"Using Farmville as an example, I only needed to play it for a couple of hours to realise how closely it's modelled on an MMO framework. Everything from the grinding 'quests' and achievements system, through to peer competitiveness and in-world currency. The trouble is, Farmville doesn't quite have the thrill factor of a hard core MMO. It's not a fair comparison, but the point is that it's hard for Farmville to keep innovating so that the endless tasks don't seem frustrating or even pointless.
I've spent many an hour doing pointless / frustrating things in World of Warcraft for example – but it didn't seem that way as there was always an enticing goal at the end of it. Sure, Farmville offers bigger an better houses / sheds / farming equipment but it wears thin pretty quickly. The challenge for social virtual worlds, like gaming more broadly, is keeping it interesting, and it seems there's still some work to do. There's also the issue these social worlds aren't truly socially interactive: when my avatar can chat and farm with my neighbour, then I'm starting to get interested again."
- The Metaverse Journal Blogger Lowell Cremorne discusses one of three reasons social games don't interest him as much as traditional massively-multiplayer games
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Showing posts with label farmville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label farmville. Show all posts
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Social Game Fads: Enough with the cute lost animals already!
Social Game Fads is a new series where we take a look at some of the unoriginal game mechanics that are being reused over and over again in our favorite Facebook games. Are you getting bored of the same ole' thing? We are too, and we're exposing some of the copycats who are to blame.
Just about every game on Facebook does this, regardless if it's an animal game or not. "Oh no! This adorable little baby sad crying animal has been abandoned on your farm/zoo/island and needs your friend's help in order to rescue it!". Whether your play Facebook goes or not, you've seen this. The animals started out looking like regular animals, and over time the eyes have gotten bigger and bigger, the baby animals are getting cuter and cuter, and they're all looking sadder and sadder.
In this mechanic, the game will tell you that a lost/hurt/abandoned/wandering animal has appeared and you need to ask friends to rescue her. When friends click on the wall post that you make, they will get to claim the pet. Basically, the player gets nothing out of this except the gratification of 'saving' this poor adorable little critter and the feeling of helping their friends get a new animal. It seems like animals are constantly finding themselves lost and in trouble and in need of your help. Where do they come from?
In fact, Zoo World is built almost entirely on this concept. Animals are always appearing on your zoo and in need of rescue, and there is even a reward for having tons of people rescue your animal. Virtually every game is to blame for pulling on our heart strings and using the power of adorable sad animals to get us to post to our wall.
Do you post every sad animal you see to your wall? Do you like saving animals, or are you sick of this in Facebook games?
Gallery: Save The Lost Animals
Just about every game on Facebook does this, regardless if it's an animal game or not. "Oh no! This adorable little baby sad crying animal has been abandoned on your farm/zoo/island and needs your friend's help in order to rescue it!". Whether your play Facebook goes or not, you've seen this. The animals started out looking like regular animals, and over time the eyes have gotten bigger and bigger, the baby animals are getting cuter and cuter, and they're all looking sadder and sadder.
In this mechanic, the game will tell you that a lost/hurt/abandoned/wandering animal has appeared and you need to ask friends to rescue her. When friends click on the wall post that you make, they will get to claim the pet. Basically, the player gets nothing out of this except the gratification of 'saving' this poor adorable little critter and the feeling of helping their friends get a new animal. It seems like animals are constantly finding themselves lost and in trouble and in need of your help. Where do they come from?
In fact, Zoo World is built almost entirely on this concept. Animals are always appearing on your zoo and in need of rescue, and there is even a reward for having tons of people rescue your animal. Virtually every game is to blame for pulling on our heart strings and using the power of adorable sad animals to get us to post to our wall.
Do you post every sad animal you see to your wall? Do you like saving animals, or are you sick of this in Facebook games?
Gallery: Save The Lost Animals
Sunday, February 5, 2012
FarmVille: Send one billion gifts and Zynga will donate another $100k to Haiti
In just four days, FarmVille's School of Choice campaign for Haiti has reached its goal of 400 million virtual gifts exchanged. These gifts were part of a Limited Edition collections feature, where no purchases were required. By simply playing FarmVille, players were able to contribute. Zynga will now fulfill its promise to send $100,000 USD to "L' Ecole de Choix", a new K-12 school and community center that they're building in Mirebalis, Haiti. Additional funding will also be provided from sales of the virtual Sweet Beets; plus, Facebook is willing to give up their earnings from those sales as well, and as you can see in the above image, the total of player donations has risen to $561,461 USD.
FarmVille The School of Choice Haiti donation reaches 40 million
Now Zynga has set a new benchmark -- if players reach the exchange of 1 billion virtual gifts, then Zynga will sent another $100,000 USD to the school.
FarmVille The School of Choice Haiti donation reaches 40 million
Now Zynga has set a new benchmark -- if players reach the exchange of 1 billion virtual gifts, then Zynga will sent another $100,000 USD to the school.
FarmVille fan site drama! FVFan takes on FarmVille Feed
Running and hosting a fan site dedicated to a favorite game can be a lot of fun, but when the game in question is one as popular as FarmVille, situations can escalate quickly. Like when FVFan.com owner Kendall wrote a post today in response to what he says are personal attacks from Dan Farthing, owner of FarmVilleFeed.com.
Within the post, Kendall explains his reasons for leaving FarmVille Feed (emphasized later as FarmvilleFEEEd, for whatever reason) and later starting FVFan, most importantly Farthing's constant pleas for donation money to keep the site running. Kendall, "called him out on making donation threads" and was banned from posting to the site. Since he began his one-man show, Kendall claims that Farthing has threatened him with attempts to take down FVFan for using images that were also found on FarmVille Feed.
"A little lesson in copyright law, he doesn't own any images that he publishes," Kendall said. "Zynga owns them all. He can put his little FarmvilleFEEEd [watermark] all over them, but Zynga owns the images."
Since that rebuttal, the FVFan owner claims that it hasn't stopped, "SOMEONE from making fake account[s] up and saying HORRIBLE things..."
Kendall's next step? Considering his legal options (yikes!). Geez, can't we FarmVille fanboys just get along?
Within the post, Kendall explains his reasons for leaving FarmVille Feed (emphasized later as FarmvilleFEEEd, for whatever reason) and later starting FVFan, most importantly Farthing's constant pleas for donation money to keep the site running. Kendall, "called him out on making donation threads" and was banned from posting to the site. Since he began his one-man show, Kendall claims that Farthing has threatened him with attempts to take down FVFan for using images that were also found on FarmVille Feed.
"A little lesson in copyright law, he doesn't own any images that he publishes," Kendall said. "Zynga owns them all. He can put his little FarmvilleFEEEd [watermark] all over them, but Zynga owns the images."
Since that rebuttal, the FVFan owner claims that it hasn't stopped, "SOMEONE from making fake account[s] up and saying HORRIBLE things..."
Kendall's next step? Considering his legal options (yikes!). Geez, can't we FarmVille fanboys just get along?
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Earn 2 free FarmVille Farm Cash from Best Buy promotion
Along with the Office for Mac promotion now available in FarmVille (your mileage may vary), all users can now get their hands on an extra 2 Farm Cash, absolutely free, just for taking part in the new Best Buy holiday shopping survey.
As usual, this cross-promotion activity can be found underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. You'll click on the "Sponsored Link" window, as seen at right, and will then be shown a new window, where you'll answer a series of survey questions about holiday shopping and deals on various electronics. At the end of the two question survey, you'll receive your two free Farm Cash.
Reload your game, and you should see your virtual wallet increase by two. If you are one of the lucky farmers that play FarmVille on a Mac, as mentioned in the last promotion, this could mean a possible 4 free Farm Cash overall, for little more than a few minutes of your time.
As usual, this cross-promotion activity can be found underneath the FarmVille gameplay area. You'll click on the "Sponsored Link" window, as seen at right, and will then be shown a new window, where you'll answer a series of survey questions about holiday shopping and deals on various electronics. At the end of the two question survey, you'll receive your two free Farm Cash.
Reload your game, and you should see your virtual wallet increase by two. If you are one of the lucky farmers that play FarmVille on a Mac, as mentioned in the last promotion, this could mean a possible 4 free Farm Cash overall, for little more than a few minutes of your time.
FarmVille Fun House: Everything you need to know
For the past week, we've known that a Fun House would soon be coming to FarmVille, and we've been speculating for some time as to what the item would actually do.
Tonight we find that out, as the frame for the Fun House is now available to purchase from the store. Meet us behind the break for a full look at how you can make your own Fun House on your farm.
The Fun House frame can be purchased from the store's Buildings tab for 5,000 coins. The base is quite large, so you might have to move some things.
From there, you'll be able to build the Fun House by collecting the three major building ingredients: 18 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. To be clear, if you click on the "What is this?" button on the Fun House in the market, you are told that the building only requires 10 of each item, but as we can clearly see below, the requirement is 18.
You'll start out with just one ingredient as a boost to get you going, and can then click on the "Ask for More" button associated with each item to be sent to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can send a request to your individual FarmVille friends, in the hopes that they will answer your call for help and send you the item you need. Remember, this only allows you to send requests to those who have that particular ingredient available to send in the first place, so don't worry about not getting what you want.
As usual, if at any time you'd like to stop waiting for your friends to send you items, you can purchase the rest of the required ingredients for 1 Farm Cash each. That's 53 Farm Cash in all, if you chose to only go that route.
Once completed, the Fun House will add a ...unique decorative touch to your farm, but as of this writing, it unfortunately doesn't serve any other purpose rather than being a decoration.
All told, with the recent release of the Turkey Roost, and the release of Orchards, many users already had one or two items on their "To-Build" lists. With the Fun House only making that list longer, it's not surprising why some users are already lashing out at Zynga for making a building that requires so many ingredients, yet serves no purpose.
Either way, if you're the type that simply can't let a building pass you by unfinished, or perhaps you simply really like the look of the completed building, you'll want to make sure to start building the Fun House now, as it will only be available until the end of the game's Country Fair celebration - just 17 days.
With the FarmVille Fun House already causing a bit of a controversy among users, we'd love to hear your opinions on the item. Will you take the time to build the Fun House, or will you save your building ingredients for the Turkey Roost or extra Orchards?
Tonight we find that out, as the frame for the Fun House is now available to purchase from the store. Meet us behind the break for a full look at how you can make your own Fun House on your farm.
The Fun House frame can be purchased from the store's Buildings tab for 5,000 coins. The base is quite large, so you might have to move some things.
From there, you'll be able to build the Fun House by collecting the three major building ingredients: 18 each of Wooden Boards, Nails, and Bricks. To be clear, if you click on the "What is this?" button on the Fun House in the market, you are told that the building only requires 10 of each item, but as we can clearly see below, the requirement is 18.
You'll start out with just one ingredient as a boost to get you going, and can then click on the "Ask for More" button associated with each item to be sent to a reverse of the game's free gifts page, where you can send a request to your individual FarmVille friends, in the hopes that they will answer your call for help and send you the item you need. Remember, this only allows you to send requests to those who have that particular ingredient available to send in the first place, so don't worry about not getting what you want.
As usual, if at any time you'd like to stop waiting for your friends to send you items, you can purchase the rest of the required ingredients for 1 Farm Cash each. That's 53 Farm Cash in all, if you chose to only go that route.
Once completed, the Fun House will add a ...unique decorative touch to your farm, but as of this writing, it unfortunately doesn't serve any other purpose rather than being a decoration.
All told, with the recent release of the Turkey Roost, and the release of Orchards, many users already had one or two items on their "To-Build" lists. With the Fun House only making that list longer, it's not surprising why some users are already lashing out at Zynga for making a building that requires so many ingredients, yet serves no purpose.
Either way, if you're the type that simply can't let a building pass you by unfinished, or perhaps you simply really like the look of the completed building, you'll want to make sure to start building the Fun House now, as it will only be available until the end of the game's Country Fair celebration - just 17 days.
With the FarmVille Fun House already causing a bit of a controversy among users, we'd love to hear your opinions on the item. Will you take the time to build the Fun House, or will you save your building ingredients for the Turkey Roost or extra Orchards?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FarmVille Holiday Tree looks to be returning for 2010
During the Winter Holiday event in 2009, FarmVille players were able to build and expand their very own Holiday Tree in a collection event with friends that saw users passing around wrapped Christmas presents through free gift requests and wall posts. Only once the holidays actually hit did those presents become available for unwrapping, and they account for the many Reindeer, Ornaments, Snowflakes and other decorations that you might have noticed on your veteran friends' farms - those items that aren't available in the store currently.
With the winter holiday season now firmly in place, the question becomes whether or not we'll see a new Holiday Tree released in the game, or whether the tree from 2009 will be making a return. We can now make a pretty strong guess that the latter is indeed the case, as something very interesting has happened to the Holiday 2009 trees that are still on users' farms.
Regardless of how much progress you made on your tree last year (that is, whether or not you reached the 100 present limit), all of that progress has been erased, and removed from the tree, reverting it back to its original state (that being the tree image in this post). Hovering over the tree still shows your present progress from last year (in my case "0/100 Presents Inside"), but the tree is simply tiny.
As of this writing, the tree is unable to buy in the store, if you're a new player who doesn't yet have one, and there are no gifts to be found to send on the free gifts page. So for now, this all seems to just be a preliminary step by Zynga to prepare the game for the "re-release" of the tree, so that all users are on an even footing.
We'll be sure to let you know when the Holiday Tree 2010 collection event starts in the game, so keep checking back with us for more.
UPDATE: After reporting on this development yesterday, we've heard reports, and have witnessed personally, the Holiday Trees from 2009 going through seemingly random bouts of being complete, and being small (as in the picture above). We'll be sure to let you know when there is a definitive answer to this conundrum, so keep checking back.
With the winter holiday season now firmly in place, the question becomes whether or not we'll see a new Holiday Tree released in the game, or whether the tree from 2009 will be making a return. We can now make a pretty strong guess that the latter is indeed the case, as something very interesting has happened to the Holiday 2009 trees that are still on users' farms.
Regardless of how much progress you made on your tree last year (that is, whether or not you reached the 100 present limit), all of that progress has been erased, and removed from the tree, reverting it back to its original state (that being the tree image in this post). Hovering over the tree still shows your present progress from last year (in my case "0/100 Presents Inside"), but the tree is simply tiny.
As of this writing, the tree is unable to buy in the store, if you're a new player who doesn't yet have one, and there are no gifts to be found to send on the free gifts page. So for now, this all seems to just be a preliminary step by Zynga to prepare the game for the "re-release" of the tree, so that all users are on an even footing.
We'll be sure to let you know when the Holiday Tree 2010 collection event starts in the game, so keep checking back with us for more.
UPDATE: After reporting on this development yesterday, we've heard reports, and have witnessed personally, the Holiday Trees from 2009 going through seemingly random bouts of being complete, and being small (as in the picture above). We'll be sure to let you know when there is a definitive answer to this conundrum, so keep checking back.
Friday, January 13, 2012
CityVille blasts past FrontierVille with 47.9 million players, could outgrow FarmVille in days
CityVille, for all intents and purposes, is the new ish on Facebook. It's been reported by AppData and VentureBeat that the game, after grabbing a massive 47.9 million monthly players in just 18 days, could easily soar high above FarmVille in days. Think about it: the game made mincemeat of FrontierVille's 30.9 million with ease. With the farming sim sitting at 56.3 million players after a significant drop from its peak of over 80 million players earlier this year, Zynga is apparently in competition with itself. Now that FarmVille is frighteningly close to being finally dethroned, we ask, "Could anyone else have done it but Zynga?"
Probably not.
While we've already explored what might have contributed to the insanely rapid growth of the city-growing sim, it's about time we ask another question: What could this mean for FrontierVille and FarmVille? First off, they won't be going anywhere soon. But they could very well become less profitable over time, with fewer items asking for paid currency and inversely more items that cost City Cash popping up in CityVille. We doubt Zynga's focus would shift too dramatically from game to game--heck, the company is still trying to get Warstorm off the ground--but anything is possible. Here's one last question: Can CityVille return Zynga to its former glory of raking in over 80 million souls players in a single game? Stay tuned to see if CityVille trumps the farm in time for Christmas.
Probably not.
While we've already explored what might have contributed to the insanely rapid growth of the city-growing sim, it's about time we ask another question: What could this mean for FrontierVille and FarmVille? First off, they won't be going anywhere soon. But they could very well become less profitable over time, with fewer items asking for paid currency and inversely more items that cost City Cash popping up in CityVille. We doubt Zynga's focus would shift too dramatically from game to game--heck, the company is still trying to get Warstorm off the ground--but anything is possible. Here's one last question: Can CityVille return Zynga to its former glory of raking in over 80 million souls players in a single game? Stay tuned to see if CityVille trumps the farm in time for Christmas.
FarmVille Silly Bandz Sponsored Link offers 25 Farm Cash
You could call the two mirrors, FarmVille and SillyBandz. One is a money-sucking phenomenon in the real world while the other serves that exact purpose in the digital world. So, it's only fitting that Zynga puts out a Sponsored Link to help merge the two wallet-incinerating hobbies. Though, this promotion goes one interesting step further.
Clicking on this Sponsored Link below your FarmVille game will take you to a purchase link to the SillyBandz website. Clicking on "Place Order Now" will redirect you to where you can buy FarmVille-inspired SillyBandz. However, to get the 25 Farm Cash you'll have to spend $8 on the mysterious wrist bands that somehow maintain their shape. In the special FarmVille pack of SillyBandz for $5.95, you'll find cows, tractors and even everyone's favorite sheep. While it's not free Farm Cash, at least you're getting it for less than paying directly and something tangible along with the 25 smackers to boot. And remember: only trust FarmVille Sponsored Links for ways to get free or discounted Farm Cash.
Clicking on this Sponsored Link below your FarmVille game will take you to a purchase link to the SillyBandz website. Clicking on "Place Order Now" will redirect you to where you can buy FarmVille-inspired SillyBandz. However, to get the 25 Farm Cash you'll have to spend $8 on the mysterious wrist bands that somehow maintain their shape. In the special FarmVille pack of SillyBandz for $5.95, you'll find cows, tractors and even everyone's favorite sheep. While it's not free Farm Cash, at least you're getting it for less than paying directly and something tangible along with the 25 smackers to boot. And remember: only trust FarmVille Sponsored Links for ways to get free or discounted Farm Cash.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
FarmVille Sneak Peek: RewardVille items unearthed from the farm
RewardVille Rewards FarmVille
It looks like RewardVille is slowly being made available to players (finally), because FarmVille Freak has uncovered a long list of rewards that FarmVille players can enjoy by increasing their zLevel through the new RewardVille program. Some of the items are brand new, others revisit previous themes and some are just plain useful. The items below are mostly decoration, but the Lychee Tree makes a return for those who missed out before.
Mt. Duckmore: 72 zCoins
Blue Birdhouse: 58 zCoins
Lychee Tree: 48 zCoins
Matterhorn: 96 zCoins
Stagecoach: 80 zCoins
Adobe Cottage: 77 zCoins
Horse Post: 80 zCoins
Porch Home: 120
FarmVille RewardVille rewards
This second set of items contains several more buildings, but also a set of 50 Fuel Tanks is available to get some better use from your zCoins.
Bamboo Bridge: 100 zCoins
Fire Station: 110 zCoins
Large Fuel: 130 zCoins
Covered Bridge: 120 zCoins
Lighthouse: 120 zCoins
Curiosity Shop: 140 zCoins
Coastal Hideaway: 150 zCoins
Tree Mansion: 200 zCoins
As you might be able to tell in these screen shots, there will be at least a zLevel cap of 70 to start. It's unsure when the RewardVille program will be available to all farmers, but as soon as we get access you'll be the first to know.
It looks like RewardVille is slowly being made available to players (finally), because FarmVille Freak has uncovered a long list of rewards that FarmVille players can enjoy by increasing their zLevel through the new RewardVille program. Some of the items are brand new, others revisit previous themes and some are just plain useful. The items below are mostly decoration, but the Lychee Tree makes a return for those who missed out before.
Mt. Duckmore: 72 zCoins
Blue Birdhouse: 58 zCoins
Lychee Tree: 48 zCoins
Matterhorn: 96 zCoins
Stagecoach: 80 zCoins
Adobe Cottage: 77 zCoins
Horse Post: 80 zCoins
Porch Home: 120
FarmVille RewardVille rewards
This second set of items contains several more buildings, but also a set of 50 Fuel Tanks is available to get some better use from your zCoins.
Bamboo Bridge: 100 zCoins
Fire Station: 110 zCoins
Large Fuel: 130 zCoins
Covered Bridge: 120 zCoins
Lighthouse: 120 zCoins
Curiosity Shop: 140 zCoins
Coastal Hideaway: 150 zCoins
Tree Mansion: 200 zCoins
As you might be able to tell in these screen shots, there will be at least a zLevel cap of 70 to start. It's unsure when the RewardVille program will be available to all farmers, but as soon as we get access you'll be the first to know.
FarmVille Sneak Peek: Valentine's Day items in the market
Recently, we started bring you a few Sneak Peeks of items that we think will be coming to FarmVille in the near future, as part of the game's upcoming Valentine's Day theme. Turns out that most of our assumptions were correct, as today FarmVille Pro has stumbled upon some Market Screenshots of these unreleased items, as they will appear in the market, including suspected prices and experience point rewards for purchasing them.
There are items of all kinds being shown off here, including animals, buildings, decorations, and even a couple of trees and a limited edition crop. It appears that there will also be something available for every budget, to make sure there will be plenty of "love" to go around in the game.
Meet us behind the break for a look at these new items.
The items are as follows, and they will apparently be released either on January 24, or before then:
Valentine Cow - 24 Farm Cash
Valentine Duck - 16 Farm Cash
Valentine House - 20 Farm Cash
Cupid Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Heart Fence - 10,000 coins per single piece of fencing
Love Arch - 22,000 coins
Rose Bush - 1,200 coins
Swan Fountain - 20 Farm Cash
Giant bubblegum (tree?)- 30 Farm Cash
Pink Bubblegum Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Fire and Ice Roses (Crop) - 100 coins to plant / sells for 190 coins in 8 hours
We know that this won't be the entire selection of Valentine's Day items in the game, since the recent Valentine's Day Showcase video included at least a Gazebo and Sheep that haven't been included in this leaked market preview. These items may never be released in the store, however, and may launch instead through an updated Mystery Game, or even as free gifts. Hopefully, there are at least twice as many items as those listed here - and that hope comes from me - I just love all things pink!
Remember, these are preview images only and the prices and other statistics for these items may change before they are released in full.
There are items of all kinds being shown off here, including animals, buildings, decorations, and even a couple of trees and a limited edition crop. It appears that there will also be something available for every budget, to make sure there will be plenty of "love" to go around in the game.
Meet us behind the break for a look at these new items.
The items are as follows, and they will apparently be released either on January 24, or before then:
Valentine Cow - 24 Farm Cash
Valentine Duck - 16 Farm Cash
Valentine House - 20 Farm Cash
Cupid Gnome - 18 Farm Cash
Heart Fence - 10,000 coins per single piece of fencing
Love Arch - 22,000 coins
Rose Bush - 1,200 coins
Swan Fountain - 20 Farm Cash
Giant bubblegum (tree?)- 30 Farm Cash
Pink Bubblegum Tree - 5 Farm Cash
Fire and Ice Roses (Crop) - 100 coins to plant / sells for 190 coins in 8 hours
We know that this won't be the entire selection of Valentine's Day items in the game, since the recent Valentine's Day Showcase video included at least a Gazebo and Sheep that haven't been included in this leaked market preview. These items may never be released in the store, however, and may launch instead through an updated Mystery Game, or even as free gifts. Hopefully, there are at least twice as many items as those listed here - and that hope comes from me - I just love all things pink!
Remember, these are preview images only and the prices and other statistics for these items may change before they are released in full.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Husband of 20 years is 'Fed Up with a FarmVille Fanatic'
Social games can get pretty romantic, help you find true love, and embolden people into forming relationships. Moreover, our partner site FarmVilleFreak.com, is run by the lovely couple Angela & Michael Morales. But one man (who's probably had a terrible Valentine's Day) is learning what's it like to be married to a FarmVille addict. Yesterday, 'Fed Up with a Farmville Fanatic' sought advice from the Annie's Mailbox advice column for help with his wife's ceaseless FarmVille gaming.
His letter started off innocently enough, where his wife would choose to go online instead spending her usual evenings with him or the television. Later on, it gets worse, where 'Fed Up' claims that their "house is a disaster", his wife is too distracted to help out with chores, and he has taken matters into his own hands to get the game to stop working on his wife's computer. But instead of using the downtime as an excuse to stop playing, his wife used every means to get the game running again. The one line that indicates that his wife may have a problem is that "In a single day, she spent eight hours on this site. I've caught her online at 3 a.m."
I have to wonder if 'Fed Up' has ever considered playing FarmVille with his wife. Or jokingly ask him if she's demanded an Unwither Ring yet. He seems to be dealing with this problem rather passive-aggressively, and frankly, his wife just sounds bored of their routine. On top of that, Fed Up's secret sabotage attempts to "monitor, limit or block access" on her computer comes off as creepily excessive, when you consider the fact that she's an adult. There seems to be a lot more going on here than what we can see. After two decades of marriage, you'd think that he can talk something out. But we're also aware of how real addiction can be, and it's not just a problem with social games either, as Annie helpfully responds:
Dear Fed Up: These online games encourage constant participation, and many provide virtual social communities. Your wife fears that if she stops playing for an extended period, she will lose out. She doesn't realize that she is already losing out - with you. Like any addiction, your wife may need professional help to stop. In the meantime, insist that she shut off the computer at a specified time each day. Plan dates that will interest her enough to get out of the house. She needs to get back into the real world.
So what do you guys think is going on here? Did the husband cross the line with his admittedly "clandestine" monitoring? Is the wife addicted, or for the more imaginative of you out there, do you think she's using her addiction as an excuse to do other things online?
His letter started off innocently enough, where his wife would choose to go online instead spending her usual evenings with him or the television. Later on, it gets worse, where 'Fed Up' claims that their "house is a disaster", his wife is too distracted to help out with chores, and he has taken matters into his own hands to get the game to stop working on his wife's computer. But instead of using the downtime as an excuse to stop playing, his wife used every means to get the game running again. The one line that indicates that his wife may have a problem is that "In a single day, she spent eight hours on this site. I've caught her online at 3 a.m."
I have to wonder if 'Fed Up' has ever considered playing FarmVille with his wife. Or jokingly ask him if she's demanded an Unwither Ring yet. He seems to be dealing with this problem rather passive-aggressively, and frankly, his wife just sounds bored of their routine. On top of that, Fed Up's secret sabotage attempts to "monitor, limit or block access" on her computer comes off as creepily excessive, when you consider the fact that she's an adult. There seems to be a lot more going on here than what we can see. After two decades of marriage, you'd think that he can talk something out. But we're also aware of how real addiction can be, and it's not just a problem with social games either, as Annie helpfully responds:
Dear Fed Up: These online games encourage constant participation, and many provide virtual social communities. Your wife fears that if she stops playing for an extended period, she will lose out. She doesn't realize that she is already losing out - with you. Like any addiction, your wife may need professional help to stop. In the meantime, insist that she shut off the computer at a specified time each day. Plan dates that will interest her enough to get out of the house. She needs to get back into the real world.
So what do you guys think is going on here? Did the husband cross the line with his admittedly "clandestine" monitoring? Is the wife addicted, or for the more imaginative of you out there, do you think she's using her addiction as an excuse to do other things online?
FarmVille: Could the English Countryside launch at the beginning of March?
While browsing the FarmVille forums this afternoon, I came across a new post from Community Manager "Stumpgrinder" that caught my attention. The thread is called "FarmVille English Countryside Questions," and it asks users to post any and all questions they may have concerning the upcoming English Countryside in FarmVille to the thread, so that the FarmVille team may answer them.
Via this question and answer (mostly question) session, the FarmVille team will pick the very best questions to answer, with those answers being published the week of February 28. Questions, then, must be received by February 28 for consideration. Is this date purely a coincidence, or does it coincide with the week of the English Countryside's release in the game? After all, what better way to hype your players up for such a large expansion (new crops, a second farm, new NPCs, etc.) than to publish some new tidbits about the expansion via these questions - get players back into playing the game regularly, and then release the expansion to the masses!
Of course, there is a second, darker possibility to this event - that being that Zynga is looking for a way to postpone the release for as long as possible, and are using this Q&A session as a way to keep excitement high, but we're really hoping its the former.
While we can speculate all day, we'd like to know what you think about this new development. Does February 28 mark the week of the English Countryside's release, or do you think we'll have to wait much longer than that?
Via this question and answer (mostly question) session, the FarmVille team will pick the very best questions to answer, with those answers being published the week of February 28. Questions, then, must be received by February 28 for consideration. Is this date purely a coincidence, or does it coincide with the week of the English Countryside's release in the game? After all, what better way to hype your players up for such a large expansion (new crops, a second farm, new NPCs, etc.) than to publish some new tidbits about the expansion via these questions - get players back into playing the game regularly, and then release the expansion to the masses!
Of course, there is a second, darker possibility to this event - that being that Zynga is looking for a way to postpone the release for as long as possible, and are using this Q&A session as a way to keep excitement high, but we're really hoping its the former.
While we can speculate all day, we'd like to know what you think about this new development. Does February 28 mark the week of the English Countryside's release, or do you think we'll have to wait much longer than that?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Zynga will launch FarmVille English Countryside next week
That's right, be excited. All of your Special Delivery stockpiling has come to this. Zynga has just announced that the English Countryside expansion to FarmVille will launch next week. While no specific date and time was mentioned, the company made the announcement on the game's official Facebook page. So, if you're not Level 20 yet, get to it as its required to travel to the EC. Zynga dropped this hint as to how to level up quickly: Strawberries and Aloe Vera are especially great for gaining XP. Not to mention that if you throw down a few Fertilize Alls this weekend, your experience gains will increase as well. If you want to be even more prepared for the release, check out these guides on Traveling to England, Sheep Breeding, Farming the English Countryside and Working with Two Farms. We'll see you on the other side of the pond next week.
[Via FarmVille Feed]
[Image Credit: My Disguises]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille English Countryside coverage right here.
[Via FarmVille Feed]
[Image Credit: My Disguises]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille English Countryside coverage right here.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
FarmVille Cows ask: Should cow breeding go the way of pigs and sheep?
Zynga's FarmVille Cows fan page asks us a very interesting question this evening - Would you like to see Cow Breeding in FarmVille change to be similar to Sheep and Pig breeding, or are you fine with the randomized system currently in place? They ask the question via a quick poll that you can answer on their official fan page. It's a yes or no question, and as of right now, the overwhelming majority of users are stating that yes, they would like to see Cow Breeding change.
Actually, it's a bit of an odd setup. It seems as though the Cows (err, Zynga) have forgotten that Cow Breeding exists in the first place. Sure, it's not a great system, as it relies solely on luck when having both Cows and a Bull inside a Dairy Farm, but you can receive calves through that manner. The question's wording here makes it seem as though Breeding is impossible in the game altogether, but we can only imagine, then, that the question refers to the Love Potion / Sheep Breeding method of Breeding, rather than anything more simplistic.
Am I reading too much into this? Perhaps, but if, at the end of the day, this poll allows me to manually breed as many pink and purple calves as I want, then over-dramatize events I will!
Would you like to see Cow Breeding change in FarmVille to a more manual process? What about Horse Breeding? Are there any other animals you would like to breed?
Actually, it's a bit of an odd setup. It seems as though the Cows (err, Zynga) have forgotten that Cow Breeding exists in the first place. Sure, it's not a great system, as it relies solely on luck when having both Cows and a Bull inside a Dairy Farm, but you can receive calves through that manner. The question's wording here makes it seem as though Breeding is impossible in the game altogether, but we can only imagine, then, that the question refers to the Love Potion / Sheep Breeding method of Breeding, rather than anything more simplistic.
Am I reading too much into this? Perhaps, but if, at the end of the day, this poll allows me to manually breed as many pink and purple calves as I want, then over-dramatize events I will!
Would you like to see Cow Breeding change in FarmVille to a more manual process? What about Horse Breeding? Are there any other animals you would like to breed?
FarmVille: White Duckling available in new Spring theme
Just a few days ago, we gave you a sneak peek of the adorable White Duckling that we predicted would be coming to FarmVille in the near future. It was anyone's guess as to when the Duckling would launch in the game, but that time is now, as you can now purchase the White Duckling from the market for 16 Farm Cash.
The White Duckling is available in the new Spring theme of items that first launched in the game just this week, and it will only be available to purchase for a limited time - two weeks, to be exact. You'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing the Duckling, which can be grown into an adult if you so choose, but really, why would you want to? The entire point of this Duckling being limited edition is because it won't be available anytime or anywhere else (at least in our foreseeable future). Would you really want to get rid of something you paid Farm Cash for, instead of keeping this cute little fella in your Duck Pond just as he is.. forever? Perhaps that's just me, but it's something to think about either way, before shelling out the real bucks for one.
Check out the rest of our Spring / Easter 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the White Duckling? Is he cute enough to earn a permanent spot on your farm in his current form, or will you grow him up into an adult?
The White Duckling is available in the new Spring theme of items that first launched in the game just this week, and it will only be available to purchase for a limited time - two weeks, to be exact. You'll gain 1600 experience points for purchasing the Duckling, which can be grown into an adult if you so choose, but really, why would you want to? The entire point of this Duckling being limited edition is because it won't be available anytime or anywhere else (at least in our foreseeable future). Would you really want to get rid of something you paid Farm Cash for, instead of keeping this cute little fella in your Duck Pond just as he is.. forever? Perhaps that's just me, but it's something to think about either way, before shelling out the real bucks for one.
Check out the rest of our Spring / Easter 2011 coverage right here.
What do you think of the White Duckling? Is he cute enough to earn a permanent spot on your farm in his current form, or will you grow him up into an adult?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
FarmVille: Breed or adopt pigs to receive points and unlock new patterns
A huge update has been added to the Pig Pen and Pig Breeding feature in FarmVille. It's not a huge update in terms of changing how you breed pigs, as that has remained the same; rather, this upgrade adds a point system to the feature. As you breed pigs, or even adopt pigs from friends, you'll receive points. As you level yourself up as a "Pig Breeder," you'll unlock new patterns that could potentially be passed down to piglets. I guess now we know why all of those awesome patterns were recently added to the game.
Right now, it seems like there are just two ways to earn points: either by successfully breeding a Boar and Sow and raising a Piglet, or by sharing a Piglet with friends and having that Piglet adopted. While you might feel tempted to immediately start breeding your pigs, know that this feature is slowly rolling out to users, so you won't want to waste your Love Potions until you know you'll actually earn points.
Meet us behind the break to see what new patterns are available and to see just how much breeding you'll have to do to earn them. While the actual ability to earn points for breeding is still slowly rolling out, every user has access to the adoption points. You'll earn 3 points for simply adopting a Piglet, while your friends will also earn 3 points when you do. Remember, even if you put a Piglet up for adoption, no one earns any points if no one actually adopts the animal. As you work your way through the levels, you'll have access to new patterns:
Level 5: Checkered Pig Pattern
Level 10 Heart Pig Pattern
Level 15 Flower Pig Pattern
Level 20: Racing Stripe Pig Pattern
Level 25: Spiral Pattern
Level 30: Moon Pattern
Since this addition relies on lots and lots of breeding to earn points, and the easiest way to guarantee success is by using Love Potions, you can be sure that Zynga has added new ways to earn Love Potions as well. For one, you'll be able to unlock prizes in addition to the new patterns as you level up, with some prizes being free Love Potions. In addition, you'll be able to - wait for it - sacrifice pigs to the Pig Breeding altar to receive Love Potions as well. Ok, perhaps it isn't as sinister as all that, but you can "trade-in" existing pigs (say, if a Piglet didn't turn out looking as cute as you'd like) for Love Potions all the same.
To give you a better idea of how you'll level up, let's take a look at leveling from the first level to Level 2. You'll earn three points for each Piglet you breed on your land, and as you breed Piglets you'll earn either Love Potions or Bottles as prizes. For this example, you'll earn two bottles for the first two successfully breeding attempts you complete, and will then earn a Love Potion for making it to level 2. To be clear, you must breed three times (or earn nine points) to make it to level 2.
From there, it's more of the same, as you earn two Bottles and one Love Potion per level. That may not sound like much, but remember to trade in your excess pigs and you'll do just fine.
Have you received the update to Pig Breeding on your farm? Even if you haven't, will the addition of a points and level system make you want to breed more Pigs? Would you like a similar system to come to Sheep Breeding?
Right now, it seems like there are just two ways to earn points: either by successfully breeding a Boar and Sow and raising a Piglet, or by sharing a Piglet with friends and having that Piglet adopted. While you might feel tempted to immediately start breeding your pigs, know that this feature is slowly rolling out to users, so you won't want to waste your Love Potions until you know you'll actually earn points.
Meet us behind the break to see what new patterns are available and to see just how much breeding you'll have to do to earn them. While the actual ability to earn points for breeding is still slowly rolling out, every user has access to the adoption points. You'll earn 3 points for simply adopting a Piglet, while your friends will also earn 3 points when you do. Remember, even if you put a Piglet up for adoption, no one earns any points if no one actually adopts the animal. As you work your way through the levels, you'll have access to new patterns:
Level 5: Checkered Pig Pattern
Level 10 Heart Pig Pattern
Level 15 Flower Pig Pattern
Level 20: Racing Stripe Pig Pattern
Level 25: Spiral Pattern
Level 30: Moon Pattern
Since this addition relies on lots and lots of breeding to earn points, and the easiest way to guarantee success is by using Love Potions, you can be sure that Zynga has added new ways to earn Love Potions as well. For one, you'll be able to unlock prizes in addition to the new patterns as you level up, with some prizes being free Love Potions. In addition, you'll be able to - wait for it - sacrifice pigs to the Pig Breeding altar to receive Love Potions as well. Ok, perhaps it isn't as sinister as all that, but you can "trade-in" existing pigs (say, if a Piglet didn't turn out looking as cute as you'd like) for Love Potions all the same.
To give you a better idea of how you'll level up, let's take a look at leveling from the first level to Level 2. You'll earn three points for each Piglet you breed on your land, and as you breed Piglets you'll earn either Love Potions or Bottles as prizes. For this example, you'll earn two bottles for the first two successfully breeding attempts you complete, and will then earn a Love Potion for making it to level 2. To be clear, you must breed three times (or earn nine points) to make it to level 2.
From there, it's more of the same, as you earn two Bottles and one Love Potion per level. That may not sound like much, but remember to trade in your excess pigs and you'll do just fine.
Have you received the update to Pig Breeding on your farm? Even if you haven't, will the addition of a points and level system make you want to breed more Pigs? Would you like a similar system to come to Sheep Breeding?
FarmVille: Green Spots Boar and Yellow Spots Boar now available for Pig Breeding
In celebration of the changes currently rolling out in FarmVille's Pig Breeding feature, Zynga has released an unusual afternoon update to the market, which sees two new Boars added to the animals tab. You can now purchase either the Green Spots Boar or the Yellow Spots Boar for 30 Farm Cash. Oddly, the names of these creatures only tell half of the story, as your Green Spots Boar is actually predominately orange, and the Yellow Spots Boar is practically entirely purple (not that I'm complaining - just look at how cute they are!).
Both of these Boars will allow you to breed similar looking Piglets, and you have even more incentive to do so now, as you'll soon be able to earn points for each Piglet bred and kept on your farm. Remember, even if you happen to receive a rather nasty looking Piglet, you'll also be able to trade that "dud" in for Love Potions - not a bad deal.
Are these Boars worth 30 Farm Cash? You tell us - will you purchase of these for your farm, or are you more of a Sheep Breeder?
Both of these Boars will allow you to breed similar looking Piglets, and you have even more incentive to do so now, as you'll soon be able to earn points for each Piglet bred and kept on your farm. Remember, even if you happen to receive a rather nasty looking Piglet, you'll also be able to trade that "dud" in for Love Potions - not a bad deal.
Are these Boars worth 30 Farm Cash? You tell us - will you purchase of these for your farm, or are you more of a Sheep Breeder?
FarmVille Pig Pen / Pig Breeding Goals: Everything you need to know
Tonight's FarmVille update brought with it a three part goal series surrounding all things Pig - from the simple Pig Pen to Pig Breeding. Goal one is called "To Catch a Piglet," and is incredibly simple to complete:
Complete your Pig Pen
Visit 5 Neighbors
Plant an Apple Tree
Luckily, you don't have to actually do anything once you get to your neighbors' farms, so just visit five low-level players (as their farms will load faster) and move on. The Apple Tree can be purchased from the store for just 325 coins from the market. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive an Orange Tiger Boar, 200 XP and 1,500 coins. Excuse me for a moment while I squeal over how cute this little fella is.
Meet us behind the break for how to complete the next two goals in this series.
For the second goal, "A Few Piglets More," you'll need to help Angus learn more about pig breeding. You'll do this through breeding some pigs of your own. Remember, this is actually a fairly good requirement, even if it does require some Love Potions to finish quickly, as it will help you earn points and potentially unlock patterns via the new points system.
Breed 5 Piglets
Harvest 200 Spinach
Get 6 Piggy Toys
The Piggy Toys are earned through a general news post that you can post to your wall, asking all of your friends at once to help you. Meanwhile, notice that it doesn't say anything about actually growing the Piglets to adults, so you can just breed them and move on if you don't have enough Bottles on hand right now. For completing this second goal, you'll receive 200 XP, 5 Love Potions, 10 Bottles and 1,500 coins.
Finally, the third goal is called "Bringing Up Piggy," and it asks you to raise a few of those Piglets that you bred in the last quest.
Raise 3 Piglets
Buy 1 Pig Topiary
Harvest your Pig Pen
Hopefully, you haven't already harvested your Pig Pen for the day, as you'll need to wait until the next day for it to recharge. Either way, you'll need 30 Bottles in total to raise your three Piglets, while you'll need 1,700 coins to purchase a single Pig Topiary. For completing this final goal, you'll receive 200 XP, 1,500 coins, and a Pig playing in a mud pit.
All told, these are three fairly simple goals, if the final two are a bit time-consuming. Hopefully, breeding these five Piglets will help you get well on your way to unlocking new patterns for future breeding attempts, and you'll be able to fill your farm with cute little Pigs of all colors and patterns!
What do you think of tonight's goals? Have you already built a Pig Pen on both of your farms, or will you be stuck from the very first goal?
Complete your Pig Pen
Visit 5 Neighbors
Plant an Apple Tree
Luckily, you don't have to actually do anything once you get to your neighbors' farms, so just visit five low-level players (as their farms will load faster) and move on. The Apple Tree can be purchased from the store for just 325 coins from the market. For finishing this first goal, you'll receive an Orange Tiger Boar, 200 XP and 1,500 coins. Excuse me for a moment while I squeal over how cute this little fella is.
Meet us behind the break for how to complete the next two goals in this series.
For the second goal, "A Few Piglets More," you'll need to help Angus learn more about pig breeding. You'll do this through breeding some pigs of your own. Remember, this is actually a fairly good requirement, even if it does require some Love Potions to finish quickly, as it will help you earn points and potentially unlock patterns via the new points system.
Breed 5 Piglets
Harvest 200 Spinach
Get 6 Piggy Toys
The Piggy Toys are earned through a general news post that you can post to your wall, asking all of your friends at once to help you. Meanwhile, notice that it doesn't say anything about actually growing the Piglets to adults, so you can just breed them and move on if you don't have enough Bottles on hand right now. For completing this second goal, you'll receive 200 XP, 5 Love Potions, 10 Bottles and 1,500 coins.
Finally, the third goal is called "Bringing Up Piggy," and it asks you to raise a few of those Piglets that you bred in the last quest.
Raise 3 Piglets
Buy 1 Pig Topiary
Harvest your Pig Pen
Hopefully, you haven't already harvested your Pig Pen for the day, as you'll need to wait until the next day for it to recharge. Either way, you'll need 30 Bottles in total to raise your three Piglets, while you'll need 1,700 coins to purchase a single Pig Topiary. For completing this final goal, you'll receive 200 XP, 1,500 coins, and a Pig playing in a mud pit.
All told, these are three fairly simple goals, if the final two are a bit time-consuming. Hopefully, breeding these five Piglets will help you get well on your way to unlocking new patterns for future breeding attempts, and you'll be able to fill your farm with cute little Pigs of all colors and patterns!
What do you think of tonight's goals? Have you already built a Pig Pen on both of your farms, or will you be stuck from the very first goal?
Friday, December 23, 2011
FarmVille July 4th Decorations: It's never too late to celebrate America
While it may already be July 4th in some time zones in the US, that hasn't stopped Zynga from releasing even more decorations in the current July 4th limited edition item theme in FarmVille. To be specific, a set of new decorations has been released that will allow you to add some real bulk to your landscaping with an actual building (themed, of course).
That particular building is the July Cottage, priced at 300,000 coins. That may be a high price tag, but this building is completely themed, even having a flag on the roof! Other decorations include a July Fountain for 15 Farm Cash, a July Firework for 3 Farm Cash. Take note about those fireworks - they're a single use item, that will disappear from your farm after you manually launch it. You'll be able to do this by first purchasing a July Firework, and then clicking on the item on your farm and choosing the launch option.
This trio of new decorations will be available for the next two weeks, so if you're too busy celebrating America in the real world this 4th of July, know that you'll still have plenty of time to do so after the fact on your farm.
Check out the rest of our July 4th coverage right here. >
What do you think of this newest set of July 4th decorations? Will you purchase a July Cottage even with the item's high price tag?
That particular building is the July Cottage, priced at 300,000 coins. That may be a high price tag, but this building is completely themed, even having a flag on the roof! Other decorations include a July Fountain for 15 Farm Cash, a July Firework for 3 Farm Cash. Take note about those fireworks - they're a single use item, that will disappear from your farm after you manually launch it. You'll be able to do this by first purchasing a July Firework, and then clicking on the item on your farm and choosing the launch option.
This trio of new decorations will be available for the next two weeks, so if you're too busy celebrating America in the real world this 4th of July, know that you'll still have plenty of time to do so after the fact on your farm.
Check out the rest of our July 4th coverage right here. >
What do you think of this newest set of July 4th decorations? Will you purchase a July Cottage even with the item's high price tag?
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