her very exclusive FarmVille Button that her husband was able to acquire from none other than a 7-Eleven clerk!

    "Do I have the best husband in the whole wide world, or what?? He went to 7-Eleven this evening and came home with a Farmville button for me. A button that the clerk was wearing! I can't believe he talked the man out of his button. I just love a man who feeds my addiction!!

    You can bet I will be wearing it every time I sit down to play.

    Farmingly yours,

    -Farmville Freak Terri"

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Lemon Balm Crop & Lemon Balm Mastery Sign

FarmVille Unreleased Lemon Balm Crop
Thank you to FarmVille Freak FarmVille Code Hunters for finding these unreleased Lemon Balm Crop and Lemon Balm Mastery Sign.

Sources:

    FarmVille Unreleased Lemon Balm Crop – Zynga FarmVille
    FarmVille Unreleased Lemon Balm Mastery Sign – Zynga FarmVille


This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

It's official: FarmVille's coming to iPhone at the end of June

We've heard for months that FarmVille would be headed to iPhone, and at the Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference 2010 in San Franciso, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus announced that the farming game officially make its way to the Apple phone at the end of June.

There are not a lot of details on how this version of the game will be different than that on Facebook, other than the fact that it will sync with the Facebook version of the game (unlike the Mafia Wars iPhone app), players will be able to buy items without leaving the app, and it will have push notifications for withering crops. Pincus also seems to hint that the harvesting system may be a little bit different as well. "I'm most excited about how good tractoring just got," Pincus says during the game's demo.

We've contacted Zynga to learn more details on this new version of FarmVille, and to see if an official iPad version will be arriving shortly as well.

farmville on iphonesteve jobs intoduces mark pincus from zynga

FarmVille Swiss Alps Animal: Simmental Cow

A new limited edition Swiss themed Simmental Cow was added to the FarmVille Market today.

This new animal will be available for the next 20 days and costs $FV 14.

Simmental cows are some of the most common cattle breeds in the world.

    ..."Recorded since theMiddle Ages, the Simmental breed has contributed to the creation of several other famous European breeds including the Montbeliarde (France), the Razzeta d'Oropa (Italy) and the Fleckvieh (Germany)."

Source: Wikipedia

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Will you be purchasing this new cow, even when so many are losing their animals?

Two Free FarmVille Cash from game sponsor: Kia Soul

free farmville cash
Farmers now have the opportunity to earn 2 free $FV by clicking on a link available below the FarmVille game screen and completing a short activity. This new promotion is funded by the car company Kia Soul. After following the given link you will have the opportunity to create your very Kia Soul music video! Simply drag and drop 6 frames into the empty spaces below.
farmville kia soul
You will then have the opportunity to view and/or edit your Kia Soul music video and then share your work via the Facebook homefeed.
farmville free cash
On completion of the above steps, you will be brought to a new screen saying that you have earned your free FarmVille Cash.
farmville free cash
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Its always nice to get free $FV from Zynga or their sponsors! Will you be participating in this new promotion?

FarmVille Permanent Crop: Elderberry

FarmVille released a new permanent crop, Elderberry on July 2nd 2010!

Elderberry is unlocked for level 39 and above farmers. Those under level 39 will not have access to purchase Elderberry seeds.

The Elderberry seeds can be purchased for 195 coins, take 12 hours to grow, and yield 270 coins and 2 XP with a profit of 75 coins.

Since Elderberry is a permanent crop, it is not expiring from the FarmVille Market and Crop Master will be available!

Elderberry, also known as Sambucus, has a wide range of medicinal uses including the treatment of influenza B and flu symptoms, the berries themselves have been used traditionally throughout Europe to make wines, jams, teas, and syrups. However, the twigs and leaves of Elderberry can be poisonous. Some other interesting facts about the folklore surrounding Elderberry include, "

    "The Elder Tree was supposed to ward off evil influence and give protection from witches, a popular belief held in some cultures. If an elder tree was cut down, a spirit known as the Elder Mother would be released and take her revenge. The tree could only safely be cut while chanting a rhyme to the Elder Mother."
    "The most powerful wand in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a wand made of sambucus known as the "Elder Wand".
    "In some regions, superstition, religious belief, or tradition prohibits the cutting of certain trees for bonfires, most notably in Witchcraft customs the Elderberry tree; "Elder be ye Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed ye'll be" –A rhyme from an Oral tradition." (Source: Wikipedia)


This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Will you grow Elderberry on your farm?

FarmVille Adoptable Black Pony!

A new FarmVille adoptable animal, the Black Pony, is lost, lonely, and roaming around a farm near you!

Make sure to adopt your very own Black Pony via the FaceBook newsfeed from one of your FarmVille neighbors.
farmville adoptable black pony
Remember, that if you find a Black Pony on your farm you cannot keep it for yourself, but can share it with your FarmVille neighbors and give them the opportunity to adopt.

Black Ponies cannot be purchased in the FarmVille Market and are available by adoption only.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Are you excited about this new adoptable animal? Send pics of your Black Pony to editors@games.com and we may feature them here.

New Update From Zynga On FarmVille Technical Issues

farmville technical issues fixed
This past week players have been losing construction materials, progress on buildings and animals. This has been a tough time for farmers but Lexilicious stated today on the Official FarmVille Forums the issues have now been resolved.

    "Hey Farmers!

    We have resolved this week's technical issues that have been causing some users to experience white screens, loading issues, Out of Sync errors, loss of animals and loss of constructable building progress/materials.

    It is now safe for you to play on your farms and interact with your animal buildings and storage buildings without losing items.

    Now that these issues have been resolved, we are currently investigating restoration options. We ask that you please be patient with us while we work towards finding a solution for our users.

    We will provide you with more information about restoration as soon as it becomes available to us.

    As always, thank you for your continued dedication to FarmVille and your patience with us during this time."


Source: Official FarmVille Forums

So, there us no word yet when we will have our lost animals returned to us but the rest of our animals should now be safe.

Please return my White Stallion now! Maybe for safe keeping I will should start spreadsheet of all limited edition items as FarmGoddess suggested.. just in case.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Will you start interacting with your animal and storage buildings again? When do you think we will see the return of our beloved animals?

FarmVille Unreleased Crops: Bluebell, Foxglove, & Hot Pink Aster

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased FarmVille Bluebell Crop, Foxglove Crop, and Hot Pink Aster Crop items!
FarmVille Unreleased Crops: Bluebell, Foxglove, & Hot Pink Aster
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Bounce House, Hippo Fountain & Upper Falls

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Teresa for finding these unreleased FarmVille Bounce House, Hippo Fountain, & Upper Falls.
FarmVille Unreleased Bounce House, Hippo Fountain & Upper Falls
Note: Unreleased items have no official release date or guarantee that they will make it to the FarmVille Market.

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille 'Stats' bar makes it easier keep tabs on achievements

Did you happen to notice the new 'Stats' icon that appears underneath your FarmVille farm's name? My FarmVille buddy/co-worker Sharon pointed it out to me this week. If you haven't seen it yet, look in the upper right-hand corner of the screen while on your farm -- and you should see a little brown button that says 'Stats' on it and three blue lines that kind of look like the signal reception bars on a cell phone.

After you find the icon, click on it. A small menu will drop down and will let you know just how much you have achieved in FarmVille so far.


farmville stats menu

This bar lists your stats for the following:

    Your level
    Achievement Ribbons
    Crop Masteries
    Co-op Farming Medals
    Collections Completed
    Constructed Buildings

Right now, you can only see your stats on your farm, but if you go to a neighbor's farm, you will not be able to view their stats. While I always love a good stats bar, it would be great to be able to share it with others, with the intent to spark up a little friendly competition with my fellow virtual farmers.

FarmVille Stats bar -- did you even notice it on your page? What do you think?

FarmVille 'Fertilize All' limited edition gift was a little too 'limited'

While accepting FarmVille gifts this weekend, I noticed that there's a new free gift going around called 'Fertilize All.' After doing a little research, turns out that 'Fertilize All' was a limited edition gift that appeared in the Free Gifts section briefly before it disappeared again. Not sure if this vanished due to a bug or if this was a truly 'limited' edition gift.

If you were lucky enough to score this amazing gift, accept it from your feed and then open your gifts menu in the game. Click 'use' to instantly fertilize ALL of your crops! Next thing you know, your little farmer will be surrounded by sparkly crops that will yield extra experience points and other bonuses.



Not sure if this generous gift will resurface soon or if this was a one-time deal. Stay tuned.

FarmVille Halloween Pumpkin Fountain: A monument to the night of mischief

As cool as this FarmVille Halloween Pumpkin Fountain looks, we have to wonder what the heck is flowing out of it -- pumpkin juice? Orange-Orange Vitamin Water? Regardless, this unreleased water feature looks pretty awesome, though we'll have to reserve our final judgment until it arrives in the Market.
[Via FarmVille Latest]

Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.

FarmVille Skeleton Horse gets dressed up for Halloween

Don't be alarmed, this isn't a zombie skeleton horse. It's merely a horse wearing a skeleton costume! Who says barnyard animals in FarmVille can't wear Halloween costumes, too? Stay tuned to learn how you can get your very own costumed horse in the not-too-distant future.
[Via FarmVille Latest]

Find more stories on our 2010 Halloween Guide for FarmVille, Mafia Wars & more.

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Holiday Train & Winter Train Tracks

While users in FarmVIlle have been able to create an Evergreen train set on their farm for a few weeks now, it looks as though Zynga will be adding to the virtual train set idea this holiday season, as we've come across new images offering a sneak peek of an unreleased Holiday Train, and a re-do of the current train track pieces in the game to match with the winter spirit (that is, they've been covered in fallen snow).

The Holiday Train (the name could change at any time) will apparently be comprised of four individual pieces, or items that will likely be available to purchase separately. They are the Holiday Train Engine, the Passenger Car, the Caboose, and the Cart (filled with toys).

As for the train track set, there are four new pieces that will be apparently be added to the store - a Winter Train Track Crossing, and three corners, allowing you to build an extensive, customized pattern for your train to "follow," even if only in your imagination.

As usual, there's no information as to when these items will actually be released in FarmVille, but if they are, we're guessing that both the train and train track items will be split between those items that are premium (Farm Cash only) and those that go for coins, so start saving a bit of both now if you want to build a Winter Train on your farm.

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Disco Pony & Disco Cow

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.

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?

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?

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.