With Valentine's Day still over two weeks away, but Zynga is already thinking about other important February holidays in FarmVille. Take a look at the new FarmVille Showcase, which features a few new Valentine's Day items including the hilarious Venus Gnome. But check out the Chinese Dragon in time for the Lunar New Year this Feb. 3.
Also seen in the video are what appear to be some sort of Asian-style bridge, a Heart Pig, a heart-filled canoe and what looks like a picnic scene under a tree. And since the Chinese New Year celebration starts next week, it's safe to expect this set of items to release before then at the very least.
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Sunday, January 8, 2012
Angry Birds 2 spotted ... in Germany?
Well, considering Angry Birds developer Rovio is based in Finland, it's not too far of a stretch. It appears that a German TV network has caught the first glimpses of Angry Birds 2, The Register Hardware reports. Known as Deutsche Welle, the network posted a short feature surrounding the small studio that created one of the most successful casual games to date. After showing a few quotes from Rovio CEO Mikael Hed, a few designers and fans of the game, the reporter mentions that the team is currently working on two more Angry Birds games.
The first, referred to simply as "Pink," is the Valentine's Day edition set to release on Feb. 14 (how fitting). The game will probably play out like the recent Angry Birds Halloween with a series of levels surrounding the holiday. But most importantly, the feature shows several images of what looks like the official sequel to Angry Birds. The reporter conveniently refers to them merely as "new versions of their game." From what we can judge by these blurry snapshots, the characters largely look the same within far more detailed environments.
Keep in mind, none of these screen shots have been officially confirmed by Rovio as Angry Birds 2. But if the studio was will
The first, referred to simply as "Pink," is the Valentine's Day edition set to release on Feb. 14 (how fitting). The game will probably play out like the recent Angry Birds Halloween with a series of levels surrounding the holiday. But most importantly, the feature shows several images of what looks like the official sequel to Angry Birds. The reporter conveniently refers to them merely as "new versions of their game." From what we can judge by these blurry snapshots, the characters largely look the same within far more detailed environments.
Keep in mind, none of these screen shots have been officially confirmed by Rovio as Angry Birds 2. But if the studio was will
Facebook urges game makers to ditch Flash, go HTML5
Here's your proverbial nail in coffin for the Flash versus HTML5 debate. All Things Digital reports that Facebook plans to spread the good news of HTML5 to all of the social game developers living within its cushy walls. The norm today for social games is to be developed using Adobe's Flash, which many peg for being a resource hog that isn't cross platform. (My laptop's processor and cooling fan can attest to the former.) This means that developers like Zynga can't simply take FarmVille for Facebook and throw it on the iPhone--that version was built from the ground up.
But no more. The former CTO of Second Life-creator Linden Lab, Cory Ondrejka, gave a lecture at Facebook headquarters yesterday proclaiming the benefits of making the switch to HTML5. Now a member of the Facebook team, Ondrejka wrote this in a blog post:
With wide adoption and industry support, HTML5 will transform desktop and mobile gaming, creating amazing user experiences that are only a link away. Already, over 125 million people visit Facebook using HTML5 capable browsers just from their mobile phone, and that number skyrockets when we add in desktop browsers. The future is clear.
With HTML5, the next step for website development that can also handle pretty intense game creation, making several versions of the same social game would be a thing of the past. In fact, Zynga's recent release of Mafia Wars: Atlantic City across nearly all smartphones was thanks to HTML5. Using this fresh technology, it's possible that social games could look no different if played on Facebook through a computer or a smartphone. Ondrejka admitted that HTML5 still has a ways to go when rendering games. Despite this, he wrote "We want to help," referring to Facebook's mission to getting as many developers on the HTML5 bandwagon as possible. And that means more social games in more places for us.
But no more. The former CTO of Second Life-creator Linden Lab, Cory Ondrejka, gave a lecture at Facebook headquarters yesterday proclaiming the benefits of making the switch to HTML5. Now a member of the Facebook team, Ondrejka wrote this in a blog post:
With wide adoption and industry support, HTML5 will transform desktop and mobile gaming, creating amazing user experiences that are only a link away. Already, over 125 million people visit Facebook using HTML5 capable browsers just from their mobile phone, and that number skyrockets when we add in desktop browsers. The future is clear.
With HTML5, the next step for website development that can also handle pretty intense game creation, making several versions of the same social game would be a thing of the past. In fact, Zynga's recent release of Mafia Wars: Atlantic City across nearly all smartphones was thanks to HTML5. Using this fresh technology, it's possible that social games could look no different if played on Facebook through a computer or a smartphone. Ondrejka admitted that HTML5 still has a ways to go when rendering games. Despite this, he wrote "We want to help," referring to Facebook's mission to getting as many developers on the HTML5 bandwagon as possible. And that means more social games in more places for us.
Friday, January 6, 2012
FarmVille English Countryside Sneak Peek: English Roses, Red Currant Crops and more
In addition to the new buildings and crops that we gave you a brief snapshot of earlier this week, it looks like FarmVille's English Countryside expansion will come with plenty of other crops, aside from flowers, for your to grow.
We've come across images of five new crops that appear to be English Countryside specific. While one is another flower - that being the lovely pink English Roses - the other four are actual food items. From left to right in the image above, you have the Red Currant, Radish, Turnip, and English Peas.
All of these crops will apparently be masterable, and it looks like we'll be able to gather bushels from them as well. It's great that Zynga is releasing more realistic crops to the game, along with their whimsical crops for holidays, as fans have been calling for more realism for some time. Whether this is the extent of the English Countryside crops, or whether there are more still yet to be discovered remains to be seen, but we'll make sure to let you know as soon as we find out more.
Which of these crops are you most looking forward to growing on your second,
We've come across images of five new crops that appear to be English Countryside specific. While one is another flower - that being the lovely pink English Roses - the other four are actual food items. From left to right in the image above, you have the Red Currant, Radish, Turnip, and English Peas.
All of these crops will apparently be masterable, and it looks like we'll be able to gather bushels from them as well. It's great that Zynga is releasing more realistic crops to the game, along with their whimsical crops for holidays, as fans have been calling for more realism for some time. Whether this is the extent of the English Countryside crops, or whether there are more still yet to be discovered remains to be seen, but we'll make sure to let you know as soon as we find out more.
Which of these crops are you most looking forward to growing on your second,
Game of the Day: Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts
The Game of the Day is going to bring you hidden object game awesomeness! Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts: Jump into an exciting adventure as you help Nelly and Tom free some unlucky ghosts who are being trapped by an evil alchemist! Use your Hidden Object skills to explore a mysterious world, and discover valuable clues.
Click --> play Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
Click --> play Treasure Seekers: Follow the Ghosts
Important side note: Just by playing The Game of the Day you will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a FlipCam HD. You don't need to do anything else, just play! The more you play, the more chances you have to win. For more information on the Game of Day check out the official Game of the Day hub.
FarmVille English Countryside will allow you to build a Pub and dig for artifacts
New details about the FarmVille English Countryside expansion have been revealed on Zynga's official fan page for the event, called simply "FarmVille English Countryside." We've not only been given a more detailed look at the Sheep Pen, via the picture above, but we now also know that there will be two additional characters (at least) to meet and interact with in two separate activities.
First, we'll be able to "dig for artifacts" with Professor Milton. There's no telling what this will entail - it could be as simple as receiving new collection items when we plant seeds, similar to how we find items in the Limited Time collections now, or it could even see a makeshift Treasure Isle feature come to the game, with plots to dig and treasures to discover. Zynga has been incredibly light on the details so far, but we're looking forward to what this all means.
Next, we'll be able to build a new building in the form of a Pub. Again, details are nonexistent at this point, as to whether or not the Pub will serve a purpose after it has been built, or simply be decorative, but this does give us something else to look forward to as we make our way into the new farm.
We'll make sure to bring you continued coverage on the game-changing feature as Zynga reveals new items, so keep checking back.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of these two new activities - what do you hope the "digging for artifacts" activity entails?
First, we'll be able to "dig for artifacts" with Professor Milton. There's no telling what this will entail - it could be as simple as receiving new collection items when we plant seeds, similar to how we find items in the Limited Time collections now, or it could even see a makeshift Treasure Isle feature come to the game, with plots to dig and treasures to discover. Zynga has been incredibly light on the details so far, but we're looking forward to what this all means.
Next, we'll be able to build a new building in the form of a Pub. Again, details are nonexistent at this point, as to whether or not the Pub will serve a purpose after it has been built, or simply be decorative, but this does give us something else to look forward to as we make our way into the new farm.
We'll make sure to bring you continued coverage on the game-changing feature as Zynga reveals new items, so keep checking back.
[Image Credit: Zynga]
Check out the rest of our FarmVille Cheats & Tips right here.
In the meantime, let us know what you think of these two new activities - what do you hope the "digging for artifacts" activity entails?
FrontierVille Great Tomato Race Timed Mission: Everything you need to know
Another new timed mission is available in FrontierVille, this one showing us just how evil those upcoming coyote varmints can apparently be - and showing us just how much they love tomatoes! The new timed mission is called "The Great Tomato Race" and it must be accepted on your land before March 28 in order to be able to complete it. You'll have seven days from the time of acceptance to finish this mission for your reward.
The story here is that coyotes have broken into the Jackalope Lodge's kitchen and drank all of their tomato sauce for the annual spaghetti dinner. You'll need to help the Lodge members out by gathering back all of the lost product so the spaghetti dinner can go on without a hitch. To do this, you'll need to complete three tasks:
Harvest 100 Tomatoes
Harvest 10 Neighbor Tomatoes
Collect 10 Sauce Pans Tomatoes luckily only take 15 minutes to grow, so don't be frightened by such a large number (that is, you can plant them in waves if you'd like to not do it all at once, and still not take up much time). Meanwhile, if you know of any neighbors with Victory Gardens, this would be the great time to help them with their Tomatoes, as they likely have at least five planted for you. Finally, gathering Sauce Pans is as easy as posting a general news item to your feed, asking your friends to send you Sauce Pans. Luckily, this is a "give one, get one" setup, so it shouldn't be too hard to find friends that are willing to help you, since they'll be helping themselves in the process.
The rewards for completing the Great Tomato Race are 700 coins and one Cheese Wheel decoration. This Cheese Wheel is only available (currently) through completing this mission, so make sure to do so if you want it.
If you don't have this mission on your account currently, it might be due to the fact that you have the "Same Procedure as Every Year" mission still active (this is unlikely, since they don't seem to be directly connected). Either that, or the update simply hasn't rolled around to your account yet, so keep checking back to make sure you haven't received it. This mission IS active in the game however, so go ahead and stock up on Sauce Pans by helping your friends, and you'll be prepared for the mission once it does pop in to your game.
The story here is that coyotes have broken into the Jackalope Lodge's kitchen and drank all of their tomato sauce for the annual spaghetti dinner. You'll need to help the Lodge members out by gathering back all of the lost product so the spaghetti dinner can go on without a hitch. To do this, you'll need to complete three tasks:
Harvest 100 Tomatoes
Harvest 10 Neighbor Tomatoes
Collect 10 Sauce Pans Tomatoes luckily only take 15 minutes to grow, so don't be frightened by such a large number (that is, you can plant them in waves if you'd like to not do it all at once, and still not take up much time). Meanwhile, if you know of any neighbors with Victory Gardens, this would be the great time to help them with their Tomatoes, as they likely have at least five planted for you. Finally, gathering Sauce Pans is as easy as posting a general news item to your feed, asking your friends to send you Sauce Pans. Luckily, this is a "give one, get one" setup, so it shouldn't be too hard to find friends that are willing to help you, since they'll be helping themselves in the process.
The rewards for completing the Great Tomato Race are 700 coins and one Cheese Wheel decoration. This Cheese Wheel is only available (currently) through completing this mission, so make sure to do so if you want it.
If you don't have this mission on your account currently, it might be due to the fact that you have the "Same Procedure as Every Year" mission still active (this is unlikely, since they don't seem to be directly connected). Either that, or the update simply hasn't rolled around to your account yet, so keep checking back to make sure you haven't received it. This mission IS active in the game however, so go ahead and stock up on Sauce Pans by helping your friends, and you'll be prepared for the mission once it does pop in to your game.
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