FarmVille: Wandering Sheep or Goat found with no name

FarmVille Freak Bruno's No Name Sheep/Goat
Last week the Mouflon Sheep was added to FarmVille as a new lost and wandering animal. Many people thought this sheep was a goat, but its original name was was in fact "Mouflon Sheep". Not only is their species confusing, but the sheep/goat is now nameless.
FarmVille No Name Goat/Sheep Message
What do you think this animal's name should be?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille: New Horses, Pony, Foals, Cows and Calf

farmville new horses pony foals cows and calf
In a much anticipated update last night the FarmVille Nursery was upgraded. Farmers now have the ability to produce brand new adult Horses and Cows. Keep in mind if you are lucky enough to produce a new adult animal, you will be able to give away the corresponding calf or foal to your neighbors.

In total, there are 8 new animals that can be produced by or as a bonus of growing up your foals and calves.

Note: When the first enhancement occurred last night, all of the new animals were on the Free Gifting page, but were very quickly taken down. The Groovy Cow was only available for a short period of time through Free Gifting. (More details on that to come)
This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille Unreleased Blue Jay

Thank you to FarmVille Freak Martijn for finding this unreleased FarmVille Blue Jay!

Remember you saw it here first on FarmVille Freak and don't forget to share this with all your friends!

Click the link below to see it in motion.

Source:

    FarmVille Unreleased Blue Jay – Zynga FarmVille Image | Animation


This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille FarmVille Upcoming Co-Op Jobs: Hottest Chili in Town & Peanut Butter Jelly Time

farmville peanut butter and jelly
It has been told to us by FarmVille Freak Martijn that the two new upcoming Co-Op Jobs that Lexi talked about today in her podcast will be Hottest Chili in Town and Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

The Hottest Chili in Town Co-Op job will require you to grow Rice, Peppers, and Soybeans. While the Peanut Butter Jelly Time Co-Op Job will require you to grow Peanuts and Strawberries.

Remember FarmVille Freaks, these are all speculations. We also wonder why the Hottest Chili in Town ingredients are the same as the Stirring Things Up Co-Op Job. We shall see hopefully soon!

Are you excited about the new additions to the Co-Op Jobs?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

FarmVille's new animal mystery crate -- find out what's inside *spoiler*

FarmVille's Animal Mystery Crate returns by popular demand with a slew of new critters inside. These crates will be available for the next 7 days and can be purchased in the in-game Market for 20 FarmVille cash (roughly $4).

Here is a list of animals that you'll find inside these new mystery crates *Spoiler*

    Red Panda
    Black Yak
    Blue jay
    Pygmy Goat
    Female Mandarin duck

farmville red panda animal mystery crate     farmville black yak    
       

What animals did you get so far? If you have pics, please send them to editors@games.com, and we'll feature them here.

PetVille holding a 20% off sale through June 28

PetVille coin and Pet Cash sale
Zynga have announced a pleasant weekend surprise for PetVille players - all coin and Pet Cash packages are now 20% off until June 28th. This means you have three days to stock up on all of those coins and cash you've been holding back on, and get more for your money. I have been having my eye on some of the new wedding themed items, so this makes the purchase even more appealing. The new prices are as follows:

60 Pet Cash: $5.00 $4.00
130 Pet Cash: $10.00 $8.00
280 Pet Cash: $20.00 $16.00
700 Pet Cash: $50.00 $40.00
1600 Pet Cash: $100.00 $80.00
2400 Pet Cash: $150.00 $120.00

6,000 coins: $5.00 $4.00
16,000 coins: $10.00 $8.00
50,000 coins: $20.00 $16.00
160,000 coins: $50.00 $40.00
380,000 coins: $100.00 $80.00
620,000 coins: $150.00 $120.00

Are you planning to purchase some Pet Cash or coins? You better log in before June 29th, because this sale will end in three days.

Treasure Isle animals no longer grant coins for petting

With all of the latest updates to Treasure Isle, including the release of the highly anticipated Fire God Mountain, a stealth change was deployed to the popular treasure game. A few short weeks ago, Treasure Isle made all animals pettable or interactable in exchange for coins. While a few players were thankful for another opportunity to earn coins in Treasure Isle, most players were overwhelmingly upset with the feature. According to a poll on the official forums, over 77% of voters hated the new feature because they felt it was cluttered and messy. For those who had many animals, having each harvestable animal donned with a big exclamation point was quite the eyesore.

Everyone can rejoice now, because this feature has been removed. Animals are no longer interactable for coins, and that makes me one happy player. Fire God Mountain gives out 10,000 coins per successful run, and that's just as much coin as I need to keep trucking through the maps.

Treasure Isle Fire God Mountain: Everything you need to know

Treasure Isle's Fire God Mountain has brought a whole new style and element of gameplay to everyone's favorite treasure game - mystery, tactics, competition, and suspense. It's a bit more complex than the rest of the game; once you enter the volcano the entire game changes. Even the interface changes to a dark shade of black and becomes more threatening and ominous. We're sure you have questions, so Games.com - The Blog has your answers in this definitive Fire God Mountain guide. Let's begin.

What is the Fire God Mountain?

Fire God Mountain is a special set of maps that are in a scary volcano surrounded by lava, imps, and other exciting surprises. When you're in the volcano, the entire game changes. Instead of trying to clear the whole map in search of all of the treasure - each map has only ONE treasure. The objective is to find the treasure in the least amount of digs possible. Using the hot and cold mechanism is the way to know if you're close to the treasure. A leaderboard tracks your progression compared to your friends, and you get more coins if you find the treasure early. Once you have found the treasure, you progress to the next map. There are 14 levels of the volcano, each one deeper than the next.

How to get to Fire God Mountain

The very first thing that everyone always wants to know is how to actually get to the volcano. Where is the Fire God Mountain? To enter the Fire God Mountain, you first need to have 5 SPF, which are an item that you can get from friends or buy from the Store. To actually find the volcano, open up your travel map and go to the Tiki Isles. From there, you will see the volcano in the top middle of the overland map. Click on it, and if you have the required amount of SPF-3000 you will be allowed in.

How to get SPF-3000 in Treasure Isle

Everyone starts out with 5 SPF, which makes entering the volcano for the first time easy as can be. You only need to pay to enter the first time that you log in to the volcano. Once you beat all levels of the volcano, you will have to pay more SPF in order to gain access again.
Treasure Isle SPF-3000

SPF-3000 has the following prices in the store:

1 SPF-3000: 3 Treasure Cash
8 Pack - 30 Treasure Cash
32 Pack - 50 Treasure Cash

Fire God Mountain Rewards

In addition to getting oodles of coins for completing the Fire God Mountain, you can also receive other items. This includes collection items such as the Volcanologist set which awards a Volcano Flag, special decorations for your home island, Treasure Cash, a permanent increase to your maximum energy, mangoes, and other rare items. You also get a trophy to display on your home island showing your score when you complete the island.

Other Fire God Mountain Tips and Hints


    If the game tells you the treasure is "Nearby" after you dig, that means it is 2 tiles away. If it says "Really Close", that means that it is 1 tile away.
    Make sure to eat your fruit
    When you're searching for the treasure, click once and if you don't see a hint, click in an area far away. Keep clicking in areas that are not close to each other until you get a hint and can better track down the treasure.
    Ask for fruit whenever you can. Lava mangoes regenerate more energy in volcanoes, so they are a great help in progressing through the volcano.
    Replay the maps over and over again for coins. You will earn 10,000 coins for each time you finish the volcano.

First Look: Fashion World makes shopping a social experience

Fashion World is a new game on the Facebook gaming scene that has captured the attention of over 1 million people in just a short month. Released in early June by Metrogames (the company in which Playdom invested 5 million dollars earlier this year), this clothes creation game is essentially a hybrid of Cafe World or Restaurant City combined with Mall World. In Fashion World, the player owns their own store. Instead of just buying the clothing and accessories from a catalog such as Mall World, players in Fashion World have to sew and create their own items. This is the part that feels very much like a baking game, because each item needs to go through a quick clicking process to get started: sewing, cutting, putting buttons on, etc.

Creating new clothing items to sell in your store is as easy as clicking on the sewing machine provided for you and then selecting an article of clothing you wish to create. Each article of clothing takes a different length of time to complete, anywhere from 5 minutes to several days. The longer it takes to create, the more coins and XP you will get for producing it. After your item has been finished, you then have to click on it and transfer it to a rack in your store. Once it is on a rack, there is a limited quantity that can either be purchased by computer-generated shoppers, or your friends.

One thing that sets Fashion World apart is the shopping experience being more social. When you visit a neighbor's store, you can see all of the clothing and accessories they are selling on their racks. You can then click on the clothing and buy directly from your friends. Any clothing that you buy from your friends will be added to your inventory and can be worn by your avatar (or sold again). This gives players the option to collect clothing, mix and match attire, and choose whether they wish to shop for their clothing or create it themselves. One thing is for sure, creating clothing and knowing that your friends can shop in your store is a very virtual world experience that doesn't have many comparisons to other Facebook games.


Over all, Fashion World plays very simply, much like all the other Facebook games. A brief tutorial walks you through the main game loop and gives you just enough to get you started and leave you interested enough to keep exploring. A quick perusal through the store shows that players can decorate using all sorts of interior design techniques, including buying decorations and changing out the walls and carpet. Stores can be expanded using either Facebook Credits or coins (if you have enough neighbors)



On the exterior, Fashion World is very pleasant to look at. It's bright and colorful, whimsical, and resembles many other games. I personally feel this is the best fashion-themed game so far, with the ability to buy and shop at your friend's houses, and a more involved clothing creation process. At just over 1 million monthly actives this month alone, Fashion World is a game that we're going to be keeping a close eye on. It seems like Metrogames was a good investment for Playdom, and we can't wait to see what comes next.

Play Fashion World on Facebook >

Breaking: Zynga to close Roller Coaster Kingdom on June 29

Players who log into Zynga's game Roller Coaster Kingdom today may be granted with a popup message alerting them that the game will be closing its doors on June 29th 2010. At its peak, Roller Coaster Kingdom had around 15 million monthly active players back in November 2009, but over the months have slid down to just over 1 million players per month. The text of the closing message is as follows:

    We regret to inform you that Roller Coaster Kingdom will be closing its doors on June 29 2010. The new bloodthirsty managers who are taking over want the entire park for themselves! Someone should tell these boys to get lost!

    The new managers hope you will share their taste in fun, and encourage you to check out Vampire Wars! Click Accept to Play!


Anyone who plays Roller Coaster Kingdom may not be surprised that it will be closing; people have been asking if the game is dead since February. Many players state that the game has gone downhill because it has had little developer feedback in the past few months. While 1 million monthly active players may be a low number on Zynga's terms, most game developers on Facebook will not even come close to that kind of traffic. It's apparent that the revenue coming in from Roller Coaster Kingdom wasn't paying the bills to continue supporting the game.

Interestingly, it appears that Zynga are heavily pushing players over to Vampire Wars, a game that isn't doing spectacular either. At one point, Vampire Wars was up over 4 million players, but is now hovering around 2 million. If you had purchased Coaster Cash, the above message in Roller Coaster Kingdom will offer you Favor Points in Vampire Wars for clicking "Accept".

This is the first game that Zynga has sunsetted, and June 29th will be a disappointing day for the 60,000+ people who were playing it every day.

Nielsen: Online games now more popular than e-mail

Look out e-mail... there's a new No. 2 in town. That's according to Nielsen's newest "What Americans Do Online" report, which shows online games pushing aside e-mail as the second-most-popular use of online time

Games now represent just over 10 percent of all time spent online, according to Nielsen, a number that is itself a 10 percent increase from Nielsen's June 2009 report. Use of e-mail, the previous No. 2 online timesink, fell by over a quarter and now represents only 8.3 percent of total online time.

The winner and still champion of online time-wasting, of course, is social networks. Usage of sites like Facebook and MySpace shot up over 40% from last year's already dominant position, and the networks now collectively represent over 1/5th of all time spent online.

While the Nielsen report doesn't break social games away from time spent on social networks and online games generally, it's safe to assume that the skyrocketing popularity of such games in the past year has helped drive growth in both areas. Online videos and movies were the only other area measured in Nielsen's report to see a significant increase over the year.

YoVille: Silver Chests and Silver Keys return as limited free gifts

YoVille Silver Chests and Silver Keys
Remember the silver chests and keys? Well, these two items are back. Check the free gifts page now and start sending keys and chests to you friends. These chests will earn you both coins and YoCash and will be available for a limited time only. Get them while you can! Thank you Angiebaby2005 for the tip!

This article originally appeared on YoVille Lounge.

Chronicles of Spellborn: Has Playdom pulled the plug on this free MMO?

Rumors are running rampant that Playdom (now owned by Disney) has pulled the plug on the free-to-play MMO Chronicles of Spellborn. One reader named Debbilicious says that the servers for the game were turned off today, and so far -- there's no sign of them coming back to life:

    "I am a player on The Chronicles of Spellborn MMORPG. It was developed by Spellborn NV and was run by Acclaim until Acclaim reportedly sold it to Playdom. Since that happened the players and the game have been ignored and we have been trying to contact someone who can take responsibility and help us with various ingame issues. We recently found out that Disney has bought Playdom and we are worried that our game will be removed from the internet. This is a unique and wonderful MMORPG and we do not wish to lose it. We also have a couple of players who are interested in taking over the rights and running of the game.

    Today both servers went off.


The forum is buzzing with speculation that someone has pulled the plug on this awesome game, without even having the respect to warn us first. It's disgraceful to say the least and now I am hoping that Disney will respond to my e-mails. I have struggled to find the correct people to discuss this with and appeal to whoever reads this to help us and pass this on to the relevant department."
We've contacted Playdom to see if this is just a prolonged outage, or if Chronicles of Spellborn is gone for good.

Chronicles of Spellborn was originally launched under Acclaim Games, which was purchased by social gaming publisher Playdom in May 2010. Last week, Disney, in turn, acquired Playdom for half-a-billion dollars.

With all of the crazy acquisions and mergers in the social gaming space, closing games with little or no communication to the players seems to be happening with more frequency. This is especially problematic for those who have sunk significant funds into the game, buying virtual goods to enhance their experience. In the end, that leaves players disenfranchised and less willing to invest time and money into a game that might disappear without advance notice.

Players protest Zynga's abrupt Street Racing shutdown

Apparently Zynga wasn't done shutting down games after bringing down the hammer on Roller Coaster Kingdom and Ponzi, Inc. last month. Today, Zynga's Street Racing leaves Facebook for that great social network in the sky.

Zynga is offering refunds for in-game purchases made in the last 90 days, much as it has for its other defunct games, plus a 100 Credit bonus for the inconvenience. But this hasn't pacified some of Street Racing players, over 100 of whom have signed an online petition begging for the game to be continued. "If they shut it down then i suggest people sue them for theft..!!" wrote one excitable poster. "i feel that i should just quit all these... whats the point when you are jsut [sic] gonna shut down the game after a few years anyway..." wrote another discouraged player.

Zynga initially announced the move two weeks ago with an image (above) suggesting that Street Racing fans try out Frontierville, a game that couldn't have much less in common with the street racing sim. That image was later replaced with a new image that removes the specific reference to Frontierville.

Street Racing's numbers have been flagging recently, and while its current player base of 400,000 monthly users isn't nothing, it's well short of the 3 million monthly players the game once claimed, and the tens of millions Zynga's biggest games enjoy.

FarmVille Crafting Buildings Video Guide: Channel Management

With the introduction of Crafting Buildings, some FarmVille Freaks are becoming quite the crafting entrepreneurs.

FarmVille Freak Wilfried shared with us a "Channel Management of Crafting Buildings" video guide. If you are a Crafting Building enthusiast, check out the detailed video below for some handy tips.

Says FarmVille Freak Wilfried,

    Hi FarmGoddess,

    I'm very interested in the economical part of FarmVille which is also the reason why I'm a big fan of the newly introduced Crafting Cottages. I analyzed the recipes of all the cottages and regarding the limitations like the number of storable bushels I came up with a strategy to keep the cottages working 24/7, leveling up quickly, managing the supply chain efficiently. I put together a video, 'Channel Management of Crafting Cottages inside FarmVille' about it and thought it may be interesting to share it with FarmVille Freak." – FarmVille Freak Wilfried

What are some tips with Crafting Buildings that you have found helpful for maximizing your profit or productivity?

This article originally appeared on FarmVille Freak.

Treasure Isle releases second collection of Asian Isles maps

Treasure Isle not only released the new buildable Dragon Sailboat this weekend, but players were surprised with a new collection of Asian Isles maps. The Mythical Voyages map contains just four islands, however there are a couple of them that are quite large. Players are even reporting that the Supersecret Base map uses over 2000 energy, but gives out more than 90 treasures on average. Wow! Take a peek at the new map details:

Under Attack - 500 coins
Ravaged Land - 7,000 coins
Tiny City - 10,000 coins
Supersecret Base - 18 Island Cash

We're so behind on maps that we're still working on the last Asian Isles set, but you can never have too much gameplay to go through! We appreciate the fast pace of new challenges in Treasure Isle, that's for sure.

What about you? Have you finished these new maps yet?

Mafia Wars Mumbai Chapter 3 opens, only 5 days left to take over Bollywood

Mafia Wars Mumbai Chapter 3 has officially opened, and as of this post, you only have five days left to become king of Bollywood.

Like the other chapters, there are four jobs and each requires a bunch of Bollywood film reels to get them done. Once you complete all of the jobs, you will get the Slumdog Billionaire, 86 A, 115 D.

mafia wars chapter 3 box office bombay

Treasure hoarders in Pirates Ahoy get more storage space... for a price

Pirates Ahoy Pirates Warehouse In-game
It's okay to be a hoarder in Pirates Ahoy (in the real world, not so much)! It's almost as if Pirates Ahoy creator Playfish wants you to be a hoarder since it has added the Pirate Warehouse to the list of available buildings to place on your island. However, you gotta' pay up if you want to gawk at more of your shinies.

Find the new Pirate Warehouse by going to your island and clicking the "Build" button. It's a huge mallet, so you can't possiblyPirates Ahoy Pirate Warehouse miss it. Then, click that big and shiny "New" tab and the "Buildings" tab underneath to find the neat, not-so-little warehouse.

It gives user 20 more inventory spaces for Pete's sake! Unfortunately, this comes at the price of 10 Playfish Cash. Now, there's no need to start any argument over whether this is worth the dough, because an item like this should be considered a luxury. Good inventory management mixed with the ability to let go could easily circumvent the need for something like this. But, if you're the type who likes to have more things to look at (or hold to make some extra coins off of later), by all means get to your island and grab this--with suitable form of payment in hand, of course.

Catering in Cafe World just got a whole lot easier

Cafe World Catering Logo
Zynga has just announced that starting your catering business in Cafe World is finally much easier. Now getting your money-maker off the ground takes 10 fewer parts than before and, according to Zynga, your orders are now easier to complete.

The company also decided that the time to complete your second was too short for new players, so they increased the dead line to six days. It usually takes more than that time for small catering businesses to turn around an order in the real world, so you can probably handle this one. Check after the break for a short guide on how to get started.
Your first catering order in Cafe World
First of all, your cook needs to be free of all tasks before you attempt to get your business started. Once that's complete, click the truck icon on your screen just above the cake to get started. Here's what you need to get this show on the road:

    Nine pieces of advice
    Eight recommendations
    Eight VIP Clients


You can ask your friends for all of these things individually or you can pay up 2 Cafe Cash for each of the mission's 25 total requirements. Unless you want to pony up 50 Cafe Cash (there is a Labor Day sale going on), we suggest you start gettingThe catering order icon in Cafe World a bit more social.

After completing this, you can get on to your first order, which is pretty simple. A fellow named Dale, quite simply, wants your leftovers. After completing the "Start Your Catering Business" mission, the option "Sell to Dale" should appear when hovering over your existing servings of food. You'll need to sell him 120,960 servings of leftovers.

Sound just a tad daunting? Fret not, because he'll take anything that's fresh and doesn't give you a deadline. So, no pressure... literally. After this comes your second order, the Dinner Party, which we'll leave up to you to discover. Don't worry, you'll be fine now that you have a whole six days to complete it and Zynga increased the amount of friends you can recruit for the order from seven to 14 people. So, get to making those leftovers (that doesn't sound appetizing, does it?) and make some dough.

Redeem a FarmVille game card, get a free Valeducktorian

FarmVille has just announced a brand new limited time promotion for anyone who redeems a game card in the next week. Simply purchase a game card of any value from a 7/11 or another store such as Best Buy, Walmart, or Gamestop. Then, login and redeem your game card. If you do this before 11:59 EST on September 13th, you will earn a free back-to-school Valeducktorian. Pretty neat, huh?

We don't know what the stats are on the duck, or what the sell price is. We will let you know as soon as we find out!

Do you have the exclusive Valeducktorian? Give us the details in the comments below!

Ubisoft goes for the kill with Assassin's Creed Facebook game

As a companion to Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood set to release November 16,Ubisoft will soon launch Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy for Facebook. The French developer behind the more recent Prince of Persia games is releasing the game in a few days to serve as a tool to fuel excitement for the new console iteration of Assassin's Creed. Beyond that, the Facebook game will also help players along as they progress in the console game. Players will earn points in one game to spend in the other, according to what Ubisoft vice president of digital publishing Chris Early said last night at a press event in San Francisco.

Also, players will be able to unlock content in the Facebook game that can be explored in the console version and vise versa, Early said. He also mentioned that the company has learned from its previous failures on Facebook like Horse Gaga and Tick Tock and has put quite a lot of investment into this cross platform project, including getting game designers to play along.

Assassin's Creed Project Legacy is Ubisoft's first branded social game and Early, who joined the developer six months prior, is trying to bring the company into the social games market in a huge way. But will branded companion games be enough to compete with the big dogs like Zynga and Playdom? We'll see in a few days.

Mafia Wars Cafe World Promotion sends you back to the kitchen

Mafia Wars Cafe World Promo
Zynga is having a ball with cross promotions recently and its most recent project is for Mafia Wars and Cafe World players. This time around, gaining a level in Cafe World will win you a Kitchen Knife in Mafia Wars with 57 Attack and 27 Defense. However, your online chef will have to be above Level 10 before a level gain will count towards the Kitchen Knife.

To start the promotion, just click the knife icon to the left of the Live Updates icon in Mafia Wars and a pop-up will appear that will take you to Cafe World. Then all you need to do is start playing until you reach Level 11 or higher. When looking at the stats on this item, it's clear that this is meant for somewhat new Mafia Wars and Cafe World players, but by all means go for it if you're the collector type. I would have much rather preferred an electric carving knife (it would at least have more Attack power).

Cafe World is throwing a birthday party in San Francisco and you're invited

On Saturday, October 2, Zynga is throwing a party for Cafe World in the San Francisco Bay Area to celebrate the game's One Year Anniversary. While the company has put quite a lot of festivities into the game, this event will bring online chefs together in the real world to watch live cooking demos by Executive Chef Luis Herrera, alumni of the Culinary Institute of America in New York.

The party will also have cupcake decorating sessions, a Cafe World photo booth and a screen featuring the cafes of those who send pictures while they RSVP. Unfortunately, the details of where the party will be held at are reserved for those who RSVP, which you can do right now by sending an e-mail to cafeworld-feedback@zynga.com. With nearly 22 million fans, someone you know from Cafe World is sure to be at this birthday bash.

FarmVille Crafting Building interface gets a much-needed face lift

FarmVille Crafting Building UI
Some of Zynga's games have fairly complicated or clunky user interfaces (UI), which is why they've made the effort to improve the Crafting Building UI in FarmVille, which should prove helpful with the new Co-Op Crafting Jobs. An already complex feature did not need a complex interface, so the team has streamlined the experience so that almost all of your vital crafting information is on the home screen of each crafting building.

Check behind the cut for the low down on what's been changed (for the better).
FarmVille Recipes Window
As opposed to before when everything was hidden behind a tab or a click-through, this new UI brings everything you need dead center so you can get to work even faster. First, you can get goods from your neighbors right on the home screen in the top left. Next to that is the option to Use Goods for Fuel, while the middle of screen is dedicated to showing you the level of your recipes and what bushels you'll need to continue making them. Lastly on the home screen sits your job progress on the left-hand side, telling you how long until each batch is complete as well as your current Crafting Building Level with the option to upgrade it for Farm Cash.

FarmVille Farmer's Market
When looking for bushels tied to a particular recipe, you'll access the new recipe window that displays how many bushels you have of each requirement and how to get more of them. If you're just looking to get more of an individual bushel or manage your current ones, the Farmer's Market window contains every bushel you have access to with the option to request more or use them for boosts. You can also get goods or use them from this window.

All in all, the new UI looks much snappier than before. Most of your actions can be done in fewer clicks than before, which is the goal of a good interface. Now, how about cleaning up some things in Vampire Wars and Mafia Wars to get the games within one screen?

Happy Pets Experience Idol returns to burn your wallets

CrowStar has brought back the one item that garnered a heated debate in their forums this Spring, along with a nice chunk of money, the Experience Idol in Happy Pets. For 398 Facebook Credits, or nearly $40 USD (it was originally $50), this item will permanently double the experience you earn forever.

But is it worth more than most Nintendo DS games? Can you even quantify something like this in terms of what it's worth next to something else? That's quite a lot of money to put up for something intangible, but if the return on investment is high enough, perhaps it is worth it.

This debate isn't new, however. Some of you may remember when Blizzard, creator of World of WarCraft, released an item in their MMO for $25, the Celestial Steed. As the wait for the item reached a queue of epic proportions, writers, forum-goers and players everywhere cried foul at the developer for asking so much.

When it comes down to it, an item whether it be tangible or digital is only worth what folks like you and I would pay. If Happy Pets players are going to pay $40 or a considerable boost in their favorite game, than CrowStar is going to ask for it if not more. Debating whether something is worth a certain amount of money or time on an objective level when the issue at hand is individual, subjective is just silly. No one can tell you whether a $40 experience boost is worth the money but yourself, just be sure that if do buy the idol, you'll be playing Happy Pets for a long time.

Lunchtime poll: Is FarmVille, Facebook games addictive?

After reporting the news that a FarmVille-addicted mother shook her child to death for interrupting her game, we couldn't help but look back at recent headlines and studies that say FarmVille and other Facebook games are designed to be addictive and that people who are susceptible to addiction are making these games their drugs of choice. We want to hear your take: Are these games addictive or not? Vote in our lunchtime poll.

ESPNU College Town updates adds shorter venue events, higher item resells and more

    Shooting Drills     Football Practice
In Playdom's continued efforts to improve their new hyper-popular sports university game, ESPNU College Town, the team introduced a few venue events with shorter durations for those who play the game in longer sittings. Each event is designed to cost far less than normal events and give much smaller yields, but if done repetitively over say, an hour, should be more beneficial for the frequent player.

Also as a result of the small update, item resell values have jumped to 60 percent of their original cost, giving players much more incentive to sell older items to make room for newer, bigger buildings and decorations. Lastly, Playdom adjusted the prices to upgrade Baseball Field Levels 4 and 5 to make them more accessible to players, which is a small yet welcome addition. It looks like this trend of tweaking the accessibility and enjoyment of their games will be an ongoing trend, which is a very, very good thing.

Ravenwood Fair introduces a new monster -- the Grimm

Ravenwood Fair on Facebook intoduced a slew of new Halloween items and several missions overnight, and we also noticed that there is a new monster lurking in the spooky -- the Grimm. This cloaked figure with scythe randomly appears while you chop down trees and you have to give it a few wallops to banish it from your fair.


ravenwood fair wallop grimm

You can do that by simply clicking on it several times and then watch your heroic avatar give this monster what-for. You'll be rewarded with coins and experience points for your trouble.

Quick Halloween Costume Ideas: FarmVille farmer

halloween costume farmville
October has arrived, and if you're like us, you've already started brainstorming Halloween costume ideas.

Instead of taking the cliched route and dressing like a witch, pirate wench or sexy Sherlock Holmes, try something inspired from one of the most popular games of all time -- dress up as a FarmVille farmer.

Continue reading to find a complete list of items you need for the perfect FarmVille farmer Halloween costume (along with links on where to buy them online).
FarmVille Farmer Halloween Costume Shopping List:
Straw Cowboy Hat
$14
Amazon.com     farmville halloween costume
Red Plaid Shirt
$17
Amazon.com     farmville halloween costume
Blue Denim Overalls
$30
Amazon.com     farmville halloween costume
Black Work Shoes
$95
Amazon.com     farmville halloween costume
Piece of Wheat
(Place in mouth)
Free
Nature     farmville halloween costume
While we can show you what you'll need to look like a FarmVille farmer, we can't help you with your authentic farmer's accent. You're on your own there. Also, remember to personalize your FarmVille farmer Halloween costume to look like your own FarmVille character.

Let us know what you think of the costume and have a Happy Halloween!

Cafe World's Outdoor Halloween decorations turn your cafe into an eerie eatery

    Spooky Tree     Ghostly Traveler
Now that you've finished the Ghoulish Feast and saved a ton during the Halloween Sale in Cafe World, it's finally time to turn up the scare factor on that cafe of yours. There's a bunch of frightening outdoor decorations available today that will transform your restaurant into an diner of haunted hors d' oeuvres.

    Haunted Roof: 45 Cafe Cash
    Haunted Wall: 2 Cafe Cash
    Skull Door: 3,000 coins
    Haunted Window: 2 Cafe Cash
    Black Pine Tree: 10 Cafe Cash
    Bat Tree: 12 Cafe Cash
    Pumpkin Scarecrow: 10 Cafe Cash
    Ghostly Tree: 5 Cafe Cash
    Pumpkin Candy Sign: 16 Cafe Cash
    Ghostly Traveler: 5,000 coins


For a total of 97 Cafe Cash (not including the multiple walls and windows), or about $18, you could turn your cafe into the next Munster house. However, the cost of each piece of wallpaper and window could jump that price up considerably depending on the size of your cafe. But hey, at least you can fill your outdoor area with Ghostly Travelers and a devilish Skull Door for just a few thousand coins.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in FarmVille, Restaurant City & more

harry potter deathly hallows facebook restaurant city farmville
Tomorrow, Harry Potter is returning to the big screen with the highly acclaimed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. Sure to be the must-see movie over the Thanksgiving holiday, Harry Potter fever is seizing the world once again. There are real life Quidditch matches being played and people are getting into costume for the premiere. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has even invaded some of our favorite Facebook games. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows content has been released in FarmVille, Restaurant City, Happy Aquarium and more.

Continue reading to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in FarmVille, Restaurant City, and more.

But before we go into the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows game updates, I have to make sure you're as excited as I am for the movie. Above is the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer.

harry potter deathly hallows farmville
Harry Potter in FarmVille

    FarmVille: Agriculture Alchemy Theme Showcase teases the wizard in us
    FarmVille: New Pilgrim, Turkey, and Wizard costumes
    FarmVille's Agricultural Alchemy theme debuts in the marketplace
    New FarmVille Agricultural Alchemy animal and building now available
    FarmVille Agricultural Alchemy Decorations: Long Eared Owl, Wizard Gnome, & Magic Cart



harry potter deathly hallows it girl
Harry Potter in It Girl

    It Girl celebrates Harry Potter movie with new couture clothing



harry potter deathly hallows happy aquarium
Harry Potter in Happy Aquarium

    Happy Aquarium Wizard Items honor Harry Potter, make tanks magical



harry potter deathly hallows restaurant city
Harry Potter in Restaurant City

    Cast a spell with new Restaurant City decorative items



harry potter deathly hallows happy island
Harry Potter in Happy Island

    Happy Island Wizard Week: Collect four LE items to unleash the Dragon


What do you think of these Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows game updates? Are you going to see the movie?

Facebook Credits 'Pay Later' Option: Virtual goods on layaway?

Pay Later
And so the credit crisis begins on Facebook. The social network is currently testing a "Pay Later" for Facebook Credits (FB Credits) purchases while in social games and other apps, though it's not live for everyone just yet, Inside Facebook reports. Players who have yet to purchase FB Credits will be prompted by a new option to pay later when buying virtual currency within social games like FrontierVille, for example. This essentially allows gamers new to using FB Credits to loan out the currency for that shiny new item indefinitely.

Players can even loan out more FB Credits after initially skipping a payment, adding to their debt. Though, on subsequent purchases you're given the option to pay off that balance. However, players can only repay their debt using an automated payment method like a credit card or PayPal account, which is part of the point. The idea behind this new feature seems to be to entice new players to eventually provide Facebook with their credit card information. More importantly, with this program Facebook could transform non-purchasers into instant buyers.

According to Inside Facebook, there is currently no repayment period nor are there any repercussions for remaining in debt. Well, aside from potentially ruining your credit score by racking up hundreds of dollars worth of Horseshoes. But who's to say players won't simply create multiple accounts to loan out virtual goods with, only to later close the accounts? Not to mention that this could spell doom for parents who let their kids game on their Facebook accounts (stop that, will ya?).

FrontierVille: How to sell items from the homestead

    Money...     Money!
Sometimes even the most simple of things can be the most difficult to figure out. Selling items has become a common requirement in FrontierVille Goals. Though, there has been little explanation as to how we go about selling, say, 50 chickens for the recent 27 Comments Timed Goal. Without further delay, here's a short guide on how to sell items in FrontierVille.

Take a look after the break for how to sell items on the frontier.
Market Icon
First things first, you'll need to buy items to sell them, right? So, click the "Market" icon--it's got coins and fruit on it--in the lower right-hand corner. Then, click on any item to buy it, though some require Horseshoes instead of coins, so make sure you have enough to buy the given item.

AnimalMarket
For this tutorial, I bought a chicken. Once an item is purchased you'll be taken back to the homestead where your cursor will be replaced with the item you bought in the Market.

Clicking anywhere on the homestead while that square you see is green will finalize the purchase, but you can move items around if you don't like where they are.

My Tools
Moving items is done by clicking the arrow icon in the bottom right-hand corner just above the Market icon. This icon is actually called "My Tools" and has a breadth of options including the ability to move items, but we're concerned with one thing: making some cash back.

Sellin' a chicken
So, click on what appears to be a wooden bucket full of soap--everyone knows that's synonymous will sales--and your cursor will transform into just that: a big soapy bucket. Now, click on the item you want to sell, which in this case is a chicken, and you'll be prompted by our good old friend Frontier Jack to confirm whether you want to sell the item.

Frontier Jack
Select "Accept" to finalize the sale and, poof, coins will appear on your homestead for you to collect. (Click on the red "X" icon to return your cursor to normal.) Now, go forth and get those timed Goals completed. And don't think about where the chicken went and just focus on the task at hand, trust us.

FrontierVille Thanksgiving celebration coming soon

You smell that? The smell of fresh bread baking or of turkeys roasting - it can only mean one thing. Thanksgiving is coming folks, and fast at that. While we're all stuffing ourselves silly on cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and yams, make sure to frequently take a quick peek into the world of FrontierVille, as an upcoming Thanksgiving celebration in the game will give us something else to be thankful for.

We've seen a couple of preview images being posted on the game's official fan page, and with it comes the announcement that new collections, new missions, and new decorations will be coming to the game "soon." One image in particular shows off six items associated with the entire event. We can see what appears to be gravy, an RSVP in an envelope, some yams, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and of course, the turkey itself. Whether these will be part of the new missions, or a new collection remains to be seen.

We'd imagine that this Thanksgiving content will most likely launch this weekend, or early next week at the latest, so to coincide with the holiday itself. Be sure to keep checking back with us as the Thanksgiving holiday grows closer, as we'll be able to bring you all of the info surrounding these new features.

FarmVille Thanksgiving Basket's ultimate prize is the Turkey Costume

While one might have guessed that this would be the outcome, we've learned today that the ultimate prize associated with FarmVille's new Thanksgiving Basket collection feature is the Turkey Costume for your avatar (not to be confused with the Baby Turkey costume currently available to purchase in the market).

However, where you might think that simply filling the basket to 150 Dishes will earn you this prize (since that is the top marking on the table's meter), the prize is actually only unlocked at twice that amount, or 300 Dishes. In addition, this simply becomes a seventh item that you can redeem your Dishes for. It's not an instant-win situation - you will have to trade in a whopping 300 dishes in order to earn this Turkey Costume for your avatar, so if you want to collect the other items as well, you'll need to start asking for lots of of Dishes, and soon; either that, or luck into receiving the free bonuses posted by your friends when they redeem Dishes for these items.

Either way, this costume does seem a bit too expensive when compared to the other items you can earn, but we suppose it does offer users that much more incentive to keep asking for, and sending Dishes. Whether or not it's worth it in the end, however, will ultimately be up to you to decide.