Don't CastleVille and FrontierVille--sorry, Pioneer Trail--already take place in forests? That's about the only question we have, as Fusible discovered recently that Zynga has registered numerous domain names for "ForestVille". The social games giant has registered everything from "Forestville.com" onwards (the real deal belongs to a school district), to "Forestvillegame.com".
According to Fusbile, all of the domain names were registered through Internet brand protection company MarkMonitor, which Zynga regularly uses to acquire domain names. And Fusible points out that Zynga's own "Zynga.com" along with hundreds of other domains representing the company's properties are registered with MarkMonitor. So yeah, this is definitely Zynga.
Zynga has yet to make any announcement regarding such a game, so the company could purely be covering its bases in preparation for a game that doesn't even make it to Facebook. (Ahem, Kingdoms & Quests.) But again, two of Zynga's 'Ville games already revolve around creating communities in the woods, at least indirectly. We can't wait to see how the developer pushes a game centered around just that.
[Via Joystiq]
Would you play a game by Zynga called "ForestVille"? How could this game be different from both CastleVille and Pioneer Trail?
Thứ Ba, 13 tháng 3, 2012
Avast ye, bingo fans! Gamesville's Pirate Cove Bingo sails on Facebook
Not to be confused with a Zynga game, Gamesville is a large web games portal that's been proudly "Wasting your time since 1996". Back in March, Gamesville debuted their first Facebook game, Super Chef Full Boil, as a Facebook exclusive, along with their usual promises of free cash drawings and prizes for players. But during the summer, the game was quietly dropped from Facebook, and now exists solely on Gamesville.
Undaunted, Gamesville unleashed another Facebook game today, a pirate-themed bingo game, with a rum-lovin' pirate announcer in tow, called Pirate Cove Bingo. Unlike Super Chef Full Boil, a puzzler that required Facebook players to register on Gamesville.com to participate in free cash and prize drawings, Pirate Cove Bingo is Facebook player-friendly.
In Pirate Cove Bingo, there's a $25 USD daily sweepstakes drawing. Every player gets unlimited White Cards and 5 Gold Cards per day to play bingo. If you get a bingo while using a Gold Card, the Gold Card becomes submitted as an entry to the day's daily sweepstakes.
Pirate Cove Bingo
However, only players from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada who are 18 years-old and above are eligible for the sweepstakes. On top of that, Canadians have an extra hurdle where they must "answer a mathematical, time-limited question administered by telephone, mail or email" if they are chosen as winners. (This requirement is likely a quirk of Canadian law, and not the fault of Gamesville, which is based in Waltham, MA.)
Pirate Cove Bingo creators
Like most Facebook games, it's free-to-play, though I suspect Gamesville will eventually allow players to buy more Gold Cards using Facebook Credits. There's already future plans to offer a level and ranking system, new game rooms, and coins later on. The thirty-three seconds between rounds are used to run commercials for the game's sponsors. I've seen one recurring commercial for the Nintendo 3DS so far. As for social elements, there's a chat room and leaderboard of the eleven, most recent sweepstakes winners.
Click here to play Pirate Cove Bingo on Facebook now >
Do you prefer playing bingo in real life or online? Do you have a favorite bingo game on Facebook?
Undaunted, Gamesville unleashed another Facebook game today, a pirate-themed bingo game, with a rum-lovin' pirate announcer in tow, called Pirate Cove Bingo. Unlike Super Chef Full Boil, a puzzler that required Facebook players to register on Gamesville.com to participate in free cash and prize drawings, Pirate Cove Bingo is Facebook player-friendly.
In Pirate Cove Bingo, there's a $25 USD daily sweepstakes drawing. Every player gets unlimited White Cards and 5 Gold Cards per day to play bingo. If you get a bingo while using a Gold Card, the Gold Card becomes submitted as an entry to the day's daily sweepstakes.
Pirate Cove Bingo
However, only players from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada who are 18 years-old and above are eligible for the sweepstakes. On top of that, Canadians have an extra hurdle where they must "answer a mathematical, time-limited question administered by telephone, mail or email" if they are chosen as winners. (This requirement is likely a quirk of Canadian law, and not the fault of Gamesville, which is based in Waltham, MA.)
Pirate Cove Bingo creators
Like most Facebook games, it's free-to-play, though I suspect Gamesville will eventually allow players to buy more Gold Cards using Facebook Credits. There's already future plans to offer a level and ranking system, new game rooms, and coins later on. The thirty-three seconds between rounds are used to run commercials for the game's sponsors. I've seen one recurring commercial for the Nintendo 3DS so far. As for social elements, there's a chat room and leaderboard of the eleven, most recent sweepstakes winners.
Click here to play Pirate Cove Bingo on Facebook now >
Do you prefer playing bingo in real life or online? Do you have a favorite bingo game on Facebook?
The Sims Social and Wendy's: Why ads like this will always make you click
The Sims Social has struck a new advertising deal with Wendy's and, like it or not, you'll probably participate in it. Why? In exchange for watching a brief ad for the new Wendy's W (the chain's new $2.99 monster burger with two patties, double cheese and a butter-slathered bun), you'll be rewarded with a virtual burger that will give your character a +3 energy boost.
sims social wendy's
In the larger scheme of things, a three-point energy boost isn't that big of a reward. In fact, it might be considered stingy. But you'll watch the Wendy's ad anyway because you're getting something for free. Why? The same reason people (maybe even you) jump up when someone announces that there are leftover sandwiches in the office kitchenette. No matter how stale they are, they're free! And free is awesome. And something free in a game that you like to play is twice as awesome. There's also something that makes in-game ads like this seem less insidious if you're rewarded something, anything for your time.
wendys the sims social w
So head to The Sims Social game on Facebook, and look for the Wendy's "Watch and Earn" ad sitting right below the game. Click it and get your free +3 energy. C'mon, you know you wanna.
Fess up: Did you watch the Wendy's ad for the free energy?
The Oregon Trail mozies on over to Wii for a fine 'n dandy price of $20
Well, I reckon that there's a bargain. The fine fellers at Destructoid found that The Oregon Trail has taken a likin' ta ye olde Nintendo Wii console. (Is that annoying yet? Fine, we'll stop.) The game, developed by DoubleTap Games and published by Red Wagon Games under license by--who else?--The Learning Company, will hit stores on Dec. 9 for the budget price $19.99.
At any rate, color us surprised to find out that the Wii has yet to be touched by the legendary franchise, as it's damned near everywhere at this point. Hell, the game even hit Facebook before it was released on the Wii. Consider us even more shocked to remember that this is The Oregon Trail's 40th anniversary of teaching youngin's everywhere the horrors of dysentery.
This version of The Oregon Trail will be far different from the one recently released by Gameloft for smartphones in that it will feature full 3D graphics. Players will also have the pleasure of driving the wagon themselves across the nearly 3,000 mile expanse of the United States in four different storylines spanning three time periods. (So, how different from the 1840s are we talking, here?)
Players will get to partake in many of the familiar activities featured in previous takes on The Oregon Trail, like fishing, hunting and customizing their wagons. Now, hold on. Forgive us for getting stuck on this, but isn't the time period kind of vital to the historical accuracy of the game? The Oregon Trail was an educational tool, after all--ooh, look: you can play it on 3DS, too!
[Via Mashable]
Are you psyched to see The Oregon Trail to hit Wii and 3DS? Do you think this game will be better or worse than previous releases of the game this year?
At any rate, color us surprised to find out that the Wii has yet to be touched by the legendary franchise, as it's damned near everywhere at this point. Hell, the game even hit Facebook before it was released on the Wii. Consider us even more shocked to remember that this is The Oregon Trail's 40th anniversary of teaching youngin's everywhere the horrors of dysentery.
This version of The Oregon Trail will be far different from the one recently released by Gameloft for smartphones in that it will feature full 3D graphics. Players will also have the pleasure of driving the wagon themselves across the nearly 3,000 mile expanse of the United States in four different storylines spanning three time periods. (So, how different from the 1840s are we talking, here?)
Players will get to partake in many of the familiar activities featured in previous takes on The Oregon Trail, like fishing, hunting and customizing their wagons. Now, hold on. Forgive us for getting stuck on this, but isn't the time period kind of vital to the historical accuracy of the game? The Oregon Trail was an educational tool, after all--ooh, look: you can play it on 3DS, too!
[Via Mashable]
Are you psyched to see The Oregon Trail to hit Wii and 3DS? Do you think this game will be better or worse than previous releases of the game this year?
ForestVille: Zynga's next 'Ville' game headed to iPhone, iPad
Over the weekend, Zynga went on a domain shopping spree for something called ForestVille. Turns out, this is, indeed, yet another 'Ville' game for Zynga, and it will be headed to iPhone and iPad. The game already has an official Facebook fan page and here's a description pulled from the Info page:
"FROM THE MAKERS OF FARMVILLE and CITYVILLE HOMETOWN
Help Daisy the fox and her furry friends build a fabulous forest habitat! Establish farms and fishing spots for food, decorate with natural wonders, and expand your forest to unlock new species. Play ForestVille from Zynga and create the forest of your dreams!"
We can't help but notice Daisy's short shorts and buck teeth/fangs. If that's not a blatant nod to Daisy in Dukes of Hazzard, well, it should be.
forestville zynga facebook fan page
> Small preview of unannounced iOS game by Zynga called Forestville [Fusible]
Have you had enough of Zynga's 'Ville' games or can there never be enough?
Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 3, 2012
'Twas a very merry Angry Birds Christmas, with 6.5 million downloads
You could also say that a lot of folks scored some sweet gadgets this holiday season. Finnish game maker Rovio told AllThingsD that its ubiquitous Angry Birds game had been downloaded 6.5 million times on Christmas Day. (The website points out that this is nearly the estimated amount of smartphones activated over the holiday.) Yup, Angry Birds is still cool.
"We're really excited to have such a massive number of new people get acquainted with Angry Birds over the holidays--we have exciting new releases lined up for 2012, and can't wait to introduce them to the public," Rovio's Ville Heijari told AllThingsD. The 6.5 million mark combines all paid and free downloads of the three Angry Birds games, and across all platforms, we imagine.
According to AllThingsD, this more than triples Angry Birds' downloads for Christmas 2010. Surely, that's helped by an extra Angry Birds release, but we bet there are a number of reasons why the game's downloads skyrocketed this Christmas. Between air time on several commercials, their visages on every damned t-shirt in Hot Topic and appearances at major cultural events, Angry Birds exposure hit a fever pitch in 2011.
We're also wiling to bet that this is far from the end for the irate avian creatures. More, unique Angry Birds games are reportedly in the works for 2012, and we're still a ways off from that feature film. So, don't expect these furious, flightless (sort of) foul to go away anytime soon.
[Via VentureBeat]
Are you surprised at all by the amount of Angry Birds downloads on Christmas Day? What mobile games did you download on Christmas Day?
"We're really excited to have such a massive number of new people get acquainted with Angry Birds over the holidays--we have exciting new releases lined up for 2012, and can't wait to introduce them to the public," Rovio's Ville Heijari told AllThingsD. The 6.5 million mark combines all paid and free downloads of the three Angry Birds games, and across all platforms, we imagine.
According to AllThingsD, this more than triples Angry Birds' downloads for Christmas 2010. Surely, that's helped by an extra Angry Birds release, but we bet there are a number of reasons why the game's downloads skyrocketed this Christmas. Between air time on several commercials, their visages on every damned t-shirt in Hot Topic and appearances at major cultural events, Angry Birds exposure hit a fever pitch in 2011.
We're also wiling to bet that this is far from the end for the irate avian creatures. More, unique Angry Birds games are reportedly in the works for 2012, and we're still a ways off from that feature film. So, don't expect these furious, flightless (sort of) foul to go away anytime soon.
[Via VentureBeat]
Are you surprised at all by the amount of Angry Birds downloads on Christmas Day? What mobile games did you download on Christmas Day?
The Sims Social Pic of the Day: Nyan Cat House by PeachesLatrell
Who'd have thought that a cat with the body of a Pop Tart and rainbows coming out of its butt while flying through space would be a hit? And what does it even mean? Not even the kids know. But if you live on the internet, then you must've heard of Nyan Cat, one of 2011's biggest memes and most watched YouTube videos.
Now diehard fans of both Nyan Cat and The Sims Social players can rejoice, as one player, PeachesLatrell, figured out a way to combine tile art and furniture released during the game's Sci-Fi Week to build her own custom Nyan Cat house. By using furniture to create the rainbow, the creator has kept her house in the realm of functionality. Because a house covered in carpets doesn't do much but look pretty.
Each room is dominated by a rainbow color with matching doors:
Red is the bathroom and uses the Venus Portal (750 Simoleons), plus some items from the Dr Pepper giveaway.
Orange is the kitchen, uses the Neptune Portal (350 Social Points) and contains the Llamark Chillblast Fall (2,000 Simoleons).
Green is the living room and uses the Mars Portal (750 Simoleons).
Blue is the bathroom, uses the Solar Portal (350 Social Points) and contains the Hygenix Ocean (10,000 Simoleons).
Finally, there's indigo, which uses the Jupiter Portal (750 Simoleons) and has the King Sighs Plum Bed (49 Sim Cash).
To add on that space-age vibe, each room gets FutureFace Myriad (2,500 Simoleons) for windows and Nyan Cat is set on a black background with pixelated white stars.
Are you hooked on Nyan Cat? Would you love to live in a real Nyan Cat house?
This family holds the world record for being Pokémon masters
And to think my unbridled, preteen love for all things Pokémon only made my parents regret buying me a Game Boy for Christmas. The Arnolds of Frankfort, Ill. have been included in the Guinness Book of World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition, earning the title "Largest Competitive Pokémon Videogame Family." The organization calls the Arnolds "the most prolific Pokémon playing family in the world."
They're not only the most prolific, but the Arnolds are the most successful family of Pokémon players, having competed globally in Pokémon tournaments. While Mother Arnold, Linda, often cheers from the sidelines, family patriarch Glenn battles with pocket monsters right alongside his three children. Glenn spurred the family tradition by helping his little ones get through the tougher parts of their games, ultimately fostering little Pokémon powerhouses.
In fact, Glenn says that he went head-to-head with his own son, David, in a tournament match before. But the Arnolds' other son, Ryan, admits that his sister Grace is probably the most skilled Pokémon player of them all. So what if this is a completely contrived category in order to fill the book with a unique set of record-holders. It makes for a fun story, right? Now, this (hopeful) future father has one goal: Foster the world's most deadly family of Halo players ... when they're of age, of course.
Do your kids still play Pokémon? Are you playing right along with them? If not, what games do you enjoy to play with the little ones?
They're not only the most prolific, but the Arnolds are the most successful family of Pokémon players, having competed globally in Pokémon tournaments. While Mother Arnold, Linda, often cheers from the sidelines, family patriarch Glenn battles with pocket monsters right alongside his three children. Glenn spurred the family tradition by helping his little ones get through the tougher parts of their games, ultimately fostering little Pokémon powerhouses.
In fact, Glenn says that he went head-to-head with his own son, David, in a tournament match before. But the Arnolds' other son, Ryan, admits that his sister Grace is probably the most skilled Pokémon player of them all. So what if this is a completely contrived category in order to fill the book with a unique set of record-holders. It makes for a fun story, right? Now, this (hopeful) future father has one goal: Foster the world's most deadly family of Halo players ... when they're of age, of course.
Do your kids still play Pokémon? Are you playing right along with them? If not, what games do you enjoy to play with the little ones?
Nintendo sold 4 million 3DS systems in 2011, or 12 million dimensions
That's a lot of glasses-free, stereoscopic dimensions of gaming entertainment. Nintendo announced today that it had sold over 4 million units of its 3DS handheld gaming console last year, VentureBeat reports. Despite a terribly rocky start, the system sold more units in its first nine months than the ubiquitous Wii in its first nine months on the market, according to Nintendo.
The impressive sales are largely thanks to its $80 price cut last summer and system-selling games like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 hitting in the winter. In fact, both Mario games have sold 1 million copies apiece since their late 2011 releases. (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword also sold a million discs since its November release.) So much for suspicions of the handheld being dead in the water, huh?
While the 3DS has clearly proven that it can hang in the world of iPhones and Android tablets offering sometimes fully-featured games for a buck or less, the handheld needs to repeat these successes in order to maintain. This is especially so considering Sony is gearing up to release its PS Vita in Western world this February. However, Japanese sales of the $250 competitor haven't exactly been mind-blowing.
According to VentureBeat, Nintendo of America executive VP of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt said that the company has a plenty of first and third-party games coming in early 2012, including Mario Party and Pokemon games. (Ed Note: Nintendo has clarified for us that these franchises will hit the Wii in the first quarter 2012 with new games: PokePark 2 and Mario Party 9. Neither franchise will receive a 3DS game in that time frame.) And since the company firmly refuses to create games for smartphones or tablets, it's definitely going to need that type of momentum.
Do you own or do your kids own a 3DS? Do you see the handheld system doing well into 2012 as the new crop of Apple and Android devices are released?
The impressive sales are largely thanks to its $80 price cut last summer and system-selling games like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 hitting in the winter. In fact, both Mario games have sold 1 million copies apiece since their late 2011 releases. (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword also sold a million discs since its November release.) So much for suspicions of the handheld being dead in the water, huh?
While the 3DS has clearly proven that it can hang in the world of iPhones and Android tablets offering sometimes fully-featured games for a buck or less, the handheld needs to repeat these successes in order to maintain. This is especially so considering Sony is gearing up to release its PS Vita in Western world this February. However, Japanese sales of the $250 competitor haven't exactly been mind-blowing.
According to VentureBeat, Nintendo of America executive VP of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt said that the company has a plenty of first and third-party games coming in early 2012, including Mario Party and Pokemon games. (Ed Note: Nintendo has clarified for us that these franchises will hit the Wii in the first quarter 2012 with new games: PokePark 2 and Mario Party 9. Neither franchise will receive a 3DS game in that time frame.) And since the company firmly refuses to create games for smartphones or tablets, it's definitely going to need that type of momentum.
Do you own or do your kids own a 3DS? Do you see the handheld system doing well into 2012 as the new crop of Apple and Android devices are released?
Game of the Day: Krazy Chef
Today's obligatory Game of the Day is Krazy Chef! This kooky, platform game hails from 7Seas Technologies, a major casual games company headquartered in Hyderabad, India.
In Krazy Chef, you play a chef that's been shrunk down to size after eating a "magic fruit". Your goal is to find the "fruit of remedy" to bring you back to normal size. To do this, you need to jump around a lot, collecting Medicine Boxes hidden within various environments. (Don't worry, they don't hide them very hard.) Note that you won't be able to get to the next level unless you find all the Medicine Boxes.
Your enemies are the occasional ant or roach, but your greatest enemy is time. You start off with three lives, no renewable health (three strikes by bugs and you're dead), and if you don't manage to make it to the exit point before the time bar is depleted, then you lose a life and have to restart the level. This is a punishing game, but there's only four levels, so with a bit of patience, it can be beaten.
Click to play Krazy Chef!
Krazy Chef Krazy Chef completed
How far did you manage to get in Krazy Chef?
In Krazy Chef, you play a chef that's been shrunk down to size after eating a "magic fruit". Your goal is to find the "fruit of remedy" to bring you back to normal size. To do this, you need to jump around a lot, collecting Medicine Boxes hidden within various environments. (Don't worry, they don't hide them very hard.) Note that you won't be able to get to the next level unless you find all the Medicine Boxes.
Your enemies are the occasional ant or roach, but your greatest enemy is time. You start off with three lives, no renewable health (three strikes by bugs and you're dead), and if you don't manage to make it to the exit point before the time bar is depleted, then you lose a life and have to restart the level. This is a punishing game, but there's only four levels, so with a bit of patience, it can be beaten.
Click to play Krazy Chef!
Krazy Chef Krazy Chef completed
How far did you manage to get in Krazy Chef?
Nintendo's Wii U will have an app store (just like the iPad?)
If the early comparisons between Apple's tablet and the upcoming Nintendo console were unfounded before, the next rumor surrounding the Wii U might all but confirm them. That is, if it turns out to be true. The Daily reports, citing a nameless source, that Nintendo's successor to the wildly successful Wii console will have an app store. So, how is that different from now?
According to The Daily, the app store in the Wii U will be different from the online shops offered within its existing 3DS and Wii consoles--the eShop and Wii Shop, respectively--in that it will provide more than just "light" apps. This app store will tout similar software to what players can download on, say, their Xbox 360, like MLB.TV (which is name-dropped specifically).
Furthermore, The Daily's source said that apps will be offered for use exclusively with the Wii U's 6.2-inch tablet-like controller. The Daily's Matt Hickey paints a picture of players checking their email, browsing the web and later getting some games in on the controller. However, it's unknown whether this supposed app store will sell its software using a points system or otherwise.
What we do know for sure about the mysterious Wii U is that it will be social. Perhaps this means that players will be able to access services like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ using dedicated apps downloaded from this app store. We'll see at E3 2012.
[Via IndustryGamers]
Do you think it would be smart/cool if the Wii U had an app store similar to Apple's? If it does, what apps would you say are must-haves?
According to The Daily, the app store in the Wii U will be different from the online shops offered within its existing 3DS and Wii consoles--the eShop and Wii Shop, respectively--in that it will provide more than just "light" apps. This app store will tout similar software to what players can download on, say, their Xbox 360, like MLB.TV (which is name-dropped specifically).
Furthermore, The Daily's source said that apps will be offered for use exclusively with the Wii U's 6.2-inch tablet-like controller. The Daily's Matt Hickey paints a picture of players checking their email, browsing the web and later getting some games in on the controller. However, it's unknown whether this supposed app store will sell its software using a points system or otherwise.
What we do know for sure about the mysterious Wii U is that it will be social. Perhaps this means that players will be able to access services like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ using dedicated apps downloaded from this app store. We'll see at E3 2012.
[Via IndustryGamers]
Do you think it would be smart/cool if the Wii U had an app store similar to Apple's? If it does, what apps would you say are must-haves?
CastleVille Castleberry Punch Quests: Everything you need to know
It's time to ring in the new year in CastleVille, and to help you do just that, a new series of five quests has been released called "Castleberry Punch." Just what is that drink? Well, according to Duke, it's the most delicious drink in any kingdom, but it requires quite a bit of work to actually finish a batch. That's where we come in!
Castleberry Punch
Have 20 Wood Logs
Harvest 4 Copper Tubes
Collect 20 Stones
This quest is incredibly simple, as the only real work will come from asking your friends for the Copper Tubes. The Wood Logs and Rocks (if you don't have them on-hand already) will come from simply tending Trees or Rocks in your kingdom. When you finish this quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins, 20 XP a a Super Chop boost.
Secret Recipe
Craft 1 Punch Prep Table
Collect 8 Pails of Water
Have a Kitchen
The Pails of Water come from fishing, as they appear randomly. The Punch Prep Table, meanwhile, can be crafted inside the Workshop using 10 Wood Planks, 5 Punch Jugs (ask your friends for these) and 10 Stone Blocks. The recipe takes just one hour to finish, and when you finish the entire quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins and 20 XP.
Getting Punchy
Collect 20 Berries
Gather 6 Yummhee Yeasts
Have 20 Honey
The Honey comes from tending flowers, while Berries come from tending grass and other plants in your kingdom. Finally, the Yeast comes from friends. When you finish off this item collection quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins and 20 XP.
Brew Love
Craft 5 Castleberry Punch
Earn 50 Reputation
Buy 3 Sparklers
Sparklers are available to purchase in the market for 1,500 coins each. You can earn some extra coins, along with the Reputation hearts by visiting friends, and can then come back to the Kitchen in your kingdom to craft the punch. Each batch takes four Pails of Water, three Cloves, 10 Berries and 10 Honey. Each Punch takes an hour to craft, so you'll be waiting at least three hours if you happen to have all of the necessary ingredients available to you instantly. For finishing this quest, you'll be rewarded with 750 coins and 15 XP.
A Spirited New Year
Change Clothes
Craft a Keg
Visit Duke's Kingdom
You'll finish this quest series off simply: just change your avatar's clothes (notice that this just requires you to change clothes, not purchase new ones) and visit Duke's Kingdom in your friends list to finish off those two tasks and then craft the Keg inside the Workshop. This one takes 22 hours to complete, making it a time consuming goal, but not an overly difficult one. The Keg requires two Iron Bars, three Wood Planks and three Alchemist Powders to create. When you finish this New Year's celebration in the game, you'll receive a final reward of 1,000 coins, 20 XP and a Castleberry Keg, an item that can be used to decorate your kingdom.
These quests are limited, as you'll have just nine days to complete them, as of this writing. Good luck finishing them all in time!
[Quests 3-5 Via CastleVille Wiki]
What do you think of these New Year quests in CastleVille? Did you enjoy the various holiday celebrations that occurred in CastleVille to end the year, or were you expecting something more?
Castleberry Punch
Have 20 Wood Logs
Harvest 4 Copper Tubes
Collect 20 Stones
This quest is incredibly simple, as the only real work will come from asking your friends for the Copper Tubes. The Wood Logs and Rocks (if you don't have them on-hand already) will come from simply tending Trees or Rocks in your kingdom. When you finish this quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins, 20 XP a a Super Chop boost.
Secret Recipe
Craft 1 Punch Prep Table
Collect 8 Pails of Water
Have a Kitchen
The Pails of Water come from fishing, as they appear randomly. The Punch Prep Table, meanwhile, can be crafted inside the Workshop using 10 Wood Planks, 5 Punch Jugs (ask your friends for these) and 10 Stone Blocks. The recipe takes just one hour to finish, and when you finish the entire quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins and 20 XP.
Getting Punchy
Collect 20 Berries
Gather 6 Yummhee Yeasts
Have 20 Honey
The Honey comes from tending flowers, while Berries come from tending grass and other plants in your kingdom. Finally, the Yeast comes from friends. When you finish off this item collection quest, you'll receive 1,000 coins and 20 XP.
Brew Love
Craft 5 Castleberry Punch
Earn 50 Reputation
Buy 3 Sparklers
Sparklers are available to purchase in the market for 1,500 coins each. You can earn some extra coins, along with the Reputation hearts by visiting friends, and can then come back to the Kitchen in your kingdom to craft the punch. Each batch takes four Pails of Water, three Cloves, 10 Berries and 10 Honey. Each Punch takes an hour to craft, so you'll be waiting at least three hours if you happen to have all of the necessary ingredients available to you instantly. For finishing this quest, you'll be rewarded with 750 coins and 15 XP.
A Spirited New Year
Change Clothes
Craft a Keg
Visit Duke's Kingdom
You'll finish this quest series off simply: just change your avatar's clothes (notice that this just requires you to change clothes, not purchase new ones) and visit Duke's Kingdom in your friends list to finish off those two tasks and then craft the Keg inside the Workshop. This one takes 22 hours to complete, making it a time consuming goal, but not an overly difficult one. The Keg requires two Iron Bars, three Wood Planks and three Alchemist Powders to create. When you finish this New Year's celebration in the game, you'll receive a final reward of 1,000 coins, 20 XP and a Castleberry Keg, an item that can be used to decorate your kingdom.
These quests are limited, as you'll have just nine days to complete them, as of this writing. Good luck finishing them all in time!
[Quests 3-5 Via CastleVille Wiki]
What do you think of these New Year quests in CastleVille? Did you enjoy the various holiday celebrations that occurred in CastleVille to end the year, or were you expecting something more?
Thứ Tư, 7 tháng 3, 2012
I Love Lucy lives again ... on Facebook, thanks to Retro World
Even if you weren't born in the '50s, you better know who Lucille Ball is. She, along with Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawle all but set the standard for sitcoms decades to come. Now, Langhorne, Penn.-based social game maker Entertainment Games hopes the comedy quartet will set standards on Facebook through its first social game, Retro World.
Beginning this March, Retro World's players will be able to play out Lucy's most sidesplitting scenes in an episodic format. The first of which will pay homage to the classic "Job Switching" episode that has Lucy and Ethel switch roles with Ricky and Fred. Players will get the chance to control both Lucy and Ricky as they try to excel in their temporary new roles, Reuters reports.
"The experience is uniquely designed to feel like you're playing in an actual 'I Love Lucy' episode," Entertainment Games president Gene Mauro told Reuters. "In some scenes, players will control Lucy as she struggles comically to stay employed alongside Ethel in the chocolate factory; in other scenes, players become Ricky as he coaches Fred and labors to learn the ropes of basic housekeeping."
Before this announcement, the myriad of licensed characters and retro actors that Entertainment Games had procured appeared merely as cameos. Now, the developer seems to have been granted far more control of the brands, like I Love Lucy, by CBS Consumer Products Inc. to create even more nostalgic experiences.
Retro World currently only welcomes 20,000 monthly players, though this release of I Love Lucy-themed game content will mark the game's initial overall marketing push, and thus we imagine more players. New I Love Lucy-themed episodes will hit Retro World every few months, with the first rewarding players with a Lucille Ball avatar. Now, how much longer until we see nifty Mork and Mindy content?
[Image Credit: Entertainment Games]
Are you excited to try out the I Love Lucy episodes in Retro World? Do you think the game has a chance to gain traction?
Beginning this March, Retro World's players will be able to play out Lucy's most sidesplitting scenes in an episodic format. The first of which will pay homage to the classic "Job Switching" episode that has Lucy and Ethel switch roles with Ricky and Fred. Players will get the chance to control both Lucy and Ricky as they try to excel in their temporary new roles, Reuters reports.
"The experience is uniquely designed to feel like you're playing in an actual 'I Love Lucy' episode," Entertainment Games president Gene Mauro told Reuters. "In some scenes, players will control Lucy as she struggles comically to stay employed alongside Ethel in the chocolate factory; in other scenes, players become Ricky as he coaches Fred and labors to learn the ropes of basic housekeeping."
Before this announcement, the myriad of licensed characters and retro actors that Entertainment Games had procured appeared merely as cameos. Now, the developer seems to have been granted far more control of the brands, like I Love Lucy, by CBS Consumer Products Inc. to create even more nostalgic experiences.
Retro World currently only welcomes 20,000 monthly players, though this release of I Love Lucy-themed game content will mark the game's initial overall marketing push, and thus we imagine more players. New I Love Lucy-themed episodes will hit Retro World every few months, with the first rewarding players with a Lucille Ball avatar. Now, how much longer until we see nifty Mork and Mindy content?
[Image Credit: Entertainment Games]
Are you excited to try out the I Love Lucy episodes in Retro World? Do you think the game has a chance to gain traction?
Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar: A getting started guide
Game Introduction - Ghost Towns: The Cats of Uthar
Welcome to the Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar walkthrough on Gamezebo. Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar is a Hidden Object Adventure game created by Taba Games. This walkthrough includes tips and tricks, helpful hints, and a strategy guide on how to complete Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar.
General Information
- You can choose to play in Casual, Advanced or Hard mode. In Casual Mode you get a Hints button, no click penalties and active areas are highlighted. In Advanced Mode you get hints, penalties and active areas are not highlighted. In Hard Mode you get no hints, penalties and active areas are not highlighted
- As with most games of this kind, the cursor changes into a magnifying glass when you can interact with or zoom in on something, a hand when you can take something for your inventory, and a directional arrow where you can move on to another scene
Gallery: Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar
- The Hint button will indicate the direction in which you have to go with a large eye symbol, or it will circle the area of the scene you need to interact with.
- The Hint button only needs to recharge when it shows you and item to pick up for your inventory
- Hidden Object Scenes (HOS) are always the same, so all items are shown in the screen shots in this walkthrough
- Puzzles can be skipped once the Skip button has fully charged, but most puzzles cannot be reset. A couple of puzzles have a Reset button
- Once you've entered a puzzle or HOS, you can't leave to come back to it later
- The Collector's Edition of this game features a bonus chapter, which can be accessed from the main menu, and an in-game strategy guide. There are also additional features such as wallpaper and concept art.
Read the full Ghost Towns: The Cats of Ulthar walkthrough on on Gamezebo >
War Commander's Operation: Red Storm is a go this weekend
xWar Commander Operation Red Storm Trailer
We know the type of "hardcore" crowd that Kixeye is going for, but this is downright Blair Witch Project territory. A new threat faces players of the social game makers latest release, War Commander. Starting on Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. PST, players will go to war with a new Rogue Faction, the Sickle Syndicate, in Operation: Red Storm. Hm, we wonder where this new enemy hails from.
Based on creepily delivered intel delivered by these equally creepy trailer that Kixeye put together, Sergey Kalashnikov has led the Sickle Syndicate to your doorstep. According to this dude with a ski mask and a cold a voice scrambler, the Sickle Syndicate has developed a prototype super weapon under Operation: Red Storm.
So, it's up to you to go toe-to-toe with the Sickle Syndicate this weekend, starting tomorrow. Now, Kalashnikov is reportedly a master of base design, so good luck with getting through his defenses. And get that guy a cough drop while you're at it, will ya?
Are you ready to initiate Operation: Red Storm in War Commander? What do you think of strategy games on Facebook?
We know the type of "hardcore" crowd that Kixeye is going for, but this is downright Blair Witch Project territory. A new threat faces players of the social game makers latest release, War Commander. Starting on Feb. 16 at 9 a.m. PST, players will go to war with a new Rogue Faction, the Sickle Syndicate, in Operation: Red Storm. Hm, we wonder where this new enemy hails from.
Based on creepily delivered intel delivered by these equally creepy trailer that Kixeye put together, Sergey Kalashnikov has led the Sickle Syndicate to your doorstep. According to this dude with a ski mask and a cold a voice scrambler, the Sickle Syndicate has developed a prototype super weapon under Operation: Red Storm.
So, it's up to you to go toe-to-toe with the Sickle Syndicate this weekend, starting tomorrow. Now, Kalashnikov is reportedly a master of base design, so good luck with getting through his defenses. And get that guy a cough drop while you're at it, will ya?
Are you ready to initiate Operation: Red Storm in War Commander? What do you think of strategy games on Facebook?
Digital Chocolate's Gangs of Boomtown holds up Google+ Games
You know, there just aren't enough six shooters in Facebook games these days. What, you say, "Digital Chocolate has answered my prayers with Gangs of Boomtown?" Why, thank you, whatever just came over us to type these words, because now we know that the social game maker has released a western-themed gangster social game exclusively on Google+ for the next month.
Gangs of Boomtown is the third game to hit Google+ Games through EA founder Trip Hawkins' Digital Chocolate, but it's the first for the developer to offer exclusively. In the western shooter, players begin in Boomtown, a shanty town that was recently burned to the ground by the Assassin's Gang that took your family with it. From there, it's up to you to save the Sheriff, restore Boomtown and get your revenge.
Gangs of Boomtown duel
Digital Chocolate's Helsinki, Finland studio crafted this rootin', tootin' social game, which allows players to share achievements in their own gaming Circles. At first glance, Gangs of Boomtown looks as if Mafia Wars 2 and FrontierVille got together and had one pretty baby. In other words, Gangs of Boomtown is a western-themed gangster game with town-building elements and multiplayer duels.
This is the third game to release exclusively on Google+, following Kabam's The Godfather: Five Families and Plarium's Pirates: Tides of Fortune. Google needs these exclusives as leverage to compete with Facebook's thousands of games. (Google+ is currently home to 39 games, including Gangs of Boomtown.) With some seriously impressive audio and interesting elements like skill points for characters, Gangs of Boomtown could help Google+ gain some notoriety in gaming.
Click here to play Gangs of Boomtown on Google+ Now >
[Via VentureBeat]
Are you excited to dig into another western-themed social game? What do you think of Google+ as a games platform?
Gangs of Boomtown is the third game to hit Google+ Games through EA founder Trip Hawkins' Digital Chocolate, but it's the first for the developer to offer exclusively. In the western shooter, players begin in Boomtown, a shanty town that was recently burned to the ground by the Assassin's Gang that took your family with it. From there, it's up to you to save the Sheriff, restore Boomtown and get your revenge.
Gangs of Boomtown duel
Digital Chocolate's Helsinki, Finland studio crafted this rootin', tootin' social game, which allows players to share achievements in their own gaming Circles. At first glance, Gangs of Boomtown looks as if Mafia Wars 2 and FrontierVille got together and had one pretty baby. In other words, Gangs of Boomtown is a western-themed gangster game with town-building elements and multiplayer duels.
This is the third game to release exclusively on Google+, following Kabam's The Godfather: Five Families and Plarium's Pirates: Tides of Fortune. Google needs these exclusives as leverage to compete with Facebook's thousands of games. (Google+ is currently home to 39 games, including Gangs of Boomtown.) With some seriously impressive audio and interesting elements like skill points for characters, Gangs of Boomtown could help Google+ gain some notoriety in gaming.
Click here to play Gangs of Boomtown on Google+ Now >
[Via VentureBeat]
Are you excited to dig into another western-themed social game? What do you think of Google+ as a games platform?
The Sims Social brings on the bistro in Paris Week, teases new feature
The Sims Social Paris Week
Can you say, "oui"? Playfish has unveiled its next weekly content update for The Sims Social, Paris Week. With these three images, it's clear that the developer's top social game will be all about French cuisine this week. Players will get to transform their homes into the next chic French eateries with fancy furniture, posh clothes and, of course, classy cappuccino.
The Sims Social Paris Week 2
A lot, if not all, of the items teased in this week's update have something to do with food. Players will get to build their own display cases and hopefully put their Cooking Skill to the test. There seems to be plenty of desserts to serve, and a few outfits to serve them in, to boot. Of course, it wouldn't be a French-themed update without the obligatory striped shirt and red beret outfit.
The Sims Social Paris Week 3
All in all, the update looks to bring some worldly culture to The Sims Social, along with some good food. But with it Playfish plans to bring something, a brand new feature that it's just teasing at the moment, though we have a pretty good idea of what it is. Teased with what looks like a globe icon centered on Europe and Africa on The Sims Social blog, we guess that it has something to do with adding new friends without being Facebook friends. And could an update like that be more fitting with this week's theme? You're welcome.
Are you psyched to hop into Paris Week in The Sims Social? What do you think the mystery feature is?
Can you say, "oui"? Playfish has unveiled its next weekly content update for The Sims Social, Paris Week. With these three images, it's clear that the developer's top social game will be all about French cuisine this week. Players will get to transform their homes into the next chic French eateries with fancy furniture, posh clothes and, of course, classy cappuccino.
The Sims Social Paris Week 2
A lot, if not all, of the items teased in this week's update have something to do with food. Players will get to build their own display cases and hopefully put their Cooking Skill to the test. There seems to be plenty of desserts to serve, and a few outfits to serve them in, to boot. Of course, it wouldn't be a French-themed update without the obligatory striped shirt and red beret outfit.
The Sims Social Paris Week 3
All in all, the update looks to bring some worldly culture to The Sims Social, along with some good food. But with it Playfish plans to bring something, a brand new feature that it's just teasing at the moment, though we have a pretty good idea of what it is. Teased with what looks like a globe icon centered on Europe and Africa on The Sims Social blog, we guess that it has something to do with adding new friends without being Facebook friends. And could an update like that be more fitting with this week's theme? You're welcome.
Are you psyched to hop into Paris Week in The Sims Social? What do you think the mystery feature is?
FarmVille Winter Wonderland Chapter 7 Goals: Everything you need to know
It's that time once again, time to start a new set of 12 goals in FarmVille's Winter Wonderland. This set of goals is actually Chapter 7 in the game's story, and you'll have 14 days to complete them all. FarmVilleFreak has discovered the tasks required for these goals, which will give you all sorts of winter-themed rewards.
Gone Fishin'
Get 4 Fishing Lines
Harvest Polar Train Station
Harvest 275 Gingerbread
For this "Fishing Lines" task, and all addition "Get X Item" tasks, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the items in question. Your rewards for finishing this first goal are 100 XP, an Ice Fishing Hut and 2,500 coins.
What Lurks Below
Get 6 Sparkly Doodads
Make 2 Ginger S'mores
Harvest 275 Iced Rice
Rewards: 200 XP, Ice Walrus, 2,500 coins
Make a Hole!
Get 8 Ice Saws
Harvest Ice Walrus
Harvest 275 Frozen Grapes
Rewards: 300 XP, Fishing Camp, 2,500 coins
Stranger Things
Get 8 Fish Sweaters
Make 2 Peanut Brittle
Harvest 300 Carrotcicles
Rewards: 400 XP, Bow Wolf, 2,500 coins
Surprise
Get 8 Hugs
Harvest Bow Wolf
Harvest 300 Iceberg Lettuce
Rewards: 400 XP, Zing in a Cake, 2,500 coins
Hands in the Air!
Get 8 High Fives
Master Ice Walrus to Level 1
Harvest 300 Mint Candy
Rewards: 400 XP, Party Peacock, 5,000 coins
Elf-Felt Thanks
Get 8 Appreciation Notes
Make 2 Candy Canes
Harvest 350 Red Iceberries
Rewards: 500 XP, Party Winter Squirrel, 5,000 coins
Picture Time!
Get 8 Photos with Elves
Harvest Party Winter Squirrel
Harvest 350 Frozen Grapes
Rewards: 500 XP, Party Penguins, 5,000 coins
Refreshing
Get 8 Yummy Drinks
Make 2 Frozen Fruit Tarts
Harvest 350 Gingerbread
Rewards: 1,000 XP, Disco Ball Gnome, 10,000 coins
Cheers!
Get 9 Cheers for You
Master Bow Wolf to Level 1
Harvest 400 Gummi Bears
Rewards: 500 XP, Ushanka Polar Bear, 5,000 coins
You Say Goodbye...
Get 10 Goodbye Gifts
Make 2 Candied Apples
Make 2 Gingerbread Houses
Rewards: 500 XP, Hammock Penguin, 5,000 coins
Heating Up!
Get 12 Map Pieces
Master Ushanka Polar Bear to Level 1
Harvest 400 Red Iceberries
Rewards: 1,000 XP, Candy Copter, 10,000 coins
You have around two weeks to finish off all of these goals in FarmVille, before they'll expire from the game. As these rewards are (currently) exclusive to this goal series, you'll want to finish as many as you can within that time in order to fill your farm(s) with some pretty cool limited edition items! Good luck completing them all in time!
What do you think of these Chapter 7 Winter Wonderland goals? Do you think you'll have time to finish them all?
Gone Fishin'
Get 4 Fishing Lines
Harvest Polar Train Station
Harvest 275 Gingerbread
For this "Fishing Lines" task, and all addition "Get X Item" tasks, you'll need to ask your friends to send you the items in question. Your rewards for finishing this first goal are 100 XP, an Ice Fishing Hut and 2,500 coins.
What Lurks Below
Get 6 Sparkly Doodads
Make 2 Ginger S'mores
Harvest 275 Iced Rice
Rewards: 200 XP, Ice Walrus, 2,500 coins
Make a Hole!
Get 8 Ice Saws
Harvest Ice Walrus
Harvest 275 Frozen Grapes
Rewards: 300 XP, Fishing Camp, 2,500 coins
Stranger Things
Get 8 Fish Sweaters
Make 2 Peanut Brittle
Harvest 300 Carrotcicles
Rewards: 400 XP, Bow Wolf, 2,500 coins
Surprise
Get 8 Hugs
Harvest Bow Wolf
Harvest 300 Iceberg Lettuce
Rewards: 400 XP, Zing in a Cake, 2,500 coins
Hands in the Air!
Get 8 High Fives
Master Ice Walrus to Level 1
Harvest 300 Mint Candy
Rewards: 400 XP, Party Peacock, 5,000 coins
Elf-Felt Thanks
Get 8 Appreciation Notes
Make 2 Candy Canes
Harvest 350 Red Iceberries
Rewards: 500 XP, Party Winter Squirrel, 5,000 coins
Picture Time!
Get 8 Photos with Elves
Harvest Party Winter Squirrel
Harvest 350 Frozen Grapes
Rewards: 500 XP, Party Penguins, 5,000 coins
Refreshing
Get 8 Yummy Drinks
Make 2 Frozen Fruit Tarts
Harvest 350 Gingerbread
Rewards: 1,000 XP, Disco Ball Gnome, 10,000 coins
Cheers!
Get 9 Cheers for You
Master Bow Wolf to Level 1
Harvest 400 Gummi Bears
Rewards: 500 XP, Ushanka Polar Bear, 5,000 coins
You Say Goodbye...
Get 10 Goodbye Gifts
Make 2 Candied Apples
Make 2 Gingerbread Houses
Rewards: 500 XP, Hammock Penguin, 5,000 coins
Heating Up!
Get 12 Map Pieces
Master Ushanka Polar Bear to Level 1
Harvest 400 Red Iceberries
Rewards: 1,000 XP, Candy Copter, 10,000 coins
You have around two weeks to finish off all of these goals in FarmVille, before they'll expire from the game. As these rewards are (currently) exclusive to this goal series, you'll want to finish as many as you can within that time in order to fill your farm(s) with some pretty cool limited edition items! Good luck completing them all in time!
What do you think of these Chapter 7 Winter Wonderland goals? Do you think you'll have time to finish them all?
FarmVille Baby Playpen: Everything you need to know
Following the launch of baby animal mastery in FarmVille, a new building project has also launched in the game, giving you a chance to store baby animals and harvest them in bulk without Farmhands. You'll be prompted to place a Baby Playpen on your farm the next time you login to the game. From there, you'll need to collect 30 new building ingredients with the help of friends.
10 Baby Blankets
10 Salt Licks
10 Brushes
These items can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, or you can purchase them for one Farm Cash each. Once you finish this building, you'll be able to store 20 baby animals (most every baby animal, and not just calves or foals), but can then be expanded by gathering more building ingredients to hold more individual animals.
Like other animal storage buildings in FarmVille, you can use this Baby Playpen to spawn new animals in your game, as you'll have a chance to receive a free baby animal each day you collect your profits from the Playpen.
If this is the start of a new series of animal storage buildings in FarmVille, we'll make sure to let you know, but for now login to your farm and start building your very own baby animal storage buildings right now!
What do you think of this Baby Playpen in FarmVille? Will you build more than one on each farm?
10 Baby Blankets
10 Salt Licks
10 Brushes
These items can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you, or you can purchase them for one Farm Cash each. Once you finish this building, you'll be able to store 20 baby animals (most every baby animal, and not just calves or foals), but can then be expanded by gathering more building ingredients to hold more individual animals.
Like other animal storage buildings in FarmVille, you can use this Baby Playpen to spawn new animals in your game, as you'll have a chance to receive a free baby animal each day you collect your profits from the Playpen.
If this is the start of a new series of animal storage buildings in FarmVille, we'll make sure to let you know, but for now login to your farm and start building your very own baby animal storage buildings right now!
What do you think of this Baby Playpen in FarmVille? Will you build more than one on each farm?
Thứ Bảy, 3 tháng 3, 2012
Karma Kingdom looks to combine social good, social fun on Facebook
A Facebook game that can score us some good karma points--where do we sign up? We've seen games like FarmVille and CityVille run social good campaigns, but Singapore-based developer Asvathaa has a made an entire game of the idea. The developer just released Karma Kingdom on Facebook, a quest-driven game that looks to help you "Create Your Better World," according to its tag line.
Karma Kingdom integrates Indian mythology into modern lessons of doing good for others. It does this by allowing players to curate an island nation and maintain their citizens' happiness using the three tenants of happiness: health, community and knowledge. You will be guided by several Indian gods and goddesses in your efforts to keep the people happy through quests.
You do this through creating homes for your people to live in, and then surrounding those homes with decorations that promote Health, Community and Knowledge. It seems as if it's important to keep that balance in the decorations you place. Otherwise, your citizens will quickly become unhappy and provide less Goodwill, the resource you need to provide for your people.
Players can plant crops to provide more Goodwill, and the game doesn't seem to be governed by any energy system. (Now, that's something fresh.) But what's more important is the real goodwill Asvathaa aims to create with Karma Kingdom. The Singapore developer has promised to donate a 10 percent of its income through Facebook Credits to non-profit charities. (However, Asvathaa doesn't say which charities it will donate to exactly.)
Karma Kingdom in action
The more happiness-generating decorations you buy in the game using Facebook Credits, the more Asvathaa will donate ... somewhere. "We want to offer a personal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) platform for every individual as the desire to give back exists in each one of us," Asvathaa CEO and founder Ashok Desai said in a release. If anything, the game looks to be a fresh take on the genre given that it doesn't limit your play time through energy, and maybe it will do some good, too.
Click here to play Karma Kingdom on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new Facebook game yet, and what do you think of the fact that it doesn't limit you via energy? Would you ever pay up in the game, not knowing exactly where your Facebook Credits are going?
Karma Kingdom integrates Indian mythology into modern lessons of doing good for others. It does this by allowing players to curate an island nation and maintain their citizens' happiness using the three tenants of happiness: health, community and knowledge. You will be guided by several Indian gods and goddesses in your efforts to keep the people happy through quests.
You do this through creating homes for your people to live in, and then surrounding those homes with decorations that promote Health, Community and Knowledge. It seems as if it's important to keep that balance in the decorations you place. Otherwise, your citizens will quickly become unhappy and provide less Goodwill, the resource you need to provide for your people.
Players can plant crops to provide more Goodwill, and the game doesn't seem to be governed by any energy system. (Now, that's something fresh.) But what's more important is the real goodwill Asvathaa aims to create with Karma Kingdom. The Singapore developer has promised to donate a 10 percent of its income through Facebook Credits to non-profit charities. (However, Asvathaa doesn't say which charities it will donate to exactly.)
Karma Kingdom in action
The more happiness-generating decorations you buy in the game using Facebook Credits, the more Asvathaa will donate ... somewhere. "We want to offer a personal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) platform for every individual as the desire to give back exists in each one of us," Asvathaa CEO and founder Ashok Desai said in a release. If anything, the game looks to be a fresh take on the genre given that it doesn't limit your play time through energy, and maybe it will do some good, too.
Click here to play Karma Kingdom on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this new Facebook game yet, and what do you think of the fact that it doesn't limit you via energy? Would you ever pay up in the game, not knowing exactly where your Facebook Credits are going?
Club Penguin fires a salvo of fun with Puffle Launch for iPhone [Video]
Parents, secure the iPhones and iPads. If Club Penguin isn't going to slide onto Facebook anytime soon, we'll take the next best thing: the iPhone. Puffle Launch, first released as a mini game within the kids world of Club Penguin over a year ago, launches onto iPhone tomorrow, Sept. 15. The game, which will be available for the paltry price of $.99, puts players in control of Daredevil, one of the many Puffles available in the existing Disney-owned web game.
Just like in Club Penguin, kids can fire Daredevil from a cannon, careening into obstacles and collecting Coins. Better yet, those Coins can be transferred to kids' existing Club Penguin accounts to buy new items from the web game's store. As players advance through the game's many daring and dangerous aerial courses, they will eventually have to face the Crab Boss.
According to a Club Penguin representative, Puffle Launch is already played by 150,000 kids daily, and a new Puffle is adopted every second in the kid-friendly virtual world. (That amounts to more than 20 million of the little balls of love adopted in 2011 already!) With statistics like that, color us baffled as to why Club Penguin has yet to hit Facebook, especially considering the amount of preteens that are already active on the social network.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Club Penguin's expansion beyond its little home on the web and onto new platforms (aside from Nintendo's stable of consoles). Check out the game's trailer below, but you might not want to show the kids just yet, unless you're willing to buy it on every iOS device in the house.
Are you excited that Club Penguin has finally made it to iOS? Where or how else would you like to see the Club Penguin franchise go?
Just like in Club Penguin, kids can fire Daredevil from a cannon, careening into obstacles and collecting Coins. Better yet, those Coins can be transferred to kids' existing Club Penguin accounts to buy new items from the web game's store. As players advance through the game's many daring and dangerous aerial courses, they will eventually have to face the Crab Boss.
According to a Club Penguin representative, Puffle Launch is already played by 150,000 kids daily, and a new Puffle is adopted every second in the kid-friendly virtual world. (That amounts to more than 20 million of the little balls of love adopted in 2011 already!) With statistics like that, color us baffled as to why Club Penguin has yet to hit Facebook, especially considering the amount of preteens that are already active on the social network.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Club Penguin's expansion beyond its little home on the web and onto new platforms (aside from Nintendo's stable of consoles). Check out the game's trailer below, but you might not want to show the kids just yet, unless you're willing to buy it on every iOS device in the house.
Are you excited that Club Penguin has finally made it to iOS? Where or how else would you like to see the Club Penguin franchise go?
Kabam on Edgeworld's release and what battles lie ahead [Interview]
Edgeworld
Even at first glance of its war-torn landscape filled with futuristic buildings blasted to bits by the laser weapons of alien and mechanized armies, it's clear that Edgeworld is San Francisco-based developer Kabam's most ambitious project yet. Formerly known as Watercooler, the studio and publisher is filled with fans of traditional strategy PC games. Even CEO Kevin Chou was a world-ranked StarCraft player back in the day.
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
[Image Credit: Kabam]
What are you impressions of Edgeworld so far? Are you excited about the upcoming Territories feature coming to the game, and what else do you hope to see from developers like Kabam?
Even at first glance of its war-torn landscape filled with futuristic buildings blasted to bits by the laser weapons of alien and mechanized armies, it's clear that Edgeworld is San Francisco-based developer Kabam's most ambitious project yet. Formerly known as Watercooler, the studio and publisher is filled with fans of traditional strategy PC games. Even CEO Kevin Chou was a world-ranked StarCraft player back in the day.
Inspired by sci-fi staples like Star Wars, Star Trek and even the Halo series of shooter games, Edgeworld is the culmination of Kabam's ongoing mission to bring a true 4X (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) game experience to Facebook. Since the game's "open beta" release in August, the team is hard at work to make that vision a reality as it claims to have in previous games. (As of this writing, the game enjoys over 858,000 monthly players, according to AppData.)
We sat down with Edgeworld Producer James Holloway recently to hear his thoughts on the game post-release, and what plans he and the rest of the Kabam team have for the strategy game in the future.
Edgeworld in action
Now that Edgeworld has released, what are your knee-jerk reactions? What do you love about the game at release, and what would you like to fix most?
We're really pleased with the release so far. We're seeing a lot of people come back to play the game--it has a really high retention. A lot of people are joining Alliances and engaging with each other. In every sector, I see chat is very active. But this is just the beginning.
The biggest thing that I think we're missing is that our Alliance feature is pretty lean right now. The thing that we would like to emphasize more is a cooperative play of the game. I think we have just the basics right now. The new Maps feature is going to integrate very tightly with alliances--you work together [with Alliances] to conquer territory.
We have about four unique turrets and nine units, and that's just the beginning. We're working on a new unit and a new turret that we're really excited about, and those are going to launch in the next month. We'll be introducing higher levels of our buildings. So, there's a lot more content that we need to create, and we're just getting started.
What's the most interesting thing you've seen players do in the game since release--something that never happened during testing?
One thing that we sort of didn't anticipate was that some Alliances and players are attacking each other for resources. At one point we didn't have inter-Alliance resource sharing, so right now you can actually send resources to other players to help them out. So, we didn't have that feature [originally].
But what people were doing was working around that by setting up their Command Centers, which are what contain your resources, outside the perimeter of their turrets. [Players would then] leave their Alliance, cook it, and then attack them and take their resources. So, they were doing resource transfers before the feature was even allowed.
Do you have any interesting or helpful gameplay tips for the players to get ahead in Edgeworld?
Certainly! If you're just starting out, we give every player two days of starter protection wherein no other player can attack you. That's a free few days of protection, and use that time wisely to build up your base and experiment with different configurations. Allow the Factions to attack your base. There's a lot of experimentation with the units.
Players are posting on the forums, talking with each other and also within their Alliances about the best combinations of units to deploy when attacking a base. There are a lot of combinations of tanks and DPS [damage per second] units you can deploy. Rhinos, or other types that have a lot of hit points, can take a lot of fire, and then you can deploy units with longer range or higher DPS behind them.
Edgeworld blast
Depending on what your goals are--like, you might want as many resources as possible--you might want to deploy the Raiders. The Rhinos draw fire from the turrets, while the Spectres sit outside and fire away at the turrets. You really want to upgrade your Spectres to give them a longer range.
We have two different types of units in the game right now: infantry units and mechanized units. It's not necessarily that the mechs are more powerful than the infantry--we're still constantly balancing the game to make sure every unit has its role.
Another thing is that the Warp Gates are really important as far as attacking goes. As you upgrade those, you increase their capacity so that you can actually deploy more units on the ground [at once]. As you unlock more units, the more powerful units will start to consume more of the [Warp Gates'] bandwidth, so you want to upgrade those to deploy the biggest army that you can.
Thanks for talking with us (and for the tips), James.
Territories Could Blow Alliance Play Wide Open
During our chat, Holloway had something brand new to show coming soon to Edgeworld. (Though, it's still in the concept phase, so weren't provided images.) It's a feature tentatively known as "Territories," and the game's producer hopes that it will expand Alliance play into something even more meaningful.
"We haven't seen a past feature like this that I can think of, and we all play a lot of games," Holloway gushes about what he's about to show me. "We're trying to make this a deeper, more robust 4X or empires building game."
As it relates to the game's story, many of the Galactic Union's outposts have been abandoned during the war for Cerulea IV, and they're ripe for the taking. The Territories feature will provide you with a map of the entire planet Cerulea IV, with your home base appearing in the center as a star. Your home base will be surrounded by either hostile, Alliance or neutral territories marked in red, green or simply displayed as abandoned outposts, respectively.
Edgeworld concept art
It's up to you to work with your Alliance to invade either hostile (controlled by enemy Alliances) or neutral outposts, and keep them under your control for as long as possible to reap their benefits, which weren't revealed to us. (Our best guess is additional resources to keep your home bases going.) Players will individually attack outposts just as they would enemy bases, and can call on their Alliance for help asynchronously.
However, players cannot build on these outposts, only bolster their existing defense turrets with their own resources to maintain control of the benefits they provide. This will make it more difficult for enemies to invade. Speaking of invading, players can only enter outposts that are adjacent to their own base or controlled outposts. Eventually, we see the Territories feature becoming a constant struggle between opposing Alliances, and hopefully something for us to work toward.
"This is very different from our other strategy games," Holloway says. "In most cases you individually own tiles on the map, but in this case you kind of need an Alliance to own territory. This is something we're really excited about. We're still working on it and prototyping it, but hopefully we'll have something out in the next four weeks."
[Image Credit: Kabam]
What are you impressions of Edgeworld so far? Are you excited about the upcoming Territories feature coming to the game, and what else do you hope to see from developers like Kabam?
Zynga, Playdom, EA and Bioware vets cause a Rumble with new freemium studio
While many a story has come to light recently, detailing high-level game designers jumping ship to Zynga, here's one where a fairly big gun under the big Z's umbrella has left for new pastures. To be specific, John Yoo, lead designer on CityVille, is one of a few industry veterans that have joined with Greg Richardson [pictured], of former BioWare/Pandemic fame, in the creation of a new freemium (free-to-play) game studio by the name of Rumble.
After speaking with Rick Thompson, the founder of another major social games company - Playdom - the two partnered to form Rumble. Rounding out this new package are former EA employees Mark Spenner and David O'Connor. With these big names in their camp, Richardson's goal with Rumble is to create games that are free to play (supported with paid add-ons), but lie somewhere in between the expensive world of high-end PC games and the extremely casual games represented by many Facebook titles.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has faith that this middle ground holds a lot of merit. "We saw this third hill, and we think it's the biggest of the three hills," he says. This isn't to say, though, that Facebook games are out of the picture, as Richardson confirmed that they will use the social service, but will also focus on mobile devices and PCs through the browser.
In addition to developing its own games, Rumble will publish other developer's titles. While no specific details were announced about any of Rumble's specific games (we can expect the first sometime early next year), Richardson did list many of the company's areas of inspiration, which lie anywhere from Zelda and Super Smash Bros. to Diablo and Civilization. Regardless of the game in question, he says that Rumble looks to avoid overly complex gameplay. With this many areas of inspiration, we're definitely interested in seeing what Rumble comes up with, but for now - the possibilities are endless.
After speaking with Rick Thompson, the founder of another major social games company - Playdom - the two partnered to form Rumble. Rounding out this new package are former EA employees Mark Spenner and David O'Connor. With these big names in their camp, Richardson's goal with Rumble is to create games that are free to play (supported with paid add-ons), but lie somewhere in between the expensive world of high-end PC games and the extremely casual games represented by many Facebook titles.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has faith that this middle ground holds a lot of merit. "We saw this third hill, and we think it's the biggest of the three hills," he says. This isn't to say, though, that Facebook games are out of the picture, as Richardson confirmed that they will use the social service, but will also focus on mobile devices and PCs through the browser.
In addition to developing its own games, Rumble will publish other developer's titles. While no specific details were announced about any of Rumble's specific games (we can expect the first sometime early next year), Richardson did list many of the company's areas of inspiration, which lie anywhere from Zelda and Super Smash Bros. to Diablo and Civilization. Regardless of the game in question, he says that Rumble looks to avoid overly complex gameplay. With this many areas of inspiration, we're definitely interested in seeing what Rumble comes up with, but for now - the possibilities are endless.
Bubble Witch Saga pops on Facebook, King.com hits 900M gameplays
If games like Bubble Bobble have taught us anything, it's that sometimes there's nothing more relaxing than popping bubbles. Casual and social game developer King.com knows this all too well, and has released its second bubble-bursting game on Facebook, Bubble Witch Saga. This new game is a socially-enhanced port of one of the top five most popular games ever on King.com (the casual games website of the same name), King.com Director of Product Performance, Social and Mobile, Lars Jornow told us.
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games?
The game features more levels than ever with 70 unique stages, new booster power-ups available for Facebook Credits and a deeper storyline than before. Players assume the role of an aspiring witch who wishes to join the proverbial circle of three. In order to impress the witches, you must burst the bubbles by matching three of the same color to fill their cauldron with magic goop. I mean, who knows what witches put in those things?
Bursting the bubbles will get the cauldron below bubbling, as witches are so wont to do. Each successful match causes spiders to drop from the ceiling. The more spiders you have when you burst enough bubbles, the more points you'll get (and hopefully stars), as the spiders will act as bumpers for the remaining bubbles and increase your chances of scoring big.
Buggle Witch Saga concept art
Completing each level with the most stars possible will help you reach new uncharted parts of a vast forest in your quest to become the fourth witch of the circle. Players can invite their friends to the game to help restore their lives if they fail to clear a difficult level, and later in the game they will need more friends to unlock new levels to play.
Bubble Witch Saga takes an interesting spin on the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual and social games, with its semi-realistic art style that's delightfully reminiscent of the unforgettable Halloween flick Hocus-Pocus. While the game already has six episodes (with about 10 levels each) of content, Jornow tells us that more content is already in the works.
Bubble Witch Saga gameplay
Not to mention that the game will hit mobile devices later this year. King.com also announced that it has surpassed 900 million monthly gameplay sessions across all of its platforms. Granted, that's thanks to its over 200 games total, but an impressive feat nonetheless--though, the company does say that it has beat PopCap in monthly players on Facebook, according to AppData. Bubble Witch is available for play now on Facebook, so have at those bubbles, my pretties. (I promise that's the last time I say "my pretties" here ... whoops, done it again!)
Click here to play Bubble Witch Saga on Facebook Now >
Are you excited to kick back and blow up some bubbles once again? What do you think of this game so far, and the bubble-bursting sub genre of casual or social games?
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