The CityVille forums are in a stir over some sneaky changes Zynga is slowly making to how expansions work in the game. Players are reporting that one moment the cost for an expansion was the normal 500 thousand coins and level-appropriate amount of permits, but that's long gone. Upon logging in recently they've noticed the cost has been reduced to 20 thousand coins, requires no permits, but demands a total population of 25 thousand.
Unsurprisingly, players are either furious with the change or confused as to why it hasn't happened to them yet. CityVille forum moderator Amelia interjected with this:
"In our continued effort to provide everyone with a fun and balanced gaming experience we are working on adjusting the current expansion costs/requirements. What some of you are seeing is part of those adjustments, which are being rolled out slowly while we continue to work on optimizing them in order to ensure the best gaming experience for our players."
Players like Chef Tony replied, "... Requiring 25 thousand population is not making the game fun or balanced. Very few people will be able to expand their town with that requirement." Regardless of how you feel about the change, we highly recommend holding off on buying any expansions until these changes are final.
[Image Credit: Maritte]
What do you think these early changes imply for the future of expansions? How would you change expansions to better fit the game's rapid pace?
Thứ Sáu, 6 tháng 1, 2012
Thứ Tư, 4 tháng 1, 2012
Now you can ruin a Sim's life for free: The Sims FreePlay available now
Don't act like you've never driven a Sim to the brink of filth and homelessness, only to manipulate it into burning its own house down. It's what god games are all about: raw, uncompromising power. Now, EA provides players with those fatal abilities for free, and in their pocket, with The Sims FreePlay for iPhone and iPad. However, this is not a mobile version of The Sims Social.
This is a completely new game that's more akin to traditional Sims games like The Sims 3. (Though, that line has been blurred almost entirely.) Created by the team that put out The Sims 3, The Sims FreePlay lets players create their own Sim and guide it through a 3D world with their very own dog. Of course, the game takes cues from its social counterpart, like goals to complete and things like sleeping and eating to sit around and wait for completion. You know, standard social game stuff.
Gallery: Sims FreePlay iOS
Of course, you can spend LifeStyle points, which may as well be referred to as "SimCash", to speed these mundane actions up. Based on an early look at the game, we find that The Sims FreePlay is a blend of tropes from two eras of The Sims. However, rather than finding and making new friends, you'll have to create your own (up to 16). If that tickles your fancy more than relying on actual people, head over to the App Store and get to ruining--er, creating those lives.
Click here to download The Sims FreePlay for Free Now >
Are you psyched to see a free Sims game on the iPhone/iPad? Which do you think is more appealing: FreePlay or Social?
This is a completely new game that's more akin to traditional Sims games like The Sims 3. (Though, that line has been blurred almost entirely.) Created by the team that put out The Sims 3, The Sims FreePlay lets players create their own Sim and guide it through a 3D world with their very own dog. Of course, the game takes cues from its social counterpart, like goals to complete and things like sleeping and eating to sit around and wait for completion. You know, standard social game stuff.
Gallery: Sims FreePlay iOS
Of course, you can spend LifeStyle points, which may as well be referred to as "SimCash", to speed these mundane actions up. Based on an early look at the game, we find that The Sims FreePlay is a blend of tropes from two eras of The Sims. However, rather than finding and making new friends, you'll have to create your own (up to 16). If that tickles your fancy more than relying on actual people, head over to the App Store and get to ruining--er, creating those lives.
Click here to download The Sims FreePlay for Free Now >
Are you psyched to see a free Sims game on the iPhone/iPad? Which do you think is more appealing: FreePlay or Social?
Zynga Games Research Program wants you to squash its games' bugs
Want a chance to squash Zynga game bugs before they piss you off for real? The creator of CityVille has started the Zynga Games Research program in which the developer will enlist you, the players, to test its games before they're released. Well, before the new games are released in open beta. (So, would that be "closed beta," "slightly ajar beta" or just "alpha"?)
The developer is blasting the opportunity out to its many Facebook games' fan pages, offering players to take a short survey that will qualify them to take part in the testing program. Of course, Zynga is offering rewards for your time spent providing feedback to the company's various game creation teams across play-testing, interviews and--yes, unfortunately--more surveys.
But you might want to reconsider moving on to the next Internet distraction about now: Zynga will give testers cash, game cards and in-game rewards for their trouble. We don't know the quantities or frequency of said cash rewards, but cash is cash, no? Many players' comments on the company's various Wall posts advertising the program already scream the same sentiment: Focus on fixing the games you already have before releasing new games.
It's a valid complaint, as players clamor for fixes to almost endless issues daily. In response, Zynga has started to communicate with players one-on-one in luncheon chats at its San Francisco headquarters. It's clear that the company wants more feedback, and it's providing to tools for you to submit it. But what Zynga does with that feedback could not determine the enjoyability of future games, but the company's future success.
Do you plan on participating in the Zynga Games Research program? Across the board, what's the number one improvement all Zynga games desperately need?
The developer is blasting the opportunity out to its many Facebook games' fan pages, offering players to take a short survey that will qualify them to take part in the testing program. Of course, Zynga is offering rewards for your time spent providing feedback to the company's various game creation teams across play-testing, interviews and--yes, unfortunately--more surveys.
But you might want to reconsider moving on to the next Internet distraction about now: Zynga will give testers cash, game cards and in-game rewards for their trouble. We don't know the quantities or frequency of said cash rewards, but cash is cash, no? Many players' comments on the company's various Wall posts advertising the program already scream the same sentiment: Focus on fixing the games you already have before releasing new games.
It's a valid complaint, as players clamor for fixes to almost endless issues daily. In response, Zynga has started to communicate with players one-on-one in luncheon chats at its San Francisco headquarters. It's clear that the company wants more feedback, and it's providing to tools for you to submit it. But what Zynga does with that feedback could not determine the enjoyability of future games, but the company's future success.
Do you plan on participating in the Zynga Games Research program? Across the board, what's the number one improvement all Zynga games desperately need?
Zynga HQ's 1,700 staffers eat 24K pounds of food a week [Infographic]
Now we'd like to see the fleet of dishwashers at Zynga HQ. Or is it just one giant, dish-washing megazord? The creator of top social games like FarmVille and CityVille went public on the Nasdaq today, raising $1 billion at around $10 a share. As part of its day-long celebration, the company has released an infographic providing a series of interesting figures.
Alright, so maybe the lot of it is back-patting, but A.) you would be be back-patting too if you just made that kinda' cash and B.) at least some of the data raises eyebrows. Take the fact that the culinary staff at Zynga HQ serves 24,000 pounds of food per week to the San Francisco studio's over 1,700 employees. Or that the dog-to-person ratio within Zynga's main offices is 9 to 1.
In the infographic, Zynga draws a lot of comparisons between its games and other casual games and activities, such as the fact that while 2 million Scrabble boards are sold a year, 4.8 million Words With Friends games are completed daily. Comparisons like these speak volumes to the fact that Zynga isn't just after the games industry, but the entertainment industry on the whole. And based on the infographic below, CEO Mark Pincus and crew seem to be doing a fine job of that so far.
Based on the data below, what do you think of Zynga's impact thus far? What other areas besides video games could you see the company disrupting?
Alright, so maybe the lot of it is back-patting, but A.) you would be be back-patting too if you just made that kinda' cash and B.) at least some of the data raises eyebrows. Take the fact that the culinary staff at Zynga HQ serves 24,000 pounds of food per week to the San Francisco studio's over 1,700 employees. Or that the dog-to-person ratio within Zynga's main offices is 9 to 1.
In the infographic, Zynga draws a lot of comparisons between its games and other casual games and activities, such as the fact that while 2 million Scrabble boards are sold a year, 4.8 million Words With Friends games are completed daily. Comparisons like these speak volumes to the fact that Zynga isn't just after the games industry, but the entertainment industry on the whole. And based on the infographic below, CEO Mark Pincus and crew seem to be doing a fine job of that so far.
Based on the data below, what do you think of Zynga's impact thus far? What other areas besides video games could you see the company disrupting?
Zynga IPO stock: Should you buy it?
As of today, FarmVille-maker Zynga is officially a public company, and stock for the company is actively being traded under the ticker symbol ZNGA. So if you're a fan of Zynga's special breed of social games and have a passing interest in the stock market -- you might be thinking, hey, why not own a small piece of the company that makes my favorite games?
Well, if you're looking to buy in and then cash out fast, this probably won't be the stock for you. It looks like Zynga's success (or lack thereof) may be more of a slow burn. After its debut at $10/share, Zynga dipped below its starting price by mid-afternoon. This is vastly different from other tech darlings, such as LinkedIn and Groupon -- their stock jumped dramatically on the first day, and then dropped later on.
zynga ticker
Industry watchers say that Zynga's future is hazy, due to the fact that the company relies heavily on Facebook for its revenue and that internal politics are forcing out some of the more talented minds behind the company's mega hits like CityVille, FarmVille and other 'Ville' games. Then again, Zynga is a tech startups that actually makes money and, well, you know how much cash you're willing to spend on the Big Z's games -- whether you'd like to admit it or not. Multiply that by a few million and, well, you get the picture.
Image credit: Zynga
Zynga stock: Are you in or out?
I'm in!Count me out.Waiting to see what happens.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Well, if you're looking to buy in and then cash out fast, this probably won't be the stock for you. It looks like Zynga's success (or lack thereof) may be more of a slow burn. After its debut at $10/share, Zynga dipped below its starting price by mid-afternoon. This is vastly different from other tech darlings, such as LinkedIn and Groupon -- their stock jumped dramatically on the first day, and then dropped later on.
zynga ticker
Industry watchers say that Zynga's future is hazy, due to the fact that the company relies heavily on Facebook for its revenue and that internal politics are forcing out some of the more talented minds behind the company's mega hits like CityVille, FarmVille and other 'Ville' games. Then again, Zynga is a tech startups that actually makes money and, well, you know how much cash you're willing to spend on the Big Z's games -- whether you'd like to admit it or not. Multiply that by a few million and, well, you get the picture.
Image credit: Zynga
Zynga stock: Are you in or out?
I'm in!Count me out.Waiting to see what happens.
VoteView ResultsShare ThisPolldaddy.com
Nickelodeon fires Monkey Quest at iPhone, iPad with Thunderbow
Monkey Quest, the browser-based goofy action MMO (massively multiplayer online game) by Nickelodeon, seized the infinitesimal attention spans of 4 million kids last month. The entertainment company decided to capitalized on the side-scroller's success with an equally explosive iPhone and iPad game, Monkey Quest: Thunderbow. The best part? It's 100 percent free.
Thunderbow sets players' fingers behind the bow of--who else?--Thunderbow, as he shoots his way through three jungle worlds to stop an evil cat lord from taking over the jungle. (You know, standard Nickelodeon cartoon material.) Players must fire various types of arrows at enemies that block Thunderbow's path. The shooter is instantly reminiscent of Rovio hit Angry Birds, but with less puzzling play and more explosions.
The game also doubles as a companion app for kids who play Monkey Quest on the browser. Logging into Thunderbow with their details used for the original Monkey Quest will unlock exclusive weapons and equipment to use in the web game.
Of course, there's a number of boosts available to players in Thunderbow, which can be accessed through either NickCash (virtual currency) payments or a subscription. Check out the trailer below, and beware of losing your iPad to the kids for a bit.
Click here to download Monkey Quest: Thunderbow for Free Now >
Have you or your little ones tried Monkey Quest on the web yet? What do you think of Nickelodeons approach to kid-friendly MMOs?
Thunderbow sets players' fingers behind the bow of--who else?--Thunderbow, as he shoots his way through three jungle worlds to stop an evil cat lord from taking over the jungle. (You know, standard Nickelodeon cartoon material.) Players must fire various types of arrows at enemies that block Thunderbow's path. The shooter is instantly reminiscent of Rovio hit Angry Birds, but with less puzzling play and more explosions.
The game also doubles as a companion app for kids who play Monkey Quest on the browser. Logging into Thunderbow with their details used for the original Monkey Quest will unlock exclusive weapons and equipment to use in the web game.
Of course, there's a number of boosts available to players in Thunderbow, which can be accessed through either NickCash (virtual currency) payments or a subscription. Check out the trailer below, and beware of losing your iPad to the kids for a bit.
Click here to download Monkey Quest: Thunderbow for Free Now >
Have you or your little ones tried Monkey Quest on the web yet? What do you think of Nickelodeons approach to kid-friendly MMOs?
Thứ Sáu, 30 tháng 12, 2011
Building the Cafe World Bread Oven: Everything you need to know
Looking to add yet another new cooking appliance to your cafe in Cafe World? Zynga hopes that you are, as they have introduced the Bread Oven to the game today, complete with four themed recipes. This Bread Oven works as other appliances released recently, in that you'll be able to cook these exclusive dishes with only one click, and you won't have clean the oven after your meal has been prepared, regardless of whether or not you own a No Clean Fairy.
To see what you need to build this Bread Oven, come with us behind the break to get started. The base of the Bread Oven will be given to your for free upon your next login to the game. From there, you'll need to place the item into your cafe (don't worry, it only takes up a single square) and work on collecting the 30 items necessary to complete its construction. You'll need to gather 4 Loaf Pans, 8 Cooling Racks, 8 Bricks, and 10 Fire Wood.
Earning all of these items is as simple as clicking on the "Ask for More" button seen in the screenshot above, and then sending out individual gift requests to your friends to send you a single unit of that particular item. Luckily, you won't have to resort to posting general news posts that can easily be overlooked (even accidentally), so the construction really shouldn't take a high-level player (or simply a player with a lot of friends) that long to complete.
Once you finish building the Bread Oven, you'll have access to two new dishes immediately, and will be able to unlock two more dishes by completing the Bread Oven goals (guide coming soon check out our guide). The two instantly available recipes are the Sweet Dinner Rolls (a 10 minute dish) and the Banana Bread (a 30 minute dish). Make sure to start building your Bread Oven sooner, rather than later, as I've found that users are much more likely to help you with a project if they're working on it at the same time.
What do you think of the Cafe World Bread Oven? What kinds of recipes are you hoping to see added to the appliance in the future?
To see what you need to build this Bread Oven, come with us behind the break to get started. The base of the Bread Oven will be given to your for free upon your next login to the game. From there, you'll need to place the item into your cafe (don't worry, it only takes up a single square) and work on collecting the 30 items necessary to complete its construction. You'll need to gather 4 Loaf Pans, 8 Cooling Racks, 8 Bricks, and 10 Fire Wood.
Earning all of these items is as simple as clicking on the "Ask for More" button seen in the screenshot above, and then sending out individual gift requests to your friends to send you a single unit of that particular item. Luckily, you won't have to resort to posting general news posts that can easily be overlooked (even accidentally), so the construction really shouldn't take a high-level player (or simply a player with a lot of friends) that long to complete.
Once you finish building the Bread Oven, you'll have access to two new dishes immediately, and will be able to unlock two more dishes by completing the Bread Oven goals (guide coming soon check out our guide). The two instantly available recipes are the Sweet Dinner Rolls (a 10 minute dish) and the Banana Bread (a 30 minute dish). Make sure to start building your Bread Oven sooner, rather than later, as I've found that users are much more likely to help you with a project if they're working on it at the same time.
What do you think of the Cafe World Bread Oven? What kinds of recipes are you hoping to see added to the appliance in the future?
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)