You suddenly feel the urge to book a one-way flight to Finland. Why? Well, it's a land where birds don't fly, but use an intricate system of giant slingshots to travel--it's quite fascinating. OK, we made that up, but hopefully that's what Rovio and Särkänniemi Adventure Park are getting at with Angry Birds Land. It's exactly what it sounds like: an Angry Birds theme park.
Angry Birds Land is currently under construction as an addition to Särkänniemi Adventure Park in Tampere, Finland. According to TravelBite, the Angry Birds wonderland of sorts will be crafted with the world's best amusement parks in mind. You're looking at the Disney World of Angry Birds. "Our goal is to motivate the fans, both adults and children, to exercise and enjoy the outdoors," Rovio EVP Licensing and Merchandising Harri Koponen told TravelBite.
The travel website reports that Angry Birds Land will have the usual rides and attractions--whatever that means--but also a "Magic Places" area in which the real and game worlds collide. Särkänniemi Adventure Park opens for the summer on April 28. While it's uncertain whether Angry Birds Land will be ready by then, the Finnish theme park will post sneak peeks of its progress online. (We're sure it'll be more impressive than swing sets.) So, where are you going on vacation this summer?
[Via PocketGamer]
Are you surprised that an Angry Birds theme park would crop up? Would you fly to Finland to see it?
Thứ Tư, 7 tháng 3, 2012
The Sims Social 'The French Connection' Quest: How to finish it fast
This week, The Sims Social is all about freedom of sexual expression all things French. It's Paris Week in Playfish's top Facebook game, and with that comes a new quest to tackle all week long. And you might need all the time you can spare to finish this one up, as it asks for some pretty daunting (but ultimately hilarious) tasks.
Titled "The French Connection," this quest calls for three friends, a Computer, a Typewriter, a Le Café Grande Patisserie five Muse, 15 Love, 1,150 Simoleons and 1,500 Social Points. Now, take a seat and prepare for a randy old time in all seven chapters of The Sims Social's "The French Connection."
The French Connection Part 1
Have French Bookcase
Learn Sim French
Speak Sim French to 1 Sim
The French Bookcase is available in the shop for 850 Simoleons. To learn Sim French, you must click the French Bookcase and then "Learn French." Finally, just visit a Sim, click on them, and choose either "Ooh lala" or "Je t'aime." However, you must be in flirting stages with a Sim in order for the option to appear.
The Sims Social French Bookcase
The French Connection Part 2
Ask Friends if They Know What Woohoo is
Ask 2 Sims if They Like to WooHoo
Have 5 Muse
This first requirement is simply posting a News Feed and having a friend click on it. The second requires players to visit two Sims, click on them and choose the "Like to Woohoo" option. Finally, Muse comes from leveling up either Art Skill or Music Skill.
The French Connection Part 3
Ask 3 Sims about Naughty Friends
Look up Naughty Friends 7 Times
Have 7 Cold Showers
To ask friends about naughty friends, simply visit three of them, click on them and then choose "Naughty Friends?" You can use your own Computer or a friend's to complete this second requirement. Lastly, simply click on your or friends' showers and choose the "Take Cold Shower" option.
The Sims Social Le Café Grande Patisserie The Sims Social Manaquin The Sims Social Coffee Machine The Sims Social Bell
The French Connection Part 4
Try Baking Petit Fours 7 times
Try Writing Poetry 7 times
Try Making Sweet Music 7 times
The Le Café Grande Patisserie is free in the shop, so buy it, place it and choose the action "Prepare Petite fours" seven times. However, your Sim will grow bored after two attempts in a row, so cycle this between the other two requirements. To "Write Poetry," you can use friends' Typewriters and choose the relevant option seven times. The same applies to the final requirement, just look for a Harp in Bella's house or your friends' and choose "Make Sweet Music."
The French Connection Part 5
Have 1 French Neckerchief
Have 3 Different Paris Furniture items
Have 15 Love
The Rayure Marine Neckerchief costs 1,500 Social Points in the Clothes shop. The cheapest item from the French collection is the Le Café Wall Menu, and since you already have a French Bookcase and a Le Café Grande Patisserie, this is finished. Love comes from performing flirty interactions with your friends.
The Sims Social Andre & Andre Dummy
The French Connection Part 6
Massage 3 Sims
Practice French Kiss with 3 Sims
Ask 2 Friends "Voulez Vous Woohoo avec Moi?"
First, visit three friends, click on their sofas and choose the "Massage" option. To French Kiss with three Sims, just visit them, click on them and choose the relevant option. However, you must perform flirty actions with Sims in order for this option to appear. Finally, two friends must click on the "Voulez Vous Woohoo avec Moi?" News Feed you post through the quest window.
The French Connection Part 7
Wearing Neckerchief Ask 3 Sims "Voulez Vous WooHoo avec Moi?"
Woohoo with 2 different Sims
Tell the World
While you're wearing the Rayure Marine Neckerchief, just visit three Sims, click on them and choose the relevant option. However, you must perform flirty interactions with Sims in order for the option to appear. Doing so will eventually bring up the option to make that friend a "Naughty Friend," which allows you to Woohoo with that Sim without being romantically involved. To Woohoo with a Sim, either visit or invite them over, click the bed and then "Woohoo". Finally, post a News Feed through the quest window and have three friends click it. Your reward for completing this daunting quest is the Pistachio Paris Double Bed. Ooh, la la.
[Source: The Sims Social Wiki]
Have you started "The French Connection" yet? What tips do you have for players to finish it even faster?
Titled "The French Connection," this quest calls for three friends, a Computer, a Typewriter, a Le Café Grande Patisserie five Muse, 15 Love, 1,150 Simoleons and 1,500 Social Points. Now, take a seat and prepare for a randy old time in all seven chapters of The Sims Social's "The French Connection."
The French Connection Part 1
Have French Bookcase
Learn Sim French
Speak Sim French to 1 Sim
The French Bookcase is available in the shop for 850 Simoleons. To learn Sim French, you must click the French Bookcase and then "Learn French." Finally, just visit a Sim, click on them, and choose either "Ooh lala" or "Je t'aime." However, you must be in flirting stages with a Sim in order for the option to appear.
The Sims Social French Bookcase
The French Connection Part 2
Ask Friends if They Know What Woohoo is
Ask 2 Sims if They Like to WooHoo
Have 5 Muse
This first requirement is simply posting a News Feed and having a friend click on it. The second requires players to visit two Sims, click on them and choose the "Like to Woohoo" option. Finally, Muse comes from leveling up either Art Skill or Music Skill.
The French Connection Part 3
Ask 3 Sims about Naughty Friends
Look up Naughty Friends 7 Times
Have 7 Cold Showers
To ask friends about naughty friends, simply visit three of them, click on them and then choose "Naughty Friends?" You can use your own Computer or a friend's to complete this second requirement. Lastly, simply click on your or friends' showers and choose the "Take Cold Shower" option.
The Sims Social Le Café Grande Patisserie The Sims Social Manaquin The Sims Social Coffee Machine The Sims Social Bell
The French Connection Part 4
Try Baking Petit Fours 7 times
Try Writing Poetry 7 times
Try Making Sweet Music 7 times
The Le Café Grande Patisserie is free in the shop, so buy it, place it and choose the action "Prepare Petite fours" seven times. However, your Sim will grow bored after two attempts in a row, so cycle this between the other two requirements. To "Write Poetry," you can use friends' Typewriters and choose the relevant option seven times. The same applies to the final requirement, just look for a Harp in Bella's house or your friends' and choose "Make Sweet Music."
The French Connection Part 5
Have 1 French Neckerchief
Have 3 Different Paris Furniture items
Have 15 Love
The Rayure Marine Neckerchief costs 1,500 Social Points in the Clothes shop. The cheapest item from the French collection is the Le Café Wall Menu, and since you already have a French Bookcase and a Le Café Grande Patisserie, this is finished. Love comes from performing flirty interactions with your friends.
The Sims Social Andre & Andre Dummy
The French Connection Part 6
Massage 3 Sims
Practice French Kiss with 3 Sims
Ask 2 Friends "Voulez Vous Woohoo avec Moi?"
First, visit three friends, click on their sofas and choose the "Massage" option. To French Kiss with three Sims, just visit them, click on them and choose the relevant option. However, you must perform flirty actions with Sims in order for this option to appear. Finally, two friends must click on the "Voulez Vous Woohoo avec Moi?" News Feed you post through the quest window.
The French Connection Part 7
Wearing Neckerchief Ask 3 Sims "Voulez Vous WooHoo avec Moi?"
Woohoo with 2 different Sims
Tell the World
While you're wearing the Rayure Marine Neckerchief, just visit three Sims, click on them and choose the relevant option. However, you must perform flirty interactions with Sims in order for the option to appear. Doing so will eventually bring up the option to make that friend a "Naughty Friend," which allows you to Woohoo with that Sim without being romantically involved. To Woohoo with a Sim, either visit or invite them over, click the bed and then "Woohoo". Finally, post a News Feed through the quest window and have three friends click it. Your reward for completing this daunting quest is the Pistachio Paris Double Bed. Ooh, la la.
[Source: The Sims Social Wiki]
Have you started "The French Connection" yet? What tips do you have for players to finish it even faster?
Cafe World Flower Garden: Everything you need to know
A large new feature has launched in Cafe World this week, bringing with it a way to decorate your cafe with flowers. To interact with this feature, you'll need to first build the Flower Garden in your cafe. It requires four Flower Pots, three Flower Beds, four Flower Seeds and three Misting Bottles. These are earned through a combination of general news posts on your wall and individual requests sent to friends.
Once you finish the Flower Garden, you'll be able to grow flowers in pots within the garden. You can unlock pots by completing the Flower Garden goals within the game or by paying for them with Cafe Cash. Flowers take time to grow, but you can also use Fertilizer (two Cafe Cash per fertilizer) to make flowers grow instantly. Once flowers are done growing, you'll need to use Vases to actually display them in your cafe. Vases are different than pots, and are earned either by completing Flower Garden goals or by buying them in the store.
Different flowers have different withering times, and depending on the amount of active (not withered) flowers you have in your cafe, the different bonuses you'll receive in your overall cafe, as follows:
2 Active Flowers - 10% more coins from dishes served
4 Active Flowers - Buzz Boost for your cafe
6 Active Flowers - Happy Customers enter your cafe; click on them for free spices
You'll also be able to master different kinds of flowers by growing them, and by doing so, the vases will change color in your cafe to reflect your mastery level. While this may seem like a fairly FarmVille-esque feature, you can grow as many or as few flowers in your Cafe as you'd like.
What do you think of this Flower Garden feature in Cafe World? Will you grow flowers in your cafe, or will you stick to just cooking?
Once you finish the Flower Garden, you'll be able to grow flowers in pots within the garden. You can unlock pots by completing the Flower Garden goals within the game or by paying for them with Cafe Cash. Flowers take time to grow, but you can also use Fertilizer (two Cafe Cash per fertilizer) to make flowers grow instantly. Once flowers are done growing, you'll need to use Vases to actually display them in your cafe. Vases are different than pots, and are earned either by completing Flower Garden goals or by buying them in the store.
Different flowers have different withering times, and depending on the amount of active (not withered) flowers you have in your cafe, the different bonuses you'll receive in your overall cafe, as follows:
2 Active Flowers - 10% more coins from dishes served
4 Active Flowers - Buzz Boost for your cafe
6 Active Flowers - Happy Customers enter your cafe; click on them for free spices
You'll also be able to master different kinds of flowers by growing them, and by doing so, the vases will change color in your cafe to reflect your mastery level. While this may seem like a fairly FarmVille-esque feature, you can grow as many or as few flowers in your Cafe as you'd like.
What do you think of this Flower Garden feature in Cafe World? Will you grow flowers in your cafe, or will you stick to just cooking?
Pioneer Trail Debris Generator: Everything you need to know
Last month, we learned that a "Debris Spawner" would be coming to Pioneer Trail. Now that it has officially launched in the game, this item is called the Debris Generator, and it will allow you to earn rocks, skulls, cacti, thorns and wildflowers after it's built and upgraded.
There are two goals in this Debris Generator feature:
Get Debris!
Sell 30 Adult Cows
Clear 10 Rocks
Complete Debris Generator to Skulls Level
There are five different levels to the Debris Generator, and each level allows you to earn one of a particular item (or groups of item) everyday. The first level is Wildflower only, allowing you to earn one free Wildflower everyday. Level two offers a Rock and Wildflower everyday, while level three offers a Skull and another random debris everyday. This means you'll need to collect enough items (mostly by asking your friends to send them to you) to reach level 3 of the Debris Generator just to finish this particular goal. You'll receive 50 XP, 500 coins and a Honey Badger for finishing it off.
Even More Debris
Clear 15 Cacti
Clear 15 Thorns
Complete Debris Generator to Thorns Level
The Thorns Level is the final level of the Debris Generator, allowing you to earn one thorn, cactus, skull and another random debris daily. As you might expect, every level of the Debris Generator requires more and more items to upgrade, so this won't be a quick process (unless you spend Horseshoes). When you finish this second (and final) Debris Generator goal, you'll receive 100 XP, 1,000 coins and a Holstein Cow.
[Via Zynga]
What do you think of this Debris Generator feature? Will you use it to earn debris everyday, or only when you need it?
There are two goals in this Debris Generator feature:
Get Debris!
Sell 30 Adult Cows
Clear 10 Rocks
Complete Debris Generator to Skulls Level
There are five different levels to the Debris Generator, and each level allows you to earn one of a particular item (or groups of item) everyday. The first level is Wildflower only, allowing you to earn one free Wildflower everyday. Level two offers a Rock and Wildflower everyday, while level three offers a Skull and another random debris everyday. This means you'll need to collect enough items (mostly by asking your friends to send them to you) to reach level 3 of the Debris Generator just to finish this particular goal. You'll receive 50 XP, 500 coins and a Honey Badger for finishing it off.
Even More Debris
Clear 15 Cacti
Clear 15 Thorns
Complete Debris Generator to Thorns Level
The Thorns Level is the final level of the Debris Generator, allowing you to earn one thorn, cactus, skull and another random debris daily. As you might expect, every level of the Debris Generator requires more and more items to upgrade, so this won't be a quick process (unless you spend Horseshoes). When you finish this second (and final) Debris Generator goal, you'll receive 100 XP, 1,000 coins and a Holstein Cow.
[Via Zynga]
What do you think of this Debris Generator feature? Will you use it to earn debris everyday, or only when you need it?
CityVille Airport Passenger Terminal: Everything you need to know
After the release of the Airport last month in CityVille, users were given a chance to complete a Cargo terminal to earn more Goods by sending planes out on flights, similar to the Cargo Ship feature. Now, the Passenger Terminal is available, allowing you to send your town's citizens on vacation. Of course, you'll need to build this new terminal in your airport from scratch.
The Passenger Terminal requires you to collect five different items in bulk:
13 Passenger Seats
13 Attendants Outfits
13 Aisle Carts
13 Plane Windows
13 Floatation Vests
When you've finished this, you can purchase four different kinds of Passenger Jets, most of which offers a different bonus when you send out tourists. Here's the lineup of available planes, their costs and their bonuses (where applicable):
EconAir - 100,000 coins
JetSet - 500,000 coins - 5% Bonus
First Class - 50 City Cash - 20% Bonus
CityVilleAir - Goal Reward - 15% Bonus
But what do these bonuses do? Well, these passenger planes work in the opposite way of the Cargo planes, requiring you to spend Goods to send citizens on vacation to various destinations (Rome, New York, Berlin and more) and giving you different amounts of coins when they return. The bonus comes in the amount of coins you'll earn when a plane lands back in your airport.
One final terminal has yet to be released in the Airport as of this writing, but we'll make sure to let you know when that Vacation terminal finally does launch. Keep checking back with us!
[Via CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of the Airport Passenger Terminal? Will you use it more than the Cargo Terminal?
The Passenger Terminal requires you to collect five different items in bulk:
13 Passenger Seats
13 Attendants Outfits
13 Aisle Carts
13 Plane Windows
13 Floatation Vests
When you've finished this, you can purchase four different kinds of Passenger Jets, most of which offers a different bonus when you send out tourists. Here's the lineup of available planes, their costs and their bonuses (where applicable):
EconAir - 100,000 coins
JetSet - 500,000 coins - 5% Bonus
First Class - 50 City Cash - 20% Bonus
CityVilleAir - Goal Reward - 15% Bonus
But what do these bonuses do? Well, these passenger planes work in the opposite way of the Cargo planes, requiring you to spend Goods to send citizens on vacation to various destinations (Rome, New York, Berlin and more) and giving you different amounts of coins when they return. The bonus comes in the amount of coins you'll earn when a plane lands back in your airport.
One final terminal has yet to be released in the Airport as of this writing, but we'll make sure to let you know when that Vacation terminal finally does launch. Keep checking back with us!
[Via CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of the Airport Passenger Terminal? Will you use it more than the Cargo Terminal?
CityVille Passenger Planes Goals: Everything you need to know
If you've already started building the second terminal in your airport in CityVille - the Passenger Terminal - you might want to take a look at four new goals that have launched alongside this new feature. We're here with a complete guide on how to finish these four goals, allowing you to earn plenty of rewards along the way (including a great plane for your airport).
Passenger Planes!
Complete Passenger Terminal
Complete 2 Airport Terminal Extensions
Unload 15 Rome Airlines
For help on building your Passenger Terminal, check out our guide. Once you're done with the Passenger Terminal, you'll need to send planes to Rome 15 times; each plane takes a minute to return. When you finish this goal, you'll receive the CityVille Air plane, which offers a 15% bonus to the amount of profits you would have normally received from a basic plane.
Bring In Tourists!
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 1
Collect 25 Plane Tickets
Collect 20 Airplane Meals
Plane Tickets are earned at random from community buildings or by asking your friends to send them to you. Likewise, Airplane Meals can be earned from friends, but also drop at random from homes. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the Family Vacation decoration, which offers a 6% payout boost to surrounding homes and businesses.
Master Routes
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 2
Unload 50 Cargo Planes
Supply Businesses 50 Times
For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP and a Zoning Permit.
Unlock Souvenirs!
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 3
Collect from 7 Hotels
Become VIP in 5 Neighbors' Hotels
When you finish this final goal in the Passenger Planes series, you'll receive 5,000 coins and 5 energy. Arguably, the best part of this goal series is the CityVille Air plane, while the decoration is also an exclusive reward. Still, since those two items can be earned by completing just the first two goals in this series, you could always skip goals three and four if you so desired. That, of course, will be all up to you.
[Via CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of these Passenger Planes goals? Will you finish just enough to earn the exclusive rewards, or will you push through to the end of all four?
Passenger Planes!
Complete Passenger Terminal
Complete 2 Airport Terminal Extensions
Unload 15 Rome Airlines
For help on building your Passenger Terminal, check out our guide. Once you're done with the Passenger Terminal, you'll need to send planes to Rome 15 times; each plane takes a minute to return. When you finish this goal, you'll receive the CityVille Air plane, which offers a 15% bonus to the amount of profits you would have normally received from a basic plane.
Bring In Tourists!
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 1
Collect 25 Plane Tickets
Collect 20 Airplane Meals
Plane Tickets are earned at random from community buildings or by asking your friends to send them to you. Likewise, Airplane Meals can be earned from friends, but also drop at random from homes. For finishing this goal, you'll receive the Family Vacation decoration, which offers a 6% payout boost to surrounding homes and businesses.
Master Routes
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 2
Unload 50 Cargo Planes
Supply Businesses 50 Times
For finishing this goal, you'll receive 50 XP and a Zoning Permit.
Unlock Souvenirs!
Master Toronto Airlines to Level 3
Collect from 7 Hotels
Become VIP in 5 Neighbors' Hotels
When you finish this final goal in the Passenger Planes series, you'll receive 5,000 coins and 5 energy. Arguably, the best part of this goal series is the CityVille Air plane, while the decoration is also an exclusive reward. Still, since those two items can be earned by completing just the first two goals in this series, you could always skip goals three and four if you so desired. That, of course, will be all up to you.
[Via CityVille Wiki]
What do you think of these Passenger Planes goals? Will you finish just enough to earn the exclusive rewards, or will you push through to the end of all four?
Hidden Chronicles Teapot Tussle: Everything you need to know
A new limited edition event has launched in Hidden Chronicles this week, with Oliver finding an antique silver teapot, the ownership of which is in question. Oliver wants to own the teapot for himself, and needs your help in making that happen. There are three scenes to unlock via these Teapot Tussle quests, but only one scene is available as of this writing: Kids' Tea Party. We're here with a look at the quests that are available in this event so far, so let's get started.
Teapot Tussle 1 of 3:
Place a Decoration from the Silver Teapot set on your Estate
Get 3 Tea Cups
The Tea Cups come by way of individual requests sent to friends. A fairly cheap item in the Silver Teapot is the Teapot Topiary, which costs just 185 coins to purchase (it adds 18 Estate Points to your total, for the record). When you finish this quest, you'll receive two energy.
Teapot Tussle 2 of 3:
Have 1,500 coins
Play FastFind Once
Finishing this quest gives you 190 coins, 35 XP and two more energy.
Teapot Tussle 3 of 3:
Get 3 Tea Cups
Get 3 Grass Seeds
Get 2 Response Cards
You should already have the Tea Cups from the first quest, and shouldn't have to collect anymore. For the Grass Seeds, these are earned through a general news post placed on your wall. Finally, the Response Cards come from more individual requests sent to friends. For finishing this third Teapot Tussle quest, you'll finally unlock the first scene here: the Kids' Tea Party.
We'll make sure to update this space as more of the scenes and quests in this series launch, so keep checking back with us!
What do you think of this Teapot Tussle feature in Hidden Chronicles? Have you already unlocked the Kids' Tea Party scene, or are you just getting started on these quests now?
Teapot Tussle 1 of 3:
Place a Decoration from the Silver Teapot set on your Estate
Get 3 Tea Cups
The Tea Cups come by way of individual requests sent to friends. A fairly cheap item in the Silver Teapot is the Teapot Topiary, which costs just 185 coins to purchase (it adds 18 Estate Points to your total, for the record). When you finish this quest, you'll receive two energy.
Teapot Tussle 2 of 3:
Have 1,500 coins
Play FastFind Once
Finishing this quest gives you 190 coins, 35 XP and two more energy.
Teapot Tussle 3 of 3:
Get 3 Tea Cups
Get 3 Grass Seeds
Get 2 Response Cards
You should already have the Tea Cups from the first quest, and shouldn't have to collect anymore. For the Grass Seeds, these are earned through a general news post placed on your wall. Finally, the Response Cards come from more individual requests sent to friends. For finishing this third Teapot Tussle quest, you'll finally unlock the first scene here: the Kids' Tea Party.
We'll make sure to update this space as more of the scenes and quests in this series launch, so keep checking back with us!
What do you think of this Teapot Tussle feature in Hidden Chronicles? Have you already unlocked the Kids' Tea Party scene, or are you just getting started on these quests now?
Thứ Bảy, 3 tháng 3, 2012
Pioneer Trail survey reveals possible storylines involving... pirates?
Yes, you read that correctly - pirates. They may be coming to the Pioneer Trail in the future, if a recent fan survey (released by the big Z itself on the Pioneer Trail fan page) comes true. We've been given quite a few options to toss around in this new survey, but unfortunately, we're not told if these are story ideas that would pertain to Pioneer Trail itself (either the Homestead or actual Pioneer Trail portion of the game), or if this is just a general survey about future game ideas that Zynga is exploring. As it stands, no other fan page, as of this writing, has linked to the survey, which does give some weight to the former idea above.
As for this pirate story itself, we're told that we could "set sail for Booty Island," and play pirates with a full crew. We'll plunder ships and neighbors' islands, and can match up friends with others (this portion is lacking in fine details) for either love or "pirate mischief." If that isn't a wild enough storyline, then how about heading into space? In this storyline, we'd find ourselves crash-landing on an "uncharted planet," where we're forced to build a farm using alien plants or creatures (that is, instead of Cows or other traditional farm animals).
When it comes to this space storyline, I'm reminded of Astro Ranch on iPhone, which is a space-themed farming game allowing you to grow crops and livestock with the help of aliens. As we all know Zynga likes to cop---err, draw inspiration from other titles, could this be a definite game in Zynga's development cycle?
As with all things, we're left to speculate about which of these storylines/game ideas (or lack thereof) will actually come to light, but if you see something in the survey that you're more excited about than others, make sure to give it your vote. Who knows? Your vote could be the deciding factor between playing pirates and launching off into outer space, whether we do so with our Pioneer Trail characters, or in a whole new game.
What do you think of these new storyline ideas? Which ones did you vote for?
As for this pirate story itself, we're told that we could "set sail for Booty Island," and play pirates with a full crew. We'll plunder ships and neighbors' islands, and can match up friends with others (this portion is lacking in fine details) for either love or "pirate mischief." If that isn't a wild enough storyline, then how about heading into space? In this storyline, we'd find ourselves crash-landing on an "uncharted planet," where we're forced to build a farm using alien plants or creatures (that is, instead of Cows or other traditional farm animals).
When it comes to this space storyline, I'm reminded of Astro Ranch on iPhone, which is a space-themed farming game allowing you to grow crops and livestock with the help of aliens. As we all know Zynga likes to cop---err, draw inspiration from other titles, could this be a definite game in Zynga's development cycle?
As with all things, we're left to speculate about which of these storylines/game ideas (or lack thereof) will actually come to light, but if you see something in the survey that you're more excited about than others, make sure to give it your vote. Who knows? Your vote could be the deciding factor between playing pirates and launching off into outer space, whether we do so with our Pioneer Trail characters, or in a whole new game.
What do you think of these new storyline ideas? Which ones did you vote for?
Zynga hits Warstorm, three other games with the firey axe Sept. 30
A fiery axe laced with sadness and destruction, at that. Mafia Wars Maniac reports that Zynga, the creator of some of the most popular games on Facebook, will close Warstorm for good come Sept. 30 along with Scramble, Pathwords and Word Twist. In fact, Warstorm isn't even accepting new players anymore during its final breaths on Facebook. The news broke in a post by Warstorm forum moderator Cerulean Master, asking players to ring out Warstorm with a bang by sharing their memories.
Luckily, Cerulean also provided a FAQ to help us understand just what's up. The existing 11,126 (yikes!) daily Warstorm players can access the game right until it closes forever on Sept. 30, while new players simply won't be allowed. And for players who paid good money to enjoy their fantasy card battles, Zynga will transfer any virtual currency purchases made within the last 90 days to a game of their choice, and the company will add another 10 percent to that number.
Warstorm refugees will also be offered bonus packages for joining Zynga's better more popular games like CityVille, FarmVille and Empires & Allies. While this information pertains specifically to Warstorm, we imagine that players of Scramble, Word Twist and Pathwords will be offered the same treatment. (Zynga's forums are under maintenance as of this writing.)
Honestly, and no offense to you super fans out there, we can see why Zynga would close games that are dwarfed by its hits. (Not to mention that Words With Friends has become the defacto word game on Facebook.) This will be the second closure in just over a month. Near the end of August, Zynga closed the digital doors to Fashion Wars and two other games that were performing poorly. And not just poorly for a Zynga game--any Facebook game.
If anything, these closures will allow Zynga to focus more resources on making sure its flagship games continue to succeed and to make more money machines popular games. It's a shame to see these games go (I thought Warstorm was quite impressive, personally), but at least the company is providing players with options to stick around. Perhaps as Zynga trims the fat, we'll see even better games come from the international studio, like Adventure World.
Are you sad to see Warstorm and these other Zynga games go? Are you satisfied with how the company is addressing the time you spent in these games?
Luckily, Cerulean also provided a FAQ to help us understand just what's up. The existing 11,126 (yikes!) daily Warstorm players can access the game right until it closes forever on Sept. 30, while new players simply won't be allowed. And for players who paid good money to enjoy their fantasy card battles, Zynga will transfer any virtual currency purchases made within the last 90 days to a game of their choice, and the company will add another 10 percent to that number.
Warstorm refugees will also be offered bonus packages for joining Zynga's better more popular games like CityVille, FarmVille and Empires & Allies. While this information pertains specifically to Warstorm, we imagine that players of Scramble, Word Twist and Pathwords will be offered the same treatment. (Zynga's forums are under maintenance as of this writing.)
Honestly, and no offense to you super fans out there, we can see why Zynga would close games that are dwarfed by its hits. (Not to mention that Words With Friends has become the defacto word game on Facebook.) This will be the second closure in just over a month. Near the end of August, Zynga closed the digital doors to Fashion Wars and two other games that were performing poorly. And not just poorly for a Zynga game--any Facebook game.
If anything, these closures will allow Zynga to focus more resources on making sure its flagship games continue to succeed and to make more money machines popular games. It's a shame to see these games go (I thought Warstorm was quite impressive, personally), but at least the company is providing players with options to stick around. Perhaps as Zynga trims the fat, we'll see even better games come from the international studio, like Adventure World.
Are you sad to see Warstorm and these other Zynga games go? Are you satisfied with how the company is addressing the time you spent in these games?
Noah's Ark hits Port Facebook, social games go crazy for Christians
When Sean Ryan said that Christians were an untapped audience for Facebook games, developers listened. And thus, we have the third biblical Facebook game to hit in the past two months: Noah's Ark.
VentureBeat reports that Making Fun--News Corp's social gaming arm--and Detonator Games have officially released the game to Facebook. However, the FarmVille-meets-Genesis social game looks have hit the platform earlier in August, according to its fan page.
Noah's Ark is the second game launched by Making Fun since it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp last year, and looks to cater to a woefully untapped audience that happens to be one of Facebook's largest. The game tasks players with creating--you guessed it--a farm of sorts to attract new animals to Noah's build site. Then, players must build their own Ark to prepare for the imminent worldwide flood.
Of course, players are governed by Energy and can buy boosts and other items with Facebook Credits. Noah's Ark will also test your knowledge of the story through trivia questions provided by Zondervan, a Christian publisher and News Corp subsidiary. (Finally, that Catholic education comes in handy!) And regardless of whether the game takes off--it sits now at over 260,000 monthly players and is growing steadily--Making Fun is committed to releasing games regularly.
Noah's Ark gameplay
"It's part of our plan to bring new and different games to the market that no one else is doing," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "Our aim is to put out really high-quality titles in partnership with a variety of developers." Welch also said that the publisher will continue to release games through outside developers like Detonator Games, and that includes iPhone games, one of which will be a sports game.
Noah's Ark plays much like the FarmVilles and FrontierVilles of yore, but with a far smoother presentation and an interesting end goal: The Ark. As players gather new animals and materials, they will contribute to building the Ark throughout 10 stages. And there is an unbelievable amount of animals to collect across seven wildlife habitats. As players reach out beyond the limits of their small farmland, which is all visible on screen--but grayed out--they will learn how to attract new animals.
The game is a bit too biblically-charged for my tastes, and it doesn't do quite enough to differentiate itself from the "FarmVille meets the Bible" comparisons. Regardless, kudos to Making Fun and Detonator Games for exploring a relatively new subject matter in Facebook games. And considering 42 percent of Facebook users are Christian, the audience is certainly there.
Click here to play Noah's Ark on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this biblical Facebook game yet? What do you think of the influx of religious social games as of late?
VentureBeat reports that Making Fun--News Corp's social gaming arm--and Detonator Games have officially released the game to Facebook. However, the FarmVille-meets-Genesis social game looks have hit the platform earlier in August, according to its fan page.
Noah's Ark is the second game launched by Making Fun since it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp last year, and looks to cater to a woefully untapped audience that happens to be one of Facebook's largest. The game tasks players with creating--you guessed it--a farm of sorts to attract new animals to Noah's build site. Then, players must build their own Ark to prepare for the imminent worldwide flood.
Of course, players are governed by Energy and can buy boosts and other items with Facebook Credits. Noah's Ark will also test your knowledge of the story through trivia questions provided by Zondervan, a Christian publisher and News Corp subsidiary. (Finally, that Catholic education comes in handy!) And regardless of whether the game takes off--it sits now at over 260,000 monthly players and is growing steadily--Making Fun is committed to releasing games regularly.
Noah's Ark gameplay
"It's part of our plan to bring new and different games to the market that no one else is doing," Making Fun CEO John Welch told VentureBeat. "Our aim is to put out really high-quality titles in partnership with a variety of developers." Welch also said that the publisher will continue to release games through outside developers like Detonator Games, and that includes iPhone games, one of which will be a sports game.
Noah's Ark plays much like the FarmVilles and FrontierVilles of yore, but with a far smoother presentation and an interesting end goal: The Ark. As players gather new animals and materials, they will contribute to building the Ark throughout 10 stages. And there is an unbelievable amount of animals to collect across seven wildlife habitats. As players reach out beyond the limits of their small farmland, which is all visible on screen--but grayed out--they will learn how to attract new animals.
The game is a bit too biblically-charged for my tastes, and it doesn't do quite enough to differentiate itself from the "FarmVille meets the Bible" comparisons. Regardless, kudos to Making Fun and Detonator Games for exploring a relatively new subject matter in Facebook games. And considering 42 percent of Facebook users are Christian, the audience is certainly there.
Click here to play Noah's Ark on Facebook Now >
Have you tried this biblical Facebook game yet? What do you think of the influx of religious social games as of late?
Habbo Hotel maker names ex-Playdom exec CEO in social games push
You might have heard of the mega popular social network slash social game Habbo Hotel (pictured), but Finnish developer Sulake wants to turn "might" into "absolutely." The company just announced that it has hired former Playdom VP of global distribution Paul LaFontaine as CEO, Reuters reports. Sulake made the hire in an ambitious attempt to help the company break into the world of social gaming, and who would know the space better than a guy who was there from the beginning?
LaFontaine, who was largely responsible for publishing Playdom's--now owned by entertainment behemoth Disney--games will replace Timo Soininen as CEO of Sulake. "We have been turning that direction for two years and are now accelerating it with this new CEO," Sulake chairman Mika Salmi told Reuters.
Habbo Hotel, for the uninformed, is a social network-meets-social game in which about 10 million monthly visitors interact in a world designed to hearken back to the good old days of 8-bit gaming. Players create their own rooms in collective hotels normally restricted to countries of origin or native language, and play mini games, decorate and share gifts with other hotel denizens. Of course, like any social game, players can buy premium items using real money.
Judging from the fact that prospective players can already connect to Habbo Hotel through Facebook Connect, and that Sulake has made their interest in traditional social games clear, Sulake making games for Facebook is certainly a possibility. Alright, with the crazy money everyone seems to be raking in on Facebook, this is most likely exactly where the company is headed. And LaFontaine will lead the charge--watch out, Zynga and EA, Habbo is looking hinder your hottest games.
Have you ever played Habbo Hotel before--what do you think of it? Do you think Sulake and Habbo Hotel will make waves in the Facebook gaming world with LaFontaine?
LaFontaine, who was largely responsible for publishing Playdom's--now owned by entertainment behemoth Disney--games will replace Timo Soininen as CEO of Sulake. "We have been turning that direction for two years and are now accelerating it with this new CEO," Sulake chairman Mika Salmi told Reuters.
Habbo Hotel, for the uninformed, is a social network-meets-social game in which about 10 million monthly visitors interact in a world designed to hearken back to the good old days of 8-bit gaming. Players create their own rooms in collective hotels normally restricted to countries of origin or native language, and play mini games, decorate and share gifts with other hotel denizens. Of course, like any social game, players can buy premium items using real money.
Judging from the fact that prospective players can already connect to Habbo Hotel through Facebook Connect, and that Sulake has made their interest in traditional social games clear, Sulake making games for Facebook is certainly a possibility. Alright, with the crazy money everyone seems to be raking in on Facebook, this is most likely exactly where the company is headed. And LaFontaine will lead the charge--watch out, Zynga and EA, Habbo is looking hinder your hottest games.
Have you ever played Habbo Hotel before--what do you think of it? Do you think Sulake and Habbo Hotel will make waves in the Facebook gaming world with LaFontaine?
Amazon gets serious about social games, calls out for developers
The Facebook gaming arena is about to welcome a new gladiator: Amazon. The household name of online retailers (and e-readers) is officially pulling out all the stops for its inevitable entrance into the space, openly and internally calling out for a team of designers and developers.
Since taking on veteran tabletop RPG (roleplaying game) designer Jonathan Tweet for a mysterious project, Reuters reports that signs have appeared in the kitchen of Amazon's Seattle campus that unveil a "Social Games Group." A poster in the kitchen area of the office reads, "The Group is growing fast! We're actively looking," according to Reuters.
It seems that Amazon is primarily looking for software engineers and Flash developers, most likely referring to Adobe Flash, the software through which almost all Facebook games are created. Amazon has reportedly been eying up social gaming since May of this year, calling out for senior level game designers.
Since Amazon hired Tweet for a mysterious project, that's all we knew about the upcoming social games effort from the company. Unfortunately, we still know very little, which leaves us with wild speculation (how lovely). While Amazon is looking strictly for software engineers and Flash developers, we have a feeling this project will be much larger than just pumping out a few games.
Amazon didn't become one of the largest Internet companies in the world without thinking big, so who's to say the company doesn't have equally lofty ambitions for its social gaming efforts? I mean, this is a company has enjoyed success and ubiquity that even the biggest name in social gaming aspires to. That said, it's entirely possible that Amazon looks to create a platform of its very own, complete with games developed in house. Call that an educated guess, or my wild dreams of slaying dragons attached to awesome deals on otherwise pricey cell phone cases and magazine subscriptions.
[Image Credit: Slacktory]
Are you excited to hear what Amazon is up to in social games? Do you think the company is working on its own platform to compete with Facebook and Google+, or just some good old games?
Since taking on veteran tabletop RPG (roleplaying game) designer Jonathan Tweet for a mysterious project, Reuters reports that signs have appeared in the kitchen of Amazon's Seattle campus that unveil a "Social Games Group." A poster in the kitchen area of the office reads, "The Group is growing fast! We're actively looking," according to Reuters.
It seems that Amazon is primarily looking for software engineers and Flash developers, most likely referring to Adobe Flash, the software through which almost all Facebook games are created. Amazon has reportedly been eying up social gaming since May of this year, calling out for senior level game designers.
Since Amazon hired Tweet for a mysterious project, that's all we knew about the upcoming social games effort from the company. Unfortunately, we still know very little, which leaves us with wild speculation (how lovely). While Amazon is looking strictly for software engineers and Flash developers, we have a feeling this project will be much larger than just pumping out a few games.
Amazon didn't become one of the largest Internet companies in the world without thinking big, so who's to say the company doesn't have equally lofty ambitions for its social gaming efforts? I mean, this is a company has enjoyed success and ubiquity that even the biggest name in social gaming aspires to. That said, it's entirely possible that Amazon looks to create a platform of its very own, complete with games developed in house. Call that an educated guess, or my wild dreams of slaying dragons attached to awesome deals on otherwise pricey cell phone cases and magazine subscriptions.
[Image Credit: Slacktory]
Are you excited to hear what Amazon is up to in social games? Do you think the company is working on its own platform to compete with Facebook and Google+, or just some good old games?
Vostu snags MP Game Studio, access to brands like Coca-Cola with it
Perhaps Vostu's sticky legal dispute with Zynga isn't so bad, after all. The Brazilian social game creator announced that it has acquired Buenos Aires, Argentina-based MP Game Studio for an undisclosed amount. MP Games has created social games for major (like, huge) brands including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Microsoft and National Geographic.
As part of the deal, MP Game Studio will become fully integrated into Vostu, with its employees to relocate to the new Vostu headquarters that just so happens to be located in Buenos Aires, too. And Vostu will hit the ground running with this buyout, expecting to release its first game from the deal over the next few weeks.
"Vostu is committed to creating entertaining social games for our growing user base of over 42 million registered users," Vostu COO Matias Recchia said in a release. "MP has been on the cutting edge of development of online games, working with the most well-known well respected companies and brands and we are excited to add them to our team of more than 550 dedicated, talented and passionate programmers, game designers and artists."
If you hadn't noticed, Vostu is pretty darn excited about not only the talent in MP, but the brands it works with. While it's certainly not our wildest guess, we're confident that Vostu will get into branded social games, thanks to this acquisition. Now, if Vostu has access to that particularly lucrative Coca-Cola license, can we finally get game with those adorable polar bears on Facebook?
Do you think this buyout will help Vostu compete even better in the global big leagues of social games? What brands do you hope Vostu takes advantage of as part of this purchase?
As part of the deal, MP Game Studio will become fully integrated into Vostu, with its employees to relocate to the new Vostu headquarters that just so happens to be located in Buenos Aires, too. And Vostu will hit the ground running with this buyout, expecting to release its first game from the deal over the next few weeks.
"Vostu is committed to creating entertaining social games for our growing user base of over 42 million registered users," Vostu COO Matias Recchia said in a release. "MP has been on the cutting edge of development of online games, working with the most well-known well respected companies and brands and we are excited to add them to our team of more than 550 dedicated, talented and passionate programmers, game designers and artists."
If you hadn't noticed, Vostu is pretty darn excited about not only the talent in MP, but the brands it works with. While it's certainly not our wildest guess, we're confident that Vostu will get into branded social games, thanks to this acquisition. Now, if Vostu has access to that particularly lucrative Coca-Cola license, can we finally get game with those adorable polar bears on Facebook?
Do you think this buyout will help Vostu compete even better in the global big leagues of social games? What brands do you hope Vostu takes advantage of as part of this purchase?
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