If you've already become a big fan of the Aviary animal habitat in FarmVille, you'll be happy to know that new birds are ready to take flight into the game sometime soon, that is, if new unreleased images spotted by FarmVille Freak are anything to go on. These images show us five new birds, but we're not entirely sure how they'll be released. Before we get into the speculation, however, let's take a look at their expected names:
Blue Sumatra Rooster
Black Necked Swan
Sebastopol Goose
Dabbler Duck
Ancona Duck
While the Sebastopol Goose might seem like one heck of a name (alright, it is), it does refer to a real breed of domestic Goose. As for how these animals will launch in the game, we have a couple of options. They could either launch as a fairly large update to the game's store, which will likely see these birds priced in the 15-25 Farm Cash range, or they could be new birds that will be found inside Eggs that we'll hatch over time by collecting from our Aviaries (or claiming them from friends' wall posts).
Either way, there are some real lookers in this update (just look at the Rooster's beautiful coloring!), so I'm personally excited to see how and when they'll launch. Experience tells us that the earliest we can expect them would be sometime this weekend, so keep checking back with us for more.
[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]
Which of these birds is your favorite? Would you pay Farm Cash to add any to your farm / Aviary? Sound off in the comments.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
FarmVille Sneak Peek: FarmVille Friends feature finally detailed
While the FarmVille Friends feature has yet to go live in FarmVille (we're told that it's still a "couple of weeks" away), Zynga has finally detailed just how it will work. Not entirely unlike the Cafe World Chef Circle (which, again, is still unavailable to the mass public), you'll be able to browse through a list of FarmVille players that aren't your Facebook friends, and can send them neighbor requests. In this way, you'll be able to access some of the social features you can take part in with actual Facebook friends with these strangers.
Unfortunately, your interaction with these new FarmVille neighbors will be limited to simply visiting their farm or sending them free gifts. It doesn't look like we'll be able to see any of their News Feed requests or bonuses, which diminishes the value of this update immensely, if you ask me. To actually add these folks, you'll simply visit the "Add Neighbors" tab at the top of the screen. From there, you'll see five players at a time, and can see their names, current profile picture, country, in-game level, and when they last played. In this way, you can pick and choose the best "crop" of neighbors to help you out. You'll have to send a neighbor request to this individual, and they'll have to accept on their end for this to work. On that same token, you may find yourself swamped with neighbor requests if you continually show up in players' results when using this new feature. Note: You can remove yourself from the pool if you don't care to be found by strangers.
To be especially clear, these new FarmVille neighbors will have no additional access to any information you have made private on your profile, and do not have to be your Facebook friends. If, however, you find that they are incredibly helpful when it comes to visiting your farm, tending your crops or Chicken Coop, and you wish to add them as a real Facebook friend to open up further interaction, you can do that as well. Again, this feature has yet to launch, but we'll make sure to let you know when it does over the next couple of weeks.
What do you think of these details about the FarmVille Friends feature? Should Zynga create a way for us to be able to activate these new neighbors' wall posts, in addition to simply visiting their farms? Sound off in the comments.
Unfortunately, your interaction with these new FarmVille neighbors will be limited to simply visiting their farm or sending them free gifts. It doesn't look like we'll be able to see any of their News Feed requests or bonuses, which diminishes the value of this update immensely, if you ask me. To actually add these folks, you'll simply visit the "Add Neighbors" tab at the top of the screen. From there, you'll see five players at a time, and can see their names, current profile picture, country, in-game level, and when they last played. In this way, you can pick and choose the best "crop" of neighbors to help you out. You'll have to send a neighbor request to this individual, and they'll have to accept on their end for this to work. On that same token, you may find yourself swamped with neighbor requests if you continually show up in players' results when using this new feature. Note: You can remove yourself from the pool if you don't care to be found by strangers.
To be especially clear, these new FarmVille neighbors will have no additional access to any information you have made private on your profile, and do not have to be your Facebook friends. If, however, you find that they are incredibly helpful when it comes to visiting your farm, tending your crops or Chicken Coop, and you wish to add them as a real Facebook friend to open up further interaction, you can do that as well. Again, this feature has yet to launch, but we'll make sure to let you know when it does over the next couple of weeks.
What do you think of these details about the FarmVille Friends feature? Should Zynga create a way for us to be able to activate these new neighbors' wall posts, in addition to simply visiting their farms? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille: 3x XP on Neighbor Visits this weekend only
If you're looking for a way to quickly reach the next level in CityVille (ok, so maybe it won't speed you up that much), you'll want to play as much as you can this weekend. Why? Zynga is holding a triple XP event for this weekend only, that will see you earning 3x the amount of XP when visiting and helping neighbors. Sure, it would be great if this event swept across the entire game, allowing you to have triple XP on businesses and homes as well, but I suppose we can't really complain when we're receiving something for nothing here.
If you play your cards right, and visit all of your friends both days this weekend, you can of course earn double the amount of bonuses, but it's understandable if you don't think the bonus XP received is really worth it. Hopefully, if this event goes over well enough, we'll receive even more bonuses in the future. Perhaps a bonus amount of XP for each home collected from? Each business? That sounds like a great way to pull in players, if you ask me, but we won't hold our breath. In the meantime, I hope you earn more bonus XP through this event than me, as I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it...
What do you think? Will you take the time to visit all of your friends for 3x XP this weekend? Sound off in the comments.
If you play your cards right, and visit all of your friends both days this weekend, you can of course earn double the amount of bonuses, but it's understandable if you don't think the bonus XP received is really worth it. Hopefully, if this event goes over well enough, we'll receive even more bonuses in the future. Perhaps a bonus amount of XP for each home collected from? Each business? That sounds like a great way to pull in players, if you ask me, but we won't hold our breath. In the meantime, I hope you earn more bonus XP through this event than me, as I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth it...
What do you think? Will you take the time to visit all of your friends for 3x XP this weekend? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World FAQs: Zynga answers our first questions
Just as was the case for the launch of the Pioneer Trail on Facebook, Zynga has taken the time to answer some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding its newest game: Adventure World. While we've already brought you a detailed look at the overall game, along with its first few expeditions, you might still be left with questions. Luckily, we're able to show you Zynga's answers to these questions, as they were posted on the game's official forums, so read on to learn a bit more about the game.
If I don't pick-up coins/xp/etc, will they still be added? Yes, everything that drops is added automatically, you don't have to pick it up; but it's very easy to do so by just hovering over the dropped "doobers".
How do I gain experience (XP)? XP can be gained by performing various actions in the game. When an action grants you XP, you will see it drop in the form of a star "doober". Completing quests will also grant you XP bonuses. You can check your XP progress by hovering over your XP bar; you might also note what can be unlocked by reaching the next level.
How can I buy new decorations for my Base Camp? Click on the "Build" button, then navigate to "Décor"; make sure you also meet all the requirements to buy it (such as coins and level).
How do I move, rotate or delete/remove an object? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Décor", then select the desired tool.
How can I place more dig sites? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Sites", then select the desired Dig Site.
Where can I find my inventory? You can access your inventory by clicking on the "Inventory" button, which is located to the right of your neighbor ladder.
How can I go on expeditions? Once you have unlocked new locations, you can travel there by clicking on the "Map" button then selecting a destination. Make sure you have plenty of supplies.
How can I hire friends for Expeditions? You can hire friends for your expedition crew by first clicking on an "Add Bonus" button, located on the bar near the bottom of your screen, and then by clicking on an "Ask for Help" button on the screen that comes up.
Why do I lose extra energy when fighting creatures? When fighting you may lose one extra energy point every time you attack or get hit with an attack from the creature. There is a chance you can dodge the attack, or stun them when you attack, and avoid getting hit.
How can I get more resources? You will be able to produce one (1) of the three (3) resources, the other two (2) you can collect either by visiting friends with that specific resource and harvesting it, or by requesting them from your friends. You could also gain resources from completing expeditions.
How quickly do supplies spoil? Supplies will spoil at 4 times their harvest time. So if you send out a boat that will be ready in 8 hours it will spoil 32 hours after you have supplied it (or 24 hours after it came back).
How can I get more energy? Your energy will refill according to the timer on your energy bar, every time the timer counts down to 0 you will receive 1 energy point up to your max energy. You can also receive more energy by visiting your neighbors, as a random bonus drop for various actions, and you can purchase more energy with Adventure Cash by clicking on your energy bar. In addition, energy can be gifted from the free gifts page. When you reach the next level your energy bar will be fully refilled and your maximum energy is increased by 1 (up to the current maximum energy limit).
While on Expeditions, icons for my completed quests are not being removed, is this normal? Yes it is. You will always be able to see quest icons during expeditions, even after you have completed them. Quest icons in your base camp, however, will be removed as you complete the associated quests.
How does Expedition Mastery work? You can gain expedition mastery levels by replaying expeditions you have already completed. Rewards for every expedition increase with the mastery level.
What do I get from completing a collection? Each collection has a different reward; these rewards are shown on the collections page and are often needed to complete quests.
How do you obtain collection items? Collection items have a chance to drop as you perform various tasks in the game.
How many game levels are there? Currently, 40 is the maximum level achievable, but more levels are added periodically.
What is the maximum amount of neighbors you can have? The maximum number of neighbors you can have is 150.
If you don't want to read the entire series of questions, keep these particular facts in mind: you can currently have 150 Adventure World neighbors, and can level yourself up to Level 40 before reaching the current level cap. It's very likely that the Level cap will be increased within the next couple of months (depending on how quickly power users make their way to the top), so don't be discouraged if that seems like that game is limited in its content.
Additionally, it's great to see such a long spoil time on supplies: four times their harvest time. If you want to only play the game once or twice a day, you can still send out for the smaller supply bundles, and can be sure that they'll still be fresh when you come back to the game later that day.
All in all, Adventure World is a fairly complex experience that will likely take some getting used to, but hopefully, with these answers, you'll have an easier time of acclimating. We'll make sure to continue our coverage about the game to get you up to speed even quicker, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? What level have you already reached? Sound off in the comments.
If I don't pick-up coins/xp/etc, will they still be added? Yes, everything that drops is added automatically, you don't have to pick it up; but it's very easy to do so by just hovering over the dropped "doobers".
How do I gain experience (XP)? XP can be gained by performing various actions in the game. When an action grants you XP, you will see it drop in the form of a star "doober". Completing quests will also grant you XP bonuses. You can check your XP progress by hovering over your XP bar; you might also note what can be unlocked by reaching the next level.
How can I buy new decorations for my Base Camp? Click on the "Build" button, then navigate to "Décor"; make sure you also meet all the requirements to buy it (such as coins and level).
How do I move, rotate or delete/remove an object? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Décor", then select the desired tool.
How can I place more dig sites? Click on the "Build" button, navigate to "Sites", then select the desired Dig Site.
Where can I find my inventory? You can access your inventory by clicking on the "Inventory" button, which is located to the right of your neighbor ladder.
How can I go on expeditions? Once you have unlocked new locations, you can travel there by clicking on the "Map" button then selecting a destination. Make sure you have plenty of supplies.
How can I hire friends for Expeditions? You can hire friends for your expedition crew by first clicking on an "Add Bonus" button, located on the bar near the bottom of your screen, and then by clicking on an "Ask for Help" button on the screen that comes up.
Why do I lose extra energy when fighting creatures? When fighting you may lose one extra energy point every time you attack or get hit with an attack from the creature. There is a chance you can dodge the attack, or stun them when you attack, and avoid getting hit.
How can I get more resources? You will be able to produce one (1) of the three (3) resources, the other two (2) you can collect either by visiting friends with that specific resource and harvesting it, or by requesting them from your friends. You could also gain resources from completing expeditions.
How quickly do supplies spoil? Supplies will spoil at 4 times their harvest time. So if you send out a boat that will be ready in 8 hours it will spoil 32 hours after you have supplied it (or 24 hours after it came back).
How can I get more energy? Your energy will refill according to the timer on your energy bar, every time the timer counts down to 0 you will receive 1 energy point up to your max energy. You can also receive more energy by visiting your neighbors, as a random bonus drop for various actions, and you can purchase more energy with Adventure Cash by clicking on your energy bar. In addition, energy can be gifted from the free gifts page. When you reach the next level your energy bar will be fully refilled and your maximum energy is increased by 1 (up to the current maximum energy limit).
While on Expeditions, icons for my completed quests are not being removed, is this normal? Yes it is. You will always be able to see quest icons during expeditions, even after you have completed them. Quest icons in your base camp, however, will be removed as you complete the associated quests.
How does Expedition Mastery work? You can gain expedition mastery levels by replaying expeditions you have already completed. Rewards for every expedition increase with the mastery level.
What do I get from completing a collection? Each collection has a different reward; these rewards are shown on the collections page and are often needed to complete quests.
How do you obtain collection items? Collection items have a chance to drop as you perform various tasks in the game.
How many game levels are there? Currently, 40 is the maximum level achievable, but more levels are added periodically.
What is the maximum amount of neighbors you can have? The maximum number of neighbors you can have is 150.
If you don't want to read the entire series of questions, keep these particular facts in mind: you can currently have 150 Adventure World neighbors, and can level yourself up to Level 40 before reaching the current level cap. It's very likely that the Level cap will be increased within the next couple of months (depending on how quickly power users make their way to the top), so don't be discouraged if that seems like that game is limited in its content.
Additionally, it's great to see such a long spoil time on supplies: four times their harvest time. If you want to only play the game once or twice a day, you can still send out for the smaller supply bundles, and can be sure that they'll still be fresh when you come back to the game later that day.
All in all, Adventure World is a fairly complex experience that will likely take some getting used to, but hopefully, with these answers, you'll have an easier time of acclimating. We'll make sure to continue our coverage about the game to get you up to speed even quicker, so keep checking back.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of Adventure World so far? What level have you already reached? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cheats & Tips: Expedition Mastery Guide
While we've already brought you a detailed look at the first few Expeditions in Adventure World, did you know that you can actually repeat these Expeditions and eventually master them? That's right, each time you repeat an Expedition, you'll earn points towards mastering the Expedition itself, and with each star of mastery you earn (for that particular Expedition), your potential rewards will increase.
As of right now, it looks like each individual Expedition has a total of five mastery stars available to earn, but you won't necessarily go up a full star level each time you play through it. That is, you may have to finish a single Expedition more than five times to completely master it. In the process, however, you'll earn plenty of rewards like Food, Fuel and Coins. Luckily, you can see a complete rundown of what your additional rewards will be before really getting too deep into repeating them. Just start an Expedition as you normally would (say, on your very first time running through it), and click on the "Rewards" button at the bottom of the screen, as seen below.
This will bring up the following menu, showing you the possible maximum rewards for each star level of that Expedition. As you can see from our below example - Jungle Run - the rewards become significantly higher the more and more times you play through the entire Expedition, but remember, doing so is mostly voluntary. That is, you may need to backtrack to past Expeditions to level up and unlock new ones, but at least you can pick and choose which ones to repeat and which ones to avoid based on your preferences.
All in all, the process of mastering Expeditions really isn't that complicated - just know that by playing the game more often, you'll increase the rate at which you master them, and the rate at which you earn bigger and better rewards. And make sure to keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Zynga's newest - and largest - Facebook game yet.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you work to master each and every Expedition in Adventure World, or are some of these Expeditions too difficult to complete more than once? Sound off in the comments.
As of right now, it looks like each individual Expedition has a total of five mastery stars available to earn, but you won't necessarily go up a full star level each time you play through it. That is, you may have to finish a single Expedition more than five times to completely master it. In the process, however, you'll earn plenty of rewards like Food, Fuel and Coins. Luckily, you can see a complete rundown of what your additional rewards will be before really getting too deep into repeating them. Just start an Expedition as you normally would (say, on your very first time running through it), and click on the "Rewards" button at the bottom of the screen, as seen below.
This will bring up the following menu, showing you the possible maximum rewards for each star level of that Expedition. As you can see from our below example - Jungle Run - the rewards become significantly higher the more and more times you play through the entire Expedition, but remember, doing so is mostly voluntary. That is, you may need to backtrack to past Expeditions to level up and unlock new ones, but at least you can pick and choose which ones to repeat and which ones to avoid based on your preferences.
All in all, the process of mastering Expeditions really isn't that complicated - just know that by playing the game more often, you'll increase the rate at which you master them, and the rate at which you earn bigger and better rewards. And make sure to keep checking back with us as we bring you more details about Zynga's newest - and largest - Facebook game yet.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
Will you work to master each and every Expedition in Adventure World, or are some of these Expeditions too difficult to complete more than once? Sound off in the comments.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
CityVille: Earn a free Tunnel decoration for playing Adventure World
While Adventure World has finally started seeing a push in its user base (to a current total of around 26 million players), that doesn't mean Zynga wants the growth to slow down. To help users discover its newest game, the developer has launched a cross-promotion between Adventure World and its largest game: CityVille. This promotion, like the FarmVille promotion that came before it, will give users some incentive to play AW by rewarding them with a prize back in CityVille at the end.
To be specific, a free Tunnel decoration (pictured at right) is up for grabs for all CityVille players that take the time to reach at least Level 7 in Adventure World. This is unfortunately two levels more than that required for the FarmVille cross-promotion, so you will need to keep chugging along until you level up two more times. To help you do that, we have guides on the game's starting Expeditions, along with the game's main story quests, so make sure to check out our guides to those events to help yourself level up as quickly as possible.
While you shouldn't have to, you should also remember to click on the "Play Now" button in the pop-up that appears in CityVille to activate this cross-promotion in your game. It's possible that Zynga will automatically track the players that have met both requirements (that is, those that play CityVille and are at least Level 7 in Adventure World), but clicking on this link should eliminate all doubt. Oh yeah, you'll need to do all of the above fairly quickly - your time limit for receiving your free Tunnel Decoration is October 6. On that date, all qualifying users will receive their prize, so don't worry if you don't receive it beforehand. Just make sure you meet the deadline if you want this free Tunnel in your town.
Will you play Adventure World to at least Level 7 to qualify for a free CityVille Tunnel? Sound off in the comments.
To be specific, a free Tunnel decoration (pictured at right) is up for grabs for all CityVille players that take the time to reach at least Level 7 in Adventure World. This is unfortunately two levels more than that required for the FarmVille cross-promotion, so you will need to keep chugging along until you level up two more times. To help you do that, we have guides on the game's starting Expeditions, along with the game's main story quests, so make sure to check out our guides to those events to help yourself level up as quickly as possible.
While you shouldn't have to, you should also remember to click on the "Play Now" button in the pop-up that appears in CityVille to activate this cross-promotion in your game. It's possible that Zynga will automatically track the players that have met both requirements (that is, those that play CityVille and are at least Level 7 in Adventure World), but clicking on this link should eliminate all doubt. Oh yeah, you'll need to do all of the above fairly quickly - your time limit for receiving your free Tunnel Decoration is October 6. On that date, all qualifying users will receive their prize, so don't worry if you don't receive it beforehand. Just make sure you meet the deadline if you want this free Tunnel in your town.
Will you play Adventure World to at least Level 7 to qualify for a free CityVille Tunnel? Sound off in the comments.
Adventure World Cave of Montezuma Expedition: Everything you need to know
If you've already made your way through Adventure World's "starter" Expeditions, you might be surprised when scrolling through the list today to find a new entry has been added. While we know that Expeditions are already available all of the way to Level 40, this entirely new Expedition sits in between Jungle Run and Mountain Pass, making it now the fourth Expedition on the list. If you're thorough and wish to complete all Expeditions at least once, we've got a guide to help you do just that.
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
* Recover the Blue Feather
* Recover the Green Feather
* Recover the Red Feather
* Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
* Defeat 5 Spiders
* Clear 5 Spider Webs
* Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
* Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
* Solve the First Puzzle
* Solve the Second Puzzle
* Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?" Sound off in the comments.
This particular Expedition requires 175 Supplies and two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Your overall goal is to defeat a spider infestation and find Montezuma's Headdress, and you only have two days to accomplish it all. Let's get started!
Montezuma's Headdress
* Recover the Blue Feather
* Recover the Green Feather
* Recover the Red Feather
* Recover the Headdress
While the Professor has successfully located Montezuma's Headdress, you'll quickly learn that it's in pieces and must be gathered bit by bit before this Expedition can be completed. The pieces of the headdress are scattered throughout this fairly complex map, with some of the feathers being perched high atop pillars that must be lowered by activating statues, not entirely unlike the ending of the Treasure Trail Expedition.
Outsmarting Spiders
* Defeat 5 Spiders
* Clear 5 Spider Webs
* Ask friends for 10 Bat Houses
* Place Bat Houses on Gnarled Trees
Unfortunately, while a few Bat Houses can be found on this map, you won't be able to find all 10, so you do need to ask for your friends' help, and quickly! As for the Spiders, these guys may not immediately be visible on the map, as they fall down from the "ceiling" using lines of web. Spider Webs themselves can be found around the map like a normal piece of debris. As for the Gnarled Trees, these are also found on the map, which put your Bat Houses to good use. In the second picture below, you'll see a Gnarled Tree highlighted in red. By clicking on it when you have a Bat House in your inventory, the Bat House will be hung from the tree.
Montezuma Says
* Solve the First Puzzle
* Solve the Second Puzzle
* Solve the Third Puzzle
As I said above, two of the feathers to the headdress are blocked by puzzles, while a Ruby Vase sits at the end of the third. Even if you'd rather not, you will need to spend some energy going after this Ruby Vase to complete this particular quest, as you must complete all three puzzles. These puzzles give you a series of pillars that animate in order. You must then repeat the animation by clicking on the appropriate statues like in a game of "Simon Says." You'll be able to push a nearby button to see the puzzle repeatedly, if you can't remember the exact order to activate the statues in, so don't worry if you forget to pay attention. Once you complete each puzzle appropriate, its prize will lower so that you can collect it (note: you may not be able to walk directly up to it, but might have to go around, or even use a Grappling Hook to get there).
By finishing these three quests, you will have successfully complete the Cave of Montezuma Expedition. Remember though - even though this is a new addition to the game, it can still be mastered like all others, requiring multiple runs through the Expedition in its entirety. The more you master an Expedition, the higher the rewards become, so feel free to master them all for the best rewards in the end.
Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of this Cave of Montezuma Expedition? Do you think it's too difficult to be placed this early in the Expedition "timeline?" Sound off in the comments.
CityVille Metropolis items take the fun to the big city
If all of the small-scale businesses and homes in CityVille just aren't doing it for you, and you want some larger skyscrapers to sit beside your (probably) large franchises, you're in luck with the release of new Metropolis items in the game today. These items will be available for 15 days, and you'll be able to purchase either a Mystery Crate to try your luck at receiving a random item, or purchase some of these items outright. Fair warning: these items cost City Cash, so I hope you're ready to bust out your wallet.
Infinite Towers II (Home)
* Costs: 110 City Cash
* Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
* Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1350 - 2650 population
* Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
* Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
* Costs: 70 City Cash
* Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?" Sound off in the comments.
Infinite Towers II (Home)
* Costs: 110 City Cash
* Population: 4000 - 7000 citizens
* Rent: 532 coins every day
Destiny's Calling (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1350 - 2650 population
* Rent: 150 coins every two hours
Oasis Apartments II (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1850 - 3650 citizens
* Rent: 200 coins every four hours
Visual Art Academy (Community Building)
* Costs: 70 City Cash
* Raises maximum population cap by 5,000 citizens
In addition to these four items, the Metropolis Mystery Crate will give you a chance at one additional item - the Oasis Apartments I - along with three other items above (the Infinite Towers II, Destiny's Calling and Visual Art Academy). A single crate costs 55 City Cash, so unless you only win the Destiny's Calling, you'll really come out ahead over purchasing items individually. Keep in mind though, you might win duplicates in your quest to get all three at a "discount." As for the Oasis Apartments I, the exclusive item to this crate, it comes with a population of 2,000 - 4,000 citizens and provides 251 coins every eight hours in rent.
Again, these items, including the Mystery Crate are only available in the game for a limited time of around 15 days. We'll make sure to let you know if any themed decorations or businesses launch in this theme in the future, so keep checking back with us!
Will you purchase any of these Skyscrapers for use in your town, or will you try your hand with the Mystery Crate to see if you can walk away with an expensive item for "cheap?" Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Chapter 2 Goals: Everything you need to know
Since Zynga has changed the layout of goals in FarmVille's newest Lighthouse Cove expansion, so that everyone is on the same page via quickly expiring goal series, you might be currently left with little to do (as the goals will disappear whether you've finished them or not). In order to make us all busy again, Zynga has launched a series of three new goals in the game which bring us to Chapter 2 in the overall Lighthouse Cove story. This chapter contains more of the same in terms of tasks. You'll need to collect some items, plant some crops and so on, so nothing should be overly difficult. You'll have a week to finish these three goals, so let's get started.
Get a Moove On
* Collect 3 Cow Treats
* Harvest 55 Hay
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
For this particular goal, it doesn't matter what level you've reached in the repair of your Lighthouse Cove, so long as you harvest it when it's "ready." Your opportunity comes around once per day (if you're routine in collecting from it), so at least you won't be too delayed if you've already harvested your Cove before these goals roll around to your account. As for the Cow Treats, they're earned though a general news post on your wall. Finishing this first goal gives you 100 XP, a River Otter and 5,000 coins.
A Leash on Life
* Get 3 Cow Tethers
* Harvest 55 Kennebec Potatoes
* Improve the Cove to Level 2
If you've been working on repairing your Lighthouse Cove ever since you landed in the new farm, I would be incredibly surprised if you haven't already reached Level 2, but if not, here's our guide to upgrading so you can finish the task quickly. As for the Cow Tethers - you guessed it - they're earned through another general wall post. Complete this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, a Sailor Gnome and 2,500 coins.
A Spoonful of Sugar
* Get 3 Sugar Cubes
* Harvest 55 Butter & Sugar Corn
* Make Creamed Corn Two Times
The Sugar Cubes are earned through one final news feed post on your wall, while the Creamed Corn is a recipe inside your Restaurant. A single Creamed Corn preparation requires three Butter & Sugar Corn bushels, along with three Tarragon bushels and a Pepper bushel. Finishing this final goal gives you 300 XP, a Black Gum Tree and 2,500 coins.
While the rewards for these goals may not be overly exciting, at least the goals themselves are relatively easy to match. We'll make sure to let you know when Chapter 3 of these goals releases, so keep checking back with us!
What do you think of these Chapter 2 Lighthouse Cove goals in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.
Here we go, mayors. A new feature has been launched in CityVille that will help one of the biggest concerns I personally have with the game (and I know I'm not alone). A new Neighborhoods feature has launched to players above level 30, with at least 620 population, that will allow you to move homes (including high rises) into smaller areas to save space. This feature, you guessed it, is similar to the Mall feature, but here's a complete rundown of how this works for homes.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
Get a Moove On
* Collect 3 Cow Treats
* Harvest 55 Hay
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
For this particular goal, it doesn't matter what level you've reached in the repair of your Lighthouse Cove, so long as you harvest it when it's "ready." Your opportunity comes around once per day (if you're routine in collecting from it), so at least you won't be too delayed if you've already harvested your Cove before these goals roll around to your account. As for the Cow Treats, they're earned though a general news post on your wall. Finishing this first goal gives you 100 XP, a River Otter and 5,000 coins.
A Leash on Life
* Get 3 Cow Tethers
* Harvest 55 Kennebec Potatoes
* Improve the Cove to Level 2
If you've been working on repairing your Lighthouse Cove ever since you landed in the new farm, I would be incredibly surprised if you haven't already reached Level 2, but if not, here's our guide to upgrading so you can finish the task quickly. As for the Cow Tethers - you guessed it - they're earned through another general wall post. Complete this goal and you'll earn 200 XP, a Sailor Gnome and 2,500 coins.
A Spoonful of Sugar
* Get 3 Sugar Cubes
* Harvest 55 Butter & Sugar Corn
* Make Creamed Corn Two Times
The Sugar Cubes are earned through one final news feed post on your wall, while the Creamed Corn is a recipe inside your Restaurant. A single Creamed Corn preparation requires three Butter & Sugar Corn bushels, along with three Tarragon bushels and a Pepper bushel. Finishing this final goal gives you 300 XP, a Black Gum Tree and 2,500 coins.
While the rewards for these goals may not be overly exciting, at least the goals themselves are relatively easy to match. We'll make sure to let you know when Chapter 3 of these goals releases, so keep checking back with us!
What do you think of these Chapter 2 Lighthouse Cove goals in FarmVille? Sound off in the comments.
Here we go, mayors. A new feature has been launched in CityVille that will help one of the biggest concerns I personally have with the game (and I know I'm not alone). A new Neighborhoods feature has launched to players above level 30, with at least 620 population, that will allow you to move homes (including high rises) into smaller areas to save space. This feature, you guessed it, is similar to the Mall feature, but here's a complete rundown of how this works for homes.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Chapter 2 Bonus Goals: Everything you need to know
If you thought the original Bonus Challenge goals in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove were difficult, you may not be excited to hear that there is now a second set of goals that have also been given the "Bonus" treatment. These three goals appear alongside the goals from Chapter 2 in the Lighthouse Cove story. We'll tell you flat out - one goal requires you to expand your Lighthouse Cove farm, which is currently only available to do with Farm Cash. Keep that in mind when you decide whether or not to actively finish these goals.
Bonus Quest 4
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
* Harvest 55 Tarragon
* Complete 1 Orchard
While these tasks aren't incredibly difficult, they might be a bit time consuming depending on how big your Lighthouse Cove already is. That is, if you haven't already expanded your Lighthouse Cove, you won't be allowed to plant 55 crops at a time, so you'll need to do two plantings to reach the 55 total. If you finish this first Bonus Quest (the fourth overall for the farm - hence the name), you'll receive 500 XP, an Unwither, a Livestock Baby Animal and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Quest 5
* Harvest 70 Darrow Blackberries
* Make Blackberry Ice Cream Twice
* Expand your farm to an Inlet Garden
Blackberry Ice Cream is available to craft inside your Restaurant, and requires three Darrow Blackberry, two Chandler Blueberry and three Strawberry bushels. To finish this particular task, you'll not only have to set the recipe to craft twice, but will also have to wait the six hour period for them to finish. As for the Inlet Garden, here's the task that I warned you of earlier. As of this writing, an Inlet Garden farm is only available for 40 Farm Cash, and that's after you go through the Coastal Patch farm that costs 30 Farm Cash. That is, if you're looking to complete this particular goal, you'll need to shell out 70 Farm Cash with no option for coin-spending instead. If you decide to go through with this goal, and can finish it, you'll receive 1,000 XP, a Speckled Alder tree and 5,000 coins.
Bonus Quest 6
* Complete a Zoo
* Harvest 70 Red Clover
* Harvest 70 Chandler Blueberries
For this goal, the requirements are toned down a bit, at least in terms of the cost to your wallet. By the time you make it this far, you'll have the ability to plant more than the starting 35 plots of land on your farm, so the crop tasks will be easier by default. As for the Zoo, this is built using 30 ingredients that can gather from your friends. It's not an incredibly difficult building to complete, so check out our guide to doing so for details. If you can finish this final bonus goal for Chapter 2, you'll receive 500 XP, a Chimpanzee and 2,500 coins.
We've been told that additional goals will be launching in the game every week, so keep checking back with us as we'll bring you everything you need to know about the future Chapter 3 goals in Lighthouse Cove and beyond.
[Via: Zynga]
What do you think of this trio of Bonus Goals? Are they more difficult or easier than the first set? Will you purchase the farm expansions with Farm Cash or will you skip that goal entirely? Sound off in the comments.
Bonus Quest 4
* Harvest Lighthouse Cove
* Harvest 55 Tarragon
* Complete 1 Orchard
While these tasks aren't incredibly difficult, they might be a bit time consuming depending on how big your Lighthouse Cove already is. That is, if you haven't already expanded your Lighthouse Cove, you won't be allowed to plant 55 crops at a time, so you'll need to do two plantings to reach the 55 total. If you finish this first Bonus Quest (the fourth overall for the farm - hence the name), you'll receive 500 XP, an Unwither, a Livestock Baby Animal and 2,500 coins.
Bonus Quest 5
* Harvest 70 Darrow Blackberries
* Make Blackberry Ice Cream Twice
* Expand your farm to an Inlet Garden
Blackberry Ice Cream is available to craft inside your Restaurant, and requires three Darrow Blackberry, two Chandler Blueberry and three Strawberry bushels. To finish this particular task, you'll not only have to set the recipe to craft twice, but will also have to wait the six hour period for them to finish. As for the Inlet Garden, here's the task that I warned you of earlier. As of this writing, an Inlet Garden farm is only available for 40 Farm Cash, and that's after you go through the Coastal Patch farm that costs 30 Farm Cash. That is, if you're looking to complete this particular goal, you'll need to shell out 70 Farm Cash with no option for coin-spending instead. If you decide to go through with this goal, and can finish it, you'll receive 1,000 XP, a Speckled Alder tree and 5,000 coins.
Bonus Quest 6
* Complete a Zoo
* Harvest 70 Red Clover
* Harvest 70 Chandler Blueberries
For this goal, the requirements are toned down a bit, at least in terms of the cost to your wallet. By the time you make it this far, you'll have the ability to plant more than the starting 35 plots of land on your farm, so the crop tasks will be easier by default. As for the Zoo, this is built using 30 ingredients that can gather from your friends. It's not an incredibly difficult building to complete, so check out our guide to doing so for details. If you can finish this final bonus goal for Chapter 2, you'll receive 500 XP, a Chimpanzee and 2,500 coins.
We've been told that additional goals will be launching in the game every week, so keep checking back with us as we'll bring you everything you need to know about the future Chapter 3 goals in Lighthouse Cove and beyond.
[Via: Zynga]
What do you think of this trio of Bonus Goals? Are they more difficult or easier than the first set? Will you purchase the farm expansions with Farm Cash or will you skip that goal entirely? Sound off in the comments.
A Bit Lucky goes all in on hardcore Facebook games with Lucky Space
We know you're all thinking it, so we'll just come out and say it: Sci-fi is huge in Facebook games right now. (Like, crazy big.) The next developer to take a crack at the theme is A Bit Lucky with Lucky Space. The San Mateo, Calif.-based developer's second social game launches today, and it's light years away from Lucky Train.
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Here we go, mayors. A new feature has been launched in CityVille that will help one of the biggest concerns I personally have with the game (and I know I'm not alone). A new Neighborhoods feature has launched to players above level 30, with at least 620 population, that will allow you to move homes (including high rises) into smaller areas to save space. This feature, you guessed it, is similar to the Mall feature, but here's a complete rundown of how this works for homes.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
In Lucky Space, players inherit a lifeless, barren alien planet purchased by Dr. X in his final days in search of the riches he was so sure are buried deep beneath its purple crust. You'll establish a thriving space colony with one mission: strip mine the planet for all its worth in rare gems and resources. Of course, it won't be long before you discover that Dr. X was onto more than just shiny rocks and black gold.
As you expand your colony and upgrade its buildings with unique components like the Force Field Dome and Ultra-Power Laser Extractor, you'll slowly uncover the remnants of an alien civilization. Through a series a quests and the help of your friends, you will dig out alien ruins while protecting your colony from a series of natural (to this world, maybe) disasters like meteor strikes. While the game is dubbed "hardcore," it doesn't look or sound as if combat is a focus in Lucky Space.
Gallery: Lucky Space on Facebook
"Lucky Space was inspired by our love of the sci-fi genre and the desire to innovate within the social gaming space," A Bit Lucky CCO Jordan Maynard said in a release. "We've been able to blend social gaming with hardcore PC gameplay mechanics to create a new and engaging experience."
Regardless of the game being deemed "hardcore" with a lack of combat, a tenant of most Facebook games given the silly adjective, Lucky Space sounds like it might have players depend on their friends more than in most social games. You will need friends not just to visit your colony for a few boosts, but to trade rare components and identify mysterious alien artifacts. One thing we know for sure is that the game looks like a vibrant, even jolly take on Facebook games skewed for the hardcore crowd. But don't just take our word for it, check out the trailer below and see for yourself.
Click here to play Lucky Space on Facebook Now >
What do you think of A Bit Lucky's second Facebook game so far? Do you think there's still room for Facebook games within the sci-fi genre, or are you on the lookout for something new? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Here we go, mayors. A new feature has been launched in CityVille that will help one of the biggest concerns I personally have with the game (and I know I'm not alone). A new Neighborhoods feature has launched to players above level 30, with at least 620 population, that will allow you to move homes (including high rises) into smaller areas to save space. This feature, you guessed it, is similar to the Mall feature, but here's a complete rundown of how this works for homes.
First and foremost, yes, you can have more than one Neighborhood in your town, and there are different types of Neighborhoods depending on the kinds of homes you'd like to store. Gated Communities cost 10,000 coins and store up to 15 Family Residences. Uptown Estates cost 15,000 coins and store 15 Apartments and finally, Palm Towers cost 20,000 coins and store 15 Vacation Home.
For our example, let's say you wanted to build a Gated Community in your town. You'd go into the store to purchase the base, as seen below, and would then need to whack that base six times to build up the frame.
From there, you'll instantly have access to two storage spots, of a possible five on the first "block," or "floor," if we're comparing this to the Mall. To fill these spaces, simply click on your empty Neighborhood and then click on "Fill" under one of the empty spaces. This will cause all of the buildings that can fit inside to glow. Click on one and voila! It's stored inside your Neighborhood, which will change shape and complexity as new buildings are added to it.
To unlock additional space inside your Neighborhoods, you'll need to ask your friends to staff extra spots, as seen above. The rate of one user per one storage slot isn't bad, really. Once your first block is full, you'll have to go through the process of asking for building materials to open up the second block. In our particular example of the Gated Community, you'll need five each of Red Bricks, Crossing Signs, Roof Tiles, Cement and Lumber. These are earned either by purchasing them outright with City Cash, or by asking your friends to send them to you.
When you've unlocked your second block, the process will repeat (and so on until you've unlocked and filled all three blocks, with more building materials being required the second time). Again, at first, these Neighborhoods may be incredibly space-consuming, but once they're full, you'll find them to be fairly space-saving, especially if you choose to place the largest homes in each category into storage. Don't worry about losing their stats, though, as you'll be able to collect rent as normal while they're inside. That is, you'll be able to click on your Neighborhood, and will then be asked to spend a larger amount of energy to collect from all "ready" buildings inside, just as you collect profits from your Mall.
All told, these are some fairly time consuming building projects, but if you're willing to go through with building them (and have plenty of friends around that are willing to help you out), you'll end up saving tons of space for future purchases, whether residential in nature or otherwise. We'll make sure to let you know when other kinds of Neighborhoods, for other kinds of homes are released, so keep checking back with us.
Check out the rest of our CityVille Cheats & Tips right here.
What do you think of the Neighborhoods feature? Is the space you saved substantial enough to warrant building them? Sound off in the comments.
Monday, September 26, 2011
RockYou seeking skilled recruits ... to play Galactic Allies [Video]
Look, RockYou knows that you're not an architect by trade, and you're certainly no cook. So, why not stop pretending to do things real people do and pretend to be something completely fictional, like a galactic fleet commander? With developer 3 Blokes, the Facebook game publisher recently released Galactic Allies to Facebook, the studio's second strategy game.
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The game enlists players as commanders of their very own fleet of star ships in a battle to protect their end of the galaxy from alien enemies. In a more casual approach to the growing sub genre of hardcore strategy games on Facebook, Galactic Allies lets players directly control their space-faring units to avoid enemy fire in real-time combat. (Of course, battles are exchanged between players asynchronously.)
While it's not marketed as such, the game looks a lot like the spiritual successor to 3 Blokes's first game on Facebook, Galactic Trader. But this time around, the developer has resources from a major publisher, which can only mean one thing: a goofy trailer displaying almost everything the game has to offer in a 60-second nutshell.
Gallery: Galactic Allies on Facebook
Also, the game wasn't exactly live when we first revealed it to you, so check out the fun trailer down there. And when you're done with that, click on the link below to hop into Galactic Allies. That is, if you think you can answer the call--come on, even the narrator wants in.
Click here to play Galactic Allies on Facebook Now >
Have you tried Galactic Allies on Facebook yet? What do you think of where hardcore strategy games on Facebook are at right now? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
The Sims Social celebrates fans with a week of free stuff
Free stuff? Yes, please, I'll take some of that! With almost 61 million players (and climbing), the folks at EA / Playfish have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to the Sims Social on Facebook. As a way to thank their ever-growing player base for their support (even when the game suffered from some nagging loading and gameplay issues), the developers have launched a week long celebration involving free stuff that will be given away, apparently on a daily basis.
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points? Sound off in the comments.
To start, we're given a gift of Social Points - a whopping 400 Social Points at that. Since your other methods of earning Social Points normally come in small increments (of 10 or less per action) when visiting friends, this really is a substantial prize. Remember, these Social Points work as a form of third currency in the game, and can be used to purchase exclusive decorations or other home items that aren't available through any other method or currency.
We've also been told that we'll be able to increase our land size in the future, although that wasn't exactly announced in as many words. To be specific, we're asked if we "need more space to build your dream home" and that with that question comes a secret that the developers just couldn't hold in anymore. We're even asked "If you could expand your land, what is the first room you'd build on it?"
Put two and two together here, and you're left with the answer that land size will soon be increasing, although no particular release date was announced (unfortunately). If you're like me, your home has already filled most nooks and crannies of land in our admittedly small square, and is surrounded by outdoor goodies to boot. Being able to increase the size of our house plot is a huge deal, and we'll make sure to let you know when that feature / ability launches as soon as it does.
In the meantime, keep checking back with the game's Facebook fan page for additional links / announcements of free prizes, and click right here to claim your free 400 Social Points.
What sorts of prizes are you hoping to receive in this week-long event of free stuff? What will you purchase with your 400 free Social Points? Sound off in the comments.
Dress up a real turtle and win a trip to New York with Bravo's Turtle Time
Are you ready to help embarrass a turtle on cable TV and make life difficult for set designers on a weekly basis? If the answer is no, that's fine. I don't think most of us are ready for such a thing either. But for those of you who are, there's a new Facebook game that lets you do this called Turtle Time.
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
Click here to play Turtle Time on Facebook now >
Are you playing for fun or for the free trip to New York? What's the wackiest costume and backdrop can you come up with for the turtle? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
First announced last Thursday, Turtle Time is Bravo TV's little promotional stunt for Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. Cohen supposedly found the turtle, love blossomed and he decided to go steady by making her his show's mascot. Since the announcement, Bravo TV has launched a Facebook game for the turtle, given her a Twitter account (that now has 1,889 followers) and a name: "Tramona."
The game involves dressing up the turtle, and while the concept sounds innocuous, there might be some PG-13 material in the game, such as the presence of alcoholic items and profanity by the users. So I repeat, this is not a game targeted for kids. Right off the bat, when you try to play the game, it'll ask you for your birth date.
Gallery: Turtle Time
For the time being, players get 14 free items (nine Goods, three Costume pieces, and two Scenes) with 53 for sale at the store. Possibly the most outrageous item is "Gay Guys Holding Hands in Speedos," which surprisingly costs 150 Lettuce instead of Facebook Credits. Lettuce (a turtle's favorite food) is the in-game currency of Turtle Time, and you start off with 1,000 of it. But I managed to snag an extra 100 Lettuce, because I correctly answered a completely random, pop-up quiz question. And while there's no dedicated free gifts option yet, you can buy items and gift them to your friends.
Turtle Time Crowds Make Me Crabby
We can see this getting fun as more people play. Already, there's some killer entries, like surrounding the turtle with crabs or balancing the turtle on a pyramid of wine glasses or whiskey bottles--sorry, I can't rightly recall which. Overall, this is a simple game and the chance for a free trip to New York doesn't hurt either. This game has only been up for less than two days, and it's got 1,486 players. To follow the game, check out its official Facebook page.
Click here to play Turtle Time on Facebook now >
Are you playing for fun or for the free trip to New York? What's the wackiest costume and backdrop can you come up with for the turtle? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Pioneer Trail Bug Report: Lost progress bug is being squashed
If you've been playing Pioneer Trail (even when it was FrontierVille) for any considerable amount of time, I'd be surprised if you hadn't suffered from a rollback issue or two, or some other form of game/fun-breaking bug. If not, you're liable to run into one now, as a widespread issue has broken out in the game, causing users to lose considerable amounts of progress on goals. This is apparently such a large issue that the majority of the game's official forums has been branded with posts and banners about the issue, but Zynga is here to let you know that help is on the way.
Specifically, we're told this by customer service:
"We have received a high number of inquiries about players losing progress in the game and seeing old missions come back. We apologize for the problem and have our developers looking at the problem now.
There's no need to submit a help ticket for this matter, as we plan on correcting this problem on our end for all affected players. We request if you are having this problem to try again in a few hours (or even later today) to see if your progress has been returned. If this problem has occurred for you, please simply click the "vote to fix" button, this will alert us that you were affected."
Essentially, what this means is that you don't need to contact Zynga Customer Support to fix this issue, as supposedly everything will be placed back to normal on Zynga's end without any input from us. That is, the "game knows" where you were when the bug first hit, and will revert you back to the proper state when the bug has been fixed. As for the time table, things aren't progressing as quickly as we would have hoped. As of yesterday morning, the issue was still being worked on by developers, but a proper fix hadn't actually been pushed out.
While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, I'd suggest simply not playing the game (or doing anything significant, that you would be upset about having to repeat). Keep checking back with the game's official forums for updates as to the progress of the bug fix, and we'll make sure to let you know if anything significant happens between now and then.
Have you been hit by this "lost progress" bug? How far did it push you back? Let us know in the comments.
Specifically, we're told this by customer service:
"We have received a high number of inquiries about players losing progress in the game and seeing old missions come back. We apologize for the problem and have our developers looking at the problem now.
There's no need to submit a help ticket for this matter, as we plan on correcting this problem on our end for all affected players. We request if you are having this problem to try again in a few hours (or even later today) to see if your progress has been returned. If this problem has occurred for you, please simply click the "vote to fix" button, this will alert us that you were affected."
Essentially, what this means is that you don't need to contact Zynga Customer Support to fix this issue, as supposedly everything will be placed back to normal on Zynga's end without any input from us. That is, the "game knows" where you were when the bug first hit, and will revert you back to the proper state when the bug has been fixed. As for the time table, things aren't progressing as quickly as we would have hoped. As of yesterday morning, the issue was still being worked on by developers, but a proper fix hadn't actually been pushed out.
While you're waiting for the issue to be resolved, I'd suggest simply not playing the game (or doing anything significant, that you would be upset about having to repeat). Keep checking back with the game's official forums for updates as to the progress of the bug fix, and we'll make sure to let you know if anything significant happens between now and then.
Have you been hit by this "lost progress" bug? How far did it push you back? Let us know in the comments.
Cafe World Farmers Insurance promotion comes with Professor Burke Statue
If anything, the folks at Zynga definitely know how to setup a good cross-promotion. After Capital One recently set up shop in a slew of Zynga's games (and practically took over FarmVille), we now see a new promotion launching in Cafe World with another company: Farmers Insurance (remember, we were told that Farmers would be making an appearance in the game back in June). If you watch a lot of TV, you might recognize this promotion's mascot of sorts - Professor Burke - from recent Farmers Insurance commercials.
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil? Sound off in the comments.
Now, Professor Burke has come to your cafe as a character and as a statue, plated in gold. This "Professor Burke Statue" has a limited time of effectiveness, but will "insure" your cafe, granting you spoil protection on all of the dishes you cook from now until October 2. Luckily, the statue is free, and it doesn't require any "building" to gain its effect. You can either simply place the statue from the in-game pop-up that appears, or you can head into the game's build menu manually to drag your free statue out and into your cafe.
If there's one thing to remember about this, it isn't that the statue itself comes with a time limit that can be turned on and off depending on when you place it in your cafe; rather, it's a case where you'll want to place it in your cafe as soon as possible as the overall countdown timer ticks down until October 2. If the Farmers Insurance promotion grows in Cafe World, we'll make sure to let you know.
Would you have liked the Professor Burke Statue to have another effect, rather than wither protection? Or, will you take advantage of this opportunity to cook some quickly cooking dishes while you're busy doing other things since they won't spoil? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Red Phone Booth Goals: Everything you need to know
While we all have plenty of goals on our plate in Cafe World right now, what with the release of not one, but two five-part goal series dealing with the game's two-year anniversary, there's another goal series to complete concerning a Red Phone Booth. To be fair, this trio of goals deals with the two-year anniversary event itself, in that it will give you a bonus on all of the Travel Passes you earn. Remember, collecting more Travel Passes gives you a better opportunity of earning prizes both in-game (stoves and the like) and in the real world (trips to exotic locales). Here's a complete look at the Red Phone Booth goals.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
Also, this is another case where the dishes you're asked to serve will likely vary from those listed here. It is impossible for us to predict which dishes each individual user will be required to cook, but for that we apologize.
Phone a Friend 1
* Place Red Phone Booth
* Serve 12 Biscuits of Tomorrow
* Call 3 Friends from your Phone Booth
Luckily, even though the Red Phone Booth is an item we'll place in our cafes, it doesn't need to be built like other items. Instead, you'll be able to look inside it and post messages ("phone calls") to your friends' walls. If they agree to be your Travel Buddy (it looks like you can collect 30 Travel Buddies in all), you'll earn points. As you earn Travel Buddies, you'll unlock items, as seen below:
3 Travel Buddies: Crispy Egg Rolls
6 Travel Buddies: Ivory Lightning Stove
10 Travel Buddies: Pineapple Cake
15 Travel Buddies: Double Travel Passes
Phone a Friend 2
* Call 6 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 10 Napoleon's Napoleon
Remember, if you want to rush your way through this goal series to get back to the main two-year anniversary goals, you can use spices on your own dishes to make them cook faster. You can also check out your Gift Box to make sure you don't have extra servings lying around that you can use to instantly skip any cooking time here.
Phone a Friend 3
* Call 10 Friends from your Phone Booth
* Spice 10 Neighbors' Stoves
* Serve 15 Basil Finger Sandwiches
Again, this goal is fairly self-explanatory; just head inside your Red Phone Booth to post messages to your friends' walls, thus fulfilling the "call" task, and you'll be able to finish this one off basically in the time it takes to cook the dish you're required to. After that's done, you'll be able to celebrate by (hopefully) unlocking the double Travel Passes boost in your cafe, and can go back to completing tasks in the two-year anniversary event. Happy Cooking!
What do you think of these Red Phone Booth goals? Do you think they have a real purpose, or should the Phone Booth have been released without them? Sound off in the comments.
CityVille: Russian-themed items available for a limited time
After releasing Mexican-themed items in CityVille in celebration of the Mexican Independence Day, it looks like Zynga wasn't ready to leave the international travel behind just yet, as it has released a set of Russian items into the store. As usual, you can expect to find businesses, homes, decorations and more available here, so read on for a complete overview of these items.
Cosmonaut Statue (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Baranovsky House (Home)
* Costs: 500,000 coins
* Population: 250-480
* Rent: 110 coins every four hours
Balalaika Shop (Business)
* Costs: 40 City Cash
* Requires: 305 Goods
* Earnings: 1,648 coins
Russian Tea Room (Business)
* Costs: 30 City Cash
* Requires: 265 Goods
* Earnings: 1,468 coins
Winter Wheat (Crop)
* Costs: 4 City Cash per square
* Harvest Time: Instant
* Produces: 127 Goods per square
Russian Hall (Community Building)
* Costs: 75 City Cash
* Allows: 2,250 citizens added to maximum population cap
Matryoshka Dolls (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Caviar Shop (Business)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Requires: 430 Goods
* Earnings: 2,198 coins
Rudzinskaya House (Home)
* Costs: 25 City Cash
* Population: 250-490
* Rent: 120 coins every four hours
Ballet Company (Community Building)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Allows: 1,400 citizens added to maximum population cap
Russian Folk Dancers
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Alexandrov Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1,350-2,650
* Rent: 165 coins every eight hours
Simcovich Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1,850-3,650
* Rent: 185 coins every eight hours
On top of all of this, there's also a Russia Mystery Crate available for 40 City Cash that contains one of four items: the Russian Hall, Simcovich Apartments, Alexandrov Apartments or the Balalaika Shop. Unfortunately, that wraps up the theme at this point, with all of these items being available ranging from 11 to 12 more days in the store. With only one coin-related item available, I personally really hope that more items are added in the future, or I doubt I'll be the only one that skips this theme altogether. Am I right?
What do you think of these Russian themed items? Would you purchase many of these items if they cost coins rather than City Cash? Sound off in the comments.
Cosmonaut Statue (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Baranovsky House (Home)
* Costs: 500,000 coins
* Population: 250-480
* Rent: 110 coins every four hours
Balalaika Shop (Business)
* Costs: 40 City Cash
* Requires: 305 Goods
* Earnings: 1,648 coins
Russian Tea Room (Business)
* Costs: 30 City Cash
* Requires: 265 Goods
* Earnings: 1,468 coins
Winter Wheat (Crop)
* Costs: 4 City Cash per square
* Harvest Time: Instant
* Produces: 127 Goods per square
Russian Hall (Community Building)
* Costs: 75 City Cash
* Allows: 2,250 citizens added to maximum population cap
Matryoshka Dolls (Decoration)
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Caviar Shop (Business)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Requires: 430 Goods
* Earnings: 2,198 coins
Rudzinskaya House (Home)
* Costs: 25 City Cash
* Population: 250-490
* Rent: 120 coins every four hours
Ballet Company (Community Building)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Allows: 1,400 citizens added to maximum population cap
Russian Folk Dancers
* Costs: 10 City Cash
* Payout Bonus: 10% - extra 10% to Russian-themed items
Alexandrov Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 55 City Cash
* Population: 1,350-2,650
* Rent: 165 coins every eight hours
Simcovich Apartments (Home)
* Costs: 65 City Cash
* Population: 1,850-3,650
* Rent: 185 coins every eight hours
On top of all of this, there's also a Russia Mystery Crate available for 40 City Cash that contains one of four items: the Russian Hall, Simcovich Apartments, Alexandrov Apartments or the Balalaika Shop. Unfortunately, that wraps up the theme at this point, with all of these items being available ranging from 11 to 12 more days in the store. With only one coin-related item available, I personally really hope that more items are added in the future, or I doubt I'll be the only one that skips this theme altogether. Am I right?
What do you think of these Russian themed items? Would you purchase many of these items if they cost coins rather than City Cash? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille Friends feature finally launches; add neighbors without being Facebook buddies
For the past few weeks, we've been given you details about a then unreleased feature in FarmVille called "FarmVille Friends," which will - to put it simply - allow you to add new FarmVille neighbors without being Facebook friends. Finally, this feature has launched in the game, allowing you to browse through a list of possible neighbor suggestions to find just the right people for you.
You'll be greeted with this feature automatically once the update has rolled around to your game. From there, you'll have to take a trip to the "Add Neighbors" tab at the top of the FarmVille game page to see a list of five strangers at a time that you could add as FarmVille neighbors without actually adding them as Facebook friends. You'll see their first names, in-game levels, profile pictures (where available), locations and the last time they played. You'll then either have the option of sending them a neighbor request directly or visiting their farm to see if they have many of the game's newest features to be sure they're really an active player.
If you happen to have any mutual Facebook friends with that person, that information will be displayed as well, and you can tell who the mutual friend is by hovering over the orange banner, as seen above. If you don't wish to add any of those five strangers as FarmVille neighbors, you can click on the "See More" button at right to refresh your selection.
Keep in mind, as you're able to see others in this feature, so too can people see you. You may appear in players' groups of five, where others can add you as FarmvVille neighbors instead. You'll see these requests in the Zynga Messaging Center upon logging into the game, and can simply click to accept or ignore the request as you see fit.
If you'd rather remove yourself from this feature entirely (that is, remove yourself from the pool of possible neighbors, and not add any strangers as neighbors yourself), this is accomplished by scrolling all of the way down the Add Neighbors tab and unchecking the "FarmVille Friends" box, as seen below. Should you change your mind later, you can always check the box again to put yourself back in the pool.
Once you've become neighbors with these users, you'll be able to visit their farms and send them free gifts as normal, but it doesn't look like our interactions can spread much beyond that as of this writing. That makes this feature questionable in quality, but you can always try it out on a few neighbors to see if it positively changes your gameplay around the farm.
What do you think of this FarmVille Friends feature? Will you participate and add new players as neighbors? Sound off in the comments.
You'll be greeted with this feature automatically once the update has rolled around to your game. From there, you'll have to take a trip to the "Add Neighbors" tab at the top of the FarmVille game page to see a list of five strangers at a time that you could add as FarmVille neighbors without actually adding them as Facebook friends. You'll see their first names, in-game levels, profile pictures (where available), locations and the last time they played. You'll then either have the option of sending them a neighbor request directly or visiting their farm to see if they have many of the game's newest features to be sure they're really an active player.
If you happen to have any mutual Facebook friends with that person, that information will be displayed as well, and you can tell who the mutual friend is by hovering over the orange banner, as seen above. If you don't wish to add any of those five strangers as FarmVille neighbors, you can click on the "See More" button at right to refresh your selection.
Keep in mind, as you're able to see others in this feature, so too can people see you. You may appear in players' groups of five, where others can add you as FarmvVille neighbors instead. You'll see these requests in the Zynga Messaging Center upon logging into the game, and can simply click to accept or ignore the request as you see fit.
If you'd rather remove yourself from this feature entirely (that is, remove yourself from the pool of possible neighbors, and not add any strangers as neighbors yourself), this is accomplished by scrolling all of the way down the Add Neighbors tab and unchecking the "FarmVille Friends" box, as seen below. Should you change your mind later, you can always check the box again to put yourself back in the pool.
Once you've become neighbors with these users, you'll be able to visit their farms and send them free gifts as normal, but it doesn't look like our interactions can spread much beyond that as of this writing. That makes this feature questionable in quality, but you can always try it out on a few neighbors to see if it positively changes your gameplay around the farm.
What do you think of this FarmVille Friends feature? Will you participate and add new players as neighbors? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: Double Mastery on for this weekend on trees and crops
Even though there's no real holiday going on, that hasn't stopped Zynga from celebrating this weekend in FarmVille by turning on double mastery. This double mastery event will take place from now until Monday evening at 9:00 PM PDT. Within that time, all of your crops and trees harvested will count for double the mastery points, so there's a great opportunity here for mastery sign earning!
A couple of things to keep in mind: If you're going for crop mastery, you can activate a bushel when harvesting to earn three points of mastery for each square with this bonus. For tree farmers, you can also employ the orchard rotation technique, while earning double mastery on each orchard you harvest as well. Also, if you happen to own a Platinum Mastery Statue or recently re-released 2X Mastery Statue on your farm, this bonus will not stack on either crops or trees - you'll simply miss out on this event on that particular farm, as it only applies to those without such statues.
As one final note, this event does not give you double mastery points on animals. Why the FarmVille team hasn't decided to include our (mostly) furry friends in these updates hasn't yet been revealed, but I'm sure Zynga has its reasons. Either way, remember - this event will only last for the next couple of days. If you've ever needed extra incentive to play FarmVille on the weekends, this is about as good as it gets.
What crops or trees will you try to mastery during this double mastery weekend? Tell us in the comments!
A couple of things to keep in mind: If you're going for crop mastery, you can activate a bushel when harvesting to earn three points of mastery for each square with this bonus. For tree farmers, you can also employ the orchard rotation technique, while earning double mastery on each orchard you harvest as well. Also, if you happen to own a Platinum Mastery Statue or recently re-released 2X Mastery Statue on your farm, this bonus will not stack on either crops or trees - you'll simply miss out on this event on that particular farm, as it only applies to those without such statues.
As one final note, this event does not give you double mastery points on animals. Why the FarmVille team hasn't decided to include our (mostly) furry friends in these updates hasn't yet been revealed, but I'm sure Zynga has its reasons. Either way, remember - this event will only last for the next couple of days. If you've ever needed extra incentive to play FarmVille on the weekends, this is about as good as it gets.
What crops or trees will you try to mastery during this double mastery weekend? Tell us in the comments!
FarmVille Lighthouse Cove Model Farm rewards free items daily
While the Model Farm has long been a fairly useless feature in FarmVille, that merely lets you look at limited edition items currently available in the store in all of their "life-size" and (sometimes) animated glory, it seems that the FarmVille team really wants you to pay attention to this "neighbor" on your friends list, as they've taken to rewarding you for doing so. In this newest case, we see the Model Farm taking on a Lighthouse Cove theme, with plenty of trees, animals and buildings giving off that "resort town" feeling.
For visiting the Model Farm, you should receive 1,000 coins for free. Don't worry if the window doesn't pop up right away; there are simply tons of items to load (and plenty of price-tags as well), so it might take the game a few seconds longer than normal to reward you with your prize. We're not sure if the 1,000 coin prize is static across the game just for today's visits, or for your first visit to the Model Farm, so make sure to take advantage of the daily prize giveaways on this farm while you can.
We're told that we can "come back tomorrow to win again," and while the prize may just be more coins, free is free, right?
What sorts of prizes would make you want to visit the Model Farm, or are some free coins enough to do the trick? Sound off in the comments.
For visiting the Model Farm, you should receive 1,000 coins for free. Don't worry if the window doesn't pop up right away; there are simply tons of items to load (and plenty of price-tags as well), so it might take the game a few seconds longer than normal to reward you with your prize. We're not sure if the 1,000 coin prize is static across the game just for today's visits, or for your first visit to the Model Farm, so make sure to take advantage of the daily prize giveaways on this farm while you can.
We're told that we can "come back tomorrow to win again," and while the prize may just be more coins, free is free, right?
What sorts of prizes would make you want to visit the Model Farm, or are some free coins enough to do the trick? Sound off in the comments.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
FarmVille Dairy Mystery Box brings re-released Cows to pasture
Even if you're dissatisfied with the release of the Cow Pasture animal habitat in FarmVille, that has, more or less, replaced the Dairy Farm on our farms, you still might be interested in adding some previously released cows to your collection for the sake of Animal Mastery. You're now allowed to do just that with the release of the Dairy Mystery Box in the game's store. This box contains six different cows, but remember - the cow you receive upon opening each box is random, and very well could give you duplicates if you purchase more than one.
For 20 Farm Cash, you'll be able to purchase a single Dairy Mystery Box containing one of the following:
Black Yak
Jersey Cow
New Year Cow
Panda Cow
Vineyard Cow
Welsh Black Cow
While it's great to see these cows make a comeback, they won't be here forever; you'll have just a week to purchase as many of these boxes as you like before these cows go back into retirement. Then again, it's always possible these cows will release yet again sometime in the future, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how important it is to have each one right now. Good luck with receiving the cow(s) you want most!
Which of these cows do you hope to win from the Dairy Mystery Box? Do you already have enough of these cows that it would make purchasing one of these boxes too big of a risk? Sound off in the comments.
For 20 Farm Cash, you'll be able to purchase a single Dairy Mystery Box containing one of the following:
Black Yak
Jersey Cow
New Year Cow
Panda Cow
Vineyard Cow
Welsh Black Cow
While it's great to see these cows make a comeback, they won't be here forever; you'll have just a week to purchase as many of these boxes as you like before these cows go back into retirement. Then again, it's always possible these cows will release yet again sometime in the future, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how important it is to have each one right now. Good luck with receiving the cow(s) you want most!
Which of these cows do you hope to win from the Dairy Mystery Box? Do you already have enough of these cows that it would make purchasing one of these boxes too big of a risk? Sound off in the comments.
FarmVille: 2x Mastery Statue comes back for 12 days only
While many users voiced their concerns upon the initial release of the 2x Mastery Statue in FarmVille (that Zynga had created the ultimate money-grabber), that didn't stop many other farmers from purchasing one for their farms. Apparently, the initial release was so successful that they've decided to bring the statue back around for another go. That's right, the 2x Mastery Statue is once again available to purchase in the store, but only for a limited time (12 days, to be exact).
As a reminder, this 2x Mastery Statue gives you double the amount of mastery points on all crops and trees harvested during a two-day period. A single statue costs 25 Farm Cash, and if you're already the owner of a Platinum Mastery Statue (which has the same effect, but permanently), you'll want to skip out on buying these re-released statues as the status effect doesn't stack.
Also, let me once again point out that this double mastery boost doesn't apply to animals, so if you've really taken to Animal Mastery, there's no reason to waste your Farm Cash on these statues either. Perhaps one day we'll see a double mastery statue released just for animals, but that still doesn't solve the conundrum of whether or not these items should exist to begin with. With enough hard work and some patience, you'll be able to earn dozens, if not hundreds of mastery signs for your farm. Do we really need to pay Farm Cash to speed up the process? We'll leave that up to you, farmers.
Will you purchase a 2x Mastery Statue? Did you purchase one of these statues upon their initial release, or did you splurge on the Platinum Mastery Statue instead? Sound off in the comments.
As a reminder, this 2x Mastery Statue gives you double the amount of mastery points on all crops and trees harvested during a two-day period. A single statue costs 25 Farm Cash, and if you're already the owner of a Platinum Mastery Statue (which has the same effect, but permanently), you'll want to skip out on buying these re-released statues as the status effect doesn't stack.
Also, let me once again point out that this double mastery boost doesn't apply to animals, so if you've really taken to Animal Mastery, there's no reason to waste your Farm Cash on these statues either. Perhaps one day we'll see a double mastery statue released just for animals, but that still doesn't solve the conundrum of whether or not these items should exist to begin with. With enough hard work and some patience, you'll be able to earn dozens, if not hundreds of mastery signs for your farm. Do we really need to pay Farm Cash to speed up the process? We'll leave that up to you, farmers.
Will you purchase a 2x Mastery Statue? Did you purchase one of these statues upon their initial release, or did you splurge on the Platinum Mastery Statue instead? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World 2 Year Anniversary Manny's Journey Goals: Everything you need to know
After spending a few days in Great Britain, the Cafe World two-year anniversary extravaganza has moved onto the Philippines, where we'll meet Master Chef Manny in a new set of goals called "Manny's Journey." Through these goals, we'll be introduced to four new dishes, but of course, they won't simply be handed to you. You'll need to finish the Manny's Journey goals multiple times in order to unlock all of the prizes, which include a 50% Lightning Stove (that would reduce the time it takes your dishes to cook by 50%). Here's a complete guide to these new goals.
As a note, we weren't told by Zynga whether or not these goals contain the same dishes for all users across the entire game, or if they vary as in past goal sets. If you notice any differences in your own game, this will likely be the cause.
Manny's Journey 1
* Ask for 3 Old Filipino Recipe Cards
* Place the Roasting Pit
* Serve 20 Fish n Chips
You'll start this goal series out serving Fish n Chips which takes two hours to prepare. You can wait for those to cook while asking your friends to send you the Old Filipino Recipe Cards, and can finish off this goal by placing the base to your new Roasting Pit. Yes, there's a building project to go along with these goals, and we'll bring you a guide to building the Roasting Pit as soon as we can you can check out our guide to building the Roasting Pit right here. Finishing this first goal gives you 15 Travel Passes. As a reminder, these Travel Passes work as contest entries of sorts, giving you a chance to win in-game prizes, along with real world trips to exotic locations.
Manny's Journey 2
* Ask for 6 Filipino Postcards
* Spice 6 Neighbors Dishes
* Serve 20 Gnocchi Gianna
The Gnocchi Gianna takes six hours to prepare, and is unlocked while completing the Pasta Maker goals. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 20 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 3
* Ask for 10 New Filipino Recipe Cards
* Collect 4 Anniversary Collection items
* Serve 30 Broiled Rainbow Trout
Anniversary Collection items are earned by using spices on your dishes, while Broiled Rainbow Trout takes 12 hours to cook (at the very least, this gives you plenty of time to collect spices if you don't earn the four Anniversary Collection items after running through your supply). Finish this goal to receive 25 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 4
* Ask for 8 Filipino Postcards
* Serve 12 Cafe Bombon
* Serve 30 Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco takes 18 hours to prepare, giving you plenty of time to collect these Postcards from friends. As for the Cafe Bombon, this is a Specialty Coffee Drink that can only be served after you've hired Becky the Barista to work in your cafe. It costs 55 Energy for 10 Servings, so you'll need to prepare it twice in order to reach the total required number of 12 servings. You've almost reached the finale at this point, and finishing this particular goal gives you 30 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 5
* Ask for 12 Dirty Filipino Recipe Cards
* Serve 18 Acai Blueberry Juice
* Complete the Roasting Pit
Once again, the Acai Blueberry Juice must be served from a machine - this time the Drink Bar. It's not available until after you've hired Beverly Bartender. Once you finish this goal, you'll have finished off Manny's Journey, and will receive 500 Travel Passes. You'll also receive one of four new dishes, from a selection of Beef Mechado, Filipino Paella, Lechon and Sisig.
To be especially clear, completing this goal series the first time only gives you a single recipe, and it looks like you'll need to complete the entirety of these goals another three times to unlock the remaining three recipes. These goals (along with your chance to repeat the British goals) will expire in 10 days, so you'll want to make sure and complete as many goals as quickly as possible to stand the biggest chance of unlocking everything in time.
What do you think of these Manny's Journey goals? Do you think they're easier, or more difficult than Winston's Royals goals? Sound off in the comments.
As a note, we weren't told by Zynga whether or not these goals contain the same dishes for all users across the entire game, or if they vary as in past goal sets. If you notice any differences in your own game, this will likely be the cause.
Manny's Journey 1
* Ask for 3 Old Filipino Recipe Cards
* Place the Roasting Pit
* Serve 20 Fish n Chips
You'll start this goal series out serving Fish n Chips which takes two hours to prepare. You can wait for those to cook while asking your friends to send you the Old Filipino Recipe Cards, and can finish off this goal by placing the base to your new Roasting Pit. Yes, there's a building project to go along with these goals, and we'll bring you a guide to building the Roasting Pit as soon as we can you can check out our guide to building the Roasting Pit right here. Finishing this first goal gives you 15 Travel Passes. As a reminder, these Travel Passes work as contest entries of sorts, giving you a chance to win in-game prizes, along with real world trips to exotic locations.
Manny's Journey 2
* Ask for 6 Filipino Postcards
* Spice 6 Neighbors Dishes
* Serve 20 Gnocchi Gianna
The Gnocchi Gianna takes six hours to prepare, and is unlocked while completing the Pasta Maker goals. For finishing this goal, you'll receive 20 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 3
* Ask for 10 New Filipino Recipe Cards
* Collect 4 Anniversary Collection items
* Serve 30 Broiled Rainbow Trout
Anniversary Collection items are earned by using spices on your dishes, while Broiled Rainbow Trout takes 12 hours to cook (at the very least, this gives you plenty of time to collect spices if you don't earn the four Anniversary Collection items after running through your supply). Finish this goal to receive 25 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 4
* Ask for 8 Filipino Postcards
* Serve 12 Cafe Bombon
* Serve 30 Osso Bucco
Osso Bucco takes 18 hours to prepare, giving you plenty of time to collect these Postcards from friends. As for the Cafe Bombon, this is a Specialty Coffee Drink that can only be served after you've hired Becky the Barista to work in your cafe. It costs 55 Energy for 10 Servings, so you'll need to prepare it twice in order to reach the total required number of 12 servings. You've almost reached the finale at this point, and finishing this particular goal gives you 30 Travel Passes.
Manny's Journey 5
* Ask for 12 Dirty Filipino Recipe Cards
* Serve 18 Acai Blueberry Juice
* Complete the Roasting Pit
Once again, the Acai Blueberry Juice must be served from a machine - this time the Drink Bar. It's not available until after you've hired Beverly Bartender. Once you finish this goal, you'll have finished off Manny's Journey, and will receive 500 Travel Passes. You'll also receive one of four new dishes, from a selection of Beef Mechado, Filipino Paella, Lechon and Sisig.
To be especially clear, completing this goal series the first time only gives you a single recipe, and it looks like you'll need to complete the entirety of these goals another three times to unlock the remaining three recipes. These goals (along with your chance to repeat the British goals) will expire in 10 days, so you'll want to make sure and complete as many goals as quickly as possible to stand the biggest chance of unlocking everything in time.
What do you think of these Manny's Journey goals? Do you think they're easier, or more difficult than Winston's Royals goals? Sound off in the comments.
Cafe World Roasting Pit: Everything you need to know
On top of being required to complete five new goals in Cafe World's Manny's Journey set, the game's two-year anniversary event has received another building project as well. This "buildable" is the Roasting Pit, the base of which will be given to you for free when you start these Manny's Journeys goals. While you may think you can simply place the base and then forget about it, if you're interested in completing these goals, and subsequently unlocking any of the four recipes associated with them, you'll be required to complete its construction.
Once you place the Roasting Pit, you'll be able to begin the process of asking your friends for building materials. You'll need to collect eight Bags of Coal, 10 Steel Plates, six Roasting Sticks and six Roasting Pit Stones. The Bags of Coal are the only items you'll be able to ask for via a general post to your news feed / wall, while the other three items are earned via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be the most likely to help you.
Once you finish this Roasting Pit, you'll not only have a new "decorative" machine in your cafe, but you'll also be able to earn a single bonus mastery point for each Filipino dish you serve while the Roasting Pit is displayed and therefore "active" in your cafe. That is, instead of earning a single point for each Filipino dish, this Roasting Pit will cause you to earn two points with every serving, well, served. Also, even if you don't manage to unlock all four recipes in the Manny's Journey goal set, this Roasting Pit will still have a purpose, as a single, pre-existing dish falls under the Filipino heading: Chicken Adobo.
Again, this machine must be built in order to complete the Manny's Journey goal set in Cafe World, so check out our guide to doing just that to have the best shot of earning some new dishes - and fast!
What do you think of the Roasting Pit? Do you like items like this that allow you to earn bonus dish mastery points? Let us know in the comments.
Once you place the Roasting Pit, you'll be able to begin the process of asking your friends for building materials. You'll need to collect eight Bags of Coal, 10 Steel Plates, six Roasting Sticks and six Roasting Pit Stones. The Bags of Coal are the only items you'll be able to ask for via a general post to your news feed / wall, while the other three items are earned via individual gift requests sent to those friends that you think would be the most likely to help you.
Once you finish this Roasting Pit, you'll not only have a new "decorative" machine in your cafe, but you'll also be able to earn a single bonus mastery point for each Filipino dish you serve while the Roasting Pit is displayed and therefore "active" in your cafe. That is, instead of earning a single point for each Filipino dish, this Roasting Pit will cause you to earn two points with every serving, well, served. Also, even if you don't manage to unlock all four recipes in the Manny's Journey goal set, this Roasting Pit will still have a purpose, as a single, pre-existing dish falls under the Filipino heading: Chicken Adobo.
Again, this machine must be built in order to complete the Manny's Journey goal set in Cafe World, so check out our guide to doing just that to have the best shot of earning some new dishes - and fast!
What do you think of the Roasting Pit? Do you like items like this that allow you to earn bonus dish mastery points? Let us know in the comments.
CityVille Executive Driving Range Attraction: Everything you need to know
It seems that just as quickly as we can finish the construction on an Attraction in CityVille, another one is released. Such is the case this week, as the Ferris Wheel has been followed up by the Executive Driving Range, or a golf range, if you prefer.
The base of the Executive Driving Range costs 10,000 coins, and it must be whacked eight times before the base is complete. From there, you'll need to collect various building materials, as you might have expected:
* 5 City Seals
* 5 Golf Balls
* 5 Buckets
* 5 Netting
* 5 Targets
If you're lucky, you'll already have the City Seals in your account waiting for you, and can then concentrate on gathering the other four items instead. Golf Balls and Buckets can be earned by posting a general news item to your wall, while Netting and Targets are earned via individual gift requests sent to friends.
Once the Executive Driving Range is complete, you can put it into operation for five minutes at a time. Once the five minutes has passed, you'll collect your profits just as you would any other business (your income ranges from 1,400 to 6,000 coins each cycle), but you can't restock it with Goods. Instead, you'll need to wait for a countdown timer to hit zero before you can restart it. You can collect Wrenches from your friends to speed up this timer, but remember - you can only post a single request for Wrenches, which are shared among all of the four available Attractions, so you won't be able to stock up as greatly as you might like.
Of course, building the Executive Driving Range is entirely voluntary, but if you like features such as this, why not give it a swing? Note: you must be at least level 25 to access the Executive Driving Range.
Will you build the Executive Driving Range in your town, or are three attractions enough? Sound off in the comments.
The base of the Executive Driving Range costs 10,000 coins, and it must be whacked eight times before the base is complete. From there, you'll need to collect various building materials, as you might have expected:
* 5 City Seals
* 5 Golf Balls
* 5 Buckets
* 5 Netting
* 5 Targets
If you're lucky, you'll already have the City Seals in your account waiting for you, and can then concentrate on gathering the other four items instead. Golf Balls and Buckets can be earned by posting a general news item to your wall, while Netting and Targets are earned via individual gift requests sent to friends.
Once the Executive Driving Range is complete, you can put it into operation for five minutes at a time. Once the five minutes has passed, you'll collect your profits just as you would any other business (your income ranges from 1,400 to 6,000 coins each cycle), but you can't restock it with Goods. Instead, you'll need to wait for a countdown timer to hit zero before you can restart it. You can collect Wrenches from your friends to speed up this timer, but remember - you can only post a single request for Wrenches, which are shared among all of the four available Attractions, so you won't be able to stock up as greatly as you might like.
Of course, building the Executive Driving Range is entirely voluntary, but if you like features such as this, why not give it a swing? Note: you must be at least level 25 to access the Executive Driving Range.
Will you build the Executive Driving Range in your town, or are three attractions enough? Sound off in the comments.
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