LootDrop's first social game, Cloudforest Expedition, soars this summer

Romero, Brathwaite and Knight sign the papers
This summer, it'll be OK to have your head in the clouds. LootDrop, John Romero and Brenda Brathwaite's brand new social game studio, and publisher RockYou will launch CloudForest Expedition this summer. This is a story-driven exploration game on Facebook that will let you become the next great explorer. Unfortunately, no other details have been revealed at this time, but we can imagine the game will be as goofy and charming as Romero's first social game, LOLapps' Ravenwood Fair.

And LootDrop has already hit the drawing board on their second game, as RockYou has signed a second publishing deal with the studio. As you can see in the image above, all parties appear very happy, and we've boiled that down to two reasons. First, Romero and Brathwaite (far left and far right, respectively) are probably just plain excited to have not one, but two brand new projects in the cards for them. Second, there are likely lots of zeros somewhere on that contract. Hey, if you scored a budget for something you found fun, you'd be saying "cheese" too.

"They really zeroed in on the exploration, adventure genre with a clearing and discovery mechanic at its core, and they're just layering innovation on top of that," RockYou SVP Jonathan Knight told us. "That's what we can expect from this title and the second one." Knight went on to mention that Loot Drop's second game is still in the concept phase, and that the company signed the papers based on both that concept and that it has been "blown away" by Cloudforest Expedition. So, are we looking at an improved adaptation of games like Zynga's Treasure Isle? The game entered alpha testing last week, so we'll have to wait and see this summer.

Are you excited to see what Romero, Brathwaite and crew think up next? Given his experience with LOLapps, how do you think CloudForest Expedition might do against the competition?

Zynga's RewardVille tests your dedication with Daily Goals

As if you haven't proved your devotion to Zynga enough by enrolling in the RewardVille program, the company revealed a new feature to the service recently, Daily Goals. This new challenge tasks players with playing not only their favorite games daily, but all of Zynga's RewardVille games. The feature appears as a side bar on the RewardVille website, and displays an empty bar for each Zynga game every 24 hours.

According to Mafia Wars Maniac, just playing each game for a certain amount of time will fill its meter from zero to 80. After the meter fills up, you'll be rewarded with a random amount of zCoins. However, filling the meter on every game will contribute to a larger, more meta meter, the Power Bonus.

It's unknown as of this writing exactly what the Power Bonus means for seriously dedicated fans, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we find out. (Calling all super fan tipsters!) Based on what RewardVille is all about, we imagine more zCoins and zPoints are in store for you Zynga connoisseurs.

Have you completed any of your Daily Goals yet? How about the daunting Power Bonus? What did you win?

Zynga thwarts illegal Sheep and Pig Breeding once and for all

If you have one of those neon Sheep, you're one of the lucky ones. As of today, FarmVille players can no longer breed Sheep or Pigs using unreleased colors and patterns. Zynga posted the news on the FarmVille Blog, which states, "Certain types of sheep and pig colors/patterns not yet released have been improperly distributed in FarmVille; we are currently going through the process of making sure this practice stops." While players who received the illegitimate Sheep and Pigs through legitimate means--like the News Feed--will still be able to keep their flashy livestock, breeding them is no longer an option.

Confused about exactly how Zynga is handling the situation? Check out the full statement below:

    The steps that we have taken are:
    * The methods by which players were able to breed unreleased sheep and pig colors and patterns have been closed.
    * Players who bred sheep and pigs using illicit methods have had their animals revert to their original base colors and no patterns.
    * Pigs and sheep acquired from feed posts (but at some point were generated using illicit methods) will get to retain their unusual colors and patterns. However, attempts to breed with these pigs or sheep will result in default colors and no additional pattern inheritance.

    Should we release these additional colors or patterns legitimately then players will be able to breed that animal in the appropriate, correct manner. This is not an implication that you or your neighbors have done something wrong. This is a breeding restriction of colors and patterns that as of yet have not intended to be released.

    So what's currently allowed to breed and what's not?
    * Most current colors are allowed but the "flashing" colors are definitely not.
    * Currently Allowed Sheep Patterns: Plain, Spotted, Striped
    * Currently Allowed Pig Patterns: Plain, Spotted

The Zynga team went on to remind players that this move isn't to punish those who received the illegally-bred Sheep and Pigs legitimately. All the developer wants to do is stop the spread of these unreleased colors and patterns, and if these varieties are officially released, then everyone will be able to access them freely. So, don't worry about losing your strobe light Sheep anytime soon, just don't expect to make neon babies for a while.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Sheep Breeding]


Do you own any illegally-bred Sheep or Pigs? What do you think of Zynga's response to the issue?

Zynga gobbles up GodFinger developer Wonderland, creates Zynga Mobile UK

Perhaps Zynga's recent sheep invasion in London was symbolic of something greater. The developer with more satellite studios than you can count on two hands just bought Wonderland Software, the UK-based studio behind the iPhone hit GodFinger. Gamasutra reports that the studio will operate as Zynga Mobile UK, but neither company disclosed what was spent on the acquisition.

While Zynga is assimilating the team, it is not taking over publishing rights to GodFinger, which is published by Ngmoco. That company was recently acquired by Japanese social game company DeNA, which could explain a lot. But more importantly, this is the company's thirteenth purchase in just 11 months.

Zynga has talent from nearly every major sector in gaming, but Wonderland is the company's third acquisition of a mobile developer. Like every social game developer in the world, Zynga is clearly going after the mobile scene in a big way. Wonderland joins Words With Friends creator Newtoy and Area/Code, the studio behind Drop7, as Zynga's mobile arms.

Wonderland CEO Matthew Wiggins will stay on the team and become the general manager of Zynga Mobile UK. "Wonderland Software has always been dedicated to pursuing big and creative ideas and turning them into games that players love," Wiggins said in a statement. "We are thrilled to continue our vision as part of the Zynga family and to reach millions of mobile players across a spectrum of devices."

What do you think Zynga will do with this new company under its belt? Will Zynga begin to create original mobile games through its three, freshly-bought studios?

Nickelodeon runs to the Royal Wedding with new Flash game

Did you take off from work to watch the Royal Wedding YouTube stream bright and early this Friday? Neither did we, but to help fuel the excitement for the biggest display of matrimony this year, Nickelodeon and its AddictingGames.com have launched Royal Wedding Run. This 2-minute Flash game is easy enough: Just press the space bar at the right time to leap over papparzzi, jealous ex-girlfriends and massive puddles of water. We'll suspend our disbelief for that last part, because the game is a hilarious way to spend your lunch break.

Click here to play Royal Wedding Run Now >

What are you doing to prepare for the Royal Wedding? What are some of your favorite Flash games?

FrontierVille: Zynga asks if you want to be warned of upcoming features

Over on the official FrontierVille forums, Zynga is asking users a simple question - just how much notice do you want when it comes to new features? Would you rather be given a two or three day advanced warning about new buildings or features that will launch in the future? Or, are you the type of player that wants to login and be surprised when something new releases?

You have a quartet of options to choose from, ranging from "it's perfect," to "I don't care," but of course, you can always give a detailed response in the accompanying thread. Why does your choice matter? With Zynga using the FrontierVille fan page to give brief previews of upcoming events, the most popular answer here could potentially shape the way we find out about new features in the future. If Zynga feels that users aren't excited, they may even slow down the releases, and I know I can't be the only pioneer that would hate to see that happen.

As of right now, not very many players have voted, but the poll is incredibly new, so things haven't really had a chance to take shape. Still, it looks as though people are favoring the options with more information being given sooner, rather than none at all.

So what do you think? Head over to the game's forums to place your vote.

Once that's done, let us know which option you chose in the comments. Would you like your information sooner, rather than later, or do you not even pay attention to unreleased news?

FarmVille: Earn a free Disco Ball Tree with Farm Cash purchase

Another limited time Farm Cash promotion has launched in FarmVille, with Zynga giving users the opportunity to purchase one of three basic Farm Cash packages to receive a Disco Ball Tree as a prize (in addition to the Farm Cash you actually purchased).

The three packages range from $1 for 4 Farm Cash to $20 for 115 Farm Cash. While these are the standard prices, the Disco Ball Tree does change things slightly. When first released in the store, you would have had to purchase a Disco Ball Tree for 15 Farm Cash. Then again, the Disco Ball Tree now also shows up for free as a Mystery Seedling from a Confetti Tree, so you could technically have a whole forest worth of them on your farm already, depending on how many trees you've gathered.

So, is this promotion worth it? It's not like the Farm Cash has actually been discounted by a great amount (less than a dollar has been taken off of each package's original price), and the Disco Ball Tree has a greatly diminished value thanks to the Mystery Seedling feature. Ultimately, the answer to that question will be up to you, but you'll need to decide fast - this offer will only be available for the next two days.

What do you think of this Farm Cash prize? Do you think the Disco Ball Tree is a great incentive object for people to purchase Farm Cash, or should we be offered something we can't get anywhere else?

Dragon Age Legends delivers again on Facebook with special remix edition

It seems like even companion games can get their own companion games!

EA2D, who brought us Dragon Age Legends on Facebook, decided to give game developer Evan "PixelAnte" Miller a shot at making his own Dragon Age game by using EA2D's game assets. What resulted was 'Dragon Age Legends Remix 01', which was released earlier this week. Miller's game isn't on Facebook, but the items that you earn in DAL: Remix 01 can be used in the Facebook game. And in turn, we know that playing the Facebook game gets you free goodies for Dragon Age II on the PC and console.
Dragon Age Legends Remix 01 slain orge
After beating all 6 levels of DAL: Remix 01, I won the following items: Energy Potion, Evra's Horn, Smelling Salts, Team Battle Poultice, and Blood Dragon Leather Armor. But EA2D says 15 different items can be gotten through replays. An item will appear at the conclusion of a level, and from there, you click on a button that'll send you to DAL on Facebook, where you can find the item in your inventory. I highly recommend giving this thing a go. Graphics-wise, it's no better than the one on Facebook, but you're given free reign to slaughter baddies totally unhindered in a hack-and-slash fashion complete with visceral sound effects. Miller's version is simple, easy, and endorsed by EA. And finally, this version also fills in Viscount Ravi's backstory -- so what are you waiting for? Go play it at IGN!

FarmVille GagaVille Born This Way Quest: Everything you need to know

Tonight's GagaVille quest in FarmVille doesn't just offer us the chance to listen to a single new song from Lady Gaga's Born This Way album - instead, we're given a chance to listen to the whole album, but there's a catch. Remember those VIP tickets we've earned for completing the first three GagaVille quests? You'll need those tickets and more to pass tonight's fourth quest in the series and to unlock the full album.

Here's what you need to do:

Visit GagaVille
Have 10 VIP Tickets
Visit 3 Neighbors

Want to see how you'll earn the extra seven VIP tickets? Meet us behind the break.

But wait - we only have 3 VIP tickets! Never fear farmers! You can simply ask your friends to send you the seven extra tickets you need to pass this one, and while you're waiting, you can finish the other two simple tasks. For completing this goal, you'll receive 100 XP, 2,500 coins, 5 Farm Cash (yes, free Farm Cash!) and access to the "exclusive preview" of Born this Way. You can now listen to the whole album!

We're reminded to hold onto our VIP Tickets, as we'll apparently need to use them tomorrow (and beyond) in more GagaVille quests. Hopefully, you don't become overrun by friends sending you tickets, as you can't outright "sell" them from your Gift Box to clear room.

We'll make sure to bring you continued coverage of all things GagaVille, so keep checking back.

Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >

What do you think of tonight's GagaVille quest? Which song off of Born This Way is your favorite?

FarmVille GagaVille Items: Chrome Cherry Tree, Purple Disco Sheep, Born This Way and much more

Taking a break from the usual Wednesday / Sunday night updates in FarmVille, Zynga has released a whole slew of new GagaVille animals, trees, and decorations. All of these items will be available in the game's store for the next two weeks, and many of them can be purchased for coins (thankfully). Let's get right down to our detailed look at these new items, shall we?

The first items of note are the two trees: the Chrome Apple Tree and the Chrome Cherry Tree. The Chrome Apple Tree is the Level 1 tree in this equation, costing 7 Farm Cash, while the Cherry Tree costs more at 12 Farm Cash. Even for their higher price tags, their stats remain constant among recently released trees - you'll only gain 15 XP for purchasing them, and they'll be ready to harvest every two days for 150 coins of profit.

Meet us behind the break to take a look at the new GagaVille animals and decorations.


For the new animals, there are two, with one being available as a quest reward yesterday. The Pink Ponytail Horse was given away to farmers yesterday for completing the now expired GagaVille quest "In Fashion," but if you missed out on the free Horse, you can still add one to your collection at a price of 26 Farm Cash. You'll still have the random chance to breed a Pink Ponytail Foal as well. Meanwhile, the entirely new animal is the Purple Disco Sheep, which looks exactly like the Disco Ball Sheep released back at New Year's, but purple. He costs 20 Farm Cash to add to your farm.

Finally, a whole set of new decorations (along with two re-releases) has hit the store. For those who aren't opposed to spending Farm Cash, you can pick up the Phoenix decorative bird for 25 Farm Cash, a Black Spiky Tree for 5 Farm Cash and the "Enchanted Tree I" for just 1 Farm Cash (what a bargain!).

Meanwhile, those who prefer to spend coins have plenty to choose from. While the Dark Heart and Barbed Heart are once again available for 10,000 coins each (they were first seen in the Anti-Valentine's Day theme earlier this year), other items include a Born This Way sign for 50,000 coins, an Electric Rose Arch for 10,000 coins, a Thorny Bush for 10,000 coins and finally, the Neon Purple Fence for 7,000 coins. Don't confuse this purple version with the Neon Pink Fence on the free gifts page - they are two different items.

Remember, these items won't be around forever, and in the case of items like the Pink Ponytail Horse, I doubt Zynga will find an appropriate theme in which to re-release them anytime soon. That being the case, shop early and shop fast to make sure you outfit your farm with the most Gaga-rific items around!

Check out the rest of our GagaVille coverage right here >

What do you think of tonight's GagaVille release? Do you like these items more than those released earlier this week?

Is Zynga's next game called Empires & Allies? Signs say yes

Remember way back in December, when FarmVille users were shown a CityVille billboard at the outskirts of their farms to promote the launch of Zynga's (then) newest game? It looks as though we'll be seeing another of those billboards in the near future, advertising what looks to be Zynga's newest game called Empires & Allies.

As of this writing, all details about Empires & Allies are incredibly slim, and we have very, very little to go on (basically, just this billboard). We know we'll be able to "build an empire," which leads us to believe that this could either be another take on the city-building genre, but with ancient buildings and architecture similar to Playdom's City of Wonder, or, it could even go so far as to be Zynga's version of an RTS (real time strategy game), created in an effort to beat 2K and Firaxis to the punch with their release of Civilization World.

Whatever the case, you can consider us excited. We're definitely keeping both eyes peeled for any and all news concerning Empires & Allies, and you can be sure that we'll make you the first to know everything just as soon as we do.

In the meantime, speculate with us. From what we've seen, what sorts of gameplay ideas run through your mind? For that matter, what type of game do you hope this becomes? Should Zynga create an RTS? A tower defense game? Another city-builder?

Zynga increases FarmVille Bushel capacity to 400; go crafting cuckoo

FarmVille Bushels 400
Is it possible to fall even further off the rocker for crafting in FarmVile? Zynga just went there and boosted Bushel capacity to a whopping 400, FarmVille Freak reports. (And this time, there's proof!) Better yet, it appears that players can view Bushels from both of their farms as a combined number. To view the new Bushel capacity is as easy as simply opening up any Market Stall and taking a peek at the upper right corner of the Farmer's Market menu. According to FarmVille Freak, this update--like all Zynga updates--is rolling out in phases, so hang tight.

[Image Credit: FarmVille Freak]

Have you seen your Bushel capacity increase yet? How will take most advantage of this blessing of bountiful bushels?

Kung Fu Panda 2 belly flops into CityVille with in-game promotion

CityVille Kung Fu Panda
Jack Black--er--Po, the Kung Fu Panda, has drop-kicked his way into CityVille to promote his next big flick, aptly-named Kung Fu Panda 2. Players who log into the game will be greeted by CityVille Sam, who couldn't be more excited for Po's big arrival. (She's a video game character, would you expect any less?) The promotion ushers in a new Goal that you will have to complete by May 31 to trade in a Kung Fu Panda Collection and receive the coveted Po Statue.
Kung Fu Panda Drive-in
After being greeted by and accepting the Kung Fu Panda Goal, you will have to place the drive-in theater building. Then, whack the structure three times and supply it with 60 Goods to get things started. Next, you'll just have to Collect from the quasi-business (and resupply it) enough times to complete the Kung Fu Panda Collection:

    Crane
    Mantis
    Monkey
    Tiger
    Viper


Once you find all five items, which just happen to be characters from the upcoming movie (very clever, Zynga), you will receive the Po Statue to place in your city. Of course, this is all with the hope that you'll check out the Dreamworks film come May 26. So, has your interest in all things wushu been piqued?

How far along are you in the promotion yet? Has this promotion pushed you over the edge to see Kung Fu Panda 2, or were you already psyched for Jack Black's next bout of animated antics?

FrontierVille: Fowl Pond, Duck and Swan Collections give off Turtles, Frogs, and Ready Boosts as prizes

As with most new buildings in FrontierVille, the new Fowl Pond has been given a collection to complete in the game. Not only that, but the new animal - the Duck - has also been given a collection. Making this a trio is the new Swan Collection, which goes along with the new Swans that are available to earn from Daily Bonuses collected from the Fowl Pond. See? Everything's connected.

These three collections all come with five new items, and reward some fairly decent prizes for turning them in. For the Duck Collection, you'll receive a Duck Ready Boost. For the Fowl Pond Collection, you'll earn a Green Turtle, which can be stored back into the Fowl Pond saving space, and finally, the Swan Collection gives you a free Green Frog, another animal that can be stored in the Fowl Pond.

With these animals as prizes, you'll be able to enjoy your free animals, while not losing any space on your land. Actually, can you really enjoy these animals if you have to look inside the Fowl Pond to see them? I suppose that's a matter of opinion, but they're near rewards to have either way.

What do you think of these three new collections? Would you rather there be different colored animals given away as prizes, or does green work for you?

FrontierVille: Turn an Ugly Duckling into a Swan with Sardine Snacks

A new "injured" critter has been added to FrontierVille this evening, to go along with the launch of the Fowl Pond animal storage building. This critter is the Ugly Duckling, and you can bring one out on your land by tending Swans. Remember, if you need additional Swans, you can earn them at random by collecting the finished Fowl Pond's Daily Bonus.

Once you have an Ugly Duckling on your land, you'll need to turn it into a beautiful swan via the use of Sardine Snacks, which are just like Bottles or Berries, in that you'll need to ask your friends to send these Sardines to you, and then feed them only to the Ugly Duckling until its transformation.

After this ugly duckling has been transformed into a Swan, you'll be able to keep the Swan on your land to look at, or store it back inside the Fowl Pond, completing the cycle. Hopefully, this won't be the last of the Fowl Pond-themed critters released in the game, and we'll make sure to let you know if/when more are released in the future.

Check out the rest of our FrontierVille Cheats & Tips right here.

What do you think of these Ugly Ducklings? Will you help turn them into Swans, or are you tired of the "Injured Critter" feature altogether?

FarmVille: Zynga boosts storage to 1K items

If the brand new Storage Transfer feature in FarmVille scared you, fret no more. (Well, at least for a little while.) Zynga has ramped up in-game storage to hold 1 thousand items in response to the growing space problem that joining two farms' storage brings. It's an exciting development, if a little modest some might think. However, it's a start, so enjoy that fresh new feature feeling while it lasts. (And before you run through a thousand slots.) Time to collect another 250 bundles of Shovels--get to it.

Storage Cellar

[Source and Image Credit: FarmVille Feed]

Have you already filled your 1 thousand slots? Do you think Zynga should do more to fix the storage issues? If so, what?

Empires & Allies Sneak Peek: Gems could be brand new resource

    Topaz Gem     Emerald Gem     Sapphire Gem     Diamond Gem
That could be needed for laser weapons! Sorry, but unreleased content like this just makes speculation happen. Zynga may soon release a new resource, Gems, to Empires & Allies. That's at least what they're rumored to be on Empires & Allies Base. The jewels come in Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby and Diamond. Hm, that's the same amount of colors as there are Ore varieties in the game. However, we still wonder what they're purpose is. Our bet is still clinging for dear hope on laser weapons.

FrontierVille Pioneer Trail Sneak Peek: The High Plains are highly arid

High Plains FrontierVille
If a valley full of beavers wasn't enough for you, perhaps some ... dry deserted plains will do the trick, yeah. Zynga has released some images of the next stop on the upcoming Pioneer Trail in FrontierVille. This time, you'll catch a first glimpse at the High Plains, an arid region on the trail.

FrontierVille High Plains
What's worse is that the McBaggin's are in trouble again, so expect plenty more Goals from those folks in this expansion. From the looks of the screen shots, it appears that there are some new critters to clobber like an angry-looking hawk. The rivers have dried up, but folks are somehow still planting, so expect to do some more farming in the High Plains as well, some of which with potentially new crops. The Pioneer Trail is sizing up to be a fun time, if it would just release already.

FrontierVille High Plains farming

[Image Credit: Zynga]

Are you excited to hopefully restore a part of the Pioneer Trail? What else are you expecting in this expansion or hope to see?

Earn 1 free FarmVille Farm Cash in MTV Direct promotion

Everyone always says, "If it's free, it's for me." But what about you? That's why today, like all days, we have another free Farm Cash offer to tell you about.This time we have MTV to thank with its MTV Direct series of mobile web apps.

Again, just click on the link that reads, "Get MTV hot and fresh.." beneath the FarmVille game screen.The all-to-familiar pop-up will appear and provide you with survey questions to answer as a promotional video plays to the left.

Then, text will appear next to the blue "X" notifying you that you have earned your single Farm Cash. Remember, it automatically posts to your total within 30 minutes of participating, so sit tight.

MTV Direct FarmVille promotion

FarmVille Cheats and Tips: Water Wheel is here with Free Gifting Links

WAter Wheel
Finally, Zynga drops a building that's useful on FarmVille. OK, we kid--the Storage update was certainly useful, as was the Craftshop (after the changes). But the Water Wheel gives you free Watering Cans when it's time to collect. Can't get much more useful than that, eh? The Water Wheel will come to you immediately upon logging in the game, starting today. (Though, I've yet to receive it, so it's another slow roll out.)

Axle        
You will find the Water Wagon in you Gift Box after logging into the game, which costs no Coins nor does it reward with XP. However, you will need three of each of these items to create the first stage of the Water Wheel: Gears, Axels and Ropes. They're on the Free Gift page, but luckily for you we have handy-dandy gifting links for your gifting pleasure. Just click on the images above to send away.

Spil Games CEO: Games will be less important for Facebook [Interview]

Did you know that people play social games elsewhere than Facebook? Yes, it's crazy, but true. While many of you living in the states wouldn't know it, the social gaming landscape is vastly different even just across the Atlantic. Spil Games, a social and casual games platform launched in the Netherlands in 2004, brings over 50 different social and casual games websites under a single umbrella. Through this, the company reaches a cool 130 million monthly players.

While that's half of what Facebook reigns in, it's nevertheless impressive considering what Facebook has at its disposal. Spil Games CEO Peter Driessen, who just oversaw the company's games distribution partnership deal with German online game developer and publisher Bigpoint (known for Battlestar Galactica Online and RamaCity most recently), has big plans for his European alternative to Facebook. But if you ask him, Facebook isn't even a concern.

"We are not so much competing with Facebook, because we do offer a variety of different user experiences," Driessen tells us. "For example, people nowadays are playing many more social games, but still in that there are a lot of single player or real time multiplayer games. These kinds of games aren't possible on Facebook, because they don't have a very strong [virtual goods] business model, and without that you can't survive on Facebook anyway."

The company first started out as strictly a casual games publisher and developer, but around 2007--the dawn of the social game--Driessen had to make a choice. Would Spil Games ride on the success of Facebook, and bring its then 80 million players there, or would it grow on its already healthy legion of gamers? Of course, the company went with the latter, and added more features to its platforms like cross-game avatars, leaderboards and friends lists. As for Bigpoint, it's one the first big time developers to join the Spil Games platform, and Driessen has no intention of stopping there.

But while Spil Games has a different strategy than Facebook, it's only a slight difference. For instance, the company will handle the payments that come through all of its developers' games. Though, compensation is handled in a revenue sharing model rather than the rigid 30 percent cut Facebook takes from all Facebook Credits transactions. Driessen tells us that Spil Games will bring in 60 percent of net revenues from its developers, though it offers services that Facebook does not like community management and localization. If developers choose to handle those services themselves, then that revenue percentage decreases. It's because of this distinction that Driessen sees Facebook as less of a games platform than what it started out as: a social network.

"I really see Facebook as a social network first and foremost," Driessen says. "I'd guess that in five years most of their money will come from that payment option. I think that maybe they will do Facebook Credits outside of Facebook. It could be that they're really transforming into this social network into one of the biggest payment platforms in the world, which would give them a tremendous position. I reckon that games for them, in the future, will be less important than it is nowadays."

Zoomumba
Zoomumba, the first Bigpoint social game brought into the Spil Games family.

The difference, according to Driessen, is that Spil Games only focuses on games. That's all the company knows, and that's all it's concerned with. And it's thanks to that focus that Driessen sees the company becoming a consolidator in the games space, and that its reach could grow even longer and wider in the future. But how?

As it turns out, Spil Games's future strategy isn't far different from other online game developers and platforms. Mobile games are going to be a large focus for the company moving forward, as is HTML5 gaming, the unofficial messiah for mobile and social gaming. But having been around not much longer than three years, social gaming is still a nascent genre, and Driessen thinks this is just the beginning.

"I think [this is the] natural path in how that world is evolving," Driessen says. "Mostly you see some things start like a mixed market, but as developers come out, you see companies positioning themselves in some niches." Driessen may be right, but one question still remains: If Facebook will not provide that niche for American social games in the future, then who will? With companies like Japan's DeNA and Tencent in China on the rise, perhaps the next big battle in social games doesn't concern the U.S. at all.

[Image Credit: Spil Games]

Do you think that Spil Games could eventually surpass Facebook? And with companies around the world garnering numbers close to Facebook's reach in social gaming, where does the U.S. fit into the future of social gaming?

Game of the Day: Bed and Breakfast 2

In Bed and Breakfast 2 you'll race against the clock to please your impatient guests. As you earn more money, buy upgrades for your bed and breakfast such as new staff, rooms, decorations, and facilities. But be careful, if your guests get too unhappy, you'll be out of business before you know it. Think carefully about which upgrades to buy so your quaint bed and breakfast can grow into an awesome five-star resort.

Click here to play Bed and Breakfast 2!
bred-and-breakfast-2-game-of-the-day     bred-and-breakfast-2-game-of-the-day

Pro Tips:

    Buy both speed upgrades first. Then buy a chef.
    When you plan on getting more facilities, (like tennis court, pool, etc) make sure you can buy the facility AND the staff member to run it. If you don't buy the staff member, you won't be fast enough to tend the new facility and your previous duties all at once.
    Get timings down to be more efficient. Figure out basic timings like how long it takes guests to sleep. That way you know what you're able to accomplish


Click here to play Bed and Breakfast 2!

Have any more pro tips? What did you think of Bed and Breakfast 2?

The Sims Social (already) suffering from connection problems

sims social cable guy electrocuted
Soon after it launched this morning, The Sims Social started to experience connection problems. So, if you go to the game and see an animation of this bespectacled guy getting electrocuted or an error that says "502 Bad Gateway," (see image below) that means the game is down for the count. The game has been up and down all day.

sims social 502 bad gateway

Why is this happening? A Sims rep tells us that the game has not officially launched and is still in "open beta." In the social games world, the term "open beta" means that the game is available for everyone to play, but still has bugs that need to be worked out. So steel yourself for more connection problems and other glitches as you play. And, fer chrissakes, resist the temptation to spend any real-life cash in the game until it's more stable.

Gallery: The Sims Social on Facebook

CityVille Police Station Upgrade Level 7 brings the city's first superhero

Update: According to Zynga, this superhero will remain nameless (though we're sticking with Pigeon-Man). More importantly, he'll be able to catch these new bandits without the cost of Donuts.

So, what do we call this guy ... The Pigeon? Pigeon-Man? The Winged Rat? According to CityVille Info, Zynga doesn't know yet. (Keep in mind, this is early information, and is subject to change.)

But the seventh upgrade to the Police Station in CityVille has arrived, and with it comes the least intimidating superhero we've ever seen. (Well, next to Robin, of course.) Though, the CityVille artists did a bang-up job of making him look cool in a misfit sort of way.

Like previous Police Station upgrades, players will have to simply catch more bandits to unlock this new and improved version of the building. More specifically, you must capture 210 bandits for your Police Station to reach Level 7.

Only then will a slew of new bandits be made available for capture, most of which require five officers on duty in order to capture. Here are all the new bandits that will appear with a Level 7 Police Station:

Police Station Level 7 Bandits

Police Station Level 7 Bandits 2

Police Station Level 7 Bandits 3
However, the star of the show--who shall be known as Pigeon-Man until further notice--doesn't yet seem to have a purpose in the game. Our wildest guess is that players will be able to sic Pigeon-Man on the more advanced bandits every once in awhile. Now, I wonder what his super powers entail other than flight, annoyance and general uncleanliness. If CityVille's first ever superhero wasn't enough to grab your attention, here's a look at the complete Level 7 Police Station with our Pigeon-Man standing atop it:

CityVille Police Station Level 7

[Image Credits: CityVille Info, AaronMike]

Have you upgraded your Police Station yet? More importantly, have you seen this superhero appear in your game, and if so, what in the world does he do?

Empires & Allies Sneak Peek: Multi Harvest Tool makes tending a cinch

Wow, if only more Facebook games had this feature--oh, wait. Zynga has reportedly released a feature called the Multi Harvest tool to a small number of Empires & Allies players. This new tool, which may soon be available above the Select tool in the game's radial menu in the lower right corner, allows players to instantly tend to or collect from any buildings that are ready with resources or Coins in a 5 by 5 grid.

Empires & Allies Base reports that the feature first appeared along with the recent release of a four-Goal series that started with "Doing a Solid." However, the fan website said that this feature was only made available for testing and feedback to a select amount of players, and has since been removed from the game. More importantly, according to the website, Zynga said that it may opt to release this attractive feature to all players as a permanent in-game tool. However, we're willing to bet that when or if this happens, it'll cost ya--just like it does in FarmVille. Stay tuned, and hold onto your wallets.

[Image Credit: Empires & Allies Wiki]

Were you one of the lucky few that got to test this new feature? If it comes back, how do you think Zynga will handle it, and would you pay for it?

King's Bounty: Legions exerts its rule on Facebook; enters open beta

Warriors, demons and monstrous plant creatures at your command? Check. All within a beautiful-looking strategy game that's free to play on Facebook? Double check. Nival has announced that the social adaptation of the classic turn-based strategy game King's Bounty has graduated from closed beta to open beta on Facebook.

In other words, King's Bounty: Legions, developed by Russian studio KranX Productions under a license by 1C Company, is live and available for all strategy fans on Facebook. Hey, we all know how long some games (ahem, FarmVille) like to keep the "beta" subhead.

The game throws players into a war-torn world of magic, monsters and mayhem--eh, you get the idea. There's certainly a sprawling storyline involving warlords in defense of an ancient kingdom, but we know what you really care about: the combat.

And boy, does this new Facebook game has it in spades with more than 30 units spanning the three factions of the Kingdom, Chaos and Beasts ready to duke it out in hexagonal battles through both a single-player adventure and multiplayer duels. And Nival has high expectations for the socially revived franchise.

King's Bounty Legions in action
"It was recently reported 80 million Facebook users are playing strategy games," Nival GM and lead producer on King's Bounty: Legions David D Christensen said in a release. "I'd play matches against all 80 million to demonstrate King's Bounty: Legions is the best strategy gaming experience on Facebook." (Would that be considered overtime?)

Click here to play King's Bounty: Legions on Facebook Now >

Are you excited to see the King's Bounty franchise return on Facebook? How do you think the game will do against existing strategy games like Backyard Monsters and Dragons of Atlantis?

Activision: Call of Duty more engaging than Facebook's top three games

Really, Activision? Then why are you working on Facebook games as we speak? Gamasutra reports that Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said during the 13th Annual Pacific Crest Global Technology Leadership Forum that Call of Duty players are more engaged in the company's games than the players of the top three Facebook games are. Hirshberg went on to say that Call of Duty (CoD) gamers put up more cash than Facebook gamers.

"Call of Duty has more players who pay-to-play online than any Facebook game," Hirshberg said, "and our players pay more per player on average than any Facebook game." Um ... duh? Hirshberg fails to make the distinction that Facebook games are free to play, and triple-A franchise games like Call of Duty cost $60 per copy. In other words, of course more CoD gamers are paying to play than Facebook gamers--they're all paying to play the game. (Well, aside from the pirates, which is sort of a given.)

Not to mention that close to 12 million Facebook gamers in the U.S. alone pay for digital goods in their favorite social games monthly, according to a PayPal study. Better yet, about 1 million of those are paying at least $50 monthly for virtual horses and other boosts. While those folks are special cases, games like Call of Duty lack the payment structure for such dedication.

Hirshberg continued to elaborate on the fact that CoD players are more engaged than Facebook gamers: "They're also more engaged - the percentage of Call of Duty's monthly unique players that play the game every day is higher than that of the top three Facebook games."

Call of Duty Elite
We all know at this point that Hirshberg is referring to Zynga, though he does raise a good point with his use of the word "unique." Many of the monthly players of Zynga's games play more than one of them, hence the overlap and the fewer unique monthly players. The Activision exec makes these claims after the company revealed recently that it is, in fact, working on social games. Not to mention that its number on competitor, EA, is investing heavily in Facebook and mobile gaming. Furthermore, Activision is building a social overlay (though sans Facebook) to support its upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. So, we're not sure just where the Activision exec is coming from on this one.

What do you think inspired Hirshberg to make these claims? Do you think the Activision exec raises a good point, or do you think these companies have reason to worry in the face of companies like Zynga?

FarmVille Pic of the Day: Queenie367's turtle derby stadium swims for the win

Taking a cue from last month's Summer Goals, Queenie367's has transformed her farm into a turtle racing stadium. While it isn't entirely original as a concept, it's certainly one-of-a-kind among FarmVille farm designs. I'd say it's easily my favorite turtle racing stadium in the world! My statement is helped by the fact that Planet Earth has no turtle racing stadiums that I'm aware of (racetracks, yes, but not stadiums), but if there were any, this one would top them all.
Queenie367 FarmVille turtles starting boxes
Click the image to make it larger.

Given its amazing hole-in-the-ground depth, it reminds me a lot of Kurt Wenner's floor paintings, but instead of chalk, Queenie367's tools of choice were hay, hay, and lots of more of it. Everything from the giant pool mosaic to the turtles' starting boxes were lovingly put together with hay bales (as you can tell by the close-up above).

[Source: Zynga forums]

If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!

Anonymous vows to destroy Facebook (and your games) this Nov. 5

Remember, remember the Fifth of November? It's the hacker group Anonymous' favorite day of the year, and this time around, it's going for the largest target of them all: Facebook. The Village Voice reports that the international collective of nameless hackers has declared war on the 750 million-strong social network, and that it will take down the website this Nov. 5 over issues it has with the company's supposedly lax commitment to privacy.

Anonymous has already attacked the Pentagon, News Corp and other major organizations in response to events like the WikiLeaks scandal and the recent News International phone hacking dilemma, respectively. This time Anonymous claims, "Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world."

The group goes on to point out that deleting a Facebook account is "impossible," and that the website's privacy options are "a delusion." It's funny that Anonymous mentions this, as many social gamers have had issues with Facebook games and privacy, namely due to how the website handles app permissions.

Of course, this is far from the first time Anonymous has spoken out, and threatened to act, on the behalf of the public's privacy. Just recently, Anonymous vowed to create its own social network in response to Google essentially kicking the group out of its Google+ service. (If Facebook actually does go down, perhaps Google+ Games will have a better chance at beating Facebook than we thought.) Take a listen to the full message here and, well, expect them.

[Via Business Insider]

[Image Credit: Village Voice]

Do you think Anonymous will actually go through with its plan of attack this Nov. 5? Do you agree or disagree with the organization's message and motive?

CityVille scores Zynga Social Center; send return gifts in one click

While we're not sure anything was particularly wrong with with the Zynga Message Center, sure, we'll take an update. The developer has unveiled the Zynga Social Center (ZSC), a new-and-improved version of the previous gifting and help request overlay. Still accessed by pressing the white envelope in the far upper right corner of your screen, the new ZSC certainly looks smoother than the previous edition of the feature. However, there are two key improvements beyond just looks.

First, multiple instances of the same gift received will be lumped into a single notification and a single button to accept all of them. For instance, if 15 of your friends send you Zoning Permits in CityVille, then just one notification will appear in your feed, and you'll only need to press one button to accept all 15, though it takes a bit longer to process with more requests.

Second and most importantly, however, is one-click gifting. When a friend sends you a gift, and you're given the option to return the favor, a small check box will appear--already checked--that will allow you to skip the normal Facebook pop-up that appears when sending future gifts back. Keep in mind, this is done on a friend-by-friend basis. It's kind of like one-click sharing, but far less controversial.

Zynga Social Center
Another minor change is that items that players can no longer accept will stay in the ZSC until players can accept them. For example, if you attempt to accept a +3 Energy item from a friend, but have too much of the item in your inventory, the ZSC will remember that and keep that +3 Energy right where you left it rather than delete it. Unfortunately, Zynga introduced the feature through CityVille, and it seems to only be available in that game at the moment. Though, I would expect Zynga's other games to enjoy the update soon enough.

[Source: Zynga]

Are you a fan of the new Zynga Social Center? Now that the one-click sharing debacle is through, do you think that you'll enable one-click gifting to friends?

No More Heroes Royal maker starts social games company with DeNA

Will No More Heroes bring the blood and gore to mobile phones for good? That much we doubt. The Japanese creator of what is said to be "the social game with the most blood," Grasshopper Manufacture, has inked a deal with social game giant DeNA. The partnership has created a new company called Grasshopper Social Network Service, and company CEO Goichi Suda--aka Suda 51--sounds psyched.

"Our new venture with DeNA will allow us to explore creative ways to bring Grasshopper Manufacture's universe to a new world of players," Suda said, according to Gamasutra. "Mobage's world-class entertainment network and the power of social mobile games will unlock new types of experiences for our fans."

The deal will result in a number of mobile social games created (in addition to the three already in the making) solely for DeNA and now ngmoco's Mobage platform for smartphones. Grasshopper Social Network Service will begin operations in Japan this November, and will bring a number of new mobile social games to Japanese mobile smartphones and abroad.

No More Heroes Royal, Frog Minutes, Humans vs Zombies and Alien Busters--Grasshopper Manufacture's existing projects for Mobage--will all shift to this new joint venture once set up. DeNA has some big names on its side in this battle for mobile social dominance. Just last week, the company announced the first Final Fantasy social game with Square Enix. Look, if this means we get to see the social action fest that much sooner, then go at it, Suda.

Do you think Grasshopper Manufacture is making a good move getting this deep into mobile social games? Which of the companies announced social games are you most psyched for?

Socialspiel reels in untapped social game genre in Tight Lines Fishing

Well, the fishing genre on Facebook certainly hasn't been ... over-fished. (We're here all night, try the veal.) Vienna, Austria-based Socialspiel has formally announced Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook. This game is an attempt at bringing the excitement of popular fishing games on consoles to Facebook. However, the motion controls simulating actual fishing were left for another day.

In the ongoing competition to catch the biggest fish, Tight Lines Fishing players will train as well as customize and equip new gear to catch bigger fish in a storybook world around them. The game's art style is almost reminiscent of children's books, and as you explore you'll come across new characters with quests for you and fisherman's stories to tell.

"With Tight Lines Fishing we've created new ways to connect with friends around the world and bring out the angler in all of us," Socialspiel CEO and co-founder Helmut Hutterer said in a release. "In doing so, we continue our history of creating unique social games with high quality production values and appealing experiences for players and their friends to enjoy. Until today more than 1.5 Million fish have been caught."
Tight Lines Fishing gameplay
The fishing mechanic in the game, while not quite on par with literally making the motions, is actually skill-based. Players must cast a bobber into nearby waters and time when they reel in exactly as a fish bites the line. There are a number of things to upgrade and customize about your character, so we imagine there are plenty of fish to catch. This is a major departure for Socialspiel, which before this released Push, an equally-charming puzzle game on Facebook.

Click here to play Tight Lines Fishing on Facebook Now >

Have you tried any fishing games on Facebook before? Do you think this is a sub genre that could do well on the platform, and what other themes would you like to see in social games?

Rovio: Angry Birds will take the Super Mario route in future games

Oh, Angry Birds, the places you'll go. The oft-outspoken CMO (and Mighty Eagle) of Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka, recently dropped details on the future of its flagship Angry Birds franchise, saying that the characters will do more than just crash into things. In fact, Vesterbacka seems to think that the famous avian projectiles will be syndicated across game genres.

"When Mario drives a car, it becomes Mario Kart," Vesterbacka said during a panel talk at Nokia World, according to Pocket Gamer. "When Mario flies to space it's Mario Galaxy. Our birds will do things, and go to unexpected places." The CMO went on to his often lofty comparisons between Finnish Rovio and American entertainment powerhouses like Disney and Nintendo.

Of course, that includes immense advertising and marketing through a plethora of Angry Birds products. "We have a movie planned. Hopefully we will do a bit better than the Super Mario movie," Vesterbacka joked. In this regard, Rovio doesn't even see itself as a game company, but again, an entertainment business in vein of Disney. Though, in order to do that, Rovio will have to diversify.

Pocket Gamer reports that Vesterbacka expects Rovio to create new characters in the Angry Birds franchise. While Vesterbacka mentioned the idea directly, it's easy to see that the Finnish company is already headed in the direction. With the Halloween update to Angry Birds Seasons, a new bird was released to the game, and it's likely just the beginning. We're still waiting to see whether Angry Birds can hang for another two years in time for its big screen debut and $1 billion initial public offering.

[Image Credit: Pocket Gamer]

Do you think that Rovio can continue to extend Angry Birds for much longer? What type of game would you like to see Angry Birds become next?

Put your sports smarts to the test in AccuScore's SKL on Facebook

At least one football game viewing party has ended in heated debate that results in beers thrown and tables flipped. (Just me?) Now, it's time to settle the score of "who knows the most" with SKL, a new sports trivia game for Facebook. Well, at least it sounds like it could settle scores on paper--it might just make things worse.

Sports forecasting company AccuScore's first Facebook game, SKL will have players sign in-game contracts and advance through the ranks of sports know-how in both American college football, the NFL and the English Premier League. These tests of knowledge take place in three unique mini games like Buzzer Beater, which has players answer as many stat-based questions about their favorite teams correctly.

Another game, 4Cast, sees players use in-game currency to buy cards that represent predictions in statistics beyond just winning and losing. Finally, Challenge Mode pits up to five friends against one another in a trivia race against the clock. Of course, SKL features leaderboards to track friends' progress compared to your own--it is a contest for the top spot, after all.
SKL Buzzer Beater
However, there is also a global leaderboard to consider, and players will get to make predictions on upcoming games in their football of choice. As players progress, they'll gain power-ups to help in trivia games and predictions. Think of the Predictor feature in games like Madden NFL Superstars and World Series Superstars by EA, but blown up into an entire game. For the folks who actually buy the Sports Almanacs annually, this game could be for you.

Click here to play SKL on Facebook Now >

Do you plan on putting your sports to the test in this new social game? What do you think of sports-based Facebook games, and trivia games in general?

There's nothing dreamy about eDream's 'Suitcase Game' on Facebook

Another day, another company tries to pull you into its web with a lame social "game." Today's offender is online travel site eDreams, which has launched The Suitcase Game as part of a giveaway that's offering up four free airline tickets to Madrid or Kiev.

The Suitcase Game works like this: First, choose from a selection of suitcases -- everything from a sleek modern case to the more retro sticker-encrusted model. Then, enlist your Facebook friends to do two things: lighten your load and add weight to other people's luggage. For each person you invite, you'll be given 1 kilo to distribute to the competition and for each friend who accepts your request for help -- you'll lose 1 kilo (Yeah, a kilo. This is a European company) of weight from your suitcase. Whomever has the lightest luggage by November 7 will win the game, and be able to choose whether they want a free trip to Kiev or Madrid.

I suppose eDreams should get props for attempting creativity (*slow hand clap*), but let's just call The Suitcase Game what it is -- an elaborate marketing promotion. In the case of this advergame (like most of its ilk), it's better to leave the whole 'game' thing to the professionals.

The Sims Social maker EA wants you ... to make it lots of ad money

And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you'll have much of a choice. EA, co-creator of Playfish's The Sims Social on Facebook (and arch nemesis to Zynga at this point), has announced EA Legend.

This is the company's new platform to provide marketers and advertisers with "campaign and audience insights across mobile, social, online and console games reaching over 300 million people worldwide," a release reads.

In other words, you're more valuable to EA than you might already know. The publisher wants to use the information you provide them inadvertently through gameplay to rope in ad and marketing deals not just through its Facebook games but all of its games. More specifically, EA said it can provide advertisers with (prepare for buzzword overload):

    Key cross-platform campaign performance indicators such as impressions, clicks, unduplicated reach, demographic profiles, social media buzz, and ROI metrics.

    Segmented audience insights based on demographic, psychographic, and social data.

    Ability to drill down into the factors that impact campaign effectiveness including audience engagement, audience segmentation and type of creative all measured over time.

EA Legend
What's that again--psychographic data? This may all sound like something out of "1984," but it's nothing new. If you think other game creators don't do this type of stuff, then here's your wake-up call. We won't know exactly what information about us EA will provide to advertisers through Legend until it makes advertisers see green at this year's Advertising Week event in New York City on Oct. 4. And if EA keeps using words like psychographic, we may never know.

[Via All Facebook]

What do you think about this new EA Legend program? Do you think it's something worth worrying about, or is this just business as usual?

Zoo World creator RockYou's Jonathan Knight leaves for Zynga

And there goes another. Inside Social Games reports that Jonathan Knight (pictured), former SVP of Games at RockYou, has left the company for Zynga. The company's--best known for Zoo World--CEO Lisa Marino confirmed the move. Before his departure, Knight oversaw the acquisitions of studios like 3 Blokes, which just launched Galactic Allies, and Playdemic of Gourmet Ranch fame.

"We hired [Knight] to help us build out a portfolio of great products and he's done the job," Marino told ISG. "We have built a strong team of talent through a careful hiring process, our Studio Partners program, and acquisitions over the past year. The departure of Jonathan will not impact our game development pipeline or our plans to continue to launch quality titles."

Knight has a deep history in the games business, coming to RockYou from veteran publisher EA as VP and executive VP for nine years. During that time, Knight oversaw major releases like entries in The Sims series and The Simpsons Game. In fact, ISG recalls that Knight was brought in to help RockYou transform from a social app developer into a social game creator.

The move happens just as RockYou prepares to launch Cloudforest Expedition on Facebook with designer John Romero's Loot Drop. Knight joins a number of major video game execs that have flocked to Zynga in the past year, many of which coming from EA. The company's CCO Jeff Schappert recently left for Zynga, who was then followed by NBA Jam creator Mark Turmell and EA Play exec Jeff Karp. We've contacted Zynga for comment as to what Knight might be up to with the company.

What do you think of Knight's move from RockYou to Zynga? What are your thoughts on RockYou's stable of Facebook games thus far?

CrowdStar CEO: We want to create a game that reaches a billion people

The question is, however, can it be done? Speaking at this week's HTML5 Dev Conference in San Francisco, YouWeb chairman and CrowdStar--It Girl, anyone?--CEO Peter Relan (obviously not pictured) said, "We want to create the game that reaches a billion people." VentureBeat reports that the general consensus of the event was that HTML5 is the future of social and mobile gaming.

HTML5 is a web-based coding language that, in theory, will allow game creators to develop a single game that could be played across multiple devices through web browsers without a change in the experience. Currently, however, HTML5 isn't looking so hot as a gaming platform--HTML5 games aren't as sophisticated yet as even FarmVille on iPhone--but it's gaining steam.

"We sense that web 3.0 is here," Relan said during a panel at the conference. "Mobile devices will get to six billion people. They will become pervasive. We greatly overestimate what we can do with a technology in two years, and greatly underestimate what we can do in 10 years." Relan is confident that, from arcade-style games, HTML5 games will evolve into more complex experiences, citing games on the iPhone as an example.

And Relan shares this sentiment with a number of folks in the space. Rovio marketing exec Peter Vesterbacka has already mentioned his company's goals of reaching 1 billion players with the Angry Birds franchise. Even EA CEO John Riccitiello sees his company topping 1 billion players worldwide. And the mighty Zynga, despite being less than bullish on this whole dang-fangled HTML5 thing, is rumored to be working with Facebook on its not-so-secret Project Spartan.

But wait a tick--we're talking 1 billion players of a single game, no? To do that, it's going to take not only the right technology, but a game with enough widespread appeal to hit critical mass. If anything, the number one challenge game creators will face in this effort isn't whether it is possible, but whether they can craft characters that folks of any background can fall in love with.

Do you think any of these companies could create a game that will reach 1 billion players or downloads?

FarmVille Pic of the Day: FeketeV's towering oak

Folks, just a few more hours and we'll be smooth sailing on weekend waves; it's a beautiful thing. But perhaps just as beautiful is today's featured farm, designed by the one and only FeketeV. This splendid FarmVille design takes a simple concept and makes it wonderful.

FeketeV clearly set out to make their farm into a tree. Simple. But folks, I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that if one of us had attempted to design a tree farm, it definitely would not have looked this good. The detail is incredible, you almost forget there is a FarmVille farm plot underneath it all. From the shading on the trunk to the azure hay bale skies of deepest summer in the background, this farm is a masterpiece. The overlapping and cascading trees create a natural, organic effect that really makes this farm special.

What do you guys think of FeketeV's tree farm?

If you have an AWESOME FarmVille farm that you want to see featured on Games.com, please email a picture to editors@games.com, Include a few words about the inspiration for your design and maybe a few tips for people who need an assist!

Empires & Allies: Play Adventure World, score a Red Vampire Jet

The cross promotions for Adventure World, Zynga's brand new giant Facebook game from Zynga Boston, have officially exploded. After taking tours through both CityVille and Mafia Wars, Empires & Allies players can now score their own limited edition item, the Red Vampire Jet, for giving the new game a ride. All you need to do is long into E&A and click on an icon of a red plane on the right of your game screen.

Once you click this, click on the button to jump into Adventure World. You have until Oct. 6 to reach Level 6 in the massive game to score the item. Since the item won't be given to players until that date, we're unsure as to what it does. But our best guess is that it will be an aerial military unit. And it looks quite interesting with a very "seaplane" look to it.

Before the bevy of cross promotions, Adventure World wasn't doing so hot. But now, after diligent in-game advertisements like these, Zynga Boston's debut has reached over 29.5 million monthly players, and it looks to soon topple E&A, according to AppData. Oh, and the fact that the game will soon be thoroughly branded with Indiana Jones will certainly help that growth. Things are on the up and up for Adventure World, and the team already looks to capitalize on this critical mass.

Are you going to play Adventure World for this new item? What do you think of the cross promotions in Zynga's games overall?

Adventure World Mountain Chase Expedition: Everything you need to know

As we told you yesterday, a trio of new Expeditions have launched in Adventure World, being triggered by the upcoming appearance of Indiana Jones in the game. First came the Great River Expedition, and now, we'll take a look at the second of two: The Mountain Chase. This particular Expedition requires you to have 400 Supplies and two each of Foods, Fuel and Water. You'll have a period of three days to finish this entire Expedition, which contains three quests to complete.

The story of this Expedition sees you gathering a rubbing from a second Standing Stone. However, you'll have competition for this stone, as a group of thieves have taken it, and you'll need to get it back. Let's get started!

Let the Chase Begin!

    Collect the First Stone Piece
    Collect Second Stone Piece
    Use the Stone Base
    Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone


This quest is the main, overall quest for this particular Expedition, and it requires you to collect the various pieces of the stone, which has been broken up. You'll go through the thieves' campsites searching through boxes that may contain stone pieces, but not all of them do. There's no skill involved in this setup, but there will be some trial and error, so keep that in mind. While the first piece is held in a box, the second is held by a snake at the end of the path. The Stone Base is back at the beginning of the map.


Sweethearts and Sweet Tooths

    Collect 3 Cocoa
    Collect 12 Sugar
    Use Cooking Fires to Bake 3 Brownies
    Collect 3 Brownies


If anything, your research teammate Emily is definitely demanding. Just like in the Great River Expedition, you're sent on what might as well be a while goose chase by Emily in this Expedition as well, as she asks you to gather cooking ingredients for brownies that she can use to "woo her beau." Cocoa is found growing from large trees, while you can ask your friends to send you the sugar. The Cooking Fires are found inside the thieves campsites, and you'll just need to click on them when you have the proper ingredients to make the brownies.

Take Their Stuff

    Collect 7 Backpacks
    Collect 4 Maps


In this Expedition, you can think of Backpacks and Maps as though they were Red and Jade Vases. That is, they're scattered throughout the map, often blocked by pieces of debris, and by collecting them, you'll apparently learn more about the identity of these thieves.

When you've finally retrieved the pieces of the Standing Stone and have finished these other two goals, you will have completely finished the Mountain Chase Expedition. Indy still has one more job for you though, before he makes a true appearance, so keep checking back with us for more guides on completing that Expedition and more in the future!

Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.

What do you think of the Mountain Chase Expedition? Do you think these "Emily-based" quests have any point of being in the game, or do you like the variety they add?

CityVille Pet Show Timed Goal: Everything you need to know

If there's one thing we know about the character Ruth in CityVille, it's that this woman loves her pigeons. That's true to such an extent that she's decided to enter her pigeons into the local pet show. This is done through a new timed goal called "Pet Show" (or, just "Best in Show," if you prefer), and it must be completed in just 24 hours to receive the best prizes. Here's a look at what you'll need to do:

    Get 12 Pet Shampoos
    Collect 12 Times from any Zoo enclosure
    Collect 12 Dubai Shipments


If you have multiple Zoo habitats in your city, just make sure you collect from all of them at once to maximize your points. You can collect from them every few hours, so if you have four habitats (for example), you'll only need to collect from each one three times. While you're waiting, you can send off for Dubai Shipments which take 12 hours to return, and can also gather the bottles of Pet Shampoo, which is accomplished via a general news item posted to your wall.

If you can finish this goal within the first 24 hours, you'll receive the Gold Trophy, 10,000 coins, 3,000 Goods and a Poodle Statue decorative item for your town. If you can't finish within the first day, but finish within 72 hours, you won't receive the Poodle Statue, but you will earn a Silver Tophy, 2,300 coins and 1,200 Goods. Finally, if you finish the goal at any point after the first 72 hours, you'll receive a Bronze Trophy and 1,200 Goods.

Remember, while you are timed once you start the goal, there doesn't appear to be any time limit for when you need to start it. That is, you are only placed on a time limit once you manually start the countdown in your game. Feel free to ignore it entirely until you're truly ready before beginning and you'll still have the full time available to you to finish (and a better chance of actually doing so).

What do you think of the Pet Show Timed Goal? Have you already started it in your game, or are you waiting for a better time before you take on a time-sensitive goal?

Pioneer Trail End of Summer Sale offers 50% off Horseshoes and more

If you thought that 40% off Horseshoes purchased when redeeming a Zynga Gift Card was a good deal, try this one on for size. As part of the Pioneer Trail "End of Summer Sale," you can now take 50% off all Horseshoe purchases for a limited time. Leave it to Zynga to tell us about these things at the last minute, but you only have a few hours to take advantage of this Horseshoe deal, and a few others (for your reference, this sale places 170 Horseshoes in a package for $10, as an example).

Other items are on sale as well, including Mystery Animal crates from a variety of themes (including winter and Halloween) that are priced at 30% off, bundles of Critter Milk, Chunky Chow and Fuzzy Blankets at 40% off, and even Wedding Gift and Poker Card packages being 40% off as well.

Of course, this deal applies only to those items that you'd purchase with Horseshoes, and not anything coin-related, but it also includes the ability to purchase Beef Jerky (permanent boosts to your maximum energy) or Badgers, which are a limited edition animal. All in all, if I had to personally judge which item was the most valuable, I'd say the Beef Jerky for 16 Horseshoes is definitely something that's more worthwhile than not. Think about it - you'll be able to raise your maximum energy, allowing you to do more tasks in a single sitting and make progress faster. Purchase more than one Beef Jerky and you'll really be in business.

Again, though, you won't have much time to splurge on these items, or the Horseshoe packages proper, before the sale ends at midnight tonight (Eastern time). I wouldn't be surprised if Zynga extended the sale beyond this point to make more money, but if not, you've been warned!

Will you purchase any of these End of Summer Sale items?

FarmVille: Halloween Black Belgian horse available for coins

If you're a Horse collector in FarmVille, you'll likely be happy with the following news: a new Horse called the Black Belgian is now available in the game's store for coins. However, unless you've been saving up, you may not be able to afford its high price tag. How high? How does the million coin mark sound to your wallet? Good? Then you're just fine, as that's its exact price.

Interestingly, this Black Belgian horse is marked in the Halloween limited edition item theme, but it doesn't do anything to scream "Halloween" other than being black. Still, I suppose this gives Zynga a way to bring more attention to it in the store, as its part of the theme that will only last for a limited time. The Black Belgian will only be available for the next two weeks, but you'll receive one heck of a bonus for purchasing it: 10,000 XP.

At that point, you can either place the Horse into your Horse Paddock to be able to collect from it once daily, or you can keep it outside on display and collect from it once every three days. Remember, if you store it, you have a chance to breed a Black Belgian Foal, which would of course be even more limited. Whatever the case, make sure to head into the store sooner, rather than later, if you have any interest whatsoever in purchasing one of these expensive Horses for your farm(s).

Will you purchase the Black Belgian Horse for the whopping price tag of 1 million coins?

FarmVille: Lighthouse Cove land expansions on sale for "select users"

Just what makes someone a "select user?" We're not exactly sure, but if you're even remotely interested in expanding the size of your land in FarmVille's Lighthouse Cove farm, and aren't afraid to spend some Farm Cash to do so, you'll be happy to know that "some" users are being offered the ability to do so at a discount. So far, these are the sale expansions, with their prices:

Harbor Homestead (18x18) - 40 Farm Cash (down from 50)
Oceanside Farm (20x20) - 50 Farm Cash (down from 60)
Seaside Farmland (22x22) - 60 Farm Cash (down from 80)

Unfortunately, that seems to be where the discounts stop for now. It could be that different users have different selections of expansions on sale in their own games, but as the Lighthouse Cove currently supports up to the 32x32 size (the Waterfront Land expansion), this 22x22 cutoff is pretty low. Still, by the time you reach that point, you'll have already shelled out 150 Farm Cash, so maybe that's enough (for now).

Again, the game's loading screen [pictured] says that these sale prices are only available for "select users," but I haven't personally come across anyone that doesn't have the option to expand with sale prices. That's not to say this is a lie, but I'd simply make an educated guess that more people have the ability than not. After all - Zynga wants your money, so why not release the sale to more users to entice them to actually spend some? Either way, this sale isn't going to be around forever, so make sure to browse through the Farm Aides section of the store soon to see if the sale prices are available to you.

Do you have the sale prices on Expansions in your store? Will you take advantage of any of the sale prices?

Adventure World Cave of Doom Expedition: Everything you need to know

Over the past two days, we've brought you a look at two of the three new Indiana Jones-themed Expeditions in Zynga's Adventure World. Now, we're ready to finish off this new trio, and not a moment too soon, as Indy himself will be showing up in the game any day! This third Expedition is called The Cave of Doom, and it has us searching for one last Standing Stone in the middle of a cave.

The particular Expedition has a three day time limit, and requires 575 Supplies to begin. You'll also need two each of Food, Fuel and Water. Once you start, you'll learn that the cave you entered way back at the beginning of the game (in the Prologue Quests) is actually a lot bigger than you thought. We're returning here now to find the lost Standing Stone, but remember - watch out for spiders!

Rub That Stone!

    Solve the First Puzzle to drop the West Wall
    Solve the Second Puzzle to drop the East Wall
    Push the Stone Halves Together
    Take a Rubbing of the Standing Stone


For this Expedition, you're dealing with tons of puzzles, right from the start. The two pieces of this Standing Stone are perched high atop walls in a locked room. The room itself is locked with three more pillars, as seen below. You'll need to solve the Expected "Simon Says" puzzles to drop the two walls, and push various switches and levers along the path to unlock the room itself.

This Expedition also introduces us to torch switches, which block your path with walls. You'll need to press the appropriately colored switches to match the torches and walls you'd like to lower. Sometimes though, there are multiple switches in your path and by pressing the wrong one, you'll normally be confronted by a spider.

Find the Thieves' Documents

    Recover the First Set of Papers
    Recover the Second Set of Papers
    Recover the Third Set of Papers
    Recover the Fourth Set of Papers


Yet again, a group of thieves has beaten you to the punch with this Standing Stone. They've left a lot of stuff behind, and Professor Allen wants you to collect it so we can learn more about them. According to Allen, they're far too organized to be petty thieves, so we're out to find out just what they're up to. These Papers are found in boxes at various points along the map, blocked by some kind of debris (thorns, spider webs) or a Spike Trap.

Disarm the Thieves' Explosive Traps

    Get 10 Pliers
    Collect the Magnifying Glass
    Disarm 4 Explosives


You'll need to ask your friends to send you the Pliers via individual gift requests. Remember, you have three full days to complete this Expedition, so don't panic at the thought of it just yet. Meanwhile, the Magnifying Glass is found early on (before lowering either of the two walls) at the top of the map, as seen below. The Explosives are found randomly scattered around the map (although you might have to clear some debris out of the way before reaching them), and once you've started gathering pliers, you can simply click on them to disarm them.

After finishing these three quests, you will have successfully completed Cave of Doom and will be ready to greet Indy in the game with open arms. Will we continue to learn more about these Thieves, or will they forever be one step ahead of us? We'll keep bringing you guides to Expeditions and story quests, so keep checking back with us to find out!

Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.

Were you satisfied by these three new Indiana Jones-themed Expeditions in Adventure World? What do you think of this Cave of Doom Expedition specifically?

FarmVille: Is a free Duckling a sign of things to come?

The last time we were frequently given free Ducklings in FarmVille, we had yet to see the launch of the Aviary animal habitat in the game. One could theorize that the launch of the Ducklings back then were a warning for us that Ducks and Birds in general would become pretty important in the game in the future. If we take that route of speculation, then what does today's free Duckling mean?

First things first, you'll receive this free Duckling automatically when logging in (if you don't receive it yet, it's possible that the freebie hasn't "rolled around" to your game yet). Once you click on the "Place" button, you'll see that your Duckling is a Red Duckling (by all accounts, it doesn't seem that this varies across users), which can grow into anything from a Black, Blue or Red Swans or even a Rainbow Duck (with a few options in between).

Unfortunately, this free Duckling doesn't let you escape from the work of growing it, so you'll need to ask seven friends for help in nurturing your little Duckling. The quicker you do so, the more options you'll have when it comes to growing it into an adult, or you can simply sell the Duckling for a quick 100 coins of profit, if you'd rather not deal with growing it up.

If we go back to speculating, does this mean we might see a new Duck/Bird-themed item released in FarmVille in the future? Perhaps a set of Ducks will be released in the Lighthouse Cove theme? Or, maybe this isn't as complicated as all that, and is simply a gift from Zynga to us to keep us busy this weekend. Whatever the case, we'll keep an eye on things and will let you know.

Will you take the time to grow this Duckling into an adult, or will you just sell it? What sorts of other free items would you like to see Zynga give away?

FarmVille Sneak Peek: Apple Bobbing feature coming soon?

With the fall season now upon us, it looks like Zynga will be releasing a new feature in FarmVille concerning a Fall staple at carnivals and parties: Apple Bobbing. Via a new Apple Bobbing Stand, seen in the banner above, along with at least five goals, we'll be able to apparently bring the chaotic fun of apple bobbing to our farms.

While the exact function of the Apple Bobbing Stand or even the accompanying goals has yet to be announced, there's always room for speculation. With the bag of Apples that we see above, it looks like the Apples themselves might be collectibles of some kind. Could this be the return of the token-collecting feature that sees us collecting dozens, if not hundreds of apples to redeem them for special fall-themed prizes?

Or, perhaps these goals will simply function as a way to reward us with this Apple Bobbing Stand, which will animate in some way (or serve some other purpose beside being purely decorative) to make it worthwhile. Whatever the case, it has this farmer incredibly interested in learning more, and if you're the same, make sure to keep checking back with us as we'll bring you all of the info about this supposed Apple Bobbing feature as soon as we know more.

Note: This is an unreleased feature, which may change before release or may never release at all (granted, that final option is incredibly unlikely).

Are you excited for Apple Bobbing to come to FarmVille, no matter its form? What do you think the Apple Bobbing goals will contain?

The mad science behind a Facebook game's success

Before making the decision to invest your valuable time and money on a Facebook game, you might want to take a moment to stop and think, "Just how long is this game going to be around?"

If you've played a lot of Facebook games, you can often go with your gut. For instance, if it's made by Zynga, it will most likely have a longer shelf life than a game from a smaller company for several reasons: Zynga spends a buttload of money advertising its games and it has the most powerful weapon of all -- a loyal group of players who are willing, dying really, to try the company's next big game.

Inside Social Games has published an in-depth piece on how to predict a Facebook game's success that essentially boils down to this: If the game is still attracting new players after three months, it has got a chance in hell of sticking around.

Case in point: Kixeye's underrated Backyard Monsters. The tower defense game is not the most well-known game on Facebook, but in the context of the ISG formula, it's one game that might be worth playing if you're looking for something new to add to your social gaming repertoire.

> How to Spot a Breakout Facebook Game [Inside Social Games]

It's the end of the LEGO Universe as we know it, and we don't feel fine

Really, it's a total bummer. The LEGO Universe team announced on the game's message boards that the recently free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) will close its colorful, plastic doors on Jan. 31, 2012.

The game launched to fanfare just over a year ago, because, you know, it's LEGO. Unfortunately, even going free-to-play this summer couldn't keep the dream alive.

The LEGO Group chalks the game's death sentence up to something terribly simple: a lack of players to support its new found free-to-play model. Even a game that's free to play needs healthy percentage of players to pay up--just look at how Facebook games survive.

As a thank you to its dedicated fans, The LEGO Group will provide players that subscribe as of Dec. 31 the full game's final month for free. Here's the full statement from The LEGO Universe team:

    Hello Adventurer, today we are very sad to announce that LEGO Universe will be closing on Janurary 31, 2012. This was a very difficult decision to make, but unfortunately LEGO Universe has not been able to attract the number of members needed to keep the game open.

    We are thankful to have had the opportunity to share this adventure wiith an amazing community of players. We hope you will continue to enjoy LEGO Universe for the last few months. As a thank you, if you are a paying subscriber on December 31, 2011, we will provide you the full game for the final month for free.

    Again, we want to thank the fantastic community of players who made LEGO Universe such a vibrant, fun and creative experience.

    Sincerely,
    The LEGO Universe Team

It's always a shame to see an online game be forced to shut its doors, but especially so in this case. LEGO made for some fond and uniquely elaborate childhood memories. Come one, with what other single brand of toys could you make space rangers storm a medieval castle protected by dinosaurs? Don't you even dare say "Mega Bloks."

[Via Kotaku]

Were you a fan of LEGO Universe? What are your best memories of LEGO as a kid?

Move over Slap Chop: Ninjas slice 250,000 pieces of fruit every 60 seconds

Mobclix rolled out an infographic that shows what happens on mobile devices in every minute, and - surprise, surprise - a big chunk of that time involves playing games.

According to the chart, in 60 seconds: 208,333 minutes of Angry Birds are played; 180 million coins are collected in TinyZoo friends; 80 copies of Fruit Ninja are sold, and 250K pieces of fruit are sliced in the game. Damn, that's a lot of fruit.

fruit ninja, angry birds mobile infographic

Too bad we can't say the same for Fruit Ninja Frenzy on Facebook, which seems to be steadily losing players. The Facebook version is a decent game, but there's just something awesome about using your finger to chop fruit like a highly trained ninja.

> 250,000 Ninjas Chop Fruit Every 60 seconds on Mobile [Infographic] [Social Times]

Cafe World Shrimp Fest Goals: Everything you need to know

Zynga has released a new goal series in Cafe World, seemingly for no reason at all other than to celebrate shrimp. Apparently, Amelia really likes shrimp, and with your help, she'll throw a "Shrimp Fest" in your game and cafe, rewarding you with Cafe Points, coins and recipes along the way. Here's a complete guide to finishing this new eight-part goal series.

As a note, some of these dishes will be different then the ones you're asked to cook in your own cafe. There is no way for us to predict what each and every user will have to cook, and for that we apologize, but keep in mind that your overall cooking time will be incredibly similar to every other user that completes these goals, even if the dishes are different.

Shrimp Fest 1

    Ask for 5 Shrimp Forks
    Serve 25 Spaghetti and Meatballs
    Serve 20 Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail


Here's the first example of having to cook different dishes. While it looks like the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail requirement is the same across all games (since this is a goal series about Shrimp after all), the other dish will likely differ from what you see here. As for the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail itself, that takes just 30 minutes to prepare.

Shrimp Fest 2

    Ask for 6 Festive Beads
    Serve 40 Beef Mechadoes
    Ask for 8 Deveined Shrimp


Here, you're left to ask your friends to send you two sets of items (as usual), while cooking another dish. I suppose now would be a good time for the reminder to check your gift box for extra servings of the dishes you're required to cook, and to also keep your Spices in mind when looking to speed up your progress. For finishing this second goal, you'll receive the Chicken and Shrimp Kebobs recipe.

Shrimp Fest 3

    Ask for 7 Saxaphones
    Ask for 7 Trumpets
    Serve 30 BBQ Chicken


If you're asked to serve BBQ Chicken, you'll find that it takes five hours to prepare.
Shrimp Fest 4

    Ask for 6 Skillet Pans
    Serve 50 Creme Fraiche Caviars
    Serve 20 Tony's Classic Pizzas


Creme Fraiche Caviar takes 30 minutes to prepare. We're not sure (yet) if this particular dish will be the same across all users' goals, but since it is seafood in theme, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Shrimp Fest 5

    Ask for 8 Pork Pie Hats
    Serve 20 Mini Crab Cakes
    Master Chicken and Shrimp Kebobs through Level 1


For finishing this goal, you'll receive Shrimp, a new ingredient in the game's Taste Lab / Signature Dish feature.

Shrimp Fest 6

    Serve 20 Taste Lab Dishes with Shrimp
    Serve 30 Pastrami on Rye
    Spice 5 of your Dishes


If you're new to the Taste Lab, you'll need to choose the Shrimp as an ingredient manually when creating a dish. Each of the ingredients you add increases the time it takes for your new dish to cook, so keep that in mind if you're looking to complete these goals as quickly as possible.

Shrimp Fest 7

    Ask for 8 Jumbo Shirmp
    Serve 30 Clubhouse Sandwiches
    Ask for 9 Shrimp Plates


Finishing this goal gives you another free recipe: the Shrimp Po Boy sandwich. You'll need it, along with the Chicken and Shrimp Kebobs to finish this goal series off.

Shrimp Fest 8

    Master Chicken and Shrimp Kebobs through Level 2
    Mastery Shrimp Po Boy through Level 1
    Serve 20 Crackling Peking Ducks


Since you can look ahead at these goals, it would be a good idea to serve as many Chicken and Shrimp Kebob servings as possible before ever making it this far, while you're also working on other things. For instance, if you're waiting for your friends to send you items for one of the goals above, but have already completed that goal's cooking requirement, why not cook some Chicken and Shrimp Kebobs in the meantime to earn more mastery? You could have this task finished before you ever start this goal, saving you plenty of time. For completing this final goal, you'll complete the Shrimp Fest in the game and will receive 3,000 coins and 300 Cafe Points.

[Image Credit: Cafe World Wiki]

What do you think of these Shrimp Fest goals? Do you like the number of goals and catering orders that come out in Cafe World, or is it all too much, too fast?

FarmVille Item Requests take one giant step backwards

Depending on how many active neighbors you have in FarmVille, asking for building materials or other items from your friends can either be a painless or incredibly painful process. I'm sorry to say, though, that the gift request setup has become even more tiring with a new update launched by Zynga this week. While all users may not have this update yet, it comes with a new way of requesting items, with a slight pro and plenty of cons.

First and foremost, you'll see that this new gift request method allows you to send out gift requests without leaving the flash gameplay window itself. That is, instead of being sent to a new page, where the game may freeze or simply disappear in the process, forcing you to reload the game from scratch, you'll now be able to send out bulk requests to friends from within the game proper.

Sounds great, right? Well, take a look at this:

This is the way the new window looks. It's similar to the Special Delivery Box window that appears the first time you play FarmVille each day, but worse. You'll still have the option to see your friends in two groups: those that play FarmVille and those that don't, with single and triple parts being offered accordingly. However, every single one of your friends is checked by default. Granted, you can click on the "Select All" box to uncheck all of those friends just as quickly, but you're then left to scan through page after page of neighbors, with only a first name and last initial (along with a mini version of each user's profile picture) to go by.

What if, like so many other players, you've added Facebook friends that are complete strangers, just to play the game with them? What if you used their last names (which were perhaps unusual) to pick them out from the crowd, because you wouldn't be able to tell who they were from profile pictures as you've never met? Even better, what if your friends have changed their profile pictures to not be pictures of them, and what if you have two or three friends named Ashley or Bob on your list, both with the same last initial (you can see a Chris R. example in my list above - how am I to know which is which)? Needless to say, there are a ton of variables here, all of which seem to make this feature a step backwards, rather than forwards in terms of ease of use.

While that might be a lot of questions, it turns out I'm not the only one with those concerns. Multiple threads have appeared on the game's official forums questioning why this feature was released to begin with, along with documenting bugs that have already started to spread throughout.

Will Zynga listen to users' pleas and revert to the old system of item requests? It may be an archaic method, but at least it (for the most part) worked as designed. If users are already our Facebook friends, then why the secrecy of their last names? Right now, this feature seems to hurt more than it helps, and we'll make sure to keep an eye on things, to let you know if they go back to the way they were.

Have you received this new item request feature in FarmVille yet? What do you think of it? Does it make asking for items easier, or more difficult for you?

Adventure World Zoey's Tent: Everything you need to know

As a way to tide users over while Indiana Jones is apparently stranded in Havana, players in Adventure World have been introduced to a new in-game character by the name of Zoey. Zoey is one of Indy's friends. After learning that Indy has been delayed (both in-game, via a letter, and outside, via Zynga), Indy has sent Zoey to your Base Camp to offer help with beasts on various Expeditions and quests.

With her comes the ability to craft new gadgets, but first you'll need to build Zoey a place to stay: Zoey's Tent. Zoey's Tent is a building much like the Well, Farm, etc. in that you'll be able to place the base without any effort, but then must collect building materials to actually complete it. In this case, you'll need to gather the following:

    5 Canvas
    5 Animal Skins
    5 Antlers
    10 Fine Rugs
    10 Snake Cages
    10 Sharpening Stones


For these items, the Canvases, Animal Skins and Antlers are earned through general wall posts you'll send to the news feed, while the other three items are earned through individual requests sent to those Adventure World neighbors that you think would be most likely to help you.

Once the building is complete, you'll be able to use it to craft items like Spider Baits and Sirens. If you're familiar with the way crafting works in Zynga's other games - specifically Pioneer Trail - you'll feel right at home here. Spider Baits take Mason Jars and Horseflies, as an example, and can be used to make your progress through spider-filled Expeditions a lot easier.

Technically, Zoey's presence in the game is for more than just introducing this tent and gadget feature, as a new side story has opened up in your Expedition menu called Mask of the Hunter. You'll have new quests to complete on Base Camp, and so far two new Expeditions to complete as well. We'll make sure to bring you a guide to completing those Expeditions just as soon as we can so keep checking back. The first Expedition is called Temple of the Mask, while the second is the Great Stampede. Be sure to check out our guides!

Check out the rest of our Adventure World Cheats & Tips right here.

What do you think of Zoey's Tent in Adventure World? Do you like being able to craft new gadgets to help on Expeditions, or do you not have enough friends to help send those items your way?

Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash in Best Buy promotion

Leading into the holiday shopping season, it only makes sense that Zynga would partner with some real-world retailers that are trying to capitalize on the electronics-loving market of gamers (even better if that retailer sells Zynga Game Cards). Such is the case with Best Buy, as a new cross-promotional activity has appeared underneath the FarmVille gameplay area, giving you a chance to earn two free Farm Cash.

This promotion deals with the holiday shopping season, and contains a single question about your shopping habits (how much money do you would save if you didn't put off shopping until the last minute). You're then asked if you would like to locate your nearest Best Buy store, as the company is throwing "Shop Early, Save Big" events leading into the holiday shopping season proper. Luckily, you can skip this step altogether to automatically be taken to the end of this promotion where you'll see the exciting "You've earned your Farm Cash" text appear in the top right corner of the screen.

Then and only then can you close this promotional window, where you should see your in-game Farm Cash total go up by two (or the game may automatically refresh to "push" the Farm Cash into your account). If neither of those things happens, you can manually refresh the game, which should finally set things right. While two Farm Cash may not be enough to even buy a limited edition tree in the market, if you complete every activity as they come to your account, you'll eventually be able to save up enough for trees or something more expensive. As usual, we'll make sure to bring you continued coverage of these cross-promotional activities, so you know just what to look out for in your own game.

Have you found this Best Buy promotion on your account yet? What will you do with your two free Farm Cash?

FarmVille: Buy an English License to swap items between storage sheds

If you're one of the many FarmVille players that wasn't able to unlock transferable storage between your Home Farm and English Countryside by completing the Storage Transfer goals in the English Countryside proper, you now have the ability to do so, but there's a catch. You'll need to purchase this ability in the store.

To be specific, an "English License" item is now rolling out to farmers, and it's available to find within the "Farm Aides" section of the game's marketplace. It costs 75 Farm Cash, which seems like a lot (ok, it is a lot), but as a player that already has this ability, I have to say that it's probably worth the purchase price. Not only will you be able to freely transfer items between your Home Farm and English Countryside, but you'll also be able to access crops from both farms to be planted on either one.

Specifically, this will become incredibly handy if you're required to grow a large amount of crops for a particular goal in the game, but don't have enough plots on one farm to get it done. If this was a crop that could only be planted on your Home Farm, for instance, you can now plant it in your English Countryside, allowing you to finish those types of goals in a much quicker time frame. As for transferring items, this will definitely help those item collectors that have already reached the 1,000 item limit on their Home Farms, but don't want to stop buying items (and hate to clutter up their farms).

Again, this English License is only necessary to those users that didn't complete the Storage Transfer goals (regardless of the reason), so if you already have the ability to transfer items, you will not need to purchase this one. It will be interesting to see if a similar license is released to unlock storage between both farms and the Lighthouse Cove, or if that will be released through goals as well. Either way, you can be sure we'll let you know.

[Image Credit: FarmVilleFreak]

Are you going to purchase an English License to transfer items between and plant crops on both the Home Farm and English Countryside? Would you purchase a similar license to unlock storage transfer to Lighthouse Cove?